Strafe-ing my way to a bigger, leaner me (Evomuse)

[WeaponX1984]

For a little background I have always been a typical endomorph, easy to put on weight and hard to watch it go. I have had spurts where I am consistent with the gym and then life gets in the way, crazy I know. I was going solid in the gym up to the holidays then took a brief hiatus and started back with all of the resolutioners..

Prior to the holidays I had been going hard as well, I had a supply of Myosynergy that I was using and I had tried Brite prior to that. I kept the Myosynergy going but I had to drop the Brite as you can tell by my log, seemingly very effective, but my stomach ultimately won the battle. But after my break I noticed that even though I took some time off (a few weeks-little over a month), I didnt really lose much of a step and have changed my workout some with some good results. The only constant there is the Mysosynergy, the stuff is legit in my book. I was asking Dsade if anyone else has reported a cumulative effect from it and the conversation led to this log. I purchased Strafe during the initial offering and had planned to use it with Mysynergy and a log was born!

My goal is to log everything for anyone interested in the correlation between the products, my workouts have been intense and I could always use something to help me recover. Initially I will be looking to see how the results are just with the heavy workouts and the muscle growth/recovery aspect of this. Ultimately am hoping to add two of the upcoming products, Metabolic Rebirth and Epitome to try to lean out without going into a full blown cut. I am just going to see how this goes. I will try to do pictures/measurements and try to log my food with Myfitnesspal,it will be a rough estimate.

My goal for working out each week is 4-5 days split as follows:

Day 1- Chest/Back; Day 2- Shoulders; Day 3- Chest/Back; Day 4- Legs


I hope people are interested enough to follow along and if you have any questions or something specific you want me to focus on or comment on please let me know.

Supplements - Currently I will be using a multi-vitamin, fish oil, Myosynergy, Strafe and food. I will update if anything changes

 

[WeaponX1984]

Initial Skinfold Measurements

Tri- 18
Bi- 12
Back/Shoulder-22
Waist-40
BF% - roughly 31%

Circumference
Rt Arm- 15.5
Left Arm-15.5
Waist-44
Hips- 40.5
Glute-44
Rt Calf-15.5
Lt Calf- 16
Chest/Back (Nipple)-46.5
Neck-15.75

 

[WeaponX1984]

Reserved for progress/ending pictures

 

[jjobe6]

Good luck!

 

[WeaponX1984]

Day after Dose 1

I received Strafe yesterday and used it pre-bed. My workout yesterday was as follows

5 minute warm-up on eliptical

3 sets of 6-15 flat dumbbell bench press
4 sets 5-10 Rack Pulls
4 sets 6-12 incline dumbbell press
4 sets 8-15 chest supported T-bar rows
3 sets 6-12 decline dumbbell flyes
3 sets 3-10 Snatch grip high rows

15 minutes HIIT on the eliptical.

I went home completely gassed, ate dinner, gave it about an hour or so and took my first dose of Strafe. My initial reaction was that it mixes perfectly in water, I used warm water, which was a mistake. The taste of the product was good, I wont be drinking it at barbecues but it also wasnt the old JP8. The flavor was not overpowering but you got a little taste from the aminos.

Recovery - I woke up this morning feeling fine, I do not have any soreness in my chest, shoulder or back. I injured my shoulder previously so the increased workload can sometimes put strain there. My legs had been feeling a little sluggish from my Sunday leg workout but that has disappeared. I will need a few workouts to really gauge the effectiveness, especially after leg day, but so far the results are promising from a recovery standpoint

 

[WeaponX1984]

Good luck!

Thanks! Im looking forward to giving it a shot, I figure one of these times it has to work out, right? Hahaha thanks for checking in

 

[dsade]

How do the declines affect your shoulder injury? My destroyed left AC makes decline work impossible.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Ive noticed that if I keep it controlled enough and dont go too wide on the flys, staying LIGHT, and dont let it put my should in an awkward angle I react a little better than with the normal fly machines. It really depends from day-to-day, I was not able to get to the cables because they were occupied but I will usually try to switch in underhanded cable crossovers for them.

if I am being really stubborn about it and want to get them in and my shoulder aches Ive found that Animal Flex helped me a lot and I can say that I saw some good things out of your Nerve Restore when you had it up, but it is something I just live with, either work through or work around. I can say that when i was a little younger I would push through anything, regret that a little more now...

 

[WeaponX1984]

Went tonight and did shoulders, still no soreness I guess tomorrow will be a test....

Shoulder press machine 3x 8-12
machine lat raises 4x 8-12
Cable side raises 3x 8-12
Rear fly - 4x 8-12
Face pulls- 3x 6-15
Standing palof presses 4x 10-15
Wide grip upright rows- 3x6-12
Btb barbell shrugs 4x 10-12
pike Swiss ball rollouts 3x F


It was a lot of volume but I try to stay away from the anterior delt because of all the pressing movements during the week, I also am going to try and add some more ab/core work to try and help my lifting partner strengthen his core. He is dealing with some. Lower back issues, so if anyone has any good ideas as far as effective ab recommendations I'm all ears.....

 

[dsade]

It seems like when I do face pulls on shoulder day I end up with sore upper lats...and vice versa. Now, I just keep them with back day, which is 3 days after shoulder day anyway.

 

[jjobe6]

Went tonight and did shoulders, still no soreness I guess tomorrow will be a test.....

So do you think that you would have normally been sore from that workout?

 

[WeaponX1984]

It seems like when I do face pulls on shoulder day I end up with sore upper lats...and vice versa. Now, I just keep them with back day, which is 3 days after shoulder day anyway.

I was using a higher angle so activating the traps a little more, hasnt been much of an issue for me, but ill keep that in mind, I was really trying to find exercises to focus on the rear delt more that I could work into the crowded gym... not an easy task haha

 

[WeaponX1984]

So do you think that you would have normally been sore from that workout?

Thanks for stopping by. My week has been condensed because of my schedule right now and yes I normally would not hit these three workouts within 3 consecutive days, which was a good reason to start the log now, Im waiting for after an off day (this weekend) to do measurements to try and get the most realistic metric

But yes normally if I put those workouts back to back my chest would be sore and limit my ability on some of the anterior exercises. I usually start off with the Shoulder Press Machine and I think I couldve jumped to free weights instead of the machine. Usually my shoulders are fatigued and my chest being tight takes a few sets to really open up. I didnt have that at all, I dont want to completely judge anything at this point...

I am going to try and hit chest/back again today after my second day of strafe, my shoulders are a little fatigued but I will see if it limits me...

 

[WeaponX1984]

Day 3- Surprised

So I manged to get through another back/chest day today, which I would not have been able to really do before. Based on my schedule this week Im getting no real off day so I had to push through. I was able to sustain the lifts without any substantial soreness or my shoulder screaming at me. To say I was completely 100% would be a lie, but I was MUCH better than I would've been previously, without the addition of Strafe.

Last night's workout:

Iso High Row Machine - 3x12-20
Iso Lat Incline Press Machine- 3x15-20
T-bar rows- 4x10-15
Flat DB Press- 4x 10-15
Low Cable single-handed row- 3x 8-12
Incline bench cable crossovers- 3x 8-12 (set up an incline bench in between 2 low cables and did crossovers)
Hammer Curls- 3x15
Cable Pushdowns- 3x 12-20
Rope Crunches- 3x25

This was a high volume workout so I was not under max load but I felt good and did not feel limited by my previous shoulder workout or the chest/back on the day before, I was pleasantly surprised and it is something that i will monitor.

I woke up feeling pretty good today as well, a little tired but not very achy. I am also planning on doing a quick arm/cardio session tonight after work based on how I am feeling.

 

[WeaponX1984]

I ended up taking yesterday off because of my work schedule, went and added in arms today before legs...


Cable tri superset with standing db curls- sets of 15, 12, 10, 10, 8 (double drop set)
Close grip Bo with preacher curl- 10, 10, 8 (single drop)
Dip machine with the preacher curl machine- sets of 12, 10, 10

Walking/jogging intervals for 20 minutes



I felt great, awesome pump in my arms... Will add strafe in again tonight... I updated my measurements above

 

[WeaponX1984]

Yesterday I was able to do a leg workout as follows:

5 minute stationary bike warm up

Squats-5x4-12
Leg press- 3x 8-12
Hack squat- 3x 8-12
Sumo deadlift- 4x4-10
Lying leg curl- 4x 8-12
Standing calf raises- 4x12-20
Hip machines- 3x 8-12 both adduction and abduction

No cardio today but I did take strafe right before bed and I woke up with my legs only a FRACTION OF what they would be normally as far as soreness.

I have a strong feeling this is going to be extremely useful once I start with regular cardio as the combination of lifting and cardio usually leaves my legs brutalized...

 

[dsade]

Both the same day? If so, which do you do first...cardio or legs?

 

[WeaponX1984]

Both the same day? If so, which do you do first...cardio or legs?

I think I am going to work back up to that, 2 weeks ago I did 20 minutes HIIT on the elliptical after legs, it left me drained and hobbling for a few days, especially with my lower back... I did not do the cardio this time but I didnt last week either and I was still much more sore than I am today, same amount of rest, same schedule nothing has really changed except the addition of Strafe...

 

[WeaponX1984]

Ending week 1 observations

Okay, so here are my thoughts of the Strafe/Myosynergy combo after week 1:

Taste- This is directly related to Strafe as Mysynergy are pills. The taste is different from what I have had before with the melon/cantalope flavor. The taste is not overpowering, not overly sweet and it grows on you, you can definitely tell that it is an amino product but not nearly as bad as some of them Ive had in the past

Recovery- This is where the both of them have shined for me, I have been able to push harder throughout my workouts without feeling like I was completely exhausted or that I needed an extra day off. In fact, I added another day in this week. I am excited to see what happens if I up the cardio during this time as previous years that would throw a monkey wrench into the mix. My schedule was also more compressed than it would normally be this week leading to sequential workouts of back/chest- shoulder- back/chest which would have been problematic before, was not this week.

Strength- I do not know if it is from the increased recovery or the product but I have noticed an uptick with my strength and endurance during this week. As noted previously, I had a tougher week schedule-wise and was still able to push through and get everything I wanted out of my workouts.

Measurements- This will be updated moving forward, I took all of my measurements (noted above) on the morning after an off-day to try and keep the results as honest as possible. My last real litmus test is from the last time I measured anything back in August or so. I will continue to update here but am very hopeful to try and lean out while keeping my strength

Overall Observations- So far I have been impressed. I cannot say enough about this combo, I have noticed an increased sweat with Myosynergy and a need for more water, but overall I have been able to push harder, longer and with shorter rest. Now, I am not stupid enough to keep pushing the boundaries but I am sure that it is this combo that is making it possible at all.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Workout #1 on Week 2

Here is the workout from last night. I was completely DRAINED, so I took some more time to get through it but I still managed it:

DB Bench Press- 3x8-15
Tbar Row- 3x8-11
Incline DB- 3x8-12
Deadlift (first time back in awhile)- 4x3-8
ISO High Row- 3x 8-12
Tricep pushdown w/ preacher machine- 3x8-11
Dips w/ chin-ups - 1xF


** I took Strafe that night and when I woke up my chest and back was not really sore but I think I slept wrong because the area of my neck by my upper right trap is killing me, limited ROM for my head so the gym tonight might be up in the air... was planning on shoulders...

 

[MidwestBeast]

Awesome log so far, man!

Strafe was made for MyoSynergy! Such a great combo.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Awesome log so far, man!

Strafe was made for MyoSynergy! Such a great combo.

Thanks, trying to keep it up, I realized that my neck/trap issue was not from sleeping, I woke up with it bothering me, I think I pushed to hard on my deadlifts and strained my neck.... took yesterday off, probably today as well, hoping for getting back into it tomorrow...plus been battling a cold, the gf and half the people in my work have the flu, hoping I miss that one

But you are absolutely right, DOMS has been VERY minimal with this stack and my strength continues to rise

 

[Geoforce]

Damn, late to the party but caught up now. Strafe should definitely clear up any DOMS issues. Recovery is a big bonus.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Damn, late to the party but caught up now. Strafe should definitely clear up any DOMS issues. Recovery is a big bonus.

Thats okay, better late than never!

 

[WeaponX1984]

I have not abandoned the thread, the "slept wrong" was actually a muscle strain in my neck, coming back slow, need to log my last shoulder workout, I also have been battling the flu from every angle, but still pushing strong, stay tuned!

 

[Geoforce]

I have not abandoned the thread, the "slept wrong" was actually a muscle strain in my neck, coming back slow, need to log my last shoulder workout, I also have been battling the flu from every angle, but still pushing strong, stay tuned!

Sounds good my man. Hope you get feeling better, the crap is definitely going around my area!

 

[dsade]

Sounds good my man. Hope you get feeling better, the crap is definitely going around my area!

Same here...::::cough Gut Health cough:::

 

[WeaponX1984]

Sounds good my man. Hope you get feeling better, the crap is definitely going around my area!

Yeah everyone at work is sick and the gf is sick, the gym is the only place where everyone isnt sick. But then I have to walk into a lockerroom full of old naked dudes with no shame, and I feel sick, hahaa......man there is no escaping it, then the weather isnt helping

she works with people in a mental health facility and most of her residents hit the hospital with the flu/pneumonia but im just pushing through it, the recovery from this stack has been killer

 

[WeaponX1984]

Same here...::::cough Gut Health cough:::

I just picked some up with my last order, I had some on hand, started taking 2/day at the end of last week, im debating dropping it to one or keeping it higher until i kick some of this fatigue/cold symptoms

 

[dsade]

I just picked some up with my last order, I had some on hand, started taking 2/day at the end of last week, im debating dropping it to one or keeping it higher until i kick some of this fatigue/cold symptoms

If I feel anything come on I do the double dose.

 

[Geoforce]

Same here...::::cough Gut Health cough:::

Year round staple. And I believe in it's power for immune system. I haven't been truly have to take a day off work since I've been on it.

 

[dsade]

Year round staple. And I believe in it's power for immune system. I haven't been truly have to take a day off work since I've been on it.

Sorry about that.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Year round staple. And I believe in it's power for immune system. I haven't been truly have to take a day off work since I've been on it.

That's awesome! I hate taking sick days when I'm actually sick. I somehow feel cheated hahahaha

 

[WeaponX1984]

If I feel anything come on I do the double dose.

I can tell you it has helped in the past, I've tried each version... i was recently diagnosed with ibs and they tried to give me medicine for it which didn't help as much as my time on gut health...

But those Brite betas destroyed my stomach, i had too many close calls...never had to run into so many random places to blow up the bathroom...hoping version 2 works out better haha, or even better, I hope the epitome I ordered works...

2 workouts to log tonight as I get back to the computer

 

[Geoforce]

Definitely excited to see how Epitome treats people...and of course myself!

 

[WeaponX1984]

Definitely excited to see how Epitome treats people...and of course myself!

Agreed! I bought a few bottles, ill be making this more detailed as well

 

[WeaponX1984]

Previous Shoulder workout

Just catching up, this was a few days after the neck strain so i was a little more cautious

Seated Military press- 3x6-12
Incline bench reverse fly w/ full can raises - 3x8-12
Cable lat raises- 3x 8-12 w/ cable signle arm shrugs
Wide grip upright rows w/ dumbbell lat raises. 3x8-12
Face pulls- 4x8

It was a short workout but my shoulders were torched..


The recovery was very good adding the strafe in and I have to say I think it helped my neck as it wasnt as sore the following day, but i cant say for sure...

 

[WeaponX1984]

Wednesday 3-4

Had a good workout after a few days rest

Flat DB Bench press- 3x 6-12
Tbar Row- 3x 6-12
Incline DB- 3x6-12
bent over BB row- 3x 6-11
Incline bench lying cable crossovers- 3x6-12
Snatch Grip High Rows- 3x6-11

Cardio - 20 Minutes w/ 10 minutes HIIT on the elliptical....

with the myosynergy I have been dripping sweat, adding in the epitome I am hoping will help me shed some of this weight..

 

[WeaponX1984]

So here is the point that I'm at now

Still a lot of work to be done, hoping to really get to a good place...

 

[WeaponX1984]

Shoulders 3/6

Seated Military Press- 3x6-12
Incline reverse fly w/ db "full can" raises- 3x 8-12
Cable lat raises w/ cable 1 arm shrugs- 3x8-12
Arnold Presses w/ face pulls - 3x9-12
Wide grip upright rows w/ lateral dumbbell raises- 3x6-12
Barbells shrugs w/ behind the back barbell shrugs on smith machine- 3x 6-12

Overall by the end of the workout my shoulders were screaming. It was a good one, then I came home and shoveled snow off a car and dug out my girlfriends car so she could get out this morning.

I took Strafe tonight with a scoop of the Myopeptide protein powder that I picked up, the strawberry flavor, it helped out with the taste of strafe tremendously!

Observations- From the feel of the end of my workout I was sure i was going to wake up in some serious pain. I can tell you that when I woke up I was a little sore but not NEARLY as sore as I normally wouldve been, I purposefully added more anterior delt work in for two reasons, 1. to see how it would treat me with my shoulder issue and the increased work and 2. to test recovery.

The results were tremendous! I was able to push through the exercises and by the end I was holding my arms up because it took some of the tension/pain off of my shoulders, then I went and had to shovel snow/ice, which was not fun, but I made it through and woke up feeling 100x better than I would have before starting Strafe.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Sooo... I'm alive, but just barely hahah

In the last week I had a birthday, a sleep apnea test and a serious sinus infection...but I'm back... Did not get a chance to log my last two workouts

Here goes

Workout 1- legs

Squats 5x 6-12;
Leg press 3x 6-12
Hack squat 3x 8-15
Sumo dead lift 3x 6-10


Workout 2-

Military press 3x 6-12
Incline reverse db flues w y raises 3x 8-12
Cable lat raises w cable shrugs 3x 6-12
Arnold presses w/ face pulls 3x9-12
Wide grip upright rows w db lat raises 3 6-12
Barbell shrugs 3x 6-12 w behind the back smith shrugs



So I've been out for about a week recouping but I am back...I also have some epitome and it was so f'ing hard to hold up but I wanted to feel 100% first....so I'll be back

 

[WeaponX1984]

I was also inking about trying a few new goals to make this interesting, even above the straight leaning/muscle building/ fat cutting.....

I've really wanted to try a zombie mud run or this new inflatable 5k, I also have had a hard time with pull-ups.... Maybe I'll will try to incorporate running and accomplishing some pull ups into the log,may sound stupid but it's maker measurable goal In Addition to the physical....


I can definitely test strafe with does.... The running would be new and it's been a long time...any suggestions

 

[Geoforce]

I was also inking about trying a few new goals to make this interesting, even above the straight leaning/muscle building/ fat cutting.....

I've really wanted to try a zombie mud run or this new inflatable 5k, I also have had a hard time with pull-ups.... Maybe I'll will try to incorporate running and accomplishing some pull ups into the log,may sound stupid but it's maker measurable goal In Addition to the physical....


I can definitely test strafe with does.... The running would be new and it's been a long time...any suggestions

This may be obvious, but pullups are going to be VASTLY made easier by simple weight loss. Sure you can do all sorts of things to work on them and grip strength and that will all help, but you want to increase your pullup ability drop 15 pounds and watch it get so much easier.

As for the running I think I would start with sprints UNLESS your goal is eventually to be able to distance run. And even if it is I still may start with sprints. Here's why:

1. Sprints kick ass for body comp. Nothing insane, just try some hill sprints or incline treadmill. Don't even need to get a ton if you're overweight. Leave some gas in the tank and build up.

2. If you haven't ran in a long time I'd rather run HARD and be done quickly than attempt to go on some sort of weak ass long jog. Jogging sucks for body comp anyways.

3. As sprints become easier you can work your way backwards with some longer "hard runs" (if sprints were a 9 out of 10 try a 7 out of 10).

Just my suggestion. I ****ing hate running with a passion, but can handle sprints because it gets over quick and it makes you a badass (look at a sprinters body compared to some marathon dweeb). Would you even need to spend a lot of time running on the inflatable 5k anyways? Seems general physical preparedness would help.

Just my .02

 

[WeaponX1984]

This may be obvious, but pullups are going to be VASTLY made easier by simple weight loss. Sure you can do all sorts of things to work on them and grip strength and that will all help, but you want to increase your pullup ability drop 15 pounds and watch it get so much easier. As for the running I think I would start with sprints UNLESS your goal is eventually to be able to distance run. And even if it is I still may start with sprints. Here's why: 1. Sprints kick ass for body comp. Nothing insane, just try some hill sprints or incline treadmill. Don't even need to get a ton if you're overweight. Leave some gas in the tank and build up. 2. If you haven't ran in a long time I'd rather run HARD and be done quickly than attempt to go on some sort of weak ass long jog. Jogging sucks for body comp anyways. 3. As sprints become easier you can work your way backwards with some longer "hard runs" (if sprints were a 9 out of 10 try a 7 out of 10). Just my suggestion. I ****ing hate running with a passion, but can handle sprints because it gets over quick and it makes you a badass (look at a sprinters body compared to some marathon dweeb). Would you even need to spend a lot of time running on the inflatable 5k anyways? Seems general physical preparedness would help. Just my .02

I appreciate the input, it was just an idea I had, do you think sprinting is the easiest way to get back into it or start off easier jumping into sprints?

 

[Geoforce]

I appreciate the input, it was just an idea I had, do you think sprinting is the easiest way to get back into it or start off easier jumping into sprints?

If it's been a long time you may try to ease into sprints, but the sooner you can get there for body comp the better. I like the idea of doing about ten good hill sprints (assuming the hill isn't crazy) followed by some long slow cardio (I just walk). You may need to ease into it. And I don't sprint all out like if a murder was chasing me. I'm a nice 9 out of ten speed. Don't try to run faster than you can that's a good way to get injured. Hills should lessen the chance of injury as well.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Progress and an update...

I started on February 18 and lost some time due to getting sicm, but I maintained Myo synergy and strafe..the taste of strafe grew on me.... and the non existent DOMS is killer...

Strength increase so far= I know I did not post numbers with my lifts but I can say that I have noticed a cumulative effect. I was able to add more exercises for my anterior delts that I would not have before. I also noticed both my squat and db bench press yielded better results...my squat jumped tremendously and I jumped on the db bench press..

So I put on strength while I ended up going up about a half pound while losing an inch and a half on my waist.

I am attaching pictures taken recently to compare although the pictures will not tell the whole story.

I have agreed to log epitome and will be jumping over there. I will also log my last few workouts here...including tonight

 

[WeaponX1984]

Initial Skinfold Measurements (March 22nd)

Tri- 18 - (18)
Bi- 12 (12)
Back/Shoulder-22 (20) = -2
Waist-40 (32) = -8
BF% - roughly 31%

Circumference
Rt Arm- 15.5 (15.75) = +0.75
Left Arm-15.5 (15.5)
Waist-44 (42.5) = -1.5
Hips- 40.5 (40) = -0.5)
Glute-44 (43.5) = -0.5
Rt Calf-15.5 (16.5) = +1.0
Lt Calf- 16 (16)
Chest/Back (Nipple)-46.5 (46) = -0.5
Neck-15.75 (15.25) = -0.5

 

[WeaponX1984]

Last Few Workouts

Last Wednesday- Chest/Back

H.S. Incline Press- 4x 8-12
HS High Row- 4x 8-12
Flat DB BP- 4x5-12
Tbar Row- 4x 8-12
Incline bench C.Cross= 3x 10-15
Db pulloovers- 3x 8-15
Rope Crunches- 3x 15-25
Stanidng Paloff press- 3x 8-12

Last Thursday- Shoulders

Seated mIlitary Press- 3x 6-12
Reverse incline fly w/ Y raises- 3x 10-15
Cable lat raises w/ cable shrugs- 3x 8-15
Seated Arnold press w/ face pulls- 3x 8-11
Wide grip Upright rows w/ db lat raises- 3x 8-12
BB Shrug w/ Behind the back BB shrugs - 3x 8012

**I noticed an increase in volume, I have been able to add more with the Strafe/Myosynergy combo without the worry of increased DOMS

Tonight- Legs

Squats- 5x 4-12
Hack Squats - 3x 6-12
Sumo Deadlift- 3x 4-10
Leg Press- 3x 10
Calve presses- 3x 15-25
Lying Leg Curils 3x8-15

 

[liftandswim]

Best of luck on your journey.

 

[WeaponX1984]

Best of luck on your journey.

Thank you, Im obviously going to need it! Haha

I will try to maintain this along with my log for Epitome

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/266207-putting-epitome-test.html#post4877418