Misfit28 gets back into lifting and will become Legendary....

[Misfit28]

So, I would first of all like to thank pyrobatt and C & P for allowiing me to log their -(-)epi/laxo with absorption enhancer and their new Cannibal Cronus protein.

I chose the Omnipotent Orange flavor for the protein, and have tried it for a few days now. I like it so far, but I have had some weird things going on with my taste buds lately. I can taste the orange flavor in it, and it is subdued but pleasant. I might try mixing it into some plain greek yogurt during this log to see how that goes

Here are the product labels, followed by the pic of what I received:

ABOUT ME​

I first started my journey in March of 2011 at the ripe old age of 36 years old, starting at a weight of 335 lbs. I struggled to lose weight through caloric restriction and cardio alone, and did a little research (since that's what I do for a living ), and decided to try lifting for the first time in my life. That was in November of 2011. Once I started lifting with the Stronglifts program (5 X 5), the weight began to fall off quickly.

I reached my low weight back in March of 2013, hitting 210 lbs. at about 15% BF or so. Since then, I focused on lifting 5/3/1 style and stayed relatively lean while adding some mass.

This year I did not do as well. I've ended up letting myself go by not tracking my intake and doing a lot less lifting. I'm working a second job at UPS right now, and that plays into it, but I need to get myself back into the mindset, and I'm hoping this log will help me with that. I'm now back to about 259 lbs. and my body fat has gone up quite a bit, probably edging up to about 25-30% BF. Not good.

I hadn't seriously lifted in close to two months as of yesterday, and hit OHP to start a new cycle of 5/3/1 with significantly lower weights. However, I WILL get my strength back, and this time I want to get to even lower levels of BF%.

STRATEGY:​

During this log, I will be tracking my intake and my lifts every day.

I always have a problem with determining my activity level, so I'm going to try to get a starting range by using a moderate activity level. I lift 3-4 times a week and work 5 days a week at night at UPS. I figure that at least puts me at moderate. Of course, I will be tracking my weight and appearance and adjust as needed. I haven't been tracking in MFP at ALL for almost 6 months, so I need to get back in that groove. I will be weighing each Monday.

Using Katch-McCardle with a BF% estimate at 30% with Moderately active as my activity modifier gives me a TDEE of 3,333 calories per day. I'm going to try out a 20% deficit, putting me at roughly 2,700 calories per day.

Here's the macro breakdown:

212g P
195g CHO
116g F

2,672 calories

LIFTING​

Lifting will be as follows:

5/3/1 (possibly with BBB) Deadlift, Bench, OHP and possibly Squat.

I haven't decided whether or not to do BBB while trying to cut or not. I think just the 5/3/1 with the + sets should be enough to maintain intensity while cutting, and in a deficit I most likely won't build any muscle mass.

I say "possibly" Squat, as I have some serious issues with heel spurs on the part of my heels where the Achilles attaches. Squatting seems to seriously affect this, in a bad way. I'm feeling better after taking Cissus XT and Joint Support XT everyday, along with some stretching, but my entire posterior chain is always tight. My calves, hammies and glutes are super tense all of the time. I think I need to try to add some flexibility and mobility work. Like I have the time!!!

 

[tyga tyga]

Subd

I've been using bulk cissus @2.4g daily. Have seen a good deal of improvement as far as "healthy" joints feel.

Oh yeah, injuries are full of suck.

 

[mattierocks]

Subbed. Awesome job so far, good luck getting back in!

 

[Misfit28]

Subbed. Awesome job so far, good luck getting back in!

Thanks! Welcome to the log!

 

[pyrobatt]

Subbed brother

 

[Misfit28]

Thanks for subbing guys!

Not a lot to report on yet. I believe this is day 4 of 5 of Legendary. I've been dosing it in the AM before breakfast/pre workout and 1 later in the day. Enjoying the Cronus with my breakfast/pre-workout meal

Heading in to the gym in just a minute here to hit Deadlifts. I'll probably have to adjust the weight down, but we'll see. After workout report coming in an hour or two.

One thing to note that may not be related at all to Legendary is the fact that I seem to be urinating a LOT more frequently. Of course, I might just be drinking more water too, LOL.

Anyway, off the the gym

 

[Misfit28]

Just got back from the gym, and it went pretty well. Not as well as hoped, but better than expected

I adjusted down just due to the fact that I know I have lost strength. This cycle was supposed to start at 350 X 5+, but ended up with a top set of 315 X 6.

Not too bad, I guess. I did need straps and belt on last set. Actually, may have just needed the straps and not the belt, I just always belt up for my top set.

Endurance was good, vascularity was pretty good. I can tell my conditioning took a big hit, though.

Post-workout, I popped my second Legendary of the day, along with two McDoubles, fish oil and vitamins

 

[Misfit28]

Oh. My. God. I am so sore today lol.

My upper back, traps and glutes are sore.

I noticed my muscles seen to be more full lately and my hunger is increasing a bit as well.

I've been tracking my intake for five days and have kept pretty on track. I ate slightly more yesterday because I was ravenous after Deadlifts and working at UPS. I think the final total was about 3,300 calories.

 

[bighulksmash]

looking good here man , that stack looks awesome too!!!!!!!! subbed
!

 

[Misfit28]

Hit Bench yesterday, and I think I guessed my strength reduction correctly. I got 5 reps on 165, which is a significant loss from before.

However, I was at a different gym than normal and had no spotter. Also the bench was one of those that rocks forward to unrack the bar, which kind threw me off a little.

I probably could have gotten a couple more reps, but oh well

I also threw in some bicep, tricep and shoulder work as well.

I have noticed my vascularity seems to be increasing and muscle fullness is good right now. I'm going to keep track of this over the next few weeks.

 

[Misfit28]

looking good here man , that stack looks awesome too!!!!!!!! subbed
!

Thanks, brother!

 

[Misfit28]

Still sticking to my caloric intake most days. I didn't track Saturday or Sunday, though. Weight was 259 on Monday.

Still dosing Legendary in the morning before breakfast and/or workout, second dose usually before lunch.

Muscles are feeling a lot more full lately. Pump seems to be increasing. After my workout, my muscles feel more full during the day.

Hit OHP today, hitting a top set of 3+ @ 125 X 6. After I did 4 X 10 Bench at 115 lbs., Face pulls, tris and bis. No strength increase beyond normal yet.

I have noticed that my mood seems to be a bit better, and I have also noticed that my Achilles tendon on my left heel seems to be feeling better than it was before.

No soreness noticed after Bench on Saturday.

Still enjoying the Omnipotent Orange Cronus. My taste seems to be returning a bit, not sure what is up with that.

Still have only tried it in water or milk as a shake.

 

[Misfit28]

Man, I'm feeling so tired lately. I think I need to get my doc to do a sleep study on me for my annual physical. Afraid the apnea has come back

Anyway, hit Deads this morning after 1 cap of Legendary and 2 scoops of OL Conqu3r Unleashed. Getting back in the swing of hitting the gym, didn't get over 3 reps on 335 like I wanted, but hit the minimum at least. I think my form was off a bit on my top set. Guy next to me doing Deads had super bad form and I was afraid he was going to rupture something LOL.

Vascularity and fullness are on point. I've also noticed some libido increases lately. Still eating a bit more on training days, and lower on rest days. Weight staying steady, but feel like I'm leaning a bit.

Loving the Orange Cronus so far, I'm not getting too tired of the flavor yet at all. I like the consistency, one reason I like blends over isolates. 16 ounces of water per 2 scoops (8 for 1) seems to be good for a semi-thick shake.

 

[Woody]

Hit Bench yesterday, and I think I guessed my strength reduction correctly. I got 5 reps on 165, which is a significant loss from before.

However, I was at a different gym than normal and had no spotter. .

I've been struggling on bench without a spotter. I think the safety blanket helps mentally bc if I get in over my head I don't cut my neck off

 

[Misfit28]

I've been struggling on bench without a spotter. I think the safety blanket helps mentally bc if I get in over my head I don't cut my neck off

Absolutely! Same thing today as well unfortunately

 

[Misfit28]

I hit Bench again today, and I hit the minimum of three reps on my 3+ day

Hit 175 for 3, which puts my estimated 1RM at a piddly 192. At one time, I was right at around 230 for a 1RM. Still not impressive for my size, but better than 192

Oh well, muscle memory will come back after a while, and I am currently stockpiling goodies for another type of run I want to cut some fat and get my lifts back to semi-normal before doing that, though.

Diet tracking is still on point so far, hitting around 2,700 calories on rest day and ~3,200 on lifting days.

After Bench, I hit 5 X 10 @ 75 lbs. on Standing Barbell OHP. After that, I hit Face pulls, Curls and Tricep Extensions. Added a little high rep Machine bench mostly for pump after

My preworkout was 1 scoop of IFN Max Out and 2 scoops of OL's Conqu3r unleashed Stim Free A little too much Glycerol, but otherwise the focus and pump were on point

Still really enjoying the protein, and I feel like I am leaning a bit. My shirts are fitting a bit better, but I also feel more solid. Libido is still pretty high at times, especially right after dosing.

 

[vujade]

you can do this bro..!!!

 

[Misfit28]

So sorry for the lack of updates. I'll definitely give some more details tomorrow, but my return to the gym is going nicely

I've hit the gym Monday for OHP and Tuesday for Deadlifts, with today being a rest day.

Back tomorrow morning for Bench and maybe some legs, as I have a feeling the coming snowstorm on Friday may impact things

 

[puccah8808]

This last year wasn't too nice to you and me but we got this! 2016 is our comeback year! In here to see the magic!

 

[Misfit28]

Quick update:

Feeling stronger, but still not as strong as I want to be. I feel like I'm leaning out a bit, calories are staying pretty consistent.

Finished off the protein today

Monday, I hit 3 reps on 135 on OHP. That was my 1+ set. After that I did 5 X 10 on Bench for my BBB sets.

Tuesday I hit Deadlifts. Ended up with a triple on my 1+ set of 350. Nothing else that day.

This morning I did Bench. No spotter, so only got 3 reps with 185 on the 1+ set.

Still excellent muscle fullness, and I'm liking the recovery so far.

 

[Misfit28]

Sorry for lack of updates. Still hitting it semi-hard and regaining my strength

Feeling good on Legendary. I have noticed that my recovery is better, but that may also be from getting back in the groove as well.

Just had my physical today, and my Cholesterol is A-OK. Also had a good fasting BG and my BP was decent. Pulse rate was 55 after 400mg of Caffeine Oddly enough my TSH was elevated for the third time in the last couple of years. Maybe I have hypothyroidism?

Hit Deadlifts a few minutes ago and started a new cycle on 5/3/1. Yesterday I got the bare minimum on 125 of 5 reps.

Today I hit Deadlift for 6 reps at 325. Felt good, form was pretty spot on.

I am feeling more full and alpha lately. Vascularity is also pretty good, especially considering my current BF%.I need to get a testosterone test to see what my levels are right now. Gearing up and getting stocked up for a run after I cut some fat. I'm feeling leaner, but yesterday I had lost about .8 lbs.

 

[carmaf]

Subbed. I know from personal experience how hard the up and downs of the fitness journey can be, it took me a lot of trial and error to stay on track for good, but if I can do it so can you. Good luck getting back in shape sir!

 

[vujade]

its always hard getting back going after you've been away.

Just got to keep it going my man

 

[Misfit28]

Subbed. I know from personal experience how hard the up and downs of the fitness journey can be, it took me a lot of trial and error to stay on track for good, but if I can do it so can you. Good luck getting back in shape sir!

its always hard getting back going after you've been away.

Just got to keep it going my man

Thanks, guys! Glad to have you both!

It has been a struggle for sure. The holidays and a conference threw me off track for sure, and I have been backsliding for a while. Just have to get back in the game and stay there

 

[vujade]

Same here. December did me in. I gained 7 pounds. But I've been working at it hard to get it back down.
So far I've lost about 2 of the 7 in the past 2 weeks.

Just started doing the Palumbo Cutting Diet again on Monday that should really accelerate the fat loss

 

[kenpoengineer]

Lurking brother. Keep killing it. Slow and steady wins the race. Have your doctor look at more than just TSH, have him test yourT3 free and T4 free.

 

[Audioph1x]

Subbed man. As long as you're getting stronger it doesn't matter what your total is. Just keep pushing man you'll be way stronger than you were before you know it.

 

[Misfit28]

Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't update today or yesterday.

I hit Bench yesterday for the next cycle of my 5/3/1 routine. I managed 6 reps on 170, even though the last two were kinda rest pause, as I had no spotter. After that I hit 5 X 10 on OHP at 85 pounds. Felt good and pumped by the end

I added some triceps extensions, curls and face pulls at the end and was done in about 45 minutes.

I'm loving the fullness to my muscle as of late. I also seem to have some extra endurance and vascularity as well. Recover is also good. I forgot to mention that I upped the dose to a total of three per day towards the end of the first bottle, and am now into the second bottle.

 

[Audioph1x]

You're at 450mg of epicatechin per day, correct?

 

[Misfit28]

You're at 450mg of epicatechin per day, correct?

Yep, 150mg per cap.

 

[Misfit28]

Had a pretty good cheat day on Saturday for the NHL All Star skill competition. I just got one of these last Friday:

The wife and I made fresh salsa, guacamole and mango margaritas with it

Needless to say, it was a full on cheat day and no food was tracked LOL. It's basically our Super Bowl, as we both pretty much hate football

My son plays hockey, so we are really into it

Unfortunately, we just found out last night that his favorite coach passed away last Thursday. Their season ended last Sunday (1/23). He didn't show up on the ice for the All Star festivities (they were here in Nashville this year), and found him dead of a heart attack

Next post I'll detail what I did this morning.

 

[Misfit28]

I hit OHP and BBB Bench today, and felt good. I hit a top set of 130 for 5 total reps. Three back to back and 2 more after about a 10 second rest. Felt good.

Afterwards I dropped the weight on my BBB Bench to 95 and hit 5 X 10 of slow, controlled reps. Felt really good, got some good time under tension

Muscles are still feeling very full, and I'm feeling pretty confident lately.

Around 1.5 hours before workout was a smoothie with 1 banana, 1 cup strawberries, water and 2 scoops of whey. I took 1 Legendary, 1 Noopept XT and 1 scoop of Rainbow Sherbet Max Out before my workout. I was in the zone, all workout blasting the Cannibal Corpse Pandora channel

After the Bench, I did some quick pump work on Face Pulls.

Weigh-in this morning was 255.4 lbs.

 

[Misfit28]

Yesterday ended up being a rest day. I have gotten horrible sleep the last couple of nights, not sure why.

As a result, my Deadlift today was a bit miserable Only got 3 reps on 340 on my 3+ set. The worst part is that the third rep only came after I rested for about 30 seconds.

I'm hoping I get some much needed sleep tonight, not lifting tomorrow.

My wife and I have been eating really well since we got the new Ninja. It makes it so easy to make a nice smoothie. It will be super handy during bulk season as well

Easing into my cut over the next few weeks. Might log the stuff I'm going to run, haven't decided yet. I've been busy acquiring goodies through the auction thread. I've been planning it out today. Should be interesting

I think I have about 2 weeks left of the Legendary before I do the final review. I'm really liking it and I think it gives me a little edge as I ease into my cutting phase. This also gives me time to see about where my metabolism is currently sitting.

 

[Misfit28]

Fell off the tracking bandwagon last night for dinner. It wasn't too bad, though. I just forgot to log it

Wife made chicken fajitas with the homemade guacamole and salsa to top it off. Also, homemade refried beans.

Hit Bench today, fasted, except for two caps of Legendary and 2 scoops of OL CU. Felt good, but only got three reps on the top set of 3+. Very odd lately, maybe the time off took a bigger toll on my strength than I thought. Maybe I should back off the weight about 10 pounds and work back up. AFter that, I hit 5 X 10 on Standing Barbell OHP. Only used 75 pounds, but I made every single rep count. Good tension maintained all the way up and down.

Afterwards, I hit 2 X 20 on Face Pulls and a quick set of 10 on Hammer DB Curls. In and out in 45 minutes The pump was really nice in my shoulders, and I still feel it a bit right now (almost 5 hours later). Good stuff.

Trying out 4 caps to see what effects it can have. It's the top limit recommended on the bottle.

 

[carmaf]

Please, post pics of aforementioned dinner next time you bring up something so tasty

 

[Misfit28]

Sorry for the lack of updates, it's been a crazy week at work!

I honestly haven't hit the gym since Monday morning this week. I may have to just hit the gym on weekends now, due to my job getting very busy

Still easing into my upcoming cut, which should be a fun run

Monday I only hit 1 rep on 140 on OHP, not great I'm thinking of transitioning into Waterbury's 10 X 3 fat loss program for my cut, with lots more cardio
and lifting two times per week. I might try to do either a Saturday or Sunday lift and a Wednesday lift. I'm actually kinda bummed I'll be lifting less, as I'm going to be running some Osta and hopefully some of the new Super Epi Elite.

I can't say my strength has increased much during this run, but my lifting time has taken a serious hit lately. The winter time gets me kinda down at times (SAD, maybe?), resulting in work moving into first priority. Spring is coming soon, so it;'s time to shake off the excuses and get it done!

 

[Misfit28]

FINAL REVIEW
​

Still tracking caloric intake, and averaging about 3k calories per day. I had a bad splurge over the weekend while the wife and kid were gone, LOL.

Devoured an entire Little Caesar's pizza on Saturday while playing Neverwinter on Xbox One, LOL. Of course, all I had to eat was that and a smoothie that day.

I finished out the second bottle of Legendary yesterday, and I feel that it was a good run. I need to get an accurate weight tomorrow morning, but I think I may have lost a few lbs. of fat over the almost two month period. I'm just about to start cutting pretty hard, and hope to be free of the useless mass over the next several months. I believe I started out at about 259 at the start of this log, and I'm hovering around 255 or so right now.

I'll also say that I loved the Omnipotent Orange Cronus protein as well. I love the Orange flavor, and really loved mixing it with vanilla protein as well. Nice creamsicle flavor that way I will definitely consider buying more of this protein in the future, but might switch to the Weight protein, as it is an isolate.

My final thoughts on Legendary:

I really enjoyed my run of this. As far as -(-)epi products go, I've only used CEL Epi-Plex before, and I would say that this is comparable. The added Laxo gave me some extra fullness to my muscles, and I feel like my endurance is increased a bit.

No strength gains for me, but that is totally my fault. My training has been in the toilet lately, something I really need to fix to be successful in my upcoming cut and recomp afterwards. The winter months have me feeling totally down and just not in the mood to do much of anything. Hopefully Spring will bring me some much needed motivation.

Honestly, the best thing about the Legendary for me was the decrease in inflammation and joint pain during use. I've been running Joint Support XT and Cissus XT consecutively for several months now, and this seemed to complement both nicely. My Achilles tendons feel lass painful than before I started, and I have noticed less stiffness as well.

I haven't noticed a TON of vascularity, but I have noticed some good pump while on this product. Being a higher BF% right now doesn't help with this, though. This sounds weird, but I actually can feel some increased blood flow at times. Hard to describe, but I can feel the blood rushing at times while lifting.

Overall, I would have to say that this is absolutely worthy of a try for someone looking for a combo -(-)epi/laxogenin product.

I really appreciate C & P and pyrobatt for allowing me to try both Legendary and Cannical Cronus.