Evomuse/ Ara Log

[banjobounce]

 

[BEAST73]

Subbed1.

 

[banjobounce]

My split will be 4 on 1 off. I will cycle between:

Day1: Quads/Bi's
Day2: Chest/ Delts
Day3: Hams/Calves
Day4: Back/ Tri's

3 days of the week I will be doing cluster sets in the A.M. on the corresponding lifts: Front Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Barbell Curls.

Supplements used:
Ca-HMB
Fearn SL Granules
LCLT
Forskolin 10%
Ultimate Nutrition Iso sensation
Glutamine
Karbolyn/ Cutler Total Carb
BCAA
creatine
Pre's: Purus Condense. Dr. Jekyll, MAN sports Gameday OG, NOOPUMP, Hemavo2max OG,
X GELS
BMP
BRITE
multi

I believe that has everything covered. As I stated earlier, I have ran everything on this list except BMP and BRITE. the CA-hmb, forskolin, creatine, and SL/carnitine have been staples of mine for a while. Therefore I will be running supplemental protocol the exact same as before except for the addition of the ara, bmp, and (later) brite.

Nutritional protocol

I prefer to backload most of my carbs. I follow a high protein, high fat breakfast. Will be consuming a lot of coconut oil, butter, almonds, pistachios, eggs, etc for breakfast. Most meals come in the form of salads. Post workout is usually white rice (retrograded with coconut oil) and whey. Final meal (usually) is some cooked veggies (cabbage, broccoli, carrots, spinach, onion, etc) with some sort of protein( usually chicken). This is usually a very voluminous meal. I do tend to get bloated from it, so it does mess with me psychologically the next day if the bloat remains.

Will be taking an average of my weight (minus outliers) each week along with a rough estimate of BF% (according to scale).

Updates to come.

 

[banjobounce]

Today was Hams and calves. The protocol I am running is Ben Pakulski's Xtreme Lactic Accumulation program. Because it is a paid program, I will not be going into extreme detail or rest periods, rep tempo etc, but I will try to provide the gist of each exercise.

Every rep of every exercise that I do has at least a 3 second eccentric (usually 4). Each rep is (ideally) under constant tension, with one portion of the strength curve overloaded.

After doing 5 sets of Lying Leg Curls (body extended) and standing calf raises with a 2 second iso in fully shortened position (to activate the muscle groups). The workouts proceeded as follows:

Romanian db deads with mini red bands 4x10 95's 95's 80's supersetted with db glute bridges 4x10 with the same weights.

Tri sets:
Lying leg curl (body extended) 1 sec iso in fully shortened position3x6-> leg curl with full hip flexion3x6 i second iso in fully lengthened position --> normal leg curl 3x12 80 80 70. No rest until final set of tri set is finished. I was supposed to use a seated leg curl apparatus on the last two exercises, but my gym does not have one, so I had to improvise.

Calf press 1 sec iso in fully shortened 4x8 --> Calf press 1 second iso in fully lengthened position 4x8 +partials to fail... NOSX on last set --> seated Calf raises 3x 15 sled+55, sled+55 and 45 plate for all sets.

Did a couple sets of rope crunches for abs (usually do more, but my psoas is really bothering me to the point of my left ribs and spinal erector hurting in my sleep). Also did 5 vacuums for 25 seconds( in comparison to 10 sets or 130 "1 second vacuums" when I am cutting.

Also hit up some occlusion work for hammer curls with ulnar flexion.
Finally did some occlusion work on leg press. sled plus 230 50 reps.

From now on this shall be my ham/ calves day, so I will only post weights/ sets(even though the program progresses through rest periods as well.)

About to eat. weighed 173 flat this morning. I will probably be using my morning weight for this log, even though my scale reads a much higher weight/lower bf post workout.... I think I look much better in the morning with much better lines (albeit flatter). This also provides a baseline/"fasted" measurement. Thanks for following thus far.

The Doms from ara have not kicked in yet, however, pumps in gym are definitely there.

 

[bighulksmash]

Subbed looking good man !

 

[banjobounce]

Subbed looking good man !

Thank you! I don't get that very often at all, unless it's a girl making fun of me at the gym.

 

[bighulksmash]

You can build up man it wont b long just keep focus .

 

[banjobounce]

Back and Tris today.

Activation: Double rope pulldowns 4x12 40,50, 30,30
Overhand Pulldown 5x8 130,140,150, 140, 130
Tri set: seated cable row neural grip 1 sec iso in shortened position 3x8 80, 70, 60 Seated Row Underhand grip 1 sec iso in lengthened position 3x8 same weight Machine row 3x15 80 (to fail on last set)

Activation: Cable cross tri extension 2 sec iso in shortened position 4x12 20's, 10's 10's 10's
parallel bar dips 5x6-8 Bodyweight, 8,8,7,7,7
Tri sets: double rope cable extension elbows behind back 1 sec iso in shortened position 3x8 60,50,50 Double rope overhead cable extension 1 sec iso in lengthened position 3x8 same weights. db tri extensions lying on incline bence 3x15 10's 10's 10's.

Occlusion work: 2 mins leg extensions 40 (at beginning of workout to accumulate lactic acid before workout)


Felt really bad all day and psoas is still bothering me. Tm is off day. I hate off days, but I will have twice a day training the next day! Quads and bi's.

Weighed in at 174.0 today. Average weight for the weeks is 173.32lbs. Average caloric intake is 2692.

Also having trouble with lat spread when practicing posing. Left side will not flare out . Teres major will not contract like the right side will. A lot of tension in the front/ lateral delt area (supraspinatus perhaps?) when I try to force it. ANY SUGGESTIONS OF WHERE THE IMBALANCE LIES WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.

I believe that the doms from the ara is also starting to kick in a bit.
As far as bmp goes.... I am taking it first thing in the morning and with my largest meal at night (I have read that it has slight partitioning effects). I am taking .825 grams (1 serving) twice a day. The powder is surprisingly bearable and almost addictive (maybe due to the sorghum extract in it.)

 

[jgntyce]

Subbed! Great products! EVOMUSE and SNS is a win win!

 

[banjobounce]

welcome.

 

[banjobounce]

Woke up today at 175.8 and took in 2800 cals on my off day yesterday. Did 300 cals of steady state cardio on incumbent bike.

Felt pretty rough as far as the "psoas" pain, which, after researching, I now believe is actually costcochondritis. However, I woke up today feeling a little better. I went out to the garage for my AM session and had a pretty good one.

AM: Front squats cluster sets 4x4-3-3. 165, 170(up five pounds from last week) 170, 170. My control and ability to create tension under the load was much better than last week. I believe that widening my stance just a bit has allowed me to sit deeper in the hole without leaning forward and placing tension on my back. I usually do not like to go atg, due to tension being taken off of the quads, but I just felt the urge today. Made sure to pause at the bottom so as not to use the stretch reflex though.
Barbell curl: 3 clusters 3-3-3 65, 70, 70 (up five lbs from last week, but the last rep was not of my usual form.).


Quad and bi workout this evening was sick!
Activation sets leg extensions 3x12 100 100 90
Front squats atg 3-01-0 165x10, 170x10,170x9, 170x8, 165x10
Tri sets: banded hack squat: sled +50 2x8 and sled +25 2x8> leg press feet low on platform sled+280 3x8 and sled+330 cs6 set(basically 6 sets of 6-10 crammed into one with rest pause in between)> Leg press feet midway on platform 3x12 sled + 280.

Biceps spider curl 30 degrees for activation 3x12 10,15,15
Preacher 5x8-10 45x 10, 50x9, 50x8, 45x8, 40x10
Tri sets: high cable curl 1x8 22.5+sled, 3x6 s+25> Incline db curl 1 sec pause in lenghtened position 20's 5,6,5,6 (nosx last set) > db hammer curl w/ radial flexion 3x12, 15's.

Occlusion work at beginning of workout: ham curls, occluded for 2 min.
3 sets occlued tricep pushdowns at end
2x12 hanging leg raises 2x 20sec paloff press with red band.

Pumps were great, but the bloat was still present from last nights watermelon (bloats me for a couple days). Could still see obliques and abs etc. It is always a psychological boost when I can pose before a workout and see good lines. The only thing that I do not like about a great pump on leg day is the fact that I lose most of the definition in my legs. It's always cool to see veins on the legs though.

Ara is contributing to the pump, I believe.
I have decided to up my macros on work days to 270P 290c(with the extra 20 carbs going on top of my intra) and 62F. My weight fluctuates up too much for my taste when I go this high, but the baseline has only gone up ~.3 lbs since I started ara/bmp. Hopefully, with the volume that I am doing and with ara/bmp the majority of weight gain will be mass and not fat from upping my cals.

This is the last week of Pakulski's Lactic acid program. I may take a couple of days off to deload after this week. Not sure what program I am going to run next, but It will not be too different, and I will still include quite a bit of lactic acid training in the evening session while still incorporating strength sessions in the AM.

 

[bighulksmash]

Banjo kazooie lookin great!

 

[banjobounce]

174.8 lbs this morning.
Today was chest/ delts.

Activation: horizontal cable flies 3012 tempo. 3x12 25,30,35
BB Bench Press 5 sets 135x10, 140x9 (up one rep from last session) 140x8(up one) 140x8 (up one) 140x8+ 3 drops.

Tri sets: Machine hammer press 3011 4sets 170x6 (up one), 170x6, 170x5 165x6 > Inc. DB flies 3110 35'sx10, 40'sx6, 40'sx6, 40'sx6+NosX >Flat db press 3010 30'sx12, 30'sx15, 30'sx 12.

Activation 75 degree prone lateral db raise 3012 4x12 7.5, 10, 10,10
Db Overhead press: 40's x8,x8,x8+1 cheat rep, X7+1
Tri sets: cable lateral 15'sx10, 20'sx6, 20'sx6,x6x6+strip set on last set> bent over cable lateral raise 3110 15'sx6x6x4, 10'sx6 > Db lateral raise 20'sx 12, 15'sx15,x15,x12.

Began and ended workout with occluded leg press. sled+ 2 plates x50. (legs narrow on first and wider on last)

2 sets of cable knee raise (hams contracted to inhibit hip flexor and allow lower abs to take over).

As always, I ended wtih 100 calories of cardio.

I was bloated today, until I got in the weight room. Maybe it's just the lighting in there, maybe it's because I have introduced more intra carbs, maybe it's because I have switched from karbolyn to cutler total carb, but I wish I had a good camera phone tonight. Everything was popping (for me at least).

Obliques were crystal clear. Front lat spread was the best it has been in a long time. Chest had nice cross striations. Legs in the side chest were better than they have been in a while.

BMP still going down nicely, and the ara has me pretty sore when I wake up. This is very rare because I recover very quickly (except from this freaking pain in my ribs). I'm enjoying having to massage my arms all day. Speaking of arms, mine have grown a half inch (mainly in the biceps area) since I began this program. I cannot completely contribute this to BMP or ARA because I did not start running them until the last 2-3 weeks of the program, but I do feel that this is a recent growth that has definitely been aided by the two products. The size is probably just sarcoplasmic fluid, but I will take it all day.

 

[banjobounce]

Today's workouts were hams and calves. The exercises were the exact same except for one more set of each. I went up on all lifts except the activation lifts (which I actually went down on, probably due to using different apparatuses.)

AM. Deadlift: 250 4 clusters of 3-3-3. This is up 10 lbs from last session.

PM. What was impressive about this workout is that I sweated like no other. The contractions in my legs were freaking intense. I started off with occluded leg press with 2 plates on each side for 75 reps. The eccentrics were not as accentuated in this exercise, as the concentric tends to generate more lactic acid. The contraction in my tri sets were painful and I went to failure +partials on every set (6+partials, 6+partials + nosx on last set, 12+partials)
The same goes for calves. I added 100 lbs to each side this time instead of 55 lbs on the calf press on the leg press (full contraction accentuated and accentuated stretch.) This proved to be too heavy to complete 8 solid reps on the second set of the tri set ( emphasis on the lengthened portion of the strength curve) so I ended up using partials to fail on every set + nosx on last set.
I was also able to squeak out 2 extra reps on my supersets of db romanian deads with mini bands and db glute bridges using the same weight as last week.

I was 174.6 lbs this morning eating 2800 cals yesterday. The bloat is starting to go down a bit, but I think it will be another few days before it is completely gone, as I have been enjoying watermelon on a daily.

I believe that my chest is starting to increase in size, especially in the middle portion, as I can see some cross striations that look as if they recently added fibers (not sarcoplasmic fluid). My legs are actually measuring about a quarter to a half inch smaller than they usually do, but I am betting that it is glycogen depletion from such frequent training. I need to let them take some time to "super-compensate" (hopefully), but I can't stand not training them in some way everyday.

Feeling stronger today.

 

[LeanEngineer]

Nice detailed posts man! In on this one. We have about the same body type so it will be interesting how this one plays out for ya.

 

[banjobounce]

Nice detailed posts man! In on this one. We have about the same body type so it will be interesting how this one plays out for ya.

welcome. It's going pretty good so far. Gonna try to add about 1lb per week to the frame. Small, baseline lean gains have always interested me more than gaining 30 lbs on a bulk.

 

[banjobounce]

Today was back/tri day.
As usual, I started with occluded leg press sled+230lbs for 50 reps.
Activation: Double rope straight arm pulldown 4x12 40, 35, 30 30
Overhand pulldown and partial to fail 4010 4x8 140, 140, 150, 140
Tri set: Neutral grip seated row 3011 5x6 > seated cable row underhand grip Nosx last set 5x6 3110 80, 100,100,100, 90> Smith machine rows 4x12 135

Activation cross cable tri extension 3012 4x12 15, 15, 20, 20
Parallel bar tricep dips: bodyweightX 10,9,9,9(vast improvement.... Yea my shoulder is a little unstable on the left side.... makes it hard to do dips).

Tri set: Double rope pulldown elbows behind3011 5x8> Overhead double rope tri extension 3110 5x6 Nosx last set 60, 50, 50, 50, 50 > decline db tri extensions 4x12 10's

I also did some high rep bicep work as well as forearms.
Did some paloff presses in an attempt to correct my hip/torso imbalance.

As always I did 100 cals of cardio.

Pump was great this workout. My joints are starting to feel it.Woke up at 173.3 today consuming 2950 yesterday. I will wake up very heavy and probably sick tm due to my eating so late (I guess it doesn't help that I am eating a crap-ton of food either), but my macros are calling, and I'm craving about 5 lbs of veggies. If I can remember I will post my average weight for the week tm (minus the obvious outlier of tm's weight). Sitting around 8.7-9% bf right now (yeah, I know the pics don't look it, but I am not holding water today and my scale is confirming this... it was putting me at around 11 on the night i took pics.... freaking electro-impedance).

 

[Rand0m]

Great log. Looking forward to more since I've interested in BMP and Brite as well. 9% looks right to me. Hoping to get to around where you are soon and a longer lean gain as well.

 

[sparks2012]

In for this. I've heard nothing but great things about BRITE and ArA. You've got a good base to work with, and you're lean as hell. A lean gaining phase should work extremely well for you!

 

[banjobounce]

welcome, friends.

 

[Rand0m]

Couple questions if you don't mind:

Dosing 1g daily or on training days? Have you gone higher (benefits/negatives?) How much of a surplus are you in?

 

[banjobounce]

woke up fully expecting to be around 180 lbs today, due to the massive volume of food I ate last night, but thanks to a couple caps of Evomuse Defuse, I was 173.6. Average weight for the week was 174.4. Average caloric intake was 2864.

The next program I am going to run will be Pakulski's HTS. The program focuses on getting stronger in the 8-10 rep range. I was going to do his arnold prep workouts or the Neurological overload program (focusing on harder contractions), but chose HTS due to it having twice a days programmed in. I will still be throwing extra lactic acid training in. I will still be putting CNS sessions in the AM as well.

 

[banjobounce]

Couple questions if you don't mind:

Dosing 1g daily or on training days? Have you gone higher (benefits/negatives?) How much of a surplus are you in?

1 g on training days only. I did 1.5g for the first run I did of Xfactor and added alot of weight, but, as I stated, there was a good amount of fat in that weight.

I can't say for sure how much of a surplus I am in, due to my caloric expenditure being so different every day i.e on quad days I do two sessions and no cardio in the evening, but I expend a greater amount of calories than if I do two sessions of chest and cardio. My off days consist of 300 cals of cardio and nothing more. If it helps, I am looking to gain ~1 lb per week. I would guess that the "orthodox" answer to what people usually mean when they ask is that I am in around a 400-600 kcal surplus.

 

[Rand0m]

Actually rate of weight gain is more useful for me to know. Thanks!

 

[banjobounce]

Today's workout sucked a**. Very weak in all my lifts. Really pissed me off, and I was very depressed by the time I got home. I should have known something was up, as I will start to feel this way when I am deep into a cut. Got on my scale and it read 8.1% bf. Have a headache from Hades, almost as if I'm trying to get sick......... I really hope not. Any prayers, thoughts, or meditations would be appreciated.

Anyway.

Occluded leg press sled+ 230 55 reps.

Chest, delt day.

Horizontal cable fly 4x12 3012 activation 20, 25, 30, 25.
BB bench press 5 sets 4010 135x9, 145x8, 145x8, 145x7+1 rest pause, 145x7+1 rest pause.
Decline Smith machine press 3011 5 sets 155x10, 155x10, 145x11, 145x10, 135x12
75 degree prone lateral raise 3012 4x12 10's 10's 12.5's 12.5's

supersetted with 15 degree incline db flies 3110 4x12 27.5's, 30's 30's 30's

Db overhead press 4 sets 3010 40's 4x9

supersetted with cable rear delt lateral 4x12 10's every set.

Also did some serratus work, as I am suspecting that it may be partially to blame for my lack of feeling in my left lat on the lat spread. (still getting way too much tension in my rotator cuff/ front delt when trying to hit the lat spread) I also have discovered that my external rotation sucks on my left arm. Any type of tricep extension is really hard to get externally rotated (especially overhead). When using my other arm to "force it"[not really force, but give a little assistance] my rotator cuff gets agitated. Any help on this matter would be extremely appreciated.

didn't look bad as far as posing goes, but I'm pretty sure I was somewhat flat. That 8.1 % looked pretty puny in my eyes at least.

Gotta get to bed soon.

 

[banjobounce]

AM
front squats 4x 3-3-3
170, 175, 175, 175. minor increase in weight used. Not enough to warrant a drop in reps. BB curl 3x 3-3-3 70 all sets.
Felt weak overall this morning. I thought it was gonna be a crappy day, but I came inside and did my normal ritual, which now involves BMP. I must say that I have noticed it having a sort of "Dang, today CAN be a good day." type of effect on me. I feel just overall more relaxed and motivated. I actually went and practiced my guitar because I wanted to. This is always the sign of a productive type day for me.

Got in the gym late this evening. Popped in some Chili Peppers into the CD player (ya, it has a freaking cd player.... we are poor in this county.) and got to work.

Occluded ham curls 55lbs 29+ partials to 1:30. took them to failure and hung on for dear life until the time was up.
Leg extensions 3013 3x15 55, 65,65
BB back squats quad emphasis intention 4110. 185x10 205x8 210x8 210x8. Those last two sets were everything I had. Looked like I was going to have a ton of veins blow out of my head in the mirror when doing these. Pakulski's intentions make everything so much harder. I was doing 275x6 back in march. Now I'm doing these weights, but it feels so much more effective just going back and learning the basics of how to create tension in the target muscle.

These were supersetted with seated calf raises 2212 100x25, 145x26 190x20 190x20

Hack squats quad emphasis sled + 25'sx 12 x16, sled+15's 18 +2 rest pause.

Leg press3010 sled+ 4plates each sidex 15, 12+2, 12+1, 12

Supersetted with calf press (on leg press) 3111 same weight as leg press x9, x7 ,7, 7


finished off with some unscheduled bicep work due to this program being light on arms. (did not bother to record) just got some volume and a pump in.

Took my ara a little further out from the workout today, and I think it gave a bit better of a pump. I was more vascular in the legs. My arms and delts are beyond a doubt flatter than they usually are. Tomorrow is an off day.

 

[banjobounce]

Today is twice a day training, but there is not a CNS AM component. I hit back this morning.

Double rope straight arm pulldown: 4x12 40,50,40,40, and a few reps at 30 just to tryto get a good contraction.

One arm DB row 4x12 3012 25 every set supersetted with One arm db row with heavier weight 3110, focus is on intial activation with lat. 4x8 45 each set.
BB row 4x10 95 everyset supersetted with db shrugs 2013 50's 4x12.
Overhand lat pulldown 3012 4x10 120 every set
Rope facepulls 3011 4x12 30, 40, 50, 60.
Occlusion training pre workout was leg extensions with 50lbs. did 60 in 1:30. Lowered weight to 30 and went to fail at around 3:00
Going back this evening to hit arms. Probably won't post numbers. Just a large amount of volume.


Currently having trouble with sleep. I cannot fall asleep until around midnight every night. My sleep is broken up, and I usually awaken around 7:30 no matter what. I just go back to sleep, but I feel that it is hindering my progress. My weight was way up this morning, so am counting it as an outlier. Will be posting average weight for the week within the next few days.

Just bought another pouch of BMP in order to extend the run, as I am enjoying the motivational factor of it. My physique seems to be getting better definition while on it (although the ara cannot be discredited- the last time I ran it, the mass gained seemed to be more sarcoplasmic or watery, while this time around the gains seem to be more dense and less voluminous - my training was pretty similar on the first ara, mind you.). If anything, this will pronounce and make any effect that Brite has easier to identify and quantify when I add it in. Looking forward to it.

 

[banjobounce]

Average weight for the week: 175.4. average calories: 2815.

Yesterday's training did not equate to a good day, imo.
Am: Bench press 4x3-3-3. 140, 145, 145, 145.

PM. Cable flies activation 3012 3x10 25, 30, 25
Incline hammer machine bench 3110 4x10 20 lbs each side, 25, 25, 20
Bench press 51x0 135x6, 145x5, 145x5, 145x5, 145x6
supersetted with horizontal cable flies2011 5x12 20, 25, 25, 25, 20
15 degree incline fly with internal rotation3110: 4x12 15, 22.5, 22.5,22.5, 22.5
15 degree db press with red mini bands 20x0 3x15 27.5 all sets
supersetted with pushups. AMAP 7, 5, 5.
Occlusion leg press with sled +230 60 reps pre training.

Tonight I will be doing Hams/ Calves. I'm not so sure as to what is going on, but I have had a foul mood for the past few days in the gym. I'd say that it has to do with sleep. I would imagine that this is the same issue that is underlying my looking so watery recently.

 

[BEAST73]

Average weight for the week: 175.4. average calories: 2815.

Yesterday's training did not equate to a good day, imo.
Am: Bench press 4x3-3-3. 140, 145, 145, 145.

PM. Cable flies activation 3012 3x10 25, 30, 25
Incline hammer machine bench 3110 4x10 20 lbs each side, 25, 25, 20
Bench press 51x0 135x6, 145x5, 145x5, 145x5, 145x6
supersetted with horizontal cable flies2011 5x12 20, 25, 25, 25, 20
15 degree incline fly with internal rotation3110: 4x12 15, 22.5, 22.5,22.5, 22.5
15 degree db press with red mini bands 20x0 3x15 27.5 all sets
supersetted with pushups. AMAP 7, 5, 5.
Occlusion leg press with sled +230 60 reps pre training.

Tonight I will be doing Hams/ Calves. I'm not so sure as to what is going on, but I have had a foul mood for the past few days in the gym. I'd say that it has to do with sleep. I would imagine that this is the same issue that is underlying my looking so watery recently.

Awesome Workout! Due to lack of sleep, I use Melatonin Liquid for a good night rest..

 

[banjobounce]

Thank for the suggestion. I'm taking 3mg every night for a long time now.

The ham calve session was not one of those I can't walk out of the gym workouts, but I view is as bringing up an imbalance in my hams. I think I am getting able to contract my left ham in the fully shortened position better and better.

Did activation sets with single leg standing ham curls using just the extension apparatus 3012

Romanian deads 185x12, 205 3x10 3110
supered with calf press 2-45 plates 4x10 2410.

lying leg curl with hip extension 4110 47.5x8 57.5x 6 47.5x8 27.5x 10
supered with
30degree ham glute extension 3112 bodyweightx12 4 sets. These were tearing me a new one.

Barbell lunge leaning forward for glute emphasis 3x15 Bar, 95, 95 2010
supered with seated calf raise2112
197.5x 30, 25, 25.

I think that I may have over reached already. Joints hurting. Very rotten mood. Sleep issues. Holding water. Tomorrow is a scheduled off day. Probably going to up cals a little. Gonna up vitamin c and antioxidants for the off day. Really don;t want to be layed up. Wanna hit it hard.

 

[THE MONSTAR]

Lookin good in here, subbd for final review!

 

[banjobounce]

welcome. It will be probably another month, as I am not even through 1 bottle of xgel.

 

[bighulksmash]

welcome. It will be probably another month, as I am not even through 1 bottle of xgel.

how is the energy level?

 

[banjobounce]

Not nearly as low as when I'm deep in a cut. Getting better, but recovery seems to be an issue. I think the solution is simply another off day, but I don't really want that. Will probably do a low stim scheduled workout this evening. I have another scheduled off day after tomorrow, so I will probably hold off on the twice a day training until then. The day after that is Quads am and Hams pm. Will hit up a dead session at the end of the week in the am as well.

My joints are really feeling it. Feels like I am getting tennis elbow in the left arm. I have some SAMe for joints, but I'm not sure if it would interfere with the ara or inhibit the cox 2 pathway. I have googled it and searched quite a bit, but I can't find anything.

 

[banjobounce]

Not nearly as low as when I'm deep in a cut. Getting better, but recovery seems to be an issue. I think the solution is simply another off day, but I don't really want that. Will probably do a low stim scheduled workout this evening. I have another scheduled off day after tomorrow, so I will probably hold off on the twice a day training until then. The day after that is Quads am and Hams pm. Will hit up a dead session at the end of the week in the am as well.

My joints are really feeling it. Feels like I am getting tennis elbow in the left arm. I have some SAMe for joints, but I'm not sure if it would interfere with the ara or inhibit the cox 2 pathway. I have googled it and searched quite a bit, but I can't find anything.

 

[banjobounce]

Not nearly as low as when I'm deep in a cut. Getting better, but recovery seems to be an issue. I think the solution is simply another off day, but I don't really want that. Will probably do a low stim scheduled workout this evening. I have another scheduled off day after tomorrow, so I will probably hold off on the twice a day training until then. The day after that is Quads am and Hams pm. Will hit up a dead session at the end of the week in the am as well.

My joints are really feeling it. Feels like I am getting tennis elbow in the left arm. I have some SAMe for joints, but I'm not sure if it would interfere with cox2 or the ara absorption. Can't find much when doing a search on it.

 

[bighulksmash]

Up the Fish oil and up the water intake.

 

[banjobounce]

Tonight's workout was better. Nothing earth-shaking, but I at least worked up a good sweat.

Wide grip overhand lat pulldowns 4x12 2 drops last 2 sets 3012 110,120, 120, 120
supered with neutral grip seated cable row 3011 4x12 50,60,40,50.

Meadows row 3110: 20x12 30x12, 30x8 45x6 45x6

close grip bench 3010 115 3x8 and 1x10
supered with 60 degree ez bar french press 4x12 with a ten on each side of bar.

60degree prone shrug 2013 3x12 30, 40, 60
supered with 60degree db tri extenstion 3110 3x10 15's
supered with dual rope tri pushdown 3010 3x12 40, 30, 30.

Fiddled around with core afterward and discovered that I can not retract my left scapula as far back as my right one. I can also not contract my left serratus anterior as well as my right one either. Any thoughts on this?

did occluded ham curls pre training 50x 40 by 1:30 + 40 until 3:00.

 

[bighulksmash]

Tonight's workout was better. Nothing earth-shaking, but I at least worked up a good sweat.

Wide grip overhand lat pulldowns 4x12 2 drops last 2 sets 3012 110,120, 120, 120
supered with neutral grip seated cable row 3011 4x12 50,60,40,50.

Meadows row 3110: 20x12 30x12, 30x8 45x6 45x6

close grip bench 3010 115 3x8 and 1x10
supered with 60 degree ez bar french press 4x12 with a ten on each side of bar.

60degree prone shrug 2013 3x12 30, 40, 60
supered with 60degree db tri extenstion 3110 3x10 15's
supered with dual rope tri pushdown 3010 3x12 40, 30, 30.

Fiddled around with core afterward and discovered that I can not retract my left scapula as far back as my right one. I can also not contract my left serratus anterior as well as my right one either. Any thoughts on this?

did occluded ham curls pre training 50x 40 by 1:30 + 40 until 3:00.

Good job .

 

[banjobounce]

Happy Fourth everybody.

Today's workout was chest/bi's

Occluded leg press sled+230 50 by 1:30 and cranked out an extra 20 for good measure. I picked up some HCA for a buck and have read on the forums that it can aid in absorption of the ara, so I took it with ara pre today. Don't know if this it was responsible for how much I sweated during that set, but crap, it got hot!

did some unrecorded cable flies for activation. Very light. I know that this helps somewhat, but my mobility is wonky on the left side, and with the scapula issue that is going on, I am finding that even when getting a good contraction in that pec, the pec minor strains. I could really use some advice on how to fix this.

Anyway.

Smith bench 15dgree incline 4011 155x10, 155x 9, 155x8, 145x8+ a drop. I know it sounds weak, but I was really busting my balls on these sets.

30degree incline db press3010 40'sx12, 40'sx12, 55x8 55;sx6
supered with 30degree incline db fly 3110, 20'sx12, 20'sx15, 25'sx15, 25'sx 15

high to low cable fly3012 4x12 20, 30, 25's, 20's
supered with high cable curl 3011 4x15 same weight as above.

incline hammer db curl with radial flexion 3110 20's x 10, x8 17.5x 8
supered with supinating db curl 3011 15's x 10, 8, 8
supered with low cable curl facing apparatus 3010 3x15 45

also did some fiddling around with delt lateral and rear delt raises trying to get some better feeling in it.

It rained so hard that I couldn't see to drive on the way home... never fails. It always pours on the Fourth of July here.
I am still getting very agitated and sometimes depressed post workout. Not sure what the deal is. I do not believe that it is due to the BMP because that is spaced as far away from my workout as possible.

I have taken the advice to up my fish oils by a little. I was taking in as close to nothing as possible. I will be taking 500mg's (still much lower than what I am used to) away from my ara.

 

[banjobounce]

Also, sorry about the quadruple post above. Something happened with my computer. I attempted to delete the re-posts, but they are still there.

 

[banjobounce]

Hit quads this morning. Will be hitting hams/calves this evening.

Quads are very achy.

BB back squat (quad emphasis)4110 205x8, 210x8, 215x8, 220x8, 225x8, 225x6+2 rest pause.
Leg extensions 4x12 3012 45, 50, 55, 55+NOS
Leg press feet low Banded with orange bands 6x12 +2 drops on last two sets 3110 sled + 270 all sets

supered with db quad squats (bottom half only) 2010 20'sx 14+6, 20'sx12+8 15'sx14+6, 10'sx 15, bw x 15

Had better sleep last night. I think that I was taking BMP too close to bed, so I moved my second dose up. Perhaps the high salidroside content was stimulating me too much. I will probably dose it earlier in the day from now on, as this morning was the first time that I have been able to rise before 8:00 in probably the past two weeks.

 

[banjobounce]

Nothing spectacular to report as far as training goes today.

It was arm day. I'm not going to bother posting the session. It was simply a great amount of volume to failure.

Was is worth noting is that I think I have a small gyno in my right nipple. They have both been puffy for a while, and I think something that I am taking has caused a previous case that I had in college to flare up. Not sure what's going on, as I am (obviously) and have always been a natural lifter.

The only think I can think of is Fenugreek, but I have taken waaaayyyy higher doses than what I am taking now in the past.

 

[banjobounce]

'chest and delts this evening.

It was a pretty good workout. My weights did not go up significantly, but I am getting a much better contraction in my pecs on the flat bb bench.

Occluded leg press sled + 260 did 70 by 3:45. I was pretty much crying.

Activation sets with cable flies. 3012

BB bench 4010 135x8 145x8 150x6 150x7 150x5+ drop.

supered with 15 degree incline db flies. 5x12 22.5's for all except last set (25's)

did some extra smith machine work for a pump.

75 degree supported prone lateral raise activation 3012

arnold press 4010 4x8 30's
supered with bent lateral raises 3x12 12.5's 1x12 15's

cable lateral raise 3012 1x10 15's 3x10 10's rest pause on last set.

Did some ab work and some cable activation for my left hammy.

Also did some work for forearms. High reps cables. Overhead and low cable facing apparatus.

Finally did occlusion work for tri's and 200 cals worth of cardio instead of 100.

I tried to load a little more volume/density into the workout, due to me getting a nasty, watery look. I am thinking that I am either over reached and flat or just simply gaining fat too quickly.
My average weight for the week was 165.5 which isn't up all that much from last week. This, combined with the way I am looking lead me to suspect the over reaching.

I have attempted to get extra rest in by only doing one twice a day this week as well as catching a couple of naps here and there. Sleep quality at night is okay when I am not waking up out of breath and gasping for air. It's been getting better though. The nipple is still sore, but tbh I'm not all that worried about it. My sleep quality and imbalances will hinder my gains more than freaking nodule.

bmp update: I have been experimenting with dosing pre or post workout (depending on when I train) to get my second dose in before 5-6ish. I think I am going to keep it this way. The powder makes my pre workout/ post shake taste like gains

 

[banjobounce]

Had a pretty good back session tonight. I had take my off day yesterday and do only cardio for time's sake. I had to help my father change an alternator pulley, and it took from morning until 8 o clock pm. Working out that late wires me up and I can't sleep, as I get finished around 10:30 when I do. I'm not skipping over Benjamins to pick up nickels. I need that sleep lol.

Back was nothing very heavy. Did occluded leg press. Worked up to 3 plates for 70 reps. It proved to be a challenge for me. Very painful.

Activation high pulley cable rows 3012

seated cable rows 90x8, 3x110x6 50x0
supered with 4x9 high cable pull aparts chest supported 15's all sets.
Wave loading 864 864 one arm db rows 4010 45, 50 55, 50 55, 60
overhand pulldowns 3011 3x8 120
neurtral grip hammer pulldowns leaning back at hips supered with reverse grip hammer pulldowns (vertical) 4x12 both 50, 70, 90, 90

Still doing hip/ serratus work trying to fix my imbalance. I think that my right hip sits higher than my left, therefore i tilt to the right in my squat. This leads me to think that right lower back is tight, tight adductors on right, weak abductors on right side, and tight abductors on left. (any input?)

tomorrow is "Squat day". Will probably throw in some single leg work as well. I might even go hit arms in the pm. If I can remember, I will probably start the Brite tomorrow, as I think that my bloating, etc is starting to go away. Hopefully I can get some sort of good recomp by the end of this. I'm trying to keep the weight gain as low as possible in hopes that the higher frequency/ volume on certain body parts will bring them up. This is not to say that I want my other body parts to shrink, but, crap, I need better proportions.

 

[banjobounce]

squat day was productive.

Front squats 30x0 5x6 175 175 180 180 185
Back Squats 3210 This tempo proved to be exhausting 205 x 8 x8 x9 x10 210 x 8
Wide stance squats glute emphasis 3010 185 x8 x9 x8 x8
supered with Wide stance Banded leg press Glute ham emphais 3010 3 plates each side x12 2 plates x15, x15, x14

finished with occluded leg press. I set the platform to the floor to hit a different angle. Put my feet narrow and high, basically pressing exclusively through heels. 2 plates each side for 60 reps. After a while there was quite a bit of rest pauses. Not sure why, but I was spent.

I have every intention of going to hit arms and abs/cardio tonight.

Started Brite today. Nothing really to report other than the taste is not good but bearable.

On a final note, my appetite is through the roof. It is usually high, as I would love to eat 3500-4000 cals/day but hold off. It is much higher today than usual.

 

[banjobounce]

Woke up at 173.0 this morning. Average weight for the past 5 days: 174.5. The average calories were 2700.
Yesterday was ham/calves day. Not much to report . Just a lot of TUT.
I did do occluded leg press with sled+270 for 75 reps. That's 5 higher than the last time I used this weight. Granted, there was quite a bit of rest pause after ~55 or so, but my view is that with occlusion bands each reps, rest pause or not, is contributing to metabolic stress in the muscle.

I am very close to running out of BMP, and it may be a day or two before I dose again, due to the order not being here yet (not a big deal and totally understandable when I hear reports of what Matt has been enduring through). I am enjoying Brite. I can really taste either the pine nut oil or the bitter melon seed oil in it. The addition of ALCAR makes it perfect to take in the morning and pre workout. I am looking forward to seeing its effects.

So far with this stack, the biggest effect that I have noticed is a jump in my metabolism. I am actually losing weight on a program that has less workout density and on macros that would normally cause me to gain quite a bit more. This leads me to believe that some sort of lean mass has been accrued and is accounting for some extra calories. With that being said, I am going to up my intra/ post workout nutrition slightly and keep this thing rolling (hopefully). It would be so nice to go into my next cut on 3000ish cals.

 

[Rand0m]

Good stuff bud. Keep it going.

 

[banjobounce]

Didn't see much point in taking caffeine/stims for an arm/delt day. Nothing great to report. Noticed that my left lumbar is flexing when doing overhead press in order to compensate for my lack of mobility for that shoulder. I have been training that lower traps for the longest time, so I can not tell if it is the t spine or weak trap 3's that are keeping my scap from being retracted and depressed. Whatever it is, it is keeping my left arm from traveling in a lateral overhead path.It is as if my shoulder joint catches, my scapula starts to protract, my trap takes over, and my left arm has to move forward instead of staying in line with my chin/ears. ugggh.

I'm on my second bottle of xgels now. The carnitine is running a little low so I may switch to baby aspirin for cost's sake. ( I'm getting broke lol.)

 

[banjobounce]

Twice training today.
Did deads earlier in the day. Worked up to 275x4 51x0 tempo. Really frustrated, as I used to do more than this before screwing up the back. Decided enough is enough and went into the best workout I have had during this whole log!

It was back in the p.m. I focused mainly on scapular stabilizers. My left scap is lacking medial glide. I moved the weight WAY DOWN and focused on long TUT and execution. After a lot of activation, I started to feel slight "pains" in my left lower/mid trap, maybe the rhomboid as well. It almost felt as if a nerve was getting turned on. The Brite sweats kicked in this evening as well. I was sweating profusely. Weights were not worth listing in this post, but the tension was great. I am very sore already and will continue to use this type of training, especially for my back. I will probably incorporate this on chest day as well.

Good day.