MAN Blueprint Log

[Jim Sadler]

Got my Blueprint from Nutraplanet today, just downed my first dose.

I'm going to keep a log for four weeks. (Yes, that requires two bottles due to the very Biotest-esque decision to make them 80-count.) 20 days just seemed too short. I'll take one for the team.

I'm not doing pics, because I can't commit to being consistent about that, and they are pretty pointless if you just have "before" or "after".

I'll evaluate Blueprint on the basis of body composition changes, exercise performance improvements, and mood effects.

I'm 35, 6'5" and 244 pounds. I would estimate I'm at about 15% body fat, which I'm not excited about. (When I was in my best shape ever, which only a couple years ago, I hovered around 230 or 235 with about 10% body fat. I have been even lighter, but I don't consider that "good shape" due to the amount of strength I sacrificed to get there.)

My workouts are split as so...

1. Chest/Triceps/Shoulders
Centered around heavy dumbbell incline presses and weighted dips.

2. Back/Biceps
Centered around weighted pull-ups.

3. Legs/Core/Preventative Maintenence (e.g. rotator cuff work)
I either do lunges or sprint work with an X-Vest. I don't squat -- I know they are the granddaddy of all exercises, but I have a long torso and I inevitably get injured and knock myself out of commission for days.

I take days off based on my work demands or how I'm feeling. This typically means I get to the gym 3 or 4 days a week.

My diet is at maintenence levels, and I get about a gram of protein per pound bodyweight. I'm eating more carbs than I did at my peak, so I may shift my macronutrient ratios a bit, but calories should be constant at about 3200 calories/day.

Supplements include: creatine, beta-alanine, cissus, PWO drinks (MyoZene or Replenish), Scorch (pre-WO and sometimes before work), Primal EAA (occasionally pre-WO).

I will take Blueprint (4 caps) post-WO on workout days. Because of the R-ALA in it, this makes sense to me. On non-workout days I'll take it with my first meal.

Day 1 3-22-07
Unremarkable leg workout. I took Blueprint post-WO.

To be continued...

[bLacKjAck.]

Subscribed. Good luck homie --- If you added SMASH pre-workout that would make this log just juicy!

[RexGrandis]

Excellent!

[Jim Sadler]

I decided to try it pre-workout today, because if there is some noticeable ergogenic benefit, I thought it might be nice to know about it now so I can enjoy for the next few weeks.

Unfortunately I didn't take it with food, and now I feel crappy. Not recommended. (Now that I think about it, it might not be the agmatine but rather the R-ALA effecting by blood sugar level.)

I should still be OK to train today, though. Just waiting a little while before I head out.

[xxghostxx]

I will take Blueprint (4 caps) post-WO on workout days. Because of the R-ALA in it, this makes sense to me. On non-workout days I'll take it with my first meal.

Hey Jim. I don't swing around this board to often but I'm a moderator at the MAN Sports forum and rep on another site. I'd like to suggest an alternative dosing schematic to make your time with Blueprint more efficacious. Granted you don't have too much of an issue with the ALA upon waking, dosing Blueprint right when you get up and thirty minutes before food is going to be your best bet. For more information on this, there is a short Q&A hosted via the MAN forum: MAN Sports MAN-UP Discussion Board :: View topic - MAN BLUE PRINT Research & Slide Show Part I

Good luck.

[xxghostxx]

I will take Blueprint (4 caps) post-WO on workout days. Because of the R-ALA in it, this makes sense to me. On non-workout days I'll take it with my first meal.

Hey Jim. I don't swing around this board to often but I'm a moderator at the MAN Sports forum and rep on another site. I'd like to suggest an alternative dosing schematic to make your time with Blueprint more efficacious. Granted you don't have too much of an issue with the ALA upon waking, dosing Blueprint right when you get up and thirty minutes before food is going to be your best bet. For more information on this, there is a short Q&A hosted via the MAN forum: MAN Sports MAN-UP Discussion Board :: View topic - MAN BLUE PRINT Research & Slide Show Part I

Good luck.

[Jim Sadler]

Granted you don't have too much of an issue with the ALA upon waking, dosing Blueprint right when you get up and thirty minutes before food is going to be your best bet.

Will do. Thanks!

Here's another write-up on agmatine.
Bodybuilding.com - Mark Tallon - Uncovering Agmatine - What Is It & What Does It Do?

[Jim Sadler]

Day 2 3-23-07
Chest/Triceps/Shoulders

I got 10x105s, 6x120s and 6x110s on incline dumbbell presses, which is fairly normal for me lately. Just wanted to note it here to establish a benchmark for assessing strength.

I also squeezed out a couple of extra reps on my third set of military presses.

Other than that, fairly typical. Felt good, decent energy, but I got plenty of sleep so no surprise.

I forgot to get on the scale at the gym... I could go hop on my scale but I'd rather be consistent. I'll remember tomorrow.

Like I said earlier, I took Blueprint pre-WO today. From now on I'll be sticking to the protocol suggested by xxghostxx above.

[jjohn]

Man, I'm watching this one closely.

[bLacKjAck.]

Man, I'm watching this one closely.

ditto...ose:

[Jim Sadler]

Day 3 3-24-07
Back/Biceps

I got 9, 9 and 8x105s on dumbbell rows. This will be another benchmark for assessing strength. I didn't do weighted chin-ups today.

A typical back workout.

Gym scale says 242.5 pounds.

I took my Blueprint upon waking this morning, 20-30 minutes before breakfast.

Only thing I'm noticing so far is slight reduction of joint pain. According to the MAN write-up, agmatine should have an analgesic effect. I was using cissus well before starting Blueprint, so although the cissus helps I think at least some of the credit for the recent improvement may go to the Blueprint.

[workin2005]

Subscribed!

Workin

[jjohn]

Hmmm. Analgesic..Interesting.

[Jim Sadler]

Day 4 3-25-07
No training. No non-training observations to report.

Day 5 3-26-07
Legs/Core/Preventative Maintenence

I felt great today, especially for a mid-work week session. Good energy and great mood. The other day I wanted to kill a "bro" who was using like 3 pieces of equipment simultaneously (he was using a bench solely to set down his workout drink). Today it was even more crowded, and I couldn't care less what anyone was doing and I just adapted.

Like I said, the gym was crowded, so I did leg presses instead of my normal lunges. I was in a hurry, so I didn't record any performance benchmarks from this session. It was a shame I had to hurry, because I had enough energy to go another 30 minutes or so.

I weighed in at 245, which was a surprise. I look leaner in the mirror, so I'm not losing sleep over it.

[prld2gr8ns]

Looking good Jim, I'm in all the way on this log.

[workin2005]

Day 4 3-25-07
No training. No non-training observations to report.

Day 5 3-26-07
Legs/Core/Preventative Maintenence

I felt great today, especially for a mid-work week session. Good energy and great mood. The other day I wanted to kill a "bro" who was using like 3 pieces of equipment simultaneously (he was using a bench solely to set down his workout drink). Today it was even more crowded, and I couldn't care less what anyone was doing and I just adapted.

Like I said, the gym was crowded, so I did leg presses instead of my normal lunges. I was in a hurry, so I didn't record any performance benchmarks from this session. It was a shame I had to hurry, because I had enough energy to go another 30 minutes or so.

I weighed in at 245, which was a surprise. I look leaner in the mirror, so I'm not losing sleep over it.

Good info, keep us updated!

Workin

[Jim Sadler]

Day 6 3-27-07
Chest/Triceps/Shoulders

I got 10x110s, 8x120s and 7x110s on incline dumbbell presses -- a clear improvement over my last chest session. And this was after I did heavy machine flyes.

I think I tweaked my back getting dumbbells up and in position for pressing. If so I may have to adjust next few workouts. The pain usually comes a day or two later... we'll see.

Energy was somewhat low, but my alarm didn't go off and I ended up hurrying to the gym after rolling out of bed, basically. Still, mood was very good.

Only bad thing: forgot to hop on scale at gym again. No biggie.

[workin2005]

Day 6 3-27-07
Chest/Triceps/Shoulders

I got 10x110s, 8x120s and 7x110s on incline dumbbell presses -- a clear improvement over my last chest session. And this was after I did heavy machine flyes.

I think I tweaked my back getting dumbbells up and in position for pressing. If so I may have to adjust next few workouts. The pain usually comes a day or two later... we'll see.

Energy was somewhat low, but my alarm didn't go off and I ended up hurrying to the gym after rolling out of bed, basically. Still, mood was very good.

Only bad thing: forgot to hop on scale at gym again. No biggie.

Hopefully there will be NO PAIN this time

Workin

[Jim Sadler]

Hopefully there will be NO PAIN this time

Well, turns out there is SOME pain. I considered going to gym today and doing some sort of machine-only workout so I don't strain my back anymore. Instead I'm just going to rest today and hope it's better tomorrow.

[jjohn]

Hopefully it'll heal fast bro.