Enter The Iron Forge: Forging a Stronger Warrior.

[MrKleen73]

It is about time for a new log...

I will be competing in my second competition October and once again I am going back for more with the USP Labs Asteroid Stack with a few other choice additions. I got such great results during my last prep with the stack it only makes sense to repeat the core of it. I have some hefty goals in store for myself this time as I am much more knowledgeable about the products and the effect they have on me personally.

Goals for this Prep:
My first month on the stack I will be working to Recomp while staying close to the the same weight. I expected an initial drop in weight at the begining then a weight plateau while muscle increases followed by the last bit of fat coming off with a few weeks to go to the show. I want to compete 10 Lbs heavier than I did this last show, and I think that even though this is a HUGE jump in 6 months that I can get it done. Ideally I will land competition ready just above 180.

Training:
I will be following the HST or Hypertrophy Specific Training protocal for the first part of the prep. This will allow me to methodically increase the weight over a period of time to avoid causing a reoccurance of my tendonitis. The stategic deconditioning allows for new muscle growth at submaximal weight which is perfect in my situation. As you know if you have followed my other logs I have been plagued with injuries over the past year including severe tendonitis in both elbows. Healed with the help of megadosing SuperCissusRx. However I am still nursing some connective tissue damage in my sternum from dislocating a rib. So I chose this program in order to lessen the stress to my issues while improving the strength of the soft tissue.

Once the HST cycle is completed I will resume my normal mode of training throught the remainder of the prep. That being 1 compound movement for each bodypart with a warmup, and two worksets the second set having two dropsets to form failure. Form Failure is the last rep you know you can do without losing control of form. This is to increase intensity while not putting yourself in a dangerous position and can easily be done when training alone if you know your body.

Weight workouts will be Tues-Thurs-Sat all full body sessions.

Cardio will be Mon-Wed-Fri at 45 minutes.
I will alternate between Steady State and Moderate-High intensity interval training.

My philosophy of training is to be ready for war at any moment. By this I mean I need to be able to get up and do any physical activity at any point in my training or prep without being overly sore or hindered by DOMS in any particular area of my body. If monetarily possible I will also be resuming my MMA training again during this time mostly drilling, but never rolling to aggressively. These are the reasons I employ full body workouts 3 times a week. Nothing is ever totally blasted but everything is getting plenty of repeated growth stimulus. Not to mention it allows me to do less direct cardio by doing full body workouts.

Supplements currently planned for use:

PRIME using the 6-9 protocal
PowerFull, as well as bulk SuperSap and 1-Carboxy for times I want to seperate the two ingredients for timing reasons.
Anabolic Pump 2-3 times a day.
ReCreate at suggested doses
Bulk SuperCissusRx averaging 3-5 grams a day to keep from reinjuring myself.
Jack3d PreWorkout drink
DominATP for fasted training.
Glutamine 5-10 grams a day before fasted training.
P-Slin for my carb loading days.
CEE creatine on days I do not take DominATP and Jack3d
Divanil 95% 3 times daily during first month
T-Rez 3 times daily during 1st month and final month also to take advantage of the anti-Estrogen effect which will help keep water off.
Sesamine
CLA
Refresh 3 pills for cardio day when Jack3d is not used for energy.
Yohimbine caps 2.5mg twice a day.
Transdermal Yohimbine, RK and possibly VAT Attack mixture... still looking into this as a possibilty. However the transdermal will not be used until later in the prep.

Supplement list could be and probably will be modified as I go along. I will make sure to update.

Second post will be reserved for me to post up stats and what not.

Follow along and see what happens as I put all of this into the smelting pot along with my Iron will to forge a better Warrior.

 

[MrKleen73]

Stats Marker

My beginning Stats
7/20/2009 192 Lbs 8% BF
8/8/2009 195 Lbs, AND I appear to be a little leaner as well. I will do BF on calipers next week.
9/4/2009 194 Lbs, 6.8% BF

 

[Guest]

always great information and insight....

would you mind posting this log at www.usplabsdirect.com/fourm/featured loggers. Sign up and I will get admin to give you permission to post in that forum. Let me know when its done by email or PM.

 

[DreamWeaver]

You know I'll be following this one closely... I hope to start my prep in about the same condition. I am more of an endo though so I will have to take that into account. Jacob has more goodies that will help me out so I have high hopes!!

10 lbs increase is a lofty goal, I don't doubt it using these supps though. I agree with your battle plan and I will definitely be stealing some of your ideas...

Yah you don't have to gain weight to gain mass .. recomp is awsome!! These products were made to be used thusly...

 

[MrKleen73]

You know I'll be following this one closely... I hope to start my prep in about the same condition. I am more of an endo though so I will have to take that into account. Jacob has more goodies that will help me out so I have high hopes!!

10 lbs increase is a lofty goal, I don't doubt it using these supps though. I agree with your battle plan and I will definitely be stealing some of your ideas...

Yah you don't have to gain weight to gain mass .. recomp is awsome!! These products were made to be used thusly...

Excellent glad to have you aboard. You always have good ideas and input.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Excellent glad to have you aboard. You always have good ideas and input.

Yes I steal them rivateeye:

 

[MrKleen73]

Yes I steal them rivateeye:

As long as you are sharing it all works out!

 

[oufinny]

Subbed for a fellow Texan. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[MrKleen73]

Yesterday was a cardio day, I did 40 minutes on the treadmill, 25 moderate - high intensity interval follow by 15 minutes low intensity. Total cals burned 553.

Today was actually my second weight workout since starting the stack. Obviously I am nowhere near maximal effort and I accidentally warmed up with the weight I was supposed to lift so I just called it a 3rd set. I felt great was a little tired from last night had a visitor and was up an extra hour or two. I run on 5-6 hours normally so an hour or two from that is too little at 4:00AM Some of the weights will remain the same next workout as they required me to push just a little harder than expected and I have 6 workouts at 15 reps to space out my incrimental increases before getting to maximal effort. With me changing exercises with every bout this will not be an exact HST cycle but will follow the core principles that make it effective. I am sure I will modify it further as I gain confidence in my abilty to increase weight without irritating old injuries.

Pre Workout Supps
3 PRIME, 3 PowerFULL, 2 ReCreate, 1 Anabolic Pump, 1.5 Scoops Jack3d,2 scoops DominATP, Glutamine 10 grams, 2.5 grams Bulk SCRx, two squirts sesamine

Dumbell Incline Bench 50lb 3x15
Assisted Chins 50 lb assist 3x15
Wide grip Upright rows 65 lb 3x15
Leg Press 5 plates 3x15
Stiff Leg Deads 120 3x15
Standing Curls 65 3x15
Seated Cable overhead tricep extension 50 3x15
Seated Calf raises 3 plates 3x15

Post Workout
2 PRIME, 1 AP, 1 yohimbine, 1g Bulk SCRx 1 TRez, 1 Divanil 95%

BreakFast
2 scoops Whey
1/2 cup Oats
1/8 cup raisins
8 crushed almonds
2oz fresh blueberries.

Extra nutritional info:
Raisins and nuts are double whammy, extra simple carbs from raisins, good fat from almonds and both increase the alkalinity of the meal. The PH Balance of a meal is important in assisting that you are able to correctly digest and absorb the nutrients from the meal. Many times the meals we eat lean the body toward a more acidic balance which can cause chronic and degenerative issues down the line. Healthy Fats, Fibrous veggies and even glutamine are all alkaline foods and can be used to keep a healthy PH Balance. If you get ulcers in your mouth and things of that nature you may be leaning towards high acidity. I beleive it also helps those of us who LOVE spicy food to just keep eating it because all those peppers are acidic, and I aint giving up the hot stuff!!!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Subbed for a fellow Texan. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Welcome! Maybe we can get together one of my cheat meals and have some steak or go by one of the Brazilian spots and tear it up.

 

[borobulker]

Whats poppin Kleen... I found that training program you wanted me to get for you...

YouTube - Poodle Exercise with Humans

 

[MrKleen73]

Whats poppin Kleen... I found that training program you wanted me to get for you...

YouTube - Poodle Exercise with Humans

She said "Open your legs, It's up and squeeze...Down and Again"

Now that is exercising doggie style. Sounds like a howling good time.

 

[DreamWeaver]

What percentages are you using for your lifting like do you start at 50% capacity and moved up ... how does it go.

 

[oufinny]

Welcome! Maybe we can get together one of my cheat meals and have some steak or go by one of the Brazilian spots and tear it up.

Not a bad idea at all... though they may throw us out after a while! :mischievous::mischievous:

 

[MrKleen73]

What percentages are you using for your lifting like do you start at 50% capacity and moved up ... how does it go.

I will tell you how it is supposed to be done if following it completely as written. Pick your lifts: normally between 6-12 lifts find out your max for the following rep ranges 15, 10, and 5. Make a table or chart or whatever you want to track it and basically go backwards in increments with the max being the 6th workout for the rep range. SO mark 6 spaces on a sheet of paper or whatever and ut the max for 15 reps on the last one and go backwards from there. The bigger lifts like squats and deadlifts you use 10-20 lb increments, and the smaller lifts you use 5-10 lb increments. Your increments will also get smaller with the increased intensity, yet should be significant enough that the body knows intensity was increased.

A quick example for one lift looks like this.

Bench Press 215 15 rep max 245 10 rep max 275 5 rep max
165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215
205, 215, 225, 235, 240, 245
240, 250, 260, 265, 270, 275

Basically the goal is to have a methodical increase of the resistance that is basically constant. The way they keep you being able to increase the weight after the cycle is to re do your maxes for the rep ranges then take 9-14 days off to allow the body to "decondition" itself. Then when you return to the lighter weights they feel heavier and work the muscle harder. This causes growth again at the lower weight because themuscle was deconditioned enough to have to rebuild itself even after the first light weight bout. So you get a minor muscle memory effect even though none or only a minute amount may have been lost during the week and a half off. By not racing back upto the heaviest weights possible as fast as possible, you allow your body to take advantage of the slow increase in workload it has to continue to adapt for a longer period. That is why you gradually step it back up to the new max. Although this is not a strength program I have gotten a good bit stronger from it every time I have run it and have always gained new mass.

The Hypertrophy-specific website actually has a calculator there where you can plug in your maxes for the rep ranges and tell it the increments you want it to set for you and does all of it for you. As you may have noticed Zig Zagging on the weights when crossing over to a new rep range is almost unavoidable.

I am familiar with the workout program as I have done 3 other HST cycles so I modify it a little with the way I employ the increments. This time with the show being around the corner I want to continue to hit multiple angle for all bodyparts so I am changing the exercises every workout, and am playing with the weights a little to find my sweet spot for each lift. The ones that are similiar enough in movement I can increase more linearly across all of them but the ones that are much different like say an upright row and a push press I am having to adjust for the intensity for that one exercise to fall into line with the others. As long as I follow the principle of continuing to increase the weight I will continue to see the results. I will be moving towards my own training after about the 6-8 week mark.

Man made me write a book again. LOL

 

[MrKleen73]

Interesting now that you mention it I think that is around 50% of my 1 rep max on the first set. I was even deliciously sore after my first workout with even lower weights. Only 14 days off lifting and those weights are providing very minor DOMS. Gotta love that. Normally the goal would be to push as fast as possible back up to a respectable weight but apparently that shortcuts you to only using muscle memory to get back up and not as much new growth. Also rep tempo starts out slower and increases as the intensity does so I am doing about 2-1-2 but not really counting it.

 

[MrKleen73]

Not a bad idea at all... though they may throw us out after a while! :mischievous::mischievous:

By the time they realize that is necassary they will be out of meat and we will be ready to go anyway. I can see it now, manager over there whispering to the staff to just wait till we aren't looking and flip the thing back to the red side. Or the Sirs we also have a wonderful award winning salad bar. To which we respond with a grunt and wave over the guy with the skewer of lamb...

 

[DreamWeaver]

I will tell you how it is supposed to be done if following it completely as written. Pick your lifts: normally between 6-12 lifts find out your max for the following rep ranges 15, 10, and 5. Make a table or chart or whatever you want to track it and basically go backwards in increments with the max being the 6th workout for the rep range. SO mark 6 spaces on a sheet of paper or whatever and ut the max for 15 reps on the last one and go backwards from there. The bigger lifts like squats and deadlifts you use 10-20 lb increments, and the smaller lifts you use 5-10 lb increments. Your increments will also get smaller with the increased intensity, yet should be significant enough that the body knows intensity was increased.

A quick example for one lift looks like this.

Bench Press 215 15 rep max 245 10 rep max 275 5 rep max
165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215
205, 215, 225, 235, 240, 245
240, 250, 260, 265, 270, 275

Basically the goal is to have a methodical increase of the resistance that is basically constant. The way they keep you being able to increase the weight after the cycle is to re do your maxes for the rep ranges then take 9-14 days off to allow the body to "decondition" itself. Then when you return to the lighter weights they feel heavier and work the muscle harder. This causes growth again at the lower weight because themuscle was deconditioned enough to have to rebuild itself even after the first light weight bout. So you get a minor muscle memory effect even though none or only a minute amount may have been lost during the week and a half off. By not racing back upto the heaviest weights possible as fast as possible, you allow your body to take advantage of the slow increase in workload it has to continue to adapt for a longer period. That is why you gradually step it back up to the new max. Although this is not a strength program I have gotten a good bit stronger from it every time I have run it and have always gained new mass.

The Hypertrophy-specific website actually has a calculator there where you can plug in your maxes for the rep ranges and tell it the increments you want it to set for you and does all of it for you. As you may have noticed Zig Zagging on the weights when crossing over to a new rep range is almost unavoidable.

I am familiar with the workout program as I have done 3 other HST cycles so I modify it a little with the way I employ the increments. This time with the show being around the corner I want to continue to hit multiple angle for all bodyparts so I am changing the exercises every workout, and am playing with the weights a little to find my sweet spot for each lift. The ones that are similiar enough in movement I can increase more linearly across all of them but the ones that are much different like say an upright row and a push press I am having to adjust for the intensity for that one exercise to fall into line with the others. As long as I follow the principle of continuing to increase the weight I will continue to see the results. I will be moving towards my own training after about the 6-8 week mark.

Man made me write a book again. LOL

I like the sound of this.. as you can probably guess at my age I am constantly working around through and with a half dozen nagging injuries most of the time. This has a sensible approach and will save on some of the pain and allow one to recover.

I am currently targeting chest and back width and cruisning all other parts which is a nice reprieve. Doing slower reps also which helps also. This may be what I am looking for in the fall though. Instead of crushing myself I could use my head for a change!! :happysad:

 

[MrKleen73]

It is definitely a good program. I think you would enjoy it and grow from it. I would recommend picking one or maybe 2 exercises per body part so all of the weights are easier. I couldn't find my maxes earlier for worrying about injuring myself so I am working with estimated maxes which aren't quite as good bit I am familiar enough with the program to know where I should be intensity wise each workout. The program can be found in its entirety at hypertophy-specific.com it explains all of the science behind it as well. Very good read.

 

[DreamWeaver]

It is definitely a good program. I think you would enjoy it and grow from it. I would recommend picking one or maybe 2 exercises per body part so all of the weights are easier. I couldn't find my maxes earlier for worrying about injuring myself so I am working with estimated maxes which aren't quite as good bit I am familiar enough with the program to know where I should be intensity wise each workout. The program can be found in its entirety at hypertophy-specific.com it explains all of the science behind it as well. Very good read.

Grow from it, now that's an awsome thought. I am mainly focussed on getting and staying lean but like you I like to stay the same weight while I recomp. This means more mass. That's why I have no idea where I will be as these supps allow for this type of protocol. I think I will make this part of my plan as I am tired of tearing myself apart... see I told you I was going to steal from you :laugh2:

 

[oufinny]

By the time they realize that is necassary they will be out of meat and we will be ready to go anyway. I can see it now, manager over there whispering to the staff to just wait till we aren't looking and flip the thing back to the red side. Or the Sirs we also have a wonderful award winning salad bar. To which we respond with a grunt and wave over the guy with the skewer of lamb...

All this talk about meat, no wonder I am going to pick up a new grill after work today! I know someone I can bring to this shindig that could really compliment the insanity I envision.

 

[oufinny]

Ok, unlike you two I am about 10 years your junior so keep that in mind while considering my question and also note my training has only been serious now for the better part of 18 months (that crap I did when I was younger swimming and playing water polo was a joke and pointless now that I am mildly educated about proper training/diet etc...). To my question, in the next three weeks I am going to start a 6 week recomp that will have the assistance of Prime, AP and Diesel Test HC; would this be a good program to do or is this duration too short to see any real benefit? If not, and I can start a new thread since I am sort of hijacking, what do either of you recommend since you have vastly more experience than I do.

It is definitely a good program. I think you would enjoy it and grow from it. I would recommend picking one or maybe 2 exercises per body part so all of the weights are easier. I couldn't find my maxes earlier for worrying about injuring myself so I am working with estimated maxes which aren't quite as good bit I am familiar enough with the program to know where I should be intensity wise each workout. The program can be found in its entirety at hypertophy-specific.com it explains all of the science behind it as well. Very good read.

 

[MrKleen73]

Ok, unlike you two I am about 10 years your junior so keep that in mind while considering my question and also note my training has only been serious now for the better part of 18 months (that crap I did when I was younger swimming and playing water polo was a joke and pointless now that I am mildly educated about proper training/diet etc...). To my question, in the next three weeks I am going to start a 6 week recomp that will have the assistance of Prime, AP and Diesel Test HC; would this be a good program to do or is this duration too short to see any real benefit? If not, and I can start a new thread since I am sort of hijacking, what do either of you recommend since you have vastly more experience than I do.

What is or was your training style before? One thing I can tell you is that for a recomposition effect full body workouts seem to really assist and you can get away with a lot less cardio. If you have been on a high volume program then doing this one as written will give you great results. Get your maxes, do then do the strategic deconditioning. Start your supplements and your first day of training at the same time. You will finish up the end of the 6 week cycle at the same time as your supplements run out. Feel free to hijack for short periods... we all learn from discussion but afterwards you have to give me my thread back. :drillsergeant:

 

[MrKleen73]

Today was a cardio day took my morning supps minus the Jack3d, add in 3 Refresh. Did 45 minutes on treadmill level 20 at 3.2 mph for total of 548 cals. 2 sets hanging leg raises to failure, two sets cable crunches to failure, 2 sets leg raises to failure.

I felt great and had awesome concentration. Was able to read about 25 pages of my book while walking which is way better than normal. So the Refresh is definitely giving me more focus. I am going to let the wife try some for her next test and see how much she thinks it hels her in that aspect.

Physique Changes. I believe I have definitely lost some weight this week mostly water I am sure from lowering my carbs substancially. I have been pissing like a race horse which is really getting messy and coworkers want me to start using the restroom again instead of letting it go while I run.... Either way, I am looking tighter and expect to weigh in somewhere around 188-190. My first 2 weeks will be readjusting time so whatever the scale says isn't too much of a concern for me. Water weight isn't bodyfat and it fluctuates like crazy on me.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Today was a cardio day took my morning supps minus the Jack3d, add in 3 Refresh. Did 45 minutes on treadmill level 20 at 3.2 mph for total of 548 cals. 2 sets hanging leg raises to failure, two sets cable crunches to failure, 2 sets leg raises to failure.

I felt great and had awesome concentration. Was able to read about 25 pages of my book while walking which is way better than normal. So the Refresh is definitely giving me more focus. I am going to let the wife try some for her next test and see how much she thinks it hels her in that aspect.

Physique Changes. I believe I have definitely lost some weight this week mostly water I am sure from lowering my carbs substancially. I have been pissing like a race horse which is really getting messy and coworkers want me to start using the restroom again instead of letting it go while I run.... Either way, I am looking tighter and expect to weigh in somewhere around 188-190. My first 2 weeks will be readjusting time so whatever the scale says isn't too much of a concern for me. Water weight isn't bodyfat and it fluctuates like crazy on me.

Fuggin co-workers should mind there own fuggin busines....!!

Yah the only thing I use the scale for is to see if I gained muscle ... just to confirm what the mirror tells me. That can be tricky too cuz it depends so much on carb intake.

 

[MrKleen73]

Fuggin co-workers should mind there own fuggin busines....!!

Yah the only thing I use the scale for is to see if I gained muscle ... just to confirm what the mirror tells me. That can be tricky too cuz it depends so much on carb intake.

Amen to that, I can put on 10 Lbs over a weekend of heavy eating and be back at normal weight by Wednesday... Need to change my name to the Sponge Warrior. LOL Now where did I leave my square pants....

 

[DreamWeaver]

Amen to that, I can put on 10 Lbs over a weekend of heavy eating and be back at normal weight by Wednesday... Need to change my name to the Sponge Warrior. LOL Now where did I leave my square pants....

Yah I wonder how much I am fluctuating , I only weigh in when I am carbed up to be consistant. I know that after a low carb day I look deflated the next morning. After a high carb day I look a lot fuller so I have to take what I ate the day before into account when doing a self assessment.

 

[Army Guy]

If you don't mind being late, I'm in and watching intently from Iraq

 

[MrKleen73]

All this talk about meat, no wonder I am going to pick up a new grill after work today! I know someone I can bring to this shindig that could really compliment the insanity I envision.

So now it will be a three way feed-o-rama with more wrecking power than the Rampage video game! I wanna be Godzilla...

 

[MrKleen73]

Thanks for doing what you do.

If you don't mind being late, I'm in and watching intently from Iraq

Just want to say thanks for stopping in, and more importantly for serving in the Armed Forces. Know you are appreciated here at home! Would be honored to have here for the duration.

 

[GoHardOrGoHme]

subbed...good luck man keep up the good work

 

[Army Guy]

Just want to say thanks for stopping in, and more importantly for serving in the Armed Forces. Know you are appreciated here at home! Would be honored to have here for the duration.

Thanks for the words bro! looking forward to seeing your gains!

 

[DreamWeaver]

Just want to say thanks for stopping in, and more importantly for serving in the Armed Forces. Know you are appreciated here at home! Would be honored to have here for the duration.

Even though I am from Canada, I will echo those sentiments...

 

[Army Guy]

Even though I am from Canada, I will echo those sentiments...

Thanks Dream... you're an example to us all!!!

 

[DreamWeaver]

Thanks Dream... you're an example to us all!!!

You honor me sir!! That's what life is ... setting an example!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Post Weekend Update

Had a good weekend. I was very busy but got in a good weight orkout and had a good cardio session today.

We will start with the weights,I normally workout my weights on Saturday but had some issues to take care of so I made this my rest day and work out on Sunday instead when I normally rest. Got up a little later than expected and so I was one meal shy of normal for my weekend workout. I normally have the opportunity to get in a good meal then relax for a bit then hit the weights however this workout was fasted just like my workouts throughout the week.

I took all of my preworkout supps as laid out in first post and waited for the pacing to begin and left for the gym.

I hit all of my weights as prescribed and found that one or two of them took a little more effort than planned but they are also newer excercises so I am going to stay with the weights as prescribed. I have the exact weight I will be lifting for everly lift over the next 6 weeks and I am going to try not to deviate as long as I am able to complete the lifts. The one that gave me trouble is the dumbell decline bench press with a twist so my grip is supinated by the top of the movment. I am not able to lift overly heavy and want to develop my lower pecs a little more so this is the modification I chose to make to increase the focus on the lower portion of the chest. Seems to be working I can feel that it is a lot more involved that way.

On a possibly bad note I just got notice that I am going to be spending over 500 dollars on my AC so I am not 100% sure if the contest is still going to be monetarily feasible.:sigh1: That is just about the cost of entrance and hotels so it makes things a extremely tight. I am going to keep training and dieting down towards it and see if I am able to recover any cash through overtime and what not if any is possible. However if not this may simply have to be a ReComp thread. It will not change my intesity and hopefully I can get a little back in the bank so I can still do the show.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Yah my next show is going to be here in Montreal, I hate travelling for a show, it's just such a hassle and the cost is high. If I travel again, it will have to be a very good reason.

 

[MrKleen73]

Change of Gears!!!!!

Okay everyone after some soul searching and what not I finally came to the hard decision that I will hold off on the contest prep until a spring show next year. This was honestly a hard decision to make as quit is normally not in my vocabulary. I am going to now push for a recomp / lean bulk. I want to maintain if not drop my curent bodyfat while growing as much LBM as possible. I just set up a new caloric set up that I willl be following. Starting with a maintenance level and checking bodyfat calipers regularly to make sure i am gaining LBM and not gaining fat. Final goal is to hopefully get up close to 200 lbs around 8% bodyfat. Then I will begin my cutting phase coming up closer to the show.

Here are the cals/ macros I have planned during this period.

Calories Protien 40%, Fat 30%, Carb 30%
2800, P=1120, F=840, C=840
3000, P=1200, F=900, C=900
3200, P=1280, F=960, C=960

Grams
P=280 F=93.33 C=210
P=300 F=100 C=225
P=320 F=106.6 C=240


Calories Protien 40%, Fat 35%, Carbs 25%
2800, P=1120, F=980, C=700
3000, P=1200, F=1050, C=750
3200, P=1280, F=1120, C=800

Grams
P=280 F=108.88 C=175
P=300 F=116.6 C=187.5
P=320 124.4444444 C=200

I will be switching to and fro on these macros and the 3 caloric levels seen here, and will adjust as LBM and BF% dictate. PSlin will also be reintroduced during this time as well. Bring on the LBM!!!!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Oh Yeah Baby!!! I had a little extra love from the carb monster today, I did 2 workouts today and man I was pumped the second workout i couldn't even scratch my back. I love P-Slin, added a little WaxiMaize to my pre workout meal and my intra drink. Excellent workout. It was a little more challenging to so I am really enjoying that the weights are ramping up. I feel like I am going to explode eating more again and actually lifting while doing so.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Okay everyone after some soul searching and what not I finally came to the hard decision that I will hold off on the contest prep until a spring show next year. This was honestly a hard decision to make as quit is normally not in my vocabulary. I am going to now push for a recomp / lean bulk. I want to maintain if not drop my curent bodyfat while growing as much LBM as possible. I just set up a new caloric set up that I willl be following. Starting with a maintenance level and checking bodyfat calipers regularly to make sure i am gaining LBM and not gaining fat. Final goal is to hopefully get up close to 200 lbs around 8% bodyfat. Then I will begin my cutting phase coming up closer to the show.

Here are the cals/ macros I have planned during this period.

Calories Protien 40%, Fat 30%, Carb 30%
2800, P=1120, F=840, C=840
3000, P=1200, F=900, C=900
3200, P=1280, F=960, C=960

Grams
P=280 F=93.33 C=210
P=300 F=100 C=225
P=320 F=106.6 C=240


Calories Protien 40%, Fat 35%, Carbs 25%
2800, P=1120, F=980, C=700
3000, P=1200, F=1050, C=750
3200, P=1280, F=1120, C=800

Grams
P=280 F=108.88 C=175
P=300 F=116.6 C=187.5
P=320 124.4444444 C=200

I will be switching to and fro on these macros and the 3 caloric levels seen here, and will adjust as LBM and BF% dictate. PSlin will also be reintroduced during this time as well. Bring on the LBM!!!!!

\

Hah that puts us in exactly the same boat... with the same exact goals.

My cal cycle is a bit more severe 2500, 3000, 3500 give or take. I have 3 2500 days 2 3000 and 2 3500 a week. That is always the plan but Saturday is one of my low days and that sometimes turns into a 3000 calorie day and then I take less in on Sunday. So it's sometimes looking more like 4 3000 cal days 2 2500 and 1 3500. I think my main focus has to be keeping that last low cal day tight.

 

[MrKleen73]

\

Hah that puts us in exactly the same boat... with the same exact goals.

My cal cycle is a bit more severe 2500, 3000, 3500 give or take. I have 3 2500 days 2 3000 and 2 3500 a week. That is always the plan but Saturday is one of my low days and that sometimes turns into a 3000 calorie day and then I take less in on Sunday. So it's sometimes looking more like 4 3000 cal days 2 2500 and 1 3500. I think my main focus has to be keeping that last low cal day tight.

I want to keep my cals a little higher on the low range and not too high for the high range just to be safe yet keep my muscle mass going up. However there is a chance here and there for a low 2000 and even a 4000 cal day so I can pig with the family and have some fun. Main goal here is to maintain body fat or only slighlty lower it but mostly to gain LBM without actually gaining fat. You are carrying a lot more muscle than I am so I think you may still be seeing recomp faster at those caloric levels. UNLESS I am lucky!!!

I have never really pushed too hard to gain muscle while already lean all of my efforts have always been recomp but I am relatively happy with my current bodyfat if I can gain muscle cleanly from here I will be very happy. If I do recomp I will be just that much more happy. Way I see it every 1.9-2 Lbs of LBM I gain without gaining fat puts me 1% lower so that is where I hope to see my recomp come from but I am looking for clean mass right now.

 

[DreamWeaver]

I want to keep my cals a little higher on the low range and not too high for the high range just to be safe yet keep my muscle mass going up. However there is a chance here and there for a low 2000 and even a 4000 cal day so I can pig with the family and have some fun. Main goal here is to maintain body fat or only slighlty lower it but mostly to gain LBM without actually gaining fat. You are carrying a lot more muscle than I am so I think you may still be seeing recomp faster at those caloric levels. UNLESS I am lucky!!!

I have never really pushed too hard to gain muscle while already lean all of my efforts have always been recomp but I am relatively happy with my current bodyfat if I can gain muscle cleanly from here I will be very happy. If I do recomp I will be just that much more happy. Way I see it every 1.9-2 Lbs of LBM I gain without gaining fat puts me 1% lower so that is where I hope to see my recomp come from but I am looking for clean mass right now.

My slow metabolism makes up for the extra mass and It is very difficult for me to get very lean. Recomp will be pretty slow believe me!!

Yah muscle gain is a secondary concern for me as well.. getting and staying lean is the real problem I face. It's coming along ..your still in better shape than me by 2 or 3 percent. I want to get down to where you are by February so I can start a long slow prep.

 

[MrKleen73]

My slow metabolism makes up for the extra mass and It is very difficult for me to get very lean. Recomp will be pretty slow believe me!!

Yah muscle gain is a secondary concern for me as well.. getting and staying lean is the real problem I face. It's coming along ..your still in better shape than me by 2 or 3 percent. I want to get down to where you are by February so I can start a long slow prep.

Speaking of leaner, I just found these pictures of me 2 days before my show. I don't even think I had seen them but crap I was in condition. Makes me want to diet right now!

 

[DreamWeaver]

Speaking of leaner, I just found these pictures of me 2 days before my show. I don't even think I had seen them but crap I was in condition. Makes me want to diet right now!

Yep that's as good as it gets body fat was definnitely 4%... I have never been able to get that low cuz it's always been such a fire fight before. This time I want to be smarter about it. I got to about 6% and ran out of time. Did this a couple of times. I kjnow I can do it I just have to take better care of myself in the off season ...no more of this bulk and cut ... it's permanent recomp for me!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Workout is going great.

Yesterday I did my usual pre-cardio supps, got ready went to the gym and did treadmill for 45 minutes, on random at level 15 and 3.2 miles per hour. Was nice, had energy and focus all the way through. Was able to read another good chunk of my book. This is my only time I can really try to read so it is nice that with the Refresh I can read better on the treadmill. Normally my attention is so bad I have to put the book down or settle for the bike... less movement in periphereal vision to distract there in case you are wondering why.

This morning was another weight workout and I was finally pushing weight that was pretty challenging on the second set. Interesting how much a lighter wieght can feel like when you have intentionally deconditioned yourself and don't try to immediately get back to that weight.

Incline DB Bench 70 lbs - was a little challenging on the last set of 15.
Assisted neutral grip chins 30 lbs assist x15 - leaning farther back and pulling up into lower rib cage, last 3 of last set I had good form but they took some effort and were more explosive as far as rep speed.
Wide Grip Upright Rows 100x15 - second set was challenging by the end.
Olympic Bar Curls 80x 15 - second set went down to 70 lbs
Over Head Seated Cable Tricep Ext. 65 x 15 - plowed through like was not there.
Narrow Stance Squats 205 x15 - plowed through with no issue at all.
Stiff Leg Deads 115x15 - absolutely effortless I have to make a serious jump on this lift.
Seated Calf raise - 155x15 last set was feeling the burn a little.

Once again I can't believe how challenging some of these weights were. However I am still getting a little sore with each workout so the slow progression up is definitely causing my body to stay in a continual state of adaptation. So ignoring my urge to rush up to working my max for a rep range all the time, I will continue to follow the program as it has always worked in the past. However as more PRIME builds in my system while Anabolic Pump is becoming more efficient and PowerFULL keeps doing it's thing, I expect to have to start adjusting weights up in the next week or two just to keep them a little challenging but we will see how it goes. I want to stick as close as I can to the layout of the program. So far the program is going exactly as described and doing exactly what I want.

On another note, before eating this morning I weighed in 194 so I am already coming up in weight from when I started, partially to the additional carbs I am takin in since changing to a lean bulk / recomp diet. I will see where I am on Saturday morning before I have a higher calorie day or two. We got rid of the kids for the weekend so I will admittedly have some drinks and poor food choices this weekend. This is considered a special occasion weekend because we have no kids so Momma gets me in relaxed no pressure, no diet mode for two days. However I will eat mostly healthy food choices and not drink too many of my calories. Of course I will use my Anabolic Pump and P-Slin to negate some of the effects of poor choices as well. I am no dummy!

 

[MrKleen73]

Yep that's as good as it gets body fat was definnitely 4%... I have never been able to get that low cuz it's always been such a fire fight before. This time I want to be smarter about it. I got to about 6% and ran out of time. Did this a couple of times. I kjnow I can do it I just have to take better care of myself in the off season ...no more of this bulk and cut ... it's permanent recomp for me!!

Just too add to what you are saying about that. I did have a long prep but I as I said before I was able to have cheat meals all the way up to 4 weeks out and still acheive that. The Asteroid Stack just made it easy. Only hard week was peak week. Reading my old log from there you remember I had so much stuff going on in my life, and I really didn't find anything that hard other than finding time to pose. However I ran through the last 6 weeks of prep on about 3-5 hours of sleep from all of the late night home repairs, and flooding.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Just too add to what you are saying about that. I did have a long prep but I as I said before I was able to have cheat meals all the way up to 4 weeks out and still acheive that. The Asteroid Stack just made it easy. Only hard week was peak week. Reading my old log from there you remember I had so much stuff going on in my life, and I really didn't find anything that hard other than finding time to pose. However I ran through the last 6 weeks of prep on about 3-5 hours of sleep from all of the late night home repairs, and flooding.

Yes!! I am counting on the supps to change things for me as well...:afro:

 

[MrKleen73]

Had a great workout on Saturday. I got up and kept the morning as relaxed as possible. Had a good breakfast with all my normal supps. About an hour before my workout I had a P-Slin and a Protien - Waximaize shake. I was already feeling the pump from it about 30 minutes later when I took my 2 scoops Jack3d 2 scoops DATP, 3 PRIME, 2 grams Supersapponins, and about 200mg of of P-Slin since I was also intaking Waximaize in my intra drink. I make my intra drink 2 scoops of DATP, 10 grams glutamine, and 30-35 grams Waximaize. By the time I walked through the door at the gym I was in total go mode.

I did the weights that were prescribed for my 5th workout on accident, because it was actually really the 4rth workout. My extra workout the other day got me a little confused. I could feel the jump in weight but it was not ridiculous. However it amazes me that on some of the lifts I was unable to complete my second set and fell shy by about 2 reps. However I honestly think I am not resting long enough. I am used to my 60 seconds or less so anything over a minute at this point feels like an eternity of rest. That and the wife and I are using predominantly dumbells due to my injuries so there is no unloading and reloading of the bar to take up extra time. I will be repeating the 5th workout weights again tomorrow but it will be different exercises so I can roll right back into it without negating the effects or design of the workout. Reps are getting harder and more explosive, especially to complete the second set as I said earlier. I am going to have to get watch with a timer or something to time the rest periods. Seems all of the wall clocks have dissappeared from the gym.

Okay so finished a great workout with the weights and head into the sauna for 20 minutes and do my abs in there. 4 sets of crunches to failure, one in each postion, legs straight, legs bent, legs butterflied and legs lifted. Then did some side bends for obliques 3 sets of 15 holding a 25 lb weight. Stretched out the legs for about 5 minutes and headed out. Took an Anabolic Pump, and went home to have my postworkout shake.

As of Saturday I am holding 194 lbs right now.

 

[MrKleen73]

This just in...
ME! I just got in from running some hill sprints during lunch. I was going to go for a walk but decided I wanted a little more. There are some hills over by my work in a park, and I normally just walk by them today I saw them and they challenged me. Calling out to me as if to say. "Hey Sport, ya think you can handle the heat? Give it your best shot..." I would have to say that the spots on the hill, actually a bayou levi where about paralell at the top and bottom and a good 45 degree incline going up 40-50 yards. I decided to do 15 sets of hill sprints, each set consisting of a quick walk down the hill turning immediately and sprinting back up, walking over about 30 yards and then quick walk back down then sprint back up. That was one set. I finished the 15 one I was losing some steam but I have to say that I was really impressed with my conditioning considering I have not done any training like that in months. I think a lot of it had to do with the intra set recovery that I always notice while on PRIME. I actually think the aggression that even gave me the desire to want to pull this crap in 94 degree temps also came from the "Alpha Maleness" the PRIME makes me exude. You get that "JUST LET ME AT 'EM!" mentality. I feel it starting to kick in which means things are about to get cooking around here. Anyway this was kind of spurof the moment HIIT training so I had a Anabolic Pump and some good aterworkout nutrition and I am feeling great. My legs are still pumped up, I can even feel a pump in my rear delts. Must be from hammering back my arms to create extra body torque. Either way I feel FUGGIN PHENOMINAL!!!!!

 

[Army Guy]

Had a great workout on Saturday. I got up and kept the morning as relaxed as possible. Had a good breakfast with all my normal supps. About an hour before my workout I had a P-Slin and a Protien - Waximaize shake. I was already feeling the pump from it about 30 minutes later when I took my 2 scoops Jack3d 2 scoops DATP, 3 PRIME, 2 grams Supersapponins, and about 200mg of of P-Slin since I was also intaking Waximaize in my intra drink. I make my intra drink 2 scoops of DATP, 10 grams glutamine, and 30-35 grams Waximaize. By the time I walked through the door at the gym I was in total go mode.

dude I love the stack here. I think I might give it a go next cycle. Adding the Jack3d, which alone is a beast, onto this just makes me drool!!! Great workout. Hopefully your second day 5 will hit the reps you want. Love the log bro!