Supplement or PCT causing shin pumps - help me figure out what's going on!

[Flabby]

I was playing basketball last night and got the most painful, debilitating pump in both shins.... All of the blood rushed to my shin muscles and they felt like they were gonna pop. i felt like a robot trying to run without moving my ankles.... holy crap it sucked.

This has never happened to me before, and I think it's related to the supplements I've been taking, or perhaps just my screwed up post-cycle hormonal state.

Recent Cycle:
Epistane Cycle ended 7 days ago.

PCT Sups:
Torem 120 for 2 days, then 90 each day after, dropping down to 60 tomorrow.
DAA - 6g each day this week, dropping to 3g starting tomorrow
Anabeta - 4 a day, usually 2 in the morning and 2 at night
Erase - 1 cap a day
SuperCissusRX - 6 a day (2 caps 3 times a day)

Staples:
Dr. Feelgood multi
Vit D
Creatine
Beta Alanine
BCAAs
Fish Oil

PreWO (took before the game):
1.5g GPLC
1g Alcar
200 mg Caffeine
25mg 1,3 Dimethylamylamine

Any ideas which supp (or combination of supps) would be causing this? I'm obviously going to do some trial and error, removing some stuff, but it would be nice to get some feedback from the knowledgeable folks here as to what you think is going on....


Thanks in advance!

 

[Bnatural]

shin, as in the front portion of your lower leg?
if so, this is probably just shin splits, which is something most just have to suffer through until they get acclimated to the exercise.
be sure to warm-up the calves a little, then stretch them. ice will help as well.

 

[nattydisaster]

I hate when that happens!

 

[R1balla]

ive never in my life had a freakin shin pump

 

[Flabby]

Thanks for the responses guys...

shin, as in the front portion of your lower leg?
if so, this is probably just shin splits, which is something most just have to suffer through until they get acclimated to the exercise.
be sure to warm-up the calves a little, then stretch them. ice will help as well.

I've had shin splints before - that sucks but it's more of a chronic condition. What I experienced the other night was acute and disappeared a few hours after exercise. My shin muscles (dorsiflexors... prob the tibialis anterior?) literally filled with blood and got rock hard like a... bicep pump.

ive never in my life had a freakin shin pump

Until now I haven't either, in years of playing ball. Which is what makes me think it's supplement-related.

My first guess is that it's the GPLC, since that increases NO. I'm going to drop that and see where it goes.

I also just found this related thread just now... seems like the exact same symptom. "Feet flopping around like flippers" was exactly what it felt like. Though in this case the dude was on superdrol... heh
anabolicminds. com/forum/exercise-science/49210-shin-pumps.html

 

[Bnatural]

i've had issues like that on cycle, but not in pct.

 

[Flabby]

Is it possible that the epi was still in my system somehow? I read that the half life was 6-8 hours, but I've heard other folks say that the compound can last longer?

 

[nattydisaster]

I dont want to be a debbie downer, but I very first got shin pumps after a 3 week SD cycle 4-5 years ago when SD was released.

Ever since then they have never, ever gone away when I play basketball, sprint, or even jog for a while.

I wish I had advice here. Maybe try lots of water?

 

[rochabp]

your getting old

 

[Flabby]

I dont want to be a debbie downer, but I very first got shin pumps after a 3 week SD cycle 4-5 years ago when SD was released.

Ever since then they have never, ever gone away when I play basketball, sprint, or even jog for a while.

I wish I had advice here. Maybe try lots of water?

No, it's nice to know I'm not the only one... if it's a real problem then it can be addressed somehow. Out of curiosity, what is your training focus (bodybuilding, strength, fighting, sports, etc) ?

I'm guessing that simply having more muscle on my frame is part of it... in which case I think some cutting is in order soon. I was down to 185 (@ 6 feet tall) at one point earlier this year, but after the epi cycle I'm cruising at 197 or so. The gains were mostly muscle, but I'm still probably at about 15% bf so I know I can get much leaner.

I have also been neglecting my ankles and calves a bit in my training, so that's something to work on... it's just very difficult to avoid overtraining on them when I'm also playing regularly. Any advice is welcome!

your getting old

Thanks for reminding me... You're right about that, but some of the guys I play with have 10 years on me and still run circles around me, so I'm not ready to give up just yet!

 

[rochabp]

Thanks for reminding me... You're right about that, but some of the guys I play with have 10 years on me and still run circles around me, so I'm not ready to give up just yet!

lol im sorry its life, respects man-you're a warrior

 

[Flabby]

lol im sorry its life, respects man-you're a warrior

That it is. I actually just turned 31 a few days ago so I'm feeling it.

On a tangential note, I'm waiting to finish PCT before I cut. I know it's different for everyone, but is there a general guideline for when to start a cut following an EPI cycle?

 

[rochabp]

thats tough because you def dont want to cut on pct, id give it a good 3 weeks after pct or when you feel, stable enough. if that makes any sense.

 

[Flabby]

Just a quick update:

I played yesterday and got a lot of minutes on the court. NO SHIN PUMPS!

I dropped the GPLC as planned, and I added Rhodiola Rhodesia to my stack since it seemed good for general well-being and recovery. I also picked up some knee-high compression socks (not taking any chances).

One other adjustment was doing a little more metabolic conditioning this week (as opposed to max-strength training) by way of supersets, higher reps, and shorter rest periods. I'm not really sure, but it seems like this would lead to positive adaptations in circulation and waste removal.

I'm gonna keep on it, but hopefully I've got this annoying problem resolved for now! Thanks everyone for the suggestions.