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C-Rey's first Hella cycle log

hey how do i subscribe to this thread? i am interested in the results of your cycle. thanks for the day to day updates
 
Above the first post on the page, go to the drop down "thread tools" and you'll see the link to subscribe to this thread at the bottom.
 
Alright kids, I'm back after five days with some sort of cold that jacked me up. Last weeks training schedule is shot but I start all over again tonight. I'll probably be a bit weak but that's okay. Still dosing everything as planned. I'm on my second day of Hella at 100mg per day. This is week three. We'll see how that goes. I probably could have gotten away with 100mg from the start but who the hell knew. No visible sides. The back pumps are gone but, of course, I haven't worked out since last Tuesday so who knows for sure. We'll find out tonight.

On a side note, I picked up some Intimidate; any thoughts on running that in PCT instead of DAA? Or should I stick with what we know works?
 
Day 17 - I was a little worried about how last nights workout would turn out. Took me 50 minutes to get to the gym because of traffic so I was a bit pissed going it cause I got there late. But, once there, I got a short warm up in and then was lucky enough to jump in with somebody else on some safety bar squats. Went up to 415 for a single; up to that point, I did triples and doubles. Felt pretty strong. I think it's important to do some hypertrophy work as well so I did four sets of ten with 185 of regular barbell squats. Chased that with four sets of 15 of glute ham raises and called it a night. Sometimes, short, quick and intense is good enough.

I did learn a valuable lesson in taurine dosing. I had 6 grams earlier in the day with my protein and Cylce Support but I failed to take any before the workout. The back pumps were insane. I was able to work through it however. Luckily, I did have another 6 grams in my post-workout drink which cured the problem pretty quickly. So, from now on, I will be taking 6 grams immediately prior to my workout.
 
~40 minutes pre-workout is pretty much ideal. Glad to see you are gettin back to it like a beast :D

ManBeast
 
Yep, not sure if you need two doses during the day like that, unless the other 6g are for energy purposes only
 
Day numero 18 - Upper body max effort day at the gym tonight. Going balls out seeing as how I missed last weeks workout. Plus, I'm in the meat of this run, so time to step it up big time. I will drop the taurine about 40 minutes prior to the gym in an effort to avoid the back pumps. Hopefully, that does the trick. Diet has been pretty good except for last week when I was sick; of course, it's never good when you're sick. I may add a cardio day in the mix starting next week. I do some prowler pushing and/or kettlebell work but haven't done a ton of cardio of late. Might be good to add one day of interval sprints just to ward off some body fat.
 
Day 19 - A pretty strong workout last night. I was a little concerned going in; my warm ups have been pretty lethargic. I just feel tight and heavy. Once the workout got started though, it got better. I was more tight and sore last night than ever though. My shoulders were really fatigued. I was able to stave off the back pumps after taking Beasts advice and rockin the taurine 40 minutes or so pre-workout. Felt a little pump but nothing too severe as to eff up the workout. I did some overloading work. Reverse band bench press. Went up to 405lbs using the Mark Bell Sling Shot. In order to lift heavy weight, you have to be able to hold heavy weight! Battling some tendonitis, so it was a bit of a struggle but powered through it nonetheless. Did a bit of assistance work too in order to balance it out and get some hypertrophy work it. I was definitely spent afterwards.

Weighed in at 250lbs; that's up from 235lbs. Definitely looking full and bulky. Last nights pump was insane. It will be interesting to see how much of that weight is water. Trying to keep the calories as clean as possible. Didn't happen as much as I would have liked when I was sick last week.

All and all, progressing steadily. About half way through the cycle. I'll introduce Forma into the mix next Monday. It'll be interesting to see what that does as far as leaning me out a bit; removing some estrogen.
 
The last two workouts, I've had a major sugar crash after my post workout drink. I wonder if I should scale back on that or eat sooner than and hour to an hour and a half post workout drink?
 
Day 23 - Started week four yesterday. This cycle is flying by quickly. I added the Forma yesterday, so I'll run that through PCT. Trying to decide when to stop Transaderm? I'm thinking after next week, but not sure.

This past weekends workouts were pretty intense; Sunday's upper moreso than Saturday's lower but both still good nonetheless.

Back pumps held in check. The dosing of the taurine before and after the workout seems to be my sweet spot.

I am showing a bit of the weight gain in the mid-section. Currently coming in at 250lbs +/- a pound or two. I'm not overly concerned as I am in a bulking phase and will work it off after. I'm just not used to bulking per se. As far as the bulk, it's going pretty well. There's definitely more bulk. The pumps after my workouts are ridiculously insane. I may add in one cardio session per week from this point forward.

Still no other noticeable sides besides the back pumps at 100 mg. Still hornier than sh*t! :)
 
Something is f**king my stomach up! Not sure if it's the dairy or the whey protein or both. Time to reevaluate.
 
Day 24 - Although I've been killin the water, I am dehydrated and sweating. Not sure what that's all about. Stomach is still a bit irritated; not as bad as yesterday but still noticeable. Not sure if it's something I ate not agreeing with me or what.

Last nights workout was only okay, when I finally got around to it. My goal was to squat and both mono lifts were in use by the big boys so I had to wait nearly and hour and a half. Given the nature of my stomach discomfort, I wasn't very motivated to get started in the first place, so it wasn't that bad. Just made for a late night and I didn't get any assistance work in. I was able to get in some good reverse band squats in, fully suited with straps up. It was the first time with the straps up so it was a new experience. Went up to 485lbs at the top, which is about 405 or so at the bottom. If you've never squated in a suit, it's quite the experience. It's very tight and uncomfortable which makes it difficult to breathe. It takes time to get used to but once you do, the squat is amazing.

No back pumps last night either. Could be that I didn't do much in the way of volume. What I did worked though cause my legs are sore.
 
I wish my gym had bands/chains...

IT'S FUN TO STAY AT THE Y - M - C - A! :D

ManBeast
 
I wish my gym had bands/chains...

IT'S FUN TO STAY AT THE Y - M - C - A! :D

ManBeast

Ha ha....nicely done!!

Chains and bands are no joke! I can't imagine a gym without them at this point. Of course, the gym I go to isn't commercial so there's a lot of differences in equipment. No mirrors; no cardio equipment unless you count the prowler.
 
I saw a non-commercial gym the other day, when my promo membership runs out at the Y I might have to check it out
 
Day 25 - Upper body max effort day today. Gonna hit it hard. I did forget my taurine so we'll see how that goes. Although, might not be too bad to not take it for a few days and see if it is the culprit in my sour stomach issues.
 
Day 26 - Last nights workout was pretty solid. Did some 5x5 which is a departure of the typical Westside Barbell method employed at my gym but I've got a case of the tendonitis which makes benching somewhat burdensome. Went fairly light, 225. When all was done, got in some pretty good volume. Skipped the taurine to see if it's jackin with my stomach. Found out it is not the culprit. Didn't get back pumps either.

Stomach distress is in it's third day. It's kind of messing with my appetite. Not sure what's causing it. I hope it's not the Hella. Maybe my post workout bev? I use Surge from Biotest. My diet hasn't changed so I don't see an issue there. Maybe I'll skip the Surge tomorrow and opt for some chocolate milk instead and then get a good carb rich meal after.
 
transaderm clears quick, you can probably run it right up to the end.
 
Down the home stretch of this run. Week number 5! Saturday's lower body dynamic effort was strong....really strong! Did squats for speed in the 385lb range for sets of two. Went as high as 425lbs keeping speed as the focus. My man then had me do a set of 475 for a single. That's already 70lbs more than my goal weight. Although, it was a box squat using a safety bar. But still, my squats have picked up tremendously. Can't really say the same for my pulls or my bench. My bench is being hindered by some tendonitis right now. If fact, took yesterday off in order to rest it a bit. Plan to kill it these last two weeks though.

I think I figured out the source of my stomach distress. Appears to be this sh***y protein I picked up on the cheap. Of course, I had to find out the hard way with another three days of discomfort. That seems to be the time that crap stays in the system. It's an awful sensation. Last time I buy protein on the cheap.

To recap, here's what I'm rockin:
100mg Hella
1 scoop AI Cycle Support in am and pm
6 pumps Transaderm
5 pumps Forma am and 5 pumps in the pm

May bump the Hella for the last week to 125. Not sure yet though; may not be necessary.

My weight right now is about 250lbs give or take a pound or two. Not overly convinced that that's not just a result of the calorie surplus and water. I'm looking a little more chunky in the mid-section than I would like. A cut will be in order at some point in June.

I've decided to postpone my meet from the one in April to the one at the end of May. I need more time to get used to squatting in the suit with the straps up.
 
Day 31 - Second to last week! Hoping to make some big progress here these next two weeks. Tonight is lower body max effort. I think I will pull heavy. My pulls are pretty suspect at this point and need some work.

On a side note, thanks to my man, kettlebell guru Mike Mahler, I've diagnosed my stomach issues. Turns out not to be the cheap ass protein which I can continue to consume; however, it is the zinc that I added. Been getting a little bit too much and apparently that can cause some serious stomach distress. Stopped the zinc for the time being and starting to feel better. I'll add it back in soon.
 
kill it man, glad you found the GI issue out!
 
Day 32 - Something about rain that f**k's up peoples ability to drive. Took me an hour to get to the gym last night and Tuesdays are already late days as is. So, I was a bit frustrated by the time I got to the gym. I try to not let that stuff get in the way of the work at hand. The workout was okay; not great. Did go up to 415lb for a couple of singles of sumo deadlifts. Not earth shattering by any stretch but getting better. I just recently started doing it sumo style; I'm more used to conventional. Did talk to a guy last night that gave me some tips on how to improve on my pulls. Did some light squats for reps to get blood flowing into the quads and some kettlebell snatches. Kettlebell's kill a couple of birds; first, they are good at developing the hips and, second, they add some cardio into the mix.

That's pretty much it. Nothing else to report. I will say the stomach issue has jacked up my appetite so getting in the requisite calories has been tough the past few days. That could inhibit the gains I could have had. Lesson learned.

Also, I don't know if it will be necessary to up the dose in the final week to 125mg other than to use the entire bottle. Not sure if I'll run Hella again or go stronger.
 
man, if you think rain is bad, come deal with the numbnuts out here when it snows/ices! Holy sh*t-tardation! I wasn't even born/raised/learned to drive in this crap and I handle it better than 95% of the natives... its unreal.

Sorry about the appetite thing, overall though hella seems to have treated you well.
 
ManBeast said:
man, if you think rain is bad, come deal with the numbnuts out here when it snows/ices! Holy sh*t-tardation! I wasn't even born/raised/learned to drive in this crap and I handle it better than 95% of the natives... its unreal.

Sorry about the appetite thing, overall though hella seems to have treated you well.

What state you in manbeast? I feel you about snow I'm born and raised in north PA
 
I'm in southern IL near st. louis.
 
man, if you think rain is bad, come deal with the numbnuts out here when it snows/ices! Holy sh*t-tardation! I wasn't even born/raised/learned to drive in this crap and I handle it better than 95% of the natives... its unreal.

Sorry about the appetite thing, overall though hella seems to have treated you well.

Oh bro, yeah that would suck for sure! Could not deal with that.

Thanks man; so far so good! A few minor obstacles that slowed me a bit but for the most part, stregth is up and my weight is up about 15lbs. And, I feel a bit leaner today too so I think the forma might be drying me out a bit.
 
I really should stop bitching about some rain when you guys have to deal with the cold ass white stuff! Plus, really, this is like the third rain of the year. We've been kind of spoiled and missed winter.
 
well, we only got 3 inches of snow this year, but last year was a rag-ing (not rage-ing :D) bitch when it came to snow lol.

howwe: I've had a car ever since I've had to deal with snow, f*ck walking :D
 
ManBeast said:
well, we only got 3 inches of snow this year, but last year was a rag-ing (not rage-ing :D) bitch when it came to snow lol.

howwe: I've had a car ever since I've had to deal with snow, f*ck walking :D

RWD lol no driving for me man and if I have to oh boy it's a scary trip haha
 
lol, yeah, it was the only time i was truly happy to have FWD, and when I moved out here for the conceivable future, I picked up a used SUV with true 4WD (locking center diff).
 
Day 34 - I'm really starting to get that round bulky look which was the goal on this cycle. Mid-section appears to be flattening out a bit; could be the Forma. Weighed in at a stout 250.4lbs last night. So, the weight has leveled off but that's still up 15lbs from the start.

Last nights workout was pretty strong. Really focused on reps. It was upper body max effort day so I did start by doing a max effort bench. I used a thing called the manpon which is basically a big ass cushiony tampon looking thing. It's used instead of boards; gives you a nice spring off the bottom so it allows you to handle more weight. I did a set of 315 for 2 reps. The goal was to do several at that weight but my tendonitis f**ked my second set up so I dropped weight and hit some serious reps. After that, I did some close grip 3 board work again for reps. Really working the tri's which often times get ignored in the powerlifting game.

Chased that with some hypertrophy work for the back. All and all a good workout. Had a couple cats mention my strength has increased so it's noticeable.
 
Nice always good to get acknowledgement at the gym! Impressing the masses already eh? Good work!
 
Thanks Matt! Yeah, it's good to get recognized at this gym cause it's a non-commercial powerlifting gym and I'm literally one of the weakest links. Gotta start somewhere, I suppose.
 
Week number 6 - Started the last week today. Jumped up the dose of Hella to 125mg. Will it make a difference? Who the hell knows. But, I doubt I'll run Hella again as I'll probably opt for something stronger next time around.

PCT starts next week which is going to start off interesting. I have to chaperone my son's field trip to the woods in Northern California; we'll be there for three days. So, I gotta haul all this s**t with me and work it in privately at some point. Should be interesting!

Question on the SERM and the SARM; can they be mixed in anything or is it best to take them alone?
 
Day 39 - Down to the last few days of the cycle. Did squats last night; got a 520lb box squat off the cushion pad. For those not familiar with that, it's like sitting on a couch and then getting back up. It's a bitch. Real pleased with that. My squats during this run have exceeded my expectations. My pulls and bench? Not so much. The bench issue is a problem with tendonitis though. It's hard to really test the strenght while fighting that. But, all in all, those lifts are up too so that's all that matters. It's just that squats are through the roof.

Dropped a couple of pounds; down to 248. Looking leaner also, which is good. Back pumps ceased being an issue a while back.

Other than that, all is good.
 
Awesome squat man! Have you considered cissus for the tendons?
 
Good stuff man. Forgive me if it was mentioned but your first post indicates you're taking in less carbs and you've leaned out. This was a cut/recomp? How have you felt without the carbs? I've been reading people just loading up on carbs on cycle and still leaning out a bit.

Best of luck!
 
Thanks a lot man! Typically, I'm more paleo than anything else so I don't do too much in the way of carbs at all. However, I did actually take in more than I normally do with this cycle. My energy level the first two weeks was low but picked up as the weeks went on. I put on about 15lbs, most of that in the first two weeks. Honestly, I wish I would have done a better job with my diet. Lesson learned. But, my main goal was to put on some size and add strength. I believe I did both successfully. Strength definitely increased so, I'm happy about that. We'll see how PCT goes. I'm going to continue in a bulk phase up until the end of May, when I compete in a powerlifting meet.
 
Today begins week two of PCT. Week one went swimmingly. So far, so good. Balls are back to sagging! :) Last week was a little challenging cause I spent three days out in the woods with a bunch of bad ass, wise crackin' kids so trying to work in my supps proved challenging. Handled it though. After one week of 25mg of OSTA, starting to lean out a bit. I'll test my strength tomorrow with some squats and possibly pulls.
 
Jumped on the scale the other night at the gym and was down 10lbs from the previous week! Ouch! I attribute some of that to hiking in the redwoods for a couple of days and just dropping some excess water weight but it was a blow. Strength was okay. I did a reverse band squat with 515lbs; not overly impressive given the fact I did a 520lb box squat with no reverse bands the previous week. I'm hoping that the week off is the culprit. We'll see how it goes tonight.
 
Last week of PCT. Things are starting to taper off. Strength seems to be still high. Set some PR's on the bench last week. We'll see how squats and pulls go tomorrow. No sides are anything to report from a PCT standpoint. Although, I take that back as I noticed a little bit more hair shedding the last two weeks. Hopefully that s**t eases up before I look like George Costanza!
 
odd you are having shedding during PCT.
Good that the strength is up. Im sure the 10lbs you lost was from water. Hows the weight holding up now?
 
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