Becoming An Alchemist! *A Summer With Apex Alchemy*

Another great leg day, 2mL in the morning with this 90 degree weather is quite fun. Gym didn't have the AC blasting, it was basically on just to cut humidity again. Snapped the sweaty shirt picture ~mid workout, already pretty soaked.

Still able to add some weight to the hack squats and leg press, not bad considering my legs were still a little shot from running around at a softball double header last night.
 

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xR1pp3Rx said:
i think we will start calling you studwanus
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The power is all in the knee wraps :p

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Of note: with all my previous knee issues in the past, it's kind of always been a general habit of mine to wrap up for squats/presses of any kind. Typically always had a slight nagging pain in the patella area, which makes sense, I've had partial PCL tears on both sides lol. With wraps on I would still get a bit of a feeling there, but it would be tolerable.

Not noticing that as much over the past few weeks. Kind of like my elbow with softball... systemic effects of Helios really starting to kick in? :unsure::unsure:
 
baldwanus said:
Not noticing that as much over the past few weeks.
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Not noticing pain that's previously been there is always a good sign and I wouldn't complain :) Maybe it is the Helios paying off!
 
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Weird day at the gym today. Had a really, really, really long weekend... softball double header Friday night, and then ~12 hours worth of softball tournaments Saturday and Sunday, which just so happened to be the hottest days we've had this summer, getting up in the 90's. Exhausted doesn't really even begin to describe how I was feeling this mornin waking up lol.

Warming up and starting off, pulldowns and rows were feeling a bit mreh. Everything felt heavy and truly a struggle to get high reps. Got to my rack pulls and got a bit of a jolt of energy, was able to rep out 275x14x2, 315x10x2 and then 365x8. Maybe the cute girl squatting in the rack next to me gave a little extra motivation 😂

Right back to feeling dead after those pulls though, finished up some bicep work and dragged ass outa the gym.
 
baldwanus said:
Maybe the cute girl squatting in the rack next to me gave a little extra motivation
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That'll definitely do it for sure! Better than pre workout ;)
 
Since I'm getting close to starting the Arimahex...

1ml/ED, but is there a 'best time' for applying it? All at once in the morning or night? Split up?
 
After a mreh start to the week after the long weekend... today was back to feeling normal, able to get in a really good leg day.

Was able to toss on some more weight to the squats and leg press, and then wound up almost falling on my face getting off the leg extension machine 😂

Of note: when I look at myself in the mirror I can still see the pudge in my midsection that's gotta go... but the past few times I've tossed on a belt for rack pulls/squats it's been obvious how much my midsection actually has shrunk.
 

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baldwanus said:
but the past few times I've tossed on a belt for rack pulls/squats it's been obvious how much my midsection actually has shrunk.
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Progress over time is key and sounds like you're doing that if you can tell a difference!
 
xR1pp3Rx said:
yeah man from the first pics you threw up in one of your threads, the transformation has been stellar thus far!
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LeanEngineer said:
Progress over time is key and sounds like you're doing that if you can tell a difference!
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It's dat dere side boob area thats killer lol. Still some stubborn pudge in there, but the sagging skin doesn't necessarily look great haha. Slow and steady wins the race, right? All in all I can't really complain considering I'm not going crazy under my maintenance cals.


In other news; had a great pull day today. Gym was 100% empty when I got there today, and I had the place all to myself for almost my entire workout. Love having free reign over the place.
 

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LeanEngineer said:
That's correct! Consistent progress is all that matters!
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Its one of those things where I know I could cut out a couple hundred more cals a day and really go on a deficit to get the fat off... but at the same time, I'm quite pleased with how I've been able to actually add on a little lean mass while the fats slowly coming off. Plus, I'm not in a miserable cutting mood all the time this way :p





Ended off the week with some really good workouts. Thursdays pull and Fridays push days felt great. On Thursday, I actually had the gym 100% to myself for almost the entire workout, which you gotta love. Even the employees were MIA. And then my chest/shoulders especially felt fucking fantastic on Friday. 3mL of Ursa really shining. Got to add in a softball double header last night to cap off the week.

However, it's not all good news...

Not exactly sure what I did, but my right ankle is not feeling pleasant. My best guess is I tweaked something walking the dog Thursday night, our local sidewalks are quite a mess, lots of uneven ground. But during the games last night my ankle just started to stiffen up like a board and moving was very unpleasant.

Anterior/posterior inferior tibiofibular and Anterior/posterior talofibular ligaments feel like the problem. It doesn't feel like I did anything super serious, probably just needs a ~week of not running around on it. Hopefully won't interfere with leg day.
 
baldwanus said:
Plus, I'm not in a miserable cutting mood all the time this way
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That's key. I wouldn't want to be so far in deficit that you're hating life and always in a bad mood.
 
1mL Arimahex/1mL Flashpoint/2mL Ursa/3 pumps Helios applied this morning... let the fun begin.

Had a great pull day to start off the week. Got 405 on the bar for a few with rack pulls. Tossed in some incline bench DB rows today, chest up against the bench really focussing on the squeeze at the top, had my mid back feeeeelin it today.

Lighting and pose could be better for the picture, but I wasn't gonna spend 10 minutes in the locker room trying to get a perfect shot haha. The fact that theres some definition finally coming through is nice to see. Just gotta get the front side matching the back :LOL:
 

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Great push day today.... getting close to ditching the weight assisted dip machine, so thats fun. I can get a few dips at body weight, but not for high reps at this point.

Glad I had my hoodie in the gym bag today though, because I swear the gym was about 60 degrees.
 
The good news: ankle didn't really seem to be a hinderance for leg day today
The mreh news: lower back started to get a little twinge on my last set of hack squats. Nothing major, but stopped me from maybe going for another set/adding a little weight. Didn't wanna push it and truly hurt something.

Solid leg day other than that though.
 
Side note, just cause I didn't make my current dosing 100% clear:
2ml Ursa/1mL Flashpoint/1mL Arimahex/2-3 pumps Helios in the AM
1ml Ursa/1mL Flashpoint/2-3 pumps Helios in the PM

1 pump of Flashpoint on each side titty, 3 pumps spread out on the gut.

And worth mentioning when it comes to the Flashpoint; after it's applied, theres a slight warming sensation in the areas its applied. Seems to last about an hourish or so after application.
 
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Great fucking leg day today. Got up to 7 plates a side on the hacks, 5 solid reps. Also upped the weight on my leg presses, and upped the weight a tad on my extensions. Only a week and a half into the Arimahex, but I can't help but feel like theres been a little bit of what I'd say is a 'boost in aggression' in the gym the past few days.

Had trouble getting from my truck back inside my house post gym, so I know I really killed my legs today :p
 
xR1pp3Rx said:
things winding down for the season with soft ball yet?> do you plan to keep at it in the off season?
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Well... my summer leagues finally finished up last week, however, my various fall leagues are now starting up haha. Had a wood bat league double header last night. Even made one of the highlights for the live stream, savage scoop, plate block and tag :cool:

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Finally got our jerseys in for this team as well 🔥

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As for my Apex updates:

I've got a few weeks left on this stack, and it's kinda sad that it's winding down. My weight has still been hovering between ~200-205lbs give or take. Fat loss hasn't necessarily stalled, certain areas are still visually leaning out a bit. But other spots, like my shoulders and upper back are still making some nice size gains. Theres actually some striations threatening to reveal themselves in my shoulders. Upper chest also feels much fuller. Arms have seemingly also gotten a little bigger, can notice some shirts fitting a little more snug.

I also switched some things up slightly in the gym: stuff like hack squats and rack pulls, I stopped going super heavy for ~4-6 reps on my last sets, and have dropped the weight and gone for much more volume. Added in a few more drop sets to some other stuff. Really can't express enough how awesome the endurance boost from this stack has been.
 
that's an awesome update. would you say you have been strict or lazy diet wise? I only ask because I have been eating like shizzle the last couple weeks, and while I haven't gained anything back I dont want to start. I may need to reel the ole diet in..
 
xR1pp3Rx said:
that's an awesome update. would you say you have been strict or lazy diet wise? I only ask because I have been eating like shizzle the last couple weeks, and while I haven't gained anything back I dont want to start. I may need to reel the ole diet in..
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Somewhere inbetween strict and lazy haha... I'd say most days I'm a couple hundred under to right at maintenance cals, but I'm sure theres a few days in there where I'm over. Fat is still coming off, albeit slowly, so I'd have to say I've been a good boy the majority of the time haha. If anything, the gains in my shoulders/upper back are almost more impressive than the fat loss IMO.

Been going HAM on some beef and bean chili lately though. Get a couple lbs of meat and a bunch of beans and spices, crock pot for a few hours, and boom, meals for most of the rest of the week. All that fiber from the beans also does a good job of keeping that full feeling.
 
baldwanus said:
so I'd have to say I've been a good boy the majority of the time haha
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It's hard ecspecially this time of year when all the pumpkin spice treats are coming out !
 
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Meal prep aint so bad :cool:

~3lbs of meat, about 1.5 worth of ground beef + 1.5lbs of 'meatloaf mix' which is ground beef/pork/veal mix + tomato puree + pinto/black/red beans + corn. Plenty of protein + enough fiber to keep ya more than regular 😂
 
baldwanus said:
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Meal prep aint so bad :cool:

~3lbs of meat, about 1.5 worth of ground beef + 1.5lbs of 'meatloaf mix' which is ground beef/pork/veal mix + tomato puree + pinto/black/red beans + corn. Plenty of protein + enough fiber to keep ya more than regular 😂
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Now that looks good.
 
BigGame84 said:
Now that looks good.
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Still messing around with various spice blends. I cheat and use 'taco seasoning' as the base when I'm browning up the meat, but I've toyed around with adding other peppers/chilis to it, even tossing in a little sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Just nice to spend ~20 minutes cooking something, let it chill in the slowcooker for a few hours and boom, got meals for give or take a week if not a little longer, depending on who else in my house might eat some haha.
 
baldwanus said:
Still messing around with various spice blends. I cheat and use 'taco seasoning' as the base when I'm browning up the meat, but I've toyed around with adding other peppers/chilis to it, even tossing in a little sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Just nice to spend ~20 minutes cooking something, let it chill in the slowcooker for a few hours and boom, got meals for give or take a week if not a little longer, depending on who else in my house might eat some haha.
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Crockpots are awesome. I regular use my crockpot, airfryer, and instant pot for meal prepping. Can't have too many kitchen appliances!
 
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