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Segansational's Motivation Log

Good work wrapping up with some tough sets! Perfect finish.
Thanks Hyde.

Saw a post this morning about the New Year... "New Year, Same Me. You'll find me in the gym."

Seemed appropriate! Starting this year off the same as I would any morning. With a workout.

Finished off Day 4, working sets below:

BB curls, 4 sets
Dips, 4 sets
Push Ups, 4 sets

Nothing fancy, just a good ol' arm pump.

Finished off with a bit of posing to get some starting shots. Also, snagged this weight tree for free the other day!

1 hr, 170 cals.
20251231_223547.webp
 
good start to '26!
Last year was a bit of a doozy. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of good things and fun stuff with family too. But nothing felt "easy", everything was just uphill if you know what I mean? It's like that image of where I'm hoping I'm closer to pushing that boulder up to the top of that mountain, so I can start the ball rolling on its own downhill in 2026.

Meso 1, Wk4, Day 5

Working sets,
DB upright rows, 4 sets
Underhand Grip pullups, 1 set
BB flexion rows, 1 set
Machine Chest Press, 2 sets
Incline DB flys, 2 sets

1 hr 14 mins, 223 cals.

Pre: 1.5 scoops Mr. White, 3 caps VasoforceXT, 2 pumps carnitine gel.
Intra: Same as usual, although I just finished up a half scoop of creatine mono. Will switch over to my SNS creatine HCl intra for the next month.

Notes
First morning workout before 6 AM since before Xmas! Had no issue really getting up at 5:30, might just be rested finally. Still went with high stim just to be sure I'd get it done this AM.

Shoulder girdle / left scap still feels tight and I did a bit of lacrosse ball work this AM. Will likely need to schedule a massage to fully fix it. Still waiting on my blood work to come back.

Will be taking the weekend off or perhaps cardio only / active rest before officially moving into my deload week Monday. Looks like while it'll be a few total poundage drops, it's mostly eliminating volume of reps/sets. Will see how it goes (many 1 set/exercise).

Did a little gym maintenance yesterday (new bench pads, tightened some pulleys on my machine, etc.). Cheers fellas!

Official post-holidays Weight Check: 162.0#
BF: 15.0%
 
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Score on the weight rack! I’m looking forward to setting up and building a lot of stuff when we get moved.

Great sessions!
 
OK gents, got my labs back and my tentative recommendations from Marek:

Everything except for LDL being a tad high and HDL being borderline, was in range. Particularly my total test range was right in the middle of normal.

Now, for the "optimal":

DHEA-S was low, so combo DHEA/pregnenolone was recommended. Also supplemental boron and low dose tadafil.

With LDL and Apolipoprotein B being high, recommendation is for injectable l-carnitine and ezetimibe.

Ferritin was also high, so additional EPA/DHA supplementation to 4g (I currently supplement with 2g) and injectable glutathione to fight inflammation.

Lastly, and one I'm most interested in is around thyroid levels. Basically TSH/T3/T4 all outside "optimal", so there's a thyroid blend of minerals they're recommending. But given that fatigue is the biggest issue for me, this one I think has some real potential.

To sum (not saying I will do all of these, particularly the injectables),

Low dose tada
Ezetimibe
Boron
DHEA & pregnenolone
EPA/DHA
Injectable l-carntine & glutathione
Thyroid support blend (to be determined)
 
OK gents, got my labs back and my tentative recommendations from Marek:

Everything except for LDL being a tad high and HDL being borderline, was in range. Particularly my total test range was right in the middle of normal.

Now, for the "optimal":

DHEA-S was low, so combo DHEA/pregnenolone was recommended. Also supplemental boron and low dose tadafil.

With LDL and Apolipoprotein B being high, recommendation is for injectable l-carnitine and ezetimibe.

Ferritin was also high, so additional EPA/DHA supplementation to 4g (I currently supplement with 2g) and injectable glutathione to fight inflammation.

Lastly, and one I'm most interested in is around thyroid levels. Basically TSH/T3/T4 all outside "optimal", so there's a thyroid blend of minerals they're recommending. But given that fatigue is the biggest issue for me, this one I think has some real potential.

To sum (not saying I will do all of these, particularly the injectables),

Low dose tada
Ezetimibe
Boron
DHEA & pregnenolone
EPA/DHA
Injectable l-carntine & glutathione
Thyroid support blend (to be determined)
How long to run for before pulling bloods again? Or do they say
 
OK gents, got my labs back and my tentative recommendations from Marek:

Everything except for LDL being a tad high and HDL being borderline, was in range. Particularly my total test range was right in the middle of normal.

Now, for the "optimal":

DHEA-S was low, so combo DHEA/pregnenolone was recommended. Also supplemental boron and low dose tadafil.

With LDL and Apolipoprotein B being high, recommendation is for injectable l-carnitine and ezetimibe.

Ferritin was also high, so additional EPA/DHA supplementation to 4g (I currently supplement with 2g) and injectable glutathione to fight inflammation.

Lastly, and one I'm most interested in is around thyroid levels. Basically TSH/T3/T4 all outside "optimal", so there's a thyroid blend of minerals they're recommending. But given that fatigue is the biggest issue for me, this one I think has some real potential.

To sum (not saying I will do all of these, particularly the injectables),

Low dose tada
Ezetimibe
Boron
DHEA & pregnenolone
EPA/DHA
Injectable l-carntine & glutathione
Thyroid support blend (to be determined)
No testosterone levels?
 
How long to run for before pulling bloods again? Or do they say
Based on some of the things they want to try to monitor / adjust down, 2-3 months, but still need to actually schedule with the teledoc and get on a treatment plan.
No testosterone levels?
They ran them, all within range outside of the DHEA-S. But for completeness in case anyone's really interested:

Total test, 582.5
Free test, 109.7
SHBG, 40.2
DHEA-S, 206.0
Estradiol, 19.6

Also ran LH, FSH, prolactin.
 
Tadalafil has a host of health and bodybuilding benefits. And it’s dirt cheap. The only reason I do not take it is because it gives me heartburn. Most enhanced guys should probably consider giving it a fair shake.

Those are great test/free test/shbg/e2 levels. Test to e2 ratio is also really good.

Honestly most people will benefit from iodine and selenium supplementation. There’s a reason they are included in good multivitamins; you need them!
 
Meso 1, Wk 5, Day 1 - Deload Week

Took this weekend completely off and had one last junk food hurrah before coming back into cut mode again. These cookies were over the weekend - the red velvet s'mores was fantastic. The other was a black sesame, and apple pie stuffed cookie.

All sets were basically 1 set, 5-6 reps:

Neutral Grip Pull Ups
Incline Bench Press
Flat DB Bench Press
BB Rows
BB Upright Rows

56:40, 162 cals.

Pre: 1 scoop FocusXT, 2 pumps carnitine gel, 1 pump Napalm Xtreme.
Intra: 1 scoop EAA9, 1 scoop R1 Lytes, 2 scoops (1.5g) Creatine HCl, 1 scoop Choline Citrate, 1/2 scoop Glycofuse (HBCD)

Notes

Will be doing 2 pumps carnitine gel daily on WO days now, given the recommendations from Marek. If I'm going to pin, it'd be something much more fun!

Still need to pick up a dropper so I can start up SLU-PP. And I may throw in TTA or forskolin this month to help re-kickstart this fat loss phase.

Pretty poor sleep last night, as my daughter was up at 2:30 am and basically took her an hour to fall asleep again. Today starts work up again, so Monday is going to be a tough one!
 
Most enhanced guys should probably consider giving it a fair shake.
makes sense, I think I recall @Smont saying that he felt most guys should use small dose anyways. I had never heard of the hair growth benefit
Took this weekend completely off and had one last junk food hurrah before coming back into cut mode again. These cookies were over the weekend - the red velvet s'mores was fantastic. The other was a black sesame, and apple pie stuffed cookie.
lol wife and I did something similar this weekend. last hurrah for a while.
 
If you want fatloss and you want to get the most benefits from the carnitine use they recommend, you are better off buying a lot more L-Carnitine XPG gel and running 4 pumps every morning than adding other supplements.

You should at least take 4 pumps before every workout or morning cardio session.
 
You should at least take 4 pumps before every workout or morning cardio session.
dude 2 pumps preWO hits me so hard 😂
I've gotten to where I'm trying to apply that **** further and further away from my session or make sure I am really amped up on carbs
 
dude 2 pumps preWO hits me so hard 😂
I've gotten to where I'm trying to apply that **** further and further away from my session or make sure I am really amped up on carbs
Lol well a proper dose of l-carn should make you pumped and sweaty when exercising.
 
Lol well a proper dose of l-carn should make you pumped and sweaty when exercising.
it does, its why I asked about blood sugar in GreenMachines log though cause I notice carnitine fasted or low fed workouts leave me feeling crappy, and it really exploits any level of dehydration in me if I'm not well hydrated. I get that shakey, out of breath feeling if I have too much carn preWO and the other aspects aren't up to par. but as you know I'm a big fan of the product otherwise.
 
it does, its why I asked about blood sugar in GreenMachines log though cause I notice carnitine fasted or low fed workouts leave me feeling crappy, and it really exploits any level of dehydration in me if I'm not well hydrated. I get that shakey, out of breath feeling if I have too much carn preWO and the other aspects aren't up to par. but as you know I'm a big fan of the product otherwise.
I swear I’ve mentioned this multiple times, but sodium is the next best transporter for carnitine after insulin. If you aren’t using sodium pre/intra with carnitine, you are wasting potential (as well as not hydrating optimally for performance anyway).

This doesn’t need to be complicated; just throw 1/4tsp sodium down preWO or cardio (shoot it or put in a drink). Or obviously they make flavored powders like Re-Lyte, Ketolytes, etc you can keep in a gym bag/desk, but I don’t think that’s really any easier than a little container of table salt w/ measuring spoon.
 
I swear I’ve mentioned this multiple times, but sodium is the next best transporter for carnitine after insulin. If you aren’t using sodium pre/intra with carnitine, you are wasting potential (as well as not hydrating optimally for performance anyway).

This doesn’t need to be complicated; just throw 1/4tsp sodium down preWO or cardio (shoot it or put in a drink). Or obviously they make flavored powders like Re-Lyte, Ketolytes, etc you can keep in a gym bag/desk, but I don’t think that’s really any easier than a little container of table salt w/ measuring spoon.
well you know we always keep salted water in the fridge anyways but I do like this idea of just tossing sodium in the preWO as well. I think I've done it with either gatorade or our premade stuff at home from time to time but not during an afternoon/after work session so this is a great idea 👍👍
 
well you know we always keep salted water in the fridge anyways but I do like this idea of just tossing sodium in the preWO as well. I think I've done it with either gatorade or our premade stuff at home from time to time but not during an afternoon/after work session so this is a great idea 👍👍
Once you get used to the salty taste, you won’t want to drink preWO without it.
 
I swear I’ve mentioned this multiple times, but sodium is the next best transporter for carnitine after insulin. If you aren’t using sodium pre/intra with carnitine, you are wasting potential (as well as not hydrating optimally for performance anyway).

This doesn’t need to be complicated; just throw 1/4tsp sodium down preWO or cardio (shoot it or put in a drink). Or obviously they make flavored powders like Re-Lyte, Ketolytes, etc you can keep in a gym bag/desk, but I don’t think that’s really any easier than a little container of table salt w/ measuring spoon.

What amount is enough, or optimal? I use R1 Lytes, which has a 1g electrolyte blend, including Himalayan sea salt, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium salts.

That’s what I told my wife

Oh we’re talking about supplements

Does that trick work?
 
Meso 1, Wk 5, D2

Working sets, 2 sets of each:

Lying DB Curls
Ez bar Skull crushers
CG BP
BB Upright Rows

56:04, 141 cals.

Pre: Same as yesterday, but added an extra pump of carnitine gel (3 total).
Intra: Same as yesterday.

Notes
Well, first day up early and back to work got me yesterday. Was pretty exhausted by dinner time. Joints have also been bugging me, particularly in my hands, even with running Joint Support XT. Think it's partly the cold weather we've been having.

Also, some type of virus is still circulating in our house. Mild, but now I've got a good runny nose / congestion, and my daughter has been complaining of something since before Xmas...

Thinking about exploring adding another form of l-carnitine into my regimen, either LCLT or ALCAR powder on top of the l-carntine gel (just picked up another bottle from SNS sale). Will run this by the health coach.
 
Once you get used to the salty taste, you won’t want to drink preWO without it.
its true, lol. I'm this way with dehydration now. If I'm actually beyond thirsty especially on a hot day, I really crave that salty water mix with or without flavoring-

Does that trick work?
I find wine works better
😂
Notes
Well, first day up early and back to work got me yesterday. Was pretty exhausted by dinner time. Joints have also been bugging me, particularly in my hands, even with running Joint Support XT. Think it's partly the cold weather we've been having.
Dec/January are usually the time that I find I get the most benefit from fish oil fwiw. what often happens is its my joints like you mentioned but even worse in the hands, like carpal tunnel symptoms. upping or going back to my fishoil typically seems to make it go away (and improves my dry winter skin). My favorite fish oil for quality is SFH, but its expensive and usually mail order and makes a mess in your fridge. my second favorite is the flavored Barlenes from Costco which even my son liked from the time he was 5 or 6 years old but nutritional content is like half so I always take a double dose.
 
its true, lol. I'm this way with dehydration now. If I'm actually beyond thirsty especially on a hot day, I really crave that salty water mix with or without flavoring-


I find wine works better


Dec/January are usually the time that I find I get the most benefit from fish oil fwiw. what often happens is its my joints like you mentioned but even worse in the hands, like carpal tunnel symptoms. upping or going back to my fishoil typically seems to make it go away (and improves my dry winter skin). My favorite fish oil for quality is SFH, but its expensive and usually mail order and makes a mess in your fridge. my second favorite is the flavored Barlenes from Costco which even my son liked from the time he was 5 or 6 years old but nutritional content is like half so I always take a double dose.

Ha to the wine comment!

Well, it's a good point on the fish oil. I take 2 NOW omega-3 soft gel daily (so 2g total content), but did double dose many years ago and saw fatloss improvement. Similarly, Marek is recommending 4g total daily, so I guess I should start that up.
 
What amount is enough, or optimal? I use R1 Lytes, which has a 1g electrolyte blend, including Himalayan sea salt, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium salts.
1/4tsp of table salt (whether iodized or not) is ~600mg of SODIUM in the 2G of SALT.

I usually find the 600mg sodium is sufficient, but if I am feeling extra dehydrated for some reason rarely or missed my last meal the night prior I might do ~900-1,200mg sodium (so 1.5-2 scoops with the 1/4teaspoon). And an extra cup of water with that as well.

As an aside, depending on what Marek wants you to take for your Thyroid mineral support, you may specifically want to get or avoid iodized table salt. Since I supplement iodine with my multivitamin already, I get non-iodized. But someone on a shoestring budget could definitely take iodized salt each morning along with a 200mcg cap of selenium from Swanson etc and be in a much better place for pennies.
 
Also, I’d go with ALCAR over LCLT. It has definite performance/nootropic benefits at a couple grams.
Went ahead and just ordered some ALCAR caps, Life Extension at 500mgs to supplement with my current 3 pumps of XPG L-carnitine gel.

Life and sleep have been taking a toll at the start of this new year. Daughter came down with an ear infection, so sleep has been less than 5 hours each the past few nights. Thankfully my workouts are still light with this deload week. Yesterday was a forced rest day.

Think it's my gluteus medius that was tight this AM, so spent some time rolling on a lacrosse ball. Painful!

Working sets,
Good Mornings, 2 sets
BB Squats, 2 sets

1 hr 4 mins, 154 cals.

Pre: 1 scoop FocusXT, 3 pumps TD carnitine gel, 1 pump Napalm Xtreme.
Intra: Same as last workout.

Notes
Back on the restrictive diet again and just a few days of clean eating got me back just under 160#. Did add in 2 caps of ForskolinXT daily, AM/PM. Let's see how far we can take this. Would love to see some abs again.

Felt a little winded today and wasn't even doing anything that strenuous. So I might add in Rev02 as I have a bottle sitting here. Just not sure I want to add in too many variables all at once.

Lastly, got in my New Years SNS order!
20260107_220811.webp
 
solid haul you got there!

I had never even heard of these variations of Carnitine, so I'm really curious to hear your feedback on the ACLAR once you have it in the system.

1767883404048.webp

Felt a little winded today and wasn't even doing anything that strenuous.
I get that way at times with Carnitine, I'm back up to 2 pumps from one which I think I definitely see an effect from but between hydration, carb intake, and a little bit more space between application and lifting session its not as impactful as when I hit it under prepared nutritionally in the gym directly before lifting.
 
solid haul you got there!

I had never even heard of these variations of Carnitine, so I'm really curious to hear your feedback on the ACLAR once you have it in the system.

View attachment 257745

I get that way at times with Carnitine, I'm back up to 2 pumps from one which I think I definitely see an effect from but between hydration, carb intake, and a little bit more space between application and lifting session its not as impactful as when I hit it under prepared nutritionally in the gym directly before lifting.
So, I've used various forms, ALCAR, LCLT, straight l-carnitine liquid, and of course currently XPG gel (which is l-carnitine and PLCAR). Honestly, outside of the TD I'm not sure I've really noticed anything per se. But, I might now have been running high enough ALCAR doses for the mental aspect, and LCLT was for androgen receptor upregulation - but not sure that's something you'd "notice". Liquid l-carnitine has always just seemed like candy flavored shots to me, usually with a bit of a spicy finish.

We'll see once I start adding ALCAR caps on top of the XPG gel. Thinking maybe 1-1.5g on top of 2-3 pumps of XPG gel unless anyone has a better idea!
 
Liquid l-carnitine has always just seemed like candy flavored shots to me, usually with a bit of a spicy finish.
yeah me too, early on I really felt it contributed nicely to a cut I did a couple years ago but over time I felt like I noticed it less and less and upping the dose messed with my stomach a bit. but with the TD version I have no stomach issues and I feel like it still hits hard with a mild dose...
 
So, I've used various forms, ALCAR, LCLT, straight l-carnitine liquid, and of course currently XPG gel (which is l-carnitine and PLCAR). Honestly, outside of the TD I'm not sure I've really noticed anything per se. But, I might now have been running high enough ALCAR doses for the mental aspect, and LCLT was for androgen receptor upregulation - but not sure that's something you'd "notice". Liquid l-carnitine has always just seemed like candy flavored shots to me, usually with a bit of a spicy finish.

We'll see once I start adding ALCAR caps on top of the XPG gel. Thinking maybe 1-1.5g on top of 2-3 pumps of XPG gel unless anyone has a better idea!
No, there’s a reason I said 2G. It’s a subtle compound as it is; take enough to give it a fair chance.
 
Sounds good. When it shows up I'll start with 2g.

Meso 1, Wk 5, D3

Working sets,
Bench Press, 1 set
Low incline DB Press, 1 set
DB laterals, 2 sets
Deadlift, 1 set
Neutral Grip Pull Ups, 1 set

Official end of week weigh-in: 159.0# (-3.2# since start of the week)
BF: [/b]14.6% (-0.4%) [/b]

Zooming out since the start of this cut which began somewhere around Sept or so, shows that this little few week blip of planned maintenance seems to have kept me right on track.
Screenshot_20260109_074135_Renpho.webp
 
Meso 1, Week 5, Day 4

Working sets,
SLDLs, 2 sets
Leg extensions, 2 sets
BB curls, 2 sets
Dips, 2 sets
Push ups, 2 sets

~43 mins, not worth recording cals burned.

Deload still going well, tomorrow is the last day before I will start up the Meso again in full. Looking forward to seeing how it adapts now that I've fully gone through a cycle of the program.

Random Stuff
Added 2 caps (2g) of Doctor's Best ALCAR this AM pre-WO to my normal XPG TD dose. Not sure I noticed anything from it though.

Not sure why I torture myself while on a cut, but here was the latest cookie order that came in. I have a problem, LOL. Went right into the freezer!

Also, the latest ADNB high protein PB.

20260109_215248.webp
20260108_092001.webp
 
Meso 1, Week 5, Day 4

Working sets,
SLDLs, 2 sets
Leg extensions, 2 sets
BB curls, 2 sets
Dips, 2 sets
Push ups, 2 sets

~43 mins, not worth recording cals burned.

Deload still going well, tomorrow is the last day before I will start up the Meso again in full. Looking forward to seeing how it adapts now that I've fully gone through a cycle of the program.

Random Stuff
Added 2 caps (2g) of Doctor's Best ALCAR this AM pre-WO to my normal XPG TD dose. Not sure I noticed anything from it though.

Not sure why I torture myself while on a cut, but here was the latest cookie order that came in. I have a problem, LOL. Went right into the freezer!

Also, the latest ADNB high protein PB.

View attachment 257774View attachment 257775
Yeah I was thinking around meso 2 or 3 it really was pretty spot on. Man those treats look tempting 😂
 
Yeah I was thinking around meso 2 or 3 it really was pretty spot on. Man those treats look tempting
Yeah, the struggle is real bro! Yesterday we had a birthday party and a friend hang out, pizza at both and cake / cookies, my wife baked the latter. Like WTF, someone is testing me!! Held out on the no pizza front, but did have a half slice of cake and had to try one of each of my wife's cookies.

Today we've got playoff football with friends, so inevitably it'll be pizza and wings to appease the masses. I'll try to get a chicken cutlet sandwich for myself probably...
 
And that's it! My first mesocycle just wrapped up. Here's a summary of the muscle groups exercises over the past 5 weeks. Very chest / back dominant as stated, which is what I wanted. Deload week sorta felt like a waste tbh, but as I'll be starting up my next meso tomorrow morning that'll be the proof in the pudding!

Meso 1, Wk5, D5 - Final Deload Day

Working sets,
DB upright rows, 2 sets
Underhand Grip Pull Ups (Chins), 1 set
BB flexion row, 1 set
Chest Machine Press, 1 set
DB incline flys, 1 set

~41 mins, 105 cals.

Same Focus XT, Napalm Xtreme, ALCAR/l-carntine gel combo pre. I actually really like the FocusXT with the bit of stimulant effect Napalm Xtreme gives, great for low-medium effort sessions.

I have read that too high of oral doses of carnitine can upset your stomach, and that might've happened today for me.
Photo_2026-01-11_08-44-49_AM.webp
 
And that's it! My first mesocycle just wrapped up. Here's a summary of the muscle groups exercises over the past 5 weeks. Very chest / back dominant as stated, which is what I wanted. Deload week sorta felt like a waste tbh, but as I'll be starting up my next meso tomorrow morning that'll be the proof in the pudding!

Meso 1, Wk5, D5 - Final Deload Day

Working sets,
DB upright rows, 2 sets
Underhand Grip Pull Ups (Chins), 1 set
BB flexion row, 1 set
Chest Machine Press, 1 set
DB incline flys, 1 set

~41 mins, 105 cals.

Same Focus XT, Napalm Xtreme, ALCAR/l-carntine gel combo pre. I actually really like the FocusXT with the bit of stimulant effect Napalm Xtreme gives, great for low-medium effort sessions.

I have read that too high of oral doses of carnitine can upset your stomach, and that might've happened today for me.View attachment 257786
That looks like a great meso. The deload might have felt like a waste but by the time you push it on the next 4 weeks it will pay off as you will be primed and probably ready for the next de load!
 
That looks like a great meso. The deload might have felt like a waste but by the time you push it on the next 4 weeks it will pay off as you will be primed and probably ready for the next de load!
Yes this! Deload should be a waste out of time out of context/standalone. It’s important though if you finished out the last meso strong/pushing hard, so you can get back to that on the next meso.
 
That looks like a great meso. The deload might have felt like a waste but by the time you push it on the next 4 weeks it will pay off as you will be primed and probably ready for the next de load!
Hoping so!
Yes this! Deload should be a waste out of time out of context/standalone. It’s important though if you finished out the last meso strong/pushing hard, so you can get back to that on the next meso.
Well, this AM was a little tough. Hoping the fatigue / load management benefits during deload week show up!

Meso 2, Week 1, Day 1 - Black Adam Template

Working sets,
Neutral Grip Pull Ups, 2 sets
Incline Bench Press, 2 sets
DB Bench Press, 2 sets
BB Rows, 2 sets

1 hr 9 mins, 203 cals.

Pre: 1 scoop Total War, 3 caps VasoforceXT, 3 pumps TD Carnitine Gel + 1g ALCAR
Intra: Same as usual.

Notes
First day of this repeat mesocycle in the books. Joints weren't super happy, particularly on DB press this AM, but hopefully that was just a fluke. Let's run it back!

Weigh in: 160.2# (+1.2#)
BF: 14.7% (+0.1%)
 
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Yeah, the struggle is real bro! Yesterday we had a birthday party and a friend hang out, pizza at both and cake / cookies, my wife baked the latter. Like WTF, someone is testing me!! Held out on the no pizza front, but did have a half slice of cake and had to try one of each of my wife's cookies.

Today we've got playoff football with friends, so inevitably it'll be pizza and wings to appease the masses. I'll try to get a chicken cutlet sandwich for myself probably...
LOL I'm the exact opposite. we have sweets in the house that literally sit around until we can get someone else to take them or we throw them out, but this weekends cheat meal was a spread of reuban sliders and tater tots ha.

I have read that too high of oral doses of carnitine can upset your stomach, and that might've happened today for me.
Definitely can. I have played around with various oral versions and the high dose ones can give you the shits, but I've not experienced any of that since switching to the TD version (XPG)

1768238418431.webp


the redcon1 one is the first one I ever tried but like i mentioned before, I felt like I stopped seeing results from it, and once I switched to the XPG stuff never went back. it did taste good though lol

1768238473320.webp
 
M2, W2, D2

Working sets,
BB Upright Rows, 3 sets
BB Good Mornings, 1 set
Lying DB Curls, 3 sets
EZ bar Skull Crushers, 2 sets
Close Grip BP, 2 sets

Did not get to squats for today.

1 hr 5 mins, 154 cals.

Pre: FocusXT + ALCAR/XPG gel combo.
Intra: Same as usual.
 
Got bloodwork drawn today, 5 vials worth. We'll see if guided optimization is worth the out of pocket cost...

Been really sedentary the past few days as a whole, and my body does not like it. I feel the urge to just get up and move! So this afternoon I ended up hopping on the stationary bike for 30 mins, followed by a little heavy bag work for the first time in a bit. Started the "Dream Big" Olympia movie while doing cardio.
Not for nothing, but my understanding is Greg Doucette has a company or is sponsored by one that optimizes now, and he was saying it is about half the price of Marek for the same services. So if this is worth it in the end there are cheaper options.

Also, on that deload, the improvement is not going to be obvious in the first week because not only did you recover a lot, but you also deconditioned the muscles from what they were used to. So going back full tilt is a little shock on the body and sometimes that means less feels like more since you deconditioned a bit. It is far more about the long game than any instant gratification which is why it feels like a waste. However after a while of it you should start noticing less time feeling beat up compared to pushing until things break down, and you have to take a break due to being beat up.
 
Not for nothing, but my understanding is Greg Doucette has a company or is sponsored by one that optimizes now, and he was saying it is about half the price of Marek for the same services. So if this is worth it in the end there are cheaper options.

Also, on that deload, the improvement is not going to be obvious in the first week because not only did you recover a lot, but you also deconditioned the muscles from what they were used to. So going back full tilt is a little shock on the body and sometimes that means less feels like more since you deconditioned a bit. It is far more about the long game than any instant gratification which is why it feels like a waste. However after a while of it you should start noticing less time feeling beat up compared to pushing until things break down, and you have to take a break due to being beat up.
Yeah, kind of knew going in it was expensive, but also that it's probably one of the more legit companies in the space so far. Also have heard about PeterMD, but as I know someone who's used Marek I thought I'd start here. Provider appt next week, so we'll see what comes of it!

M2, W1, D2

Woke up with my lower back feeling a little iffy, but also knew squats were up first. Hadn't finished out yesterday's full workout, so finished it out and then rolled into day 2.

Working sets,
BB Squats, 2 sets
BB Upright Rows, 3 sets
Bench Press, 2 sets
Low incline DB press, 2 sets

1 hr, 11 mins, 234 cals.

Pre: Same as yesterday
Intra: Same as usual

Notes
Woke up before my alarm tossing, so just got out of bed early.

Still unable to compete most full WOs in one session. There are some things I really like and agree with, and other things I'd probably switch up or am not sure it makes 100% in this app. Recovery, weight & rep predictions seem spot on as mentioned.

However, I still don't know if I really am on board with so much switching of muscle groups every day. By the time I'm warmed up on 2 different muscle groups, the time suck is real. Squats as example was supposed to be at the end of yesterday's upper focused WO. And why have upright rows yesterday and DB laterals today (programmed)? I think Dr. Mike mentioned that doubling up like I'm used to actually is just more fatigue and not really "necessary", but it's how I've been trained over the years (ie, dedicated shoulder day with 3 different shoulder exercises).

It's also possible it's just this template I chose. In any case, I'll keep following the formula for now.
 
Yeah some of it is probably the template, also, I never did the regular warm up for the 2nd movement for a body part, or related body part. if chest was warm, I didn't warm up for triceps. They were already warm... However if you have something that requires a lot more warm up like legs it might be better to have it on one day. Yeah Dr M thinks it is better to spread the volume for more frequency. I just found taking 2-3 sets of shoulder raises or whatever very easy. Also keep in mind you do not really rest much at all during the warm ups. Do the set, change the weight do the next warm up set, add weight, do the next warm up set. You are trying to drive blood and fluid into the muscle quickly, and wake up the system so all of the warm up sets for a move should be done in like 2-3 minutes. Also he recommends resting until you feel like you can go again. In your situation 60-90 seconds would probably be better even if it slightly lowers weight, it will increase conditioning quickly while allowing you to get your volume in.
 
Good point on the rest between warm up sets! I've probably been sitting too long in between. But for example, even when switching today between flat bench and incline DBs, I feel the need to ease into the different emphasis on front delts / feel of a BB and stability vs DBs per hand.

On a random note, I've been feeling winded lately. Again, since I just ran bloodwork and nothing would point to an issue there or BP concerns, just noting for future consideration.
 
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