Settling in and ready for progress

Rockslide

Member
I’ve decided to make a log, it will keep me accountable and I’ve been on a nice little run with some positives in my training the last few months so hoping I can continue that .

37 yo
6’, 194. Traditionally have been 195-220. I’m the leanest I’ve been in few years though. I suspect I’m sitting at about 15% BF. Down from 206 in past 10 weeks or so.

Had some ups and downs since 2018. I took about 10 years off from serious weight training prior to 2018. I’ve lifted relatively consistently since then but haven’t ever quite had the time to get the real results I wanted. Typically get in a good run then crazy life or work things happen, serious injury, death of family member, moved multiple times etc.

Life has finally settled down some though. In some ways it’s crazier than ever in regards to work and family commitments but I am hopefully in my last house ever, I’m only a couple of minutes to work, financially stable, and working on a nice home gym. I’ve lost some access to speciality machines but I’m getting multiple hours a day back and flexibility which is well worth it and things seem to be going well.

I would say cardio is the one thing my training is lacking. I just have to do better on this regard. Over the past 5 years or so it seems like I’ve had trouble getting both in. Sacrifice the strength training and get 10-15 miles a week in (I really enjoy 5-10k slow runs) . Do good in the gym, find no time for cardio…. I just have to do better
 
Wish I had done a body comp before changing my program , losing weight etc. I could go do one now but I hate to do just a single one in a peaking phase because I know it will slide back some on just TRT alone.

Went to a total body split. I’m finding it’s easier to stick with the program rather than 4-5 day a week push/pull/ legs or bro split. Seems like when work gets busy the legs get sacrificed , things get cut short etc. I’m finding hitting everything 3-4 x a week but not murdering once muscle group every 5-8 days (depending on how crazy work got) is treating me much better

Currently TRT- 100 mg (33 MWF) , hCG 400 iu 2x weekly, LGD 20 mg daily IM.

25 mg trest oral PWO 1-2 x weekly

Squats - As stated in another thread due to my wrist injury I have to unrack, walk out then slide my hands out to the collars and get the bar positioned , do my set and carefully rerack without smashing my hands

135x8
225 x 6
275 x 2
275 x2
Had more left in the tank as far as reps and weight but really just added these back in the last 8 weeks

Hamstring curls - plate loaded, prone
45 x 10, 10, 8

Lever arm pull downs
115 x 12, 10, 10

Rear delt reverse flies
20 x 12, 12, 12

Lever arm flat bench (iso lateral)
70 per arm- 20 reps
115 per arm - 4 reps (too heavy to be comfortable , was sliding down the bench sweaty trying to unrack)
70 x15
70 x 12

Landmine close grip rows
90 x6,6,6

Dumbbell lateral raises
20 x 10,10,10

Tricep pushdowns (plate loaded with chain attached to lever arms)
50x 10,10,10

Preachers curls (plate loaded)
30 x 12,15, 12, 10

Was happy with today. Strength is up while weight is down 12 lbs . Wife says I look bigger, which I’m not, just leaner.

This was supposed to be yesterday’s workout but I got a day behind last week with work, pushed Fridays workout to Saturday and Sunday (split it into two). Wasn’t recovered well Monday and got killed at work. Was worth waiting a day. At least with this program if I get busy I will split the workout into two days, or push it back to the off day and make it back up through the week. Will figure out tomorrow if I want to do the full workout , split it in half with Thursday or push the full workout to Thursday.
 
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First time with both.

Enjoying the LGD. It’s pretty subtle at least for me at this dose . Will find out what it’s really doing when I hop off in a few weeks. Feel confident it’s doing something though since it’s a little harder to sleep and digestion and appetite is down a bit but nothing terrible like it is with methylated compounds. The trest is a nice little pwo boost. I suspect I would get a lot more out of it at 50-100 mg PWO but trying to be careful with it and not get injured. It also definitely messes up my sleep. Took it at 3 pm yesterday and I was laying in bed at 1030 with my HR up and restless legs trying to wind down.
 
Question…. Do you take the trest on an empty stomach or with coffee ? I am sitting on a bottle from VL and want to run it like you are but am worried about stomach issues……
 
Rockslide said:
Squats - As stated in another thread due to my wrist injury I have to unrack, walk out then slide my hands out to the collars and get the bar positioned , do my set and carefully rerack without smashing my hands
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Holding a narrow grip on the barbell puts the wrist in a bad position for you?
Have you tried wraps? I wear my wrist wraps not only on bench but also heavy squat for the extra support.
 
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If you have been hitting squats for 8 weeks, you can start to push the RPE a bit harder.

You could also take a bit of load off too if concerned about pushing too hard too soon - something like 250x5 is 10% less load and should let you push a bit more volume overall. I’m not a big volume guy, but for general training you’d be hard pressed to go wrong with a few sets of 5s on squats for overall size & strength development.
 
Dblock said:
Question…. Do you take the trest on an empty stomach or with coffee ? I am sitting on a bottle from VL and want to run it like you are but am worried about stomach issues……
Click to expand...

Usually empty stomach but this is also because cjc/ipam PWO. Non methylated hormones absorb significantly better with some dietary fats. I’m a little nervous to run it at like 25 mg TID because of the methyl-estrogen issues and prolactin issues it can cause so I’ve just dabbled with it PWO. Honestly probably need more like 50-75 PWO but I’m going about it conservatively. Sleep was trash last night though so I might just stick with it before deadlift day on Friday. It also has some other nice properties for weekend evenings too which is a plus
 
Dustin07 said:
Holding a narrow grip on the barbell puts the wrist in a bad position for you?
Have you tried wraps? I wear my wrist wraps not only on bench but also heavy squat for the extra support.
Click to expand...

No, I may try them though and see. Maybe it’s a form thing. Shoulder mobility I’m sure could be better in abduction/external rotation as well but isn’t causing me any major issues with pain with presses . I’ve always felt the bar was most comfortable just below C7. Honestly probably closer to a low bar squat but I feel I still drive my force more like a high bar squat. I have at max 30 degrees of extension in my right wrist so I just can’t with my current shoulder mobility get the bar quite off my neck down on to my traps to be completely comfortable without having more play in my wrist (which I won’t have), gaining some shoulder mobility or losing some shoulder mass

Eventually I will get a SSB and not worry about it
 
Hyde said:
Subbed

If you have been hitting squats for 8 weeks, you can start to push the RPE a bit harder.

You could also take a bit of load off too if concerned about pushing too hard too soon - something like 250x5 is 10% less load and should let you push a bit more volume overall. I’m not a big volume guy, but for general training you’d be hard pressed to go wrong with a few sets of 5s on squats for overall size & strength development.
Click to expand...

Yeah I’m going to hop back to 245 or 255 next week and increase the reps.

Last week I finished with 255x5 then 255x4. Again I had more in me but I had a mild hip flexor pull the week before that close to failure with 235 so have backed off the reps under fatigue a bit.
 
8/5- splitting Wednesday workout into Wednesday/Thursday. I’ve figured out this is how I get the weekly volume in rather than just scrapping a full day when life stuff happens. 11 hour work day. Family time before everyone is tucked in. Now out to the garage to get half of Wednesday in. I’m feeling like the weekly volume is what matters whether it’s in 3 days or stretched to 5 or 6 as long as I get it in.

Dead hangs - 45 secs x1 . Approaching a PR but only started these in last few months

Lever arm Hack Squats
180 x 10, 10, 8

Calf Raises
180x 10, 8

Quad extensions (plate loaded)
90x 10, 10, 10

Landmine wide grip Tbar row

100x 8,8,8, 6

Barbell Curls

65 x8, 8, 8, 8

Will hit the push segments tomorrow then decide on Friday whether to do the full body or just dead’s and pull and push the rest of the push to Saturday.

Need to start thinking about when to deload. Maybe 1-2 weeks after I stop the LGD. Figured I might bump the test back up to 120 then add some IGF LR3 for 4 weeks and up the calories a bit and deload 1-2 weeks into that .
 
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It is absolutely about the total weekly work, not getting it in individual sessions. Break it up however suits your schedule & recovery to do the highest quality work overall in general.

In fact, first thing you will hear about increasing frequency is to reduce your once/wk session volume and spread it out over the other weekly exposures so total volume doesn’t also go up when frequency does. This is even true for Full Body style programs. There is a guy who took Starting Strength linear progression to a 2k raw total, and he split his work over 6 sessions/wk in his garage with 1-2 lifts per day. Chin-ups and squats, bench & press (and vice versa), deadlift only, squats and RDLs, etc.

If I am too tired or short on time to finish X accessory, I try to move it somewhere else later in the week to get it in as I can.
 
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