6 week halo bulking log

stespiel

stespiel

Member
I'll be logging here every day or two on my progress. This is my first cycle.

starting stats:
153lbs (goal 170lbs)
*2/12 end of cycle update: 166.8lbs
5'8" (goal 6'1") // kidding
9% bf
*2/12 end of cycle update: 9% bf
31 yrs old
training ~10yrs

squat 340
bench 250
dl 405

thigh 22"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 23.75"
calf 14"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 14.25"
waist @ belly btn 31" (flexed)
*2/12 end of cycle update: 28.5"
ass 35"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 37"
bicep flexed 14.5"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 15.25"
chest @ nips 40.5"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 41.5"
shoulders 44"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 47.5"
neck 15.25"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 15.5"
forearm 11.5"
*2/12 end of cycle update: 12"

cycle
halo (purus labs halovar inslinified) 50/75/75/75/75/75
dermacrine 1/3/3/4/4/4 or as needed
cycle support 4/4/4/4/4/4/4/4/4/4/4/4
letro on hand
forma on hand
+taurine
+chondroitin
+sfh fish oil
+rainbow light mens one multi

pct
nolva 20/20/10/10/0/0

sup3r pct 4/4/4/4/2/0
daa 3/3/3/3/0/0
creatine 5/5/5/5/5/5
pes erase (on hand)
clomid (on hand)

workout is basically:
  • monday squat/leg accessory/shoulders
  • wed bench/triceps
  • fri DL/back/biceps

food @ 3,000cals: 220p / 370c / 70f

bloodwork and before pics attached. i'm going to do another blood panel the last day of my cycle and then one more time at the end of pct.

day 1 was yesterday. slept like a baby last night, legs are jello today. :booty:
 

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Last edited:
Everything looks good. Is this your first cycle?

I think you definitely don't need clomid and nolva. I would choose one. If it is strictly just in case one doesn't work I completely understand then. I also wouldn't run the erase tapering upwards. I would taper it downwards. Also you have super pct which already has about 75mg of arimistane. The combo might be overkill.

Just suggestions. Good luck.
 
Demgainz said:
Everything looks good. Is this your first cycle?

I think you definitely don't need clomid and nolva. I would choose one. If it is strictly just in case one doesn't work I completely understand then. I also wouldn't run the erase tapering upwards. I would taper it downwards. Also you have super pct which already has about 75mg of arimistane. The combo might be overkill.

Just suggestions. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Yea the clomid is just on hand, I'll edit and make that more clear when I get home.

I've heard so much conflicting info about running the erase. Thanks for the suggestion tho, I'll read around some more.
 
Erase is arimistane. Some love it as an otc AI, others like it and view it as a cortisol control supplement. Then you have some that simply want nothing to do with it and think it is overrated. To each, their own. I have used erase and I enjoyed it. After all is said and done my estradiol was 22. The previous year's bloodwork my estro sat at 41 without it.

If it works as an AI for you and works well you don't want your estro to be crushed at the end of your pct, you just want to negate the possibilities of rebound. Hence why I usually taper it downwards and run it past my serm of choice for two weeks.

You have a pretty detailed log already. I have always wanted to log a run(for myself/and as a learning experience for others but time is usually not on my side).
 
Demgainz said:
Erase is arimistane. Some love it as an otc AI, others like it and view it as a cortisol control supplement. Then you have some that simply want nothing to do with it and think it is overrated. To each, their own. I have used erase and I enjoyed it. After all is said and done my estradiol was 22. The previous year's bloodwork my estro sat at 41 without it.

If it works as an AI for you and works well you don't want your estro to be crushed at the end of your pct, you just want to negate the possibilities of rebound. Hence why I usually taper it downwards and run it past my serm of choice for two weeks.

You have a pretty detailed log already. I have always wanted to log a run(for myself/and as a learning experience for others but time is usually not on my side).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info I'm sure I'll be tweaking my pct
 
WEEK 1 DAY 2

got about 9 hrs of sleep last night. today was technically a rest day but did some light oly technique work and 2k on the erg + stretching and foam rolling. didn't have quite as many carbs pre- or post- workout today. the food feels like a lot but it's definitely doable. feeling good!
 
Erase is pointless. Sup3r pct is 10 caps per serving i thought? But anyways, you dont have to taper your sup3r pct dosage. Sup3r pct already has daa sodium, which is actually more effective. Clomid on hand? May as well run it with the nolva or save it for your next cycle, nolva is mor effective for gyno than clomid, so if your planning on using it for that, dont lol.
 
NattyBoy said:
Erase is pointless. Sup3r pct is 10 caps per serving i thought? But anyways, you dont have to taper your sup3r pct dosage. Sup3r pct already has daa sodium, which is actually more effective. Clomid on hand? May as well run it with the nolva or save it for your next cycle, nolva is mor effective for gyno than clomid, so if your planning on using it for that, dont lol.
Click to expand...

sup3r pct is 4 caps per serving. I don't see daa sodium on the label though. under the test boosting it says tribulus, magnesium, zinc aspartate, vitamin b6, horny goat weed, piperine, quercetin. is it the zinc aspartate you're referring to?

as far as the clomid goes, i have it in case the nolva is ineffective or gives me problems for whatever reason.
 
stespiel said:
sup3r pct is 4 caps per serving. I don't see daa sodium on the label though. under the test boosting it says tribulus, magnesium, zinc aspartate, vitamin b6, horny goat weed, piperine, quercetin. is it the zinc aspartate you're referring to?

as far as the clomid goes, i have it in case the nolva is ineffective or gives me problems for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

You must have the older sup3r pct, the new one is different. And i gotcha now with the clomid on hand thing
 
WEEK 1 DAY 3

Chest/triceps today felt strong. Started dermacrine this morning @ 1 pump. Will continue till next week when I increase to 3. Glutes and hammies are still sore. Nothing else really. Feeling solid.
 
WEEK 1 DAY 4

got about 9 hrs of sleep last night, rest day today. my chest is sore and my legs are still too. hoping my hammies are recovered tomorrow for deads. i'm getting a little pressure in my head the past day or two but nothing consistent and nothing i'd describe as a headache.
 
WEEK 1 DAY 5

holy veins batman, my arms were pumped today. felt great at the gym, i could've stayed there for hours even though i felt a little lethargic this morning. could be anything, or maybe even in my head, but i did two pumps of derma to be on the safe side. i'll keep doing 2/day until next week when i bump it up to 3.

also i've been ****ting a LOT. like 4x/day. no surprises there though because all that food's gotta go somewhere right?

one more thing, i've been ending my workouts with something quick to get my heart rate up; 2k on the erg or a 5 minute burpee & box jump type thing. on rest days i've been doing something light too. if anyone has thoughts on cardio during a halo cycle and whether this is too much or too little i'd appreciate the advice.
 
stespiel said:
i didn't take it right before, but my whole life it's been on the low end of normal, around 110/80
Click to expand...

OK cool. If you get more headaches, check your BP. I see you are running a cycle support, so hopefully that keeps it under control :)
 
DonnieM said:
OK cool. If you get more headaches, check your BP. I see you are running a cycle support, so hopefully that keeps it under control :)
Click to expand...

I haven't felt the head pressure since early last week basically when I just started the cycle.

I was in a cvs yesterday getting my flu shot and checked my pressure on the machine there. It said I was 122/51. I dunno how much I trust that thing though, seems like a weird reading.
 
Have you tried increasing your water intake? Do you feel dehydrated at all? Does your cycle support have hawthorn berry in it and if so did you pre load it?
 
Demgainz said:
Have you tried increasing your water intake? Do you feel dehydrated at all? Does your cycle support have hawthorn berry in it and if so did you pre load it?
Click to expand...

I'm drinking a lot of water, my piss is always pale yellow borderline clear. My cycle support has hawthorn berry, I didn't preload the cycle support but I did preload a hawthorn berry supplement. I noticed tho I'm getting way more hawthorn on a daily basis from the cycle support than I was getting with the standalone supp so maybe the head pressure was just from the initial spike from the hawthorn. I don't know if that makes sense ..
 
georgetown said:
Oh im sorry didnt read all the posts, hypo is low bp right? If so id remeasure in a couple days and if its still low id consider postponing the cycle and check with a dr
Click to expand...

Hypo is low yeah. I've always had very low blood pressure. I'll keep an eye on it tho and make sure it doesn't drop more.
 
WEEK 2 DAY 1

weighed in this morning for the first time. i'm at 159.4lbs (up 6.4lbs since start @ 153). i'm assuming most of this is extra water/residual food in my gut, etc. but at least i'm moving in the right direction! on that note, my appetite is good but i never feel super hungry because i'm constantly eating so much.

my last day of week 1 (yesterday) i took 3 halo caps because there are 120 in the bottle and not 119. so i'll be at 75/day halo and 3 pumps/day dermacrine for the rest of the cycle.

still no sides really, i felt sluggish that one day last week and had head pressure at the very beginning, but everything is good now. i felt amazing at the gym yesterday, to the point that i felt like people were looking at me because i was just completely slaying everything.
 
WEEK 2 DAY 2

yesterday was a rest day but went in for some light upper back/trap accessory work.. hang clean pulls, shrugs, handstand holds. finished with abs and a little rowing.

i double checked my weight this morning and i'm still right around 159, and looking probably leaner than when i started. i've never been a lean-looking 159. i'm still skeptical though that this isn't in my head because it's only been a week so far??

going to hit chest and triceps hard later today. can't wait to get back in the gym :banana:
 
WEEK 2 DAY 5

still feeling good, no sides, strength is up. wed and thurs i had 6am meetings and didn't get great sleep either night. i think my deadlift workout suffered a bit yesterday because of it. i also missed my last 25mg dose last night somehow, which sucks. but my mindset is to make up for it this weekend with workouts, food, rest.

i've been recovering so fast from my workouts this week that next week i'm going to switch from doing 1 on 1 off to doing 3 on 1 off; so i'll get through my 3 day split on wed, rest on thurs, then start it over on friday.
 
One more update, I had a little gyno from puberty you can prob see in my before pics. I feel like my left nip is getting kinda puffy but I could be overthinking it. Would it be smart at this point to introduce a pump of forma to be on the safe side?
 
stespiel said:
One more update, I had a little gyno from puberty you can prob see in my before pics. I feel like my left nip is getting kinda puffy but I could be overthinking it. Would it be smart at this point to introduce a pump of forma to be on the safe side?
Click to expand...
Yup I would
 
WEEK 3 DAY 1

coming into the third week I'm at 159.6lbs (up .6lbs from last week). my hunch is that my initial weight gain from 153 to 159 was mostly water + extra food etc. in my system. hopefully that means now that i leveled out at around 160, and most people see their gains around week 3/4, that i'll shoot up way past 160 soon??

a few other observations coming into week 3:
instead of feeling that lactic acid/sore feeling especially after legs, it seems to be more of just a tight feeling. no pain really, just tight.
my balls feel normal
strength is up
libido is up up up

i added forma 1 pump/day and the nips look fine, i haven't noticed them getting any worse.

this week i'm adjusting my split to add more days since i'm recovering so fast:
Sun squat/shoulders
Mon chest/tris
Tue dl/back
Wed OFF
Thurs squat/shoulders
Fri chest/tris
Sat dl/back
Sun OFF
 
stespiel said:
WEEK 3 DAY 1

coming into the third week I'm at 159.6lbs (up .6lbs from last week). my hunch is that my initial weight gain from 153 to 159 was mostly water + extra food etc. in my system. hopefully that means now that i leveled out at around 160, and most people see their gains around week 3/4, that i'll shoot up way past 160 soon??

a few other observations coming into week 3:
instead of feeling that lactic acid/sore feeling especially after legs, it seems to be more of just a tight feeling. no pain really, just tight.
my balls feel normal
strength is up
libido is up up up

i added forma 1 pump/day and the nips look fine, i haven't noticed them getting any worse.

this week i'm adjusting my split to add more days since i'm recovering so fast:
Sun squat/shoulders
Mon chest/tris
Tue dl/back
Wed OFF
Thurs squat/shoulders
Fri chest/tris
Sat dl/back
Sun OFF
Click to expand...

That sounds like what I am experiencing on Osta. No soreness, just a tight feeling. Pretty cool, so that means that I am not crazy.
 
So far I am really liking it. I have put on 6 lbs so far and I am the heaviest I have ever been. I am seeing improved detail in the midsection, with my waist measurement dropping by 1.5" so far. My shoulders look thicker, and everything overall looks better. I am still at 5'7", but I think that adding a few inches in height is asking a lot of Osta. LGD maybe ...
I am logging my cycle here: First Osta cycle
This is my first cycle ever, so I decided to go with the mildest compound. I am not looking to get huge, just add a little muscle, increase definition, and reduce my bf%. So far everything looks good. We'll see what the numbers are at the end of the cycle.
 
WEEK 3 DAY 2

all my lifts were up today and felt strong and smooth. i could have spent the whole night in the gym, but unfortunately life goes on.

the past few days i've been getting tired in the afternoon an hour or two after lunch.. it kinda sucks because that's usually when i hit the gym, but i just want to nap. i'm guessing it's just from digesting my huge f*ing lunch though because i haven't had any other side effects (balls are normal etc.)

super stoked to crush it this week and next since people say that's when this **** shines. unfortunately i'll be overseas in london for work next week (week 4) so it's going to be harder to be consistent but i'm committed.. booked my hotel next door to a gym and packing a ****load of rxbars. just have to figure out how to travel with all this gear without it looking weird.
 
stespiel said:
WEEK 3 DAY 2

"the past few days i've been getting tired in the afternoon an hour or two after lunch.. it kinda sucks because that's usually when i hit the gym, but i just want to nap. i'm guessing it's just from digesting my huge f*ing lunch though because i haven't had any other side effects (balls are normal etc.)"

Sounds like the onset of the typical lethargy that comes with a PH cycle. Some folks find Dermacrine to be all they need as a "test base" to combat the lethargy and/or drop in libido. However, I have found that low dose Trest works better for me .... more specifically Dermatr3st at 50-75mg daily starting about week 2-3. I've ran cycles both ways (Dermacrine or Dermatrest) and found the Dermatrest to be the better "test base" for me. Short of actually pinning test of course ;)

Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...
 
stespiel said:
WEEK 3 DAY 2

all my lifts were up today and felt strong and smooth. i could have spent the whole night in the gym, but unfortunately life goes on.

the past few days i've been getting tired in the afternoon an hour or two after lunch.. it kinda sucks because that's usually when i hit the gym, but i just want to nap. i'm guessing it's just from digesting my huge f*ing lunch though because i haven't had any other side effects (balls are normal etc.)

super stoked to crush it this week and next since people say that's when this **** shines. unfortunately i'll be overseas in london for work next week (week 4) so it's going to be harder to be consistent but i'm committed.. booked my hotel next door to a gym and packing a ****load of rxbars. just have to figure out how to travel with all this gear without it looking weird.
Click to expand...

Now that you've completed two weeks, how is the progress? What is the goal for this cycle? Bulk, recomp?

For traveling, what I have done is get one of those weekly pill boxes and just take exactly what I need for those days. In my case it was only supplements & vitamins, but I would do exactly the same for Osta. If they ask what I am taking, I have a multivitamin, Omega 3s and chondroitin for my joints, vitamin B6, vitamin D, magnesium, and that last one's ... vitamin Q5. Yeah for bone and muscle health. :duh:
 
TKC432 said:
stespiel said:
WEEK 3 DAY 2

"the past few days i've been getting tired in the afternoon an hour or two after lunch.. it kinda sucks because that's usually when i hit the gym, but i just want to nap. i'm guessing it's just from digesting my huge f*ing lunch though because i haven't had any other side effects (balls are normal etc.)"

Sounds like the onset of the typical lethargy that comes with a PH cycle. Some folks find Dermacrine to be all they need as a "test base" to combat the lethargy and/or drop in libido. However, I have found that low dose Trest works better for me .... more specifically Dermatr3st at 50-75mg daily starting about week 2-3. I've ran cycles both ways (Dermacrine or Dermatrest) and found the Dermatrest to be the better "test base" for me. Short of actually pinning test of course ;)

Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

i think i looked into trest originally and couldn't find it, seemed to be banned. in the meantime it's probably time to bump my derma up to 4/day.
Click to expand...
 
UncleSarm said:
Now that you've completed two weeks, how is the progress? What is the goal for this cycle? Bulk, recomp?

For traveling, what I have done is get one of those weekly pill boxes and just take exactly what I need for those days. In my case it was only supplements & vitamins, but I would do exactly the same for Osta. If they ask what I am taking, I have a multivitamin, Omega 3s and chondroitin for my joints, vitamin B6, vitamin D, magnesium, and that last one's ... vitamin Q5. Yeah for bone and muscle health. :duh:
Click to expand...

i'm doing a weekly progress check every monday, you can see my latest one a few posts up (WEEK 3 DAY 1). basically i'm trying to bulk. i'm cool with more of a recomp too but i'm eating/training to gain.

i'm not so much worried about the caps as the derma and formeron.. shampoo bottles??
 
WEEK 3 DAY 3

Rest day. Rolled out and stretched. Some nights I've been getting really hot and last night I barely slept. I think I've been taking my last dose too close to bedtime so today I took my last dose around 6pm. Hopefully that helps.
 
my sleep last night was the best I've had in the last week or so. no restlessness or night sweats. dosing earlier REALLY helped.
 
WEEK 3 DAY 4

today was the first day i felt like my lethargy actually affected my workout. i got through all my sets but i was dragging and the intensity definitely wasn't there. upped my derma to 4 pumps. open to any other suggestions. thanks brahs
 
WEEK 3 DAY 5

Man I was on today. Maybe it was the extra sleep maybe it's the extra dermacrine but I was a powerhouse in the gym. Lethargy was much less today too.

Oh and my hair cutter said I look bigger. Good day.
 
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