Building Back Up

GreenMachineX said:
Slept really hard last night, but still stuck awake at 4:30am when my wife's alarm went off. Think I totaled all most 7 quality hours though. 2700 kcal seems to be the magic number for sleep quality And still went back down to my most recent lowest weight.
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Dude it seems like you're on a tear right now with things moving in great momentum!
 
GreenMachineX said:
Neutral Grip Pullup 4, 4, 4, 4, 3
Squat 4 x 5 x 250
DB Row 2 x 10 x 50 (+1 set x 10 left arm)
Machine Shrugs 4 x 10/10/10/7 x 130
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8/8/6 x 25's
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 10 x 34

Unsure what the exercise is actually called at the end there, but basically crossing the cables and pulling slightly down and away like a reverse Pec Deck. Felt like a good workout.
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Squat 3 x 8 x 225
Neutral Grip Pullup 4 x 3/3/3/3 x BW, 10 x BW-112
One Arm DB Row 2 x 10 x 40
Seated Hamstring Curl 2 x 8 x 60
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 8 x 40
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8 x 25's

I haven't done more than 5 reps in a set on Squat in soooo long. That messed up the rest of the workout 😆 Pullups first from here on out.

Also adding in more lower body. The plan will be...
3-4 sets squats
3 sets leg press
3-4 sets DL variation
3 sets hamstring curls

Lastly, something still going on with this left arm. Can't activate the lat the same way as the right. I know there's still a small issue in the shoulder, but don't understand why I can't feel my lat working
 
GreenMachineX said:
Squat 3 x 8 x 225
Neutral Grip Pullup 4 x 3/3/3/3 x BW, 10 x BW-112
One Arm DB Row 2 x 10 x 40
Seated Hamstring Curl 2 x 8 x 60
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 8 x 40
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8 x 25's

I haven't done more than 5 reps in a set on Squat in soooo long. That messed up the rest of the workout 😆 Pullups first from here on out.

Also adding in more lower body. The plan will be...
3-4 sets squats
3 sets leg press
3-4 sets DL variation
3 sets hamstring curls

Lastly, something still going on with this left arm. Can't activate the lat the same way as the right. I know there's still a small issue in the shoulder, but don't understand why I can't feel my lat working
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You should look up local ART or Active Release Technique guys in your area and see if they can help out. Just ask @Hyde how much they have been able to do for him and his elbow. A good ART person is a godsend!
 
MrKleen73 said:
You should look up local ART or Active Release Technique guys in your area and see if they can help out. Just ask @Hyde how much they have been able to do for him and his elbow. A good ART person is a godsend!
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I was actually thinking about going back to the clinic that got my arm full range of motion back 6 years ago now that we moved back to the area... probably should make a call.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Thanks. I'm not sure I understand what you meant about the Lateral Raise though.
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Well, how much weight do you use for lateral raises? When was the last time you went up 5lbs on them? Most people are going to tell you something between 15-40lbs, because there’s just only so much weight to be moved on that lift. So waving the weights, doing heavy partials, rotating between cables, machines, dbs, playing with TUT are all going to be ways to manipulate the loading.

You don’t just linear progress weight on side raises, not often and not for long when you do go up.
 
Hyde said:
Well, how much weight do you use for lateral raises? When was the last time you went up 5lbs on them? Most people are going to tell you something between 15-40lbs, because there’s just only so much weight to be moved on that lift. So waving the weights, doing heavy partials, rotating between cables, machines, dbs, playing with TUT are all going to be ways to manipulate the loading.

You don’t just linear progress weight on side raises, not often and not for long when you do go up.
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Ohhhh, gotcha. I just wasn't getting what you said.
 
Weight: 218

Still losing weight with kcal at 2700! Will be going lower today though since I won't be working out today. Maybe 2400... Slept great last night. 7 hours, only one wake up and dreaming hard.
 
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GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 218

Still losing weight with kcal at 2700! Will be going lower today though since I won't be working out today. Maybe 2400... Slept great last night. 7 hours, only one wake up and dreaming hard.
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TMI, but happy your TRT is going well. ;)
 
Dustin07 said:
tongkat ali does that to me too
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I am actually going to be buying some tongkat Ali for the wife. She is on HRT Testosterone pellets and has issues with mood, sex drive and irritability the last month before she gets new pellets. So, I came up with the idea to introduce this to lower SHGB the final 6 weeks to see if it can free up some more testosterone to help level out her hormones as the pellets are releasing less and less. I asked Steve about it and he said it sounds like it might be worth a shot. So we are going to try that this time around.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I am actually going to be buying some tongkat Ali for the wife. She is on HRT Testosterone pellets and has issues with mood, sex drive and irritability the last month before she gets new pellets. So, I came up with the idea to introduce this to lower SHGB the final 6 weeks to see if it can free up some more testosterone to help level out her hormones as the pellets are releasing less and less. I asked Steve about it and he said it sounds like it might be worth a shot. So we are going to try that this time around.
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Steve knows a hell of a lot more about the variations in Tonkgat than I even understand. I have had mixed results with both tongkat and asghwanda and judging by what Steve has taught me it's because sometimes I have bought a good product and other times a poor product. But his Alpha Gel has always been good to me. I would love to hear how your wife responds. My wife is moderately interested in the product when I told her that there have been good studies on it used on women. What I didn't tell her is I have read about hair shedding. But again, I don't know enough about it so I'd really have to ask @sns8778 for the facts there. which product is your wife going to use? does a female use a smaller dose?
 
Dustin07 said:
Steve knows a hell of a lot more about the variations in Tonkgat than I even understand. I have had mixed results with both tongkat and asghwanda and judging by what Steve has taught me it's because sometimes I have bought a good product and other times a poor product. But his Alpha Gel has always been good to me. I would love to hear how your wife responds. My wife is moderately interested in the product when I told her that there have been good studies on it used on women. What I didn't tell her is I have read about hair shedding. But again, I don't know enough about it so I'd really have to ask @sns8778 for the facts there. which product is your wife going to use? does a female use a smaller dose?
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The only Tongkat Ali extract that I would ever suggest for a female is the Bionutricia extract - because of the standardization and also because of the level of testing it undergoes. Every batch of raw materials is independently tested by the Forestry Institute in Malaysia and that's before we receive the raw materials and do our own testing.

That's why we use the Bionutricia Tongkat Ali extract in Tongkat Ali XT, Optimize-T, and Alpha Gel.

Giving a female a generic Tongkat is just asking for problems because you're getting a lot of what you don't want for little, if any, of what you do want.

@MrKleen73 's epic rant yesterday about aspartame reminds me of how I feel when anyone buys generic Tongkat for their females and then complains that it doesn't work for them or they have side effects from it haha.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I am actually going to be buying some tongkat Ali for the wife. She is on HRT Testosterone pellets and has issues with mood, sex drive and irritability the last month before she gets new pellets. So, I came up with the idea to introduce this to lower SHGB the final 6 weeks to see if it can free up some more testosterone to help level out her hormones as the pellets are releasing less and less. I asked Steve about it and he said it sounds like it might be worth a shot. So we are going to try that this time around.
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Boron could be another cheap one to add during that time as well
 
sns8778 said:
That's why we use the Bionutricia Tongkat Ali extract in Tongkat Ali XT, Optimize-T, and Alpha Gel.
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would you recommend a 140lb female at like a half dose on the alpha gel then vs any of us dudes? or even less like one pump per day vs the normal 4?

sns8778 said:
@MrKleen73 's epic rant yesterday about aspartame reminds me of how I feel when anyone buys generic Tongkat for their females and then complains that it doesn't work for them or they have side effects from it haha.
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BRB need to investigate said drama 😅
 
Dustin07 said:
would you recommend a 140lb female at like a half dose on the alpha gel then vs any of us dudes? or even less like one pump per day vs the normal 4?

BRB need to investigate said drama 😅
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I would suggest females start off on Alpha Gel at 1 ml once per day for the first week and then go up to 1 ml twice per day if they feel like they need to.

For those that choose to take oral Tongkat Ali, I would suggest 1 capsule of Tongkat Ali XT once per day for females.
 
sns8778 said:
The only Tongkat Ali extract that I would ever suggest for a female is the Bionutricia extract - because of the standardization and also because of the level of testing it undergoes. Every batch of raw materials is independently tested by the Forestry Institute in Malaysia and that's before we receive the raw materials and do our own testing.

That's why we use the Bionutricia Tongkat Ali extract in Tongkat Ali XT, Optimize-T, and Alpha Gel.

Giving a female a generic Tongkat is just asking for problems because you're getting a lot of what you don't want for little, if any, of what you do want.

@MrKleen73 's epic rant yesterday about aspartame reminds me of how I feel when anyone buys generic Tongkat for their females and then complains that it doesn't work for them or they have side effects from it haha.
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Yep, this is why I will be using your product for sure!

Yeah, it was a little epic... Normally I stop myself from typing what I think because well the world isn't ready to have the unfiltered me released on it yet. Way too many oversensitive people so I just tend to play super civilized 99% of the time online or anytime I am writing something.
 
Yesterday Macros

2,551 kcal
199g pro
82g fat
253g cho

8.7k steps. A little under target but no big deal.

Today's weight: 218.6

Definitely looking leaner every day.
Slept great again. Either the kcal are right on target, or 8mg test cyp shallow IM is the answer. Either way, sticking with it.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Seated DB OHP 4 x 8/8/8/6 x 65's
Dips 4 x 10/10/10/8 x BW
Upright Row 2 x 8 x 60, 8 x 40
DB Lateral Raise 2 x 8 x 5's
1 Arm Rope Pressdowns 3 x 10/8/8 x 16.5
Incline Cable Press 2 x 10 x 35.2

Scaled the weight back and used an almost 100% vertical Incline bench on seated ohp so I wouldn't lean back and get more all around delt focus. Really hit the Lateral delts a lot more like that. Gotta stop the ego lifting form 😆

Also realized when I do heavier Upright Row, my left shoulder is significantly higher then my right, so I dropped the weight last set to see if it improves and it did. The bizarre thing is I'm not shrugging intentionally and can't overpower it; it just *happens*.
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Seated DB OHP 4 x 8/8/8/7 x 70's
Dips 4 x 10/10/10/8 x BW
Iso-Lateral CG Incline Press 2 x 8/8 x 81 😆
Upright Row 3 x 8/8/8 x 40
DB Lateral Raise 2 x 10 x 5's 😆
One Arm Rope Pressdown 4 x 8/6/6/6 x 22

Even dropping to 40 lb for the Upright Row, the left shoulder is higher then the right. Calling the chiro today. Otherwise, feeling the deficit, but not a huge deal.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Yesterday Macros

2,551 kcal
199g pro
82g fat
253g cho

8.7k steps. A little under target but no big deal.

Today's weight: 218.6

Definitely looking leaner every day.
Slept great again. Either the kcal are right on target, or 8mg test cyp shallow IM is the answer. Either way, sticking with it.
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7mg of testosterone per week didn’t cause you to suddenly begin shedding bodyfat. Your DIET is what is giving you this success!

My test is brewed at 300mg/ml. If I get a hair heavy drawing with a 3cc syringe, I can end up with ~15mg extra in a single shot. When that happens, I don’t accidentally drop 3lbs the next week
 
Hyde said:
7mg of testosterone per week didn’t cause you to suddenly begin shedding bodyfat. Your DIET is what is giving you this success!

My test is brewed at 300mg/ml. If I get a hair heavy drawing with a 3cc syringe, I can end up with ~15mg extra in a single shot. When that happens, I don’t accidentally drop 3lbs the next week
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No no, I meant the sleep quality going from 7mg subq to 8mg shallow IM. You can see from the labs the massive difference in levels from different daily doses. And yes, the drop in weight is definitely diet lol
 
GreenMachineX said:
No no, I meant the sleep quality going from 7mg subq to 8mg shallow IM. You can see from the labs the massive difference in levels from different daily doses. And yes, the drop in weight is definitely diet lol
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Sleep quality is so important for fat loss. I have seen my wife get hung up in a diet, and with no change in diet or activity but extra emphasis on more sleep the lbs begin coming off again.
 
Hyde said:
7mg of testosterone per week didn’t cause you to suddenly begin shedding bodyfat. Your DIET is what is giving you this success!

My test is brewed at 300mg/ml. If I get a hair heavy drawing with a 3cc syringe, I can end up with ~15mg extra in a single shot. When that happens, I don’t accidentally drop 3lbs the next week
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Also, after trying multiple dosing protocols, I've found no difference between like 100mg per week to 120mg per week, but the daily dose matters a lot more.
 
Weight: 217.4

Yesterday's Macros
2,411 kcal
209g pro
63g fat
249g cho

12k steps.

Slept poorly last night and feel the *PEM* today. Still starting today with a 2 mile hill walk.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 217.4

Yesterday's Macros
2,411 kcal
209g pro
63g fat
249g cho

12k steps.

Slept poorly last night and feel the *PEM* today. Still starting today with a 2 mile hill walk.
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Yeah just work through those days you are suffering from it if you can. Consistency is the biggest factor in progress.
 
I love weekend workout sessions. you can go in a little more rested and often times actually get a full length session in without feeling rushed
 
I love my weekend sessions! I get to take longer rest, and just enjoy myself. It is one of the few times at the gym I will allow myself to be social while there. The rest of the time I don't have time for much chatting because I need to get finished get home and start winding down to get some sleep. Next week morning training starts and I will really be pressed for time, but their will be far less people to avoid chatting with then.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I love my weekend sessions! I get to take longer rest, and just enjoy myself. It is one of the few times at the gym I will allow myself to be social while there. The rest of the time I don't have time for much chatting because I need to get finished get home and start winding down to get some sleep. Next week morning training starts and I will really be pressed for time, but their will be far less people to avoid chatting with then.
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How early will you be training, and how soon after waking? What will be your protocol before heading in?
 
I like weekend training because I get to sleep in for an extra hour or more, take a bit more time if I want, and when I get home there’s still most of the day ahead to do family stuff.
 
Just got back from the chiro. He called it upper cord syndrome and gave me some exercises, stretches and flossing to do. The ART hurt like crazy lol
 
GreenMachineX said:
How early will you be training, and how soon after waking? What will be your protocol before heading in?
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Well, too early is how early! :) I will be getting up at 4:00AM so I can be at the gym by 4:30 and hopefully gone by 6:15 to get home and cleaned up for work.

Morning Protocol will be wake up slam my preworkout and creatine first, then make a Periworkout drink with Countrytime Lemonade, Dextrose and a scoop of protein powder in a half gallon jug and start consuming it right away, then head to the gym which is about a 10 minute drive. Once I am finished I will head home, add another scoop of whey to whatever is left of my periworkout drink and finish it before I leave for work. The have a whole food meal between 8-9AM. I may get some other carb sources too but for right now those will be what I am using for my fast acting carbs in the AM.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Well, too early is how early! :) I will be getting up at 4:00AM so I can be at the gym by 4:30 and hopefully gone by 6:15 to get home and cleaned up for work.

Morning Protocol will be wake up slam my preworkout and creatine first, then make a Periworkout drink with Countrytime Lemonade, Dextrose and a scoop of protein powder in a half gallon jug and start consuming it right away, then head to the gym which is about a 10 minute drive. Once I am finished I will head home, add another scoop of whey to whatever is left of my periworkout drink and finish it before I leave for work. The have a whole food meal between 8-9AM. I may get some other carb sources too but for right now those will be what I am using for my fast acting carbs in the AM.
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Gotcha. What kind of protein are you mixing with lemonade???
 
Weight: 217.4

Yesterday's Macros
2,883 kcal
234g pro
109g fat
239g cho

10k steps.

Overshot the kcal but still within maintenance. Weight stable.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Weight: 219.0

Rack Pull 4 x 5 x 325
Leg Press 3 x 10 x 270
Mid-Row Machine 10 x 165, 8 x 185, 8 x 205
Shrug Machine 12 x 90, 2 x 7 x 160, 10 x 90
Left Arm Only DB Row 2 x 12 x 20
Hammer Curls 3 x 10 x 20's

Definitely feeling the deficit, but still making small improvements overall. Grip is trashed though. Loving the mid-row machine; just feel my lats and rhomboids so much more. Adding in light left arm only db Row to get that left lat working better.
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Weight: 217.4

Rack Pull 4 x 5/5/5/4 x 335
Leg Press 3 x 8/8/10 x 340
Mid-Row Machine 12x165, 10x185, 8x205, 8x145
Shrug Machine 15x90, 3 x 10/10/9 x 140
Cable Pull-Aparts 3 x 12 x 34
Hammer Curls 3 x 10/10/8 x 25's

In some ways, the Rack Pull feels harder than a regular deadlift...guessing from my weaker hamstrings, and no Leg drive to gain momentum. But, I finally feel like I got a perfect program for me...all exercises feel *right* if that makes sense.

Down 1.6 pounds from this time last week. Right on target.
 
Macros (estimated)

3,841 kcal
238g pro
151g fat
382g cho

11k steps.

Kcal could be above what I estimated, as dinner was somewhere between 12-16oz picanha and 2 slices cheesecake both of which I'm unsure of. Rice was easily accounted for though. That's my cheat for the week; tomorrow I'll probably eat about 2800, then drop in again Monday.
 
Sounds like a hell of a meal. Depending on the size of those cheesecake slices that dinner alone could be 3800 calories. ;)
 
MrKleen73 said:
Sounds like a hell of a meal. Depending on the size of those cheesecake slices that dinner alone could be 3800 calories. ;)
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Lol yeah, but I only had half actually...didn't gorge like I used to. It's interesting though...those massive food cravings to gorge are significantly lower and my sense of satiety is improving.
 
Weight: 221.0

Yesterday's estimated Macros

3,622 kcal
230g pro
143g fat
344g cho

8k steps.

Dinner was way overboard again. Only up a pound. Let's see how I can drop it.

Also, slept great. Only one wake up. Such a beautiful thing.
 
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GreenMachineX said:
Gotcha. What kind of protein are you mixing with lemonade???
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I am just using regular 80WPC It'd NutraBio Classic Whey Vanilla. No need for isolate for me I digest dairy pretty well, and 80WPC gets in the system plenty fast enough to do the job. .
 
MrKleen73 said:
I am just using regular 80WPC It'd NutraBio Classic Whey Vanilla. No need for isolate for me I digest dairy pretty well, and 80WPC gets in the system plenty fast enough to do the job. .
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Lemonade and vanilla protein...guessing it tastes better then it sounds lol
 
MrKleen73 said:
Well, too early is how early! :) I will be getting up at 4:00AM so I can be at the gym by 4:30 and hopefully gone by 6:15 to get home and cleaned up for work.
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I feel like your current training regiment is more conducive to early lifting sessions with the higher volume approach you have. As long as you can hydrate well. That was always the tough one for me at 4:30-5am, being hydrated enough to not get nauseous. Lifting before work starts the day off so nice, but for me it's hard to activate maximal power if I'm strength training. Great for hypertrophy and cardio training though.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Flat DB Press 4 x 8/7/6/6 x 90's
Standing OHP 4 x 8/7/7/6 x 115
Incline Cable Press 3 x 12/12/12 x 35.2
Skullcrushers 4 x 8/8/8/5 x 50
Machine Delt Raise 4 x 10/8/8/10 x 50

Reps starting to slip a little. Would it be better to stay at the same weight, or drop everything 5-10 pounds to keep the reps up?
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Flat DB Press 4 x 8/8/6/6 x 90's
Standing OHP 4 x 10/9/8/8 x 105
Machine Delt Raise 4 x 8/8/8/9 x 50
Overhead Cable Extension 8 x 27.5, 2 x 8 x 22
CG Iso-Lateral Incline Press 2 x 8 x 81
Skullcrushers 2 x 8 x 50

Probably need to lighten the load on Flat db Press like I did ohp to get my reps back up. Otherwise, unremarkable. Keeping kcal tight now. Goal is to be 216 or less by Saturday.
 
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Weight: 219.4

Yesterday Macros
2,514 kcal
190g pro
76g fat
266g cho

13k steps. Everything right on target. Slept pretty good, but can feel just a slight amount of PEM. I think I found the perfect balance between intake/expenditure and tolerable side effects. W00t!
 
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