First Post: Am I ready for a cycle?

[celc5]

I have been a reader of this forum for about 1 month and finally decided to join the fun.

I would like you all to help me decide if I have reached my genetic potential and whether or not a cycle is appropriate for me.

27 y.o. male, 5'10", 200 lbs
10 years powerlifting
4 years bodybuilding
I have had significant education background in kinesiology, exercise physiology, and uber-advanced anatomy at the post-graduate level (just to illustrate that my splits and technique are sound).

Diet: I eat from 190-210 grams of protein every day all year. My carbs and fat are clean and manipulated according to my goals. Total is usually 3-4 meals + 2-3 shakes.

Training periodization:
Powerlift and bulk from August to December
Strength from January to March
Cut from April to August

My work schedule permits workouts for 4 days of the week. My split and routine changes every 8 weeks.

My progress over the past 2 years has been unbalanced to say the least.

Weight:
December 2005 topped off at 206 lbs and cut to 188 (just lean enough to see abs and a few veins here and there)
December 2006 208 lbs... goal is to get lean at 195 or 200

Good Progress:
Squat 365x5 (2005), 455 x 7 (2006)
Leg Extension 185x12 (05), 225x12 (06)
BB Shrug 4plates x8 (05), 5 plates x 12 (06)
Calves on the leg press 8 plates on each side x 5 (05), 12 plates on each side x 6 (06)

Quads, traps, glutes, and calves grew like crazy but I don't have exact measures to compare for sure.

No Progress:
Max Bench 220 (05), 210 (06)
Barbell Curl 95 x 5 (05), 95 x 9 (06)
Wide Grip Pullups 9 (05), 10 (06)

My arms did grow, but just barely, from 16" (05) cold to just a hair over 16 and 1/4 (06)

Yikes, that last part was embarrassing but necessary to illustrate that I think I may have reached a plateau.

Comments, criticism, questions, and suggestions all encouraged!

 

[thesinner]

Your max bench is 210lbs?

What is your bf%?

 

[celc5]

I know, 210 is embarrassing. Not to self handicap but I dislocated my left shoulder in high school football and destroyed my right elbow in grade school basketball. These injuries definately affect my bench, shoulder press, and lateral raises when I go with anything heavier than 8 reps. It makes upright rows 100% impossible for me.

If it helps any, I use 90's for DB incline bench for about 6 or 7 reps recently. Um, ya that sounds pretty bad too... it didn't help. Crap

My bf has been from 16-19% according to one of those unreliable do-it-all gym scales over the past 6 weeks.

 

[thesinner]

It's just kinda funny seeing that you have a much lower upper body strength to lower body strength ratio than I'm used to seeing.

IMO a lot of people (myself included) get started too early, but there's a fair number of people who start with your kind of stats.

What are you planning on doing a cycle of?

 

[celc5]

I agree that the imbalance is quite unique.

I forgot to mention that I dumbell row 100's for 12 strict reps (aw, you mean that doesn't make my bench look any better?). Traditional deadlifts 385ish for sets and straight leg deads 315 for 12. Any movement that is not affected by my injuries continues to progress at a reasonable level.

So my rows, shrugs, and anything legs have NOT reached anywhere near a plateau while my bench, shoulders, and arms are crawling comparatively.

I would like to be able to hit my lagging body parts 2 times per week to bring them up. Now the catch 22 is that I NEED the 7 days of recovery for my left shoulder (previously dislocated with impingement) and right elbow (imagine triceps tendonitis + tennis elbow + golfer's elbow). I'm curious to see if a cycle would allow me to catch up the lagging body parts while hitting them twice per week.

The cycle I'm considering would be for getting me past any plateaus that I reach while bulking next fall. I have a good plan for cutting this summer don't think I'll need the "extra help" just yet.

The 5000 SD logs have caught my attention because of the fast gains and halodrol because many have mentioned an
improved sense of well being. What peaked my curiosity is that it seems as if EVERYONE mentions improved recovery with their cycles no matter what they are using.

I want my cycle to be on the lowest end of dosages, for a relatively short period of time (just enough to bust the plateau). I don't want to stack for my first cycle. And I wanna have my SERM plan and supporting supps ready well before the cycle.

I want to choose an oral that is easy to get my hands on. Also injectables are not an option because I'm a big puss about the needles :whiner:

 

[thesinner]

Well first off, steroids are not the cure all end all. (I don't think that can be stressed enough). I started cycling after having my photographer suggest them and losing a competition to a guy who was on them. Regardless of how I started, I still think I may have jumped the gun a year too soon.

If you're looking for doing a cycle simply to improve recovery, there are alternatives to doing so. I've gotten fantastic recovery (abosolutely no DOMS from workouts where DOMS should've been inevitable) from ecdysteroids, and I know other people on this board have gotten great recovery as well. Some other alternatives are the NHA stack, X-factor (arachidonic acid), Bad Ass Mass (by ALRI, which I've heard has been able to produce some great strength gains), MassFX (by AX), Hyperdrol (by AX), and Jungle Warfare (by ALRI). I just want you to understand that there are (less potent, but less risky) alternatives which could help you get through your plateaus without jumping onto the juice train. When you do, there's no turning back.

If you are planning on doing a cycle, here's a breakdown of some compounds to look at, based on my experiences with them, and the experiences of other people I've read from this forum:

Superdrol- This is a real hit-or-miss as far as side effects. Some people can take it and feel totally fine. I took it with pheraplex, and it destroyed me. I know of a few people who were sent to the hospital from taking this stuff.


Pheraplex- I had a good experience with this, and there's been a several people who've liked this as well. There's also been a few people stating it really didn't have a very pronounced effect on them (of course these are people with a history of cycles done). It's somewhat of a 'wet' compound, so good for bulking, not so good for cutting. There's been a few instances were I've seen gyno on this board, but the sides are way less harsh than Superdrol.


Mega-TRN - This was the first compound I've ever used. I felt it was mild, yet effective. Many user's like to stack this with other compounds because of the great strength gains it can create. Some people think it's too mild. Some people have reported gyno from this, due to it's effects on prolactin levels. Again, much less gyno instances, and much less sides than superdrol.


Havoc/Epistane: This is a generally new compound, which I am currently cycling right now. Very mild side effects. Users have reported strength gains, mass gains, and depletion of existing gynecomastia.


I hope this helps you out in making your decision.

 

[celc5]

You hit the nail on the head with AX and ALRI stacks. I have been following those logs and plan to implement one of them very soon. If I bust my plateaus, I won't need to get the point "where there's no turning back" as you mentioned.

Very cool run down of the basics. I didn't expect so much info in one shot as I'm very willing to do my homework. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a "popular compounds" post in a sticky?

Awesome advice from the experienced to the novice!

 

[idunk42]

Your better off doing a simple test/deca cycle, instead of these oral stacks. This stack will help you get over the plateaus and maybe even help with your injuries.

 

[donk]

I agree that the imbalance is quite unique.


I would like to be able to hit my lagging body parts 2 times per week to bring them up. Now the catch 22 is that I NEED the 7 days of recovery for my left shoulder (previously dislocated with impingement) and right elbow (imagine triceps tendonitis + tennis elbow + golfer's elbow). I'm curious to see if a cycle would allow me to catch up the lagging body parts while hitting them twice per week.




QUOTE]


If it takes that long to recover i would get my injury's under control 1st. Going on will get you strong and you will want to push more weight causing your problems to get worse.

 

[celc5]

Good point Donk. I have decided to change my routine.

Lowered the weights and doin 15-20 reps per set. I eliminated all movements that even slightly irritate the injuries. I'm also doing a rotator cuff routine twice per week with about 4 or 5 different movements.

Quite frankly, my shoulder and elbow are feeling better already. Guess it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I just needed to back off for a few weeks.

On that note, I'm still considering a cycle for next fall to help break some of my plateaus for the aforementioned pathetic lifts.



Emdub, I have done a few searches for Cissus as you suggested. It seems promising and I may consider trying that out as well.