Opinions needed on oral cycle....(possible log in the making here)

[xxtruxx1]

no opinions. but i'd be interested to see some sort of a general log. from what i understand, it's all lean muscle gains and i was reading in the igf forum section about cell dividing thus changing genetics all together. i am assuming this will need some serious time to accomplish.

assuming you gain 5 pounds and look more vascular and are noticeable leaner after 3 months, it would be kinda hard to do any kind of log. but i'd be interested to know how u feel in terms of recovery and strength and any increase in per rep speed etc. just the minute little things.

From what I've read (which was little so far) IGF-1 is only supposed to be run for about 4 weeks or so at a time, taking the amount of time run, off. I heard it's not that great at gaining lbm (most reported gains were around the 5lb mark without any anabolic usage) but most people were impressed with it's fat burning properties and improved vascularity. I'm very interested in exactly how IGF-1 works. I was thinking running IGF-1 for weeks 2-6 or so of the PCT for this cycle. Then taking time off of all anabolic/androgenic compounds until the end of july/middle of august, then running a second cycle for the year. From what I know, the IGF-1 would cause hyperplasia (division of the muscle cells) & running anabolics later would cause hypertrophy (swelling of the muscle cells). What's keeping me on the wall are the sides of IGF-1, if any? I don't know much about this compound yet, but from what I know from my background in science, if IGF-1 causes cell hyperplasia, how does it affect organs & tissues? Would it also cause an increase number of cells, which could lead to an enlargement or does IGF-1 only cause hyperplasia in skeletal muscle tissue? All these things are questions I need to do some research for in the IGF forum hopefully pretty soon.

Anyways, here are some mid-cycle pics for you guys. I'm sorry I had to take them with my cell phone, but my camera battery is out of power & I didn't feel like recharging it.

Opinions would be great.

 

[ripped218]

I think IGF-1 is supposed to increase satellite cells as well as induce hyperplasia,it is also supposed to be good for site injection localized muscle growth,And you are correct that it is better for fat loss and retaining gains rather than a straight out muscle builder,i would be interested to see how it affects your pct.

 

[xxtruxx1]

I think IGF-1 is supposed to increase satellite cells as well as induce hyperplasia,it is also supposed to be good for site injection localized muscle growth,And you are correct that it is better for fat loss and retaining gains rather than a straight out muscle builder,i would be interested to see how it affects your pct.

Hm, calve pinning sounds tempting, yet so painful...LOL. I need to do more research on the matter. If anything, I wouldn't mind running the IGF-1 solo after my PCT, or beginning late PCT & running until after (if that's at all possible).

Hit the gym today, did workout B & it was AMAZING! I'm definitely a hell of a lot stronger now than I was last week. I'm not sure if this is all mental, I doubt it. Strength gains simply shot up this week. I felt much fuller & had pretty good pumps while lifting. I also lost a feeling of lethargy I was having with the PP. It was kind of hard for me to get out of bed in the mornings these past few weeks. I now have an overall energetic, well-being feeling. I associate this to the SD because it's the same way I felt during my first cycle.

Weight has started to climb this week. This morning I weighed myself & I was at 188.2lbs.

So far, I'm loving the SD+M-TRN stack, kind of happy its the last week of PP in all honesty. My opinion, I like SD better than PP. Just my .02

EDIT: Oh yea, vascularity is starting to increase.

 

[ripped218]

M-trn gave me a strong increase in energy,thats why i like it better than PP,it's unusalyou get energy from SD, that also made me lethargic.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Well not so much that I got energy from SD, but I did have an overall feeling of well-being, not an energy burst.

For some reason, PP made me more lethargic than SD.

 

[phasar]

xxtruxx: when you do your pecs, do you shift your shoulders all the way back and focus on contracting your pecs on the push up? it seems your shoulders are pretty strong relative your chest, so it seems there might be something off with the method. just my observation. could be wrong

 

[xxtruxx1]

xxtruxx: when you do your pecs, do you shift your shoulders all the way back and focus on contracting your pecs on the push up? it seems your shoulders are pretty strong relative your chest, so it seems there might be something off with the method. just my observation. could be wrong

I'm not sure what you mean, but here's my answer to what I think you're asking. Pretty much, I shift my shoulders as far back as I can on the negative (so if I was benching, I'd be bring the bar as close to my chest as possible). I am, however, limited as to how far I can go because when I was younger, I broke my left clavicle, so my left shoulder has a much more restrictive stopping point than my right. I take the bar as low as I can go without my shoulder locking up pretty much. Usually, this is about an inch or two off my chest with a barbell. As far as contracting my chest on the push-up, I do squeeze/flex at the end of the rep.

Basically, I don't really think about the movement much. I bring the bar as far down as I can go, then push up using some mix of what I'm pretty sure is my chest & arms (mostly tri's).

See anything wrong? I always thought my chest was simply stubborn & lagged behind everything else. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

 

[ripped218]

I'm not sure what you mean, but here's my answer to what I think you're asking. Pretty much, I shift my shoulders as far back as I can on the negative (so if I was benching, I'd be bring the bar as close to my chest as possible). I am, however, limited as to how far I can go because when I was younger, I broke my left clavicle, so my left shoulder has a much more restrictive stopping point than my right. I take the bar as low as I can go without my shoulder locking up pretty much. Usually, this is about an inch or two off my chest with a barbell. As far as contracting my chest on the push-up, I do squeeze/flex at the end of the rep.

Basically, I don't really think about the movement much. I bring the bar as far down as I can go, then push up using some mix of what I'm pretty sure is my chest & arms (mostly tri's).

See anything wrong? I always thought my chest was simply stubborn & lagged behind everything else. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Have you ever tried pre-exhaustion?That has helped me with my lagging bodyparts.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Nope, please explain?

I've tried supersetting, strip setting, pyramids, currently doing 5-7 second negatives & explosive positives (DC-like training), going to failure, going to failure then doing pushups to failure, etc. I've tried everything I can possibly think of for chest but it just hasn't worked (with the exception of the DC-like training which I am currently on week 2 of & have seen huge improvements in strength thusfar). My problem areas are chest, traps, & CALVES. It seems no matter how hard or from what angle I tackle these muscles, they just don't grow. I'm perplexed.

 

[phasar]

xxtruxx: as for calves, you can forget about it.

as for the pecs and traps, they are closely related. i think your form may be wrong. first off, when you do deadlifts (if you do them) or when you do direct trap work like shrugs, you should force push your shoulders back (so from a direct frontal view of yourself, you are looking as narrow as you possibly can), and try your best to keep them more or less like during the entire movement.

when you do your pecs, the same, force push your shoulders back, and make sure your traps don't move throughout the entire start to finish of your bench press movement. don't focus on weight or as you mentioned fatigue. it may be helpful for you to go on some isolated chest machine so you can use your free hand to feel your chest so you can see how it contracts so very differently when you lock your traps.

it is my guess that you have weak latissimus dorsi as well since not locking your traps mainly effect pecs and lats (not to mention the size of the trap itself) if so, changing your lat work form will help trap as well as pec size at your stage. force push your shoulders back, but the only difference ofcourse, is that your arms are now in the air. it's the same thing-locking your traps. and when the pull the bar down for the lat movement, make sure the trap stays locked throughout and that your body does not swing...i.e. do not swing your body slightly back to permit the bar to touch your upper chest. this ofcourse will mean lowering the weight. and if you haven't been locking your traps, you should lower the lat pull down bar weight all the way to 40-50 pounds. the main burning sensation should be in your traps if that is what's been lacking.

 

[ripped218]

Nope, please explain?

I've tried supersetting, strip setting, pyramids, currently doing 5-7 second negatives & explosive positives (DC-like training), going to failure, going to failure then doing pushups to failure, etc. I've tried everything I can possibly think of for chest but it just hasn't worked (with the exception of the DC-like training which I am currently on week 2 of & have seen huge improvements in strength thusfar). My problem areas are chest, traps, & CALVES. It seems no matter how hard or from what angle I tackle these muscles, they just don't grow. I'm perplexed.

Pre-exhaustion is when you do a isolation movement before a basic on the muscle to pre-fatigue the target muscle because the ancillerie muscle usually fatigue before the target muscle,in this case chest,so lets say your ti's or delts fatigue before your chest is fully fatigued,so you would say as an example do flyes first go to failure and with no rest go straigt to bench or incline and go to failure,therefore pushing the chest beyond what it usually does and making the ancilleres the strength instead of the weakness.

 

[xxtruxx1]

xxtruxx: as for calves, you can forget about it.

as for the pecs and traps, they are closely related. i think your form may be wrong. first off, when you do deadlifts (if you do them) or when you do direct trap work like shrugs, you should force push your shoulders back (so from a direct frontal view of yourself, you are looking as narrow as you possibly can), and try your best to keep them more or less like during the entire movement.

when you do your pecs, the same, force push your shoulders back, and make sure your traps don't move throughout the entire start to finish of your bench press movement. don't focus on weight or as you mentioned fatigue. it may be helpful for you to go on some isolated chest machine so you can use your free hand to feel your chest so you can see how it contracts so very differently when you lock your traps.

it is my guess that you have weak latissimus dorsi as well since not locking your traps mainly effect pecs and lats (not to mention the size of the trap itself) if so, changing your lat work form will help trap as well as pec size at your stage. force push your shoulders back, but the only difference ofcourse, is that your arms are now in the air. it's the same thing-locking your traps. and when the pull the bar down for the lat movement, make sure the trap stays locked throughout and that your body does not swing...i.e. do not swing your body slightly back to permit the bar to touch your upper chest. this ofcourse will mean lowering the weight. and if you haven't been locking your traps, you should lower the lat pull down bar weight all the way to 40-50 pounds. the main burning sensation should be in your traps if that is what's been lacking.

Yea, I haven't found a routine that works for calves yet. When you say forcing my shoulders back, do you mean making sure my shoulder blades are essentially touching? That is basically what I do, specially on deadlifts & shrugs. Basically what I do is pinch my shoulders together so that my upper back is tight, is that what you mean? I don't really do it on bench though, because, specially on flat bench, my back is usually flat against the bench. I don't lift it off or arch it in any way & the only times my shoulders get close to pinching or touching is when I bring the bar down closer to my chest. I've been doing chest on isolation incline & flat bench hammer strength machines so I don't see how I could be doing them wrong? Maybe I'm retarded! :icon_lol:

As far as my lats go, that's probably the strongest part of my body. I don't have a problem with lats, & my form is correct. I don't rock at all, etc.

Pre-exhaustion is when you do a isolation movement before a basic on the muscle to pre-fatigue the target muscle because the ancillerie muscle usually fatigue before the target muscle,in this case chest,so lets say your ti's or delts fatigue before your chest is fully fatigued,so you would say as an example do flyes first go to failure and with no rest go straigt to bench or incline and go to failure,therefore pushing the chest beyond what it usually does and making the ancilleres the strength instead of the weakness.

Well my workout split kind of allows for that, I posted my workout above. I'm guessing you mean something like what I did today where I did pulldowns first, then military press, then incline bench, then rows, then tris? Sorry if I'm sounding like an idiot, but I'm fried.

 

[ripped218]

No you do it on one bodypart it takes two exercises,so say dumbell flyes supersetted with incline or bench,it helps burn the main muscle out and makes it go past what it normally does.

 

[phasar]

xxtruxx: ok. let me try again. say you are doing flat bench press. lets assume you are lying on the bench all relaxed. now, from this relaxed position, if you purposely torque your shoulders BACK, you should feel that you've been slightly elevated a little bit higher on the bench than you were when you were relaxed. .........now perform your bench press reps in this exaggerated pose.

i think you are probably doing it correctly at the peak of your bench press by not continuing to move your shoulder blade up at the peak, but i am still guessing you are not locking your traps at the base prior to you pushing the bar up on the bench.

i could be wrong though. but the thing is that your shoulders look so strong relative to your chest, that form will be much more important for you than others if you want to develop your chest. i'm sure you know how closely related your pecs and your anterior deltoid are. your anterior delts are stealing everything i'm sure. the only way your pecs are gonna get some is if you exaggerate the form more so than some other people with weaker shoulders until your chest starts to get the hang of it and begins to grow some. then you can begin to relax the form.

 

[Sea223]

Bench press: Just try shoulder blades together, natural arch in your lower back(not excessive), keep your chest up through out the movement and your shoulders down, feet flat, hips down, head against the bench, and your core tight. You really should be thinking about everything involved and not just going through the movement. Hopefully this helps- I think this is what phasar is saying in different terms. Nice log bro.

 

[xxtruxx1]

By the looks of things, it sounds like I'm doing it correctly. That & compared to what I've seen people do (people that know what they're doing) I seem to be doing the right thing.

phasar, I totally understand what you're saying now & I will try this from now on (as far as bending the shoulders, etc).

Interval Cardio tonight.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Hey guys. I'm so very sorry I haven't updated all weekend, but I went out of town for Easter. I'm also having some personal problems that I've had to deal with & have really ****ed me up emotionally. Anyways, here's an update:

I've kept up with all my workouts, seen huge strength spikes, & set some new top rep strength sets. I am seeing changes in my physique, but my weight hasn't really changed much. My waist has dropped from an initial 36in to 34in in about 3 or so weeks. My arms are up .5in thusfar. Haven't taken many other measurements, but my quads are definitely looking bigger/more defined. Calves are working themselves in very slowly. Shoulders are looking great, as are tris. I'm noticing changes in my chest. Back is steady, etc.

I tried those tips out as far as for chest. This morning I woke up & the inside of my chest was sore. Usually on chest days the part that gets sore is the outside (in between my chest & shoulder).

Diet has been off this past weekend cause of what I've been going through. I haven't really felt like eating much so I'm sure I screwed myself by not taking in very many calories.

Everything else is pretty good. I came across a nice quote today that pretty much summed up why I love lifting. It was something along the lines of "Unlike other things, the iron never lies to you..200 pounds is always 200 pounds..."

I'm upping the M-TRN doses to 6mg this week, SD is at 20mg. I may go up to 30mg next week for the last week. We'll see. I think it may be unnecessary.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Workout B today. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I've taken dead's out of the workout cause my lower back was going nuts with pumps. I did add 3gs of Taurine, which did help some, but it's still uncomfortable. I'm thinking of another compound exercise to throw in instead of dead's.

I'll post up how the workout goes later tonight.

 

[Sea223]

Sorry to here you're having problems- hope they get better. Nice to here Chest went well- It's amazing how much there is to think about during a single exercise- What are your thoughts overall on your cycle- once again nice log.:thumbsup:​

 

[xxtruxx1]

Workout B went very well yesterday. Specially in leg press. I tried getting up to 720lbs, but I could only get 1 rep in so I dropped back to 540 & finished the set. I was really impressed at the increased leg strength. Calves are impossible to maje grow. They've gotten way more defined & stronger, but I can't get those cow knees I'm looking for. Bi's are at 16.5 in. I'm going to try to get to around 17 before the end of the cycle/first week of PCT.

My thoughts on the cycle overall as of right now:
I have gotten stronger & to me, I look more defined & also bigger, but the scale confuses me because it hasn't really moved. It's steady at 188lbs. I would probably attribute this to the loss of 2 in. off my waist? I was at 36in in the beginning of the cycle, then dropped to 34 currently.

I don't know, I'm just confused. That seems to be the story of my life these days.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Cardio today was boring. Can't really get my mind off of what has happened. That and now there is another unrelated situation that is adding to it. It seems like when one thing goes wrong, everything else does too & at the worst time. It's affecting my diet. I don't really feel like eating much, but I force myself to eat as much as possible. I don't know. I just don't feel like doing much of anything, but I'm pushing through this. I also think the hormone imbalance in my body at this time is worsening the situation/mood. I only have the rest of this week & 1 week left. I'm going to push through. Hopefully everything will work out.

 

[ripped218]

Cardio today was boring. Can't really get my mind off of what has happened. That and now there is another unrelated situation that is adding to it. It seems like when one thing goes wrong, everything else does too & at the worst time. It's affecting my diet. I don't really feel like eating much, but I force myself to eat as much as possible. I don't know. I just don't feel like doing much of anything, but I'm pushing through this. I also think the hormone imbalance in my body at this time is worsening the situation/mood. I only have the rest of this week & 1 week left. I'm going to push through. Hopefully everything will work out.

I feel ya bro i am going through a lot of crap in my life right now,you just got to be strong everything will work itself out.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Did workout A yesterday. Strength jumps were INSANE! It could've been due to how upset I was. That mixed with some slipknot is like adding another anabolic to my stack . Anyways, my chest is quite sore now, which is great because I know that I'm hitting my chest very well. It's sore on the insides, as if I would've done flys. SO, thank you to all the bros that helped with the bench suggestions.

I was really impressed with myself yesterday. So much so, in fact, that I went into the gym feeling crappy and walked out feeling excited/ancy/proud/great. I want to finish this last week off VERY strong. Then I'm considering switching to a push/pull workout around the 2nd week of PCT, since I would've been on this workout for around 5 weeks or so.

Pics will be up next Friday hopefully.

I've been slacking on my cardio .

 

[Mulletsoldier]

Have you been varying the exercises within each workout X?...That's what I find is the best part about this routine, I pick my three favourite exercises for each prescribed body part and do one for each workout..That way you are never doing the same workout twice in a row..Also, even varying your TUT is the same as switching your exercises, in terms of shock value...I like a 3:3 it's pretty killer..Either way, keep hammerin' it brotha!

 

[xxtruxx1]

Yup. I've been switching it up because I get bored with the same workout over & over. The varying has proven well because I'm still getting sore, about 3 weeks into the new workout. I don't want my body to get used to the routine and stop growing/getting stronger.

Weight update: 189.0 with 1 week left in cycle. Waist is down to 33 inches (I haven't been using the Lipo+Cap too much cause I wanted a break before I jumped on the Lipo+clen+cap mix so it would shock my body. I start it tomorrow.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Jumped on the scale this morning: 191.6

 

[Mulletsoldier]

Nice work brutha..As they say around here "keep givin' er"...

 

[xxtruxx1]

Workout today was intense. My strength is seriously unbelieveable. Giving it my all this last week, but for now, time to study for finals.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Ok, sorry I haven't posted in a while guys, but finals have me SWAMPED! Anyways, I hit the gym yesterday for workout A. MY CHEST STRENGTH HAS SKYROCKETED! I repped 270lbs in incline bench 3 times yesterday on my last set (following Glen's dc-like training, I've been upping the weight for each set as long as I fall into the reps per set). I was very impressed at my strength. I have gotten stronger all around. My shoulders have really blown up. Chest is looking more defined, specially the under pec cuts I've been striving for. Vascularity has increased. I just feel great. I friggin love SD! I have mixed feelings about the PP. M-TRN is a fantastic compound too!

PCT starts tomorrow (well just the saturation part with Clomid, the actual PCT starts on Sunday). Guess what boys, I've got some great news. I managed to scrape up a few bucks here & there & managed to pick up some IGF-1 LR3, alcohol swabs, slin pins, the works. So I will be incoporating IGF-1 to my PCT around week 3 or 4 (not sure yet because I have to work this out around a trip).

Things are getting interesting :twisted: .

 

[BB12]

I'd like to see some pics.. start with your cycle back in December and see the progression. Way to GO!

 

[xxtruxx1]

I'd like to see some pics.. start with your cycle back in December and see the progression. Way to GO!

Dude..that's an awesome idea! Anyways, the workout for today has been postponed until tomorrow because I'm currently at the library studying my friggin arse off! PCT starts Monday. I'll be saturating with Clomid tomorrow & Sunday.

 

[xxtruxx1]

I DO NOT RECOMMEND TAKING OR GOING OVER 6mg OF MTRN.

I'm seriously having a coughing attack right now so bad that it woke me up & I can't fall back asleep. I've been having cough attacks this week since upping the MTRN to 6mg. From what research I've done, I know tren has similar effecets. It's annoying.

 

[xxtruxx1]

CYCLE IS DONE!!!

PCT starts tomorrow. I will probably put up prePCT pics tonight. I will include pics from before my first 2 cycles, after my first cycle, & after this cycle. Stay tuned!

 

[BB12]

CYCLE IS DONE!!!

PCT starts tomorrow. I will probably put up prePCT pics tonight. I will include pics from before my first 2 cycles, after my first cycle, & after this cycle. Stay tuned!

cool. You were the reason I did my first Sd cycle (put it off for 7 months before seeing your results).. loved your progress... can't wait to see these pics.

 

[xxtruxx1]

Just an update before everything falls into place...

Today was my last workout with I'm assuming everything still in my system. I decided to max out in bench for the hell of it.

I repped 290lbs 4 times on my own, no spot. Then I tried to go higher so I bumped up to 320lbs. I got 1 controlled rep, up slow, down slow, on my own with no spot :twisted: !!!!!

I'm seriously ecstatic (sp?)!!!!

 

[xxtruxx1]

Ok guys, here are the pics I promised. The pics start (hopefully they will follow this order when I upload them) before I even ran my first cycle. They are then followed by my first SD cycle, then post PCT. Then some before shots before this cycle. Then the pics at the end of this cycle. Whoa, that sounds confusing. Ah well, I will clarify if anyone needs some clarity lol.

Final weight: 194.6lbs.

So with no more delay, here are the pics. If you guys have any questions/comments/suggestions/critiques, anything at all, please feel free to post it.

 

[xxtruxx1]

& it continues...ohh & if someone could guess my BF% in the last pics that'd rock!

 

[xxtruxx1]

Here's the last pic.

 

[meowmeow]

Looking great my man!!

When I played with M-Trn my strength went way up also. Kinda made me want to pin Tren-ace w/ some prop.

 

[Mulletsoldier]

13%

 

[Sea223]

Nice Job bro. Just start working on your posing and Keep on truckin.:thumbsup:

 

[xxtruxx1]

Nice Job bro. Just start working on your posing and Keep on truckin.:thumbsup:

Thanks man! Yea I definitely need to work on my posing. I'm not a competitive bodybuilder (as you can probably tell) so posing is definitely an area I don't know much about. Any tips you can offer? I feel that some of the poses I did don't really give my progress justice.

Mullet- thanks for the guesstimation. I actually thought I was somewhere in the 13-15% range. I'm going to start trying to get rid of some of that fat pretty soon. I'm really looking forward to my IGF-1 getting here cause of its recomping effects. Were you dissapointed with the final pics?

 

[Mulletsoldier]

Hell no, I have been following your log broseph and you made excellent progress in my books..Plus you put on what I like to call recoupable mass, you will be able to keep that size and cut down the fat to look like a monster..You didn't put on too much fat, so you aren't going to cut down to a rail..Yeah, I said around 13 because everybody underestimates on BF..In my avy I think I am 10

 

[Mulletsoldier]

And on the posing department, I am not an expert so maybe if Glen or another competitor wants to chime in with this..But, on your back double-bi, maybe drop your arms a little, and curl your arms more, that way your lats flare a little more..Because I think you are wider then that last shot gives you credit for

 

[xxtruxx1]

And on the posing department, I am not an expert so maybe if Glen or another competitor wants to chime in with this..But, on your back double-bi, maybe drop your arms a little, and curl your arms more, that way your lats flare a little more..Because I think you are wider then that last shot gives you credit for

Yea dude, seriously. I'd really like to retake these pictures.

 

[Mulletsoldier]

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Check that bottom pic out X..I am only 160 in those pics, but my back looks wider than that, at least I think so..All because of the lat flare...In the top one, the one in my avy I kept my arms a little higher and pressed my blades to show off more of my middle bakc and bis, then the second one I didn't flexed the bis less and flared out my lats more..Shows off a V-Taper better, but like I said I am definitely not one who should be giving that many posing tips..lol

 

[phasar]

i can see you are a hat guy.

 

[BB12]

the one's with the smily face are the most recent?

 

[xxtruxx1]

the one's with the smily face are the most recent?

yup, they don't seem to do me justice though so I will probs be posting better ones.

 

[Sea223]

And on the posing department, I am not an expert so maybe if Glen or another competitor wants to chime in with this

I am by no means an expert, but I do agree with Mullet. Your pics def. show some great improvements and I think with some adjustments to your posing(I'm not very good at explaining in writing you could show that much more.) I got Arnold's encyclopedia a few years ago and started practicing. It's a decent read.