Consider combining injectable L Carnitine with the Cardarine.
I've heard of many people having excellent results with this. I won't lie, I'm a bit nervous to pin anything (deathly afraid of needles). I'll look into it though. What dosage do you recommend? Would be interested to learn more about your protocol.
I'm currently not taking anything groundbreaking but something in my stack is working. To anyone who is curious, here is my current protocol:
1.) 5mg cardarine 2x a day.
2.) 8 caps of exubol 200 a day.
3.) 1 Animal Pak a day.
4.) Just started 6 caps of anabolic effect a day.
5.) Just started 2 caps of androgin a day.
I take many other supplements for sleep: ashwagandha, 5-htp, phenibut, st.johns wort, gaba, baccopa, rhodelia rosea, l dopa in the mornings, omega 3, and a few others.
I'm of course taking creatine daily and get on average ~175-200 grams of protein.
Since I have very poor sleep, I try to manage everything that is in my control perfectly and not sweat what I can't control. At the end of the day, that's all you can do: manage what is in your control the best that you can.
For training, I run a 6 day ppl. The first ppl sets are focused on strength: lower volume, higher weight, and more explosiveness. The last 3 ppl sets are focused on hypertrophy: higher volume, more time under tension, tighter control with a focus on stabilizer muscles.
Push 1:
Bench 5 Sets ~7-10 reps.
Either behind the neck press or barbell shoulder press 3 sets ~7-10 reps.
Dips 3 sets ~7-10 reps.
Cable cross over 5 sets ~7-10 reps.
Lying tricep extension 5 sets ~7-10 reps.
Standing lateral raise 5 sets ~7-10 reps.
Pull 1:
Deadlift 5 sets ~7-10 reps.
Weighted wide grip chin ups 3 sets ~7-10 reps.
Bent over row 3 sets ~7-10 reps.
Shrugs 5 sets 15 reps.
Straight bar curl 5 sets ~7-10 reps.
Reverse Pec-Deck Fly 5 sets ~7-10 reps.
Legs 1: I had surgery on my head (minor) a couple of months ago and the doctor won't let me squat unfortunately as it could stretch the scar.
Leg Press 5 sets ~7-12 reps.
Hack Squat 5 sets ~7-12 reps.
Reverse Hyper Extensions 5 sets 15 reps.
Lying leg curl (I know, I know, laugh as you will) 5 sets 10 reps.
Standing calf raise 5 sets 15 reps.
Leg extensions 5 sets ~7-12 reps.
Push 2:
Standing overheard Press 5 sets ~10-15 reps.
Incline Press 3 sets ~10-15 reps.
Close Grip Bench Press 3 sets ~10-15 reps.
Chest Fly 5 sets ~10-15 reps.
Tricep Pushdown 5 sets ~10-15 reps.
Standing Lateral Raise 5 sets ~10-15 reps.
Pull 2:
Deadlift 5 sets 10-15 reps.
1 arm rows 5 sets 10-15 reps.
T bar row 5 sets 10-15 reps.
Either incline or hammer curl 5 sets 10-15 reps.
Leg 2: Same as leg 1.
I'm really enjoying this split, especially back days. I love hitting my back hard. I'm considering adding in bench on my second push day as it's a weak point for me. I'm currently only repping 205 on the bench so have a ways to go. Very eager to gain some strength after this cut.
For daily cardio, I mentioned above that I went way overboard with HIT trying to get my daily NEAT to 1,000. This led to a lot of strength loss. I decided to take a few calories off my diet and walk all NEAT off every day. This was incredibly beneficial to maintaining strength and getting about 650 NEAT calories a day. It is a massive time suck however as I have to walk 1-2 hours every single night. I recently just purchased a stationary cycle which has been amazing. I have noticed no strength or recovery impediment from doing a 30min to 1 hour cycling session a day. Definitely helps burn those 650 NEAT faster than walking it out. I'm still at the point where I'm PRing most every lift every week. Instead of adding 20lbs every week I'm only adding 2 or so reps which is still nice.
I feel like most would laugh at my diet, It's... interesting to say the least. I think most people who have cut seriously come up with various hacks that just work for them. I've never been a food person, I've almost been on an all liquid diet my whole life. I just eat for fuel. What I don't deal well with is hunger. This is why I've implemented intermittent fasting (no, it will not impact calories in, calories out. Anyone who says so is an idiot), it just allows me to feel full before bed which is the most critical thing.
I eat the same meals every day to tightly manage my calorie intake and know exactly what to expect (I don't like surprises).
This is what has worked for me:
Meal 1:
1 serving whey
Either a banana or activia yogurt
Meal 2:
1 serving whey
shot of olive oil
banana or activia yogurt
Meal 3:
1 serving whey
shot of olive oil
Meal 4:
Either 1 can of tuna fish, 1 serving of salmon, or 1 serving of rotisserrie chicken
1 serving of black beans
2 low carb tortilla wraps (60 calories a piece)
1/2 -1 serving of rice
full romaine heart
a crap ton of vegetables
1 serving of parmesan cheese
hot sauce (great hack for a lower calorie salad/taco dressing option)
Either a half avocado or 1 serving of olive oil
Meal 5:
1 serving cassein
1 serving greek yogurt
If I'm feeling dangerous, I'll have a rice cake or two.
Anyways, I apologize for the block of spam here. Maybe someone has some insights on how I can manage training/diet better or this could help someone else getting back to it.