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Sparkss journey to recovery

FireTitan said:
You know youll come back kicking hard
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BEAST73 said:
You Killin it! Bro
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Thanks guys. I get self conscious from time to time putting up these puny #s. I see the massive weights you guys move and it yanks me back to reality that I am still a scrawny dude with lots of growing to do still :). Nothing worthwhile comes easy, right? :D
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks guys. I get self conscious from time to time putting up these puny #s. I see the massive weights you guys move and it yanks me back to reality that I am still a scrawny dude with lots of growing to do still :). Nothing worthwhile comes easy, right? :D
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Its not worth having if tou didn't have to work for it!! Youll keep those gains better when you've earned them as well! Be proud man, youre doing great day in and day out
 
FireTitan said:
Its not worth having if tou didn't have to work for it!! Youll keep those gains better when you've earned them as well! Be proud man, youre doing great day in and day out
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As are you my friend, as are you.
 
Sparkss said:
I tried those, in fact that was how I did squats when I first started, but I was not able to hold them well during the motion. Thanks for the suggestion though! :)
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How are you holding them? Try using a neutral grip (palms facing towards your ears
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks guys. I get self conscious from time to time putting up these puny #s. I see the massive weights you guys move and it yanks me back to reality that I am still a scrawny dude with lots of growing to do still :). Nothing worthwhile comes easy, right? :D
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I always say aesthetics over ego lol... But then again I'm small
 
Robert5891 said:
How are you holding them? Try using a neutral grip (palms facing towards your ears
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Due to my shoulder mobility issues I can't really bring anything up next to my ears using that grip. I end up with almost a 45 degree angle at best, unless it is further out from my body.

hairygrandpa said:
LOL
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And to you, good sir, I repeat the above when it comes to any "Big round ballz"!!! I prefer them to not be anywhere near my ears, with any grip :P
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks guys. I get self conscious from time to time putting up these puny #s. I see the massive weights you guys move and it yanks me back to reality that I am still a scrawny dude with lots of growing to do still :). Nothing worthwhile comes easy, right? :D
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True enough, but those numbers are progressing from your previous ones...so, that being said, you already know your most important rival is the "old" you. And you also know that you've come a lonnnnngggg way since the "old" you, so pay no mind to what others do compared to you. Easier said than done, I know. I get caught up on some people's posts on IG, squatting 6 plates or looking shredded at 250+. In the end all that matters is progression, with minimal amounts of regression. And you sir, have done that ten times over. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll look back in 4, 7, 10, months and wonder how you did it.
 
sparks2012 said:
True enough, but those numbers are progressing from your previous ones...so, that being said, you already know your most important rival is the "old" you. And you also know that you've come a lonnnnngggg way since the "old" you, so pay no mind to what others do compared to you. Easier said than done, I know. I get caught up on some people's posts on IG, squatting 6 plates or looking shredded at 250+. In the end all that matters is progression, with minimal amounts of regression. And you sir, have done that ten times over. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll look back in 4, 7, 10, months and wonder how you did it.
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Perfectly put!
 
9/23 Rest day

got back from the dentist a couple of hours ago already, and still can't talk properly, not without biting my tongue *sigh*

Thanks for all of the great words of encouragement. It is greatly appreciated!!!
 
9/24 Rest Day

Not by choice. I was paged out of bed onto a conference call at 2:30 AM this morning for a problem at work. I am still on that same call (it is after 1 PM now). When I wrap this up I am not going to have any energy for a "safe" workout, much less any desire to lift anything. Although with all of the food and drink I ate in an attempt to stay vertical, I need to do double duty on the exercise *sigh*
 
Sparkss said:
9/24 Rest Day

Not by choice. I was paged out of bed onto a conference call at 2:30 AM this morning for a problem at work. I am still on that same call (it is after 1 PM now). When I wrap this up I am not going to have any energy for a "safe" workout, much less any desire to lift anything. Although with all of the food and drink I ate in an attempt to stay vertical, I need to do double duty on the exercise *sigh*
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Do I need to make some calls and inform those people that your workouts are NEEDED for drive of others? I will damnit
 
9/25 Back / Biceps

Bent Over BB Row.............................115/20, 155*/12, 12, 12, 12
Landmine Super Sets (1 arm/2 arm)...70*/(10, 12), (12, 15), (12, 15), (12, 15)
Back Hyper Extensions.............................20, 20, 20, 20
...Superset
Incline DB Curl.....................................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Concentration Curls.............................25/15, 15, 15, 12

Felt a little weak/fatigues still. I slept pretty good last night (12+ hours), but sitting in that chair for 24 out of 29 hours did not do my back any favors. I ended up doing the hyper extensions with no weight to just stretch my lower back out since it was tight and killing me by the time I finished the first two upper back exercises today, to the point where I did not do a 3rd exercise, as planned. I did manage a good full body sweat by the end of the overall back exercises and kept it going through the 2 biceps exercises. But the workout still felt anemic overall (but expected).
 
Sparkss said:
9/25 Back / Biceps

Bent Over BB Row.............................115/20, 155*/12, 12, 12, 12
Landmine Super Sets (1 arm/2 arm)...70*/(10, 12), (12, 15), (12, 15), (12, 15)
Back Hyper Extensions.............................20, 20, 20, 20
...Superset
Incline DB Curl.....................................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Concentration Curls.............................25/15, 15, 15, 12

Felt a little weak/fatigues still. I slept pretty good last night (12+ hours), but sitting in that chair for 24 out of 29 hours did not do my back any favors. I ended up doing the hyper extensions with no weight to just stretch my lower back out since it was tight and killing me by the time I finished the first two upper back exercises today, to the point where I did not do a 3rd exercise, as planned. I did manage a good full body sweat by the end of the overall back exercises and kept it going through the 2 biceps exercises. But the workout still felt anemic overall (but expected).
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But you got it done brother!! Nice going, so many others would have just called it the day, so take that and add it to your pride!!
 
9/26 (another) Rest Day

woke up with a sore lower back and also a sore foot. I was up in the attic running some cable to my daughters bedroom and I think I bruised it in the crook of a joist. Just in front of my heel, near the arch, on my right foot was tender to the touch and had me hobbling around. Today was supposed to be leg day, so I had 2 choices, use it as an excuse to skip (or move) leg day, or take the day and save it for tomorrow. I chose the latter. I had a couple of early meetings and some late morning errands to run, so I decided it would be shoe-horning in a workout to begin with and not the best approach.
 
Sparkss said:
9/26 (another) Rest Day

woke up with a sore lower back and also a sore foot. I was up in the attic running some cable to my daughters bedroom and I think I bruised it in the crook of a joist. Just in front of my heel, near the arch, on my right foot was tender to the touch and had me hobbling around. Today was supposed to be leg day, so I had 2 choices, use it as an excuse to skip (or move) leg day, or take the day and save it for tomorrow. I chose the latter. I had a couple of early meetings and some late morning errands to run, so I decided it would be shoe-horning in a workout to begin with and not the best approach.
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Sorry for the mishap buddy!!
 
9/27 Legs

Squats..........................115/20, 155*/15, 15, 15, 15
Calf Raises (BFR)..........30/25, 20, 22
Standing Leg Curl..........30/15, 15, 15

Another lackluster workout. I pushed myself to get my leg workout in today. My foot was bothering me a little, but not so much that I could use it for an excuse to skip another workout day. I have been running weak lately. My wife even mentioned that she noticed I have not been working out that much lately. I got a call from my doc, the pellets are in and I have an appt set for next Wednesday to "shoot me in the ass" with them. I passed along the following article to him, in the hopes he will prescribe the low dose arimidex, like in the study. I am also hoping this will address the root cause of my fatigue lately.

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9/28 Chest / Triceps

Incline DB Press......................................30/20, 50/12, 10, 10, 9
Flat DB Press..........................................50/12, 11, 8, 11
Reverse Grip Incline BB Press................25/15, 45/15, 65/15. 85/12, 12
Incline Flyes.............................................20/15, 15, 15, 14
Incline DB Pull Over.................................40/6 (shoulder did not like these at all today, so I stopped)
1 Arm Incline DB Extensions...................15/15, 15, 20/10, 10
Cross Bench Dips.........................................12, 15, 14


I am more and more lethargic lately. Just 0 motivation. But I tried to get a decent workout in. It felt a little "blah", but I put some some good numbers and had a pretty good pump going. I tried out the reverse grip barbell press today. I did it first with an empty bar to see how my shoulders handled it. Then I started pyramiding up the weights. I did incline only this time because I have no place to rack the weights, so I have to curl them up into position and if I hit a wall and can't press the weights for another rep it was easier to just let them slide down into my lap then trying to sit up from a flat bench (under the BB weights). Oddly enough I felt the lower weights more than the heavier ones. Maybe my form was better, but the form felt fine for all sets.

As noted, the DB pull overs were a no-go today. So I did not push it (not wanting to re-injure my shoulder). Despite the fatigue I managed to at least match my previous workout weights, however I have not had what I would call a "good" workout in a while, at least not consistently. Maybe the shots next week will help fix that, or it could just be mental, or something else all together. Time will tell.
 
9/29 Rest Day

Seems that I am back to an EOD workout schedule. It will sort of work out since Saturday is a yard work day (and I don't work out the same day I do yard work/mowing as they both are at roughly the same time of day, I prefer to do the yard work fasted, in the morning, if I can help it.. sort of the only cardio I get). I felt decently sore across my chest today, and still feeling my hamstrings and calves from the previous leg workout (although just enough to let me know they are there). Fatigue and general malaise still persists, despite getting more then enough sleep last night.

I scheduled another blood draw for the day before I get the pellets injected. That way I will have a firm baseline for the 6 week draw that is mandated by the TRT (per my doctor). I am paying for the "pre" draw myself. I also would like to see if my increased water intake and reduced protein overload has had any effect on my kidney numbers. That will help me fine tune my dietary intake even more so between now and the 6 week draw.
 
Hey brother! Sorry Ive been a bot absent lately, been trying to keep up while spending some "wifey time" at home. Sorry things arent looking up for you right now, but its just a hump in the road brother, press the gas pedal and get the hell over it, we can do it together! Im with you no matter what, even if you dont hear from me for a day or 2
 
FireTitan said:
Hey brother! Sorry Ive been a bot absent lately, been trying to keep up while spending some "wifey time" at home. Sorry things arent looking up for you right now, but its just a hump in the road brother, press the gas pedal and get the hell over it, we can do it together! Im with you no matter what, even if you dont hear from me for a day or 2
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Thanks. I am not sure if the TRT will help pull me out of the funk or not. It is almost too easy to blame it on my levels and put all of the responsibility for the solution in the TRT shots/pellets. That may well be the case, but it just feels like a cop out to me. Even though at the same time I have zero drive to do any sort of workout. I took my "off day" today and will see what tomorrow holds. I have cleared my schedule to make sure I have time for my workout (and no excuses for not doing it). And just to be clear for anyone just joining, I am not feeling sorry for myself, if anything I am frustrated that I have lost my drive and miss the feeling I get when int he middle of an awesome workout. I know I will get back to it, just not sure what the path from here to there will take (yet). I am managing to keep my waistline (more or less) in check. I am just not seeing anything in my upper body (or legs) to feel good about. But that too will come with time.I just wish I knew WTH happened, because it was not a gradual decline, more like flipping a switch. It was a very binary change. I also guess part of me was hoping the doctor would not just go straight to TRT but would share my concerns and what to "get to the bottom" of the changes in my body. But he looked at my blood work and then at my age and basically drew a straight line to TRT. At closing in on 50 I guess I avoided it pretty well, but had hoped to hold off a little longer. Maybe that thought is also what is subconsciously getting me down (but that in and of itself is still enough to piss me off, I do not like thinking of myself as that "weak minded" LOL).

Ok, so I sort of just did a brain/feeling dump into this thread, probably lost a couple (one of the two) subscribers along the way LOL. If you take anything away from my ramble above let it be that I will not be defined by my T/E2/whatever #s and that I will fight this and beat it. I am determined to win the war, just right now I feel like I am losing the battle. But none of us are in this for the short game, we are all in it for the long game, so the battle means little against the outcome of the war!.
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks. I am not sure if the TRT will help pull me out of the funk or not. It is almost too easy to blame it on my levels and put all of the responsibility for the solution in the TRT shots/pellets. That may well be the case, but it just feels like a cop out to me. Even though at the same time I have zero drive to do any sort of workout. I took my "off day" today and will see what tomorrow holds. I have cleared my schedule to make sure I have time for my workout (and no excuses for not doing it). And just to be clear for anyone just joining, I am not feeling sorry for myself, if anything I am frustrated that I have lost my drive and miss the feeling I get when int he middle of an awesome workout. I know I will get back to it, just not sure what the path from here to there will take (yet). I am managing to keep my waistline (more or less) in check. I am just not seeing anything in my upper body (or legs) to feel good about. But that too will come with time.I just wish I knew WTH happened, because it was not a gradual decline, more like flipping a switch. It was a very binary change. I also guess part of me was hoping the doctor would not just go straight to TRT but would share my concerns and what to "get to the bottom" of the changes in my body. But he looked at my blood work and then at my age and basically drew a straight line to TRT. At closing in on 50 I guess I avoided it pretty well, but had hoped to hold off a little longer. Maybe that thought is also what is subconsciously getting me down (but that in and of itself is still enough to piss me off, I do not like thinking of myself as that "weak minded" LOL).

Ok, so I sort of just did a brain/feeling dump into this thread, probably lost a couple (one of the two) subscribers along the way LOL. If you take anything away from my ramble above let it be that I will not be defined by my T/E2/whatever #s and that I will fight this and beat it. I am determined to win the war, just right now I feel like I am losing the battle. But none of us are in this for the short game, we are all in it for the long game, so the battle means little against the outcome of the war!.
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First of all, you have do whats best for you, and if that means changing docs to one that may find you another route, then do that. Im here with you as so many others are.
Second, I, as well as others Im sure are here to listen to it all, good bad or indifferent, so brain dump away.
Third. If you did in fact lose anyone with the last post, you didn't need them in here anyway.
 
FireTitan said:
First of all, you have do whats best for you, and if that means changing docs to one that may find you another route, then do that. Im here with you as so many others are.
Second, I, as well as others Im sure are here to listen to it all, good bad or indifferent, so brain dump away.
Third. If you did in fact lose anyone with the last post, you didn't need them in here anyway.
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I second all of this! You know I'm here for anything you need man, as I'll share any knowledge I may have that could potentially help along the way. I too have been caught up in "life" and haven't been posting as much, but every few days, at the least, I'm checking up on the threads I follow. Believe it or not, I have had many a time where I felt I was seeing no progress, like none at all, in anything I was doing. Then all of a sudden, just like the "switch" that was flipped to cause me to not see anything, the switch flipped again and I saw decent improvements in what seemed like a short time. Stick with it my friend, you've come too far to turn back now!
 
9/30 Back / Biceps

Bent Over BB Row............................OH Grip 105/20, 145/15, 15, 15 UH Grip 155*/15, 15, 12
Incline Bench DB Rows....................................55/15, 15, 15, 15
Decline Bench DB Pull Over.............................45/15, 15, 15, 15
..Superset
Back Hyper Extensions.....................................25/20, 20, 18, 18
Reverse Grip BB Curls......................................35/15, 15, 15, 15
Standing Hammer Curls....................................25/15, 30/14, 4

Felt better than yesterday, but still no where near how I felt back a couple of months ago. Strength was ok, fatigue a little less, lethargy about the same. I went a little lower on a couple of the weights and focused more on the contraction and controlled negatives. I felt like I decently worked the target muscle groups, except for the biceps. The rev grip BB was sort of out of order, mainly due to the BB already being setup and it would have been "inconvenient" to break it down for the DB curls only to set it back up again. The weights were less than I could have done, but I got a great pump from it, almost painful (but not really working the muscles). When I moved to the hammer curls I started to feel a "twinge" in my right forearm near my elbow. Since I had surgery to repair and re-attached the bicep in that arm (as part of the shoulder injury/repair surgery) I am very cautious of any "odd sensations" in that arm. I know from my recovery physical therapy that I could feel pain from the the bicep tear in the crook of my elbow, even though the tear/repair itself was up at my shoulder/shoulder-blade area. So I stopped my set and wrapped my workout a couple of sets early (was my last planned exercise anyways).
 
Sparkss said:
9/30 Back / Biceps

Bent Over BB Row............................OH Grip 105/20, 145/15, 15, 15 UH Grip 155*/15, 15, 12
Incline Bench DB Rows....................................55/15, 15, 15, 15
Decline Bench DB Pull Over.............................45/15, 15, 15, 15
..Superset
Back Hyper Extensions.....................................25/20, 20, 18, 18
Reverse Grip BB Curls......................................35/15, 15, 15, 15
Standing Hammer Curls....................................25/15, 30/14, 4

Felt better than yesterday, but still no where near how I felt back a couple of months ago. Strength was ok, fatigue a little less, lethargy about the same. I went a little lower on a couple of the weights and focused more on the contraction and controlled negatives. I felt like I decently worked the target muscle groups, except for the biceps. The rev grip BB was sort of out of order, mainly due to the BB already being setup and it would have been "inconvenient" to break it down for the DB curls only to set it back up again. The weights were less than I could have done, but I got a great pump from it, almost painful (but not really working the muscles). When I moved to the hammer curls I started to feel a "twinge" in my right forearm near my elbow. Since I had surgery to repair and re-attached the bicep in that arm (as part of the shoulder injury/repair surgery) I am very cautious of any "odd sensations" in that arm. I know from my recovery physical therapy that I could feel pain from the the bicep tear in the crook of my elbow, even though the tear/repair itself was up at my shoulder/shoulder-blade area. So I stopped my set and wrapped my workout a couple of sets early (was my last planned exercise anyways).
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A little better is a plus broheim! Take that as a good sign and try to make it into a positive to assist in the push, and my big ass is back there pushing with you!
 
I think I did a poor job explaining what my "gripe" is about. I should not have included my comment about a lack of progress because that is not what I am "complaining" about. (ok, whining about LOL). My issues are the physiological symptoms that I am experiencing. The slight mental fog, fatigue, lethargy (different from fatigue), and poor sleep. Not to mention a bit of "waist weight" gain, although not much. All are symptoms of being shutdown/low-T and/or elevated E2 (although at last check my E2 was no where near the critial point, not by a long shot), but those symptoms could also be caused by other factors.

Here is a pict I snapped today about half-way through my back workout (on the 2nd or 3rd set of decline pull overs).

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A bit blurry it turns out, but it's all I have for now.
 
10/1 Rest Day (yard work)

Not much to say, today is a rest day and also the day I plan to gt the yard work done. The new mower has smaller wheels and is a bit more challenging to push in the thicker grass, so I will end up with a lower body (and some upper body) exercising today. My chest was a little sore still this morning and I noticed last night that either my calves or hamstrings were sore (I was squatting down to get the bath running for my little one and I noticed that my legs were "tender" where the hamstrings rested on the calves). I worked them both pretty good, but that was a couple of days ago. I did skip foam rolling after my last 4 or so workouts due to a lack of time (and motivation). So these lingering DOMS may be a reflection of that. I weighed in at 177.4lbs this morning (I weighed myself because I am a masochist). :D
 
10/2 (another) Rest Day

Woke up today with sore chest and mildly sore legs (I am guessing from the yard work). Since I worked out back the day before yesterday I would have been working shoulders today, but I wasn't feeling it this morning. Tomorrow is a new day and I plan to hit it hard. Tuesday and Wednesday will be rest days again due to early morning doctor appointments both days.
 
Sparkss said:
10/2 (another) Rest Day

Woke up today with sore chest and mildly sore legs (I am guessing from the yard work). Since I worked out back the day before yesterday I would have been working shoulders today, but I wasn't feeling it this morning. Tomorrow is a new day and I plan to hit it hard. Tuesday and Wednesday will be rest days again due to early morning doctor appointments both days.
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That yard work will do it you, man. Since you have been forcing more scheduled rest days than you'd like (it's an unfortunate fact of life for us lifters), maybe you could try utilising some "overreaching" on your training days and then use the extra rest to recover from that. I don't have enough patience yet to take an EOD approach to training, and I know that if I overreach without that rest I'll hurt myself more than I'm helping (past experience exemplified). So, maybe you could try a new-ish approach to your training. I know you have some previous injuries that hold back how heavy you can go for now, but you know how and if you can work around it. Just an idea to try and help get you out of this rut you're in. Stay the course and ruck on, brother.
 
10/3 Shoulders/Traps

Side Lateral Raises (Seated)...................10/20, 15/15, 15, 15, 15
Overhead DB Press (Seated)..................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Bent Over Rear Delt Raises (Seated)......25/15, 15, 15, 15
Front DB Raises (Standing).....................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Upright DB Rows.....................................25/15, 30/15, 15, 15
Shrugs.....................................................60/15, 15, 15, 15

Not a bad workout today. Not a great one, but not terrible. Better than the last couple of weeks, to be sure. I worked up a modest sweat and felt the contractions in the target muscles. Can't ask for much else at this point.
sparks2012, yea, the yard work can really put a strain on the body, I felt that one for a couple of days (still).

I have an appt for my blood draw tomorrow then the TRT start on Wednesday. Most of the city (and state) are bracing for hurricane Matthew (we are about 30 minutes from the coast, as the bird flies). It is not supposed to hit our area until the end of the week, into the weekend, so we will see what that brings us. We already filled up the gas tank on both vehicles and stocked up on bottled water. I am starting to wonder if this is the week/weekend I should be starting TRT..... *sigh*
 
Sparkss said:
10/3 Shoulders/Traps

Side Lateral Raises (Seated)...................10/20, 15/15, 15, 15, 15
Overhead DB Press (Seated)..................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Bent Over Rear Delt Raises (Seated)......25/15, 15, 15, 15
Front DB Raises (Standing).....................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Upright DB Rows.....................................25/15, 30/15, 15, 15
Shrugs.....................................................60/15, 15, 15, 15

Not a bad workout today. Not a great one, but not terrible. Better than the last couple of weeks, to be sure. I worked up a modest sweat and felt the contractions in the target muscles. Can't ask for much else at this point.
sparks2012, yea, the yard work can really put a strain on the body, I felt that one for a couple of days (still).

I have an appt for my blood draw tomorrow then the TRT start on Wednesday. Most of the city (and state) are bracing for hurricane Matthew (we are about 30 minutes from the coast, as the bird flies). It is not supposed to hit our area until the end of the week, into the weekend, so we will see what that brings us. We already filled up the gas tank on both vehicles and stocked up on bottled water. I am starting to wonder if this is the week/weekend I should be starting TRT..... *sigh*
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Do what feels right bro! And be careful this weekend!
 
Sparkss stay safe man. The weather that Florida "welcomes" can be no joke. On the bright side, even if the hurricane were to wipe out power to all the commercial gyms, you still have your own to work in at home
 
FireTitan said:
Do what feels right bro! And be careful this weekend!
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sparks2012 said:
Sparkss stay safe man. The weather that Florida "welcomes" can be no joke. On the bright side, even if the hurricane were to wipe out power to all the commercial gyms, you still have your own to work in at home
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Thanks. We keep watching the hurricane tracker. Damn storm keeps moving westward. Not what I want to see LOL. And yea, right now we are no expecting a direct hit/landfall, but the rain and wind could still reach hurricane force inland (but thankfully much lower than the category 4 he is now, how low depends on how far off the coast he moves). I am also hopeful that the cold front coming down from the NW will push the storm out to sea and/or crush some of its energy.

You are in the path up there FT (for the outer bands, wind and rain). Closer to Saturday evening for you I think. So be safe yourself! You may get a bit busy depending on the path this one takes. Although it is projected to be down to a Category 2 by the time is reaches you.
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks. We keep watching the hurricane tracker. Damn storm keeps moving westward. Not what I want to see LOL. And yea, right now we are no expecting a direct hit/landfall, but the rain and wind could still reach hurricane force inland (but thankfully much lower than the category 4 he is now, how low depends on how far off the coast he moves). I am also hopeful that the cold front coming down from the NW will push the storm out to sea and/or crush some of its energy.

You are in the path up there FT (for the outer bands, wind and rain). Closer to Saturday evening for you I think. So be safe yourself! You may get a bit busy depending on the path this one takes. Although it is projected to be down to a Category 2 by the time is reaches you.
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Yeah, Im a bit inland, but we'll probably end up with some flooding. Depends on its path, we typically get tornadoes off this stuff.
 
Are you east or west of Charlotte? The current projections put it in the path still, unless the storm turns back eastward.

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Sparkss said:
Are you east or west of Charlotte? The current projections put it in the path still, unless the storm turns back eastward.

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North of Charlotte by 120 miles. Im actually 10 minutes from the VA line

Just looked at you link, I am WELL within the red and Im working Friday and Sunday. GOOD TIMES A COMIN
 
FireTitan said:
North of Charlotte by 120 miles. Im actually 10 minutes from the VA line

Just looked at you link, I am WELL within the red and Im working Friday and Sunday. GOOD TIMES A COMIN
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Stay safe brother! At least Friday/Saturday is still a long ways off. Still hoping Matthew will head more to the East (into the open waters).
 
FireTitan said:
I was hoping so too, but everytime I get an alert it says its tracked further west.
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Yea, I noticed the same (westward) trend. *sigh*.

The bad part around here was that storm that was supposed to come through Labor Day weekend, but veered and completely missed us. A lot of people cancelled plans, closed stores, etc. But then the day was sunny and clear. So now they are playing it "tough". I already heard one business say they were "not going to close again for a storm" unless there was a "tornado in their parking lot". Plus many who live here now have never been through a big storm. They always seem to miss us.. almost always. I remember 30+ years back when a truly nasty one came through. I don't even think it made landfall near us, but still did a ton of damage. I never forgot that, but many of these residents now were not around the area back then. That is the thing about Florida, lots of "transplants".
 
10/5 Rest Day

Rest day for 2 reasons. First I have my first TRT appointment this morning, so not enough time for a workout, although I had considered squeezing in a quick leg day, since the doc said no lower body exercises for 3 or so days after he implants the pellets. But that idea got shot down due to throwing out my back yesterday helping my mom get her house ready for the hurricane. The good news is I got everything done that she wanted.

I had my blood drawn yesterday and should get the results later today or tomorrow (based on experience with this lab) so I will have a real good baseline to compare to the 6 week draw that the doctor is mandating as part of the TRT.
 
Sparkss said:
10/5 Rest Day

Rest day for 2 reasons. First I have my first TRT appointment this morning, so not enough time for a workout, although I had considered squeezing in a quick leg day, since the doc said no lower body exercises for 3 or so days after he implants the pellets. But that idea got shot down due to throwing out my back yesterday helping my mom get her house ready for the hurricane. The good news is I got everything done that she wanted.

I had my blood drawn yesterday and should get the results later today or tomorrow (based on experience with this lab) so I will have a real good baseline to compare to the 6 week draw that the doctor is mandating as part of the TRT.
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Good luck homie
 
well, I officially started TRT today. I am a bit sore and the procedure was not without its issues, but it is done. I go in 6 weeks to do another blood draw. My wife was laughing because I was complaining about a sore @ss. She asked (innocently) "He was pretty hard on your @ss, huh?" It took me a minute to sink in, prompted by her huge s**t eating grin when I went on "Yea, he really was a bit rough". So, anyyyways.

I also got my lab work back from my blood draw yesterday. My T levels are still pretty low (although up about a bit over 10% from the last check). Liver and kidney function within range (although kidneys are still struggling a little, being on the high end of the "good" range). And my E2 has dropped like a rock (no AI or anything else like that added in either).


Hematocrit 43.3
BUN 24
AST (SGOT) 22
ALT (SGPT) 31
Testosterone, Serum 293
Estradiol 17.2

I am still fighting fatigue, sleep issues and a few other "typical" low-T symptoms. So hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will start to see an improvement.

I also started D3, K3 and DIM supplements, recommended by the TRT doc and the company that makes the pellets. I have DHEA and Pregnenolone supplements here based on other reading. I have not decided if I will start those now, or wait until the pellets start to kick in and then add the supps. I am leaning towards waiting, just to see what they do for me (or not) without the TRT effects masking the supps effects. Although they are pretty inexpensive.
 
Sparkss said:
well, I officially started TRT today. I am a bit sore and the procedure was not without its issues, but it is done. I go in 6 weeks to do another blood draw. My wife was laughing because I was complaining about a sore @ss. She asked (innocently) "He was pretty hard on your @ss, huh?" It took me a minute to sink in, prompted by her huge s**t eating grin when I went on "Yea, he really was a bit rough". So, anyyyways.

I also got my lab work back from my blood draw yesterday. My T levels are still pretty low (although up about a bit over 10% from the last check). Liver and kidney function within range (although kidneys are still struggling a little, being on the high end of the "good" range). And my E2 has dropped like a rock (no AI or anything else like that added in either).


Hematocrit 43.3
BUN 24
AST (SGOT) 22
ALT (SGPT) 31
Testosterone, Serum 293
Estradiol 17.2

I am still fighting fatigue, sleep issues and a few other "typical" low-T symptoms. So hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will start to see an improvement.

I also started D3, K3 and DIM supplements, recommended by the TRT doc and the company that makes the pellets. I have DHEA and Pregnenolone supplements here based on other reading. I have not decided if I will start those now, or wait until the pellets start to kick in and then add the supps. I am leaning towards waiting, just to see what they do for me (or not) without the TRT effects masking the supps effects. Although they are pretty inexpensive.
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Welcome to the show brother! Hope it treats you well
 
Long overdue update.

10/6 - 10/10 all rest days. Was only 4 days, and I have taken off more than that before, but never when I am still at home (versus the times I was travelling for work or on vacation). It just "feels" a lot longer

We managed to pull through Matthew with minimal property damage and no personal injuries and for the most part we kept electricity and running water (electric flickered a couple of time, never being out for more than a minute at a time). Saturday was a clean-up day. Our neighbors on two sides lost parts of their fence and we have a tree that is leaning noticeably more than it was before (don't think it was leaning at all before). That tree will eventually have to come down and I expect some hassles when the new fences go up (workers tromping through our yard, etc.). But otherwise you would never know what the area went through if you were to drive around our neighborhood (except for the piles of debris and tress limbs piled up at the end of every driveway).

Sunday was a re-organization of the garage (code for long over due cleaning). We really wanted to get one of the cars into the garage during the storm, but there was just not enough room (also code for "too much crap").

Last night a sinus infection that we had thought our daughter had beaten made a re-appearance. So we were up all night, taking turns, with her. I am wiped out. We all finally got to sleep around 4 AM, the girls sleeping in, but I got up "early" to be able to call into the pediatrician when they opened to get an appointment for today (if you wait too long they run out of same-day appointments).

I also am nursing an injured lower back that I threw out helping my mom get her house in order in preparation for the storm last Tuesday. Mainly moving a heavy @ss generator up to the steps leading to the back door, so that she could get the extension cord to it (and her fridge) more easily if power went out. Despite meds and heating/cooling pads I am still feeling it in a very bad way, but I am at least upright and mobile, but it made my own preparations around here that much more difficult. I also got a call from her last night asking me to come over and clear out the limbs all fallen in her yard. I told her that I still had not completely recovered from the last time I drive over to help her LOL.
 
TRT update

It has been 5 days. The "insertion" spot for the pellets is still sore, but healing. I am down to a regular band-aide now. The area is a little tender if I forget and sit down a bit "hard" onto the sofa. But otherwise no ill effects.

I noticed I have been a little edgy lately, which I am almost wanting to attribute to the TRT, but I also have not been sleeping well, for at least 4 days now. Partially due to my back, partly due to a sick child, partly due to the anxiety of the storm.I am also still fighting with allergies/sinus issues. So it could be any number of reasons for both my lack of a good sleep and also my edginess/impatience/aggressiveness.

I am still fighting that massive lethargy, which could also be attributed to all of the same things as, and including, my recent poor sleep patterns.

Since I have not been working out I also backed off on the nightly protein shakes. Maybe my body became accustomed to that and the lack of it is causing me sleep issues?

Or it could just be my body adjusting to the test?

I did notice a little more energy (or at least a desire to have more energy, if that makes sense). Plus I little bit more libido than before. But all of that could come from feeling guilty for not having touched (or even through about) the weights in several days. Even to the point of being a little glad to have some of that time back for other things, like family time (that I do not regret, just regret the feeling that I was happy to skip the weights).

My diet has been far from great, with us now working through some of the food we had stocked up on ahead of the storm, and also not feeling like doing much of anything (like cooking). But I have managed to keep my waistline for growing noticeably, although I feel I lost some fullness in my upper body. Probably more from the lack of sleep than diet or lack of exercise.
 
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