The Lean Gains / IF learning and Discussion Log

Thanks for tips guys!

So i have been thinking about switching from my 4 days week (Legs+DL/Chest+Tri/Back+Bi's/Shoulders) to 3 days a week program, which would be best style in your opinion considering that my goal is still gaining muscle or atleast keeping it while dropping bf%.

So the splits i been considering are:

Pull-Push-Legs

Or

Week 1: Upper A - Lower A - Upper B
Week 2: Lower B - Upper A - Lower A
And so on..

Or

Full body workout 3 times a week with different exercises for example monday would be squat day, wednesday leg extension and curls and friday deadlift and leg press considering legs.
 
How would one go about incorperating HIIT into the leangains? I usually break my fast at 3 and have school from 8 30 to 1
 
Folkmetalhead said:
Thanks for tips guys!

So i have been thinking about switching from my 4 days week (Legs+DL/Chest+Tri/Back+Bi's/Shoulders) to 3 days a week program, which would be best style in your opinion considering that my goal is still gaining muscle or atleast keeping it while dropping bf%.

So the splits i been considering are:

Pull-Push-Legs

Or

Week 1: Upper A - Lower A - Upper B
Week 2: Lower B - Upper A - Lower A
And so on..

Or

Full body workout 3 times a week with different exercises for example monday would be squat day, wednesday leg extension and curls and friday deadlift and leg press considering legs.
Click to expand...

I used 3 full body workouts a week when I started lean gains and I was dropping fat like a bad habit. Its probably more preference than anything, but I would prefer full body workouts when mostly cutting and go with push/pull/legs or something similar when recomping
 
jhern216 said:
How would one go about incorperating HIIT into the leangains? I usually break my fast at 3 and have school from 8 30 to 1
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I would simply treat it as a training session; you could give HIIT it's own day if you preferred or you could simply put it at the tail-end of a weight training session. You would break the fast immediately afterwards (if possible) just like you would on any other training day!
 
Second day of LG...going great so far. The fast is no where near as hard as I thought it would be. Here was my Post-WO meal today

Half of a Turkey Meatloaf with Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs - 738 Calories 29 Fat 51 Carbs 75 Protein
Ketchup 30 Calories 0 Fat 8 Carbs 0 Protein
132g Fat Free Chocolate Ice Cream - 180 Calories 0 Fat 44 Carbs 6 Protein
2 Cup Skim Milk - 160 Calories 0 Fat 24 Carbs 16 Protein
80g 100% Whey Muscle Milk - 320 Calories 5 Fat 7 Carbs 62 Protein

Totals - 1428 Calories 34 Fat 134 Carb 159 Protein
 
Red Dog said:
I would simply treat it as a training session; you could give HIIT it's own day if you preferred or you could simply put it at the tail-end of a weight training session. You would break the fast immediately afterwards (if possible) just like you would on any other training day!
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So would the macros be the same as a regular weight training day...I'm going for cut while retaining as much muscle as possible
 
jhern216 said:
So would the macros be the same as a regular weight training day...I'm going for cut while retaining as much muscle as possible
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I usually change my macros a little on weight days vs cardio or rest days. Obviously the Cal's are much lower on the cardio days/rest days but I also use a much smaller percentage of carbs. For me I have been taking in less than 50g on those days while taking in around 250g on weight days. Those are just numbers though, and will work for you may be a lot different.
 
T50 said:
Second day of LG...going great so far. The fast is no where near as hard as I thought it would be. Here was my Post-WO meal today

Half of a Turkey Meatloaf with Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs - 738 Calories 29 Fat 51 Carbs 75 Protein
Ketchup 30 Calories 0 Fat 8 Carbs 0 Protein
132g Fat Free Chocolate Ice Cream - 180 Calories 0 Fat 44 Carbs 6 Protein
2 Cup Skim Milk - 160 Calories 0 Fat 24 Carbs 16 Protein
80g 100% Whey Muscle Milk - 320 Calories 5 Fat 7 Carbs 62 Protein

Totals - 1428 Calories 34 Fat 134 Carb 159 Protein
Click to expand...

Good fast breaker there!! :food:
 
Milas said:
Add some gh, GHRP, and GHRH during your fast :D
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I was very dissapointed with GHRP/GHRH combo. Not worth all the sub-q pinning every day when I got the same results from doing nothing.

RickRock13 said:
I usually change my macros a little on weight days vs cardio or rest days. Obviously the Cal's are much lower on the cardio days/rest days but I also use a much smaller percentage of carbs. For me I have been taking in less than 50g on those days while taking in around 250g on weight days. Those are just numbers though, and will work for you may be a lot different.
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Yep, that's what Marcus the LG creator recommends, as for as reducing carb intake on rest days.
 
Alright so for cardio rest days... those of you who prefer low Carb. Can you give me an idea what your macros look like? Do you keep your carbs near your cardio or keep them spaced out
 
FlawedGrunt said:
Alright so for cardio rest days... those of you who prefer low Carb. Can you give me an idea what your macros look like? Do you keep your carbs near your cardio or keep them spaced out
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I workout fasted at 6am and don't break my fast until noon. I have usually around 50g total on cardio days and most of them are consumed with my fast breaking meal. But some days I will extend the fast 2-3 more hours also on those days
 
Hey-

How do you guys handle vegetables in terms of counting calories? Do you count them in your totals?

I have been not counting them for a while but I eat quite a bit of them, especially after switching to LG. My rest day meals are usually large portions of lean meat and lots of veggies (Broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, peppers, mushrooms, etc.).

I could count them, but that would mean measuring them and probably cutting back a bit or I could just continue eating veggies ad libitum.

I know it sounds like small beans but if you eat enough you can add lots of cals and carbs.
 
RickRock13 said:
I workout fasted at 6am and don't break my fast until noon. I have usually around 50g total on cardio days and most of them are consumed with my fast breaking meal. But some days I will extend the fast 2-3 more hours also on those days
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Thanks brotha. I may dip my carbs on cardio days, not sure yet though. Just picked up some more xtend and Luecine and I am happy to say that after a year or so of testing xtend flavors other than my fave... I am happy to be back to watermelon because it is hands down the best flavor

How do you guys do your dosing when you use bulk Luecine? For each fasted dose of BCAA do you uses 1 scoop xtend and 1 scoop Luecine... to bring it to... I believe 8:1:1?
 
adnscmplx said:
Hey-

How do you guys handle vegetables in terms of counting calories? Do you count them in your totals?

I have been not counting them for a while but I eat quite a bit of them, especially after switching to LG. My rest day meals are usually large portions of lean meat and lots of veggies (Broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, peppers, mushrooms, etc.).

I could count them, but that would mean measuring them and probably cutting back a bit or I could just continue eating veggies ad libitum.

I know it sounds like small beans but if you eat enough you can add lots of cals and carbs.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter IMO. Count them, don't count them, just be consistent. If you don't count them, NEVER count them.
 
I workout fasted at 6am and don't break my fast until noon. I have usually around 50g total on cardio days and most of them are consumed with my fast breaking meal. But some days I will extend the fast 2-3 more hours also on those days
Click to expand...

Thanks brotha. I may dip my carbs on cardio days, not sure yet though. Just picked up some more xtend and Luecine and I am happy to say that after a year or so of testing xtend flavors other than my fave... I am happy to be back to watermelon because it is hands down the best flavor

How do you guys do your dosing when you use bulk Luecine? For each fasted dose of BCAA do you uses 1 scoop xtend and 1 scoop Luecine... to bring it to... I believe 8:1:1?
Click to expand...


I use xtend also and I love the stuff too. As for adding in Luecine, it would depend on how much you get in each scoop. 2 scoops of xtend is 1 serving and to get an 8:1:1 from the 2:1:1 that xtend is you would have to add quote a bit. I believe there is 1.75g of L-isoluecine and L-valine per serving. So take 1.75x8=14 total Luecine you need. Subtract the 3.5
g of luecine in xtend and that gives you 10.5g of Luecine you need to add to get your 8:1:1. :)
 
FlawedGrunt said:
Hmmm I wonder how I should do that. The luecine is 5g per scoop
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don't make too much of it man. throw a couple scoops of xtend, 1 scoop Leu and call it a day.

I have played around with do many different things and in the end it is all negligable..IMO. we start to over analyze everything. one of the best parts of eating like this is the lack of that, don't complicate it.
 
That would all be unneccessary, since the leucine triggers MPS and mTOR at about 5g. Anything beyond that threshold will do very little additional.
 
Milas said:
That would all be unneccessary, since the leucine triggers MPS and mTOR at about 5g. Anything beyond that threshold will do very little additional.
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So how would you dose leucine while on a LG diet? Like 5g after the last meal of the day, 5g pre-bed, 5g when waking up, and 5g pre-1st meal of the day?
 
T50 said:
So how would you dose leucine while on a LG diet? Like 5g after the last meal of the day, 5g pre-bed, 5g when waking up, and 5g pre-1st meal of the day?
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5g first thing in the morning, 5g every 2 hours of fast (one should be ~30 minutes before 1st meal), 5g post workout, 5g 30min before 2nd, 5g pre-bed.

Not all that is necessary, but just to give you an idea of where you can dose optimally IMO.
 
imprezivr6 said:
don't make too much of it man. throw a couple scoops of xtend, 1 scoop Leu and call it a day.

I have played around with do many different things and in the end it is all negligable..IMO. we start to over analyze everything. one of the best parts of eating like this is the lack of that, don't complicate it.
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I couldn't agree with this any more!! It really doesn't matter much at all what ratio BCAAs you are using or how much of what. I would say as long as you are getting in some BCAAs pre and post workout and a little here and there through the fast you should be good. One of the greatest things about lean gains is its leniency
 
imprezivr6 said:
Doesn't matter IMO. Count them, don't count them, just be consistent. If you don't count them, NEVER count them.
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Thanks dude. I'll continue to not count them but try not to go to crazy.

I bring my lunch and sometimes dinner to work and I got some huge tupperware containers when I started IF. I don't necessarily have to fill them up i guess.

You guys are getting crazy with this Leucine dosing stuff. I'd keep it simple and not worry about it, just my 2 cents.
 
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Well I'm not down any lbs but it seems as though I've went down .25 to .5 inches on my widest point (love handle to love handle). So I'm happy with that! Gonna try low Carb today. Do you guys bother counting dietary fiber carbs or not?
 
FlawedGrunt said:
Well I'm not down any lbs but it seems as though I've went down .25 to .5 inches on my widest point (love handle to love handle). So I'm happy with that! Gonna try low Carb today. Do you guys bother counting dietary fiber carbs or not?
Click to expand...
I don't, but it doesn't matter. Count, don't count, just be consistent.
 
FlawedGrunt said:
Well I'm not down any lbs but it seems as though I've went down .25 to .5 inches on my widest point (love handle to love handle). So I'm happy with that! Gonna try low Carb today. Do you guys bother counting dietary fiber carbs or not?
Click to expand...

Yah recomp is very strong on this diet, you get the opportunity to trim down with the fasting but then you create and anabolic environment and take advantage with the feeding window. It works, you are getting the best of both worlds don't doubt it for a second... I myself gained 2 lbs and I am still losing as fast as I was on less calories. Lean gains is the Holy Grail ....
 
DreamWeaver said:
Yah recomp is very strong on this diet, you get the opportunity to trim down with the fasting but then you create and anabolic environment and take advantage with the feeding window. It works, you are getting the best of both worlds don't doubt it for a second... I myself gained 2 lbs and I am still losing as fast as I was on less calories. Lean gains is the Holy Grail ....
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Truth.. This is one diet that, at least for me, in which you can not go by the scale. There was a period where my weight was not changing AT ALL, and I was getting visibly leaner. Even at a fairly big deficit I was still only dropping scale weight very slowly.
 
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imprezivr6 said:
Truth.. This is one diet that, at least for me, in which you can not go by the scale. There was a period where my weight was not changing AT ALL, and I was getting visibly leaner. Even at a fairly big deficit I was still only dropping scale weight very slowly.
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Agreed! Making huge changes in the mirror with minimal to no changes on the scale is what almost everyone wants to achieve! Well, everyone who is looking to trim the fat anyway!
 
Definitely motivating to carry on! Ill see if ican get some pics/measurements tonight to compare to 3 weeks from this fri when my goal is
 
Agree. I'm at a serious deficit on rest days and am leaning out nicely. No change on the scale and strength is up. I can't believe I ate 6-7 meals a day for so long like a sucker.
 
DreamWeaver said:
Yah recomp is very strong on this diet, you get the opportunity to trim down with the fasting but then you create and anabolic environment and take advantage with the feeding window. It works, you are getting the best of both worlds don't doubt it for a second... I myself gained 2 lbs and I am still losing as fast as I was on less calories. Lean gains is the Holy Grail ....
Click to expand...


Absolutely man!! This diet might be the holy grail. I havent been as lucky as you guys on the recomping effects, but I have been geared more towards cutting. I'm adjusting more towards a recomp now so I will hopefully get to reap the same benefits.............................um and I'm on cycle too!!:D
 
Subbed!

Just completed my second day. Its probably too early to assess anything but during the day, aside from a few minor hunger pains, I was completely alert and focused.

We'll see how tomorrow goes (rest day but will be doing some cardio and probably abs (doing PHAT))
 
Been on LG for a few days now and am definitely seeing results. Noticeably leaner already and strength was up yesterday. Brb eating ice cream and losing fat on LG:firedevil:
 
T50 said:
Been on LG for a few days now and am definitely seeing results. Noticeably leaner already and strength was up yesterday. Brb eating ice cream and losing fat on LG:firedevil:
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Having your cake and eating it too?....that's lean gains for ya
 
Shiiiet im probably still being stricter on what foods i eat than some of ya... but thats ok Im cutting and its working! Once i jump to recomp or bulk I will definitely be indulging a little! First low carb day went well... sitting 1.4 lbs lighter just for low carbing it yesterday
 
RickRock13 said:
Absolutely man!! This diet might be the holy grail. I havent been as lucky as you guys on the recomping effects, but I have been geared more towards cutting. I'm adjusting more towards a recomp now so I will hopefully get to reap the same benefits.............................um and I'm on cycle too!!:D
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At first I was cutting too buy my intention was recomp, now that I added EPI-Strong I aimed at lean bulk but got more recomp effect, I will continue to ease the cals up. I have gained some nice size already and leaned out nicely but I am still looking to see if it can get even better... I love this diet so much, it's turning me into a lean mean massive machine... Biggest changes in 25 years of lifting....I love what has happened to my physique. Stay tuned for my prep this summer, I promise an absolute extravaganza!! I am already bigger and leaner than I have ever been and it's going to get a lot better!! I am enjoying every minute of this..I want everybody to go give Chris reps!!!
 
I would give him Reps but it won't let me. Apparently I can't rep myself. DAYUM! I do so love the intermittent fasting, I REALLY love the leniency it brings to the table. I will say it doesn't take much to overshoot cals when not counting if you just go by appetite. Once the stomach stretches out eating instinctively can be interesting. However I will say that I have never been able to clean up quite so quickly after long weekends of massive eating. I have had a few recently just because of the holidays and what not and I am consistently able to be back at the same or lower body fat within a week but also have more LBM.

Now when I say I have been eating loosely I mean LOOSELY during these weekends. Maybe even up to 5000 cals a day and my maintenance is right about 2500. So recovering within a week of massive overeating with a little extra LBM has been pretty nice. Yet if I want to finish stripping down to 6% I am gonna have to focus a little more on eating cleaner on the weekend and I will lean out very rapidly. I am going to be taking some pics this weekend and then again in a month of just cleaning it up on the weekends and see where I am at.
 
MrKleen73 said:
I would give him Reps but it won't let me. Apparently I can't rep myself. DAYUM! I do so love the intermittent fasting, I REALLY love the leniency it brings to the table. I will say it doesn't take much to overshoot cals when not counting if you just go by appetite. Once the stomach stretches out eating instinctively can be interesting. However I will say that I have never been able to clean up quite so quickly after long weekends of massive eating. I have had a few recently just because of the holidays and what not and I am consistently able to be back at the same or lower body fat within a week but also have more LBM.

Now when I say I have been eating loosely I mean LOOSELY during these weekends. Maybe even up to 5000 cals a day and my maintenance is right about 2500. So recovering within a week of massive overeating with a little extra LBM has been pretty nice. Yet if I want to finish stripping down to 6% I am gonna have to focus a little more on eating cleaner on the weekend and I will lean out very rapidly. I am going to be taking some pics this weekend and then again in a month of just cleaning it up on the weekends and see where I am at.
Click to expand...

Not only the leniency but the efficiency of losing by fasting while setting yourself up for an anabolic reactions it's just win, win and very efficient for what we need...
 
RickRock13 said:
Having your cake and eating it too?....that's lean gains for ya
Click to expand...

Absolutely! If you saw the way and what I eat, you wouldn't believe that I can and do maintain my leanness and get leaner when I want! :D

~Rosie~
 
MrKleen73 said:
I would give him Reps but it won't let me. Apparently I can't rep myself. DAYUM! I do so love the intermittent fasting, I REALLY love the leniency it brings to the table. I will say it doesn't take much to overshoot cals when not counting if you just go by appetite. Once the stomach stretches out eating instinctively can be interesting. However I will say that I have never been able to clean up quite so quickly after long weekends of massive eating. I have had a few recently just because of the holidays and what not and I amm consistently able to be back at the same or lower body fat within a week but also have more LBM.

Now when I say I have been eating loosely I mean LOOSELY during these weekends. Maybe even up to 5000 cals a day and my maintenance is right about 2500. So recovering within a week of massive overeating with a little extra LBM has been pretty nice. Yet if I want to finish stripping down to 6% I am gonna have to focus a little more on eating cleaner on the weekend and I will lean out very rapidly. I am going to be taking some pics this weekend and then again in a month of just cleaning it up on the weekends and see where I am at.
Click to expand...

No doubt! I drank like a fish last weekend and ate like shxt Saturday and I'm already leaner than last week
 
MrKleen73 said:
I would give him Reps but it won't let me. Apparently I can't rep myself. DAYUM! I do so love the intermittent fasting, I REALLY love the leniency it brings to the table. I will say it doesn't take much to overshoot cals when not counting if you just go by appetite. Once the stomach stretches out eating instinctively can be interesting. However I will say that I have never been able to clean up quite so quickly after long weekends of massive eating. I have had a few recently just because of the holidays and what not and I am consistently able to be back at the same or lower body fat within a week but also have more LBM.

Now when I say I have been eating loosely I mean LOOSELY during these weekends. Maybe even up to 5000 cals a day and my maintenance is right about 2500. So recovering within a week of massive overeating with a little extra LBM has been pretty nice. Yet if I want to finish stripping down to 6% I am gonna have to focus a little more on eating cleaner on the weekend and I will lean out very rapidly. I am going to be taking some pics this weekend and then again in a month of just cleaning it up on the weekends and see where I am at.
Click to expand...

Yea man, the leniency and results of this diet are too good to be true almost. I had a hugeee cheatmeal on Sunday for Father's Day and it didn't throw me back at all. Bloated yesterday but today i'm looking leaner than on Sunday for sure. Really thought that cheatmeal was going to hurt me but it seems it had no effect :)

Was has also impressed me is i'm leaning up faster since starting LG and I had stopped my current stack of supps/PCT (Erase + OEP + Shift + LX) right around the same time. I figured stopping the supps would take me a week to start losing again but fat loss has only sped up since then! I did start 7-KE about 3-4 days ago though but i'm not attributing the increased fat loss to it since it's been so short.

It's a little early to say definitively but LG seems to be amazing so far. Very excited for what the rest of the summer brings with this diet. I'm starting to wonder if I should continue it on cycle when I plan to do a lean bulk/recomp.
 
Well we have a bunch of people running Lean Gains on DS and PH cycles right now. So you can follow along.

My Current log FINAFLEX 1-Andro - Invalid Link Removed

DreamWeaver's current log - EpiStrong part starts about 2 weeks ago - Invalid Link Removed

RickRock's current log Trenazone and Katana - Invalid Link Removed

The Progestin log I just finished when I bridged into the 1-Andro, has before and after pics as well.
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/175317-kleen-takes-bull.html
 
MrKleen73 said:
Well we have a bunch of people running Lean Gains on DS and PH cycles right now. So you can follow along.

My Current log FINAFLEX 1-Andro - Invalid Link Removed

DreamWeaver's current log - EpiStrong part starts about 2 weeks ago - Invalid Link Removed

RickRock's current log Trenazone and Katana - Invalid Link Removed

The Progestin log I just finished when I bridged into the 1-Andro, has before and after pics as well.
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/175317-kleen-takes-bull.html
Click to expand...

Wait till you guys see what happens on this diet when you use anabolics....
 
Very interesting study disproving the no carbohydrates at night stance many stick to so vehemently. This is one of the link referred to in the most recent blog by Martin.

Greater Weight Loss and Hormonal Changes After 6 Months Diet With Carbohydrates Eaten Mostly at Dinner.Sofer S, Eliraz A, Kaplan S, Voet H, Fink G, Kima T, Madar Z.
Source1] The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Institute of Biochemistry and Food Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel [2] Meuhedet Medical Services, Diet and Nutrition Department, Israel.

Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the effect of a low-calorie diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner on anthropometric, hunger/satiety, biochemical, and inflammatory parameters. Hormonal secretions were also evaluated. Seventy-eight police officers (BMI >30) were randomly assigned to experimental (carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner) or control weight loss diets for 6 months. On day 0, 7, 90, and 180 blood samples and hunger scores were collected every 4 h from 0800 to 2000 hours. Anthropometric measurements were collected throughout the study. Greater weight loss, abdominal circumference, and body fat mass reductions were observed in the experimental diet in comparison to controls. Hunger scores were lower and greater improvements in fasting glucose, average daily insulin concentrations, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)), T-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were observed in comparison to controls. The experimental diet modified daily leptin and adiponectin concentrations compared to those observed at baseline and to a control diet. A simple dietary manipulation of carbohydrate distribution appears to have additional benefits when compared to a conventional weight loss diet in individuals suffering from obesity. It might also be beneficial for individuals suffering from insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. Further research is required to confirm and clarify the mechanisms by which this relatively simple diet approach enhances satiety, leads to better anthropometric outcomes, and achieves improved metabolic response, compared to a more conventional dietary approach.
 
I saw that article referenced in last month's Muscular Development. Good read, and another one that goes against conventional wisdom.
 
You know MD has some really good info they put in between thier advertisements. I often don't put too much stock in the workout in them but the research info they provide is always good compared to the other mags.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Well we have a bunch of people running Lean Gains on DS and PH cycles right now. So you can follow along.

My Current log FINAFLEX 1-Andro - Invalid Link Removed

DreamWeaver's current log - EpiStrong part starts about 2 weeks ago - Invalid Link Removed

RickRock's current log Trenazone and Katana - Invalid Link Removed

The Progestin log I just finished when I bridged into the 1-Andro, has before and after pics as well.
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/175317-kleen-takes-bull.html
Click to expand...

Very nice, great post! I'll be sure to check out the logs and see what's up with LG + AAS.
 
It's been years since I've posted on AM (I used to be a decently active member in 2006 or so... all the way since 2004). I left because there was a lot of elite bro-ness going on and I never thought anyone would adapt something like Leangains. Amazing to know that this has changed!!! :)

As a present, I'd like to point out a blog that has dozens of gourmet LG recipes. Enjoy :) Invalid Link Removed
 
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