Hi guys and girls, I'm Dave from the Southeast coast of the US. Joined several months ago and have been quietly reading and studying up from so much information as well as enjoying some epic Internet battles. After seeing several new members getting hammered for not starting out with an intro post, I figured I better say hi before I get rightly lectured myself.
I just turned 50, but thankfully I don't feel, nor act like it. I am 6ft tall and currently weigh somewhere around 170 to 175lbs depending on water weight from my recently started HGH experiment. My weight for the last 20 years have averaged in the mid 180s until this past year when I realized I was becoming a fatty in record time again as i hit 195. My usual keto and fasting wasn't getting me back, and I just didn't want to do another round of ECA stack. Discovered Reta, and then Tesamorelin and Ipamorelin. Quickly dropped to the high 160s, and at this point I am focused on adding back lean mass.
Have been lifting weights my whole life, but in past couple of decades, I have transitioned from being huuuuge to focusing on other sports. Main interest now is mountain biking, and I race XC, but focus on shorter races of up to an hour and a half. Prefer these as it's less endurance and more on and off sprinting, to which weightlifting has primed me to excel. Given that I lift weights, but also participate in a sport that encourages skinnyness.... I'm in no man's land. I look huge compared to my cyclist peers, but small beside the gym bros. At this point, my goal is simply to look good naked, retain my ability to handle long VO2 max rides, and protect myself from injury.
Proud to say I have abs at 50, but there's still some lower abdomen fat I'd kill to remove. I workout now in my garage where I have slimmed down my routine to mainly compound lifts - floor presses (easier on a bum left shoulder), squats, weighted dips, t bar and bent over rows, weighted pull ups, etc. I also do a ton of zone 2 cycling on a smart trainer at home along with some max HR racing on Zwift (large virtual cycling app) on top of frequent mountain bike rides in the woods.
About to go get thoroughly blood tested as it has been a few years, but given my energy levels, bodyfat percentage, and feelz - I don't expect to have low T levels. I've never taken TRT, but not opposed if I end up needing it. I do eat mainly lower carb, but have increased carbs recently due to Reta not doing well with keto diets. Bumped my protein up, and trying to average 150 grams a day. Currently, I'm taking 2mg of Reta twice a week, and recently added a small dose of Tirz (2mg) in between as I've read there is some anti inflammatory benefits from small Tirz dosing - but so far not noticeable. I am slowly backing off the Reta, but plan to maintain a small weekly dose for maintenance, inflammation support, and blood glucose management while on HGH. I also came off a tesa/ipa cycle of 6 months and have switched to 2iu of HGH daily
Honestly, water retention and cts was much worse on tesa ipa than hgh- but I am waiting another week or two to see where igf 1 levels are before titrating up on hgh. Still, no plans to go much above replacement as my head is already freaking huuuuge.
I do have a medical condition called anklyosing spondylitis, which is an arthritic condition affecting my lower spine that also shows up with joint issues throughout my body. Bad medical advice led me to self experimentation, where i learned low carbs and fasting equal less inflammation and pain. I'm also trying out Klow injections daily, as well as Glutathione to see if these give me any positive results on frequent lower back pain. But otherwise I don't take any pharmaceuticals for pain, not even over the counter stuff.
Sorry for the long read, but thanks if you made it this far. I've always appreciated the powerlifting and bodybuilding communities, as they have contributed so much to the advancement of our understanding of our body's responses to physical inputs as well as supplements, peptides, anabolics, etc. I'm not the typical member, but I believe I share a common desire to improve and maximize my physical and mental health, while living the best life possible. Happy to have found this group!
I just turned 50, but thankfully I don't feel, nor act like it. I am 6ft tall and currently weigh somewhere around 170 to 175lbs depending on water weight from my recently started HGH experiment. My weight for the last 20 years have averaged in the mid 180s until this past year when I realized I was becoming a fatty in record time again as i hit 195. My usual keto and fasting wasn't getting me back, and I just didn't want to do another round of ECA stack. Discovered Reta, and then Tesamorelin and Ipamorelin. Quickly dropped to the high 160s, and at this point I am focused on adding back lean mass.
Have been lifting weights my whole life, but in past couple of decades, I have transitioned from being huuuuge to focusing on other sports. Main interest now is mountain biking, and I race XC, but focus on shorter races of up to an hour and a half. Prefer these as it's less endurance and more on and off sprinting, to which weightlifting has primed me to excel. Given that I lift weights, but also participate in a sport that encourages skinnyness.... I'm in no man's land. I look huge compared to my cyclist peers, but small beside the gym bros. At this point, my goal is simply to look good naked, retain my ability to handle long VO2 max rides, and protect myself from injury.
Proud to say I have abs at 50, but there's still some lower abdomen fat I'd kill to remove. I workout now in my garage where I have slimmed down my routine to mainly compound lifts - floor presses (easier on a bum left shoulder), squats, weighted dips, t bar and bent over rows, weighted pull ups, etc. I also do a ton of zone 2 cycling on a smart trainer at home along with some max HR racing on Zwift (large virtual cycling app) on top of frequent mountain bike rides in the woods.
About to go get thoroughly blood tested as it has been a few years, but given my energy levels, bodyfat percentage, and feelz - I don't expect to have low T levels. I've never taken TRT, but not opposed if I end up needing it. I do eat mainly lower carb, but have increased carbs recently due to Reta not doing well with keto diets. Bumped my protein up, and trying to average 150 grams a day. Currently, I'm taking 2mg of Reta twice a week, and recently added a small dose of Tirz (2mg) in between as I've read there is some anti inflammatory benefits from small Tirz dosing - but so far not noticeable. I am slowly backing off the Reta, but plan to maintain a small weekly dose for maintenance, inflammation support, and blood glucose management while on HGH. I also came off a tesa/ipa cycle of 6 months and have switched to 2iu of HGH daily
Honestly, water retention and cts was much worse on tesa ipa than hgh- but I am waiting another week or two to see where igf 1 levels are before titrating up on hgh. Still, no plans to go much above replacement as my head is already freaking huuuuge.
I do have a medical condition called anklyosing spondylitis, which is an arthritic condition affecting my lower spine that also shows up with joint issues throughout my body. Bad medical advice led me to self experimentation, where i learned low carbs and fasting equal less inflammation and pain. I'm also trying out Klow injections daily, as well as Glutathione to see if these give me any positive results on frequent lower back pain. But otherwise I don't take any pharmaceuticals for pain, not even over the counter stuff.
Sorry for the long read, but thanks if you made it this far. I've always appreciated the powerlifting and bodybuilding communities, as they have contributed so much to the advancement of our understanding of our body's responses to physical inputs as well as supplements, peptides, anabolics, etc. I'm not the typical member, but I believe I share a common desire to improve and maximize my physical and mental health, while living the best life possible. Happy to have found this group!
