New member

Hi guys, glad to join, here's my intro.

52 years old, I weigh about 188 lbs, at 6' even, and around 16% body fat - not really my goal to get very big TBH, but rather look and feel obviously fit.

So, that said, I'm on a TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) regimen - it looks like this:
  • 0.3ml of 200 mg/ml testosterone (Cypionate) - 2x per week (so 120mg per week)
  • 25mg DHEA - daily
  • 250 HCG units - 2x per week
  • 0.5mg Anastrozole (Arimidex) - 2x per week
  • CJC-1295 and Sermorelin several times per week - small amounts
Various supplements of course.

I donate blood as frequently as allowed to keep hemo levels in check. Blood and urine work done every 6 months to check various levels. (This program is all done under a doctor's supervision with prescriptions etc.) It is designed to keep me at the level where I was (or, rather, where a normal healthy 25 year old supposedly is) at 25.

My sleep is much better now, I last longer in the gym, much stronger too (and I work out several times a week of course). I did 21 clean pullups the other day - that's 1 more than the USMC 100% qualifying score - which was a goal of mine, so that felt good. I feel like my recovery is far better - a day's yard work (I have 4 partially wooded acres) doesn't leave me nearly as drained.

I am considering shopping for some supplemental "gear" on my next trip overseas - while keeping what I do as a starting point, and layer in some more (in a cycle fashion) to help me improve my own baseline. Over time I'd like to add 5-10 lbs of muscle, and especially drop 5-10 lbs of fat - stay at the same total weight but be leaner, get down to 12% or so, that'd be really nice. Nothing radical, just a bit of an adjustment. I'll decide when I know my numbers in 2 months, before the trip.

Oh, finally, I've always been a really hard gainer - strong enough, but just never had much volume, and it is hard for me to add. Which is why I'm here to look for an approach that will get me my baseline change in a years time or so - no rush, I'm not in my 20s so things will take time.

Thanks!
 
Hi guys, glad to join, here's my intro.

52 years old, I weigh about 188 lbs, at 6' even, and around 16% body fat - not really my goal to get very big TBH, but rather look and feel obviously fit.

So, that said, I'm on a TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) regimen - it looks like this:
  • 0.3ml of 200 mg/ml testosterone (Cypionate) - 2x per week (so 120mg per week)
  • 25mg DHEA - daily
  • 250 HCG units - 2x per week
  • 0.5mg Anastrozole (Arimidex) - 2x per week
  • CJC-1295 and Sermorelin several times per week - small amounts
Various supplements of course.

I donate blood as frequently as allowed to keep hemo levels in check. Blood and urine work done every 6 months to check various levels. (This program is all done under a doctor's supervision with prescriptions etc.) It is designed to keep me at the level where I was (or, rather, where a normal healthy 25 year old supposedly is) at 25.

My sleep is much better now, I last longer in the gym, much stronger too (and I work out several times a week of course). I did 21 clean pullups the other day - that's 1 more than the USMC 100% qualifying score - which was a goal of mine, so that felt good. I feel like my recovery is far better - a day's yard work (I have 4 partially wooded acres) doesn't leave me nearly as drained.

I am considering shopping for some supplemental "gear" on my next trip overseas - while keeping what I do as a starting point, and layer in some more (in a cycle fashion) to help me improve my own baseline. Over time I'd like to add 5-10 lbs of muscle, and especially drop 5-10 lbs of fat - stay at the same total weight but be leaner, get down to 12% or so, that'd be really nice. Nothing radical, just a bit of an adjustment. I'll decide when I know my numbers in 2 months, before the trip.

Oh, finally, I've always been a really hard gainer - strong enough, but just never had much volume, and it is hard for me to add. Which is why I'm here to look for an approach that will get me my baseline change in a years time or so - no rush, I'm not in my 20s so things will take time.

Thanks!
Welcome brother
 
What's your weight training regimen look like?

Good question - it's starts with two weekly high intensity sessions at the gym with a PT - an ex-Army certified trainer. I've tried with a few PTs over the years, I don't like this guy that much as a person, but his program is sound and he pushes me - it's focused on 3 sets of 10 reps with final to exhaustion in the various areas. I walk away pumped and quite shaky from every sessions. And I prep with preworkout shakes and protein - which helps keep the stamina up during the sessions.

On top of that I do my own session once a week at the gym - mainly the big groups - stomach, legs, lats - without getting into machines. I try to use whole body exercises that also challenge my balance a little, engage more muscles.

At home I do pushups, ab rollouts, pullups, and dips using olympic rings. Not daily, but 3 times a week - usually before shower time.

Much of it is focused on core strength.

Over the past 2 years (since I got serious about this, as well as got on TRT) I've significantly increased my strength. And I do get the "you been working out" comments a lot. Still, I feel like I'm walking on a plateau.

Diet is very clean - non-sugar Greek yoghurt, with almonds, goji-berries, flax seeds in the morning. 100gr protein shake for lunch. Meat and veggies for dinner. Carbs are shunned as much as possible - esp refined carbs. No potatoes, no rice, rarely any bread etc.
 
Nice intro dude.
I don't know about a cycle thow
Your still growing.
Try short esters firs and see how you respond.
So if you get sides it will leave your system fast.
And try some test and Tren base before workout. PR will be easy to press.
Welcome to the sight.
 
Nice intro dude.
I don't know about a cycle thow
Your still growing.
Try short esters firs and see how you respond.
So if you get sides it will leave your system fast.
And try some test and Tren base before workout. PR will be easy to press.
Welcome to the sight.

Thanks - good point. I might be rushing, I am noticing improvements, but while I am getting stronger, and my diet is very lean, I'm stubbornly hovering around the same BF percentage - and have been for years. I just can't seem to shed the next 5-10 lbs of fat that I need to get to the "look" I am shooting for. More cardio needed I guess... :)

Maybe switching to 7 micro-meals per day would help on the fat burn side?

I think I'll take my time, read up on the ins and outs, and hang in there for another six months or so, re-evaluate then.

Btw, what is "PR" - personal record?
 
Do you drink alcohol?

Yes, but not beer - only red wine. And red wine isn't a weight driver - possibly the other direction. Cardio.... so boring, but I know the rowing machine is good for that.

****

As a reference, my blood work just came back:
Total testosterone 1,617 (I'm still dialling it in, switched from pellets to injections)
Total cholesterol 151
HDL 66
LDL 73
Non-HDL 85
Chol/HDL ratio 2.3
Triglycerides 58

6' tall, 188lb, about 16% BF, 52 years old

I should add that I take niacin daily, and this is proven to drive down cholesterol. My diet is also fairly clean, almost nothing refined.

My BP has always been borderline low. Sometimes I have a 2x spread between diastolic and systolic.

Resting pulse around or right below 50.
 
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Yes, but not beer - only red wine. And red wine isn't a weight driver - possibly the other direction. Cardio.... so boring, but I know the rowing machine is good for that.
I'll respectfully disagree with that statement.
I'm unsure of what you define as a "weight driver"...not even sure I know what that means, however wine contains alcohol and pure alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram, which makes it nearly twice as fattening as carbohydrates or protein (both contain about 4 calories per gram) and only just under the caloric value for fat (9 calories per gram).
This means that if you want to reduce body fat, alcohol is not helping the cause.
 
Hi guys, glad to join, here's my intro.

52 years old, I weigh about 188 lbs, at 6' even, and around 16% body fat - not really my goal to get very big TBH, but rather look and feel obviously fit.

So, that said, I'm on a TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) regimen - it looks like this:
  • 0.3ml of 200 mg/ml testosterone (Cypionate) - 2x per week (so 120mg per week)
  • 25mg DHEA - daily
  • 250 HCG units - 2x per week
  • 0.5mg Anastrozole (Arimidex) - 2x per week
  • CJC-1295 and Sermorelin several times per week - small amounts
Various supplements of course.

I donate blood as frequently as allowed to keep hemo levels in check. Blood and urine work done every 6 months to check various levels. (This program is all done under a doctor's supervision with prescriptions etc.) It is designed to keep me at the level where I was (or, rather, where a normal healthy 25 year old supposedly is) at 25.

My sleep is much better now, I last longer in the gym, much stronger too (and I work out several times a week of course). I did 21 clean pullups the other day - that's 1 more than the USMC 100% qualifying score - which was a goal of mine, so that felt good. I feel like my recovery is far better - a day's yard work (I have 4 partially wooded acres) doesn't leave me nearly as drained.

I am considering shopping for some supplemental "gear" on my next trip overseas - while keeping what I do as a starting point, and layer in some more (in a cycle fashion) to help me improve my own baseline. Over time I'd like to add 5-10 lbs of muscle, and especially drop 5-10 lbs of fat - stay at the same total weight but be leaner, get down to 12% or so, that'd be really nice. Nothing radical, just a bit of an adjustment. I'll decide when I know my numbers in 2 months, before the trip.

Oh, finally, I've always been a really hard gainer - strong enough, but just never had much volume, and it is hard for me to add. Which is why I'm here to look for an approach that will get me my baseline change in a years time or so - no rush, I'm not in my 20s so things will take time.

Thanks!
Welcome man!! I can't even rock that many p ups and I'm 38.!! I think that if you add more protein and rock the gym harder you will easily make your goal and add more muscle than you ever thought possible! Welcome aboard!
 
I'll respectfully disagree with that statement.
I'm unsure of what you define as a "weight driver"...not even sure I know what that means, however wine contains alcohol and pure alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram, which makes it nearly twice as fattening as carbohydrates or protein (both contain about 4 calories per gram) and only just under the caloric value for fat (9 calories per gram).
This means that if you want to reduce body fat, alcohol is not helping the cause.

What you don't consume is obviously not adding to the tally. That said, there's been several studies that suggest that red wine in particular elevates your metabolism so that net-net there's not much impact. In moderation, I'm sure. Then there's the heart and circulatory benefits. And the taste... Need more excuses? :-)

Maybe I should go clean a month, see how that changes things. Worth a test. I think the big diet disaster is beer however.
 
What you don't consume is obviously not adding to the tally. That said, there's been several studies that suggest that red wine in particular elevates your metabolism so that net-net there's not much impact. In moderation, I'm sure. Then there's the heart and circulatory benefits. And the taste... Need more excuses? :)

Maybe I should go clean a month, see how that changes things. Worth a test. I think the big diet disaster is beer however.
Well, you beat me to the punch on "excuses" :-)
I don't drink alcohol, we are the same age and just last month I was at 5.6% BF after a 12 week cut from 10.3%.
I only increased cardio the last 3 weeks of my cut....and I went from zero cardio to three 3 mile walks a week....which at my body weight and pace adds up to about -975 calories per week, or close to 3000 calories in 3 weeks, which is close to "that last pound of BF".
There is an old saying that goes "you can't out-work a bad diet".
Though "bad" may not really be the appropriate term in your case (as you've said you "eat clean"), however with your total T and E numbers in your blood work, it wouldn't be too far fetched to think that there is SOMETHING in your diet that is preventing you from dropping those last 10-20 pounds...and as you've stated...maybe you should go clean a month..."worth a test".
 
Well, you beat me to the punch on "excuses" :)
I don't drink alcohol, we are the same age and just last month I was at 5.6% BF after a 12 week cut from 10.3%.
I only increased cardio the last 3 weeks of my cut....and I went from zero cardio to three 3 mile walks a week....which at my body weight and pace adds up to about -975 calories per week, or close to 3000 calories in 3 weeks, which is close to "that last pound of BF".
There is an old saying that goes "you can't out-work a bad diet".
Though "bad" may not really be the appropriate term in your case (as you've said you "eat clean"), however with your total T and E numbers in your blood work, it wouldn't be too far fetched to think that there is SOMETHING in your diet that is preventing you from dropping those last 10-20 pounds...and as you've stated...maybe you should go clean a month..."worth a test".

I hear you, very good points. How do you spell denile again? :-)

Amazing numbers btw, that's serious dedication. Props! I just want to get to around 12% - I've never been that lean in my life. Residual body image? :-)

Time to hit the rowing machine I think - I like that over other cardio. 30 minutes on that is a lot of calories.

Some of the peptides I'm on now cause bloat, so there's that too - I'll do those for two more weeks, to try to fix my tendonitis, then the water weight should come off too.

Thanks
 
I should perhaps have posted some "size" numbers.

Currently massively bloated thanks to the peptides - still weighing in at close to 210.
It was around 188 right before the peptides - so we'll see what happens in a week.

BF around 14% now (per Tanita/Omron) but that's optimistic thanks to the bloat, I think.
It was right under 16% prior to the peptides - I'm sure my body reads are messing with the device's capabilities at the moment.

Biceps: 15.0" (I have only been able to seriously train triceps, my bicep tendons have been so messed up - thus the peptide attempt)
Calf: 16.0"
Neck: 17.25"

Insofar as stating "goals" - would be nice to get close to 17" arms, that's probably as ambitious as I'll get. Realistic goal at 52? I'm 6' even btw.
 
Progress is continuing, I feel stronger, I'm getting more comments like "wow, you've been working out" which feels good, but importantly my tendons are finally starting to feel bearable again. Whether the peptides have helped, or the extra testosterone in combination with training have pushed healing onto all body parts - I don't know.

Blood work just came back - 883 total testosterone, 277 free. My PSA was 2.4. Looks good.

Since my previous blood work had been over 1800 (measured 24 hours after I had shot 0.4 or so ml), this time around I intentionally held back a little on the TRT dosage (to a mere 0.2ml of 200 mg/ml testosterone (Cypionate) - 2x per week (so only 80mg per week). Results were measured on Friday morning, shot 0.2 ml on Tuesday morning, so a full 72 hours before blood was drawn. My nuts must be waking up form the HCG, if I were to step off TRT and just do HCG, wouldn't be surprised if my baseline now is much higher than before TRT treatment (when I was around 180).

I'm currently using up the test I've been given, went back to my original 0.35 x2 per week. So right now I'm probably back around the 1,500 - 2,000 mark. Doing this for a month, then dropping back to the baseline TRT. Everything feels great though, so strong during workouts, solid sleep, no sides other than some bloat - which might be the peptides I'm still taking. Much less bloat now though - getting used to it?

About the bloat, I find that if I pop an extra 0.5 Arimidex, the bloat goes down - an indication of too much estrogen?
 
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