Nutpuncher's Log: Searching for fountain of youth

[mands]

Long time no chat my friend.

Thank you for suggestion. What I learned the most about this is that I should have asked/researched months ago. Live and learn.

With a refeed, should I limit carbs from now to Friday?

Which refeed foods do you recommend? I'll have to figure out much.

What about sodium manipulation in a sentence or two (if posible).

Good to hear you agree with Xpel.

Thank you

Don't necessarily limit your carbs but use faster acting carbs and cut out veggies. This will help with the bloat.

mands

 

[tattedlegend]

Long time no chat my friend.

Thank you for suggestion. What I learned the most about this is that I should have asked/researched months ago. Live and learn.

With a refeed, should I limit carbs from now to Friday?

Which refeed foods do you recommend? I'll have to figure out much.

What about sodium manipulation in a sentence or two (if posible).

Good to hear you agree with Xpel.

Thank you

Layne Norton Peak Week: Water & Sodium
Here is a good article that talks about sodium depletion/intake and how it works in the body, also talks a bit about potassium intake and how aldosterone levels are affected. Aldosterone is the hormone responsible for re-absorption and retention of water and sodium.

In the article they also have a hyperlink connecting to an article about carb loading, worth checking out as well.

What's the macros of your diet right now? I saw above you're at 1800 cal which leads me to believe you're already on relatively low carbs. You could cut your carbs and sodium for a few days, allow your aldosterone levels to double up and then you could do a refeed the day prior with probably 1.5-2x the amount of carbs as your previous regular intake, but without having practiced or experience with exactly how your body is going to react it's difficult to know how much is the right amount. Probably better airing on the side of caution so you don't "spill over". Scan through that article though I think it offers some good information. Ultimately, every coach and competitor is going to have a different method for carb loading and sodium/water manipulation bc it all ends up working different for everyone, so it normally takes trying it a time or two to know the best protocol for your body.

Hope this helps, sorry I can't give more specific answers, I'm still few months out from my first competition so I haven't had the ability to try these things for myself, just read about it and talked to some coaches about it haha.

 

[Nutpuncher]

Layne Norton Peak Week: Water & Sodium
Here is a good article that talks about sodium depletion/intake and how it works in the body, also talks a bit about potassium intake and how aldosterone levels are affected. Aldosterone is the hormone responsible for re-absorption and retention of water and sodium.

In the article they also have a hyperlink connecting to an article about carb loading, worth checking out as well.

What's the macros of your diet right now? I saw above you're at 1800 cal which leads me to believe you're already on relatively low carbs. You could cut your carbs and sodium for a few days, allow your aldosterone levels to double up and then you could do a refeed the day prior with probably 1.5-2x the amount of carbs as your previous regular intake, but without having practiced or experience with exactly how your body is going to react it's difficult to know how much is the right amount. Probably better airing on the side of caution so you don't "spill over". Scan through that article though I think it offers some good information. Ultimately, every coach and competitor is going to have a different method for carb loading and sodium/water manipulation bc it all ends up working different for everyone, so it normally takes trying it a time or two to know the best protocol for your body.

Hope this helps, sorry I can't give more specific answers, I'm still few months out from my first competition so I haven't had the ability to try these things for myself, just read about it and talked to some coaches about it haha.

Cool. Thanks reading it now.

 

[tattedlegend]

Cool. Thanks reading it now.

Sure thing bro hope it helps a bit

 

[Nutpuncher]

Sure thing bro hope it helps a bit

Yes it did help. Learned a lot. And will use for next vacation or an situation where I know in advance that I'll be shirtless.


Pretty much I am SOL because time is not on my side. So I am going to take advice that's given by you and @mands. I am training light this week mainly just to get a pump and good stretch.

I did carb load earlier this week and gradually reducing to little tomorrow and no carbs on Friday. Then high sodium meal with fast acting carb (maybe karboloyn drink as carbs) sat morning and shirts off sat evening. Not sure if this will do anything to improve or sabatouge. That's what I get for poor planning.

Today is day 4 Xpel. I can see my skin getting tighter in certain areas.

Have you or anyone else tried Synthelator (AMP) to draw oxygen into your veins?

 

[jJjburton]

Yes it did help. Learned a lot. And will use for next vacation or an situation where I know in advance that I'll be shirtless.


Pretty much I am SOL because time is not on my side. So I am going to take advice that's given by you and @mands. I am training light this week mainly just to get a pump and good stretch.

I did carb load earlier this week and gradually reducing to little tomorrow and no carbs on Friday. Then high sodium meal with fast acting carb (maybe karboloyn drink as carbs) sat morning and shirts off sat evening. Not sure if this will do anything to improve or sabatouge. That's what I get for poor planning.

Today is day 4 Xpel. I can see my skin getting tighter in certain areas.

Have you or anyone else tried Synthelator (AMP) to draw oxygen into your veins?

I have doc appointment on tues for endo. I will ask him about HGH, that you wanted to know about.

 

[Nutpuncher]

I have doc appointment on tues for endo. I will ask him about HGH, that you wanted to know about.

Thank you. I know of an anti aging clinic will accept me without seeing me. I just need to email me low IGF-1 results. But cost is too expensive. $800 per month for 40iu.

 

[jJjburton]

There is no significant difference from taking t4 at night before bed or in the morning regardless what your doc says.

mands

About t4 again. Did the subjects have any food in there stomach? Regarding the nightly dosage. Because that is the part that mostly effects the absortbtion. Not as much the time of day.

 

[Nutpuncher]

I've done all I can do to prep for my vacation. My garden should survive.


Not sure how to pose to show my quads. I guess it would be easier if I had more muscle mass.


Definitely leaner and can see some muscle separation. I do look more vascular than in this pic. I'll be more prepared next time and do my research not in the middle of last week of prep.

Live and Learn.... That's all I can do.

Back to TRT dose test blend 60mg 2x week. Gonna stay on TRT dose until next TRT bloods (mid sept). Back down to 2iu b4 bed. Too much hands numbing/CTS at 2.5iu.


I had a biopsy couple weeks ago and it's nearly healed within 7 days. I'd say gh is playing a major role.


Off to vacation I go

 

[mands]

About t4 again. Did the subjects have any food in there stomach? Regarding the nightly dosage. Because that is the part that mostly effects the absortbtion. Not as much the time of day.

Doesn't state that in the study that I can see but I would highly doubt it.

mands

 

[BULKTIME]

I've done all I can do to prep for my vacation. My garden should survive.


Not sure how to pose to show my quads. I guess it would be easier if I had more muscle mass.
View attachment 47587

Definitely leaner and can see some muscle separation. I do look more vascular than in this pic. I'll be more prepared next time and do my research not in the middle of last week of prep.

Live and Learn.... That's all I can do.

Back to TRT dose test blend 60mg 2x week. Gonna stay on TRT dose until next TRT bloods (mid sept). Back down to 2iu b4 bed. Too much hands numbing/CTS at 2.5iu.
View attachment 47588

I had a biopsy couple weeks ago and it's nearly healed within 7 days. I'd say gh is playing a major role.


Off to vacation I go

Wow NP! Almost 5 mo later...it went quick. Have u compared your before & after pics? U should be proud brutha!

 

[Nutpuncher]

Wow NP! Almost 5 mo later...it went quick. Have u compared your before & after pics? U should be proud brutha!

Thank you. Lots of hard work and sacrifices.

Last 2 months is when all of a sudden the magic happened. Only thing different is that I started cutting from Memorial Day until 8/11. Went from 172 to152lbs.

Strength remained the same throughout cut. Actually, I felt stronger after my vacation. I learned a lot and will not make same mistakes going forward.

As promised...progress pics taken couple hours ago.
View attachment 47180

View attachment 47181

The above pics was my best physique which was 2 weeks before my vacation. I guess I "peaked" too soon. I barely made to gym the following weeks after my best physique but my diet was on point so that's what kept me in decent shape. I was too busy with work and prepping my plants for vacation.

I gained about 12lbs on vacation due to no diet and alcohol restrictions. I am trying to clean Up my diet. Easy to Stopped drinking. I've lost most of my ripped look. So short term goal is to diet my way back so when I blast next, ill start with a leaner body as part of my lean bulk goal is to remain 10% bf

So for now, try dose only until TRT blood work in 2-3 weeks. Then lean bulk my way back to at least 172lbs, but goal is 180lbs. I got 5 months to do so before switching back to trt dose to prep for future TRT Blood Work.

 

[Mr.B66]

I've done all I can do to prep for my vacation. My garden should survive.


Not sure how to pose to show my quads. I guess it would be easier if I had more muscle mass.
View attachment 47587

Definitely leaner and can see some muscle separation. I do look more vascular than in this pic. I'll be more prepared next time and do my research not in the middle of last week of prep.

Live and Learn.... That's all I can do.

Back to TRT dose test blend 60mg 2x week. Gonna stay on TRT dose until next TRT bloods (mid sept). Back down to 2iu b4 bed. Too much hands numbing/CTS at 2.5iu.
View attachment 47588

I had a biopsy couple weeks ago and it's nearly healed within 7 days. I'd say gh is playing a major role.


Off to vacation I go

I think you should be very happy with how you look here. Very lean, pretty good vascularity and nice muscle separation.

Great job NP!!!

 

[Nutpuncher]

I think you should be very happy with how you look here. Very lean, pretty good vascularity and nice muscle separation.

Great job NP!!!

Thank you very much. I am very happy with my results. It seems like the last 2 months was when the magic happened. I am excited to see what in my future in regards to my physique. I cant imagine how ill look if I do reach my goal of 170lbs at 8% bf. That's roughly 18 more lbs of muscles. I guess 18lbs because I ended my cut at 152lbs and estimated 8-9% bf (based on 3 different caliper test and feedback from others). I am looking forward to my challenge

 

[Nutpuncher]

I am still alive lol