RT's long way to the top

[RThoads]

10-JUN-2016
(Week-16: Friday)

Weighed in at 194 lb.

Leg/Lower day:
(3x8 worksets, following my typical ramping sets)
Squats
Deficit deadlifts (3x5 on deadlifts)
DB Reverse Lunges
Lying leg Curl machine
Standing Calf raise machine

First day trying the split -- so far I don't like training this way haha
But that is the point, to do something different for a while before the next strength phase.

I will say this: Repping shit 8+ times seems a lot harder than hitting a 3RM. By the time I got to lunges I didn't even want to talk at all--I would just nod or point when asked anything. People telling me that lighter weight and more reps will be easier and "give my body a rest" must just have a different body type than me because this shit kicked my ass all over the place and I been sitting here cramping up from time to time all evening.

But hey, I guess that means I put in some work my body was not used to doing
Also, happy about the 194 weigh-in!

 

[RThoads]

forgot to add:

Dosage Update:
dropped tamoxifen last week.
Lump is greatly reduced back to the typical baseline I deal with, and bloods look as if E2 is under control.

Currently Running (per week):
600 mg EQ
300 mg DECA
300 mg TEST-E
Aromasin at 12.5 mg EOD.
ModGRF(1-29)+GHRP2 100mcg each 2x each day

ADDING:
300 mg M300 (masteron Mix, 100mg prop/200mg Enth).
going to throw in the masteron M300 mix at a small 300mg a week (just the room I have left in each pin) to see if I can feel anything from it and if it may help in the final weeks of recomp. I understand it may not be enough and that I am likely too fat to really see any hardening; however, I have the vial and this a good chance to add it on a well established stack so I will know if any changes happen, where they come from. Finally, it would most likely not be used in my winter bulk and so I prefer to use it rather than let it sit beyond a year.
Oh, and it may help a little with gyno prevention (theoretical and debated I know) -- only one way to find all of this out for myself!

 

[RThoads]

11-JUN-2016
(Week-16: Saturday)

Weighed in at 195 lb.

Chest/Arms:
(3x8-10 worksets, following typical warm-up and ramping sets)
Flat Bench
Hammer Strength Incline Press
Machine Flys
Barbell Drag Curls
DB hammer Curls
Lying Tricep Extensions
Overhead Rope Tricep Ext.

Today was fun got a crazy pump and really got a chance to work on bench form with the lighter weight (just stuck with 225 on bench to give myself room to start a progression in this new rep range). Moved my foot position back a little more so heals are not completely down now and also focusing on tightness and pulling the lats down; I am going to master keeping my Chest up and ass down on bench during this phase.

Barbell curls are still no good for my tendinitis, but I found a variation that I can do called the "drag curl" and it put much less strain on the parts that give me pain. I could only do 65 lb sets with this method but I still got a great arm workout with it and heavy hammer curls.




Legs are sore, bad, today -- DOMs hit me but I am happy because I for sure hit all areas, I can tell lol.

 

[RThoads]

13-JUN-2016
(Week-17: Monday)

Weighed in at 197 lb.
Shit, I hope I am gaining "good" weight, not fat -- I say this because I had been slowly going down in weight but the calf strain was really hurting the past few days so I would not do any walks/cardio. I have to try to let it rest. If I squat carefully and correctly, the weight does not shift onto my calves much at all and I am ok to hit a decent leg-day, but cardio/walks are out until it feels better. It is hard just getting up from sitting--I hope the reduced activity does not hurt my recomp goals too much.

Shoulders/Back
Strict OHP (got 135x8 OHP which is better than I was getting on TM -- I think my delts and triceps were too fatigued from TM volume days but now the added rest allows me to hit shoulders fresh).
Pend. Rows
Barbell Rows (higher rep back-off set)
Barbell Shrugs
Wide-grip pullups
DB reverse flys (rear delts)
Side later raises

I am much more used to hitting hypertrophy work for back/delts since on TM those were not the big strength goal lifts. As such, I did not feel like it was a workout at the level of the previous two. I will have to find a way to up the intensity or something so my back will continue to make gains (I believe it is my best body part).

 

[RThoads]

15-JUN-2016
(Week-17: Wednesday)

Weighed in at 196 lb.

Lower body:
Squats
Deficit Deadlifts
Rev DB Lunges
Lying Leg Curls
Leg Press

Well, I wanted a tough session and I got it haha Kicked my ass. Omitted calf raises because of the injury but I was able to squat and deadlift with almost no discomfort (huge positive!!!). Oddly, the calf problem actually forces me to sit back more and keep the weight towards my midfoot and heels much more strictly because any inappropriate forward lean would shift pressure to the calf and cause pain--it may be an ironic blessing that improves my form. The only lift that did gives some discomfort in the calf was the lying leg curls.

Added leg press just to do some more work and because I mostly feel everything in the posterior chain. I did the leg press with a narrow stance and tried to make the quads do all the work. Kept it light--only 8 plates -- but It was brutal since I never do this lift and was so tired by the end of the session.

Overall, a good leg day.

 

[RThoads]

Ordered some Raloxifen to have on have on hand when I transition into my cruise. I will use it just to insure no gyno as I reduce and eventually drop my AI into cruise. These long esters will make it pretty difficult to time the AI drop perfectly, so I rather just block the receptors also.

In terms of the up and coming cruise, I am thinking of running a mixed cruise of:
100mg Primo
60mg Test (cyp or enth depending on what I have)

The goal of the mixed cruise is to lower side effects by have less Test and using the other compound that is milder. Also, the goal is to be on the least things as possible to give myself a break -- so eventually no AI or SERM during the cruise.

 

[RThoads]

24-JUN-2016
(Week-18 summary)

I have continued to use the split and slowly upping the volume.
I found the doing machine flys BEFORE incline DB press really works my chest hard and allows me to use the 80s which are much easier for me to work with (I have trouble getting heavy dumbells in place when I am alone -- I need to work on that technique of kicking them up with the legs both at the same time).

The Biggest News from this week is both good and bad; I discovered a significant muscular imbalance during my lower body work. Previously, everything I did was mostly bilateral. I did a workout that, after squats, was all uni-lateral moves -- lunges, unilateral leg-press, single-leg standing leg curls, single leg calf raises.

The Bad News my right side was noticeably weaker than the left -- for example, only getting 6 hard reps on leg curl on the right side but then an easy 8 on the left. Single-leg leg-press was brutal with the right side at only two plates; however, the left was easy, almost no workout. Calf raises were the most significant -- fail at 5 reps on the right with weight I can do 10 TUT quality reps with the left. Visually I believe I can even notice the right calf looks slightly smaller.

The Good News I now know this and can focus upon correcting this issue. This will be the major goal during my cruise--to do mostly uni-lateral work in this area and fix things. My motivation is BIG knowing I have something within my power to work on and improve. I will make progress and be even more prepared to really kill it come time for the winter cycle/bulk. Taking a positive approach is key and I just look at it like this: I made my lift goals this cycle even without knowing about this imbalance issue -- what potential is ahead of me if I can correct it?!

 

[Perrin Aybara]

I quit doing any heavy dumbbell pressing for that reason.

 

[Capt Forest]

Just found this. I love the really educated use of supps you have chosen. This is great. How did you like the 60mg test a week?

 

[RThoads]

Just found this. I love the really educated use of supps you have chosen. This is great. How did you like the 60mg test a week?

I think it would have been enough to give me enough E2 conversion had I not had any AI. However, I did find that my recovery was much better when I upper it. I am happy I started low so I could both control E2 and also tapper up throughout the program.
On a typical split I think I would have stayed at the 60mg, but the Texas Method was aggressive linear advancement and I did much better at 300 mg Test-E a week.

 

[RThoads]

I quit doing any heavy dumbbell pressing for that reason.

Yeah, I don't think they are worth it. I would rather use them as a finisher after pre-fatigue with the other work and not have to go over the 100s.

I see some guys smoothly get into position with 150s -- guys that can not even bench as much as I do, but it is not for me at this point; just not worth me risking an injury for nothing. More power to the guys that have it down smooth -- but I suck at getting anything over 90s into position.

I am completely happy with barbell flat bench first, flys or dips second, and finish it off with some light dumbells.

 

[Capt Forest]

I think it would have been enough to give me enough E2 conversion had I not had any AI. However, I did find that my recovery was much better when I upper it. I am happy I started low so I could both control E2 and also tapper up throughout the program.
On a typical split I think I would have stayed at the 60mg, but the Texas Method was aggressive linear advancement and I did much better at 300 mg Test-E a week.

so you could feel the change in your mood/body when you upped the test to 300mg? I am in the process of reading through this now have you posted any progress pics?

EDIT:NVM I FOUND THEM LOOKING GOOD DUDE

 

[RThoads]

so you could feel the change in your mood/body when you upped the test to 300mg? I am in the process of reading through this now have you posted any progress pics?

Yes, I did feel as I recovered faster and more completely by two weeks after upping the dosage. However, it was subtle -- no major surge or strength or anything; just a mild increase in recovery which allowed me to continue to advance as I pushed PRs.

There are pics. I took the PRs vids down just to keep my privacy but the lifts are all listed

here is a post with some pics:
RT's long way to the top

 

[RThoads]

01-JUL-2016
(week-19 summary)

Holding steady at 195 lb.
Unilateral work is getting a little better here in its second week.
Still a notable imbalance but improved over the first week.



I have been focusing on a lot of research for OTC supplements and have added a few new things.

HMB+Leucine+Creatine may (potentially) counteract Myostatin (the protein that contributes greatly to your genetic limit for muscle building).

"Leu, HMB and Crea may reduce MSTN-induced muscle fiber atrophy by influencing Akirin-1/Mighty mRNA expression patterns. Future studies are needed to examine if Leu, HMB and Crea independently or synergistically affect Akirin-1/Mighty expression, and how Akirin-1/Mighty expression mechanistically relates to skeletal muscle hypertrophy in vivo."
SOURCE: L-leucine, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyric acid (HMB) and creatine monohydrate prevent myostatin-induced Akirin-1/Mighty mRNA down-regulation and m... - PubMed - NCBI

How I have been doing it:
is with bulk powders: 5g BCAA poweder, added 2.5g pure Leucine, 5g creatine, and 5g HMB.
I have been taking this combo immediately pre-workout and late evenings on workout day.
On none lifting days I take it pre-breakfast and late evenings.

PERSONAL RESULTS:
it tastes terrible -- but I do feel a slight increase in recovery and muscular endurance; too early to tell if it is placebo or real effect. At a minimum the additional leucine should be upping my mTOR signally pathway which leads to condition which foster increased protein synthesis.

-------

Citruline Malate (2:1) + TMG (Betain) + Beta-Alanine
A lot of research showing this combo will help pre-workout by buffering metabolic waste products and increasing muscular endurance.

How I have been using it:
6g Citruline Malate, 3g TMG, and 2g Beta-Alanine in about 16 oz of water 30 mins pre-workout (at home right before I leave for the gym).

PERSONAL RESULTS:
it tastes good to me! some people that have tried it said it tasted too chemically bitter/sour. But I think it just tastes like a strong sour lemonade and I actually like it.
I have had a notable increase is stamina; it feel like I just can not get deeply fatigued--as if I could train an extra hour above my normal (I believe the increase in stamina too strong to attribute to placebo effects because my performance baseline is well established). I do get a short-term tingling effect in my hands, feet, and face about 10 mins drinking the mix but that only lasts a little while and is not uncomfortable.

-------

Let me know if you guys are interested in stuff like this and next week I will share my new post-workout shake.

 

[Capt Forest]

Nice research dude. I dig it. I will give your stacks a shot when I get a little extra cash. I have had previous theory's in the past but never saw research to back them up like you have presented. so thats a huge plus thanks for that. Share as much knowledge as you can or want.

 

[RThoads]

Last pin of the blast was today.
I will try to get some final pics tomorrow and make a summary of what I thought about the cycle.

Time to start cruising on:
100 mg Primo
60 mg Test-E

My Ralox has not made it to me yet (I may have to contact the source because it seems a bit long -- been 3 weeks). Therefore, I will likely will run the AI for at least a week or two because of the long ester half-lives. Then the pan is to drop the AI and control E2 by adjusting the ratio or Test to Primo.

I will get much more comprehensive bloods (the male panel with sensitive E2, lipids, thyroid etc in addition to the usual) in a few weeks after my cruise levels are established.

 

[Bodmod666]

Detail to this log is insane!!get it!!

 

[RThoads]

Recomp Week 20 Cycle Summary and Progress Pics.

well here is the finished product of my 20 week recomp.
Scale weight is down about 7 lb from the start but, as people who followed have seen, PRs on all big lifts including hitting those goals of 405/315/500 on the big three (actually surpassed it by hitting 315 for a triple on bench, my former weakest lift).

I feel more solid and get a lot of compliments that I have gained size.
So although I do not have any true body comp numbers, I believe my body comp has greatly improved.

I am VERY happy with this cycle and the fact I extended it.
I got multiple bloodworks throughout and made adjustments as needed -- but always had healthy numbers so I went the full 20 weeks.

EQ was great for the recomp; slow steady gains, ZERO sides, very mild and worked well as my base, and routine blood donations prevented any issues with RBC or HTC.
DECA had to have been working to improve my joints because this is the longest stretch I have gone without ANY shoulder problems and very little elbow or knee discomfort.
TEST-E was kept relatively low dose and this also workout out well: ZERO acne, very little gyno flare (only a little gyno when I upper TEST or lowered AI but was easy to stay in control of) and RBC/HTC stayed under control.
PEPTIDES mod-GRF and GHRP-2 are solid and I believe helped in recomp goals by boosting GH with ZERO sides. TB500 and BPC157 are life-savers for my tendinitis, NOT a 100% cure, but allowed me to train when it started to flare up on me.

The Texas Method excellent solid linear progression -- if you can handle weekly additions to the bar this is an excellent approach. I really enjoyed big gains on the second half after making the adjustment of deadlifting twice a week (mondays volume/speed day and fridays heavy intensity day) while moving rows to weds.

A BIG THANK YOU to @Perrin Aybara for help, advice, info, and detailed feedback that helped me understand the program and reach my goals. Thank you brother, greatly appreciate it.

What I could have done better is stay focused upon one primary goals. By this I mean I was not willing to lose strength; I had competing goals -- get stronger and get leaner. I would have gone further if I focused exclusive efforts upon one goal. In this case I should have been more devoted to losing fat; I know I could have gotten a better body comp. However, I cheated when I felt drained because the progression was aggressive and hard! and I wanted to hit those target lifts. but hey, I got them up

 

[Perrin Aybara]

The tagging system sucks, I wasn't notified, lol. I definitely can see a lot of body recomp progress though. You did great running this program without being on a massive bulk. I've enjoyed helping out and seeing the progress. You did all the heavy lifting, I just gave a little advice here and there. Looking forward to the next one.

 

[Relliot]

Very informative log, great before and after as well!