DT's ReceptorMax/Beast Building Log

Training Logs
1

I need to gain some muscle.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t consider myself bad by most “regular folks’” standards, but who the hell wants to be “regular” (especially on this site!)? So when the “All Powerful Supplement” came out, I knew I needed to give it a shot.

Now, I usually do my research before beginning any new supplement and although I did about as much as I could with what was available about ReceptorMax, there’s not really a whole lot in the way of anecdotal, “real world” evidence. However, considering most supplement companies’ ads that run in the muscle mags read something along the lines of “I gained 25lbs of lean muscle in 12 hours”, maybe that’s a good thing.

Still, it always makes me feel better about spending a hundred dollars on a couple of bottles of pills if I can see some actual before and after pics along with a summary of in-the-trenches results by real people who, presumably, did not get paid to do so. So that’s the goal of this training log. I will be following CT’s Beast Building Program from start to finish and taking RecptorMax throughout the its entirety. The goal is to gain as much muscle as possible while providing a thorough and unbiased evaluation of RecptorMax in the process.

My training split will follow the Beast Building articles Parts 1-3 to the letter, with my diet consisting of approximately 3,500 kcals per day to start with about a 30/40/30 P/C/F ratio. Any changes to this will be posted in the log as they occur. If all goes well I plan to post the final results in a separate thread in the Supplements and Nutrition forum.

I will post my current measurements and “before” pictures later today. Day one of the program starts tomorrow.

2

Here are the starting measurements as promised, with the “before” pictures posted below. I know a lot of people post the before and after pics at the same time, but I figured by posting them now it will help to keep me more accountable and stick with the log as planned. The measurements are as follows:

Hight: 6’ 0"
Weight: 182lbs

Shoulders: 46.00"
Chest: 37.75"
Bicep: 14.00"
Navel: 32.25"
Thigh: 22.25"
Calf: 15.00"

All measurements taken cold and unflexed, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Note: I have decided NOT to include bodyfat measurements in this log. This decision was made because although I personally take measurements weekly for my own records, I do not feel that the three-site caliper test I use is accurate enough to post here.

However, I believe that I am lean enough for the before and after pictures to serve as a decent barometer of where I stand bodyfat-wise.

3


Front relaxed and front double bicep.

4

Side shot and one of me pretending to have abs.

5

Back relaxed and back double biceps.

6

… and that’s that!

Day one of the program starts tomorrow and I am definitely looking forward to getting some hard and heavy lifting in. The primary movements that I will be focusing on in the program and their current 1RMs (in lbs) are listed below.

Bench press: 245
Squat: 325
Bent over row: 225
Push press: 205
Sumo deadlift: 475
Weighted pull-up: 245

I am looking forward to seeing how much bigger and stronger I can become in the next 12 weeks. My diet is solid, the supplements were expensive, and the training will be intense.

Stay tuned…

7

Will you be taking ReceptorMax at full dose, i.e. 2 bottles of it per 4 weeks? I think that’s the approximate rate of consumption at the recommended dose.

Not that it’s necessary, but have you considered taking leucine as well with your meals?

If this is your first time trying to nail down your nutrition and exercise and coalesce them into a ‘plan,’ it might be wise to first figure out how your body responds to either before using more supplements.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the ReceptorMax and will be keeping an eye on your log.

Good luck!

8

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Will you be taking ReceptorMax at full dose, i.e. 2 bottles of it per 4 weeks? I think that’s the approximate rate of consumption at the recommended dose.

Not that it’s necessary, but have you considered taking leucine as well with your meals?

If this is your first time trying to nail down your nutrition and exercise and coalesce them into a ‘plan,’ it might be wise to first figure out how your body responds to either before using more supplements.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the ReceptorMax and will be keeping an eye on your log.

Good luck![/quote]

Ponce,

I do plan on taking the full dosage, which should work out to one bottle every fifteen days. I already bought the first four bottles after 11-T went on back order just in case something similar should happen with ReceptorMax, so I am pretty much locked in at this point.

At the moment I’m not sure if I will be taking Leucine during this time. I have used it for the past four weeks and have another bottle kicking around, but to be honest, I haven’t really noticed anything out of the ordinary with it.

Then again, it has only been four weeks so no miracles were expected. Either way, I want to make sure my supplement regimen stays consistent throughout the full 12 weeks (i.e. I don’t want to take Leucine for the first 4 weeks and then stop), so I guess the question at this point is whether or not it is worth the extra investment for another 2 bottles. I will make a definitive decision and let you know by tomorrow.

Also, this is not the first time I have tried to get my nutrition and training in check. I have been consistently fine tuning my diet and training for the past year or so and it is really to the point where I don’t need to think about it anymore.

I know exactly what I am going to eat at all times, when and how much, all of which is healthy, wholesome food. I know what my body can tolerate and I know what it can’t. I don’t even remember the last time I had a cheat meal (seriously).

However, I haven’t posted a lot on these forums lately, so there is really no way you could have known that. I agree that what you suggest is great advice for anyone not on top of their training and nutrition. Supplements should only be used to improve upon an already solid plan.

I have also followed a number of CT’s training protocols for an extended period or time and the Black Book of Training Secrets is pretty much my go-to guide when creating my own plans. The obvious upside to this is that I have a pretty good idea of how my body would respond to this type of training if I were to do so without taking any supplements.

That said, regardless of what my results are I hope that you and others are able to get something out of this log that will allow you to better assess whether or not ReceptorMax may be a worthy investment for you.

9

Day One:

First off, I decided that I will continue to use Leucine for at least the next 12 weeks. I basically made this decision this morning when, in a zombie-like state, I dumped 5g of Leucine into my morning shake, more out of habit more than consciousness. And to be honest, although I haven’t noticed anything spectacular from its use, CT’s article today made me feel a little more optimistic about including it in the program.

On another note, ReceptorMax really does smell like maple syrup. Seriously, it makes me feel delicious.

Anyways, day one’s workout consisted of the following:

Bench press
155 x 5
185 x 3 x 10
Squat
205 x 5
245 x 3 x 9
Barbell row
135 x 5
180 x 3 x 11

I have to say this really didn’t feel like a whole lot of work as I am just coming off of Charles Poliquin’s Lactic Acid Training program (which I highly recommend), but it felt damn good to lift a little on the heavy side again.

Looking forward to day two tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

10

Where did you find the Lactic Acid program template and what made you decide to go with that?

I know CT once posted that lactate training is ideal for boosting GH output. I take it that is your goal? You are certainly lean, so I can’t imagine you not wanting to gain some mass.

Keep posting and I’ll keep checking. Thanks!

11

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Where did you find the Lactic Acid program template and what made you decide to go with that?

I know CT once posted that lactate training is ideal for boosting GH output. I take it that is your goal? You are certainly lean, so I can’t imagine you not wanting to gain some mass.

Keep posting and I’ll keep checking. Thanks!
[/quote]

I got the template for the Lactic Acid program from Charles Poliquin’s article a while back entitled “Lactic Acid Training for Fat Loss”:

I basically liked the ideas behind the methods outlined in the article and had wanted to try the program for a long time, so I decided to use it to cut up a little bit before Halloween (because obviously Halloween is one of those holidays that is more fun without a shirt). I wasn’t going for anything too extreme, I just wanted to see if I could get a little leaner while keeping my diet pretty much the same. The idea being that I knew was going into a mass phase come November and anything that would involve lowering carbs below a certain point would just become counter-prodctive, as it would require a long and slow re-introduction to carbs in order to ensure I did not sabotage my progress.

I highly recommend that program to anyone looking for a change of pace. It’s just awesome. It will make you look and feel like a beast in the gym and the pump is unreal. So yeah, that’s that.

12

Day Two:

I am REALLY sore. You know, the kind of sore that makes a set of stairs look like the devil incarnate. That kind of sore, only it’s not just in my legs, but my chest and back as well. I love that kind of sore.

Today workout went as follows:

A1) Deadlift isometric hold
6s x 6, 90s rest
A2) Power clean from hang
135 x 6, 90s rest
Repeat for 6 sets total
B1) Back squat isometric hold
6s x 6, 90s rest
B2) Jump squat
65 x 8, 90s
Repeat for 6 sets total
C1) Bench press isometric hold
6s x 6, 90s rest
C2) Speed bench press
110 x 6, 90s rest
Repeat for 6 sets total

I really enjoyed the isometric/explosive pairings. Although I was getting some odd looks from people when I started trying to deadlift against a set of pins, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Tomorrow is an off day so maybe I can walk off this soreness. Than again, maybe not.

13

Day Three:

Today was an off day so I took the time that I normally spend lifting heavy objects and did some light recovery work to try and kick the soreness running through my entire body.

I am teaching one of my co-workers how to box so I basically did a few rounds of jump rope, got some good stretching in, and drilled some basic techniques. This actually worked out perfectly for me because I am trying to avoid doing any extra work (so I can build as much muscle as possible and not mess with the program) but still was able to get in the gym and break a sweat.

Day four tomorrow.

14

Can I ask how you calculated you calories? Are you eating less on off days? Or just keeping it constant throughout the week?

I am 5’7 and 165 and calculated 3000 calories on OFF days and 3600 on lifting days, maybe even 4000.

And this is for growth.

15

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Can I ask how you calculated you calories? Are you eating less on off days? Or just keeping it constant throughout the week?

I am 5’7 and 165 and calculated 3000 calories on OFF days and 3600 on lifting days, maybe even 4000.

And this is for growth.[/quote]

First off, I tend to use a carb cycling approach year round as I have found this to work very well for me. At the moment this consists of 4 “high” days (days which I lift), 2 “mid” days (days which I do active recovery/energy systems work) one “low” day where I basically do not physical activity outside of everyday living.

At the moment “high” days have me consuming about 3,700 kcals with the majority of my carbs coming from breakfast and peri-workout meals.

“Mid” days are around 3,200 kcals with the majority of carbs being consumed in my first three meals of the day, and my “low” day is set at about 2,900 kcals and is very low, basically zero carb (not counting fibrous veggies, etc.)

I have found from my own experience that having one very low carb day per week helps me to keep my bodyfat in check when gaining weight so I do it as standard now regardless of my goals.

These numbers are based on how my body has responded in the past to certain amounts of specific foods. If after a few weeks it appears insufficient or weight gains stops I will simply bump it up a little bit.

However, in the past I have used the calculator contained in Thib’s Carb Cycling Codex article and refer back to it every now and then. I think for my current stats and activity levels, this number is pretty close to where it should be.

16

Day Four:

Despite waking up and still being extremely sore (this is really uncommon for me), I still had a really good day in terms of getting it done in the gym.

Workout details:

Push press
135 x 5
155 x 3 x 10
Sumo deadlift
255 x 5
325 x 4
365 x 3 x 8
Pull-up (medium grip)
BW x 14

Oddly enough, after doing several sets of heavy dealfits, my legs began to feel much better. I can only image how they are going to feel tomorrow…

17

Day Five:

Very good day today. I didn’t have to lift so I just spent about a half hour doing active recovery work - jumping rope, stretching, mobility drills, etc.

Being at the office all day drives me crazy, so even if it’s just some light activity I try to make it to the gym every day. So if I didn’t even lift, why did I have such a good day?

First off, the soreness is pretty much all but gone from the other day’s workout, which makes the little things, like walking, enjoyable again.

More importantly though, today was our Quarterly Sales Conference at work, which meant I got to spend half the day in meetings rather than working, which kind of sucks because I actually like working.

So the GOOD news? As part of this last quarter’s sales incentives, my department had a contest where the rep who closed the most business would get an additional $2,000 on top of their monthly commission.

Well I found out today that that rep was me. And to top it off, they are giving me the money in AMEX giftcards so it’s tax free. The obvious downside is that you can’t pay the rent with giftcards… but you can buy supplements!

18

Awesome man, great news like that always gives me some extra emotional energy for the week.

Keep at it and spend wisely!

19

Day Six:

Tough day today. Lots of hard work, but I pretty much rocked it in the gym.

Workout details:

A1) Partial bench press
225 x 5 (warm-up set)
270 x 5, 120s rest
A2) Negative Bench press
245 x 1 (warm-up set)
285 x 1, 120s rest
Repeat working sets for 4 sets total
B1) Partial sumo deadlifts
275 x 5 (warm-up set)
365 x 5 (warm-up set)
405 x 5, 120s rest
B2) Negative conventional deadlift
275 x 1 (warm-up set)
365 x 1 (warm-up set)
405 x 1, 120s rest
Repeat working sets for 4 sets total
C1) Partial pull-up (medium grip)
227 x 5 (BW + 45)
C2) Negative pull-up (medium grip)
252 x 1 (BW + 70)
Repeat for 4 sets total
D) Bench press
50 x 100
E) Squat
65 x 100
F) Seated cable row
45 x 100

I definitely underestimated how tiring this workout would be, especially the partial sumo deadlifts, those were a real killer! To top it off I absolutely hate doing anything over 12 reps so banging out sets of 100 was an absolute treat after an already brutal workout.

On the plus side, it feels damn good to be done and it feels like I accomplished a lot today. Can’t wait to start seeing some real results!

20

Day Seven:

Weekly weigh-in:

Weight: 183 lbs
Waist: 32.25"

Off day again, so no lifting today. Completed my daily weigh-in this morning and am up a pound, so far so good.

I really haven’t noticed anything in terms of feeling different while taking ReceptorMax. I haven’t noticed an increase in hunger, but I am ALWAYS hungry (I attribute this to eating 8-9 time per day), so it’s hard for me to tell.

As far as body comp goes, on week is hardly sufficient to make any sort of statements regarding a supplement’s effectiveness. I do feel great though, but that is probably due more to events outside of the kitchen, lab, or weight room.