Yes, I could walk daily.
Noted on the 1RM being optimistic. I just can’t understand why my bench and other lifts haven’t shot up by now. I am killing myself on this program.
My lifts did not shoot up, it was slow progress. I think the degree that the lifts go up depends on individual response, and greatly on how strong you are already. A guy benching 185 for a max, is probably going to get a big jump in performance compared to the guy benching 405 assuming they have about the same genetic potential.
Hi Guys,
I have been pushing myself to the limit everyday in my training, which has been 6 days a week 2 times per day for 5 weeks (started 1 week before the blast). I haven’t used caffeine or any stim for the full five weeks as I want to stay in tune with the blast and how I am feeling physically and mentally.
Here is how I currently feel:
-
Knees aching last 3 days… ordered knee sleeves
-
I am making consistent progress (small steady steps) but,my mental aggressiveness has diminished greatly. I am going through the motions as best I can vs wanting to kill it
*Yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and pushed through it and smashed shoulders and arms. By the evening my throat was worse and this morning it hasn’t gotten any better. It was a 3/10 in terms of being bearable which is why I went all out training yesterday. Today maybe a 4/10
Today is day 6 with tomorrow being the day 7 Rest Day.
Shall I:
A) push through, train today and rest tomorrow as per my program
B) skip today and rest tomorrow so I have 2 days full rest
C) Push through but plan a deload? If so how long should it be for?
Todays 2 Workouts are not super important as I have already done rack pulls, sumo deadlifts and squats this week. I am concerned that if things get worse I might be out for longer than a day or two.
Thanks for the guidance and help!
Obviously your body does not tolerate that much training that often. It tries to tell you something. The best choice is don’t push through, get healthy, because you’re only making it worse. Then plan a 4-6 days (no two a days!) per week training split and make gains again. You’re showing all early signs of overtraining on a steroid cycle. That should be enough for you to see it’s not working for you.
4 Likes
I didn’t read the whole thread but for what it’s worth, if you plan on 12 weeks test at 300, and wanted 6 weeks anavar, I would do pulse dosing of the var, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off and repeat for the 12 week blast
Less effect on liver and lipids.
IMO anavar made my hdl go from 46 to 17, and ldl go from 100 to 188
Thanks for chiming in @steve78. I am doing. A 12 week blast on 500mg test and am considering Var for the final 5 weeks.
I got sick midway through week 5 which has cost me 4 days of no training which is very annoying. I should be back training again tomorrow.
@lordgains you are right. Not only was I doing the 6 days of two a days but I added some high volume work on my less intense days which also pushed due over the edge.
I’ve never heard anyone doing that. Let’s say you are correct that doing it this way helps with the strain on lipids but how much less effective is it than doing it every week for 6 weeks? Seems like just when the Anavar starts you stop it. @iron_yuppie any insight on this?
1 Like
I know that some might object to this from a strict bodybuilding perspective but in my opinion this is one of the best training plans out there.
I think it prevents overtraining because it allows for enough recovery, it focuses on the big lifts and it has room for assistance and isolation exercises that are up for the lifter to decide.
I’ll say, you should take at least 3 days off, eat well, sleep well and go for walks to relax. Than I’d start that. Maybe you’ll get enough out of your cycle that way. But it’s difficult even on roids to gain whilst overtrained.
Maybe other guys can chime in, who have more practical experience with overtraining while on cycle and how to make the most of it.
1 Like
This was a very interesting read @lordgains. I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that when on a blast the body recuperates much faster than when natural or at natural t levels.
It seems, however, that my thinking might be flawed if people like Brian Shaw and others clearly on PEDs only train 4 days a week.
Are you suggested I take a further 3 days off, totalling a full week?
1 Like
My coach has told me that he has the individual workouts not being much different among his Natty and enhanced clients. Over time the enhanced lifters progress faster in general though.
I meant 3 days total, but you gotta gauge how good you’re feeling. I’d definitely ease into the training for a week
For every guy that’s training 4 days on gear, there’s one who does 7. You have to find what works for you and now you have a data point for what doesn’t. So now when you’re feeling good again, go with 4 and see how that goes. It will probably work well, then you’ll try 5 next cycle with the fifth being a manly pump workout and see if it’s more effective.
I’m sure a lot of guys on here train 3/4/5/6 days a week. Tolerance is individually very different even on steroids.
If you dont get stronger, take a week off. It will help.
2 Likes
Thanks @lordgains and @imeldo.
I missed 4 days of training due to be being sick. I spent the following week doing:
4 workouts across the week (No two a days) all with 1 to 2 reps in the tank and with a rest day after each and every session. I have hit the whole body with much less intensity and I now feel MUCH better.
Tomorrow is my final rest day and then I am going back in hard.
I am tweaking my previous program which was 6 days (2 a days) of non stop training and 1 day of rest and adding an additional rest day after workout 3.
So the new revised program is 3 days on 1 day off again with two a days. I am lowering the intensity by a good margin with only the final set of each major lift to failure. This will mean I am hitting every muscle every 4 days, so 2 times every 8 days.
I would love to add a couple more weeks onto my planned 12 week blast due to getting sick, but I don’t know how much that increases the risks and potential sides.
Is it advisable to taper off the test before returning to my TRT dose?
This actually sounds like the plan you should follow from now on in my opinion.
You can stick with the two a days but be careful with intensity! Your problem won’t be volume but intensity. CT says it best: out of the 3 (intensity, volume, frequency) 2 can be high, one must be low otherwise you’ll crash. In your case you got high frequency, high volume (over a week) and if you push too hard you got all three full.
That’s why I recommended 4 days a week then frequency will be low, so intensity can be higher (which you seemingly enjoy).
I’d be very careful with your plan even with a day less or you end up in the same place you were, 4 weeks from now.
So my advice would be: leave one rep in the tank on the compound movements, go to failure only on isolation exercises and most importantly see how you’re feeling after each week.
Do you feel you need your rest day after 3 days training or you couldn’t function anymore?
Do you sleep well?
Are you wired all day or long after your workout or are you able to relax?
Your body tells you what to do.
You can blast a bit longer.
A taper off makes sense.
Edit: depending on how you taper off, your be blasting longer anyway, so in that case don’t blast longer, just do a slow taper.
1 Like
Thank you @lordgains for an amazing helpful response! I completely agree with your wise advice on limiting intensity. I will be doing this for sure. Is going to failure on my final set to aggressive
I would have gone with a different program, but resisted because the guy who helped me put the program together knows me personally, including my entire diet and lifting history, along with weaknesses and injuries.
You are spot on! I will be posting my end of week 6 update shortly and would greatly appreciate your feedback along with others.
Thanks again bud!
WEEK 6 UPDATE:
Questions Please:
-
I have been consistently gaining strength but it hasn’t been much more than what I expect from hard training, good sleep and a calorie surplus. I have been adding around 2.5kg (5.2lbs) on my pushing lifts per week, but the weights aren’t that impressive am eating 1,200 calories over my previous food intake pre blast. Some have advised it is after weeks 4 to 6 that things really heat up on a blast. Maybe I should just be more patient or maybe I need to add more food?
-
Should I have gained more bodyweight by this point? As per the attached I have gained 11lbs in 6 weeks and most of that was in the first 4 weeks. I don’t feel I am much below 18/17% but should I be eating more and accepting a little fat gain? My BF% as per the navy calculator is showing me around 12% which can’t be right, but my neck has definitely grown due to lots of deads and shrugs and this is a big factor in the navy calcs. Should I add in more calories at this point?
-
What would adding in Anavar (I sent to be lab tested to confirm 100% legit) for the last 4 to 5 weeks likely achieve? Dosage? I heard 30mg to 50mg daily. Is it a good idea?
-
What can I expect to achieve on my bench by the end of the blast? Here is an example of my 1RM bench calculation over the last 12 months (remember pre blast for the entire vast year I have been eating 2,000 calories per day).
As you will note I am approaching my goal now and should hopefully hit 140kg (3 plates) For a single or double in the next 4 weeks. My goal before starting the blast was 140kg for one all out set of 5 reps, but that seems way out of reach as I am currently doing 120kg for 5 sets of 5. -
On my HRT protocol of daily microdosing:
100mg a week test c
HCG
6.25 Aromasin E3D
My bloods were great. Given the huge increase (5x) in test and my inability to get bloods done during this Covid lockdown, I upped my Aromasin to EOD From E3D at the same dosage. I have no real sides at present (no acne, sensitive nipples, anxiety, etc). Could this be reducing my water retention and explain why I haven’t gained more weight or do I need to increase my calories?
A BIG thanks to @iron_yuppie @dextermorgan @lordgains @mnben87 and @TRT_Phoenix for solid guidance through this entire process!
I didn’t notice much on T only until around week 6. I didn’t know shit about steroids at the time and thought maybe it wasn’t legit but by week 8 I had noticeable changes in the mirror and by week 12 I had gained quite a bit of weight. Just give it time. I know a guy that did 700mg/week for 12 weeks and only gained 10 lbs because he didn’t eat enough food.
My second week of Anavar completely crashed my libido so keep that in mind if your significant other is a nympho. I had to stop it but plan on doing it once the gyms open back up in 3 years.
You likely don’t need the AI. It’s definitely not going to help you get jacked. Higher T needs higher E.
That really depends. I would not go to failure on a squat or deadlift ever besides competition (PL meets). There’s no point in doing that. It will wreck havoc on your CNS and provide you not a bit more gains than going to a 9.5 RPE.
This is different for isolation exercises, there, you can go to failure and it can be a method for achieving results.
The bench or the overhead are in the middle. It would be better to not fail on the bench as your weight is heavy enough to strain your recovery ability. The press can be failed once in a while, but it would be better to limit it.
The barbell row in my experience is not that taxing if you fail.
All big barbell compound movements SHOULD be done at maximum 9 RPE in general in normal training. Isolation exercises to failure are ok.
Remember that failure is not necessary for fast progress. Plan intelligently and you don’t need to fail a squat.
1 Like
This depends a lot on your goal. When pushing for strength your CNS plays a large part in your program. Overtraining CNS is a lot easier than overtraining muscles, especially on PEDs, and this kills strength gains. Training at a high % of 1RM is hard on the CNS, even for advanced lifters. If the goal is hypertrophy, you do different things to take advantage of the PEDs.
1 Like