Those are nice squats man, now as to the sleep. Right before bed take five jager shots.
You’ll sleep like a baby.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks Steely and Kevin. It APPEARS to be moving.
Dave,
I am still on TRT. Although, I don’t know how much longer.
I am doing Androgel, HCG (250iu 3x per week…EOD) and Adex.
Bloodwork #1, on 7.5g, I had a TT of 2000 and FT of 104.
Bloodwork #2, on 5g, I had a TT of 1770 and FT of 82.
I THINK that the HCG is really spiking my T. Without it, though, my boy parts start to ache like hell. The doc has me on 2.5g, right now. I have labs in 1 1/2 months. I suspect that it is still going to be high. So, I might end up just on HCG.
I am also thinking of eliminating my Adex use. At 2 drops a day, when I was taking 7.5g of Androgel, my E2 was 25. Right now, if I take even 1 drop everyday, my libido crashes and my joints start to hurt.
So, we will see.
What were your numbers?[/quote]
Oh off the top of my head, T was 251 and FT was 1.4(?). They both were off the low end of things. I was prescribed testosterone cypionate. I haven’t started taking it yet because I have been battling with insurance and the pharmacy. Cost will be $102/month after “insurance”. I believe the script called for a shot every two weeks. Does that sound right? Seems too infrequent to me. What is this HCG you speak of and is it a viable alternative?
BTW, I’m almost 32 and this really sucks.
DAYUM big benching and squattin’ Skip. I’m with ya on the sleep thing. If it wasnt for ambien and enough melatonin to put a bull to sleep I’d be watching EVERY minute of every night go by. Damn good training!
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks Kevin. And I am built a bit like Shrek. I really need to trim the gut…so I won’t be as Shrekesque.
0_s, gotta have the hard stuff to listen too. I don’t have an ipod . If I did, it might be pink, though. Because it would likely be my daughter that picked it out 
I was wondering when someone was going to ask about the “bump”. Believe it or not, it is a vein. It is a big one that just happens to run on the outside of my Achilles. It doesn’t help that it also seems to have a fat deposit associated with it. When I lost 110#, it shrank considerably…but was still prominent.[/quote]
The pink ipod was picked out by me but the pink player belongs to my teenage daughter. I agree about the music. There is certain music that makes my eyes bleed aggression and adrenaline.
My guy has a vein like that on the inside of his knee and it really bothers him when he wraps to squat. [/quote]
I have been fortunate. I don’t wrap my ankles for anything…even running. When I played ball, though, I got it taped. I am pretty sure it must have pressed it into my tendon and cut off the flow. But it never caused any issues that I am aware of.
Thanks OP, OG and Joe.
OP - that is very astute of you. Indeed I do get out in front once I get above parallel. Steve suggested that I get the bar lower on my back (which would hurt like a mother…my elbows are already in pain), which would keep the weight over my ankles better. Tony suggested that I might move the bar up a tad higher, which would, hopefully, force me to stay more upright. I need to test both of these and see which one feels better.
Since I have short legs and a long torso, it would seem that Tony’s solution might work better…causing less lean. I think it happens, though, because my body finds it easier to get through my sticking point with the greater lean. If the lean is going to happen, on heavier sets, then Steve’s solution would work better, or the weight will get even further in front of me. I never claimed my form was great. But I am pleased with the arch and depth.
OG - I hope the pounds will come. With the nagging thigh, I am content to do enough to keep my squats where they are (maybe a little gain) and work on my bench, though.
Joe - I do love Jager. I so fear the next morning, though. I get hangovers from Nyquil
[quote]j_willy3 wrote:
DAYUM big benching and squattin’ Skip. I’m with ya on the sleep thing. If it wasnt for ambien and enough melatonin to put a bull to sleep I’d be watching EVERY minute of every night go by. Damn good training![/quote]
Thanks, Wilson. I normally don’t have issues sleeping. My wife is the Ambien utilizer in my house. (She is going to try to stop using it this weekend. I have much fear.) This issue is sourced in a 4 year old. He comes down and gets in our bed almost every night. When in our bed, he plasters himself against me. If I roll away, he follows, until I am on the edge of the bed. Since I have no room, I have to wake up in order to roll over. Also, he has a knack for kicking or kneeing me in the privates.
We are working on getting him to stay in his bed, without him crying it out. That is a me issue. Last night we told him that he had to stay in his bed…his big boy bed. Mom told him NOT to come down. So, at midnight, I here this faint crying sound. I thought is was a cat, but wasn’t sure. Got up and went to check. He was standing at the top of the stairs, crying. He didn’t come down, because of what his Mom told him. So he just stopped at the top and cried.
The cat had jumped on his bed and woke him up…and scared him.
It took me an hour to get him back to sleep. An hour later, he was downstairs, crying. He is very afraid of the dark…not sure why. He ended up in our bed. I put him on the outside, though, and I actually slept well. Well, for the 4 hours I had between my finally getting to sleep and having to get up for work.
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks Steely and Kevin. It APPEARS to be moving.
Dave,
I am still on TRT. Although, I don’t know how much longer.
I am doing Androgel, HCG (250iu 3x per week…EOD) and Adex.
Bloodwork #1, on 7.5g, I had a TT of 2000 and FT of 104.
Bloodwork #2, on 5g, I had a TT of 1770 and FT of 82.
I THINK that the HCG is really spiking my T. Without it, though, my boy parts start to ache like hell. The doc has me on 2.5g, right now. I have labs in 1 1/2 months. I suspect that it is still going to be high. So, I might end up just on HCG.
I am also thinking of eliminating my Adex use. At 2 drops a day, when I was taking 7.5g of Androgel, my E2 was 25. Right now, if I take even 1 drop everyday, my libido crashes and my joints start to hurt.
So, we will see.
What were your numbers?[/quote]
Oh off the top of my head, T was 251 and FT was 1.4(?). They both were off the low end of things. I was prescribed testosterone cypionate. I haven’t started taking it yet because I have been battling with insurance and the pharmacy. Cost will be $102/month after “insurance”. I believe the script called for a shot every two weeks. Does that sound right? Seems too infrequent to me. What is this HCG you speak of and is it a viable alternative?
BTW, I’m almost 32 and this really sucks.[/quote]
Yeah, 251 is definitely low. Not sure about the range on the FT.
The best folks to ask would be KSMan or KNB, and there are others. I know that different types of injectible T has different release rates. Everything I have heard, though, would seem to indicate that every 2 weeks is too infrequent. At 2 weeks your levels could be really low and you could feel like hell. I think many suggest breaking down the dosage into 2 shots per week or 1 per week on the outside.
I don’t know all of the technical jargon, but the HCG compensates for the lack of LH that TRT will most likely cause. LH being the hormone released by the pituitary that tells your boys to produce T. In my case, my testicles ache like hell on just the Androgel…and that is not uncommon…because they are shutting down. The HCG prevents this from happening. So, no loss of size and no ache.
As such, HCG causes you to produce T. If the issue with your natural T production is the testicles themselves (they can’t produce more) then HCG isn’t going to miraculously make you produce more. The most you could hope for is that it keeps the current levels.
It seems that, in my case, my testicles can produce a lot more than they were, but my low-normal LH and FSH would seem to indicate either a pituitary problem or that my body just didn’t think it needed more.
My 1770 TT, on 5g of Androgel, is about 1000 more than a good absorber should get from that dose. Even if I was getting 150% of that 770 (expected level) from Androgel, my boys would still be producing over 600…and I started at 346.
Problem is, a lot of docs don’t know about HCG for TRT. I had to get mine international.
Hope you feel better and get a good nights sleep. Sleep deprivation is no fun. Kills any kind of motivation for lifting or eating right. MJ would say 5/3/1 will cure the sleep problem. I disagree. Stone carries are the cure.
Skip, my daughter is 12 and still goes through periods where she wakes us up. Mostly now it has to do with the girl drama at school or some stress incident in her life. USUALLY her mom and I figure out what the stressor is after the fact. When she was 4 it was the same thing for us as you are dealing with. It’s cold and hard, but we let her cry. After a couple of nights she was making it through the night… Most nights…
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
Hope you feel better and get a good nights sleep. Sleep deprivation is no fun. Kills any kind of motivation for lifting or eating right. MJ would say 5/3/1 will cure the sleep problem. I disagree. Stone carries are the cure.[/quote]
Unfortunately, I am in the same boat as Wilson. No stones laying around. Lots of cinder blocks and landscape bricks, but no heavy stuff.
Hmmmm…that is interesting. My sleep problems started when I broke from 5/3/1. Maybe mj is on to something.
[quote]j_willy3 wrote:
Skip, my daughter is 12 and still goes through periods where she wakes us up. Mostly now it has to do with the girl drama at school or some stress incident in her life. USUALLY her mom and I figure out what the stressor is after the fact. When she was 4 it was the same thing for us as you are dealing with. It’s cold and hard, but we let her cry. After a couple of nights she was making it through the night… Most nights… [/quote]
My wife has suggested we do just that. And I know that is the normal way to deal with it. In fact, we did that with our daughter. Christopher, my Autie son, never really wanted to sleep with us. He did cry it out as a baby, though.
I resist for two reasons… 1) we let the older 2 cry it out and I have one that is Autie and one that has ADHD (ADD). Related? Not likely, but I am paranoid. And 2) He is my baby! Once he stops, never again. I like having him there. I would just help if he would give me enough room to roll over
He is getting better, though. If it doesn’t continue to improve, however, he is going to have to cry, because I do need to sleep well occasionally.
Military Day
The lack of sleep finally caught up with me. I went into today’s workout with little energy, little focus, little desire and really no plan. The results? I tweaked my left shoulder on the 1st set of 135#.
Dislocatesx10x2
Windmillsx10x2
Static Stretching
Military Press
barx10
95x10
135x5 - tweaked shoulder here
185x2
205x1
225x5 - PR +2 Reps - went into this wanting 5 and, therefore, had no umph…as I expected to get it. Wish I had planned a rep out here and gotten amped for it.
225x3 - shoulder really tight
135x27 - PR +2 Reps
BB Shrugs
225x20
315x15
405x12x2 - straps
Supersetted Laterals and Rear Delt Raises
Laterals
25sx10
30sx10
35sx10
R. Delt Raises
25sx10
30sx10
35sx10
Internal and External rotations - 4 of each per arm.
Shoulder has started to loosen up. I REALLY need some sleep. Hopefully things are back to normal by Sunday, especially with the shoulder.
Holy shit, you’re on a tear! Monster!
Looking strong Strick.
Nice work. And, just like me, tweaked a joint, aw hell, just keep liftin. Hope the shoulders not too sore.
Thanks, Steely and Tony. I just really wish I had gone into the set looking at a rep out. I feel like I cheated myself by setting a lower number in my head and just having enough gas to get there.
RL, the shoulder is doing better already. This morning, it is the other shoulder that aches. I’m not sure if it is because of the position I slept in (likely) or that I needed more rear delt work. In any case, the tweaked shoulder isn’t complaining right now.
Brutal Millies Big Man, just freakin brutal…in a good way!
[quote]OldGoat wrote:
Brutal Millies Big Man, just freakin brutal…in a good way![/quote]
Thanks, OG. And that might be the right word. Didn’t notice anything with the shoulder, this morning. I have since discovered that lifting my arm above shoulder level does cause discomfort. I don’t think it is anything bad, though.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks Steely and Kevin. It APPEARS to be moving.
Dave,
I am still on TRT. Although, I don’t know how much longer.
I am doing Androgel, HCG (250iu 3x per week…EOD) and Adex.
Bloodwork #1, on 7.5g, I had a TT of 2000 and FT of 104.
Bloodwork #2, on 5g, I had a TT of 1770 and FT of 82.
I THINK that the HCG is really spiking my T. Without it, though, my boy parts start to ache like hell. The doc has me on 2.5g, right now. I have labs in 1 1/2 months. I suspect that it is still going to be high. So, I might end up just on HCG.
I am also thinking of eliminating my Adex use. At 2 drops a day, when I was taking 7.5g of Androgel, my E2 was 25. Right now, if I take even 1 drop everyday, my libido crashes and my joints start to hurt.
So, we will see.
What were your numbers?[/quote]
Oh off the top of my head, T was 251 and FT was 1.4(?). They both were off the low end of things. I was prescribed testosterone cypionate. I haven’t started taking it yet because I have been battling with insurance and the pharmacy. Cost will be $102/month after “insurance”. I believe the script called for a shot every two weeks. Does that sound right? Seems too infrequent to me. What is this HCG you speak of and is it a viable alternative?
BTW, I’m almost 32 and this really sucks.[/quote]
Yeah, 251 is definitely low. Not sure about the range on the FT.
The best folks to ask would be KSMan or KNB, and there are others. I know that different types of injectible T has different release rates. Everything I have heard, though, would seem to indicate that every 2 weeks is too infrequent. At 2 weeks your levels could be really low and you could feel like hell. I think many suggest breaking down the dosage into 2 shots per week or 1 per week on the outside.
[/quote]
Doctor has me on 1cc every two weeks for two months. Then 1cc once per month. Blood work sometime during then.
[quote]
I don’t know all of the technical jargon, but the HCG compensates for the lack of LH that TRT will most likely cause. LH being the hormone released by the pituitary that tells your boys to produce T. In my case, my testicles ache like hell on just the Androgel…and that is not uncommon…because they are shutting down. The HCG prevents this from happening. So, no loss of size and no ache.
As such, HCG causes you to produce T. If the issue with your natural T production is the testicles themselves (they can’t produce more) then HCG isn’t going to miraculously make you produce more. The most you could hope for is that it keeps the current levels.
It seems that, in my case, my testicles can produce a lot more than they were, but my low-normal LH and FSH would seem to indicate either a pituitary problem or that my body just didn’t think it needed more.
My 1770 TT, on 5g of Androgel, is about 1000 more than a good absorber should get from that dose. Even if I was getting 150% of that 770 (expected level) from Androgel, my boys would still be producing over 600…and I started at 346.
Problem is, a lot of docs don’t know about HCG for TRT. I had to get mine international.[/quote]
I’ll see how it goes. If I start experiencing these side effects, I will contacting this international supplier.
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks Steely and Kevin. It APPEARS to be moving.
Dave,
I am still on TRT. Although, I don’t know how much longer.
I am doing Androgel, HCG (250iu 3x per week…EOD) and Adex.
Bloodwork #1, on 7.5g, I had a TT of 2000 and FT of 104.
Bloodwork #2, on 5g, I had a TT of 1770 and FT of 82.
I THINK that the HCG is really spiking my T. Without it, though, my boy parts start to ache like hell. The doc has me on 2.5g, right now. I have labs in 1 1/2 months. I suspect that it is still going to be high. So, I might end up just on HCG.
I am also thinking of eliminating my Adex use. At 2 drops a day, when I was taking 7.5g of Androgel, my E2 was 25. Right now, if I take even 1 drop everyday, my libido crashes and my joints start to hurt.
So, we will see.
What were your numbers?[/quote]
Oh off the top of my head, T was 251 and FT was 1.4(?). They both were off the low end of things. I was prescribed testosterone cypionate. I haven’t started taking it yet because I have been battling with insurance and the pharmacy. Cost will be $102/month after “insurance”. I believe the script called for a shot every two weeks. Does that sound right? Seems too infrequent to me. What is this HCG you speak of and is it a viable alternative?
BTW, I’m almost 32 and this really sucks.[/quote]
Yeah, 251 is definitely low. Not sure about the range on the FT.
The best folks to ask would be KSMan or KNB, and there are others. I know that different types of injectible T has different release rates. Everything I have heard, though, would seem to indicate that every 2 weeks is too infrequent. At 2 weeks your levels could be really low and you could feel like hell. I think many suggest breaking down the dosage into 2 shots per week or 1 per week on the outside.
[/quote]
Doctor has me on 1cc every two weeks for two months. Then 1cc once per month. Blood work sometime during then.
[quote]
I don’t know all of the technical jargon, but the HCG compensates for the lack of LH that TRT will most likely cause. LH being the hormone released by the pituitary that tells your boys to produce T. In my case, my testicles ache like hell on just the Androgel…and that is not uncommon…because they are shutting down. The HCG prevents this from happening. So, no loss of size and no ache.
As such, HCG causes you to produce T. If the issue with your natural T production is the testicles themselves (they can’t produce more) then HCG isn’t going to miraculously make you produce more. The most you could hope for is that it keeps the current levels.
It seems that, in my case, my testicles can produce a lot more than they were, but my low-normal LH and FSH would seem to indicate either a pituitary problem or that my body just didn’t think it needed more.
My 1770 TT, on 5g of Androgel, is about 1000 more than a good absorber should get from that dose. Even if I was getting 150% of that 770 (expected level) from Androgel, my boys would still be producing over 600…and I started at 346.
Problem is, a lot of docs don’t know about HCG for TRT. I had to get mine international.[/quote]
I’ll see how it goes. If I start experiencing these side effects, I will contacting this international supplier.[/quote]
Once per month?? I would be very afraid of that. It might be worth finding out the release rate/half-life of the particular version you are being given and bring that up to him. If the replacement shuts down your own production, once your level from the injection drops, you are going to drop below even where you are now. That will not be fun.
If you need any info on the HCG, just PM me.