Great news!
Again, it’s all just different options - definitely do what works to improve your health; I have no knowledge on training and autoimmune diseases at all
update: increased my kcal intake over the last days, just came back from a good first session of my new routine that I adjusted thanks to the information all you guys shared with me in here.
I reduced the amount of exercises and increased the number of sets instead - this way I’m more in the exercise and not jumping around too much.
this is what my ABC routine looks like for a 3x week, that I’m gonna test for the next 4 weeks.
A
flat BP
Chest Fly
Arnold Press Seated db
Lunge variations
Hanging Knee Raises
B
Trapbar Deadlift
Iso Lat Pull
kb kneeling Upright Row
kb squats
C
db Squeeze Press
Arnold Press kb Bell Up
Cable Straight Bar Bicep Curls
Cable Rope Tricep PD
kb Bear Pull
super helpful, thanks again!
edit: I’m still not set on the order of exercises and might change some blocks, this is just a first draft. also I’m doing zone2 cardio after the session or more dynamic movements on rest days.
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Your workout is looking better. If you were sticking to it, i may suggest incline flies instead of flat bench flies, but that is nitpicking.
I hope this works out for you. If you choose to further simplify, just run a simple LP like starting strength with 6 lifts. It is a lot of fun and gets strength gains pretty quick
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small update: did a few sessions now with the recommendations and I already feel improvements.
- by doing less exercises but with more focus I feel more connected to the movements and targeted muscles.
- targeting 3000kcal/day with around 180g proteine
- I feel huge boost from adding whey after my gym session - before I took it with my breakfast ahead of the session.
- switching to arnold press is pure gold, the movement feels great and I think my shoulders are already growing.
only downside so far is that my sex drive, libido is down bad. might be coincidence or it’s due to the increased intensity. I hope for a recovery in this department, open for any recommendations for hormonal recovery or boosting sex drive in general.
I’ll keep going, thanks guys!
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Some specific nutrients, vitamins and minerals can help with Test production.
Vitamin D - maybe as much 5000-10000 iu per day
Magnesium Glycinate - maybe up to 400mg per 100 pounds of BW, per day
Zinc - 40-50 mg per day
Other micronutrients like Selenium and Chromium can help you sleep, and constant sleep is good for your Test.
Fats are the building blocks of hormones, so if your overall fat intake is low-low (or your ratio of “healthy” Omega 3s to “less healthy” Omega 6s is low) it can impair Test production. People use fish oil, olive oil, walnuts, etc to get enough.
Tongkat Ali or “Longjack” is an herbal supplement that dudes use for Test.
I’m having trouble adding links right now, but if you search “T Nation, Natural, Test” all kinks of short articles and advertisements for all these supplements, from BioTest should pop up.
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already taking / tested those, no real difference felt. mag glycinate made me feel a bit down (took it in the morning, might give it another try before bed), vit-D I’m taking 2.5k-5k daily and zinc 25mg every other day.
I’m really confused here bc my sex drive in my head is high (arousel) but my body doesn’t follow (weak erections). so I’m thinking it’s probably a hormonal issue or even dopamine related. there is so much of this to be found online but nothing really helps, at best it only fuels confusion.
I’ll look into tongkat ali, also read about black maca, but doubt that one of them will heal whatever is currently wrong (I know that’s not a great mindset but experience teached me to doubt the magic of supplements).
other areas I’m interested in that might help: fresh green herbs added to food bc of enzymes, outdoor nature movements to increase T (jumping squats or similar)
Most erection issues are due to blood flow problems. Only a small percentage of cases are hormone based. The fact that you have “high (arousal)” points even more to it being a blood flow issue.
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I agree, micro dose tadalafil works already great so blood flow is probably problem #1. but I’m looking for ways to rebuild my bodys ability to have hard erections without help of medication. any idea you can point me to – I read about specific foods to increase NO production (another function of tadalafil) and ingredients like beetroot for blood flow.
other ideas, tips or recommendations for exercise to improve blood flow?
another week is gone, here is my update:
I don’t feel good last days. I’m very tired, my body feels heavy and slow. I slept well, had morning wood so there is hope but during the day I’m tired, erections still weak. I’m eating 2800-3000 kcal with 160-190 g of proteine as discussed earlier. I feel like I have to loose some fat but I also want to eat a lot to give my body energy.
I read the 35+ workout plan and felt like I have to make some adjustment to my routine. do you see a better routine with these updates or doesn’t it really matter?
A Legs + some assistance / 2 Rest Days
- kb squats 3 x 8
- kb Lunges Forw./Rev./Curtsy 3 x 8
- Cable Rope Tricep PD 3 x 12
- Cable Straight Bar Bicep Curls 3 x 12
- Chest Fly 2 x 12
B Pull, Back / 1 Rest Day
- kb Deadlift 3 x 6
- Iso Lat Pull 3 x 12
- kb Upright Row 3 x 12
- Face Pulls 3 x 12
- kb Bear Pull 3 x 12
- zone 2 Cardio / Outdoor
C Push, Upper Body / 1 Rest Day
- flat BP 2 x 8, 1 x 12-20 80%
- db Squeeze Press 3 x 12
- Arnold Press 3 x 12
- Dips 3 x 10
- kb March 3 x 12
- zone 2 Cardio
Inspired by the post I switched the days, legs first with two rest days, then pull day before push. I also thought about splitting the exercises even more, maybe into a 4-5 day routine with even less exercises and with focus on a dedicated area for each day.
my concerns are based on the feeling after the sessions. I don’t feel the pump as much as before, I leave the gym with the feeling of missing something out - while I don’t have enough power to progressive overload exercises regularly. I know this sounds paradox.
what are you thoughts?
ok, so it’s been some weeks to months. tested different adjustment to my routine, feeling good for now with the balance of intensity and volume. I’m on micro dose tadalafil every third day for 1.25mg, which contributes to a better performance in gym for a rep or two on top.
also I increased my proteine intake with two shakes daily to around 170-190g (86kg weight) and found a good balance with my nutrition, too.
my current routine is
| A |
|---|
| flat BP |
| Lat Pull |
| Chest Fly |
| KB Squats |
| Dips |
| Hanging Knee Raises |
| B |
| Deadlift Trapbar |
| Chest Press DB |
| Chest Supported Row |
| Cable Cross Chest |
| Cable Shoulder Lift |
| KB Upright Row |
| BearPull Through + Navy Push Up |
do you notice any difference yet compared to my picture from the thread opener (progress left to right from march to today)?
It’s really hard to tell with the different lighting but what i’m seeing is slight chest/shoulder development from march to now.
If your gonna use tadalafil I would be taking 2.5mg/daily pre WO. Right now your only seeing benefit every third day. Take it every training day
ok, I’ll take it on the days I go to gym from now on. currently I cut a 5mg into 1/3 so I get about 1.65 every second to third day.
about the pictures: what can I do to have better comparison. I mean I try to take it from the same spot each day, something else to consider or improve?
I can’t imagine your seeing any real benefit from this method. Why such a low dose?
Why only every third day?
It’s the lighting. All of the pics are different. It just makes it harder to compare unless there are drastic differences.
with 2.5 I had side effects like headache and stuffed nose so I tested to lower the intake and it’s much better with the side effects. blood flow isn’t that strong with such a low dose but still I can see improvements (or maybe they are placebo). I like the pump and improvements but I also fear becoming dependend on it as a performance tool so that’s why I try to delay the intake or skip it here and there.
I had that issue as well. It makes my nasal turbinates swell which makes breathing difficult. I stopped using it all together as the nasal issue much outweighs the benefit.
Honestly a good pre WO with NO boosters will out perform that low dose of cialis.
I’m using it for bed performance, too and like the fact that it’s in the system for like 36 hours compared to a pre WO with NO boosters that have to be timed in a certain way. I appreciate your feedback and will dig into different boosters and might find a good alternative covering both scenarios.
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