Q&A with Shadow Pro

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]tigwelder85 wrote:
Hey Shadow,

What is your opinion on protein and calorie consumption on a cycle versus not. I know the standard theory is 1-1.5 g per pound for protein and 15-20 cals per pound for calories.

I read theories that are all over the place, one article I read says more than 0.8 g of protein is a waste and another article stated not to go below 1.5grams.

I know when on cycle your protein synthesis is elevated, and you’ve gotta eat big, but HOW big? 500 cals over maintenance? 3000 cals over maintenance? 1 x bw for protein? 3 x bw?

Thanks so much for your information and time. Very much appreciated. [/quote]

I will agree with the high side of protein intake, no less than 1.5g/lb and possibly 2g for enhanced athletes. It’s still the base you need to build muscle, it’s the main building blocks… Always has been, always will be.

Here’s a few examples: I have a natural bikini girl who weighs about 120lbs and she trains like crazy and usually eats between 180 and 200g of protein with a full 6pack and enhanced males are usually eating 1.5-2g/lb . 1.7g/lb is a good medium for enhanced athletes. Taking into consideration body type, intensity of training, diet, body composition, metabolism and many other things.

I have yet to see a case that someone is competing at a high level and eating less than 1.5g/lb (male or female)

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]Uncreative123 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

For a physique competitor your doses are plain and simply way too high! These are amounts that high level bodybuilders are taking. Why are you taking so much, if I may ask?

Also, this cycle is way too long. My best advice at this point is to come off and get clean with a good PCT and stay clean for a good 3-4 months. Once your body has repaired and blood tests come back norm then you can come back on a sane cycle that suits a men’s physique competitor. I think your body is just worn out and this is why no matter what you are trying, you are not getting your desired look. Cut your loses and think about next season… Whatever you do now is just going to set you back further so think long term.

When you have a great off season and a carefully planned program you can consider back to back shows. It’s never easy on your body to do shows this way and if everything isn’t optimal in your program it can be disastrous. It’s easier for a men’s physique to do back to back shows because their stage condition and drug protocol is much easier on the system and they are able to maintain this look for longer periods of time. There’s no reason why a men’s physique competitor should ever take 1g of test, 600mg of eq and 600mg of tren…there’s no logic here. It will make you hold a shit load of water and put unnecessary pressure on your system making it much harder to get to your desired look. More is not better!

T3 and Clen are not mandatory, they are used in certain amounts and dosages depending on the specific case. I know a lot of men’s physique competitors who don’t use it at all… A good diet and training program can get you to this point. You aren’t trying to get to 3% bodyfat so there’s no need for extreme measures.

I’m not saying to run diuretics 1-2 days before or to run them at all for that matter. It’s completely individual. Some people cut water completely and some don’t cut it at all… Some people use diuretics and some people don’t use them at all… You keep mentioning water pills, are you talking about an over the counter diuretic? Some of these can cause different side effects and taking them for days on end may not be a good idea. The last week leading up to a show is individual and there is NO formula that exists… This is why people hire coaches because the last week is crucial and needs to be well thought out and planned on an individual case.

Regarding your diet… I can’t give you any specific advise because you aren’t my client therefore I don’t know how your body works but I can tell you that I’m a big believer in high carbs and carb cycling in general so it might be something to look into. I count all of my carbs, even veggies.

I think the biggest issue here is the drug protocol… Too much for too long with wrong decisions.everything else is an easy fix but if you don’t clean your body to have a fresh start, I really doubt you will look any better in the next show. Sounds to me like your body is in a big mess right now. If you want to do it long term, i would think about cleaning up now and looking towards a show next year instead.[/quote]

Again, thanks for the response. I think you misunderstood though- I was NOT taking all that stuff at once. The first half of the cycle was Test and EQ, then I dropped both of them and switched over to the Tren/Test/Mast. That’s all I’m on now. I would never run that much gear together. Right now I’m roughly on about 800-850mg/wk altogether. Nothing crazy.

Honestly just within the last week of adding in 25-30 min of cardio a day (6 days a week) and doing some carb and fat cycling I’ve already noticed some big changes in fat loss. It gives me hope and I want to keep it up over the next couple weeks and see how it goes. I know you advise against this, but I feel like those are some very important aspects I neglected the first time around.

I’d like to send you a couple pics maybe in like two weeks to see where you think I stand and whether or not at that point I should call it a day. I’ll be slowly tapering off calories over the next 4ish weeks. Looks roughly something like this right now:

(6’ 1" 210 lbs)
2500 cal/day for this week
Today (Thursday)
High carb day 270 carbs
29g/fat
315g/protein

Friday:
190 carbs
50g/fat
315g/protein

Satuday:
160g/carbs
65g/fat
315g/protein

Sunday:
160g/carbs
65g/fat
315g/protein

Monday:
65g/carbs
95g/fat
315g/protein

Tuesday:
65g/carbs
95g/fat
315g/protein

Wed.:
160g/carbs
65g/fat
315g/protein

I can go lower on some of those carb days if need be, and definitely lower on fats. That’s kind of a rough plan, and then subtract an additional 150/cal each week. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks again.[/quote]

If you’ve decided to compete anyways, your diet looks ok for now. Because your body is in a sensitive condition your diet should be reassessed every 3-4days (at least find someone with an objective eye to make sure you are progressing)
You can add clenbuterol to prevent catabolism and aid in fat loss. 0.2mcg this week and 0.4mcg next week… Post some pics here in 2 weeks and I’ll see where you’re at. You could add t3 @12.5mcg this week and 25 next week to increase metabolism .

I know you’re thinking you’re not taking much, but you are competing in men’s physique and not bodybuilding… Trust me, even if I misunderstood some of it, it’s still a lot. Close to 1g of test and these amounts of eq are 100% not necessary. Tren is questionable. I promise if you would have done things right from the beginning you would be using a lot less and looking a lot better. If you want to compete now, just do what you need to do and then reevaluate everything after.

Last piece of advise, if you want to look hard on stage drop the test 2 weeks out.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]Seifer974 wrote:
Hi Shadow Pro,

First, thanks for all you replies, it’s really appreciated. I’ve learn a lot.

Age : 31
Height : 182 cm
Weight : 84 kg
Bf : 12%
Morphology : Ecto/Endo : fast metabolism : I can loose and gain weight quickly but with fat.
6.5 inch wrist.

1/ For a start and with only orals, what do you recommend ? (strength + size goal with no or little retention) Anavar, windstrol ? I’m just asking for future, I’ve not reached my natural potential.

2/ What do you think about IF ? Do you recommend it ?

3/ Can you write a typical meal plan for a day as a guideline plz ?

4/ What do you think about Stuart McRobert training (Brawn, Beyond Brawn) ?

He promotes full body routines twice a week with small increments each workout (with microplates).

Example :

Day 1

1. Deadlift : 1 x 5 reps
2. Bench Press : 3 x 5 reps
3. Leg press : 3 x 5 reps
4. One-arm dumbell Row : 3 x 8 reps
5. Side Bend : 3 x 8 reps
6. Curl : 3 x 8 reps

Day 5

1. Barbell Squat : 3 x 5 reps
2. Weight Dips : 3 x 5 reps
   3.Weight Chin-up : 3 x 5 reps
   4.Overhead Press : 3 x 5 reps
   5.Calf Raise : 3 x 20/18/15 reps
   6.L-fly : 3 x 8 reps

Thank you.
[/quote]

1. Both are a valid option but it depends on your current condition, training history and experience. Happy to hear you are trying to maximize your natural potential, good for you!

2.if you are talking about intermittent fasting, it’s bullshit. I don’t recommend this by any means. I posted my views about this a while ago.

3.no such thing as a typical meal plan. It all depends on the individual. I have mentioned this over and over again.

4. Never heard of this dude. By the looks of this part of the program it’s lacking some volume. I don’t know about his training styles or methods so I can’t comment or argue about a programs I am not familiar with or didn’t make myself.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]Fat Boy 33 wrote:
This is a question about BB competition, but really about professional sports as a whole. What do you feel the percentage of importance split among genetics, diet, training, pharmaceuticals, etc.?[/quote]

Hard to give an exact percentage. Most important thing is to have your training and diet 100%. If these are at 100% your genetics will take you a long way and then the pharmaceuticals come into play. When you get to a pro level most guys are doing everything at 100% and this is where the guys with the better genetics are pulling ahead in the game.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]pritorian wrote:
Mister ShadowPro,

Thanks for your help and insight, it is highly appreciated!

I’m currently going to start my prep for a Bikini for men competition this fall (Men’s Physique).

It’s 16 weeks out for my second attempt at the stage. The first time was as a natural athlete, with pretty dismal results compared to the rest of the guys that where not. But, I wanted to complete 100 % clean once, just to see what type of potential there was, and now i wanted to step it up and play on the same field as the rest.

Stats:
34 Years Old / 5.9" / 220lbs / 12-15% BF

I’ve been on 500mg Test-E 16 Weeks on, followed by 8 weeks of 150mg Test-E, and then back on again for the last year and a half. Gained good amount of muscle, and a little fat in the process of course. Not been totally of at any time in the period.

I’m now looking into a pre-comp cycle that would get me into the best possible shape for a Bikini for men competition this fall (Men’s Physique).

I tried some Tren 300mg / Test-E 500mg combo, for four weeks, but the sides where horrific, and i started to lactate, and Prolactin went through the roof. Caber seems to be close to impossible to get here in my country - Norway, so i need options.
So I’m back to only 500mg Test-E.

What would you recommend as a good pre-competition drug plan for myself. Keeping price and simplicity in mind?

Note that I live in Norway, and cost and getting hold of some substances is next to impossible.
HCG/Insuline is next to non existing, HGH and similar cost upwards of 400$ a month is you wish to run 4ui per day. So it is kinda out of my price range.

Was thinking, something like this, as it is available to me pretty easily. Maybe adding Tren-E if i get Caber?

500mg Test-E Week 1-12
375mg Mast Week 8-16
500mg Test-P Week 13-16
50mg Winni ED Week 13-16

Ari eod 0.5mg whole time

Can i use Test-P all the way until competition time, or should i taper of before?
Your insight or better suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Again, thanks Mr. Shadow (PS: Reminds me of the bad guys in 5th Element if you’ve seen that movie)

[/quote]

Start off with posting a picture so I can give you a more personal recommendation.

If the tren gives you so many bad sides try masteron-p @ 100mg every other day and switch test-e to test-p for the last 8 weeks to prevent water retention 100mg every other day. Ya, those prices are pretty bad so I will keep that in mind when I get back to you after the pics. You can be on winstrol for the last 6 weeks @50mg every day. Nolvadex instead of arimidex @20mg everyday. Drop test-p 2 weeks out from the show to look harder. You can also add clenbuterol before your cardio starting at .2mcg and increase it by .2mcg every week for the last 6 weeks. You can also consider t3 depending on your current condition for fat loss.(I want to see the pics first)

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]p00fyy wrote:
Hey Shadow I’m 17 years old and would like some input and some advice on how to get more out of my training.

A little background about me is that I’ve been training since February 2013 and rarely if ever miss a day of training. I’ve been counting my calories since day one of lifting and have been adjusting them as I start to slow in weight gain but I never had a set meal plan. Speaking of weight gain I started at ~130-135 and now sit at around 170-175 and have stayed lean the entire way doing one long bulk since starting.

My routine started as hitting each muscle twice a week but not really organized. I then found Layne Norton’s PHAT and was doing that from around June to the end of November. Since then I’ve been doing the classic brosplit. For supplementation I take 5 grams of creatine a day, 1-2 scoops of whey, a pre workout, and Super Cissus RX.

Oh and I’m around 5’9-5’10 and my main lift stats are 210 lbs x2 for bench(did this around 2 months ago and I now do DB incline as my main chest lift and I did 80lb dbs for 6 on sunday) squat is 315 lbs x2 to parallel deadlift is 335 lbs once but I just added that in a week ago and last is barbell shoulder press 155 lbs x 5.

For my goals I would like to build a physique much like the Men's Physique competitors and am not sure yet if I would be wanting to compete myself or not. I understand you compete in the Olympia and didn't start using AAS until you were 22 so I'm assuming you would suggest I stay natural for a while. 

So this is where the question is. After reading through the forum for a while I noticed that you suggest training each muscle twice a week as apposed to the brosplit and would like to know if there is a number of sets in total I should stay around or any other advice you would have to set that up(sorry if you already mentioned that because I haven't read entirely over all 20 something pages of this thread.). 

Also if you would have any suggestions to add to my supplementation and diet because I’ve been stalling around this weight for the past month or so and when I do up calories from 4k to 4,200 I notice a lot more fat gain than I used to. I’m willing to try and do anything to get to my goal so any suggestions you have I will gladly listen to.

Thanks in advance for helping me. [/quote]

I am not advising everyone to train each muscle twice a week, training programs are completely individual. I do see a lot of benefits for beginners and intermediate athletes to train each body part twice a week and I advise this because most people do not get enough intensity and stimulation from training the muscle groups only once a week.

As for suggestions for yourself. If you want to follow my recommendation for twice a week training (from the info you gave me I think this will be good for you) do something like this.
1st training session concentrate on heavy compound exercises and heavy weights
(Ex: back squats, front squats, barbell lunges 3-4sets for 3-10rep range)
2nd training session for same muscle group (2-3 days later) concentrate on pump… Machine work, isolation exercises and higher rep ranges (12-20reps)
(Ex:leg press, leg extension, lying hamstring curls etc.)
You can do this in 10 day cycles but make sure you hit every body part twice and pick different exercises.

Supplements: you are in the right place here, you’ve probably already read all of my hype about Plazma so this is my first recommendation for your intraworkout (3servings)

Plazma™

As well as:
MAG-10 1-3 servings/day
http://www.T-Nation.com/store/products/MAG-10
Bcaa’s 10g/day in Plazma
Creatine Malate 10g/day
Micro-pa 6capsules 60min prior to training. It will help with your strength and promote growth.

I recommend you stay natural for at least 5 more years, you will be ahead of the game if you keep your diet and training from now til then. Maximizing your natural potential is the best advice I can possibly give you and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you in whatever sport you choose… Glad to see you aren’t trying to take short cuts and learning from a young age. Post a picture if you like and I can give you more helpful info and critique.

[p00fyy]

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]p00fyy wrote:
Hey Shadow I’m 17 years old and would like some input and some advice on how to get more out of my training.

A little background about me is that I’ve been training since February 2013 and rarely if ever miss a day of training. I’ve been counting my calories since day one of lifting and have been adjusting them as I start to slow in weight gain but I never had a set meal plan. Speaking of weight gain I started at ~130-135 and now sit at around 170-175 and have stayed lean the entire way doing one long bulk since starting.

My routine started as hitting each muscle twice a week but not really organized. I then found Layne Norton’s PHAT and was doing that from around June to the end of November. Since then I’ve been doing the classic brosplit. For supplementation I take 5 grams of creatine a day, 1-2 scoops of whey, a pre workout, and Super Cissus RX.

Oh and I’m around 5’9-5’10 and my main lift stats are 210 lbs x2 for bench(did this around 2 months ago and I now do DB incline as my main chest lift and I did 80lb dbs for 6 on sunday) squat is 315 lbs x2 to parallel deadlift is 335 lbs once but I just added that in a week ago and last is barbell shoulder press 155 lbs x 5.

For my goals I would like to build a physique much like the Men's Physique competitors and am not sure yet if I would be wanting to compete myself or not. I understand you compete in the Olympia and didn't start using AAS until you were 22 so I'm assuming you would suggest I stay natural for a while. 

So this is where the question is. After reading through the forum for a while I noticed that you suggest training each muscle twice a week as apposed to the brosplit and would like to know if there is a number of sets in total I should stay around or any other advice you would have to set that up(sorry if you already mentioned that because I haven't read entirely over all 20 something pages of this thread.). 

Also if you would have any suggestions to add to my supplementation and diet because I’ve been stalling around this weight for the past month or so and when I do up calories from 4k to 4,200 I notice a lot more fat gain than I used to. I’m willing to try and do anything to get to my goal so any suggestions you have I will gladly listen to.

Thanks in advance for helping me. [/quote]

I am not advising everyone to train each muscle twice a week, training programs are completely individual. I do see a lot of benefits for beginners and intermediate athletes to train each body part twice a week and I advise this because most people do not get enough intensity and stimulation from training the muscle groups only once a week.

As for suggestions for yourself. If you want to follow my recommendation for twice a week training (from the info you gave me I think this will be good for you) do something like this.
1st training session concentrate on heavy compound exercises and heavy weights
(Ex: back squats, front squats, barbell lunges 3-4sets for 3-10rep range)
2nd training session for same muscle group (2-3 days later) concentrate on pump… Machine work, isolation exercises and higher rep ranges (12-20reps)
(Ex:leg press, leg extension, lying hamstring curls etc.)
You can do this in 10 day cycles but make sure you hit every body part twice and pick different exercises.

Supplements: you are in the right place here, you’ve probably already read all of my hype about Plazma so this is my first recommendation for your intraworkout (3servings)

Plazma™

As well as:
MAG-10 1-3 servings/day
http://www.T-Nation.com/store/products/MAG-10
Bcaa’s 10g/day in Plazma
Creatine Malate 10g/day
Micro-pa 6capsules 60min prior to training. It will help with your strength and promote growth.

I recommend you stay natural for at least 5 more years, you will be ahead of the game if you keep your diet and training from now til then. Maximizing your natural potential is the best advice I can possibly give you and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you in whatever sport you choose… Glad to see you aren’t trying to take short cuts and learning from a young age. Post a picture if you like and I can give you more helpful info and critique.[/quote]

Thanks for the help so far. I still have a few more questions though if you’re willing to answer.

One is what do you mean by a 10 day cycle when referring to training.

Two is that for me I like the feeling of staying relatively lean no matter what as I’ve been doing since I’ve started but I’m noticing it’s getting harder and harder to stay lean and gain size and was wondering if you had any tips for that.

Three is do you have any suggestions for better training arms. I love training every body part but by far my favorite in looks and training is arms and wanted to know some suggestions you have to bring them up more

And last here are a couple pictures that I took and was wondering what you’re critique/suggestions would be for me Imgur: The magic of the Internet (I couldn’t take a good back pic but in my opinion and others it is defiantly a strong point on my body along with my legs)

Thank you so much for taking time to go over and answer my previous questions and these questions man.

[p00fyy]

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]p00fyy wrote:
Hey Shadow I’m 17 years old and would like some input and some advice on how to get more out of my training.

A little background about me is that I’ve been training since February 2013 and rarely if ever miss a day of training. I’ve been counting my calories since day one of lifting and have been adjusting them as I start to slow in weight gain but I never had a set meal plan. Speaking of weight gain I started at ~130-135 and now sit at around 170-175 and have stayed lean the entire way doing one long bulk since starting.

My routine started as hitting each muscle twice a week but not really organized. I then found Layne Norton’s PHAT and was doing that from around June to the end of November. Since then I’ve been doing the classic brosplit. For supplementation I take 5 grams of creatine a day, 1-2 scoops of whey, a pre workout, and Super Cissus RX.

Oh and I’m around 5’9-5’10 and my main lift stats are 210 lbs x2 for bench(did this around 2 months ago and I now do DB incline as my main chest lift and I did 80lb dbs for 6 on sunday) squat is 315 lbs x2 to parallel deadlift is 335 lbs once but I just added that in a week ago and last is barbell shoulder press 155 lbs x 5.

For my goals I would like to build a physique much like the Men's Physique competitors and am not sure yet if I would be wanting to compete myself or not. I understand you compete in the Olympia and didn't start using AAS until you were 22 so I'm assuming you would suggest I stay natural for a while. 

So this is where the question is. After reading through the forum for a while I noticed that you suggest training each muscle twice a week as apposed to the brosplit and would like to know if there is a number of sets in total I should stay around or any other advice you would have to set that up(sorry if you already mentioned that because I haven't read entirely over all 20 something pages of this thread.). 

Also if you would have any suggestions to add to my supplementation and diet because I’ve been stalling around this weight for the past month or so and when I do up calories from 4k to 4,200 I notice a lot more fat gain than I used to. I’m willing to try and do anything to get to my goal so any suggestions you have I will gladly listen to.

Thanks in advance for helping me. [/quote]

I am not advising everyone to train each muscle twice a week, training programs are completely individual. I do see a lot of benefits for beginners and intermediate athletes to train each body part twice a week and I advise this because most people do not get enough intensity and stimulation from training the muscle groups only once a week.

As for suggestions for yourself. If you want to follow my recommendation for twice a week training (from the info you gave me I think this will be good for you) do something like this.
1st training session concentrate on heavy compound exercises and heavy weights
(Ex: back squats, front squats, barbell lunges 3-4sets for 3-10rep range)
2nd training session for same muscle group (2-3 days later) concentrate on pump… Machine work, isolation exercises and higher rep ranges (12-20reps)
(Ex:leg press, leg extension, lying hamstring curls etc.)
You can do this in 10 day cycles but make sure you hit every body part twice and pick different exercises.

Supplements: you are in the right place here, you’ve probably already read all of my hype about Plazma so this is my first recommendation for your intraworkout (3servings)

Plazma™

As well as:
MAG-10 1-3 servings/day
http://www.T-Nation.com/store/products/MAG-10
Bcaa’s 10g/day in Plazma
Creatine Malate 10g/day
Micro-pa 6capsules 60min prior to training. It will help with your strength and promote growth.

I recommend you stay natural for at least 5 more years, you will be ahead of the game if you keep your diet and training from now til then. Maximizing your natural potential is the best advice I can possibly give you and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you in whatever sport you choose… Glad to see you aren’t trying to take short cuts and learning from a young age. Post a picture if you like and I can give you more helpful info and critique.[/quote]

Thanks for the help so far. I still have a few more questions though if you’re willing to answer.

One is what do you mean by a 10 day cycle when referring to training.

Two is that for me I like the feeling of staying relatively lean no matter what as I’ve been doing since I’ve started but I’m noticing it’s getting harder and harder to stay lean and gain size and was wondering if you had any tips for that.

Three is do you have any suggestions for better training arms. I love training every body part but by far my favorite in looks and training is arms and wanted to know some suggestions you have to bring them up more

And last here are a couple pictures that I took and was wondering what you’re critique/suggestions would be for me Imgur: The magic of the Internet (I couldn’t take a good back pic but in my opinion and others it is defiantly a strong point on my body along with my legs)

Thank you so much for taking time to go over and answer my previous questions and these questions man.

[SauceMonkey]

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]SauceMonkey wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]SauceMonkey wrote:
Wow, just read all 22 pages and every single word

Shadow, one question regarding AAS and one regarding non AAS…

Currently I’m practicing getting stage lean with a coach, I’m making great progress and just broke under the 10% BF threshold. Stated cutting at 5’5", 160 lbs and now 153-154 through 5 weeks. Started at around 11-12%, keeping all my strength thus far and have even hit some PR’s. I’m 22 as well, did a mock power lifting meet with my partner and got 315/275/405 for Squat / Bench / Deadlift at 154. My goal is to see how my body reacts getting to 5-7% BF and then going on a long term bulk and compete at the end of 2015, or beginning of 2016.

My maintenance calories are around 2,600, and my macros right now are: 2,200 cals, 50F, 275C and 160P… started at 400g C in the beginning of the cut. Refeed is 2,800, 45F, 450C, and 150P. It’s been the most successful cut i’ve ever had and finally got over my fear of carbs lol. Cardio is LISS 3x20 minute sessions.

My question regarding non AAS is pretty simple, surprised no one asked it, unless I missed it:

I can’t train with food in my stomach at all, i get very queasy. So I guess you can say I fast until my workout, although i just started having 2 rice cakes for 14g CHO about 30 mins pre wo, then 10g BCAA 15 mins pre, and then intra another 7.5g EAA. Afterwards is my largest meal, usually <10g F (Trace sources), 175g CHO, and about 50P. About 2-3 hours later is another low fat, mod carb, and higher protein meal and then before bed I consume most of my fats and another large amount of protein.

So my question is this optimal? Can I still continue to make good progress with such minimal amount of food pre workout? Intra workout carb drinks tend to make me feel sick too, i’ve tried Plazma, malto, dextrose, gatorade, everything. Karbolyn, etc and i end up having to sell it all. In a perfect world, what would be your pre workout nutrition?

My second question, in regards to AAS:

In college a friend offered me anavar, and stupidly i decided to take it. didn’t do any research, ran anavar at 19 for 6 weeks. no pct, quit cold turkey. never had issues with libido or anything, thank god.

another stupid decision, and just did as older teammates on my college baseball team suggested, ran another cycle at 20, for 14 weeks of anavar at 40mg daily… pct was Nolva at 20/20/10/10, Erase and DAA at 3g daily. Again no issues, actually made ridiculous progress after Tommy John Surgery… went from 133 to 155 in 14 weeks and leaned out to about 11-12% BF, feint abs showing. Dieted like a retard, and lost essentially everything, became a carbophobe as well, and now i’m here where i am.

libido is fine, have ran one prohormone cycle of DMZ for 5 weeks and pct was on point… clomid/nolva, formestane, and kept most of my gains. its been about 4 months since PCT, and I want to wait until after i bulk naturally and hit a plateau before I cycle, but was wondering what you think of this cycle, probably about a year after any AAS or maybe another couple of months after PCTing from a 5-6 week oral PH cycle again (Haven’t decided on that):

Test E @ 500mg/week (1-14)
Kick Start w/ DMZ (prohormone, at 45mg for weeks 1-4)
Winni at 50mg for weeks 13-16)

PCT: Torem (120/90/60/30)
Nolva: 40/20/20/10
Armidex as an AI, dose I’ll play with

So would you recommend this cycle, alot of planning has gone into it? Nervous about pinning but i’ll get over it. have a pharma grade connection thank god, although past SERM use has been from UL’s, luckily with success. PLan on getting blood work in July before i head out to vacation and after my cut to 5-7% is finished.

Again long term goal is compete in 2015 or 2016, after adding more mass. i’m proud of how far i’ve come (broke my femur twice, got fat at 189, then dropped to 130 in 6 months of ddieting before college) but really wanna take this to the next level. i’m an ambitious little pr*ck so to speak lol very determined. diet is meticulously tracked, only cook for myself, and count everything. don’t need cheat meals, cause when you can make chocolate protein waffles or bake a snicker doodle protein cake, or cook mexican style dishes like a pro i don’t need them lol

Also, what are your opinions of SARM’s such as ostarine?

Thanks so much for the info and for your time, it’s guys like you that truly make a difference and prevent others from doing stupid shit like what i did :/[/quote]

Thanks for reading, this is a very good first post!

First question.Why is your protein so low?

how many meals are you eating each day? Did you try the Plazma in a lower serving size? Maybe half pre workout, half intra and half post workout? Also, make sure you are mixing it with enough water. If it’s a definite no, I would choose MAG-10 as the optimal pre-workout and post workout meal if you aren’t using Plazma. There is a small amount of carbs in the MAG-10 and you might like that for intraworkout as well. When I am low carbing on my diets I always drink it as my intra(I used to feel sick drinking during my workout as well but I haven’t had any issues with either of these). If neither of these work you could try a bit of baby rice pre and post workout, it should digest very easily. Look for a rice that doesn’t include any milk products but should include an ingredient called inulin, it’s a fiber that will help you with digestion. You can eat it as a pudding with a scoop of hydrolyzed whey and 30-50g from carbs about 1hr before your workout and immediately after. If a baby is able to digest this then it surely won’t be a problem for you.

I prefer bcaa’s intraworkout rather than eaa’s because I think it helps with recovery. If you aren’t using the Plazma you will need between 20-40g.

I’m getting the feeling that you are only eating 3-4 meals a day? Unless I’m misunderstanding? You should be eating more like 6-7.

I’m glad you didn’t get any bad side effects with the anavar cycles you did, you’re very lucky. Instead of the DMZ I would do something like oral tbol(run it for up to 6 weeks @ 40-70mg/day… I’m not a big fan of pro hormones because you never know what you are getting and could potentially get worse side effects. If you are doing test-e, oral tbol and winstrol it’s a decent gaining cycle with medium water retention. You will get a bit from the tbol and the test but nothing major. I am also not a big fan of peptides… You are never too sure what you are getting there and the results are questionable.

Instead of the ostarine, a better option for the same results and many more would be to use a low dose of GH(something like 4iu /day) it will completely stop any muscle breakdown, aid in recovery and help with your injuries. Also, it will help keep your body fat relatively low when you are eating more calories.

You can add HCG during your cycle as well @250iu 2x/week and 10mg of nolva during the cycle. Therefore, this would change your pct… You could use clomid for 4 weeks @50mg and nolva @20mg and 500iu HCG 2x/week (total of 8 shots)

Everytime you have the option or the budget to spend money on peptides, use this money to get pharm quality GH instead… The results will always be more profound and beneficial for all aspects of your goals.remember when you are using gear your protein consumption should be higher than when you are natural… 160g is not going to cut it. Honestly, I have natural figure clients eating more than 200g so I know you can do it!

Can you post a picture please?

[/quote]

Sure, I blurred out my face, tattoo, and background to keep myself anonymous. These were taken one month ago, cold in the morning at the start of my cut with my coach. Zero pump, no flex, etc… then also included is a picture of my leg after my mock meet, stupid leg pump.

I’ll talk to my source about GH, especially at a low dose. Seems like it would help given my past injury history and 3 surgeries, especially my elbow.

Protein intake i was always told 1g/lb is plenty, and carbs being protein sparing. When i do my macros and plan for the day, i make sure to hit the protein first, then stay under the carb threshold and fat threshold, and whatever is leftover i use for protein. i hit about 180-190g a day, just how the numbers work out.

I’ve tried everything regarding plazma and any intra carb drink, just can’t stomach them, idk why.

yes 3-4 large meals, 1,000 kcal + post wo, 500 kcal about 2-3 hours later, and then about 3-4 hours later about 600-700 kcals. varies everyday, that’s just the jist. sources are whole wheat complete pancake mix (for when i bake with protein powder), 99% lean ground turkey, white basmati rice, brown rice, sweet potato, oats, whole grain bread/bagels, fruit (post workout banana and either strawberry/blueberry), sometimes cheerios if i want a bowl of cereal (make it fit my macros), non-fat plain greek yogurt, 1% milkfat cottage cheese, eggs/egg whites, beans, etc

for fats: mct oil, natty pb occasionally, unsalted almonds/peanuts, fish oil caps, whole eggs, etc

everything is weighed out to the nearest gram right now as I cut, i’ll be less strict when i bulk.

i always was told meal timing/frequency didn’t matter, just the end of the day macros being met and if you’re in a total surplus/deficit. plus the bigger meals make cutting feel less like cutting, idk if i’d be able to 6-7 smaller meals tbh, as the former fatty in me likes to be satiated lol. but again i’m asking you because i’m serious about this and wanna take this to the next level in the next year or two.

perhaps include protein shakes in between meals to add more “meals” so to speak?[/quote]

Honestly I’m not sure where to start here, there is too much to change and the sad thing is that a coach set this up for you. It’s not something that I can answer with a few simple changes but your whole program needs to be reevaluated.

Whoever told you that meal timing is not important and that macros are the only thing that matters should not be coaching. This system will never work for you if you are trying to get yourself to the next level,it can work for average people looking for average results… I’m under the impression that you wanted to push things to the next level but if you keep going about it this way you will not get close to your desired look. At this point you are very far from being ready for stage physique wise (from a mass and fat loss point of view) you mentioned that you are 5% bf but I don’t think you are even brushing 10% yet.

I am not saying you don’t have potential to reach your goals, because absolutely you can do this but you need to reconsider your steps in the process to get there. You will never be able to put on quality mass eating 3-4 times a day, it just won’t happen. 6 meals is your bare minimum and since size is a big issue for you I would say 7-8. Whoever told you that 1g of protein per 1lb is plenty is clearly not educated and didn’t take into consideration the drugs you are taking… This info is something you will find in a 1980’s textbook.

Most important thing you need to straighten out before anything else is your nutrition… And with the amount of cycles you’ve done I was expecting to see someone with a lot more mass. This tells me your training and your diet are completely out of whack because with this amount of drugs along with a perfect diet and training program should have given you great gains.

I’m trying the best I can not to bash your coach and not to offend you. I just think you are being mislead and need to seek out more professional help because the potential is there and you seem to have the motivation so it’s a shame.

If I were you I would make these few changes to get started.
-6-7 meals a day
-increase protein to at least 250g (and probably higher)
-add the MAG-10 as a protein source
-if you decide to use GH, make sure it’s the pharmaceutical one.
-forget pro hormones, next cycle do the real thing with the right guidelines

I respect your enthusiasm and will to do better, I want to see it happen and it’s sad you’ve been pushed to the wrong direction. But you can turn it around and do great. Let me know how the food increases go.
[/quote]

Thank you for the reply SP. I don’t know if I said I was 5%, I’d venture to say around 10%, but 6-7% is my goal. The cycles unfortunately were undone from Tommy John Surgery I had done last year, lost about 15-20 lbs. Been building myself up since.

Not on anything as of now and don’t plan to until I hit a wall naturally during my bulk. I don’t plan on making the same mistake as before when I blindly followed what anyone said.

While my coach has indeed prescribed the macros, the idea of meal timing and meal frequency was dawned on me from reading an article on T-Nation by John Berardi. He said IF (small window, larger meals) is no different than a normal 6-7 meal day. And as a smaller guy, 6-7 small meals such as 400 cals a meal makes my appetite go insane.

I do know I need more size and after this cut I plan on bulking for a solid 12-18 months straight before I compete. But again, I came from 190 of pure fat, down to 130, and now sit around 152. In the midst of this was major elbow reconstruction surgery which basically made me start from scratch at 133.

I’ll be 100% sure to up the protein, and meal frequency, as obviously you know what you’re talking about. My coach doesn’t prescribe any ideas or tips on frequency. Just to do what makes you adhere to the diet. The idea of frequency came from that John Berardi article.

Do recommend just shakes as a meal? For example, something like this:

Pre WO: oats and whey

Workout, my routine is a 6 day push/Legs/pull and repeat type of training. Train for strength and hypertrophy.

Post WO: carbs / Pro

Next meal: Carbs / Pro

Snack: protein shake

Dinner: carbs and pro

Before bed snack: cottage cheese and healthy fats. Perhaps MCT Oil, or whatever.

I thank you so much for your time. And I know I’m no where near ready to compete. The elbow surgery really set me back but I’m in this for the long haul. I’ll definitely up the protein, and meal frequency though. I need to read the rest of your responses as I know someone asked about IF. Obviously the higher protein intake when on cycle, but off cycle do you recommend the same high amount? Thank you again for your time and honesty

[osu122975]

Shadow Pro-

I’m 38 yrs old and been on TRT for a year (test total was 270). The doc recommended I do 100mg cyp every 2 weeks.

I pretty much did 250mg/wk from the start.

I believe I’ll probably be on for the rest of my life. Do you think 250/wk of cyp has any long term health problems? I’ve done a short 6 and 8 week cycle at 500. When I did the 500 my levels got up to 1600.

Is it possible to blast and cruise this way over my lifetime w/o any serious health risks?

Thanks for any input you have.

[pritorian]

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]pritorian wrote:
Mister ShadowPro,

Thanks for your help and insight, it is highly appreciated!

I’m currently going to start my prep for a Bikini for men competition this fall (Men’s Physique).

It’s 16 weeks out for my second attempt at the stage. The first time was as a natural athlete, with pretty dismal results compared to the rest of the guys that where not. But, I wanted to complete 100 % clean once, just to see what type of potential there was, and now i wanted to step it up and play on the same field as the rest.

Stats:
34 Years Old / 5.9" / 220lbs / 12-15% BF

I’ve been on 500mg Test-E 16 Weeks on, followed by 8 weeks of 150mg Test-E, and then back on again for the last year and a half. Gained good amount of muscle, and a little fat in the process of course. Not been totally of at any time in the period.

I’m now looking into a pre-comp cycle that would get me into the best possible shape for a Bikini for men competition this fall (Men’s Physique).

I tried some Tren 300mg / Test-E 500mg combo, for four weeks, but the sides where horrific, and i started to lactate, and Prolactin went through the roof. Caber seems to be close to impossible to get here in my country - Norway, so i need options.
So I’m back to only 500mg Test-E.

What would you recommend as a good pre-competition drug plan for myself. Keeping price and simplicity in mind?

Note that I live in Norway, and cost and getting hold of some substances is next to impossible.
HCG/Insuline is next to non existing, HGH and similar cost upwards of 400$ a month is you wish to run 4ui per day. So it is kinda out of my price range.

Was thinking, something like this, as it is available to me pretty easily. Maybe adding Tren-E if i get Caber?

500mg Test-E Week 1-12
375mg Mast Week 8-16
500mg Test-P Week 13-16
50mg Winni ED Week 13-16

Ari eod 0.5mg whole time

Can i use Test-P all the way until competition time, or should i taper of before?
Your insight or better suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Again, thanks Mr. Shadow (PS: Reminds me of the bad guys in 5th Element if you’ve seen that movie)

[/quote]

Start off with posting a picture so I can give you a more personal recommendation.

If the tren gives you so many bad sides try masteron-p @ 100mg every other day and switch test-e to test-p for the last 8 weeks to prevent water retention 100mg every other day. Ya, those prices are pretty bad so I will keep that in mind when I get back to you after the pics. You can be on winstrol for the last 6 weeks @50mg every day. Nolvadex instead of arimidex @20mg everyday. Drop test-p 2 weeks out from the show to look harder. You can also add clenbuterol before your cardio starting at .2mcg and increase it by .2mcg every week for the last 6 weeks. You can also consider t3 depending on your current condition for fat loss.(I want to see the pics first)
[/quote]

Thanks for you fast response!

Attached is a picture from 2 weeks ago, no pump no nothing, and low was still on Low level Test-E.

-P

[whattheapple]

Hello,
I have a couple of questions in regards to TRT. I am currently 25 and had a lot of blood work done in recent months to determine my “issue”. A quick little background. I have been impotent since my first sexual experience. After many years I discovered that this isnâ??t normal. (about 50/50 chance of it “working” aka wet noodle syndrome) and decided i should see a doctor.

I lost around 55 pounds, quit drinking, quit smoking and eating properly. Fast forward to today, I have multiple test AM tests done (5 to date, ranging from 6.2 to 8.0 nmol/L). After these tests were done I was sent to a specialist for further testing (some stats are… SHBG 12 nmol/L, SHBG 12 nmol/L, Testosterone/SHBG 0.65, Bioavailable Test 5.8). After these results were done it was determined that I had “physiologically Lower levels of sex hormone binding globulin”, and no further action was taken by that doctor.

I went to get a second opinion as being impotent at 25 is in my opinion unacceptable. The new doctor seemed to care about my person issues and decided to start TRT (delatestryl 200 mg/ML, 1.5ml per month, and 1 shot, but because its on short I had substitute it for Depo-Testosterone Inj 100mg/ml at 3ml per month). I had baseline testing done before my first shot, and will be repeating testing every 6 weeks for 3 visits, than once every 6 months.

Now my questions. Should I be cycling, or because this is TRT there is no need to cycle? Also, at this dosage is it necessary to have anything for estrogen levels? What kind of side effects should I be expecting at this dosage or what should I look out for? Also, at this dosage how long will it take effectively be in my system (next day, or 2-3 weeks?) And what kind of questions should I be asking my doctor for when I see him next?
Thank you for taking the time to read and maybe reply to all my questions.

[mcs2012]

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]mcs2012 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]mcs2012 wrote:
Shadow - need your input here.

Stats:
Age: 54
Ht: 5-7
Wt: 02-14: 189lbs; current: 170lbs
BF: 02-14: 30.5%; current (I know it’s less because I’m starting to see veins & abs)
Fat-free mass: 02-14: 129lbs; current: ?? (If I had to guess, maybe 23%)

To get a better idea of my body comp history, click this link: Box

Goals (main goal is to lose fat without losing lean mass):

Short-term:
150-155lbs - that means another 15-20lbs to go. At that weight, I would gauge bf will be around 14% if and only if I will not lose too much LBM!! Then, do clean bulk to add some lean mass back, rinse/repeat.

Long-term:
Want to add mass but without all the fat game associated with bulking.
10% bf or less
Wt: 185-195

I am also interested in an overall health and antiaging anabolic and fat loss combo HRT (pharm-grade TRT/hGH) but am unable until I hopefully resolve some current health issues. I look @ HRT as the finishing touch to recomp. I use a DEXA scan to monitor my recomp progress.

What diet, training, and HRT (when and if possible) would you recommend to achieve my goals?

What have I done so far to achieve my fat loss goals?

Since it made no sense to do a bulk to add lean mass when I am >15% bf, I tried many things over the last few years (i.e. intermittent fasting, keto). The one & only diet regimen that has worked is alternate day calorie restriction or every-other-day dieting. I lost 19 pounds in approximately 90 days, the most consistent and dramatic loss ever in my history.

I thought I could eat without worrying about counting calories while on IF/keto. What a crock that is, I was only fooling myself. Maybe some with gifted metabolisms, perfectly-balanced hormones, and half my age can do that.

I failed because I still ate a surplus of calories OVER TIME. Keto is great, but you really need to watch FATS; at 9 cals/gram those suckers will balloon you up in no time - and that’s what happened.

Bottom line & basic rule is that unless I’m eating at a caloric deficit, weight and bf will increase no matter how hard I train, do IF, keto, etc.

I feel that unless I’m on a ton of AAS, a caloric deficit seems the most important part for losing fat in my case at least.

I have been training more consistently now, picking up where I left off in my mid-20s which was the last time I was probably <15% bf. 4x’s/week + cardio 2-3x’s/week. Because of a lumbar injury and shoulder impingement, I can’t do barbell squats nor much shoulder press work. Maybe HRT will help.

In any case, with this much bf on me now, I am insulin resistant, therefore, going low-carb (100g or less) is the mainstay for now. It has been impossible to add mass without adding twice as much bf.

I should also mention that I take thyroid meds (T3 and Armour Thyroid) for a hypothyroid condition.

So, the alternate day calorie restriction has worked great, however, I’m going to have to go even lower on my down day calories to lose more weight. I am at a standstill now at 170. If I could skip the weight loss and just switch to a recomp of 170 with 10%, I’d like that better, but that ain’t gonna happen. Another thing: the only way this works is if I keep track of every calorie.

Kcals & Macros:
refeed (maintenance) days: 2100-2300 kcals (55% fats, 30% protein, 15% carbs)
“fast” days: 750-850 kcals (70% protein, 15% fats, 5% carbs) - basically, a semi-protein-sparing modified fast. Of all the macros, I feel protein is most important. I average 135g/day which is just over 1g/lb of LBM. I consume a ton of supplements to offset the lack of micros on my “fast” day.

I appreciate your time and input to help me reach my goals. It’s been a long struggle.
[/quote]

Can you please post a photo? At the current bodyfat you mention,the first thing you want to do is lose bodyfat and get under 15% before going thinking about starting HRT .

By the sounds of it the keto and fasting isn’t working for you because you mention you are gaining fat.
“I thought I could eat without worrying about counting calories while on IF/keto. What a crock that is, I was only fooling myself. Maybe some with gifted metabolisms, perfectly-balanced hormones, and half my age can do that.” You are absolutely right about that. In order to lose fat you need to be in a calorie deficient state.

In order to help you better, please give me this info. What type of cardio are you doing? Since you aren’t squatting, I’m assuming dead lifts are out as well, can you give me an example of how your training looks? Current pictures? I want to see where the bodyfat actually is and not where you assume… Like i mentioned before I’m here to help not criticize so don’t be embarrassed or shy to post current pics, I want to help. List of current supplements? Where are your fat sources coming from?[/quote]

Ok, not the best selfies, but you aksed, here they are after tonight’s workout: Box

I know you wanted the pics to best judge, but the most accurate body composition assessment I have found is the DEXA scan which I have been using for the past 3 years. Again, here�??�?�¢??s the link to my DEXA scan history: Box

Since I haven’t had an updated scan since losing 19lbs, I’m sure you can better judge what my bf is now. I’d say I’m at around 22-23% right now. What do you think?

Typical current training (EOD) - 50-60 minute workout:

Day 1 - chest/back push-pull routine:
Incline DB presses - *50lbs x 4x10-12 supersetted w/
Wide-grip pull-ups - bodyweight x 4x6-8
Lat pulldowns - 135lbs-150lbs-170lbs x 3x6-8 supersetted w/
Cable incline presses - 37lbs-42lbs-47lbs x 3x8-10
Low pulley rows - 110lbs x 3x8-10 supersetted w/
Close-grip BP - 135lbs-155lbs-175lbs x 3x6-8
Bent over DB rows - 3 x6-8 supersetted with
*Flat bench Smith Machine BB presses 135lbs-155lbs-185lbs (alternate: cable decline presses w/ same weight as incline) x 3x6-8

*Believe me, I would love to increase my lbs again, as I was doing 85-90lb DB inclines before the shoulder injury. The shoulder impingement is now 2 years old.

Day 2 - stability/core regimen + cardio (see regimen below which I switch up every other day)

Day 3 - biceps/triceps:
DB curls - 50lbs-50lbs-45lbs-45lbs x 4x8-10 supersetted w/
Tri rope pulldowns - 72lbs-77lbs-82lbs-87lbs x 4x8-10
Wide-grip chinups - bodyweight x 4x6-8 supersetted w/
Dips - bodyweight x 4x10-12
BB cable curls - 62lbs-67lbs-72lbs x 3x8-10 supersetted w/
DB tri extensions - 35lbs-40lbs-40lbs x 3x10
Sometimes I will throw in some delt work (i.e. lateral raises) depending on my impingement pain tolerance, but the problem is that the inflammation may not surface for 2-3 days later. I am told surgery is the only surefire way. I have withheld to see what I can do with HRT once I’m able.

Day 4 - stability/core regimen + cardio (see regimen below which I switch up every other day)

Day 5 - legs/abs/misc.
DB walking lunges - 25lbs x 4x8-10
Seated leg curls - 75lbs-95lbs-110lbs-135lbs x 4x8-20 supersetted w/
Seated led extensions - 135lbs-155lbs-175lbs-195lbs x 4x6-12
Leg presses - 235lbs-255lbs-275lbs-310lbs x 4x8-10 supersetted w/
Leg Press Calf Raises - 235lbs x 4x10-15 (alternate: Smith Machine BB calf raises)
Adductor machine - 190lbs-210lbs-235lbs x 3x12-20
Abductor machine - 175lbs-175lbs-195lbs x 3x10-15
Misc: flat bench flyes - 35lbs-40lbs-40lbs x 3x8-10
Day 6 - stability/core regimen + cardio (see regimen below which I switch up every other day)

Day 7 - rest; usually do a brisk walk for 30-45 min.

Cardio (I will switch up and do the following in between my training days or sometimes post wo):
Elliptical - 25-30 min. �??�?�¢?? sometimes will do HIIT
Stationary bike - 25-30 min.
Outdoor intervals (fast walk 2-3 min/jog for 1-2 min. for 2-3 miles)
If I am tired, I may do a brisk low intensity 30-45 min. walk as an alternate.

Stability/Core:
On my cardio days I also do stability and core training that I adopted from being in PT for 6 weeks last year for my lower back and shoulder issues (these have helped a lot reduce the inflammation especially in the lower spine):

Elbow planks - 1x 5 min. x 2x1 min.
Side planks (each side) - 3x30 secs
Plank with Opposite Arm and Leg Lift - 2x10
Cable internal rotations - 22lbs-3x15
Cable external rotations - 12lbs-3x15
Reverse cable flyes - 7-10lbs-3x10-15

The rest of time away from any physical exercise is pretty sedentary, at home doing my business and online research.

I sleep 8h but have mild sleep apnea and have not acclimated well to my CPAP machine. I am therefore trying to sleep on my sides and use nasal strips to help with the breathing. I am looking into alternatives like a dental appliance.

I drink about 10-12 cups of water/day.

Since my supplement regimen changes frequently, I haven’t updated it. To give you an idea, here’s one from 2012: Box

Sources of fat: coconut oil, raw cheeses, nut/seeds, lean meats, lots of fish/krill oil, pastured butter, sardines, avocados, eggs, soy-free mayo.

Again, much appreciate your input!

[/quote]

Ok, I’m going to try to keep this simple. But in order for this to work for you you’d have to follow it 100%. And there are a lot of things you are doing currently in all aspects that need to be changed. I would say you are about 25% right now maybe a little less (thank you for allowing me access to your photos)

First things first, you need to drop your bodyfat down to about 12%. This will take some time but if you are patient and motivated it can definitely be done. What you need to do is increase your energy expenditure, trying to be as active as possible. Since your bodyfat is high at this point I’d recommend doing some form of cardio 6 days a week(no less than 45min - preferably 1hr including warm up and cool down) 10 min warm up, 5 min cool down is good. Try to include a lot of variety because it will give your cardiovascular system different types of stimulation, for example you could do:
2 days HIIT outside on a track (2-5min medium/fast run and then 2-5min light jog/fast walk) repeat this for an hour. If you aren’t in shape to finish this now, build the time up and you’ll eventually get there.
2 days Stairmaster HIIT (2-4min at the highest level you can manage and then the same time at 1/2 the level for recovery)
2 days elliptical HIIT (same as Stairmaster)

• keep this cardio along with everything else until your dexa scan is at the 12-14%

Before cardio take HOT-ROX (30-45min before) and do this for 6 weeks, then switch to an ECA stack, then go back to HOT-ROX.

As for your training, I don’t know you personally and I don’t have enough time to put a whole program together for you (you will benefit from a program that is designed specific for you though, take a look at the programs offered on T-Nation, there are a lot of excellent resources here)
You have no business spending a whole day training arms right now and you are doing way too much machine and cable work. Your training program should be based around compound exercises and barbell/dumbbell free weight exercises. You should do them everyday in a different variation in different set and rep schemes. Your training should be a full body workout now until you get your bodyfat down, no need for body part splits. Do plenty of squats, dead lifts, chin ups, barbell presses, barbell rows and all exercises in different variations such as different angles, different grips etc.

You can do your physical therapy exercises at the end of each workout, there’s no reason to have it on its own day… It’s just wasting time and you’d get more benefit from doing a little bit everyday. Try to get a minimum of 4 weight sessions/week… You can go up to 6 depending on how you feel.

The supplements you are taking are a little overboard to say the least. This list is hurting my eyes just looking at it. These are what your main supplement stapes should be… Spend your money on the things that will help you reach your goal, nothing else is needed.
-Superfood with breakfast (1 serving)
-HOT-ROX pre-cardio and ECA stack
-indigo-3G 6 capsules 30 min before training
-MAG-10 1 serving pre-workout with indigo
1 serving intraworkout (on weight training days)
1 serving 1 hr post workout

• AlphaMale use 2 full bottles.
• Apple cider vinegar
  -probiotic if you need it
  You are using a very long list of supplements while might be causing a lot of water retention as well. If you think you have estrogen problems, you can try Rez-V… It will definitely help but I’m not 100% sure that’s the problem.

Do not take any pharmaceutical compounds now, it will do more harm than good.

Bottom line, concentrate on losing bodyfat at this point… Do your cardio and get on the right supplementation and reconstruct your training, this will get you on the right path.

[/quote]

Thanks a bunch Shadow & apologize for my prior wordiness.

1. Just curious - why do you think HRT/AAS would do more harm than good right now since both T and GH are known fat burners and preserve lean mass while cutting cals? Also - my doc has even given me scrip for T and deca, but we held off because of other health concerns; for my age, my total T is not bad, hovering in the low to mid 500s, but my free T, the T that counts, is very low (9-10 on a ref range of 7.2-24.0).

2. To get to around 12% bf, I figure my body weight would need to be about 150lbs. You agree? That means another 20lbs to go! Half-way there.

3. Do you recommend I do anything more with diet than I described previously? Cut kcals even more? Play with macros? Calorie restriction (using the alternate day calorie restriction regimen I previously described) has been way more effective in my recent weight/fat loss journey than training or cardio it seems.

4. I know you wanted to keep it simple and I respect that, but I have some concerns about increasing cardio, especially when dieting and restricting calories simultaneously. Also, the concern for increasing my cardio has always been loss of lean mass and and T levels. Thoughts?

5. HOT-ROX unfortunately has yohimbine which will raise my BP which I cannot use because I am already hypertensive. ECA (ephedrine-caffeine-aspirin) same problem. Cannot have any stimulants. What about alpha-yohimbine? Is not a stimulant, but an effective fat burner AND actually lowers BP? Anything else?
   As I mentioned, I am taking T3 for my thyroid. I am @ 30mcg (10mcg 3xs/day) and 3 grains Armour thyroid (which has both T3/T4). I would think this would have helped burn fat, but it has not.

6. Cannot do BB squats or deads because of lower back/disc injury. Alternatives?

7. I do get in 4 weight sessions/week.

8. I have to use those other supps because of issues unrelated to training which are too complex and involved to get into. Why do you think they could be making me retain water?

Thanks again!

[Cadztra]

Can one, while using AAS, still gain muscle size while in a calorie deficit?

Assuming exercise and diet is on point w/ protein remaining high/moderate- as in 1 to 1.5 grams per lb of bw.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]Marshall55 wrote:
After reading roughly the first 7 pages I decided to should ask a question concerning my current cycle for my 2nd contest prep. I am 23yrs old, 6’1 currently 217lbs @7.43BF coming down from 231lbs and 10.24%. I’m a physique competitor so I know this is alittle different being you are a BBer.

My first show I was 184lbs 3.12% bf placing second in Novice. I immediately started bulking for roughly 45 days, rebounding from my comp weight of 184 to 209lbs in a day (water) and over the next month and a half started my first cycle of Test E 500mg/week. Shooting up to 231lbs.

Now I am cutting down for my next competition at the Dexter Jackson Classic. I am a day shy of 7.5 weeks out. I am currently 214lbs in the AM before food, usually 217-218 by 8pm after 5 of my meals. I am running 175mg of Sust, 100mg of Tren A, 100mg of Mast all every other day reoccurring. Orals I am taking 100mg Winstrol, 80mg T3, Clen, Anavar, everyday and Arimidex every other day.

2 weeks out I will run Letrozale every day till the show. While running Sust do I still need to cut it out 2 weeks before the show like I would Test E or Cyp or no? BC of less water retention. This is my first real cycle, I was thinking after this show I may take a month break even though it is prime bulking season… I have my favorite show up again next year in March that I wanna step on stage around 205-210 for physique instead of the 184 last show and hopefully the 195 for this upcoming one.

Does this seem like a good stack givin my goals? Ive been lifting since I was 15 through Football, Wrestling, and Weightlifting, did’nt get serious about competitions till last Oct and now here I am. Heavier and more muscular than I’ve ever been, even before the gear. But now with gear its a whole new ball game. I train 5-6 days a week with an hour of incline walking cardio 7 days a week. Just looking to see if I am doing this right, my coach knows some but his advice isnt always… sound? I have friends also in the NPC that offer advice and I read alot, but would like some real world advice if you wouldn’t mind. Thank you for your time and sorry for my lengthy post. I’m sure I am forgetting something but…[/quote]

Here are my thoughts… Jumping from 184 to 209 in 1 day after a show is absolutely insane…Water retention or not, you should not be binging and know how to rehydrate yourself without gaining so much water. I can tell you just from this piece of info that your diuretic protocol was completely off and I’m assuming your diet wasn’t on point. There’s no way you should ever gain 25lbs in 1 day if you are doing everything correctly and not to mention safely.

I wrote in an earlier post that the amount of drugs men’s physique competitors need is a lot lower than what bodybuilders need. It’s a completely different ball game, there are many compounds that you guys should never even touch and everything that you do use should be a very small dosage. You don’t need to get to 3% bodyfat, more like 5-6% so why use so many drugs? Believe it or not, there are natural ifbb pro men’s physique competitors and the others are using a lot less than what you mentioned here.

Just to make a comparison… The most winstrol I have ever done is 100mg/day and you are doing the same! 80mcg of t3 is absolutely insane, this amount for a men’s physique competitor will be causing catabolism. On top of that you are taking Clen, tren, anavar, masteron and Sustanon… You are taking 7 compounds and you are only 23 and before your second show. I’m trying not to be rude but I have to tell you these amounts are shocking for me to hear… If this is the info that some coaches are giving their men’s physique competitors I am truly afraid about the future of the industry.

You asked me if this stack is going with your goals… ABSOLUTELY NOT! This will hurt your longevity in the sport, harm your overall health and you won’t look as good as you have the potential for. It’s a shame because it seems from what you wrote that you have a good long history or playing sports and lifting. You can look so much better while taking less stuff. More is not always better, trust me!

1 hr of cardio 7 days a week is also way too much, no need for this. Yes, I would cut the sust at 2 weeks out and DO NOT run letrozole everyday for the last 2 weeks it will kill your health, libido and joints… There’s safer ways to do this.

If you want to post a picture I might be able to help you further but I don’t think you’re going to like what I suggest. Most likely I will be taking you off half of the stuff and lowering the dosages. I’m all about using juice but it needs to be done intelligently, efficiently and safely. What you are doing right now is none of these things… You wanted my honest opinion so here you have it.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]Wayacrucis wrote:
Hi sir. I’ve been bodybuilding for about 8 years now. I’ve competed at Provincial level a couple of times and have qualified for Nationals, though I’ve never competed at National level yet. Wanted to ask you a couple of questions if possible.

1. At what dose do you think diminishing returns begin with Testosterone? Especially in the off-season as a mass gainer. I know this is subjective, but I am looking for a rough estimate. I know guys that go up to 2g/week, and others that stay at 1-1.5g max.

2. Assuming I can only afford 4IU/day of Pharm grade GH to use during the off-season, would taking Humalog along with it really make a big difference in my gains? I’ve used Humalog in the past at 15IU pre-work out and felt like it bloated me too much. I am trying to see exactly how effective insulin is in the off-season for packing on muscle mass. Do you think it’s really that important?

Basically, what I am asking is will Humalog/AAS/GH yield much better muscle gains as opposed to just AAS and GH during the off-season. If the humalog is that important, would you recommend using it both in the morning and also before gym? or just once per day? (prework out)

Also would you advocate taking Slin with no GH? Or will that cause too much fat gains?

On a side note - you mentioned that taking Insulin is bad for the cardiovascular system? To what extent? I am asking because last off-season was the first time I used insulin, and it was also the first time I had a high resting heart rate (90 beats per minute at resting). Not sure if the two were connected.

3. Do you or any of the pros use DNP as their primary fat burner over the more traditional stuff like T3,Clen, etc?

4. Joints - What do you think has helped your tendons and joints stay healthy? Supplements, GH, etc?

Thanks for your time :). [/quote]

1. It depends on how many cycles you’ve done before and what dosages you used. If you are doing it 8 years at a national level I’m assuming you have a few good cycles under your belt. As a rough estimate 1g would be safe for most people. 1.5g is depending on your water retention sensitively and estrogen issues, you can still get away with it without any diminishing returns. @2g for most people would be overdoing it. I saw some people get away with 1.7g but this would be pushing it and anything over this you would see diminishing returns. A good way to see if you are overdoing it is if you start to feel Lethargic and low(or no) libido, also oily skin could develop. At this time you should lower the test. For most experienced people I think 1-1.2g is a good place to be

2. The gains you get from Humalog depend a lot on your insulin sensitivity and your general tolerance to carbohydrates and how many of them you are eating in your diet. Rule of thumb: the more insulin sensitive you are the more carbs you can handle without gaining fat, then the better gains you will get from external insulin use. If you are insulin resistant or having high fat and medium/low carbs in your diet then you won’t gain as much as using insulin. I’m very good with carbs so over the years I have got some of the best gains of my life from using GH and insulin together. for example I am eating almost 300g during my workout.
   GH will give you good gains with or without insulin. At 4iu you will see it mostly in fat loss and recovery… At higher dosages you will notice muscle gains. I wouldn’t take insulin without GH, it will encourage fat gains. The best time to take it is pre-workout and if you are very lean you could also add a 2nd time in the morning. Insulin can definitely hurt the cardiovascular system and raise resting heart rate , if last off season was the first time you used insulin then I can see the relation.

3. I used it before and I know some pros are using it. From my point of view it wasn’t worth it because it completely took away my ability to train normally because you feel run down and depleted the whole time you are taking it and it makes you hold water and look flat. This can mess with your head especially leading up to a show. I prefer the traditional stuff like Clen, t3 and ECA. With a good diet, these work good enough and you can still train hard.

4. I would say its a combination of all of these things… GH definitely helps the most and the more you take the better (not just joints, all kinds of injuries) supplements like Flameout (omegas and cla), elite multiminerals. I also get at least 8-10 hours of sleep at night and that makes a huge difference in my recovery and overall feeling. I also get deep tissue massage once a week and this seems to help.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]TheACEhole wrote:
Shadow Pro- thank your time and responses in this forum. I am 31, 6’3’’ 232lbs. My body fat is 15.6%. I cant figure out how to get pics from my phone, friend is helping later. I have been training for 13 years. i have done one test cyp only cycle at 500mg/wk. I will get body fat lower and stay in the 230’s, im normally 240 plus, before starting the next cycle. It is lean gains oriented. Your advice on the cycle would be greatly appreciated!

12 weeks
1-6 test cyp at 600mg/week
7-12 primo at 300mg/week
1-12 EQ at 300mg/week
1-12 nolva 20mg/day
1-12 HcG 250iu every 3rd day

A friend also suggested Halo at 20mg per day the entire cycle.
After cycle i will run 250mg/week sust for a while or nothing but PCT.

Thank you for your time![/quote]

Since it’s only your second cycle and the goal is to get lean I would do this.
Week 1-12
Test cyp 600mg/week
Primo-e 400mg/week
Nolva 20mg/day
HCG 250iu every 3rd day
Week 1-6
Anavar or oral winstrol @ 50mg/day

Eq will cause some water retention and your goal is to get leaner so there’s no point in putting it there. Halo is too harsh for a second cycle, it’s for more experienced users and only should be used for about 4-6 weeks, I wouldn’t touch it if I were you. The winstrol will get you stronger and harder than anavar but it might cause some joint issues. The anavar will give you a hard look without the significant strength gains but this choice is up to you. I would get my bodyfat down to about 10-12% before starting. If you aren’t able to post a picture, try and get a dexa scan so I can see where you’re at.

If you want to stay on and cruise 250of sust is fine but if I were you I would do a good pct and take time off after since it’s only your second cycle.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]kanabolic wrote:
Just gave in to your shills and got a bottle of Plazma on the way, only yesterday I had a poor workout and the conclusion I’m coming to is my approach to nutrition around my workout was poor.

Juice question, currently going in to week 6 of my first Test-E 600mg/week only cycle, loving it and the thought of PCT’ing after week 12 isn’t appealing. Do you think that PCT’ing and getting more bloods after ones first cycle is important? Or, if I’m coping with the test well, do you think it wouldn’t be too bad to add on an 8 week cycle of high Test low Tren (700mg/350mg respectively) to run into the summer with?

Pics: http://i.imgur.com/kGMcTmi.jpg http://i.imgur.com/0QMsEsk.jpg

I’m 22 with 4 years gym experience, 2.5 years of which bodybuilding focused. 6’1, 195 at 10% bf (guessed, full six pack and minor oblique striations visible.)

Appreciate any and all input, if wanted I’ll take a recent pic once I’m home.

Thanks a lot for the thread, informative stuff, you’re a good guy.
[/quote]

You can thank me about the Plazma later… Actually, you could buy me a bottle instead of thanking me! Just kidding.

My instinct is no for what you suggested but you are right about being 10% bodyfat and it seems that you are making good progress so I will leave the final up to you. You can stretch this cycle for another 8 weeks and try low doses of tren. The pros is that you will see progress, probably getting leaner, harder and stronger and the cons are that you don’t know how sensitive you are to tren side effects yet and that might not be pleasant. If you decide to go with it, only use tren-a and if you are not reacting good you can stop right away and it will be out of your system. Start with something like 75 mg EOD and make sure that when the cycle is done you do an aggressive pct… I can help you with this when the time comes.

If you are planning to do this, start 250iu of HCG every 3rd day and 10mg of nolvadex starting immediately, it will help you from shutting down and the nolva will be used as a precaution because you are going to be on test a long time.

Thanks for posting pictures.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]Fastback11 wrote:
Awesome thread. Many people are learning a lot, thanks for doing this.

. I need help burning fat. I’m I taking 2200 calories macros more or less are : 240p 160c 80f

I’m 22, 215lb and I put myself at about 15-16%bf. my goal is to get to 10% and start my first cycle of many to come. If it maters, my goal is to look like the bodybuilders from the golden era.

I was also thinking of doing 250mg of test weekly to prevent muscle breakdown and see how my body reacts to the test.

I’ve lost about 10 lbs but I’ve been stuck for a while. Please help… Thanks in advance [/quote]

First thing, lower your fat to about 50g/day. If your aren’t doing any cardio, now is a good time to start 4 days a week of HIIT(30-40min)If you aren’t taking any fat burners try HOT-ROX 30min before cardio. If you aren’t using Plazma yet, grab yourself a bottle and have half of your daily carbs intraworkout, and if you want to kick it up a notch add 6 capsules of indigo 30min before you begin your intraworkout nutrition.

Stay off of the drugs until you reach 10%,the results will be much more profound if you start from there. You’re not in a bad place to start, so these small changes will get you there fast and then we can talk about a cycle.

[Shadow_Pro]

[quote]p00fyy wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]p00fyy wrote:
Hey Shadow I’m 17 years old and would like some input and some advice on how to get more out of my training.

A little background about me is that I’ve been training since February 2013 and rarely if ever miss a day of training. I’ve been counting my calories since day one of lifting and have been adjusting them as I start to slow in weight gain but I never had a set meal plan. Speaking of weight gain I started at ~130-135 and now sit at around 170-175 and have stayed lean the entire way doing one long bulk since starting.

My routine started as hitting each muscle twice a week but not really organized. I then found Layne Norton’s PHAT and was doing that from around June to the end of November. Since then I’ve been doing the classic brosplit. For supplementation I take 5 grams of creatine a day, 1-2 scoops of whey, a pre workout, and Super Cissus RX.

Oh and I’m around 5’9-5’10 and my main lift stats are 210 lbs x2 for bench(did this around 2 months ago and I now do DB incline as my main chest lift and I did 80lb dbs for 6 on sunday) squat is 315 lbs x2 to parallel deadlift is 335 lbs once but I just added that in a week ago and last is barbell shoulder press 155 lbs x 5.

For my goals I would like to build a physique much like the Men's Physique competitors and am not sure yet if I would be wanting to compete myself or not. I understand you compete in the Olympia and didn't start using AAS until you were 22 so I'm assuming you would suggest I stay natural for a while. 

So this is where the question is. After reading through the forum for a while I noticed that you suggest training each muscle twice a week as apposed to the brosplit and would like to know if there is a number of sets in total I should stay around or any other advice you would have to set that up(sorry if you already mentioned that because I haven't read entirely over all 20 something pages of this thread.). 

Also if you would have any suggestions to add to my supplementation and diet because I’ve been stalling around this weight for the past month or so and when I do up calories from 4k to 4,200 I notice a lot more fat gain than I used to. I’m willing to try and do anything to get to my goal so any suggestions you have I will gladly listen to.

Thanks in advance for helping me. [/quote]

I am not advising everyone to train each muscle twice a week, training programs are completely individual. I do see a lot of benefits for beginners and intermediate athletes to train each body part twice a week and I advise this because most people do not get enough intensity and stimulation from training the muscle groups only once a week.

As for suggestions for yourself. If you want to follow my recommendation for twice a week training (from the info you gave me I think this will be good for you) do something like this.
1st training session concentrate on heavy compound exercises and heavy weights
(Ex: back squats, front squats, barbell lunges 3-4sets for 3-10rep range)
2nd training session for same muscle group (2-3 days later) concentrate on pump… Machine work, isolation exercises and higher rep ranges (12-20reps)
(Ex:leg press, leg extension, lying hamstring curls etc.)
You can do this in 10 day cycles but make sure you hit every body part twice and pick different exercises.

Supplements: you are in the right place here, you’ve probably already read all of my hype about Plazma so this is my first recommendation for your intraworkout (3servings)

Plazma™

As well as:
MAG-10 1-3 servings/day
http://www.T-Nation.com/store/products/MAG-10
Bcaa’s 10g/day in Plazma
Creatine Malate 10g/day
Micro-pa 6capsules 60min prior to training. It will help with your strength and promote growth.

I recommend you stay natural for at least 5 more years, you will be ahead of the game if you keep your diet and training from now til then. Maximizing your natural potential is the best advice I can possibly give you and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you in whatever sport you choose… Glad to see you aren’t trying to take short cuts and learning from a young age. Post a picture if you like and I can give you more helpful info and critique.[/quote]

Thanks for the help so far. I still have a few more questions though if you’re willing to answer.

One is what do you mean by a 10 day cycle when referring to training.

Two is that for me I like the feeling of staying relatively lean no matter what as I’ve been doing since I’ve started but I’m noticing it’s getting harder and harder to stay lean and gain size and was wondering if you had any tips for that.

Three is do you have any suggestions for better training arms. I love training every body part but by far my favorite in looks and training is arms and wanted to know some suggestions you have to bring them up more

And last here are a couple pictures that I took and was wondering what you’re critique/suggestions would be for me Imgur: The magic of the Internet (I couldn’t take a good back pic but in my opinion and others it is defiantly a strong point on my body along with my legs)

Thank you so much for taking time to go over and answer my previous questions and these questions man.
[/quote]

You’re looking very good. A great potential here!

When I say 10 day training cycle, it’s training each body part twice in 10days (rather than 1 week)
Day 1: legs heavy
Day 2: chest/shoulders heavy
Day 3: back heavy
Day 4:arms heavy
Day 5: off
Day 6: legs high rep
Day 7: chest/shoulder high rep
Day 8: back high rep
Day 9: arms high rep
Day 10: off
(For example)
this way you will train every body part twice in 10 days, so you will do 3 cycles each month.

Unfortunately, the bigger you get the harder it is to stay lean. There are things you can do in order to stay lean. Keep your diet 100% clean and only have 1 cheat each week. Do 2 sessions a week of HIIT cardio. Pay attention to meal timing, majority of carbs should be in the window around your workout and mostly intraworkout. Get a good 8 hours of sleep each night. Use indigo to help with nutrient absorption.

For biceps, use a lot of drop sets, Supersets and slow negatives. For triceps you should use heavy weights in the compound movements like close grip bench press and skull crushers. Biceps respond betters to higher volume and lighter weights and triceps respond better to a mix of both.

Lastly, get a hold of the micro-pa and Plazma, these will help you in your next big jump in strength, muscle size and hardness. I couldn’t see your back in these pictures but you look lean and you are in the perfect position to train your ass off here for the next 5 years until you can make a decision about juice… You look great so keep doing what you are doing and add in my suggestions, I know you’ll do well. Best of luck to you, keep me posted.