Q&A with Shadow Pro

Pharma
1065

[quote]Wayacrucis wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Wayacrucis wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Wayacrucis wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Wayacrucis wrote:
Hi shadow. I know earlier you mentioned that you prefer carbs in over fats, but you also mentioned that on off days carb intake should be reduced by a fair amount. So my question is, during the off-season on off days I’ll be reducing my carb intake. Though by doing so I’ll have a hard time consuming as much as calories as I should.

So, how do I obtain the remaining calories on off days to reach my total caloric intake? Should the extra calories come from fats or more carbs? Would this also apply during a cut as well? Assuming I am 200-300 calories short and have consumed my carbs/proteins per day, it fine to consume fats to reach my total calories per day?

  1. During this off-season I plan on using Test E and Tren E to bulk. This is my favourite stack. Do you think I am better off using 500mg Tren E/Week + 1500mg Test E/week or do you think it’s wiser to keep Tren E at 500mg/Week, drop Test E to 1000mg/Week and add EQ to the stack? I’ve used EQ in the past at 600mg/week, but it doesn’t seem to do too much aside from increase vascularity and appetite. Would would you say the sweetspot is for EQ to get its full benefits? Also would you say 500mg Tren E/Week during the off-season is a sufficient dose?

3.For someone that weights 240-245lbs in the off-season at 6’0 what dose of humalog would you suggest pre-work out? I’ve used 7-15IU in the past. I’ve heard of guys going up to 20IU and I’ve heard of guys saying anything over 10IU will add too much fat. In your opinion, is the dose of Humalog used dependent on the user’s muscle mass/weight? Or could say a 240lbs athlete use as much as a 200lbs athlete and still have the same benefits?

In general, what would you say is the sweetspot in order to receive significant benefits, without adding too much fat. I am personally thinking of sticking at 10IU pre-work out and maybe going up to 12IU if I go past 250? Still not sure if I should increase the dose as I get heavier or not.

On a side, I know that it’s not wise to consume fats for 4 hours after Humalog is administrated in order to avoid fat gains. Do you think fats should be avoided 30 minutes-60 minutes before Humalog is taken as well? I am just thinking that if a person has ingested fats shortly before Humalog is administrated, then those fats could lead to fat gains as well. What’s your take on this?[/quote]

  1. In your off days, you don’t necessarily need to replace those calories especially while cutting. The lower calorie days (because of the drop in carbs) will help you get leaner and remember when you aren’t training you don’t exert as much energy so you don’t need to eat as much, this is why your calorie needs on off days are different.

As for your off season, I would probably only cut the intraworkout carbs,so just don’t drink your Plazma on off days and just exchange the protein from the Plazma to another protein source and maybe add 20g more of fat on these days. Only add the fats if you are in a gaining phase. If you are using a high carb approach while dieting your fats shouldn’t be more 50g a day (100g in off season)

  1. You’re doing pretty high dosages so I hope you’re an experience user. I think going to 1500mg of test is too high for most people, I would keep it at 1g and bump up the tren to 600-800 (if you’re experience) and eq 800-1000. The thing with eq is that for most experienced users you’ll only see results in very high dosages, I went up to 1200mg/week and some people are doing 1500 and getting great size gains. Again, these dosages are for very experienced and high level users. Not dosages for intermediate training.

  2. insulin dosages depends on your insulin sensitivity, it has little to do with how much you weigh but a lot to do with how your body is handling carbs, I know 200kb bodybuilders who use over 20iu of insulin preworkout and stay lean and 260lb bodybuilders who use 10iu and they gain fat because it’s too much for them.

You can keep increasing the dose as long as you’re not gaining fat. The only way to know is to experiment, so start low and go up from there. If your body handles carbs well you won’t gain fat but if you’re insulin resistant then you will.

  1. I would definitely avoid fat 30 min prior to insulin as well, just to be on the safe side.

If you can post a picture I will give you a better idea about insulin use specific to you. Usually the leaner you are, the more carbs you can eat and the more insulin you can use.[/quote]

Sure. I attached two pics from my last off-season. There are at 235lbs at 6’0. I used slin 4 weeks on-4weeks off at 15IU pre-work out. I looked bigger and fuller day by day up until mid-end of week 2. After that I started looking puffy and too watery. I definitely added some fat. My dose of GH was only 4IU/Day though. In general my metabolism is decent. If I eat well, I get lean fast, if I eat shity I’ll get fat. So I guess I am right in the middle. I am very prone to holding a shit ton of water from high sodium and high carb intake though. What dose of Slin do you think I should use? With 15IU pre-work out I was able to get away with drinking 50g of carbs 15 mins before I took my shake, and another 50g during my work out without going hypo. Though like I said I added more fat than desired at 15IU.

As for my cycle, you think the following should be g2g?
Test E 1g/week
EQ 900mg/week
Tren E 600mg/week [/quote]

If that’s the case, keep the insulin no more than 10iu preworkout and drink the 100g of carbs while you train from PLAZMA. As long as you’re drinking the carbs while you train and not before and after, your body will absorb them and use them while you’re training. The trick is to finish your carbs just before your workout ends, it will prevent any fat gains.

Cycle looks good to me… Don’t forget HCG 250iu every 3rd day and 20mg nolva during cycle. It won’t hurt your gains and will help with water retention and gyno.
[/quote]

Okay, so let me just get something straight, because now I think I was following the wrong protocol. When I used Humalog in the past I would consume a shake 15 mins before work out with my humalog shot, a shake intra work out and a shake post work out.

You’re saying I should pin humalog 15 minutes pre-work out and don’t drink a shake? So I start drinking my shake intra-work out and nothing pre. Will this not cause me to go Hypo though?

Also as for post work out what do you recommend? Should I consume a shake? whole meal? or nothing?[/quote]

No, you will not go hypo with the Plazma and Humalog together. Do the shot of Slin 10min prior to workout and then you can start sipping your plazma and continue to drink it throughout the workout. You can have a MAG-10 shake post workout (1.5-2 servings) and then eat a solid meal 30-60min after.

What you were doing before is too much, there is too many shakes there and I’m guessing you were eating way too many carbs than you needed to cover the insulin with all of these shakes.

Try the Plazma and see how to like it, you won’t regret it… I’ve used a lot more than 10iu with this and never went hypo or gained any fat with it.[/quote]

Got it. Thanks sir. I’ve already ordered plaza and it’s on its way. As for my protein intake in the intra-work out shake how much should I take? 50-60g? or something in the lower range like 20-30g? Also should I throw in my creatine in the intra-work out shake or the MAG-10 post work out shake?

One more thing about insulin. I know in the past you mentioned that insulin sensitivity is important and that the more insulin resistant a person is the less they will benefit from taking slin. So if I am able to pin slin and take consume small amounts of carbs and not go Hypo does this mean that I am insulin resistant? Or it doesn’t really mean anything…?
[/quote]

Remember that Plazma is carbs and protein together so 3 scoops of Plazma will be 114g of carbs and 45g of protein which is perfect If you’re doing 10iu preworkout. You can add Creatine Malate into the Plazma, it will give you an extra boost… I actually do this as well.

Doesn’t really mean anything, the best way to know if you’re getting insulin resistant is if you’re starting to get fat and not get as good of pumps in the gym while using insulin. If this happens then back off on the insulin because your pumps should be insane on this. Some people are more sensitive than others and make sure to take time off insulin, this is very important.

1066

[quote]Ricardo Brentani wrote:
Hey Shadow, im having so much trouble with my leg development due to an old knee injury from rugby. Back when i first started lifting squats where one of my favorite exercises, in fact i squated so damn much that my waist even got bigger (larger to the sides, probably because hip muscles got bigger), unfortunately now every single time i try to squat - obviously after having the knee joints totaly warmed up - i feel a lot of pain.

I have tried to do them with every single possible foot stance/placement and its just the same, hack squats hurt just as much. For some reason sissy squats and leg presses feel fine, but its not the same and im having a hard time to develop my wheels. I have to say my body is getting quite unbalanced since my upper body keeps growing and my legs stays the same.

I remember you mentioned that your favorite muscles to train were legs, so i was wondering if after all this years of hard training and squating you have experienced anything like it? What would you recommend me to do? Please help me! [/quote]

I have a hunch that it could have something to do with your form and if you’re able to post a video I’d gladly critique this and help you out.

I’ve never had any major problems with my knees.

1067

[quote]maikeltjeh89 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]maikeltjeh89 wrote:
Dear Shadow Pro,

Thnx for this amazing thread.
I myself would also like some advice about a cycle im about to run within a couple of weeks.
Ive been lifting for 5 years now started at 60 kg 10% fat percentage at 170cm being a yogger and now lifting weights being 77kg at 10% fat at 170cm heigt.
since this year i did an oral only cycle with Annavar, gained some strenght within a 6 week cycle at 30 mg a day.

i made this choice to start at a light dosage to keep minimal suppression regarding my own T production.
now i want to up my cycle a bit and start injecting T.
this is what it should look like:
week 1-6 test e 250 mg e/w
week 1-6 anavar 20 mg e/d
week 8-10 nolvadex 20 mg e/d

what do u think about this for starters?
im not looking to gain an instant 10kgs of mass i just want to start experimenting with test injections and make some profitable gains without supressing t production to much.
and do u have any tips for injecting safelly?
thanks in advance!
[/quote]

Your cycle looks good, here’s what I would change (good job on taking it nice and slow!)

Use nolvadex from week 3 until the end, increase anavar to 30-40mg and do HCG at 250iu every 3rd day.

For safe injections make sure you never use the same needle more than once (believe it or not, people do that) use a different needle to load the syringe than the one you inject with. Clean the tops of your bottles with alcohol each time and clean your skin in the area of injection. Pull back on the plunger before you inject to make sure your not injecting into the bloodstream and apply pressure with a cotton ball or pad after injection. You can inject in a lot of different areas so look up injection sites and you will see all of the safe areas on the body and then take your pick and rotate regularly.
[/quote]

Ty for the advice.
So if im correct it would look like this:
1-6 test E 250mg e/w
1-6 anavar 30-40 mg e/d
4-6 nolva 20 mg e/d
HCG at 250iu every 3rd day.?

also thnx for the advice regarding injecting im really excited about this thread![/quote]

Looks good, do nolvadex from week 3-6… Everything else is fine.

1068

[quote]
Thanks again for great answers.

Got some more for you.

-After i’am finished with this Test and Tren cycle. For how long would you suggest, that I can start another cycle.?

-If you don’t use nolva or caber with the Test and Tren, and you are unlucky to get gyno. Are there any signs, so you can see if the gyno, came from the Test or the Tren.??
(I will use Nolva in the cycle, and caber on hand)

-Can you make list for steroids detection time in a pee-test.??
Primo
Sust
Tren E,A
Mast E,P
Test E,C,P
Deca
NPP
EQ

-Are you ever gonna tell who you are.??? :D[/quote]

I am Shadow Pro! :smiley:

Now for the rest of your questions,
-After your test and tren cycle… Take at least 6 weeks off (minimum)
-If you use nolva during the cycle and you get gyno it’s most likely from the tren, best way to know is check to prolactin levels… If it’s elevated then it’s from the tren.
-a google search will give you these times!

Maybe when I retire I’ll let everyone know. Is there a benefit for you to know who I am? I still want to do well in bodybuilding my friend. If everyone finds out who I am #1 I won’t place and #2 I’ll have to stop posting here.

I want to give you guys as much info as I can to help up and coming athletes and let everyone be aware of the truths behind the sport… It’s not a fairytale and I am here to shed the light.

1069

What do you think about stacking Eq and Deca together. I made a thread about the question but figured you stay swamped in here lol.

1070

[quote]Robolus88 wrote:
Hey Shadow!

At first i want to thank you for sharing your knowledge and answering the questions with so much passion!
I’m from Germany and registered only for asking you my questions, so please dont blame me for my bad english :wink:

I’ve been following this thread since it started and didn’t find a advice on my question so im asking right away…

MY QUESTION IS:
What PCT would you recommend to somebody who has been using pharma TestE 250mg e7d while cruising and TestE 250mg e5d during ´´blasts´´ for almost 3 (!) years now without breaks?
It was my first time taking roids.
I didn’t use HCG or Tamox in that time because i never had any issues or sides except a little acne on my back…to prevent hair loss i took1.25mg Finasterid ed and it worked phenomenal. My doctor said my blood analyses is okay for somebody who uses Testosteron.

Nutrition and Supplements are on point, as i’m working with a coach right now who really knows what he’s doing.

Personal data would be: 25years old, 205lbs with abs (BF @around 10% constantly) @180cm, 9 years of training, hitting the gym 3 times/week, 5 times/week doing fighting sports.
The main reason for taking Test was to improve recovery for Mixed Martial Arts, i am competing on a regular base.
(max: bench 330lbs, deadlift 550lbs, squat 440lbs)

Now i feel my body needs to recover from that long term abuse.
Its not because of any physical side effects, they simply didn´t occur, its just that im concerned that my body wont be able to recover because i shutted my natural production down for such a long time while beeing that young of age…

My idea of the PCT would be:

  • Slowly tapering down the TestE like 250mg e7d - e10 - e14d and then switch to Test P for the last month
  • while taking Test P adding HCG 125-250 iU e3d and Anastrozol 1mg e3d
  • 2 days after the last injection of Test P starting with Clomifen (100/100/100/50 for 30days) and Tamoxifen (40/40/40/20 for 40 days) while still using Anstrazolol 1mg e3d
  • Supplements like TestBooster, Vitamins, Creatin, Alanine … and so on
  • to prevent a ‘crush’ i would youse Yohimbine and Ephedrine as booster for keeping the workouts intense

Do you have any suggestions on that or would you go a complete different way?

Especially your thougts about HCG would interest me, because i read a lot of bad things about it, like theres the possibility that its shutting down your system forever and suppresses your natural testosteron production while using…thats something i couldnt live with.

Im sorry for the length of my question but i wanted to give you as many backround information as possible.
Really appreciating your work here and i wish you just the best for your career and personal life!
[/quote]

I appreciate you taking the time to give me all of your information, don’t apologize for the long post… For a first post this is exactly what I like to see and all the information I need is included.

I agree with you about the start of your pct, meaning slowly taper down the test-e and switch to prop as well as doing a low dose of HCG. After you’re going off completely, the first thing I would do is take a blood test to see if your natural test is recovered, if they did good for you and if not I would incorporate an aggressive pct… Don’t worry HCG isn’t going to shut you down, it’s a good therapeutic treatments that’s doctors give after a long shut down.

Something like 3000iu of HCG every 3-4 days for a duration of 10shots along with clomid(4 weeks:100/100/50/50) and nolvadex in the same dosages you listed above. Everything else looks very good.

Good luck and keep me posted!

I have used HCG like this for more years than you want to know and I functioning completely fine and I know a lot of other guys who do the same.

1071

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Robolus88 wrote:
Especially your thougts about HCG would interest me, because i read a lot of bad things about it, like theres the possibility that its shutting down your system forever and suppresses your natural testosteron production while using…thats something i couldnt live with.

[/quote]

I’m not Shadow (damn I wish I was) but I’ll tell you right now that hCG is NOT going to shut down your system forever. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s part of the therapy a doctor will prescribe to turn your system back on after lengthy shutdown.[/quote]

Yogi, how did you get so smart? No, you don’t wish you were me… I’m an old bastard now!

1072

[quote]ktaylor966 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]thor159 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]thor159 wrote:
For a natural person, what kind of diet would you recommend when on a cutting phase?

What’s your opinion on carb-backloading, carb-nite solution, ketogenic diet?[/quote]

It’s completely individual and depends on the person… Like I mentioned before some people respond well to carbs and others don’t, so their diet is based around what works for them based on their individual needs. Body type, metabolic rate, activity rate, style of training and so on… Thousands of variables so it’s literally impossible to give a generic diet.

I have no good opinion on any of these 3 topics, I don’t feel like turning this post into a negative one so I just won’t say anything.
[/quote]

I guess it would’d been better asked in a different way. What I really meant to ask is if is there any pros you know doing extremely low carbs and high fats getting ready to compete or if in general they would just maintain low fat and high/moderate carbs. Pretty much what the other guy asked if there is any pro doing Intermitent Fasting and you mentioned there is none that you know.[/quote]

Absolutely not, I don’t know any successful pro(male bodybuilder) who is using keto or any version of it and the pros that use it come in looking flat and generally look like shit. I know Dave Palumbo is a fan of this, but look at him… He’s a walking billboard of why you wouldn’t want to use these diets.[/quote]

In my own case though, being a Diabetic and doing my best to maintain a very stable blood glucose 24/7, the keto way is more of a lifestyle. I am forced to stay on it and luckily my own body has adapted to it. When I do eat carbs my BG reacts violently. It’s one thing to eat a packet of instant oatmeal with liquid egg whites.

All I need is 3IU’s of Humalog and Im fine and this is my only daily starch and it’s always my post-workout meal (since I train early in the AM).

On the other hand, if I dined at a sushi restaurant and had only one order of sushi rolls, my BG would spike to between 250-280! I simply stay away from food like that. The crazy thing is that a slice of plain NY style cheesecake doesn’t affect my BG, Im assuming because of the amount of fat in the cake. That is one once per week indulgence in the off season. All in all keto is my way of life, it’s keeps my BG stable and keeps me very lean year round.
[/quote]

You have a medical condition and you’re competing in men’s physique, I believe he was asking about pro bodybuilders. Don’t worry my friend, you are doing fine…now concentrate on your show in two weeks!!

1073

[quote]Reed wrote:
What do you think about stacking Eq and Deca together. I made a thread about the question but figured you stay swamped in here lol.[/quote]

Ya, you’re right about that… I missed that one, I’ve been pretty busy here. It’s okay but I would prefer to use eq in a very high dose, if you use over 1g of eq you’ll experience great size gains(similar to deca) with less water retention and increased appetite. If you have joint issues, you can throw deca in there but at a very low dose. I don’t see any of these compounds giving you any significant strength gains so instead of the deca I would use tren-e in its place.

1074

Kind Shadow,

Usually 0.5mg arimidex per week keeps my E at the perfect level (~27) , now I’ve heard that proviron is a much better choice (also cheaper)… what would your best guess be at how 0.5mg arimidex translates to proviron?

1075

Any intake on Helios (injectable Clenbuterol + Yohimbine)? Do pros use that?

Does it make any difference between training in the morning, afternoon or in the evening by a metabolic perspective?

Thanks for sharing with us all some of your time and knowledge. Keep up the great work, I’m sure it’s helping many people and keeping others from harming themselves.

1076

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
What do you think about stacking Eq and Deca together. I made a thread about the question but figured you stay swamped in here lol.[/quote]

Ya, you’re right about that… I missed that one, I’ve been pretty busy here. It’s okay but I would prefer to use eq in a very high dose, if you use over 1g of eq you’ll experience great size gains(similar to deca) with less water retention and increased appetite. If you have joint issues, you can throw deca in there but at a very low dose. I don’t see any of these compounds giving you any significant strength gains so instead of the deca I would use tren-e in its place.
[/quote]

The only reason I don’t want to run Tren is I have practically ran it for year straight at 200-1000mg usually sitting around 700mg week average I would say. I came off of it about 2 1/2 months ago complete and started it back up and am having some insane aggression I would like to save for meet time. Also def love Deca for the joint reliefso would like to keep it low as you suggested.So keep Deca low EQ high. Highest I have ran it is 750mg. So I’ll take you advice. What you think.

1250mg of Test
1200mg of Eq
300mg of Deca

4 weeks out of meet
50-75mg of Tren Ace
Halo 10mg Daily

I guess I should be fair and finally give the stats you ask for in order to help you help me.

Age 23
Training Age 6 year (4 military Crossfit type / 2 Powerlifting)
Height: 5’6"
Weight: 225-230lbs
BF: 16-18 (can clearly see and IF light is right haha)
Squat: 600
Bench: 340 (horrible I know)
Deadlift: 580

Diet: 3000ish Calories a day I don’t count exactly.
2 pounds of chicken or beef a day
1 pound of Brown Rice (pre cooked weight)
Eat through out the day.
6 eggs
Oatmeal for Breakfast 1 cup with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.

Have a shake of 30g of pro/60g of simple sugar.

AAS History:

Was a idiot in high school did two piss poor cycles with no PCT or AIs and completely shit my self down. Was put on TRT at 18. Once Ai got out of Army started a 600 Test/600 Deca cycle and pretty much B+C since then keeping 1000mg Test pretty standard and then using 750mg of another compound.

1077

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Uncreative123 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

Here’s a pic. And a friend had suggested using Triptorelin (I believe?) afterwards for PCT. He knows his stuff, has done a lot of research. NPC BB’er. He said it had to be done IM and only takes one shot but brings you back to normal levels straight away. Thoughts?

Also he really suggested cutting down my sodium intake and that could be one of the biggest reasons I appear to be retaining so much water and not near as lean as I actually am. That would also negate the need for dieuretics. He said he personally doesn’t go above 1200mg when getting ready, I think 15-1800 would be more realistic for me…as mine is usually well over 3000mg/day.

I’m getting ready to cut down another 100/cal for the week so I’ll be around 2350cal/day. I know I still have some serious fat to lose.

[/quote]

You look leaner and drier. I’m not sure about using the triptorelin for pct, I’ve never used it myself and heard mixed reviews about it. I’ve always just gone with a conventional pct because I know it works. Peptides are a hit and miss.

As for your sodium, it’s a very tricky thing. If you cut it too much you’ll come in flat as hell. You can lower it a little bit and see how your body responds, but I wouldn’t mess with it too much because it can fuck with your electrolyte balance and lead to cramping, no pump in the workout and a general overall shitty feeling. Just be very careful. It’s hard to put a number on how much you can cut, everyone is different so you need to find out what works for you. Before so close before a show it isn’t the best time to be experiment.
[/quote]

Thank you. I decided I’m going to compete July 12th in Colorado. I feel like I’m constantly getting closer and closer and better and better. I wish I had more time, but I really feel you on the “it’s time to give your body a rest” idea. I just want it to be done and over with at this point. I’m in better shape now than I was for my last show, so it’s already a win in my book. It’s been too long and I feel like I need to let my body finally recover. I did my last injection on the 1st. I’m going to start my PCT tomorrow and run it up until the show as you suggested. I’m also running a “de-cycle” detox.

I’ll see how it goes over the next few days whether or not it’s going to be advantageous to run water pills (just Cellucor’s L2) the last few days.
I was thinking about low-carbing for the next 3-4 days straight and then doing moderate carbs leading up to the show. Any thoughts on this? Also I’m going to try and get as much water out naturally by sitting in the steam room and/or sauna. Just wanted to see if you took any issue with that or see any downside to that.

And I guess any last minute advice you can give me leading up to this show. I appreciate it all. You’ve been tremendously helpful. I’ll post pics as it gets closer.

1078

Hey Shadow! Took your advice and made a log with lots of stuff I’ve read while you’ve been answering questions. I decided tog o ahead and do my show this weekend and have been drying out since dropping long esters earlier, so thank you so much for that, it’s going to change the way I do my protocols. I had one quick question for prepping my next show. You suggested, at various points, anavar and winstrol to harden you up toward the end of a prep at the lates (I believe you told me six weeks for winstrol). I have ALSO seen you recommend HALO if you can get your hands on it. I know Halo is very liver toxic, and even though Anavar isn’t super hard on the liver, would you run them together or JUST HALO? I assumed injectible winstrol could be used in the place of oral if being used with Halo. Thoughts?

As for diet and training, I still have a great deal of size i want to add, being a short, lightweight bodybuilder. I’ve been told at my last two shows my proportions are pretty much spot on (though I want bigger calves!) and so I feel overall size is what I need. I am moving into reverse dieting, going to high carbs and 1.5g + protein and lowering fats, since I tend to get pudgy, with one cheat meal a week during off season. What do you think of periodizing training for someone who still has a lot of growing to do? I’ve grown well by doing a powerlifting base when I was skinny fat, and then moved to traditional bodybuilding, each body part 1-2 times a week (doing 2 until I felt over trained, going to one, reversing) always with a focus on slowly adding more weight to the bar. Would it be a good idea to go back to a Powerlifting base, with bodybuilding accessory work for a few months a year before returning to bodybuilding style training? Example is 4x a week powerlifting split, focusing on Bench and Squats 2x a week, with the upper and lower body worked 2x a week with moderate and higher rep training (think westside PL for reps on power lifts, and 3x6-8 for accessories first run, 5x12 for second run through) after. This would be followed by a Power bodybuilding split, focusin on a big lift a day (Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Squat) for lower reps (ie 3x5 or 5x5) witht he focus on a few bodybuilding movements at moderate reps. Final phase is your traditional bro split. 4-5 days a week, muscles worked once or twice a week depending on recovery, sets going to 3x6-8 for compounds and 3x8-12 for isolation, abs, calves and arms. Each phase would be 6-12 weeks. Or am I needlessly complicating things?

1079

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]DoctorJekyll wrote:
Hey Shadow, Currently a little over 13 weeks out. Im adding in tren and mast for pre-contest at 11 weeks out. (Currently only on 600 Test, 400 Deca) and i cant get caber. So do you think a high dose of B6 should be enough to keep tren sides away or should i get some prami on hand just in case?

Thanks
Jekyll
[/quote]

Have you used tren before? And how tren do you plan on using? If you’re not sensitive and you’re on a relatively low to medium dose then the b6 will do the trick but if you are sensitive or planning to run a high dose you should get prami on hand.

By the way…Pretty sure most peptide sites sell caber?
[/quote]

Havent used before, will be low-medium depending on how i react (Dont want to go too high and get bad sides)

My customs is strict, site warns on AUs customs stopping certain products which includes caber. Prami is not stopped however.

Edit: Tren Ace too btw.

1080

[quote]rhod wrote:
Kind Shadow,

Usually 0.5mg arimidex per week keeps my E at the perfect level (~27) , now I’ve heard that proviron is a much better choice (also cheaper)… what would your best guess be at how 0.5mg arimidex translates to proviron?[/quote]

25mg everyday will do the trick

1081

[quote]thor159 wrote:
Any intake on Helios (injectable Clenbuterol + Yohimbine)? Do pros use that?

Does it make any difference between training in the morning, afternoon or in the evening by a metabolic perspective?

Thanks for sharing with us all some of your time and knowledge. Keep up the great work, I’m sure it’s helping many people and keeping others from harming themselves.[/quote]

Tried it twice and didn’t like it… I prefer the oral version, it’s too strong and made me cramp. Most of the guys I know are just using the oral version.

In the big picture there’s no difference, in the evening most people usually perform better because they have more food in them. If you go by textbook, the best time to train is 3 hours after you wake up or 11 hours after you wake up because your hormone levels peak at those times. Since we are on a steroid forum it doesn’t make a difference for enhanced people.

Happy you like the thread, doing my best to keep up here!

1082

[quote]Reed wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Reed wrote:
What do you think about stacking Eq and Deca together. I made a thread about the question but figured you stay swamped in here lol.[/quote]

Ya, you’re right about that… I missed that one, I’ve been pretty busy here. It’s okay but I would prefer to use eq in a very high dose, if you use over 1g of eq you’ll experience great size gains(similar to deca) with less water retention and increased appetite. If you have joint issues, you can throw deca in there but at a very low dose. I don’t see any of these compounds giving you any significant strength gains so instead of the deca I would use tren-e in its place.
[/quote]

The only reason I don’t want to run Tren is I have practically ran it for year straight at 200-1000mg usually sitting around 700mg week average I would say. I came off of it about 2 1/2 months ago complete and started it back up and am having some insane aggression I would like to save for meet time. Also def love Deca for the joint reliefso would like to keep it low as you suggested.So keep Deca low EQ high. Highest I have ran it is 750mg. So I’ll take you advice. What you think.

1250mg of Test
1200mg of Eq
300mg of Deca

4 weeks out of meet
50-75mg of Tren Ace
Halo 10mg Daily

I guess I should be fair and finally give the stats you ask for in order to help you help me.

Age 23
Training Age 6 year (4 military Crossfit type / 2 Powerlifting)
Height: 5’6"
Weight: 225-230lbs
BF: 16-18 (can clearly see and IF light is right haha)
Squat: 600
Bench: 340 (horrible I know)
Deadlift: 580

Diet: 3000ish Calories a day I don’t count exactly.
2 pounds of chicken or beef a day
1 pound of Brown Rice (pre cooked weight)
Eat through out the day.
6 eggs
Oatmeal for Breakfast 1 cup with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.

Have a shake of 30g of pro/60g of simple sugar.

AAS History:

Was a idiot in high school did two piss poor cycles with no PCT or AIs and completely shit my self down. Was put on TRT at 18. Once Ai got out of Army started a 600 Test/600 Deca cycle and pretty much B+C since then keeping 1000mg Test pretty standard and then using 750mg of another compound.[/quote]

Lower the eq to 1100 and increase the deca to 400. 300 is probably a bit low to help with your joints so I think this will work better for you.

Also, you are doing super high dosages so might as well do it right. Do the tren @75-100mg everyday for the last 4 weeks and drop the deca at this point, it will still be in your system at the time of the meet.

Halo, start with 10mg and increase it by 10mg every week leading up to the meet.(so you’ll finish at 40mg)

As for your diet, it can be much better. I don’t know if you want to change it or not but I would add intraworkout nutrition for sure, you’ll be surprised how much weight you’ll be able to add to the bar just by adding the Plazma. If you are interested in changing your diet, let me know and I can lead you in the right direction.

I’ll be real with you… These dosages are very high but since you’re doing it anyways you might as well do right and if you’re going to cruise after, do it at 500 and not 1000. Any plans to go off at all? You’re still very young so that’s a long lifetime of cruising.

1083

[quote]Uncreative123 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Uncreative123 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

Here’s a pic. And a friend had suggested using Triptorelin (I believe?) afterwards for PCT. He knows his stuff, has done a lot of research. NPC BB’er. He said it had to be done IM and only takes one shot but brings you back to normal levels straight away. Thoughts?

Also he really suggested cutting down my sodium intake and that could be one of the biggest reasons I appear to be retaining so much water and not near as lean as I actually am. That would also negate the need for dieuretics. He said he personally doesn’t go above 1200mg when getting ready, I think 15-1800 would be more realistic for me…as mine is usually well over 3000mg/day.

I’m getting ready to cut down another 100/cal for the week so I’ll be around 2350cal/day. I know I still have some serious fat to lose.

[/quote]

You look leaner and drier. I’m not sure about using the triptorelin for pct, I’ve never used it myself and heard mixed reviews about it. I’ve always just gone with a conventional pct because I know it works. Peptides are a hit and miss.

As for your sodium, it’s a very tricky thing. If you cut it too much you’ll come in flat as hell. You can lower it a little bit and see how your body responds, but I wouldn’t mess with it too much because it can fuck with your electrolyte balance and lead to cramping, no pump in the workout and a general overall shitty feeling. Just be very careful. It’s hard to put a number on how much you can cut, everyone is different so you need to find out what works for you. Before so close before a show it isn’t the best time to be experiment.
[/quote]

Thank you. I decided I’m going to compete July 12th in Colorado. I feel like I’m constantly getting closer and closer and better and better. I wish I had more time, but I really feel you on the “it’s time to give your body a rest” idea. I just want it to be done and over with at this point. I’m in better shape now than I was for my last show, so it’s already a win in my book. It’s been too long and I feel like I need to let my body finally recover. I did my last injection on the 1st. I’m going to start my PCT tomorrow and run it up until the show as you suggested. I’m also running a “de-cycle” detox.

I’ll see how it goes over the next few days whether or not it’s going to be advantageous to run water pills (just Cellucor’s L2) the last few days.
I was thinking about low-carbing for the next 3-4 days straight and then doing moderate carbs leading up to the show. Any thoughts on this? Also I’m going to try and get as much water out naturally by sitting in the steam room and/or sauna. Just wanted to see if you took any issue with that or see any downside to that.

And I guess any last minute advice you can give me leading up to this show. I appreciate it all. You’ve been tremendously helpful. I’ll post pics as it gets closer.
[/quote]

I need to see another recent picture to answer these questions. I don’t want to give you random advice 10 days out from a show, things are changing by the day.

1084

[quote]Fathermithras wrote:
Hey Shadow! Took your advice and made a log with lots of stuff I’ve read while you’ve been answering questions. I decided tog o ahead and do my show this weekend and have been drying out since dropping long esters earlier, so thank you so much for that, it’s going to change the way I do my protocols. I had one quick question for prepping my next show. You suggested, at various points, anavar and winstrol to harden you up toward the end of a prep at the lates (I believe you told me six weeks for winstrol). I have ALSO seen you recommend HALO if you can get your hands on it. I know Halo is very liver toxic, and even though Anavar isn’t super hard on the liver, would you run them together or JUST HALO? I assumed injectible winstrol could be used in the place of oral if being used with Halo. Thoughts?

As for diet and training, I still have a great deal of size i want to add, being a short, lightweight bodybuilder. I’ve been told at my last two shows my proportions are pretty much spot on (though I want bigger calves!) and so I feel overall size is what I need. I am moving into reverse dieting, going to high carbs and 1.5g + protein and lowering fats, since I tend to get pudgy, with one cheat meal a week during off season. What do you think of periodizing training for someone who still has a lot of growing to do? I’ve grown well by doing a powerlifting base when I was skinny fat, and then moved to traditional bodybuilding, each body part 1-2 times a week (doing 2 until I felt over trained, going to one, reversing) always with a focus on slowly adding more weight to the bar. Would it be a good idea to go back to a Powerlifting base, with bodybuilding accessory work for a few months a year before returning to bodybuilding style training? Example is 4x a week powerlifting split, focusing on Bench and Squats 2x a week, with the upper and lower body worked 2x a week with moderate and higher rep training (think westside PL for reps on power lifts, and 3x6-8 for accessories first run, 5x12 for second run through) after. This would be followed by a Power bodybuilding split, focusin on a big lift a day (Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Squat) for lower reps (ie 3x5 or 5x5) witht he focus on a few bodybuilding movements at moderate reps. Final phase is your traditional bro split. 4-5 days a week, muscles worked once or twice a week depending on recovery, sets going to 3x6-8 for compounds and 3x8-12 for isolation, abs, calves and arms. Each phase would be 6-12 weeks. Or am I needlessly complicating things?[/quote]

When I’m prepping for a show I’m using all 3 of them (halo, anavar, inj. Winstrol) only run the halo for the last 4 weeks and you’ll be fine something like 20mg/30mg/40mg/40mg. You can still use the anavar but is not a must, the halo will do the work by itself. I always prefer injectable winstrol over oral but either will work for you.

I like this idea, especially because your base is powerlifting. I believe in heavy lifting to build new muscle so I’d definitely give it a shot as long as you keep hypertrophy work included and don’t neglect it then you’ll be fine.