Shadow Pro Q&A 2.0

Shadow_Pro · October 5, 2014, 8:57pm

[quote]ndim wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]ndim wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]ndim wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]ndim wrote:
Hi Shadow Pro, I’m 28 yrsold, 5’9’', 210 lbs, bf is around 10%. Started dieting for 4 weeks now, been on 500/week test C (the first 3 weeks) then switched to 250 test C and 225 tren A and 80 mcg of clen.

I have done a number of cycles before, always competed as LHW at 180-184 lbs. For my previous shows I usually stay lean year around (198-195lbs) and make my way to 180-184lbs. However, this year I wanted to put on some weight specially in my weak legs and back, took a year off, bulked up to 232lbs (heaviest I have been, with decent condition).

For my previous shows, my diet was 250g proteins, 150g carb and I add a tbs of oil (or equivalent amount of almonds) with every meal. Cardio as needed, (I start hard (HIIT) and cut it towards the end). The main issue is, I tried to change things a lil for this prep and experiment by taking out the added oils (only fat are traces from meat sources). The thing is I have been 206 for 3 weeks now. I’m a lil worried now, since I look worse 6 weeks out now than 6 wks out of my last show. I usually lean very fast. In some shows, I would lean on test and clen only and get a very good placing (top 4 out of 12-16 guys). But for some reason, this year, my body is not responding well. Do you have any suggestions or ideas to share? Thankx a lot. [/quote]

Can you please post pictures so I can see who I’m dealing with. It could be numerous different things and every prep is different so it really depends. Lack of fat can sometimes make you look flat. Also, because you might have gained more fat in the offseason compared to usual and it takes longer to get it off.

Post pics and current diet then I’ll make suggestions based on what I see.
[/quote]
Thanks shadow. Here are some current pics (the ones in the kitchen), pics at 6 wks out last year *locker room) and pics couple of hours before pre-judging of last yearÃ???Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¢??s contest (in grey boxer). You can find them here; My Files
Current diet,

7 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 tbs of coconut oil
6 oz. of chicken, 2 slices of bread, 2 tbs of peanut butter
8 oz. of tilapia, 1 cup of veggies, 24 pieces of almonds
8 oz. of tilapia, 1 cup of veggies
8 oz. of tilapia, 6 oz. of sweet potato (pre-workout meal)
1 scoop of whey
8 oz. of tilapia, 1 cup of veggies, 1 tbs of olive oil
Comes to about, 315 g of proteins, 63 g of carbs and 65 g of fat = 2135 calories (current weight = 206 lbs at 5Ã???Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¢??9Ã???Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¢??Ã???Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¢??)

Water about 1.25-1.5 gallon a day, sodium moderate amounts with every meal (baby pickles).

Also, I have 1 high carb day (middle of week, on a leg day where I go to 200 g of carbs and reduce fats to 45 g). I also have a cheat meal at the end of week where I eat some steak/desert.

I lift 6 days a week pre-contest and do cardio afterwards: 25 min 6 days a week (mix of HIIT and LIIT) (where I burn about 200-250 calories on elliptical, by the time im done with cardio, I noticed that I get VERY sweaty, maybe coz of tren?).

Gear: 250/wk test C, 225/wk tren A and 80 mcg/day of clen, Aromasin 12.5 ed, Caber 0.25 e3d. This is the first time I run Aromasin (to be honest, I got it from a friend for free however I got Caber beforehand because it was the first timeto run tren).
[/quote]

I don’t see any pictures here, try to post them again. Thanks.
[/quote]

I’m sorry, I tried to upload multiple pictures but I couldn’t make it work. Please find here links to the uploaded pics. I hope this would work.

http://pho.to/7MsF3

http://postimg.org/gallery/1s7ceu1y/
[/quote]

Which pictures are current? The first 3 pictures you are in good condition but in the bottom pictures you are very off so I’m trying to understand the timeline here.

From looking at your diet, the first thing that pops out at me is that your fat intake is very high and unless you’re doing a keto diet (which you’re not) then this is not appropriate for a competition diet.

Also, a cheat meal and a high carb day with this amount of fat is too much. Pick one or the other.

I would add the Plazma intraworkout as your main (and possibly only) carb source at this point. Cut the fat down significantly. Eliminate either the cheat meal or high carb day.
[/quote]

thanks shadow.

pics 1-3 were couple of hours before pre-judging of last year’s contest, 4-5 were 6 weeks out of that contest, the last 3 pics are now at 6 week’s out of this year’s contest.

How much shall reduce my fats? any grams recommendations?
[/quote]

I can’t tell you specifics in grams because I’m not your coach and I don’t know enough about you to make accurate adjustments at this point. I can tell you that for 6 weeks out you are definitely behind but it’s not something that can’t be fixed if you make the right adjustments at this point.

Do you have a coach or anyone helping you? My advice is to find someone knowledgable for the next show. I would like to help you more but because you are so close to the show it’s a tricky situation and you are doing a lot of things wrong. You need daily attention to fix this and if you can’t find someone reliable for the last 6 weeks you might consider doing a different show so that you’ll be happier with your physique.

Shadow_Pro · October 5, 2014, 9:01pm

[quote]bishlawy wrote:
Hey Shadow Pro!!
Also, your opinion on injecting around 75 : 100 Units of Slow release Slin , first thing in the morning like Humilin U or LAntus , to ensure positive Anabolic state during the day , maximize the IGF1 environment. Do you agree here!!![/quote]

I wouldn’t mess with these. Yes you will be in an anabolic state for longer but you will most likely gain fat from using these because it’s not as controlled as a short acting insulin. I would only recommend to use short acting insulins for cleaner gains because you can plan the nutrient timing better.

doom44 · October 6, 2014, 9:26am

Hi Shadow, what do you advise keep gain during PCT. And it’s possible to make some gain during pct ?

blooddrunk_n · October 7, 2014, 4:08pm

Hey shadow

I am planning on running my first tren cycle and have made a post about it:
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/hub/blooddrunk.n#myForums/thread/6106923/

I was weighing 180 back then, then I bulked up a bit without gear and reached 200.

So for the tren cycle im not sure if have the right template for test doses:
1-10: test 250, tren 400mg/wk
10-16: test 1000mg/wk
I want to minimize sides on tren and then blast off some test for size.
Although clomid is preferred for tren, since im ending with 6 weeks of test only, would nolva be a better choice?
And also, if I had limited amounts of hcg, when would you advise me to start it towards the end of cycle?

Thanks in advance.

Shadow_Pro · October 7, 2014, 5:59pm

[quote]doom44 wrote:
Hi Shadow, what do you advise keep gain during PCT. And it’s possible to make some gain during pct ? [/quote]

First thing is to keep your diet 100% with a little bit of a higher content and this will make the biggest difference.

Second thing is to keep training hard and intense but lower the volume.

Perfect supplementation is also important. Things like AlphaMale, Plazma, MAG-10 and Flameout would be staples during pct.

Can you make gains? If you are an experienced athlete and you’ve done cycles before I doubt you can make gains but you can retain your gains from the cycle if you do everything perfectly with your diet, training and supplementation.

Shadow_Pro · October 7, 2014, 6:04pm

[quote]blooddrunk.n wrote:
Hey shadow

I am planning on running my first tren cycle and have made a post about it:
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/hub/blooddrunk.n#myForums/thread/6106923/

I was weighing 180 back then, then I bulked up a bit without gear and reached 200.

So for the tren cycle im not sure if have the right template for test doses:
1-10: test 250, tren 400mg/wk
10-16: test 1000mg/wk
I want to minimize sides on tren and then blast off some test for size.
Although clomid is preferred for tren, since im ending with 6 weeks of test only, would nolva be a better choice?
And also, if I had limited amounts of hcg, when would you advise me to start it towards the end of cycle?

Thanks in advance.[/quote]

I would run the test at equal levels to the tren or more. I would do at least 400mg and probably 600 would work better. Don’t jump into those 6 weeks with 1000mg of test, do the tren and test for 10 weeks and if you want to continue with test keep it at the same levels as you did for the first 10 weeks (400-600mg)

I would run 250iu of HCG 2x/week throughout the cycle and if you can’t do it the whole time then just for the last 6 weeks and for the pct. Also, do 10-20mg of nolvadex everyday. PCT: use clomid, HCG and nolvadex.

joyfull · October 8, 2014, 12:48am

I made a thread but I’d love to hear your advice. I’m a powerlifter but you still know about blood work so I figured I’d ask.

6’3" 248 lbs 20-25% body fat 29 years old lifting for 12+ years.

I did my first cycle of 500mg/wk test e for 12 weeks, and just started my 6th week of cruising at 250mg/wk test e. I inject 2x per week, and I got my blood work done right before my monday injection, so test levels were at their absolute lowest. I take accutane 20mg/day 2-3 days per week. I drink on the weekends.

I started with arimidex .5mg ed but quickly got low estrogen sides including joint stiffness and limp dick. I stopped and felt fine. I think I might be an overresponder. I switched to 6.25 mg aromasin ED which seemed to have everything in line. I haven’t taken any AI or SERM on cruise.

I did the female hormone panel. Here are the out of range results:
RDW 15.8 12.3-15.4%
Creatinine, Serum 1.29 .76-1.27 mg/dL
Estradiol 95.5 7.6-42.6 pg/mL

So obviously estrogen is totally fucked. I have had pretty bad fatigue the last few days but felt much better after monday’s injection. Still I’ve been sleeping a lot. Blood pressure was slightly high but nothing to worry about.

So my question is based on your experience what dose of AI should I run on cruise? I will obviously test with blood work so I’ll know when I’m in the optimal range but I want to do as little trial and error as possible. I was thinking 12.5mg 2x per week every time I inject.

I had planned on running 750mg/wk test e starting next week for my second cycle. Should I keep cruising until I get my estrogen in check and know how much AI to use when cruising, or just start the cycle because it’s gonna change everything anyway? And then based on blood work on cycle I can estimate better how much AI I need when cruising?

I used UGL for my cycle but human grade for cruise which I’m going to keep using, and based on blood work it looks very accurately dosed.

Thanks for reading and any advice.

blooddrunk_n · October 8, 2014, 4:03am

So you mean I should run 10-20mgs nolva on cycle and 20-40mgs again during pct?
Also, should hcg be run nolva and clomid or without those compounds?

juverulez · October 9, 2014, 12:30pm

Apologies if this is a semi-obvious one, but in your experience, what is the best steroid(s?) for improving recovery? By recovery, I mean being able to train more frequently at high(er) level of intensity.

Shadow_Pro · October 9, 2014, 6:16pm

[quote]joyfull wrote:
I made a thread but I’d love to hear your advice. I’m a powerlifter but you still know about blood work so I figured I’d ask.