50 and fighting ever step of the way.

[bartman314]

i'm 50 and have been into lifting seriously the last 10 years (after taking a 15 year break).

before a motorcycle crash 4 weeks ago, i was 6'3" 220 lbs 8% bf. i will start hitting the gym over the next couple of weeks and am planning the campaign.

i haven't weighed myself since the crash, but the mass has flown off these past weeks - very depressing to see all those hours in the gym evaporate so quickly. i have not yet juiced and am doing the research to learn as much as i can before i start. i have a thread under injuries to ask about specifics for broken ribs/shoulder blade, but thought i would tap into the sr set to get suggestions on:

1. recovery supplements and other 'clean' recovery techniques

2. TRT, AAS, peptide strategies to consider to counter the effects of aging.

i am doing research on the threads that exist on the various forums here (i am REALLY impressed with the overall level of knowledge, straightforwardness, and maturity of the members), but would also like to directly ask the question...

thank you!

[crazy mike]

Welcome, 50 yrs. old isn't too old at all. I'm much older. I took off more than 20 yrs and made a bit of a come back, I say a bit, but you have muscle memory if you had build it originally. Take your time because it takes time.. Good luck and read up on here. ...crazy mike

[Rusty11]

Hi and welcome. I'm 52 and never felt better. I can't comment on coming back from a major injury or AAS use. I can tell you that trt, hcg, d3, b12, arganine/citrulline, and my favorite-daily cialis are definite things to consider.

[John Andrew]

Hi mate,

Shoulders take time, work around the injury. I am 58 and have trained through fractured spine, and a compound leg fracture plus 2 hernia repairs. Only ever took a few days off the gym except the back. It took me a few weeks to find a doctor friend who fixed me and started me on steroids.

I used just Test Initially, then Test and Deca, then Test Deca and Tren E. This all took about 3 years. I am now stronger than ever before in my life. As I was State
masters champion before and ranked No 5 open division. (all ages) I am rather pleased Now I train for pleasure and peace of mind, I use because I love to be strong and I know I can recover from anything. I still ride the bike that crushed my leg. I still have broken screws in the bones, they could not remove them with the plates.

I vary my use, live where the purchase is legal and love my life today. Bottom line is, I may not be as young as I was but I am nowhere near as old as I will be.

Kindest regards and good luck. John

[bartman314]

saw the doc today - shoulder has healed well. he gave me the green light to go at it :-)

4 weeks ago (the day of the crash), i was 215 w/ 10-12% bf. today i am 200 w slightly higher bf. that equates to muscle mass loss of ~1/2 lb/day. i only hope it comes back as quickly (but we all know it won't be easily).

also, i found a source (very cost effective based on my research) for trt and hrt, which i'll be starting ASAP. the trt protocol is:

200mg of test cyp weekly
700-1000ius of HCG weekly
1-2mg of anastrozole weekly

the hrt will be

Sermorelin GHRP2 (GHRP6)

how does the trt protocol sound? also, what dosage should i target for ghrp6? finally, is there any reason not to start ASAP?

i'll post occasional notes on recovery. may this be the last time i have to come back from injury!

[crazy mike]

saw the doc today - shoulder has healed well. he gave me the green light to go at it :-)

4 weeks ago (the day of the crash), i was 215 w/ 10-12% bf. today i am 200 w slightly higher bf. that equates to muscle mass loss of ~1/2 lb/day. i only hope it comes back as quickly (but we all know it won't be easily).

also, i found a source (very cost effective based on my research) for trt and hrt, which i'll be starting ASAP. the trt protocol is:

200mg of test cyp weekly
700-1000ius of HCG weekly
1-2mg of anastrozole weekly

the hrt will be

Sermorelin GHRP2 (GHRP6)

how does the trt protocol sound? also, what dosage should i target for ghrp6? finally, is there any reason not to start ASAP?

i'll post occasional notes on recovery. may this be the last time i have to come back from injury!

I forgot the protocol for anastrozole but it doesn't sound correct. Please ask someone. Good luck ...crazy mike

[Xaxist]

arimidex dosage is usually 0.25-0.5mg EOD; I would start HCG at 250iu 2x per week, you can always increase it a little if needed.
Honestly, I would increase the test to 300mg per week, but that is just my opinion. Make sure you get pre cycle bloodwork and get it checked regularly.

One last comment, 8% bf at your age, NICE! I am 51 and have had trouble getting under 10% since I was in my 40s (jealous here).

[bartman314]

good inputs.

portion of my last BW:

Tests: (1) PSA (3110)
PSA 0.56 ng/mL 0.00-4.00

Tests: (2) TOTAL TESTOSTERONE (3200)
TOTAL TESTOSTERONE 367 ng/dL 175-781

Tests: (3) FREE TESTOSTERONE (3202)
! FREE TESTOSTERONE 6.02 ng/dL 5.00-21.00
Disclaimer:
Free Testosterone result is obtained using on-line calculator.
Results from this calculation should NOT be solely relied upon
when making a medical decision without including all clinical findings

Tests: (4) SHBG (3260)
! SEX HORMONE BINDING GLOBULIN
45.0 nmol/L 13.3-89.5

i know i should monitor BW, but would appreciate advice on how frequently to do so. i was planning on doing it after the ~3 months of TRT+HGH. is this right... and then?

finally, ty! although my genetics don't give tremendous size/strength, together with good diet, i have capability to get <10% bf even as an old man... unfortunately, due to crash, i'm a bit higher than that now... ~12%ish and tremendously weak (only 6 pull-ups in first back session, well down from my 30 pre-crash). i am now feeling those wonderful newbie lifter muscle pain all over.

out of curiosity is there anything special i should do when ramping back (besides going easy and maintaining good technique to prevent injury)?

[Xaxist]

out of curiosity is there anything special i should do when ramping back (besides going easy and maintaining good technique to prevent injury)?

Don't forget to stretch, and I would buy a decent home BP device and monitor daily.

[bartman314]

bp tool purchased!

stretching is a great idea. and you're right i need to do it. now i just have to. :-)

after a solid week and a half, the honeymoon muscle soreness has worn off and i'm getting my groove back. still weak as piss, but now the muscles are starting to work again. my bench is an abysmal 155x12 (against a bp of 225x22 10 weeks ago), but at least all my cylinders are firing again.

after 1 week on trt and 3 days on hrt, i have noticed: higher energy, worse sleep, stronger bo (like my teenage son - maybe a correlation with TES levels!), and morning wood like you read about. i decided to start trt/hrt during my recovery from the crash to accelerate recovery process and to address other low T symptoms. seems like a good decision so far.

[kelkel]

bart why aren't you under the care of a doctor for TRT?
How did you come up with a starting dose of 200mg cyp? That's high end and more than likely not needed. You start low and titrate up based on BW.
Where did you get that info for the amount of adex needed? That's a cycle dosage. Consider the norm for a 500mg test cycle is .25mg adex EOD.
You need a sensitive estrogen assay to determine exactly how much adex you need, if at all. You should start with DIM and Zinc IF you need anything and go from there.
Did you find a cause for you low T or is it just age related? Many things can cause it that are correctable, which is why complete BW is prudent.
Visit the HRT Forum and in the Finding A Doc sticky is an example of BW.

[bartman314]

thanks for the response, kelkel.

i am under care of physician, albeit he is new to me (i found the physician through boston testosterone partners). the dosages were recommended, and i submitted the bloodwork from my last physical (included in part above), which was adequate to start as i wanted to start trt concurrent with rehab post motorcycle crash. there was no sensitive estrogen assay in this work.

in addition to age, my symptoms include a decline in ability to add/retain muscle mass, energy level, libido, mood over the last 10 years - it was only recently the i got tuned into low T and associated effects.

i have started to learn a lot here and appreciate your inputs (you are not the first to point out the anastrozole is high). i'll follow up with my doc today and read more here. thank you.

[bartman314]

update:

BW planned in 4 weeks, will then adjust dosages.

yesterday pre-workout: 207 lbs, 17%bf (electrical resistance measurement)

right shoulder recovering slowly - back and triceps coming back more rapidly. chest, shoulders, biceps coming back more slowly (broken scapula crushed my rotator cuff muscles and posterior deltoid.

[kelkel]

Post your BW up when you get it. If I don't respond shoot me a PM. Be sure to get the proper tests run. Try to get those in the sticky I recommended if possible. If you're not supplementing with D3 do so. Everyone's low and it's one of the best things you can take. Helps lower SHBG as well which will allow more free T. Also consider micronized DHEA and Pregnenolone, slow release if possible. Visit the HRT forum and read the stickies.

[bartman314]

will do. i do sup with d3 (i've been learning here!).

[circa58]

I'm 55, competed in Florida locally in the 80's, Clearwater, FLA area, lifted on and off since then, its great to see others in this age range

[kelkel]

Glad you landed in our forum circa! Stick around and contribute!

[kelkel]

will do. i do sup with d3 (i've been learning here!).

Make sure you test it on your next BW.

[bartman314]

ok. will be scheduling soon.

[trailboss]

Bart: Congrats on surviving the motorcycle wreck! Not many do! I had mine in april '97: lost my right leg, smashed the pelvis, trashed my left shoulder, shattered the helmet...Poor bike didn't fare too well either! LoL. Can be a difficult thing to see all your hard work go out the window! I went from 230 down to 151lbs in about 2 weeks. Of course, about 30lbs of that was leg but...Still here and still in the gym. Good luck with the rehab! Let us all know how you do......Drive on!!

[bartman314]

wow! my crash was a walk in the park compared to yours. i am very respectful of the road to recovery you have travelled. ride on, brother.

[trailboss]

Thanks. Ain't no big thing....FIDO: Fu*k It...Drive On! I just keep hitting the gym and work a lot...keeps me going somehow. Moving back to the Dark Side after 10 years since last cycle. Keeps me motivated! Did a lot of years, since about 03', doing bodyweight stuff...got tired of the gym, believe it or not! Now looking to get back in and push the iron. See where it goes....have a good one!!