Uhit's OTC Log

[uhit]

END GOAL - TO LEAN BULK TO 170LB


Hey all. This is where I'll be posting my results from over the counter supplements. I've had great success with my cutting in which I went down from 172lb about a month or so ago. I'm not using anabolics due to 2 reasons, they being that I am too young (Early 20's) and only been training for 2 years with 6 months of true consistency meaning I've got a good 15-20lbs of lean muscle that can be gained naturally. From seeing other members that started cycling prematurely I've noticed they made good gains and am very interested in how my progress will be. I am aware it won't be as good, but hey gotta start somewhere right?


Supplements I am experimenting with for the next 12-20 weeks: Creatine Monohydrate at 5mg per day with no loading phase.

I will not be taking any synthetic protein, all macro/micro nutrients will be gained strictly from food. The creatine will be taken first thing in the morning and I will be eating 300 cals above TDEE while training 5x a week with moderate intensity cardio implemented 2x a week.

Stats as of 22/09/2014 (british system yo)

5'8
75KG (165lbs) (early morning with a keto type diet incorporated, meaning i'm water depleted)
Body Fat - 13-14% according to the electronic scale at my gym. (Was 17-19% 6 weeks ago)
Bench Press ORM - 85KG (185lbs)
Deadlift ORM - 100KG (220lbs)
Squat ORM - 110KG (240lbs)



Might shoot in a picture after a couple weeks when my phone gets fixed.

[Khazima]

Creatine* isn't a wonder supplement, it just puts more phosphate creatines in storage in the muscle, so you can have more ATP cycles, basically just a little bit of extra energy for the ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) system.

You don't need to cycle it just take 5mg every day for as long as you want, there's no negative side effects, remember to keep well hydrated.

Goodluck on your journey

[Times Roman]

when I first learned of creatine ** years ago, I kept a log. what I noticed is that not much strength improvement in the first set. But my second and third sets (at the same weight) were almost as good as my first set. I didn't fatigue nearly as much in the 2nd and 3rd as I had before, which was quite encouraging for me since creatine is so inexpensive and very few sides.

If you want to learn from an old bull's experience, just remember very few other supps provide noticeable results in the gym. (And at the time, I tried more or less everything out there.)

[uhit]

when I first learned of creatine ** years ago, I kept a log. what I noticed is that not much strength improvement in the first set. But my second and third sets (at the same weight) were almost as good as my first set. I didn't fatigue nearly as much in the 2nd and 3rd as I had before, which was quite encouraging for me since creatine is so inexpensive and very few sides.

If you want to learn from an old bull's experience, just remember very few other supps provide noticeable results in the gym. (And at the time, I tried more or less everything out there.)

I took 5g before my workout and didn't notice anything in the gym. I'll be looking out for recovery rates during my workout after it kicks in (probably take a week)

[Baxter35]

Creatines pretty mild, and needs some time to build up so you wont get a noticeable "kick", but its certainly a good supplement to use with no drawbacks that I'm aware of anyway. BTW, I applaud your decision to stay away from gear right now and I think its refreshing to see someone tracking some natural results of just good diet and training at a young age. Best of luck, I'll be following this.

[uhit]

23/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 250g of carbs/250g of protein/60g of fat/2540 calories
Workout -------> Shoulders and arms (light work) with 2k rowing at a moderate pace.

Notes - No considerable difference from the creatine yet, that is to be expected however. I have noticed a bit of bloat, but then again it could be my carb intake as I find that if I eat more than 100g of carbs in a day I balloon up for some reason. Certainly feel alot more energy as I am now eating roughly 500-700 more calories (As i was in a deficit before) and it definitely is affecting my mood for the better. I have found that eating 5 small meals is too much of a hassle and instead I will opt for 3 or 4 slightly larger meals which will complement my semi busy lifestyle as there will be less trips to the kitchen.
Looking forward to tomorrow as it's leg day (I do legs 2x a week)

[uhit]

24/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 150g of carbs/300g of protein/100g of fat/2700 calories
Workout -------> Back + Core

Notes - Felt a bit ill from eating my under cooked rice. Was in a rush so couldn't really cook it properly. In terms of working out I felt it was more difficult so I'm gonna take a day off tomorrow, will probably lower carbs since I won't be utilizing them if I don't workout. Been drinking more water nowadays since I always seem to feel dehydrated which can be viewed as a positive. Still not feeling any creatine magical effects yet....

[tarmyg]

Subscribed

[uhit]

25/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 50g of carbs/200g of protein/80g of fat/1720 calories

Notes - Didn't workout today, having a rest day so I didn't feel the need to eat alot of carbs, hence the fact I'm in a deficit. I know i'm trying to add lean mass, but I don't feel comfortable eating food unless my body needs it to meet its day to day needs. Woke up this morning looking a bit 'shiny' so it could be the creatine finally being saturated in my muscles... or me just looking at a placebo effect. Anyway can't wait for tomorrows full body routine.

Also... I'm craving chocolate cereal again. I've got this old box in my cupboard just sitting there.... It's been 3 months since I touched that and for some reason my body wants it. I have no idea what to do.

[uhit]

26/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 300g of carbs/250g of protein/60g of fat/2740 calories
Workout -------> Legs - Hamstring focused

Notes - It was a good idea to have an early rest day yesterday as I felt like a beast in the gym. Started with 6x12 squats rather than my traditional 4x15 and decided to get a spotter and see my ORM and behold behold, new PR Squat - 112.5KG (250lbs) which is pretty darn awesome. It's around 4pmish and my legs are feeling dead and going down stairs is a big no no at the moment. I've got basketball trails so I'm spending the rest of my time foam rolling, stretching and alternating between ice baths and hot baths. Definately glad I decided to cook all my meals in the morning and then just stick them in the microwave whenever I gotta eat.

[uhit]

27/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 150g of carbs/200g of protein/40g of fat/1775 calories
Workout -------> Chest/Tri

Notes - Woke up with the runniest nose in a long time. Had no appetite whatsoever and am feeling very lethargic. Finding the willpower to go to the gym and workout was difficult and right now its taking a lot of effort to carry out my daily tasks. Just gotta ride through it I guess.
Not a good day at all.

[uhit]

28/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 300g of carbs/250g of protein/65g of fat/2775 calories
Workout -------> Full body - 5x5 style

Notes - Manned the **** up and took a painkiller and went hard in the gym. Am feeling SORE as hell but I secretly love it more than I hate it. Had loads of weird cravings today, like I had 50g of rice with 200g of chicken breast and usually that keeps me going for a couple hours.... not today, literally after 30 minutes my stomach was begging for food and I had not prepped more than 5 meals today so if I am to go to bed with a full feeling I forced myself suppress such feelings. Don't ask how. I just did.
Also, the creatine seems to have settled in my body or so I think it has because I don't feel as fatigued during my workouts but after is another story.

[Nij]

Subbed

[uhit]

29/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 350g of carbs/250g of protein/70g of fat/3000 calories
Workout -------> Full body 5x5 style

Notes - Busy busy busy day. Had uni lessons this morning so I got my workout done prior to that. Also had my sports training later in the evening so I consumed more carbs today to help me cope with the workouts. In terms of the 5x5 workout vs the splits I had been doing before I can honestly say that the muscle pumps I had received after the workout were amazing. I've never seen my forearms bulge before and it felt awesome. I definitely needed more breaks and was breaking a sweat literally by the time I finished my third squat set. Pull-ups were hell though. Normally I can do 8-10 wide pullups on a good day but this time doing 6 was a mission. All part of the process though.

Had a weigh in this morning on a fasted state (no food/water for 12 hours) and I am 165.4lbs (165.1lb last week) and according to my mirror it doesn't seem like I have gained any significant fat, if anything my body looks slightly better proportioned.

Loving the creatine now. I look forward to taking it before my workout and some may argue its only a placebo but I seem to recover quicker, feel more energetic and am very antsy! I can't stop thinking about the gym at this point haha

[uhit]

30/09/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 400g of carbs/300g of protein/50g of fat/3250 calories
Workout -----> Full body 5x5 style (again) with a total of 120minutes worth of cardio (HIIT)

Notes - Increased Carb intake TO THE MAX today. Why? I had 4 workouts today. Weight training in the morning, basketball skill training in the afternoon and then back to back evening conditioning for the upcoming season as well as 2 hours of intense scrimmaging with the team. Totally exhausted. I have been trying to keep my sugar intake to a minimum, no more than 10% of total carb intake purely because I do not like to be bloated and sugar seems to react horribly to my body in terms of aesthetics. So I had sugary carbs (fruit) right before 2 of my workouts which fit my micro nutrient goals.

Have a small case of the 'shits' but thats probably because of my fiber intake being elevated so no biggie. I decided to get a dox scan for my BF % and am at 14% which is quite a surprise! I honestly thought I'd be a bit higher. I can't see my abs, but I can most definitely see my lower 'v' line slightly. Perhaps my abs are lagging, who knows. I would post a picture but I am aware some friends of mine browse this website and am frankly quite shy for them to see my face :x

Looking forward for my rest day tomorrow. Going to experiment with reducing fat intake to 40g and maintaining significantly higher carbs, even on days that I do not workout as intense because I've read information claiming that carb intake is directly proportionate on how well the body reacts to creatine.

[uhit]

05/10/2014

Total macros/cals for the day ------> 150g of carbs/300g of protein/90g of fat/2610 calories
Workout -----> Bodyweight work at home, ill at the moment.

Notes - Been ill for the past week. Sneezing constantly and coughing like a maniac. Went down to my local pharmacy and picked up something called 'Chest-eze' and it's worked wonders for the coughing. Do feel a bit of stimulus action going on, sorta like when I take a pre-workout which is probably due to the caffeine and the ephedrine in it. Although my activity dropped slightly for the past week, I still maintained a caloric surplus while doing everyday full body workouts at home with basic movements like pushups, pullups, planks, dips, squats, calf raises, skipping to help me keep my mood up and take my mind off my cold. Weighed myself this morning and I can happily say that I am now 166.2 LB so the lean bulk is going very well. Gained roughly 1lb in just about 2 weeks (not all will be muscle) according to the scale and visually I am considered not fat so overall very pleased. I'm going to experiment with a ketogenic diet because the idea of performing without carbs is intriguing to me and I want to see how my body personally reacts to the change. Not sure if creatine will work as well without carbs but no research that I have conducted confirms this theory.

Creatine is honestly heaven for naturals. Very early to say , but it is an investment that I am pleased in making.

i'

[uhit]

Just wanted to post a quick update...
Weight has shot up to 167lbs this morning. Possible water retention which is annoying because when I hit 170lb and stop creatine I'll probably drop a lb or so after a few days when the waters cleared my system. Any ideas on how to minimize this?

[uhit]

Weighed in today, same time as usual and am 167.5lbs. Pretty happy except I can't even see my abs while tensing anymore, or I can but they are very faint. Gonna give it 3 more weeks then start eating slightly under maint to shed some of the fat.

Feel more oomph in the gym now, can usually push out an extra rep or two on my failure sets which is good.
Also, either I was doing my deadlifts wrong or I was scared of going heavy but some guy corrected my form and told me to grip the bar a certain way (I used to hold the bar both palms facing downwards) and I was busting out 130KG instead of the normal 100KG. So definately pleased about that.

[uhit]

20/10/2014



Weighed in at 168.2lbs. Good progress but looking a tad fluffy/smooth which sucks. I decided to stop being a panzy and actually deadlift like a man. Hence that being said my deadlift is actually now 160KG (350lb)... somehow. Loving gym workouts right now, don't feel like crap like I did when I was cutting and my workouts tend to last for a long time because I don't fatigue like I used to.
Can't really credit creatine that much because I don't know for sure if it works. I think it would've been better to eat at maintenance and take the creatine and see if my strength went up quickly. But nevertheless taking it has given me a sort of placebo effect and I'm enjoying it with no complaints.

Hell even got a look from one of the fit girls that works out regularly (proves big guys get big bucks unowatimsayin)... a shame I'm taken.

[Meloncap78]

Subscribed.

[uhit]

28/10/2014

Goal reached with 170.2lbs.

Time taken = 36-37 days

Took me just over 5 weeks to gain 10lbs, with hopefully most of it muscle gains

Lifts as of current (28/10/2014)

Bench Press - 77.5KG (170lbs)
Deadlift - 140KG (308lbs)
Squat - 125KG (275lbs)

New goal is to cut down to 165-167.5lbs (I'm assuming at least half of my gains are fat gains) and I hope to continue taking creatine for it's strength enhancing/energy boosting properties.

Overall I am loving creatine and is definitely more useful than crappy whey protein