My grow season log - first bulk in years

[Livinlean]

So I thought it would be a good idea to log my "grow season" as this will be my first real bulk since my teens (now 28). I stayed away from bulks because of the extra added fat/water which conflicted with my view of an ideal physique. After doing the Olympia amateur and realizing that even the top Men's physique guys have size on me let alone the classic physique guys (where I want to be long term), I decided its time to grow and see what my body can do.

I typically walk around at 205-210, I was able to hit my PR in fasted body weight of 227.8lb on Dec 5th which is 10lbs heavier than I have ever been. The day after, I ended up injuring my neck/trap which meant I could not lift as heavy. I thought this would be a good time to drop down my calories and let my body rest a bit (I still ate 5200 cals during this period) and dropped down to 221lbs this Thursday.

I added insulin back in to the mix and although I was 221 on Thursday, I am 224.6 this morning (Saturday) and within reach of being at my heaviest weight once again.

Current cycle:
800mg test
600mg NPP
15mg MK677 (pre bed)
Humalog 5iu taken 5 times a day. (pre & post as well as 3 largest meals).
Lantus 25iu upon wakening

I plan to run this cycle for another 2-3 weeks at which point I will switch the NPP for tren and try to maintain 225-230 but get leaner at that weight.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, I still have 2-3 weeks to pack on some more size and push the scale as much as possible.

[Livinlean]

My current diet is 5500 cals.

Proteins: 1/2 lb beef, 1lb chicken, 6 eggs, 3 scoops protein.
Carbs: white rice mainly, pasta, cream of rice, honey, oats (only half cup because of digestion issues), 3-4 bananas, fruit juices

Those are my "clean eats". I also add in cereal to the mix to help me hit 5500 cals.

I don't really care to monitor my macros, instead I mainly pay attention to my protein and total cals. I adjust carbs and fats based on digestion. For anyone wondering my macros however, they are currently: 640 carbs, 185 fat, 340 protein.

[Livinlean]

Typically I find it pretty easy to hit my 5500 calorie diet. I was eating 6500-7k when I was trying to hit my PR in weight so now 5500 seems like a breeze and considering I am only 3lbs away and can still add more calories to the mix when I stall, I think I'm in a pretty good spot.

Heres a layout of my split:
Monday Chest + Hams
Tuesday Back + abs
Wednesday OFF
Thursday Legs
Friday Back + Chest
Saturday Delts + Arms
Sunday OFF

So yesterday was chest and lats. I was able to hit 2 PRs. 315 on incline BB for 3 reps (I rarely do this exercise) followed by 140s on flat DB for 8 reps.

Thru this "grow season" I plan to keep the progressive overload going as long as my body can withstand the beating. The 315 yesterday felt a bit sketchy and I tweaked my shoulder while re-racking the weight. Nothing too major however it does hurt to do the motion of a lateral raise or shoulder press so today I won't be hitting delts but just going at arms instead.

[Livinlean]

I tried my best to lay out the foundation here but if I forgot anything, please feel free to ask.

The main purpose of this is to keep myself accountable. I will be posting my AM weight on workout days followed by whether I hit my meals or not and if I was able to hit a PR on any lifts. I'm not necessarily doing 1 rep maxes however sometimes I will if I feel like it will benefit me. Normal rep range for my "heavy" set will be somewhere between 3-8 reps.

[Livinlean]

The shirtless pics are during prep when I was 190-195 or so. The side tricep shot is just after the shows sitting at about 210 or so.

The goal is to dwarf myself in these pictures the next time I step on stage.

[GearHeaded]

great log . will be following along

[Charlie67]

Me too.

[charger69]

Damn man, your built like a brick shithouse!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Livinlean]

AM weigh in: 226.6lbs. Up 2lbs since yesterdays weigh in but yesterday I had my cheat meal (steak, lobster and potato bathed in butter) and today is a rest day so tomorrows weigh in should be a bit less.

I've been wanting to attempt a 405 close grip bench but my shoulder is worse than I expected from the previous days lift. Took it pretty easy on arm day and was not able to do any overhead movements. The worst part is trying to sleep on it.

Monday is chest day and I don't think theres any chance my shoulder will be 100% but hopefully its good enough for pressing movements, at the very least some machines.

[Livinlean]

Damn man, your built like a brick shithouse!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks charger. Still got a ways to go from my ideal physique. Feedback from my pro qualifiers this year was to improve my chest and lats for men's physique and for classic it was the same plus better separation in my hamstrings. I firmly believe that you should never let judges dictate your physique (I'd rather stop competing than look like something I don't want to) but they're asking for a better X frame essentially and how can anyone argue against that.

[charger69]

Thanks charger. Still got a ways to go from my ideal physique. Feedback from my pro qualifiers this year was to improve my chest and lats for men's physique and for classic it was the same plus better separation in my hamstrings. I firmly believe that you should never let judges dictate your physique (I'd rather stop competing than look like something I don't want to) but they're asking for a better X frame essentially and how can anyone argue against that.

I will never reach my ideal physique because as I get better, I want to look better. Always raising the bar


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Livinlean]

AM weigh in: 225.6. As expected I'm down weight due to the rest day but only a pound which is less than usual.

Although theres definitely something wrong with my shoulder, it seems to be healing fast. Im unable to get my right arm into the starting position of a shoulder press or come to complete flexion on a lateral raise but virtually every movement other than that is fine.

I stuck to machines today for my heavy lifts. Hit hammer strength flat bench 6 plates a side for 7 reps which is a PR, previously had done 5 plates for 8 so quite a big jump. Hopefully I'm 100% for next weeks chest workout so I can post my full routine.

Todays chest workout went something like this:
Hammer strength flat bench: 4p x 12 (warm up), 5p x 11, 6p x 7.
Pec dec: 4 sets of moderate weight. Didn't pay attention to weights here but instead held the contracted pose for 1-2 seconds to engage my inner chest
Flat BB press: 225x17, 275x9 (idea here was to go light, I didn't think I'd get more than 12 with 225).
Smith machine Incline: 2-3 plates for 4 sets. Focused less on weights and more on squeezing different areas of my upper chest.

[charger69]

AM weigh in: 225.6. As expected I'm down weight due to the rest day but only a pound which is less than usual.

Although theres definitely something wrong with my shoulder, it seems to be healing fast. Im unable to get my right arm into the starting position of a shoulder press or come to complete flexion on a lateral raise but virtually every movement other than that is fine.

I stuck to machines today for my heavy lifts. Hit hammer strength flat bench 6 plates a side for 7 reps which is a PR, previously had done 5 plates for 8 so quite a big jump. Hopefully I'm 100% for next weeks chest workout so I can post my full routine.

Todays chest workout went something like this:
Hammer strength flat bench: 4p x 12 (warm up), 5p x 11, 6p x 7.
Pec dec: 4 sets of moderate weight. Didn't pay attention to weights here but instead held the contracted pose for 1-2 seconds to engage my inner chest
Flat BB press: 225x17, 275x9 (idea here was to go light, I didn't think I'd get more than 12 with 225).
Smith machine Incline: 2-3 plates for 4 sets. Focused less on weights and more on squeezing different areas of my upper chest.

This is so weird. Yesterday we weighed just about the same.... within tenths of a pound, yesterday I did a modified chest and very similar to you.
Where are you ? I just need to make sure our paths don’t cross on stage- you’d make minced meat of me. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Livinlean]

This is so weird. Yesterday we weighed just about the same.... within tenths of a pound, yesterday I did a modified chest and very similar to you.
Where are you ? I just need to make sure our paths don’t cross on stage- you’d make minced meat of me. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha that is pretty weird. You're a BBer, no? I'm a top level men's physique and mid level classic physique competitor. Unless I add like 20 lbs, I doubt we'll face off on stage. I also tend to look a lot better standing alone because of my muscle bellies being round but I do lack mass... for now anyways.

I'm from Vancouver, Canada.

[charger69]

Haha that is pretty weird. You're a BBer, no? I'm a top level men's physique and mid level classic physique competitor. Unless I add like 20 lbs, I doubt we'll face off on stage. I also tend to look a lot better standing alone because of my muscle bellies being round but I do lack mass... for now anyways.

I'm from Vancouver, Canada.

My lucky day. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Livinlean]

AM weigh in: 226.6lbs

Back day today. I've been staying away from deadlifts for quite some time since I wanted to avoid building muscle in my mid section. At a waist of 28.25" on stage I think I can sacrifice a bit for some added muscle. My PR's aren't anything crazy, I did 495 for a single about 8 years ago. My most recent PR would be 405x4 reps two years ago. So I added deadlifts a couple weeks ago, first workout I hit 275x8, last week I hit 365x3. I came into this week thinking 405 for a triple but I got it off very easily so next was 465 and I was able to hit that for 2. Thats a new PR but I don't plan to stop here.

Todays workout:
Pull ups 3 x 12
Deadlifts 405x3, 465x2 PR
Standing iso row machine 6plates per side for 2 sets of 10
Underhand lat pull downs 3 sets of 6-10
DB pull overs 75x10 95x8
DB upright rows 2 sets of 6-10
Machine shrugs 2 sets of 15

[Livinlean]

Forgot to post yesterday.

Am weigh in: 227.4lbs

Typically I take Wednesdays off but I was feeling pretty good and with Christmas around the corner, I will likely have an extra day off somewhere next week anyways. Decided to hit legs but stayed away from free squats because of heavy deads the day before. Started off with hack squats for my compound and my workout went something like this:
Leg ext 3 x 15 (warm up, about 4-5 reps in the tank)
Leg curl 3 x 15 (warm up, about 4-5 reps in the tank)
Hack squat 4 x 8. Worked up to 5 plates a side for 5 reps.
Vertical leg press 4 x 12
Sissy squats 3 x 20
Donkey calf raises 3 x 20

My rep ranges are all approximates. I aim for that number but sometimes I may go heavier like I did on hacks and fall under the range and other times I go above the range but as long as intensity is there, I don't sweat it.

So lately I've had people comment saying I look leaner. For the past week or so I've been hearing this and been itching to increase my calories but for some reason held off. With under 2 weeks to go until the new year, I think it would be cool to get as heavy as possible here. I upped my calories on my diet to 6800 with a macro split 900 carb, 200 fat and 390 protein and was able to hit everything except 1 shake so I came 580 calories short of the 6800 mark. I think I should hit that 6800 number today and I intend on staying at this caloric intake as long as possible. Whether that be a couple days, till the new year or till the end of this NPP run, only time will tell.

[charger69]

Forgot to post yesterday.

Am weigh in: 227.4lbs

Typically I take Wednesdays off but I was feeling pretty good and with Christmas around the corner, I will likely have an extra day off somewhere next week anyways. Decided to hit legs but stayed away from free squats because of heavy deads the day before. Started off with hack squats for my compound and my workout went something like this:
Leg ext 3 x 15 (warm up, about 4-5 reps in the tank)
Leg curl 3 x 15 (warm up, about 4-5 reps in the tank)
Hack squat 4 x 8. Worked up to 5 plates a side for 5 reps.
Vertical leg press 4 x 12
Sissy squats 3 x 20
Donkey calf raises 3 x 20

My rep ranges are all approximates. I aim for that number but sometimes I may go heavier like I did on hacks and fall under the range and other times I go above the range but as long as intensity is there, I don't sweat it.

So lately I've had people comment saying I look leaner. For the past week or so I've been hearing this and been itching to increase my calories but for some reason held off. With under 2 weeks to go until the new year, I think it would be cool to get as heavy as possible here. I upped my calories on my diet to 6800 with a macro split 900 carb, 200 fat and 390 protein and was able to hit everything except 1 shake so I came 580 calories short of the 6800 mark. I think I should hit that 6800 number today and I intend on staying at this caloric intake as long as possible. Whether that be a couple days, till the new year or till the end of this NPP run, only time will tell.

Damn man, you are so similar to me it’s scary.... except you are much larger. I beat you by a pound. LOL.
The Workout is very similar also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Livinlean]

Damn man, you are so similar to me it’s scary.... except you are much larger. I beat you by a pound. LOL.
The Workout is very similar also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's funny that you think that because I feel like you've got more mass than me. How tall are you?

[Livinlean]

AM weigh in: 228.2lbs.

Weight it progressing nicely. I hit all my meals today and the 6800 calorie diet seems manageable at least for now.

Todays workout was chest and back but because of my minor shoulder injury I didn't push any PRs on chest.
Flat BB 275 x 11, 315 x 9
DB flyes - started this but my shoulder didn't feel right
Incline DB -Again, shoulder didn't feel right
Cable cross overs - 3 x 12-15 , 4th set AMRAP
Followed by a bunch of different back machines specifically targeting lats for various rep schemes. All machines to help isolate my lats. I have a dedicated back day for the compound movements.

I was looking over my logs and since last Thursday i've gained a pound a day (221 then and 228.2 now) and am still just as lean in terms of how many abs and obliques I can see. Im surprised I haven't put on more fat than I have and if I can keep this pace going up until at least Christmas, that would be awesome.

[charger69]

It's funny that you think that because I feel like you've got more mass than me. How tall are you?

6’- 230.3




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Charlie67]

6800 calorie diet .

Damn dude.... That's a boat load of calories and you look great! Good work!

I might have missed it, but how much cardio are you doing?

[kelkel]

Look great LivinLean! Great log. I'll only add one thing, if your shoulder is hurting avoid anything that irritates it. I had the same thing recently, kept pushing and partially tore the infraspinatus tendon from over-use, basically. The healing process is tedious and there's some movements (laterals) I'll never do again. Find movements that don't irritate it and stay injury free! Also consider TB-500 and BPC-157.

kel

[Livinlean]

6’- 230.3




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahh so you've got 2 inches on me then

[Livinlean]

Damn dude.... That's a boat load of calories and you look great! Good work!

I might have missed it, but how much cardio are you doing?

Thank you. Currently no cardio at all as I'm a hard gainer. I've thought about adding 10-15 minutes post workout but I'm paranoid and don't wanna ruin a good thing here since the weights finally sticking (I'm about 10lbs heavier than I've ever been).

About 2ish more weeks left on the NPP at which point i'll switch to 125mg tren a per week (25mg pre workout 5x weekly) and at this point i'll be adding cardio in but nothing crazy.

[Livinlean]

Look great LivinLean! Great log. I'll only add one thing, if your shoulder is hurting avoid anything that irritates it. I had the same thing recently, kept pushing and partially tore the infraspinatus tendon from over-use, basically. The healing process is tedious and there's some movements (laterals) I'll never do again. Find movements that don't irritate it and stay injury free! Also consider TB-500 and BPC-157.

kel

Thank you.

Laterals are pretty much the only movement I can't do at the moment so I'm a little worried after reading this. Right now I'm staying away from anything that puts a strain on my shoulder and definitely not trying to push thru the pain. If I feel any sort of pain, I find a different exercise.

My injuries are a bit weird tho. I have trap/neck tightness which gets worse depending on how I sleep (time for a new pillow) and its even worse because I've been neglecting massages but I'm going to book one before I forgot right after writing this.

My right shoulder injury which feels a bit like rotator cuff is the one preventing me from doing lateral raises. This happened when I was benching and accidentally rolled my shoulder forward trying to squeeze out the last rep (absolutely unnecessary). Its been almost two weeks now and although its not completely gone, it has gotten significantly better. I will consider the TB and BPC combo if this isn't better within the next week here. Luckily I've got a pretty reliable source here in Canada for both.

[GearHeaded]

Thank you.

Laterals are pretty much the only movement I can't do at the moment so I'm a little worried after reading this. Right now I'm staying away from anything that puts a strain on my shoulder and definitely not trying to push thru the pain. If I feel any sort of pain, I find a different exercise.

My injuries are a bit weird tho. I have trap/neck tightness which gets worse depending on how I sleep (time for a new pillow) and its even worse because I've been neglecting massages but I'm going to book one before I forgot right after writing this.

My right shoulder injury which feels a bit like rotator cuff is the one preventing me from doing lateral raises. This happened when I was benching and accidentally rolled my shoulder forward trying to squeeze out the last rep (absolutely unnecessary). Its been almost two weeks now and although its not completely gone, it has gotten significantly better. I will consider the TB and BPC combo if this isn't better within the next week here. Luckily I've got a pretty reliable source here in Canada for both.

I've dealt with rotator issues in my right shoulder for a couple years after hurting it doing decline bench.. and my left shoulder is jacked up from a motorcycle accident.
I still have a decent capped shoulders


I've been able to continue to develop them through injury though,, through doing time under tension and isometric holds.. very very light weight that is pain free, the delts themselves don't need a ton of mechanical tension to grow. just the frequent constant tension will keep them stimulated and growing. you don't need to press.

if dumbbell side laterals hurt. try using a cable and only use one plate of the stack. super light and pain free. but make each rep last a good 40 seconds. contract the side delt and make that contraction slowly move your arm up, taking about 20 seconds to get to the top. then squeeze and hold it at the top, then slowly slowly let the weight back down . your delts will be on fire, yet it will likely be pain free in the joint.
there are other techniques as well . I may start a thread on ways to train around injuries and still get good muscle stimulation.

[kelkel]

Since I haven't been able to do lateral work for about a year now I was struggling to find something that stimulates the side delt, or at least gave me a similar feeling. I started doing a one arm smith press while sitting side-saddle. I've described it here before but when I'm done regular smith presses I move to this movement. You hold the bar like a spear or javelin with the elbow canted slightly forward. It gives me a killer feel in the side delt. Absolutely love this movement anymore. I bet you will too.
Keep the reps moderate as it's not about weight. I do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. If you try it post up how it goes please.

[Livinlean]

I've dealt with rotator issues in my right shoulder for a couple years after hurting it doing decline bench.. and my left shoulder is jacked up from a motorcycle accident.
I still have a decent capped shoulders


I've been able to continue to develop them through injury though,, through doing time under tension and isometric holds.. very very light weight that is pain free, the delts themselves don't need a ton of mechanical tension to grow. just the frequent constant tension will keep them stimulated and growing. you don't need to press.

if dumbbell side laterals hurt. try using a cable and only use one plate of the stack. super light and pain free. but make each rep last a good 40 seconds. contract the side delt and make that contraction slowly move your arm up, taking about 20 seconds to get to the top. then squeeze and hold it at the top, then slowly slowly let the weight back down . your delts will be on fire, yet it will likely be pain free in the joint.
there are other techniques as well . I may start a thread on ways to train around injuries and still get good muscle stimulation.

Delts are looking good GH.

I did something similar to that exercise but I used a lateral raise machine as opposed to cables and maybe 1/3-1/2 total rep time. Thanks for the advice.

[Livinlean]

Since I haven't been able to do lateral work for about a year now I was struggling to find something that stimulates the side delt, or at least gave me a similar feeling. I started doing a one arm smith press while sitting side-saddle. I've described it here before but when I'm done regular smith presses I move to this movement. You hold the bar like a spear or javelin with the elbow canted slightly forward. It gives me a killer feel in the side delt. Absolutely love this movement anymore. I bet you will too.
Keep the reps moderate as it's not about weight. I do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. If you try it post up how it goes please.

This exercise sounds really interesting. I wanted to try it today but the smith machines were taken at both times I wanted to do this. I can just imagine the contraction I would get with this lol. Thank you for the suggestion

[Livinlean]

AM weigh in: 229.2lbs. Full pound up.

I switched up my insulin protocol temporarily while I consume higher calories. I thought lantus is the better option here since im consuming carbs all day.
50iu lantus upon wakening
5iu humalog pre workout (just enough to match my intra)

Today was shoulder and arms. I did a couple shoulder movements all felt pretty good. I did a nice warm up to ensure I was contracting my medial delt and not any part of my shoulder thats been nagging, worked really well. Then went from triceps (DB incline bench skull crushers and cable EXT) to biceps (preacher curls and hammer curls). I didn't push too heavy of weights because of my shoulder so i worked on blood flow instead. Decided to do some different ab exercises including ab roll outs and finished with 15 minutes on level 7 of the stairmill. Walked into the gym unsure about my workout, walked out feeling pretty good about it.

I've got about 2500 calories to consume before bed and im starving!!

[charger69]

AM weigh in: 229.2lbs. Full pound up.

I switched up my insulin protocol temporarily while I consume higher calories. I thought lantus is the better option here since im consuming carbs all day.
50iu lantus upon wakening
5iu humalog pre workout (just enough to match my intra)

Today was shoulder and arms. I did a couple shoulder movements all felt pretty good. I did a nice warm up to ensure I was contracting my medial delt and not any part of my shoulder thats been nagging, worked really well. Then went from triceps (DB incline bench skull crushers and cable EXT) to biceps (preacher curls and hammer curls). I didn't push too heavy of weights because of my shoulder so i worked on blood flow instead. Decided to do some different ab exercises including ab roll outs and finished with 15 minutes on level 7 of the stairmill. Walked into the gym unsure about my workout, walked out feeling pretty good about it.

I've got about 2500 calories to consume before bed and im starving!!

Kick ass and take names!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kelkel]

This exercise sounds really interesting. I wanted to try it today but the smith machines were taken at both times I wanted to do this. I can just imagine the contraction I would get with this lol. Thank you for the suggestion

I love it. You will to. Just be sure to keep the elbow slightly forward and the reps moderate to high. Let me know how it goes!

[Livinlean]

AM weigh in: 228.2.

Took the weekend off from training and went back in today to hit chest and hamstrings feeling extra fresh. I definitely needed those rest days because my shoulders feel a lot better. I spent the weekend using my massage gun (hyperice brand) and even used it on the chest pre workout today and I think that helped quite significantly. I already woke up feeling looser from the weekend use of the massage gun and the pre workout use really helped me establish a good mind muscle with my pecs. I did 315 quite easily with no pain and was eyeing down 365. Unfortunately there wasn't any around who I would trust to spot me with that weight so we'll leave that for next week, no need to push things anyways but I did feel confident about it.

Used the massage gun pre workout while I was sitting in my car
pec dec 3 x 15 (light weight)
Flat bench press. Started at 135 and went up by 40-50lbs each set until 315. 8 reps easy with at least 3-4 left in the tank (had no spot, didn't want to risk it)
Incline smith press 3 sets with 1 drop set. 2 plates, 2 plates 25 and finished off with 3 plates and a drop set at 2. This gave me an insane pump
Attempted cable flyes. Chest felt way too exhausted so I moved to hamstrings.
Lying leg curls 3 x 15 (light weight warm up)
Seated leg curls 2 x 10-15 heavy with 5-6 second negative and full stretch
Stiff leg deads 3 working sets. Topped off at 315 for 11
Seated calves then standing calfs. 2 sets on each with 20-30 reps.

I realized today that I ran out of humalog. I'll stick with lantus for now. At some point I will drop by calories from the current 6800 as well as drop NPP for tren, this is when I plan to add humalog back in to help maintain my weight and tighten up. I don't think the current 5iu of humalog pre workout is doing a whole lot anyways so I don't see it effecting me negatively but only time will tell. I trained today without the humalog and I seemed to almost have a better workout without it but we'll see if the scale says otherwise over the next few days.

[Livinlean]

Tuesday AM weigh in: 228.6

Nothing crazy here, went to the gym and opted to skip deadlifts because my body was feeling tight. As the days go on, I lean more and more towards wanting to lean out and get more mobile at this weight. I took the year off from Ice hockey but my teams been on me about playing a few games to get into a better standing for the playoffs. I'm starting to think this might not be a bad idea if I can still manage to stay 225+ and get my cardio and mobility up. I won't commit to that yet but I will be focusing on mobility and overall being more coordinated and comfortable at this size.

I've spent about 6-8 weeks chasing heavy lifts so next week I'll be starting a new plan. I haven't written it yet but I'll include a variety of exercises which should help me with mobility. For example, trying to do a sumo deadlift I feel very tight in certain areas. The idea here is to add almost every exercise I can think of that would be beneficial and let the variety of angles etc help make me more mobile. I'll still be lifting heavy but won't be going for 1 rep maxes, maybe 4 rep max at the most but i'm the type of guy who changes things according to how my body feels so I won't shy away from max lifts altogether.

Wednesday weigh in: 229.4.

Rest day today. Time to enjoy some good food and drinks and get back in the gym tomorrow.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[Livinlean]

I ended up dropping the Lantus last Wednesday so my last shot was last Tuesday. Also took a diet break and have been eating less food to give my body a bit of a break. After looking over my notes I realized that I have been blasting NPP for 9 weeks as of Monday and it seems like i've hit a plateau so it's time to make some changes. Monday was the start of tren ace with a lower cal diet (about 5000). The goal will be to tighten and harden up and become more athletic at this new size. Im not going for a "cut" as I feel like this will just result in a smaller structure so instead I will incorporate about 15 mins of cardio as well as higher intensity training with a 5k calorie diet.

Yesterday was my first day back on the diet at 100% and I haven't bothered to weigh myself in between, I will post an updated weight tomorrow. For now I'm in the gym logging my lifts so I can set up my log book and aim to beat it each week but this time its with higher intensity so my break time is strict at 90-120s as opposed to waiting much longer in an attempt to smash 1 - 3rep PRs. I will still attempt PRs but for the most part 3 rep minimum besides maybe deadlifts.

So far I have logged the following:
Chest: DB press 120x8, 130x4 (the low rest times really hit me hard)
Back: Deadlifts 405x4 465x2 (405 felt easy, 465 not so much). I started off with deadlifts and the 465 gave me an insane lower back pump. I was unable to lift heavy on my other standing movements so I had to resort to machines. Next time, I will either be dropping deadlifts or moving them to the end of my workout.

Today will be leg day and it looks like this:
Leg ext (warm up & stretch)
Leg curls (warm up & stretch)
Angled Hack squat (legs at bottom of platform and feet together for quad emphasis)
Upright hack squat facing front SS facing back (Standard squat foot placement)
Leg exts SS sissy squat
Leg press calf raises

[Livinlean]

Current cycle:
1000mg test blend
250mg tren ace
15mg MK677, might be time to up it to 30mg all taken pre bed.

Peptides eventually I will add:
Humalog 5-7iu pre workout but I don't want to do this too soon and will aim for a 4 week break off insulin (I have a long year ahead and need to be strict with my time off)
HGH 4iu. I will add this when I add my insulin back or slightly after and run it for majority of the year.
Lantus. Only if I want to pack on more size. Makes no sense adding this unless I am in a significant caloric surplus as I do feel I stay leaner with it included.

The next addition I am looking at currently is injectable superdrol 10-20mg pre workout. I have heard that it does not blunt appetite as much as the oral version and I will likely be adding this in the next week or two once the tren ace is kicking in fully. I should also add here that I have blood work in the next couple weeks here (doc said he will call me 8 weeks after my last one to schedule another) so I will only add the SD if everything comes back fine.

[Livinlean]

AM weight: 221.6.

Expected weight to drop since its now almost been 2 weeks since I dropped my insulin and on Monday it will be 1 week since dropping NPP. Have not noticed anything on the strength side drop but that shouldn't last long if it happens anyways since I have tren A in me and it should kick in soon.

Today was chest and lats. The only lift I logged was DB flat bench 130 x 6. Everything else was accessory or machine on this day but of course it was still done heavy.

[Livinlean]

So I realized something, I am 22 weeks and 5 days out from my next possible show. If I start prep at 16 weeks out which I intend do, that leaves me 6 weeks and 5 days until the start of prep. I will need a break from the gear for at least 2-3 weeks and I may just take a week or two off from the gym. I say this because although my shoulders/traps feel a lot better, there are some positions that trigger a pain and I'd hate to prep while not 100%.

I'd still love to try out superdrol but Im not sure that's realistic considering I have about 3 weeks and 5 days left before I need to take some sort of a break and somewhere in between this time I need to get bloodwork to make sure everything is running fine.

I'll take it day by day and see how things go and will run my tren for another 3 weeks or so. I'd like to be at least 225lbs after this run with tren so I can sit at a decent spot to start prep. In previous years I have started in the 205-210 range and been considerably fatter.

[Charlie67]

May I ask how much TrenA you're using per week? Just curious about the sides, if any.

I've only ran TrenE, because long esters just help my life out with far fewer injections. I get terrible insomnia on Tren, so I started TrenA in the cycle I'm starting today hoping that injecting less Tren every other day will help the insomnia some.

You're killing it man, I appreciate you sharing this log.

Best,
C-