Need Advice on Starting Prohormones

I would like to start using a prohormone to help me make gains. My diet and routine is all under control. I'm 38, and I never used any prohormone or steroid in the past. I would like some advice on what I could start using to that will be safe & effective, and not difficult to buy online. Also, if you have any tips on combining 2 or more products for better results, then I would do that also.

I have experience in exercise, but not prohormones. So I am counting on you guys to give me some good advice, because I am going to follow the advice given and put it into practice. Thanks in advance for the help.

What are your stats bro

Height?
Weight?
Bf%?
Diet?
Training experience?

And honestly I'd look into some TRT or something of that nature, would be healthier as well, talk to your doctor. Otherwise let me know and I will try my best

Stats:
Age: 38
Height: 5-7
Weight: 170
Diet>

Wake: 25 g Bioplex WPI shake

20 min later: 25 g Nitro Core 24 shake

15 min later: 2.5 g Creatine Ethyl Ester
3 g Arginine Ethyl Ester
8 g BCAA’s powder form
1 g Beta Alanine

45 min later: Workout
1 body part per day, 5 sets, 10 reps

Right after WO: Gatorade
1 g Beta Alanine crystals

15 min later: 75 g Waxy Maize Starch
3 g Creatine Ethyl Ester
5 g Glutamine
8 g BCAA’s powder form
8 g L-Leucine, powder form

10 min later: 50 g Bioplex WPI shake

30 min later: 30 g protein, large grilled chicken, carbs
1 flax oil gel tab
Digestive enzymes

2 hr later: 50 g Nitro Core 24 shake
1 g Beta Alanine Crystals

2 hr later: 50 g egg whites
1 flax oil gel tab
Digestive enzymes

2 hr later: 50 g Nitro Core 24 shake
1 g Beta Alanine Crystals

2 hr later: 50 g cottage cheese
1 flax oil gel tab
Digestive enzymes
5 g Glutamine
3 g Arginine Ethyl Ester


I try to add in some other supplements with meals, such as HMB, MSM, ALA, CLA, Tribulus, & DHEA, but many times I don’t have time, so I skip these. I do eat some carbs, but not very many, because other than the gym, I am not active.

I have trained since I was 18, and it took me years to get a good muscular body. I was happy where I was at, but then I suffered major trauma, & a long coma; I lost most of my muscle to atrophy & "wasting". So now, I'm finally able to go to the gym, but I slipped far behind. I had to start with very light weight, and I have seen myself coming along nicely, and people have noticed that I am looking stronger all the time, and I am able to lift more weight as the weeks go by.

I do have good form and understanding of exercises, but genetically, nobody in my family has been naturally big or muscular, so it has always been difficult for me to make gains. At my age, I need all the help I can get in terms of hormones, to encourage my muscles to grow. So at this point, I am open to any options that will give me that little advantage to make the most of my efforts at the gym.

I sent you a response back on your PM. Write out your workout regiment as well. Diet we can work on. I will look into this further as I have to leave now.

All you do is one exersice of 5 sets?

I do 5 exercises of 5 sets, & I do one body part per day, so for example:

Day 1: Back
Day 2: Bicep & Rear Delt & Forearms
Day 3: Chest
Day 4: Tricep
Day 5: Delt
Day 6: Legs, Calves
Day 7: Neck, Traps

Each Body Part Gets 5 different exercies, for Bicep example:
1. Preacher Barbell Curl
2. Standing EZ Bar Curl
3. Standing EZ Bar Reverse Curl
4. Standing Low Pulley Rope Curl
5. Standing Suppinated DB Curls

Then, for each of those exercises, I do 5 sets of about 10 reps each, usually working down in weight so I can get out about 10 reps during each set. So if I start heavy, I drop a little weight each time, so I can perform the 10 reps.

No offense man but if you're doing the same number of sets and reps for each bodypart and you are looking to add some bulk you are doing WAY to much. You are going to end up SERIOUSLY overtrained at some point. Google Rippetoes routine and get back to some basic compound movements. Doing a lot of movements for the same bodypart isn't always the best way to add on bulk. Try rippetoes routine for 6 months and you may not even need the prohormones. JMHO...

Yes we could probably adjust his routine but IMO Rippetoes routines aren't all that great for his goals. I believe he is bodybuilding and not trying to strength train. Those routines don't hit certain parts directly only indirectly. Ex. Biceps, hamstrings, side delts, rear delts.

An example of an intermediate routine of Rippetoes would be this:
MON
Clean 8x3
Squat 5x5
Good Mornings 3x10
Abs

TUE
Bench Press 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5
Dips 3x8

THU
Front Squat 3x3
Deadlift 3x5
Reverse Hypers 3x15
Abs

FRI
Press 5x5
Pull-ups 5x5
Dips 3x8

This may be a good strength routine but not for bodybuilding. Missing ALOT of things in here. He can still do the power moves included in his bodybuilding routine. I stress those movements and have them as the back bone to my routines. Its up to him and it may be good for a total beginner at first but depending on goals I would go a different route

HIT (High Intensity Training) is where its at. hands down. I did similar work out plans to you guys most of my life, but when I started HIT, my gains became EXPLOSIVE. why wait 4 or 5 days to work out a muscle when it only takes 2 days (on average) for muscle fibers to heal. Anything but a full body work out is almost a waste of time IMO. Why go to war with a swiss army knife when you have a nuclear warhead in your arsenal?

While I would agree that Rippetoe's workout routines are a bit limited and should be adjusted slightly, they will however put on size as well as strength. If what he has outlined is true, he is doing 250 reps on bicep days and that is along with the fact that he is doing them indirectly the day before during his back routine. Additionally, he is doing tri's the day after doing his chest. Both routines work the tri's both directly and indirectly. AND, if he is doing any pressing movements at all on Delt day he is doing them 3 days in a row. I would guess he is in a state of overtraining at the moment and that is why he is not growing and looking for prohomones as an option. This goes way beyond HIT. This wont give you explosive gains, it will however put you in a serious state of overtraining. Also, anyone who has hammered their legs really hard on squat day knows it can take a bit longer than 2 days to heal.

So, back to the prohormones. There are only a few left on the market that are actually worth a S**T. There is an active prohormone thread at the moment that will give you all of them. You should know though that some of them will give you serious lower back pumps. Painful actually. If it were me, I'd just do a couple cycles of test. Your gains will be much better. Just my 2 cents. Good luck man...

Muscle fibers take on average two days to "heal", but the thing is that even if you are sore you can still work out. In fact, I'd advise you work out if your still sore. It will shock muscles, maximize gains, and even help flexibility while sore (unless you've taken off a ton of time and are back in the gym for the first time, then it may not work). HIT is by far the best exercise regimen available. When I first started it, I gained between 15-20 pounds of lean solid muscle (while taking NO supplements whatsoever regularly by any means) in about 2 months. Maybe I'm a rare case, but my friend who was my gym partner gained 25 lbs easy (he was running a testosterone enanthate cycle at the time). Ive personally never experienced anything even close to the gains ive experienced with the HIT program, ever in my life. I will swear by it to the day I die. Its a really demanding work out plan though, it is not for an everyday person. If you even have to question if your a tough person or not, don't even look into the HIT program becuase you'd be wasting your time.

You are correct in so much as studies show that by taking muscle biopsies after strenuous excercise most people take between 36-48 hours to recover and DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness) is not what I am referring to. I am well aware of the theory behind working through this. However, there are people and movements that can and do increase this recovery time. I would agree that as a general rule most people know that it takes roughly two days and most workout programs are designed around this thought. There are however, variables depending on how workouts are combined, Ie.. by combining direct and indirect movements for the same bodyparts on multiple consecutive days... This will in fact drastically increased the recovery time and in some instances will lead the subject to severe states of overtraining and even injury. And this was the point I was trying to make from the beginning. Now, when one factors in the use of AAS to aid in recovery, it changes everything. But this is off subject and this thread has already been hijacked enough.


Much of this you can find in Owen Andersons article "How a spoonful of sugar helps keep your muscle protein from going down" Peak Performance Jan29.

There are loads of other studies on the same subject.