Darkane gets RIPPED!

[Darkane]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
People say with the new technology in creatine you don't get water retention but I definitely feel clothes tighter, and the waistline bigger. Some water at skin level, and also in muscle cells.

Now how much gluatime and BCAA is good? There is something called Extend which has both, plus other stuff but plain BCAA and Glutamine powder is cheaper.

So lot of BCAA, glutamine, and mega load fish oil i a staple?

I am gonna go to the store and pick up lot of can beans, spinach, tuna.

I don't think it's new "technology" so to speak. It's just a different form.

Creatine monohydrate from what I've read has a tendancy to hold more water.

Creatine ethyl ester has less retention.

I don't have any personal experience on either.

[bashir26]

I have pretty big thighs. How do I simmer them down?

Also a sick and tasty shake to try is: Milk + 2 Eggs + Honey. It taste so damn good and its healthy!

[Thomas Gabriel]

Originally posted by bashir26
I have pretty big thighs. How do I simmer them down?

Also a sick and tasty shake to try is: Milk + 2 Eggs + Honey. It taste so damn good and its healthy!

Explains why you're having trouble simmering them down.

[bashir26]

Originally posted by Thomas Gabriel


Explains why you're having trouble simmering them down.

loool i just tried it today

[Darkane]

Saving the update for a few days still, but just wanted to touch on my Squats and another observation I discovered.

Squats are still going up. In a previous post I said I was going to advance by deducting 5 seconds of rest each week. That will be my goal every other week. This week I added 4.4lbs to the bar and kept the same rest period.

I managed to get all my reps (100) and on the last set hit 11 reps! This is fantastic stuff. One thing I've been doing is concentrating on my breathing. In the nose, out the mouth during rest periods. When lifting I'm focusing on form.

Today I even took it a step further. I hung onto pull up handles on the Olympic Rack to extend my lungs and get the breaths right in there. It was awesome and I was recovering much quicker.

Switching gears here, I'm convinced the insoluble fiber in nuts are a must to keep things "moving" well during low carb cutting. Fiber is tough to get on low carbs, but I find eating more mixed nuts solves this problem. I don't know why but it's good.

Stay Strong.

[bigbadboss101]

I didn't read thru the thread. Do you eat clean most of the time, and have one cheat day? Or do you eat low carb during the week and Friday on carb up after the depletion? I have read the article you posted regarding getting cutted for final days closer to competition. Although it's not to the same extend, some people deplete for a few days and reload and look really good after carb up.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
I didn't read thru the thread. Do you eat clean most of the time, and have one cheat day? Or do you eat low carb during the week and Friday on carb up after the depletion? I have read the article you posted regarding getting cutted for final days closer to competition. Although it's not to the same extend, some people deplete for a few days and reload and look really good after carb up.

I don't have cheat days period. I do one cheat meal every 17-18 days or so. Just one meal.

Cheating just de-rails things. I'd rather stay focused on the task at hand. Charles Poliquin agrees :D

Depending on how you carb load, you won't look any different. In that article you only look different because you're "pulling" the water from under the skin to the muscle. Not introducing new water.

If you carb up regularly and drink lots of water, you'll look exactly the same you did last week, maybe 1.5pounds of fat loss different :)

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


I don't have cheat days period. I do one cheat meal every 17-18 days or so. Just one meal.

Cheating just de-rails things. I'd rather stay focused on the task at hand. Charles Poliquin agrees :D

Depending on how you carb load, you won't look any different. In that article you only look different because you're "pulling" the water from under the skin to the muscle. Not introducing new water.

If you carb up regularly and drink lots of water, you'll look exactly the same you did last week, maybe 1.5pounds of fat loss different :)

Have you seen/read much about the sh!tload Darkane?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by kutt3r


Have you seen/read much about the sh!tload Darkane?

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here.

[Darkane]

Just updated new weight, 228lbs.

To date with water, 17 pounds gone. Funny thing, I just did bodyfat testing today and only lost 1.5% :rofl: . Down to 16.5% according to 4 point caliper measurements.

Obviously I've lost a bit more, either that or I was actually carrying roughly 13 pounds of water.. Perhaps I was. My brother commented on my chest cutting up pretty good, might be due to the Zinc. I've got definite loss in my quads, legs in general. Arms a bit, but not much.

In reality my two best sites were Scapular (under shoulder blade and indication of CURRENT insulin resistance) and Stomach (Indication of Cortisol - Stress).

I lost 3 mm on my Scap down to 19mm from 22mm, so about a 15% loss! That's good, and a direct result of low carbs and high dose fish oil.

Stomach is down to 12mm or so from 14mm. This is also good.

Arms stayed about the same.

All in all, I feel 'ok'. The next 2 months are going to feel like cutting. March is gonna see an additional 5minutes to cardio sessions (40min total) and calories down another 300. At the end of next week (Friday 27th) I'm taking 2 weeks off of Hot Rox. I'm really feeling the caffeine, or lack thereof. I'm feeling more sluggish which tells me I'm getting used to it - Hard on the adrenal glands.

Not much else to report.. Still getting stronger, and weights going up! Can't think of anything else right now.. Will add if I do.

Stay strong.

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here.

sh1tloads with low carb diets
1 day of HIGH carb, as simple as you can get on the likes of 500 - 1500g of carbs (or more if you can stuff them in)

favorites are lucky charms, frosted flakes, pancakes and maple syrup, there is one guy that has 3 boxes of low fat waffles with maple syrup to start his day...
Pecan pie is regarded as a dense calorie meal on this day.

There are pics of a guy putting on 24pds and losing it in 3 days (water)... his legs ended up shredded...

I cannot say that I seen/read about anything like it... but some of the guys doing it are pros so, it is not completely crazy I guess...

[Wildcat]

Originally posted by kutt3r


sh1tloads with low carb diets
1 day of HIGH carb, as simple as you can get on the likes of 500 - 1500g of carbs (or more if you can stuff them in)

favorites are lucky charms, frosted flakes, pancakes and maple syrup, there is one guy that has 3 boxes of low fat waffles with maple syrup to start his day...
Pecan pie is regarded as a dense calorie meal on this day.

There are pics of a guy putting on 24pds and losing it in 3 days (water)... his legs ended up shredded...

I cannot say that I seen/read about anything like it... but some of the guys doing it are pros so, it is not completely crazy I guess...

I also throw in a cheat day every Saturday, during the off season its for the whole weekend. Usually i only eat 2 or 3 obnoxious meals with junk inbetween. Lots of ice cream, lots of sugary carbs like you said, and lots of greasy meats (bacon!). I fill right out and am ready to rock another week of dieting the next day.

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Wildcat


I also throw in a cheat day every Saturday, during the off season its for the whole weekend. Usually i only eat 2 or 3 obnoxious meals with junk inbetween. Lots of ice cream, lots of sugary carbs like you said, and lots of greasy meats (bacon!). I fill right out and am ready to rock another week of dieting the next day.

Close but this is low fat, I know refeeds, but these are insane...

8 TUBS SUGAR FREE DRINK MIX
1 CONTAINER LOW FAT PB
1 POUND CAKE
1 BOX REESE'S CEREAL
1 BOX LUCKY CHARMS
3.5QT LOW FAT VANILLA ICE CREAM
10 LOW FAT WAFFLES + 13TBSP LIGHT SYRUP
6 FRUIT FILLED PANCAKES
8 SERVINGS PUDDING MIX (CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA)
1 CONTAINER FAT FREE WHIPPED CREAM
3/5 BOTTLE CHOCOLATE SYRUP
1 PACK SKITTLES GUM
1 LOW FAT PIZZA
1 LOW FAT CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 ANGEL FOOD CAKE
4 BAGELS + 5TBSP FAT FREE CREAM CHEESE + 5TBSP BOYSENBERRY JAM
18 STRAWBERRY BARS
6 BANANA MOON PIES
10 CUPS FAT FREE LACTOSE FREE MILK

I think this is most of it...I might have forgot a few things....LOL
I swear I think I should take up competitive eating!

[Darkane]

Originally posted by kutt3r


sh1tloads with low carb diets
1 day of HIGH carb, as simple as you can get on the likes of 500 - 1500g of carbs (or more if you can stuff them in)

favorites are lucky charms, frosted flakes, pancakes and maple syrup, there is one guy that has 3 boxes of low fat waffles with maple syrup to start his day...
Pecan pie is regarded as a dense calorie meal on this day.

There are pics of a guy putting on 24pds and losing it in 3 days (water)... his legs ended up shredded...

I cannot say that I seen/read about anything like it... but some of the guys doing it are pros so, it is not completely crazy I guess...

Well I've read about that kind of stuff. You don't need anywhere near that amount while cutting however. 300-500g is usually the upper limit for most trainees.

Nice intake though, 2 boxes of cereal :rofl:

[Wildcat]

Originally posted by kutt3r


Close but this is low fat, I know refeeds, but these are insane...

8 TUBS SUGAR FREE DRINK MIX
1 CONTAINER LOW FAT PB
1 POUND CAKE
1 BOX REESE'S CEREAL
1 BOX LUCKY CHARMS
3.5QT LOW FAT VANILLA ICE CREAM
10 LOW FAT WAFFLES + 13TBSP LIGHT SYRUP
6 FRUIT FILLED PANCAKES
8 SERVINGS PUDDING MIX (CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA)
1 CONTAINER FAT FREE WHIPPED CREAM
3/5 BOTTLE CHOCOLATE SYRUP
1 PACK SKITTLES GUM
1 LOW FAT PIZZA
1 LOW FAT CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 ANGEL FOOD CAKE
4 BAGELS + 5TBSP FAT FREE CREAM CHEESE + 5TBSP BOYSENBERRY JAM
18 STRAWBERRY BARS
6 BANANA MOON PIES
10 CUPS FAT FREE LACTOSE FREE MILK

I think this is most of it...I might have forgot a few things....LOL
I swear I think I should take up competitive eating!

haha gross! This is where im at so far today;

-2 A&W sausage & eggers
-4 A&W hashbrowns
-1 Diet Rockstar to wash down the vitamins
-2 Crave cupcakes
-2 Mcdonalds jr. chickens
-1 Mcdonalds bacon cheesburger
-1 Another Diet Rockstar

and its only 2pm...

[A790]

So much food.... ew. hahaha

[bashir26]

So I'm trying to tone down the size of my thighs. When I walk alot they tend to rub against each other. I'm not really fat or anything I'm 5'11 at 170LBS

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


Well I've read about that kind of stuff. You don't need anywhere near that amount while cutting however. 300-500g is usually the upper limit for most trainees.

Nice intake though, 2 boxes of cereal :rofl:

This guys is single digit bf, he is know to take in 14-20k cal in a single refeed (it is well known he is a freak of nature, but still cool)

There is a pic of his legs, he went from 200lbs to 176 in 3 days due to water loss.. his legs are shredded, looked like the muscle mag before and after in 3 days..LOL

You are completely right though, I know I could never do that, I would just get fatter, but I thought it was fun to see... there is a whole thread dedicated to high carb (simple sugar) low fat foods. Its just funny seeing as this is coming from some fairly decent BBers as it has always been good carbs only during refeeds, and how there are people playing with that idea.

Neat stuff out there...if you know what your body is capable of...

Wildcat you are a savage... Crave cupcakes... I hate you, now I want some... LOL (I did mange to wolf down a double big mac and large fries yesterday after my workout... you know it has to have been a good workout when you have internal bruising, can still move so I don't think I tore anything...I thought I earned it)
:dunno:

Back on topic for ya Darkane, seeing as you brought up two things I have been reading a little bit about, caffine and the relationship to cortisol/stress/stomach fat.

What are your thoughts about dropping the caffeine due to the lack of stimulation in relation to the benefits from the reduction in cortisol while cutting? For you it might not be a huge deal, but the more I read about the less I am considering not cycling as I once did, and just keep a regular maintenance dose ongoing. (My belly fat is always the last to go...)

[Darkane]

Hmm, well so far I haven't had enough experience with caffeine supplementation to comment on that.

But if I were to give my opinion I'd say if you're fairly good with stress (Mentally) don't worry about cycling. However watch for adrenal fatigue which I've heard is a myth, but I believe it to be at least part true. I think I'm getting it a bit.

Gonna cycle off the Hot rox for two weeks starting today. Was gonna wait a week but I've been bad and partying this weekend so I didn't really take any supps and just took my mind off of the Diet.

Later today/tomorrow I'm back on it 100% again.

Even though I don't have "cheat" days I planned this weekend for a while and just had to get fucking drunk.

I hooked up with a Dominatrix lol! She looked completely normal. It was.... Interesting. I suggest everyone does it once. I got scratches on my arms, chest/stomach, random bite marks, and she punched me in the face with a cast. I almost went Chris Brown on her after that though. She broke her wrist playing soccer :rofl:

She was getting quite mad that I wasn't "submitting" and it made her really really excited. Fucking crazy broads.

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane

I hooked up with a Dominatrix lol! She looked completely normal. It was.... Interesting. I suggest everyone does it once. I got scratches on my arms, chest/stomach, random bite marks, and she punched me in the face with a cast. I almost went Chris Brown on her after that though. She broke her wrist playing soccer :rofl:

She was getting quite mad that I wasn't "submitting" and it made her really really excited. Fucking crazy broads.

haha that is awesome... soccer player... legs....

Sounds better than a deadlift workout :P

Now how do I incorporate that into the plan and get the gf on board?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by kutt3r


haha that is awesome... soccer player... legs....

Sounds better than a deadlift workout :P

Now how do I incorporate that into the plan and get the gf on board?

Lol not sure.

But in other news HUGE update coming up in the next week or so. I'm actually getting my Biosignature Analysis done by Andrew Gustafson. He own's Naturalhigh Fitness in Okotoks and is Poliquin certified.

With this Analysis I'll be able to determine hormonal levels and use a Poliquin supp stack to fix most of it. It's super exciting!

What is BioSignature and how can it HELP YOU?

BioSignature goes beyond standard body fat testing and REVEALS your BLUEPRINT for FASTER FAT LOSS! It's scientific SPOT REDUCTION!

The novel concept of Biosignature was developed by world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin after noticing trends and correlations while working with athletes for nearly 30 years. BioSignature is a system based on scientific evidence that where people store their body fat is an indication of their hormonal profile.

This means that your body fat levels and corresponding imbalanced hormones can be effectively managed through a combination of diet, exercise, a targeted supplementation program, and lifestyle modifications. PPC trained BioSignature practitioners will develop that plan for you based on YOUR unique biological signature. This means FASTER results and FEWER supplements than is possible with the industry's typically more random and haphazard approach.

For example, the thickness of a person's umbilical skin fold (your gut) is a direct reflection of cortisol (the stress hormone) output. A relatively fat midsection indicates stress levels are high and/or the ability to handle stress is low. The good news is that 1) it's not your fault and, 2) it can be changed.

The result is improved performance in ALL areas of your life - physical,mental, and intellectual. By following your personal plan, you will emerge leaner, stronger, healthier, happier, and more energetic.

Find out how to put in less effort and achieve greater results by booking an appointment to find out more about your BioSignature and discover the secrets that have previously only been available to top athletes. Isn't it time you heard the truth about how to avoid needless years of disappointment and get rapid results NOW -- even faster than those popular reality shows!

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"BioSignature is one of the most advanced noninvasive methods available to rapidly and accurately identify insulin resistance and cardiovascular risks. This allows for onsite effective medical treatment decisions."

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Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Director, Hypertension Institute, Saint Thomas Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee

“BioSignature is a revolutionary tool for the clinician who wants to individualize metabolic healing by designing protocols that have the greatest success.”

Dr. Suzanne Mack, M.D., North Texas Institute of Functional Medicine.

“BioSignature offers a rapid assessment tool of one’s hormonal health to individualize and monitor the patient’s protocols to achieve optimal metabolic health. It combines the best of Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western medical systems has to offer to the patient.”

Dr. Abbas Qutab, M.D., D.C., N.D., D. Ac.

[bigbadboss101]

Interesting!

[bigbadboss101]

Hey Dark,

I googled and found this. Might give them a call unless you suggest another route. Thanks.

Dragons Den offers customized strength and conditioning services to our client base via Natural High Fitness and Athletics / Okotoks. These services include: Biosignature Hormonal Analysis, Structural Balance, Postural Analysis, Flexibility Assessment, Aerobic Endurance Assessment, Body Composition Assessment, Individual Program Design, Personal Assessment, Program Design and Athletic Strength and Conditioning Programs.
Natural High Fitness and Athletics is owned by Mr. Andrew Gustafson BSC, ACSM, CEP, PICP level one, CHEK Exercise Coach, CHEK HLC level two.
Andrew has worked with Staff, Clients, and Professional Athletes from Dragons Den using the finest techniques and methods available on the Market. If you desire to take your fitness and health related goals to the next level please contact him directly at 938-7051.

Below are listed some of the primary programs we offer and how to get started. Get started today and call Dragon's Den @ 228-3823 to arrange for a free trial class.

[Darkane]

^^ Correct that's what I'm doing. Except just the Hormonal Analysis.

[bigbadboss101]

How did you assessment go?

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


Lol not sure.

But in other news HUGE update coming up in the next week or so. I'm actually getting my Biosignature Analysis done by Andrew Gustafson. He own's Naturalhigh Fitness in Okotoks and is Poliquin certified.


LOL that's my gym... for a little gym in Okotoks there are a TON of amazing resources there. The other night when I was finishing up Andrew was doing 100# clean and jerks, with one hand, using an Olympic bar, and this was after cycling training.

I was looking at that Darkane, let me know how it goes it might be something I try.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by kutt3r


LOL that's my gym... for a little gym in Okotoks there are a TON of amazing resources there. The other night when I was finishing up Andrew was doing 100# clean and jerks, with one hand, using an Olympic bar, and this was after cycling training.

I was looking at that Darkane, let me know how it goes it might be something I try.

Yeah man. I got my appointment on Tuesday.

One thing to note about Andrew, he's not certified under Poliquin to run Biosig anymore. You're supposed to refresh the course every year because of all the new info. When I talked to him he did it 4 years ago.

Of course he still has basic principle down and will be able to do my hormonal analysis. I've done enough reading on Biosig to know exactly what protocol he's gonna prescribe to me anyway
:rofl:

I'm more curious to find my Bodyfat % based on the 12 point caliper system.

I'm gonna guess FenuGreek, Insolumnics, high Dose Fish oil and some Dopamine supps for starters on my biosig. Lets see how close I am :D

That is a semi-Typical Insulin resistance protocol. I'm curious to see if he's gonna try to tackle the estrogen areas at the same time of the Insulin areas. I'd guess probably not, but if he did he'd probably throw some Green tea Excellence in there too. (Higher pec skin fold)

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


Yeah man. I got my appointment on Tuesday.

One thing to note about Andrew, he's not certified under Poliquin to run Biosig anymore. You're supposed to refresh the course every year because of all the new info. When I talked to him he did it 4 years ago.

Of course he still has basic principle down and will be able to do my hormonal analysis. I've done enough reading on Biosig to know exactly what protocol he's gonna prescribe to me anyway
:rofl:

I'm more curious to find my Bodyfat % based on the 12 point caliper system.

I'm gonna guess FenuGreek, Insolumnics, high Dose Fish oil and some Dopamine supps for starters on my biosig. Lets see how close I am :D

That is a semi-Typical Insulin resistance protocol. I'm curious to see if he's gonna try to tackle the estrogen areas at the same time of the Insulin areas. I'd guess probably not, but if he did he'd probably throw some Green tea Excellence in there too. (Higher pec skin fold)

Make sure you post it up as I am very curious... seeing as they have been change web filtres at work I have not been able to go anywhere but IA so I have been reading a ton of Poliquin and while it is pretty standard stuff(mainly because everyone follows it, bright dude) there is some good stuff that no one else is thinking saying.
I was reading about the 12 point skin caliper and I know my chest/belly is heavy in fat, its where I tend to carry it all so I am very curious, after reading more about it.
Hopefully this week will be the start of the low carb/keto/tdk diet and I can see where I go from there... I figure after the pl'ing comp I might go see him if you like it and I can stay tight on the diet... right now I would be a mess.. LOL diet has been sucking..training has been great though...

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


Yeah man. I got my appointment on Tuesday.


Day or night?

Just wondering as Tues night is training night, might run in to you. Guessing it is day time as the only time I see Andrew there at night is when he is doing the cycling class.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by kutt3r


Day or night?

Just wondering as Tues night is training night, might run in to you. Guessing it is day time as the only time I see Andrew there at night is when he is doing the cycling class.

I think early afternoon. He said come 2-230, because it'll only take like 15min so he's just gonna squeeze me in.

Little update from me, Been off the hot rox for over a week and feel the same. Actually I feel a little "colder" lol.

So because of this I took my temp today, check this out - 35.6C! That is INSANELY low. For every 0.3-0.4C your metabolism is 10% slower. So right now I'm not doing very good for burning the food lol.

Had a cheat meal last night too, if anything my temp should be a bit higher. Gotta look into this.

Weight has been hovering around 235-238 fully carbed, so it looks like I've put on a pound or two. I'm guessing - err I'm certain it's fat hah. Oh well, back on full swing w/ fasted cardio's friday the 6th.

Another thing to note is I'm not sure if I'll go back on the Hot Rox during my Poliquin supp protocol. I was thinking My cortisol might need attention too because of night shift working.

The Caffeine in the Hot Rox will basically be like spinning my wheels while trying to reduce the cortisol. What I might end up doing is pushing the cut longer and in the last 3-4 weeks jump back on the Hot Rox. I'm pretty convinced they work so it might be shame I won't be able to use them all.

I briefly talked about cutting to long in my first post and screwing my hormones, but with the Poliquin protocol my hormones should be Improving as I continue to cut so it'll almost be like a snowball effect near the end. I'm pumped for it.

Stay Strong.

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane


I think early afternoon. He said come 2-230, because it'll only take like 15min so he's just gonna squeeze me in.

Little update from me, Been off the hot rox for over a week and feel the same. Actually I feel a little "colder" lol.

So because of this I took my temp today, check this out - 35.6C! That is INSANELY low. For every 0.3-0.4C your metabolism is 10% slower. So right now I'm not doing very good for burning the food lol.

Had a cheat meal last night too, if anything my temp should be a bit higher. Gotta look into this.

Weight has been hovering around 235-238 fully carbed, so it looks like I've put on a pound or two. I'm guessing - err I'm certain it's fat hah. Oh well, back on full swing w/ fasted cardio's friday the 6th.

Another thing to note is I'm not sure if I'll go back on the Hot Rox during my Poliquin supp protocol. I was thinking My cortisol might need attention too because of night shift working.

The Caffeine in the Hot Rox will basically be like spinning my wheels while trying to reduce the cortisol. What I might end up doing is pushing the cut longer and in the last 3-4 weeks jump back on the Hot Rox. I'm pretty convinced they work so it might be shame I won't be able to use them all.

I briefly talked about cutting to long in my first post and screwing my hormones, but with the Poliquin protocol my hormones should be Improving as I continue to cut so it'll almost be like a snowball effect near the end. I'm pumped for it.

Stay Strong.

Keep the updates coming.. if you find that it works for you then I might give it a go...

[bashir26]

Got back into the gym yesterday after taking a two week break. I found that its a lot easier on me stamina wise to do the weights now after taking a nice break. Before after benching I would be breathing hard and do another set after 10seconds of break. But now I can do the bench without breathing hard at all and I noticed I don't even have to take a break to do another set. It's weird, even though the weights are still heavy.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by bashir26
Got back into the gym yesterday after taking a two week break. I found that its a lot easier on me stamina wise to do the weights now after taking a nice break. Before after benching I would be breathing hard and do another set after 10seconds of break. But now I can do the bench without breathing hard at all and I noticed I don't even have to take a break to do another set. It's weird, even though the weights are still heavy.

Add more weight. When it gets easier you're not working as hard ;)

[Darkane]

UPDATE!!!1!1!!!!111

Biosig analysis completed.

As I predicted, I have insulin issues! Other things to note, with the 12 point skin fold system I came out to 20.06% Bodyfat, EXACTLY what I figured.

Couple things to note, my tricep site was pretty low for my overall BF. It was 6.2mm.

My pec was A LOT lower than I thought, but personally I don't think Andrew measured the correct spot. He pinched me at 5.4mm - 3mm and under is competition bodybuilders. I've gotten my brother to skinfold on my chest and I've come up with 10mm, so I'll have to talk to him about that. No biggie.

He also took my Estrogen sites (Quad and Hamstrings) upon my request. He usually doesn't for men but I had him specifically do it. That was included in the BF, but it's only usually on women so it could have messed with the overall BF number. No biggie I don't care about the number right now, but rather the Number after I've used the protocol.

Another interesting thing, my cortisol is a bit high. That's to be expected because of the Night shifts and fucked up sleeping cycles - or no sleeping cycles as it sometimes is haha.

Last point from the biosig, this one REALLY surprised me.. Andrew thinks my Liver might be taxed from all the supps I've been taking. I've never though of this to be honest but it makes perfect sense! All vitamins and orals must be processed through the liver before absorption.

I talked to the dude for an hour and we got along quite well. We bounced idea's off of each other and I got some good pointers. Let it be known Andrew is NOT a bodybuilding, or power lifting trainer. He also does not do diets.

With this being said his expertise is in the Rehab and Physical limitations categories. He makes you healthy essentially. This is good as My back has issues and I might get a full physical analysis done by him In April. From this I can custom tailor a routine based on my strengths instead of a more "Common" strength or volume routine.

He's gonna email the supp protocol tomorrow most likely so I'll post up what he has to offer.

On a side note, I went to the gym today unprepared and decided it was a good day for a squat max. Hahah!

The good news is I 'could' beat my old max, the bad news is I failed 365. I got greedy and loaded the bar with 10 pounds to much. My last max was 350 with good velocity. I threw up 345 easily today and put on 20 more pounds. Stupid.

I almost had it, I was about 7 inches off of the box when I started into a forward lean. Lots of pressure was on my back.. and honestly if I wanted I could have pushed and got it up but at the expense of an injury. So I put my pride aside and put the weight down on the Safety bars. Oh well.

Stay Strong.

[bigbadboss101]

So how do you control cortisol level? More sleep, don't sweat the small stuff, what else?

[Thomas Gabriel]

Wow dude, not to be insulting, but 20% bf is way too high. For someone who reads T-nation, I thought it would be lower. You should be able to get down to 12% with very little effort. BTW if your tricep value was very low then I doubt you have estrogen issues. I'm sure T is OK too. It's just messed insulin/cortisol (closely related in terms of cause).

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Thomas Gabriel
Wow dude, not to be insulting, but 20% bf is way too high. For someone who reads T-nation, I thought it would be lower. You should be able to get down to 12% with very little effort. BTW if your tricep value was very low then I doubt you have estrogen issues. I'm sure T is OK too. It's just messed insulin/cortisol (closely related in terms of cause).

Yes 20% is way to high.

It's tough with an overall T of 10.0nmol/L. (Clinical reference range is 8-29)

I don't have good genetics man, it's part of me. I'd love to be 12% "with very little effort" but it doesn't happen to me.

Oh well, every year I'll be a little leaner, bigger and stronger until eventually I meet my goals. That's all I can do.

I'm in the works of dealing with a Naturopathic Doctor. If my family doctor won't do a full blood screening for this years physical, I'll go to the ND and get one. I'm almost positive I had/have Estradiol issues.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
So how do you control cortisol level? More sleep, don't sweat the small stuff, what else?

I'll let you know, but sleep is a huge one.

[Thomas Gabriel]

Are you still following the 100/50g carb protocol from the first post? I think you should try going a bit lower. Something like the anabolic diet. Poliquin recommends that diet too.

But honestly man if you have trouble losing weight even while following that diet strictly, I think you're right - there must be something wrong. I know a low tricep reading indicates normal E, so if you do end up having high E, that wouldn't be good for the validity of biosignature readings. Have you had thyroid checked by chance?

Anyways, at least your lifts are good. Once you lose the fat you should have a pretty good physique.

[Redlined_8000]

Originally posted by Thomas Gabriel
Are you still following the 100/50g carb protocol from the first post? I think you should try going a bit lower. Something like the anabolic diet. Poliquin recommends that diet too.

But honestly man if you have trouble losing weight even while following that diet strictly, I think you're right - there must be something wrong. I know a low tricep reading indicates normal E, so if you do end up having high E, that wouldn't be good for the validity of biosignature readings. Have you had thyroid checked by chance?

Anyways, at least your lifts are good. Once you lose the fat you should have a pretty good physique.

Just out of curiosity what are your stats?

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Darkane
UPDATE!!!1!1!!!!111

Biosig analysis completed.

As I predicted, I have insulin issues! Other things to note, with the 12 point skin fold system I came out to 20.06% Bodyfat, EXACTLY what I figured.

Couple things to note, my tricep site was pretty low for my overall BF. It was 6.2mm.

My pec was A LOT lower than I thought, but personally I don't think Andrew measured the correct spot. He pinched me at 5.4mm - 3mm and under is competition bodybuilders. I've gotten my brother to skinfold on my chest and I've come up with 10mm, so I'll have to talk to him about that. No biggie.

He also took my Estrogen sites (Quad and Hamstrings) upon my request. He usually doesn't for men but I had him specifically do it. That was included in the BF, but it's only usually on women so it could have messed with the overall BF number. No biggie I don't care about the number right now, but rather the Number after I've used the protocol.

Another interesting thing, my cortisol is a bit high. That's to be expected because of the Night shifts and fucked up sleeping cycles - or no sleeping cycles as it sometimes is haha.

Last point from the biosig, this one REALLY surprised me.. Andrew thinks my Liver might be taxed from all the supps I've been taking. I've never though of this to be honest but it makes perfect sense! All vitamins and orals must be processed through the liver before absorption.

I talked to the dude for an hour and we got along quite well. We bounced idea's off of each other and I got some good pointers. Let it be known Andrew is NOT a bodybuilding, or power lifting trainer. He also does not do diets.

With this being said his expertise is in the Rehab and Physical limitations categories. He makes you healthy essentially. This is good as My back has issues and I might get a full physical analysis done by him In April. From this I can custom tailor a routine based on my strengths instead of a more "Common" strength or volume routine.

He's gonna email the supp protocol tomorrow most likely so I'll post up what he has to offer.

On a side note, I went to the gym today unprepared and decided it was a good day for a squat max. Hahah!

The good news is I 'could' beat my old max, the bad news is I failed 365. I got greedy and loaded the bar with 10 pounds to much. My last max was 350 with good velocity. I threw up 345 easily today and put on 20 more pounds. Stupid.

I almost had it, I was about 7 inches off of the box when I started into a forward lean. Lots of pressure was on my back.. and honestly if I wanted I could have pushed and got it up but at the expense of an injury. So I put my pride aside and put the weight down on the Safety bars. Oh well.

Stay Strong.

Some interesting stuff there Darkane... very curious as to how it turns out. Sounds like you were happy with service.

After the Apr meet I am going to re-evaluate the diet and supps. Looking into just doing the basics, fish oil, green tea, creatine, glut with a little milk thistle in the mix.

I would be curious to see your cortisol #'s off the hot rox... How much green tea you taking in, that could be adding to it as well.

Good luck!

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Thomas Gabriel
Are you still following the 100/50g carb protocol from the first post? I think you should try going a bit lower. Something like the anabolic diet. Poliquin recommends that diet too.

But honestly man if you have trouble losing weight even while following that diet strictly, I think you're right - there must be something wrong. I know a low tricep reading indicates normal E, so if you do end up having high E, that wouldn't be good for the validity of biosignature readings. Have you had thyroid checked by chance?

Anyways, at least your lifts are good. Once you lose the fat you should have a pretty good physique.

I was under the Impression from reading various Biosig articles and journals on T-nation that a low tricep indicates proper Test levels. That site used in a ratio to Pec determines aromatase, and the Ham/quad site indicates overall E. That's why some people must quickly go on the DIM/Green tea supps to combat the Aromatase. Lowering Cortisol has that effect sometimes because of the adrenals now helping produce T as opposed to Cortisol.

As of March the new plan is to go <30g carbs. All carbs coming from Broccoli, baby spinach, cucumbers and 1/2 cup cottage cheese on some nights.

I'm going to replace the WMS in my post workout shake with Glutamine. Going to work up to 30g. going to start at 15 and see how the gut handles it. Should be no problem.

Kutt3r,

My "cortisol" reading has actually dropped 2mm since being on Hot Rox. I've been doing Bi-monthly caliper testing and that's what it's shown. I'm actually fairly laid back and shit usually doesn't bother me.

I knew Cortisol was an issue, working night shifts fucks everything. The problem I'm trying to figure out is why wasn't I lean prior to this job 19 months ago ;)

Onward.

[Darkane]

UPDATE:

So anyway, My 2 weeks in calgary kinda got me hah. I managed to pack on 10 pounds of something. Sweet?

Anyway I knew that would happen and planned it. Need to let loose once in a while and have a great time. It's much more fun when you're pent up and just give'r.

So this was interesting however, When I got back to McMurray I immediately went back on the regime at lowered cals for March's plan.

2150 cals/day NWO, and 2450ish WO. Carbs 30G or lower etc.

Within the first 6 days I dropped 12 pounds! I was carrying a lot of excess, bloating, useless, fuck you water!

At least 10 pounds of it. I figure I lost a pound or two of fat in those days. Cardio also went up to 40min/day.

So right now, I'm 226 and feel awesome. I had good calf vascularity today as well. Never really had that before! Looks like the GH levels came up from not having to work nights for over a month! So that is good.

I'm not very big right now though, I'm totally glycogen depleted, but I'm in full ketosis.. err I was. I had 50g Gatorde in my PWO shake today. I'll be in Ketosis tomorrow morning again.

I'm not hazy and I'm actually thinking quite clearly and things come fast to me. I'm just as witty as when carbed up. If you guys haven't been into ketosis, or the path there you don't know what I mean by Hazy brain etc. It's kinda wierd. It does go away as your body is fueled with Ketones.

Alright.. On to the Biosig. Here's the plan:

• Eliminate your usual yams and rice. Carbs should be green – avoid all others

• Replace oat bran with psyllium husks.

• One scoop AOR Unsweetened Essential Mix in am

• 100mg Co-Q10 with breakfast

• Soak 1 tsp fenugreek seeds in water overnight and chew each am right after you brush your teeth, then chase it with 300ml warm water

• Try a meat and nut breakfast on a five day rotation (i.e. meat with about ten nuts, different meat and nut combo each day for five days, then repeat the same order) – so now Whey is post workout only

• Also at breakfast sip 1 cup hot water with 1/4tsp honey and 1/2tsp lemon juice.

• Post workout shake – Recoverite by Hammer nutrition, 2 scoops mixed in water with 2gr L-Carnitine and 2g Glycine mixed in.

• Take AOR Taurine, 3 capsules, 3 times per day

• Good herbs to use in cooking:
Cilantro, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, turmeric

• 2 capsules, twice daily of Trim Support by Banyan
http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/prodinfo.asp?number=1151&variation=&aitem=3&mitem=4

I'm not using Recoverite, gonna do my own blend PWO shake.

The rest is a go!

Questions fire away. This is primarily an Insulin protcol. We're going rather light on the supps to see how I respond and If need be go to the Poliquin supps. But they are so damned expensive.

Stay Strong.

[civic_rida]

Your gonna eat less than 30 grams of carbs per day?

[digi355]

How do you stay so clean (diet and regime) and work shift? I've spent enough time in plants to know that if the shift doesn't kill you, the donuts will.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by civic_rida
Your gonna eat less than 30 grams of carbs per day?

Yep ;)

But one alteration made was for this month I will be doing 50g in a post workout shake as well.

Then next month cals might come down again and those carbs gone and replaced with lots of Glutamine.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by digi355
How do you stay so clean (diet and regime) and work shift? I've spent enough time in plants to know that if the shift doesn't kill you, the donuts will.

I just don't eat the food I guess. I always bring my food out into the site with me. There was the old control room in my area, so I can eat and hang out there for meals. Only takes 2 minutes to eat now.

It's about eating to achieve a physical purpose, not psychological anymore.

It used to be harder :D

[Darkane]

Update completed.

[Darkane]

Mini-Update:

Routine change. Off the GVT.

Working a more conventional split, with Heavy/Light similar to what I'd design for my Anabolic experiment thread.

Weight today was 223. It's just ooooozing off of me, and I think I know why.

The proper sleeping patterns, passing a major exam I had, and a couple of hook ups have really allowed me to relax lately. I took a night set off from work and haven't worked a night In well over a month. This changes tomorrow however.

So I 'feel' amazing. I know my test levels are up, my lifting is good, energy is sky high.

AND I did deadlifts today for the first time in over a year. Nothing major. Speed pulls of 70kg (154lbs - Olympic bar/weights) 2x10.

Form was SPOT on, and Absolutely no pain. Lifts done without a belt..

Don't know what to say other than shit's good :D

Stay Strong.

[Redlined_8000]

lol were gonna weigh the same when you come down....

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Redlined_8000
lol were gonna weigh the same when you come down....

Probably haha. I got 3" on you though :D

[Darkane]

Little update on things:

Shit is still going good I suppose. Night shifts really play on my hormones, I can feel it.

SO, I'm taking a plunge. I contacted a Naturopathic Doctor in Calgary, and they sent me up a Salivary Hormonal screening.

I'm paying for it, but I think some of it will be covered by my benefits.

In this screening among other things are:

Testosterone
Free Testosterone
SHGB - I think
Estradiol E2 - Really curious on this one
A cortisol curve (am-pm)
DHEA

A couple other misc things I think.

I should get results in a month or so when I got my scheduled appointment in Calgary.

I weighed in around 224 this afternoon when I woke up. During the next 7-10 days I believe I will see the weight drop to the 220-221 area. Time will tell.

Oh yeah, I gotta fill up 4 fucking tubes of spit for this screening lol.

Yay?

[zipdoa]

Can't you get those levels checked with a normal blood test for free from a family doctor?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by zipdoa
Can't you get those levels checked with a normal blood test for free from a family doctor?

Good luck convincing them. It was like pulling teeth just to get a Total Testosterone screening with my yearly blood work last year.

Doctors just don't see the reason to waste resources when you're young and healthy.

In my doctors eyes, I'm perfectly fine.. Compared to a "normal" person I am fine, but the difference is people are pretty ignorant to the fact that they can feel like a million bucks if they only knew what's going on.

I'm in the lower normal range for T levels, but now I can actually see what the rest is doing as well, and hopefully fix it.

[hertzel]

Before and after pictures!!!

DOooo it!

[Darkane]

Originally posted by hertzel
Before and after pictures!!!

DOooo it!

Before:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g84/Quintesson_2006/fatkid12.jpg

AND... After!!

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g84/Quintesson_2006/jay_cutler2.jpg

;)

[1-Bar]

wow, amazing!! :clap: :clap:

[kutt3r]

yay for AAS..

LOL

Good luck with the 4 vials...thats a lot of spit.

[403Gemini]

Keep up the good work man! I started my diet / workout routine and healthy eating lifestyle March 9

Started @ 209, I'm down to about 199.5ish. For the last 3 days I've been between 199 - 200.5... keeps popping around, I noticed after plyometics i was down to 199 since plyo is a calorie burning fiend. Then I did shoulders and arms which put me up to 200.5, then yoga yesterday which brought me down to 199.5/200 (I weigh myself 5 times, it was 3 times 199.5, 2 times 200).

I have some before and after pics , def lost a lot of the love handles, belly is still a bit squishy, but not as bad as before :D

My goal is to hit 170-180.

[Darkane]

^^ lol. Don't weigh yourself that much, It'll play mind fuck games.

I can fluctuate 10-12 pounds in a day or two if I want. Weighing once/wk is a better system, unless you know exactly why the weight is sticking around or dropping so quick.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Darkane
^^ lol. Don't weigh yourself that much, It'll play mind fuck games.

I can fluctuate 10-12 pounds in a day or two if I want. Weighing once/wk is a better system, unless you know exactly why the weight is sticking around or dropping so quick.

Good plan, think ill just weigh myself once a week (on mondays).

[Darkane]

UPDATE:

So the weight is now just about in the teens. This is awesome.

Feeling pretty good despite the fact on non workout days I'm only consuming 2150-2200 cals. Quality of food is definitely the key here.

The one thing from the protocol so far that seems to be 'working' quite well is the change in breakfast. Now I do the rotating meat/nuts every 5 days. So For example last week I did Beef, Bison, Elk, Pork, and Turkey for the rotation with mixed nuts everyday (Cashews, Walnuts, Macadamia, almonds, and some other one lol).

Whey is completely gone from the diet except on PWO, and then it's only about 45G. So nothing much there.

I've been pretty much off of carbs (except for green) for the last 24 days and It's awesome. No carb up days! I did do a "calorie" day however with just protein and fat. That was awesome too. I must have ate 1500 cals in one meal and wasn't even bloated at all. Energy was still rock solid.

Routine seems to be going good, it's a heavy/light split and today I'll see if gains are being made. Only been on it 2 weeks or so.

Don't know what else to say..

Stay Strong.


EDIT: Yes, My shipment of glycine, glutamine and some mixed blend hydrolyzed whey came today. So now my PWO drink will consist of:

2 scoops whey (50g), 1 scoop gatorade powder (30g), 5g glutamine (gonna work this up as gatorade powder comes down), and 2g glycine (gonna work this up later too). I got some Carnitine coming from a friend and will add that at 2g when I got it.

Breakdown of the shake:

Protein - Obviously, muscle repair yada yada

Gatorade - Glycogen replacement, having dextrose and all.

Glutamine - Joint support and glycogen replacement without the massive insulin spike. Also adds a nice basic PH to counter the acidity of the proteins eaten throughout the day.

Glycine - Cortisol control! Important - Most testosterone is produced in the testes, however a decent amount comes from the adrenal glands. If they are busy producing cortisol, no test will be made and the total free count will be down. We want all the testosterone possible!

Carnitine - Not to sure on this one. I read it's a good fat oxidizer and some other things.

:thumbsup:

[403Gemini]

Awesome stuff man :D

My diet is about the same calorie intake, and minimal carbs (basically a bagel would be all of my carbs for the day or a few slices of bread lol).

I had a "cheat day" (doing it once a month) where I had a perogie pizza, wings, and desert at boston pizza and I didn't feel bloated after it either. Tho I did put on an extra 2 lbs of weight :banghead: back up to 201.5 lbs , what a piss off. I was so happy when I was below 200.

This week with p90x is the cooldown week, so lots of yoga, kenpo, strecthing etc... sorta the shits cause I like doing the bicep exercises!

I think I'll still hit up the gym a few nights this week for some cardio and maybe some work on the arms/chest/back/shoulders. I want to burn as many calories as possible this week since yoga doesnt really get me sweating.

What gym do you go to Darkane?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
Awesome stuff man :D

My diet is about the same calorie intake, and minimal carbs (basically a bagel would be all of my carbs for the day or a few slices of bread lol).

I had a &quot;cheat day&quot; (doing it once a month) where I had a perogie pizza, wings, and desert at boston pizza and I didn't feel bloated after it either. Tho I did put on an extra 2 lbs of weight :banghead: back up to 201.5 lbs , what a piss off. I was so happy when I was below 200.

This week with p90x is the cooldown week, so lots of yoga, kenpo, strecthing etc... sorta the shits cause I like doing the bicep exercises!

I think I'll still hit up the gym a few nights this week for some cardio and maybe some work on the arms/chest/back/shoulders. I want to burn as many calories as possible this week since yoga doesnt really get me sweating.

What gym do you go to Darkane?

Syncrude Sport and Wellness - It's the college facility up in Fort. McMurray.

It's a pretty sweet gym. Lots of tarts, and some good equipment for the lifters.

On a side note: If you ate all those carbs on your cheat day and didn't feel all that bad, you might be fairly carb tolerant. With only 2 lbs of extra water retention, you're doing good.

Don't worry about that 2 lbs, it's just water. Every gram of carb brings in 2.7g of water, assuming you're also depleted, and in your case you were/are somewhat because of the reduced carbs.

Also I wouldn't work out during this deload P90 Week. It's there for a reason. If you're following the routine to the 'T', then don't do other training.

I have a friend who is doing it as well and he's actually making decent gains/losses. So yeah don't over train. :thumbsup:

[403Gemini]

Would you say cardio is still safe to do?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by 403Gemini
Would you say cardio is still safe to do?

Depends what kind. Cardio is a sure killer of muscle when done improperly.

Doing 45minutes "all out" on an elliptical is a sure way to become a scrawny skinny fat guy hah.

Low intensity 60-65% of max heart rate (usually a brisk walk) is pretty key. Interval training seems to work well.

Me personally I do low intensity. I would do interval because it doesn't take as long, but it's to hard on my knee's and I don't got a bike to use.

Interval is basically this: We'll use sprinting

-5min warm up - Brisk walk - some stretching if required
-30seconds sprint ALL OUT- no 90% shit here
-1min recovery walk
-30second Sprint
-1min recovery walk.

Do that until you hit 20 minutes. Have a post stretch and get on with your day. I probably wouldn't do this in a fasted state, food would be needed. Although I'm not sure.

Low intensity can be done fasted, but I take 10G BCAA's pre just for muscle insurance. Go for about 45min straight on LI.

[Darkane]

Gym update:

Just got back from the gym and made gains on every single lift.

Something isn't right, you lose muscle/strength while cutting right? ;)

My squats went up by 10lbs, managed 275x3x6. First two sets were fairly easy. This isn't very impressive, however the squats are at the END of the workout in this case. If I did them first I'd be much stronger.

What a difference a change in routine can do, fucking wow!

GVT in theory is pretty decent for cutting, but in my case when cals get this low it's not the best course IMO.

[Darkane]

Little update - Nothing major going on.

Was down another pound a day ago. Hit 219.5.

Finally in the teens.

Gym is still going good, making strength gains - Excellent.

Had a "carb up" meal consisting of greek salad hah. Just tomatoes, letuce, spinich, green/red peppers for carbs.

Even though I had just those for carbs I ate A LOT. Probably 100g worth.

My training session the next day was awesome, despite the fact of only 4 hours of sleep.

Getting my Body comp tested again a week tomorrow. Hoping for 3-4% Bf drop or more even..

Once I hit 15% BF(Using Poliquin 12 site caliper testing) which should be pretty much right now, I can start adding a carb up day every 10 days, or a big cheat meal every 7days.

Undecided yet.

Game fucking on!

Oh also - just finished my bottle of HOTROX, so taking 2 weeks off again to give my body a break from the excess cortisol production. Lots of caffeine in those suckers.

Stay Strong.

[Darkane]

UPDATE:

Just had my Body Composition taken again. Results:

(Poliquin 12 site Caliper test)

Initial - 20.06%

Now - 17.30%

Loss - 2.76%.

So Basically, that's pretty damn good for about 5 weeks on the protocol. Keep in mind this is with Diet SPOT ON, no bullshit or cheating here. I had a couple days planned where I had excess calories, but no additional carbs from sources that I wasn't permitted.

My personal calipers showed me at 15.5%. I've noticed the Poliquin test is about 2% on average higher than my 4 site test. No big deal, they do correspond with each other.

Strength is still going up in the gym so far - Gonna go work out today and see what happens. Week 5 of the new routine.

Tuesday is my Salivary Hormonal results appointment, and I get to make some changes based on those.

Keep everyone informed!

Oh btw, when I weighed in at Andrews today I was 224.5lbs on his scale. At 17% bodyfat I'm around 186 pounds of lean mass.

So at around 205-209lbs glycogen depleted, I should be at 10%. That would put me at 215 carbed up.

That's decent size right there. Eventually depending on my working shifts and shit, If I can land a day only shift cycle for a while, My hormones should stabilize and I'll try to hit 6% at 215lbs fully carbed natural. That would be awesome ;)

Stay Strong!

[Darkane]

Gym Update:

Strength is still going up! Fantastic.

So in 5 weeks now, I've gained 20 pounds on my squats - While losing the bodyfat.

285x3x6 Today at the end of the workout again. All other lifts I made a PR except for bicep curls - woo who cares.

I'm also carbing this weekend, Andrew said it probably be a good idea. So I hammered out the workout and kept telling myself during the squats after this you can eat carbs haha.

PWO Shake was this:

2 scoops Whey Concentrate unflavoured
10g glutamine
5g glycine
1000mg Vit C
1 tsp cinnamon
8G BCAA's

Carbs was this:

85g figs - 70g carbs
2 medium banana's - ~40g carbs

Gonna start filling out like a motherfucker now! :D

[Darkane]

Minor gym update:

It was light upper back, and deadlift day.

Upper back was feeling good and didn't really make any strength gains, but I didn't sleep from Saturday to Sunday.

Always trade sleep for sex hah.

Anyway.. On to the deadlifts, Managed 225x2x10 with 60seconds rest in between. These were Speed work deadlifting again, focusing on velocity, hip drive and keeping the back straight as hell as starting low for more leg drive.

Then I got a little brave, and for the first time since my disc herniation I put on 3 wheels a side. I put up 315 with no problem. Form was spot on, leg drive was great, hip mobility was good.

Bingo, I might be able to put up a 405, but I don't want to try. The 315 lift was done without a belt.

Tomorrow or the day after I'll post an update from my Naturopathic appointment and see what those guys say about stuff :)

Stay strong

[Darkane]

Sorry about the hiatus - UPDATE:

Got my hormonal results back, fucking crazy!

Estradiol - 2.2 (0.8-6.6)

TESTOSTERONE - 251 pg/ml (43-135) Almost double the upper range!

DHEAS - 27 (4-15)

Cortisol AM 10.3 (2-11)

Then some more cortisol that all fell in the normal category.

So basically, I'm pumping as much Test as someone on a small cycle haha.

I believe those are Free test numbers too. My Cortsiol to DHEA ratio is 0.4, and a healthy male my age is 0.6. It raises as we get older because Test drops and Cortisol stays the same.

For me I'm actually doing some things now to Combat the AM cortisol and drop it. Gonna lower my overall Ratio too.

Anyway though down to the nitty gritty. The Doc thinks my Receptors are "Down regulated" and aren't sensitive to the Test. Basically it's in my blood stream not doing much. We're working toward some things to bump up sensitivity.

When we can figure this out, assuming the Results are accurate, I should see some amazing results - For a long time.

One other thing we talked about was my last years blood test. My Total Testosterone was very low, and he explained that the Salivary was the hormone on the tissue level - As in ready for use. I gotta do some more research on this but I can believe him for now.

Anyway, we're working on a Liver Detox as well. It could be my liver is not metabolizing the Hormones.

So I'm super pumped! Anybody have any questions/comments throw em out there.

Stay Strong.

[civic_rida]

wow lots of great info.
I sip on bcaa during my workout is that okay?
my post workout shake consists of just protein powder and dextrose should i add anything else?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by civic_rida
wow lots of great info.
I sip on bcaa during my workout is that okay?
my post workout shake consists of just protein powder and dextrose should i add anything else?

Yes. Sipping BCAA's during workouts is ideal.

I sometimes do this: 10g pre workout, 25g during, 10g after.

At least then I know it's circulating in my blood when I begin the workout. 30min pre should suffice.

Also try to drink the BCAA1.5-2 hours after eating. They'll be absorbed quicker.

Dex and Protein are perfect post workout. How much of each?

Depending on how carb tolerant you are, 50-75G of dex and 50g of protein or so is the norm.

You could add some Glutamine/Glycine to your shake instead of Dex if you're cutting. They both replenish glycogen without the "carbs".

If you are cutting, shoot for 30-40G glutamine, and 15G glycine. Glycine/Glut are killers on the gut though, gotta build up to those amounts. :thumbsup:

[ZorroAMG]

This is SO fucking scientific...great work Darkane!

I'm trying to heal my rotator :( then I'm back in going hard....

[xmattx8]

pic or it didnt happen

[Darkane]

Originally posted by xmattx8
pic or it didnt happen

Me? Gladly.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g84/Quintesson_2006/Hormonetest.jpg

[Darkane]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
This is SO fucking scientific...great work Darkane!

I'm trying to heal my rotator :( then I'm back in going hard....

Search for Eric Cressey articles on T-nation. He works with a lot of Baseball players with those kinds of injuries. I know for a fact I've read a couple on shoulder health.

Don't let it put a damper in your training. Use this time to really hammer the lower body!

[bigbadboss101]

That's a lot of BCAA and Glutamine. The containers usually say 5g a day and some say two servings. Since price isn't high I guess higher dosage isn't bad. I know it's good stuff.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
That's a lot of BCAA and Glutamine. The containers usually say 5g a day and some say two servings. Since price isn't high I guess higher dosage isn't bad. I know it's good stuff.

Yeah. Generally with "food" supps I'm not afraid to mega dose.

Fish oil, Proteins etc.

Something like NO-Xplode at 2-3 times the recommended could and probably will lead to trouble.

[civic_rida]

Something like NO-Xplode at 2-3 times the recommended could and probably will lead to trouble.

:poosie:

[Darkane]

Well - I haven't updated this thing in a while and for good reason. The Weight loss has kind of halted in a way. I haven't stopped cutting however, but I fear I may have gotten into a homeostasis.

Shrug.

Anyway MAJOR updates. Just had my Biomechanical analysis done by Andrew, the same person who did my Biosigniture.

We found quite a few issues, or to be more specific found the reasoning for some issues!

I have lower back pains, and bad knees. Andrew concluded based on a multiple angle excersizes and whatnot that my pelvis has an Anterior tilt. 17 deg on the right, and 13 deg on the left I believe.

So that is because of weak glutes/posterior chain, in effect it's making my femers (large leg bone - thigh) turn inward and buckle in my knees a little. It's hard to explain without pictures lol.

Anyway and a whole slew of other things like really tight S.I. joint in my back, neck is a little out too.

The reasoning I did all this is to align myself and be much more athletic.

Based on all the info he gathered from the testing we did we made a Routine for me to strengthen and correct certain areas. This new routine is definitely not a typical bodybuilding split lol, but it has circuits and Olympic lifting as well as some front squats for power.

I'll post it up in full detail later. So because of this new Routine I'm going to drop Wes (Ironaddict) as a trainer for a bit and work exclusively with Andrew. Wes is a great routine designer and I'll likely go back to him once I'm lean and time to pack on some Lean Mass!

That's pretty much it for now, weight is Hovering around 227 area. The funny thing is according to the calipers I haven't gained any fat so I'm assuming it is water. I'm off the HOTROX right now too.

So all in all still going, I was actually planning to stop cutting at the end of this month but I'm re-assessing and I might go longer.

Stay Strong.

[Darkane]

Update:

Weight is 225-226 in the mornings.

Weight hasn't budged in the last 2 months, not quite sure what is going on.

What I guess might be happening is some recomposition effects. I swear I am leaner, I'm more vascular.

Regardless, I got another Body composition test where Andrew will do a 12 point pinch to see where I'm at June 22nd.

As for what I've been doing lately? I've been doing a specialized almost rehabilitation routine that Andrew created for me. It's primary goals are to strengthen the posterior chain and I think it's working!

It has some power movements, which should help retain some mass on my lower body, but in terms of upper body it has nothing really. I'm ok this, as if it works I'll be much more balanced to take on a strength or mass program again. I think I will go on a chest specialization routine after cutting and rehabing is all said and done, and it will be strength based. Regardless - a while away still.

I'm still eating around 2300cals/day and I'm not logging it. I'm basically eating the same stuff so I got a good idea of how much is what (I'm still weighing the food).

Cardio I've added some Interval sprint circuits which are said to be fantastic for fat loss. So far.. according to the scale well nothing lol. At least my work capacity in the gym should improve from the sprinting.

I also just got my yearly blood tests back as well. My total Testosterone is up 42% over last year. This is fantastic.

It's still below the median, which sucks, but hey Improving.

14.2nmol/L (Ref Range: 8-29nmol/L)

Those cocksuckers at the lab were supposed to do a Free Testosterone check as well but alas didn't. It was written in the script by my doctor, and I personally reminded them 4 times. People are awesome, now I can't compare the Free T numbers to the salivary test. Oh well I guess.

Everything else checked in perfectly, including Cholesterol. When I'm finished cutting and such, I might work on getting my bad cholesterol up a little but for some more raw material for Testosterone production. Gonna see though.

I'm still off of the HOTROX, still got a fresh bottle. Not sure If I'll use it, I may. Currently I'm using Greens "Abs+" Which is nothing more than CLA, and EGCG from green tea.

Still working with The Naturopathic Doctor too, and in mid July I might go on some GHRH. Which is Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone. The actual name of it is Trans-D Tropin.

It stimulates your own pituitary into releasing much more GH, and should help A LOT with fat mobilization and lean mass. However I'm not keen on the idea as In my eyes I won't be completely natural, but it's still a hell of a lot better than AAS or HGH injections. Cheaper too :)

That is it for now.. fire some questions if you guys want.

[Darkane]

UPDATE:

Just saw Andrew yesterday for a body composition test.

I'm now sitting at 16.39% bodyfat. That's a drop of 0.9% in the last 5 weeks.

Now that's not to great mind you, and It was a little disappointing - But my weight is up!

According to calipers and my skin folds I've gained 4 pounds of lean muscle and dropped around 2 pounds of fat. Now THAT is impressive for 5 weeks.

During this time I basically ate exactly the same while upping calories around 300-400/day.

I tried this approach to "reset" my metabolism. I'm not to sure if it's primed again ready for a hard cut, but shit if I'm gonna pack on the lean mass like this I'll keep at it and slowly drop the fat.

The lean mass is due to the abrupt change in routine I've been doing also. I've never done 80% of these exercises so it's a total shock to me. I'm fairly sore after each session even using my small girl rehab weights hah.

So far so good I suppose. One thing to note is my Umbilical skin fold didn't go down at all, In fact it went up 0.5mm. This is the Cortisol (stress) site so I'm not to sure why it came up. But if it came down like the rest of me I would have been in the 15% zone. Oh well.

That's it for now,

Stay Strong

[Fred]

In the first post in this thread you say

"I was simply lean-bulking and had a successful 6.5 months (June 15th-Dec25th). Body weight went from - 228lbs @17% body fat to 244lbs @18% body fat. The plan was simple 4500cals/day with a macro's of 425g pro, 250g carbs, and 200g fat. "

16 lbs 'ish of muscle in that time frame is impressive, what did your workouts consist of? Did you include cardio to keep your body fat minimal with the 1% gain or was it all diet. You had to be eating above maintenance and to gain 1% fat is very impressive.

[kutt3r]

Nice update Darkane...

I think I have decided to check Andrew out as well as I think his 'rehab' could help with the big three.

Going to skip the PLing in July and just focus on getting healthy and stronger and from everyone's review he is the guy to talk to about getting you healthy again.

Thanks for the updates!

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Fred
In the first post in this thread you say

&quot;I was simply lean-bulking and had a successful 6.5 months (June 15th-Dec25th). Body weight went from - 228lbs @17% body fat to 244lbs @18% body fat. The plan was simple 4500cals/day with a macro's of 425g pro, 250g carbs, and 200g fat. &quot;

16 lbs 'ish of muscle in that time frame is impressive, what did your workouts consist of? Did you include cardio to keep your body fat minimal with the 1% gain or was it all diet. You had to be eating above maintenance and to gain 1% fat is very impressive.

Thanks. Although I'd like to think it was 16 pounds of muscle, it wasn't. It was 16lbs of lean mass which includes, Glycogen, water, bone mass and muscle mass.

As per the amount of actual muscle gained I'm not exactly sure. I think the formula is 40% of all lean mass gained.

Anyway The way I ate helped a lot with keep fat at bay. I'd always do a 5 hour carb cutoff, always eat the protein first to slowdown the glucose uptake and I'd always eat my carbs in the form of oats, fruit, yams, Ezekial bread and some oatmeal bread. Nothing junky at all.

My routine at the time was a super-compensation type where I'd do monstrous volume followed by a 5 day break (because of my shift work schedule) During the 5 days I'd be sore as fuck and appetite of a lion. Just went to show that my body was building.

I also used Biotests "Alpha Male" Test booster during the time which I 'think' helped me. At the time I though I had low testosterone based on a Serum (blood) test and thought the Test booster would benefit. Maybe it was all Placebo, maybe it did. I don't know.

Anyway If there's something I missed let me know, I could go in more detail about the routine and diet if you want.

[civic_rida]

Wow thats awesome. What does the body fat test cost?
Im curious to see where im at.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by civic_rida
Wow thats awesome. What does the body fat test cost?
Im curious to see where im at.

35 bucks for a body composition.

70 Dollars for a Biosigniture Strategy based on the skin folds.

I mean 35 bucks every 6 weeks is kinda pricey, but hell You know what works and doesn't. So in the end I can justify the cost.

I'd also rather someone who has years of experience pinching rather than my brother and our cheap-o calipers lol.

And just to note pretty sure Andrew uses the Poliquin 10-12 site pinch for the Bodyfat%, so it might differ than most other tests which are 4-7 site.

[Fred]

Since you were working out 5 days in a row I will assume you were doing a split of some sort and not hitting the same muscle group twice in the same 5 day period. That would mean that 10 days would go by before you hit that muscle group again. Is that correct?

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Fred
Since you were working out 5 days in a row I will assume you were doing a split of some sort and not hitting the same muscle group twice in the same 5 day period. That would mean that 10 days would go by before you hit that muscle group again. Is that correct?

Correct. I was actually doing a 4 day though so I did have one rest day in there.

But the way the routine was setup was for example I'd hit the major groups all once, and then they would serve as secondary later in the week.

Day one would have chest/arms for example. At day 4 there would be back which would indirectly hit arms again.

[Darkane]

UPDATE:

Saw Dr. Riddle the other day and got results of my latest Salivary testing.

Interesting to note my Free Testosterone dropped, big time.

It's still above high range, but came down almost 100points.

Current: 158pg/ml (Range: 43-135)
Previous: 251 pg/ml (Same Range)

Cortisol AM is also up, which is quite strange.

Current 11.8ng/ml (Range: 2-11)
Previous 10.8ng/ml(Same Range)

And all the other cortisol readings dropped, which was what we were going for.

During this time I was working straight days, and not taking any stims.. other than a couple cups coffee on working days. Not much, about 150mg's of caffeine total.

One thing I think happened with the Testosterone was the HOTROX. I think the primary ingredient in them is something called 7-KetoDHEA. Now this is a DHEA derivative and is a "non-androgenic" DHEA. DHEA's are produced by the adrenals and can/are converted to androgenic compounds like Testosterone.

For some reason my body might (Most likely) converted them to Testosterone.. But the funny thing is I got no side effects (Good or bad). I never lost an amazing amount of fat, never gained tons of lean mass.. So either the Lab results were faulty or as the previous lab tests said my testosterone receptors are/were down regulated and couldn't use the Testosterone.

Either way something is up. I'm quite the curious case for the Doc, as he's quite stumped as to what's going on with me.

SO, to re-cap:

-Testosterone down, still high.
-Cortisol up in the AM, down everywhere else. Need to get AM reading down
-Been working days with hardly any stims. Cortisol 'should' be down.
-Bodyfat loss is slow.

Doctor also have me directions to start supplementing with Trans-D tropin. Lots of info available on this online but basically it's a Growth Hormone Stimulator.

It'll release more GH (Naturally) and should help a lot with the bodyfat and lean mass gains. Will update when I get some and use it.

That's about it for now, nothing to exciting.

Stay Strong.

[Fred]

Would you mind elaborating on the “super-compensation” workouts you were using while on your lean bulk. I’m curious to see the split you were using as well as the volume of each exercise.

Do you think the Biotests "Alpha Male" Test booster helped you maintain the intensity during your workouts or would you get the same results supplementing with creatine and glutamine.

Thanks for the bulk info in your cutting thread.

[Darkane]

Originally posted by Fred
Would you mind elaborating on the “super-compensation” workouts you were using while on your lean bulk. I’m curious to see the split you were using as well as the volume of each exercise.

Do you think the Biotests &quot;Alpha Male&quot; Test booster helped you maintain the intensity during your workouts or would you get the same results supplementing with creatine and glutamine.

Thanks for the bulk info in your cutting thread.

How old are you? The only reason I considered taking Alpha male was because 2 years ago my serum (Blood) testosterone level was 10pg/ml (Range 8-29).

It was damn low and I thought I needed a "testosterone booster". Mind you now I'm more educated and realize the "Free" or "Bioavailable" Testosterone level is what we want to know and mine is high-above range.

So If you're under 35 and without low T symptoms, I wouldn't even consider a T booster - and if you did Alpha Male would be a good choice because of the Carbolin-19 Supplement it's compounded with.

I can't Discuss the routine I was on to much because of the Trainer who wrote it for me (Legal stuff yada yada) but I can tell you this:

Leg day for example I'd do this:

Squats 4x8
Leg press 2x20
Hack Squat 3x12
Low Pull throughs 3x8
Standing Calfs 3x10, 1x30
Seated calfs 3x30, 1x10

As for Intensity of the workout I'd contribute it all to my mental state. I always go into the gym and train with a lot of heart.

At first it was to get in shape and loose fat.. Now it's a whole new ball game. It's about character, physical tolerance and grit.

Alpha Male might have helped me with intensity but I don't know..

EDIT: If it's intensity you're lacking in the gym, have some caffeine. There's even been some studies showing it will even increase insulin sensitivity a little.

[Darkane]

Mini Update:

Weight these days has actually come down to 222 which is good.

Came down to 220.5 the other morning. This is without the Diuretic effect of the HOTROX so More fat has come off.

Not gonna say to much more currently about my supp plan - But it seems to be working for A) Strength B) Fat loss and C) Even lean mass.

Got a caliper pinch Aug 27th, and If I were to predict I'd say 2%BF dropped with as much as 5lbs of lean mass gained.

Tough to say, but yeah I might be doing both at once! I did last time but to a lesser degree.

Stay Strong!

[kutt3r]

I hear you are in Okotoks tomorrow :D

I had my initial consult with Andrew last night and I am stoked. Sounds like he will be able to help a bunch and I am looking forward to see it translating into my totals.

[Redlined_8000]

Originally posted by kutt3r
I hear you are in Okotoks tomorrow :D

I had my initial consult with Andrew last night and I am stoked. Sounds like he will be able to help a bunch and I am looking forward to see it translating into my totals.

Nice man. Did he outline a Biosig for you? Or was it a mechanical analysis?

EDIT: It's Darkane

[Darkane]

Update: (Sorry for the lack of them!)

What to say.. I'm pissed off. All the work I'm doing, the protocol I'm following, doesn't seem to be paying off.

Mind you, it's not all bad. I haven't regressed and forward progress is still being made.

I'm now down to 15.1%bf, a legit 15.1%. Poliquin 10 site measured. Compared to the average male adult in his late 20's, I'm fairly lean I guess. Not good enough.

I'm still on the path to 10%, and I'm determined. I had some major fevers last month (cause unknown) and it kind of crippled my training. Diet stayed consistent. I dropped 4 pounds of lean mass during this time. I had 2 bouts of the fevers, each lasting 4 days and temps reaching as high as 102.4F. To put that into perspective - 103F is hospitalization.

I had a digital thermometer with me at all times at work, and monitored it closely. I had a bottle of extra strength Tylenol Gel caps ready as well. I only took the Tylenol 3 times during 8 total days of fever as I'm a firm believer fevers are a bodies mechanism to combat whatever virus. During this time I also had some breathing issues with reduced lung capacity.

I figured it could have been a light pneumonia, but whatever it was it cleared up and I'm back on. Could this contribute to the lack of progress? Perhaps, mind you I've only lost 1.3%bf in the last 2 months. That lasted 2 weeks on/off. So I don't know - Probably to a small degree.

Carrying on - I took 11 days off the Trans-D tropin to see if that was a possible culprit of the fevers. During this time off the fevers DID go away and I felt better. This really, really worried me.

I read a lot of literature on the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary axis) and dug up some info on pituitary tumors. Without getting into detail here, Trans-D stimulates the pituitary to secrete more HGH. If the pituitary has a growth (tumor) on it, and exogeneous (The Trans-D) stimulation occurs the body can go into a shock state and well fevers like me. Not. Good.

So I took time off. Since then I've been back on the Trans-D to see what would happen. 2 solid weeks on now and I'm fine. In fact I feel pretty good. So (I'm still not 100% convinced) I think I can continue the Trans-D, although we'll see. Nothing like a brain tumor scare huh? It's recommended to be checked for IGF-1 levels prior to Trans-D treatment to eliminate the chance of a pituitary tumor, however people live healthy full lives with the tumors. No big deal I guess.

All that shit aside, Andrew is firing me a new Biosigniutre protocol this week. He said during our consultation he was going to take some time on this, ask questions and see what he could come up with.

I also got a recent email from Dr. Riddle and he said it's quite possible I'm reaching my natural disposition for lean mass/fat tissue. Not the news I want to hear, so I will ignore it and press on. It's not like, well I guess I'm done now, time to go back to a boring, sedentary, normal life like all those other people. Fuck. That.

I'm gonna battle on, do what I can and get to where I want to.

Stay Strong.

EDIT: Forgot to add during my fevers and shortly after I reached an all time low of 215.5lbs. Since then I've gone up again. Took a couple cheat days last weekend to clear my head and put on 12 pounds of water lol.

[kutt3r]

Originally posted by Redlined_8000


Nice man. Did he outline a Biosig for you? Or was it a mechanical analysis?

EDIT: It's Darkane


Both, adrenals are bad otherwise pretty ok.
Upper back and neck mobility bad... all in all good times, sticking with his protocols and see where they take me.

[bigbadboss101]

How is the Trans D?