# Salger's 1st Cycle / Bulk Log



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Hi all,

In an effort to make myself accountable and keep me on track (initially with the 12 week summer competition), I figured I'd have a go at my first log. I've kept track of workouts on my phone for a while now and intermittently tracked food on mfp but never pulled it all together. I've also never looked for feedback on my routine or progress either and have always trained alone, so this could be a massive learning curve.

Me

38 year old short @rse, played a fair bit of sport when younger but partying and more recently family put a stop to that. Off and on the gym for the past 15 years but not made anything like the gains I should have done. Weighing 75kg at the moment and about 20% bodyfat. Aim is to cut to sub 15% at least and then bulk. Considering running a first cycle on the bulk.

Diet

Normal, untracked, calorie intake is in the region of 2500 during the week and more at weekends with booze etc.... Have transitioned over the past 2 weeks to 2000 cals per day for the cut and tracking everything on mfp. I've never really done a proper cut so will see how that pans out over the next couple of weeks. Macros are 150g protein, 75g fat, with carbs making up the rest.

Routine

After years of bro splits and a general lack of focus, I've based my routine since Xmas around compound lifts and accessories, in the 5-10 rep range but pinged something in my back a month ago and had to take it easy until now. For the cut, shifting to a push pull leg routine, more in the 8-12 rep range. Get to the gym before work Monday to Friday.

That's it I guess. Let's see if I can stick to this and make some decent progress. Any feedback welcomed.


----------



## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

In mate. :thumbup1:


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Decent first leg session of the programme done and dusted this morning.

Squats 110kg 3 x 8 plus warm ups. Taking it easy on these while I suss out the back.

Leg extensions 66kg 3 x 12

Leg curls 50kg 3 x 10

Calf press 138.6kg 3 x 15

Also came in bang on 2000 cals for the day, so if I can avoid snacking for the next 2 hours, today will be a win.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Quackerz said:


> In mate. :thumbup1:


 Cheers mate.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Another good session (push) this morning. Gym was busy for a Tuesday but managed to get on the one decent bench without waiting around too long.

DB incline fly - 8kg 1x10, 16kg 3x12

Bench press - 60kg 1x8, 85kg 4x6 1x8

OHP - 40kg 3x10

DB lat raise - 12kg 2x8 1x10

DB overhead tricep extension - 30kg 3x15

Dips - 3x15

Ended up at 2200 cals yesterday but figure the leg session allowed me the extra 200.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

A bit of cutting food lunch porn. Not proper porn, with masks and ball gags and sh!t, but more like the bra adverts you used to beat off to in the back of Woman's Weekly....

500 calories of Ryvita, cottage cheese and tuna. 70g of protein though.

So depressing.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Crap sleep last night - had a can of Monster at about 5pm and think it threw me off. Didn't get to bed until midnight, woke up a few times and then up at 5am for the gym. Also left my pwo at work so went old school with a strong coffee before my pull session this morning.

Lifts went ok - still taking it easy on my back so deads remain light.

*Deadlift* - 60kg 1x8, 90kg 1x8, 100kg 5x6

*Barbell row* - 20kg 1x12, 60kg 3x10

*Barbell curls* - 25kg 3x15

superset with

*DB hammer curls* - 14kg 3x10

Ended up on about 2250 cals yesterday, two days in a row I've gone over my 2000 cal target. Need to space out my meals a bit more, as 7 hours between lunch and dinner means I end up losing willpower.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Felt pretty good this am en route to the gym but as soon as I got in there, mentally I felt tired. Like I wasn't going to be able to lift my normal weights. About halfway through the session fatigue hit. Felt it during OHP and flagged from there. Could have been dehydration - felt like I drank enough water yesterday but thirsty af now.

Push

*Bench press* - 20kg 1x8, 40kg 1x8, 50kg 1x5, 70kg 1x5, 85kg 4x8

*Incline DB press* - 22kg 3x15

*Tricep pushdown* - 23kg 3x12

*OHP* - 40kg 9/7/6 - Fatigue really hit here. My OHP is crap anyway but really faded and I couldn't get anywhere near the volume from Tuesday's session.

*DB lat raise* - 10kg 3x12

*Dips* - 3x15


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Much better session today. Putting it down to a burger and beer lunch yesterday. Sitting at 74.4kg this morning, down half a kilo for the week.

Leg session today turned into a squat session. Felt good, still gas left in the tank but happy that the weights are creeping back up.

*Squats* - 20kg 1x6, 40kg 1x6, 60kg 1x6, 80kg 1x6, 100kg 1x6, 115kg 1x8, *120kg 5x5*


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Think I should just skip weigh-ins on a Monday morning. 75.5kg, up almost a kilo since Friday and half a kg for the week. All while supposedly cutting. My diet was crap over the weekend though - pizza Friday, curry Saturday and burgers yesterday. Tried to keep booze to a minimum and adjusted other meals through the day to compensate and I think a lot of it will be water weight but I'm going to reduce cals from 2000 to 1800 this week and see what impact that has.

Leg session this morning was good (flip side of the extra weight!). All lifts up on the last session. Think I'll aim for a hypertrophy session on Mondays and a lower rep, strength session on Fridays.

*Squats* - 20kg 1x5, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x5, 80kg 1x5, 100kg 1x5, *115kg 3x8* - Up 5kg from last week.

*Leg extensions* - 68.2kg 3x12 - Up 2.2kg from last week.

*Calf press* - 143.1kg 3x15 - Up 4.5kg from last week.

*Leg curls* - 52.3kg 3x10 - Up 2.3kg from last week.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Weight all over the place at the moment - weighed in this morning at 73.6kg - almost 2kg down in 24 hours. Stayed under 1800 cals yesterday and didn't have too many cravings - more sensible meal timing seems to work.

Push session this morning. Didn't flag as much as last week, which was surprising given yesterday's low cals but suspect bench and OHP at the start causes me to fatigue on the later lifts.

*Bench press* - 20kg 1x10, 40kg 1x6, 60kg 1x5, *85kg 5x8* - Same weight as last week but squeezed out an extra set.

*OHP* - 40kg 2x10, 1x7 - Failed on the last set.

*DB lat raise* - 9kg 3x15 - Lower weight but higher reps.

*DB overhead tricep extension* - 30kg 3x15 - Same.

*DB incline fly* - 16kg 3x12 - Same.

*Dips* - 3x15 - Same.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Weighed in at 73.3kg. Down a whole 300 grams.

*Wed 24th May - Pull* - Had to use a health club gym with crap equipment.

*Barbell row* - 20kg 1x12, *70kg 3x10* - Rubbish form. Will drop back next session.

*Lat pulldown* - 60kg 3x10

*DB hammer curls* - 14kg 3x12 - Dumbbells had shitty plastic grips, so sweaty hands kept slipping up the handle.

*Barbell curls* - 30kg 3x10

*DB shrugs* - 32kg 3x15 - No grip again due to shitty dumbbells.

*Barbell upright row* - 20kg 3x15

Easy 1km on the treadmill to finish.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

*Thu 25th May - Push *- This was the day I started to feel ill, fatigued again.

*Incline DB press* - 20kg 1x10, 26kg 3x15 - Lighter weight while waiting for a bench.

*Bench press* - 20kg 1x10, 60kg 1x6, 80kg 10/10/7, 60kg 1x10 - Pooped. Not literally.

*OHP* - 35kg 8/10/8/7 - Suffered due to fatigue and previous presses.

*Tricep pushdown* - 23kg 3x10 - As above. Tri's were a bit burnt out.

*DB lat raise* - 12kg 3x8 - Upped weight, lowered reps.

*DB incline fly* - 18kg 3x8 - Upped weight, lowered reps.

*Dips* - 3x15


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

*Tue 30th May* - Another *push* session for some reason. Should have done legs really but was a good session, all lifts felt strong and was able to increase weight or reps/sets on most exercises.

Weighed in at 74.3kg, a kilo up after the bank holiday but mainly water weight.

*Bench press* - 20kg 1x10, 60kg 1x6, 80kg 1x5, *90kg 5x6*

*OHP* - 35kg 3x12

*DB incline fly* - 16kg 3x13

*DB overhead tricep extension* - 30kg 3x15

*DB lat raise* - 12kg 3x10


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

*Wed 31st May - Pull*

Weight down to 73.6kg again. Although not tracking cals/macros for a week or so, I feel I have a good bearing on what 1800-2000 feels like. It feels hungry.

*Deadlifts* - 70kg 2x6, 100kg 1x5, *110kg 5/5/5/5/3* - First deads in about 2 weeks. Bringing the weight up but so weak compared to 3 months ago.

*Barbell row* - 60kg 3x10 - Dropped the weight back down and focused on good form.

*DB hammer curls* - 12kg 3x15 - superset with....

*Barbell curls* - 20kg 3x15


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Fri 2nd June - Legs with some bonus bench.

Rest day yesterday. Weight stayed at 73.6kg. Felt flat today - combination of muggy heat and still not feeling great. Also had about 5 hours sleep.

*Bench press* - 80kg 5/10/10/5 - Just for the pump while waiting for the squat rack.

*Squats* - 20kg 1x6, 40kg 1x6, 60kg 1x6, 80kg 1x5, 100kg 1x5, *110kg 4x5* - These felt heavy. Think legs were feeling it from deads on Wednesday and was one of those days where I didn't feel the aggression for heavy squats.

Was hungry af at lunch today, so put away a half chicken and spicy wedges from Sainsburys (£4 bargain) at my desk. Got some Myprotein Nutri-Greens as a freebie the other week, so will give those a go later and make me feel better about lack of green stuff on my plate.


----------



## Sub97 (Dec 6, 2012)

Good luck with it mate, just finished a 3 month bulk myself and started cutting yesterday.

Out of interest, why do you do so many lower weight sets before getting up to your working sets? Seems like a bit of a waste of energy to me?


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Sub97 said:


> Good luck with it mate, just finished a 3 month bulk myself and started cutting yesterday.
> 
> Out of interest, why do you do so many lower weight sets before getting up to your working sets? Seems like a bit of a waste of energy to me?


 Yeah, I was looking at my records and thinking the same thing about the warm up sets. Could probably afford to drop at least half of them, or at least cut right back on the volume.


----------



## Sub97 (Dec 6, 2012)

Plenty of people on here who know more than me mate, but I usually do 3-5 minutes on the bike or cross trainer to warm up, a 50% warm up set on the first exercise then consider myself good to go.

So if I was doing chest, 3-5 mins cardio; 8 reps at 50 kg for barbell bench; then 5 working sets from 100-110 depending on rep ranges I'm doing.

The rest of the exercises for that session would be straight in at working sets.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Well, that didn't go so well. Was making decent progress with my cut, dropping from 75kg to 72kg in a month but then I pinged my rotator cuff on June 20th. This stopped me doing basically any chest or shoulder exercises and I lost motivation as a result. Still kept going to the gym but mainly lower body. Made decent progress with my squat, repping 140kg in early August. Then came holiday, followed swiftly by gym refurb, so I've been out entirely for a month now. Changes today though.

Started my first cycle of Test E today. Aiming to run 300mg a week until Christmas, coupled with a slow bulk. I maintain on around 2000-2200 cals (f**ked up metabolism), so will be hitting 2500 to start and imagine I'll ramp it up over the next few weeks, depending on how I react to the Test.

Gym re-opens today but I have to do the school run so will be back in from tomorrow. Still waiting for physio on the shoulder, so taking it easy on shoulder and chest but will be hitting squats/deadlifts twice a week, plus accessory work. Aiming to be in the gym 4-5 times a week.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Brief update on the start of my cycle. Was the first time pinning myself and was a bit nervous beforehand - mainly paranoid that I wouldn't use enough pressure to break the skin and end up jabbing myself like a pin cushion. Shouldn't have worried at all. Had watched a load of youtube vids of preparing and pinning, so was confident I knew what I was doing. Surprised at how easy the needle went in to the glute and little to no pain at all, just a slight sensation. The adrenaline was going so my hand was shaking a bit when depressing the syringe, which felt harder than I expected but all went super smooth. An hour later and I feel slightly tender but just impatient for it to kick in and get to the gym!


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

First session back in the gym today. Had to make it a quick one in my lunch break but the combination of starting a cycle (placebo I know), first pwo in a month and time pressure meant I smashed through it and felt good. Just did some upper body work at slightly reduced weight to ease myself back in. Managed to bench 60kg for the first time since I injured my shoulder in June, so happy about that. The gym's also just had a refurb and is 100 times better than it was before. Doubled the size of the free weight area and added loads of racks/weights.

Glute felt like I'd taken a knock playing football where I pinned yesterday but nothing more than that. Already fighting the temptation to up test to 450 per week.

Squats tomorrow AM.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

First squat session back this morning. Hit 2500 cals yesterday and felt good.

Squats - 20kg 1x5, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x5, 80kg 1x3, 100kg 1x3, 120kg 1x3, *130kg 5/5/4*, 100kg 1x5

Was working about 135/140kg before taking a month off, so dialed it down a bit to start. Still doing too many warm up sets though.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Pull session this morning.

*Deadlift* - 40kg 1x10, 60kg 1x10, *100kg 3x10* - Have previously aimed for a 5x5ish routine on deads but going to lower the weight and concentrate on form going forwards.

*Barbell Row* - *50kg 3x15*

*DB Single Arm Row* -* 28kg 3x10*

*Bicep Superset* - Barbell curls 25kg 3x6, Zottman curls 8kg 3x12, Plate curls 10kg 3x25


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

DOMS like a bastard today. Had to crawl up the stairs to bed on all fours last night and legs aren't doing what I'm telling them to do today. Guess it's my body telling me I need to stretch. Went to the gym this morning thinking I'd see how it goes, keep it light, maybe some flexibility work but ended up squatting anyway.

*Squats* - 20kg 1x1, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x3, 80kg 1x2, 100kg 1x2, *130kg 4x3*, 100kg 1x5

Should have got rid of the cobwebs this week, so aiming to be back on the regular routine from Monday.

Diet's been good this week as well, hit 2500 cals and macros (p156, c250, f97) most days. Weight has averaged out at 73kg. Aiming for half a kg increase week on week until xmas, 80kg target weight but not too fussed, as long as strength and lifts are increasing I'll be happy.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Felt good over the weekend. Sat and Sun are normally rest days but felt weirdly energetic on Sat evening and managed to escape for an hour to do a quick upper body blast. Only a week into cycle so I guess a lot of this is placebo effect but feeling much more energised generally, way more focused in the gym and my appetite is through the roof.

*Saturday 16th*

*Bench* - 20kg 1x10, 40kg 1x10, *60kg 3x10 *- Still nervous about this with my shoulder but most I've lifted since June.

*Barbell Row* - *60kg 3x12*

*DB Single Arm Row - 30kg 3x10*

*DB Overhead Tricep Extension - 24kg 3x15*

*DB Lat Raise - 8kg 3x15* - Keeping weight low on this due to the shoulder.

*Bicep Superset* - Barbell curls 30kg 3x6, Zottman curls 6x12, Plate curls 10kg 3x25

*Monday 18th*

*Squats* - 20kg 1x5, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x3, 80kg 1x2, 100kg 1x2, 120kg 1x2, *130kg 3x5*, 100kg 2x10 - Still trying to work out the best set/rep range for squats. Have varied between 5x5, 3x3 on working sets. As the weight creeps back up again I think I'll aim for working sets of 3, with some hypertrophy work mixed in. Will be doing squats twice a week (Mon/Fri).

Still trying to get AI dialled in. Started 0.5mg of Adex ed as soon as I started the cycle but my sex drive was non-existent last week. Being a first timer, I'm struggling to tell the difference between high/low e2 symptoms. Don't know if I jumped on the AI too quickly but will keep going through this week and adjust accordingly.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

s**t session this morning. Felt a bit of tightness in my shoulder after bench on Saturday but figured I'd try a chest/tri session. Managed a couple of warm up sets on bench but as soon as I got any weight on it all, felt a sharp pain in the shoulder. After that it was a bit of a write off, trying to find exercises with a different ROM that work. Was hoping RC joint was on the mend but it's no better now than it was in June. Going to chase up the physio referral letter from my GP. Getting really down about not being able to do any proper chest or shoulder lifts.

*Bench* - 20kg 1x10, 40kg 1x10, 60kg 1x5

*DB Incline Press* - 18kg 2x10, 24kg 1x10, 30kg 1x10 - Only did this with my right arm to see if I could get at least some chest activation. Was ok with the lower weight but found I was twisting too much trying to stabilise with the 30kg. Won't bother again.

*DB Overhead Tricep Extension* - *30kg 3x15*

*DB Pullover* - 14kg 1x12, *20kg 3x15* - Shoulder was fine with this, so will ramp up the weight next time.

*Cable Rope Tricep Pushdown* - 23kg 12,12,10

*Cable Crossover* - 36kg 2x15, 28kg 1x13


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Pull this morning. The gym refurb has made it so much easier to actually do the exercises I want to, without having to chop and change due to a lack of equipment. Although some t**t had left the platform in a s**t state this morning, looked like the final scene from Scarface with powder everywhere.

*Deadlift* - 60kg 1x6, 80kg 1x6, *105kg 3x10* - Up 5kg on previous session. Just going to let this slowly creep up, keeping reps high.

*Barbell Row* - *65kg 3x12* - Up 5kg on previous session and near my previous max.

*Pull ups* - BW 3x5

*Bicep Superset* - Barbell curls 35kg 3x6, Zottman curls 7kg 3x12, Plate curls 10kg 3x25 - Get a great pump off this.

Feeling good today. Think AI is coming into line with the Test and feeling strong. Will start to work in some cardio though, as wasn't starting from a particularly low bf and want to manage that side of things.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Got some cardio in at lunch. 5km treadmill run in 29 minutes. Got a charity 10k run coming up in a few weeks and I've done precisely f**k all training for it. Last time I ran 10k was 2011. Bit concerned.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Shoulder playing up so was wary of going too heavy today. As a result, an extremely boring session with bang average lifts. Chased up the physio and am still some way down the list, so this is my life for the foreseeable.

*Bench* - 20kg 1x10, 40kg 3x10

*DB Pullover* - 22kg 3x15

*Incline Plate Press* - 10kg 1x20, 15kg 1x15 - Don't know what this is called but squeezed a plate between my palms and pressed it. Trying to find chest exercises that don't put load on the shoulder. Didn't feel this really activated the chest though.

*DB Overhead Tricep Extension* - 30kg 3x15

*DB Lat Raise* - 8kg 3x15

*DB Front Raise* - 8kg 3x12

Feel like I'm rattling around like a pill box at the moment - Naproxen and Co-Codamol pre workout for the shoulder, followed by 0.5mg Adex, Milk Thistle, Glucosamine and 200mg Modafinil today. Have drifted through work this week so need to knuckle down today (apart from being on here, obv.).

Also pinned this morning - Tried Mon and Thu this week but going to stick to 1.5ml once a week from Monday.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

That Modafinil is potent stuff. Took 200mg at 9am yesterday, having taken a pwo at about 7am and then absentmindedly had a coffee at about 11am. By midday I was wired as f**k, trying to do about 10 things at once. Calmed down in the afternoon into a more 'alert' feeling but was still having an effect at midnight. Found myself ironing at half 12 ffs. As a result, only got 4.5 hours sleep last night.

Finished off the week with squats this morning. Went well, considering the lack of sleep.

*Squats* - 20kg 1x5, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x3, 80kg 1x3, 100kg 1x3, 120kg 1x2, *140kg 3/3/2* - Failed on the last rep but still a reps PR.

Weighed in at 74.3kg this morning, up a kilo for the week. Diet's been good, averaging 2400 cals and hitting macros. Happy with that.

Coming up to two weeks into the cycle and happy with strength, feeling of fullness in muscles and weight gain. Still not sure about controlling e2 though - no signs of gyno in the nips or aching balls but definite shrinking and loss of sensation. Had expected to be way more horny but it comes in waves and I struggle to get hard. I'm going to knock back the Adex to 0.5mg e2d and see how that goes. Will get bloods done but was going to wait until mid-cycle for that.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Simple squats this morning. Overslept and had to walk to work in the pissing rain.

*Squats* - 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x5, 80kg 1x3, 100kg 1x3, 120kg 1x2, *135kg 3x5*, 100kg 1x10 - working sets were a rep PR for 135kg, so strength is increasing steadily.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Yesterday and today are a write off in terms of training. Picked up a bug from my daughter and spent yesterday in bed, managed about 300 cals and weighed in this morning at 73.8kg, down from 75kg on Monday. Back at work today but no energy and aching like a bastard. Will try and get some food down me today and back in the gym tomorrow.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Managed about 1700 calories yesterday, almost hitting protein and fats but carbs were way down. Stomach still feels dodgy but got back in the gym this morning. Lifts were okay but feeling the effects of low cals and fatigue got me.

*Deadlift* - 60kg 1x6, 100kg 1x2, *110kg 3x10* 2x5 - Was pissed off because I thought I was scheduled to do 5x10 of this and tired in the 4th set but realised I was only meant to do 3 sets anyway. So was actually a 5kg increase on last week, plus a few extras.

*Pull Ups* - *BW 4x6* - Also squeezed out an extra rep and set of these.

*DB Single Arm Row* - *30kg 3x10*


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Weighed in at 74kg this morning, an average of 74.15kg for the week. Down on last week due to the bug but hitting up McDonalds for a Friday breakfast soon. Major hunger today.

Squats this morning and was determined to hit that lost rep from last week. Got it and probably had another one in me as well. Strength going up, even if weight hasn't.

*Squats* - 20kg 1x5, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x5, 80kg 1x3, 100kg 1x2, 120kg 1x2, *140kg 3x3*, 100kg 1x10

Had what I guess was PIP after pinning 1.5ml on Monday. Think I moved the needle around a lot trying to aspirate and felt like I was bruised up until yesterday. Going to stick with 450ml once a week though. E2 levels felt much better after dropping adex to 0.5mg mon/wed/fri - think I crashed it by jumping on it too soon into the cycle. Ordered up some Cialis though, every little helps, right?


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Squeezed in a trip to the gym at midday as well. Got me out of the office and away from the pub. Just a general shoulders and arms session to make up for missed ones during the week.

*DB Lat Raise* - 10kg 3x12

*DB Front Raise* - 10kg 3x10

*DB Overhead Tricep Extension* - 30kg 3x20

*Bicep Superset* - Barbell curls 35kg 3x6, Zottman curls 8kg 3x12, Plate curls 10kg 3x25

Despite my shoulder giving me grief every morning, it felt fine today (Naproxen and Co-Codamol probably helped). Was able to up the weight/reps on the shoulder work today. Feel like it's doing a bit more than just warming up now.

Ordered Uber Eats for the first time today. Double sausage and bacon egg mcmuffins delivered right to my desk. Did the trick. Followed by a Tesco Thai Green Curry and some Skyr with honey for lunch.

Have been looking at my core lifts and thinking about where I want to be in the coming weeks/months -

Squat - Current max is 140kg x 3. Will keep working in the 3-5 rep range and want to get this up to a double bodyweight 1rpm by the end of the year. Currently that would be 148kg but expect it to be 155-160kg by year end.

Deadlift - Haven't tested 1rpm for a long time but managed an ugly 150kg back in March. Currently working in the 8-10 rep range down at 110kg but increasing by 5kg per week. Think I'll carry on for another month/until I get bored and then drop reps to 3-5 and up the weight. Want to be repping 150kg by year end.

Bench - Haven't benched properly since June. So frustrating because I was making good progress and well on the way to a 100kg lift. Aim is just to be able to bench again pain free at a decent weight. All depends what the physio says next week.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Feel fresh this morning - good weekend in terms of general life stuff and more importantly, food!

*Squats* - 20kg 1x5, 40kg 1x5, 60kg 1x5, 80kg 1x3, 100kg 1x2, 120kg 1x2, *140kg 4x3 *- Hitting PR's almost every session now. An extra set of 3 @ 140kg and felt like there was more in the tank.

Into week 4 of the cycle and feeling strong. Weighed in at 75.4kg this morning and not only is my appetite way up but it feels like the food I eat goes straight to the muscles, rather than onto the abs as fat.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Been a manic week. Managed to hit the gym 4 days but not had time to log etc....

Weight up to 75.2kg averaged over the week, up 1kg on last week. Strength gains continue to surprise me. Highlights of the week include -

Squats - PR of 140kg 4x3 on Monday was followed by 142.5kg 4x3 this morning and again, felt like there was more in the tank.

Bench - Managed 60kg 3x8 on Tuesday but still felt the stabbing pain in the shoulder when I went full depth. Didn't have any repercussions the next day though, which is promising.

Deads - Upped to 115kg. Aimed for 3x10 but only managed 10,8,5,5. Took some advice from a guy I train with to widen stance a bit (I pull Sumo) and narrow my grip. This helped engage the lats more and with my lockout as well. Will increase the weight and lower reps from next week.

Coming to the end of the 4th week. E2 definitely dialed in and with the addition of Cialis, I'm walking around like a teenager. Very pleased with size and strength increases (non-Cialis related!).

Finally had physio on Thursday. Was half hoping for some miracle cure but just got given a few rehab exercises to do for a month. Main perk was that she was pretty fit and I'm a sucker for a massage!


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

5km charity run on Saturday - basically walked around to keep the Mrs company but it was good fun.

Missed legs yesterday. Today's session was a mixed up chest/shoulder/tricep blast.

*Bench* - 20kg 1x10, *60kg 4x8* - Held the bar a bit lower down the body, which took some of the pressure off my shoulder.

*DB Lat Raise* - 12kg 3x10

*DB Front Raise* - 12kg 3x8

*DB Overhead Tricep Extension* - 30kg 3x20

*OHP* - 25kg 3x10 - 1st time doing these in ages. Shoulder felt alright.

*Cable Rope Tricep Pushdown* - 23kg 1x12, 18kg 2x12

*DB Incline Fly* - 12kg 3x12 - Haven't done these in about 2 months.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Into week 8 of the cycle - 450mg Test E per week. Hit a plateau re: weight gain a couple of weeks ago and sat at 75kg for a while. Upped cals to 2700-3000 and weighed in this morning at just over 77kg, although some of that will be water weight from more booze than usual last week.Target for end of the cycle is 80kg, so going well nevertheless. Strength also coming on all the time, highlights of the past few weeks include -

Squats - Hit a 152.5kg single for a PB this morning, after working sets of 150kg 2x3. Squatting twice a week and hitting a weight or rep PB pretty much every session.

Deads - Massive 10kg PB of 160kg a couple of weeks ago. Squeezing out 3 reps @ 140kg currently. On target for repping 150kg by xmas.

Bench - Have managed two consecutive sessions back up at 80kg with no pain, so will increase that slowly until back to pre injury levels.

Had a few people comment that I was looking bigger, so the food/weights/Test are all doing their thing.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Didn't get into the gym during the week due to life s**t but another good squat session this morning. Working set of 150kg 3x3 (one more set than Monday) and then a single of 155kg for another PB.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Weight still sitting at 77kg - need more food.

Squats - Working sets of 155kg 3x3 last Friday. Will nail that again tomorrow and move up again.

Deads - Was aiming for 152.5kg 3x3 this morning but first set moved easily so upped the remaining two to 155kg. Deads have finally caught up with my squat.

Bench - Working sets of 90kg 3x5 on Monday. No pain in the shoulder. Will slowly up the weight and will definitely nail a +100kg bench before xmas.

Wilks score is currently sitting at 285 but goal for the end of this year is to clear 300. Need 1rm of 165kg Squat, 170kg Dead and 100kg Bench to get to 305.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Weight up to 78kg. Still feel like I could put more food away but because I wasn't that lean at the start of the bulk, I'm conscious of not gaining too much fat.

Squats - Still working at 155kg 3x3. Failed a 1rm of 160kg on Monday but that was after my working sets. Might throw in a few higher volume sets to break through.

Deads - Lack of time in the gym this week so no deadlifting.

Bench - 90kg 3x5 again on Tuesday, followed by 80kg 5x5 on Thursday.

Switched to Dimension Test 250 this week. No noticeable difference between that and Triumph but will pin 250mg Mon/Thu for the rest of the cycle, rather than 450mg e7d. Starting to think about coming off and PCT and I'm tempted to cruise for a bit at 125mg rather than come off completely. PCT over xmas sounds like it would be s**t.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Hit an upper body session on Sunday afternoon. Chest, shoulders, rows and biceps to finish. Squats this morning, still working at 155kg 3x3 and it's not getting any lighter but hit a 160kg single for a PR to finish. Questionable depth though. Deads tomorrow.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Deads this morning. 155kg 3x3 working sets, followed by singles at 160kg and 165kg. New PR.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Couple of days off this week because the wife was away and I was doing school runs etc... but feel good for the rest. Back in the gym this morning for squats. 155kg 3x3 working sets but went for another PR afterwards and hit 162.5kg. That's 3 PR's this week for squats and deads. Safe to say this cycle has been productive! Just a shame my bench hasn't progressed as well but still taking it easy on the shoulder.

Weighed in at 78.4kg this morning. On target for 80kg just before xmas, which would be an 8kg gain over a 15 week cycle.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Weighed in at 78.4kg again this morning but feeling a bit bloaty after a load of crappy food at the weekend.

Upped squats this morning to 157.5kg 3x3, a reps PR and felt strong with it.


----------



## Pecsforthesex (Nov 28, 2017)

Will be checking in on this


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Pinned 250mg Test E yesterday and it bled like a bastard when I took the needle out. Was scared I'd hit a vein but think I must have just nicked one. Have only pinned right glute so far. Will try the left soon.

Push session this morning.

*Bench* - Warm up, working sets 90kg 3x5. Middle set was actually 92.5kg as my training partner left a plate on. It felt heavy but gives me the confidence to move the weight up next time.

*DB Fly* - 18kg 3x10

*DB Overhead Tricep Extension (French Press?)* - 32kg 3x15

*Cable Rope Tricep Pushdown* - 18kg 3x15


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Will try to get some progress pics up before I get too puffy over Christmas. Back progress shown is from May on the right (about 75kgs) to now (78kgs) via a mini cut down to 72kg. Considering there's only 3kg between the pics, I'm pleased with the progress.


----------



## AestheticManlet (Jun 12, 2012)

@Salger if you want to keep fat gain to a minimal when blasting I'd be aiming for 1 pound a week weight gain.

As soon as you gain anything under 1 pound after the week then add 200 cals, it's the best way to ensure lean gains with minimal fat gain.


----------



## AestheticManlet (Jun 12, 2012)

@Salger if you want to keep fat gain to a minimal when blasting I'd be aiming for 1 pound a week weight gain.

As soon as you gain anything under 1 pound after the week then add 200 cals, it's the best way to ensure lean gains with minimal fat gain.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Ross1991 said:


> @Salger if you want to keep fat gain to a minimal when blasting I'd be aiming for 1 pound a week weight gain.
> 
> As soon as you gain anything under 1 pound after the week then add 200 cals, it's the best way to ensure lean gains with minimal fat gain.


 I started my blast at 72kg in September. 12 weeks in now and up 6kg, so I'm tracking as hoped. The weights in my pics don't tell the full story!


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Pull/Back+Bi session this morning.

Deads - Warm ups, 155kg 3x3 - Used a belt for deads for the first time and could feel the benefit. Much easier to brace and my lower back doesn't have the usual ache afterwards.

Pull ups - 3x5

EZ Bar Curls - 40kg 3x6

Hammer Curls - 16kg 3x12

Plate Curls - 10kg 3x25


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Another progress pic from start of cycle to now. 72kg to 78kg.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Rest day yesterday and short on time this morning, so did a quick squat and bench session.

Squats - Warm ups, 130kg 3x8 - up 10kg from my last volume sets.

Bench - Warm ups, 80kg 5/5/10 - pissed off with these. Just felt heavy af today.

For some reason, supps and ancillaries have been all over the place this week. Normally take glucosamine/chondroitin every day but ran out at the weekend. Have never been sure of the benefit but my knees have been aching for the past two days, so stocking up later. Have also been on 0.5mg adex Mon/Wed/Fri during this cycle but dropped it to Mon/Thu last week and showing signs of elevated e2 this week. Don't know why I changed it really.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Squat PB's keep coming. 160kg 3x3 this morning @ 78.6kg. Thinking about the derby result from yesterday got me fired up for it. fu**ing Lovren t**t.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Push this morning.

Bench - 92.5kg 3x5

DB Incline Fly - 18kg 3x10

DB Overheard Tricep Press (French Press) - 32kg 3x15

Tricep Rope Pushdown - 18kg 3x15

DB Lat Raise - 12kg 3x10

DB Front Raise - 10kg 3x10

Weight is slowly creeping up but keep getting heartburn, which makes eating feel like a chore. I'm chewing Gaviscon like sweets. Yesterday was a pretty standard day food-wise, about 3k cals in total, 270g carbs, 128g fat and 182g protein. Need to adjust fat down and carbs up a bit. Will switch from full fat greek yoghurt to a low fat option.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Pull/back session today.

Deads - 157.5kg 3x3. Another reps PB, coming weekly now. Reduced warm ups and used a belt again.

Pull ups - 3x5

Single arm dumbbell rows - 34kg 3x10 - Another PB.

Will probably get back in at lunch for a quick bicep blast. Started a cold yesterday, so dosed up on Lemsip but feeling pretty crap. Office work drinks tomorrow night, so that might be it for training this week.


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Made an effort to keep the calories up this weekend - fall out of my weekly routine and end up not getting enough protein or carbs in normally. Quality of the food wasn't great though - including chinese, pizza, ice cream and homemade chicken burgers but finished up with a nice homemade greek lamb stew with feta stuffed peppers. Had about 3 helpings of that. Weighed in at 79.2kg this morning but trying not to chase the scales too much.

Squats today. Wanted a bit of volume so worked 140kg 5x5 and will test my 1rm on Friday morning, last proper session of the year.


----------



## anna1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Salger said:


> Made an effort to keep the calories up this weekend - fall out of my weekly routine and end up not getting enough protein or carbs in normally. Quality of the food wasn't great though - including chinese, pizza, ice cream and homemade chicken burgers but finished up with a nice homemade greek lamb stew with feta stuffed peppers. Had about 3 helpings of that. Weighed in at 79.2kg this morning but trying not to chase the scales too much.
> 
> Squats today. Wanted a bit of volume so worked 140kg 5x5 and will test my 1rm on Friday morning, last proper session of the year.


 Ooohhh ! Greek lamb and feta !!!

:thumb

what do you mean greek lamb ?

x


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

anna1 said:


> Ooohhh ! Greek lamb and feta !!!
> 
> :thumb
> 
> ...


 Sort of a DIY lamb stew with Greek flavours - plenty of garlic, oregano, feta. Big fan of Greek food.


----------



## anna1 (Mar 22, 2014)

Salger said:


> Sort of a DIY lamb stew with Greek flavours - plenty of garlic, oregano, feta. Big fan of Greek food.


 Me too ! Haha :thumb


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

Push/Shoulders this morning. Felt tired AF for some reason, despite getting a bit more sleep than usual. Remember waking a bit in the night though.

Bench - 95kg 3x5 - Up 2.5kg on the last session but disappointed not to test my 1rm before Christmas (no spotter). Have never lifted 100kg plus but know that I've got it in me.

DB Incline fly - 18kg 3x12 - Added a couple of reps to this, which makes it a PB.

OHP - Tweaked my shoulder a bit and felt off warming up at 20kg so missed these.

DB Overhead Tricep Press (French Press) - 32kg 3x15

DB Lat Raise - 12kg 3x10

DB Front Raise - 10kg 3x10


----------



## 76181 (Apr 28, 2017)

1rm on deads this morning (previous 1rm 165kg on 28th Nov).

70kg x5

100kg x3

110kg x2

Then singles at 140kg, 160kg, 170kg and 175kg. Failed twice at 180kg but still a 10kg PR. Only managed to get the two failed 180's on video though, so does it even count?!

Bodyweight is still stalling at around 78.5kg but fundamentally I'm training for strength so not too worried, as long as the numbers are still going up. What that does mean is that with today's deadlift, my Wilks score is finally at 300, which has been a long term target for me. 162.5kg squat, 175kg deadlift and an actual bench of 95kg (although I think I've got a 110kg in me). Will see if I can push my squat up a bit on Friday.

Last pin of the cycle tomorrow, then I've made the decision to drop to a cruise dose of 125mg p/w. Don't want to mess around with PCT in January and will take bloods after 4 weeks of cruising. If all looking ok, will cruise to the start of March and then run a 12 week cycle. If bloods aren't great, will run a PCT.

Rest day tomorrow.


----------

