The Pursuit of Mythical Gains

his grammar’s always been terrible

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Can I blame it on auto-correct?

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3-12-2018

C2W2D3 - BP
45X10, 75X5, 95X3, 110X5, 125X5, 140X5, 110X8X3 FSL
ROWS 35X10X4

Treadmill - 20 mins @3.5 MPH @4.5% elevation

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3-17-2018

C2W3D1 - OHP
45X5, 75X5, 90X5, 100X3, 110X8, 125X1, 135X1
LPD’S 100X10X4

Treadmill - 20 minutes at 3.6 mph and 4.5% incline.

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3-19-2018

C2W3D2 - SQ
BWX10, 45X5, 95X5, 135X3, 165X5, 190X3, 210X8, 225X1, 245X1
BPA’S 5X25 and Curls 5X8 between sets.

Treadmill - 20 minutes at 3.5 mph and 5% incline.

Felt good to squat two plates again.

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Hey, I hope you are doing well!! Your last photo looked great.

Thank you @countrygirl2016, I appreciate that. Feel like I have a long way to go, but thanks!

I’m hanging in.

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3-20-2018

C2W3D3 - BP
45X10, 75X5, 95X3, 120X5, 135X3, 150X8, 185X1, 195X1
SS W/Kroc Rows 40x10x4

Treadmill 20 mins at 3.5 mph at 4.5%.

The 195 JS went up good, could have gotten 205 but no spotter, didn’t want to be “that guy.” I believe 205 is my previous PR (225 on a Smith doesn’t count) so it appears my 1RM hasn’t suffered.

I’m going to do straight 5/3/1 with amrap and jokers next cycle, keep the treadmill in, and try to push my 1RM. The 135 OHP the other day went up fast too, previous PR on that was 155. That brings the three plate squat back into play, fuck me. May have to start DL again so I can join the 1,2,3,4 club - long way off, but still a dream.

Eating is going to be the problem.

4 Likes

3-22-2018

C3W1D1 - OHP
45X5, 65X5, 80X5, 90X5, 105X11, 145X1
LPD’S 100X7X4

TPD’S AND Curls because today starts with a T.

Happy about the JS, went up good, slight pause is all. Skipped treadmill because I had to shovel snow this AM.

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3-24-2018

C3W1D2 - SQ
BWX10, 45X5, 95X5, 135X3, 150X5, 175X5, 200X9, 225X1, 255X1
BPA’S and Curls between sets.

Treadmill for 20 minutes at 4.5% and 3.6 MPH.

Was not feeling the squats today, 150 felt heavy, then 175 felt better, but 200 felt heavy, forget about the 255 - thought I could barely stand up with it but got a strong rep, so that makes me happy. Not sure about doing JS every week, thought about saving them just for 5/3/1 week, but think I’d rather do JS than 5’s Pro or FSL. I hate the amrap slightly less than FSL.

As an aside, I do yoga every morning and that hits my core pretty well - I do paradoxical breathing after each set to raise the kundalini, lol - so I’m skipping direct ab work for now. Will probably bring it back before Summer.

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Mr. Myth, I have a question about TRT. I’ve been browsing that section and I think I’ve seen you pop in there.

How do doctors actually prescribe TRT? Once you run the right tests and figure out you’re low do they prescribe just enough to get you mid-range or will they bump you up to the top end?

I find myself intrigued by this. I think my brain is trying to justify some outside help lol. If I’m in the middle range then would going on TRT bump me into the top? And if so, would it help me add mass and strength?

And lastly, is TRT like going on a cycle for the rest of your life and does it have the same potential side effects?

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Once you go on…you are on for life.

Blood test = low t = prescription.

Truly need to shop doctors to get the right guy, most are pretty ignorant. A men’s health clinic is a good place to start. Most make you come in every week to get a shot, but once you get it dialed in you can find one that will let you self inject.

Seven days after my shot, the trough, I’m at 650 so probably closer to 1100 the day after, which is top of the range.

And, once on, on for life for the most part. Some guys get off and get restarted, but not likely.

If you are low, going on will definitely help with your body composition. I had a hard time gaining muscle, still do, but it’s better than before I started.

If you’re in mid range, be happy and don’t go on. If you’re low, it’s a life changer.

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What’s mid-range for total T? I had my Doc check last year and the only freaking thing I got was total T levels. Mine was 639 and the range given was 240-871 ng/dL.

After reading some of the beginner stuff in the TRT section it seems like that number may not tell me anything.

The only symptom I have of low T is feeling tired a lot and being a bit moody…and not being swole.

Thanks for the reply!

So 639 is really fucking good. Check your thyroid. You can take your temp throughout the day - if it’s low in the morning, you may have an issue.

For reference, mine was 170. Doc told me if my E2 was a little higher I would have started menstruating, lol.

That range is based on a small sample of men aged 20-80. So, 240 is normal for an 80 year old man, basically.

Happy to help.

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:joy:

I’m tempted to ask for the specific labs suggested in the stickies just out of curiosity.

All the textbooks say to do multiple sets of heavy compound movements like squats and deads to naturally stimulate testosterone and HGH production.

During one of the NSCA’s National Conferences I heard that 3 x 10 with 60 seconds rest was the best for this as well. For those reasons you’ll see that in my training. I always set a timer for one minute and I consider two minutes a long rest.

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I see you mention the use of amraps during your next cycle. Is there a specific reason for this? Haven’t included them in a while, may do so again.

Just to add a tiny bit of volume, and to go to near failure to maybe help drive hypertrophy.

3-27-2018

C3W1D3 - BP
45X10, 65X5, 95X5, 115X5, 130X5, 145X14, 185X1, 200X1, 135X8
Kroc rows in between, 40x10x5

Treadmill - 20 minutes at 3.6 mph and 4.5% incline.

Had a slight pause on the 200 but I could have gotten 205 for sure, my previous PR. I should get that during 3’s week. Feeling good about the joker sets.

3 Likes

awesome makes sense, will probably add 1 amrap set in next week and see how it goes