First ever cycle!! I have crossed over to the dark side!!!

[StumpMT]

@Ronnie: Thanks! Yeah I think its a little of both. I definitely looked leaner at the start of my cycle plus I've also up'd the calories a little. I'm taking 12.5mg of Aromasin E3D to keep water retention to a minimum and to help prevent gyno issues. I can always adjust this dosage as I see fit. But for right now I think its good.

@Doom: Thanks bro I'll keep the log going for sure! It's a great way to hold myself accountable for my lifts. I might start putting my diet in here too to hold myself accountable for that too since it's the most important part. Good luck on your upcoming cycle. You're going to love it.

 

[StumpMT]

Wow!! Another great day in the gym today! I feel my pumps are definitely getting better. I'm feeling fuller with each set. Anyways, here are the numbers...

Flat barbell bench: 315x6r, 315x6r, 315x5r
Flat barbell bench: 315x6r, 315x7r, 315x6r (with spot on last rep for 2nd and 3rd set)
Incline plate-loaded machine: 135(each side)x10r, 145x10r, 145x8r then dropped down to 90x6r
Incline plate-loaded machine: 145x10r, 155x9r, 155x8r then dropped to 90x6r
Flat dumbbell flyes: 50x10r, 55x10r, 55x10r
Flat dumbbell flyes: 55x10r, 55x12r, 55x12r
Cable flyes: 70x10r, 70x10r, 70x10r
Cable flyes: 70x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r

Barbell curls: 135x8r, 135x8r, 135x6r
Barbell curls: 135x8r, 135x8r, 135x9r (tough! with spot on last rep on 3rd set)
Dumbbell preacher: 45x8r, 45x8r, 45x8r
Dumbbell preacher: 45x10r, 45x10r, 45x8r (spot on last rep of 3rd set)
Pinwheel curls: 50x6r, 50x6r, 50x6r
Pinwheel curls: 50x8r, 50x8r, 50x8r

No ab training last week
Cable crunches super setted w/ 90sec planks: 155x20r/90sec, 155x20r/90sec

I decided to add when I needed a spot to my log to give you guys a better idea of my progress. Cause if I don't mention it then you don't know. I think next time I'll down some decline barbell bench in place of the flat, and some incline dumbbell in place of the incline machine. What do you guys think? I mean I'm making progress with these exercises so should I stick with these or change it up for a couple weeks then come back to this and see how I've progressed?

 

[randy841]

Hmmm that immediate jump in weight must of been from possible water retention? Or maybe the increase in food? Keep up the good work.

Most of the early jump in BW, is from water retention and increased calories Ronnie. You don't gain muscle that fast.

 

[algicardona]

Man thats awesome I am started my fist cycle yesterday I am along for the ride on this one

 

[StumpMT]

@Algicardona: Thanks bro and good luck with your cycle!

 

[StumpMT]

Well, after work I hit the gym again only this time for 30min of low intensity cardio. I kept my heart rate in the 140s. I do cardio about twice a week. Nothing like I was doing when I was training for my half marathon. When it gets closer to competition time (~12 weeks out or so) then I'll up it to 3-4 times a week. I like doing my cardio at night after I get off work at 11pm. Anyways, tomorrow is back training and I'm super pumped about it. Bed time...

 

[StumpMT]

Back day today!!

Rack deads (no straps, only chalk): 425x8r, 425x8r, 455x6r
Rack deads (no straps, only chalk): 455x6r, 455x6r, 455x6r (tough!!!)
Barbell rows: 225x10r, 225x10r, 225x10r
Barbell rows: 235x10r, 235x10r, 235x10r (I think I'll stay at this weight cause I didn't really feel my form was that great)
Dumbbell rows: 100x15r, 100x15r, 100x15r
Dumbbell rows: 135x10r, 135x10r, 135x10r
Wide pull-ups: BWx8r, BWx8r, BWx8r
Close-grip neutral pull-ups: BWx8r, BWx8r, BWx8r (I think I could've done more reps if I made this the first exercise but I made deads first to maximize my weight on that exercise)
Cable rows: 200x10r, 200x10r, 200x10r
Cable rows: 210x10r, 210x10r, 210x8r
Shrugs (behind back): 315x10r, 315x10r, 315x10r
Shrugs (behind back): 335x10r, 335x10r, 335x8r

Felt really good in the gym today. My lifts are slowly going up. I'm pushing myself as hard as I can with everything and giving it all I got on every working set. Looks like it's paying off

I've noticed a slight increase in acne but that's it. Just a couple small pimples here and there. I had pretty clear skin when I was a teen so I don't think it'll get too bad. Anyways, that's it for today. I have my 7th injection tonight after work. I'm loving this so far!!!!

Tomorrow is shoulders/triceps. I really need to blast my side delts to bring them up. Any suggestions? Thanks for all your feedback so far.

 

[StumpMT]

Wow, was this a badass shoulder/triceps workout!! Yeah buddy!!!!

Barbell military: 165x10r, 185x6r, 185x7r
Barbell military: 185x8r, 185x8r, 185x7r (spot on last rep for sets 2 & 3 w/ a negative on last rep of set 3)
Upright rows: 135x10r, 135x10r, 135x10r
Upright rows: 140x10r, 140x10r, 140x10r (pretty good form I thought)
One-arm laterals: 40x10r, 40x8r, 40x8r
one-arm laterals: 40x10r, 40x10r, 40x10r (good form and really trying to squeeze at the top)
Seated rear delt: 30x12r, 30x12r, 30x12r
Bent over rear laterals: 35x12r, 35x12r, 35x12r (really squeezing at top)

Close-grip bench (smith): 225x10r, 225x10r, 225x10r
Close-grip bench (smith): 235x10r, 235x10r, 235x8r (spot on last rep of set 3)
Skulls (olympic bar): 100x10r, 100x10r, 100x10r
Skulls (olympic bar): 105x12r, 115x8r, 115x7r (spot on last rep of set 3 tough!!)
Overhead dumbbell ext: 90x10r, 90x9r, 90x8r
Overhead dumbbell ext: 90x10r, 90x10r, 90x9r

I felt really fucking good today! I am definitely feeling stronger each day. Did my 7th injection last night in my left ventrogluteal site. No pain at all today! So far no real sides except for the very slight increase in acne. So far I'm very happy and it's only week 3.5 and the real effects don't kick in until week 4-6 from what I read so I'm very very excited about the weeks to come.

 

[StumpMT]

Well, today was leg day and to be honest I wasn't really feeling it....

Squat: 2x12 w/ 315
Stiff legged deads (dumbbells): 2x12 w/ 105
Leg ext: 2x15 w/ 205
Leg curl: 2x12 w/ 105

As soon as I started squatting I could tell my legs (especially the inner muscles) were still sore from my intense leg workout on Sunday. To be honest I don't feel I gave myself enough time off between workouts. I've been doing the following...

Day 1: Chest/biceps
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders/triceps
Day 4: Legs
Day 5: Off
Repeat

So I think I'm going to incorporate more rest days to allow for more recovery in between workouts. Such as..

Option 1
Day 1: Chest/biceps
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Shoulders/triceps
Day 5: Back
Day 6: Off
Repeat

Or....

Option 2
Day 1: Chest/biceps
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Shoulders/triceps
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Off
Repeat

I think option 2 looks good as that would give 72hrs in between biceps and back. Also 72 hrs in between triceps and chest. What do you guys think? I would really appreciate any input. Thanks.

 

[peter north]

yeah get excited, just finished up week six here and everything saw dramatic increases this week.

 

[peter north]

btw how did you like the switch from a push pull split to chest/bis and shoulders/tris? I've been considering switching for awhile now

 

[StumpMT]

I like it a lot. So far its been working well for me

 

[StumpMT]

Today was chest/biceps. I felt really really good today. I switched things up a little bit. This is what I did...

Flat dumbbell bench: 110x12r, 115x12r, 120x9r, 120x8r
Flat dumbbell flyes: 55x12r, 55x12r, 55x12r, 55x12r (Need to increase weight)
Incline plate-loaded machine: 135 (each side)x9r, 135x8r, 125x8r, 115x8r (I was weaker on this than in previous weeks probably due to the fact that it was my 3rd exercise as opposed to my 2nd and I felt murdered after the dumbbell bench )
Cable crossovers: 60x12r, 60x12r, 45x12r, 45x12r, 45x12r, 45x12r, 454x12r (Only 30-45sec rest between these sets to really pump the muscle up)

Dumbbell curls: 55x11r, 55x8r, 55x8r
Preacher machine: 90x12r, 95x12r, 100x12r (Need to move up)
EZ bar curls: 50x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r (30-45sec between sets. This was also supersetted with foot-elevated pushups)

Cable crunches: 170x20r, 170x20r, 170x20r

If you can't tell but I tried incorporating the FST-7 protocol into my lifting. I like the idea behind it so I thought I'd give it a shot. I think I could also incorporate it into a 5x5 program. For example...

Bench press: 5x5
Incline dumbbell press: 2-3x8-10
Incline flyes: 2-3x8-10
Cable crossover or Peck deck flye: 7x8-12 (30-45sec rest)

Anyways, after the 7 sets I was super pumped!! Can't wait for my workout tomorrow. Changing it up so tomorrow will be legs.....front squat style!

 

[StumpMT]

Hey all so I had a really, really great leg workout today. I decided to change it up and do some front squats. I've never done those before and because of this my shoulder/collar bone region is kind of sore. I don't care though cause I'll keep doing them. Here's what I did

Warm-up leg extensions: 90x20r, 90x20r, 90x20r
Front squats: 225x6-4r, 225x10r, 225x12r (The first set signifies that I did 6 reps and then I felt the bar starting to slip because I was wearing a tank and starting to sweat. I racked it then did 4 more. The next sets I rubbed some chalk on me and that helped a lot. Next time I'll wear a shirt )
Leg press: 745x12r, 790x12r, 790x12r
Hack squat: 300x12r, 300x12r, 300x12r, 300x12r, 300x12r, 300x12r, 300x12r (Assuming the sled weighs 50lbs. 30-45sec rest between sets)

Stiff-legged deads: 225x10r, 225x10r, 225x10r
Standing leg curls: 80x10r, 80x10r, 80x10r
Lying leg curls: 90x12r, 90x12r, 80x12r, 80x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r, 70x12r (30-45sec rest)

Standing calf raises: 215x20r, 215x20r, 215x20r

As you can see I'm trying to incorporate FST-7 principles into my workout. After the hack squat and leg curls my quads and hams were SUPER pumped! I loved it! Has anyone had experience with FST-7? If so let me know how it worked out for you. Any suggestions?

 

[StumpMT]

Shoulder workout today and boy was it a great one!! Previous = Regular, Today = Bold

Barbell military: 185x8r, 185x8r, 185x7r (spot on last rep for sets 2 & 3 w/ a negative on last rep of set 3)
Barbell military: 185x10r, 185x10r, 195x7r
Upright rows: 140x10r, 140x10r, 140x10r (pretty good form I thought)
Upright rows: 135x10r, 145x10r, 155x8r
One-arm laterals: 40x10r, 40x10r, 40x10r (good form and really trying to squeeze at the top)
Dumbbell laterals: 40x10r, 45x8r, 45x8r
Cable laterals: 20x12r, 20x12r, 20x12r, 20x12r, 20x12r, 20x12r, 20x12r (Again using the FST-7 protocol. Stretching and flexing between each set. Side delts were incredibly pumped!)
Bent over rear laterals: 35x12r, 35x12r, 35x12r (really squeezing at top)
Bent over real laterals: 40x12r, 45x10r, 45x10r
Reverse pec deck: 100x12r, 100x12r, 100x12r, 100x12r, 100x12r, 100x12r, 100x12r (FST-7 style)

I felt unstoppable!!! I can definitely feel the test kicking in now. Holy shit! Before I was struggling to get 8 reps with 185 now I did 10 reps with no problem at all! I'm really liking the FST-7 training principles so far. We'll see what kind of results I'm gonna get. I also weighed myself first thing this morning straight out of bed and I was 211. Still looking relatively lean in the mirror. I take my 9th injection tomorrow which puts me at week 4.5 and I'll post another picture once I reach week 8. Here has been my diet so far...please let me know what you think.

(Cals/Pro/Carb/Fat)

Meal 1: 8 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal, 1tblsp flax seeds, 1 apple (625/38/58/9)
Meal 2 (PWO): 75-80g waxy maize, 40g whey (5g bcaa and 5g glutamine pre and post) (415/30/78/0)
Meal 3: 8oz chicken, 1/2cup veggies, 3oz (uncooked) whole grain pasta, 1/2c pasta sauce (480/55/57/8)
Meal 4: 4 scoops Up Your Mass (510/46/58/11)
Meal 5: Same as 3 (beef) (640/57/57/23)
Meal 6: Same as 3 (chicken) (480/55/57/8)
Meal 7:1/2cup liquid egg whites (egg whites international), 1 scoop casein, 2tblsp natural peanut butter (390/46/11/17)

Totals: 3540/327/376/76

 

[nate212]

picture looks good man. Strength looks good. doesn't look like you are holding much water at all.

Interesting tan though, kind of opposite what you usually see. do you tan your hog but not your abs????

 

[StumpMT]

LOL no I haven't tanned in a few months. I had to scroll back up to look at my pic again and I lol'd. I'm going to start though closer to my show. I think it's the lighting...it's terrible in my bathroom but that's the best place in my apt for a pic. When it gets warmer I'll take one outside.

Yeah, I think the aromasin E3D and my diet is keeping the water to a minimum.

 

[nate212]

nice work, it looks like you are strong as shit. good working.

Have you ever noticed any estrogen side effects or have you just been running the e3d aromasin prophylactically?

 

[StumpMT]

Thanks man! I've never noticed anything before. I've been running the Aromasin prophylactically. I have a very very very small amount of puffiness under my nipples that I've had since puberty when I was really overweight. So I'm worried about gyno issues.

 

[StumpMT]

Holy shit!!! I slept in today (felt great!) so I didn't make it to the gym before work so I went after work and boy was it an epic back workout!! Did pin #9 after I got home from work then hit the gym. I felt like a fucking beast!

Rack deads (no straps, only chalk): 455x6r, 455x6r, 455x6r (tough!!!)
Rack deads (no straps, only chalk): 135x10r, 225x8r, 315x6r, 405x4r, 500x3r (personal best), 515x1r (personal best)
Barbell rows: 235x10r, 235x10r, 235x10r (I think I'll stay at this weight cause I didn't really feel my form was that great)
Barbell rows: 225x10r, 245x10r, 255x10r
Dumbbell rows: 135x10r, 135x10r, 135x10r
T-bar rows in the corner: 180x10r, 225x10r, 225x12r
Close-grip neutral pull-ups: BWx8r, BWx8r, BWx8r (I think I could've done more reps if I made this the first exercise but I made deads first to maximize my weight on that exercise)
Close neutral-grip pull downs: 195x10r, 210x10r, 210x6r drop to 150x4r drop to 90x 6r
Seated Cable rows: 210x10r, 210x10r, 210x8r
Seated Cable rows: 210x10r, 210x10r, 210x10r
Straight arm pulldowns (FST-7): 105x12r, 120x12r, 110x12r, 110x12r, 100x12r, 100x12r, 95x12r (30-45sec rest between sets with extreme stretching between sets)

After that my lats were SO pumped! I love it. I felt really, really strong! I was just ready to lift so fucking heavy ass weight as soon as I opened the gym door! Still 10 weeks left of my cycle! Fuck yeah!!!

It felt really good starting off with a power exercise like rack deads for low reps then a couple width and thickness exercises for 8-12 reps before my FST-7 exercise. I'm going to do this for all my body parts to see how it works out for me.

It looks like I could up the weight on my lifts to bring me down to the 8-rep range. What do you think?