Ask Sam1976

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

Yes sir i was just going to run 10 weeks then I found that Bold needs 16 weeks. I now that tren shuts ya down so i thought I run pct after tren. I was going to run T3 and Clem after cycle. Thanks for all the help Bro. Your wisdom is help so any thoughts I will stop winny.

you have it all backwards. on your contest diet, you run the t3 and clen during the cycle. theyhelp burn fat. after the cycle is over, your done. why would you run it after the cycle? as far as tren shutting you down, yes it does. so does test and bold though. all steroids shut you down! you cant start pct until your done with the cycle. thats why its called POST cycle . you need to be off of all steroids in order for the pct meds to help

[Red Bull Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Red Bull]

you have it all backwards. on your contest diet, you run the t3 and clen during the cycle. theyhelp burn fat. after the cycle is over, your done. why would you run it after the cycle? as far as tren shutting you down, yes it does. so does test and bold though. all steroids shut you down! you cant start pct until your done with the cycle. thats why its called POST cycle . you need to be off of all steroids in order for the pct meds to help

Sam I am with ya I understand. I going to drop tren and go 250 test 600 bold for 16 total. then pct. When T3 and clem start I will do that too. Thanks Sir.

[JkW4244 Member Find all posts View Profile Close JkW4244]

i'm getting the cash together for my first cycle here pretty shortly cycle looks like this:

test cyp weeks 1-10 500 mg, t-bol 50 mg weeks 1-4, and was considering using clen or t3 to harden up. i know you wanna run the least amount of gear possible in the beginning stages of the cycle so my question would be is adding clen or t3 to the base pf the cycle too much or would you recommend removing t-bol and adding clen or t3? and what does your inject schedule look like when running longer estered tests i've seen the set ones such as mon/thurs or sun/wed but also have heard of people injecting every 3 days. i'm gonna run arimidex at .5 every 3rd day and adjust as needed, i'm looking to cut with this one so i might run .25 EOD and adjust and for pct i plan on running nolva 2 weeks after first inject for 4 weeks at 20/20/20/10. as i said earlier i'm looking to cut so my diet i have layed out will look a little like this:

Breakfast: 8 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 serving peppers and spinach and 70 g oats; Brunch: 70 g carbs from either brown rice or sweet potatoes and 7 oz meat either fish, turkey or chicken; Post Work out: protein shake and waxy maize starch; Lunch: 7 oz meat again, 80 g complex carbs such as sweet potatoe, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, and 1 serving of veggies; Dinner: 7 oz meat, 1 serving veggies and 20 g fats from olive oil, almonds or avacados; Final meal: Casein shake and 20 g fats again

training regime is still a work in progress bouncing back and forth between supersetting and a single body part per day and my current stats look like this:

22 years old, 6 ft 205 lbs, i've been lifting for sports since high school but got more serious once i stopped playing about 4.5-5 years ago and according the infrared bodyfat scanner at the gym i'm about 17% hence the reason for the cutting cycle. it isn't the most accurate of measures due to taking the average of the scans but i'd rather think i'm higher to have the determination to burn more then think i am lower then i really am. thanks for the input big guy!

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

hey bro, your cycle looks good. instead of trying to "cut" or "bulk", if you make eating clean your lifestyle and pay close attention to your diet, you can gain muscle(especially on a first cycle) while losing bodyfat. look at this as a transformation. you could add in the clen and t3 for your purposes, but i would keep the doses low, especially the t3. too much and you wont have a chance to gain much new muscle. start low with t3 like 1/2 tab and slowly work your way up, adding 1/2 every few wks. personally, i wouldnt go up past 50 mcg total and give yourself a few wks to tapper it back down. it looks like you have good choices of food. timing and portions for your individual body will determine how effective this program is. i would make sure you get 400 g of protein, eaten through the day, split every 2 hrs. do some cardio, slow steady state, heart rate around 125 bpm. start with 30min and slowly build that up through the cycle, doing no more than an hr a day. it should be just enough to off set the food and strike a balance between fat loss and muscle gain. this will take some experimenting. over the yrs though, you'll better understand how your body responds and what you need. i am 2 wks out from a show. i managed to lose a good amount of BF, get contest ready and still only weigh 1 or so lbs less on the scale, so far. that tells me i lost fat while gaining muscle. so dont go by the scale to judge your progress. go by the mirror. as far as training, i would focus on 1 body part a day, lifting heavy as you can for moderate and sometimes high reps. mostly around 8 reps. then pick a few sets to go higher. for legs, i usually seem to respond to higher reps with heavy weight. thats what works for me.

i'm getting the cash together for my first cycle here pretty shortly cycle looks like this:

test cyp weeks 1-10 500 mg, t-bol 50 mg weeks 1-4, and was considering using clen or t3 to harden up. i know you wanna run the least amount of gear possible in the beginning stages of the cycle so my question would be is adding clen or t3 to the base pf the cycle too much or would you recommend removing t-bol and adding clen or t3? and what does your inject schedule look like when running longer estered tests i've seen the set ones such as mon/thurs or sun/wed but also have heard of people injecting every 3 days. i'm gonna run arimidex at .5 every 3rd day and adjust as needed, i'm looking to cut with this one so i might run .25 EOD and adjust and for pct i plan on running nolva 2 weeks after first inject for 4 weeks at 20/20/20/10. as i said earlier i'm looking to cut so my diet i have layed out will look a little like this:

Breakfast: 8 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 serving peppers and spinach and 70 g oats; Brunch: 70 g carbs from either brown rice or sweet potatoes and 7 oz meat either fish, turkey or chicken; Post Work out: protein shake and waxy maize starch; Lunch: 7 oz meat again, 80 g complex carbs such as sweet potatoe, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, and 1 serving of veggies; Dinner: 7 oz meat, 1 serving veggies and 20 g fats from olive oil, almonds or avacados; Final meal: Casein shake and 20 g fats again

training regime is still a work in progress bouncing back and forth between supersetting and a single body part per day and my current stats look like this:

22 years old, 6 ft 205 lbs, i've been lifting for sports since high school but got more serious once i stopped playing about 4.5-5 years ago and according the infrared bodyfat scanner at the gym i'm about 17% hence the reason for the cutting cycle. it isn't the most accurate of measures due to taking the average of the scans but i'd rather think i'm higher to have the determination to burn more then think i am lower then i really am. thanks for the input big guy!

[JkW4244 Member Find all posts View Profile Close JkW4244]

hey bro, your cycle looks good. instead of trying to "cut" or "bulk", if you make eating clean your lifestyle and pay close attention to your diet, you can gain muscle(especially on a first cycle) while losing bodyfat. look at this as a transformation. you could add in the clen and t3 for your purposes, but i would keep the doses low, especially the t3. too much and you wont have a chance to gain much new muscle. start low with t3 like 1/2 tab and slowly work your way up, adding 1/2 every few wks. personally, i wouldnt go up past 50 mcg total and give yourself a few wks to tapper it back down. it looks like you have good choices of food. timing and portions for your individual body will determine how effective this program is. i would make sure you get 400 g of protein, eaten through the day, split every 2 hrs. do some cardio, slow steady state, heart rate around 125 bpm. start with 30min and slowly build that up through the cycle, doing no more than an hr a day. it should be just enough to off set the food and strike a balance between fat loss and muscle gain. this will take some experimenting. over the yrs though, you'll better understand how your body responds and what you need. i am 2 wks out from a show. i managed to lose a good amount of BF, get contest ready and still only weigh 1 or so lbs less on the scale, so far. that tells me i lost fat while gaining muscle. so dont go by the scale to judge your progress. go by the mirror. as far as training, i would focus on 1 body part a day, lifting heavy as you can for moderate and sometimes high reps. mostly around 8 reps. then pick a few sets to go higher. for legs, i usually seem to respond to higher reps with heavy weight. thats what works for me.

thanks for the input first of all Sam... second from what you've said i think i'm just gonna cut out clen and t3 and possibly save them for later on down the road unless something drastic happens during the cycle where i bloat but i don't see that happening with t-bol and can control it with the arimidex.. 400 g's of protein is the goal, maybe even a little higher depending on my weight at the beginning of the cycle. currently my lift schedule looks like this:

mon: heavy upper body (bench, military, bent over rows, and lat pulls) for 3-5 reps x 4 sets tues: heavy legs (squats, seated calf raises and dead lifts) 4 sext x 3-5 reps wed: cardio either stairmaster on "fat burn" mode or treadmill for 30 mins highest incline around 3-3.3 speed Thurs: light chest/back (bench, incline db, decline flyes, bent over rows, lat pulls and straight arm pull down) 3 sets x 8-12 reps Fri: light shoulders and arms (military, upright rows, shrugs and bent over cable rows/ barbell curls, d/b hammer and cable curls/ skull crushers, overhead d/b and one arm cable push down) 3 sets x 8-12 reps Sat: light legs (squats, seated calf raises and romanian deadlifts) 3 sets x 8-12 reps Sun: off so i'll probably try and incorporate something different to keep the body guessing.. as far as cardio do you switch it up a lot or keep it the same?

i've seen a few of your pics and you look great by the way! haha i almost wish it was possible to go the entire time without a mirror or anything so i could see the potential progress, but i'll make sure to take photos throughout and log the whole thing. thanks for the help bud appreciate it a lot!

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

if that training program is working for you, more power to you. there is more than one way to skin a cat i use a traditional 1 body part a day split, normally 5 days a wk. chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms. i do 12 working sets total for each part, usually split between 4 different exercises, 4 sets per exercise. i change the exercise order up each week and move the rep range depending on how my body feels that day.if i cant lift as heavy, i'll get more reps. if i can go heavy that day, i take advantage of it.

as far as clen and t3 go, the difference they make is minor compared to the drastic effect diet has. i'd say clen/t3/gh/eca and any other drugs i may consider using for fat loss, is maybe responsible for getting me 5% closer to my goals than just diet alone. keep in mind too that "bloat" has nothing to do with fat or fat loss, so clen and or t3 wont do anything to help with that. YES, adex! you hit the nail on the head. with your cycle, you shouldnt need much adex. keep the dosing low to moderate as to not effect your gains by suppressing too much estrogen. somewhere in the realm of .25mg E3Dat least to .5mg EOD at most. everyone responds differently. best of luck bro

thanks for the input first of all Sam... second from what you've said i think i'm just gonna cut out clen and t3 and possibly save them for later on down the road unless something drastic happens during the cycle where i bloat but i don't see that happening with t-bol and can control it with the arimidex.. 400 g's of protein is the goal, maybe even a little higher depending on my weight at the beginning of the cycle. currently my lift schedule looks like this:

mon: heavy upper body (bench, military, bent over rows, and lat pulls) for 3-5 reps x 4 sets tues: heavy legs (squats, seated calf raises and dead lifts) 4 sext x 3-5 reps wed: cardio either stairmaster on "fat burn" mode or treadmill for 30 mins highest incline around 3-3.3 speed Thurs: light chest/back (bench, incline db, decline flyes, bent over rows, lat pulls and straight arm pull down) 3 sets x 8-12 reps Fri: light shoulders and arms (military, upright rows, shrugs and bent over cable rows/ barbell curls, d/b hammer and cable curls/ skull crushers, overhead d/b and one arm cable push down) 3 sets x 8-12 reps Sat: light legs (squats, seated calf raises and romanian deadlifts) 3 sets x 8-12 reps Sun: off so i'll probably try and incorporate something different to keep the body guessing.. as far as cardio do you switch it up a lot or keep it the same?

i've seen a few of your pics and you look great by the way! haha i almost wish it was possible to go the entire time without a mirror or anything so i could see the potential progress, but i'll make sure to take photos throughout and log the whole thing. thanks for the help bud appreciate it a lot!

[dolce4 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dolce4]

hey Sam, I recently my second cycle you recommended (500 Test E E/W, 50 mgs Var for last 6 weeks) - My first cycle went great with almost no side effects, the only thing I remember is when I was coming off the test (cant remember if it happened as I started) I had a feeling of 'pins and needles' (or like tiny electricity) almost like numbness in my skin, mostly hands when I would rub them against my skin. I researched and this is a rare side effect but it has happened to people 'general paresthesia' The thing is this...I'm on my 3rd week of this cycle and I'm having this side effect again, when I just started the cycle I received news a family member was in the hospital...I was a week there (no gym) when I finally got home (everything turned out to be ok) I couldn't sleep much, I had a moment where all my muscles started twitching, and my face was flush red...I checked my blood pressure, its good...I think my body is just getting accustomed and I am definitely stressed and anxious over all this. I've considered aborting the cycle, and after 2 1/2 weeks I think PCT wont even be an issue. I think its wise to go get blood work done for my peace of mind but when I do, should I tell them of my testosterone levels? Have you ever had paresthesia (http://www.livestrong.com/article/46...tosterone-use/) as your body adjusts to the test? What do you think, should I abort the cycle or go get blood work done (should I do it now, or wait 2 more weeks since I just started) and decide there?

Thanks for your input, you've always given great advice in this forum.

[sagerboy87 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sagerboy87]

Workout Regimen on Gear

Ok. So i figure i'll run the beginner cycle you suggested in the 2nd post in this thread. My question is more about the Workout regimen on gear. I currently do a full body 3 times a week, and cardio 3 times a week. What should i increase/decrease when on gear?

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

hey bro, i've been thinking about your post here since i read it a few days back. i did some reading up on paresthesia. as i thought it might seem, it sounds like there is pressure being put on certain nerves. i think i may have experienced this, in a very mild sense, at different points that i've put on a lot of weight, quickly. i wonder if water control using an AI would reduce this issue?? it certainly wouldnt hurt to go see a Dr who might be able to pin point exactly whats happening. in fact, that would probably be the most responsible thing to do. if you can find a good MD in your area who understands what we do, he/she might have more experience with this. sorry i can't be of more help though. this is a pretty unique situation. pls let us know how things go.

hey Sam, I recently my second cycle you recommended (500 Test E E/W, 50 mgs Var for last 6 weeks) - My first cycle went great with almost no side effects, the only thing I remember is when I was coming off the test (cant remember if it happened as I started) I had a feeling of 'pins and needles' (or like tiny electricity) almost like numbness in my skin, mostly hands when I would rub them against my skin. I researched and this is a rare side effect but it has happened to people 'general paresthesia' The thing is this...I'm on my 3rd week of this cycle and I'm having this side effect again, when I just started the cycle I received news a family member was in the hospital...I was a week there (no gym) when I finally got home (everything turned out to be ok) I couldn't sleep much, I had a moment where all my muscles started twitching, and my face was flush red...I checked my blood pressure, its good...I think my body is just getting accustomed and I am definitely stressed and anxious over all this. I've considered aborting the cycle, and after 2 1/2 weeks I think PCT wont even be an issue. I think its wise to go get blood work done for my peace of mind but when I do, should I tell them of my testosterone levels? Have you ever had paresthesia (http://www.livestrong.com/article/46...tosterone-use/) as your body adjusts to the test? What do you think, should I abort the cycle or go get blood work done (should I do it now, or wait 2 more weeks since I just started) and decide there?

Thanks for your input, you've always given great advice in this forum.

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

Ok. So i figure i'll run the beginner cycle you suggested in the 2nd post in this thread. My question is more about the Workout regimen on gear. I currently do a full body 3 times a week, and cardio 3 times a week. What should i increase/decrease when on gear?

i suggest that you do the same workout on gear as you do when you're off gear. that being said, i would suggest that you do more than a 3 time a wk full body workout. this is an ok training program for a beginner but if you're an intermediate to advanced lifter, gear or no gear, you probably aren't able to get the full potential out of your body with a full body routine.

i'd suggest you hit each body part 1 time a wk, split into 5 training days. each body part gets 4 exercises for 4 sets. a good split to start on would be
1.chest
2. back
3. legs
4. shoulders/traps
5. arms
6. off
7.off

start with big compound movements then work down to isolation movements. for instance, on leg day, start with squats. warm up. then do 4 working sets, then leg press, 4 working sets, then extentions, 4 sets, hamstring curls, 4 sets

on or off gear, work hard...as hard as you can. remember that when you come back off, if you dont struggle and fight to keep lifting heavy, you will lose your gains. let me know if any of this training doesnt make sense or if you have more specific questions

[sagerboy87 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sagerboy87]

Thats funny that you say that about the total body routine. I'm a personal trainer up in NY, and i was conversing one day with one of my coworkers about the benefits and drawbacks of both splits and full body workouts. He convinced me to go back to a full body for a while. Keep in mind, i've been doing splits for the past almost 3 years. I was recently on a two day split, one of Arnold's famous 2 day splits. i did it for about 8 weeks, and i dropped down to 12% body fat again. When i started this full body, i noticed almost an instant increase in body fat. I was blown away. Obviously it was most likely due to no change in diet. Me still eating as if i were doing a 2 day split, 6 days a week.

that being said, when i go on gear, i'm def going back to my 2 day split, I absolutely love it.

Here is the Split, just for some stuff to talk about. This is arnold stuff right here

Mon/Wed/Fri
Morning
Barbell Bench Press (stripping last two sets) 4 x 10,8,6,4
Barbell Incline Press 4 x 10,8,6,4
Dumbbell Fly 3 x 10,8,6
Parallel Bar Dips 3 x 15, 10, 8
Pullovers 3 x 15
chin ups 4 x 10 minimum
Close Grip Chins 4 x 10
T bar rows 4 x 15,12,8,6
Bent over BB Row 4 x 8-12
Crunches 3 x 25
Bent over Twists 100 reps each side
Night
Donkey Calf Raises
Standing Calf Raises
Squats 5 x 20, 10, 8, 6 4
Front Squat 4 x 10,8,6,4
Hack Squat 3 x 10
Leg Curls 4 x 20,10,8,6
Standing Leg Curls 4 x 10
Straight leg deadlift 3 x 10
maching crunches 3 x 25
crunches 50

Tues/Thurs/Sat
Behind the neck bb press 5 x 15,10,8,8,6
lateral raises 4 x 8
bent over db laterals 4 x 8
db shrugs 3 x 10
standing bb curls 5 x 15,10,8,6,4
incline db curls 4 x 8
concentration curls 3 x 8
lying tricep extention 4 x 15,10,8,6
tricep cable pressdown 3 x 8
one arm tricep extension 3 x 10
reverse crunches 4 x 25
bb wrist curls 4 x 10
reverse wrist curls 3 x 10
seated calf raises 4 x 10
seated twists 100 reps each side
vertical bench crunches 4 x 25


yea, going from this back to a full body.....prolly a mistake, lmao.

Input pls

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

hey bro, good stuff. forgive me if i often assume that our members are newer at training. many times, this is the case, so when you said you do full body workouts 3 times a wk...well i think you can see where i'm going.

my main point though, is do what you'd normally do. yes, gear will help your recovery, but it'll also help you lift harder, so you'll need the sped up recovery just to break even!! when you come off, continue to train hard to hold the gains you've made. if you feel that you NEED a break after your cycle, at least wait until you've gotten a few wks past PCT

Thats funny that you say that about the total body routine. I'm a personal trainer up in NY, and i was conversing one day with one of my coworkers about the benefits and drawbacks of both splits and full body workouts. He convinced me to go back to a full body for a while. Keep in mind, i've been doing splits for the past almost 3 years. I was recently on a two day split, one of Arnold's famous 2 day splits. i did it for about 8 weeks, and i dropped down to 12% body fat again. When i started this full body, i noticed almost an instant increase in body fat. I was blown away. Obviously it was most likely due to no change in diet. Me still eating as if i were doing a 2 day split, 6 days a week.

that being said, when i go on gear, i'm def going back to my 2 day split, I absolutely love it.

Here is the Split, just for some stuff to talk about. This is arnold stuff right here

Mon/Wed/Fri
Morning
Barbell Bench Press (stripping last two sets) 4 x 10,8,6,4
Barbell Incline Press 4 x 10,8,6,4
Dumbbell Fly 3 x 10,8,6
Parallel Bar Dips 3 x 15, 10, 8
Pullovers 3 x 15
chin ups 4 x 10 minimum
Close Grip Chins 4 x 10
T bar rows 4 x 15,12,8,6
Bent over BB Row 4 x 8-12
Crunches 3 x 25
Bent over Twists 100 reps each side
Night
Donkey Calf Raises
Standing Calf Raises
Squats 5 x 20, 10, 8, 6 4
Front Squat 4 x 10,8,6,4
Hack Squat 3 x 10
Leg Curls 4 x 20,10,8,6
Standing Leg Curls 4 x 10
Straight leg deadlift 3 x 10
maching crunches 3 x 25
crunches 50

Tues/Thurs/Sat
Behind the neck bb press 5 x 15,10,8,8,6
lateral raises 4 x 8
bent over db laterals 4 x 8
db shrugs 3 x 10
standing bb curls 5 x 15,10,8,6,4
incline db curls 4 x 8
concentration curls 3 x 8
lying tricep extention 4 x 15,10,8,6
tricep cable pressdown 3 x 8
one arm tricep extension 3 x 10
reverse crunches 4 x 25
bb wrist curls 4 x 10
reverse wrist curls 3 x 10
seated calf raises 4 x 10
seated twists 100 reps each side
vertical bench crunches 4 x 25


yea, going from this back to a full body.....prolly a mistake, lmao.

Input pls

[sagerboy87 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sagerboy87]

No worries man. And as to speeding up recovery, the gear is going to aid a lot in recovery time, correct? So going back to my split will reap more benefits. And i get your post now. The reason you keep the same regimen is because the enhanced recovery is there, but because you are going to have so much more of a crazy workout, you will need the added recovery. Got it.

Also man, i'm going to do the Cycle you said to do for a beginners cycle. 500 test e a week, .5 arimadex eod or e3d, then week 14 i'm gonna do nolva at 40/20/20/10. I'm thinking of doing dbol for the first 5 weeks til the test kicks in, do you think i would only see dbol effects the first 5 weeks? Or am i going to see a synergistic blend of the two? I def agree with your post about only adding 1 compound at a time to see its effects on your body though, and if that's the case, i'll only run test. But if it will be safe to do both for the first, then i might do that so as to reap the most rewards from my work. I want to get a blood screening before my cycle, during and after so i know what effects the cycle has on me as well.

[Anabolic_III Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Anabolic_III]

Hi Sam,
I am about to start my new cycle and I was a little concerned about my liver. My last cycle elevated my liver enzyme values and I had to wait about 5 months for them to return back to normal. I did not use any liver support and I was dealing with some very toxic orals (NOT smart). For my new cycle, I am going to jump start with dbol for 4 weeks at 30-40mgs ED. What liver products would you suggest for during and after my cycle. I know about a lot of products but I just want to know which ones work best.
Thank you!!

[sam1976 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sam1976]

a little dbol as a kick start should be fine. you'll see a little synergy in the last couple wks of dbol, but you should be fine. since dbol highly aromitizes to estrogen, you may find that you need more adex while on the dbol and test, then after the dbol runs out.

No worries man. And as to speeding up recovery, the gear is going to aid a lot in recovery time, correct? So going back to my split will reap more benefits. And i get your post now. The reason you keep the same regimen is because the enhanced recovery is there, but because you are going to have so much more of a crazy workout, you will need the added recovery. Got it.

Also man, i'm going to do the Cycle you said to do for a beginners cycle. 500 test e a week, .5 arimadex eod or e3d, then week 14 i'm gonna do nolva at 40/20/20/10. I'm thinking of doing dbol for the first 5 weeks til the test kicks in, do you think i would only see dbol effects the first 5 weeks? Or am i going to see a synergistic blend of the two? I def agree with your post about only adding 1 compound at a time to see its effects on your body though, and if that's the case, i'll only run test. But if it will be safe to do both for the first, then i might do that so as to reap the most rewards from my work. I want to get a blood screening before my cycle, during and after so i know what effects the cycle has on me as well.