http://www.t-nation.com/category.jsp?categoryID=53 T-Nation: Most Discussed Topics en-us Sun, 26 May 2013 01:31:23 GMT Sun, 26 May 2013 01:31:23 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss T-Nation via P-APP-01 webmaster@biotest.net webmaster@biotest.net 53 60 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5454651
As I seem to get plenty of questions pertaining to my own thoughts on training, nutrition, supplements even when I'm not in an active contest prep period, I figure I'll start a new thread for any continued updates etc. Actually, I had people on Facebook make sure I knew that my last thread maxed out and that I needed to start a new one, so that was a nice little compliment.

For those who are new to the site, a little Bio on me as it pertains to bodybuilding:
-WNBF Natural Pro Bodybuilder
-USBF Natural Pro Bodybuilder
-Contest prep and online training coach

I started my first real contest thread on here back in '09 as a way of holding myself accountable, being able to discuss various issues with experienced competitors (there weren't really too many on here back then), and really just see how knowledgeable I really was. You can be 'the guy' in your gym who everyone comes to with their questions, but until you truly prove that you can shred down your bodyfat while maintaining a respectable amount of muscle, IMO, you're not truly walking the walk.


The lovely Mods here always seem to sticky my latest threads (very much appreciated, thanks guys!), so just in case my last one gets unstickied, here's a link to it.

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...ng/2011_updates

It includes the period between my USBF Pro card win, through my controversial 2nd place at the 2011 Mr. America, my WNBF pro card win, and leads up to my torn labrum this past summer and resultant surgery.

Once I have a spare moment, I'll continue updating on my rehab process (10 weeks post surgery at the moment), and even outline my wife's plans to compete in two shows this coming Spring (both shows that I've won, so just a little bit of pressure to carry the family name -lol)

S ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 01:19:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5454651 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665916
Training history?

Diet?

More pictures would be nice as well, showcasing your entire physique

Any info you have on yourself, let us know! ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 01:27:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665916 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664932
Just wanted to see if anyone still remembers who I am and if there would be any interest.

Die Empty ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 01:25:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664932 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660783 Sun, 26 May 2013 01:13:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660783 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5621684

1. Weight

2. Height

3. Full set of pictures. Fron relaxed, back relaxed (THESE TWO ARE NOT AN OPTION) and all other poses if you can

4. Main goal (should be getting big and lean but you can put #s on it.. tell me if you mind fat gains or not etc)

5. Resume what you've been doing training wise in the past

6. Days that you can train

7. Time at which you train

8. What your diet actually consist of. If you got the macros or cals that great if not, np

9. What you like to eat

10. What you really dont want to eat

11. What kind of diet you like : 1) One where I give you food choices and tell you macros for each meal or 2) exact diet

12. What you are currently taking as far as supps are concerned

13. Budget for supps

14. Outline what your schedule looks like, the more precise you are the better

15. Any other info you'd like to add ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:45:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5621684 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665832
]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:44:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665832 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4637508
Here's a vid that my boy Jason made for me awhile back that I'll use as an introduction to who I am
]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:40:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4637508 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660474 Sun, 26 May 2013 00:38:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660474 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664586
I need to do 38 situps in one minute and at least 29 consecutive pushups.

How can I improve on these in one month?

Thanks. ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:36:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664586 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665889 Sun, 26 May 2013 00:27:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665889 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5543465
Obviously I'll be watching how Antoine does


SO HERE I AM STARTING A THREAD ABOUT THE NEW YORK PRO ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:26:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5543465 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664558
They were clearly really friendly, just breaking each others balls but one of the guys was joking around about how he could lift more and the other quipped back that he might not be able to lift as high as the guy could for a max effort for a few reps but could lift more for 10-12 reps.

I have always found whenever I do low reps it does not seem to translate to being stronger if i go back to high reps.

For example the first routine I did i went from benching 5okg for 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets to lifting on a 5 rep template and I went from lifting 55kg to 75kg but when I tried going back to high reps I wasn't able to bench more than 50kg for 10-12 reps.


So why is a guy who can say squat 1000lbs for one rep stronger than a guy who squats 250lbs for 20 reps?

I get that some people would call that endurance but per poundage lifted 250lbs x 20 =5000lbs where as 1x100lbs obviously = 1000


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK one more question i have always been interested in. when people say everyone is different and no one program is best for everyone, why is that, are we not all the same and respond the same to different types of resistnace as each other?

Mendhi says strength is the only way to get big and strong
The huge guys at the gym are always preaching volume
Metzner preaches intensity

Now if we are all made of the same tissue and biological make up, how can something not be best for everyone?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I posted in the combat forum because it seems to produce the best answers, if it has to be moved, apologies. ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:24:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664558 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660025 Sun, 26 May 2013 00:21:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660025 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665894 ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:16:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665894 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5658629
So I suspect my gut health is not great, based on the quality of my bowel movements. Too much information? You betcha, but I'm willing to bet a lot of physique enthusiasts are in my position due to the way we eat. It's not something we talk about, but I reckon gut health should be one of the things we put highest on our agenda as health conscious, physique minded individuals.

Apparently force feeding, and high protein diets can lead to us producing less digestive enzymes, so we won't absorb all we eat. Also, certain lifestyle habits (alcohol, sweet, sweet alcohol) can really damage your gut flora, and I was quite a heavy drinker in my younger days so I suspect my guts are all fucked up.

So I've decided to get my gut sorted. The protocol I am following is of my own devising, but borrows heavily from Berardi, Poliquin and Meadows. Every day I will consume:

-Probiotic and Glutamine (20g) in the morning on an empty stomach
-10g inulin fiber with meals
-Digestive Enzymes with meals
-Psyllium Husk before bed

I am also loading the glutamine at 80g for 5 days before moving to the 20g/day maintenance dose. Poliquin recommends this and Berardi recommends something similar so I figure why not?

I started a couple of days ago, so still got a few more days loading the glutamine. Only thing to report is that since I have started the digestive enzymes I have been on the toilet pretty much constantly. Apparently that's due to the enzymes breaking down food residue that's just been sort of gathering dust in your gut, and is to be expected. It's not nice, and I figure it'll probably get worse before it gets better, but I will ride it out in the quest for the greater good.

So there we go. I'll update this thread every now and then so people can see whether or not it's worked.

Anyone who has done a gut cleanse, gut health protocol or whatever feel free to chime in with their experiences.

I realise this thread is a little gross, but I think it's worth talking about. Considering 80% of the immune system is found in the gut, it makes sense to get it healthy. ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:09:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5658629 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665711
Or should I just need to leave a detailed message with any/all relevant information? ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:07:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665711 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660297

ok let me start off about me, im 28 335lbs 6 foot even I need to drop this weight because its dragging me down in the dumps I can do the things I want to do because of it.

ok my goals are to eventually to get to 230 pounds as quickly and safest as possible.


ok my calculated tee is 2600 calories I did that my self I was told by a dietician to cut to 2200 calories your suggestions on my calorie intake to achieve steady weight loss constantly as I embark on this journey.


ok here is what I eat the majority of the time. Turkey sausage, ribeye steak, eggs, salads, chicken breast ,wheat bread low cal pre cooked dinners,chicken breast, peanut butter, broccoli lots of water these days,and it rarely varies from that if it changes like restaurants its the healthiest choice possible.

Ok what I do for the spectrum of the dieting is treadmill walking from 40 to 50 minutes at 3.0 to 3.4 mph which is painfully boring to me and it jades me because of that. how much cardio should I just set my self to do to avoid the boredom of it each day.

ok lifting I tried to run all pros many of times but I use such light weights because of my unhealthy past life style it got boring and the heavy light and medium just didn't sit right with me I switched to Jason db's 5x5 because I could use heavy weight all the time but now im finding that 2 days a week lifting doesn't seem like enough for a person ay my size and the first 5x5 session I ran sprinted through it next session I will add 5lbs


so in general I run a 2200-2600 calorie cut treadmill 5 days a week from 40 to 60 minutes and lift 2 days a week is this the way to drop from 335 to 230 in lets say 7 months??? is this a good approach if not what are you guys opinions on how I should attack the problem.for the people how have lost tons of weight or the experienced personal trained how would you train me I want to be aggressive.


also my concerns are just hunger how can I maintain a good cut with out terrible hunger?

thanks for reading ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:07:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5660297 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664987 http://www.fuse.tv/...ign=scl|fbk|fsc
This just appeared in my facebook feed. ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:04:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664987 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664254
thanx ]]> Sun, 26 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664254 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5599140
My name is Alden here are a few stats about me...
Age: 21 (for just over a month)
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 188lbs
BF%: ~7.5% (let me know what y'all think in the below pictures)

I began to weight train just before I turned 15 in 2007 for wrestling and I became instantly hooked. So much so that I stopped wrestling my sophomore year of high school so that I could go to the gym every day.

I'm just over 14 weeks out right now so I have plenty of time to diet down so I'm at an 'in-between' phase right now. I recently began to train with 3 other guys; one is 240lbs at my height and as thick as a house, another is 199lbs at my height and ripped to shreds (I thought he was 220lbs), and the third is 210lbs at 5'5"-5'6". Needless to say, I am by far the smallest and youngest of the pack. I will also state, even though it shouldn't matter, that I am natural and I will be doing this show as a 'natural.' Not because I feel like I'm better for doing so, but just because I have been so far and I'd like to see how I turn out for my first show without steroids. Nothing against them though =)

I plan on hiring a nutritionist at 12 weeks out, but I am still debating it. Any input from y'all since this is my first show?
There are plenty of experienced BBers at my gym that have offered help if I ask. One is an ex-Pro and another was Lee Haney's training partner back in the day, Fred (I don't know his last name).

I have trained in a manner similar to John Meadows' Mountain Dog Training for about a year now and I love it, but since I'm training with some partners now, I am doing whatever they tell me. They have some very similar methods so it isn't TOO different, but damn to they train heavy...and the one that took me in makes me use the weights that they use. Can be tough at times, but I still focus on the weight and don't just throw crap around.

I'll be posting diet info, training info, work info, etc throughout this thread. Most of the content that I post will be workouts and progress pictures. I probably won't post my diet information unless asked since it won't be changing much for the most part, I am going to be using a carb cycling approach for my fat loss.

I hope to have a lot of you along for my novel journey as I have learned a plethora of information from you guys even if I haven't been actively posting in the forums much.

Thanks and have a great day!
Ryno (pronounced as rhino) ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:58:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5599140 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665835
Currently I have been doing chest/delts, back, legs, arms as my four different workouts.

I lift 3-4 days in a row then take a break and just keep running through that cycle. I am in the middle of a summer break and now have plenty of free time, and the gym seems to be the only physical activity I get besides walking around, and occasionally shooting some hoops.

I am contemplating just training everyday and taking a day off when I feel like I need one. I unfortunately dont digest any kind of intra workout carb very well so my peri workout nutrition consist of my pre workout meal, large amounts of bcaas and eaas pre/during/post (20-30 grams), and my post workout meal.

Do you think it can be done even without the designer carbs? How many of your guys do you have training everyday and how often do you do it yourself. I just love training lol!

Is this a bad idea for adding size, as long as I keep the volume from being crazy, and focus on constant progression?

Sleep is always about 7 hours a night, water is on point, nutrition (besides intra carb drinks) is on point, etc.

I can lay out my diet if that would help. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:57:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665835 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5656975 http://www.pastemagazine.com/...es-look-on.html

So, I was checking out reddit while drinking my coffee to see what that parody of T-Nation was about. I found some funny things, nude pictures, a bunch of great stuff in general, but then I found the above link.


Who shares my opinion that those men should never have their genes passed on to the next generation?

cliff notes:
I check out reddit's parody of us.
I find a bunch of awesome stuff, then I find a video of some pussy whipped men having simulated labor pains.
Then I question even more how the human race has survived, or what went wrong with us. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:58:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5656975 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5190040
Information

Age:18 years

Training Age:3 years

Height:6' 2''

Weight:215 Lbs. (Morning Weight)
This is the lightest I have been in a long time. My playing weight was around 225-230.

BF% Estimation:10-12%
Best Lifts:

Squat:365x5

Bench:245x5

Military Press:145x8

Dead Lift:325x7

Yes, I am aware my dead lift is lagging. I have squatted throughout my entire training history and it is an extremely natural lift to me which I enjoy greatly. I have always dreaded dead lifts, and was never asked to do them while I was training for football; consequently the lift suffered greatly. I have started seriously training it in the last 6 months.

Training Information/History:
I started training on the program "Starting Strength" which I stayed on for about 6 months. I then did "WS4SB" for about 6 months. I discovered 5/3/1 around this time, and have been on the program sporadically ever since. My football team's program called for a 4 day high volume body part split, so I did that for the second half of junior year, and over the summer. I have been on 5/3/1 since the season ended roughly 6 months ago.

Training Maxes
Squat:405 Lbs.
Bench:260 Lbs.
Dead Lift:355 Lbs.
Military Press:160 Lbs.

Training
I am on the 3 day version of 5/3/1, mostly for convenience's sake

Bench Day
5/3/1 Bench
DB Low Incline Bench 3-5x10-15
DB Row 3-5x10-15

Dead Lift Day
5/3/1 Deadlift
Good Morning's 3-5x10-15
Leg Raises 3-5x10-15
Curls 2-3x8-12

Military Press Day
5/3/1 Military Press
Dips 3-5x10-15
Pullups 5xmax
YTW's 2x8-10

Squat Day
5/3/1 Squat
Hamstring Curls 5x10-12
Face Pulls 3x10-15

Cardio/Circuit Training
I train cardio/circuits 3-4x a week
Sunday-Hills
Tuesday-Light Machine Cardio
Thursday-Light Machine Cardio
Saturday-Kettlebell Circuit

This is very tentative, I mostly make sure I do some form of cardio 3-4x a week. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:56:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5190040 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5259560 Sat, 25 May 2013 23:55:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5259560 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5656849
this is a collection of charts/information taken from some of the most knowledgeable and respected people in the scientific side of bodybuilding. two of these people based their finding on numbers taken from top pro natural bodybuilders, the genetic elite.
http://www.google.com.au/...0hdIhjKNfNR8aDQ

when these debates come up, the side that is against these findings usually has no solid argument. all they do is make up hypothetical situations or use extreme examples to try and prove their point. yet no one has been able to post a picture of 1 natural bodybuilder who has largely exceeded these charts. so until someone does your arguing nothing but semantics.

http://t3.gstatic.com/...d83OFQtjPLVlbpw

above is frank zane 3 times mr O.
stats
- height 5'9
- contest weight 185lb
- off season weight 205lb

now this is someone with elite genetics and access to just about any drug he wanted of that era. yet we have people on here who claim to have natural powerlifting friends who are 5'7, 225lb and walk around at 6% bodyfat. FUCKING PLEASE......... ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:54:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5656849 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665576 Sat, 25 May 2013 23:52:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665576 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5583433 Sat, 25 May 2013 23:53:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5583433 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665867
Brilliant fight,I thought froch won it with the jab, he was throwing it non stop making kessler reset before he could throw the right.

I thought Kessler landed the bigger shots and if it weren't for his chin Kessler would have won.

I always wondered if judges were supposed to score who did the most damage or who landed the bigger shots, because the two are not necessarily the same, if froch had landed the shots on kessler that kessler landed on froch, it would have been over. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:46:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665867 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5550483
I'm into day 3 of doing this, and figured this forum would be as good of place as any to keep a log. The goal of each workout is to get 20reps total, with minimal rest time, 10-20 seconds; I average 15 seconds or so.

Workout A Lifts:

Back Squat: 5-4-5-3-3 at 185lb

Incline DB Press: 9-6-5 at 30lb/hand

Lat Pulldown - wide grip: 8-6-4-2 at 90lbs

SeatEd Shoulder Press: 9-6-5 at 75lbs

Dips: 9-6-5 at Bodyweight


Workout B Lifts:

Deadlift: 8-5-3-3 at 205lbs

Decline Barbell Bench: 9-6-5 at 80lbs

Barbell Row- Narrow Grip: 8-5-3-3 at 75lbs

Seat DB lateral Raise: 9-6-5 at 10lbs/hand

DB Hammer Curl: 9-6-5 at 20lbs/hand
]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:45:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5550483 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4815616
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...tched_this_week

I'm currently watching Good Luck Chuck and can feel my appreciation for every other movie ever skyrocket. Only saving grace is the odd shot of Jessica Alba's ass and loads of tits.

Also watched Rounders a few days ago. Fun Poker movie, well worth a watch. Interest in poker not essential. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:34:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=4815616 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5627328
Diet
Well, things finished off retardedly low before peak week. I was at 250 P, 0 C, and 75 F everyday. I am going back to those macros for a week, and adding +30g C each WEEK. So week 2 is 250/30/75, week 5 will be 250/120/75, ...you get the picture. I am very patiently and carefully reversing the diet to "heal" my metabolism. My ultimate goal is to carb cycle with high/med/low carbs as high as 600/400/200, keeping fat intake much lower than I'm used to.

I will be keeping a weekly cheat meal, since I am so used to it for the past several months. I don't wanna drastically shift too much too fast, and, well, they're fun and a chance to be social!! Cheats will be one night sun-wed. Depends on when people are going out. Being flexible, but one per week only.

Cardio
Was at 50 min fasted morning LISS during final stretch of prep. This week is 40, next 30, then 20, then I segway into HIIT 4x/week after non-leg days. The tentative plan is 4-8 rounds w/ 30 sec on, 1 min rest intervals.

After arms or delts workouts I'll stick to lower focus: Arc Trainer, Bike, or Sled Drags.

After back, tire flips, sled rows, or row Machine

After chest hammer strikes or med ball slams.

Training Split

Going to a 5 day split that focuses on arms and delts.

M: chest/delts/tris (push)
Tu: back/bis (pull)
W: legs
Th: delts (pump)
F: arms/calves (pump)
Sa/Su: OFF (no cardio even!)

Chest/Delts/Tris
Chest
Machine/Cable Fly Variation: 3 sets of 12, 1 drop on final set (75%)
DB/HS Press: ramping 15, 12, 9, 6
BB/Smith Press: 3 sets of 6-8, rest-pause last set
Stretch Push-ups: 4 sets to failure
Delts
Bent-over DB Lateral Raises: 4 heavy sets of 8
Over and Back Press: 2 sets of 6
Tris
Rope pulldowns: 15, 12, 9, 6 w/ r/p
Close-grip press/Weighted Dip: ramping sets of 6 or 8 (try to PR on final set)


Back/Bis
Back
Meadows Rows: 3 sets of 8
STRICT DB Rows: 3 sets of 12
Stretchers: 3 sets of 12
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns: 15, 12, 9, 6
Chest-supported Row Variation: 15, 12, 10
Shrugs w/ 2-5 sec squeeze: 3 sets of 10-20
Bis
Neutral/Rev. Grip Curl Variation: 3-4 sets of 6-8 (heavy, a little cheating OK)
EZ Bar Curls: 5 sets of 8


Legs
Hams
Lying Hamstring Curls: 5 ramping sets 8-20, then 6-10+drops+partials
Stiff-Leg Variation: 6 sets of 8-20
Quads
Leg Extensions: 4 ramping sets of 15-25, 2 drops on final set (75%, 50%)
Squat/Press Variation: 4 sets 6-20 (w/ intensifier slow negatives, 1.5 reps, r/p, drops, etc.)
Squat/Press Variation: 4 sets 15-50 (pump)
Lunge Variation: 2 sets

Delts (Pump)
Machine/DB Press: ramping sets of 6 or 8
Cable/Machine Lateral Variation: 20, 15, 10+drop and/or 20-60 partials
DB Rear Delt Variation: 3 sets of 15, 30 sec rest
HS/Smith/BB Press: 12, 9, 6 w/ 1 drop or r/p on last set
Seated/Incline DB Lateral Raise: 3 sets of 10-15, 1 drop final set
Machine Rear Delt: 30/20/10 drop set, then heavy 15/10/5 drop set
Front Raise Variation: 20, 15, 10

Arms/Calves (Pump)
Arms
Superset: 3-4 ramping sets of 8-12, 3 drops on final set
Machine/Cable Curl
Pressdown Variation

Superset: 3-4 sets of 6-10 w/ 3-5 sec negatives
DB/EZ Bar curl
Dip Variation

Superset: 20, 10, then two 5/5/5 ascending sets
Seated Curl Variation
Extension Variation

Calves: 5 sets 10-20 w/ intensifier (negatives, held stretch, drops, etc.)
Standing Calf Variation
Seated Calf Variation


LET THE GAINS BEGIN!!

*note: LEAN gains only...=/ ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:28:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5627328 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5352943
Autobiography:
5'9 and a half
around 200 lbs
24 years old
lifting for 7 years, unfortunately the vast majority of that time was spent screwing around doing whatever at random
the only significant injury I have is I tore some muscle in the left side of my lower back 6 years ago and have subsequently re-torn it 3 more times since then. The left side of my lower back is probably mostly scar tissue at this point lol. After 6 years of dumb, I went to a chiro who is also a powerlifter (awesome) and he addressed the flexibility and form issues that were screwing up my back. Been real good ever since, both sides of my back are finally starting to feel the same.

So here starts the log. I am doing 5/3/1. This is the first formal lifting program I have ever done (unless there is a lifting program that tells you to do whatever you want at random).

I started a few weeks ago, so the first few posts will be catch up. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:15:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5352943 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5159689
Stats coming in: 92-94 kg(around 200lb), 22 yo, training for around 9 years, but only powerlifting since early 2011.

First and only meet to date December '11: 160, 110, 250kg (350, 240, 550lbs). Since then I've managed to put 10 kg on my squat and bench press.

Aiming to get a bit more jacked for my wedding in July, while still building strength to compete again later this year. I want to rep a 180kg squat and get 275kg+ on my pull by year end.

Diet is pretty clean (next to no sugar or junk), but usually lacking in quantity. But milk is cheap, so I might just fall back on vast amounts of dairy.

Update - Early 2013

- Ran WS style from July up to a meet in November 2012, got 172.5/122.5/255/550
- Did Smolov base
- Now Sheiko for the time being

Weight is stable, around 89.0kg ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:15:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5159689 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664072 Are You Injured Keep Lifting
by Dan Blewett
05/24/13


Don't let an injury keep you from doing the big lifts. With these variations, you won't lose an ounce of muscle size or strength.
]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:12:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5664072 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665719
I recently bought my first belt and I went with a large 10mm inzer lever belt. I'm on the second last notch and as you can see in the picture there is quite a big part where the belt is basicly 2 cm thick because it overlaps. My question is: Does this matter and can I use it yes or not?

I haven't used it yet by the way. I will probably do that on monday.

Thanks in advance! ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 23:05:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665719 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5652794
I want to demolish the notice that people around here are limiting their gains by dieting as soon as their abs begin to blur from the 1% body fat increase but I also want to show that guys around here don't permabulk either and just add pounds to the scale as it justified muscle gains or never reach their leanness goals.

I know BlueCollarTr8n recommends something to the effect increase ones body weight 10% over there lean weight for about a 12-18 months and just focus on improving one lifts.

Would your advice be different for an underweight kid vs a normal weight or the same to teach certain skills i.e. track macros etc... ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 22:53:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5652794 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665249
Not as shredded as I'd like to be but I'm down over 60 lbs and sitting at 190.
Reverse dieting for about 2 weeks now.
Lean gaining for a year.
Competing next summer if life permits.


Edit: OH I cannot believe I forgot to add this when I first made this thread.

When you show off some new ink you have to give credit to the artist.

My coach is IFPA Pro RJ Perkins. You can google him or look him up on facebook. He is a rad dude and has been a great coach the entire way through.
I'd definitely recommend him to anyone in search of a coach.

I'll be sticking with him throughout my off season and using him as I prep for my first show. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 22:52:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5665249 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5645185
I'll get the ball rolling with a few:

1. I think your training for a cut should absolutely be different than training for gains. Different goals require different focus.

2. I actually believe there's merit to training small muscle groups after a bigger one in terms of optimal growth, i.e. delts after quads, bis after back, tris after chest, etc. v. arms day or delt day

3. I fully endorse IIFYM.

I'll probably have more to add later, but wanted to hear some of yours. And as the title indicates, let's keep this place free of flames. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 22:51:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5645185 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5556564
Some background first:

Age 33 y/o
Height 5'11
Weight 172
Slender frame (think cyclist)
Lots of body/facial hair (think Mediterranean)
Body fat 15-20%, mostly around the belly

Health conditions: hypogonadic symptoms manifesting via ED (can get erection but not maintain it), lack of morning wood, sagging libido, low energy levels, difficulty in concentrating on tasks, etc... sometimes the ED and low libido gets bad enough that it causes problems in my marriage.

Diet: Pretty normal, trying to eat healthy and get enough protein through chicken, fish, and meats. Eat lots of fruit, but few veggies. Keep junk food to a minimum.

Exercise: Road cycling is my primary sport, although I hit the gym to do some strength training, stretching, or muscle toning. No bodybuilding.

My Story:

I was diagnosed with hypogonadism in late 2010 when I went to an urologist for ED/libido issues. The urologist checked my testosterone, and it turned out to be low: 307 in a range of 300-1000 ng/ml. The urologist said "although it is within the normal range, I feel it is too low for your AGE, so I will put you on TRT." Put me on the Testim 1% gel that came in tubes (50 mg in 5 g tubes).

At that point, I was happy to have a solution and I religiously used Testim daily, and it brought my T levels up into the 500+ range (after an initial peak of 728 three weeks into it). My libido was better, ED was very minimal. Started to get morning wood back, not every day, but rather 3x a week, more or less. My right testicle shrunk somewhat, but my left testicle's size stayed the same, if not gotten a bit larger. Asked my doc about that, and he was surprised that my left nut didn't shrink, and didn't know what to say about that.

However, the more time I went by, the more learned about TRT and I didn't realize that it was for life. I thought it was a temporary solution and I wish that the urologist further investigated into WHY my T levels was low in the first place. I also learned that it might be better to run HCG and AI while on TRT, both of which I am NOT currently running.

I was on Testim for almost two years, and then my insurance (damn insurance!!!) changed their drug list and started denying Testim. I refused to pay $400/mo, so I stopped taking Testim for a month. Then I went to the doctor with my concerns about a) insurance, b) fertility, so he prescribed me tamoxifen to try to "restart" my HPTA system. He did a full battery of tests after having been off T for a month and here are the labs:

LABS AFTER BEING OFF TRT FOR 1 MONTH, BEFORE TAKING TAXOMIFEN (aka Nolvadex):

FT 7.33 ng/dl (no ranges given?)
TT 334 ng/dl (300 - 1000)
E2 5 ng/dl (0.5 - 5.0)
DHT 199 pg/ml (106.0 - 719.0)
LH 2 mIU/ml (6.0 - 19.0)
FSH 3 mIU/ml (4.0 - 10.0)
DHEA-S 2369 ng/ml (1419 - 3867)
SHBG 27 nmol/L (10 - 55)

Hemoglobin 14.7 g/dl (13.0 - 17.0)
Hematocrit 42.8 % (37.0 - 49.0)
IGF-1 169 ng/ml (109-307)
Prolactin 14.2 ng/ml (3.0 - 30.0)

Cholesterol 190 mg/dl (<200)
Triglycerides 72 mg/dl (<150)
HDL 59 mg/dl (>39)
LDL 117 mg/dl (<100)
LDL/HDL Ratio 1.98 (<3.55)

That was 5 months ago. Then I took taxomifen for 2 months, and my nuts returned to normal size and hardness. But the ED/low libido black cloud came back, and now I'm on Androgel. But I don't think it is working as effectively as Testim has worked for me. My right testicle is a bit smaller again, but not as small as before when on Testim. I don't think my skin is absorbing Androgel like it's supposed to.

I'm a little frustrated with my current urologist as I don't think he knows everything about TRT (no HCG or AI?!?!) and his office doesn't communicate with my insurance well, resulting in denied claims or Rx delays at the pharmacy. He also drops the ball on the labs a lot.

I have an appointment with him tomorrow, and I'm thinking I'm going to give him one more chance while I ask about AI and HCG and more detailed lab tests.

But if I'm not satisfied with how it goes, is there a Houston-based TRT doctor who knows what he's doing and also takes insurance? I have Blue Cross.

What about TRT clinics? Like the Low T Center that just started in 2010 and opened a new facility literally 2 minutes from my home. Link: http://www.lowtcenter.com/ Are there others like this?
]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 22:43:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5556564 http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5490732
Thyroid basics:

We have many guys here with thyroid issues. Somehow I want to think that these are uncommon. But here, we see these problems all of the time. Perhaps the guys who come here via Google or other search engines are as a group more likely to have these issues.

You cannot live without thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones control metabolic rates and body temperature. The time frame for this is hours. You body temperature drops at night and warms up in the morning. As you will see later, thyroid problems can lead to lower body temperatures. We take advantage of this as a simple diagnostic tool. That method cuts through the complexities or ambiguous results of lab results, other symptoms and the blocking effects of rT3.

If one's thyroid hormones are low, or body temperature is low, one has hypothyroidism. If the problems are slight, it is called subclinical. Subclinical basically means that your doctor will not do anything. You have to remember that doctors are trained to deal with disease management, not health management. If you want to optimize your state of health, a doctor does not have any interest because you do not have a disease and associated diagnostic code that can be used for insurance billing.

So how does one interpret thyroid lab results? The range for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone [TSH] is 0.5 - 5. The range varies slightly from lab to lab. Fall in that range and many docs will say that you are normal and dismiss your concerns. So for those docs, a 10:1 range in this hormone is OK. In reality, you want to be somewhere close to 1.0. An endocrinologist professional group recommended that the range be changed to 0.5 - 3.0. However, labs have not change the ranges and effectively, hardly any doctors are aware of this change. You need to know that the normal range is from data fitting to a "normal" statistical variation which captures 95% of the sample group. So one normally finds 95% of the sample group falls within that "normal range". But that range captures a lot of people who are not well and the reason that their thyroid hormones not right.

We talk about optimal levels for hormones. But if you are in range, your doctor will probably tell you that you are normal. Those doctors have confused lab normal ranges with normal health function. This is the big problem. With thyroid hormones, optimal T3/T4 seems to be at the middle of the lab ranges.

TSH is released by the pituitary gland, the master gland. By varying TSH levels, the pituitary is able to control the output from the thyroid gland. The thyroid produces two thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. These hormones are a protein complex that includes 3 or 4 iodine atoms. Iodine is a trace element in nature, but it is so important for survival, that 1.0 to 1.5 grams can be stored in the human body. Evolution selected for that. Most iodine is stored in the thyroid gland. Women store more as iodine is also stored in breast tissue; with implications for increased breast cancer if one is iodine deficient and the obvious implication that breast milk can deliver iodine.

Hormones T3 and T4 are mostly carried in blood [serum is the medical term] bound to proteins and is not readily bio-available. T3 and T4 that are not bound are termed free and referred to as fT3 and fT4.

T4 is really a reservoir and it not so much bioactive. It is T3 that directs the metabolic rate of cells, and specifically fT3. T4 is converted to T3 [T4-->T3] inside the thyroid gland and also in other tissues [referred to as peripheral conversion. As we will see later, some people seem to have less ability for peripheral T4-->T3. If you give a T4 thyroid medication to those people, they will be T3 starved and they are still symptomatic. And surprise, most doctors are also clueless about that.

Your body has a feedback loop that compares T3/T4 in circulation with a "set point". If the serum levels are below the set point, more TSH is released to promote more action from the thyroid gland. If serum levels are above the set point, less TSH is produced and thyroid output falls. You can make an analogy with your home thermostat. Do you have a set-back furnace/heater thermostat that allows the temperature to drop at night during the heating season? Guess what, the same thing happens to your body temperature. The body temperature set point drops at night and your body cools down when you are sleeping.

Your pituitary gland is not fully in control. The hypothalamus monitors serum thyroid levels and it controls the pituitary gland by signaling with TRH.

You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...

So that is the quick and dirty introduction. Now we need the practical information.

We will focus on hypothyroidism: http://en.wikipedia.org/...#Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a state of low thyroid hormone levels and in this sticky we will extend that broadly to include sub-optimal levels. We need to be more concerned with functional hypothyroidism as you will see later.

So what causes hypothyroidism? Things can go wrong, auto immune disease etc. But often there is not a disease state. We see that low testosterone levels, hypogonadism, often can create a degree of hypothyroidism and visa versa. So we often see guys who come here with hypogonadism issues having thyroid problems. And sometimes hypothyroidism causes hypogonadism.

It is also important to note that most of the symptoms of hypogonadism are also common to hypothyroidism. So you do not want either one, let alone the compound effects of both!

But back to basics - iodine.

Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones and you would die without it. Low iodine can cause goiter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G... When there is an iodine deficiency, the pituitary gland releases more TSH, to make the thyroid gland more active. High TSH levels have the effect of making the thyroid gland grow larger and that can lead to nodules inside the gland that might become cancerous. These nodules can also start to make T4 and T3 without the control of the TSH hormone. When that starts to happen, the serum hormone levels will rise, but TSH levels are reduced in compensation. If the nodules produce all of the hormones that your body needs, TSH is shut off [TSH-->0] and one is on the edge of hypothyroidism. If the nodules produce more than that, TSH cannot go negative and serum thyroid hormones can go to high and now one has hypothyroidism, which is a serious problem.

So back to iodine. Many places in the world, perhaps most places, do not have enough iodine in the soil to work its way up through the food change to provide the levels that we need [iodine deficiency ID]. For this reason, iodine has been added to salt and that is iodized salt. That eliminated goiter in most cases. And there also used to be iodine in bread, but that is no longer the case.

The iodized salt method of delivering iodine has two weak points. One is that sea salt has become popular. There is iodine in sea water. During the crystallization of salt from sea water, iodine is lost, not captured in the crystals. Sea salt is the big reason why iodine intake has dropped in many societies. Note that restaurants mostly do not used iodized salt. And prepared foods do not use iodized salt. So even if one has iodized salt at home, if one is not cooking most of their own meals, they have a limited opportunity to get iodine. The fancy "rock salts" that claim to have many trace elements are also very low in iodine and are not a source.

The second problem is that doctors tell people with high blood pressure to stop using salt. Sooner or later those people will suffer from the effects of iodine deficiency. This is a pathology directly caused by ignorant doctors.

I know someone well who used to cook for her grandmother who was told to get off of salt. So she learned to cook without salt and got used to that. Her grandmother was long gone, but she still did not use any salt. She ended up with goiter and nodules and is now border line hypo with TSH=0. She has been hospitalized twice as a result of high thyroid hormone levels, otherwise, she gets along fine is this state. She has nodules producing thyroid hormones without needing TSH. Her thyroid gland was visibly "thick" looking and asymmetrical. And there were lumps. Her doctor should have been picking that up by feeling [palpating] around her larynx. FAIL!

We now ask guys to have TSH, fT3 and fT4 lab work. Often this is not conclusive. But if their body temperatures are low, whatever the labs say, we can conclude that there is a state of functional hypothyroidism.

Testing your body temperature: Get an oral "fever" thermometer. Do not test in your arm pit. Do not test soon after you have been talking, panting, drinking, eating, screwing, training etc. Check your temperature when you wake up, before you get out of bed. 97.3 F or lower is definitely a problem indicator. Ideal would be near 97.7 F and could be higher. We have guys who are below 97! I have added to this a check during the mid afternoon to see if you are getting to 98.6; if you can't get there, that is a problem indication.

How many times to I need to ask a guy here before he checks his temperatures? Very often three times. Maybe there is a learning disability as a symptom of hypothyroidism.

Some people say that they have always had low body temperatures. I think that many times we are been told that they have low iodine intake!

If your thyroid hormones are suspect and body temperatures are low, one can take iodine supplements [iodine replenishment IR] to treat the presumed ID. If IR normalizes one's body temperatures, then that is diagnostic. If that does not work, you have more serious problems to consider.

I went trough ID, my wife started to buy the "dirty" rock salt about one year earlier with all of the nice trace minerals. My body temperature was low in the AM and I was close to 98 in the afternoon. IR fixed that. I had started to feel run done, depressed, no energy. That was resolved with iodine. All of my thyroid labs would have been "normal".

The amount of iodine in iodized salt, is really only enough to tread water. And the 150 mcg RDA in some vitamins is no better. Those amounts are useful if one has a good existing level of iodine. RDA is recommended daily allowance and mcg actually means micro-grams. .

So lets say one needed to take in 0.75 grams if iodine for IR. How many days would it take to intake 0.75 grams with the RDA of 150mcg. Simple, 0.75 grams /0.00015 grams per day = 5000 days. But over 5000 days you would loose most of that and for all intents and purposes, the RDA will never fix ID.

For IR you can take up to 50 mg iodine per day and get .75 grams in two weeks. I did that and started to feel better in 2-3 days. Some health food stores will have high potency iodine supplements. Many get a product called Iodoral from internet stores which is 12.5 mg iodine. Iodine was a common disinfectant in every home years ago. Rarely seen now. It was applied to cuts etc. But that stung and fell out of favour. So in large doses such as 50mg, it starts to kill of some of the bacteria in your gut. That can cause some disturbances for some, farting and loose stools etc. After a while I had that problem and skipped the iodine for a day then went on with a lower dose. So you can do something similar as needed.

More IR: Element bromine is related to iodine and in the body it can get stored where iodine would otherwise be stored. You can slowly build up bromine in your system and it is not good for you. Bromine is introduce in foods and medicines: http://en.wikipedia.org/...ne#Applications When you do IR, it will displace bromine in your body that is then excreted. However, serum levels of bromine can make one feel sick during the phase and people will feel that the iodine is making them sick. Those who have such levels of bromine should not abandon IR but should understand what is happening and why. They can also reduce their IR dose to see if things are more tolerable. Bromine stinks. Someone shedding bromine may smell bad or fishy and may have a metallic taste sensation. If this is happening, there would be some comfort in knowing that they removing toxins. If one feels that the bromine displacement is over, they could increase IR dose if that makes sense.

I have read a few comprehensive medical guides to thyroid lab interpretation for cases where the labs do not make any sense, describing various problems like cancer, medicine interference, various genetic abnormalities, T4 higher and T3 lower, vice versa etc. Not a single word about iodine, iodine deficiency, iodized salt or the fact that the GP may have taken the patient to a salt free diet. So you have these very high end endocrinologists who are thyroid specialized and publish about thyroid problems and lab interpretation who are blind to the central role of iodine. Unforgivable.

The cynical side of me wants to point out that if iodine was patented drug, then drug reps would 'detail' this to doctors and they would be aware and alert for iodine deficiencies.

So the complicator: rT3. Reverse T3 is almost the same as T3, except that the molecule is twisted the wrong/reverse way. It fits into T3 receptors and just parks there and does nothing, while not allowing T3 to activate the effected receptors. One could have perfect TSH, T4, T3, fT3, fT3 labs and not have any markers for autoimmune diseased of the thyroid, thyroid would be normal size, symmetric and smooth. But if rT3 is elevated, one can have hypothyroid symptoms. In this case, one can do rT3 lab work, or take your temperature. If temperatures [AM and PM] are low, then you can assume that you have a functional hypothyroid state then test rT3 to see if that is the reason.

So what can cause rT3 levels to be elevated? We do see this with adrenal fatigue, where high stress levels and/or events have exhausted the adrenal glands. The causes can be job stress, relationship stress, job loss, death of a loved one, accidents, injuries, infections acute or chronic, parasites etc. Dealing with adrenal fatigue is difficult and takes time. You can't fix that with a pill. We do see guys with this problem; some have hypogonadism, hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. If you want to know more, Google Wilson's book on "adrenal fatigue". It does require a book, not a sticky.

Note that starvation can increase rT3, so I will add starvation diets to that. You can get the same result from over-training, you need recovery days. We see guys here who have totally messed up their hormone systems with starvation diet or diets that are extreme low fat.

But why do we worry about these things in a TRT context? Both hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue undermine your metabolic capacity. TRT often restores one's metabolism to a youthful state. However, if your adrenals and thyroid levels cannot support that restored metabolic state, you hit the wall, crash or whatever you want to call it. In these cases, guys go on TRT and do not do as well as they should, or simply feel unwell or worse than before they started TRT. So TRT finds these weak links, and surprise! Doctors do not get understand this. So again, you need to be the expert and find a doctor who is not an idiot.

Doctors: There are few who are great and really understand these issues, I have trained a few ;). Unfortunately, most doctors are a deep disappointment. You guys can understand these issues and all of the details that we discuss about TRT. But the doctors typically are clueless. So you are on your own. You have to manage your own health care and be proactive. It is really very rare that a guy will be in any way like that. Most people are totally ignorant about any level of health care issues, and they want to stay that way [passive]. That may sound surprising, but you have to understand that the process of guys using Google and hitting the page content here selects for guys who are trying to learn and find something better than their current state of health or standard of medical care. So these forums select for guys who are already proactive.

I am an old engineer and not a medical professional in any capacity. These issues simply make sense to me as just another system.

12/29/2012 - also see http://www.stopthethyroidmadne...
-- and http://personal.lig.bellsouth....

02/21/2013 - deep info on rT3
http://www.stopthethyroidmadne...

Update: You should not do thyroid labs soon after your thyroid gland is palpated. That can be from a doc or your own exam. This can increase serum thyroid hormone levels and make the lab results inaccurate. See: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/....20959/abstract

Parallel to the above, you should not do lab work that includes PSA soon after a DRE prostate exam. ]]> Sat, 25 May 2013 22:40:00 GMT http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=5490732