The Bodybuilders Thread: Circuit II

[InternetSwag]

Hmm. I'm convinced that I don't respond to pre workouts. Then again I also have no idea if I respond to creatine

Been on the hellfire for a week now. I take it and then usually I need to poop. Caffeine does the same thing apparently so obviously it's doing something to me. But I don't feel any different even on 3 scoops.

Now I've tried noXplode, some biogen brand from dischem and hellfire.

I'm gonna keep trying different kinds though. Next up is nutritech.

Mmm expensive aan maak koeldrank Lolo no but really I'm just enjoying the experiment

 

[InternetSwag]

I'd love to hear too, except that I'm quite sure I've read that sex doesn't affect it significantly, a good resistance workout does though - compound movements mostly, and full body workout too (though that can be counterproductive depending on your goals).
I'd love to be able to follow my body's natural production though.
Stress is the real killer - stress and cortisol destroy Testosterone, that's why you need to make room for a good workout and more fresh air.

What about depression/low self esteem?

Basically the reason I started lifting eheh

 

[silverfoxrox]

Im also in the anti supplement crowd.Its a waste and your body cant process that powder properly which is why you go to the loo more often.Also your body can only use a certain amount of protein to rebuild itself and that number is nowhere near 2g protein/ kg bodyweight /day.

You don't have to convince me. I completely agree that getting protein from whole food sources is probably the best. The only reason I want to use a protein shake is to cut down on the amount of meat I eat for environmental reasons. I know that theoretically, I could then get enough protein from plant sources....I just don't have the time(and appetite) to eat mounds of broccoli every few hours. So, yes, a protein shake isn't the most ideal....it's a compromise for me.

Does anyone know of any home testosterone test that one can buy and use?I want to see how my levels fluctuate during the day and also graph my min/max values over a certain period in order to better time a workout or to see whether sex increases or decreases levels.

I would be shocked if there is 1. Any at home test and 2. If there is one, one that is affordable to do what you are proposing. My suggestion would be to go to the sports science department or health sciences faculty at your nearest research university and see if there are studies you could be a participant in, which measure testosterone as a component of the study. That said, you wouldn't necessarily have access to the results until the study is complete...

 

[APoc184]

I feel like a kid before Christmas eve.

Tonight will be my first workout in 4 weeks again.
Finally kicked the pneumonia, sinus infection and all the other crap and feeling 100% again.

Last night I did very light 30min on the spinning bike and some ab wheel roll outs and planks just to assess if I'm all good. Had to stop myself from not going in the garage and doing a full workout.

Can't even begin to explain how frustrating it was not being able to throw some weights around for a whole month.

 

[InternetSwag]

I feel like a kid before Christmas eve.

Tonight will be my first workout in 4 weeks again.
Finally kicked the pneumonia, sinus infection and all the other crap and feeling 100% again.

Last night I did very light 30min on the spinning bike and some ab wheel roll outs and planks just to assess if I'm all good. Had to stop myself from not going in the garage and doing a full workout.

Can't even begin to explain how frustrating it was not being able to throw some weights around for a whole month.

Full speed ahead on the gain train choo choo!

 

[APoc184]

Whoo... Instant DOMS the next morning. Haven't had that in a very long time.

Good to be back. Legs tonight.

 

[Brontosaurus]

Whoo... Instant DOMS the next morning. Haven't had that in a very long time.

Good to be back. Legs tonight.

The first two to three weeks of getting back into it are the worst; your strength is in the pits, your energy levels are in the pits, and everything hurts like hell.

 

[The_Ogre]

I'm a bit frustrated. I picked up a cough over the weekend somewhere and because of it didn't go to the gym yesterday. Instead I tried to doctor myself, but this mornign it was still there. So no gym yesterday and today

Hopefully its gone by tomorrow.

Mondays and Tuesdays I spend quite a bit of time on the treadmill for cardio, just something that I got used to in the past since I don't gym on weekends and need to get rid of all those "sins and cheats" of the weekend

 

[Lament]

I think all these supplements are just a money spinner. I won't spend a cent on that kack. It's useless if you don't juice.

Yip, very true. Ironically also much cheaper.

Only real supplement that works is, loads of eggs

 

[adam88]

I am currently on a cut. I think my TDDE is about 2100 I am averaging 1750 a day over a week. I started carb cycling. My body fat is apparently around 11 - 12% but I really wanna lose this fat on my lower back. My scale is not moving, I have been on 63kg for the past few weeks, I am seeing changes but I don't know if it is just a placebo effect.

I want to believe that I could be maintaining muscle and losing fat at the same time but I do not think it is possible because my calories are so low?

 

[Brontosaurus]

I am currently on a cut. I think my TDDE is about 2100 I am averaging 1750 a day over a week. I started carb cycling. My body fat is apparently around 11 - 12% but I really wanna lose this fat on my lower back. My scale is not moving, I have been on 63kg for the past few weeks, I am seeing changes but I don't know if it is just a placebo effect.

I want to believe that I could be maintaining muscle and losing fat at the same time but I do not think it is possible because my calories are so low?

You first problem here is the word "think". You need to know what your TDEE is. 2,100 seems a little on the low side tbh. And your deficit of 350cals is too low. 500 is the magic number here.

I have a few questions:

How tall are you? 63kg seems rather light to want to cut.
How active are you? Do any sports? Gym frequency?
Any cardio in your weekly routine?
How often do you carb cycle? At 11 - 12% you should ideally refeed approximately every 10 days.
When do you weigh yourself? Best time is after your morning ablutions. Water retention, food etc can play a huge role in daily weight fluctuations.

EDIT: There is an article somewhere that says you can eat at a 40% calorie deficit without too much effect on lean muscle mass. This is quite extreme however and I personally wouldn't recommend it. Just make sure you're getting enough protein - 2.2g per kg of lean body mass.

Also, you need to be careful with counting calories, especially if you're using an app. A lot of the nutritional info is crowd-sourced and can be ridiculously incorrect, so just keep an eye out there.

 

[Thor]

Yip, very true. Ironically also much cheaper.

Only real supplement that works is, loads of eggs

Cooked eggs.

Raw eggs is a waste.

 

[adam88]

You first problem here is the word "think". You need to know what your TDEE is. 2,100 seems a little on the low side tbh. And your deficit of 350cals is too low. 500 is the magic number here.

I have a few questions:

How tall are you? 63kg seems rather light to want to cut.
How active are you? Do any sports? Gym frequency?
Any cardio in your weekly routine?
How often do you carb cycle? At 11 - 12% you should ideally refeed approximately every 10 days.
When do you weigh yourself? Best time is after your morning ablutions. Water retention, food etc can play a huge role in daily weight fluctuations.

EDIT: There is an article somewhere that says you can eat at a 40% calorie deficit without too much effect on lean muscle mass. This is quite extreme however and I personally wouldn't recommend it. Just make sure you're getting enough protein - 2.2g per kg of lean body mass.

Also, you need to be careful with counting calories, especially if you're using an app. A lot of the nutritional info is crowd-sourced and can be ridiculously incorrect, so just keep an eye out there.

I am about 1.69m tall. I have quite a skinny frame but I have become rather skinny fat and gained lots of fat around my stomach and lower back area.

I would say I am very active? Hence me thinking my TDEE is about 2100. It is probably like 2175 round about, I am on my feet a lot of my day. I am basing my TDEE on active levels. But I also go to gym about 5 - 6 times a day, most of my workouts are probably combination of high intensity and weight lifting - most days I cool down with a 60 cal bike ride.

I just started to try carb cycle or calorie cycling last week, I would aim to have 11250 calories over the week. So on my days that have more actual weight lifting activity I would have high carb days with C 201g P 146g F 49g and a lower days with C 146 P 139g F 40g. This is obviously my ideal aims but I do not reach it. Four days 1500 cals and Three days 1825 cals.

 

[JerryMungo]

Hmm. I'm convinced that I don't respond to pre workouts. Then again I also have no idea if I respond to creatine

Been on the hellfire for a week now. I take it and then usually I need to poop. Caffeine does the same thing apparently so obviously it's doing something to me. But I don't feel any different even on 3 scoops.

Now I've tried noXplode, some biogen brand from dischem and hellfire.

I'm gonna keep trying different kinds though. Next up is nutritech.

Mmm expensive aan maak koeldrank Lolo no but really I'm just enjoying the experiment

You need to quit for a month. Your body has built up resistance IMO.
You may notice withdrawal.

 

[Necropolis]

So, hook grip for the DL - anybody use this?

I'm keen to give it a try - just seems like it will be far less than comfortable.

 

[APoc184]

EDIT: There is an article somewhere that says you can eat at a 40% calorie deficit without too much effect on lean muscle mass. This is quite extreme however and I personally wouldn't recommend it. Just make sure you're getting enough protein - 2.2g per kg of lean body mass.

Think I've seen that study. Unfortunately the participants were all untrained individuals (students to be exact). So noob gains along with the fat loss might have been a big factor.

I do however also remember seeing a study about US Army recruits going through intense training and crazy calorie deficits and muscle loss was not an issue at all.

Think as long as you keep up decent resistance training and protein intake muscle will almost always be the last thing tour body sheds. Of course the lower the bf%, the trickier it gets.

Would love to see more studies on these subjects. Broscience is so prevalent in the fitness world.

As for TDEE... That is a journey of discovery in itself. Pick a number from a calculator. Stick to it for 2 weeks, weigh yourself regularly and adjust that number accordingly. I'm currently at 90kg and 1.86m. Cutting at about 1800 calories. Won't lie. Mentally it is tough as hell. Refeed days every 2 weeks are keeping me sane.

If you are not going to be in it for the long run just hop on gear and get it over with.

 

[adam88]

So, hook grip for the DL - anybody use this?

I'm keen to give it a try - just seems like it will be far less than comfortable.

This sounds unnecessary. So much force on your thumb? Hook grip for any snatch and clean progressions mostly isnt it?

 

[rayven_king]

So Im back on weighted pull ups again, did 10 singles of 35kg and 5x5 with 20kg (failed on the last set), shoulder feels fine this morning

 

[Brontosaurus]

Think I've seen that study. Unfortunately the participants were all untrained individuals (students to be exact). So noob gains along with the fat loss might have been a big factor.

I do however also remember seeing a study about US Army recruits going through intense training and crazy calorie deficits and muscle loss was not an issue at all.

Think as long as you keep up decent resistance training and protein intake muscle will almost always be the last thing tour body sheds. Of course the lower the bf%, the trickier it gets.

Would love to see more studies on these subjects. Broscience is so prevalent in the fitness world.

As for TDEE... That is a journey of discovery in itself. Pick a number from a calculator. Stick to it for 2 weeks, weigh yourself regularly and adjust that number accordingly. I'm currently at 90kg and 1.86m. Cutting at about 1800 calories. Won't lie. Mentally it is tough as hell. Refeed days every 2 weeks are keeping me sane.

If you are not going to be in it for the long run just hop on gear and get it over with.

Quick question, do you also have cheat meals? I'm cutting at 2,000 but I have a weekly cheat meal. I try to still stay within my goal but it's not always easy trying to guess the calories in a burger.

I also refeed every three to four weeks on top of the cheat meal. I don't know if I'm doing myself any favours, but the carb cravings get bad - I actually dreamt about pancakes. :wtf:

I'm shedding fat fast, but I'm also taking clen to speed this process up.

 

[APoc184]

Quick question, do you also have cheat meals? I'm cutting at 2,000 but I have a weekly cheat meal. I try to still stay within my goal but it's not always easy trying to guess the calories in a burger.

I also refeed every three to four weeks on top of the cheat meal. I don't know if I'm doing myself any favours, but the carb cravings get bad - I actually dreamt about pancakes. :wtf:

I'm shedding fat fast, but I'm also taking clen to speed this process up.

Apart from my refeed days I do not do any other cheat meals. Strict low carb for two weeks and then on refeed days everything is fair game.

On refeed days I do not count calories and I do not count macros.

There are some pretty nice articles on leptin levels during cutting and the importance of refeed days. If I am benefiting from the physiological aspects of that it is nice but for me refeeds are purely mental. I'd go insane if I had to keep cutting at current levels for weeks on end without some sort of "relief".

I have successfully cut down to a six-pack with a similar approach before so I know it works.

Back on a cut again after a good winter bulk. Whether the refeed days means it takes me 2 or 3 weeks longer to reach certain goals is not relevant to me. I'm not going to compete in shows or have model shoots to do. I just want to stay sane and look good over the long run.

Too afraid to try Clen. High blood pressure runs in the family I'm not going to play around with clen and my heart. Done ECA stacks a few times because and really helps with appetite.