DYELB: The Gainz Train

[coogles]

@Brad, you should try to add the 200 lb press to that too just to be full beast mode. I think you can do it.

yea that's be nice, but not sure if possible. my seated press has been stuck at 145 for awhile.

Hmm.

I have an odd ratio between my OHP and bench. I haven't maxed in a bit but my bench right now is probably at about 225 based on this week's 7RM. I can do 155 on OHP no problem, standing or seated. Best I've ever done is 185, best flat bench ever was 240. I've always been this way - when I lifted with the football bros in high school I couldn't come close to using their weights on flat bench, but seated shoulder press I'd be using basically the same weights.

[SAWCE]

No idea on either of my maxes. Back when I did 531 I think I had gotten up to a 185 standing OHP, but that sounds like a lot for how smol I was back then.. my best ever bench was 315x2

[golftdibrad1]

it's Tuesday, so we squat. 405 squat for 2 singles on Xmas eve. bring on the feast lol

[SAWCE]

it's Tuesday, so we squat. 405 squat for 2 singles on Xmas eve. bring on the feast lol

Hell yeah. I’m hoping to lift late tonight after we get to Texas.

[SAWCE]

Thinking about starting another thread, if there is interest from anyone in here.

Once the new year starts, I’m going to start blasting gear again. I used to run 750mg of test every week, plus other compounds on top of that. Beginning July/August of 2022 that got brought down to just 400mg test/week, and I’ve been less than that since early 2023. Most of 2023 and 2024 was spent at 200mg test, mid 2024 I was running a little bit of masteron with the test, and as of late I’ve been on a true TRT dose of 120mg test/week.

My first planned cycle is going to be 400mg test with 400mg masteron every week. I’ll kick start the cycle with a low dose of anavar, 25mg/day for the first week, then 50mg/day for the second week, and finishing with 75mg/day for the third week before dropping that out. Orals tend to wreck my appetite so I don’t want to push that too high or for too long. Plan is to stay on the test/mast for 20 weeks, then drop back down to TRT dose for 6ish weeks to let my body recover a bit. Depending on how things are progressing mid-cycle, doses may be bumped up a bit. The 800 total mg of injectables is a far cry lower than what I used to run, but I’ve been on such a low dose for so long that I should still see some good growth from it. My risk tolerance is lower now with the baby, and as I get older my body just doesn’t tolerate things as well, so trying to get the most from the least.

Thought it may be interesting for you guys to see what an actual cycle looks like, what the results are, etc. I’ll detail training, food, other supplements, etc. and give a more behind the scenes look of what goes in to the offseason of a (hopefully) competitive bodybuilder.

[coogles]

I'd be super curious.

On one hand, I really don't want to mess with that stuff, on the other, I'm so beyond annoyed with how hard it is for me to get bigger.

For context, I started resistance training when I was 15. I was the same height I am now - 5'10" - and weighed 120lbs. I convinced my parents to get a Bowflex of all things, and started working out on that after school before I was old enough to drive to and from the weight room at school. By the time my junior year started and I got my driver's license at 16, I was up to 140lbs.

I was friends with a couple guys on the football team and worked out with them a lot my last two years of high school. They were WAY bigger than me, but they put up with me and I was up to 160lbs or so by the time I graduated. Four more years of lifting in college got me to 170lbs at 21 years old. I wasn't big by any means, but I essentially put on 50lbs of muscle in 6 years. That ain't bad.

Here I am at 38 and I'm 176lbs. 6 pounds of muscle for 15 YEARS of additional work in the weight room. I genuinely think I've more or less maxed out my natural genetics. I have a small bone structure (thanks mom), I wear a size 6.5 ring and have a 6.5" diameter wrist. If I'm going to meaningfully make any progress from here it's going to take some "help", especially now that I'm just shy of 40.

[SAWCE]

I'd be super curious.

On one hand, I really don't want to mess with that stuff, on the other, I'm so beyond annoyed with how hard it is for me to get bigger.

For context, I started resistance training when I was 15. I was the same height I am now - 5'10" - and weighed 120lbs. I convinced my parents to get a Bowflex of all things, and started working out on that after school before I was old enough to drive to and from the weight room at school. By the time my junior year started and I got my driver's license at 16, I was up to 140lbs.

I was friends with a couple guys on the football team and worked out with them a lot my last two years of high school. They were WAY bigger than me, but they put up with me and I was up to 160lbs or so by the time I graduated. Four more years of lifting in college got me to 170lbs at 21 years old. I wasn't big by any means, but I essentially put on 50lbs of muscle in 6 years. That ain't bad.

Here I am at 38 and I'm 176lbs. 6 pounds of muscle for 15 YEARS of additional work in the weight room. I genuinely think I've more or less maxed out my natural genetics. I have a small bone structure (thanks mom), I wear a size 6.5 ring and have a 6.5" diameter wrist. If I'm going to meaningfully make any progress from here it's going to take some "help", especially now that I'm just shy of 40.

We’ve got similar natural builds, I’m just a bit taller. I started at 18 and was 135lbs at 6’2”ish. Also started out on a bow flex in my buddy’s parent’s garage. Managed to get up to 155-160ish by 20, then took a few more years to get up to 185 and was stuck there for a while. 23 I ran my first “cycle” which was just me being young and dumb. 100mg test and 100mg deca every week for 10 weeks. Didn’t use an aromatase inhibitor or do any sort of PCT, so my natural production got completely shut down and I lost all the weight I gained on cycle within a few weeks of finishing it. Had all the negative side effects to boot: no sex drive from not controlling estrogen, dick didn’t get hard for nearly a year after, gyno… it sucked. Decided to keep on the natural route until I was about 27 and then met a dude who actually knew how to run gear when I moved down to San Diego and he helped me out. Kind of dabbled on my own with his guidance until my BIL asked me to do a bodybuilding show with him a few years later and that’s when I dove head first into bbing with hiring a coach and really starting to learn how to use gear.

If you do ever seriously consider coming to the dark side, I’d start with bloodwork to see what your natural test levels are and where your body likes your estrogen to be in relation to that. If you’re real low, you’ll see some nice gains just from doing TRT. For your goals, I don’t think you’d ever need to blast a crazy amount.. maybe working up to a “TRT+” level of 200-300mg a week and add in some masteron or primobolan to manage your estrogen and get some additional gains. I’d steer you away from taking an aromatase inhibitor since they wreak havoc on your cholesterol and lipid profiles, and use the mast or primo to handle that for you instead. If you worked up to a total of 500mg/week of test and one of those dht derivatives, I think you’d be quite happy, and still be playing in a very safe arena. Orals like anavar are an option too, but without the goal of stepping on stage, I think it’s better to avoid stuff that needs to pass through your liver and kidneys. Tren is super popular right now, but that’s a very toxic drug and I’d rather see someone take orals than that any day of the week unless they’re actively prepping for a show. Deca is generally good for most people, but the older I get the less my body likes it and it drives my hematocrit up too high for me to justify continued use. I think I’m test + mast/primo from here on out other than whenever I am able to get back on stage.

I’ll start the thread when I get home and will be happy to answer any questions along the way!

[coogles]

I’ll start the thread when I get home and will be happy to answer any questions along the way!

Thanks man, that's all super interesting.

Last time I had my T checked I was in the low 500s. I do the Huberman stack of Tongkat Ali and Ashwaghanda and it seemed to help when I started, enough that I figured I should put off TRT as long as I can.

That there are degrees to this shit is nice to hear. Being able to essentially do TRT without going to some truly serious compounds would be a much more reasonable step to take, I think.

[D Griff]

I’d give it a read! Definitely interesting stuff.

[golftdibrad1]

Closed out heavy week with a 520 deadlift. I think I need another pair of 45s, Im officially out of easy to use weights. I do have another 150 lbs in bumpers, but they are 25s, 15s, and 10s and are a pain in the ass to load over the 315 worth of 45s, and also barspace is a consideration. This pull used all the easy loads- 2 econ 45 bumpers, 2 oly 45 bumpers, and the rest of the iron - 2 45s, 2 35's, 4 25s, 2 each 10, 5, 2.5.

Question is, do i get another oly 45 set or just get iron? I have a unique consideration... the basement is sloped to a drain roughly in the middle of my stance. I dont have headroom for a platform, and the OD of bumpers is ever so slightly large enough to keep the iron off the floor. but another one might make it hit. but i guess i could just change my loadout order to put a bumper on the outside... I think I just answered my own question I guess I'll be fractionally decreasing my pulling distance too, but whatever, I'm not doing competitions or anything where this would matter.

any deals out there?

[D Griff]

Alright bros. I've got an interesting one... some annoyingly consistent dull pain in my right arm where my tricep meets my elbow. It doesn't really feel like normal joint/elbow pain but it hurts to do things like pick up a drink or other light item I wrap my hand around.

I have been lifting a good bit since the , but it's a lot of body weight stuff - pull ups, push ups, dips, light dumbells, stuff I can do at home and such. Well, went to the gym last weekend and my tris were very sore and this manifested coming off of that but can't really put a finger on a cause.

Anyone ever experience anything of the sort?

[SAWCE]

Alright bros. I've got an interesting one... some annoyingly consistent dull pain in my right arm where my tricep meets my elbow. It doesn't really feel like normal joint/elbow pain but it hurts to do things like pick up a drink or other light item I wrap my hand around.

I have been lifting a good bit since the , but it's a lot of body weight stuff - pull ups, push ups, dips, light dumbells, stuff I can do at home and such. Well, went to the gym last weekend and my tris were very sore and this manifested coming off of that but can't really put a finger on a cause.

Anyone ever experience anything of the sort?

Guessing you’re talking about the bottom side of your elbow? Sounds like tennis elbow.. just an overuse injury. Take a week or two off of the lifts you’ve been doing and see how it feels. May need another week or two on top of that, but then just ease back into your routine.

If you really increased the volume of reps you’re doing when you switched to the bodyweight stuff, you may have jus gone too hard too fast and now that tendon is barking at you.

If the pain is annoying during the day, you can throw some voltaren on it.

[D Griff]

Alright bros. I've got an interesting one... some annoyingly consistent dull pain in my right arm where my tricep meets my elbow. It doesn't really feel like normal joint/elbow pain but it hurts to do things like pick up a drink or other light item I wrap my hand around.

I have been lifting a good bit since the , but it's a lot of body weight stuff - pull ups, push ups, dips, light dumbells, stuff I can do at home and such. Well, went to the gym last weekend and my tris were very sore and this manifested coming off of that but can't really put a finger on a cause.

Anyone ever experience anything of the sort?

Guessing you’re talking about the bottom side of your elbow? Sounds like tennis elbow.. just an overuse injury. Take a week or two off of the lifts you’ve been doing and see how it feels. May need another week or two on top of that, but then just ease back into your routine.

If you really increased the volume of reps you’re doing when you switched to the bodyweight stuff, you may have jus gone too hard too fast and now that tendon is barking at you.

If the pain is annoying during the day, you can throw some voltaren on it.

Yeah could definitely be that. The wife said she thought it was from holding the

[golftdibrad1]

if its tennis elbow, get the rubber thing and do the tyler twist. resting it wont heal it.

[SAWCE]

if its tennis elbow, get the rubber thing and do the tyler twist. resting it wont heal it.

I forgot about those. Good call. You can get a three pack of different thickness/resistances on Amazon for cheap.

[D Griff]

This? https://www.amazon.com/TheraBand-Tendon ... 9hdGY&th=1

[J-Ho-Fo-Show69]

This? https://www.amazon.com/TheraBand-Tendon ... 9hdGY&th=1

If that pain persists, you may want to see a specialist just to be sure man. Don’t wanna fuck your shit up for life by self diagnosing. This is coming from someone who didn’t go to a doctor for 30 years.

[golftdibrad1]

This? https://www.amazon.com/TheraBand-Tendon ... 9hdGY&th=1

yes. there are off brands too that will do same for less.

I've got my blue one right next to me on desk from last time i upset that set of tendons. Being tendons, pissing them off and inflaming them further is really the only way to trigger healing cylce.

[D Griff]

This? https://www.amazon.com/TheraBand-Tendon ... 9hdGY&th=1

If that pain persists, you may want to see a specialist just to be sure man. Don’t wanna fuck your shit up for life by self diagnosing. This is coming from someone who didn’t go to a doctor for 30 years.

Good advice for sure, I will start with the path of least resistance and see someone if it's not better within a couple of weeks.

I was a no doctor guy as well but after everything with my dad and trying to/having a kid over the past several years, my tune has kind of changed.

[golftdibrad1]

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/166wgdu4Jn/

[SAWCE]

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/166wgdu4Jn/

Ha I love seeing that dude’s videos

[J-Ho-Fo-Show69]

Haven’t worked out since Saturday. I’ve been on deaths door with allergies. I couldn’t even open my eyes this morning. Been taking my home remedies and I think I kinda feel normal tonight

[D Griff]

Haven’t worked out since Saturday. I’ve been on deaths door with allergies. I couldn’t even open my eyes this morning. Been taking my home remedies and I think I kinda feel normal tonight

The pollen is fucking disgusting bro. I came home from Vegas yesterday and I feel like my entire street, the road itself, every house's roof, every yard, just covered.

My fitness is poopoo this week as well between a trade show in Vegas, got home yesterday, flew to Boston this morning

[golftdibrad1]

I pulled 535 for a single last week.

[D Griff]

I pulled 535 for a single last week.

We had an amusing little sesh at J Ho's Garage yesterday where he had 135 set up on the bench and it started getting discussed. Multiple of our friends couldn't put up a single rep when they tried.

J Ho says he can do 50+, I wasn't sure if I'm capable of the same. I busted out 30 reps and had a bit more in the tank, but still if I can do 50, I think at least 40+. Maybe I'll go over and try sometime.

I think my tennis elbow is finally back to like 90%. Hit the gym this AM and all felt pretty dece.