Uhockey's NHA-Stack Log (ActivaTe + RXT)

[uhockey]

Company: Designer Supplements
Product: ActivaTe / Rebound XT NHA Stack
Product Description: ActivaTe™, the brand new muscle enhancing product by Designer Supplements, utilises the natural lignan, Divanil™, found in stinging nettle root, to assist you in making the most from your own body’s testosterone in order to build muscle mass and reduce body fat. Your body maintains tight control over its own pool of testosterone, allowing some to be active (“free”), while leaving the rest inactive (“bound”). Regardless of the actual amount of total testosterone floating around your body at any one time, this figure could be theoretically doubled or trebled without any significant effect on muscle growth or fat loss; the body would tightly regulate it, only allowing some of it to be active to exert its beneficial effects (or detrimental effects if overused or abused). The rest would remain bound and ineffective for our purposes.

The way your body controls testosterone is through a protein called Sex-Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). This can render upwards of 50% or more of your testosterone pool unable to exert its muscle building effects by attaching to the androgen receptor of the cell. It is through testosterone-to-androgen receptor interaction that protein synthesis is promoted (think muscle growth). ActivaTe™ cripples SHBG, activating a much larger percentage of your testosterone. With more testosterone activated, your workouts will improve, you will build muscle faster, lose fat easier, and your strength will increase faster than you ever thought possible (without taking exogenous hormones). In addition to improved workouts, you will experience intense pumps, improved recovery, and increased focus. These remarkable benefits, however, are not the only benefit of including ActivaTe™ into your supplemental regime. Further benefits include:

Increased blood sugar and insulin control (general health and fat loss);
Nitric Oxide (NO) boosting;
Promotes prostate health;
Anti-hypertensive properties (maintains healthy blood pressure);
Anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory behaviour; and
Promotes healthy cholesterol levels (HDL especially).

ActivaTe™ can be used as a stand-alone supplement, achieving the effects described above. Or it can be used as part of the Designer Supplements NHA (Non-Hormonal Anabolic) Stack™. This stack combines the potently estrogen-suppressing and testosterone-increasing effects of Rebound XT™ with the testosterone-activating effect of ActivaTe™ to produce what can only be described as the best of both worlds without an exogenous hormone in sight.

Company Link: http://www.designersupps.com/
To purchase: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/design/design.htm

Name: uhockey
Age: 25
Height: 6’2 ½”
Weight: 186.2lbs
BF%: Digital Calipers say 7%, I assume higher, but taking consistent measurements allows me to note changes.

A little about myself: I began my quest for fitness during my junior year of undergrad at a weight of 285 lbs and over the course of 2 years lowered my weight through cardio and “low fat” eating to an unhealthy/unmuscular 167lbs. After college I deferred my acceptance to medical school for a year to explore other options and during that time discovered weight lifting and the bodybuilding style of eating. Although I enjoyed lifting I was still doing entirely too much cardio and not eating enough until I began medical school and developed a solid eating plan and good routine. Stuck with a fairly large amount of loose skin despite my low bf% I had/have always been scared to gain weight until I discovered bodybuilding.com and educated myself. I began my first true “bulk” around December of ’04 and since then have slowly put on 11lbs with 0.2% change in body fat. I will weigh in and check bf% on Sundays.

Routine: As I am currently preparing to take Step1 of the USMLE on June15th and have no classes/rounds, my life and schedule are extremely regimented and as such I can control any/all variables in my daily routine. I wake up at 4:30am and study in the labs at school from 6:00am until 1:30pm at which time I go to the gym. My split is 5 days per week, 50-60minutes max, MT RFS with heavy/low rep(3-5) days on MT and lighter/high rep(6-10) days on RFS. I dropped cardio completely 2 weeks ago as I stopped gaining as I wished, it will eagerly be re-added when I begin cutting as I actually do enjoy it. After workouts I take a bit of free time to watch Sportscenter, cruise the message boards, do laundry……..attempt to live a normal life. In the evening I either study some more or do review questions and am in bed by 10:00pm every day. Increases in lifts will be noted but I do not have the time to post my whole routine each and every day.

Diet: Spot on with 100% clean foods. 3400-3500 calories per day on workout days (8 meals counting PWO shake), 3000-3100 on off days (7 meals, no PWO shake). There will be no cheats, not even a bite, during this log. Split is more or less 40/30/30 with at least 30g protein consumed at each meal.

Supplements: In an attempt to control all variables I will continue with all supplements I was on prior to beginning this log. Generic Multivitamin/400IU Vit E/200mg ALA with breakfast. 3 scoops of Scivation Xtend/3g CEE pre-workout, 3g CEE/200mg K-R-ALA/2 scoops Xtend with shake of oats and Primaforce Substance WPI post-workout. 8g Fish oil divided throughout the day. 1 serving Avant Labs Sesathin with 6:00pm meal. ZMA 30 minutes before bed. Due to my schedule during school/clinicals I tend to have a pretty nasty caffeine habit, but hey…we all have our vices I guess...

This log will provide both subjective and objective observations and I assure you nothing will be under or overstated. I’d like to thank Matt and Rob for giving me a chance to run this log especially since I’ve been a bit of a naysayer in the past regarding other DS products. I had some free time this morning so I typed this up, the log will begin when products arrive in the mail. Please PM me with any further inquiries.

[Sixpack]

This is great hockey I really look forward to this> I will be starting also this week so it will be nice to compare and contrast with you. Best of luck man yo really do deserve it.

[Robboe]

Wow. This is detailed. If all updates are like this i'll be incredibly impressed!

[Sixpack]

This is very typical of him, you won't be dissappointed . Hockey is one of the very few people I know who is as anal about diet and nutrition as I am. Top notch


Wow. This is detailed. If all updates are like this i'll be incredibly impressed!

[avian]

Any coments on the color of underwear you use?
:p

Great log start!
subscribe for sure

[xxghostxx]

Beautiful log Mike. Good luck with the Activate and in your final prep for USMLE! :D

[pu12en12g]

Awesome start to the log ! (stats, detailed info) Good luck !

[Lonny]

Bumping on the Wow of this thread.

[uhockey]

Received my package in the mail today upon returning from the gym, however, the box lacked the ReboundXT. I sent a PM to Rob regarding this issue and will await his response. If necessary, a buddy of mine has a bottle of RXT that he is waiting to use after his Ergomax cycle ends in two weeks and as such I can borrow some caps and get this log started tomorrow. I appreciate the responses thus far and I shall do my best to make my daily log worth reading.

Random thought: If you like good music, check out the new Audioslave album.......solid. And no, I'm not QUITE as anal about my diet as J........I eat a cheat meal every once in a while. ;)

[BluSilver]

uHockey, I don't follow anyone else's logs butxxxghostxxx's and Six's, but you're added to the list;). Is this your first log? I haven't seen any before. Either way, you formatted it nicely.

[waitlifter82]

Bumping on the Wow of this thread.

indeed.... and subscribing:)

[Sixpack]

Ahh come on now hehe


Received my package in the mail today upon returning from the gym, however, the box lacked the ReboundXT. I sent a PM to Rob regarding this issue and will await his response. If necessary, a buddy of mine has a bottle of RXT that he is waiting to use after his Ergomax cycle ends in two weeks and as such I can borrow some caps and get this log started tomorrow. I appreciate the responses thus far and I shall do my best to make my daily log worth reading.

Random thought: If you like good music, check out the new Audioslave album.......solid. And no, I'm not QUITE as anal about my diet as J........I eat a cheat meal every once in a while. ;)

[uhockey]

5/25/05

Received a PM from Rob telling me to begin my trial using my buddy's RXT until matt mails me a bottle to replace them with, so here we go....

Took 5 caps of ActivaTe with my breakfast at 4:40am and will spread the rest of the dosage across the duration of the day. I will take 1 cap of RXT with my last meal of the day and will only take 1 cap of RXT for the first 5 days of the log just to ease my way into it followed by 25 days of 2 per day (1xAM, 1xPM) to complete the ActivaTe log, followed by 5 days of 1 per day to taper it off. Today is Wednesday and as such one of my two off days per week and I will be spending extra time in the lab today reading over the embryology, anatomy, and histology of the thorax.

Random Thought: Good hell that's a lot of pills, am I going to have to add calories to my daily totals for this? ;)

[Robboe]

I appreciate the responses thus far and I shall do my best to make my daily log worth reading.


Well i did the activate write-up and the way you've set this out didn't prevent me from re-reading it all over again lol.

[uhockey]

5/26/05

Good morning folks, it's still pitch black here in Ohio (4:45am) but the birds are chirping and it feels like a great day to.....study the pathology and pharmacology of the heart.....yawn. Anyhow, began my little experiment yesterday with 5 ActivaTe at 4:40am, 10:30am, 3:30pm, and 8:30pm. One cap of RXT was also taken with the 8:30pm meal of 2g fish oil, 26g almond butter, 4 cups broccoli, and 1 cup fat free cottage cheese.

As yesterday was the first day and one of my off days from the gym I didn't really expect much and I didn't really feel much either. From 5:50am-2:20pm I was in the lab studying, drinking tea, and being.....well, whatever it is that I am these days. Subjectively I felt pretty focused all day which is nice and my calves are still killing me from slanted calf drop-sets on Tuesday, but no other mental/physical findings to note. I also slept quite well, which is a good thing since I don't normally, but I won't attribute that to the ActivaTe just yet.

Today is my heaviest chest day with some tri's thrown in for good measure and dosing will be the same as yesterday.

Random thought: Down to my last bottle of free Nitro-tech from the Arnold, it's "delicious orange cream." Let's just say that if Customizer had the financial backing and 10page mega-ads in every magazine that Muscle Tech does he'd show people what delicious orange cream really means. :)

[Sixpack]

Hockey how many total grams of fat u taking in with rebound pre-bed I think just to get an estimate I am taking in about 12-15gs

[waitlifter82]

One cap of RXT was also taken with the 8:30pm meal of 2g fish oil, 26g almond butter, 4 cups broccoli, and 1 cup fat free cottage cheese.


damn, that's a lot of greens for one sitting:)

[uhockey]

5/27/05

Alright, seriously, market this stuff as a sleep aid. My schedule has been IDENTICAL for the past 3 weeks, I mean regimented down to a +/- 5 minute margin on pretty much everything and I haven't set an alarm for months.........last night I got pissed with pharm Q's and went to bed at 9:45pm (15 mins early)......slept straight through the night (abnormal)......and woke up at 5:02am (42 minutes late).

Dosing times for everything were the same as wednesday and the workout went very well. I increased my cable crossovers by 10lbs (5lbs each arm) for the first time in a while, but I had been expecting such as I'd gotten really close last week. All other lifts stayed the same, witihin the 6-9 rep range.

A few notes about the product so far (it's only day 2!) aside from the sleep thing. First of all, my hunger is up. Considering the amount of fibrous veggies I eat (nearly a kilo a day) I don't usually get hungry between meals, but last night between 6:00 and 8:30 I felt ravenous. Secondly, it may just be the weather here, but I notice that I feel increasingly warm throughout the day and into the evening. As I'm normally cold due to low bodyfat and low HR (39) and BP (113/69) this is nice.

Today is back/lats/bi's and studying the pulmonary system.......excited yet? I know I'm not. More updates tomorrow, so far, so good. :)

Random thought: Pfizer hires really cute product reps and yet they attempt to buy physician's attention with pizza. Perhaps it's just me, but I think they could accomplish the same goal with Pfizer strippers and skip the pizza. It would be healthier.....

[Robboe]

Increasing free T also icnreases thyroid output, so the warmth is expected.

Great log so far by the way, love the depth.

[Slated]

This log makes mine look like a young guest of Michael Jackson

[Sixpack]

Bump on the hunger for sure I will report later but its only been 2 days and I am always hungry and I am eating 3800 cals

[uhockey]

5/28/05

Another day, another.....lack of dollars actually. Paying for stress sucks. Perhaps it's just me but pressure volume curves and lung pathology piss me off........or perhaps extra testosterone is the reason? I guess we'll find out over the coming weeks. Anyhow, spent the aformentioned 8ish hours studying in the lab followed by a pretty solid back/lats/bi's workout. My left shoulder has been bugging me from an old hockey injury and as such my iso low-rows and shrugs have suffered a bit. No real changes in my workout, but did manage to squeeze out 1 1/2 extra preacher curls as compared to the previous week. Dosing times for ActivaTe and RXT were the same as the previous two days.

Slept like a freakin log and once again I noticed and increased warmth throughout the day. As it wasn't nearly as warm as previous days outside I'm beginning to think it just might be the ActivaTe. Subjectively looking in the mirror I think my body/skin on my chest/shoulders looks more full and tight as well. Nothing dramatic, possibly nothing at all, but better than looking worse. :)

Today will be hematology and more pulmonology followed by a rather killer leg day. I will weigh in tomorrow AM before posting as it is the one day of the week where I don't drive to school but instead stay home and review. Weekends? Pfffffff, what's that?

Random thought: Yesterday was my mother's birthday and as such I didn't spend the WHOLE night studying as usual but instead went with her, my aunt, and my sister to a local italian place and watched them eat. I had almost forgotten what social interaction was like. The waiter asked me "you no want food?" twice which for some reason cracked me up......it was like a bad movie stereotype. Isn't it nice to read a log that isn't the same ol same ol AND is written in proper english, lol, etc. ;)

[BluSilver]

Do you feel any agression or feel like a horndog compared to baseline, etc?

[Sixpack]

Are you making reference to my English

[BluSilver]

Are you making reference to my English
Just helping you out in the long-run bro :).

[uhockey]

Do you feel any agression or feel like a horndog compared to baseline, etc?

You spend 10+ hours per day studying for a test that determines what you can/cannot do with the rest of your life.........see how horny that makes ya. :) OTOH, in terms of aggression, I certainly feel it in the gym and first thing in the AM. Despite being a sarcastic prick (see a number of my posts) I tend to be a pretty mild person.......except when I'm driving.......I just hate people in cars I think. Additionally, I feel "better" throughout the day....less tired, less "worried/stressed" than usual. Anyhow, just got back from the gym.........added 2 reps to all 3 sets on leg press and 2/1/1/1 reps to my previous best on leg extension drop sets. Due to hockey my legs have always been my strong point, but weights really haven't gone up much in a while. I'm very curious regarding the upcoming weeks. I'll add more to these thoughts tomorrow along with my weigh in.

Six, just ****ing with ya bro, you know how I am. :)

[Sixpack]

I know I know you wub me hehe

[Steve_W]

except when I'm driving.......I just hate people in cars I think.

I get serious road rage sometimes also, this dude nearly creamed me yesterday, I had the right of way and he decided to go. I felt like ramming him, and I probably would of if I didn't like my car!

BTW, nice log, be interesting to stop by every now and then to see what's going on.

hey sixpack - I tried to IM you many times to talk to you about about true protein, what's going on dude?

[uhockey]

5/29/05

Weight 5/22/05 186.2
Bodyfat 7.0

Weight Today 186.8
Bodyfat 6.8

Now given, I know my actual bf% is higher than that, but I have my measurment sites perfect and measure from each side twice for consistancy.....that is a 0.6lb weight gain and 0.2% bf drop. To quote Darth Vader, "Impressive."

As previously mentioned, yesterday's workout was solid. I increased my leg press by 2 reps on all 3 sets plus I was going 10lbs heavier than the previous week on the first set. Seated leg curls were up by 1 rep on the first two sets as well so it's time to increase weight on those. My leg extend dropset went from 220x12/180x7/140x7/100x8 to 220x14/180x9/140x8/100x8........am I the only one who loves their last exercise of the day to leave them in pain? :)

Sleep was good once again and energy throughout the day was as high as expected. I stayed up a bit later than normal to watch the first half of the Suns/Spurs (hate Steve Nash!) and woke up same time as usual, so a bit less sleep than normal. Sunday is my day of "rest" as it may be as I do not go to school but instead accomplish laundry, dishes, shopping, and small bits of studying from the couch. I will be increasing RXT dosage to 2x daily as of tomorrow, but if I start feeling ANY of the lethargy reported from other threads I will drop back to once nightly as I cannot afford such a side effect at this time in my life. Still feeling the warmth, still feeling the focus, still none of the "sides." :)


Random thought: Sometimes I feel like a cartoon character......y'know the ones with the devil on one shoulder and angel on the other? To the left of me live two nuns, 65 and 82 years old. To the right, an ex-stripper current bartender 35 year old current lesbian ex-heterosexual with two 16-18 year old kids and no husband. I usually leave for school at the same time the nuns leave for church.........and the same time the bartender is getting home.......and the same time her kids are going to bed. If I were a nun, I'd live in the convent.

[Sixpack]

I don't want to talk to you


I get serious road rage sometimes also, this dude nearly creamed me yesterday, I had the right of way and he decided to go. I felt like ramming him, and I probably would of if I didn't like my car!

BTW, nice log, be interesting to stop by every now and then to see what's going on.

hey sixpack - I tried to IM you many times to talk to you about about true protein, what's going on dude?

[uhockey]

Steve, Six, elsewhere please. :)

[Robboe]

You certainly have your head screwed on. This is great.

[Sixpack]

Sorry bro I cannot believe this board man, keep up the good work bro


Steve, Six, elsewhere please. :)

[Ma$$ive]

Great Log man, I hope this stack is everything u hope it to be and good luck! :)

Subscribes

[uhockey]

5/30/05

Happy Memorial Day boys and girls or as I like to call it "GI Embryology, Physiology, Pharmacology Day." Holidays, who needs em? As I didn't leave the house yesterday (didn't hear the voice of another real person until a 6:30pm phone call from my mother) I don't really have much to say. I could tell you a bunch of stuff about hematology and leukemia/lymphoma, but somehow I don't think that's why you're here.

Took the regular doses at the regular times, felt good, slept good. Stayed up late watching the Heat/Pistons (yay!) and actually accomplished a TON of studying despite it being my day off. Kind of felt in the zone, and since I've been getting pretty bogged down with this **** recently, I'll take it when I can get it. I will be upping my dosage of RXT to 2x (7:00am and 8:30pm) daily today and doing chest/tri's at a different gym just down the road from my house ($8 for one day is ****ty) since the lazy people who run the gym at school apparently DO need holidays.

Random thought: Every day I spend studying embryology or diseases of childhood makes me grateful that I turned out "normal".........whether you believe in God, evolution, or something else, consider yourself lucky that you can read this.........

[Eightpak]

Hey bro great log so far and hope all goes well with your med school. I'm studying Pharmacy my self and it sure takes a lot out of you I know. Very interesting like you've pointed out all of the diseases and how blessed we are to be normal and workout and even read. I know med school requires a whole lot more dedication and commitment but I'm right behind you bro! I'm feelin your stress!

[uhockey]

5/31/05

.......and suddenly I think to myself.........this **** might be for real. Perhaps it was the effect of working out in a gym with people under the age of 40, perhaps it was the Metallica on the stereo instead of Jessica Simpson and George Michaels, or perhaps it was the 2 doses of RXT and 20 caps of Activate, but yesterday's workout was undoubtedly the best I've had in a long long time.

New PR in Bent over BB Rows and DB Military Press plus an extra rep and a half on my incline bench. As I've stated in the past, my left shoulder is not as it sould be due to a dislocation in 10th grade and as such I have decreased sensation over my upper tricep and a slightly weakened lateral deltoid....(IE. Using 2 dumbbells I can do 10 reps at a given weight with my right and 5-6 with my left on some days)....as these stabalize the both the bench press and military press they are two of my weakest exercises, but an increase is GREAT by me.

In addition to said increases, I felt a pump in my right tricep that I have never felt in my life. To be honest, I HATE the term "pump" as it is insanely subjective and anecdotal........sort of like "increased sweating," but the pump was definitely there on close-grip bench.

My focus throughout the day was solid, my sleep was excellent, and my mood was far better than to be expected after 2 days of almost zero human contact. Today is heavy leg day and GI pathology/pharmacology. Eightpack, I must say, although I'm guessing medical school is a tad more difficult than pharmacy.......I don't envy your position one bit.......I hate memorizing drug names. Mechanisms, Sides, Efficacy.......all cool. Names? Ill-****ing-logical. :)

Random thought: I know a guy taking the Boards today.......that is nuts. On one hand I envy his choice, a month off would be grand. On the other hand.......I'll never feel ready.

[Robboe]

I noticed similar effects. It's the NHA Stack alright.

[uhockey]

6/01/05

Well, day 2 on 2x RXT brought more suprises.........and certainly a few that I was looking forward to. A nice breakout at my hairline, nose, and above my lip.......none huge, but defintely not normal for me at this age (or any age for that matter, my skin has always been good.) Thankfully I have access to some good products and all three are looking better this morning. Secondly, the increased temperature was downright annoying yesterday. I felt warm, irritable, and "clammy" all day. The final "issue," well, that's my fault. Feeling the increased energy/strength I tried to force out an extra rep on my hack squats and I think I pulled something in my back. Nothing major, but my SLDLs suffered by 90lbs and getting up/sitting down doesn't feel as it should. Aside from that, however, the rest of my workout went pretty well with a couple extra reps here and there.

I don't know, perhaps I was just having a bad day, but to be honest I felt like ass most of yesterday. Thankfully today is an off day and should give me and me back a bit of time to recover, especially since my ****ing neighbors were up doing god-knows-what until 2:00am and woke me up twice. It's not the NHA stack, but let's just say I'm having a pretty irritable morning right now.

Random thought: Anyone ever heard of Tony Packo's hotdogs? Jamie Farr made them (and Toledo) famous on M*A*S*H as he was a Toledo native. Well, my route to school goes right past there and I'm proud to say they FINALLY repaved Front Street. After 2 years of destroying my shocks.....you'd have thought they would keep things nice for the one thing famous in this hellhole.

[Robboe]

LOL!

I have days like that - EVERYTHING that can go wrong seems to.

[Steve_W]

I don't want to talk to you

In that case you can get a spoon and eat my ass bro etc. It'll be higher protein than rocks and school floors.

[Steve_W]

Steve, Six, elsewhere please. :)

Oops, I just read this. I'm done. No more, I promise :P.

[uhockey]

6/02/05

Alright, sorry about the rant yesterday, back to myself again. I dunno, even without the amount of stress I’m under I tend to be a pretty moody prick, yesterday just wasn’t my day I guess…..anyhow. Wednesday is my off day from the gym and as such I spent 10.5 hours on lockdown in a tiny lab reading about the embryology/anatomy/histology of the urogenital tract. Don’t let the big words food you, it all sucks equally…...and today is renal pathology……20 diseases that are pretty much the same but with completely different names followed by a bunch of poorly named tumors of the genitals. Let’s just say urology is not in my future plans.

Skin is back to normal…mild topical corticosteroids rock my world. Mood is better as well and I was absolutely in the zone in terms of studying yesterday. Sleep remains excellent and I’m still feeling quite warm throughout the day, but there are no other “sides” to be noted. My back is still a bit sore from Tuesday, but today is my heavy chest day so I doubt it will be much of an issue. In terms of body composition I definitely LOOK more lean and vascular in the mirror, which is to be expected. Still not seeing much in terms of signs of enhanced libido, which is good, since I wouldn’t really have time to make use of it anyhow…. I can honestly say I am very glad to be running this log right now as the sleep benefits alone justify this product during this month of my life. Perhaps I suffered from somewhat low testosterone before…..or perhaps I just stress a lot, either way my sleep has been lackluster for years.

Random thought: So, since you’re apparently my only visitor with anything useful/positive to say, how you doin’ Rob? How’s the weather in England this time of year? I spent late-April in Paris once, it was damn cold. I definitely need to get the hell out of Ohio after June 15th though, way too long since I’ve taken a break and WAY too long until I’ll get the opportunity to take one again……..I’m just rambling now, so I think I’ll go learn something……

[Sixpack]

Hockey need a vacation you are always welcome to come down to AZ man . We would hit up San Diego, Mexico and wherever else. Hope all is well and don't get too stressed out. It will be all worth it trust me . Take care

[Robboe]

Weather is typically British. That is, two days ago i would blister in the heat. Today, i'd be lucky not to catch pneumonia.

I'd love to go to Paris. Might take my gf there for a dirty weekend after the summer.

[WorkoutMD]

6/02/05

Alright, sorry about the rant yesterday, back to myself again. I dunno, even without the amount of stress I’m under I tend to be a pretty moody prick, yesterday just wasn’t my day I guess…..anyhow. Wednesday is my off day from the gym and as such I spent 10.5 hours on lockdown in a tiny lab reading about the embryology/anatomy/histology of the urogenital tract. Don’t let the big words food you, it all sucks equally…...and today is renal pathology……20 diseases that are pretty much the same but with completely different names followed by a bunch of poorly named tumors of the genitals. Let’s just say urology is not in my future plans.

Skin is back to normal…mild topical corticosteroids rock my world. Mood is better as well and I was absolutely in the zone in terms of studying yesterday. Sleep remains excellent and I’m still feeling quite warm throughout the day, but there are no other “sides” to be noted. My back is still a bit sore from Tuesday, but today is my heavy chest day so I doubt it will be much of an issue. In terms of body composition I definitely LOOK more lean and vascular in the mirror, which is to be expected. Still not seeing much in terms of signs of enhanced libido, which is good, since I wouldn’t really have time to make use of it anyhow…. I can honestly say I am very glad to be running this log right now as the sleep benefits alone justify this product during this month of my life. Perhaps I suffered from somewhat low testosterone before…..or perhaps I just stress a lot, either way my sleep has been lackluster for years.

Random thought: So, since you’re apparently my only visitor with anything useful/positive to say, how you doin’ Rob? How’s the weather in England this time of year? I spent late-April in Paris once, it was damn cold. I definitely need to get the hell out of Ohio after June 15th though, way too long since I’ve taken a break and WAY too long until I’ll get the opportunity to take one again……..I’m just rambling now, so I think I’ll go learn something……


Very nice log and review. I am particularly enjoying the random thoughts...nothing like a little frontal lobe release! Keep up the good work. And by the way, you are correct about the USMLE...you will never feel ready!

[inprogress2]

u n six have 2 great logs goin and i visit both daily. thanks for keeping such great logs 2 both of you

[BluSilver]

Sorry about the bad times, Hockey. I can't even fathom what you're gowing through, but I'm having the most crappy week ever, so I sorta hear you out. It sucks and my confidence in the gym is down. I'll get through it and I know you will.

[uhockey]

6/03/05

So yesterday I kicked the incline bench today out of frustration…..now I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not one of those people who grunts and screams when I’m working out, as a matter of fact I’m just quiet and intense…...and I’m certainly not one to kick inanimate objects. I think I’m going to have to get this shoulder looked at after the Boards. 2 years of progressively increasing weights and a bookbag slipping off my shoulder reaggravates a 9 year old hockey injury…..cute. Oh well, anyhow, aside from my incline bench sucking (along with my subsequent sets on the pec deck) I had a great day in the gym once again. I increased weights on my rope pushdowns and my overhead extension drop-set. My triceps have always lagged so for me this is pretty exciting. Intensity and focus were great and as usual.

Sleep was ALMOST too good last night, I absolutely did not feel like rolling out of bed in the morning…..but perhaps that’s because I hate renal so much. I did notice a bit of a weird eye twitch/spasm this morning, not sure what that was about, but I doubt it has anything to do with the stack…..I’ll report if it continues. Anyhow, today is endocrine, a personal favorite if I must say so…….God love feedback loops. I’m in a bit of a rush this morning so I won’t prattle on as I normally do, but today will be lats and biceps, neither of which is hurting, so it should be a good day.

Random thought: Alright, so there’s this cardiologist who works out in the gym in the afternoon and EVERY day he does the same exact routine. He’s obese, probably 45-50 years old, and apparently retarded. His workout consists of about 100 reps on the ab-machine followed by these pathetic 1/3 ROM bicep curls. It’s odd, I’ve watched him for 2 years now……he still hasn’t spot reduced that gut. I dunno, I expect more from people who supposedly know the human body. Also, the new White Stripes album is solid, check it out.

[Robboe]

Did you drink more or less liquids than typical yesterday? Electrolyte imbalance may be causing the eye twitch.

[Slated]

sounds great !

[uhockey]

6/04/05

Slept great, feel warm, yadda yadda. :) Ok, got the redundancy out of the way. Yesterday was a pretty solid day from 5:00am through my post-workout shake, but after that I made the mistake of reading “impressions from Step One” on various message boards and it really got me rattled/stressed/irritable. No worries, I’m usually a pretty moody person, but this stress isn’t making it any better. Just feeling really alone/isolated/****ty cramped up with my books. Anyhow, tomorrow I move onto neuroanatomy which should make me even worse since I not only do not like it, but also have issues with the vagueness of the practice questions….

Workout was great although the shoulder issue appears to be affecting my preacher curls now. I can’t even isolate where/what is damaged, but I’m guessing lateral/medial cord of the brachial plexus essentially screwing everything involving pec major/minor on the left side. Lat pull downs were up 10lbs from last week and cable rows were up 5lbs and 1 rep on all 3 sets. All other exercises, except preachers, were steady. My energy was great all day, despite the mood in the evening.

Anyhow, it’s Saturday, so I guess that means it is high rep leg day (my favorite!), so there is at least SOMETHING to look forward to after the books…weigh in will be tomorrow morning and although I dunno about weight, I’m expecting big improvements in bodycomp. If I had to guess right now, I’d say this stack has turned bulking calories into slightly below maintenance……

Random thought: I must say, I have never felt this stressed, nor this dedicated about anything in my life. There are quite honestly days when this log is my longest “conversation” with the real world……

[uhockey]

6/05/05

Weight 5/22/05 186.2
Bodyfat 7.0

Weight 5/29/05 186.8
Bodyfat 6.8

Weight Today 186.2
Bodyfat 6.6

Yep, just as I thought, been feeling warmer than usual, weather has been warmer than usual, and my "bulking at 0.5lbs. per week" calories have now turned into my "slightly below maintenance despite no cardio" calories. The appearance in terms of body comp is definitely noticable as the excess skin from weightloss on my gut has tightened up a bit, my chest has filled out a bit, and my arms look slightly more veiny than usual. Now I have to decide whether to bump calories up for the rest of this log or stay as is and see how things continue to progress.....

Yesterday was a sort of different day for me. For various reasons (to piss me off being the main one) the fools at the gym have decided to close at 2:00 on Saturdays thus forcing me to go in earlier. RXT and ActivaTe timing was the same as always. It was leg day and as such I was expecting good things and I wasn't disappointed. Hit 460x8x6x6 on the legpress when last week I only managed 450x8x6, 440x6. Also saw improvement on my reverse calf raises, lungs, and standing leg curls. The gym was FREEZING and I felt great.

After the gym I decided to come home and instead of working on neuro I decided to do Qbank and test-booklets for a while......boosted my confidence a bit when I realized I definitely know more than I think I do. Got to bed around the regular time since the BBall game was a blowout and slept like a log (from 10:10 till 5:15, very unusual.) Not noticing any of the acne anymore, but my joints have been a bit more "clicky" and whatnot over the past few days. No other sides to be noted other than feeling good and sleeping heavy. Today is Sunday and as such it should be my off day, but I believe I'll put extra time into memorizing some tracts and pathways and then hit up some webpath for extra practice.

Random thought: As of this Wednesday my medical school loans will be approaching $100K. They wonder why all of our nation's "best minds" are no longer going into medicine but instead turning to computers........I have a buddy, same age, who will soon likely be in a position of part ownership of a multimillion dollar software company. Anyone who thinks doctors are greedy.....they don't do this for the money anymore....

[BluSilver]

I vote to increase calories. It seems like this stack is a great nutrient partitioner and is helping you push heavier weights. I think it's be better to take advantage of this with a caaloric surplus. We've already seen the effects under slight caloric deficit pretty clearly and you're less than 7%bf, so no need to go any lower.

[uhockey]

Well, as I've said in the past, my bf% isn't really that low, I just take consistent measurements to gauge increases/decreases. I've never really been sure of what my bf is since the dermatologist assumes I'm carrying approximately 7lbs of extra skin between my lower abs and my thighs. The skinfold on my chest is 2.6 but due to the skin issue it is hypervariable on my thigh and stomach. If a supplement company or drug company could come up with a drug to effectively reduce excess skin or cause healing of the elastic component they would make millions.

[Sixpack]

Damn bro 7% which is great man congrats, But I would not go any lower then that believe me been there done that. I felt like hell, mood swings,low test etc. BUt you have made great progress man. Bump up those cals and get bulking

[BluSilver]

Well, as I've said in the past, my bf% isn't really that low, I just take consistent measurements to gauge increases/decreases.
But you have, in fact, lost some bodyfat nonetheless. I, among others I am sure, would be more interested to see how the product works with truly "bulking" calories, since we've seen fairly well what it does on "cutting" calories. Plus, you're "bulking" anyways.

However, you did start the log on a certain caloric intake and changing that would create bias in the log, so.....your call I guess.

[uhockey]

But you have, in fact, lost some bodyfat nonetheless. I, among others I am sure, would be more interested to see how the product works with truly "bulking" calories, since we've seen fairly well what it does on "cutting" calories. Plus, you're "bulking" anyways.

However, you did start the log on a certain caloric intake and changing that would create bias in the log, so.....your call I guess.

Yeah, scewing the results is what I'm worried about. Adding calories will help one bulk regardless of supplementation.....

[Robboe]

Awesome.

The core temp rise is definately gonna be from increased thyroid output from suppressing SHBG and boosting free T.

Awesome and detailed feedback. This is EXACTLY what i was hoping for from you. You haven't let me down at all.

[uhockey]

6/06/05

Well, from the time I left the gym on Saturday afternoon around 12:30pm until 40minutes from now when I leave this house in exchange for the labs of school, I will have spent around 41 straight hours inside this house with a pile of neuro books and a whole lot of spite for people enjoying their summer. The weather turned ugly as hell last night, so at least the rest of the world was stuck indoors as well. And it cooled off the outside world considerably as evidenced by my A/C finally turning off.

Sunday is an off day used to catch up/brush up on anything I may have overlooked in the previous week. No workout, pills all taken at regular times. Aside from the usual increased warmth and increased energy throughout the day I have noticed my joints starting to feel a little more dry/sore than usual, but nothing significant and certainly nothing I'd consider truly "painful." Sleep was, once again, blessingly deep and solid.

Today I continue my endeavor with neuro, but thankfully have moved onto pathology and pharm. You read it here first, Mike will NEVER be a neurologist. I'd kill myself long before I helped (or killed) any patient. "Heavy" chest day is today, but I'm pretty sure my left arm will have something to say about that.

Random thought: I feel like I'm about to jump out of a plane with a parachute packed by an amateur......

[BluSilver]

Just what profession are you looking into? BTW I packed the parachute very well so have a great workout and forget about everything else during that time.

[uhockey]

6/07/05

Welcome to life in N/W Ohio as a broke 25 year old overly stressed medical student......everyone still with me? Good. Spent my standard 8ish hours studying in lab room 122 yesterday and learned a good deal (but not nearly as much as I had wanted to) about the various classes of psychotropic drugs and neurotransmitters. Took my RXT, took my ActivaTe, ate lots of pre-prepared food, hit the gym at 1:30 for what turned out to be a spectacular upper body workout. My shoulder was feeling great and I hit personal records on both my incline bench and bent over row (really wish we had a T-bar at the gym) before adding 2 reps to my previous best on dips. Feeling great I downed my Substance Shake (get some if you've got the cash, their current deal is GREAT) and hit the showers. Walked outside for the first time of the day.......92 degrees. **** Ohio. My pale Northern European ancestry hates this ****, especially when the ActivaTe's already got me feeling warm.

Get home, flick on the A/C ::stutter:: dead. ****. Call the landlord and absolutely bitched him out. He promised to fix it last year and didn't, now I'm stressed and pissed, not a good combo. He promises to have someone out by Friday. The hours after that, from about 4:00-6:30pm.......I have no damn clue where they went. I had a ripping headache (too much caffeine) and my stomach was bothering me (too much carbonation) so I laid there sweaty on my couch. After that I did some questions and felt a bit better, watched a bit of the Heat/Pistons game (one less thing to worry about, God I hate Detroit) and the season premier of Six Feet Under. After that, windows open and in my underwear, I slept like a log until 4:40am........

Today will consist of all that I didn't accomplish yesterday plus upper trunk/extremities anatomy......love that Brachial plexus. Gym time is heavy legs day.

Random thought: Considering the nature of this post, I'm not sure a random thought is in order, so I'll respond to Blu. Thanks buddy, I have no clue what I want to do yet, apparently it has something to do with electron microscopes, histological specimens I'll never see, gene splicing that I'll never do, cell surface markers that are meaningless, chromosomal tests I'll probably never order, and a ****load of other gene translocations and such that I'll be damned if I EVER use in my professional career but SOMEONE determined I need to know to pass this test.

[Robboe]

Nice one, great session.

By the way, can you "pre-prepare" something? Does the fact that word already has "pre" in there mean that you don't have to "pre" it again?

[uhockey]

Nice one, great session.

By the way, can you "pre-prepare" something? Does the fact that word already has "pre" in there mean that you don't have to "pre" it again?

I don't know, shut up! :) I think the fact that a lot of my food is prepared from chicken that I batch bake on the weekend prior allows it to be pre-prepared. The chicken is prepared, then the meal is prepared, thus things are pre pre.

[Robboe]

Just as well RXT isn't an anti-anti-aromatase.

THEN you'd be in deep ****.

[uhockey]

If it'll make you feel better I can start saying bro more often in my log......

Anyhow, time to get back to the books, I'll update tomorrow. Legs kicked ass today.

[Sixpack]

I think ya good its its the in thing to do


If it'll make you feel better I can start saying bro more often in my log......

Anyhow, time to get back to the books, I'll update tomorrow. Legs kicked ass today.

[uhockey]

6/08/05

Well, legs kicked major ass……..there is the extent of the good news from my day. I hit a new personal record on squats at 265x4 for 3 sets and followed that up with 3 sets of Hack Squats at my normal weight/range. SLDL’s followed that and I hit 260x3 for 3 sets, a new best as I usually have to drop some weight for the third set, so I’m going to shoot for more next week. Seated Calfs were normal with an extra rep on the first set and I added 10lbs to back hyperextensions and hit an extra rep to boot. Weighted incline crunch and slant-calf dropset stayed as usual. All in all, my best day in the gym in quite some time.

As I said, that was definitely the high point of my day as the time beforehand consisted of anatomy of the back and limbs and time afterward consisted of being pissed off, sweaty, and hateful regarding the situation with my air conditioning. I already spend way more than enough time at “the learning hole,” the last thing I want to do is hit the gym and go back because my apartment is unlivable. Additionally, I don’t like sleeping unclothed, I’m more of cover-hog kind of person who likes to be all wrapped up in blankets, thus this is not at all conducive to my sleep…….fortunately the NHA stack is keeping my sleep/recovery cycle excellent. I’m not really sure how/why the stack would have this effect as I’ve thought about it, but for me it does things that melatonin could NEVER accomplish without leaving me groggy as hell and ZMA only did for the first week or so.

Joints are definitely getting a little more stiff than usual, especially considering I’m damned flexible from hockey (everywhere except for my scoped right knee, thus the massive excitement about my increased squat numbers.) Can’t really comment on the warmth for obvious reasons and there is no acne to note. Not feeling the appetite stimulatory so much anymore, but that could be due to the stress. Wednesdays are off days and used for extensive catching up and question review. My last set of pathology today, followed by Behavioral on Thursday and Friday, then a few days to review…yikes.

Random thought: Oh yeah, I found out today that I didn’t get the clerkship I wanted for Internal Medicine…….typical bull**** with my school, last names matter more than grades……I’m thinking of changing my name to Aaron Aardvark, then no one will be ahead of me. I like this log, it gives me a way to vent, like an online journal with some free **** that will hopefully help people make an informed decision. Anyone else got any interesting stuff they want me to ramble about, feel free to let me know, otherwise I guess I could always go even further into debt and review something on my own dime.

[Robboe]

I like this log too. It's a good read.

Great legs session.

[Beast]

6/07/05

(one less thing to worry about, God I hate Detroit)

Uhockey, don't be mad that Michigan is so much better than Ohio. :D

Do you do to OSU?

[BluSilver]

Uhockey, don't be mad that Michigan is so much better than Ohio. :D

Do you do to OSU?
zing

[uhockey]

Uhockey, don't be mad that Michigan is so much better than Ohio. :D

Do you do to OSU?

I went to OSU for undergrad but returned to Toledo (my hometown) for my medical education. Oddly, I've been a Wolverines fan since I was a young boy and still am today despite some great years as a Buckeye. Family issues back home greatly influenced my decision to return Toledo and I haven't regretted it at all......except for the serious lack of things to do......not like I have time to do them anyhow. I'm actually only about 40 minutes from Ann Arbor and make regular trips up there when I'm not busy in order to shop at Trader Joes and Whole Foods...not to mention Stairway to Heaven record store...or to eat like a hoss at BD's on campus. Had tuition not been so prohibitive (OSU was FREE) I would have definitely attended UofM. That said, I still hate the Pistons and RedWings, don't mind the Tigers, and loath the Lions for what they did to Barry Sanders. :)

[Sixpack]

Nice another Lions fan . I thought I was the only one. Things are actually looking pretty good this year . We may score points , but I don't know if we will be able to stop anyone with Detroits secondary

[uhockey]

Nice another Lions fan . I thought I was the only one. Things are actually looking pretty good this year . We may score points , but I don't know if we will be able to stop anyone with Detroits secondary

Agreed.......until 2 wideouts get hurt this year. I dunno, they still don't have a QB IMO. Harrison is a bum and Garcia is the product of a system.

[Colinballin23]

Agreed.......until 2 wideouts get hurt this year. I dunno, they still don't have a QB IMO. Harrison is a bum and Garcia is the product of a system.

You mean Harrington :) the offense for Detroit is going to be amazing Kevin Jones with those 3 wideouts they are going to score some serious points. Couldn't resist the football talk with training camp on the horizon. But great log so far it's been interesting not only reading about your progress but as well as your rants lol.

[uhockey]

You mean Harrington :) the offense for Detroit is going to be amazing Kevin Jones with those 3 wideouts they are going to score some serious points. Couldn't resist the football talk with training camp on the horizon. But great log so far it's been interesting not only reading about your progress but as well as your rants lol.

Aye, Harrington, and this proves how much time I've had to watch sports over the past couple years. When the NHL died my heart was shattered.....my love for pro football and basketball is only skin deep. There are two seasons in my world, hockey and college football, unfortunately they run together.

[Sixpack]

I think Garcia will end up starting by the middle of the season. He is familer with the west coast offense. Anyways hit me up when you get a chance man on IM


Agreed.......until 2 wideouts get hurt this year. I dunno, they still don't have a QB IMO. Harrison is a bum and Garcia is the product of a system.

[uhockey]

6/09/05

Well, one bottle of ActivaTe is gone, so I guess that means this is log is half way over. I overslept a bit today so this is going to be short.........Wednesday was off anyhow. From 5:50am until 3:15pm I sat in room 121 (switched it up for a change,) and learned. Upon finishing Anatomy (and only having a couple days of Behavioral left to go) I decided I hadn't taken a break since I went to see Episode III the day it came out and I deserved an evening off. The air still wasn't fixed (compressor is shot, ideally fixed sometime today) and I definitely didn't feel like sitting around in my 88 degree appartment so I decided to take a drive out to my grandparent's old place on the lake about 40 minutes from here. It now belongs to my mother and Aunt and it is a great reminder of the first 21 summers of my life. For sanity's sake, it was a good choice. Walked on the beach for a bit, tried not to think about school, etc.

All dosing was the usual yesterday and no major effects or sides were noted. Good focus, good energy, etc. Got back from the lake and my UPS box with 8lbs of Substance WPI grape was there waiting. Thanks Primaforce, I never get clumps. :) Today will be heavy chest day and since the shoulder is feeling pretty groovy at the moment I expect good things.

Random thought: Y'know, 4 fans is ALMOST airconditioning......oh wait, no it's not. Also, does anyone else feel a bit strange having to pack meals/supps for road trips.........it's like when you see mothers carrying around a diaperbag full of cheerios and juice boxes. :)

[Sixpack]

About your Random thought I hear ya I just got done preparing 12 meals for the next 2 days cause I am traveling to a tournament. Tupperware a mans best friend lol.

[Beast]

I went to OSU for undergrad but returned to Toledo (my hometown) for my medical education. Oddly, I've been a Wolverines fan since I was a young boy and still am today despite some great years as a Buckeye. Family issues back home greatly influenced my decision to return Toledo and I haven't regretted it at all......except for the serious lack of things to do......not like I have time to do them anyhow. I'm actually only about 40 minutes from Ann Arbor and make regular trips up there when I'm not busy in order to shop at Trader Joes and Whole Foods...not to mention Stairway to Heaven record store...or to eat like a hoss at BD's on campus. Had tuition not been so prohibitive (OSU was FREE) I would have definitely attended UofM. That said, I still hate the Pistons and RedWings, don't mind the Tigers, and loath the Lions for what they did to Barry Sanders. :)

Out of state tuition for Michigan is REDICULOUS! I would have never gone here if I wasn't a Michigan resident. If you are ever down in Ann Arbor we'll have to get a training session in then put BD's out of business :D

[WorkoutMD]

Aye, Harrington, and this proves how much time I've had to watch sports over the past couple years. When the NHL died my heart was shattered.....my love for pro football and basketball is only skin deep. There are two seasons in my world, hockey and college football, unfortunately they run together.

I thought I would spice the thread up a little and let you guys know the Chicago Bears will win it all this year!! Of course, I also say that about the Cubs every year so what the hell do I know.

[uhockey]

Out of state tuition for Michigan is REDICULOUS! I would have never gone here if I wasn't a Michigan resident. If you are ever down in Ann Arbor we'll have to get a training session in then put BD's out of business :D

Ha! Aside from cardio I'm pretty sure a training session with you would be like talking catholicism with the Pope. Sure, I'd learn a ton, but it would be an incredible waste of your time. 6'2" 186 and I can't even bench my own weight due to my shoulder.....and being a pansy ass who dropped way too much weight way too fast. :) I will definitely shoot you a PM the next time I'm planning to be up there though.

WorkoutMD.......man, I don't even know what to say to that comment. My prediction, Bears go through at least 4 QBs this year. ;)

[uhockey]

6/10/05

Another day, one closer to the big day……..and really starting to stress out and not enjoying the feeling much at all. Landlord finally fixed the A/C, so that’s a plus…put in a whole new unit, a surprise to say the least since he’s been quite noncompliant in the past. Anyhow, onward with the log. Today was high reps chest day and aside from my left shoulder acting up a bit on the incline dumbbell press things went great. New personal best on cable crossovers hitting 170lbs for 4 sets of 7 following a solid set on the pec dec. Tricep pushdowns also went smoothly but my shoulder started bugging me again during overhead tricep extensions. All in all a very solid day in the gym despite the fact that I went into it feeling pretty bummed out by how much I had forgotten about Behavioral Science. Tomorrow is another day of Behavioral followed by 4 days to review. Gym is shoulders and lats.

Now that the heat has dissipated in the apartment I can comment that the thermogenic effects of the NHA stack are still noticeable and while my knees are still a little achy it is certainly not so bad that I would consider it a limiting side effect. Once again, I must comment that despite the intense stress, my mood/energy have never been higher. I really am beginning to wonder if I had been suffering from low test from those years of stupid dieting in my past.

Random thought: So I was trying to de-stress a bit last night and was watching VH1’s “100 most wanted bodies.” Who the hell are they trying to kid, Giselle better than Heidi Klum? Madonna hotter than Jessica Alba? Brad Pitt has a better body than Terrell Owens? I mean, given the choice based on physical appearance alone I would take Scarlett Johansson above all the others because I just find her insanely hot, but that list was just awful.

[Robboe]

Good workout. Have you completed one bottle of AcT yet?

[uhockey]

Good workout. Have you completed one bottle of AcT yet?

First line, post #78. Jeesh, what kinda company rep are you? ;)

[inprogress2]

rob new site looks good and activaTe is finally 4 sell,well there is a picture with a 90 caps bottle but when u go to order its still the beta sell? yea that top 100 hundred show was bs there was tons of people "out of order" in my eyes as well.again sorry for postin to rob in your log but yours n six's log are the ActivaTe info places b/c they are so damn detailed good luck with all that school schit,man!

[Robboe]

First line, post #78. Jeesh, what kinda company rep are you? ;)


LOL.

I musta got confused with all this voodoo sport stuff you're talking about.

[Robboe]

rob new site looks good and activaTe is finally 4 sell,well there is a picture with a 90 caps bottle but when u go to order its still the beta sell? yea that top 100 hundred show was bs there was tons of people "out of order" in my eyes as well.again sorry for postin to rob in your log but yours n six's log are the ActivaTe info places b/c they are so damn detailed good luck with all that school schit,man!


ActivaTe is still in beta form yes. I think the plan is for final release before August, but don't quote me on that.

[drewkowsky]

this log reminds me of why I quickly changed my mind about being a pre-med, but more power to you uhockey

[uhockey]

this log reminds me of why I quickly changed my mind about being a pre-med, but more power to you uhockey

It has it's perks......I'm just not sure what they are right now......I guess a future of helping people instead of doing some meaningless job...........but right now it feels like hell.

[meanmo]

It has it's perks......I'm just not sure what they are right now......I guess a future of helping people instead of doing some meaningless job...........but right now it feels like hell.


You should be real proud of yourself and consider yourself very fortunate to have such a great opportunity. In my opinion people who have the intellectual capacity to pursue such goals, should. You will have more difficult times in your life I can promise you that.
I managed to get my masters in 93 (comp sci), but was pretty much a clown at your age. I hope my children have your maturity and drive when they are your age!

[uhockey]

You should be real proud of yourself and consider yourself very fortunate to have such a great opportunity. In my opinion people who have the intellectual capacity to pursue such goals, should. You will have more difficult times in your life I can promise you that.
I managed to get my masters in 93 (comp sci), but was pretty much a clown at your age. I hope my children have your maturity and drive when they are your age!

That's just about the nicest thing someone has said to/about me in a long time and I thank you very much for the complement. Yeah, I know I bitch and moan a lot about my current situation, but it really is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. $100K debt at 25 years old with another years worth of loans followed by residency, etc. is a hard road but in the end I'm sure it will be worth it. I've always been like this about grades, tests, etc.......it is just extremely overwhelming to realize that a single 7 hour test can undermine or benefit everything you've done for the past 25 years. I can talk the talk quite nicely and I've been told I'm good with patients, but when questions are written specifically to trick you or to test some bit of minutia such as what pili E.coli uses to adhere to the UG epithelium in a Urinary Tract Infection is just horse****. It's alright, regardless, by 2:00pm next Wednesday I will at least feel some relief.

[meanmo]

That's just about the nicest thing someone has said to/about me in a long time and I thank you very much for the complement. Yeah, I know I bitch and moan a lot about my current situation, but it really is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. $100K debt at 25 years old with another years worth of loans followed by residency, etc. is a hard road but in the end I'm sure it will be worth it. I've always been like this about grades, tests, etc.......it is just extremely overwhelming to realize that a single 7 hour test can undermine or benefit everything you've done for the past 25 years. I can talk the talk quite nicely and I've been told I'm good with patients, but when questions are written specifically to trick you or to test some bit of minutia such as what pili E.coli uses to adhere to the UG epithelium in a Urinary Tract Infection is just horse****. It's alright, regardless, by 2:00pm next Wednesday I will at least feel some relief.


I sure wish you all the luck in the world. I also wish that you guys could kick all the damn MBA's out of your industry that seem to be turning medicine into something that primarily suits them. I have a buddy who is a orthopedic surgeon and he is about to hang it up. He makes real good money, but the liability hassles have gotten pretty damn ridiculous. I feel sorry for some of the surgeons who are exposed to these blood sucking lawyers looking to make a dime. Our culture has really gotten pathetic and greedy. I think things will turn for the better eventually, but I can understand your feelings. If it makes you feel any better Im just took a SBA loan for around 900k.. )-:

[OhioUstud]

Hey man, I am very near the end of the undergrad here at OU and will be applying to MCO among other schools this summer. Probably end up going to MCO, NEOUCOM, or OU-COM. MCAT scores will be back June 16. I'm pretty nervous about that. I hope to find the time you have found to continue my training once I start medical school next fall.

[uhockey]

Hey man, I am very near the end of the undergrad here at OU and will be applying to MCO among other schools this summer. Probably end up going to MCO, NEOUCOM, or OU-COM. MCAT scores will be back June 16. I'm pretty nervous about that. I hope to find the time you have found to continue my training once I start medical school next fall.

We're MUO now! Either that or MUOt. :) What the heck is OU-COM? I wouldn't worry too much about the MCAT if I were you. As long as you interview well, have good experiences/references, and an MCAT above 28 you'll probably get in. Perhaps the only perk of being from Ohio is our crazy large number of medical schools. Regarding training, you MAKE time for it. I don't drink or party like my colleagues, it opens up a lot of free time. I don't go out to restaurants/bars, it opens up a lot of free time. Good luck to you in your pursuit of medical school.......if I were you and I had any other interests besides being a physician, however, I would look into them to make absolutely sure. It is a long, tough, and expensive road....I'm very glad I took a year off to make my decision......perhaps I should have taken 2. :D

[OhioUstud]

OU-COM is Ohio University College of Medicine. It is an osteopathic program. I will have from April to August "off" this coming year before beginning medical school. I'm sure it will be like nothing I have seen before as an undergrad but I always welcome a challenge. I am not much of a drinker/partier either so I am confident I will be able to fit in a consistent workout program. Anyways, just think, by the time I am starting you will be nearly done, right? At least making money as a resident, I would guess. Thanks for the tips and good luck.

[uhockey]

6/11/05

So last night my neighbors decided to blow up a mile long chain of firecrackers at 1:11am. I’m not ****ting you, the things went on for 5+ minutes…….then I called the cops…….seemed like a good idea until they had their flashing blue/red lights going right outside my bedroom window until 2:05. I tell ya, if it’s not one thing it’s another in this damned place. Anyhow, let me just say yes, I’m finally done with my review……30 days of relearning everything I’ve learned over the last 2 years. Now 4 days of review followed by the biggest thing to ever happen in my life……yippee. Can’t wait to get the parasympathetic nervous system rolling in the AM on Wednesday……ugh.

Yesterday was a pretty damn good day if I must say so. Studied the morning away on Behavioral and filled some SERIOUS memory gaps. Headed on up to the gym at 1:30 and found the place absolutely empty, just me and Wilson Philips and Phil Collins (yeah, I have to try to be intense while listening to “I can’t Dance.”) Started out with low rows, added an extra rep from last week. Followed with lat pulldowns, up 5lbs from last week. High Rows? Up 10lbs. I then did some seated rows and shrugs and ended the day with chinups (+2 on my first set) and preacher curls (up 5lbs and 1 rep on all sets.) If those numbers don’t say it, GREAT workout.

After the gym I absolutely didn’t feel like studying so I prepared my meals for tomorrow, walked the dog, went to the grocery store, and chatted with some friends (little did they know I still exist.) Trying to formulate some kind of plan for post-USMLE, but so far nothing. I really could use a vacation, but money is limited and a trip to places where I have friends just isn’t that far…..or exotic. My family wants to go out to eat to celebrate but I’m kinda anti-cheat right now for no particular reason other than this log and a lack of desire for “unclean” foods. Anyhow, no additional sides to report and as usual I will be weighing in tomorrow. Still looking more and more cut with each passing day so I’d imagine the weight won’t be much (if any) higher than last week. This product’s ability to produce strength gains while in very mild caloric excess is truly outstanding IMO.

Random thought: Speaking of Wilson Philips (see above,) has anyone seen Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle? Holy **** that was great……….some day somebody’s gonna make you wanna turn around and goodbye………. Ok, ****, I gotta go, now. And the scene where he slaps the marijuana bag on the “ass,” wow, that’s comedy.

[Robboe]

In comparison, have you been under this sort of stress or similar before? If so, how did it affect you training, sleep and mood?

About the latter -- even though you're clearly stressed, your mood appears to be in good spirits because you're always cracking jokes about how good studying really is and what-not. lol.

[uhockey]

In comparison, have you been under this sort of stress or similar before? If so, how did it affect you training, sleep and mood?

About the latter -- even though you're clearly stressed, your mood appears to be in good spirits because you're always cracking jokes about how good studying really is and what-not. lol.

Humor is my defense mechanism, it always has been, trust me I alternate between joking, depressed, and manic these days. In terms of stress, no, nothing quite like this, but obviously similar in terms of "normal" medical school testing. It may have been this bad during first year anatomy, especially head/neck, but to be honest I have a really hard time remembering those months of my life as it was winter and I felt horrid/tired/annoyed........I can honestly say I went 4 days once without seeing the sun. Mood and sleep were awful although I did make time for the gym. Above and beyond anything else, I find the gym to be my most cathartic release.......otherwise my neighbors would likely be "missing" after last night. ;)

[Steve_W]

Random thought: Speaking of Wilson Philips (see above,) has anyone seen Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle? Holy **** that was great……….some day somebody’s gonna make you wanna turn around and goodbye………. Ok, ****, I gotta go, now. And the scene where he slaps the marijuana bag on the “ass,” wow, that’s comedy.

haha I watched that a few weeks ago, funny as. Got the same Indian dude from Van Wilder, I love both those movies!

[uhockey]

6/12/05

Weight 5/22/05 186.2
Bodyfat 7.0

Weight 5/29/05 186.8
Bodyfat 6.8

Weight 6/5/05 186.2
Bodyfat 6.6

Weight 6/12/05 186.8
Bodyfat 6.6

Post #101, well ain't that something. I believe I'll dedicate this post to AGG and all my boys from "Just Shoot Me." I'll be back soon guys! :) Anyhow, onward with the log. Yesterday was a ****ty morning following a rough night due to the firecracker incident, I don't especially operate on less than 6 hours of sleep. Additionally, I got totally caught up in my books and forgot about the gym closing at 2:00 until approximately 1:05. Tossed all my stuff in my bookbag, ran like hell up the stairs, changed and stretched out by 1:15 and settled in for high rep leg day.

470x6x6x6 on the Leg press felt awesome.....wasn't sure it was going up for #6 on the last one but it got there just barely. One leg standing and 2-leg seated curls followed, both with an increased rep on the first 2 sets. Lunges with 130lbs followed those up and I closed out the day with some calf work, a leg extension dropset, and hanging leg raises. Due to time constraints rest periods were limited to 1:00minute between sets and 1:15 between different exercises with as much stretching as possible in between. I was the last one out and the weekend attendant gave me a dirty look as I rushed sweatily past her at 2:07.

As you can see above I weighed in this morning 0.4lbs heavier and at the same bf% as the previous week while ALL of my lifts have increased over the past week. I'm sure if someone were really packing in the kcals this stack would be even more impressive as a mass gainer, but as a strength gainer, lean bulker, sleep aid, mood enhancer it has so far been quite impressive. I'd love to see how this would work with something like Leptigen during a cut in terms of keeping leptin signaling high and T-levels elevated despite dropping weight. A little pricey for my blood, but perhaps some of you rich folks out there. Today is off with copious amounts of studying. Take care guys.

Random thought: Needed a break from life yesterday so I hit the theater to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith...now seriously, while I am far from the typical "red blooded 20-something American guy," there are certain facts that cannot be denied. Crazy, weird, slutty, whatever you want to call her, Angelina Jolie is gorgeous. She doesn't even look real she's so sexy. While Brad Pitt is a very attractive man and obviously has no confidence issues whatsoever, I really don't even see how anyone can stand in her presence without their jaw on the floor. While physical beauty obviously isn't everything, she makes the strongest case for it that I've ever seen.

[BluSilver]

WHY CAN'T YOU BE BULKING!?!?!?!?!? Nonetheless, you've done what some call impossible by adding weight while keeping your bf%.

[uhockey]

WHY CAN'T YOU BE BULKING!?!?!?!?!? Nonetheless, you've done what some call impossible by adding weight while keeping your bf%.

A) Because I have body issues due to excess skin from previous weight loss.

B) Because in 3 weeks I have to start wearing a shirt/tie/dress pants every day for 12+ hours and it's going to be well into the 95+ degree range.

C) Because when I started this log I set out exact parameters for calories, timing, and activity to truly create a "control" environment for ActivaTe.

D) All of the Above

[Eightpak]

D). Thats my final answer.

Oh and Mr. and Mrs. Smith was a great flick IMO as well. I also check it out last night.

[Robboe]

I just got back. I thought it was quite good.

Was expecting MUCH worse.

I'm strangely attracted to Brad Pitt, but i seriously fell in love with Angelina Jolie this evening.

[uhockey]

I just got back. I thought it was quite good.

Was expecting MUCH worse.

I'm strangely attracted to Brad Pitt, but i seriously fell in love with Angelina Jolie this evening.

Well, the way I see it, I can consider a man attractive while retaining my masculinity if I can look at that guy and say "y'know, I really wouldn't mind if I looked like him." There is obviously 95% of the population where this just isn't the case, where if I looked like that person I would be relatively pissed off. With that said, yes, I do find Brad Pitt attractive. Angelina Jolie However.......good God.....there is NOTHING wrong with that, except possibly the fact that she's a little bit nuts. How the hell did Jon Voight's DNA contribute to that?

[uhockey]

6/13/05

To be honest, I really don't have much to say. Yesterday was an off day, didn't leave the house, no pluses or minuses to be noted. Let's just say the stress is tangible and I actually thought I was having a panic attack yesterday evening. Went over questions from various sources for most of the day, read through some of Blackwell's Clinical Vignettes, etc.

Recovery, sleep, all that stuff is good but at the moment disconnecting body "feels" from brain "perceives" is extremely difficult. For the next couple days these logs are probably going to suck and I will be updating them the evening before rather than the day after as I have been. Shoulder is a little bit achy this morning, but heavy chest awaits this afternoon. I had considered taking the next 2 days off from the gym but I find that the physical release is the only thing keeping me pseudo-stable at the moment.

Random thought: I don't know why I do this to myself, but positive imagery and optimism have never really been very good to me.

[BluSilver]

Don't worry about it, uhockey. I'm sure you're WAY ahead of the game. This test is just another chip off the block for you, man. Good luck with it; I doubt you need it.

[uhockey]

6/13/05 Evening Post

First off, I apologize for the post this morning, totally a downer to say the least.....just a little bit overwhelmed right now, it comes and goes. Anyhow, as usual I spent the first 9ish hours of my day in the tiny lab bay which I will be very glad to abandon and ideally never return to after Wednesday. Don't get me wrong, the Gram's stain smells pretty decent and the room is great for concentrating......but I need a break. Took my RXT and ActivaTe at the appropriate times, still one dose of each to go at 8:30pm.

Despite the stress and lack of hardcore focus on my lifting (it's good, just not as good as usual right now) workouts continue to be intense and productive. Added another 10lbs to my incline barbell bench today since I hit my 5 reps last week (4 reps at the new weight), so I'm now 5lbs heavier than when I started the log (had to lower due to my shoulder.) I also forced out an extra pullup, an extra dip, and 5 extra lbs on my barbell shrugs. All other lifts stayed the same but felt good.

Just got done running through some more practice Q's and prepping meals for tomorrow, now it's time to review some more immunology and congenital pathology since my knowledge still seems slight on each topic. Tomorrow afternoon is legs and I will update sometime in the evening. Wednesday.......well, I guess you could call it off, but considering the parasympathetic response I generally get to high stress I imagine I'll have a pretty good amount of activity going on in many regards then as well.

Random thought: My phone rang today, scared the **** out of me, I'd assumed people forgot I existed a couple weeks ago. The benefits of not owning a home phone I guess is that solicitors never call my cell. Seriously though, is there a cooler ringtone than Zeppelin's Kashmir? I think not.

[xxghostxx]

Hey Mike, good luck on Wednesday! :)

[uhockey]

6/14/05 Brief Afternoon Post

Had a great leg workout this afternoon but all-in-all I really don't have the time or desire to post right now. I will update the log tomorrow evening and go back to my nice "normal" posts on Thursday.

Random thought: Freaked the **** out.


Hey Mike, good luck on Wednesday! :)

Thank you buddy. I currently feel like I'm going to need a ton of it.

[BluSilver]

Yea, good luck tomorrow, Mike.

[Sixpack]

Best of luck bro I hope you do well. You deserve and I was joking on AOL so u know

[meanmo]

Best of luck bro I hope you do well. You deserve and I was joking on AOL so u know


It's yours for the taking, never doubt it!

Once your done with your test can you come over and fix my shoulder?

[Dimitar]

Best of luck tomorrow, Mike!

[inprogress2]

good luck today and looking forward to the "normal post" , great log. your random thoughts keep it mixed up i like it.

[Robboe]

How'd it go?

[uhockey]

6/15/05 Post Test

What to say....well, I'll start with Leg day Teusday. Workout was great, squats were up 5lbs from the previous week and hack squats were up 10lbs for all 3 sets. Those were my first 2 lifts of the day and after that things were pretty much standard, all lifts either same as previously or an additional rep.

Tuesday Night.....lets just say I freaked out. Diarrhea, insomnia, overheated, everything bad thing you can imagine the parassympathetic nervous system doing.......was done. I fell asleep around 2:00 I guess, with the aid of some diphenhydramine and advil. Test started at 7:00am with check-in at 6:30am.

There is nothing I can say about the test itself. I know I got a couple, but if I had to place a significant wager, I do not believe I passed, which means things will be delayed after my internal medicine rotation and I'll likely be either retaking the test (most likely) in December, or following my heart and finding a way out of medical school and back onto the phD route. Anyhow, I'm totally wiped out right now and need some sleep. I'll get back to the log tomorrow.

Random thought: I can't think.

[BluSilver]

lol don't worry, I bet you passed. I thought I bombed my AP chem test, yet I got a 5.

Anywho, you're all done with it; tension should be somewhat relieved. It's over, so don't worry about it anymore. Just focus on enjoying your life.

[Robboe]

I hope it is better than you're making it out to be.

[Sixpack]

Ya no kidding man . Best of luck Mike on the results



I hope it is better than you're making it out to be.

[Brilluminati]

I've been silently following this log, but I just wanted to say "Keep your head up."

Along with everyone else, I'm sure that you did just fine. I'll keep you in my prayers...when will you know the results?

[uhockey]

6/16/05

Alright, back to normal, I think. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their nice posts over the past couple days......believe it or not they helped. Even if none of you really "know" me in a true sense, it's always nice to hear someone believes in you or is praying for you. :) The test was brutal but I know I put in a lot of time and now that I look back on the experience I'm sure it wasn't QUITE as bad as it felt yesterday. It was just a giant emotional release that I don't really think anyone can comprehend unless they've gone through it (or something similar.) Results should be available in approximately 6 weeks. A long wait for sure, but I've made it my goal to enjoy these next 2.5 weeks as they are more or less my last significant break for at least the next couple years. Enough of that ****, back to the log! As you can imagine, Wednesday's dosings were a little off but I tried to keep them within an hour or so of normal.

Since my rotations will be starting as early as 6:00am as of July 5th I've decided to keep my wake-up/bedtime scedule the same as it's been for the last year, so this morning I got up at 4:30, ate some Oats and SubstanceWPI (don't have any friggin money for Vanilla Bean until my new set of loans come through on June 26th!!) screwed around on the message boards for a bit, and headed to the gym at 6:00.

Today was high rep chest and tris day and it went great. Over the backdrop of Rod Stewart and Amy Grant I added 10lbs to my flat dumbbell press, 5lbs and 1 rep to my peck dec, and 10lbs to my cable crossovers. I finished off with rope pushdowns and an overhead extension dropset. The gym was nice and cool as the weather here in Ohio has been nice for the past few days and I was full of energy. Felt good to be alive today.......after the gym I got an oil change, groceries, dry cleaners, bank, and scouted out a new gym that I might use for the next couple weeks to avoid driving all the way out to school. This afternoon, Batman time!

In terms of sides, nothing new to report. My knees are a little bit more 'clicky' than usual, especially my right which was scoped in the past, but nothing too significant. Got a couple oddball pimples on my right thigh and shoulder as well, but once again, they are extremely tiny and insignificant. Sleep was spectacular last night as I was totally burned out and energy continues to be high. Vascularity continues to improve as does definition in my chest and lifts continue to progress despite not being in caloric excess in terms of weight gain. Anyhow, I'm going to go enjoy the feeling of being alive for a while longer. Lats and Shoulders are tomorrow.

Random thought: I'm seriously going to miss this stuff at the end of my log and am currently looking for something new to write a log about. Anything cool out there that anyone would like to see a good, honest, controlled log about? Something new, something old?

[Sixpack]

Hey Mike I will be doing a SuperDrol log next after I am done. You are welcome to join in?

[BluSilver]

I totally agree, Sixpack. Mike, you'd be a perfect tester to clear up all those crappy SuperDrol logs out there. I'd sponser your log, but I'm broke :(.

[uhockey]

No offense to Designer Supplements or anyone who enjoys such products, but let's just say I value my health too much to take such risks.

[meanmo]

No offense to Designer Supplements or anyone who enjoys such products, but let's just say I value my health too much to take such risks.


that's just like a MD to care about his health, sheeesh. who cares about health when ou have 22" guns (-:

Of course I kid youngsters, health is numero uno, the older you get, the more you realize that.

Uhockey, I'll bet you did pretty good on your test, I think you protect yourself by assuming negative results. My crystal ball say's "PASS"

[WorkoutMD]

6/16/05

Alright, back to normal, I think. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their nice posts over the past couple days......believe it or not they helped. Even if none of you really "know" me in a true sense, it's always nice to hear someone believes in you or is praying for you. :) The test was brutal but I know I put in a lot of time and now that I look back on the experience I'm sure it wasn't QUITE as bad as it felt yesterday. It was just a giant emotional release that I don't really think anyone can comprehend unless they've gone through it (or something similar.) Results should be available in approximately 6 weeks. A long wait for sure, but I've made it my goal to enjoy these next 2.5 weeks as they are more or less my last significant break for at least the next couple years. Enough of that ****, back to the log! As you can imagine, Wednesday's dosings were a little off but I tried to keep them within an hour or so of normal.

Since my rotations will be starting as early as 6:00am as of July 5th I've decided to keep my wake-up/bedtime scedule the same as it's been for the last year, so this morning I got up at 4:30, ate some Oats and SubstanceWPI (don't have any friggin money for Vanilla Bean until my new set of loans come through on June 26th!!) screwed around on the message boards for a bit, and headed to the gym at 6:00.

Today was high rep chest and tris day and it went great. Over the backdrop of Rod Stewart and Amy Grant I added 10lbs to my flat dumbbell press, 5lbs and 1 rep to my peck dec, and 10lbs to my cable crossovers. I finished off with rope pushdowns and an overhead extension dropset. The gym was nice and cool as the weather here in Ohio has been nice for the past few days and I was full of energy. Felt good to be alive today.......after the gym I got an oil change, groceries, dry cleaners, bank, and scouted out a new gym that I might use for the next couple weeks to avoid driving all the way out to school. This afternoon, Batman time!

In terms of sides, nothing new to report. My knees are a little bit more 'clicky' than usual, especially my right which was scoped in the past, but nothing too significant. Got a couple oddball pimples on my right thigh and shoulder as well, but once again, they are extremely tiny and insignificant. Sleep was spectacular last night as I was totally burned out and energy continues to be high. Vascularity continues to improve as does definition in my chest and lifts continue to progress despite not being in caloric excess in terms of weight gain. Anyhow, I'm going to go enjoy the feeling of being alive for a while longer. Lats and Shoulders are tomorrow.

Random thought: I'm seriously going to miss this stuff at the end of my log and am currently looking for something new to write a log about. Anything cool out there that anyone would like to see a good, honest, controlled log about? Something new, something old?

Mike--congrats on getting the test over and done with.

[drewkowsky]

great log man
I know this has been a rough time for you, but its actually really pretty inspiring to hear you battle your way through all of this

[uhockey]

6/17/05

New gym, good times. :) After wandering around my "even less cool" side of town yesterday I finally found a gym that suited my needs and picked up a one month membership so that I don't have to drive across town for the next couple weeks. Good-bye Rod Stewart, hello.......slipknot and mudvayne? WTF? Yesterday it was oldschool Metallica and Cowboys from Hell era Pantera, today I get treated to ear damaging ruckus by untalented ****-heel bands......sigh. It was nice to workout around people near my own age instead of the early-AM geriatrics crowd and the hospital however and some new machines were a definite change of pace....may have to change things up a little over the next couple weeks to implement them in my routine.

Today was Lats and shoulders and once again, strength was improved. Iso-Low Rows, Lat pulldowns, and shrugs were ALL up compared to last week and it appears that all the issues bugging my shoulder have subsided. I continue to feel more recovered, more energitic, and more focused each day in the gym and that is a feeling that simply can't be beat. Increasing strength without gaining a spare tire, no matter how clean my diet, has always been an issue for me but over the past 3 weeks I have not only increased strength but also become more defined and dropped bodyfat. Aside from anabolic steroids that is something one does not see accomplished very often, especially one prone to fat gains from a 100% clean diet.

That said, I am considering a cheat-meal this weekend depending on how things fall together. It would be my first in 5 weeks and second in 15 weeks. I take my diet very seriously and when I say no cheats I mean absolutely zero processed/packaged foods during the previous 5 weeks. If I do cheat, it's likely going to be Chinese/Mogolian BBQ and Sushi as I've not any since December 13th. Either that, or some kind of meal out before heading to Cedar Point on Sunday/Monday. Decisions Decisions.......but goddamn do I feel like I deserve it. :)

Tomorrow is High Rep leg day at the new gym. They have a donkey calf raise machine, something I've never had the opportunity to utilize before and am definitely looking forward to. To quote sixpack "More to come."

Random thought: So I saw Batman Begins yesterday. AWESOME. I was never a big comic nerd, but hot-damn was that a great film. Christopher Nolan is a phenomenal director and the cinematography was slick. OTOH, regarding Katie Holmes........I don't get it. She's from my hometown, she went to school with a girl I was really good friends with, and now she's dating Tom Cruise........wtf? She isn't even hot by Toledo standards and this city is pretty friggin ugly. :)

[uhockey]

6/18/05

So much for Leg day. Gym didn't open until 10:00am today and I woke up at 4:20 with a ****load of energy. I ate my breakfast, good ol' Substance/Oats/Milk plus vitamins and ActivaTe, and tried to waste time but just couldn't sit still so I decided today would be a great day for a jog. Bulking, sixpack style!! ;) Ate my second meal at 7:00 along with my RXT and hit the trails at 8:25am. The weather is beautiful here in T-town and the temperature is hovering around 65. Joints are still a little bit achey due to the RXT, but goddamn did it feel great to get out in the cool breeze. I know I went a little long, especially since I haven't done cardio in almost 2 months, but I totally zoned out and found myself stretching out afterwards at 9:34 having ran a little over 5.5 miles. Slammed down a Substance/Xtend/Oats shake (in case you can't tell, I have a bit of affection for Substance) and hit the shower. I dunno, perhaps I'm a bit hypothymic, but I'm in a great mood today and my energy is spectacular

Tomorrow is an off day so I'm heading out to the lake for the day and probably spending the night. I'll take my calipers and we have a scale out there, so the morning weigh-in and bf% will be taken as usual although likely not updated until tomorrow evening.

Random thought: Any of you loyal readers tried out the Nike Free! shoes yet? The concept seems interesting and my gym shoes are starting to decay on their one year anniversary. I've heard great things about doing squats and calfraises barefoot and those shoes certainly seem to be the next best option.....not sure if I can justify the $85 purchase though.

[Sixpack]

Great log bro haha, bulking sixpack style hehe. Watch out now u don't want to burn too many cals. About the shoes man i bought a pair yesterday at the mall here in phoenix. I ran with them this morning. They are very light and comfortable thats for sure. Not sure how they will feel doing legs in though. i will let you know on Wednesday when i hit legs. Hockey hit me up on AIM this weekened for sure if you would. Need to talk to ya
Great job

[Stuntdawg]

6/18/05

So much for Leg day. Gym didn't open until 10:00am today and I woke up at 4:20 with a ****load of energy. I ate my breakfast, good ol' Substance/Oats/Milk plus vitamins and ActivaTe, and tried to waste time but just couldn't sit still so I decided today would be a great day for a jog. Bulking, sixpack style!! ;) Ate my second meal at 7:00 along with my RXT and hit the trails at 8:25am. The weather is beautiful here in T-town and the temperature is hovering around 65. Joints are still a little bit achey due to the RXT, but goddamn did it feel great to get out in the cool breeze. I know I went a little long, especially since I haven't done cardio in almost 2 months, but I totally zoned out and found myself stretching out afterwards at 9:34 having ran a little over 5.5 miles. Slammed down a Substance/Xtend/Oats shake (in case you can't tell, I have a bit of affection for Substance) and hit the shower. I dunno, perhaps I'm a bit hypothymic, but I'm in a great mood today and my energy is spectacular

Tomorrow is an off day so I'm heading out to the lake for the day and probably spending the night. I'll take my calipers and we have a scale out there, so the morning weigh-in and bf% will be taken as usual although likely not updated until tomorrow evening.

Random thought: Any of you loyal readers tried out the Nike Free! shoes yet? The concept seems interesting and my gym shoes are starting to decay on their one year anniversary. I've heard great things about doing squats and calfraises barefoot and those shoes certainly seem to be the next best option.....not sure if I can justify the $85 purchase though.

Uhockey, I must admit, I find your logs a joy to read. They're quite thorough and the random thoughts at the end change the pace quite nicely. We need more reviewers like you @ this board. Anywho, I just wanted to share that with you.

O/T, I saw the new Batman last night and was equally impressed. Katie Holmes was the weak link, but Christian Bale was indeed impressive as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
I also am intriqued by Nike's new shoes as I need an acceptable replacement pair myself. I just wish they didn't cost $85.00.
Anyways, best of luck with the rest of the log. Nice job.

[rockstarsar]

That said, I am considering a cheat-meal this weekend depending on how things fall together. Decisions Decisions.......but goddamn do I feel like I deserve it. :)

I don't think there's anyone out there who doesn't think you deserve a cheat meal (save for the "uhockey ruined me rep!" leprechaun guy). Congratulations on getting the exam over with, and also on finding a new gym. I wish you more productive workouts, a passing grade on the final, and overall well-being. :)

[uhockey]

6/19/05

Weight 5/22/05 186.2
Bodyfat 7.0

Weight 5/29/05 186.8
Bodyfat 6.8

Weight 6/5/05 186.2
Bodyfat 6.6

Weight 6/12/05 186.8
Bodyfat 6.6

Weight 6/19/05 186.6
Bodyfat 6.4

Well, perhaps running for that long after giving up cardio for a couple months wasn't such a hot idea, my legs are killing me.......ah well, it was enjoyable and that's what these two weeks are about. As you can see from the weeks measurements, weight is slightly down and yet another decrease in bodyfat.....fantastic.....not exactly bulking, but if lifts are going up who the hell am I to complain? Due to the annoying loose skin, my abs have never been truly defined, but my chest, arms, and legs are looking absolutely more toned than they ever have in the past......even my Aunt commented this weekend that I was looking "more muscley," which cracked me up since I'm still nothing but a tall lanky fella.

After my morning run yesterday I've been simply relaxing by the lake for the past 2 days. Plenty of sleep, some lame DVDs, walking the dogs by the water, and hanging out with my Sister, Aunt, and Mom playing board games and cards.......certainly not the swinging nightlife of most 25 year old guys, but something I haven't had nearly enough time for in a while. For me, when time is short, family always matters most.

Without the stress my sleep has been even better than before and recovery time has been spectacular. I'm not so sure I'd recommend the NHA stack for hardcore long distance running, however, since my meager 10 minute per mile pace has left my joints a tad more achey than I'd prefer. Thankfully tomorrow is chest day and as such legs shouldn't interfere. Didn't hit the cheat meal this weekend either, so diet remains flawless for now. :)

Random thought: Father's Day is the **** for personal shopping. I swear Nordstroms was giving clothes away and since most fatherly types don't exactly fit a 15.5 34/35 dress shirt I got some sweet deals on some more "professional" attire.....looking pretty smooth if I must say so. Additionally, figuring what the hell is another $85 ontop of my $100Kish worth of loans I picked up some Nike Free and wore them around the lake all weekend.......all I can say is wow.......it's like having thick soles on the bottom of your feet with nothing else to inhibit your stride. I cannot wait for leg day and my next jog. :)

[Robboe]

6.4%?!

Damn, you are lean.

[uhockey]

6.4%?!

Damn, you are lean.

I try. Had I known what I know now when I started shedding the fat I'm sure things would be much more excellent as I wouldn't have the skin issue going on. The dermatologist seems to feel that it will eventually all tighten up through a combo of proper hydration and non-prescription collagen/vitE creams, but it's been a long and annoying road. 6.4% and still having issues about beach season without a shirt kinda sucks. As I've said in the past, the actual % is probably higher, but due to the skin the measurements are simply used to gauge change in bodycomp more than a true solid number

[uhockey]

6/20/05

Hopping off the soapbox for another daily installment of my log. The new gym rocks, the music is far superior, and the chicks are much better looking......unfortunately I had to listen to meathead firefighters talk about how one of them gained 15lbs in a month using pumptech!! That's right, not cell-tech or nitrotech which would at least be adding cals, but fu*cking pumptech. As I am the kind of person who is easily annoyed by ignorance I was forced to interject that this was impossible and a long debate ensued with me owning them on the NO cGMP pathway and the mechanistics of the supplements they felt so confident about...but didn't know **** about. Although they probably looked at my scrawny ass and chuckled inside, I did finally get the dip**** to acknowledge that he had been eating a lot more and drinking a lot more beer since summer started. I felt a lesson on alcohol dehydrogenase would be better served for another day.

Heavy chest day and it went swimmingly. Added 1 (and a half!) reps to my incline press and yet another to my dips.....almost getting to the point where I can put on the belt with chains and look like a hardass! Military press saw an extra 10lbs go up (but one less rep that last week at the lower weight) while CG Bench saw an additional 5lbs go up for all sets. All other lifts stayed the same and as I FLEW through my workout I did some ab-work afterwards and plenty of stretching before downing my shake and heading back home.

After a cool relaxing weekend it appears temperatures are about to creep back up here in T-town so I guess the air will soon be on again. Not sure what the heck I'm going to do with the next two weeks as I have minimal cash and noplace to go, but it sure beats room 124 and a stack of text books. Tomorrow is heavy leg day.

Random thought: Heard Metallica's "Ain't My Bitch" at the gym today and it cracked me up. When my sister was little she thought James was singing "It ain't my bedtime." This from the same person who originally thought the lyrics to Collective Soul's "World I Know" were "The One Eyed Man." I still give her **** about it to this day........beating dead horses is great.

[BluSilver]

Mike, I think getting the test over with has also played a role improving your lifts. Your spirits seem much better, your insults are more classy, and your strength is increasing while losing bodyfat. Good lord, did you ever just need to get that test over with and start enjoying life again.

[uhockey]

Mike, I think getting the test over with has also played a role improving your lifts. Your spirits seem much better, your insults are more classy, and your strength is increasing while losing bodyfat. Good lord, did you ever just need to get that test over with and start enjoying life again.

When were my insults unclassy? I always try to dress up my obnoxiousness! ;)

[BluSilver]

Mike or Rob: How come Sixpack is getting "pumps" from the product? I don't see how this is possible unless it is resultant of a better workout.

[uhockey]

Mike or Rob: How come Sixpack is getting "pumps" from the product? I don't see how this is possible unless it is resultant of a better workout.

No comment. ::cough:: placebo ::cough:: anecdote ::cough::

[uhockey]

6/21/05

First off, take today's log with a grain of salt. I am not blaming the NHA stack in any way, just my own stupid ass. :) WTF was I thinking running for that long on Saturday?? I mean sure, the weather was beautiful and it seemed like a great idea at the time, but good hell is my knee bothering me now. Combine that with the fact that I'm not very bright and don't tend to listen when my body says stop.........and today was leg day. :)

Squats, up another 5 pounds on all sets for all reps followed by hack squats up by 10lbs for the first set and 5lbs for sets two and three. SLDL stayed firm from last week but after my last set I sat down to take a breather and got a shooting pain in my knee like I haven't had in probably 2 years. Ever since the hit in highschool and the following scope to remove some damaged cartilage this knee has always given me fits, but for the last two years it has been relatively silent. I've mentioned that it has certainly gotten more "clicky" since this log began, but there was no pain until Sunday morning after my Saturday run. I went to the mall with my sister yesterday and it was bugging the hell out of me and today it is significantly worse. No swelling, just a nagging sting on the lateral side.

After the pain died down I resumed with seated calf raises, inclined crunches, back hyperextensions, and my Slanted Calf dropset, but weights were down on both of the leg exercises as I feared further aggravation. All in all it was a solid workout and strength/endurance were good, but my knee is certainly not putting me in the best of moods right now. Thankfully Wednesdays are off days and I'll be able to sit around doing........God knows what all day long. As much as I bitch about school, I really am a boring person without it.

Random thought: Seriously, what do people who don't drink or do drugs or go out for ****ty food do for fun in Northwest Ohio? I used to enjoy video games and such, but now I find them hard to get into since I never have time to finish them. Music and movies are pretty passive and although my collection of 2000+ albums is nice, it's not entertaining for 2 straight weeks. I've been to the zoo and art museum enough times that I could navigate them blindfolded. Gosh, I am so uncool..........:)

[Robboe]

Mike or Rob: How come Sixpack is getting "pumps" from the product? I don't see how this is possible unless it is resultant of a better workout.

He's eating more. And he's dosing right before training which may be having an effect.

I got great pumps on the NHAS.

[Sixpack]

Exactly I am taking in more carbs then anyone who is using it plus 4300 cals everyday. I love taking it preworkout seems to work well.


He's eating more. And he's dosing right before training which may be having an effect.

I got great pumps on the NHAS.

[uhockey]

Well Rob, this begs the question. What exactly have I been injesting?

http://www.forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=6118426#post6118426

[Slated]

Well Rob, this begs the question. What exactly have I been injesting?

http://www.forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=6118426#post6118426
yeah. I too am a little curious

[Sixpack]

O boy

[uhockey]

Rob, I await your opinion. Stick with the Activate alone or just drop it all together.

[uhockey]

Rob, I await your opinion. Stick with the Activate alone or just drop it all together.

Where the hell are ya Rob, this is your time of day for posting. :)

[nick912]

Boy I hate to see this happen to a couple good dudes like you and J..Hopefully it was just underdosed

[Robboe]

Sorry for the delay Michael, but i'm having the worst of mornings.

If your RXT had that batch #, then you've been taking what is essentially intermediates of the synthesis for ATD and not full ATD itself (basically, very little ATD and a lot of filler).

The intermediates are harmless and will not effect your health or liver, so don't be concerned about that.

For the small amount of ATD in the caps, lower your dose to 1 cap per day for a few days and then discard the remainder. Maintain your activate as you were for the remainder of the trial.

Sincerest apologies about this.

[uhockey]

Will do. Thank you for taking the time to offer a decent response since other company reps seem to be skirting the issue on this board and only offering info on Avant and AM.

[Slated]

thanks for the update!

[Robboe]

Will do. Thank you for taking the time to offer a decent response since other company reps seem to be skirting the issue on this board and only offering info on Avant and AM.

Steve had to handle a LOT of sudden emails, PMs and board replies in a short space of time on his own since i had to log off a little earlier last night (the time difference doesn't help), so you can cut him a little slack.

[uhockey]

6/22/05

Oh the drama. For any of you following the RXT soap opera unfolding across the boards the past two days have been a pretty good time. On one hand, it is plainly obvious that ActivaTe is a pretty stellar product considering I've essentially been taking ActivaTe on it's own for the past 4 weeks. On the other hand, I do feel slightly betrayed by poor product standards from a company I had originally questioned due to the lack of mechanisms/references for GXR. I'm not really sure how/why I've been getting the increased joint soreness if the RXT is mostly inactive.....perhaps the ActivaTe just has me pushing myself harder in the gym and the soreness is an end result.

Today was an off day and sleep, energy, etc remains good. Tomorrow is high rep chest day and I will follow Robs advice and finish out the cycle tomorrow along with a tapered dose of 1 cap of pseudo-RXT for the next 5 days following. I will weigh in Friday morning and offer my final impressions at that time.


Random thought: PPD titers suck. I don't have TB, quit prodding me damnit. Yeah, that's right, I'm attempting to be a physician and I'm a total pussy when it comes to needles. Then the nurse laughs at you. Empathy? Hello??

[Robboe]

I actually started the GXR write-up. I'm not sure when it's due (RXT and new LX write-ups will be out first), but i need more info from Matt when he gets back before i can complete it.

Again, apologies for the mistake.

[uhockey]

I actually started the GXR write-up. I'm not sure when it's due (RXT and new LX write-ups will be out first), but i need more info from Matt when he gets back before i can complete it.

Again, apologies for the mistake.

Well Rob, it's certainly not your fault about the RXT and I'm very glad you guys have done such a great job responding to the pressure......the 2 for 1 deal is great for people who will need an AI in the future. I simply feel for anyone who didn't take the necessary precautions to have Tamoxifen on hand for Superdrol PCT and got screwed with the bad batch of RXT.

As for GXR, Matt sent me 30caps the last time I started arguing the product's validity, so I'm thinking about running a quick 2 week/ 2 cap a day cycle and seeing how it feels. I'm just a nerd for mechanisms and the references in the original writeup were FAR from convincing (porcine jejunum has become one of my favorite comebacks to bro-tology.) I've heard it's great pre-workout with EC or other stims and it's postworkout efficacy has been well discussed. I have no other products to play with at the time, so what the heck.

[Sixpack]

Mike,
Be carefull taking th GXR preworkout , it made my BS drop big time, I prefer to take it postworkout and one other time with a higher carb meal. This will differ for everyone but it made me sleepy taken pre-workout. I love how it makes me feel postworkout and throughout the day though

[Robboe]

If you're gonna use pre-workout, combining with a stim would make the low blood sugar less noticable without the need for carbs also, but keep intake to 1 cap.

2 caps without carbs, even with a stim, is pushing your luck.

[Robboe]

As for GXR, Matt sent me 30caps the last time I started arguing the product's validity, so I'm thinking about running a quick 2 week/ 2 cap a day cycle and seeing how it feels. I'm just a nerd for mechanisms and the references in the original writeup were FAR from convincing (porcine jejunum has become one of my favorite comebacks to bro-tology.) I've heard it's great pre-workout with EC or other stims and it's postworkout efficacy has been well discussed. I have no other products to play with at the time, so what the heck.

No, i'm not a big fan of the original write-up. Matt has a lot more references than that to support his theory but that write-up was poor and has potential to be a LOT better.

Bear in mind, the combination of the ingredients in GXR are very much that - a theory. One that appears to be paying off in most.

Let me know if you started a new theory testing journal for your GXR trail cause i wanna see how you fair.

[uhockey]

If you're gonna use pre-workout, combining with a stim would make the low blood sugar less noticable without the need for carbs also, but keep intake to 1 cap.

2 caps without carbs, even with a stim, is pushing your luck.

I eat breakfast (Oats/Whey) at 4:30 and hit the gym at 6:00 followed immediately by Postworkout shake (Oats/WPI/BCAA) at 7:00. I was thinking GXR with Stim at 5:30 and with my PWO shake. Yes/No, Why?

[Robboe]

I always have GXR post-workout regardless for the anti-oxidant effect, but it can help with getting nutrients to the damaged areas, as well you know.

Looks good.

[Sixpack]

MY report with it I have taken it with an EC stack, Lipo-6 and San's Tight about 30min preworkout. It did make my BS drop off slightly. I took one cap with the following. So from there on I took it postworkout and another time with a higher carb meal.



I eat breakfast (Oats/Whey) at 4:30 and hit the gym at 6:00 followed immediately by Postworkout shake (Oats/WPI/BCAA) at 7:00. I was thinking GXR with Stim at 5:30 and with my PWO shake. Yes/No, Why?

[uhockey]

If I had the cash I'd order some AMP or HEAT to go with it because the potentiation interests me. Likely I'll just try it with EC since I can get both locally and cheaply.

[Sixpack]

I will let u know how the amp is bro I ordered some yesterday. You will have cash man . Patience brotha with your backround and schooling its going to pay off.


If I had the cash I'd order some AMP or HEAT to go with it because the potentiation interests me. Likely I'll just try it with EC since I can get both locally and cheaply.

[uhockey]

I will let u know how the amp is bro I ordered some yesterday. You will have cash man . Patience brotha with your backround and schooling its going to pay off.

Pfff, background and schooling, I'm just waiting for my government loans. :p Sure, eventually I'll pay them back and live in the "real world" with "real money," but for now, Uncle Sam digs Sesathin, Substance WPI, and Dymatize Vanilla. He'll likely be moving towards ultrapeptide or a good blend in the upcoming months as well. I guess I'll be living Sixpack style with rotations and whatnot.......oats and whey! :)

[Sixpack]

Yep oats and whey brotha the cheapest diet in the world, and once u taste UP man you will want it in every meal lol.

[BluSilver]

What the heck, Mike; you're spending our money on that damn bodybuilding crap when you could be buying better school supplies. You could even be bribing a teacher but you have to go and buy your little whey and blends.

I was looking into Ultrapeptide. Looks solid, though expensive compared to a good proteincustomizer blend. Six- I've bet you tried it- how's the taste?

[Sixpack]

U cannot compare it to any other chocolate thats how good it is. Hell I would send you both samples if you want thats how sure I am that you guys will love it. Back to hockeys thread


What the heck, Mike; you're spending our money on that damn bodybuilding crap when you could be buying better school supplies. You could even be bribing a teacher but you have to go and buy your little whey and blends.

I was looking into Ultrapeptide. Looks solid, though expensive compared to a good proteincustomizer blend. Six- I've bet you tried it- how's the taste?

[BluSilver]

U cannot compare it to any other chocolate thats how good it is. Hell I would send you both samples if you want thats how sure I am that you guys will love it. Back to hockeys thread
lol I'll have to give it a try soon. I just love my cheap blends.

Mike, when you're done with this log, you could do M1T2 log. I don't see any all-powerful ingredients, but it does have a fair dose of many so-so ingredients. There's also a great deal on it now. I think you've suffered from low test levels due to bad dieting in the past, so logs with test boosters would mean more done by you.

[uhockey]

lol I'll have to give it a try soon. I just love my cheap blends.

Mike, when you're done with this log, you could do M1T2 log. I don't see any all-powerful ingredients, but it does have a fair dose of many so-so ingredients. There's also a great deal on it now. I think you've suffered from low test levels due to bad dieting in the past, so logs with test boosters would mean more done by you.

Six is offering UltraPeptide samples.......I keep telling people he's in cahoots with Xtreme Formulations. ;) I've tried Dave's BSL chocolate flavoring, I imagine that's the same stuff he's putting in UP and if that's the case I'm sure it's delicious.

As for M1T2......that product can kiss my ass. Blatant false advertising is one of the biggest problems with the supplement industry and outside of Muscletech I'd say that product is possibly the biggest offender.

[meanmo]

Yep oats and whey brotha the cheapest diet in the world, and once u taste UP man you will want it in every meal lol.


What whey are you guys using? If I cant find a whey that does not give me gas, my wife is going to leave me. I live on oats/blueberries and whey and this is getting ridiculous. sorry for hijack

[Lok7y]

I always have GXR post-workout regardless for the anti-oxidant effect, but it can help with getting nutrients to the damaged areas, as well you know.

Looks good.


I actually think it'd be slighly better if you dosed it pre-workout (assuming you're only taking it once/day, as per me). That way you attenuate the ROS-impairment of insulin-signaling pathways immediately (and keep the receptors all nice and phosphorlyated), get the potentiation of your pre-workout stims, and get a little NO boost too.

Hotness.

AMP, GXR, & sulbutamine has me seeing through walls these days...lol

[Lok7y]

Six is offering UltraPeptide samples.......I keep telling people he's in cahoots with Xtreme Formulations. ;) I've tried Dave's BSL chocolate flavoring, I imagine that's the same stuff he's putting in UP and if that's the case I'm sure it's delicious.

As for M1T2......that product can kiss my ass. Blatant false advertising is one of the biggest problems with the supplement industry and outside of Muscletech I'd say that product is possibly the biggest offender.


So now...

are you hyooge yet??

[uhockey]

So now...

are you hyooge yet??

Nope, still a pussy with a lot more knowledge than strength, just slightly larger and more defined. :)

[uhockey]

What whey are you guys using? If I cant find a whey that does not give me gas, my wife is going to leave me. I live on oats/blueberries and whey and this is getting ridiculous. sorry for hijack

I think I started hijacking my own thread with my random thoughts a while back. :) Regarding whey and gas, either start taking digestive enzymes (Trader Joes makes superior versions to their more expensive GNC counterparts) or look at an Isolate such as Substance WPI (Grape = Sweetness,) GF Pro, or Nectar.

[Sixpack]

Yes hockey if you want one or two or 3 let me know for the samples,

Momod- I use proteincustomizers isolate the flavoring is hands down the best out there plus 15 bucks for 2 pounds of isolate is unreal without clumping like other companies



What whey are you guys using? If I cant find a whey that does not give me gas, my wife is going to leave me. I live on oats/blueberries and whey and this is getting ridiculous. sorry for hijack

[uhockey]

6/23/05

Here I sit with 5 caps of ActivaTe awaiting my 8:00pm meal.......it's been one hell of a run. Today was high reps chest day and as usual, energy was good and lifts were up. Dumbell presses, Inclined dumbell presses, and Pec Dec were all up 5lbs for all sets while Cable Crossovers remained steady but added 2 reps on the first set. Tricep pushdowns were up 5lbs plus one extra rep on the first set and my overhead extension dropset was up 1 rep on 70 and 55lbs while maintaining other weights. Overall another great workout but unfortunately fueled by Linkin Park......which is STILL better than Rod Stewart and Amy Grant.

I will update my final thoughts on the product tomorrow as I'm currently in the middle of Bob Dylan's autobiography and having trouble putting it down.


Random thought: Calamari, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Lettuce, Spinach, Sesathin, and croutons made of Ezekiel Bread with Roasted Garlic and pan fried onions may be the greatest thing on earth. I really don't understand why people pay resaturant prices or why anyone would shop anywhere but Trader Joes. :)

[Sixpack]

**** I wish i was less then an hour away to a trader joes

[uhockey]

**** I wish i was less then an hour away to a trader joes

I'm 52 minutes from Ann Arbor, I make the drive once a month or so and drop about $150-175 for the products I need. After that it's just a matter of local shopping for veggies, chicken breast (local butcher, $1.79/lb since he knows my mom), eggs, and cottage cheese.

[uhockey]

6/24/05 FINAL THOUGHTS

Started
Weight 5/22/05 186.2
Bodyfat 7.0%

Finished
Weight 6/24/05 186.6
Bodyfat 6.4%

Lift increases: ALL major lifts (DL, Squat, Benchpress) increased at least 10lbs, Hack Squats up 20, Cable Crossovers up 20, Leg Press up 20, Dumbbell Curls up 5, Lat Pulldowns up 10, all other lifts up in reps/weight as well.

Impressions: First off, I've read many questions in Sixpack's log regarding diet change, workout change, etc. and I do not want nor expect such questions regarding mine. Before this log I was always a Designer Supplements skeptic and decided that given my substantially regimented study schedule I would set up an ideal control environment to test out the power of the NHA stack. Diet was spot on with the exact same macros and exact same timing throughout the log. No other supplements changed, workout was the same time every day (except the day I went for a jog), and wake-up/sleep schedule was within 15 minutes every day. While sixpack increased calories and changed up workouts (all for the better I might add, it's great to see J finally dedicating himself to the bulk,) I maintained my "control" settings to make sure this log mattered.

We've all read the stories about RXT and as such it appears that this log was actually evaluating ActivaTe on it's own, in which case all I can say is wow. My current diet had been allowing me to gain around 0.4-0.6lbs per week for the previous 5 weeks before beginning the log. After an early gain it appears the effects of Activate quickly boosted metabolism/T4/T3 levels to the point of 3400-3500 being maintenance/cutting instead of a slow lean bulk. While bodyfat continued to drop, weight remained steady and lifts continued to increase. Aside from my first month of Avant Labs sesathin I've never had a supplement provide such a benefit in terms of allowing strength gains without weight gain. (I still use sesathin daily and it is my favorite supplement all time for a myriad of reasons, but the effects were certainly most pronounced the first month or so.)

In addition to the strength gains, ActivaTe enhanced the quality of sleep, improved definition/vascularity, and enhanced my feeling of well being during a period in my life in which feeling well certainly wasn't easy. For those of you who have followed this log from the start, you've essentially witnessed a condensed journal of one of the 3 worst months of my entire life. One involved a female, the other the death of my grandfather.......and I'm not sure where prepping for the USMLE ranks in the top 3, but it's definitely there. Hopefully everything went well with the test, I guess I'll know in a couple weeks. :)

With regards to sides, only two can be commented on. First, there was definitely an increase in soreness. I'm not sure if this was due to the compound or if it was due to me pushing heavier weights for more reps, but either way I often felt like someone had kicked the **** out of my hockey-damaged knees. Secondly, and likely due to the increased T3/T4 suggested by Rob, was a tangible thermogenic effect. While it wasn't bad most of the time, the period during which my A/C was out was miserable.

I would like to thank Matt (Sledge) for this opportunity and wish him all the luck in the world with future projects and clearing up the whole RXT incident. I would also like to thank Rob for being around to answer questions and generally being a nice guy. Finally I would like to thank all of you who read this log and wished me luck and support throughout the previous month......it was a wild ride to say the least.

Random thought: If there is are any other questions, feel free to post them here. While many in the health community won't trust anything which isn't approved by the FDA, I've studied mechanisms of many drugs and must say that just because the FDA approves it doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. If there are any other product reps out there looking for a substantial/quality review of NON-steroidal products, please let me know. It is my goal to educate others that supplements can be both beneficial and safe if used correctly. As a (hopefully) future physician, I would much rather see mankind utilize "supplements" to maintain health so I only have to see them once a year for a checkup instead of once a month to refill their statin/beta-blocker/ACE-Inhibitor cocktail.

[BluSilver]

I just can't get over what a good product Activate makes. I get the shivers when I think of what the log would have been like had RXT been up to par. This was truly a great log, Mike. I loved the daily stories(which kept me coming back indefinately) and I loved the detail you put into every comradely. I would like to see more companies allow you to do logs with their test-boosting products as I think you suffer from low test and you eliminate as much bias as possible.

[Robboe]

Fantastic log, thanks Michael.

[inprogress2]

Just wanted to say great log man!!! I followed from the start. i appreciate your log, that sounds weird, but i do!!! A good, honest, everything consistant, reveiw of a sup thanks!!!!

[Sixpack]

Great job Mike I need to talk to you on IM Sunday bro I will he home Sat night . First game is in an hour

[uhockey]

Great job Mike I need to talk to you on IM Sunday bro I will he home Sat night . First game is in an hour

IM me, even if the away message is up, I'm usually around.

[PSKlifter]

followed along the whole time. just went back and reviewed again. sounds like a positive experience despite all the stress you had at the time. great log, detailed info, and more unbiased than many. thanks for the educational read.

[Peter LeDrew]

Nice detail on the log.
I can't seem to find any studies on this stinging nettle lignan Divanil.
Anyone else?

I have known about the ability of a stinging nettle extract to increase levels of free test for quite awhile as lef has explained this ability and the research.
Never heard of divanil though... apparently it worked for uhockey.

[Robboe]

Nice detail on the log.
I can't seem to find any studies on this stinging nettle lignan Divanil.
Anyone else?

I have known about the ability of a stinging nettle extract to increase levels of free test for quite awhile as lef has explained this ability and the research.
Never heard of divanil though... apparently it worked for uhockey.

References are available from the write-up: http://www.designersupps.com/product_writeups/activate.pdf

:)

[uhockey]

Just an FYI to all of you who followed this log from the start: I passed, and with a much better score than I needed or wanted. If I weren't on call tonight........well, I don't drink, but I'd be doing something great. So Fukcing happy right now. :)

[PSKlifter]

Just an FYI to all of you who followed this log from the start: I passed, and with a much better score than I needed or wanted. If I weren't on call tonight........well, I don't drink, but I'd be doing something great. So Fukcing happy right now. :)
glad to hear it man. fu**ing congrats. you deserve as much as anyone w/ the amount of effort and dedication you seemed to put into it.

[inprogress2]

Congratulations man. go get u a drink u deserve it after all the hard work and the pain in the ass waiting for results

[BluSilver]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats, Mike. You had pretty much had me believing that you failed it there for awhile.

[Robboe]

Awesome!