ITT: iForce myself to bust some plateaus (supp log)

[Jared.P]

alright, its been a long while since i've done a supp log, a few years in fact since i first started. since then been very on/off with training and dealing with injuries. recently i took advantage of the iForce hemavol deal and bought 3 tubs of hemavol/compete and 2 tubs of Maximise Intense and will be doing an 8-12 week log of the products (not sure how long, see how it goes i guess). first off, some logs i've done in the past:

vpx no-shotgun log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=7651861
CL stack log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=107288851

i've also done a log of gaspari's sizeon/superpump but i think it was more in my workout log and i cant find the thread.

History
so a little about me. like i said, i started lifting in 2008, basically lived/ate/breathed bodybuilding for 10 months. i went from never really lifting and being 164lbs of skinny fat (can be seen in my profile) to being 184lbs, and my lifts were: squat 455x5, dead: 405x3, bench: 275x1 (spotter said it was all me, im skeptical still). At that point i mistook my passion for obsession and stopped for a while. was very on/off for the next few years, herniated a disc in my lower back and now i can no longer squat or deadlift at all, let alone my previous numbers. my strength is quite a bit down from where it was when i started and up until 2 weeks ago it had been over a year since i'd touched a barbell for bench press.

Training
Currently following Layne's PHAT routine, you'll see how it lays out as i go along. My power movements aren't big compounds, as i mentioned i cant do deadlifts or squats anymore. nothing would make me happier than to be able to move 4 plates again but its just not in my near future. My lower body power movement is the V-squat machine by hammer strength, and my back power exercise is dumbbell rows. i've been using cable rows but need to switch it up. My routine has changed as i realize i've been using insane amounts of volume, so i've gone back and re-read the PHAT outline and fixed it.

Diet
my diet is mostly consistent. im at 3400 calories daily before dinner, dinner usually consists of 600-1000 calories and a good mix of carbs and protein. macros recently for the last week were split pretty good at 41% carbs, 30% fat, 29% protein. recently upped my carbs and slightly lowered protein to help fix those numbers a bit.

Supplements
Again, i'll be logging the 3 supplements i ordered by iForce. I'm actually really excited as i've been using CL green mag and purple wraath as my go-to supps for the last while. i've taken the last week off the creatine so i can give MI a proper review.

I'm starting this log early, to get an introduction going and figure out any fine details before i get my supps in and jump into some gains. i've been actively deloading, rebuilding my routine, and getting ready.

so for my first question: on dosing the iForce supps, obviously an empty stomach is best. sadly, when i workout in the AM this isnt very easy. i usually workout at 730 before work, wake up at 6am. what times would be best? should i take the supps, eat a half hour later then gym? or would it be better to eat as soon as i get up and take the supps closer to my workout time? i sometimes work out in the afternoon so i can have a few hours after eating to take the supps, and then i'll try to keep it to the half hour before workout rule.

any questions, just ask. i should get the stuff in early next week at the latest to start this thing

[memcop]

Welcome back, I look forward to checking on your PHAT log and hearing about iForce. One day when I grow up I want to be like Vaughn.

[Jared.P]

Welcome back, I look forward to checking on your PHAT log and hearing about iForce. One day when I grow up I want to be like Vaughn.

thanks man, i've met iforce dave in person a few years ago. great guy and it'll be nice to finally try soem of their stuff out

[Jared.P]

first off: no supps (as i've said). just wanting to get in the habit of posting workouts/diet, and let you guys see how i train until i get the iForce stuff in. so today was chest/arms, as i said i've been somewhat deloading, just taking it light on some exercises and letting myself recover a bit.

Chest/Arms Hypertrophy
Barbell Bench
95x3x6

Incline DB Bench
25x12x3

Hammer Strength Chest Press
40x12, 40x12, 30x12

Butterfly
70x15, 55x15

BB Curl
bar x 12, 20x12, 20x12

DB Concentration Curl
15x12x2

Cable Curl
25x15, 15x15

Overhead EZ Bar Tri Extension
40x12x3

Underhand Cable Pushdown
20x12x2

V-bar Pushdown
30x15x2

Diet/sleep/feels
Diet's been ok today, right now sitting at 3669 calories (i track with myfitnesspal) and have yet to have dinner. dinner will be a shrimp pasta in a white wine sauce so i'll get some decent protein and good carbs from that and should hit right around 4.5k for the day. drank around 1.5 gallons of water as well. got 9 hours or so of good sleep last night too so i felt nice and rested all day. unfortunately had to workout after work which i hate doing but it was still pretty good.

thats pretty much it for now, still waiting on the stack to arrive. any questions feel free to ask!

[Pverona]

Personally I can't do anything on an empty stomach. I eat breakfast then drink either maximize and Hemavol or Dexaprine ad Hemavol 30 minutes before working out. While I'm working out I drink compete. This has been working for me.

[Jared.P]

Personally I can't do anything on an empty stomach. I eat breakfast then drink either maximize and Hemavol or Dexaprine ad Hemavol 30 minutes before working out. While I'm working out I drink compete. This has been working for me.

thanks for the input. whats the timeframe between food and the supps? even though im going to be logging for quite some time, i want to get it down as soon as possible. i'll post my workout from today up in a little bit, and it may be a while longer than i expected as apparently my order is in New Jersey, and im on the west coast in canada. goes through ontario then a few days to me. hoping mid next week

[SoftballNerd]

in for the ride!!! thanks to Memcop for letting me know...such a sweetheart

[Jared.P]

in for the ride!!! thanks to Memcop for letting me know...such a sweetheart

good to have you along man! i've read a couple of your previous logs too, good stuff

[Jared.P]

Upper Power Day

Barbell Bench Press
175x5, 175x5, 175x4

Incline DB Bench
40x10x2

Dumbbell Row
60x5, 70x5, 70x5

Lat Pulldown
42.5x10, 50x10

Rack Chins
bwx10x2

HS Shoulder Press
65x10, 70x10, 70x10

EZ Bar Curls
50x10, 70x10, 60x10

Rope Extensions
55x10x3

Notes
-felt really good today in the gym. decent energy and strength. I've ALWAYS hated my chest, takes forever to build strength/muscle so you wont see the weight climb very quickly. im determined to hit 210x5 by may 1st though, and would love to hit 225 at all by the time this log is over. Also notice i prefer using the suicide grip (thumb doesnt wrap around the bar) on bb bench.
-first time really doing dumbbell rows and rack chins. will focus on feeling those before i go crazy with the weight. Have found db rows work better if i row to my chest then beyond a bit
-on track to hit 4.5k cals today, feelsgoodman
-as i said above, supps may be a bit later than i expected which really sucks, but im gonna keep cruising along until they show up and see what I get from them. i'll also upload before pics and weight and then i wont be weighing myself until after the 8 weeks

[XCriticalBenchX]

Personally I can't do anything on an empty stomach. I eat breakfast then drink either maximize and Hemavol or Dexaprine ad Hemavol 30 minutes before working out. While I'm working out I drink compete. This has been working for me.

Agreed, and it varies for everyone. Some people need an empty stomach, and some people a full stomach works the same which is me luckily!

Give it a try with food, and see how it works. Then try it with as much of a break from food as possible and see how it works. You have a good amount to spend a few days with trial and error.

Best of luck bro, I'll be in for the ride!

Mike

[XCriticalBenchX]

thanks for the input. whats the timeframe between food and the supps? even though im going to be logging for quite some time, i want to get it down as soon as possible. i'll post my workout from today up in a little bit, and it may be a while longer than i expected as apparently my order is in New Jersey, and im on the west coast in canada. goes through ontario then a few days to me. hoping mid next week

Since I rarely have an empty stomach, this is what i do when i work out in the morning. For hemavol, I feel it is important to be properly hydrated prior to taking it, rather than just taking it with a ton of water.

Wake Up: 20oz warm water with 1tbsp lemon juice added in
30 mins later: 1.5 scoops protein, 1/2 cup cottage cheese blended together with 2oz pasta in 2 cups chicken broth (40g carbs, 1000mg sodium)
30ish mins later: 1 scoop hemavol with 1 scoop compete in 20oz water
15 mins later: 1/2 scoop maximize intense taken with little water like a shot
Intra: 1 scoop compete

Works like a charm for me! I do add 300-400mg R-ala with my carb meal, and sometimes i do more pasta, depends whether I am cutting or bulking. 2oz is what I do when dieting.

Mike

[Jared.P]

thanks a ton mike. i cant wait to give this stuff a try when it gets here. i've never heard anything bad about iforce products and have yet to try them out. hopefully they can really help me break some plateaus that have been plaguing me (bench, back work)

[leengainzbaby]

I know you're going to LOVE your iForce experience. Excited to see your feedback! Persoanlly, I also have a hard time training on a completey empty stomach, but sometimes I don't have an hour or so before I train I'll just eat a tablespoon of coconut oil for MCTs and MI about 15-30 minutes pre and then drink compete with a carb power like DGC intra workout. Actually, I've had some really good lifts doing this. Really intense mental clarity. Just another option you could consider trying out.

[XCriticalBenchX]

thanks a ton mike. i cant wait to give this stuff a try when it gets here. i've never heard anything bad about iforce products and have yet to try them out. hopefully they can really help me break some plateaus that have been plaguing me (bench, back work)

Bad reviews are rare, and when they do occur, it's usually something we can fix, or at least we try to. Really looking forward to your feedback!

Mike

[giarmyjoe]

Haven't used a iforce product that I didn't enjoy. Only one that came close was mi grape but that was minor and only cause it tasters bad to me. Great workouts using it but just terrible taste, actually tasted a bit better when mixed with watermelon Hemavol and made for some fun workouts that way!

[Pverona]

I eat and immediately have my peworkout while I het ready. I live across from the gym so it works out perfect.

thanks for the input. whats the timeframe between food and the supps? even though im going to be logging for quite some time, i want to get it down as soon as possible. i'll post my workout from today up in a little bit, and it may be a while longer than i expected as apparently my order is in New Jersey, and im on the west coast in canada. goes through ontario then a few days to me. hoping mid next week

[Jared.P]

thanks for the responses. i'll try it a few different ways with eating/supplementation and be sure to focus on my feelings. its nice to see that there are so many reps in here already and even just supporters of the company, and i dont even have the products yet! legs tomorrow, getting psyched!

[Bikinidiva]

alright, its been a long while since i've done a supp log, a few years in fact since i first started. since then been very on/off with training and dealing with injuries. recently i took advantage of the iForce hemavol deal and bought 3 tubs of hemavol/compete and 2 tubs of Maximise Intense and will be doing an 8-12 week log of the products (not sure how long, see how it goes i guess). first off, some logs i've done in the past:

vpx no-shotgun log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=7651861
CL stack log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=107288851

i've also done a log of gaspari's sizeon/superpump but i think it was more in my workout log and i cant find the thread.

History
so a little about me. like i said, i started lifting in 2008, basically lived/ate/breathed bodybuilding for 10 months. i went from never really lifting and being 164lbs of skinny fat (can be seen in my profile) to being 184lbs, and my lifts were: squat 455x5, dead: 405x3, bench: 275x1 (spotter said it was all me, im skeptical still). At that point i mistook my passion for obsession and stopped for a while. was very on/off for the next few years, herniated a disc in my lower back and now i can no longer squat or deadlift at all, let alone my previous numbers. my strength is quite a bit down from where it was when i started and up until 2 weeks ago it had been over a year since i'd touched a barbell for bench press.

Training
Currently following Layne's PHAT routine, you'll see how it lays out as i go along. My power movements aren't big compounds, as i mentioned i cant do deadlifts or squats anymore. nothing would make me happier than to be able to move 4 plates again but its just not in my near future. My lower body power movement is the V-squat machine by hammer strength, and my back power exercise is dumbbell rows. i've been using cable rows but need to switch it up. My routine has changed as i realize i've been using insane amounts of volume, so i've gone back and re-read the PHAT outline and fixed it.

Diet
my diet is mostly consistent. im at 3400 calories daily before dinner, dinner usually consists of 600-1000 calories and a good mix of carbs and protein. macros recently for the last week were split pretty good at 41% carbs, 30% fat, 29% protein. recently upped my carbs and slightly lowered protein to help fix those numbers a bit.

Supplements
Again, i'll be logging the 3 supplements i ordered by iForce. I'm actually really excited as i've been using CL green mag and purple wraath as my go-to supps for the last while. i've taken the last week off the creatine so i can give MI a proper review.

I'm starting this log early, to get an introduction going and figure out any fine details before i get my supps in and jump into some gains. i've been actively deloading, rebuilding my routine, and getting ready.

so for my first question: on dosing the iForce supps, obviously an empty stomach is best. sadly, when i workout in the AM this isnt very easy. i usually workout at 730 before work, wake up at 6am. what times would be best? should i take the supps, eat a half hour later then gym? or would it be better to eat as soon as i get up and take the supps closer to my workout time? i sometimes work out in the afternoon so i can have a few hours after eating to take the supps, and then i'll try to keep it to the half hour before workout rule.

any questions, just ask. i should get the stuff in early next week at the latest to start this thing

Hi there!

I am super sensitive to stimulants, so I have to have something on my stomach. I have my pre workout meal about 1 1/2 hours before I train. Then, about 30 minutes before my workout I take my supplements with some dextrose. This helps me from getting sick or too jittery. Compete during my work out helps out a lot too! I hope you find something that works for you.

[Jared.P]

^^^thanks i think i'll try it a few different ways

Leg Day

HS V-Squat*
225x5, 225x5, 245x5

Leg Press
3plates x10x2

Leg Extensions
150x10, 155x10

Glute-Ham Raise**
bw x8, +10x8, +10x8

Lying Leg Curls
70x10, 75x10

Standing Calf Raise
110x10x3

Leg Press Calf Raise
1plate x10x2

Then I did some core work after (random situps/leg lifts)

Notes
*= the V-squat machine has a "starting weight" of 54lbs. i'll be treating it like an oly bar so when i say 225 on the v-squat, thats equivalent to 2 plates a side
**= my gym has a hammer strength ghr machine, its cool (no more trying to rig something up like im used to)
-felt good today, legs could be a little stronger but with my back i gotta be really careful. I go as low as i possibly can on the machine, with being a shorter guy, i get to just below parallel and the machine bottoms out, then i press back up. really aiming to hit 3plates on it pretty soon, once i get my hips/glutes and other muscles involved in a proper squat back up to standard. because my injury is from a lack of flexibility i've been really focusing on depth to get that nice stretch and work my legs as best i can.
-diet's on track, think im goin to a movie later so i'll probably indulge in some popcorn or nachos. who cares, im bulking right?
-if the calf weights seem really low its because they are. nerve damage in my left leg has affected my reflexes and calf strength/stamina. i dont "bounce" the weight like i've seen a ton of people do either, i make sure to really squeeze at the top of each rep, again to get the best workout that i can

once again thanks everyone for following along even though i dont have any of the supps yet. reps to everyone so far and hope you all had a good past weekend

[Jared.P]

Chest/Arms Hypertrophy Day

Barbell Bench Speed Set
105x3x6

incline db presses
30x12x3

HS Bench Machine
35x12x2

Butterfly
70x15x2

Barbell Curl SS EZ-Bar Skulls
20x12x3(bb) ss 40x12, 40x12, 60x12

Concentration db curls SS Reverse Grip tri pushdown
20x12x2(bi) ss 30x12, 40x12

Cable Curls SS V-bar Pushdown
20x15, 25x15 ss 35x15x2

Notes
-was short on time so supersetted all my arm exercises. felt wonderful and such a good pump
-chest was feeling good today, dropped the third set from machine presses as i was pretty beat and im trying not to overdo "failure"
-still waiting on the damn supps sucks living in Canada sometimes when it takes 2-3 weeks to get orders

[XCriticalBenchX]

Sometimes bro, rushed workouts are the best. When your forced to move quick, you tend to work harder, just a mental thing. Every time I get to the gym late and only have 45-50 mins before I have to leave to get to work, I am the most sore the next day!

Mike

[Jared.P]

Sometimes bro, rushed workouts are the best. When your forced to move quick, you tend to work harder, just a mental thing. Every time I get to the gym late and only have 45-50 mins before I have to leave to get to work, I am the most sore the next day!

Mike

for sure, did legs today but really felt like chit. tracking says the supps are in my city so hoping to get them in tomorrow i'll post up my leg workout later, and my thoughts/feels

[EPolis13]

for sure, did legs today but really felt like chit. tracking says the supps are in my city so hoping to get them in tomorrow i'll post up my leg workout later, and my thoughts/feels

Leg day is always rough. Oof. It never seems to get easier, does it? Looking forward to seeing what you did!

[Jared.P]

Leg Day Hypertrophy

V-Squat*
145x3x6

DB Lunges**
30x8x3

Leg Press
3plates x12x2

Leg Extensions
85x15, 95x15, 95x15

GHR
bw x12x2

Lying Leg Curls
70x10, 75x10

Seated Curls
60x15x2

Standing Calf Raise
90x12x3 (cut the 4th set out)

One Legged Seated Calf Raise
*didnt do*

Notes
-as i said i felt like chit for this whole workout. im finding it more and more difficult to eat a heavy breakfast that early and still hit the gym full throttle. im going to start trying just one bagel before (or half a gainer shake. liquid meals sit so much better with me) for some carbs or even training fasted
-i skipped the last set of standing calves, and the last exercise on calves. i really just didnt have the drive to finish up. very lethargic yesterday
*-i dont do speed reps for squats, so i went all the way down to bottom out the machine, rested, and pushed back up. almost like a rest-pause and man am i sore
**-i HATE lunges. gonna swap them out for one legged split squats

Back/Shoulders Hypertrophy

DB Rows
50x3x6

HS high row
50x12x2, 55x12

Cable Rows*
42.5x12x2, 50x12

Incline DB Shrugs
35x12x2

CG Reverse Lat Pulldown*
42.5x15, 50x15

DB Shoulder Press
30x12x2, 35x12

Face Pull*
30x12, 40x12

Machine Lateral Raise
30x12, 50x12, 40x12

Notes
*-exercises with a star are on the gym life-fitness multi gym setup (cable rows, tri extensions, pull down, cable cross setup etc.). i've come to the conclusion that the weights are in kilograms on the plates so the weights i list are in kg, not lbs.
-just ate a bagel before the gym, felt a lot better and less weighed down. at the remainder of breakfast when i got home
-tracking says supps are in my city, BUT, canada post doesnt deliver on holidays (today is good friday) or weekends. monday should be the day. im already mad at the post office, i hope i get my stuff on monday IM EXCITED TO START
-taking the girlfriend for a hike today too, nothing crazy but the view is spectacular (i'll post it up later, canada's a beautiful place)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[Jared.P]

Upper Power Day

Barbell Bench
175x5, 175x5, 185x4

Incline DB Press
45x10x2

DB Rows
70x5, 75x5x2

Lat Pulldown (kgs)
50x10x2

Rack Chins
bw x10x2

Machine Shoulder Press
70x10x3

EZ-Bar Curl
60x10x2, 80x6 (PR!)

Rope Extensions(kgs)
60x10x3

Notes
-felt really good today, actually did get a 5th rep on the 185 bench, but i had a spotter that helped a little too much i feel (random from the gym) so i didnt count it. next time i got it for sure
-heres a new one: people who wrist curl on the bench. both benches were full, one guy was doing wrist curls on it. when i asked him if he was actually using the bench itself he said "yes i am, im supersetting (decline situps and wrist curls)." seriously want to hit people with a dumbbell sometimes
-pr'd the ez bar curls. nothing overly crazy but it felt good to do the 80. hoping for 8-10 reps next time depending if i do the 70 for my second set
-starting to really feel the db rows (as i said its a new exercise for me) and loving them.


also went for that hike the other day. the particular spot had a massive fire about 10 years ago so its not too green but the view is spectacular:



One more important thing: i've recently been chosen to do an Applied Nutriceuticals sponsored log (HGHup) so this log will be cut short when i get that product while i do my sponsored log (unless they dont mind i continue but i dont want to have a conflict). i also ordered the iForce tropinol/intimidate stack (2 bottles each on special) so when im finished with my sponsored log i will be adding those two to the mix and bring this one back to life.

as always hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

[EPolis13]

Gym etiquette astounds me sometimes. Just astounds me. I'm to the point where I'm going to start yelling when I see people curling in the squat rack. Wrist curls, though? That's another level of ridiculousness.

That view is amazing, btw. I wish I had something like that around me. Damn.

[Jared.P]

Gym etiquette astounds me sometimes. Just astounds me. I'm to the point where I'm going to start yelling when I see people curling in the squat rack. Wrist curls, though? That's another level of ridiculousness.

That view is amazing, btw. I wish I had something like that around me. Damn.

yup, wrist curls, on the bench. afterwards in the change room i overheard him talking about a trainer too...just struck me as an overly rude person. maybe its just me but im pretty good with my etiquette (i think)

[XCriticalBenchX]

Gym etiquette astounds me sometimes. Just astounds me. I'm to the point where I'm going to start yelling when I see people curling in the squat rack. Wrist curls, though? That's another level of ridiculousness.

That view is amazing, btw. I wish I had something like that around me. Damn.

So start squating in the preacher curl.. that would piss some people off

Mike

[Jared.P]

Leg Power Day

V-Squat
245x5, 265x5x2

Leg Press
4plates(360lbs) x10, 380x10

Leg Press Calf Raise
380x10x2

Leg Extensions
160x10x2

GHR
bw x8, +25x8x2

Lying Leg Curl
90x10x2

Standing Calf Raise
120x10, 130x10, 210x7*

Notes
-trained completely fasted today, and still felt pretty good so i'll be continuing to do it that way
-moved leg press calf raises to directly after leg press. i find this gives my quads just enough time to take a small break, as well as saves me time in that i dont have to load/unload the leg press machine twice. i really liked it
-on the standing calf raises, yes i jumped the weight 80lbs. as i said before i like to really squeeze my calves on every rep so i thought i'd see how well i could "shock" them and really overload them with weight. i wont be staying at 200lbs+ until i can get it controlled but it was nice to just throw 200lbs at them and see how they did
-I have an appt for a body fat testing tomorrow. last time i did it i weighed 169 and came in at 16.9%bf. im sitting at a solid 183lbs now so i'm curious. Also, with the HGHup log coming up i want to have a number to go back on. Now im not sure how accurate the test is, as they use one of those scales that measures overall resistance in the body and just spits out a number (not even a pinch test and my city has no hydrostatic ) but if i continue to use the same one im hoping it'll stay consistent enough for me to measure progress.


Diet Notes
I Have recently been researching diet protocols and im looking to lean out and recomp a bit for summer instead of bulking right through. Last year when i cut down, i went super low carb (<50g daily) and it worked amazingly well, but i cut far too quick. So what i plan on doing is a carb/calorie cycling of low (~100g) carbs on off days, and much, much higher carbs and calories (over double) on the days i work out. without going into exactly what i eat, macros will be:

training days = 3974 cals, 457c/286p/115f
off days = 1600 cals, 100c/165p/65f

now all those numbers are BEFORE my dinner. i eat dinner with the gf which varies but i will be sticking as much as i can to my low-to-no carb off days, higher carb training days. this should leave me in a few hundred calorie surplus at the end of the week, while allowing my body to lean out ever so slightly (i may add some cardio w/ bcaa's on off days). also, seeing as how those numbers are based off 400g chicken breast/day which im almost ALWAYS over, those are rough and i'll have more protein (works fine for off days as its carb free). if i find i start really dropping weight too quick or feeling like chit, i'll add more protein in some way on off days as well.

any input on that diet plan let me know im still new to it but what i gathered was carb cycling (usually a 2 low/3high repeat sort of thing) was great for a recomp and id like to keep my higher carb days on workout days and low carb for just when i work.

[Jared.P]

So start squating in the preacher curl.. that would piss some people off

Mike

snuck this in as i was updating....i think next time i'll just do box squats or something with the ez bars right on the bench, move the barbell out of the way and refuse to let anyone use the equipment