Thudd's Androstan spray log

[Thudd]

What is Androstan spray when it's at home, you're asking? I realise there are few supps with similar or identical names; this is not them.

This Androstan is a topical spray containing stanozolol. Yes, good ol' Winny, the real deal, and it's legal. How? The amount of stana in the spray is considered below therapeutic amounts and therefore completely legal for OTC counter sales (that's in Australia; your mileage may vary in other countries). Although the amount of active ingredient seems extremely low, the spray is designed to work locally and not systemically, so instead of a small amount being 'spread' over your whole body each application goes directly to the muscle it was applied to. It also means that the active ingredient doesn't need to undergo transformation in your body - so there's no side effects. No stress on your liver, no messing with your normal hormones or any of the other side effects associated with gear. To be sure, the amount of stana is low, so don't expect the kind of results you'd get if your were injecting or using prohormones or anything else that messes with your body in a more fundamental way. But on the flip side, there's no injecting, no sides, no pct, no legal issues.

The spray is produced by Cell Biology, an Aussie company with a range of interesting supplements. Their whey protein, for example, is to die for - it mixes easily in water and tastes great and beats the pants of the competition price-wise. They're not well-known outside Australia yet but I reckon that'll change.

[shameless plug]
Whitefibre in Perth was kind enough to give me a sample of the Androstan spray to try out. Unfortunately they don't yet have their cybershop happening, so if you're curious to give it a go, or to check out the other CB supplements, use the link in my sig to get to the forum and shop (they ship internationally). If you use the link to sign up you'll help me towards getting free supps and you'll get a warm fuzzy glow from helping It's not available in bb.com's shop so I don't reckon I'm stepping on anyone's toes by plugging Whitefibre or UltimatePhysique.
[/shameless plug]

I'll put my observations and impressions in here over the next few weeks (note: the first few posts here will be catch-up).

[Thudd]

First, some baselines.
me: 80kg, 178cm, 35yo. I've got body measurements but they're over at my g/f's house because she's got the measuring tape. I can post them if people really want to know.

I began lifting back in uni when I 19. I was a stringbean - about 55kg. I'm the ecto from hell with the proverbial metabolism of a hummingbird. I'm reasonably lean at the moment - visible abs - but less so than I have been because of the constant bulking-type diet I'm on. But it takes no effort for me to get reasonably ripped. It takes, however, considerable effort to put on lean mass! Nearly 30kg over time isn't too bad though, with occasional breaks. Never taken gear. I train for hypertrophy but don't compete; strength increases are a bonus. I do martial arts training 4x a week, two of those sessions being reasonably intense cardio-wise, the other two being less physically taxing but with lots of upper body work (sword stuff). In addition, I'd walk between 20-30km a week to and from work. If I'm running late, some of those km will be running!

For this current trial I'll be using the spray on my delts & triceps primarily, but decided at the last moment I'd do my pecs as well. Why not. I've got pretty good delts for my frame already, but I've never seen anyone say "gee his delts are too big". Tris are probably my weak point; I don't quite have that "whoa he's got big arms" hanging tricep look. It's close, but not quite there. Another half an inch on my arms on my current frame would be about right I reckon although I wouldn't complain at more!

[Thudd]

I'm currently using an HST style workout. Full body, three times a week, one working set per muscle (or two sets when doing lower reps to keep the volume up). I'm in my 4th macrocycle of it and it's been working really well. I've been getting good gains and my bodyshape has visibly changed over that time.

Workout:

Squats
Incline DB press
Seated rows (have been doing chins up to this point)
Lying side laterals
Front DB press (front delts = another weak point)
Seated alternate DB curl
Standing tricep cable extension
DB shrugs
SLDL

I get through this, including warmups, in about 40 minutes. It's reasonably intense.

Diet:

6:15am
4-5x weet-bix
Cell Biology SR protein (caramel, mmmmm)

9am
1/2 cup (measured dry) oats in milk

10:45am
1/2 cup (dry) rice
120g tuna
assorted peas, beans, lentils, etc

1pm
Whatever I had for dinner the previous night

4:30pm
same as 10:45am

6:30pm
Workout

7pm
Post workout drink: WPI + two tsp dextrose + 1/2 cup oats (crushed)

8pm Dinner. One of:
Curry
Steak (roo or beef) & spuds & veg
Italian spag something
Bangers (roo) and mash
Chicken & veg
that kind of thing

Before bed:
150-200g cottage cheese
yoghurt

Fruit during the day; couple of apples, a banana, mandarin, pear, etc.

That's a bit of waffle, but at least people know what base I'm working from and that I'm giving myself the best chance to grow.

[Thudd]

First w/o: Sat 9th July

I sprayed the andro onto my delts and tris before I left for the gym (about 10 mins drive). Croak was right about spraying close to the skin - I inadvertantly let one go too far away and it went everywhere. It's initially a bit like Windex in that it goes on in big drops and then runs. I wiped it over the particular areas until it was about a moisturiser-like consistency as per Croak's recommendation. Because I had it all over my hands at that point I decided to wipe then onto my pecs. Waste not want not. After that I decided why not give them a spray too!

It was tingling a bit on my tris a few minutes later as I was driving but that may have been psychological as I didn't feel any in my delts. I also got some redness on my right pec afterwards but not my left so I'm not sure yet if that was related to the spray, the rubbing in, or something else. It was gone an hour after I'd finished anyway but I'll keep my eye on it.

I did a second spray at the gym just before my workout. The changing room was empty at this time of day, late saturday arvo, so no strange looks!

Incline DB press
I'm just finishing the 15 rep stage of my HST cycle; today was to be the last of these before starting the 10 rep stage on monday.
The last w/o I was up to 20kg dumbells (generally do a 1kg increase over each stage of the cycle for these) and the last couple of reps were tough; it was close to a 15RM.
This time I decided to go for it and went to 22kg. The last couple of reps again were tough but I probably could have squeezed a couple more reps out - and seeing as it was the last 15s w/o, I did. Pecs felt really full afterward and while a pump may be no indication of quality, for what it's worth I got a really good pump. So mark that down as an small but definite increase in my normal increment.

Lying side lateral
I'd been at 5kg for this for three workouts until I could definitely get my targeted 15 reps and the previous workout I'd moved up to a 6kg DB. I got to 12 reps, had to cheat a bit to get the next two and for the last I just threw the weight up and did a negative for the 15th. So ordinarily I would have stayed with the 6kg.
By the way, anyone who hasn't done these before and thinks that these weights seem light, I challenge them to give it a go!
This time though I went for the 7kg. I got 14 good strict reps out, and needed just a small cheat on the 15th to get it up there. Delts felt huge afterwards and in fact I had to move the bicep curls that would have been next to the end of the w/o because I couldn't hold on to the buggers without my delts screaming. They needed a few minutes rest.
Unquestionable increase here. Two kilos in two workouts is almost unheard of for me with this exercise, especially when the previous one had been such a struggle. Normally it takes 2-3 workouts at a particular weight before I can move up to the next weight. (1/2 kilo increments on the bells would make this easier but I've only got kilo increments available to work with. Some 1/2 kilo magnetic weights to stick on the ends would be handy, anyone know where to get some?)

Tricep extension
The previous workout I'd felt really strong on these, and ground out 13 reps on "70" (pounds? kilos? light years? finglegacks?) and another 3 dropping the pin back one plate. That was a good increase over the other workouts but I really felt in the groove that day.
This time though, bouyed by the workout so far and feeling strong in my warm-up set I went to "75" which is the last plate in the stack on this machine. At about 10 reps it was getting hard but a "right you bastard, I'm gonna make it" attitude came in and I powered out the last five. Form was good, no cheating, but the last rep got a "gaaarrghh!!!" out of me as I pushed it out. Set over, and my tris had just blown up. They felt like they were ready to explode and it was another half an hour before I could manage to stretch them, they were so full.
Again, I have to say this was an unequivocal increase on what my normal increment would have been and what I expected to be able to do. I've now maxed out this particular machine and will have to use one of the lat pulldown machines with a bigger weight stack for my cycle of 10s starting next week. It might take a couple of workouts to get my starting weight right as if this is what I can now do with 15 reps then my planned increment of weights up to my 10RM in a couple of weeks is right out the window.

Conclusion? It's always hard to say for sure after just one workout, and Mr Placebo may have been well and truly paying me a visit. But whatever the reason, the reality was more weight than I had been lifting previously, but more importantly a bigger increase than my normal increments (HST increments the weights up to a final rep max over each stage of a cycle). The only difference was the Androstan spray so placebo or not something gave me a bit extra. Time will tell if I can get similar strength increases during my 10 rep cycle.

[Thudd]

I should add that today (sunday 10th) DOMS is minimal. Delts I feel I could go again today. Pecs I can feel that "they've been worked" feeling if I contract them hard, tris are similar when I contract them but a little more. Interestingly, where I have the *most* doms today is in my lats where I actually had a less than ideal set of rows. So go figure.

Note that I've been finding that doms has been minimal anyway using this style of workout over the old style "break those fibres down son" classic BB program splits that pretty much everyone uses until they learn better I guess. I'm certainly glad I'm not walking around like a zombie for a few days after a workout.

[Thudd]

Second w/o: Tues 12 July

I had a feeling going into this that it wasn't going to be the best workout. I'd spent the day yesterday sitting in some very uncomfortable chairs and today my back was telling me all about it. In addition, this was the first workout of the 10 rep cycle of my HST workout and my planned weights had all gone to hell - although that's a good thing! So I expected to have to experiment a bit to get the right starting weight again.

Androstan spray went on just before the workout onto delts, tris & pecs.

Lying Side Laterals
After last workout I started on 8kg. This is only 1kg down from the weight I finished the previous cycle of 10s. I got my 10 per side reasonably easily, which is what I'd want for the first set of this cycle. An immediate jump to 9kg next time might be a bit much though, I'll probably do the next workout on 8kg as well and just add a couple of reps on the end to make up for the too-big jump in weight.

Incline DB Press / Dips
All the incline benches were busy this evening, not helped by one of them being out of action. So rather than waste time waiting for one to get free or trying to work in with someone I did dips instead. Dips are my favourite chest exercise; I was only doing incline presses in my current routine because it was easier to graduate the weights while I was experimenting with HST routines. And they're my 2nd fave chest exercise so it's not as if I was hating them. I don't have a current benchmark for dips though so I can't really comment, but I chucked out a dozen (using my particular elbows forward variation) without any trouble.

Tricep Extension
As I'd maxed out the previous machine I used one of the lat pulldowns with a bigger stack for my 10s. I did a couple of experimental sets and settled on "37.5" (I presume kg) as my starting point. That, I can say with confidence, is easily more than my previous 10RM. Such a large gain has to be largely mental, but if I can build on that even further there'll have to be something behind it. Time will tell. I've set myself the goal of reaching 45kg by the end of this cycle; that's a 2kg increment each workout. I've been feeling strong with this exercise so I reckon I'll get it.

[Thudd]

Sunday 17 July

I like working out at weekends. The gym is much emptier and I can get the equipment I need, when I need. No waiting for people to finish their curls in the squat rack, for example.

My back is finally better. I still get an odd twinge when I bend for something like tying a shoelace but it doesn't affect any exercising. Thank goodness for that!

Androstan went on before I left home, then I reapplied it again when I got the gym. I must remember to steal the mirrors from the gym changing rooms - the lighting is excellent and makes my definition look much better than it is; or maybe it really is that good (wishful thinking!). I took some advice and instead of spraying it directly onto the muscle, I spray it into my hand and then rub it into the desired area. Works well and much less wastage with overspray.

Lying Side Laterals
As per last time, I stayed with 8kg for this exercise. Planned reps was 12; all my sets for this cycle of HST are usually 10 reps but where a weight increment is impractical (1 kg per workout is too much for this exercise) I'll sometimes pop a couple of reps on the end as the "increment".
Another good result, as I got my twelve. The pump, as I'm finding with all the muscles that I'm using the Androstan, is huge. Now while a pump isn't indicative of muscle growth, they're indicative of something happening. The enormous pumps I've been getting since I started using the spray can't all be psychological.
Goal for next time: I'm going up to 9kg and I'll get as many of my 10 reps as I can then finish them with the 8kg.

Incline DB Press
Having done dips as an interim last workout I went up one kilo from the last time I did inclines, so 23kg per side. Ten reps, bang bang bang, like a machine. In fact, I decided to two more and got them without a problem. Next time will, of course, be 24kg. I've decided to do three weeks instead of two for this middle 10-rep portion of the current cycle and then two instead of three 5-reppers at the end. At my projected rate, I'll hit 30kg per side for 10 reps by the end of this section. As a comparison, last cycle I finished the 5 rep section on 33kg. The way I'm going, I'll be just about starting with that weight. That's a great strength increase that I'm extremely pleased with.

Tricep Extension
There's a second tricep extension station at the gym with a bigger weight stack than the one I'd been using up to this point. It's always busy so I hadn't worried about using it. Seeing as how I had the place almost to myself then I jumped on and could take up where I left off with the other machine without trying to work out differences in weights between them and the lat pulldowns.
Selected weight was "75" (pounds, I assume) with a 1.25kg plate added to the stack for the increment. The next plate in the stack is "82" which is a bit much in one go. I'm still in the first phase of my 10-rep section so I shouldn't be hitting my 10RM yet - whatever that is now! I'll just keep adding weight and see how I go. Bearing in mind that I hit "75" for my 15RM.
I could certainly feel my 10 reps but I wasn't on my limit. A strong pump nonetheless, not as intense as the one described before but then I was probably running at around 80% of RM rather than close enough to 100%. It felt strong regardless and I can feel more strength in there waiting to come out.

So after a week, how am I going? One word - stronger. I wouldn't have thought that the spray would make a difference so fast but something is definitely happening. While I'm sure I could smoke out some extra weight on an exercise or two every now and again if I set my mind to it, I'm doing it now each and every time, using weights that are above my previous bests and still increasing. Happy so far.

[Thudd]

Tuesday 19 July

Now into the second week of my 10 rep microcycle. "Standard" HST calls for each microcycle to last for two weeks, with a week at the end devoted to whatever rep range you want although low (for strength) is recommended, then 7 to 10 days of no training to decondition; so about 8 weeks for a complete cycle. I'm slightly rearranging that for this cycle, so that my 10 rep microcycle will run for 3 weeks, with the normal 2 weeks of 5 reppers after that, then the rest phase.
My rationale is that the mid-range reps is where hypertrophy will really be triggered, so I'm adding on a bit extra rather than doing the normal extra strength week.
Secondly, after seeing the strength increases I've had so far I want to see if they'll keep going into a third week. After all, I can't increase the weight indefinitely, but I don't think I'll reach my limit after just two weeks.
Thirdly, I want to work up to 120kg x 10 ATG squats and I want that extra week so I can use smaller increments to work up to it. I'm not using the Androstan on my legs though, but my other goals don't get shelved just because of this trial!

Because I was coming from work this time, which takes me about 90mins from leaving until I get to the gym, I sprayed the stana on when I got to the gym, went for my pre-workout dump, then topped it up with a bit more.

Lying Side Laterals
My goal for this was a few reps with 9kg then drop to 8kg to finish the set. As it turned out I got 8 reps out with the 9kg before having to do the last two with 8kg. And I could have got all ten with the 9kg but they would have been ugly cheaty reps so I did the right thing and kept strict form. Nevertheless I'm pretty happy with almost a 1kg jump in one workout, and the possibility of doing 10kg for a few reps next time. I should perhaps slow down as I reckon I must hit the wall before this microcycle is through, but then again isn't that what a trial is all about? To see how far I can get? So I'm sure I won't be able to resist going for the 10kg.

Incline DB Press
The plan was: 24kg DBs. Could I find them? Nope, guess it's 25kg then, 2kg up from last time. Of course, as soon as I picked up the 25s and walked back to my bench with them I spotted the 24s tucked away under the rack, but hey, I already had the 25s...
Just as well. Pumped out a great set of 10 with plenty in the tank to go up to 26 next time. At this rate, I'll be finishing the microcycle on 30kg, which to put into perspective, I finished my last 5 rep microcycle on 33kg.

Tricep Extension
I have to say, I'm loving these. I set the stack to "75" and hung a 2.5kg weight off the pin. The next plate on the stack is "82.5" so that made it a good increment. As usual since I started on the Androstan, I'm powering these out and getting a huge pump. Also of note is that I'm warming up on weights that I previously repping on. My previous warmup weights do nothing for me so even my warmups have increased!

[Thudd]

Thursday 21 July

D'oh.

I got to work and realised I'd forgotten to pack the andro spray bottle before I left home. Oh well.

Then, on the way to the gym, I realised I'd left my gym gear back at work.

Obviously it wasn't meant to be! So I guess I get one more recovery day and my workout days will temporarily shift to friday-sunday rather than their normal thursday-saturday.

[Thudd]

Friday 22 July

It's always much better to actually remember to bring everything one needs for the gym. Clothes - check; andro spray - check; PWO shake - check.

Lying Side Laterals
Yes, I did go for the 10kg. Got 5 reps on one arm, 6 reps on the other before it started to get sloppy and I dropped to the 9kg to finish. I'm finally starting to hit the wall with these, and since I don't want to go to failure until the last workout of this microcycle - which will be next weekend - I'm not going to go too crazy over the next week. I reckon I'll stay with 10kg, maybe a few reps with 11kg on the 2nd last workout, then the last one go for broke.

Incline DB Press
Incremented once more to 26kg. Got a good ten reps out there without failing so I'm on track for the next four workouts to hit 30kg on the last and blast to failure there. That would be a nice point to finish on, because on my last 5 rep microcycle I finished on 33kg.

Tricep Extension
After warming up - and reiterating, I'm warming up easily now on weights that I was repping for previously - I set the pin to "82.5", took a deep breath...and got my ten reps nicely. I am getting close to what looks to be my new 10RM as it's getting harder, but I'm not at the limit yet. There's a couple more 1kg increments left in the tank, which again puts me on target to hit 10RM next weekend. I've definitely started seeing some size increase in my tris. I'm getting a pronounced curve on the back of my arms from my tris which I haven't really had before so I'm pretty pleased with that. It's only just appeared, but it definitely wasn't there a few weeks back. I'm going to be extremely interested in my measurements at the end of this cycle.

[Thudd]

Monday 25 July

I didn't feel tip-top going into this one, but that's life. I spent most of the previous day in the garden and I was still creaking a bit from all the bending and twisting, and a long day at work didn't help. Nevertheless, I still strapped on the androstan and was determined to give it my best shot. I've been careful not to let my diet slip once, especially on gym days, so that at least I can't blame poor nutrition. I kept myself well fuelled during the day with a steady stream of complex carbs so I had plenty of energy; I was just feeling a little weary.

I would have normally got a workout in on the weekend but real life sometimes intrudes and I had things around the house that needed some time spent on them. So what would normally be a saturday or sunday workout has become monday, which has shifted the rest of the week along a bit. Normally I'd go tues-thurs-sat/sun, but because today was essentially my normal weekend workout, my "week" will now start on wednesday for a couple of weeks until I can get it back into sync.

Lying Side Laterals
I stuck to the 10kg for this; I'm not supposed to be at 100% quite yet so going higher at this stage would require drop sets or rest/pause or other high intensity techniques. Today I got 8 good reps and sloppier ones on each arm to get my 10 reps. I got more of a pump out today than last time and the set felt good. This exercise often gets me fired up and such was the case today. After today I've only got 3 more workouts at 10 reps before dropping down to 5 reps for a couple of weeks so next time will be about 95%. If I can get a full set of 10 good reps @ 10kg next time that'll put my on track to max out at 11kg for the last workout.

Incline DB Press
Incremented once more to 27kg. Once again I got my 10 reps with a bit left in the tank, but it's getting close. I've been getting a good "feeling" the last few times I've been doing these as the weight has been increasing, getting a good mental connection with the muscle.
I've also modified the way I do the exercise a bit. The "traditional" way of doing chest DB presses is to bring the weights together at the top, almost as if the *clang* of the dumbells signals the end of the rep. It's one of those things that everyone has always done and you (meaning me) keeps doing as well without ever thinking "why?" Well, I started thinking why and could come up with no other reason other than tradition. So I've been concentrating on keeping my elbows out to the side (similar to how I do dips) and pushing the bells more-or-less straight up. The elbows never get a chance to lock or almost lock at the top, the triceps don't assist anywhere near as much as when you start bringing your arms together, and the stress stays on the pecs all the way through. I could probably push a little more weight by going back to my "old" way, but it wouldn't be my pecs doing the work so there'd be no point. And I've already had good strength increases since starting the andro spray using (IMO) better form so it's all good.

28kg shouldn't be a problem for next time but those last couple of reps will be tough.

Tricep Extension
I set the stack at "82.5" with a 1.25kg plate added. By now I was well fired up - I'd just had a really good set of shoulder DB presses - so after some warmup sets I got into it. It took a bit of growling but I'm still getting my 10 reps. I'm basically hitting a new PB every time I do these now yet still haven't reached my max weight. And as I mentioned last time, I'm starting to see the results of that in noticeable shape change & size increase. I reckon this is a perfect example of the androstan spray not assisting with size per se, but giving strength gains which enables heavier weights->more stimulation->increased growth. I'm particularly happy so far as I'm now really starting to get good arm shape which is going to look pretty good at my bodyweight.

[Thudd]

Wednesday 27 July

Felt a little flat today; no real reason why I should, it was just one of those days. I felt better after I'd warmed up though and my first set of squats went well. As usual for working out after work, I hit up the andro spray while getting changed, had my pre-workout dump, then topped the spray up with a bit more.

Lying Side Laterals
I really couldn't get into the groove of these today. I wasn't sore or anything from last time, it just wasn't happening for me. It was just a mental thing I'm sure as I was lifting the same 10kg that I'd done previously. I got my 10 reps, but it was in two lots of 6+4. No doubt I'll be keen to make up for this next time so I'll probably have a rip-roaring set.

Incline DB Press
I was down to use 27kg bells for today, but when I went looking for them, some bugger already had them! And above 15kg there is only one set of each weight in the gym..... so what's a boy to do? Use the 28s of course! I got 9 reps from these, 9 good reps, and the 10th was close, damn close, but my left arm gave out on me. The right could have got it though. With three workouts to go it was probably an ambitious jump, but it also means that next time 10 won't be a problem. And that now I'm sure that 30kg will be my 10RM, which I'd be pleased with, that would be a significant strength gain.

Tricep Extension
This time, "82.5" with a 2.5kg weight added, so 1kg extra over last time. I'm definitely getting close to a max with these too, but I'm still getting my 10 reps when I want them. Obviously my strength can't increase indefinitely, but while I'm still going I'll keep incrementing. It'll be one kilo increments from here on in though. Once again, I got a big pump afterwards in my tris that takes a while to go away before I can stretch them.

[nick912]

Awesome bro! Who makes this product? Seems interesting

[Thudd]

All the info is in the first post. And indeed it is awesome, it's great to find a supp that's inexpensive (in supplement terms), works well and works quickly, has seemingly no side effects except for what it advertises, which in this case is strength gains. I'm keen to give their Boldenone spray a go next to see if I can utilise my strength gains to pack on some mass.

[FKAExodusD2]

updates?

[Thudd]

Update here

Saturday 29 July

I feared it was going to be 'one of those days' when I bashed my leg into the turnstile at the gym entrance. Ow crap damn ow ow bugger ow, or words to that effect. No squats for me today! (On monday when I write this, I've got a lovely blue-black bruise on my thigh. I've had some ice on it and it's only sore when I prod at it, so I'll go ahead with squats tonight and see how I go)

I've also started slowly adjusting my diet over the last week or so. The primary change is to add more legumes into my diet - lentils, pearl barley, split peas, that kind of thing. I want to increase the amount of slow-release carbs that I eat and get a few more grams of fibre per day. Just a kind of general increase in nutrient density.

I caught the bus up to the gym so instead of applying the spray before I leave home as I normally would on a weekend, I applied it when I got to the gym, then gave it a top-up after my pre-workout ablutions.

Incline DB Press
I stayed with 28kg DBs for my set, seeing as how I didn't quite get my 10 reps last time and my rep max effort doesn't come until next weekend. Proving that last time wasn't a fluke, I had a good ten reps with a bit left in reserve. I'm still on track then to hit 30kg by the end of the week. I've mentioned it before but I'll reiterate: to put this into perspective, during my last HST cycle I finished my 5-rep microcycle on 33kg; it looks like I'll be finishing my 10-rep cycle this time around on 30kg. That's a big increase in anyone's book.

Lying Side Laterals
I've sticking with 10kg on this for the moment. I've got about as much strength increase out of this one as I can for the moment and 10kg is plenty hard enough. I'll add a couple of reps with 11kg later in the week and try to get 10 @ 11kg by the end. This might be a smaller weight increase from my last cycle but percentage wise it's huge - over 25%. Imagine what you'd be lifting if you could add 25% to your squat.

Tricep Extension
Like the other exercises I'm nearing my limit on these, which of course is to be expected. I could bathe in the the androstan spray liquid but the gains would still have to stop sometime. But for now, I'm still going. Today was "82.5" + 4kg (2.5kg+1.5kg plates) for 10 reps.

I had another interesting observation on the weekend. My fiancee was prodding at my muscles (no rude comments thanks!) and commented that they're much harder and fuller nowadays even when relaxed. What made it significant is that she was referring to my pecs and triceps, which is precisely where I've been applying the androstan. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

[Thudd]

Monday 1st August

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hate mondays at the gym. Too many damn people and too many of them are tossers. Unfortunately that's just sometimes how my week works out. I did however see a new use for a squat rack tonight: fitball crunches. Yes, despite any number of spots out on the floor that this guy could have done them on, he had to position the ball inside the rack and do his crunches there. No, I don't know either.

Incline DB Press
29kg, 10 reps, I pushed them out like a machine. OK, I was feeling it on the last couple, but there was more there. I originally thought that I'd hit my 10RM at 30kg. Now I'm not so sure, I think I could get more. Every workout it seems I'm hitting a new PB for this rep range but yet it still keeps on coming. Hey, I'm not complaining.

Lying Side Lateral
Not much to report. Still on 10kg, still getting my 10 reps, just. Definitely only just below the limit with these but again, with the increases I've seen I'm more than satisfied.

Tricep Extension
This is one of the reasons I hate mondays. Both of the machines that I've been using for this were surrounded by hordes of guys doing their reps. So I ended up doing my set on a lat pulldown machine, whose weight stack bore no resemblence to the cable machines I'd been using. So I fiddled with the weight, did a bit of guestimating, and did my set on a weight that seemed about right for where I should be. But with no reference point I can't really say much else.

Another personal observation. My fiancee has also commented that even when I wear a loose or baggy shirt my musculature and shape is becoming obvious. Her words? "Just recently." Interesting, no? I'm hanging out on taking my measurements at the end of all this but I won't jump the gun, I'll wait until I've finished this exercise cycle.

[Thudd]

A quick update. I wasn't going to take any measurements until I finished my current workout cycle in a couple of weeks, but I couldn't resist. So here's some cheap-and-cheerful quickie measurements. Note that I took initial measurements about a month ago.

Arms: + 0.75"
Chest: + 1"
Shoulders: + 0.5"

So there ya go - three quarters of an inch (each) on my arms and an inch on my chest in a month. Not bad! I did a quick weigh-in on the scales at work and seem to be up 2-3kg but that was a pretty dodgy "I'll just jump on the scales on my way out"; I have no idea how accurate those scales are. Could be less, could even be more.

A note on side effects too. I've been reading about some of the more out there supps available in the U.S. - things like superdrol and the like. While people are certainly getting results with them, the side effects can be considerable and PCT is required, both to restore health baselines and to try and keep muscle/strength gained during the cycle. Not a trivial, or cheap, process.
In comparison, I've had no side effects from the androstan. No redness or itching at the application sites, no acne, no change in libido or energy levels; the only effect has been the positive one on my strength and size. The only unaswered question is will I keep the gains if I stop using the spray, and that I can't answer yet. My gut feeling is that I will - I've built that strength up gradually over the month so hopefully my body has had time to adapt to the changes and won't be relying on the spray as a crutch to keep the gains. At the end of this workout cycle I will change the muscles I'm using the spray on so the comparison will be interesting.

[FKAExodusD2]

So if im understanding this right, PCT is NOT required for this or the other 2 sprays, as of now they just released there tren spray, which looks interesting.

so basically im correct in saying that the dosage for ALL of these is too low to mess with hormones, but theres enough to provide great results, which is what your log has shown. ealier i was thinking 1kg = 1.5 pounds. i just found out it equals 2.4 pounds or something of the sort. very impressive.

P.S. i just read you apply it only on workout days. dont you have to apply it everyday for benefits, as with most "supplements"?

[arlowf]

You idiots. Use the damn search button.

I can't believe someone asked "so its good enough to produce results, but doesn't mess with hormones?"

How the **** is it supposed to work if it doesn't "mess with hormones"?

[Thudd]

Wednesday 3rd August

I've made an executive decision to finish this current workout cycle at the end of this week and have my week's break next week, rather than in a fortnight. I'm starting to creak and groan a little, especially in my elbows. Whether that's due to the general increases in weight I've been having or other factors doesn't really matter; I'll nip any soreness in the bud before I'm forced to take longer off. That means I drop off two weeks (six workouts) of 5-rep sets aimed at building strength...eh, I've already got that! But it's not so bad - I'll have an extremely busy week in Real Life next week so it actually works out really well to have my time out of the gym now. It also means that I can then nicely fit in one more 8 week cycle before I go away for a month on holiday.
I can manage one more workout to finish this rep cycle though, I'm not that bad.

Incline DB Press
I wanted to go for 30kg tonight but couldn't get them; with only 1 set of DBs in the gym in these weight ranges it sometimes happens. So I stayed with the 29kg from last time and got a good solid 10 reps. They felt heavier when I picked them up but I ended up repping it out easier than last time, which is pleasing.

Lying Side Lateral
It was obviously the night for AWOL weights, because I couldn't find the 10kg DBs that I've been using anywhere in the gym, and there are two sets of them. I couldn't even find anyone using them, so stuff knows where they've gone. So I went for 11kg, and got a tough 7 reps on each arm. By the look of it, my 10RM for this would be 10.5kg. So for my last workout I'll do the 11kgs again and if I can't get 10 I'll put some negatives on the end. I've got a week after that before starting again so that'll be ok, a nice bit of maximum overload to finish, hah *beats chest*

Tricep Extension
Went to "90" on the weight stack, and got a good strong 90% effort; there was probably a couple of reps left there if I'd gone to failure. An extra kilo or so on there next time and that'll be my 10RM, which incidentally is WAY above the 10RM from my last cycle.

[Thudd]

So if im understanding this right, PCT is NOT required for this or the other 2 sprays, as of now they just released there tren spray, which looks interesting.

so basically im correct in saying that the dosage for ALL of these is too low to mess with hormones, but theres enough to provide great results, which is what your log has shown. ealier i was thinking 1kg = 1.5 pounds. i just found out it equals 2.4 pounds or something of the sort. very impressive.

P.S. i just read you apply it only on workout days. dont you have to apply it everyday for benefits, as with most "supplements"?

You're both right and wrong. The dosage is low enough so that it doesn't mess with your body's natural chemistry. But it's high enough to work (at least, my results bear that out) because it acts locally, not systemically. It binds to the receptors in the muscle you're applying it to and doesn't go floating about in the body messing with your liver or riddling you with estrogen. The amount that *does* get free is so low that those sort of sides are utterly negligible.

This one is only applied on workout days, and just before your workout, because the half-life is so short. Applying it at other times will just be a waste. The other sprays, like the test & boldenone sprays and presumably the new tren, are applied daily at regular intervals but not this one (this is the advice I got and it works for me, and I can see the reasoning behind it). Apparently some guys are even using it during their workout.

How the **** is it supposed to work if it doesn't "mess with hormones"?

Remember, the "messing with hormones" is a side effect. For example, if you could take steroids that didn't suppress test production but just added onto the top, wouldn't that be great? Unfortunately, they do. They don't need to mess with hormones, but they do. If you could get them to do nothing but latch onto the muscle receptor and do their thing then we'd all be juicing like crazy. These sprays are a way to do that - get the steroid into the receptors bypassing the hormonal messing (both through method of delivery and level of active ingredient). The tradeoff of course is reduced efficacy - there's no way these sprays can compete with a 'real' cycle. But then you don't have any cost, legal or health issues either.

Think of it like a nuclear explosion. If all you got was the blast, you'd be happy (in a manner of speaking...). But you also get radioactive fallout. The fallout isn't required to make the blast, but is a product of the process. Think of the spray as blast without the fallout (terrible analogy, I know)

[Thudd]

Friday 5th August

Final workout in this cycle before taking a 10 day break from the weights. Dose of andro spray in gym changerooms before workout as usual.

Incline DB Press
No point in mucking about here, so I jumped up three kilos and used the 32kg DBs. I got 9 and a half reps; I could have got that last half-rep with a spotter, but hey, what's half a repetition between friends. It felt strong all the way although I doubt I would have got the same number with a heavier weight.
Comparison: in my last cycle, I finished the 5-rep microcycle on 33kg, and that was a tough five reps. This time around I've just done a whisker short of 10 reps on 32kg.

Lying Side Laterals
I went up to 11kg for this last set. Mamma mia, this was definitely a set to failure. I was definitely not going to be getting anything heavier than this. I got to 6 reps on my left arm, paused, then ground out the last ones. On my right arm I made it to 7 before having to pause and complete it.
Comparison: in my last cycle, I finished the 5-rep microcycle on 13kg. This time around I've finished 10 reps on 11kg, although to be fair you'd probably say 10.5 is the real 10RM. Still, my last 10-rep cycle I finished on a 10RM of 8kg. That might not sound like much of an increase; 8 to 10.5/11. But that's a 25% increase in weight; not small bikkies in anyone's language.

Tricep Extension
I set the stack to "90" and added 2kg on top of that. After a false start of one rep when I had to adjust my grip, I put out *11* reps. Then for good measure, dropped the stack back to "82.5" + 2kg and pushed out five more. My triceps have been pumping up massively with the bigger weights, and while a pump doesn't "mean" anything, it can still be motiviational to feel the muscle so full and pumped.
Comparison: this is such far and away an improvement over before that a comparison is almost pointless. I've added on something like 10kg to my 10RM and added almost an inch onto my arm measurement in a month. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be happy with that.

I will take measurements sometime this weekend and compare to my pre-routine stats.