Snake's Demolishing Diabetes Log

[SolidSnake84]

Hello I am Solid Snake. Long time user of the site from around 2002. Nearly a decade later and 2011 has begun and a whole new set of challenges have also begun in my life. I felt like I needed a fresh start from my old journal which has become stagnant and somewhat obsolete at this point. Here is the link to my old one for anyone who wants to catch up:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=882015

Also, here is a link to my thread I made when first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 2 1/2 weeks ago that may answer some other questions:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=130395273

A little background about me. I am 5'8 and 140 lbs at the moment (lost a lot of weight from my illness, on the rebound right now). Ever since I was about 12 years old, I have always wanted to compete, or at least, be in what I would consider good enough shape to be able to compete on a stage. As I grew older, I don't really want to compete so much, but my desire to have a sculpted physique that was just as functionally strong as it looks did not go away.

Last year brought on a number of hardships for me. I got laid off from my job in April for starters. I looked at this optimistically as a chance to get back to the gym that I had been neglecting due to working 12-16 hour shifts 5-6 days a week (with 2 hours commute each day!). I am a relatively small guy (about 5'7-5'8) but I have decent genetics, imo, for building muscle and putting on mass. I did just that from April to June, going from 145 up to 157 or so...then I got pretty sick in July and was bedridden for a week straight.

From July up until the end of December I started experiencing a number of symptoms that got progressively worse. I was drinking 3-4 gallons of liquid a day (could drink an entire gallon of gatorade in 3 hours, despite being sedentary), pissing 2-3x an hour, getting up every hour of the night to piss, horrible dry mouth, my vision began to change for the worse and I could hardly stand to wear my contacts because they dried up very quickly, my muscles began to cramp, and lifting a gallon jug of milk became almost impossible due to the cramping. I was getting painful spasms in my feet that would wake me from sleep. I had full body soreness and fatigue. In fact, I would sleep for 9-10 hours a night, wake up, eat breakfast, and become so overwhelmingly tired, I'd go back to sleep for 2-3 hours. Worst of all, all my hard-earned work at the gym went to waste. My body dropped from 157 lbs down to 125 over the course of about 3 months. I was eating nonstop too which perplexed me. I looked up all my symptoms around October, but I didn't have health insurance anymore from being laid off, so I prayed whatever I had would pass. I had a good idea that I had some form of diabetes though. By December, the symptoms became too much to ignore and my quality of life was suffering. I could barely speak from the constant dry mouth, my face was gaunt and bony, I was tired just from getting up to walk. I decided I had to go to the doctor.

Two days before Christmas was my appointment date, and sure enough my diagnosis was right. I was in early stages of DKA, diabetic keto-acidosis, and fortunate to have my appointment before and not after Xmas. My blood sugar tested right around 500, which was bad considering I had a very small breakfast and hadn't eaten for about 4 or 5 hours. To give you an idea of normal, it is between 80-120 when fasting and shouldn't be more than 140 two hours after a meal. My heartbeat was racing at 130 and my blood pressure was also through the roof. The doctor admitted me to the hospital and I spent my Christmas there as my body was completely dehydrated, my potassium levels were almost non-existent, and my pancreas was completely depleted of insulin.

The doc informed me later that I had Type 1 diabetes. Typically, it is seen diagnosed in children and is also referred to as juvenile diabetes, but it can also have a late onset. In my case, it was latent for many years and just kicked in about 6 months ago when I got sick. It is an autoimmune disease in which your own body attacks the beta cells of your pancreas which are responsible for producing insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to survive, and without it, my diagnosis of T1 Diabetes is fatal. This kind of was a blow to my ego to know that without modern medicine, I probably wouldn't be alive past this year. I have a bit of a survival mentality and like to be self-sufficient and not have to rely on anyone else. So it came as a bit of a downer to know that I'd be reliant on insulin for the rest of my life, assuming that no cure is found in the foreseeable future.

Since my diagnosis, my eyes have reverted back to the sugar levels they were at before my symptoms started, and this essentially meant that I couldn't see a damn thing. The doc told me not to even bother making an eye appointment for at least 3 weeks until my eyes readjusted to the proper blood sugar levels. Thankfully after 2 weeks of blurry, headache-inducing vision, staying home on NYE by myself, not being able to drive, watch tv or play video games (unless I sat right in front of it)...it seems to have stabilized.

Prior to my diagnoses, I ate a fairly clean diet, and was trying, successfully, to bulk up since I am always considered a small dude by most. After my symptoms began, I started to eat complete junk...I was drinking OJ by the gallon everyday, and eating pretty much any sugary, sweet thing I could get, and I couldn't stop. I later found out that this is also a symptom that the onset of diabetes is occurring. I don't even want to know what my blood sugar levels were like for those 6 months, and am just thankful that I didn't appear to due any long-term damage to my vital organs, nerves, or eyes. All I know is that I frequently felt like I could pass out any moment sometimes and had to abstain completely from anything physical.

I am feeling MUCH MUCH better right now. I am still working on getting my levels within a target range, but for the most part haven't gone over 200 in a while now, and am mostly in the 90-140 range which is excellent. My diet is now completely clean...almost no sodium and sugar, a ton of veggies, lean protein, mostly consisting of chicken, turkey breast, and tilapia fish, and healthy low-GI carbs. I have been researching the disease nonstop to find out everything I possibly can and am determined to do my best to overcome the odds. With a little luck, I might even get bodybuilder of the month on bb.com and get some free supps lol. In some ways, getting this diagnosis has almost gotten me back on track with treating my body right. I was out every weekend partying, drinking all night, and playing poker for 12+ hours at a time with no food leading up to this. Now I have reverted back to being extremely health conscious, and I can no longer afford to slack off, as my health depends on me staying on track with my diet and exercise.

I have gained back over 15 lbs already in under 3 weeks (17 days to be precise) and am right around the 140-141 mark. The insulin in your body is what drives all the nutrients, protein, glucose, etc into your muscles, and without it before, all my food I was eating was going to waste, and hence, I lost all my weight and muscle mass.

Basically I am starting from scratch, but I appear to have retained a good deal of my muscle from when I was lifting from April-June (and of course I've lifted a lot in the past too). I am optimistic that my strength won't be TOO fargone and that with some muscle memory I can get back to where I was by around March. One of the positives is that my insulin I take is time-released and works around 15 minutes after I inject it (which is before every meal). This means that I can make optimum use of my food intake by timing it accordingly. This also means that I can time it with my protein shake after workout and my post-WO meal without having to eat a high dose of sugar to spike my insulin levels (because I will just be injecting the insulin). I have noticed I am gaining weight much easier which will be a pro for me as well...as I've had a really hard time gaining weight in the past due to high metabolism my entire life (never been more than 157ish).

I have to eat frequently to help manage my condition as well, which is also a plus for bodybuilding. The downside is that I have less control when I get low blood sugars though (which are far more dangerous than high BS levels). Unfortunately, these hit pretty fast and physical activity can quickly drop BS levels if I'm not careful. In the past, I have done extensive cardio, as in 5-12 miles at a time, and 2-3 miles with up to 50 lbs of weighted vest. Weight lifting shouldn't be as much of a problem but I will need to build up to things and see how exercise affects my blood sugar levels and always have some sugar source nearby when I workout from now on.

My current goal is to bulk up. Since I have never been really "big" before in my life, I am just looking to pack on mass and my short-term goal is 170. I am unsure if I will want to go low-carb and try cutting when spring rolls around for the summer months, but we'll play that by ear when we get there. I have a feeling most of the weight I'm gaining now is just my body bouncing back from having no nutrients for 6 months, and I should hit a plateau around 145 or 150. I eat about 5-6 meals a day and ingest more than enough calories to put on weight, and I'm sure I'll be even hungrier when I start exercising. My favorite lifts to do are the deadlift, squat, clean and presses, and weighted dips of which in the past I've done 6 reps with 100 lbs added. I like to center my workouts around the big 3 and then do supplemental work to keep everything else in check, but power movements are my favorite.

My current supplements are simply whey and casein protein, and also creatine which I just started. I am hoping this journal will be of inspiration to anyone else out there who has diabetes or any condition which challenges them physically and mentally. I know this will not be easy to overcome and I am hoping to find others who also have this illness to help me along the way (a few have already stepped up and given great advice). I keep daily track of my carb intake for every meal, and usually have a minimum of 50g protein with each meal. If anyone is ever interested to see what my diet is like I can provide the spreadsheets.

A typical day of eating for me would be (no white foods, processed foods, nothing with HFCS or added sugars, everything is whole grain if it is bread and reduced carb)

Breakfast:
3 eggs
Egg Beaters/Whites
3/4 cup oatmeal with cinnamon
1/4 cup almonds, unsalted, unroasted
1 cup of milk with 1/2 scoop of whey
Another carb source of about 20g with some almond butter

Snack:
1 slice of bread
Sodium Free Turkey Breast with no additives
Handful of Unsalted nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds, pecans)
Almond Milk with Whey

Lunch:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 can of Beans
1 Bag of frozen veggies

Dinner:
2 Tilapia fish
1/2 bag of veggies
Low GI carb source (50-80g)

Snack:
Celery with Almond butter
Casein protein in water or milk
any leftover chicken
some crackers with peanut butter

Pre-workout I usually eat 3/4-1 cup of oatmeal with a 1/2 scoop of whey. Post-WO I have 1 scoop of whey, and will often drink BCAA's during workout. 1-2 hours after workout I have a carb-rich meal. (continued in next post)

[SolidSnake84]

Tomorrow is my first workout back since July when I got sick. Hopefully I have answered all questions. I tend to be quite a bit wordy but it helps me to vent and write when I have a lot on my mind and need to air it out. I will likely be doing Squats, Bench Press, Weighted Dips, Clean and Presses, Bent-Over Rows, and some abwork tomorrow and will switch over to Deadlifts the following workout. Not quite sure yet, but I'll post my routine after I lift tomorrow. I will also post some pictures in the near future so people can see where I'm at, and also for me to see what I need to work on, how much progress I'm making, etc. I have actually gotten a good deal of muscle back just from eating these past 2 weeks and my muscles have been very responsive, seeming to soak up everything they can get after being starved so long. I am looking forward to this journal, getting back in shape, and getting stronger and healthier. Hope to have you guys along the way with me for the ride! Interacting with you guys, getting advice, and sharing my gains/progress are all things that keep me going and motivated. I hope to get quickly back to my old #s on my lifts. I also would like to compete in a marathon or half marathon race once I get everything under control and learn how intense endurance cardio affects me.

My old bests, which were performed at only 135 lbs were (I only use free weights, no machines)
185 x 3 Bench Press
195 x 5 ATG Squat
270 x 1 Deadlift
+100 x 6 on Weighted Dip
+25 x 5 Weighted Pullup

I was close to these this year, but not quite. These lifts took place in 2007, but I was just shy of them back in July after 2-3 months of training. Ok, that's enough ranting for now. I will post my official weigh-in and results tomorrow!

Cheers,
~Snake~

[drudixon]

Thanks for making a new log. Sorry about the diabetes diagnosis. I'm surprised you'd be diagnosed with type 1 so late in life. I thought it was easy to pinpoint early. The challenges only make you stronger and you'll be buffed back up in no time.

[SolidSnake84]

Thanks for stopping by Drudixon!

Sorry for the late entry. Today was my first workout back in 6 months and also my first workout of the new year (which will hopefully be a productive one!). I am much more optimistic about starting my workout routines this year, as now it is almost REQUIRED for me to stay in good health that I exercise and eat right. No more excuses! I was worried a bit about getting lows (hypos) today since I was new to working out with diabetes. I'll first outline my diet pre and post workout and then get into the #'s.

I started the day at 114 and had a usual breakfast of 3 eggs and some egg beaters, 3/4 cup oatmeal, almond milk with a scoop of whey, 1 whole grain english muffin with almond butter, and creatine. I bolused a normal amount to cover my food.

About a half hour before my snack (which was my pre-workout meal), I had 1 hard sugar candy so my reading would shoot up about 20-30 points and be higher than usual. It worked and I was 145 a half hour later before preparing my snack. I wanted to be in the 130-180 range instead of the usual 80-120, and would rather be slightly high than on the border going into an intense workout. My pre-WO meal was a turkey sandwich and a 1/2 cup of oatmeal and a 1/2 scoop of whey. It came out to 48 carbs, which I'd normally bolus 4 units for, but instead did 3 units so some of the carbs would not be covered. This meal was 1 hour before my workout.

When I got to the gym, I ingested 1 pack of smarties (6g carb/sugar) for a quick sugar boost...I also sipped BCAA's throughout the workout to stabilize and keep my BS levels up slightly. My workout lasted 1 hour and actually got me working up a sweat.

Post-WO, my BS was an excellent 103. I was feeling abit shaky (I think my body is still adjusting and thinks 90-105 range is still low, while technically it is where it should have been for all those months prior to diagnosis). I had a pack of smarties after the workout to get it up a little more and stop the shakiness, and then consumed my post-WO shake of 24g protein whey and 5g creatine in water. An hour later, I had my meal with bolus insulin. I did not use insulin with my post-WO shake.

Overall, my workout was pretty good. I think a good deal of the shaking was from doing squats which just obliterated my legs and had them shaking from muscle fatigue more than low blood sugar. Also, my numbers were horrendously low from not having worked out so prepare for a laugh. No worries though, as I expected these numbers and they are where I started last time when I started up lifting again, and actually a bit higher, and I got them up in about 2-3 months to pretty respectable numbers.

I'm gonna post my lifts in a separate post so I don't clutter all my workout posts with chapters of books from my brain. As I progress, I'll probably do less and less of this explanatory crap, and more of just the lifts, but as I am new to working out with this disease, I'd like to document stuff like diet, my methods of attack, and any other slew of various factors that might come up that I'd normally not have to deal with. My bodyweight was 140 on the dot prior to the workout...so 127 on Dec 23...138.5 on Jan 5, and 140 on Jan 10th, so I'm still going up which is great.

My current weight goal is 170 lbs, and hoping at about 1-2 lbs per week...would be nice to hit it around April or May. Workout's in the next post.

[SolidSnake84]

ROUTINE: Doing something similar to a starting strength to get my #'s back up. Most reps are targeted at 5 per set, and then increasing the poundage by 5 if I get all reps. Occasionally for some exercises I will do 8 reps. For pullup and calves, they will be to failure. Not doing deadlifts just yet but will incorporate them back in before the end of the month.

Weight: 140.0 lbs

BENCH PRESS:
95 x 5
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3

Notes: As usual, BP is my weakest exercise and these felt hard. Sticking to same weight and hoping for noob gains to get me to 115 x 5 for 3 sets.

SQUATS:
95 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 5

Notes: Got em all up but tiring near the end of last 2 sets. 120 next time.

PULLUPS:
BW x 6 (wide grip)
BW x 4 (underhand grip)
BW x 1.5 (underhand grip)

CLEAN & PRESSES:
50 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5

BENT OVER ROWS:
80 x 6
80 x 6
80 x 6

WEIGHTED DIPS:
BW x 5
+25 x 5
+25 x 5

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 8
85 x 8
100 x 4

ABWORK:
1 set of decline bench crunches (no weight resistance added) x failure

---

Lactic acid has already started building up (workout was about 9 hours ago) and I am getting sore as all hell. I could barely walk down the stairs after the gym (which is pathetic considering the meager poundage I put up). I have missed this achiness though, it's a good pain. We'll see how fast my body recovers for planning the next workout, but I am shooting for Thursday or Friday. It is always slow to recover the first few back after a long layoff. Alright, it's 3:30 in the AM and I need some sleep so I can start throwing the calories down tomorrow to replenish my body! It's good to be back!

~Snake~

[BenT]

Just had a quick read-through - it's inspirational to see how you're trying to make the most of your situation, to work around the obstacles thrown at you.

Keep training hard and I'm sure you will reach your strength and physique goals!

sub'd.

[SolidSnake84]

Just had a quick read-through - it's inspirational to see how you're trying to make the most of your situation, to work around the obstacles thrown at you.

Keep training hard and I'm sure you will reach your strength and physique goals!

sub'd.

Thanks for subscribing man, glad to have you on board! I am actually more motivated now than I have been in as long as I can remember. I am sore as hell today! Can't wait to recover and get back at it so those numbers shoot back up!

[SolidSnake84]

Just a quick update. It is 2 days since the last workout, and though I was hoping to get back tomorrow or by Friday I have a feeling I won't be recovered by then. Apparently I overdid it, or my muscles just weren't used to getting a workout from months of neglect...because I have some of the WORST DOMS I've ever experienced in my life lmao...it is actually worse today than yesterday. It takes me almost 30 seconds to get up and equally as long to sit down, and I don't even wanna think about trying to bend down to pick something up...my entire upper leg and glutes are torched, I can't lift my arms above my shoulders, upper back is sore, and I can't even straighten out my left arm, as the bicep/forearm area where it connects it tight as a mofo. I've been eating great to speed up recovery, but I can barely move as it is. Guess my body doesn't recover like it used to! Probably just too much for the first time back...but looks like the next workout won't be until I am somewhat mobile again which might be Saturday or Sunday...within the next 2-3 weeks, my body should settle back in and get used to the workload and I can start doing workouts 2-3x a week. That is all.

[SolidSnake84]

I was running low on whey so just did a decent-sized supps order from bb.com. I tend to do one big order every year lol...

I already have and use casein, and have Xtend, and also creatine (but wanted to restock on the creatine...) so I picked up the following:

10lb ON Whey Double Rich Chocolate
Prolab Creatine Monohydrate
Life Flo Maca 16 oz.
White Flood 100 servings Fruit Punch
Saw Palmetto
Activate Xtreme
Triazole

Never used a pre-workout supp before such as white flood, so that will be interesting to try...and also never used a test booster before, so gonna try a 1 month cycle of the ActX and Triazole combo.

On a workout day, my supp intake will look like this:

Breakfast:
1 scoop whey
5g creatine mono
1 serving Maca
1 saw palmetto
2 pills activate xtreme
1 pill triazole

Pre-Workout:
1/2 scoop whey
1 serving white flood

Intra-Workout:
Xtend

Post-Workout:
1 scoop whey
5g creatine

Dinner:
2 pills Activate Xtreme
1 pill Triazole

Bedtime:
1 scoop casein


On non-workout days, it will be this:

Breakfast:
1 scoop whey
5g creatine mono
1 serving Maca
1 saw palmetto
2 pills activate xtreme
1 pill triazole

Dinner:
2 pills Activate Xtreme
1 pill Triazole

Bedtime:
1 scoop casein


I just ordered everything so I probably won't start this stack until next week. I don't plan on running the test boost cycles often (never done one before) but figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try...and I likely won't be buying white flood again, solely because I would rather put the money towards food, and nothing against the product (haven't even tried it yet!)...but I figured I just got over 6 months of being sedentary and physically crippled essentially...why not treat myself to a little boost for motivation by getting some new supps!

Still sore from Monday's workout, but feeling significantly better than yesterday. I feel as though I'll be 100% again by Monday, but might be recovered enough by Sat or Sunday to lift.

[SolidSnake84]

Weight: 145.5 lbs (+5.5 lbs in 1 week!)

Notes: Damn! in exactly a week, I gained another 5.5 lbs. I have just been eating healthy, but a TON of protein and carbs. The insulin is likely helping me gain mass now as well and I've always always always had problems putting on weight in the past, I'd have to literally gorge on food nonstop to gain a pound every week. It is so nice to be able to gain weight. I'm sure I'll regret that...I have noticed a bit of fat gain, but a LOT of muscle gain...and I'm sure a lot of the weight is still just coming back from me losing 30 pounds so fast and should taper off somewhat soon. I was 127 lbs less than a month ago on dec. 23, so I've still got 6 days to put another 1.5 lbs on to make it 20 lbs in a single month! I might hit my target goal of 170 sooner than I thought. Anyway, on to the workout.

Workout Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Notes: I woke up exceptionally low today at 52 blood sugar. I think I am either honeymooning at this point, or my nightly dose of Lantus (long acting) is too high, because I've noticed frequent lows the past few days. In fact, I've significantly lowered my bolus insulin doses, and sometimes just eat my snack (15-25g carbs) without it and still am not affected. I haven't really been over 140 in probably close to a week in terms of blood sugar. To counteract this today, as I was 72 about 90 minutes before I intended to workout, I had some OJ and smarties to bring it up, then bolused only 1 unit (typically covers 12-14g carb) but instead ate about 40g carbs for preworkout which included 1/2 cup oatmeal and a turkey sandwich and almond milk with 1/2 scoop of whey. After feeling low all day, I felt GREAT 1 hour before my workout and have felt fantastic since. It really helps to keep me calm and at ease when I workout, and is a great stress reliever...the added bonus is it seems to stabilize my blood sugar, which is huge when it's been hard to keep normal without dipping low lately.

Preworkout Meal (1 hour prior to):
1/2 cup oatmeal with cinnamon
1 slice multi grain bread
lean turkey breast
6 oz. almond milk
1/2 scoop whey

45 minutes before workout:
1 scoop of white flood

5 minutes before workout:
1 pack of smarties

Intraworkout:
BCAA's

Post-workout shake:
1.5 scoops whey protein
5 grams creatine mono
2 pack of smarties (to keep counteract insulin)
1 unit of insulin

Post-workout meal:
1.25 lbs of lean chicken breast
3 whole grain tortillas (72g carb total)
half a stalk of lettuce
1 tomato
ranch dressing
water

made it into a wrap, extremely filling, but I think I will be less sore now thanks to getting a great post-workout meal in, whereas last time I had to wait quite long and didn't get proper nutrition and basically fasted after my workout for few hours.

Supplement Notes:
Today was the first day I tried White Flood (Fruit Punch Flavor). I was pleasantly surprised at the energy it gave me. I typically don't use pre-workout energy supps as I never liked to go from feelings of high to low crashes and felt the money was better spent elsewhere. I have to admit though, this made it very fun to workout. Here's my experience.

I have about a 45-50 minute drive to my gym, so I waited until about 6:20 to start drinking it and finished it at 6:25 (Didn't start lifting until 7:05). Not sure if it was partly my pre-workout meal, but I quickly began to feel GREAT. Almost euphoric actually. I was very sharp mentally and my reflexes seemed to sharpen up as well. In fact, a deer darted right in front of me while I was going 45 mph and I managed to stop just in time. Not saying the WF saved the deer's life, but that would sure make for a nice story. Anyway, I started getting surges of energy and feeling like I could pick up a train while driving. Around 6:45, I noticed I was starting to get tingling in my hands and feet...it wasn't unpleasant though, just like almost an electrical currant of energy running through me. I also became hotter than usual and started sweating from my palms and feet. I actually turned on the cold air intake instead of heat after a few minutes because I was HOT! Not so hot that it was uncomfortable but I definitely noticed the increase...it also was not unpleasant. The effects also stayed with me in the gym. I worked out for 1 hr 45 minutes today, and I didn't get tired at all. My muscles were fatigued but mentally I was ready to go and very alert and still am now, almost 7 hours after taking it.

I still didn't get my Activate Xtreme and Triazole in the mail yet. I am planning on starting the ActX by itself for 2 weeks and then add the Triazole, so it will be a 6 week cycle of this stuff. If I like it, I might try to do the whole 12 week shebang that DS suggests with Lean Xtreme. I am really excited to try this stuff out though.

A note on cardio as well...I don't plan on doing it for a while yet, as I am trying to bulk, and I have read that cardio really drops your blood sugar, so I want to tackle that animal on its own, separate from lifting. I might incorporate some LIGHT cardio, maybe like 15 minutes at an average pace just for cardiovascular health for now...but when I do my insane cardio days, I want to document them separate from lifting, and I tend to do them in the spring/summer months outside when it's warmer out (nothing more boring than running on a treadmill imo).

BLOOD SUGARS:
As mentioned, I was low at 72 about 90 minutes before working out. I didn't test it after I had some fast sugars and then my pre-workout meal b/c I don't have a lot of test strips to spare (at $50 for 100 of them). But based on how I know certain foods affect me and how my body felt (I am becoming very good at knowing where my BS levels are at)...I'd venture that I was in the 140-175 range, which is right where I want to be before lifting. After lifting I was a very comfortable and acceptable 122.

I am hoping my recovery period is much faster than my first workout which took me an entire week despite great eating! I did a ton of exercises today though, so we will see...OK enough talk, here is the workout:


BENCH PRESS:
95 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 3
115 x 3

Notes: Damn, I am still weak as hell on this...it's my worst lift. Gonna have to stick with this weight for now until I get all 3 sets, though next workout I am going to add Incline DB Presses and more secondary work to help bust through to more respectable numbers.

ATG SQUAT:
95 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5

Notes: These felt better than last time, and I truly must emphasize that I am going ATG, practically touching the ground. I am trying to get my form spot on for every exercise, especially this one, to avoid injury down the road. 125 next time, shouldn't be a problem.

PULLUPS:
BW x 4
BW x 2
BW x 1

Notes: Significantly worse than last week. My body was still kinda sore today, but gotta work on these for sure, this is terrible.

CLEAN AND PRESS:
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 2

Notes: Last set killed me. Attempted 3rd rep, nothin doing. Same weight for next time.

BENT OVER ROWS:
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 3.5

WEIGHTED DIPS:
+25 x 6
+25 x 4
+25 x 3

Notes: Damnit, this was my favorite exercises, and I was almost easily doing +75lbs and even + 100 without breaking a sweat less than a year ago...only my 2nd workout, but I'd like to be able to get all 3 sets of 5 on +25 lbs soon as it really seems to help my bench and makes my tri's explode.

LAT PULLDOWN:
70 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

Notes: Same weight, this was hard.

UPRIGHT ROWS:
40 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 5

Notes: Will try 60 for 3 sets of 5 next time.

EZ BAR BICEP CURL:
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 5

Notes: LOL @ WEIGHT!

LEG EXTENSIONS MACHINE:
90 x 5
110 x 5
130 x 5
150 x 3

CALF RAISE MACHINE:
90 x 15
90 x 10
90 x 10

FRONT AND LATERAL RAISES:
10lb x 5 x 5
10 x 5 x 5

LOW ROWS:
70 x 12
85 x 5
85 x 5

ABWORK:
2 sets with 25lb plate til failure

----

Hoping to get my next workout in around Thurs or Fri. I am doing these long full-body workouts. I'd like to do shorter ones and more often but I live so far away, like 45 minutes, so it's a pain to commute 90 minutes everyday just to lift. Between the drive, lifting itself, and pre and post workout nutrition, I'm set back like 4 or 5 hours! Not sure if I should focus more on the big compound movements and no so much any isolation or continue with full body to get some overall mass everywhere or just work on strength or what. I don't like working out the length of time I did today (1hr 45 min) ...not so much that I can't do it...just that I find it is counterproductive to be weightlifting for that long. You can only break down so much muscle fiber and test levels drop after the first hour anyway.

Okay, see ya at the next workout. Hopefully I am about 148 lbs or so by then!

Cheers,
~Snake~

[SolidSnake84]

I feel a lot better physically than I have in a while...I've noticed some pretty rapid muscle gain, probably due to having insulin again, but I almost look like I didn't even miss a beat since my last workout in July which is pretty astounding. My strength is nowhere near what it was then, but I LOOK almost the same...the strength will hopefully follow back soon.

Just thought I'd update that I just picked up my Activate Xtreme and Triazole in the mail today. It is Jan 19th, going to start the ActX today and in 2 weeks kick in the Triazole, for a 6 week total cycle. I will start the Triazole then on Wednesday Feb 2 (might just do it Feb 1 to make it easier to remember). I'll start a log up on its effects, though I have read that it takes 5-7 days for the ActX to build up in the system and really take effect.

Also, I have noticed my recovery is already a lot better than it was after my first workout back. Not sure if it's because I had better post-WO nutrition this time, or just that my body is now getting reacquainted with working out and adapting, but I should be good for a workout again by Friday. Hopefully by mid February, I'll be able to be doing 3 workouts a week...I probably won't exceed 3 a week for a while because I think rest is a lot more important than constantly breaking down muscle fibers, and I prefer doing full-body, compound lifts versus bodypart splits, so it makes sense to allow for more recovery time and less gym frequency.

Ok, about to take my first dose of ActX, I'll report back on Friday with my workout. Hoping to be 147-148 by then, was 145.5 on Monday!

[SolidSnake84]

*Haven't been home for over a day so didn't get to update my log with Friday's workout until now (Sat night).

Weight: 146.5lb (+1.0lb since Monday (4 days)

Notes: gained another pound in 4 days, but I think my weight gain is now slowing down as I'm approaching my normal bodyweight, and will probably be tougher to bulk up now but I'm not gonna quit!

Workout Duration: 2 hours 0 minutes

Notes:This was a bit too long. Fortunately my blood sugar stayed good throughout and I finished at 87 blood sugar despite 2 grueling hours. I'm gonna redesign my program before my next workout so I can have it last no more than 1 hour 15 minutes though, because I feel like I'm working all of my bodyparts a little, but I would rather work a few of them HARD and then move on to new bodyparts the next time. Having trouble doing this because I wanna do full body compounds and some iso work, but I think I should focus on putting on the muscle and weight for now. Will update in a future post with what my new routine will be.

BENCH PRESS:
95 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 2.5

Notes: Damn. Chest sucks for me. Nuff said.

ATG SQUATS:
95 x 5
125 x 5
125 x 5
125 x 6

Notes: These felt great. Last time it was a struggle to get 5 reps, but I didn't struggle with any of these, and on the last set since I felt like I still had a lot in me, did another one. I realistically probably could have done 10 reps total the last set but I wanted to save my legs a little for future exercises. 130 next time. Not sure if I should start doing more reps or not, but legs are suddenly my new favorite thing to do lol. I just wanna build them up. I am already noticing some good striations and bulk building up in them.

PULLUPS:
BW x 4
x 3
x 0.5

Notes: Just gonna take time to build these back up. Would like to be able to do a complete set of 8 reps for 3 sets, but I think my body is still readjusting to the recent fluctuating weight.

CLEAN AND PRESS:
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5

Notes: Gonna try for 80 next time, though these got rough by the last set.

BENT OVER ROWS:
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 5

Notes: I got these all but I think I wanna drop the weight a little and really start to focus on the contraction in my back with this lift, because I don't feel I'm targeting my lats enough doing it as I currently am.

WEIGHTED DIPS:
BW x 5
+25 x 5
+25 x 5
+25 x 5
BW x 7

Notes: Finally dip strength felt like it was returning. Gonna up it to 35 lbs for next time and try and get 3 sets of 5 reps. I also wanna try to do getting 20-30 consecutive bodyweight reps, as that's what I was doing before.

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 4

Notes: Having trouble holding the bar and getting it down low enough on the last set. Need to work on my grip strength. Some deadlifts may soon be in order.

UPRIGHT ROW:
50 x 5
50 x 5
60 x 4.5

Notes: Gonna try for 3 sets of 60 next time. Use the EZ bar for these by the way.

EZ CURL:
40 x 8
40 x 7
40 x 5

Notes: Next to my chest, biceps are my next weakest muscle group lol. Don't think we have a preacher bench at my gym, but I think barbell curls are best for building mass up in them anyway. Maybe try 50 for 3 sets of 5 next time.

LEG EXTENSION:
90 x 5
110 x 5
130 x 5
150 x 4
170 x 1 (+ hold and long negative contraction)

Notes: Try to get 170 for 5 reps next time.

**NOTE TO SELF: Add Leg Curls to next workout for Hamstrings ***

CALF RAISE:
100 x 15
100 x 12
100 x 10

Notes: Added 10 more lbs to this workout and got more reps. Calves felt pretty good actually and I vary up my footing stance throughout to try and target the calves from all angles.

FRONT AND LATERAL RAISES:
10 x 5 x 5
10 x 5 x 5

REAR DELT DB RAISE:
30 x 5 x 5
35 x 5 x 5

LOW ROWS:
85 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 3

Notes: Failing Grip by this point of workout.

SHOULDER PRESS:
50 x 8
65 x 3.5, 50 x Failure, 40 x F, 30 x F

SHRUGS:
50 x 4 reps

Notes: Grip completely gone by this point so stopped.

ABWORK:
Decline Crunches with 25 lbs for 1 set
1 set of bicycles to failure, leg raises to failure, and isolation holds.

---

Shooting for Tuesday for the next workout. I am loving the White Flood preworkout. It tastes amazing and really gets me amped up to workout. I've been taking the Activate Xtreme since Wednesday so this is my 4th day, and haven't noticed any effects yet, but they say 5-7 days for it to build up and kick in, so I'll report back with that on Wednesday of this coming week when 7 days will be up. Not sure exactly what I'm supposed to be feeling, but don't feel any more aggression, strength, or anything of that sort.

I'll update with my revised workout routine before the next workout, or if I don't get around to typing it up first, I'll just fill it all in during my next workout afterward. See ya!

~Snake~

[SolidSnake84]

*Splitting this into 2 posts because it's too long*

Duration: 2 hours 0 minutes

Weight: 148.5 lbs (+2 lbs since last workout 4 days ago lol)

Notes: Getting closer and closer to my goal of 170 literally with EVERY workout, I've gained a minimum of a pound since the previous one).

NUTRITION AND SUPPS:
This was my 5th day of ActX (no triazole yet). I haven't noticed anything really yet, but I have noticed that I seem to be recovering from my workouts (despite the fact that they are a brutal 2 straight hours) VERY rapidly...I just worked out on Friday and by today (Monday), I felt almost 100%...still a little sore, but good enough to workout for sure. Keep in mind these are full body workouts I'm doing too.

I am completely loving this white flood stuff. Not only does the fruit punch flavor taste great, but it really does give you a SIGNIFICANT boost pre-workout and VERY quickly too. I take it on my drive to the gym about halfway through (45 min drive) and before I get to the gym, I feel so energized that I want to jump out of my skin. It gives me some mental clarity as well and just an overall feeling of well-being...just feel very good and alert and energetic. Also not sure if this is from the white flood, the ActX, or my nutrition (which has been excellent!), but I find I pretty much do not get tired! I mean, I am still worn out after a hard set, but within 30-60 seconds I'm ready for another. And after 2 ...yes TWO hours of working out, busting my ass and dripping sweat, I am still ready for more. I have what seems to feel like a constant surge of stored energy that can be unleashed at any moment. Even sitting here now, about 3.5 hours after my workout, I feel like if I had to go do another 2 hour workout, I could do it with no problem. It's like my system feels primed and ready to go at all times. Pretty cool. Haven't done any cardio yet so I don't know if it translates to that, but as for weightlifting, either one of these supps or the combo of them both is freaking amazing!

Preworkout/Intra/Postworkout:
1 hour prior to workout, blood sugar was 78, had 1 pack of smarties, 4 oz orange juice to kick it up, 40g of carbs, in the form of oatmeal (1/2 cup), 1 slice of 7 grain bread, turkey breast, almond milk (8 oz.), 2/3 scoop of whey, and just a single unit of insulin to partially cover it and allow my BS to go a bit higher than normal so I didn't get shaky during the workout. Had White Flood 30 min before workout. BCAAs (Xtend) during the workout. 1 pack of smarties 5 minutes before workout. Post workout had a BS level of 118, which was great, so had 1 pack of smarties, my post-WO shake of 36g whey protein and 5g creatine mono, and 1 unit of insulin (covered by the smarties).

Post Workout meal about 90 minutes after the shake, I had about 1 lb of lean chicken breast, 3 whole grain tortillas (24g carb each), about half a stalk of lettuce, 1 plum tomato, and some ranch dressing. I won't be including my diet before and after in anymore posts, just wanted to give an idea of a typical post-WO and pre-workout nutrition.

A Note on Insulin Use:

Here's something I recently posted on another forum (diabetic forum) about my take on the use of insulin in T1 diabetics as an advantage. I am not definitively saying that it is an advantage, and I could be completely wrong, but I think there is some truth in what I wrote, and that while it is VERY dangerous for a non-diabetic to use it, the fact that I am not producing ANY insulin anymore, and that I know well how my body reacts to certain doses of it through charting LITERALLY EVERY MEAL AND HOW MUCH INSULIN I USE WITH IT...it stands to say that the insulin levels can be tweaked and timed to a T1 diabetics advantage. Anyway, here is what I wrote in my post, in response to the question "Times to take advantage being T1 with insulin

Can someone put some good nutritient pointers and injection times around a good hard weightlifting days": (if any other diabetics wanna comment on this, I am very interested to hear your takes on it)

"Hey *username*...thought I'd throw some input in here. I have read about bodybuilders abusing insulin when they are not T1 or t2 diabetics. Perhaps you've heard of the trick to have a big dose of sugar right after your workout to spike your insulin levels and make you more "accepting" of nutrients to be stored into your muscles. These "insulin abusers" take it one step further and inject 1-2 units of humalog right after their workout and before they drink a protein shake. I have read they also include it in their post workout meal roughly 1-3 hours after the workout. Keep in mind their bodies are already producing insulin so 1 to 2 units is more than enough and sufficient to stimulate extra muscle/fat storage. I am not sure as to when else they take it during the day.

Since becoming Dx as T1, I have somewhat adopted this principle and tried to apply it to myself. I lift pretty hard now that I've gotten better from recovering from all of my symptoms leading up to diagnosis. I make sure, first to check my BS levels before my workout, and usually will lessen my normal bolus shot with my preworkout meal by about 1 or 2 units, and also have a burst of fast sugars such as 1 pack of smarties about 1 hour before workout. Post-workout, I check my levels again, take 1 unit of my insulin, drink my protein shake, and have an appropriate amount of fast sugars again to accomodate where my BS is at. For instance, if my Bs was 110 after a workout, I'd probably just have one pack of skittles to cover the unit of insulin, but if it was like 85, i'd have 2 or 3 packs of skittles.

Then at my post-workout meal, roughly 90 minutes after my protein shake, I take a little more insulin than is necessary to cover my meal (assuming I am not low). For instance, if my insulin sensitivity is 12g carb = 1 unit, and I ate 72g of carbs, I'd normally give 6 units, but post-workout meal I might give 7 units instead. Also keep in mind though, that your body is more insulin-sensitive after a hard workout, and you will normally need much less insulin than you would at any other time of the day, so your normal dose might be halved with that meal. In that case, halve it first, and then add 1 or 2 units.

Insulin is very anabolic, and basically the more of it you take, namely bolus I'm referring to here, the more you will gain muscle (assuming you are lifting weights) and also gain fat. By lifting weights though, and including some cardio to keep your metabolism up, you can ensure that more of those nutrients you eat are going towards muscle re-building and less going to fat storage. I have been gaining weight back like crazy now, and find for the first time in my 26 years of life, that I am not having trouble gaining weight. I was stuck at the same weight pretty much since 10th grade of high school despite my best efforts to have a caloric surplus while trying to bulk up (and i suspect I had some degree of higher than normal blood sugar levels much longer than before my symptoms started appearing). Finally I am getting results, probably because my body was insulin deprived for a very long time.

Now as for other times, I think it is important not to take advantage of the insulin because it can obviously be very dangerous if you don't know what your doing. For us diabetics, we know how it affects us, and how much a certain amount might drop our BS levels, etc...most non-D's have no clue how it affects them, and go by the mantra "more is better"...and end up taking more insulin to get better results, and that is how people have died or seriously jeopardized their health.

I think if you are trying to take your T1 diabetes to your advantage, which is also my way of thinking, take a unit to 2 units tops with your post-workout shake (immediately after the workout) and don't forget to include fast sugars to counteract it from dropping you low...and then like I mentioned have a little more insulin than usual with your post-workout meal. You can remedy it if you go low, of course, by a little fast sugars here too, but I eat a TON of food post-workout so that hasn't even happened yet. The problem with doing more insulin than needed TOO often (and not just post-workout meals), is that more often than not the extra insulin will drop you low, and you will constantly be taking fast-acting sugars to get it up...over the long haul this will lead more to fat gain and the advantages will not outweigh the disadvantages...but when your muscles are most receptive and primed to take in nutrients, i.e. after your workout, it makes sense to have a little more insulin in your system.

That's my take on it. It is working for me right now, and though i've only been Dx for about a month, I will continue to monitor how it affects me and experiment a bit, albeit in a safe manner. I would not recommend ever to abuse insulin, especially to a non-D, but since we have to take it anyway, an extra unit here or there to help pack on mass seems beneficial so I'm sticking with it."

[SolidSnake84]

*Post 2 of 2*

OK...now without further ado, here is today's workout!:

ATG SQUAT:
95 x 5
130 x 5
130 x 5
130 x 8

Notes: These are still feeling amazing. They don't even seem hard at all, so I did an extra 3 reps on my last set. Will be nice to finally get the 45's on the bar for 135 next time, and I suspect I won't be hitting a plateau here for a good while, especially with all the weight I'm gaining.

PULLUPS:
BW x 5 (wide)
x 3.5 (supinated)
x 1 (hammer)

Notes: Eh...getting better but still pathetic. In my defense, I do come to a complete stop at the bottom and do very proper form and a slow pace. I hate kippers so I intentionally do a very deliberate, slow pull-up.

CLEAN AND PRESS:
80 x 5
80 x 5
80 x 3

Notes: Didn't do bench before these today, so had a little extra in me, but still couldn't bang out the last set. Should have it no problem next time.

BENT OVER ROW:
80 x 5
80 x 5
80 x 5

Notes: Dropped down 10 lbs from last time to perfect my form. Wasn't so much my form as my grip that was failing before. Will go back to 90 lb again for next time.

WEIGHTED DIPS:
BW x 5
+35 x 5
+35 x 5
+35 x 5
BW x 7
BW x 10

Notes: Sweet, my dip strength finally seems to be returning! Threw an extra 10 lbs on for this workout and got em no problem. Did 7 more after...and the last set of 10 was at the very end of my workout. Gonna go for a 45 lb plate next time for 3 sets of 5.

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 7

Notes: Strength is coming back here as well, so added 2 more reps on the last set. Gonna try maybe 110 next time.

UPRIGHT ROW:
60 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5

Notes: Added 10 more lbs to this workout and got em all no problem. Going for 70 next time.

EZ CURL PREACHER CURL:
30 x 8
40 x 3.5
40 x 4

Notes: Turns out we do have a preacher bench. Couldn't get 4 reps on the 2nd set, but I pulled everything I had into getting the 4th rep on the last set. Felt good man. Gonna maybe go back to a barbell curl though without the bench to pack on some mass before I really isolate them.

LEG EXTENSION MACHINE:
90 x 5
130 x 5
150 x 5
170 x 1

Notes: Damn 170 is a sticking point for me. I know I got around 210 before when I was lifting. I'm sure once I get my squats up a bit more, the strength will translate over to these.

ARNOLD PRESSES:
20 x 5
25 x 5
25 x 3

Notes: A little variation for shoulders.

DB INCLINE BENCH:
25 x 6
25 x 5
25 x 6 + 15lb x 5 Incline DB Flyes

Notes: Wanted to switch it up from regular benching so tried these this time. Pretty weak. I was going too slow on the second set and it burned my arms out. Added some flyes at the end of the 3rd set to hit the inner.

CALF RAISE MACHINE:
110 x 15
120 x 15
130 x 7

Notes: Damn I am loving this machine. Eventually I will probably switch over to using a barbell and doing them standing up on a block of wood, but for now, getting my calves back into it, this is great. I did 100 lbs last workout, and upped it significantly here. By the time I got to 130, my right calf was like a millisecond from charlie horsing so I stopped. By the way, I usually vary my foot stance every 5 reps during the set to inward and outward, along with the normal stance. I also try to hold each rep for at least a second and really flex the muscle. My calves are looking great already but I have pretty decent calf genetics too, I think lol.

SHRUG STATION:
90 x 5
140 x 4
140 x 4

Notes: Found out we have a shrug station too, which I prefer over just doing DB shrugs. When I write out the weight, I am referring to the total. For instance, at 90, I had a single 45lb plate on each side. Then I added a 25 to each side for the 2nd two sets. My left hand grip was complete toast by the end of the 2nd set. Might try like 120lbs next time or do it earlier in the workout when I still have grip.

TRICEP PULLDOWN BAR:
40 x 12
50 x 6
50 x 3

Notes: Added these, tri's burned out by the end.

LOW ROWS:
85 x 8
100 x 5
120 x 5

Notes: Damn, progressed quickly in these. Might try for the 140 next time. I like doing these, even though they are usually the last weight exercise I do.

ABWORK:

DECLINE BENCH CRUNCHES
BW x failure
+25 x failure
BW x failure

ISOLATIONS for 1 minute, followed by...
BICYCLES x failure, followed by...
LEG RAISES x failure.

Since I seem to be recovering pretty fast, gonna shoot for another workout on Thursday though it might be hard because I have an eye appointment and my workout nutrition will be getting screwed up. If not Thursday, then Friday for sure.

~Snake~

[BenT]

those are some very long sessions. Probably be good to cut it down a little, focus mainly on compound lifts, add in supersets to make the most of your time in the gym, and then finish with some isolation stuff for points that are particularly weak.

Apart from that, keep up the good work mate.

[SolidSnake84]

those are some very long sessions. Probably be good to cut it down a little, focus mainly on compound lifts, add in supersets to make the most of your time in the gym, and then finish with some isolation stuff for points that are particularly weak.

Apart from that, keep up the good work mate.

yeah I totally agree, 2 hours is way overboard and more than bordering on overtraining. Would like to ideally limit my workouts to 1 hr and 15 minutes tops, but I am still tinkering with what exercises are hitting my muscles hardest...but yes, I will very soon be trimming it down to just the compounds and adding in deadlifts as well. I'd like to hit a 300 lb deadlift, 225 squat, and 200 lb bench press by June for 5 reps each. My weak points are and have always been chest and biceps, and my triceps and back are disproportionately stronger and bigger looking. Have been trying to hit the secondary muscles for chest to help boost my bench at the moment...and biceps are just due to plain neglect and me favoring building up the triceps instead (probably the opposite of most people). Will most likely have a revised workout routine in the next week or 2.

[pumpbber]

and biceps are just due to plain neglect and me favoring building up the triceps instead (probably the opposite of most people).

That's probably not such a bad thing afterall considering that triceps are a much bigger muscle than biceps. I think that to get big arms overall, you really need to hit the triceps hards. In my own workouts, I always work my triceps pretty hard, plus, coming from a swimming background where there is so much emphasis on the triceps, I can say that I owe most of my current arm size to my triceps and not my biceps. Though a bicep peak is always nice...

[SolidSnake84]

Going to the gym tomorrow...just thought I'd update, got my eyes checked today and they were excellent so no damage done. I also weighed myself and was 149.5 lbs, up 1.0 lbs from Monday (today is Thursday). LOL just about exactly 20 lbs to go!

[mab23]

First page!!!

[SgSpartan]

first page, candy plox!

my zodiac sign is snake, so i guess we have something in common lulz

[SolidSnake84]

That's probably not such a bad thing afterall considering that triceps are a much bigger muscle than biceps. I think that to get big arms overall, you really need to hit the triceps hards. In my own workouts, I always work my triceps pretty hard, plus, coming from a swimming background where there is so much emphasis on the triceps, I can say that I owe most of my current arm size to my triceps and not my biceps. Though a bicep peak is always nice...

hey man, thanks for stopping by! I got your PM about the diabetic challenge and I am down for it...you can see my current numbers for what they are at the moment, and also what my old personal records were in my sig...nothing too impressive, but I am FOR REAL this time around haha. not sure how you wanted to structure the contest but let me know if you get enough people going, or if nobody else wants to I am still down for a little friendly competition (example: see who can add X amount of lbs for X amount of reps to X exercise)

also, agree with ya on the arm thing...I have long been aware that the triceps make up 2/3 of the arm muscle and have always focused on them and never given a 2nd thought to the biceps. btw, i think it is more the biceps that are involved in most swimming exercises, as u are pulling the water, so if u think ur arms are big now, u should really hammer those tri's and see some more growth!

First page!!!

first page, candy plox!

my zodiac sign is snake, so i guess we have something in common lulz

lolz, welcome brahs...always nice to have new readers...you guys are around the same height as me too, hopefully i can put on these 20 lbs and get my lifts up to join the misc strength crew one of these days!

sarge spartan it was fate that must have brought u to this page...i've mailed u all of the candy leftover in my house since i can no longer eat it.

[SolidSnake84]

Workout coming later in the day, still getting my food in before I head out...pretty good snowstorm going on but gonna do it anyway. Wanted to get some pics up for future comparison though. Took these before bed late last night around 3 AM so technically on Jan 28th. Weighing in at 149.5 lbs in these pics. 5'7-5'8. Couldn't get back pics or the wheels really cuz I was taking the pics myself, but should give you an idea of my build...not too bad for less than a month back in the gym and after losing 30 lbs over several months and then gaining 25 of it back in less than a month...got some fat gain around the love handle area from gaining it back so fast, but nothing too bad and nothing i cant get rid of after i finish bulking up a few months down the road. keep in mind i was 125 lbs about 1 month ago with absolutely no muscle mass left! i'm not really skilled with the camera so bear with me on the picture quality. also yes i have about 15-20 cologne collection...6 of them are not pictured lolz

[mab23]

you were 125 a month ago! and no your 146

you on dat der celltech??

[SolidSnake84]

you were 125 a month ago! and no your 146

you on dat der celltech??

Nah bro I don't take steroids. You only got 1 liver. Lulz...haha I dunno if you read my 10 chapter novel at the start of this journal, but the short of it was I got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on dec. 23 and had dropped about 30 lbs in the months leading up to diagnosis. After getting insulin back in my system I gained 20 lbs back in the first month, and am up 25 lbs all together since then, as I'm at 150lb right now. It took me 3 months to bulk the extra 10 lbs I put on last summer (normally weigh around 145), so it sucked when I saw all my gains go away when my symptoms started happening around July and I lost all my muscle mass...but now I seem to be gaining weight even faster thanks to the insulin and eating a TON of food. I spend about $100-120 per week on food, probably 98% of it is clean too. No sugars, no high fructose corn syrup, no fast high GI carbs except pre/post workout, no sweets, no sodium...it's all good in the hood brah. I actually feel really healthy right now.

Now onto the workout!

DURATION: 2 hours 40 minutes
WEIGHT: 150.0 lb

Notes: Same workout nutrition and supps. I have noticed faster recovery and am usually 100% healed even after these longass workouts in 3 days rest (ex. Monday workout--->healed by Friday). In most cases, I can and am able to workout by Thursday with just 2 days rest though. I am gonna try to now go 3x a week, every 3rd day...so Monday-Thurs-Sun for example. Finally hit the 150 mark exactly today on the scale. Feels good man. The weight gain will be harder now though, and I've noticed it's slowed down significantly. 145 is my usual weight, so at 150 I'm already higher than normal, and I've never weighed more than 155 lbs. I am still gaining about 2 lbs a week though. I am setting a short term goal of 160 pounds by the end of the 1st week of March. That will give me 5 weeks to gain about 2 lbs per week. According to this timeline, I can bulk hopefully to around 170 by mid-end of April and then have a solid month to cut back any of the fat that I gained. Workout was obviously too excessive today. I'm gonna really start cutting back to about 5 main exercises that I do per workout session, and just do more sets of each. The exercises will be mostly compounds. That's it for now. Also note that I didn't include my warm-up sets for any exercises anymore, but still do them.

---

BENCH PRESS:
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 4.5

Notes: Goddamnit, I hate my weak chest. I did the last rep but I didn't go down all the way and touch my chest on the last one because I knew I'd get stuck as I barely got the 4th rep up. Considering dropping all the way down to 95 lbs and repping out til failure, cuz I am still plateaued at low reps and can't get past this weight for some reason despite all the weight I'm gaining and all the secondary muscles I'm working.

ATG SQUAT:
135 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5

Notes: Well last week these felt great at 130 but for some reason I just wasn't feeling the squats so much today. Regardless, got all the reps and am moving up to 140 next time. Could have still done more than the 5 reps.

PULLUPS:
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 1.5

Notes: Wide grip, supinated (underhand), hammer grip. I think my back/arms just can't keep up with me gaining 2 or more lbs every week, and once my weight gets somewhat more stabilized I will actually be able to progress in these.

CLEAN & PRESS:
80 x 5
80 x 4.5
80 x 3

Notes: Not sure if since I did bench press first today I pre-fatigued my shoulders, but struggled on this.

BENT OVER ROW:
90 x 5
90 x 5
90 x 5

Notes: Grip felt a lot better this time around, got em all no prob. Will attempt the 100 lb next time.

WEIGHTED DIPS:
BW x 5
+25 x 5
+45 x 5
+45 x 4
+45 x 3; BW x 4

Notes: 45 might have been too big a jump as I couldn't finish the last 2 sets. For the final set, I drop-setted and repped out with bodyweight.

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 5
100 x 5
110 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5

Notes: Very last rep of last set was tough, but these improved a lot.

UPRIGHT ROW:
70 x 4
70 x 3.5
70 x 2

Notes: The 10 lb jump this week proved to be too much as well. I could get 60lbs for 3 sets of 5, but gonna stick with 70 and try to work my way up to getting all reps.

EZ PREACHER CURL:
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 4

Notes: Damn, I really pour my soul into these despite it being such a low weight. I literally spent about 8-12 seconds bursting through my sticking point on the last rep of the last 2 sets trying to get it up. Feels rewarding man.jpg

LEG EXTENSION:
90 x 5
130 x 5
150 x 5
170 x 3

Notes: Okay...well got 2 more reps than I did last time on 170, maybe next time I can get all 5 of them.

DB INCLINE BENCH PRESS:
30 x 8
35 x 8
40 x 3

Notes: Trying to get a feel for where my strength is at with these. 35 felt easy but 40 felt heavy. To my credit, I did these relatively late in the workout and was getting burnt out by this point. Maybe if I just start at 40 lbs for 5 reps instead of doing endurance before hand I can get all 3 sets at 40lb next time.

CALF RAISE MACHINE:
90 x 10
130 x 15
130 x 7
130 x 8

Notes: I must be overdoing it on the first working set of 130. Will move up to doing calf raises with a barbell instead of machine next time @ 135 lbs.

SHRUG STATION:
90 x 15
120 x 10
130 x 8

Notes: Grip getting better but still slippery towards end of sets.

SEATED ROW MACHINE:
60 x 15
75 x 15
90 x 6

Notes: I split each set of 15 into 5 and varied my grip from normal to underhand to hammer grip. For the last set, I got 3, 2, and 1 rep respectively and my grip was toast.

ARNOLD PRESSES:
25 x 5
25 x 5

Notes: Was pushing the 2.5 hour mark here and just wanted to get done with the workout. Didn't do last set.

LOW ROWS:
85 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 4; 85 x 4

Notes: Gonna try to get 140 for all 5 reps next time. Did a continuous drop set on the last one to burn it out.

TRICEP PULLDOWN:
40 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 1

Notes: I had tried supersetting the last set right after doing the next exercise once and had no grip left for it.

ROPE PULLDOWNS:
42.5 x 8
50 x 7
57.5 x 3; 50 x 2

Notes: Threw these in for the serratus anterior.

ABWORK:
1 set of decline crunches with 25 lb plate x failure
1 set of Bicycles x failure

---

Next workout will probably be Monday. By then I will have narrowed down my workout to about the 5-7 exercises range. Might possibly add more sets to those exercises, but not sure yet cuz they will be tough compounds. The idea is to get my workout time down to the 75-90 minute range. As of now, I am still not doing any cardio.

~Snake~

[SolidSnake84]

Next workout is Monday. Just wanted to post b/c I've been reading up a lot. I think instead of bulking to 170, I might aim a bit higher. 170 would be attainable by mid to late April at a rate of 2 lbs per week. I am considering not even bothering with cutting this summer, though I'm sure my opinions will change when the hot weather rolls around, but I'd really like to just add mass preferably for the entire year.

I have been reading a lot on carb cycling and would eventually like to employ this technique once I hit a goal weight of say 190-200 lbs, but possibly sooner. Once I bulk to a preset goal weight, I will start doing high, low, and no carb days and trying to get cut up, with the goal of not dropping my overall weight below 175lb by the end of the cut. Hopefully I can gain all the weight I want within this year, and then I would start cycling to burn up bodyfat around February of 2012 (assuming the world doesn't end via apocalypse by then)...leaving me with about 16 weeks til next year's summertime to get shredded and actually have some respectable muscle to show for it. I don't mind missing out on this summer of not being lean if I can look great for next summer.

I realize I am probably taking this to an extreme and that I could find some middleground and just bulk til like April and then do a mini-cut before summer, but I feel it will impede my progress and I am on a mass mission more than anything right now. I don't see any reason someone who is like 155-160 lbs should be cutting unless they are extremely short. I have a lot of muscle to be gained. At the very most, I will just try to maintain for the summer months and possibly try to do a little body recomposition, but still try not to lose any overall bodyweight.

Just a few calculations, if I am able to put on 8 lbs a month (2 per week), I could hit 200 lbs by around 6 months time (48 lbs in 24 weeks)...obviously this is a stretch and probably not going to happen this fast, but I think I can consistently add 2 lbs per week til about 165-170 range before it becomes more difficult. I dunno...this is all uncharted territory for me as I've never weighed more than 155 and am just a few pounds shy of that now. I have gained 25+ in just over a month already though, but I am right around my normal maintenance weight at this point (though much more muscled than i normally am at this weight)......we shall see brahs. See ya on Monday.

~Snake~

[SolidSnake84]

Thought I'd post an update. Going to be missing today's workout, I regret to say. Last night I had my first night back drinking since my diagnosis and had a really good amount of alcohol...I actually missed my nighttime dose of lantus, so only took half a dose when I woke up, and I missed my last 2 meals of the day...didn't end up getting to bed until after 7 am and woke up at 8:30 am lolz...didnt get home until around 11 am...and didnt eat my first meal til 4 pm...my blood sugars run low after a night of drinking so i figured id best sit it out today bc i'm running low without even working out, i'd have absolutely no strength left to workout. plus stomach's a little sour from all the alc.

am planning on going tomorrow but we are supposed to get like a foot of snow between now and wednesday...hoping i don't get snowed in...for now just trying to make up for lost calories and get my body rehydrated and get some rest. took about a 3 hr nap but still exhausted. i probably ruined some of my gains and wont have gained as much weight for my next workout...i don't like impeding my progress so won't be drinking again for a while but it felt good to finally get out there again and have a few.

[SolidSnake84]

Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes

Weight: 152.5 lbs (+2.5)

Notes: Sweet, gained another 2.5 lbs since Friday lmao. Also today I started adding Triazole to my ActX stack. I know I said I was gonna cut my workout back but just haven't had the time to rewrite it. Thinking of doing bodypart splits now...only trouble is having to drive 45 min each way to the gym makes me wanna do fullbody workouts so I don't have to drive as much.

INCLINE DB PRESS:
40 x 5
40 x 5
45 x 7
45 x 4

Notes: I've been getting a weird pain in my left wrist when I do regular bench, and since I suck at it anyway, I'm gonna do DB Incline's now. These actually felt really good and I like them much better as I get a much better stretch and ROM...and also I can concentrate on squeezing the muscle much more, whereas with BB Bench, I tend to incorporate delts and tri's much more.

ATG SQUAT:
140 x 5
140 x 5
140 x 7

Notes: These felt good again. 145 next time. I like to rep out the last set until just about failure.

PULLUPS:
BW x 5
BW x 4
BW x 2.5

Notes: Stopped short on first set, could have done another 1 or 2. Difference is I switched from doing 3 different stances (wide, underhand, hammer) and just did underhand grip for all 3 sets since I do Bent Over Rows and lat pulldowns with a wider grip. Getting better at these though. Hopefully I can get 2 of the sets with 5 reps next time.

CLEAN AND PRESS:
80 x 5
80 x 5
80 x 3

Notes: Nothing.

BENT OVER ROW:
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 6

Notes: Grip getting better. Either will go for 8 reps per set next time or go up to 110.

WEIGHTED DIPS:
+25 x 5
+50 x 5
+50 x 4
+50 x 2.5

Notes: A lot easier to use 2 25's instead of using 10's...so will stick at 50 lbs until i get all 3 sets.

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5
125 x 5
120 x 4

Notes: Used a V-handle for these instead of wide bar this time to switch it up.

UPRIGHT ROW:
60 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5

Notes: Someone ganked the 70lb bar but probably for the best as I just got out all the reps at 60. Will try 70 next time though.

EZ PREACHER CURLS:
40 x 5
40 x 5
40 x 4.5

Notes: Oh so close to getting them all, I stalled midway through the lift on the very last rep for a good 12 seconds before giving up. I'll get em next time then try for the 50 lber.

LEG EXTENSIONS:
70 x 5
110 x 5
150 x 5
170 x 5
190 x 5
210 x 5

Notes: Damn, I think I had the seat in the wrong unadjusted position before because now these were a lot easier! I think I could have even maybe gone for 230! I was stalled on 170 for a while, so either I gained a massive amount of strength in 5 days or the seat was just totally in the wrong spot!

SHRUG MACHINE:
90 x 10
120 x 9
140 x 8
160 x 7
170 x 3

Notes: Grip improving greatly now.

CALF RAISES:
90 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 10
150 x 5
135 x Failure*

Notes: All of the sets but the last one were on the calf raise machine. Last set I did with a barbell and block of wood. Got a little more than 10 reps, can't remember, wasn't counting.

TRICEP PUSHDOWNS:
40 x 8
50 x 5
50 x 4

Notes: Used a rope this time instead of a bar or v-handle.

LOW ROWS:
100 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 4

Notes: Stick with 140 for next time.

ABWORK:
Decline Crunches x 1 set x failure
Bicycles x 2 sets x failure
Leg Raises x 2 sets x failure
Isolation Holds x 1 set

That's all she wrote. Feeling a lot stronger! Next workout I am going to add deadlifts. Shooting for 185 for 3 sets of 5 to get myself reacquainted and see how my grip is.

~Snake~

[SolidSnake84]

DURATION: 2 hours 20 minutes

WEIGHT: 154.75 lb (gained 2.25 lb since Feb 1 lol)

Notes: Man the weight gain is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, as I'm gaining, on average, 2 lbs every 3-4 days still...am still gaining fat too b/c it's coming on so fast, but a GREAT DEAL of muscle...I have also been eating like a horse for the entire past month, spending about $100-120 per week on food. I was planning on hitting 160lb by like March 7, but I'll probably hit it in like 2 weeks at this rate.

Supplement Notes: I've already said my piece about White Flood...it is great and really does its job. I don't get jittery on it either, it is a nice, smooth release of energy throughout the entire workout, even when I go past the 2 hour mark.

I haven't said much about ActX + Triazole though. Just started the Triaz on Tuesday Feb 1, and I don't know if it's the combo of it and the ActX or just it by itself, but I feel like superman pretty much constantly. I haven't even had an inkling of sickness since I came back from the hospital in Dec around Xmas, I have SO much energy all the time it's insane, I feel very euphoric at times but in a pleasant, non-overbearing way...I feel like I am constantly "ready to go"...physically, I just feel like I have the energy to pull a train at all times...my libido has always been very high, and I could argue that it's even more so at this point, but hard to say...pretty much constant boners though, but that's not to say I didn't get them before this lol...but I feel like sexy time mode much more often...my muscle hardness is insane, my entire body feels like a rock, I look very full (perhaps due to a month's worth of creatine saturation as well)...and I just feel extremely healthy. I am sure a good deal of this is also the quality and frequency of foods that I've been eating giving me energy. I almost feel like it's not even fair the amount of progress I'm making...I mean 125 lbs on Dec 23 to basically 155 lbs today Feb 4, so 30 lbs in 5 1/2 weeks is almost equivalent of taking steroids. Sure a lot of it was weight that I already had before the diabetes muscle-wasted me, as well as water weight, but this insulin is a helluva drug! I wish I could have staved off a bit more of the fat gain, but it is honestly not even that bad, and my arms have gotten huge, my legs are filling out nicely, calves are pumped up...my back is as solid as a rock, and even my chest which has always been weak is filling out a bit. Not to credit it all to the supps, I've been busting my ass in the gym for a month now, consistently and not missing workouts, or a single meal except for 2 over the past month. I keep track of every single meal that goes into my body.

But yeah, a definite thumbs up to both White Flood, and ActX and Triazole combo. WF actually made me a believer, for someone who doesn't really think pre-WO supps are worth it and are a waste of money...I look forward to the gym pretty much more than anything now, and I admit part of the allure, is the rush that I know WF will deliver. And the constant feelings of wellness, strength, energy, and test-boosting/anti-aromatization properties of ActX and Triazole are definitely worth it to me too. I think once I finish this 6 week cycle, I might buy another round of it, take 4-6 weeks off and then do an 8 or 12 week cycle, possibly with the inclusion of the Lean Xtreme. Great great product imo, though I have yet to see the true effects of the Triazole, I feel really great, and I think the ActX must have built up in my system now that I've been taking it for 2 weeks +. I can also add that I am recovering VERY FAST from all my workouts. I am almost 100% 2 days later. I give an extra day of rest anyway and lift every 3rd day (MON-THURS-SUN, so on).

On to the workout. Everything went better than expected today

INCLINE DB PRESSES:
20 x 5
45 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 6 + DB FLYES 15 x 5

Notes: Love these so much more than Regular Bench Press. Think I did only 40 lb dumbbells last workout, so tried 45, and got em easily...then 50s on the last set. Might just go straight to the 55s next time and try 3 sets of 5. Last set included 15lb db flyes.

ATG SQUAT:
95 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 6

Notes: Easy peezy again. Did an extra on the last. 150 next time. By the way, seem to be getting a weird pain in my left shin area right near the knee everytime I do these. Started about 2 workouts ago. It fades over the course of the workout but kind of impedes my abilities to lift during the actual squats. I don't think it's my form, just feels like I'm constantly tweaking something when I do squats. My form is very slow and deliberate.

PULLUPS:
BW x 5
BW x 3.5
BW x 2

Notes: Still used underhand grip for all 3 which will be the standard protocol for now. I do these really slow too which might be hurting my progress, but I still think it's that my body is gaining like 4-5 lbs every week and my back can't catch up quite yet until I slow down with the weight gain. Still I can feel myself getting stronger with these. Probably could have done 7-8 on the first set but wanted to save myself. Ended up not mattering anyway lol.

CLEAN AND PRESS:
80 x 5
80 x 4.5
80 x 5

Notes: Pissed I didn't get the 2nd set last rep. Pressed it about halfway and stalled. Last set, I took slightly more time between reps 3, 4, and 5...and it proved to help. Not a ton of time, but like an extra 5 seconds to breathe between reps. I felt pretty good about these though and am gonna try 90 lbs next workout.

BENT OVER ROW:
110 x 5
110 x 5
110 x 5

Notes: Damn these got better really quick. Grip wasn't even a problem. Will try 120 next time.

WEIGHTED DIPS:
BW x 5
+25 x 5
+50 x 5
+50 x 5
+50 x 4.5
BW x 5

Notes:Oh so close. Gonna try 60 lbs next time anyway, I have a feeling I'll be strong enough to attempt them by next workout. I can't freakin wait til I get back to my old best of +100lb x 6...not to mention that I also weigh more now than I did then...so I am pushing up even more weight!

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 3

Notes: These felt a lot easier too, damn! Got all reps at 120, and tried a set at 140 to burn out. Will move up to 130 lb next time. Used the V-handle again though, I bet I have to drop down about 10 lbs if I do wide lat bar.

UPRIGHT ROW:
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5

Notes: Damn...bumped this exercise up 10 lb and still got them all. I did 60's on Tuesday and felt like they were just at my limit. But these weren't even overbearingly difficult, not even on the last rep. Will try 80's next time.

EZ PREACHER CURL:
50 x 5
50 x 2.5
50 x 2.5

Notes: Decided to bump this up from 40 -->50 lbs this week. First set was OK, but after that I struggled at the sticking point. Will stick with 50 lbs until I get em all down.

LEG EXTENSION:
90 x 5
130 x 5
170 x 5
210 x 5
230 x 5

Notes: The machine only goes up to 310 lol. 230 was not even difficult. 250 next time, though I feel like I could do more. I do them very slow too, hold it at the peak of the lift, and do a very slow negative portion too. Legs must be gaining strength very quickly.

SHRUG MACHINE:
90 x 10
140 x 8
160 x 6
180 x 5

Notes: Went from 170 to 180 this week. As long as I can get 5 clean reps, I am happy, so will try to get 5 at 190 next time after ramping up the weight.

LOW ROWS:
85 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 5

Notes: These weren't all that hard either, and this was 2 hours in, and my grip was still there to lug 140 back for 5 reps. Gonna try one set at 150 or 160 next time after doing 3 working sets of 140.

CALF RAISES:
90 x 10
130 x 10
FW 135 x 10
FW 145 x 8

Notes: First 2 sets were on the machine, last two were freeweight (hence FW) on the squat rack with a block of wood. Felt good. 145 felt heavier than when I squatted it over 2 hours prior lol. I had to cut the last set short because I was getting that tingly feeling of losing blood flow to my arms from having the weight on my traps.

TRICEP PUSHDOWN:
50 x 8
50 x 5
50 x 5

Notes: Used straight bar for these this time. Like to switch it up each time and hit a different angle. Will eithier use triangle or rope next time. Gonna attempt 60, though I think these are easiest with the bar I used today, so might only get it at 50lb with the other handles.

ABWORK:
1 set of decline crunches x failure
2 sets of bicycles x failure
2 sets of leg raises x failure

Notes: Had to hurry the abs up as the gym was closing in about 5 minutes lol.


OVERALL:

Pretty good workout actually, and I went up in weight by like 10 lbs in almost every exercise. Felt great. Now to get some post-workout nutrition in. By the way, today I upped my insulin post-workout to 3 units, and had a banana (about 28 carbs), and a pack of smarties to cover the insulin, and I am now taking 48g of whey protein and 5g of creatine with water in my post-workout shake. Haven't had the meal yet, but it will consist of 1 lb chicken breast, veggies, and a good carb source of about 80g worth, possibly more, as I am pretty hungry.

This weekend, am watchin the UFC ppv tomorrow and of course the Superbowl sunday so I don't know if my nutrition will be optimal as I won't be home, but I will try my best. I know alcohol is being served but I am gonna try and greatly limit the amount as I had my one day of alc already on last Sunday. Am shooting for the next workout to be on Monday, as I am recovering from these workouts in like 2-3 days tops now. Hopefully 156 by then!

~Snake~

edit-thought i'd add my typical breakfast here, as well as what I just ate for reference. Post-workout meal consisted of 1 lb chicken breast seasoned with lemon and garlic, 1 entire box of french cut green beans with slivered almonds (160 cals worth), 1 entire box of pasta roni parmesan cheese (90g carb). total carbs 110g, basically i had 3 entire full plates, one filled with chicken, one filled with green beans, one filled with creamy pasta. I usually don't eat those types of carbs except post-wo to really replenish glycogen stores. i'm so full. oddly enough i housed everything in like 15 minutes except for about 1/3 the plate of green beans and i'm still working on them now....

here's my usual breakfast i have everyday at this point. I've slowly been adding more and more sources of stuff as i gain weight. right now i'm up to this. (posted it in another thread, so figured i might as well post it here so i know where i'm at at this point with my breakfasts. my snack's are usually the same being of turkey breast and whole grain bread with whey shake and almonds.

BREAKFAST:
3-4 whole eggs
1 cup egg beaters
3/4 cup oatmeal w/ cinnamon
1.5 multi-grain english muffins with almond butter
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop ON whey protein
5g creatine mono
1 banana
2-3 strips of bacon (optional)

[SolidSnake84]

DURATION: 2 hours 40 minutes

WEIGHT: 157.25 lbs (+2.5 lbs)

Notes: Weight showing no signs of slowing down lolz. Was hoping to hit 160 by March 7, will probably hit it by this weekend lmao. I am already up 5 lbs since the 1st of Febrary, so just one week in. Just going to take advantage of the anabolic-ness of the insulin for now and gain as much as possible. I'll worry about cutting down when the time comes, but I am really enjoying just getting big as fukk right now, cuzz...feels good to fill out clothes again. Also, this is the most I've ever weighed in my life...previous was around 155 when I was bulking about a year or 2 ago. The only downside is, I think I have more muscle than I did ever before...and pretty much none of my clothes fit, or they are reaching the point where they JUST fit. I'm also developing squat butt and am having a hard time fitting my legs into my old pants now, they are pretty much skin tight from the knee up. Time to go jeans shopping soon lol, but maybe I should just hold off until I get to my top weight so I'm not buying new clothes again in 2 months haha. Here's the workout:


INCLINE DB PRESSES:
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 3

Notes: Hardest part about these is getting them from my hips up to the ready position to press. I expel a ton of energy just getting set. Got the first 2 sets pretty easy. Think I went too low, as I was going extremely low for all the reps, and just couldn't rebound past the sticking point on the 4th rep of set 3. Gonna stick with 55 again for next time. Also, my wrists feel a lot better doing these and not doing the bench. I might use the regular bench press again in the future, but just keep it at light weight and high reps to vary things up...for my power training for the chest, gonna stick with incline DB presses, and weighted dips as well.

ATG SQUAT:
95 x 5
150 x 5
150 x 5
150 x 5

Notes: A flow of idiots were constantly using the squat rack today for literally an hour straight before I got on it and not one of them was doing squats...I swear to god I know it's been said before, but it pisses me off more than anything when I see *******s doing freakin wrist curls in the squat rack. THREE people were doing them while I waited, another guy did regular curls, and another guy was doing upright rows...THEY HAVE SEPARATE BARBELLS WITH A PRESET AMOUNT OF WEIGHT FOR THAT SO PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TO SQUAT!...then at least one guy was just using the area for heavy deadlifts, so that was excusable, but christ...I was a little fatigued by the time I got to these cuz I did half of my workout before I got to them...A little bit harder than it has been lately, but I got them all with no real sticking points so 155 it is for next time!

PULLUPS:
BW x 5
BW x 4
BW x 3

Notes: All 3 sets were chin-ups. Getting gradually better in spite of putting weight on every fn day lol. Next time I am shooting for getting 2 sets of 5 and at least 3 on the last one. Once I get all 5 reps for 3 sets, it will be time to add 5 lbs and then start doing weighted chins. Not sure if I will do that, though, or wait until I can get 8 reps for 3 sets, as I really would just like to perfect my form.

CLEAN AND PRESS:
90 x 5
90 x 4
90 x 3

Notes: Bumped it up 10 more lbs to 90 this workout, which proved to be too much, but just barely. No problems on the first set. Didn't even attempt the 5th rep of set 2 cuz I knew there was no way it was going up as the 3rd rep took everything I had to get up. Attempted the 4th rep on set 3 but couldn't get it past my chin. Still, progressing decently in these. Gonna stick with 90 and hope within 2 workout's time that I can get all 3 sets cleanly before entering the triple digit territory.

BENT OVER ROW:
95 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 5
120 x 4.5*

Notes: I technically got the last rep, but I didn't hold it for very long, or at least I didn't hold it for very long as high up as it should have been, but I still held on to the bar tightly as high as I could get it up, but my ROM was questionable on the last rep. I am nonetheless surprised with how well my grip is improving that I am able to do these at this weight already. Gonna try to do 125 lbs next time and see if I can get them all, as I've normally been adding 10 lbs per workout, so 5 should be manageable now that I've hit somewhat of a sticking point.

WEIGHTED DIPS:
BW x 5
+25 x 5
+60 x 5
+60 x 4
+60 x 3-->BW x 5

Notes: Added another 10 lbs to make it 60 this week...now it's becoming a struggle to get these up, but I love the feeling of forcing a rep up that takes like 5+ seconds to get past a sticking point to a lockout. Obviously will be staying with 60 lbs for next time until I get em all (no pokemon).

LAT PULLDOWN:
85 x 6*
120 x 5
130 x 5
130 x 8*
130 x 5

Notes: First warmup set of 85 I alternated from front to behind-the-neck. I added 10 lbs to this workout from the last one, up to 130lbs, as my back is really progressing fast and is probably my strongest bodypart and always has been. I was really feelin the 2nd set, so banged out 8 reps...which may have fatigued my muscles a bit so that the last set I was just able to get 5. Gonna go for 135 next time.

UPRIGHT ROW:
80 x 4
80 x 3
80 x 3

Notes: Got all reps at 70 last time, but these were very difficult for me. Couldn't get 5 reps on any set...not sure if I should drop down to 70 again and try to get more than 5 reps to prepare for this or try this again at 80 next time. It'll be a game-time decision.

EZ PREACHER CURL:
50 x 5
50 x 4
50 x 4

Notes: Significantly better than last time when I think I got 5, 2.5, and 2.5 reps. Try 50 lbs again for next time and hopefully will nail it.

LEG EXTENSION:
90 x 5
130 x 5
170 x 5
210 x 5
250 x 3

Notes: I had gotten all 5 reps at 230 last time, but 250 was tough...might have been because I did my squats much closer to the time I did these since I had to wait almost an hour to squat. 250 again next time.

SHRUG STATION:
140 x 8
160 x 6
190 x 5
200 x 3
140 x 5

Notes: Was only gonna go for 190 today, but since I got it, added another 10 and hit it for 3 reps. By the way, just to be clear, this station is basically where u just add the weights on each side, so each arm was doing 100 lb for my heaviest set...I find it a lot easier to use this than having to drag a 100lb dumbbell from the rack, and by the time I get set up for my sets, especially if I'm ramping up the DB rack, my grip is already gone...much nicer this way as it saves my grip so I can actually do the shrugs. Will try 200 again next time and once I hit it for 5 reps, gonna try doing 3 sets of it the following workout.

LOW ROWS:
85 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 5
140 x 5
100 x 8

Notes: 140 was rough but I got it by allowing a bit more rest between reps. I would reset after each rep and wait about 2 seconds before doing the next to save my grip. Last set was to burn it out.

SIDE AND FRONT LATERAL RAISES:
Side-15 x 10
Front-20 x 5

Notes: Just did these as I was waiting for the squat rack to clear up again so I could do calf raises.

TRICEP PUSHDOWN:
ROPE-40 x 5
ROPE-60 x 5
STRAIGHT BAR-60 x 7
STRAIGHT BAR-60 x 5
STRAIGHT BAR-60 x 5
STRAIGHT BAR-70 x 3

Notes: Used the rope for first 2 sets, and straight bar for last 4. 70lb was too much. Will try 70 again next time.

CALF RAISES supersetted with GOOD MORNINGS:
155 x 10...x 5
155 x 10...x 5
155 x 10*

Notes: Did 10 reps of calf raises, then 5 reps of GM's on first 2 sets. Last set, was too tired...just did the calf raises. 165 next time as this was quite manageable. I did not use a wood block this time cuz someone else was using it, and think I prefer it without as it's a HUGE step u have to take up on it...I used to use just like a 2x4 piece of wood but this one is like half a foot off the ground.

ABWORK:
1 set of decline ab crunches
2 sets of decline ab crunches +25 lbs
2 sets of bicycles
2 sets of leg raises

CARDIO:
5 minutes on bike at 135-140 heartrate, with 2 minute cooldown. 32 calories burned.

Notes: Just thought I'd throw in some cardio for once since I'm gaining weight so fast, I don't want to overburden my heart. I know 5 minutes is pretty much nothing, but there was a cute girl on the treadmill in front of me, so u know how that goes lol. Plus I don't wanna do TOO much cardio just yet b/c I'd like to bulk as much as I can and cardio tends to waste my muscle away pretty easily. Not sure if I'll add it again next time. If I do it for any significant amount of time, my workouts are gonna go over 3 hours long lol.

Anyway, that's it for now. I have something to go to Thurs which is when I'd normally workout again, so I'll be at the gym on Friday. Hoping to hit 160 lbs by then which is definitely possible with the way I've been gaining weight! See ya then. By the way, I'm gonna take pics for every 10 lbs I gain. Last ones I posted were from 149.5 lbs, so basically 150...if I'm 160 on Friday, I'll take some pics Saturday night or Sunday night after I've replenished my muscle glycogen and look full again after the workout so there's a point of reference to chart my progress. Fat gain is still fairly minimal though by no means am I gaining just muscle...I'd say it's more like a 50/50 split, or maybe 60/40 Muscle/Fat ratio, but I had like 0 %bodyfat before I started from losing so much weight, so I can use a bit of chub on me..though I think once I get to 170lbs, the amount of fat gain might be significant. Still...don't plan on doing a cutting cycle until I hit like 185lbs at the very least...I am here to gain weight, and if some of it is fat for now, so be it! I am still eating extremely clean aside from a cheat meal here and there. Still no sweets or junk food of any kind. See ya Friday!

~Snake~

[SolidSnake84]

Few things to comment on. First, I have upped my oatmeal intake in the mornings to 1 cup instead of 3/4. Gonna be increasing snack portions most likely as well to deal with all the extra weight I need to maintain. Second, I have noticed an aggression factor with the ActX and Triazole combo. Nothing like I'm gonna go out and murder someone, but my fuse feels much shorter in general. It's actually a welcome side effect as it helps in the gym. I've also noticed my confidence and charisma has gone up a bit too...not sure if that's just because I'm feeling healthier now after 6 months with no insulin in my body, or because I actually look a lot better now that I have some size on me and am not Skeletor, or if it's from the stack, or from all the good food I'm eating and exercise I'm doing, or a combination of everything (probably this). Third, gonna be dropping my creatine dose to 3g instead of 5g now that I have been on it for a month and am probably fully saturated at this point. I'm gonna wait til Sunday the 13th to do it though cuz I think that will be around the 1 month mark. I will still be taking 5g post-workout.

Also took some pics last night (technically this morning). Gonna include some from Saturday the 5th as well. I was 157.25 lbs yesterday, but I took these about 5 hours after my workout, so I might look a little depleted. Pic quality is still crappy. I don't have anyone to take pics of me either, so it is really difficult to get back shots, but I think I got a decent one or two, but unfortunately the pics don't do it justice imo, as my back is quite a bit more striated and muscled than it shows and the lighting is bad and I couldn't flex b/c i had to put my arm around me to take a picture in a mirror, but u can get an idea of where it's at. I'd say my biggest improvements since the last set of pics at 150 lbs is my chest has filled out more, my back has gotten thicker, my traps have really started to pop up (they've always been pretty decent), my arms are a bit bigger overall, and my calves have really gotten some nice cuts and size to them (probably genetics more than anything)...don't have any wheel pics though...I'll add them when I do the official 160 lbs pictures. Triceps have added a bit of size as well as shoulders too. Pretty much everywhere lol. I also noticed my overall shoulder girdle looks pretty massive especially if I do a trap-pop out pose and flare my arms to the side u can really see it. Overall, I feel very solid and fawkin joocy brah and am actually starting now to finally notice the weight I'm carrying..I felt the same at 135 as I did at 145 and even 150, but now I'm actually starting to feel heavier...feels good man!

first 3 pics are from 2-5-11 @ 154.75 lb, all the rest are 2-8-11 @157.25 lb. I think you can already tell a little difference between these pics and the one from when I was 150lb, and even a difference from just 3 or 4 days with an extra 2.5 lbs! Gonna post the pics from 2/8 in the next post cuz there's a lot lol

Feb 5 2011: