lol how do you break pleateau without doing any of those 2
Kidding
Keep up the good work
Log of sorts for your average long term gym addict.
- Thread starter Goldenrod
- Start date
lol how do you break pleateau without doing any of those 2
Kidding
Keep up the good work
220-222 lbs as of the last three days. Diet hasn't been perfect. Never eat unhealthy, but not getting all the calories in I hoped last week. When home, no issues, but with year end meetings / conventions in other provinces it has been a struggle. Travel / work - excuses, but a fact. Regardless, since coming back after being sick twice, the jump to 217 was pretty easy as it was just lost weight. Started to feel another cold/bug of some sort coming on which is getting on the ridiculous side. I am fighting off something and trying to keep it from my getting into my chest, from most of the reading it is the mucus build up that helps trap bacteria, viruses, etc. in your lungs so I am loading up on some herbs/supplements I am hoping will work. Usually by now, I am screwed, coughing up unpleasant stuff and wheezing, but I am not albeit not 100%.
Anyway, workouts have been great, and just weighed myself after not eating for 7 hours/waking up and was the same 222 so 5 lbs in a few weeks. I assume muscle memory, progressive overload on most lifts with the benefits of more quality food and a small boost in PED's.
Long story short - expected to slowly add some muscle but surprised at the increase in strength in specific lifts.
There is a lot of snake oil out there for people who suffer from chest infections/colds so I read a bunch of double blind placebo studies and decided to try a few to keep it from taking hold of my lungs - so far so good.
I am using Wise Woman's Licorice Botanical Syrup - twice the recommended dosage twice a day / Bought a quality probiotic as I just came off two rounds of antibiotics. I am also drinking unflavoured Kefir, a small glass in the AM with a small glass of Bragg ACV - 1 tablespoon in H20 in the AM. Added Natural Factors Sambucus Black Elderberry - 1 pill 3 times per day, Living Alchemy Holy Basil 2 caps 3 times per day, and no change - taking curcumin albeit I am using Natural Factors Theracurmin (orally has some of the best bioavailability albeit I still chew a few peppercorns to increase my piperine content). Taking higher doses of vitamin D and C. Drinking herbal teas all the time, which isn't new - we just bought kinds that are more beneficial for antimicrobial effects.
If you read on these products, they are recommended for thinning chest mucus, antimicrobial, immune support, and good for inflammation. This is an experiment as two of these I have not used in years, but after a few hours of reading picked the ones I wanted and instead of ordering online, paid more at the local herbal shop.
Anyway, workouts have been great, and just weighed myself after not eating for 7 hours/waking up and was the same 222 so 5 lbs in a few weeks. I assume muscle memory, progressive overload on most lifts with the benefits of more quality food and a small boost in PED's.
Long story short - expected to slowly add some muscle but surprised at the increase in strength in specific lifts.
There is a lot of snake oil out there for people who suffer from chest infections/colds so I read a bunch of double blind placebo studies and decided to try a few to keep it from taking hold of my lungs - so far so good.
I am using Wise Woman's Licorice Botanical Syrup - twice the recommended dosage twice a day / Bought a quality probiotic as I just came off two rounds of antibiotics. I am also drinking unflavoured Kefir, a small glass in the AM with a small glass of Bragg ACV - 1 tablespoon in H20 in the AM. Added Natural Factors Sambucus Black Elderberry - 1 pill 3 times per day, Living Alchemy Holy Basil 2 caps 3 times per day, and no change - taking curcumin albeit I am using Natural Factors Theracurmin (orally has some of the best bioavailability albeit I still chew a few peppercorns to increase my piperine content). Taking higher doses of vitamin D and C. Drinking herbal teas all the time, which isn't new - we just bought kinds that are more beneficial for antimicrobial effects.
If you read on these products, they are recommended for thinning chest mucus, antimicrobial, immune support, and good for inflammation. This is an experiment as two of these I have not used in years, but after a few hours of reading picked the ones I wanted and instead of ordering online, paid more at the local herbal shop.
Sorry for the update and my rant about the medical system:
Update - week off and forced myself to eat well and weighed myself and am 225. My body fought with this virus for a week and kept it under control, but it finally beat me and settled in my chest like the last two. Unfortunate as I am pretty much useless at that point, coughing up stuff no one wants to read about, coughing constantly, and sore lungs.
Not wanting to go on antibiotics again and the inability to get some anyway due to our atrocious medical system. I decide on Friday to call my doctor (I now have a doctor who came out of retired and really like him but he sees patients once a week) so it can take over a month to see him. No return call and they always have someone there - he does aesthetics work as well for the other 3 days he works as it pays better (private) to take messages, and if urgent, he will do his best to fit you in as he is a caring person.
Anyway nope - so it is Saturday and I look up all the clinics and we have no doctors so no clinics open in this Province the entire weekend. Called online-medicine and they won't prescribe anything without me seeing a doctor first as this is a reoccurring infection. My only option is to go to wait at the one hospital that is open for the Province and looked up the non urgent wait time - it is 12 hours. 12 hours really means 24 as urgent situations come in during those 12 hours and it gets extended - I am not exaggerating. Desperate people take a blanket and pillow and sleep on the floor there waiting to see a doctor.
I check my tickle trunk of medicine and realize I have 4 pills of Amoxi-Clav 875/125 mg pills. Regular infections dosage is 1/2 a pill twice a day. In the past I was prescribed one pill twice a day as my chest infections are bad and it takes 3-4 days before I realize the antibiotic is working. I call a friend and ask if they have any of the medication for their dogs (they have 5 dogs) and the medication is used in animals and it is exactly the same - bought at a pharmacy. They did so I pick up 7 pills.
The point to this ramble - before I did this I did a deep dive into new Naturopathic treatments for infections and find one that is promising - Allimax Pro which is 450 mg of Allicin (the main medicinal part of garlic). It was used to beat MRSA in a study anyone can read for a small group who had antibiotic resistant MRSA. It was studied more than any other recent non script option. It is expensive - 100 pills will run you $125-$150. I took 1 pill 3 times a day with 1/2 a pill of Amoxi-Clav (AM/PM) and much to my surprise the following day I felt 50% better. A little coughing and still tired. Day 2 - no coughing, no sputum, and able to shovel snow, have some energy. By day 3 I am amazed I feel so much better. I almost wish I did not use the antibiotic and just the Allimax Pro to see what it does by itself. Regardless no antibiotic for a chest infection has ever had me feeling like this so quickly. I went to the gym the last few days and feel fine, working full time, and not exhausted at the end of the day.
There is a shit load of snake oil that in vitro will kill so many bacteria/fungal/viral infections, but simply do not work in the body the same (if you understand how the body processes an oral medicine it is not the same as putting a product on top of a virus in a controlled environment/test tube. To date I give this one a thumbs up. The next time I get a chest infection - I will be taking 2 pills 3 times a day and see if it will kill the infection without antibiotics.
1 week off - no loss of strength, workouts are the same as when I had to take a week off, and gained some weight but I did make a concerted effort to continue to get enough cals / healthy / good food.
Update - week off and forced myself to eat well and weighed myself and am 225. My body fought with this virus for a week and kept it under control, but it finally beat me and settled in my chest like the last two. Unfortunate as I am pretty much useless at that point, coughing up stuff no one wants to read about, coughing constantly, and sore lungs.
Not wanting to go on antibiotics again and the inability to get some anyway due to our atrocious medical system. I decide on Friday to call my doctor (I now have a doctor who came out of retired and really like him but he sees patients once a week) so it can take over a month to see him. No return call and they always have someone there - he does aesthetics work as well for the other 3 days he works as it pays better (private) to take messages, and if urgent, he will do his best to fit you in as he is a caring person.
Anyway nope - so it is Saturday and I look up all the clinics and we have no doctors so no clinics open in this Province the entire weekend. Called online-medicine and they won't prescribe anything without me seeing a doctor first as this is a reoccurring infection. My only option is to go to wait at the one hospital that is open for the Province and looked up the non urgent wait time - it is 12 hours. 12 hours really means 24 as urgent situations come in during those 12 hours and it gets extended - I am not exaggerating. Desperate people take a blanket and pillow and sleep on the floor there waiting to see a doctor.
I check my tickle trunk of medicine and realize I have 4 pills of Amoxi-Clav 875/125 mg pills. Regular infections dosage is 1/2 a pill twice a day. In the past I was prescribed one pill twice a day as my chest infections are bad and it takes 3-4 days before I realize the antibiotic is working. I call a friend and ask if they have any of the medication for their dogs (they have 5 dogs) and the medication is used in animals and it is exactly the same - bought at a pharmacy. They did so I pick up 7 pills.
The point to this ramble - before I did this I did a deep dive into new Naturopathic treatments for infections and find one that is promising - Allimax Pro which is 450 mg of Allicin (the main medicinal part of garlic). It was used to beat MRSA in a study anyone can read for a small group who had antibiotic resistant MRSA. It was studied more than any other recent non script option. It is expensive - 100 pills will run you $125-$150. I took 1 pill 3 times a day with 1/2 a pill of Amoxi-Clav (AM/PM) and much to my surprise the following day I felt 50% better. A little coughing and still tired. Day 2 - no coughing, no sputum, and able to shovel snow, have some energy. By day 3 I am amazed I feel so much better. I almost wish I did not use the antibiotic and just the Allimax Pro to see what it does by itself. Regardless no antibiotic for a chest infection has ever had me feeling like this so quickly. I went to the gym the last few days and feel fine, working full time, and not exhausted at the end of the day.
There is a shit load of snake oil that in vitro will kill so many bacteria/fungal/viral infections, but simply do not work in the body the same (if you understand how the body processes an oral medicine it is not the same as putting a product on top of a virus in a controlled environment/test tube. To date I give this one a thumbs up. The next time I get a chest infection - I will be taking 2 pills 3 times a day and see if it will kill the infection without antibiotics.
1 week off - no loss of strength, workouts are the same as when I had to take a week off, and gained some weight but I did make a concerted effort to continue to get enough cals / healthy / good food.
You can buy flonaise and claritin at the drug store, and I have found it works just as good at getting rid of sinusitis as does antibiotics, that mixed with a nettipot.
Everyone around me has gotten that virus you got, my wife just got over it. I told my body it wasn't happening, so it didn't happen.
Yeah my grandson and wife were really sick.
Everyone around me has gotten that virus you got, my wife just got over it. I told my body it wasn't happening, so it didn't happen.
Yeah my grandson and wife were really sick.
For anyone looking at the product Allimax Pro or one of the lower dosed Allicin products. This is a dosing chart put out my Allimax - most herbal treatments/products don't do studies to see what is required / recommended and it is the same for every malady which is kind of ridiculous. Obvious, it is subjective depending on the person but here it is:
https://allimax.us/pages/dosage-inf...0SkEzJXFA89qelKJWXjStZcwejDOlq553iWJxHtqhNGmX
https://allimax.us/pages/dosage-inf...0SkEzJXFA89qelKJWXjStZcwejDOlq553iWJxHtqhNGmX
Nope, but thanks for the info. I can't find DAO and lung issues in any books or through a quick search. Do you have any papers/studies showing how it helps the lungs.
Boswellia came up immediately as a non traditional remedy that may help lungs.
Appreciate the ideas.
Hope you are well!
Anyway, a whopping 3 lbs of weight gained. I weigh myself in the AM at the same time before I eat and am just under 230 now. I consider a few lbs of growth in a few weeks good progress.
Working out at the gym has made a tremendous difference in my chest as there are multiple benches / machines for upper chest work hence my upper chest has grown.
I make more gains in pushing exercises than pulling exercises, but weight I lift (most exercises) is still going up so I have not hit a plateau yet which I suspect will be soon.
Back to bicep training as no matter how hard / less sets, more sets, heavier lifts, more reps/lighter weight and I never get DOMS. Not a necessity as they are growing, but I get DOMS in almost every other muscle group. Thanks for some of the guys I recall with suggestions. I recall @Rhyno and @storman making suggestions. Storman if I recall you mentioned Zottman curls helped you gain muscle. Am I recalling correct?
I try to pick exercises that are impossible to cheat on and keep constant tension on my biceps such as horizontal cable curls. Question on this exercise for people who do them: Do you keep your arms very still and curl up to your chin or do you lift your arms a little so you can curl up to your forehead. I find the latter I get a better pump and feel more.
Nothing major compared to others who are 'bulking', but I am satisfied with slow progressive gains.
Thanks to anyone who provides any tips/comments.
Working out at the gym has made a tremendous difference in my chest as there are multiple benches / machines for upper chest work hence my upper chest has grown.
I make more gains in pushing exercises than pulling exercises, but weight I lift (most exercises) is still going up so I have not hit a plateau yet which I suspect will be soon.
Back to bicep training as no matter how hard / less sets, more sets, heavier lifts, more reps/lighter weight and I never get DOMS. Not a necessity as they are growing, but I get DOMS in almost every other muscle group. Thanks for some of the guys I recall with suggestions. I recall @Rhyno and @storman making suggestions. Storman if I recall you mentioned Zottman curls helped you gain muscle. Am I recalling correct?
I try to pick exercises that are impossible to cheat on and keep constant tension on my biceps such as horizontal cable curls. Question on this exercise for people who do them: Do you keep your arms very still and curl up to your chin or do you lift your arms a little so you can curl up to your forehead. I find the latter I get a better pump and feel more.
Nothing major compared to others who are 'bulking', but I am satisfied with slow progressive gains.
Thanks to anyone who provides any tips/comments.
Anyway, a whopping 3 lbs of weight gained. I weigh myself in the AM at the same time before I eat and am just under 230 now. I consider a few lbs of growth in a few weeks good progress.
Working out at the gym has made a tremendous difference in my chest as there are multiple benches / machines for upper chest work hence my upper chest has grown.
I make more gains in pushing exercises than pulling exercises, but weight I lift (most exercises) is still going up so I have not hit a plateau yet which I suspect will be soon.
Back to bicep training as no matter how hard / less sets, more sets, heavier lifts, more reps/lighter weight and I never get DOMS. Not a necessity as they are growing, but I get DOMS in almost every other muscle group. Thanks for some of the guys I recall with suggestions. I recall @Rhyno and @storman making suggestions. Storman if I recall you mentioned Zottman curls helped you gain muscle. Am I recalling correct?
I try to pick exercises that are impossible to cheat on and keep constant tension on my biceps such as horizontal cable curls. Question on this exercise for people who do them: Do you keep your arms very still and curl up to your chin or do you lift your arms a little so you can curl up to your forehead. I find the latter I get a better pump and feel more.
Nothing major compared to others who are 'bulking', but I am satisfied with slow progressive gains.
Thanks to anyone who provides any tips/comments.
Working out at the gym has made a tremendous difference in my chest as there are multiple benches / machines for upper chest work hence my upper chest has grown.
I make more gains in pushing exercises than pulling exercises, but weight I lift (most exercises) is still going up so I have not hit a plateau yet which I suspect will be soon.
Back to bicep training as no matter how hard / less sets, more sets, heavier lifts, more reps/lighter weight and I never get DOMS. Not a necessity as they are growing, but I get DOMS in almost every other muscle group. Thanks for some of the guys I recall with suggestions. I recall @Rhyno and @storman making suggestions. Storman if I recall you mentioned Zottman curls helped you gain muscle. Am I recalling correct?
I try to pick exercises that are impossible to cheat on and keep constant tension on my biceps such as horizontal cable curls. Question on this exercise for people who do them: Do you keep your arms very still and curl up to your chin or do you lift your arms a little so you can curl up to your forehead. I find the latter I get a better pump and feel more.
Nothing major compared to others who are 'bulking', but I am satisfied with slow progressive gains.
Thanks to anyone who provides any tips/comments.
You will feel a tighter contraction when you elevate your arm due to the attachment of your bicep up in your scapula. The only thing to consider is at the top of the curl you lose the tension, other than that if you enjoy the extra squeeze, do it.
I think I mentioned Bayesian curls to you in the past. You could also try a lying curl if you're after maximum stretch. Just be careful with them.
Imagine doing an incline curl with your arms at your side hanging over the edge of the bench but lay the bench flat or nearly flat.
Cals/macros are going well, training has been consistent with no return of so much as a cough since continuing with a lower dosage once a day of Allimax Allicin (150 mg of lower dosage option). Few products have caught my eye as much as this one. Even told my doctor I have never recovered from a chest infection so quickly with an antibiotic and the Pro version of 450 mg three times a day. I already posted the small studies with it being used against antibiotic resistant bacteria like MRSA successfully. Hopefully, more studies will continue but as my doctor said there is no money in it so even if it works great - no pharmaceutical company will invest millions, can't patent it and then he then can prescribe it. He is very open to my preference for Naturopathic medicine vs. antibiotics if possible unless it is really bad.
Noticed many of my short sleeves button up shirts I normally wear - the Bugatti 8 way stretch - looked bad as they were stretched too much in the chest/shoulder area and too tight on my arms. A few of my pants that don't stretch (suits) - too tight around my glutes and stuck to my thighs so I have to pull them down every time I sit down and stand up.
Weighed myself 3 times on the same scale and up another 4 lbs. Not much but now 232 (I gained 22 lbs as I lost weight from being sick, required fasting, no lifting for two significant breaks due to pneumonia and pancreatitis - I did not gain 22 lbs in months from a tiny cycle/increase in cals). Only difference from a PED perspective is 150 mg of boldenone a week. It took a long time to notice a real difference which I feel now, but anyone who says who can't make a difference from low dose PED usage - I disagree.
So many of my lifts have gone through the roof as my nervous system gets used to them and I can concentrate on form and in the words of Deadpool - 'Maximum effort'. After years away from the gym, home workouts - new machines, more options, etc. - makes sense once the nervous system adjusts, my strength should follow. I am still using the system when I hit a plateau. Example - couldn't get over a weight or add more reps and I work out alone so I was not willing to push it (psychological barrier) with close grip benches. I increased the weight and did 5 reps which was easy, and kept doing so until I felt there was a chance of failure at 5 reps. Two workouts like this for my push day and then try the weight I was stuck my reps were up so pushed through a barrier. At that point I add weight and make sure I am getting the same number of clean reps as I did when I hit the plateau. This may not work for you, but it does for me.
Considering I am not really on a cycle, it is more of a modest increase, increase cals, and doing my best to overload the muscles every workout with lots of time off to recover - I have no expectations of a massive difference compared to guys taking what I consider high dosed / unhealthy cycles, but not my life - everyone should do what they are comfortable with.
On a positive note, I just started the reverse hyper-extension machine and love it. Decompresses the spine and can feel my posterior chain working (not my calves). Added it to my leg day as a finishing exercise.
I did not have high expectations, but am very pleased with the slow, but weekly progress.
Noticed many of my short sleeves button up shirts I normally wear - the Bugatti 8 way stretch - looked bad as they were stretched too much in the chest/shoulder area and too tight on my arms. A few of my pants that don't stretch (suits) - too tight around my glutes and stuck to my thighs so I have to pull them down every time I sit down and stand up.
Weighed myself 3 times on the same scale and up another 4 lbs. Not much but now 232 (I gained 22 lbs as I lost weight from being sick, required fasting, no lifting for two significant breaks due to pneumonia and pancreatitis - I did not gain 22 lbs in months from a tiny cycle/increase in cals). Only difference from a PED perspective is 150 mg of boldenone a week. It took a long time to notice a real difference which I feel now, but anyone who says who can't make a difference from low dose PED usage - I disagree.
So many of my lifts have gone through the roof as my nervous system gets used to them and I can concentrate on form and in the words of Deadpool - 'Maximum effort'. After years away from the gym, home workouts - new machines, more options, etc. - makes sense once the nervous system adjusts, my strength should follow. I am still using the system when I hit a plateau. Example - couldn't get over a weight or add more reps and I work out alone so I was not willing to push it (psychological barrier) with close grip benches. I increased the weight and did 5 reps which was easy, and kept doing so until I felt there was a chance of failure at 5 reps. Two workouts like this for my push day and then try the weight I was stuck my reps were up so pushed through a barrier. At that point I add weight and make sure I am getting the same number of clean reps as I did when I hit the plateau. This may not work for you, but it does for me.
Considering I am not really on a cycle, it is more of a modest increase, increase cals, and doing my best to overload the muscles every workout with lots of time off to recover - I have no expectations of a massive difference compared to guys taking what I consider high dosed / unhealthy cycles, but not my life - everyone should do what they are comfortable with.
On a positive note, I just started the reverse hyper-extension machine and love it. Decompresses the spine and can feel my posterior chain working (not my calves). Added it to my leg day as a finishing exercise.
I did not have high expectations, but am very pleased with the slow, but weekly progress.