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Fitness |OT| Pumpin' Iron and Spittin' Blood.

Aces High

Gold Member
Idgaf about that. I am just making fun of the fact that you're talking about drug abusers making it big.
It's a matter of perspective.

You're talking about a guy doing drugs and becoming more muscular.

I'm talking about a guy with a clear genetic disadvantage in his arms becoming the world's best bodybuilder 5 years in a row. Which is, in my eyes, an amazing achievement.

Every professional athlete is on PEDs. People need to understand that. If I would have to guess, I would say that even 90% of amateur athletes are on PEDs as well.

No matter if it's soccer, American football, tennis, baseball, cycling, running, boxing, shooting, or even race car driving.

The funny thing is that some of them don't even know that they're on PEDs because they just let their coaches do their thing.

But fact is, you can't become the world's best athlete just by taking PEDs simply because everyone around you is taking PEDs as well.

Take Lance Armstrong for example. Did he take drugs? Yes. But so did every single guy that signed up to race him at the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong is one of the most impressive athletes of all time. Period.

Guys always think they can just hop on some roids and become Mister Olympia. But what they don't understand is that they could take all the roids in the world and wouldn't even come in third in a natural bodybuilding competition. Success is not a pill you swallow.
 
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That Huberman testo stack costs how much?

$120 per month for all three supplements?

That's $1,440 per year for stuff that does nothing besides damaging your liver.

I'm just trying to help you. You would be much better off if you invested that money into an ETF like MSCI World.
As already mentioned in the initial post, I don't do it consistantly but cycle it, 4 weeks I use the testo stack and then 4 weeks my creatine cycle, the one week off everything - rinse and repeat.

And I use more than what Huberman recommends. As per him it's Tongat Ali and Fadogia Agrestis only but I also added Turkesteron last time and will drop in Tribulus Terrestris for my next cycle. Found multiple sources for each confirming they boost testo and the only one a bit "shady" is tongat ali. Even if it is toxic to some degree (from my quick search I found more sources saying that it benefits me than that it damages me) I doubt that I'll damage my health long term for cycling it every 2 months - especially because I basically fast every day.

The whole stack costs me around 100 EUR. I can live with that.
 
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DavidGzz

Member
It's a matter of perspective.

You're talking about a guy doing drugs and becoming more muscular.

I'm talking about a guy with a clear genetic disadvantage in his arms becoming the world's best bodybuilder 5 years in a row. Which is, in my eyes, an amazing achievement.

Every professional athlete is on PEDs. People need to understand that. If I would have to guess, I would say that even 90% of amateur athletes are on PEDs as well.

No matter if it's soccer, American football, tennis, baseball, cycling, running, boxing, shooting, or even race car driving.

The funny thing is that some of them don't even know that they're on PEDs because they just let their coaches do their thing.

But fact is, you can't become the world's best athlete just by taking PEDs simply because everyone around you is taking PEDs as well.

Take Lance Armstrong for example. Did he take drugs? Yes. But so did every single guy that signed up to race him at the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong is one of the most impressive athletes of all time. Period.

Guys always think they can just hop on some roids and become Mister Olympia. But what they don't understand is that they could take all the roids in the world and wouldn't even come in third in a natural bodybuilding competition. Success is not a pill you swallow.

I don't watch sports or bodybuilding shows. I just thought it was funny to find inspiration from a drug abuser, especially now as you lecture someone on what they are putting into their bodies.
 

Aces High

Gold Member
As already mentioned in the initial post, I don't do it consistantly but cycle it, 4 weeks I use the testo stack and then 4 weeks my creatine cycle, the one week off everything - rinse and repeat.
You can use Creatine Monohydrate all year round.

Creatine is the best researched supplement in the world. It is very safe, worst you can get is diarrhea when you take too much at once, and it works amazingly well for bodybuilding and strength. It's also dirt cheap. I take 5g morning + 5g evening on rest days and an additional 5g post workout on training days. There's no need to cycle it.

Testo booster:

Even if we assume for a moment that testo boosters were not a scam, it would still be stupid to use them because it's highly unhealthy to manipulate your hormones.

What people don't understand is that when it comes to hormones, more is not better.

Everyone of us has a perfect balance of hormones where the body feels like a well oiled machine. This balance is unique for each individual and genetically fixed. You can't alter it in any way. The further you get away from that balance, the more side effects you will see and the more drugs you will have to take to stay healthy and functional.

Some people have higher natural testosterone levels. Some people have lower natural testosterone levels. As long as your testosterone is exactly where your body wants it to be, everything is perfectly fine. If your testosterone level gets higher (!) or lower than your genetic sweet spot, you'll get sick and you'll eventually die if you don't correct it, because hormones play an immense role in a multitude of processes in your body.

That's why we have testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) which can counter health problems that are related to testosterone levels that are out of balance.

It is usually men with a high testosterone sweet spot that suffer heavily from age related hypogonadism. These guys often have severe symptoms of low T even if they still have higher T than guys with a low sweet spot.

People don't understand that testosterone is all about relativity. They see total numbers without context and try to pump their own numbers as high as possible. Is low testosterone bad? No. Is low testosterone bad in a guy that has a high T sweet spot? Hell yes, but so is high testosterone in a guy that has a low T sweet spot. If a low T sweet spot guy does TRT and he pushes his T too high than he will get seriously sick.

If your body is healthy and working exactly how it's meant to be, testo boosters, assuming they're not a scam (they are a scam), will give you zero benefits for weight lifting. You would only see benefits, if your T levels are out of balance.

But even then it's stupid to take these testo boosters. Testosterone, as a drug, is very well researched. Testo boosters are not. Today's men have access to 3rd generation medical testosterone which is much better than the stuff people used decades ago and the shady crap you can order in the dark web from an underground lab. Testo boosters have side effects and they're not produced under medical standards. For a guy with hypogonadism, using medical testosterone is much healthier than using a testo booster.

Also, real testosterone is cheap. A month worth of medical T will cost you $15 and it will be highly effective. That testo boosters cost you $100 per month and it will do nothing except damaging your liver.
 
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Appreciate the info and concern but I already knew most of this stuff. It's just... I actually feel a lot better now and am not noticing any negative side effects at all. I've been training for around 15 years now and this is actually the first time I'm taking any testosteron supplements. I'm 37 and I don't think it will do me any harm either way, especially with this age. I actually thought about jumping on real test but I don't want to go through some shady sources to get it and don't feel comfortable enough asking my doc for it yet. Maybe in a few years.

And about the creatine... a few years ago I was taking it all the time. I know there is no harm. I just kinda like cycling it as it's usually recommended (it even says so on each bottle). Keeps things varied for me. :)
 

Fenix34

I remove teeth
In previous month i walk 300+ km and in end of the month i freeze my arm plus gain temperature.and after i stop walk many kms.
 
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MikeM

Member
Appreciate the info and concern but I already knew most of this stuff. It's just... I actually feel a lot better now and am not noticing any negative side effects at all. I've been training for around 15 years now and this is actually the first time I'm taking any testosteron supplements. I'm 37 and I don't think it will do me any harm either way, especially with this age. I actually thought about jumping on real test but I don't want to go through some shady sources to get it and don't feel comfortable enough asking my doc for it yet. Maybe in a few years.

And about the creatine... a few years ago I was taking it all the time. I know there is no harm. I just kinda like cycling it as it's usually recommended (it even says so on each bottle). Keeps things varied for me. :)
I used to take creatine and had the wildest shits (mono, hcl, pre- alkaline etc). Had to stop because it was effecting my bowels way too much. Had a flat stomach tho lol
 
I used to take creatine and had the wildest shits (mono, hcl, pre- alkaline etc). Had to stop because it was effecting my bowels way too much. Had a flat stomach tho lol
Luckily never had any issues with it, just pros. For some reason I never retained too much water when taking it though. Always gain strength but never get bloated.
 

Raven117

Member
Can't believe I'm saying this but after more than 5 years of hiatus yesterday I looked at myself in the mirror and thought... damn, I'm back in peak shape. From hereon in, probably for the first time in my life, I'll be hitting the gym without any specific goal in mind. Whatever improvements I make now are just extra. I never thought I'd reach this point in my life.
Dude, this is awesome.

I've had to lower my creatine intake just a bit...Too much and I tend to get randomly dizzy. But I do recognize I'm a bit stronger and a bit bigger while taking it.
 
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jufonuk

not tag worthy
Doing kb swings and burpees

4* 25 kb swings
4* 5 burpees with push ups

Over time i will Increase the reps.

I think these are doable for consistency, which is something I need to focus on.
 
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Woke up early on this fine Saturday morning. Not really as it's grey as shit outside, you'd think this was the Soviet Union.

Left my house at 8:15 and walked 20 kilometers (12,4274 miles) back and forth.

Had a Moroccan salad thingy for lunch. Now I'm chilling the fuck out.
 

MikeM

Member
Man I love bulking season.

iPZWQxM.jpg
 
I really want to go back to exercising really let my self go anyone have good recommended products creatine protein etc?
Arnold said it best:

“I’m not going to be that hard on you, Please don’t be that hard on yourself. We all go through challenges, we all go through failure. Sometimes life is a workout. But the key thing is you get up. Just move a little. Roll out of bed and do some pushups or go for a walk. Just do something. One step at a time, I hope you feel better and get back to the gym. But don’t beat yourself up, because that’s just useless talk. It doesn’t get you closer to the gym."


What's the last program you were on that you loved? Do that one. What's the last protein powder you loved? Buy a tub. Just get in motion.
 
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squallheart

Member
Arnold said it best:

“I’m not going to be that hard on you, Please don’t be that hard on yourself. We all go through challenges, we all go through failure. Sometimes life is a workout. But the key thing is you get up. Just move a little. Roll out of bed and do some pushups or go for a walk. Just do something. One step at a time, I hope you feel better and get back to the gym. But don’t beat yourself up, because that’s just useless talk. It doesn’t get you closer to the gym."


What's the last program you were on that you loved? Do that one. What's the last protein powder you loved? Buy a tub. Just get in motion.
Thank you for the advice simple yet effective I will start developing a routine
 

Raven117

Member
Thank you for the advice simple yet effective I will start developing a routine
If you mean just developing good habits of being active, go for it!

But if you mean to put together a resistance training program, you should probably start with something off the shelf that aligns with your goals.
 

squallheart

Member
I've been using Tactical Barbell for about 6 years and I'm very happy with it. It's strength and conditioning for police and military, very basic and straightforward. Books are on Kindle, and there's a subreddit.

Happy to answer questions about it.
This looks interesting. So pretty much the book is guide to training techniques?
 
This looks interesting. So pretty much the book is guide to training techniques?
It's a program (with schedules and templates for you to 'plug and play' according to your needs) designed to simultaneously improve strength, aerobic endurance, and 'conditioning' (by which I mean something like, can you run hill sprints without having a heart attack).

To think of it another way, it gives you an exercise schedule to follow if you want to be a police officer in the street, who has to be able to sprint, say, 400 meters while chasing a suspect and then wrestle that person down and hold them on the ground until your partner catches up.
 

poodaddy

Gold Member
Arnold said it best:

“I’m not going to be that hard on you, Please don’t be that hard on yourself. We all go through challenges, we all go through failure. Sometimes life is a workout. But the key thing is you get up. Just move a little. Roll out of bed and do some pushups or go for a walk. Just do something. One step at a time, I hope you feel better and get back to the gym. But don’t beat yourself up, because that’s just useless talk. It doesn’t get you closer to the gym."


What's the last program you were on that you loved? Do that one. What's the last protein powder you loved? Buy a tub. Just get in motion.
This is beautifully said.

We really must protect Arnold man. When we lose him we're gonna be a nation of sobbing meatheads.
 
KIAlolC.jpeg


Saw this on a YouTube short, via summerfunfitness, what caught my eye is this dip/pullup 2 in 1, anyone know where I can find something like this? Would be perfect for my 2nd room.

Edit. Recently moved and my old door hanging pull up bar doesn’t fit anywhere in my new place. That’s why I’m searching for other solutions.

Edit 2
Oh shit I found the exact same one. But also tons of others, any brands you would recommend?
 
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Sheit man, this week I went from my testo supplement cycle into my cut cycle, only supplementing L-Carnitine and Arginine.

Bumped up my weights at incline DB from 32kg x 7 to 36kg x 8.

I was like… what the hell man? That raise within one week was legit.
 
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jufonuk

not tag worthy
Did a three hour bicycle ride. Wasn't Tour de France speed but a nice ride through the country etc. Pretty pleased I could do most of it. Some steep parts so I did what I could.
 

T8SC

Member
I've discovered a new pre/post gym drink:

71vQ-x7CYqL._AC_SX679_.jpg


270 calories approx depending on flavour.

Actually tastes nice, no carbs though so useless for a high intensity bike ride or run, but refreshing after using the WattBike.
 

paolo11

Member
Hello folks. Been lifting and cutting for months. Aside from creatinine , any supplements I need to take? I want to cut and look fit. Been meeting my protein goals (150 grams and above ) but want to look muscular instead of skinny fat.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Hello folks. Been lifting and cutting for months. Aside from creatinine , any supplements I need to take? I want to cut and look fit. Been meeting my protein goals (150 grams and above ) but want to look muscular instead of skinny fat.

I just take a multi, vitamin D3+K2, and creatine powder. Push your muscles to failure for many years regularly and voila.
 
Any advice for a app to track my diet, please? I am trying crossfit and it work pretty well for me but I know that at some point I will need to seriously eat better so I would like to track what I eat to look at what are my worst problems.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Any advice for a app to track my diet, please? I am trying crossfit and it work pretty well for me but I know that at some point I will need to seriously eat better so I would like to track what I eat to look at what are my worst problems.

Calorie counter that looks like a green key in the app store. The website that links with it is called fat secret .com. It's totally free and I think it's better than MFP.

Don't forget a food scale. They are really cheap and help you count accurately.
 
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Hello folks. Been lifting and cutting for months. Aside from creatinine , any supplements I need to take? I want to cut and look fit. Been meeting my protein goals (150 grams and above ) but want to look muscular instead of skinny fat.
I only take creatine and EAA these days. I find EAA to be good for not feeling fatigue when I do a workout followed by a martial arts session (or vice versa).

For cutting in my experience it’s mostly a matter of regulating your nutrition. Less carbs and sugar. Less pasta, potatoes, etc. And avoid junk food and sweets as much as possible. To keep hunger at bay and avoid snacking I like to eat a bit of almonds. Also do some cardio.
 

paolo11

Member
Thanks. I’m currently 196.8 (from 227 last year). Started getting serious last Sept 2023 and ramped it up last April. I lift heavy (like no cheating failure) with correct form and do some incline walking.

I just pray I don’t get skinny fat. Do you guys work on abs?
 

DavidGzz

Member
I only take creatine and EAA these days. I find EAA to be good for not feeling fatigue when I do a workout followed by a martial arts session (or vice versa).

For cutting in my experience it’s mostly a matter of regulating your nutrition. Less carbs and sugar. Less pasta, potatoes, etc. And avoid junk food and sweets as much as possible. To keep hunger at bay and avoid snacking I like to eat a bit of almonds. Also do some cardio.

Placebo effect since they are not complete proteins. One of many scam products out there. Also, the anti carb agenda isn't it. The leanest populations (Japanese, Italians, Blue zones, athletes, bodybuilders) all eat a high carb diet.

 
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Well I got the Home Fit Gym, and it’s amazing. No more door hanging pull ups.

For anyone that cares (based on zero help to my question before I’m guessing likely no one, but this may help someone in the future) the choice was between 2 at home gyms, the Base Blocks Pro and the Home Fit Gym. I actually prefer the base blocks gym because the dips bars are angled and the pull up bars don’t have anything obstructing your movement. The problem however is that it’s much taller and my apartment has low ceilings, the Home fit gym is literally a better… fit 😅 it took a very long time to arrive but they gave me an extra $40 off which was nice.
Did my first workout on it today and it felt great. Looks so clean in my 2nd room, I love it.
Also im super happy to finally be able to do proper dips.

If you’re looking for at home workout stuff, I highly recommended this.
 
Placebo effect since they are not complete proteins. One of many scam products out there. Also, the anti carb agenda isn't it. The leanest populations (Japanese, Italians, Blue zones, athletes, bodybuilders) all eat a high carb diet.


Will look into the placebo effect, could be true for me.

I’m not anti carb, I’m just saying sometimes a person eats too many (or too much?) carbs, more than they need. These populations may have a high carb diet but it’s much healthier and more natural than the average western diet which has too much sugar, and includes junk food and processed food. I used to indulge in a lot of pastry, biscuits, fast food, white bread etc. and was fat. Certainly did not look good at all.
 

GymWolf

Member
Thanks. I’m currently 196.8 (from 227 last year). Started getting serious last Sept 2023 and ramped it up last April. I lift heavy (like no cheating failure) with correct form and do some incline walking.

I just pray I don’t get skinny fat. Do you guys work on abs?
Yes, and use some weight like you do with the other muscles, abs are pretty fucking strong and resistant so they need proper train to grow and pop, and most important, breath correctly, air out when you crunch (all the air), air in when you relax, the way more pain is a signal that you are breathing correctly, i saw people doing 100 crunches without a sweat then dying after 15 with proper slow form and breath tecnique.

Crunch at the high cable with the rope handle, arms stay still and you only crunch with your abs, classic crunches on declined with a weight behind your head, and proper leg raises hanging from a bar or that thing with arms support is really all you need, 3-4 times per week one exercise per day, 3-4 series of 10-12 reps, every 1-2 week you can add some reps or weight or better form (slower negative etc.) to make it harder, if you wanna go ham you can do the last series to failure.
(leg raises you have to bring your pelvis to your pecs, it's an abs movement not a waist\leg movement, you should feel pain in your abs or you are doing it wrong)
 
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DavidGzz

Member
Will look into the placebo effect, could be true for me.

I’m not anti carb, I’m just saying sometimes a person eats too many (or too much?) carbs, more than they need. These populations may have a high carb diet but it’s much healthier and more natural than the average western diet which has too much sugar, and includes junk food and processed food. I used to indulge in a lot of pastry, biscuits, fast food, white bread etc. and was fat. Certainly did not look good at all.

So, do the math on those items. They have just as much or near 50/50 fat to carb calories. We should definitely limit processed high fat/carb foods if you want an easier time limiting overall energy intake. The only thing people are eating too much of are calories. I do low fat, high carb, moderate protein.
 

GymWolf

Member
You can use Creatine Monohydrate all year round.

Creatine is the best researched supplement in the world. It is very safe, worst you can get is diarrhea when you take too much at once, and it works amazingly well for bodybuilding and strength. It's also dirt cheap. I take 5g morning + 5g evening on rest days and an additional 5g post workout on training days. There's no need to cycle it.

Testo booster:

Even if we assume for a moment that testo boosters were not a scam, it would still be stupid to use them because it's highly unhealthy to manipulate your hormones.

What people don't understand is that when it comes to hormones, more is not better.

Everyone of us has a perfect balance of hormones where the body feels like a well oiled machine. This balance is unique for each individual and genetically fixed. You can't alter it in any way. The further you get away from that balance, the more side effects you will see and the more drugs you will have to take to stay healthy and functional.

Some people have higher natural testosterone levels. Some people have lower natural testosterone levels. As long as your testosterone is exactly where your body wants it to be, everything is perfectly fine. If your testosterone level gets higher (!) or lower than your genetic sweet spot, you'll get sick and you'll eventually die if you don't correct it, because hormones play an immense role in a multitude of processes in your body.

That's why we have testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) which can counter health problems that are related to testosterone levels that are out of balance.

It is usually men with a high testosterone sweet spot that suffer heavily from age related hypogonadism. These guys often have severe symptoms of low T even if they still have higher T than guys with a low sweet spot.

People don't understand that testosterone is all about relativity. They see total numbers without context and try to pump their own numbers as high as possible. Is low testosterone bad? No. Is low testosterone bad in a guy that has a high T sweet spot? Hell yes, but so is high testosterone in a guy that has a low T sweet spot. If a low T sweet spot guy does TRT and he pushes his T too high than he will get seriously sick.

If your body is healthy and working exactly how it's meant to be, testo boosters, assuming they're not a scam (they are a scam), will give you zero benefits for weight lifting. You would only see benefits, if your T levels are out of balance.

But even then it's stupid to take these testo boosters. Testosterone, as a drug, is very well researched. Testo boosters are not. Today's men have access to 3rd generation medical testosterone which is much better than the stuff people used decades ago and the shady crap you can order in the dark web from an underground lab. Testo boosters have side effects and they're not produced under medical standards. For a guy with hypogonadism, using medical testosterone is much healthier than using a testo booster.

Also, real testosterone is cheap. A month worth of medical T will cost you $15 and it will be highly effective. That testo boosters st you $100 per month and it will do nothing except damaging your liver.
Why so high on creatine? Isn't 5 gr per day if you don't do initial loads well enough for like 90% of non-professional athletes?

If you are in a iper proteic diet you also get creatine from food aswell.

I never used it in many years of training and i only started like 2 weeks ago so i read and watched a lot fo stuff about it.
 

Raven117

Member
So, do the math on those items. They have just as much or near 50/50 fat to carb calories. We should definitely limit processed high fat/carb foods if you want an easier time limiting overall energy intake. The only thing people are eating too much of are calories. I do low fat, high carb, moderate protein.
I'm with you. All this low-carb nonsense has infected too many people's way of thinking about nutrition. ESPECIALLY if you are truly working out hard and lifting heavy. Some people claim they can lift heavy on no-carb diet, but man...I just don't see how. I think they have just gotten used to being weaker and it all feels harder than it should be.

Low(ish) fat, moderate to highish carbs, and high protein works for me.
 

tamago84

Member
I'm with you. All this low-carb nonsense has infected too many people's way of thinking about nutrition. ESPECIALLY if you are truly working out hard and lifting heavy. Some people claim they can lift heavy on no-carb diet, but man...I just don't see how. I think they have just gotten used to being weaker and it all feels harder than it should be.

Low(ish) fat, moderate to highish carbs, and high protein works for me.
i agree. rice is so helpful....so easy to digest and great with anything
 

Raven117

Member
i agree. rice is so helpful....so easy to digest and great with anything
Absolutely. Both white and brown rice.

Great for easily digestible carbs. Easy to measure and control. Easy to use them to hit the gas or the breaks on weight gain.
 
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paolo11

Member
Yes, and use some weight like you do with the other muscles, abs are pretty fucking strong and resistant so they need proper train to grow and pop, and most important, breath correctly, air out when you crunch (all the air), air in when you relax, the way more pain is a signal that you are breathing correctly, i saw people doing 100 crunches without a sweat then dying after 15 with proper slow form and breath tecnique.

Crunch at the high cable with the rope handle, arms stay still and you only crunch with your abs, classic crunches on declined with a weight behind your head, and proper leg raises hanging from a bar or that thing with arms support is really all you need, 3-4 times per week one exercise per day, 3-4 series of 10-12 reps, every 1-2 week you can add some reps or weight or better form (slower negative etc.) to make it harder, if you wanna go ham you can do the last series to failure.
(leg raises you have to bring your pelvis to your pecs, it's an abs movement not a waist\leg movement, you should feel pain in your abs or you are doing it wrong)
Yo this is legit. I’m going to do cable abs and leg raises. Do these 3 to 4 times a week?
 

GymWolf

Member
Yo this is legit. I’m going to do cable abs and leg raises. Do these 3 to 4 times a week?
I mean depends, some people have great abs genetic so they can just train normally other muscles that still engage the core and then train the abs one time a week and have great abs.

But if you are not that type of guy, i say train the abs at least 2 times a week, i train em every day of training so 4 days per week.

The important things are using weights, full range of motion, respiration and using the correct tecnique, i saw too many people doing cable crunch and using their back instead of their abs.
The ass stay still, you have to flex your spine, that is what abs do, if you keep you back straight and use your hips you are not really training abs, even many guides on yt do the movement wrong.
 
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