(((#newhere))) --> Rookie Ray Peat Alchemist <--

[Satellite]

Sorry to disappear!
I took last week off and the rest of this week.

I have been exhausted! Almost bed ridden. I can barely think.

Interesting that you speak about volume.
I randomly switched up my training on my last phase to volume training.
I would pick a push and pull exercise for the upper and lower body (so 4 total).
Then I focused on volume and ignored weight intensity.
I just went with whatever I felt good with for as many sets as needed to get the volume in.
It worked really well!
And I noticed that I was burning fat better also!

However, my workouts were taking too long lol, so I stopped.
But I suppose I have no choice.
My body's fitness level is what it is and I have to overload to make progress.

Now I know why they say it's harder to make gains when you're more advanced.
I am stronger, but it takes twice as long to recover from a 2 X BW squat, than a 0.5 X BW squat, even if they feel equally challenging.

I am going to try your ways and focus on fat loss and physique with a slight caloric deficit.
At this point though, I am simply working out to maintain health and stay lean.
I don't want to get too crazy, because I can't be exhausted.
I need a sharp mind for progressing my career.

Are you training for anything in particular right now?

 

[Jon]

Sorry to disappear!
I took last week off and the rest of this week.

I have been exhausted! Almost bed ridden. I can barely think.

Interesting that you speak about volume.
I randomly switched up my training on my last phase to volume training.
I would pick a push and pull exercise for the upper and lower body (so 4 total).
Then I focused on volume and ignored weight intensity.
I just went with whatever I felt good with for as many sets as needed to get the volume in.
It worked really well!
And I noticed that I was burning fat better also!

However, my workouts were taking too long lol, so I stopped.
But I suppose I have no choice.
My body's fitness level is what it is and I have to overload to make progress.

Now I know why they say it's harder to make gains when you're more advanced.
I am stronger, but it takes twice as long to recover from a 2 X BW squat, than a 0.5 X BW squat, even if they feel equally challenging.

I am going to try your ways and focus on fat loss and physique with a slight caloric deficit.
At this point though, I am simply working out to maintain health and stay lean.
I don't want to get too crazy, because I can't be exhausted.
I need a sharp mind for progressing my career.

Are you training for anything in particular right now?

Hey buddy! Ah no worries, I'm glad you took a rest! Is it not insane how 4 or so days in you feel like utter crap?? Almost mono like.

How you feelin now?

Over in this thread I gave more insight into Volume parameters and what not if you're interested:

The Effect Of Training Volume And Intensity On Improvements In Muscular Strength And Size In Resista

But I'm mostly just training for hypertrophy. Subsequently because I'm more advanced I train with some high intensities so if my total starts getting appreciable I may do a powerlifting meet again if I think my wilks would be competitive enough to place top 3 for a state level meet. Otherwise I just wanna gain as much muscle as possible in the next 5 or so years to maybe try to lock in a natty pro card.

 

[Satellite]

Sorry to disappear again! lol
Wanted to get a full rest.
I literally just slept and watched movies.

Yes, that's how I felt. Extremely sluggish.
Still am somewhat.
I can ((see)) now how my body was depending on adrenaline and stress hormones.

Getting back on the grind is hard after that.
Maybe I am not fully rested?
Maybe it's psychological.
No choice, got things to do!

First workout was yesterday.
I am doing an easy 3 week wave of just walking with ankle weights and holding a 13 lb medicine ball out in front of me; works the core well and forces full body coordination.
I walk easy, but get the HR to around 100 BPM.

I am still fatigued, but I am hoping that a few weeks of easy walking with plenty of breathing will oxidize me and remove some of it.
I will also use electric massage on my muscles sporadically too.
And work some mobility/flexibility stuff in too.

Just a nice recovery wave!

 

[Satellite]

Hey buddy! Ah no worries, I'm glad you took a rest! Is it not insane how 4 or so days in you feel like utter crap?? Almost mono like.

How you feelin now?

Over in this thread I gave more insight into Volume parameters and what not if you're interested:

The Effect Of Training Volume And Intensity On Improvements In Muscular Strength And Size In Resista

But I'm mostly just training for hypertrophy. Subsequently because I'm more advanced I train with some high intensities so if my total starts getting appreciable I may do a powerlifting meet again if I think my wilks would be competitive enough to place top 3 for a state level meet. Otherwise I just wanna gain as much muscle as possible in the next 5 or so years to maybe try to lock in a natty pro card.

Ok, thanks!
I will have a read, I love reading about this stuff.

Wow, that's pretty sweet, I hope you get it man!
I don't know much about the actual sports.
What are the requirements? Is it free to compete?

 

[Jon]

Sorry to disappear again! lol
Wanted to get a full rest.
I literally just slept and watched movies.

Yes, that's how I felt. Extremely sluggish.
Still am somewhat.
I can ((see)) now how my body was depending on adrenaline and stress hormones.

Getting back on the grind is hard after that.
Maybe I am not fully rested?
Maybe it's psychological.
No choice, got things to do!

First workout was yesterday.
I am doing an easy 3 week wave of just walking with ankle weights and holding a 13 lb medicine ball out in front of me; works the core well and forces full body coordination.
I walk easy, but get the HR to around 100 BPM.

I am still fatigued, but I am hoping that a few weeks of easy walking with plenty of breathing will oxidize me and remove some of it.
I will also use electric massage on my muscles sporadically too.
And work some mobility/flexibility stuff in too.

Just a nice recovery wave!

Most likely still fatigued man! You dug yourself quite the hole and it's gonna take some forcused recovery to get you out. Maybe no ankle weights or dumbbella for your walk for now. Just regular walking at an easy pace and some massage sound good though. Pay attention to your natural mental inclinations towards physical activity. If you naturally just feel an apathy towards training right now, you know you're not recovered because your body is telling you instinctually "yeah I don't feel like doing that". This is NOT lazy was bro! It's your body telling you it's still hurting, you gotta be patient with it. I'm loving your effort though! Keep it up!!

 

[Jon]

Ok, thanks!
I will have a read, I love reading about this stuff.

Wow, that's pretty sweet, I hope you get it man!
I don't know much about the actual sports.
What are the requirements? Is it free to compete?

Hahaha oh God no. It's expensive as hell!! Your first show will cost you a minumum of $1000-$1500 usd!! That's including intrance fees, federation memberships, initiation fee, tanning and spray tan packages...that's not even including airfare or room and board if you have to travel far for a show! Lol

Powerlifting is cheaper. You can do a contest for about 300-400 usd IF you already have your singlet, powerbelt, Olympic shoes, deadlift slippers, knee and or elbow sleeves, and wrist wraps. If you don't have these things then your first meet will cost you as much as a bodybuilding show lol.

 

[Satellite]

Most likely still fatigued man! You dug yourself quite the hole and it's gonna take some forcused recovery to get you out. Maybe no ankle weights or dumbbella for your walk for now. Just regular walking at an easy pace and some massage sound good though. Pay attention to your natural mental inclinations towards physical activity. If you naturally just feel an apathy towards training right now, you know you're not recovered because your body is telling you instinctually "yeah I don't feel like doing that". This is NOT lazy was bro! It's your body telling you it's still hurting, you gotta be patient with it. I'm loving your effort though! Keep it up!!

I know you're 100% right.
I am still trying to learn more about myself.
I constantly want to hit the gym lol it is too fun.

I use grip as a decent indicator.
When I first took my break two weeks ago, I could barely make a fist.
But I got it back, so I started a new workout cycle.

At the same time, I am not really wanting to walk.
Not because I feel lazy, but because I would rather do some Oly lifts! lol.

Also, I really feel like it is partly because I am hypothyroid or hypo-gonadal.
When I take preworkout, I feel normal, not really enhanced.
I think part of the reason I have this compulsive need to work out is because it stimulates me, so I feel normal.
When I don't work out, I feel worse than when I am exhausted from my workouts, it is really strange.
I am sure that my lack of adaptation to my workouts is from this also.

I have been taking my temps regularly for the past week and I am always under 97 degrees.
Today it was 96.5.
Isn't normal 98.6 degrees?
I think Peat says ideal is 100.

How about I try it for a week or two and reassess?

 

[Satellite]

Hahaha oh God no. It's expensive as hell!! Your first show will cost you a minumum of $1000-$1500 usd!! That's including intrance fees, federation memberships, initiation fee, tanning and spray tan packages...that's not even including airfare or room and board if you have to travel far for a show! Lol

Powerlifting is cheaper. You can do a contest for about 300-400 usd IF you already have your singlet, powerbelt, Olympic shoes, deadlift slippers, knee and or elbow sleeves, and wrist wraps. If you don't have these things then your first meet will cost you as much as a bodybuilding show lol.

Oh wow that's way more than I thought!

Can you make money if you win?
Or are you trying to build a business from it?

 

[Jon]

I know you're 100% right.
I am still trying to learn more about myself.
I constantly want to hit the gym lol it is too fun.

I use grip as a decent indicator.
When I first took my break two weeks ago, I could barely make a fist.
But I got it back, so I started a new workout cycle.

At the same time, I am not really wanting to walk.
Not because I feel lazy, but because I would rather do some Oly lifts! lol.

Also, I really feel like it is partly because I am hypothyroid or hypo-gonadal.
When I take preworkout, I feel normal, not really enhanced.
I think part of the reason I have this compulsive need to work out is because it stimulates me, so I feel normal.
When I don't work out, I feel worse than when I am exhausted from my workouts, it is really strange.
I am sure that my lack of adaptation to my workouts is from this also.

I have been taking my temps regularly for the past week and I am always under 97 degrees.
Today it was 96.5.
Isn't normal 98.6 degrees?
I think Peat says ideal is 100.

How about I try it for a week or two and reassess?

Dude you like training cause it's fun lol. Don't get me wrong, I think psychological ques can be insight into hormonal conditions BUT sometimes, you just gotta accept that something can make you happy or sad or mad and it's literally all psychological lol. What I'm saying is, don't read into everything, it can give you a complex and I can tell you right now learning how to not give a f u c k about every little thing was an important part of my journey to health and high testosterone. If you look up mental characteristics of men with high androgens you'll find that not being bothered, being calm, collected, and confident are the most expressed traits and feelings, and if I'm honest I think I mentally paved the way to developing high testosterone by adopting these traits BEFORE I actually improved my androgen profile because it was right around the time I changed my mindset that my health started to change. What I'm trying to say is your mentality about things can be a driver of changes and doesn't always have to be/ isn't always dictated by hormones, it can be the other way around if you choose.

On the topic of temps yeah 98.6f is normal/healthy. Up to 100f can be healthy but it's approaching HYPERthyroid and that is pretty risky itself. You can damage your heart that way. I think maybe in the 99's is about as high as anyone should go. Something to be aware of is that there are many example in this site of how extremes CAN be healthy or therapeutic, but most of the time that's for VERY sick people. You are not what I'd consider diseased lol just physiologically exhausted, so most likely extreme protocols are not gonna do anything but hurt you.

Oh wow that's way more than I thought!

Can you make money if you win?
Or are you trying to build a business from it?

Lol as a natty pro you get paid if you win but not much, like $1200 for first place at a pro show lmao. One day I'd like to write e books in how to manipulate hormonal health and give my insights and experience with such a thing to help people like you and I who've experienced this kind of crap lol but I'm still mulling over how comfortable I am with charging for information like that....I suppose I just need to be straight up and explain in the books that people are paying for convenience, not because the information I'm giving them is something that only i know.

 

[ddjd]

Did you have to pay for this blood work?

 

[Satellite]

Dude you like training cause it's fun lol. Don't get me wrong, I think psychological ques can be insight into hormonal conditions BUT sometimes, you just gotta accept that something can make you happy or sad or mad and it's literally all psychological lol. What I'm saying is, don't read into everything, it can give you a complex and I can tell you right now learning how to not give a f u c k about every little thing was an important part of my journey to health and high testosterone. If you look up mental characteristics of men with high androgens you'll find that not being bothered, being calm, collected, and confident are the most expressed traits and feelings, and if I'm honest I think I mentally paved the way to developing high testosterone by adopting these traits BEFORE I actually improved my androgen profile because it was right around the time I changed my mindset that my health started to change. What I'm trying to say is your mentality about things can be a driver of changes and doesn't always have to be/ isn't always dictated by hormones, it can be the other way around if you choose.

On the topic of temps yeah 98.6f is normal/healthy. Up to 100f can be healthy but it's approaching HYPERthyroid and that is pretty risky itself. You can damage your heart that way. I think maybe in the 99's is about as high as anyone should go. Something to be aware of is that there are many example in this site of how extremes CAN be healthy or therapeutic, but most of the time that's for VERY sick people. You are not what I'd consider diseased lol just physiologically exhausted, so most likely extreme protocols are not gonna do anything but hurt you.



Lol as a natty pro you get paid if you win but not much, like $1200 for first place at a pro show lmao. One day I'd like to write e books in how to manipulate hormonal health and give my insights and experience with such a thing to help people like you and I who've experienced this kind of crap lol but I'm still mulling over how comfortable I am with charging for information like that....I suppose I just need to be straight up and explain in the books that people are paying for convenience, not because the information I'm giving them is something that only i know.

I wholly agree!
That's part of the problem maybe.
Crossing Peat's stuff mind blew my, now I am like what else is going on?!?!

Before I was exactly as you say.
Always calm, not giving a phuk about much.
That has it's problems too, mainly social.
It pisses people off.
They think I am callous or indifferent, but I am not, just calm.
I don't even know how to pretend to be as dramatic as some people, it's hard for me.

Interesting about the hyperthyroid damaging my heart.
So you think I am better off slightly hypothryoid?
Then just take something when I need to go hyper.
I could agree with that - makes it easier to gain size, although I am always trying to improve, but always keep my weight around 200, which is hard to do.

My androgens are pretty good.
I use natural professional bodybuilding supplements by Todd Lee MD that work very well for handling aromatization and stress hormones, and also blood sugar issues.
His pre-workout is insanely good too.
You might like his stuff too btw, it's all natural and he uses it himself.
He is an IFBB champ too.

However, it wasn't until coming across Peat's work and this forum that I gained any sort of illumination on the deeper aspects of what's going on with my body.
I used to just think if I naturally boosted my test levels, controlled E and cortisol, and worked out that I would be all good.
But there's so much more going on.

I now realize that Todd Lee's products (specifically the pre-workout and fat loss pills) work so well, and are so strong, that they played a huge part in my extreme overtraining that you illuminated me on.
My hypo-metabolism cannot handle the boost they give me and it is causing too much stress.

However, they aren't enough.
Actually, I could do without the pre-workout.
Calcirol and Kuinone by Idealabs have been really great for me, I can really tell they're building my bones and helping with mind muscle connection (electric flow).
Magnoil has been excellent for muscle relaxation also.
Truly remarkable.
The pre-workout is great for specific parts of my training, but not needed for everything anymore.

For my next cycle, I am going to plan things better and follow it.
But I am going to try some Peat ways of boosting metabolism and temps without caffeine and see how it goes.
The caffeine gets me feeling good, because it gets me to 98.6 degrees, but it is killer on my memory and thinking capacity.
It makes me too fight or flight.

 

[Satellite]

Dude you like training cause it's fun lol. Don't get me wrong, I think psychological ques can be insight into hormonal conditions BUT sometimes, you just gotta accept that something can make you happy or sad or mad and it's literally all psychological lol. What I'm saying is, don't read into everything, it can give you a complex and I can tell you right now learning how to not give a f u c k about every little thing was an important part of my journey to health and high testosterone. If you look up mental characteristics of men with high androgens you'll find that not being bothered, being calm, collected, and confident are the most expressed traits and feelings, and if I'm honest I think I mentally paved the way to developing high testosterone by adopting these traits BEFORE I actually improved my androgen profile because it was right around the time I changed my mindset that my health started to change. What I'm trying to say is your mentality about things can be a driver of changes and doesn't always have to be/ isn't always dictated by hormones, it can be the other way around if you choose.

On the topic of temps yeah 98.6f is normal/healthy. Up to 100f can be healthy but it's approaching HYPERthyroid and that is pretty risky itself. You can damage your heart that way. I think maybe in the 99's is about as high as anyone should go. Something to be aware of is that there are many example in this site of how extremes CAN be healthy or therapeutic, but most of the time that's for VERY sick people. You are not what I'd consider diseased lol just physiologically exhausted, so most likely extreme protocols are not gonna do anything but hurt you.



Lol as a natty pro you get paid if you win but not much, like $1200 for first place at a pro show lmao. One day I'd like to write e books in how to manipulate hormonal health and give my insights and experience with such a thing to help people like you and I who've experienced this kind of crap lol but I'm still mulling over how comfortable I am with charging for information like that....I suppose I just need to be straight up and explain in the books that people are paying for convenience, not because the information I'm giving them is something that only i know.

Oh I see.
So people just try to win for credibility reasons and enjoyment?

I understand where you are coming from, but I don't think you should look at it like that.
I think it's an error to tell the market what they should spend their money on.
I mean, don't blatantly rip them off.
But if you're providing legit advice and creating value in someone's life, then your labor deserves compensation.
It's a fair exchange.
Plus, I am sure you can find ways to provide more than just an ebook, like add in some extras or something.
I would buy your ebook.
At the same time, probably not if you charged $500 like some of these crooks LOL.

 

[Satellite]

Did you have to pay for this blood work?

You should qualify vague statements like that.
Otherwise people just take you as a condescending troll.

 

[ddjd]

You should qualify vague statements like that.
Otherwise people just take you as a condescending troll.

eh? whats vague? been in the forum 4 years and over 2000 posts. typical troll?

are you aware outside of america its quite common to have to pay for comprehensive blood work privately?

 

[Satellite]

eh? whats vague? been in the forum 4 years and over 2000 posts. typical troll?

are you aware outside of america its quite common to have to pay for comprehensive blood work privately?

I wasn't trying to be argumentative, it's just that asking about money seemed out of place, and with no supporting statements it seemed like a light poke.

Yes, I paid for it. I didn't go through insurance.

Why do you ask? I don't get the correlation.