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First Cycle, Halo Extreme / Epi-Andro Log

rthompson76

Registered
Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Messages
105
Reaction score
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Points
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Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Cycle:
Weeks 1-6
3x Epi-Andro upon waking
3x Halo Extreme upon waking
3x Advanced Cycle Support before bed
PCT
Weeks 7-9
20mg (1ml) Tamoxifen Citrate before bed
3x Advanced Cycle Support before bed
Weeks 10-12
3x E-Control before bed
3x Advanced Cycle Support before bed
(recommended by Adrenolin)

Day 1 3/16/14

Training
Chest & Forearms
Overall Feeling
It’s day 1.. not much to report other than being excited to get this started. I’m 6’0”, 213lbs, BF I’m guessing to be in the low 20’s. Don’t have anything to get a more accurate measurement right now. I am hoping to gain some strength while being able to lean out a bit on this cycle. I plan to eat at or just above maintenance levels. 235lbs on the flat bench is currently my one rep max and 225lbs on squat. These will be my two strength comparison exercises moving forward.
Side Effects
There is nothing to report. I’m feeling great.

Side note, I'm running this log in a word document on my pc and will probably update the forum every two or three days on average.
 
Day 2 3/17/14
Training
Shoveling Snow. LoL. We got almost 11 inches of snow last night and the Gym is closed. Does this count for a cardio day? ;)
Overall Feeling
Nothing noticeably different yet. I imagine this will be the case for the next few days
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Still feeling good

Day 3 3/18/14

Training
Shoulders & Abs
Overall Feeling
Feeling pretty good, actually. Workout went very well, energy levels were good. Two small observations: First, yesterday I seemed to be a little more hungry than normal and today it was a bit more intense. Second, I seemed to have been well rested when I woke up. I noticed on the way home from work that I wasn't getting the normal drowsy feeling while driving to the gym. Not sure how significant these things were, especially since I’m only 3 days in to the cycle.. maybe I was just having a good day?
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Feeling awesome.
 
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Day 2 3/17/14
Training
Shoveling Snow. LoL. We got almost 11 inches of snow last night and the Gym is closed. Does this count for a cardio day? ;)
Overall Feeling
Nothing noticeably different yet. I imagine this will be the case for the next few days
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Still feeling good

Day 3 3/18/14

Training
Shoulders & Abs
Overall Feeling
Feeling pretty good, actually. Workout went very well, energy levels were good. Two small observations: First, yesterday I seemed to be a little more hungry than normal and today it was a bit more intense. Second, I seemed to have been well rested when I woke up. I noticed on the way home from work that I wasn't getting the normal drowsy feeling while driving to the gym. Not sure how significant these things were, especially since I’m only 3 days in to the cycle.. maybe I was just having a good day?
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Feeling awesome.
Oh, damn! I didn't realize you guys got that much snow! I'm so over this winter..
 
Oh, damn! I didn't realize you guys got that much snow! I'm so over this winter..

Me too.. I looked at our 5 day forecast and it's suppose to get in to the upper 60's and I was hoping we were done with winter. Then I looked at the 10 day and seen another system for middle of next week and got the overwhelming urge to kick a groundhog. lol Hopefully it won't be much.
 
Me too.. I looked at our 5 day forecast and it's suppose to get in to the upper 60's and I was hoping we were done with winter. Then I looked at the 10 day and seen another system for middle of next week and got the overwhelming urge to kick a groundhog. lol Hopefully it won't be much.
Shit.
 
Got out of work and to the gym a little early today so I thought I'd go ahead and update. :cool:

Day 4 3/19/14

Training
Back & more back
Overall Feeling
Hunger pains were not an issue at all today. I’m guessing that was more me than the stack. Energy levels at the gym were excellent. I’ve definitely noticed that my overall mood is better. Also, I have yet to experience the mid-afternoon slump since I’ve started my cycle. It was like clockwork to get that sleepy feeling while driving to the gym from work before.

I got one of the trainers at the gym to let me use their BF machine and according to that I’m at 21% BF. I feel like that’s pretty close and I will use the same machine again at the end of the 6 weeks for a fair comparison.
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Feeling awesome.

Day 5 3/20/14
Training
Bi’s & Tri’s ( Super Sets )
Overall Feeling
Had another great workout today and I’m feeling really good. While I can’t say that I’ve noticed anything major in the way of strength gains or changes in appearance, I can definitely say I feel different. Don’t really know how to put it in words. More aware, sharper, less lethargic.. I dunno. I just know at this point, I can say with honesty that I feel like I’m noticing something. Hopefully it keeps getting better.
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Feeling better everyday.
 
Day 6 3/21/14
Training
Off day
Overall Feeling
Nothing noticeably different from the previous days.
Side Effects
I stopped at one of those automatic blood pressure machines. First time it read me at 153, so I relaxed for a minute and focused on my breathing. Second time it read me at 139. I had gone to the doctor the week prior to starting the cycle and was at 128/82, so my blood pressure has definitely increased a little. I felt fine and wasn’t having any kind of symptoms. Poking around the forums I see that hawthorne extract is recommended for this. So I may buy some to err on the side of caution. Any other recommendations? Any advice for a new guy would be greatly appreciated. ;)

Day 7 3/22/14
Training
Legs!! 2 hours
Overall Feeling
A.M. workout since it’s the weekend. I woke up feeling great, wanted to chip my one rep max up on squat 10 lbs. Overall I had a good workout, but came up a little short in the strength category. My one rep max proved too much this week. L In all fairness though, I was out of the gym for almost 3 weeks nursing a tendon injury before I started this log. So I’m placing blame on losing a step from too much time off. I’m confident I’ll get it back and then some. Getting home and barely being able to climb the stairs for a shower is proof that it was still a good leg day. Lol
Side Effects
Stopped at the Vitamin Shoppe and picked up some Hawthorne Extract. I will begin taking it this evening. Otherwise, nothing else to report in the way of negative sides and I’m still feeling great.

Day 7 3/22/14

Training
Chest, forearms, abs
Overall Feeling
A.M. workout since it’s the weekend. I did an all dumbbell workout today for chest. On the flat press I maxed out with the 95’s, getting 5 reps on my first attempt, and 3 more reps on my second. I’m eyeballing those 100’s. If I have a spot next week I’m going to go for em. I would like to get those points put on my man card. Lol It was a good day overall. Energy levels were good throughout the entire workout, and I stayed at a brisk pace.
Side Effects
Nothing to report. Feeling Great.
I will check my blood pressure in a couple days to see if the Hawthorne Extract is helping or not.
 
I feel (as do most of the members here) that IML's Advanced Cycle Support is a MUST on cycle and PCT. I take 2 caps daily year-round, but on cycle you may want to bump it to 3. Btw, those BP machines are highly unreliable...very rarely calibrated. I would just go buy a personal monitor; they don't cost much and it's a great investment. OR, use a machine at a drug store but ask how often it's calibrated.
 
I feel (as do most of the members here) that IML's Advanced Cycle Support is a MUST on cycle and PCT. I take 2 caps daily year-round, but on cycle you may want to bump it to 3. Btw, those BP machines are highly unreliable...very rarely calibrated. I would just go buy a personal monitor; they don't cost much and it's a great investment. OR, use a machine at a drug store but ask how often it's calibrated.

I'm taking 3x Advanced Cycle Support daily on cycle and will continue through the entire PCT as well.

Maybe I'll invest in a personal BP monitor. I was wondering about the accuracy of those public machines. I noticed they range anywhere from 40$ and up. Any reason why I should invest in the more expensive ones, or will the cheaper one suffice?
 
I'm taking 3x Advanced Cycle Support daily on cycle and will continue through the entire PCT as well.

Maybe I'll invest in a personal BP monitor. I was wondering about the accuracy of those public machines. I noticed they range anywhere from 40$ and up. Any reason why I should invest in the more expensive ones, or will the cheaper one suffice?
I bought an Omron BP monitor from Walmart years ago and it still works great. Back then it was around $40...not sure how much now, but check 'em out.
 
I noticed the typo in my previous log having two day 7's. It should have been 7 & 8 respectively.

Day 9 3/24/14
Training
Shoulders & abs (again)

Overall Feeling
I felt pretty tired at work today. Honestly, I’m still kinda reeling from legs on Saturday. Must be the 48 hr DOMS. Lol Once I got in the gym and warmed up with a few sets my energy came right back. Actually had a good work out once I got going. Pushed out a few extra reps and bumped the weights up on both the shoulder press and lateral raises.

I weighed in this morning @ 209, down from 213. So cleaning up the diet is helping as well.

Side Effects
Still haven’t noticed anything significant. Everything seems normal so far.

Day 10 3/25/14

Training
HIIT cardio, 40 mins

Overall Feeling
I hate…. HATE.. cardio.. but today didn’t seem so bad. I was in to it and energy levels were high and I felt as though I pushed myself a little. I did HIIT cycles on the rowing machine, and did burpee / jump rope HIIT sets afterwards. I don’t know if it’s just a mental thing, but I swear I feel tighter in some of the larger muscles groups. Chest and back feel solid and legs look like they’ve tightened up a bit as well! Am I imagining things at this point, or could I already be seeing small changes at day 10? I dunno, but I feel fantastic and getting a little more amped up about the upcoming weeks!

Side Effects
Nothing negative to report. Feeling great.
 
Day 11 3/26/14
Training
Back

Overall Feeling
Had a hell of a workout today. Conventional deadlifts, lat pulldowns, lat wide grip cable rows, one arm pulldowns, bent over barbell row, and then finished it up with a big drop set on the T-bar. Thought I was going to have to turn sideways to get through the front doors. (all in my head, of course. Lol) Definitely a good day. I did more than I normally do and when I left I still felt like I could have done more.

Side Effects
Nothing. Feel great so far

Day 12 3/27/14
Training
Bi’s & Tri’s (super sets)

Overall Feeling
My intensity is definitely picking up. I was poppin today. In and out in under 40 minutes and my arms felt like they were going to explode. Today and yesterday I felt really good. I was kind of expecting to be a little tired after the big back day, but nope.. I hit the gym with tons of energy and motivation. Tomorrow is supposed to be another cardio/rest day to get ready for a big leg day on Saturday, but honestly I think I might go hit chest or something again. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow, I guess.

Side Effects
Do I even need this category for this stack? Nothing negative to report.
 
Day 11 3/26/14
Training
Back

Overall Feeling
Had a hell of a workout today. Conventional deadlifts, lat pulldowns, lat wide grip cable rows, one arm pulldowns, bent over barbell row, and then finished it up with a big drop set on the T-bar. Thought I was going to have to turn sideways to get through the front doors. (all in my head, of course. Lol) Definitely a good day. I did more than I normally do and when I left I still felt like I could have done more.

Side Effects
Nothing. Feel great so far

Day 12 3/27/14
Training
Bi’s & Tri’s (super sets)

Overall Feeling
My intensity is definitely picking up. I was poppin today. In and out in under 40 minutes and my arms felt like they were going to explode. Today and yesterday I felt really good. I was kind of expecting to be a little tired after the big back day, but nope.. I hit the gym with tons of energy and motivation. Tomorrow is supposed to be another cardio/rest day to get ready for a big leg day on Saturday, but honestly I think I might go hit chest or something again. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow, I guess.

Side Effects
Do I even need this category for this stack? Nothing negative to report.
Sounds great!
 
im in and gonna be following along getting ready to start a new cycle at the end of April. maybe the same cycle or something similar havn't made my mind up yet so good luck
 
im in and gonna be following along getting ready to start a new cycle at the end of April. maybe the same cycle or something similar havn't made my mind up yet so good luck
Awesome!
 
im in and gonna be following along getting ready to start a new cycle at the end of April. maybe the same cycle or something similar havn't made my mind up yet so good luck

Glad to have you along. This stack was recommended to me from the community as a first timer. So far I'm happy with it. Really looking forward to weeks 3 & 4 when it, hopefully, starts really kicking in.
 
Day 13 3/28/14
Training
Diddly Squat

Overall Feeling
Had every intention of doing something today, but work kept me late and by the time I got home the ladies wanted to go out and eat. So I bagged it and just took a day off.

Side Effects
Nothing

Day 14 3/29/14
Training
Legs

Overall Feeling
It was leg day and I crawled out of the gym. It was one of the best days I’ve had in a long.. long time. I chipped my max on squats 10lbs and rocked it. I did overloads with 50lbs over one rep, and was able to get a peg lower than last week as well. After squatting for a while, I moved on to sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, walking lunges, one legged press, leg curls and then seated and standing calf raises. It was an awesome day, I know I’m going to feel it tomorrow. Lol

Side Effects
Nothing.

Day 15 3/30/14
Training
Chest & Forearms

Overall Feeling
Yesterday was a huge day, doing overloads in the squat rack is pretty taxing on the nervous system and usually leaves pretty drained for a day or two. Not today, my legs were a little sore but overall felt pretty good. And hit new PR’s to prove it. I did the dumbbell routine and again. Dumbbell flat, dumbbell incline, dumbbell fly’s and ended with drop sets on the hammer strength military press. Working forearms in between sets along the way. Best part, I got the hundreds. Went for em and surprised myself. After working up to them, I hit em for 4 reps on the first try and got 3 reps on the second try for flat press. It felt so good pressing them. It’s been a small goal for me for some time now. Maybe next week I’ll get the 105’s!!!

Side Effects
Nothing. Feel great
 
Day 16 3/31/14
Training
Shoulders & Abs

Overall Feeling
Noticed being a little more hungry again, nothing out of control but definitely noticeable. I also felt a little sluggish this afternoon before I got to the gym. Maybe Saturday and Sunday’s workouts are catching up to me, who knows? Once I got in the gym and got warmed up, though, it was business as usual. I felt great. I’m not only noticing that I’m starting to slowly move the weight up, but I also don’t rest as long. I have a timer on my watch I start after sets and I get impatient and am ready to go well before it counts down. It usually counts down and then I take a few extra seconds. Lol Shoulders felt strong, I bumped the weight on a few exercises and the ones I didn’t bump up, I got a few extra reps on. Abs are abs, nothing really special to report here other than I did the wheel, landmines, and leglifts.

Side Effects
Nothing to report

Day 17 4/1/2014
Training
Back

Overall Feeling
I was super hungry all day. I tried my best to fight it, but eventually gave in. Having eaten all my food early, I ran out to Food Lion and got some of their freshly made chicken tenders from the deli, along with a little microwaveable broccoli and cheese thing for a side. That wasn’t all bad, but when I got home after working out things went south quickly. Dinner was a huge plate of spaghetti, 2 big glasses of milk, followed by a pint of ice cream. Just to understand the size of the plate, my girlfriend told me there was no way I was going to eat all that and then when I did she said that was disgusting to watch. LOL

Today was a good day in the gym though. I was a bit sore and tired through the day, but once I got to the gym and got warmed up, I felt like an absolute beast. At this point, when considering the accomplishments over the past few days and the amount of weight I increased on exercises today, I’m confident in saying the stack is kicking in a bit. I was chipping 15+ lbs on almost every exercise today and still squeezing out 5-7 reps. It felt awesome.

Side Effects
Nothing to report. Feeling pretty damn good!! ;)

Day 18 4/2/14
Training
Rest & Recovery

Overall Feeling
I could barely sit up out of the bed this morning, that’s how sore I am. I’ve had 4 great days in a row and I think I need to give my body a day to recover a bit. Especially since my entire core feels exhausted, front and back. Don’t misread this though as I am certainly not complaining. In fact, it’s the opposite. I’m happy to feel this sore because it’s telling me two things. First, it lets me know it’s not just in my head and that I really am pushing myself that much harder. Second, it lets me know my body is responding. I felt this morning like I had just start lifting for the first time. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten this sore. So today I’m going to just work a little late and go home and enjoy the evening with my girls.

Side Effects
Nothing
 
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Sounds like your body needed those cals!
 
Day 19 4/3/14
Training
Bi’s & Tri’s (Super sets)

Overall Feeling
Felt rested today and had a ton of energy. I did an extra set and bumped the weight 5lbs for bi’s and 10lbs for tri’s on all 4 super sets. Felt like that was a nice jump from last week. This will probably be the last week I do this combo. Looking to mix up the routine next week, it’s the start of week 4 and I’m looking to maximize.

Side Effects
Nothing to Report

Day 20 4/4/14
Training
Rest – HIIT Cardio

Overall Feeling
Just went in for 30 mins and did some HIIT style training on the Row Machine. Feeling good, going to save my strength for tomorrow’s big leg day!!

Side Effects
Nothing to report.

Day 21 4/5/14
Training
Legs (2 hours)

Overall Feeling
Woke up feeling fresh this morning. I got it in my head that I was going to bump my squat 20lbs from the 1 rep max I started with. I did 235 last week, so 245 should be fine, right? Wrong! I brought it down controlled, but I could just now power my way through. I pushed until I saw stars and eventually had to put it down. Lol. It’s amazing, when you’re at your max, how much heavier just 10 little lbs can feel. In all fairness though, I think I got a little too deep with it. I was well below parallel, had I come back up from parallel I might have got it. But still, the good news is that even after my failed attempt at 245 I was still able to get a rep at 225 with no spot. Considering all the wasted energy on the 245 rep, I’m happy with that. And even better, after the 225 I did 3 overload sets at 275 and then I was still able to do another 225 rep after the overloads. So all and all, I still call that a great day! After almost 45 minutes in the squat box, I carried on to finish up leg day with sumo dead lift, stiff legged dead lift, walking lunges, one legged press, leg curls, sitting and standing calf raises.

Side Effects
Nothing to report.

Day 22 4/6/14

Training
Shoulders & Abs

Overall Feeling
Most of the routine was new today, so I can’t really compare numbers to last week. I will say though that I definitely feel more intense in my workouts. The point of failure seems to require more and more reps as I get deeper in to this cycle. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get my shoulders as tight as they were today. I know it’s partially from changing the routine, but being able to push myself harder is definitely contributing as well.

Side Effects
I grabbed my gym bad today while getting out of the car and it slid across my chest. My nips were a little tender this morning, cuz it caught me off guard just how much it hurt when that bag hit them. As I sit here this evening writing in my log, they no longer seem more sensitive than usual. I will monitor this.
 
Keep pushing, man! If nipp sensitivity continues, just add in 3 E-Control daily (am, mid-day, pm); that'll take care of it. I've had plenty clients (and members here) do this and it's always worked...great product. And stop touching them! ;)
 
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