Buddha's Alpha Male Cycle Thread

[buddhabuilder]

So much stuff to cover, and I'm just a week into this cycle. For the guys that pm'ed me about the reverse pyramid approach I bring in and out of my design, I'll give a quick over view.

The idea is to get your body to lift the most weight it can early in the session, with the belief that you will be hitting a strength curve after just a few exercises or even sets.

On the first exercise of the day, you warm up with sets of 5. A rule of thumb for your warm up number is, it is the point where, doing a set of 12, you feel your strength kick in, and the weight seems to get a little lighter for a number of reps. 2 or 3 warm up sets is all it take and your ready to pile your max 5 rep weight onto the bar, plus 5-10% and go for it. You strip weights off the bar only enough to hit a rep numbers like, 5/5/6/8/10.

When I move to the next exercise I do a set to, what I call "find my line" which is really just being clear on your form, and then back to the max weight.

Doing this every exercise every time is a short cut to over training in a big way. So you can keep it interesting by doing it for just the first, or first 2, exercises of each body part of a given day. I like to use it for every exercise on some days, and it is a great feeling, but should be kept in moderation.

This is a very clear example of how important it is to keep your training journal and pen with you in the gym. It is the only way to ensure you consistently push the envelope.

On cycle news, my voice has gotten noticeably deeper (I love that), and I am feeling a very relaxed vibe through the day. I have been throwing curves in the gym to shake up my body, so there is no clear weight increases, but there will be.

 

[buddhabuilder]

Yes, I am a mental health worker, and No, this is not an attempt to drum up business.

You hear it in the gym from some of the young guys. "She broke up with me for no reason.", or my favorite, "My parents threatened to throw me out of the house."

It is a core belief in society, and the media, that steroids turn the user into a short tempered, violent jerk. It is my opinion that they were probably all that and more to begin with, it was just escalated by a boost in energy and an ego pump from the increased weights and size.

If you find your getting short tempered, argumentative, more prone to violence, or any other problematic behavior when on cycle, please, schedule an appointment with a mental health worker as soon as your done with your PCT. If the behaviors are extreme and are causing you problems, cut your cycle short, PCT, and seek help.

Everyone would benefit from some level of talk therapy, myself included, and no one needs to be a slave to there past and the learned behaviors they developed there.

When I did my first ever, proper cycle earlier the year I couldn't help but notice the over all calmness I experienced from the raised T levels. I thought I had become more masculine during 17 years of natural training, and the 40 pound weight gain that went with it, but in hind site, I think I had just become more aggressive in order to cover for my insecurities.

Of course, along with the disciplined training and diet, interaction with sincere peers, and the responsible use of Test raising AAS, I have a sincere spiritual practice (they don't call the the Buddha for nothing), which I highly recommend to everyone.

I think body building as an art and lifestyle should include all these aspects to prove the rewarding journey it can be.

 

[muscleaddiction]

Well long time no see brother...how the hell are ya??? I will have to follow along here on this...good to see you are still preaching the lifestyle bro .

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using EliteFitness

 

[buddhabuilder]

Hey MA, good to see you. I've been sticking around EF since I got a job and have less time to post. I feel at home here, and its nice to have the good bro's. I promise you an excellent thread on this one. Please chime in with insights and avice.

 

[buddhabuilder]

So my reverse pyramid days are going to be straight ahead, meat and potatoes exercises All the stuff it is easiest to go heavy on while staying in form. The break down will be;

Push
Chest 4 exercises
Front and side Deltoid 2-3 exercises
Tris 2-3 exercises

Pull
Back 4 exercises
Rear Delt 1 exercise
Shrugs 1 exercise
Bis 2-3 exercises.

Legs
5 exercises, always starting with squats or DL

The interesting part will come in the second three day cycle a week where I plan on mixing it up. So far I plan on including Russian Style Spring Push Ups, Triple Super Set Leg Presses, 21's, and Cobra's.

More on these in the next post. Right now it is time to eat, which I haven't done in 45 minutes.

 

[nickb86]

hope everything goes well for you budda, I will be following along too

 

[buddhabuilder]

Thanx Nick.

I am really enjoying my transdermals as I get everything in place for the lift off of this cycle. My base is so right on. I came down to 226 lbs., which was lower than I wanted to be. I have been getting out for some dancing, which is the only arobic activity I will participate in out side of sex, and I definately leaned out a bit more than I meant to. But, I have been eating hard core 4000 plus calories a day and just keep filling in nicely. I am ready to tweak it to 5000 calories, and I'll throw in some extra carbs when I'm heading for a night out.

So at the beginning of week 3 I am already feeling a nice steady energy, weighing in at 230 lbs. and squatting 315 for 5. I'll put up a list of my big lifts in the coming week in order to show my progress. I have gone through my memories of exercises that stood out for one reason or another in order to keep things interesting. Right now I have a basic layout of 3 days reverse pyramid heavy lifting followed by 3 days of the same split, Push/Pull/Legs but with a different approach/intensity.

Today I added Spring Push Ups to my Push day. You set yourself up so you can do a push up on the ground with your fingers pointing at each other, right below your pecs. This keeps your elbows out, focusing the tension on the chest. Do a push up and spring up to where your hands land on 25 pound plates at shoulder width, once again keeping the elbows out, another push up and spring onto platforms set up outside the 25 pound plates (about12 inches high). Work your way up, then down for a count of one. I do about 6 of these, making sure to stretch the pecs out at the bottom of each rep, and follow it with 2 more sets.

It's not something you want to do everyday, but you come away feeling really full. The best way to move forward with these out of the norm exercises will be the gains I see with the heavy days, and of course the mirror.

 

[buddhabuilder]

Instant pain, just add intensity.

I joined a gym over 18 years ago in NYC so that I would have a place to take a shower. I figured I'd better do something regarding exercise and did the same chest routine for 3 weeks, not knowing that you were supposed to do different body parts, or eat, or anything else for that matter. The place was owned by Bob Fuches and Nicole Bass trained there daily. For some reason these people took a liking to me and started to show me some things, and that's where this routine came from. Nicole Bass' training partner heard me say I couldn't get my legs to feel sore after a work out, and I guess he wanted to teach me a lesson. The guy was a personal trainer and really knew how to work a person. In fact, between sets, when I was thinking to myself, "I could just walk out of here. I don't have to do this.", he grabbed me and said if I left he would cancell my membership. Memories huh? Anyway, I did it again today and it goes like this.

Leg press, starting at 3 plates and increasing 3 1/2, 4, 4 1/2. You start with you feet parallel about 10 inches apart for 15 reps, move toes out 45 degrees for 15, and finish with feet parallel again at shoulder width for 15. If you aren't hurting by the end of your first triple set, the weight is too light. 4 sets of this and your ability to control your lesser self will be greatly enhanced. Add chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo every morning for 15 minutes and I guarantee you, you will be able to break through anything that has been holding you back.

Some curls and extensions for high reps is all it takes to finish things off. Mind you, this is my light leg day. I'm saving myself for DL's on Saturday.

Oh, and in case you were wondering; full range of motion on every rep, from calves making a 45 degree angle with the upper leg at the bottom, to just short of locking out at the top. I will be watching, and if you cheat, I'll cancell your gym membership. It's all in Love...

 

[buddhabuilder]

First injection of the 4th week and I'm already getting that stretching out feeling deep in my muscles. It is most noticible in the deltoids, but feel it everywhere. It's all down to the eating, and I am jacking it up as we speak. I will also get an app for my super phone (yup, finally broke down and got one), later today so I can be scientific about my approach, which should have me hanging around 5000 calories, with a bump on nights I go out. I love Fridays. It is the only day I train late, so I eat every 90 minutes until I'm 2 hours out from the gym, take my prework out supps 30 minutes out, and then just let myself off the chain. The evening following the gym consists of social events where it's appropriate to have the muscles out, and it is a beautiful, relaxed feeling to be that full and pumped around cool people who appreciate a healthy life style. It is reverse pyramid today and I'm gonna start posting some of my numbers. I feel fortunate to have acheived a place in my life where I am comfortable with who I am, even as I strive to acheive my many goals. I feel I can express appreciation to everyone who has crossed my path, especially the haters, as it is thanx to them that I had to fight and find myself.

East come, easy go?

I won't be going anywhere anytime soon...

 

[buddhabuilder]

Thanx for the encouraging pm's Bro's. Striving to breakthrough our previous best in order to acheive the physique we choose can be a lonely business, and it is nice to receive support from the environment. I hope to be able to return the favor to all of you.

I was heard to lament at the end of my last cycle that my legs seemed to be lagging. I thought with a 495 lb. DL, and 365 squat for reps they should have been bigger. Well it appears they are catching up. I guess it was just calories and time because at this point my jeans are 4 inches too big in the waist and I'm just about to tear out the inner seems. I did manage to find a new brand of jeans that give me more room in the leg, so I won't have to take up sewing to remain clothed.

It was a great weekend of training, as I am already moving in on some of my record lifts. It is an all out discipline to hit my calories, but I probably wouldn't be doing this at all if that wasn't the case across the board. My basic diet is 3 lbs. of chicken/meat/fish, 2 - 32 oz. yogurts, 1 lb. of pasta (or equal amount of bread or rice), and many servings of fruit and vegetables. After that it's egg whites, nuts, and 2 protein drinks. I'm feeling some nice fullness, but have that "here we go" excited feeling bubbleing just under the surface.

Let's go comrades!