Yesterday I went and trained at the gym. My routine took me about 25 minutes and here is what I did; 1 set of leg extensions, 1 set of squats, 1 set of close grip pull-ups, 1 set of lateral raises, 1 set of machine shoulder press, 1 set of barbell curls, 1 set of high row machine(hammer strength machine) and 1 set of shrugs.

Now, that doesn’t look like much does it? And I’m sure many of you are wondering “Where are the warm up sets?” Easy, my warm ups are within my work set on the first few reps. My form is so strict and slow, and I’m so in tune with my body that I can get away with doing this. Therefore, there is no light or moderate sets to tax me any before my work set. I’m able to take a weight that most people would fail at just a few reps, and push that weight well into the teens and 20’s on reps!!

Your body responds to a stimuli, period. My body doesn’t say “Now wait a minute, he put me through hell with this large amount of weight, but he only gave me 1 set!!” No, it just doesn’t work that way, you expose yourself to something new and you respond, end of story.

I don’t train this way all year long, but I always revert back to this for about 6-8 wk blocks. Usually by wk 6 or 8 my body can’t handle anymore, and I need to back off for awhile. But a good. hard couple months of training this way will yield some damn good results. I’m sure many are wondering about injury here right? you’d think I was more prone to injuring  myself without those warm-ups huh? It’s actually quite the opposite, I’m less prone to injury because I’m coming back into the gym fully recovered every time.

Everyone thinks you need to do all of this crazy shit in order to grow, but sometimes it’s exactly the opposite. Giving yourself enough of a shock to grow, but allowing for adequate rest yields serious results.

But intensity is the key, you have to treat those sets like it’s your last workout ever. I may only do 8-10 sets total in a workout, but I leave everything I have on that gym floor. I’m dripping with sweat, I’m pumped up, and I’m beat up after I train. For that brief time frame, it’s a level of intensity nobody could possibly match training for 2 hrs straight.

And the beauty is, I’m hitting each muscle group about 3x a week and still making gains!! I sort of look at this like an inmate getting let out of his cage for a brief time frame, you just go nuts.

If you’re not making progress in terms of reps or increased weights or both, you’re wasting your fucking time. If you’re cutting up for a competition that is a different animal, but I’m speaking in terms of growing here.

It is my belief that this is the absolute fastest way to grow that there is when it comes to training. It actually takes more discipline to train this way than to go to the gym every single day, but mark my words if you do this you will grow rapidly!!

It’s results you’re after right? Then listen up!! I want you to pick 8-10 different exercises that cover your whole body, and train 3x/wk. It’s ok to switch them up each workout too. If you did flat bench on Monday, there is nothing wrong with incline bench on Wednesday. A couple muscle groups like legs and back take a couple different exercises to cover since they’re large muscle groups, but the biceps, triceps, chest, and occasionally delts can all be stimulated perfectly fine with just 1 exercise per workout.

Now lets talk about food…

Food is getting expensive, and it’s getting hard to find any way around it. Forget about egg whites, fillet mignon, and avocados here. This is building and those foods cost way too much money for a routine like this. This article is geared towards growing, period!! Fuck getting a little soft here, fuck having perfect abs (yes, still train them!!) this is all about slapping mass on your frame!!

For foods you should be buying ground beef, pasta, whole eggs, oats, whole milk, rice, and potatoes. This isn’t anything fancy here, we want calories!! A diet for gaining mass for most people around 150-180 lbs would be as such;

meal 1- 5 whole eggs, 1 glass whole milk, bowl of oatmeal (the milk is for the calories and protien, dont worry about the sugar right now)

meal 2- 1/2 lb ground beef, cup of rice

meal 3- large glass of whole milk, half-1 box of macaroni and cheese

meal 4- 1/2 lb ground beef, large bowl of oatmeal, salad

meal 5- home made weight gain shake, made from whole milk, peanut butter, oats, 2 eggs, chocolate syrup

Fuck eating clean right now, go this route for 6 weeks!!! Your new strength will help burn more calories anyways, you wont add much fat in just a couple months on this. Keep cardio brief, just 20 min a session 3x/wk!!

When it comes to steroids the cheapest one that will put on the most strength in my book is DBOL.

I’m not one of these guys that say’s you NEED TEST in every cycle. I’ve done a few DBOL only cycles in the early years and had good results. My sweet spot was 35mg/day.

You should be able to get a couple hundred dbol’s for $100-$200 gym prices. Sometimes much cheaper depending on where you go.

Grab some dbol and clomid, if budget is an issue this is fine and it’ll get you by. You can easily pack on 20-30 lbs in 2 months by combining this style of training with the food and the dbol tabs.

Personally I don’t use dbol anymore for other reasons, but as a beginner I did and it got me big and strong!! Dbol will make you stupid strong, give it about 5-6 days to get in your system and you definitely know you’re on something.

If budget is an issue, and you still want to pack on some mucho muscle, follow my advice!! Over and out!!

John

The post HIT training, food, and dbol!! Major gains on a budget appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

In this post I will talk about the hottest steroid on the market right now, and that is ANAVAR. Anavar never used to be popular due to it’s availability and high cost, but more recently it’s become readily available and has dropped in price a good bit.

The stuff used to sell for $1-$2 a tab for a 5mg tab, but now you can find it for about half that cost, and often times they’re available in 10mg,20mg, and even 50mg tabs.

Anavar is probably more popular now because of fat loss customers and females.

Females love anavar, I saw a girl transform her body off 10mg/day of anavar for 6 weeks. This girl lost about 20 lbs, was tight, and just looked amazing from 10mg/day of anavar. No side effects, no enlarged clit, no voice issues, nothing!! Just a nice look and tight muscles.

For females 10mg/day is all that is needed. For males I’d say 30mg/day is the starting point, but the real results start happening around 60mg/day. It’s really no different than any other steroid in terms of mg’s to results. Think about it, 60 mg/day x 7 days/wk is 420mg/wk total. It’s no different than 200mg/wk of test vs 600mg/wk, the more total mg’s yields more results (to a point)

Anavar stacks well with almost anything, but I’ve found it to be better with dieting. The beauty of it besides giving me a hard and defined look, is it helps me stay stronger on a caloric restriction.

It’s also one of the few steroids that I’d say would be ok to run solo. If a guy is looking to cut up a little more, but nothing dramatic, then anavar is a solid choice!! 6-8 weeks before spring break or a cruise would be a good time to start a low calorie diet along with some anavar.

With good discipline and legit anavar, one can do an awful lot of changing in a couple short months.

I’ve always found any oral to work better in smaller dosages throughout the day rather than just 1 large dosage once/day.

Some of the larger mg tabs such as the 50mg tabs are actually a pain in the ass to me, because I need to cut them up. I’ve tried “pulse cycling” before (only running orals on training days in larger amounts), taking 1 large dose an hour before I train, and I never get as strong doing it that way.

A small and steady dosage throughout the day is what gives me the better results, and that is with any oral compound!!

The post Anavar 101 appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

There is always going to come a time when you get bored with a routine. After being in the gym for close to 20 years it’s hard for me to do something new, because I’ve pretty much done it all by now.

So I was walking into the gym the other evening and that is when I got the idea for this article. I knew I needed to change it up, and not just my workouts, my diet and a couple other hangups as well.

For starters I quit drinking caffeine before the workout and replaced with a Gatorade DURING the workout. I’ve grown sick and tired of relying on caffeine during the day and thinking I need coffee in order to get to the gym. Not to mention my sleep has been getting worse and I know it’s because of caffeine.

So I’ve kept my morning cup of coffee but dropped my afternoon cup. I changed my workout time to late evening after my body has had plenty of food and energy during the day. Immediately I was stronger. I have been training in the morning for the past 9 years straight, a change in time couldn’t hurt.

Not to mention, the gym isn’t crowded in the later part of the evening. That is good for this routine because you need to be able to get to a few different things without waiting around.

I decided to group my exercises together and do “rounds” instead of just 1 exercise, then another, then a different one, etc etc. I did 10 reps per set and did tri-sets for my first round. I trained back, and I started with lateral pulldowns to the front for 10 reps, followed by seated cable rows for 10 reps, followed by lateral pulldowns behind my head for 10 reps.

For some reason, even though there isn’t any rest between sets, when you think of the set as 10 + 10 + 10, it doesn’t seem as bad as “I have to do 30 reps.” Next I did a bent over row only I used the smith machine. You stand next to the bar and grab it in the middle with your body parallel to the bar, and row it like you would a dumbbell. You can really get a good squeeze and a super crazy range of motion since you’re just pulling and not balancing.

Then I immediately did a set of hyperextensions for my lower back, followed immediately by a set of shrugs. 10 reps of each for a tri-set. DONE, workout DONE!! Probably took me 25-30 minutes max, super intense, and my back was sore as hell today. I hit the sauna for 20 minutes afterwards, and last night I slept like a rock. I think dropping that caffeine during the second part of my day made a huge difference in my sleep.

Today was delts and abs. I decided to group together my exercises again. Today it was a set of seated dumbbell presses, followed immediately by side lateral raises, followed immediately by bent over lateral raises. 10 reps of each, going from exercise to exercise with no rest.

HOWEVER, after you complete a round of the 3 exercises it’s ok to take 2-3 minutes to rest before your next tri-set. I ran through this about 3 or 4 times. I then hit 5 sets of situps and 5 sets of hanging leg raises, DONE. 30 minutes if that, and I was done. Some guy tried talking to me about some current event on the news, I immediately cut it short and threw my headphones back on. I don’t want to hear that shit, I’m in there to train, not to hear about how fucked up the world is.

I really enjoy training this way, and I seem to look much more pumped up after the workouts now. I think I will continue to train like this for awhile. As for the diet, I’ve switched to about a 80% Paleo diet. I pretty much only eat meat, greens, and apples, yams, and squash for my carbs. I don’t really count the calories, I just eat when I’m hungry, but I eat natural. The exception is I still do a couple protein drinks a day for convenience.

As you guy’s may already know, a lot of what I write is based on something I’m doing at a given time myself. So here is a simplified list of what to do to change it up and try to kick-start some new growth or improve your conditioning.

1.) Cut out pre-workout drinks and drink a Gatorade during the lift instead

2.) Eat when hungry, no limit, but eat natural. nothing processed

3.) Sauna 2-3x/wk to improve skin, overall health, and help shed a little water weight

4.) Change your workout time and go when gym is dead

5.) Group your exercises together in 2-3 different exercises and think of your exercises as “rounds” performing 3-4 rounds

6.) Train abs at least 3x/wk

7.) Perform cardio at least 1 day/wk outdoors instead of in the gym

OVER AND OUT!!! -John

The post Supercharge your workouts!!! appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

My chest used to be a weak body part for me. For about the first 5 years I was in the gym, my stupid chest just wouldn’t grow in proportion to the rest of me. When I stood there and you looked at me from the front, my shoulders and lats overpowered my chest and this caused my chest to appear much smaller than it really was. Of course my chest was larger than the average person or gym goer, but it wasn’t a great body part for me. I started experimenting with some things and before you know it, my chest was on it’s way to looking much better.

The first thing I’m going to cover here, is you’re genetically 1 of 3 different types of bench pressers. You’re either a shoulder presser, a chest presser, or a tricep presser. If you’re a chest presser that’s awesome, you probably don’t need this article. If you are a shoulder presser or a tricep presser, then pay attention!!

What you need to do is find movements that feel more natural to your chest. I occasionally use a barbell for presses, but to be honest with you I never got the same feeling in my pecs from using barbells. It always seems like my shoulders become zapped before the rest of me does. Dumbbells always seemed to work better for me, and I know I sound like a broken record here, but I’m still a firm believer in doing push-ups and weighted push-ups. I can knock out a set of push-ups and my chest is blown up and pumped much more than a set of barbell presses. So that tells me a push-up is a more natural movement. Another thing about a push-up is I feel it in all chest, not shoulders.

Now, here is a little trick you can do with push-ups to get an even deeper feel in the muscle. When you come down to the floor, let your upper chest/chin touch the floor and leave your stomach elevated. You kind of look forward a little, and your lower chin/upper chest area will almost touch the ground at the same time. This is a similar effect to doing an incline press to the neck for your upper pecs, only in a natural push-up motion. I also do something I call a “posing push-up” and this is a very slow push-up where I squeeze my chest like I’m posing for an audience. Each rep is slow and held for about the time it would take to hit a pose in a bodybuilding show, before moving to the next pose. I actually take my hands and try to pull them inward towards each other as they are planted on the floor, to cause the inside of my pecs to contract more.(Sort of like a most muscular pose in a bodybuilding contest)

On dumbbells you need to keep those elbows tucked in more near your ribs. Let your elbows glide back and forth near your ribs as you press. Also, stop the weight about a 8-12″ short of lockout, and stop it about 2-3″ short of chest level on the descent. This will keep constant tension on your pecs and time under tension is how you’re going to make that chest grow more. Think of your reps as short little bursts that spring off your chest. Think of your chest as a spring, as the weight comes down elbows are tucked in and everything is tight, then that spring comes undone and blasts the weight back up. Also, there will come a point where a heavier weight is going to force your shoulders to do a lot of the work, because you will do anything you can to press it and not fail. So my advice would be to grab a weight about 10-20 lbs lighter than you know you can do, and focus on that form and feel the motion in your chest. Remember, we aren’t just pushing weights here, we are feeling the muscles that we are trying to work through the movement!!

Smith machine presses are something I do as well. The smith machine will allow you to really focus on the pump and the burst reps (or 3/4 reps) I don’t really categorize this as a normal barbell press, because you have the ability to move up or down the bar a little and press up in a consistent plane of motion that would be more difficult with a regular bench press. Also, another thing you guys want to do is keep your hands slightly narrower. If chest is a weak point for you then taking a wide grip isn’t really ideal. I’d put my hands about 4-5″ further away than what would be considered a close grip press for triceps. Again, stop short of your chest on the negative and a good 8-12″ short on the lockout. When you see these videos of these pro bodybuilders doing this, and everyone says, “His form is absolutely shitty.” Well, that is why. They are doing it to keep constant tension on the muscles being trained.  They know what they’re doing, trust me.

Hammer strength or Nautilus machines are good too. Machines have their place in blasting your stubborn chest also. A machine is good to take advantage of the short burst and focus on the pump more. I don’t think I’d start on machines as a new guy, but once you have a decent amount of strength then you can use a machine to your advantage if you are working a stubborn chest and trying to stimulate new growth.

I personally do away with fly’s every once in awhile. Let’s be real here, you aren’t going to make any leaps and bounds because you started adding in chest fly’s into your routine. The bicep is going to stat taking the brunt of the work once you get to a certain poundage, and that is all there is to it. I’d definitely leave them out for awhile, maybe later on after your chest grows a little more you can throw them back in, but not performing fly’s isn’t going to hurt you a damn bit. So here are 2 different chest routines I’ve come up with that have helped me out a lot.

ROUTINE A

Low incline smith machine presses – 3-4 sets of 8-12

Hammer strength or Nautilus flat press machine – 3-4 sets of 8-12

push-ups/weighted push-ups – 4-5 sets of 25

ROUTINE B

Low incline dumbbell presses – 3-4 sets of 10-15

Flat dumbbell presses – 3 sets of 8-12

posing push-ups – 3 sets of 8-10

There you have it! If that chest is stuck then try some of my tactics. I’ve learned how to make my stubborn chest grow, now you know how also!! Shitty part is I had to figure it all out on my own, you get to read it right here and apply it. I’m sure your chest will grow faster than my did!

The post How to get your stubborn chest to start growing again appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

I’m not here to say that anything is out of your reach in this life, but I want you to understand what is realistic in physique building for most people. Most guys will not go through what it takes to build a lean and mean 250 lb physique, nor do most people have the right resources and money to go through what it takes to become that size. There will come a point in bodybuilding where $$$ is the predominant factor that separates you from getting to the next level. Not just money, but other areas of your life can become severely impacted to put everything into just this one goal. So what is realistic? Well, I’m going to get into that and categorize a few different levels for you.

Level 1

This is the guy who just wants to be healthy and in shape. He isn’t really on any set diet, but he works hard and he exercises on the regular. Working out isn’t life’s #1 priority. He may have played sports in high school or college, and as long as he can stay in some sort of decent physical shape 20 years later and beyond, it’s good enough for him. He is probably about 15-175 lbs at average bodyfat to slightly lower, or he may be a little heavier and working out on the regular to try to get some of his youth back or keep from gaining bodyfat. His grocery bill isn’t any more money than your average person and once in awhile he buys a jug of protein powder. All in all he is a well rounded guy, but this is as far as he is going to go cosmetically. Occasionally he does a “mud run” with the guys from work or something like that once a year.

Level 2

This is a guy who spends a little more money on food because he eats clean and he buys supplements on the regular. He has cycled a few times in the past or maybe once or twice he will still hit one, but he doesn’t spend a lot of money on it. He still has his priorities in line, but if you saw him he looks like he has been at it awhile and is obviously more muscular than most people. He looks good and obviously isn’t going to stop working out anytime soon. He makes bodybuilding a major part of his life and this guy may be anywhere from 180-225 lbs fairly lean. He may decide to compete in bodybuilding here or there as a personal goal, but he isn’t looking to go anyplace with it and understands that a contest is just a short term goal and part of his lifestyle. However, between his grocery bill, supplements, possible hormone replacement(or any other drugs or ancillaries he uses) his monthly cost of bodybuilding is still $700-$1000 USD, and that is being conservative. This means he gets about $150/wk to spend on groceries, $100/month on protein powder (take out protein powder and add difference into more groceries, still the same either way) and let’s just say $300 a month here and there is he uses steroids, or other ancillaries, or maybe even part of the cost of hormone replacement or Dr. visits or whatever. Just call it $700-$1000 a month, and that is being EXTREMELY CONSERVATIVE. If he makes more $$$ then maybe this number goes to $1500/month or so. Either way, he is still a regular Joe who just prioritizes life a little differently and puts his physique pretty high. This is the category I would fall into, as well as most other guys I know who obviously look larger and more defined in the gym.

Level 3

This is a guy who spends any extra money he has on more shit to take. If he has an extra $1000 then he will buy $1000 more worth of steroids. He will do whatever it takes to become huge. If he isn’t a walking billboard for bodybuilding then in his mind he is no good. Other areas of his life may absolutely suck, such as relationships, living situations, work, and general mental health. He is probably obsessive compulsive to a larger degree than most, and probably socially fucked up as well. Without bodybuilding he is nothing,  and as long as he can bodybuild then he doesn’t give a rats ass about anything else in life. Unfortunately, this is pretty much what it takes to become a professional bodybuilder now. Maybe there are a few guys who are an exception to the rule, but most guy’s fall right into this category. National level guy’s may even be worse, because they are struggling to get there. I know a guy who dropped 50 g’s in one year, and he doesn’t even compete in the Nationals. He is just that dependent on steroids and HGH!!

Have you ever seen the movie Rocky IV? Well it’s a nice story, but in real life Rocky would have had his ass handed to him. In this movie, Ivan Drago is a Russian Boxer with every advantage. He is bigger, stronger, uses steroids, weight trains on high tech equipment, punches more pressure, etc etc. Well, Rocky goes to Russia to train for the fight. He is staying in a cabin in the middle of nowhere and for training he runs through the snow, chops firewood, does pull-ups, he basically roughs it. The movie tries to show you that this guy wants it so bad that his hard work eventually pays off. His roughneck training in the middle of nowhere ends up reigning supreme.

Well life is no fairy tale story, and in bodybuilding that is fucking bullshit. We all want it bad, and we all work hard and to the point of falling over!! Actually, there are many guys working half as hard that would beat the shit out of most people. It’s $$$$$$$. Yes, genetics too, but at the end of the day it’s fucking $$$$$. I’m not trying to sink anyone’s ship here, but it’s better you hear it now and stop wasting your time on unrealistic goals, than continue to strive for some pipe dream that you do not have the financial means to get to. This isn’t just doing a couple cycles a year and saying “I want to be a pro bodybuilder.” This is a very large financial commitment every month, and how much bread you have to spend is a determining factor in how your physique is going to look.

But this is no reason not to try and be your best right? I still continue to bust my ass and be everything I can. The look I’ve always wanted to have I’m very close to having. Hell, I’ve probably surpassed that, but my perception of myself is different as I progress. But even the level of development I’m at takes a huge commitment, $$$, and living a lifestyle that is a little different than most and prioritized around the gym and nutrition. Most people would tell you that I’m not a well rounded individual, but I think there is a fine line between “well rounded” and “dedicated.” If someones definition of “well rounded” means not eating bullshit, drinking to the point of getting drunk every week, or missing meals on the regular, then consider me square as a motherfucker!!

When I was a teenager I didn’t know any of this, and I think that is what I miss most about the beginning. Everything was achievable to me, and although I knew steroids were part of the game, I had no idea to what degree and to what $$$$ mark they were. But look at this article as not ruining your dreams with the truth, look at this as a means to get better!! Think about it, if you know what the deal is straight out of the gate, then you know at what point to change your plan of attack or your goals. For example, if the biggest I’ve been for the past 4 years in a row is 230 lbs (and that was with numerous steroid cycles) then why in the hell would the same game plan put me up to 240 lbs? After almost 20 years in the gym it won’t. But, what if instead of trying to add mass, I changed my goal to become more defined while still maintaining a good 220-230 lbs? So now, I include cardio on a regular basis, where as before I may shrug it off and tell myself that cardio won’t help me add as much weight. In the end I walk around a good, quality 220-230 lbs instead of a walking block at 240-250 lbs. There comes a point where continually trying to throw on weight is only kidding yourself.

As a new guy, yes you need to work on gaining size!! You need to eat, eat, and eat some more. But just know that when you’re at level 2, your going to be at level 2 unless you make some serious sacrifices. These sacrifices probably won’t be long lived until you either A. Have health problems B. Go to jail or C. realize you’ve thrown away a good portion of your life and turn into an alcoholic or recreational drug user.

Find the fine line and walk it for the long haul!!

The post What level can you get to? appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

The best steroid bang for your buck?

Tren was pretty much unheard of until the mid-late 90’s.

Guys used to use these cattle implants and heat them up in a spoon over an open flame, draw the shit right up into a needle and inject it.

I’ve even heard of morons who used a cattle implant gun and shot them into their asses back in the day. Then came the conversion kits. Someone figured out that you can dilute the pellets down with benzyl alcohol and benzyl benzoate, run the solution through a coffee filter or syringe filter, throw it in a vial, and wallah you had homemade trenbolone. And it worked extremely fucking well too!!!

This is where I came into it, I used to do these conversions all the time, it was cheap and easy and I got great results. I’ve seen little of this around anymore, and to be honest I don’t even know if they still sell the implants. The last time I looked I had trouble locating them.

But let’s talk about the product itself, what it is, and what it does.

Trenbolone is a hormone that started out for cattle to increase mass in a very short time frame before they went to the slaughter house (given to them about 60 days prior to slaughter). So you can imagine this is pretty powerful stuff right here. Although I no longer use tren, I must say that if I was going to prepare for another bodybuilding event I’d use it again.

It’s harsh on the body, harsh on the prostate, harsh on the lungs, and harsh on your sleep, but there is no other product (in my honest opinion) that does what tren does, and does it as cheaply.

Tren is the absolute most bang for your buck you will find in the world of steroids.

There is no water retention, it doesn’t convert to estrogen, and it has cortisol lowering effects to it (which can definitely help fat loss and growth, since cortisol is the enemy.) Some users may experience a “tren cough” where you experience uncontrollable coughing for a few minutes post injection, but this is a very small percentage of people using tren.

Cardio function can also be slightly impacted as breathing seems a little shallower when taking tren, but this was nothing that kept me from doing cardio or having decent workouts. Maybe I noticed it a little bit, but it was really nothing.

But then again, I never abused this stuff and I stuck to mostly 300mg/wk dosing. I have went as high as 600mg/wk before, and I will tell you that side effects became much worse with no added benefit for me. I’d stick to 300mg/wk.

I used to inject on a mon/wed/fri schedule. Everyplace you read wants to tell you to use it everyday, but I had zero issues with sticking to a 3x/wk injection pattern with tren.

Most of your tren is going to either be 75mg/ml or comes as 100mg/ml. Therefore you will be using 3cc’s/wk and each vial will get you 3.3 weeks.

You want to use tren around 6-8 wks per cycle, so you’re going to need 2 vials of it, possibly 3. Tren is not to be used alone, as the side effects are undesirable enough with testosterone, without test and it’d be a nightmare. I could see severe depression being a big side of tren with no test in the mix.

Tren also makes you aggressive, and I don’t give a shit who say’s what to defend it. Tren makes you edgy, period. I’m not saying it’s something you can’t control, but it was there for me every time I had ever used it. Out of anything I have ever used (which is pretty much 80% of steroids readily available to bodybuilders) tren made me the edgiest. HOWEVER, it also helped me look my best.

At this point my cycles are pretty much limited to primobolan, masteron, test, deca, EQ, anavar. But does 500mg/wk of primobolan outperform 500mg/wk of tren? Fuck no, but it costs 5x more money than tren.

I’d be willing to bet that about 90% of bodybuilding competitors who use steroids in this day have tren somewhere in their pre-contest cycle. You just cannot find anything more cost efficient that does what tren does.

One cycle I ran for a competition that stands out to me was 300mg/wk tren, 300mg/wk test prop, and 300mg/wk oil based winstrol for 8 wks. I looked absolutely SICK from that cycle!! I was harder than nails, vascular as hell, and pumped looking. That cycle was probably half of the amount of gear I would normally use for a competition, and I looked worlds apart from previous contest prep!!

Why don’t I use tren anymore you may ask? Well, not trying to sound like an old man here, but it’s just too harsh on my body now. I don’t handle the side effects as well anymore, and my goals are a little different than what they used to be.

I’m still tempted to want to use tren again, because I know what it does for my physique. If I compete again I’m not going to lie, I’d use it.

The shit is that powerful and it just gets results.

Over and out!!

– John

The post TRENBOLONE appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

Is your cycle gonna help?

I have several years of experience in the field of anabolic/androgenic steroids.

I have friends who have more experience than myself, and there is a common denominator with most all steroid cycles. The common denominator is system synchronization, and what to do in order to keep it right!!

You see, anytime you throw in an exogenous substance, whether it be a hormone derivative or not, you can severely throw off the way your body operates.

Some of this can actually be counterproductive if you aren’t careful.

Going too high on the dosage can cause this, compounds your body doesn’t work well with, rising estrogen/estradiol levels, compounds that interrupt sleep, are among just a few examples.

My very first few cycles in my life I felt incredible on. I felt like superman, and you couldn’t bring me down.

As time went on there were cycles I tried that made me feel like absolute shit. Sure, I may have gotten stronger and larger, but my general well-being wasn’t well. I began to notice symptoms of lethargy, stress, insomnia, and anxiety, to name a few.

I got sicker than a dog the first time I took HGH because I ramped my levels up too fast. Steroid cycling became something much different than it did when I first began. It took me a long time to realize things that I was doing wrong and finally correct them.

For starters, if something is making you feel like shit (outside of dieting for a competition, which is normal) quit doing it. Just stop fucking doing it right now!!

I want you to ask yourself a simple question. Did you get involved in this lifestyle to feel good about yourself and get strong, or to feel sick and decimated?? Then why in the fuck are you continuing to do things that make you feel the total opposite of why you got involved in this?

So what if you’re getting larger or more defined, if you feel like such shit from it then what is the benefit to begin with? Are you doing bodybuilding for you or everyone else? Ask yourselves that for starters.

What I want to talk about next deals with putting your horse before the carriage.

There are a lot of guys who are skimping with things they should pay closer attention to, and focusing on things they don’t need to be worrying about yet. For example, let’s say John Doe has an extra $300 and wants to get a few things to jump on. Do I have enough money for a small cycle?

The answer is no, I do not. If I do not have the money for HCG, arimadex, syringes, and everything else I need to go with it, then buying a few vials and jumping right back on is the wrong way to go about it.

A lot of guy’s think that just because they have an extra hundred dollar bill, they can go get something and become better. This is the wrong way of doing things friends. Especially if you don’t have the fucking groceries to begin with!! How stupid they are to go buy a cycle with money they should have used for chicken, lean beef, eggs, yams, and everything else a bodybuilder should be eating to grow.

I’m the total opposite of that, I will spend money on the small things before ever considering anything else to try to enhance my look, and even then it’s never coming out of a regular budget. There is no point in trying to run test/dbol/and deca if I neglect to purchase arimadex or aromasyn.

Then I’m another guy who may be wondering what the hell is wrong with me when I’m on a cycle and feel terrible. Not to mention, what if my starting estradiol levels are high anyways, but I neglected to get the bloodwork done before I got everything and jumped back on? It’s pretty stupid don’t you think? This is the fine line between reckless and proper usage right here. THIS MY FRIENDS, THIS, is what causes adverse effects and damage!!

Put your health first, then if you want to cycle moderate amounts in a responsible manner, more power to you!!

I come across too many guy’s nowadays who want steroids to be the motivator when it comes to getting back on the right track. It should be the exact opposite!! They should be getting back on track first, and then look for enhancement if they choose to do so.

These guy’s are always the same, they never seem to gain much, and are always in and out of the game. They never really seem consistent, and the sad part is they are usually running WAY MORE GEAR than myself!! I get asked in the gym all the time “What are you running right now?”

I tell the guy the truth, and he is in disbelief.

What he doesn’t understand is how meticulous I am about everything in the equation before it ever comes to the gear. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put off a cycle for something else.

I’m honest with myself, if I haven’t been hitting enough meals there is no reason to cycle. If my sleep has been bad, there is no reason to cycle. I look at every single factor that ties into the others, and only if I can say that everything else is damn near 100% will I jump on any enhancement outside of my normal hormone replacement.

I’m 34 years old myself, and I have a long ways to go in this life. Every once in awhile I need to remind myself of that. Bodybuilding is supposed to build you up, not constantly tear you down.

The big misconception is anytime you’re physically getting larger then you are “building up.” Not true. Just because you’re getting physically larger doesn’t mean you can’t be breaking down in the process. By that, I’m speaking in terms of general health and blood levels. Without health, there is no physique!! I repeat, WITHOUT HEALTH, THERE IS NO PHYSIQUE!!

If I cannot see the big picture at my age, then good luck making it to 80 years old with my life. I’d be lucky to see even 70 years old. If all I did throughout the year was look for what to use next, I’d be hard pressed to live a fulfilling life without things going haywire at some point.

Taking pills and shots short term is fine, but when you need to take them every single day just to maintain some degree of normalcy(because you fucked that up on your own) that gets old real quick. You don’t want to be that guy who is on so many prescription meds that the Doc doesn’t even know what is doing what to him anymore. You don’t want to be that guy on dialysis who is sitting in a God damn waiting room twice a week, instead of spending time fishing or taking his grandchildren someplace.

Trust me, I know how it is with bodybuilding. It’s extremely difficult to be motivated when you’ve seen yourself at a certain level before, and know that in order to go beyond that level you’re going to have to get more extreme than last time. And last time was about as extreme as you could get, going 110%.

I understand where some of you are at. But if there is any knowledge I can share here it’s this; take a few steps back and look at the basics and your overall health before ordering anything new or continuing to blast, blast, blast. There is going to have to be downtime to get everything back in sync, THERE HAS TO BE!!!

This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, remember that!!!

Over and out!!

-John

The post Steroids, health, and system sync!! appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

What can a bodybuilder with diabetes eat?

When I tell people I’m diabetic, they look at me like I’m joking.

They find it hard to believe that here is this muscled up guy, with relatively low body fat, who is a diabetic. Often times when we think of a diabetic we think of someone who has made poor food choices their whole life, is overweight, and often lazy. Well things aren’t always as they appear.

I was diagnosed with diabetes over a year ago, and was borderline diabetic the year prior. I have asked myself over and over again what could have caused this. Was it steroid use over the years? Was it massive food consumption and carbs? Was it just in my cards since I have a family history of auto immune disorders?(mother has chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia) The thing is I’ll never know. My best guess is a perfect storm of limited sleep, excessive dieting which caused my liver to dump glucose into my body instead of food, and elevated cortisol levels for far too long.

You see, I never really stopped dieting after this show I competed in back in 2009. I stayed very lean year round, and ate like I was contest prepping all the time. But that’s neither here nor there, it is what it is now.

Just before I was diagnosed with diabetes I noticed how thirsty I was all the time. It was worse at night, I just could not drink enough water to satisfy myself. I could literally drink 5-6 20 oz. bottles of water within an hour, and still felt thirsty.

I also noticed how tired I was. I would wake up, go to the gym, and an hour later I felt like going back to sleep again. Then when it really was time to go to sleep at night, I could not fall asleep for shit!! I tossed and turned, woke up every couple hours, and day in and day out this was how it was for a couple months.

I also noticed how irritable I was after eating a cheat meal. It seemed like every time I had a high calorie cheat meal it was like a light switch had been flipped and I turned into an instant asshole. It was so bad that my wife would say “I’ll make sure I go someplace after you eat this, because you’re going to be nasty acting.”

I went to my Dr. and had some blood drawn. When I went back for my follow up I told him right up front “I’m probably diabetic” and when he looked at my labs the first words out of his mouth were “Holy shit!!” That is not something you want to hear the Dr. tell you, trust me.

I went back for a glucose tolerance test a few days later. I thought that if I fasted for 12 hrs, no big deal, levels would come down and everything was going to be fine. Not so much. I had my blood drawn that morning, and drank this sugary dextrose drink that is 100 grams of sugar. About 45 min later they come into the room and test my sugar, and I’m over 500. The normal range is 70-110 ng/dl. The nurse told me that just my fasted glucose was 350!!!

I couldn’t even finish the test, they had to give me 10 units of insulin to bring my glucose down. Then after an additional 45 minutes they gave me 5 more units because the initial dose wasn’t bringing me down enough. I’ll never forget what the nurse had said. She said “Your body just isn’t using sugar.” I sat there in that exam room alone, with my head in my hands. This was pretty much the worst day of my life. I was thinking that this was a death sentence and that my life would never be the same again.

I worried about bodybuilding, I worried about my life being shortchanged, I worried about not being here for my family and especially my son. My world fell apart that morning.

Then I was angry. I was angry at everything I ever took. I was angry at myself for worrying so much about food and growing. I actually resented bodybuilding, steroids, and everything about building muscle. I was fucking pissed off at the world. Then came the drive home. I drove myself home, and started to crash from the insulin. I got home and took my blood sugar and I was in the mid 40’s. Shaky, irritable, and panicked, I raided my kitchen cabinets for anything I could get my hands on to eat.

I ate a bunch of food, and then an hour later my blood sugar was back up over 400 again. I drove to the emergency room, and waited for about 3 hours. The problem was I was fucking starving!! I felt as if there was a hole in my stomach and all I wanted to do was eat something, but I felt like I couldn’t due to this “medical problem” I now had. Finally I said fuck it, left the ER waiting room, and went home and doubled on my dose of metformin.

I could go on and on about when I was first diagnosed. I could talk about the shitty endocrinologist who basically wanted to nickle and dime the shit out of me every week, or the diabetes “education class” that was the biggest waste of fucking time I’ve ever experienced. It’s pretty bad when you hand the nutritionist your current diet, and what she hands back to you is basically the same fucking thing, since you know more than she does to begin with.

Anyways, I was a diabetic and I had to accept it. I was down and out for about 2 or 3 days after I was diagnosed. But truth be told, it wasn’t going to stop me, no fucking way!! If I was diabetic then God damnit, I was going to make it my goal to be one big and shredded insulin using bastard, period!!

Nothing has stood in my way before, and I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way either. When that bitch endocrinologist looked at me and asked me “Do you regret the lifestyle you’ve lived and some of the things you have done over the years?” I responded with a great big “FUCK NO.” That was my last trip to the endo Doc, I stick with my primary Doc for everything now.

So onto bodybuilding as a diabetic. Ok, here is the deal with bodybuilding with diabetes. You are not going to be able to eat QUITE AS MUCH as you did before. You can still eat above maintenance level calories from time to time, but the days of “Bulking” are pretty much over UNLESS you take more medication.

You can still build plenty of muscle and eat 5,000 calories a day, but you’re going to need more insulin. I didn’t want to go this route, because once you elevate your insulin intake, it’s almost like it’s hard to go back to not using as much. In most cases insulin use gets higher and higher the longer you go on with diabetes. The problem with this, is the hypoglycemic crashes can get worse.

Also, in the beginning when your blood sugar drops you know it. You feel shaky, irritable, sweaty, and tired. The more often this happens the less prevalent those signs are. You may check your blood sugar one day and you’re down at 50ng/dl and you had no idea you would be that low!!! It gets dangerous, trust me.

I’d rather walk around 20 points higher 24/7 and take less insulin, than fuck with death while trying to make sure I was at 80 24/7. But rest assured, you can still be one badass motherfucker as a diabetic bodybuilder.

I searched all over the internet for diabetic bodybuilders, but there was actually very limited information on it. Of course I came across Tim Belknap, who was a diabetic bodybuilder back in the 1980’s. I read somewhere that he had a heart transplant or something, which made me nervous. I found a couple other guys who were amateurs, but in the whole scheme of things, there was limited information on bodybuilding as a diabetic.

The issue is, the diets advocated for diabetics are nothing!! God damn, the calories are so low you’d waste away!! So how was I going to go about tweaking things for myself, now that I was bodybuilding with diabetes?

For starters, I found a few tricks to use to my advantage. The biggest blood sugar drop for most people is at 10am. For some reason or another, around 10am everyday my glucose drops lower. Therefore, let’s say I woke up at 6:30am, checked my sugar and I was around 120, and my breakfast consisted of some eggs and a carb source such as a bowl of oatmeal.

Where normally my sugar would spike from the oats, and I’d have to take 4-5 units of insulin, it may actually make me go hypoglycemic since my blood sugar naturally drop lower late morning. Therefore, I may not use any insulin or only 2 iu’s. EVEN IF YOU DOSE IT CORRECTLY, 1iu PER 10 GRAMS OF CARBS, IT CAN THROW YOU INTO HYPOGLYCEMIA!!!

The body is strange sometimes, it reacts differently. One day you could do everything right, the next day you could duplicate it and boom, your sugar is dropping like a rock. Anyways, the point to all of this is I know that at breakfast time I can go a tad higher on my carb intake and not be through the roof on my blood sugar.

Another trick I found was the idea of “Inner workout carbs.” I will often drink a shake made of about 40 grams of protein powder, and 50-80 grams of some sort of carb powder such as Karbolyn.

I can get done training and check my sugar, and I’m perfectly normal, despite about 40 grams carbs pre-workout(roughly an hour before I train), and an additional 50-80 grams of carbs during the workout. Then post workout I can usually eat about 30-40 more grams of carbs and be normal or SLIGHTLY HIGH, but nothing bad.

Foods that I do the best with are yams and moderate portions of brown rice. I also eat half an apple here and there. Oats usually throw me through the roof on blood sugar, but if I limit the portion to 1/2 cup dry measure more in first half of the day, I do pretty good.

White rice and potatoes throw me pretty high, I now avoid those. Cereal throws me really high, and as for fruits to avoid, definitely stay away from bananas and watermelon. Watermelon is the worst one!! Strawberries aren’t too good either, blueberries are a much better choice.

I could write a book on this shit over what I’ve learned since I was diagnosed with diabetes, but I’m going to give you a sample diet of how I eat as a diabetic to gain muscle. Feel free to use this as a template to help you. And if you’re not a diabetic, you can use this anyways to your benefit.

meal 1- 4 scrambled eggs, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1/2 cup oats

meal 2- 8 oz tilapia, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup mixed veggies

meal 3- 1/2 cup brown rice, 8 oz lean beef or steak

meal 4- 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup veggies, handful of mixed nuts, can of albacore tuna fish

TRAIN/inner workout meal #5 (workout meal consisting of 40 grams protein powder in water, 50-80 grams of Karbolyn, sipping throughout training)

meal 6- 6 oz sweet potato, 8 oz Tilapia

meal 7- 2 spoons natural peanut butter, 9 egg whites/1 whole scrambled

That is something that I would eat right there on any given day. That is pretty much a spitting image of what John Doe is doing right now.

If you have any questions on bodybuilding as a diabetic, feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer your questions. And if you’re wondering if anyone else out there is bodybuilding as a diabetic, you have found one right here. If I can do it, you can do it. What one man can do, another man can do!!! What one man can do, another man can do!!

This doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Use this to your advantage to pay even closer attention to your diet and your health. I’m willing to bet if you try hard enough, you may just be better than you were before!!!

The post Bodybuilding with diabetes appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

I have to tell you guys, I get so many questions on topics that Becoming the Bull covers it’s beyond ridiculous.

Those who have read this book probably know exactly what I’m talking about. There is no possible way I can give someone everything that I want to give them emailing back and forth.

I have been doing this for so long and have so many different ways to skin a cat, that I can hardly touch on the tip of the iceberg when I reply to some of you guys.

What I’ve found throughout the years with bodybuilding, is there really is no one best answer you can give someone. You really want to give them them the education and you cannot without going into details and long answers that would be impossible to explain in one sitting, nor would they be able to be absorbed or comprehended by many guys without seeing the layouts on paper.

I wanted to give my readers more than just one answer to their questions, and more than just one plan of attack to build their physiques. I want to give you the education. When you pick up any bodybuilding book or reference guide, what you read about is exactly the way they want you to do the routine. Exactly how to eat, exactly how to train, and exactly how many days per week to be in the gym.

What you’re missing with this is the education.

Half of these routines and diets I’d be willing to be the author of the book hasn’t even done before. They tell you “Eat 6 oz of turkey and an apple at 2pm.” Really? So this guy ate exactly 6 oz of turkey and an apple everyday at 2pm. He never got in a jam, he never had kids to pick up from school, and life never fucked with his 6oz of turkey and his apple at 2pm.

Yea right, that is a load of bullshit. I’M THE GUY TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO WHEN LIFE GETS IN THE WAY. I’m the guy who says go to Wendy’s, grab a grilled chicken sandwich and toss half the bread, substitute a potato for the fries, and get a diet Coke to drink. I’m the guy telling you that you’re wasting your fucking money on product xyz, and to spend your money on what really works.

You know what this industry is good at selling? It’s great at selling people false hope, that’s what.

I don’t sell anything but knowledge here. I could have had affiliate sites with bullshit links to products a long time ago on Johndoebodybuilding.com, and I could have made money from it. You know why I haven’t done it yet? Because I don’t sell people on bullshit at any cost!!

I hate being lied too, and I especially hate being lied to from someone who could care less about giving me true knowledge and answers on the results I’m after. I wish I had someone who was honest with me when I first began this journey.

Guy’s………. save yourself time, money, and headache, and start growing and getting shredded today!!

Here is what some of my readers have said about “Becoming the Bull“….

Just started the back power routine today and it was one of the best workouts I’ve ever had. I was drenched in sweat the entire workout it took me about an hour and half. Got home and took creatine with 10 grams glutamine and 10 grams BCAA. Can’t wait to get into this program! I think I’m gonna need to buy protein powder to hit my macros.

Hi mister, I just wanted to write to you and thank you for all your blog posts.

I started reading your blog around x-mas last year and your articles has truly inspired and motivated me.

I bought your e-book “becoming the bull” a couple of days ago and really enjoy reading it.

Your honesty and knowledge and straight forward writing is really captivating and great to read.

Mr. Doe,

First off, the book is great. I’d been planning to buy it since you announced it, just to support your blogging efforts alone – after three years of getting bad info and not really making much progress, I’m finally starting to see some results because of advice that you shared for free. So kudos, man. I’ve got a young family, so cash for building is definitely limited but I hope to do either a gold or silver training course with you as soon as I have the scratch.

Awesome! Thanks for the prompt response.

Your book is great btw. Best life advice I’ve had. Thank you for it I really appreciate it.

Hey John, pleasure talk to you.

By the way, sorry about my english. I’m actually brazilian but I have been here in Australia since 1th august to learn english.

So, i purchased your book And really liked it. Good stuff! Congrats!

John, great book man. Read it in one night. I think the section about “having balls” is worth it’s weight in gold, especially for the younger guys out there. Sometimes you gotta just let it go and go for it. Personally, Everything I ever achieved was when I stepped out of my comfort zone. (Women, athletics, jobs). That’s just a fact. At 38, I found you have to constantly fight complacency in training…..and in life.

I’m a 67 year old x bodybuilder, I still love to train. I have a son in college that has been training for 3 1/2 years, he is very serious with it. Over the last year he has not made any gains. He is asking me about steriods which I took in the the late 70’s and 80’s that I used to compete. You and I know that eventually he will use them in the future because he is like me and he has more potential then I had. He is very symetrical just lacking the size and patience to put in the years of training. My question is; are the prohormones more dangerous? I believe you mentioned a product called Super DMZ 2.0 a while back. We are looking to do a 4 week cycle with an on cycle and post cycle. The internet is so full of ya’s and na’s. My son is asking for my help so I’m trying to go the best route. He knows the dangers, he knows he should stay natural but he still wants to take the next step. Hope you can help. Maybe you can do an article for us old guys who still dream. Thanks, we liked your book very much. Keep it up.

Hi John,

I have been reading your blog and have bought your new book. I have a question for you. Do you consider 67kg at 169cm good progress for a 16 year old who has been training for about 3 years? If not, what should be my number 1 priority if I want to get bigger and maintain my body fat levels?
I have attached a progress picture so that you can better understand my situation. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question!

Greetings Brother! Wanted to thank you for not only the awesome book but the the blog as well that I have been following for about a year now. You said we was entitled to one question if we bought the Bull before Sep 2 so here is goes …..don’t have one set question perhaps I just need to STFU and lift and follow your advice you see I’m at a turning point in my life I’m 44 years and about to retire later this month after 24 years in the Navy. I have lifted weights since high school but not as consistent as I should have don’t like to make excuses but partying and 15-18 hours a day at times on the flight deck of a aircraft carrier I made excuses. I love how it makes me feel but I would be going good for a few months and then stop for awhile then start the cycle all over again but now I’m older I’m more discipline and at 44 it’s fucking go time now! I really don’t care about competing at this point I just want to well become the BULL….really trying with the diet and supplements just taking liver tablets right now you and Victor Pride woke me up about supplements I have done a cycle with DMZ which I liked and I love the chapter on roids but since I live with my girlfriend who is a deputy sheriff I will not put her in the situation. I know Bro I’m rambling but my question is what do you say to a 44 year old dude who wants to be the BULL…..advice and pointers you may have not mentioned in your book? I won’t take up anymore time I’m sure you are getting blasted with emails. I wish you and your family the best. Take care Brother.

First of all, congradulation for your new book, its very interesting and full of useful resources, plus, the design is really good looking.

At one point you talk about taking your confidence in the gym in your everyday life to reach your goals. I like this part a lot because it is something that I would like to improve. How can I take that confidence I feel during and after a big workout and use it in my life? I always find I lack confidence at my job and with my interactions with others, im more timid, But when I hit the weights I’m totally different.

I also liked chapter four… any specific advice to hit on older women? (late 20, 30+) I find myself attracted to older women :p im 22

Hi John,

Just purchased your book and love the fresh new approach for a beginner’s program. My question is this: I have to travel upcountry for a week soon; what can I susbtitute in lieu of dumbbells/barbells for the concentration curls/shoulder presses?

Great book bro. I like how you added the bodyweight workouts to your
routine. I’ll be starting the mass building routine tomorrow. Hearing
your boy Dave’s story makes me never want complain about anything in
life. If I have any questions your my go to guy. Thanks bro

I needed chapter 4 the most after the victory I had this weekend. I broke up with my ex-girlfriend of 1 year and in a month I replaced her with the lady I have now. This was our first night we had sex and I knew I replaced that ungrateful bitch with a pleasant and prettier girl. In fact, I showed her what you said about deep tissue massages and she gave me a great one after sex tonight, hahaha

I bought it this morning and am reading it in one sitting after a BBQ I just had

Hi, I have emailed you before, and I thought that your advice was sound, so I bought your book and read it. I like the proposed routines, how most of them focuses not only on looking strong, but also on actually being strong. However I am interested in olympic lifts as well, and something I have been thinking about a lot recently is the old bodybuilders, who were just all around strong as well as big, Franco Columbo, John Grimek, Reg Park Arnold, Marvin Eder and Clarence ross etc

Hi John!

Recently discovered this site and have appreciated reading your insight very much. I think it falls in line with a lot of my own beliefs, as well as my previous coach and mentors, who’s opinion I valued greatly. Lower dosages, hardcore training, and great nutrition always beat a gram of test a week. and it looks AWFUL. So thats why i thought you’d be good to ask as you have more experience then me in the drug area.

THANK you so much John. Really appreciate your insight in to this. I’m still relatively inexperienced so it’s good to get some feedback from people like yourself.

Hey John,

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve read the book and it’s freaking awesome! I love it.

Hey man,

I just finished reading your book. Good job man! I’ve been keeping up with your blog for sometime now. I have a few questions regarding training that I hope you won’t mind answering.
A little background first…

I’m a 35 year old male who works in construction. For the last few years, I’ve felt really tired and beat up. Turns out I have low testosterone. Up until that point I never did any PEDS. Not sure why my levels got so low (low 170s), but I recently found a doctor that has Rx’d testosterone, HCG and Pregenolone along with an AI. I have been feeling much better and am ready to get back in the gym. That said, I have quite a bit of fat to lose. I’m 5’10 and weigh 235. BF% is probably around 25-30%, based on chart pics I’ve found on the internet. So my questions are…

Where is the best place for me to start regarding weight training? I’m looking to make a body transformation as opposed to win a bench press contest. How should I structure my workouts?

While I do admire a ripped physique, my goal is more to get into the 12-15% bf level. Working a labor job, really low carb and calorie diets make work much more difficult. How would you structure a diet for someone who wants to look good, but not necessarily a body builder?

Lastly, my doctor mentioned sermorelin. He said he would Rx me the medication if I wanted it. I wasnt really sure if it was something that would be worthwhile for someone in my situation. He says it helps patients slim up. Any thoughts.

Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.

Take care,

What’s going on John Doe. Quick question I like your routines in your new book

But I’m kind of thinking a full body routine 3-4 day a week plus a bodyweight day would get me bigger quicker. And of course eating a lot, just wanted your take as to what routine would be more beneficial. I’m 6,2″ 176lbs. And pretty lean. Thanks bro.

Hi John Doe,

First off, big thank you for this special offer and the rest of the book. It was a great read! While I have no interest in getting into steroids at this point in my life, the sections dedicated to training, life and diet were all really good. You definitely should keep doing what you are doing, despite the hard work involved.

I read in your book that you have always had big shoulders but it was your chest that lacked size. You see, for me I’m the other way around. I managed to get a big chest straight away from going to the gym. But the shoulders are more difficult to grow. From your experience, what do you feel works best for shoulders. higher reps vs lower reps? hitting them every day? presses vs raises and upright rows? I also do have a wide back as I am aware this makes me look wider but the shoulders I’m still not happy with. I just want to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Man, I’m so pumped right now, I won’t be able to go back to sleep! :)

I’ll update my dietary approach as per your recommendation and I’ll keep you posted on the results.

Stop spinning your wheels and getting nowhere!!

My knowledge and straight forward approach will change your entire outlook on building muscle, living life, and finding balance.

If you’re a fan of old school muscle, a newbie, intermediate, or even an advanced athlete, there is something to gain with this book!!! N

ot only do I talk about building my physique, I tell a story about building my life and my character, and how bodybuilding provided me with the tools that I needed to become a totally different person.

You can benefit so much with this lifestyle if you’re willing to put in the work and go the distance. If you’re willing to take the hits, and keep moving forward, then I can give you the battle plan!! Stop following the pack like a lost sheep, and start roaming the pastures like a bull!!!

The post What readers are saying about “Becoming the Bull” appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

Are you training to look good or be strong?

I like to look good, who doesn’t?

Most of the time I’m training for ripped up abs, striated delts and pecs, and those nice teardrops you can see in someone with well developed quads.

I’m usually never eating until I’m full, I’m consistently hitting abs and cardio, and there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t jump on the scale or look at myself in the mirror to see what the body is looking like that day.

Yes, I’ll admit it, I like to wear tanktops to the gym, and I like when bitches stare over at me. I love hearing the comments, I love being big and tanned, and everything else that comes with a low bodyfat.

But my best friend once told me something that stuck with me throughout the years in the gym. He said to me “Sometimes to get pretty, you gotta get ugly.”

As much as I like staying defined most of the time, there comes a point where you get stagnant always worrying about your look and level of definition. Your performance suffers, you get sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and motivation levels just drop.

Food plays a major role on how we feel. I’ve gone through severe bouts of depression from dieting, and I can only drag ass and feel run down for so long. Not to mention, eat diet food all of the time and your body gets used to diet food all of the time. It stops responding the way you want it to.

Have you ever noticed your sex drive going up like crazy when you eat a little more freely or add back in the fats? Yea, there is a reason why that happens. The body can only stand being catabolic for so long.

I also like being anabolic. I like slapping some chalk on the bar and breaking through those plateaus while I rip that shit off the ground. I like feeling those muscles fill up and get swole as I’m pressing 140 lb dumbbells on incline bench. Or that feeling when I’m squatting with 5 plates per side and I just feel in tact with the weight like I’m one with that barbell on my back.

The feeling of some fucking power also feels good. So here is what I would recommend to you once in awhile. I SAID ONCE IN AWHILE. I’m not doing this long enough to get “fat” by society’s standards. Yea, maybe a little fat for my standards, but my rule is simple; if the belt notch isn’t moving I’m going to keep going for the time being.

Now the thing is, you will think you’re getting fatter than you really are. Throw a shirt on and nobody would know the fucking difference, all they’d see is you growing very rapidly again.

You may think I’m crazy here after reading all of my other posts, but I’m going to be honest with you. Every once in awhile I base my diet strictly on performance in the gym. I will drop the headache of thinking of food subconsciously 24/7, and eat when I’m hungry.

It may be 4 meals a day, it may be 7 meals/day. Hell, it may only be 3 meals a day!! But the rule is simple; if my performance continues to get better, I keep going until the belt wants to move, then I think of dieting again.

It’s not just performance with weights, often times my cardio gets better as well due to increased caloric surplus. Instead of jogging for 20 minutes and having to stop, I may hit 30 minutes while continuing to be able to hit sprint laps intermittently around the track.

The weights don’t feel as heavy either, it’s not just the fact that I’m pushing more weight in the gym, they actually feel lighter in my hands. That is power, recovery, and anabolism!!!

Sometimes what we think is going to make us fat doesn’t make us THAT MUCH FATTER. It ends up making us big as fuck (with a little more bloat) but nothing that cannot be taken off with a good diet for 6-8 weeks thereafter.

So what do I eat during this time? Shit I couldn’t tell you. Maybe a bowl of spaghetti post workout, 2-3 bowls of cereal pre-workout, a double cheeseburger and a diet Coke for lunch?

Fuck it, whatever. I just eat, and I don’t dwell on the foods. Yes, I’m sure I’m getting enough protein but some of these foods are definitely not “diet foods.” However, they still have nutritional value to them.

What you don’t see me eating is a bunch of pizza, ice cream, candy, cake, and shit like that. No, not all of my food choices are the cleanest, but they aren’t the worst either. I’m not chilling at the Chinese/American buffet eating General Tsos chicken and egg rolls, and I’m not rolling through Dunkin’ Doughnuts.

And yes, since I’m diabetic I take more insulin during this time frame, which also pumps me up more. With that being said, I do not like the idea of needing more insulin long term so these periods aren’t very long. But yea, fuck it, I’ll hit a month like that every once in awhile.

But when it’s time to cut up, it’s time to cut up. I don’t bullshit around, and I eat super strict!!

I know guys who use every excuse in the world to eat junk, that isn’t what I go for when I do this. I do it because it enhances my performance in the gym by giving myself calories again. Just know the difference and know when it’s time to flip that light switch and go the other route and CUT,CUT,CUT!!!!

You’ve seen my photos by now, and I’m no Arnold Schwarzenegger. But I’m a fairly lean 220+ and I didn’t get there by eating like a bird all year long, that’s honesty in bodybuilding.

I speak the truth, I’ve never had 1 SINGLE PERSON who took my advice and came back and said “That didn’t work for me.” It all works, trust me.

-Train hard!!

-John

The post Cosmetic training vs. performance training appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

PCT therapy for beginners.

I have been getting an awful lot of questions on PCT lately, so this article was much needed. I will explain everything I can about PCT to the best of MY KNOWLEDGE.

This has been strictly based on my own experience and research, but maybe I can explain it in a way some of you can understand. The first thing I want you to know is there are different types of PCT I would run, PCT for a heavy cycle and PCT for a moderate or low dose cycle.

Most of my cycles are low doses or moderate at best, and being that I’m on test replacement anyways, the way I do things now is a little different than the way I used to. Without getting into too much detail, the way I do things now is strictly HCG periodically and an aromatase inhibitor during cycle.

Using an AI is a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE addition to a cycle and makes a major difference in how you look on cycle.

I like using aromasyn the best, and 10mg every other day is usually good enough to keep water weight off, keep me on the dry side, and keep me feeling good. Arimadex is ok as well, but aromasyn is my favorite one. Arimadex used during hormone replacement can be taken on the light side at 1/2 mg 3x/wk and for some even that would be too much. I’ve seen it prescribed as low at 10mg before.

Remember, the trick is to compensate here, and keep things in the proper ratio hormone wise. It’s not to overcompensate too much and thrown things off. The larger the cycle, the larger the compensation needs to be.

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone that is strongly associated with luteinizing hormone in men. LH is what tells your nuts to produce testosterone, so taking HCG keeps your balls from shrinking or can bring them back to some degree of size.

HCG helps bring back testosterone production in men faster after discontinuing a steroid cycle. HCG is taken by men on hormone replacement as well, because it still stimulates the testicles by keeping you closer to a normal HPTA axis.

In layman’s terms, it keeps your balls from shrinking and you’re still able to shoot more normal loads. HCG is far superior to anything else when it comes to PCT, if there was only one product I was allowed to use for recovery it would be HCG.

Next we have nolvadex. A lot of you are probably wondering what the difference is between arimadex or aromasyn and nolvadex.

Well, aromasyn and arimadex are aromatase inhibitors. That means they prevent any estrogen like side effects from occurring due to TOO MUCH testosterone. Nolvadex works a little differently.

Nolvadex binds to the same receptors as estrogen but it sort of keeps them occupied and does not allow the estrogen to aromatize. This also keeps the testicles from shrinking because nolvadex prevents most interference with LH.

Nolvadex would be more of something to take coming off cycle, and an aromatase inhibitor is something I’d take while on cycle. The thing about it is this; you want SOME estrogen, just not too much. If you knock it down too much then you will short change yourself on strength and size gains. If you don’t knock it down enough, you may get unwanted side effects such as bloating and gynocomastia(development of female-like breast tissue.)

It all depends on how susceptible you are to gyno. I myself am lucky, I’m not gyno prone at all. I have run numerous cycles with no anti estrogen at all, with no issues. Then there are guys who use 500mg/wk of test and get gyno from that.

As a general rule, to be the safest this is what I would do; on any cycle that is under 1,000mg/wk total, I would use 1mg of arimadex every other day. I would use 10mg of aromasyn every other day IF I was using that instead of arimadex.

I would include HCG in my cycle at 250 iu 2x/wk for 10 wks (5,000 iu total), and if I did not have HCG in my cycle then I would at least use it post cycle at 2500iu/wk for 2 wks, started immediately post last injection. The difference in using HCG during cycle and post cycle is prevention versus repair.

I had a really good discussion on this topic with a guy online and he made perfect sense when he explained it to me that way. He said he didn’t use HCG at all during recovery, because if he kept it during the cycle he felt there was no need for it.

But from my experience there is a difference in the amount of administration, where 2,500iu/wk will overall stimulate you more than 250 iu 2x/wk. So the answer is I run it both ways myself.

I use it in small amounts routinely or if I hadn’t used any in awhile I’ll take a big whack of it for 2 wks and then keep going another few months, and then do it again. It’s really whenever I feel like I need it. So I cannot give you really any ONE BEST ANSWER on how to use HCG. That is how I use it, and it works fine for me.

Now, on a heavier cycle that consists of more like 1,500-3,000mg/wk total, I would use 1mg EVERY DAY of arimadex, or 10mg EVERY DAY of aromasyn (again, aromasyn being my first choice) but my cycles are not this heavy. I stick to the old school ways, and I’m usually under 1,000mg/wk total, USUALLY.

I would take HCG during cycle if I could at the same dosages as above. When my cycle ended, I would most likely take a couple weeks of HCG at higher doses, say 1000mg/wk for 2 wks, just to be on the safe side. Most guys do not use enough HCG. Remember, being huge and ripped is nice, but we do want to keep some degree of normalcy in our lives here (like working testicles!!)

Now for a guy who does not cycle very often, or is just starting out. I would not stress over not having HCG or an anti-aromatase in your cycle.

The 2 most important things would be clomid and nolvadex for after your cycle. If you could get your hands on HCG then get it, but if all you had was clomid and nolvadex that is fine. Even if all you had was clomid that is fine if it’s a lighter cycle.

Do you think the bodybuilders back in the day were using 2-3 different products for PCT? Hell no, most of them didn’t use any PCT!!

Now, of course we find better ways of doing things as time goes on, but I’m not here to tell you that you cannot run a bottle or two of gear just because you don’t have all of this stuff. Having a few different products becomes more important when you cycle more often and/or use more.

There are always certain compounds that you want to take extra precaution with when on cycle. You need to research these things before you do them.

Steroids like anadrol-50 and dianabol I would probably not take without using nolvadex THROUGHOUT the cycle. A steroid like equipoise or primobolan, you could probably get away with using nothing during cycle and just doing normal PCT when you are done.

When I say “Normal PCT” I’m speaking in terms of 20mg/day nolvadex for 4 weeks post cycle, clomid started at 2 wks post last shot(if using a long chain steroid) and possibly 1/5,000 iu vial of HCG if you can get it. Clomid dosing would either be 100mg clomid the first 10 days, followed by 50mg’s/day the next 10 days, OR just 50mg/day for 3 weeks. You see it all depends on how heavy the cycle was.

Much of what is involved in PCT is based on how long a cycle was and how heavy a cycle was. This was one of the more difficult articles I’ve written because there is no 1 best way!! It’s based on so many variables; age, time on cycle, dosages throughout cycle, time in between cycles, and what you have available.

I’m hoping this helps some of you guys who have questions about PCT. There are a few products that I didn’t mention in this article simply because I’ve never used them.
I only write about what I know about. For questions regarding Caber, letrozole, or femora, I would research that online.

Maybe someday I will use one of those, but for now I will write about what I know about.

Train hard!!

The post Post cycle therapy explained appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

Will HGH give you the energy of a bull?

Everywhere you look now, someone is talking about the benefits of HGH.

People are talking about improved sleep, better looking skin, more energy, and increased energy and sexual function with HGH therapy.

We hear of men and women using HGH at just 1-2iu’s a day and benefiting from it, and we hear of bodybuilders taking as much as 20iu’s a day and making DRASTIC changes in hyperplasia(development of new muscle tissue) and muscle growth.

This fountain of youth drug sounds like the best thing since a slice of bread. But there is a lot about HGH you may not know about. There is a dark side to HGH that isn’t all peaches and cream.

When I first used HGH about 10 years ago I used a brand called Kexing. Kexing was a 192aa and not a 191aa, and a lot of people claimed it was no good because of that. Well that was false, it worked pretty decent for myself as well as the guy I got it from(who was a monster and had been using HGH for several years).

I ran it for about 4 months and then switched over to a brand called Hygetropin. These were the unlabeled brown tops that were the originals when Hyges first hit the scene. They were stronger than hell and worked very well.

Here is where I fucked up; I took my dosage too high too fast.

You need to ramp up dosages with HGH very slow, you don’t want to start off using 8 iu’s/day. The proper way to use HGH would be to start off with 2-3iu’s/day for a solid month, then try to go to 4 iu’s/day for another month, then ramp up to 6 iu’s/day another month, etc etc.

I decided that I would go from the 4 iu’s/day of Kexing I was using to 8 iu’s/day of Hygetropin. I did this for a week and I was fine. But everything that happens with HGH is based on what you did the week prior, and once those levels built up my body reacted in a very bad way.

I felt like I had the flu, and I couldn’t even eat half a banana. I had no taste for food at all, and this was on a trip to Florida. My stomach felt like a rag that was constantly being churned and twisted. I had bloating and gas that would make a dog leave the room. I’m talking about nasty gas that I couldn’t control that smelled like sulfur.

This trip was the most miserable trip of my life, and the worst part is there was nothing I could do other than ride it out and let the levels come back down when they were ready to.

I was in a hotel room on my trip and vomited. I’m not talking normal vomiting, I mean like projectile, exorcist style vomiting. I wanted to take a gun to my head I felt so rotten.

I came off the HGH for a few days, and then got smart and took my dosage back down to 3-4iu’s/day for a good while. I used the HGH for a total of about 6 months my first go around, and my muscles were denser looking and much bigger.

I didn’t need to use as many anabolics during this time either. The synergistic effect between the HGH and the little bit of gear I was on was enough to put me into some new growth.

Now, honestly I felt like absolute shit the entire time I was using it. I was not motivated to train, I was sleepy as hell pretty much 24/7, and the hand numbness became very annoying (another side effect of HGH). I didn’t touch HGH again for several years.

My next bout of HGH was about 4-5 years ago, and I started with Riptropins and then went to using Keffei blue tops and a brand called Asunme. Again I had some pretty good results, and I didn’t go above 6 iu’s/day.

I would run it as many days in a row as I could stand, and then take a couple days off. I felt much better the days off, not so tired. I believe my muscles looked denser while using it, similar to the first time. I may have lost some bodyfat, but nothing that was miraculous. I slept deeper and my skin did look better on my face.

Was it anything that was worth $1000? FUCK NO!!!

I got to the point with bodybuilding that I stopped looking at physiques that were morphed and cartoonish looking and began aspiring to look more like the bodies of the 1960’s and 1970’s. I started seeing the direction the stomachs were going and the waistlines and decided that I was not a fan of modern day bodybuilding.

It was so bad that competitors not only had these huge pregnant looking guts, they couldn’t even control their midsections on stage like they needed to in order to pose or try to hide it. The last of the great bodybuilders IMO was the Kevin Levrone/Shawn Ray/Flex Wheeler era. And I’m pretty sure HGH was being used to SOME DEGREE, but not like today.

I am glad that I never stayed consistent with it because my waistline didn’t take the hit from it. My midsection didn’t take the hit from it either, and my physique has remained closer to the type of body I find appealing.

Now, I AM NOT SAYING THERE IS NO BENEFIT TO USING HGH, but I’d have to say it depends on how you’re using it. IMO high dose and prolonged usage of HGH will absolutely destroy a physique and cause irreversible damage.

Abusing this drug will destroy the facial structure of a person, as well as the cranium. I’ve seen guys go from a handsome and chiseled looking face, to that of a mutated freak.

HGH is a great way for a guy to eat more garbage and stay lean. The days of discipline and working hard are pretty much over if you’re using enough HGH.

With enough HGH it really doesn’t matter as much if the diet is clean or not, just get enough protein and Burger King 3x/day is ok. This makes it much easier to get up to 275 lbs and stay fairly lean, if you don’t mind a gigantic GH gut and a Frankenstein head.

Get ready to go up a size or 2 in sneakers too, because your feet may grow more.

Day to day functioning on high doses of HGH will be very difficult. You may find yourself feeling like a zombie, not thinking clearly, lazy as hell, and so tired that you don’t even feel safe driving your damn car at times.

There were times when I would have to pull the car over and have my wife drive because I was too exhausted. This lethargy can affect many things, including work performance and comprehension. This was when I said this shit wasn’t worth it.

HOWEVER, for someone in their mid 30’s and older, who has REAL HGH, it can be beneficial when used PROPERLY. When I say used properly, I’m talking just a couple units a day. To use HGH to try to actually grow, the side effects were so nasty that I didn’t think it was worth it.

Something else about HGH is sometimes you almost have to eat a little dirty.

It has a tendency to lower your blood sugar and make you feel hypoglycemic from time to time, so often times a cheeseburger is actually more beneficial than a skinless chicken breast. But guys get carried away with it, they eat massive amounts of junk.

But you may have to throw in a little on occasion. The other side to it is if you already have blood sugar issues, HGH can cause the opposite effect and raise it.

This is a reason I can no longer use it even if I wanted to, I have issues with glucose already so taking HGH isn’t a good idea for me.

Another issue nowadays is the legitimacy of HGH and knowing that what you have is real and dosed properly. This makes trying to even run it at a replacement dosage difficult.

What you think may be 2iu’s is really a half unit.You may have just purchased 8 kits of HGH and you’re only getting the equivalent of 3 kits. Congrats, you just blew a bunch of money for very little benefit.

You definitely want to make sure your HGH is very real and most generics just aren’t real. Pharm grade HGH is what you want, something like norditropin or humatropin. These are very expensive but you know what you’re getting.

Generic HGH is a crap shoot nowadays, and the only way to know if it’s decent is to have it tested or have a good level of trust with your source.

Something else about HGH people don’t consider is the effects on the pituitary gland. If you take too much testosterone or use it for too long your nuts quit producing test, well the same holds true for HGH. Your own pituitary stops making HGH or produces much less from that point forward, so you might be worse off than before you started.

The upside to HGH is the results don’t just go away like they do when you stop using steroids. It seems to be muscle that stays with you much longer, since the HGH actually made new muscle cells, where steroids just made bigger cells.

So if there is any benefit to it, that is one of them. With that being said, I have found injuries to be more common with HGH, since there is new muscle cells, but since they are new they are not as strong and established yet. I always found higher reps to be more beneficial with HGH use, since they were just safer.

The development of secretagogue’s is really the new thing with increasing levels of IGF-1 and HGH in the body. The science behind them is they don’t shut down the pituitary after use since they simply activated it more, and the body did not detect them as an exogenous source of growth that wants to bind to whatever tissues it can.

So unlike HGH, the gut growth isn’t going to happen. HGH will bind to any receptors it can, including the organs and intestines, not just the muscles.

Secretagogues such as Sermorelin, CJC-1295, CJC-1293, and Hexarelin don not do this. They can be manufactured cheaper than HGH, and seem to be more readily available.

To be totally honest with you guys, I’d put my money on secretagogue’s over HGH now. HGH is way too much of a crap shoot nowadays, and pharm grade HGH is just far too expensive.

Unless you become friends with someone who has AIDS and wants to sell you their HGH kits, I’d personally go with the CJC’s or Sermorelin runs myself. This is the next step for me anyways, since I can’t even use HGH if I wanted to, because of my glucose issues.

I wrote an article called the “20 wk HGH/IGF-1/Insulin blast” awhile back. I talked about a 20 wk run of HGH/IGF-1, and insulin, with the insulin and IGF-1 used in 4 week blocks.

If you were to do something like this and had REAL HGH then I would run it. Just a couple iu’s a day of REAL HGH, and then come in with the IGF-1 and insulin. But to use several iu’s/day of HGH for years, not me.

You may disagree with me here, and that is fine. I’m speaking from my own experiences here, I did not feel good on higher amounts of HGH. It’s very easy to feel like you need to use this stuff with all the talk on HGH the past few years, but this is no miracle drug.

You have to go through some serious $$$$$ and living hell to get some mass from HGH. It was a commitment that I didn’t think was worth it myself. That is why my talk on HGH on here is very limited, I just don’t place much emphasis on it like everyone else does.

If you think you need to have HGH, go pull up some pictures of Arnold, Serge Nubret, Frank Zane, or Franco Columbo. You might change your mind.

I will have more talk on Secretagogues in the near future. I will share my personal experiences with them when I use them.

But to sum all of this up, does HGH have it’s benefits when used in proper amounts as a form of replacement, and when using REAL pharm grade HGH?

Absolutely.

Is it worth running a bunch of different generics to find something legit, spending thousands of dollars, and walking around pregnant looking for 20-30 more lbs of muscle?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Stay safe, train hard!!!!

The post The real deal with HGH appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

That’s right, just like the Johnny Cash song, I walk the line. Only I walk the line between size and definition, not pain pills and women.

What is the fine line between size and definition?

Well that all depends on who you ask. If you ask me, it’s about 210-220 lbs at any given time, fairly lean. I’m not talking about contest lean here, but it’s right around 8-12% bodyfat, and you could swing one way or the other within a month and be bigger or much more cut.

Now, when I say 210-220 lbs, this is for a man of average height (5’8-6′) and will usually require steroid cycles of at least 2 cycles per year or 1 really long cycle. This can be done with moderate dosages and under 1,000mg/wk total per cycle.

My normal rule is under a gram a week of gear and I feel that this is an amount that is better for your health and financially realistic.

Cycles do not have to be anything crazy, a few hundred mg’s of test with a couple hundred mg’s of deca per week, or a few hundred mg’s of EQ with 200mg’s/wk testosterone, something along those lines can give you the results to walk around at this size. You’ll be much larger than most guys at the gym and more defined if your diet is decent.

Walking that fine line is much more rewarding to me than the extremes of being super shredded and weak, or super powerful and fat. It’s really the best of both worlds, and I frequently take smaller time frames to either A. gain more strength, or B. lose more bodyfat. But I could take my shirt off at any given time and look better than 99% of most people.

I used to go through the extremes of gaining and losing, and eating and dieting, but not anymore. I’m always eating clean, but I may fall off the wagon two-three times a week as opposed to just once if I were competition prepping.

A good trick to do is to throw in your junk meal the day before a muscle group you’re trying to improve. I got great results when I’d throw in a high calorie cheat meal the evening before my chest day.

I found the extra energy to give me much better workouts and my chest has turned into one of my best body parts now. When I began lifting it was one of my weakest!!

Another little trick you can do is throw in higher carbs pre-workout and then post workout, and then go right back to dieting hard the remainder of the day. This will give you great results, and since the bulk of the carbs were near the workout time you won’t gain much fat, if any.

For guys on hormone replacement, I would recommend a cycle pattern of a shot every 4-5 days of a smaller dosage of something that compliments hormone replacement. Something like primobolan could be taken every 4th or 5th day at 150-200mg/shot while keeping your testosterone at 150-250mg/wk (I personally take 200mg/wk usually).

Another favorite of mine is NPP, or commonly known as fast acting deca. You can get away with taking this twice/wk and you’ll hold very little water with it, unlike regular deca.

EQ would be another suitable choice at a couple hundred mg’s/wk. Yes, under normal cycle protocols you’d go higher with some of these compounds, but for a guy on HRT, a 20 wk run of something in a very low dose alongside your test is a great way to maintain good size and feel good. I really just feel good running my gear this way!!

Some compounds I’d suggest for running alongside your test replacement would be; 20-25mg/day winstrol, 2-300mg/wk primo, 2-300mg/wk EQ, 200mg/wk deca or NPP, 50mg/day proviron tabs, 30mg/day anavar, 300mg/wk masteron.

With only winstrol being the exception, I would run any of these compounds at those dosages for up to 20 wks at a shot alongside my normal testosterone replacement dose. The low dose winny would probably be thrown in for an 8 week block if I were to use that. For myself, a 20 wk run like that, and possibly 1 higher mg cycle during the year would be how I’d do things.

As for supplements, a good quality whey isolate or whey matrix on the regular, a basic multi-vitamin such as Centrum(I just don’t waste my money on “vitamin packs” I think they’re bullshit and you piss it all out) glucosamine taken on the regular, digestive enzymes, and possibly 5,000-10,000mg/day creatine monohydrate.

I take stuff like this EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK, EVERY MONTH. I rarely take anything over the counter that I’m just going to try for a “supplement cycle” any supplements I use are staples and they’re factored into my monthly budget the same way a car payment would be.

As far as I’m concerned, the only major changes in the bodies over the past 20 years would be from HGH and insulin. Take out those resources, and the bodies would have never gotten much different than the Golden era. So I just don’t spend a lot of money on supplements that are “new and cutting edge.”

Now, if you aren’t done growing yet, then you need to keep hammering away and eat, eat, eat!!! Someone with at least 5-8 years in the gym would be a candidate for “walking the line.” If I tried to walk the line at 180 lbs then I would have never made it to 220 lbs.

It’s my personal opinion that a lean 210-220 lbs is the perfect combination of size/definition, as well as athleticism!! Athleticism is so important now, because a lot of bigger guys just don’t have that anymore.

I still swim laps, ride my mountain bike, and I can still run. I still swing a golf club, throw a baseball or a football, and I can ice skate and rollerblade fairly well. Do not let the size hinder you from doing things, your lack of athleticism and flexibility will only lead to far greater chances of injury.

MMA would also be a great extra curricular activity to compliment bodybuilding. you need to be able to kick, strike, and be flexible on the ground for MMA, training in this fashion would help you keep grounded while trying to further develop your body.

There is no point in building a powerful looking physique that is utterly useless for other activities!!!

I practice walking straight and not like a penguin, I keep my quads proportionate to my frame(a defined 27″), and I try and keep a tighter waist. A guerrilla-like ass and walking like you wobble just looks fucking stupid to me.

I used to walk that way when I was up around 265 lbs @ 5’9″, and I wouldn’t realize how bad it was until I saw myself on video. I try to keep it so I can still wear a pair of dress pants or khaki’s if I had to. Yes, my suits will always need to be altered because of the shoulder to waist drop, but other than that I can usually fit into a lot of normal clothes.

I wear an XL size T-shirt and it’s snug, but I like my clothes form fitting. I think that nice clothes that you can still fit into with a good physique commands more respect than being a walking block. This is where “sculpting your body” makes good sense.

If doing squats is making your ass grow too much, then go to leg presses for awhile. Quit listening to some of these idiots and start sculpting your body!!

Walk the line!!!

-John

The post I walk the line appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

The Underground Guide is Coming…

That’s right, you just heard it right here!!

I will be coming out with my next ebook reference guide for all of you guys wanting to put on some mucho muscle mass and get diced!! “Straight from the Underground” is the only reference guide to steroids you’ll ever need to develop the body you’re looking for.

This guide will cover everything from beginner steroid cycles, to intermediate, advanced, and hormone replacement therapy for the vets of the bodybuilding community. Learn about HGH, insulin, peptides, and synthol.

I’m laying it all on the line for you guy’s in this ultimate reference guide to help you develop the most shocking body possible!!

With that in mind, safety is always of up-most importance, so I’m going to tell you guy’s how to be legally safe as well as physically safe. I’m not telling you how to become a drug dealer here, I’m telling you how you can cut through the bullshit right now and start growing in an affordable and efficient manner!!

-BEGINNER CYCLES!!

-INTERMEDIATE CYCLES!!

-ADVANCED CYCLES!!

-CONTEST CYCLES!!

-HEALTH SAFETY AND TROUBLE SHOOTING!!

-HORMONE REPLACEMENT AND CONTINUED GAINS!!

The difference between other reference guides out there and mine, is I have lived it!!

In my guide I’m speaking of things that I’ve had personal experience with, and I’m going to explain these things in an understandable way to you. I may not get into molecular structure and atomic bonds here, but you aren’t trying to be a scientist, you are trying to get jacked and shredded right? I’m going to give it all to you right here in this reference guide.

This will be the only research you’ll need on how to run anabolic/androgenic steroids. THE ULTIMATE 1-STOP SHOP FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT KNOWLEDGE!!

STRAIGHT FROM THE UNDERGROUND!!

The post “Straight from the Underground” steroid handbook, coming soon!!! appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

When bench presses aren’t working!!

It’s so effective that I almost don’t even want to let this cat out of the bag, it’s like my secret little chest workout.

Forget everything you’ve read or heard about training your chest, it’s all the same shit over and over. Forget every bench press program to get stronger, every calculated pyramid workout that claims to add 50 lbs to your bench press, forget it all.

Just sit back, read this shit, and listen to me on this one.

First off, get heavy barbell presses out of your head for right now. If you haven’t made any noticeable gains lately then ditch them.

Week after week there are guys going in the gym and bench pressing the same shit they have been doing for years. They all say the same thing too, “Just add 5 lbs to your bench every week!! Baby steps!!”

If you could consistently gain strength that way then I would have been bench pressing buildings a long time ago.

Let me give you a new outlook on chest development for a minute. I want you to think of your new chest workout in 3 different ways.

#1- Progress #2- Stretch #3- Maximum Contraction.

In this chest workout we will be hitting all 3 of those things. Follow this workout to a T, and I guarantee your chest is going to start poking out more pretty fucking fast!!

We will start with an exercise that is geared towards progression in workout #1, then the following week we will begin with a chest exercise geared towards maximum contraction in workout #2.

Each week you will flip flop between these 2 workouts. The first workout we will use a machine. If you have a hammer strength line of equipment that’d be perfect, or a Nautilus machine. Some sort of pin or plate loaded machine. We will step away from the barbell press for a little while.

I myself am using the Hammer Strength incline machine (plate loaded). You will do 3 warm up sets here, a light warm-up, a moderate, and a heavy. For me this would be 1 plate per side, then 2 plates per side, then 3 plates per side. After your 3 warm up sets it’s time to lay the smacketh down.

You will load up the machine with your heavy weight that you want to hit for a certain goal. I tend to keep my reps at least 8 reps for this. My new benchmark is 4 plates per side + 10 lbs/side x 8 reps in good form.

Give this set everything you have and use a spotter if you need to, in order to blast through a sticking point on the last rep. After that one ball breaking set, you’re done with your progression exercise. Next time you come back around to that you will try to add at least 5-10 lbs to it, and hit the same # of reps.

Next we move onto the stretch part of the workout. The goal here isn’t to break any records, it’s to stretch the chest out and give ourselves a little break from the pressing motion before getting into the maximum contraction exercise.

Either dumbbell fly’s or a pec deck will work fine here. The goal here is to do 3 sets of a good stretch, challenging but not overwhelming. It should be a weight that feels good and you can control.

There comes a point where you just stop going heavier and heavier on fly’s all the time, because it starts taxing the biceps more without added chest work. Do good, controlled reps here. Try for a 4 second negative and 2-3 second positive…a true 4 second negative!!

After 3 sets here, out chests are stretched out, and we are ready for another pressing motion geared towards maximum squeeze.

Your last exercise will be weighted push-ups on a cable cross machine. You simply lower the attachment on each side to the lowest setting. Set the weight on each stack to where you want it. I’d maybe start with 20 lbs/side.

Now, attach both sides to each other with the cables. The connections to each cable will meet in the middle, and the cable will look like a trip wire. You crawl under this and the cable should be across your upper back. The intention here is to do extremely slow reps and squeeze your damn pecs as hard as possible.

I take about 4-5 seconds down, and maybe 3-4 seconds back up. NOW, HERE IS THE TWIST TO IT…… You are to lower you chest and chin so they almost touch the ground at the same time, but your stomach and legs stay up. This sort of simulates an incline press to the neck.

This will help you get that upper development that starts right below your neck that is so difficult for most guys to get.

I also take my hands and try pushing them towards each other on the floor, to stimulate more muscle fibers and contract that inner chest.

You are to run through 3-5 sets of these, with a rep count of 12-15 reps per set. The reason I use the cable cross here instead of plates on my back, is because the motion of the chin and upper chest touching the floor, it angles your body to where a plate may slide forward and hit your head.

After those 3 exercises you are finished with chest workout #1 for that week*******************

Onto week #2 now. On chest workout #2 we will simply change up the order and add a different exercise other than a machine.

For this do an incline dumbbell press, but not until last. In this workout you are to start with your maximum contraction sets and execute 3-5 sets of cable cross push-ups first. Only this week we will add more weight, since we are fresh on these now, not after 2 other exercises like last week.

Same deal here as the week before, only heavier weight on the stacks.

Next we go to our stretching sets, again using either a pec deck or db fly’s, for 3 sets of 8-12. And finally, we go to incline db presses and hit 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.

Now you will not be as strong on these due to starting with the push-ups, but don’t worry as much about the weight. Just focus on good, clean reps.

If I’m normally using 120 lb db’s here, you can bet it’s only going to be 90’s MAX after those push-ups and fly’s. This wraps up the chest workout for week #2, and the following week you revert back to chest workout #1.

This routine has been highly effective for me because it emphasizes 3 different key elements of development, rolled into one workout.

There is no better mind/muscle connection than a body-weight movement, let’s face it. A weighted push-up done for maximum squeeze may be just what you needed to start up some new growth!!

Now, throwing it in the mix of other things and changing up the order will shake things up even more. The goal here is to get closer to what you started with on the push-ups.

What I mean is this; if during workout #1 you only got to 30 lbs/side on cable cross push-ups, but on workout #2 you used 50 lbs per side, what you want to try doing is eventually getting to 50 lbs per side on workout #1.

Obviously this will be challenging because it’s after other exercises where you’re not fresh. This is a whole new way to get bigger and stronger than just trying to add plates to a bench press.

I urge anyone stuck in a plateau to try this chest routine. I know what it’s done for me lately, and this is after about 18 years of bodybuilding. Not to mention, very minimal gear.

Until next time

– John Doe

The post Blast your chest into new growth!! appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

Much of what I write on here is geared around what I’m currently doing and random thoughts that pop into my head. The routines and diets constantly change, so some of what I write may slightly contradict past articles, but my advice is to take a piece of everything I put out there and develop yourself with all of the tools I give to you guys.

I was in the gym a week ago and for the first time in several months I flat benched. I put 315 on the bar and it felt like the earth!! I used to perform this for 15 reps, and it was a bear just to get 6 reps last week!! It wasn’t so much strength as it probably was unfamiliar to me. I can pop up 125 lb dumbbells on incline all day long, but for some damn reason 315 on the flat bench felt like the earth.

I then went to deadlifts, and 495 lbs felt like the earth!! The positive about ditching deadlifts for awhile is it brought my waistline in tighter. The negative is I lost some thickness. It was then that I told myself I needed to revamp the routine and get back to the basics for awhile. Sometimes we need to revert back to what got us our massive foundation to begin with.

Another factor in the mix was the fact I had been staying lean for so long and eating below maintenance calories for awhile. The issue is despite how good I look walking around at a fairly lean 220 lbs, it’s been extremely difficult to have motivated workouts lately. I was feeling like I was starting to spin my wheels and just go through the motions. I knew it was seriously time for a routine change, and this is what I’ve done to change it up.

I had to remind myself that looking like a bodybuilder out of the Golden era was something I accomplished a long time ago. Sure, I may not look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I’m pretty damn close to how some of those other guys looked back then. I started going back a little more into bodybuilders such as Bill Pearl, Reg Park, and Chuck Sipes. These guys looked massive and not only looked good, but had the strength to go with it. I don’t want to be all bronze with no muscle to push it, so what I did was went back to a lot of basics.

The classic 5×5 routine would be my staple, but going all out 3x/wk for full body is too demanding on my recovery ability at this point. Therefore, I came up with the idea to go Mon/Wed/Fri with squats, bench, deadlifts, but on Wed. I’d cut my work weight in half and try a “speed day.” A speed day is where a powerlifter will use much less weight than normal but try to engage his fast twitch fibers more by powering reps up faster. Yes, I’m getting away from much of my time under tension principles, but not totally. After those 3 staple lifts of 5 sets of 5 reps, I will do accessory work in “freestyle fashion.” What I mean by this is I will do whatever I feel up to doing. On Monday I may do arms for my supplemental work, hitting 2-3 different exercises for biceps and another 2-3 exercises for triceps, in an 8-12 rep range with good, controlled repetitions. On Wed. I may do shoulders, back and calves after my 3 staple lifts. Then on Friday I would do something like accessory leg work such as extensions, leg curls, or lunges.

Now, another factor I wanted to take into consideration was the fact that 95% of my workouts for several years have been balls to the wall, and sets taken to failure. I thought it’d be a good idea this go around to stop a couple reps short of failure most days, to further aid in my recovery ability. This is a total 180 from my high intensity principles such as rest pause training, static holds, and extreme stretching. The goal here is to leave the gym feeling energetic and good, and alert and ready to go about my day the next day.

I also had to take into consideration was my sleep. Insomnia and restlessness can be a damn good sign of overtraining, and despite what many people will tell you, I believe overtraining is a very real issue. I was having very difficult issues with sleep and feeling like I couldn’t relax enough to get a good night’s rest. So I took this into consideration as well because a 5×5 full body routine can wreak havoc on your nervous system if you’re not careful. I knew there was no way I could go 3x/wk with a 5×5 routine, going 100% on every set. So “speed day” with lighter weights is something brand new to me, but I have to remember to keep an open mind to this if I want more results. Keeping an open mind is something you have to do when you get further and further into physique development. At this point I am not a sole follower of any 1 system of training. There are points in time and factors I take into consideration when developing a routine, or even training a client. Some things are good at this time, other things are not at that time.

While still trying to be mindful of overall health and cardio ability, I will continue to throw in 2-3 days a week of abdominal work and cardio. Therefore, days I do not weight train I will still train abs and hit a 30 minute session of high intensity cardio. I may still try to take a yoga class at least once/wk to promote flexibility. So although my new routine is only Mon/Wed/Fri, I still have other work I will perform to try to keep a well conditioned build while trying to add a few lbs of muscle and get my strength up.

Another thing that I am adding in that is brand new to me is sumo stance on squats and deadlifts, but this will be on my Wed. workout with much less weight. I want to get the form down and get used to this stance before trying to lift heavy with it. Like I said, this is something brand new to me. The issue I have (and most other guys) is there comes a point where you get to a certain weight you’re lifting, and body mechanics don’t want to work with the heavy weights. For example, on a conventional squat things start getting difficult at 5 plates/side for me. For a long time, 5 plates/side for reps is about the haulting point unless I learn how to adjust my stance. This is something I have toyed with before, but would quickly revert back because it was something I wasn’t used to and not as comfortable to me. Therefore if I work on this stance on my lighter day I can gradually get accustomed to it. Hey, it’s worth a shot right?

Last but not least, my diet needed a little more freedom and caloric intake. I have gone back to 1 high calorie cheat meal/day, and so far so good. I talk about that a lot in other articles as well as my ebook, and I’m a firm believer that you can eat all the chicken breasts you want, but there comes a point where added fat intake and calories is what your body needs to make more strength gains.

What I’m trying to say here is sometimes getting back to the basics is exactly what you need. I have found in all my years in the gym, and throughout thousands and thousands of reps, it’s sometimes about taking 2 steps back to take another step forward. Nobody wants to just be mediocre!! If you’re following this site then I know damn good and well you don’t want to settle for average either!! So that is where I’m at right now and what I’m doing.

Train hard!!!

-John

The post Back to the basics appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

Forget what you see in mainstream bodybuilding for a minute. I’m here to tell you straight up that you aren’t going to look that way unless you dedicate everything in your life to drugs, drug, drugs, bodybuilding, and a grocery bill that will leave you broke!! If you have a job, family, or any other responsibilities then let’s get our heads on straight and come at this from a realistic approach. Let me help clear the smoke for a minute and give you a clear vision on exactly what you can do to get in your best shape ever by spring.

First off, steroids are overrated. The real secret is the diet. Training you ask? Shit, high volume, low volume, 6 days per week, 3 days per week, doesn’t matter much to be honest. As long as you are challenging yourself and keeping things intense and you have the diet to go with it, you can look amazing!! And yes, on minimal supplements or steroids.

Do I use steroids? Yes I do. Do I use a lot? Nope. I probably use a small fraction of what most guys use and my physique blows away guys running 2-3 grams of shit a week. I know my body, plain and simple. It has taken me years and years to learn my body, but I know exactly what to do in the gym and how to eat.

I do many different styles of training and dieting, and I am never solely reliant on one particular style all year long. Sometimes I do 300 grams/day of carbs, and sometimes I do under 100 grams/day. It’s all about a battle strategy, and knowing what to do at what time. With that being said, part of your success with developing a jaw dropping physique is going to be having an open mind.

So let me enlighten you on something that you can do to get in extremely good condition fast. I’m talking about a Paleo diet here. For years I chalked this up as tree-hugger bullshit, but not anymore. My body has gone into warp speed lately and what I thought was about 12 weeks condition turned into 4-6 weeks condition after just 2 short weeks of Paleo.

I’m just sharing with you guys what has worked for me, and I don’t consider myself the ultimate source of knowledge here. But this has worked for me, period. I eliminated all of my carb sources with the exception of apples. That’s right, I pretty much eat about 3-4 apples every fucking day for my carbs. I eat lean meats, whole eggs, bacon, coconut oil, nuts, green veggies, and just drink water and coffee.

Now, how many meals per day? I couldn’t tell you that. I eat when I’m hungry and I drink when I’m thirsty. It’s totally instinctive at this point. What makes this so easy for me is its simplicity!! As long as I’m eating from these food choices and eating when I’m hungry there is no way I cannot get lean!! Grocery shopping is easy, food prep is nothing, and for the most part I feel pretty damn good.

The exception to this daily routine is about halfway through the week where I carb up just a tad more and maybe have a few yams. I feel like halfway through the week I need something a little heavier, so I eat a few yams. I eat no starches or grains. Apples, apples, and more motherfucking apples!! And my body fat is melting off!!

Steroids? I use 400mg/wk of NPP (fast acting deca) and 200mg/wk test, nothing more!! And 400mg/wk on the NPP is even high for me, as I rarely go over 300/wk. The results of this mild cycle combined with Paleo dieting has left me at virtually the same starting body weight, but my jeans are falling off my waist already and my abs are in pretty good. I haven’t lost a pound and I’ve slashed my body fat by at least 3-5% already (If I had to guess).

I really started this whole thing based on what old school bodybuilders did in terms of training, mild dosing, and dieting. I basically decided to mirror what many of those guys did, and really a Paleo diet just made sense here. And as they did in the 70’s, one day a week is usually a free day for me where I may eat off the diet a few meals that day. And do you want to know the killer about all of this? I have yet to start back on cardio!! I didn’t want to lose too quickly so I took time off cardio while adjusting to this.

So there you have it. This is exactly what I’ve been doing and it’s paying off big time!! And low and behold, my grocery bill has dropped during this time as well. Every here and there I still do a protein shake for convenience and cost effectiveness, but other than that it’s all natural food sources. I believe a Paleo diet leaves a man the way a man was meant to look. Not overly musclebound or blocky looking, but a pleasant physique with good muscle and definition.

One more thing I’d like to add here; let’s talk about what being big really is. I think a lot of guys just don’t understand how large 180-220 lbs can look if it’s quality. I have been backstage at bodybuilding events and seen guys who looked amazing, and figured they were in the top of the light heavyweight division or maybe even in my division as a heavyweight. Then when you start talking to the guy, he tells you he’s a fucking middleweight!! You have to remember that a guy walking onstage at 190 lbs, may have dieted down from an already in-shape 210-220 lbs!!! A guy who is a heavyweight may have dropped down from 275 lbs!!! Yes, these people are very large and their version of “fat” isn’t the same as everyone else’s. Hell, my version of fat is when I cannot see my obliques and only have traces of my abs, or my veins aren’t busting out like I want them to. But just understand something here; you may look a hell of a lot bigger than you think once you diet off the fat and can see what’s left under there!!

Let’s get real here and stop chasing a look that your budget and lifestyle won’t allow.

Go for quality!! Go for health!! Now go kill it!!

-John Doe

The post Supercharge your physique with Paleo dieting appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

Ok guys, now you know I don’t steer anyone wrong if you’ve been following JDB for any length of time. I always kick the real deal, and in fact I’ve come out numerous times and have voiced my opinion on most supplements. It’s my opinion that most supplements are complete bullshit. Supplements are mostly powders or caps with some shit filler products and a “proprietary blend” of xyz from bumfuck labs Inc.

HOWEVER, there are a few products that do in fact work well. I’ve spoken briefly here and there on creatine, protein powder, and possibly a couple others along the way. Never have I mentioned any specific brands and my supplement talk has always been pretty brief and general.

Well, I have been recently using a few products that have given me EXTREMELY INSANE RESULTS…..QUICKLY!!

Let me first start off with how I got this product. I have a friend who has been talking about this product for a few months now. Every time the guy would tell me about this I’d just be thinking “Yea, yea, yea, blah blah blah.” I’ve been down the supplement road before and I’ve tried so many in the past with no results.

So anyways, this guy is a long time friend and a VERY LARGE individual. When I say large, I mean he is only about 5’6″ and a lean 230 lbs. If this guy says something he is using works, then I take his word for it. I don’t have many friends, but the few I have are close and they’ve been in the gym 20+ years.

Anyways, he tells me that he is shipping out a container of this stuff for me to try. He says to me,”Just use it for a couple weeks and let me know what you think.” I thought it was fair enough, and he owed me a favor anyways so I figured we were squared away with this.

I immediately started researching reviews on MHP’s “Myo-X” online, just to see what others thought about it. Well about 80-90% of everything I read was all solid. Of course you had some negative reviews which talked about the price of the product and how they had gotten nothing out of it. But what you have to remember is there are people who will get nothing out of anything they take, and you have to take what these types say with a grain of salt.

I trusted in my friend and I really just read reviews out of curiosity. I could read 1000 bad reviews on something, but if my friend tells me to try something then you can bet I’m going to take his review over 1000 other bad ones. And you can bet if I tell you guys something, it’s because it works.

So allow me to explain to you just how effective this supplement has been for me.

I began using this product while dieting. I had switched to a Paleo style diet about 3-4 weeks ago, and my carbs have been much lower. I was 223 lbs when I started using Myo-X. I was told to take 2 scoops a day. He had told me that 2 scoops is when he really started seeing the rapid results, so I took my buddy’s word for it and used 2 scoops/day myself.

The first day of using this product I did a set of incline dumbbell presses using 90’s for a set of 25 reps. I train HIT style with high frequency and lower volume, so it’s not uncommon for me to hit a muscle group 2-3x/wk when I’m doing this. 3 days later I did my chest again, same exercise and same order of exercises. I had gone to 100 lb dumbbells and I had completed the same rep count of 25 reps!! A 10 lb. jump in dumbbells means 20 lbs more per rep x 25 reps. I had increased the total work output in that one set by 500 lbs in a matter of 3 days!!

3 days later I went back and did this with 105 lb dumbbells, and today I had completed 25 reps with 110 lb dumbbells (sort of, I got to 22 reps, then rest paused for 10 seconds and hit out another 3 reps for a total of 25 reps). What does this mean? This means that within 2 weeks I had increased my total work output on ONE SINGLE SET BY 1,000 lbs!!! That my friends was performed ON A DIET THAT HAS BEEN UNDER 2,000 CALORIES A DAY MOST DAYS, with very little carbs!!! And that friends, is no fucking placebo effect…..no way, no how!! Not a gain like that.

My deadlift last time I trained my back was 550 lbs/8 reps off the floor, a feat I have never in my life performed while dieting and usually getting weaker. I swear on my own life that what I’m telling you guys is true. I swear on my wife and sons life this is true. This Myo-X stuff has been so damn effective that I’d put it before gear, and that is no bullshit. After 2 weeks of using this I am still at my starting weight of 223 lbs, but much leaner and much stronger. Leaner at the same weight=gain in my book!!

Am I natural? No I am not. But I use very little and I’ve only been using 400mg/wk NPP along with 200mg/wk test for the past 8 or 9 weeks now (Well, always on 200mg/wk test per hormone replacement dose). So I was taking NPP for awhile before trying this supplement out. NOTHING NEW was added during the time I started taking this stuff. MHP’s Myo-X has worked better for me than any supplement I’ve ever taken in my life. I’m about to order up a few more jugs of the stuff in a couple days here. I will definitely be staying on this one a long time.

A couple other products my friend recommended I run while using Myo-X are “Amino Decanate” by Muscle Meds, and Muscle Pharm’s glutamine powder. I take the Amino Decanate at 1 serving post workout, and the glutamine powder during the workout. Branched chain amino acids are the building blocks of protein. It only makes sense to add more building blocks during a time of myostatin reduction, which is what Myo-X does.

Myostatin is a protein that gets in the way of our progress and ultimately limits our growth potential. Take that away and you give yourself free range. Myo-X has been shown to reduce myostatin levels by 46% in 100% of test subjects!! It’s clinically proven and I’m here to tell you it’s no bullshit because I know what it’s done for me so far.

So I’ve taken my friends advice and just started using Amino Decanate and glutamine. Gutamine aids in recovery by strengthening your immune system, which is torn down after intense weight training. Glutamine also helps your brain and allows you to think more clearly while in recovery mode from training. What we want here is a synergy between all 3 of these products.

The Myo-X opens the flood gates for more potential growth, the BCAA’s give us more building blocks to use to that potential, and glutamine enhances recovery and helps cognitive function from rapid increases in work weights and stress on our body. Think of these 3 as a new turbo charged engine, upgraded transmission, and racing fuel.

-Now, let me just break this regimen down for you guys one more time here. You will take the Myo-X at 2 scoops per day, one scoop 12 hrs BEFORE you train, the other scoop 12 hrs later. Or for most, this would just be morning and night dosing.

-1 serving of Amino Decanate during the workout, followed by 1 serving of Glutamine post workout.

Some of you guys were asking for more supplement reviews so there you go. I don’t like just reviewing things for the hell of it, I only want to share what has worked for me. Nobody needs to waste money on false hope here. Groceries are expensive enough. But if you’re seriously looking for an edge, give this a run for a few months.

Over and out!!

-John Doe

You can buy Myo-X, Muscle Pharm Glutamine and Amino Decanate on amazon.

The post Myo-X by MHP – The Real Deal appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

So I’ve been hard at work on my new underground steroid guide “Straight from the Underground”. Honestly the book got off to a much slower start than I anticipated. I must have wrote and erased the first few chapters half a dozen times before I finally got rolling with it.

The issue I was having was basically how I could make this book different from other sources of information available online. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to make this a reference guide or give it a more personal touch and explain what I’ve personally done and what it did for me. I decided that I would keep it 100% with my readers and give you guys a first hand look at everything I’ve personally done.

There was A LOT TO COVER in this book. For those who have read my ebook “Becoming the Bull” you probably picked up on the fact that I took it all the way from beginner to intermediate to advanced in terms of training, dieting, and development. I could have just given you pieces and then came out with another book, but this isn’t what I’m about here.

When you’re talking about the performance enhancement game, there is just so much more to cover in terms of an overall outline of usage. This includes dosing, side effects, recovery, ancillary compounds, peptides, HGH, insulin, erectile dysfunction drugs, hormone replacement, and many other aspects that I can’t even think to mention right now.

I want to give you guys everything I can. I want you to read my book and know that it’s the only source you’ll ever need on performance enhancement. The difference between what you’re going to read online and what you’re going to read in “Straight from the Underground” is that you won’t be sifting through article after article trying to find answers to your questions. I’m going to break through the bullshit and talk about what I think is worth using and also some things that are not worth using.

There is just so much involved in the realm of performance enhancement and I want to appeal to everyone in the game. From the beginner who wants to know if he should use anything and what to use, to the weekend warrior running moderate cycles, to the guy who wants to step onto a bodybuilding stage, I want to give you guys everything!! I want to give the middle aged man who is curious about hormone replacement the answers he is looking for. I want to give the 20 year old guy the scoop on what he can take and how much he can take without fucking himself up. I want it all in this ultimate performance enhancement guide!!

I’m going to talk about another issue that held up the publication of this book. You guys have to understand that I’m a passionate guy when it comes to writing. I spill everything I have into these articles, because I want you to truly know that you have someone who cares about your success. Writing a book on performance enhancement is a much harder job for me because I’m limited as to how much I can spill out on the pages.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this book. I even considered saying, “Fuck the whole damn thing”. But what changed my view on this was a podcast done by my man Victor Pride. For those of you who don’t know Victor, I suggest you check out his website at BoldandDetermined.com.

I became familiar with Victor after following his blog for quite some time. I was a regular follower who would occasionally comment on his articles about fitness. I started getting a lot of feedback from others on my replies and I had guys telling me to start my own website on bodybuilding. I was contacted by Vic and we talked about potentially building a site and becoming partners. I commented under the name “John Doe” and so it was born, JohnDoeBodybuilding.com!!

The one thing I picked up right away about him, was that we both had a passion for getting our word out to people and helping people out. We also shared a lot of the same views on life and in some ways we both have a similar writing style. The one thing that sets us apart, is I think Victor is probably a much more well rounded guy than I am.

His blog has fitness and nutrition as sort of the main theme, but he goes into more than just that. He talks about success and building a business, and tips for rising up to the top. I have seen many guys try to copy his theme, but nobody has come close to his website and what he does.

Victor also simplifies things a lot better than I can. I’m the type of guy that gets jumbled when I have to answer something simple, but when you need a detailed intricate plan on building a body then I’m in my realm. Vic has come out with 2 ebooks now and they’re both excellent reads.

He has “30 Days of Discipline” and then he has “Body of a Spartan“. Both of his ebooks are fantastic, and they give you an easy step by step breakdown to build your body and also build your character. His books are a very realistic approach to accomplishing these tasks. I’m getting a little sidetracked here so back to his podcast.

Victor’s podcast features a guy by the name of Mike Cernovich who owns Dangerandplay.com, also another great website!! The two are talking about their niche in blogging, and they start talking about how their successful blogs were started on the basis of actually helping people and not just making a quick buck.

This is when everything clicked with me and with “Straight from the Underground.” I can’t spill my guts on these pages because it’s a guide, but just know that I’m spilling my guts writing this thing, because I know how many guys are going to transform their bodies from this book on performance enhancement!!! Like Victor Pride, if I was in this thing just to make a quick buck it would have been released by Christmas as originally intended.

So to everyone wondering what the status is on “Straight from the Underground” just know that it’s coming soon!! And when it’s released, you’re going to have the only source you ever need to build one hell of an incredible physique!!!

Click here to be notified when Straight from the Underground is released!

Over and out

-John doe

The post “Straight from the Underground” status update appeared first on John Doe Bodybuilding.

I’ve been in the gym a long time. I’ve eaten clean a long time, I’ve used performance enhancement drugs a long time, and I’ve always worked bodybuilding into my life on a daily basis. I’m often guilty of getting so sucked into it and going so hard all the time that it becomes this constant process of recovery and having normal, everyday things in life seem like a bigger pain in the ass than they should.

I’m going to be honest here; I’ve been going so hard lately that by around mid-afternoon I’m tapped out. I feel like I could go right back to bed at 2pm and the day is done. When I’m going at it this hard my days start to blend together and every single day is the same as the day before or the day after. This is definitely how pre-contest training always felt to me.

I don’t care who tells you what, the bottom line is when you’re taking your body to extreme measures then life gets extremely difficult with it. You just have to put so much into all of it that there are times where it’s downright mentally unhealthy. Fortunately I’ve learned to recognize this a lot better than I used to. So the real question here is how can I continue making headway in bodybuilding but at the same time give myself some room to breathe and attempt to live a semi-balanced life?

For starters, volume will kill you. Volume is good for a little while, but there is going to come a breaking point where you just need to back off. Even if you train with lighter weights and shorter rest periods, if it’s in your nature to always train as intensely as possible, it’s still going to break you down.

Heavier weights and less volume can do the same thing, but in a different manner. Sure, you’re in the gym and out in under an hour, but the day or two in between a high intensity workout is so focused around recovery that you feel shot. And sometimes it isn’t even an issue with physical recovery, it’s mental recovery. Sticking to the grind day in and day out can become stressful in itself. The ones who stick to the grind more often are the ones in better PHYSICAL CONDITION, but maybe not mental.

Whenever I was in the best shape of my life people complimented me almost everyplace I went. This became an addiction; I knew that as long as I kept hearing all of that positive feedback then I was doing something that was worth a damn. But honestly, I felt so run down and shitty that it was almost like I continued to do it solely to feed an addiction, not because it was mentally beneficial at that point in any way.

We are creatures of habit. If you go to the gym on leg day and you’ve always done barbell squats, leg extensions, leg curls, and calf raise, then it’s difficult to go to the gym and hit the Stairmaster for 20 minutes as a warmup, cut the volume in half, and spend the rest of the time stretching. It’s even more difficult to skip the gym that day and go for a hike outdoors or a bike ride, or something totally different than what you’re normally inclined to want to do. But sometimes this is the best solution for your mental sanity.

I have found that it becomes easy to become stressed out and pissed off with life when nothing in your day to day activities changes. Listen, there is nothing wrong with going hard to accomplish a goal. If you’re trying to compete in a bodybuilding competition then I’d tell you to live and die by the gym and diet. There is no “happy medium” in that arena if you want to get in that type of condition.

But every once in awhile it’s wise to take a step back and really evaluate where you’re at in a general sense of well-being. I’m telling you this because I’m guilty of everything I’m writing about here. But my question then becomes, “How can I get better while letting it go just a little bit?”.

This is the best gameplan I’ve come up with so far. For starters, pick 1-2 days per week where you’re outside doing something rather than in the gym. This could be a 30 minute jog someplace, walking your dog down by the river, hiking, or simply sitting outside with a coffee and having a conversation with someone. It doesn’t have to always be physical, the muscle goblin isn’t going to come take anything from you because you took a day or two to relax or do something different.

The next thing is don’t eat bad, but pick a place a couple days a week where you can eat pretty healthy but eat out. Cooking can take it’s toll on you and not just the cooking; the constant thought in the back of your head like “What am I gonna eat? Do I have enough food at the house? Did I bring my cooler with me?” This can become quite stressful sometimes, and it’s good to pick a place out that you can eat after a workout or possibly on a day off, just for a little change sometimes.

The next step would be to incorporate more cardio into the routine and less weights. Rather than lifting 5 days a week, why not start up a training split that hits everything within 3 days in the week, and take the other 3-4 days for a brief session of high intensity cardio. Maybe purchasing a weighted sled to drag up and down the road in front of your house would be a good idea? You don’t need to leave to go anywhere, and all of a sudden this big ordeal of traveling to the gym, hitting cardio, and then traveling home doesn’t seem like it’s still 90 minutes of your day. 30 minutes of cardio is 30 minutes of your actual time during the day!!

The last thing that I have found that certainly helps out, is to find a new activity to do once in awhile. Maybe take up a martial arts class a couple times a week or attend a class on learning how to build something. Life can get very dull and often depressing when you feel like you’re running in place all the time. I don’t know about you guys, but when I feel like I’ve stopped learning or have been stagnant for too long I get depressed, and it doesn’t matter how much testosterone I pump into my body!!

I’m not a well rounded individual and that is one character trait that has helped me in bodybuilding but has often hurt my life outside of bodybuilding. When people talk to me it’s all about bodybuilding and dieting, because it’s become my identity. But mentally it’s not the only identity that I want for myself and I try to think outside the box sometimes.

Now, where is the benefit in all of this when I speak of “progression”? Well, whenever I do things like this then all of a sudden my motivation levels come back even more, and I’m often times even stronger in the gym. It’s funny the way bodybuilding works sometimes. There are times when you back off and give about half a fuck as much as you did before, and you actually get better!!!

Look, I’m not saying to give half a fuck all the time, but every once in awhile you need a deload period and a deload mental period too!!

Remember, stress is the #1 killer and there can even come a point in exercise where it becomes unhealthy. Train hard but train smart, and as far as I’m concerned, longevity is the key to this lifestyle!!

Over and out-

John

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