RE: Andro Poppers
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007 7:50 AM
Well I must clarify, 335 to 385 on the bench, is true, and what I am saying here is that my workout weight 85% of max for 4-5 reps, became 385. I was not a beginner at the time and had been training for almost 17 years, so I believe muscle memory and a re-dedication to the sport allowed for the huge weight increases in my lifts. That and an a-hole training partner that likes to make you grind!! You hear me Scott? I said A-Hole! ;)
As for the body changes and inches, when I came out of the tank at over 17%, the tester said he couldnt believe I carried that much fat, by appearance it seemed much less. I would say going into the tank at 224 was probably a scooch heavy, (water weight, air bubbles?) and weighing in at 208 was after almost completely dehydrating myself in a sauna. In the ten days after that I remember quickly shooting right back up to 215-219 range. So walking around I was probably right in the 8-10% BF range. But I wanted to see the low BF numbers on paper, and I did.
I did put the inch on my arms quickly within 30 days; but I will say that the increase in chest measurement, as I look at the charts printed out back then, 54" Sep 9, 57.5" Dec 20 happened over a longer period. You are correct. So, looking at this, the gains in chest were over 3 months, the time between thanksgiving to christmas is when i used the poppers, so I was eating a lot. I think the swells were due in large part to caloric intake and getting back into a groove where I could train heavier. Which I think is also supported by another thing, the lack of inches lost. During the popper cycle all fat loss around the mid-section tapered off. Through that month my waist got stuck at 36". It wasn't until after 30 days that I was able to trim again. Water retention could be part of the formula for the gains. Like Creatine. You know, that kinda pump??
In truth I can not affirm that the poppers had much to do with the gains other than psychological. I will say that I busted my ass at the gym and ate clean with obsession, I had fat grams under 29g for weeks on top of weeks. I recall not eating out for over 5 months. I also worked at the gym, so I essentially lived there. Like I said, I had access to experts in various fields right at arm's length. This was a nice athletic club that was staffed and frequented by UC Davis Medical Doctors. Cardio was also very intense too, twice a day, 430am and 8pm. Just for ****s and giggles, as an aside, shortly after Arnold Schwarzenegger won the governorship he came in for a 5am workout, he was very cool to me and I was just the lowly towel boy!! :)
Also, I am not 6'5 as you are, which is huge, I admire and understand the dedication it takes to rock out at 300lbs body weight! I am 6', and I have been very athletic and in gyms my whole life. In HS I was part of the power lifting club, so I am digging your OLY numbers.
Let me just say, I didnt get the measurements by standing in my mirror at home and using wifey's measuring tape, an athletic trainer on staff at the athletic club did it for me along with the hydrostatic testing. He was freaked at the changes, and in hindsight was upset for not getting into a contest like EAS' Fit For Life or one of those deals. If you took the before and after and printed it somewhere, you would have to put an * by it and a caption that reads, "results not typical".
I will also say at 39, and four years past the time we are talking about, the gains have all been slower in coming. I believe that is because my joints do not allow for such heavy lifting as in days past. I think, that time at 35 in which I am referring, was like a second growth spurt, spurred on by a shock to the system. I had committed to making a drastic body change. I also paid a price, I still have several residual sports injuries from that period that linger. One is a re-curring case of plantar fasciatis, that is a bitch! The poppers probably had a micro-fraction to do with the overall results. So you can save your $25 dollars or whatever it is?
But, in closing I will add that I have not recaptured training intensity = results like that since, and as far as my wife is concerned, she probably hopes I never do!! 10-12 hours in the gym is an obsession, not a balanced lifestyle and she hated it!