Trying to get back what I lost

[Techy]

Here's my deal. Never been an "elite" bodybuilder, just a regular guy wanting to look good. I got into lifting in my mid-20's, made some newbie gains, nothing to write home about. Made the classic mistake of hitting my protein goals, but overall calories were low. Got into AAS a while after joining PM in 2006 and made ok gains, at least for being 6"4" tall (I've shrank almost an inch since then). Then in late 2009 I fell about 10 feet onto a concrete floor right on the small of my back, I never thought I would step in a gym again. I made the mistake of running 500mg test E a week for about 5 years straight after the accident, trying to hold on to what muscle I had, but of course that didn't work, it just permanently suppressed my natural testosterone. When I was about 35yo my doctor put me on trt, 125mg/week test cyp. A little over a year ago I decided to step back into the gym just for cardio to loose some weight, a few months later I decided to add a little resistance training just to keep what little muscle I still had, a few months later I decided to start lifting regularly again. There are some exercises I just can't do, deadlifts are a no go, no squats with heavy weight, nothing I can do about that. I've got where I can do partial-lightweight romanian deadlifts. I’m doing 3 days a week, 2 days upper body, 1 day legs, with cardio after every workout. With lifting & cardio I've been able to drop about 40lbs, so I was happy about that, however, my muscle memory seems to not remember me lol, so it's been almost like starting over. Btw, I just turned 47 last month, so it's probably just been to long. I'm still about 18% BF, so I'm still recomping on the small calorie deficit side. Going to the beach in a few weeks, will be the 1st time in at least 15 years that I won't be rocking the dad-bod belly, so I'm happy about that, but I want to start building more muscle when we return from vacation. I'll start body recomp in a small calorie surplus (due to still at 18% BF), then see where progress takes me. I'm realistic in my goals considering my age, but I do think I can at least get to where I was before the accident. I've been on 500mg test E/week, plus tren A 75mg on training days. I dropped the tren last week after about 6.5 weeks (all I could take with no sleep). When I return from vacation I'm going to go to 750mg test E/week and 400mg deca/week, may add a little EQ, thinking of trying adrol for 1st time, not sure because my age, but in good health except for my back, arthritis in my knees and ankles, slightly high BP. I wouldn't be pushing it as hard on the AAS but I feel like I'm on a clock at 47 years old. When I hit 50 I want to be able to just cruise where I'm at.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I'll take any advice on exercise, nutrition or AAS that you experienced guys are willing to grace me with.

 

[mexbeast]

Sorry to hear about the accident! How did it happen?
I believe you still have a good 3 years to get in good shape.
If you go to a gym you can probably do some leg presses, extensions, and leg curls.
For back you could probably do like 20 variations of pull downs.
If i was you i probably would drop down to a lower bf level. Best wishes!

 

[specter]

Slightly high bloodpressure then you need to watch out because things compound over time, test some deca, then eq wich creeps up in concentration over weeks and then the oxy wich can really spike shit, take slow steps no need to risk it all now. Thought about adding a tad of GH ? like 2-3iu it did wonders for my joints and shitty back etc

 

[Briane87]

Hey bro. Sorry to hear about the accident. On the flip side it’s great to hear your back in the gym and training. Regarding gear, I guess everyone responds differently to gear and doses but from my experience over the last two decades. For me, adding gh was really a game changer for me. 2-3iu a day plus TRT(200mg/wk) works wonders for me. Occasionally prior to vacations I’ll add 15-25mg/day for 4-6 weeks to get a bit harder and defined. I used to cycle multiple compounds but I’ve found it to be unnecessary based on my goals. Ever thought about trying gh?

 

[Techy]

Sorry to hear about the accident! How did it happen?
I believe you still have a good 3 years to get in good shape.
If you go to a gym you can probably do some leg presses, extensions, and leg curls.
For back you could probably do like 20 variations of pull downs.
If i was you i probably would drop down to a lower bf level. Best wishes!

Thanks brother. I was on a 12 ft ladder up higher than I should have been & just lost balance & landed bad. That’s exactly what I do for legs, plus calf extensions on the leg press machine. I do have a local trainer helping me exercise around my injury. You think I should keep how I’m currently going until I get a few % lower BF? I was hoping putting on some lean mass would up my metabolism, but BF definitely too high to do a bulk, that’s why I was thinking about recomping in a small calorie surplus. This is what my trainer is recommending, he wants me to scale back on cardio.

 

[Techy]

Slightly high bloodpressure then you need to watch out because things compound over time, test some deca, then eq wich creeps up in concentration over weeks and then the oxy wich can really spike shit, take slow steps no need to risk it all now. Thought about adding a tad of GH ? like 2-3iu it did wonders for my joints and shitty back etc

Doc currently has me on 30mg Metoprolol for blood pressure. First thing I’ll drop if my BP goes up is the adrol. I’ve done test with deca and test with eq with no increase in BP, but never all 3 in combo, so I’ll definitely keep an eye on that. Haven’t really considered using GH, shit it $$$. I’ve noticed I get joint relief from deca, but not so much in my back though.

 

[Techy]

Hey bro. Sorry to hear about the accident. On the flip side it’s great to hear your back in the gym and training. Regarding gear, I guess everyone responds differently to gear and doses but from my experience over the last two decades. For me, adding gh was really a game changer for me. 2-3iu a day plus TRT(200mg/wk) works wonders for me. Occasionally prior to vacations I’ll add 15-25mg/day for 4-6 weeks to get a bit harder and defined. I used to cycle multiple compounds but I’ve found it to be unnecessary based on my goals. Ever thought about trying gh?

Haven’t given much thought about GH. Always figured I needed to get bigger before I would benefit, but I have seen a lot of guys talking about how it helps them get leaner on a cut and stay a bit leaner on a bulk. Might be worth a trial run, pricey stuff.

 

[specter]

Doc currently has me on 30mg Metoprolol for blood pressure. First thing I’ll drop if my BP goes up is the adrol. I’ve done test with deca and test with eq with no increase in BP, but never all 3 in combo, so I’ll definitely keep an eye on that. Haven’t really considered using GH, shit it $$$. I’ve noticed I get joint relief from deca, but not so much in my back though.

GH does a body good man, more so a damaged body. Believe me.

 

[Techy]

GH does a body good man, more so a damaged body. Believe me.

What do you think about peptides? I’ve done a little reading IGF-1 LR3 and a few others that supposedly increase natural GH, such as CJC-1295 with DAC. The reviews on here seem to be mixed, I see some guys using them and others say to save your money for real GH.

 

[mexbeast]

What do you think about peptides? I’ve done a little reading IGF-1 LR3 and a few others that supposedly increase natural GH, such as CJC-1295 with DAC. The reviews on here seem to be mixed, I see some guys using them and others say to save your money for real GH.

I know you didn't ask me, but i truly believe that GH is the best option!

 

[professionaldyel]

you're already fat, have out of range bp while on a beta blocker, want to eat in a surplus to recomp, and want to run 750mg test 400npp + AND a 3rd + 4th compound.

This is just all over the place.

 

[Techy]

I know you didn't ask me, but i truly believe that GH is the best option!

I considered trying peptides earlier this year but I saw enough guys with the same opinion to steer me away. If all I would need for my case is 2-3 iu’s I could swing that. What do you think is a fair amount of time just to see how my body responds to GH, guessing at least 6 weeks?

 

[specter]

What do you think about peptides? I’ve done a little reading IGF-1 LR3 and a few others that supposedly increase natural GH, such as CJC-1295 with DAC. The reviews on here seem to be mixed, I see some guys using them and others say to save your money for real GH.

I havent dabbled to much in peptides but no matter what i tried nothing has been as great as GH has. I tried several times over the years to drop GH and in lik 1-2 months im like yeah fuck this back on GH, now i havent been of for 10 years since i came out of prison. I cruise on 2-3iu and when i blast gear i go up to like 5iu+
Dude once youve been on actual GH you wont go back, it wont take like 6 months to see and feel improvement as some say, like if you want it to "transform" your body yeah its gonna take time, but "just" the health wise things give it 4 weeks.

 

[Techy]

I havent dabbled to much in peptides but no matter what i tried nothing has been as great as GH has. I tried several times over the years to drop GH and in lik 1-2 months im like yeah fuck this back on GH, now i havent been of for 10 years since i came out of prison. I cruise on 2-3iu and when i blast gear i go up to like 5iu+
Dude once youve been on actual GH you wont go back, it wont take like 6 months to see and feel improvement as some say, like if you want it to "transform" your body yeah its gonna take time, but "just" the health wise things give it 4 weeks.

Thanks for the advice Specter! Sounds like it’s worth a look, definitely start to think more about long term health at my age.

 

[td]

This may not be what you want to hear, but I would not worry about a recomposition plan. I would first prioritize fat loss utilizing testosterone, GH and perhaps a GLP. Training cardio, diet. Reduce bodyfat and blood pressure before considering more harsh compounds from both a health risk mitigation strategy and effectiveness standpoint.

You will get a recomposition effect anyway from the reduction in estrogen due to lower bodyfat. You do not need to be in a surplus. Bodyfat is a surplus energy substrate already.

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

This may not be what you want to hear, but I would not worry about a recomposition plan. I would first prioritize fat loss utilizing testosterone, GH and perhaps a GLP. Training cardio, diet. Reduce bodyfat and blood pressure before considering more harsh compounds from both a health risk mitigation strategy and effectiveness standpoint.

You will get a recomposition effect anyway from the reduction in estrogen due to lower bodyfat. You do not need to be in a surplus. Bodyfat is a surplus energy substrate already.

was typing almost this exact type of response out and had to run out.

just get lean first, you don't even need any drugs to do so outside of your trt dose. Once you strip the fat off, you will be in a much better position to build muscle while maintaining an overall lower bodyfat %, and have better insulin sensitivity. Your body will naturally recomp itself if you keep lifting with high intensity, (intensity being % of 1rm in this context) despite being in a deficit.

I know you mentioned being on a clock, but you can get pretty lean in a shorter amount of time than you think if that is your primary goal, so I would not look at it like you are losing that time of a dedication weight loss phase. I say that because I believe the progress you will make after getting lean will be exponentially, better and faster from all other angles.

 

[Sully1234]

This may not be what you want to hear, but I would not worry about a recomposition plan. I would first prioritize fat loss utilizing testosterone, GH and perhaps a GLP. Training cardio, diet. Reduce bodyfat and blood pressure before considering more harsh compounds from both a health risk mitigation strategy and effectiveness standpoint.

You will get a recomposition effect anyway from the reduction in estrogen due to lower bodyfat. You do not need to be in a surplus. Bodyfat is a surplus energy substrate already.

This dude.

Retatrutide. Might help with some inflammation from that injury if its nagging.

For legs you need a good gym with equipment. Belt squats, reverse hypers etc no load on spine.

 

[Techy]

This may not be what you want to hear, but I would not worry about a recomposition plan. I would first prioritize fat loss utilizing testosterone, GH and perhaps a GLP. Training cardio, diet. Reduce bodyfat and blood pressure before considering more harsh compounds from both a health risk mitigation strategy and effectiveness standpoint.

You will get a recomposition effect anyway from the reduction in estrogen due to lower bodyfat. You do not need to be in a surplus. Bodyfat is a surplus energy substrate already.

Not at all TD, advice from seasoned gym guys is why I put myself out there, so thank you. Also, I agree with you, the whole idea of backing off my cardio to “focus on lean mass” is my trainer’s plan, he didn’t want me to crank up the cardio to start with. Right after our 1st session I went to the treadmill and cranked it up, he came right over and cranked it back down & elevation up and said “10 minutes”. My original plan was to rock the cardio in calorie deficit til end of summer then reevaluate. Since I’m seeing others say that so I think I may need to reevaluate his plan. He’s helped me a lot with working around my injury, & knows every exercise there is & how to do correctly, but I think he’s lacking in other areas. I’m thinking maybe just staying on about 300mg test and keep cranking workouts & cardio, diet is pretty good right now, maybe try GH to see how I respond.

I don’t want anyone to get me wrong, I found out in my 20’s that AAS is not the shortcut people think. Getting there is 98% exercise, nutrition, & recovery, I see AAS as just a supplement that works how actual supplements advertise that they work lol.

 

[Techy]

Btw, after loosing weight my blood pressure has been consistently in the low-normal range. Hoping to come off BP med soon.

 

[td]

If you haven't seen what @troponin did with Paul Barnett over 50, go listen to the story. They both recount it on quite a few podcasts. Point being, you aren't as much "on the clock" as you're probably thinking.