CJ's 2024/2025 Muscle Gain Block

[CJ]

First day of the new program. I adjusted it slightly, as I want to emphasize my Chest, Lateral Delts, and Biceps during this block. It's what I feel need the most attention, so I adjusted accordingly. I'll introduce the drugs tomorrow, as I have a Dr appointment and bloodwork tomorrow morning.


Sunday-Torso + HIIT

-HS Incline Press
230 x 11
230 x 9
180 x 14

-Iso Lateral Ntrl Grip Cable Pulldowns
90's x 11
80's x 13
70's + Plate x 16

-Matrix Chest Press
190 x 12
170 x 12
150 x 12

-Icarian OH Grip CS T-Bar Rows
110 x 14
100 x 13
90 x 13+3 partials

-DB Laterals
20's x 20+3 partials
17.5's x 17+3
15's x 17+4
15's x 17+5

-A1) Bosu Crunches
3 quality sets

-A2) DB Hammer Curls
25's x 22+2 partials
25's x 19+3
22.5's x 18+3

---------------

HIIT Intervals-Zone 5

3:00 warmup @L5

1:00 sprint @L25
-HR: 157 bpm
-Watts: 350-360

3:00 light pedal @L5

1:00 sprint @L26
-HR: 164 bpm
-Watts: ~375

3:00 light pedal @L5

1:00 sprint @L27
-HR: 169
-Watts: 385>340 (fell off the cliff)

3:00 cool down @L5


Workout Time:
Weights: 70 minutes
Cardio: 15 minutes

 

[CJ]

Here's my average weekly bodyweight and calories, plus total cardio duration, the last month or so. I cut back on cardio the last few weeks, as I'm increasing the volume of resistance training. That has resulted in a big decrease in TDEE, so I'll hang out around 4,000 calories to start, and see what happens. I also bumped my GH to 4 iu's, so there might be a bit of water retention, too.


-10/13: 195.8 lbs (+1.0) 4270 calories
8 hrs cardio

-10/20: 196.1 lbs (+0.3) 4331 calories
8 hrs cardio

-10/27: 195.1 lbs (-1.0) 4191 calories
Grand Canyon hike

-11/3: 196.1 lbs (+1.0) 4024 calories
4hr 20 min cardio

-11/10: 197.7 lbs (+1.6) 4335 calories
4hr 30min cardio

-11/17: 199.0 lbs (+1.3) 4072 calories
1h 15m cardio

 

[CJ]

Dr visit and bloodwork complete, time to introduce the drugs. It'll be 350 Tect C/E, 400 EQ, 300 Deca, 150 NPP, plus 4 iu's of GH to start. Let's see what happens.

Monday-Shoulders/Arms + LISS

-Matrix Shoulder Press
135 x 11
135 x 8
110 x 12
100 x 13

-Reverse Pec Deck
140 x 20
130 x 18
120 x 16

-30° DB Laterals
20's x 21+3 partials
17.5's x 19+4
17.5's x 16+4
15's x 19+5

-LF Cable Curls
22.5's x 18
17.5's x 18
15's x 16
15's x 15

-Incline DB Skullcrushers
30's x 17
25's x 14
20's x 16
20's x 15

------------------

LISS-Zone 2
Treadmill
30 mins
HR: 125-130 bpm

*no hiking today, the Dr appt took a huge chunk out of my day, so I threw in a LISS session, in place of.

 

[Send0]

Let's see what happens.

You're going to get AIDS

 

[CJ]

You're going to get AIDS

Joke's on you, already have it!!!

 

[CJ]

Tuesday 11/19
Rest Day


Wednesday 11/20
Leg Day + Focus Bodyparts

-Lying Leg Curls
100 x 14+1 partial
80 x 17 (was supposed to be 90 lbs)
80 x 13+2

-HS Reverse V Squats
+380 x 9
+380 x 8
+380 x 9

-Hoist Hack Squats
+200 x 14
+200 x 12
+200 x 10

-Matrix Narrow Stance Calf Presses
270 x 13+5 partials
230 x 13+4
200 x 14+4

-HS Incline Press
180 x 16
180 x 12
160 x 12

-DB Laterals
20's x 22+3 partials
20's x 15+3
17.5's x 17+2
15's x 16+5

-EZ Bar Preacher Curls
50 x 21
50 x 17
50 x 14
50 x 13

Workout Time:
88 minutes

 

[Bro Bundy]

u old guys wake up early

 

[CJ]

u old guys wake up early

I was up at 3:45.

 

[CJ]

This is a Reverse V Squat for anyone who was wondering...

 

[Yano]

This is a Reverse V Squat for anyone who was wondering...

View attachment 54675

You guys get to play with all kinds of cool shit ,, no fair !!

 

[CJ]

You guys get to play with all kinds of cool shit ,, no fair !!

It's a great machine facing inward like this. It feels like you're doing the most locked in high bar squat. It's just pure leg drive output, not really having to worry about balance.

Facing outwards, I think it's trash. It folds you like a book.

 

[Yano]

It's a great machine facing inward like this. It feels like you're doing the most locked in high bar squat. It's just pure leg drive output, not really having to worry about balance.

Facing outwards, I think it's trash. It folds you like a book.

Its sort of got you in a position like the original Hack Squat ,the way George did them almost like the start of a broad jump with your heels up. He just had the weight behind him.

 

[Gibsonator]

Starting in 2 weeks, after my yearly Dr physical, I'll be running a ±20 week lean/moderate muscle gain block. The goal is to slowly and sustainably add quality tissue, while keeping fat gain to a minimum. The plan is to run an average daily surplus of 200-300 calories, gaining on average of 0.5 lbs of weight per week. There will be DEXA scans pre and post, the first one being tomorrow morning, and the second one being a few weeks after the drugs come back down to TRT doses, to allow some water to come off and any backlog of food in my GI system to work it's way through.

My goal is not to be huge, it never was. I'm too old for that, anyway. My goal is more of a hybrid training approach, balancing muscle/aesthetics with hiking performance, and overall health. There will be a moderate dose of mixed HIIT and LISS cardio/hiking in my training plan, to keep performance and health within acceptable levels. If I gain 5+ lbs of actual muscle during this block, I'll be as happy as a pig in shit!!!

My drug use will be moderate. It'll start with 350 mg of Test, 300/150 mg of Deca/NPP, and 400 mg of Equipoise. I'll also be utilizing GH, starting at 3 iu's, titrating up to 6 iu's or so. I picked these compounds/doses for a specific reason.

Drugs and/or food will increase when/if necessary, based upon a combo of the scale, the mirror, and gym performance. Examples... If weight gain stalls, but my body comp is still looking good, I'll add food. If the scale is going up, but my gym performance is stalled and body is looking a little soft, I'll add about 100 mg of drugs.

My maintenence calories, based upon the last 4 weeks of data, is 4200 calories. It's absolutely ridiculous for a 196 lb man to be that high, but it is what it is, it's objective data. The next couple of weeks I'll dial this number in a bit, as my diet has been a little loose the last few months, to ferret out any water fluctuations muddying the numbers. Regardless, it'll be close to 4200 Cals.

I'll attach a pic from this morning, in case I forget to take one before tomorrow's DEXA. My bodyweight is 196.8 lbs, and my guess is that I'm in the 12-15% bf range. There was no carb loading/depletion or water manipulation in this pic, this is what I walk around at daily, and can easily maintain.

I'll post my training plan details up before it starts, once it's finalized. I ran it through an acclimation period, and last week was my first week fully running it. I already made a couple of alterations, I just want to give it another week or so to see if it's appropriate.

Any questions or comments, feel free.

Still look like a failed luchedore

 

[CJ]

Thursday 11/21
Pull+Accessories and LISS

-HS Reverse Pulldowns
220 x 13
200 x 14
180 x 15

-HS OH CS Rows
240 x 13
220 x 15
200 x 16+4 partials

-EZ Bar Cable Triceps Pressdowns
65 x 20
57.5 x 18
50 x 16
42.5 x 18

-DB Laterals
22.5's x 19+5 partials
20's x 15+4
17.5's x 17+5
15's x 18+4

-A1) Bosu Crunches
3 quality sets

-A2) EZ Bar Reverse Curls
50 x 20
50 x 18
50 x 17+1 partial

------------------

LISS/Zone 2 Cardio
Treadmill, 7.0 inc/3.5 spd
30 minutes
Avg HR: 131 bpm
Cals: 250


Workout Time:
60 mins weights
30 mins cardio


*I decided to hit my lateral delts in each workout, since laterals don't cause much damage, and they feel like they could be trained every day.

 

[CJ]

Friday, 11/22
Chest, extra leg work, accessories plus HIIT Cardio

-HS Incline Press
220 x 12
200 x 12
180 x 13

-Matrix Leg Extensions
150 x 19
125 x 19
110 x 17+3 partials

-Matrix Chest Press
180 x 14
165 x 12
150 x 12

-A1) Wide Stance Calf Press
220 x 19+8 partials
180 x 17+6
160 x 17+5

-A2) DB Laterals
20's x 24+4 partials
20's x 19+5
20's x 15+5
17.5's x 15+5

-B1) 45° Hip Extensions
3 quality sets

-B2) Straight Bar Curls
70 x 15
60 x 15
50 x 16

---------------------

HIIT Cardio
Zone 4
Matrix Recumbent Bike
4:00 max sustained effort/3:00 rest x 4 Rds

Warmup
3:00 light pedal @L5

Interval 1
4:00 @L17
HR: 164 bpm
~220 watts

3:00 light pedal @L5

Interval 2
4:00 @L17
HR: 167 bpm
~210 watts

3:00 light pedal @L5

Interval 3
4:00 @L17
HR: 164 bpm
~200 watts

3:00 light pedal @L5

Interval 4
4:00 @L17
HR: 164 bpm
~200 watts

Cool down
2:00 light pedal @L5


Workout Time:
Weights: 62 minutes
Cardio: 30 minutes

 

[gibz]

Interval 5
Stfu and eat some food

 

[CJ]

First week in the books...

200.4 lbs, +1.4 lbs from last week
4151 Cals
1hr 45m cardio

 

[CJ]

Sunday, 11/24
Torso + HIIT

-HS Incline Press
240 x 10 +10 lbs from last week
240 x 8 +10 lbs
180 x 14 matched

-Iso Lateral Nuetral Cable Pulldowns
90's x 13 +2 reps from last week
80's x 14 +1 rep
70's + Plate x 17 +1 rep

-Matrix Chest Press
190 x 12 matched last week
170 x 12 matched
150 x 12 matched

-Icarian OH Grip CS T Bar Rows
110 x 15 +1 rep from last week
100 x 13 matched
90 x 13+3 partials matched

-Matrix Machine Laterals
85 x 21+4 partials
85 x 15+4
75 x 15+4
65 x 16+5

-A1) Bosu Ball Crunches
3 quality sets

-A2) DB Hammer Curls
27.5's x 21+2 partials
27.5's x 17+2
25's x 16+3

-------------

HIIT Intervals-Zone 5

3:00 warmup @L5

1:00 sprint @L26
-HR: 161 bpm
-Watts: 365-375

3:00 light pedal @L5

1:00 sprint @L26
-HR: 162 bpm
-Watts: 355-360

3:00 light pedal @L5

1:00 sprint @L26
-HR: 165
-Watts: 355-360

3:00 cool down @L5



Workout Time:
Weights: 70 minutes
Cardio: 15 minutes

 

[gibz]

While that isn't an excessive volume for a standard workout, would you agree, based on your knowledge, that you are either burning too many calories or not consuming enough to put on a relatively standard amount of muscle mass in your bulk phase? I mean no negativity brother it's an honest question. Or maybe you are just a genetic outlier with retarded metabolism (which is what i suspect)

 

[CJ]

While that isn't an excessive volume for a standard workout, would you agree, based on your knowledge, that you are either burning too many calories or not consuming enough to put on a relatively standard amount of muscle mass in your bulk phase? I mean no negativity brother it's an honest question. Or maybe you are just a genetic outlier with retarded metabolism (which is what i suspect)

Yeah, that's why I cut back at least 3.5 hours of cardio(hiking) per week during this gaining phase.

Also, I'm not trying to do a traditional bulk, I'm only going to run a small surplus, aiming for about 200 Cals per day, on average, to mitigate unnecessary fat gain.

I freely admit that I'm using more drugs than is necessary, it's probably stupid, but I have to get rid of it somehow.

Maintaining my health is important to me, so I'm not willing to sacrifice that by dropping the cardio. It's being done for a purpose, to improve fitness. I am not doing it to burn calories.