[Will B]

Couldn’t agree more with Sas. When I was deep into diet mode and the tren was high and affecting sleep, I would wake up and knock back a whey / oats meal and the carbs would do wonders for getting me back to sleep! Wouldn’t suggest it otherwise, as no need to pointlessly disrupt those highly important sleep cycles if you can get the cals in during the day

[Will B]

Interesting. I have always wondered if mixing whey affects its bio-availability and fast acting digestion / absorption.

I.e. does mixing in with oats bring it down to the speed of oats – likewise for those that mix with milk, does the whey absorb quickly and the casein in milk slowly, but fundamentally both separately?!

[Will B]

@evalution-coaching completely agree with you here buddy. Trying to decrease reliance on whey and take in more whole food – purely from a digestion / nutrient / meal variation persepective.

Weirdly, I actually use whey as a satiety tool, must have gone through 1000s kilos of the stuff and can’t remember the last time I drank it. I mix it into oats and Greek yoghurt mainly (Sas style sludge is the one), which you can easily add berries too (If you listen to any of Ben Pak’s podcasts, you’d get my obsession with blueberries) for max volume and satiety. Just feel like sometimes I can make everything taste better with whey and its as much as a flavouring tool as anything else if that makes any sense. Even just mixing it up with a tiny amount of water helps with those prep cravings. Think its just so convenient and when you take in protein bars, flapjacks etc. too it has just easily snowballed into too much of my total protein consumption.

@sas this is really interesting / good to know from a fellow whey lover. It is one those things where I feel like I’ve been waiting on a study to prove something, but nothing beats anecdotal from a top pro! Tip for you – I add one flavour to my oats then in a mug whip up a ‘protein sauce / topping’, with small amount of water / almond milk and pour over. Weirdest looks making all this in an office but they aren’t with me on the following journey to Flavour Town!.

I think the key takeaway (unless you are a top pro in last stage of prep and need to have every variable considered) it really doesn’t matter too much, as long as nutrient profile from other foods is there / digestion isn’t affected etc. etc.

Maybe I’ll just slowly curb myself off it and stick to the double triple scoops in oats and whey.

Cheers

[Will B]

@jhollingshead89gmail-com let us know if you think it makes a difference mate, would be interested in any noticeable changes, particularly at your level! Used to have this notion that it didn’t keep you as dry as real food, but looking back I think that was from an old Kali Muscle video (lol don’t judge) where he swore by never touching whey (don’t get protein powder in jail right ????)

[Will B]

Answer really is it depends. To be honest, unless you are an athlete or competitor (which I am going to assume you are not as you are ‘lean bulking’) a calorie is a calorie, so I wouldn’t lose any sleep on carbs or fats here as long as you are getting the calories in.

Again, if you are just someone looking to improve physique here – I wouldn’t worry in too much detail around the macro split & intricacies of nutrient partitioning around this if your protein intake and overall daily calories are in check. Go with what you feel best on, can digest the most efficiently and ultimately what you are most likely to adhere to and keep consistent on – this is by far the most important thing IMO.

Cheers

[Will B]

My short answer is, if you feel like your training is good (decent pumps and energy etc.) then wherever you feel you most feel like them / can get them in consistently.

Ideally more calories pre / post training always optimal, for either performance in gym or recovery – but as long as you are already taking protein and carbs in at the right times here – and looks like you are – then the impact of calorie timing in the day is going to be minimal to be honest.

If unlike me, you are someone that does struggle to put back the calories then I’d recommend just getting them in where you can with the most regularity so you do actually consume them. Even as a general snack when you are a bit peckish will do the trick.

[Will B]

Thanks for the plethora of responses all – very much appreciated.

Legs this morning and went back to heel elevation (sadly no Hatfield bar anywhere my 24/7 gym JH..). I have of course tried this before and forgot how much of a difference it made; think if I am being honest with myself I stopped raising heels because I could squat less.

Anyway I managed to get some far better contractions and also focusing on volume and rep quality certainly helped.

I other thing I was particularly cognisant of this morning is my tendency to jump straight into squats. Warm up sets obviously help, but I know I only get going after 4/5 sets total. Think if I follow advice similar to JP’s latest leg deload video and use leg extensions or even the leg press which I am far better attuned to as an ‘activation’, I’ll have better squat success.

Ultimately need to stop letting ego / fear of not getting on machines in a disgustingly busy central London 24hr gym, dictate my exercise selection.. anyone else guilty of the latter?!

Front squats are not even something I can do. Perhaps on the old smithy but free weight, I’d probably even be struggers with the bar.

Apologies for the ramble there, feel like I’ve just had a therapy session with myself. It felt good. Hope it did for you too 😉

[Will B]

@jameshollingshead thanks a lot buddy – really appreciate the lightning quick advice there. It’s not easy out here for us tall guys.

If there was a half decent coach or PT anywhere near my 24 hour gym in London, I’d get a couple of corrective sessions in to work through, but you know how it is in these places.. I’d be told to do body weight squats and leg machines, whilst they sat checking their Instagram.

Will keep you updated. Right now I am rebounding and just making every leg day a refeed / cheat day (partly to recover from the emotional pain of being so shit at them).

Cheers

WB

[Will B]

@corinne love that – problem is I’m a fairly heavy deadweight when I’m KO’d ????.

Fully agree on the protein – only macro I’ll be tracking. Currently at 2kg and c.20 bars for a week ago. I keep putting more in.

For those interested – pre flight weight 237.4. Let’s see how much damage can be done!

[Will B]

Gin & slimline is basically an alcoholic bodybuilders dream. No judging but actually I think you can put a bottle of prosecco away for just under 500 cals ????.

Thinking of dropping back to a cruise when I’m back, would you keep up for a few weeks, rebound then drop down to a cruise after?

[Will B]

Cheers lads – I think sometimes when diet brain is winning all the internal dialogues it’s hard to let go, just the reassurance needed ????????. How much damage (to the physique ????) can be done in a week anyway?!

[Will B]

Good luck today mate – no one gives back to the sport as much as you and no one deserves that card more!

[Will B]

Cheers Gents,

I can be fairly sure it is Var, given I’ve had it every time I have run var (at least 5-10 times, multiple suppliers along the way) and also never touched dbol.

Dose is on the high end – up to 100mg a day. Just reduced down to 50mg and thrown in 50mg winny – made no difference. Other compounds 600 test / 400 tren / 400 mast p/w.

Water is always obscenely high (upwards of 8-10 litres a day) and this prep I’ve just started to focus on sodium intake listening to Stan Efferding suggesting most of us are actually very deficient in sodium.

I read a while back that it was related to blood flow in the area and wondered if being 6ft 5 with a very mild scoliosis in my lower spine made made this worse for me somehow? Water retention is interesting, I am v lean at the moment and wouldn’t say I’m holding a lot of water, even when I refeed.

Thanks as always guys!

[Will B]

JH – what you doing with your anabolics going into the show mate, keeping the same? When do you do last pins on compounds before the comp, day before?

[Will B]

This is an incredibly vague question / statement to begin with, but my experience might help.

I was diagnosed with a suspected stomach ulcer, from acid reflux / heartburn brought on by PEDs. Now I’m guessing it is the PEDs because it goes when I come off cycle, but adding tren made it so bad this time round that I had to go to the doctor.

Obviously being British i didn’t have the balls to admit steroid use to the doctor – so was tested for this bacteria which are apparently the cause of 80-90% of stomach ulcers.

It was a stool test and the cure was purported to be a month long antibiotic cycle. I tested negative for the bacterium (because PEDs obvious cause) and now have a repeat prescription for Omprezole which literally saves my life on the acid issues. It is a proton pump inhibitor – look it up if you have similar issues, widely taken by B.B.ers with similar issues