A little about myself and what led up to taking action:
My name is Justin. I just joined this forum and wanted to introduce myself as I need a place to post my progress and results. I am an endomorph, which means I can gain weight easily and have to work hard at looking and feeling good. To put it lightly I had gynecomastia surgery in 2009 because I was conscious about my saggy man boobs (as my wife calls it “Moobs”). I am not a natural athlete with amazing genes where I can easily cut, lose weight and look amazing after a few weeks of working out (this is a mesomorph); I see those people at the gym and I used to be jealous that I simply don’t have that magic ability. At age 14 I started gaining weight and felt self-conscious about my body so I started working out at the gym in freshman year of high school and continued all through College (junior year) and got into shape. I felt a bit better- that I Wasn’t a weakling or a fat cow, but never extraordinary. I wasn’t a big sports buff, except played a little ice hockey and golf..and a little bit of everything else, but mainly my passion was in music as I am a piano/keyboard player and singer.
After graduating from Syracuse University, I got into the financial services business in NYC and made decent money and always went to the gym to lift, play hoops or racquetball to start my day from 6am-7:30am before work. Exercise has always been important to me- at least to keep me sane. But I was never happy with my body…always wanted to look above average, cut, impressive and basically feel good about myself when I am at the beach. Every time I took my shirt off, I was unhappy and not confident in the way I look. The excuse was, “you’re married, so you have no one to impress anymore”- I thought that line was bullshit and just an excuse to make me feel better.
On my 38th birthday this past July, I decided I would do something really IMPACTFUL about my goals, since I have never quite reached them. My age is now catching up to me, and it’s getting to me mentally. Until now, l felt sorry for myself and using speed to keep the weight off. By the way, I never did Steroids or any injectable drugs in my life; not even anabolic pill form. Just protein shakes, some creatine and some of the gimmicks they sell at GNC which never worked (even after 3-4 months of sticking with it). It was a placebo effect for short while. I was never really too FAT or exceeded 190 lbs, but I don’t want love handles, tits, flabby back or a 36 waist anymore!
For the last 2 years I went to get a full blood test work up on my hormone levels and everything else. My cholesterol was a little high (210), everything else normal except for testosterone levels were low normal (total test ranging between 310 to 350, increased marginally over 2 years), but from 35-38 to have these levels is robbery for my body. My HGH levels were also low normal. Now at 38, I started Crossfit (2 months into it from the date of this journal) and I was impressed at how the men and women looked after 1-3 years of sticking with it. The first week I tried it, I pulled out my lower back, had trouble with workouts and I simply could not recover. I had joint pains, aches, hurt when I walk and irritable from the pain and starting taking aspirin and physical therapy (a common treatment for cross fitters in the beginning). In addition, I have more trouble getting and maintaining an erection, lower libido levels and lethargic during the day with intermittent sleepy spells and heavy eye lids.
Two months into crossfit and buying prepackaged meals for breakfast and lunch (www.kettlebellkitchen.com) and changing my diet drastically with daily caloric intake of about 1800-2300 calories daily with higher protein %, I have lost about 12 pounds from 186 to 174 in 4 weeks, with body fat % dropping from 22.50% to 17.8%. Now I am ready to take it up a notch and get serious about anti-aging and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to enhance my work outs, recovery and feel like a 20-something year old again. Might as well ramp up next 2 years before I’m 40, right? But how should I do this? I heard of roids, HGH, HGT, SARMS, Powders/drinks, and hundreds of supplements for suckers like me to try and buy. Where to I start!!!???
I started a big research project into HRT, testosterone and HGH injections, estrogen blockers and other supplements and all the costs, etc. I found an HRT in Florida that would mail me injectables to do myself and the total cost for a year was quoted to me was around $15,000 to budget. I nearly flipped out and my wife would kill me and say the money is better spent on her new car. I called around at 6 other HRT places, and they said we can do Sermorelin instead of HGH which is a fraction of the price, but the cost was still $6500 for the year (which is more manageable). Most HRT clinics wouldn’t even give me a price and just tried to sell me on a $2500 to $5000 consultation with unlimited doctor visits. What scams!! They told me every person is unique and we really can’t give quotes or ranges. I said to them how much different can treatment be when most patients are between ages 30-45 and use similar hormones?!. Just tell me what HGH, Test and other supplements cost per month based on dosage? My gosh. Not a big fan of injectables since I never did it and needles scare me and I also pass out on occasion during blood tests if I’m not lying down. Bottom line, there are so many options and it’s confusing.
With that said I joined a few anabolic and bodybuilding forums and asked a bunch of questions and got a suggestion to explore a “research chemical” called MK-677 and MK-2866 which are considered Secretagogues or SARM (Selective Anabolic Receptor Modulators). Not FDA approved for public human consumption, but used for research and some elderly sicknesses related to muscle atrophy. These are not as potent as synthetic injections, but they are A LOT SAFER. I liked how they were still the MOST POTENT ALTERNATIVE to injectables. So what they do (without giving a whole dissertation, which I’m not a doctor anyway) is stimulate and force your pituitary gland to secrete Growth Hormone, which slows down with age due to a number of factors. Basically our brain is like a switch board and we are turning some buttons off which are blocking wanted hormones and turning other buttons on and turning up the dial.
So what I decided to do is the following:
1. Made an appointment with an HRT practice in my state, more local, and invest about $1200 for blood work, urine, full consultation, explain my goals and get professional and medical opinions for what I should take. This is in October that I will be going (in about a month from now).
2. In the meanwhile, after my research, I decided to start right away MK677- 30 mgs per day (1 capsule in morning and 1 in evening and liquid .5 ML during the day. In addition to MK-2866 to stimulate testosterone production also taken morning and evening with MK-677 (this is called stacking).
3. In addition to these SARMs, I am taking L-Glutamine amino to enhance muscle growth and stimulate growth hormone as its being secreted (mostly at night while I’m sleeping).
So what my goal is now, is to start logging in each week, my progress, my findings as I go through this journey, and hopefully help other males in my situation who have aging, sex and muscle growth issues. My goal is to be at a 9-10% body fat, increase muscle mass and size, increase libido, better sleep, and feel stronger, get better times on my CF workouts and lift more. Ultimately feel confident and happy when I take my shirt off at the beach. Always loved the “beach test”.
More to come...sorry for the long initial thread.
My name is Justin. I just joined this forum and wanted to introduce myself as I need a place to post my progress and results. I am an endomorph, which means I can gain weight easily and have to work hard at looking and feeling good. To put it lightly I had gynecomastia surgery in 2009 because I was conscious about my saggy man boobs (as my wife calls it “Moobs”). I am not a natural athlete with amazing genes where I can easily cut, lose weight and look amazing after a few weeks of working out (this is a mesomorph); I see those people at the gym and I used to be jealous that I simply don’t have that magic ability. At age 14 I started gaining weight and felt self-conscious about my body so I started working out at the gym in freshman year of high school and continued all through College (junior year) and got into shape. I felt a bit better- that I Wasn’t a weakling or a fat cow, but never extraordinary. I wasn’t a big sports buff, except played a little ice hockey and golf..and a little bit of everything else, but mainly my passion was in music as I am a piano/keyboard player and singer.
After graduating from Syracuse University, I got into the financial services business in NYC and made decent money and always went to the gym to lift, play hoops or racquetball to start my day from 6am-7:30am before work. Exercise has always been important to me- at least to keep me sane. But I was never happy with my body…always wanted to look above average, cut, impressive and basically feel good about myself when I am at the beach. Every time I took my shirt off, I was unhappy and not confident in the way I look. The excuse was, “you’re married, so you have no one to impress anymore”- I thought that line was bullshit and just an excuse to make me feel better.
On my 38th birthday this past July, I decided I would do something really IMPACTFUL about my goals, since I have never quite reached them. My age is now catching up to me, and it’s getting to me mentally. Until now, l felt sorry for myself and using speed to keep the weight off. By the way, I never did Steroids or any injectable drugs in my life; not even anabolic pill form. Just protein shakes, some creatine and some of the gimmicks they sell at GNC which never worked (even after 3-4 months of sticking with it). It was a placebo effect for short while. I was never really too FAT or exceeded 190 lbs, but I don’t want love handles, tits, flabby back or a 36 waist anymore!
For the last 2 years I went to get a full blood test work up on my hormone levels and everything else. My cholesterol was a little high (210), everything else normal except for testosterone levels were low normal (total test ranging between 310 to 350, increased marginally over 2 years), but from 35-38 to have these levels is robbery for my body. My HGH levels were also low normal. Now at 38, I started Crossfit (2 months into it from the date of this journal) and I was impressed at how the men and women looked after 1-3 years of sticking with it. The first week I tried it, I pulled out my lower back, had trouble with workouts and I simply could not recover. I had joint pains, aches, hurt when I walk and irritable from the pain and starting taking aspirin and physical therapy (a common treatment for cross fitters in the beginning). In addition, I have more trouble getting and maintaining an erection, lower libido levels and lethargic during the day with intermittent sleepy spells and heavy eye lids.
Two months into crossfit and buying prepackaged meals for breakfast and lunch (www.kettlebellkitchen.com) and changing my diet drastically with daily caloric intake of about 1800-2300 calories daily with higher protein %, I have lost about 12 pounds from 186 to 174 in 4 weeks, with body fat % dropping from 22.50% to 17.8%. Now I am ready to take it up a notch and get serious about anti-aging and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to enhance my work outs, recovery and feel like a 20-something year old again. Might as well ramp up next 2 years before I’m 40, right? But how should I do this? I heard of roids, HGH, HGT, SARMS, Powders/drinks, and hundreds of supplements for suckers like me to try and buy. Where to I start!!!???
I started a big research project into HRT, testosterone and HGH injections, estrogen blockers and other supplements and all the costs, etc. I found an HRT in Florida that would mail me injectables to do myself and the total cost for a year was quoted to me was around $15,000 to budget. I nearly flipped out and my wife would kill me and say the money is better spent on her new car. I called around at 6 other HRT places, and they said we can do Sermorelin instead of HGH which is a fraction of the price, but the cost was still $6500 for the year (which is more manageable). Most HRT clinics wouldn’t even give me a price and just tried to sell me on a $2500 to $5000 consultation with unlimited doctor visits. What scams!! They told me every person is unique and we really can’t give quotes or ranges. I said to them how much different can treatment be when most patients are between ages 30-45 and use similar hormones?!. Just tell me what HGH, Test and other supplements cost per month based on dosage? My gosh. Not a big fan of injectables since I never did it and needles scare me and I also pass out on occasion during blood tests if I’m not lying down. Bottom line, there are so many options and it’s confusing.
With that said I joined a few anabolic and bodybuilding forums and asked a bunch of questions and got a suggestion to explore a “research chemical” called MK-677 and MK-2866 which are considered Secretagogues or SARM (Selective Anabolic Receptor Modulators). Not FDA approved for public human consumption, but used for research and some elderly sicknesses related to muscle atrophy. These are not as potent as synthetic injections, but they are A LOT SAFER. I liked how they were still the MOST POTENT ALTERNATIVE to injectables. So what they do (without giving a whole dissertation, which I’m not a doctor anyway) is stimulate and force your pituitary gland to secrete Growth Hormone, which slows down with age due to a number of factors. Basically our brain is like a switch board and we are turning some buttons off which are blocking wanted hormones and turning other buttons on and turning up the dial.
So what I decided to do is the following:
1. Made an appointment with an HRT practice in my state, more local, and invest about $1200 for blood work, urine, full consultation, explain my goals and get professional and medical opinions for what I should take. This is in October that I will be going (in about a month from now).
2. In the meanwhile, after my research, I decided to start right away MK677- 30 mgs per day (1 capsule in morning and 1 in evening and liquid .5 ML during the day. In addition to MK-2866 to stimulate testosterone production also taken morning and evening with MK-677 (this is called stacking).
3. In addition to these SARMs, I am taking L-Glutamine amino to enhance muscle growth and stimulate growth hormone as its being secreted (mostly at night while I’m sleeping).
So what my goal is now, is to start logging in each week, my progress, my findings as I go through this journey, and hopefully help other males in my situation who have aging, sex and muscle growth issues. My goal is to be at a 9-10% body fat, increase muscle mass and size, increase libido, better sleep, and feel stronger, get better times on my CF workouts and lift more. Ultimately feel confident and happy when I take my shirt off at the beach. Always loved the “beach test”.
More to come...sorry for the long initial thread.
