macgyver
TID Board Of Directors
- Nov 24, 2011
- 1,996
- 1,672
Look great. Awesome quad separation. Can't wait to see the version of yourself you consider "in shape".
Yea....I know, it sounds a little funny. I am not a bodybuilder, and mostly trained for strength my entire life. Most of my life I stayed bulkier with barely one big "ab" ;-) It has only been the last 4 years where I have been focusing on just staying fit and leaner year round. I am trying to find that balance where I dont deprive myself the things I really enjoy either. Yes....I want my cake and eat it too!. Overall it has been going OK. However that I have never really pushed to that last bit where I attack the rest of the abdominal skinfolds. (that is some tough fat...and fat I have had for 45 years.....so it is stubborn). I have leaned out most everywhere, just the abdominal area is the last to go. (but getting better). When I finally shed the sub-q fat, it stays gone. Even bulked up to 230, my legs retain striations and vascularity and skinfold never goes above 5mm. I am hoping the same will be true for my midsection when I finally shed the last bits.
I used to split the dose, but got tired of the extra pinning. I just pin once a week now. When I say that I feel best on 120-150 that is true.....BUT I am very well aware that running it higher when dieting is a good idea (even if I dont feel as great). Dieting is in my opinion the most critical time for anyone seeking to be big and lean. Food (especially in a surplus is anabolic on it's own). Dieting.....everything is stacked against you.
I was lifetime natural until 2012. The biggest change I have seen, is I now can hold on to more mass and stay leaner. I believe I am able to carry about 10lbs more mass and be lean with AAS. My strength is really not changed (in fact I am weaker lb/lb then when I was natural). That has more to do with 4 years of sucking the fat out which leads to strength losses. I believe the loss of intramuscular fat decreases strength over time from lost leverages. My usage would be considered "beginner" by most standards, but I think I was given some GREAT advice by guys who have been in this game longer than I have.
If you are in it for the long haul, slow and steady wins the race. I have never been dependent on AAS for gains of either strength or mass. I have however seen over a good window of time, they can certainly shift the curve. Where this has left me, is I have never lost size or strength on "normal" levels. It has left the question in the back of my head.....what could I do if I really ramped up my usage to the 'big boy' level. But at my age, I am happy with a good balance in my life. (In fact there are times I go to lengths to hide my development as in the professional world, it is not unheard of to draw negative thoughts about someone overly into their overly muscular appearance. "Muscle heads" dont excatly bring great thoughts to mind in the business world).
Got to love it when you can tighten up and not flatten out like a damn pancake. Looking good!
Yep. I have struggled to find the motivation to devote to tightening up my diet. Just dropping the bloat has me fired up. This was me last week. (my wife snapped this pic of me busting on me becasue I hiked up my shorts getting some sun.
But you can see how flat the midsection is from all the carbs
This is a pic from a few years back and probably the leanest I have gone. Looking to get back to here or even just a tad more. But this time, I am going to stay there....and find the balance where I can have a few beers here and there, AND of course Pizza is a requirement! (aint no amount of lean worth it, it I cant have my pizza night!)