19NorFan’s 6-Week Post Contest Rebound Log | Team US Pharmacies

[19NorFan]

Meal Prep Tips

Depending on how much freezer space and meal frequency, you may want to get some number of these meal prep containers. I have enough for about 15 days of food. I'd also stick to glass over plastic. You'll want at least a 30 ounce container because that can hold 300 grams of cooked rice and 7 ounces of cooked meat.

You will also want to get a food scale to weigh everything. How you weigh your food depends on the food. With meats, I weigh them after cooking. Cooking removes the water and I get a consistent measurement week over week. Whereas if I weigh it before cooking, the variance in water weight from batch to batch may throw off my macros. Ideally, to remove variability, you want to weigh whatever food you're cooking in its dry form.



From there, you package the food based on your macros. MyFitnessPal is a decent application to track macros. Some of the inputs are incorrect, so what I did was create my own foods for all of the main foods I eat and kept it in my inventory. Here's what that looks like:


Let's say you follow a 40-40-20 Macro split. You simply enter the weights into my fitness pal and work backwards from there, to determine how many grams of cooked white rice, breast and olive oil you need to meet that number. Pack it and freeze it. You may also have differing size meals. So if meal 1 has to be 850 cal but meal 6 has to be 450, then you'll just get some sticky notes and mark them that way.

The most common pushback I get when I mention this to people is that they don't like eating frozen food. And if that's the case, you need to get more serious about fitness. Eating frozen food is about the easiest part of the physique game. If you can't handle that, then it's just not for you. OF course, you can cook every single meal individually but that's just going to be very difficult to keep up with day to day for most people.

 

[MasterBindo]

Syringes, SubQ vs IM, Injection Sites, etc.

If you are new to AAS or TRT use, you may be wondering what the best way of going about handing injections may be and I'll outline in the post exactly my approach to injections.

In terms of syringes, the EasyTouch 27g 5/8" insulin syringe will be all that you ever need IMO. This syringe can be used for IM or SubQ really at any injection site, it can be used for both oil and water based compounds and this is also the most cost effective option. If another company makes a 5/8" insulin syringe, I'm sure they're fine too but EasyTouch is the only one I've been able to find at that length in a single insulin syringe. I do both IM and SubQ injections with these syringes, even to thighs.

View attachment 272552

In terms of oil volume, you should limit IM injection sites with this syringe to 0.5ML - 0.75ML. With more viscous oil concentrations, such as say 300mg/ml test enanthate, you'll want to limit the injection to about 0.5ML going IM. Or 0.3ML if doing SubQ. If you do more than 0.3ML SubQ, there's a possibility of granulomas and lumps to form. For the long term appearance of the injection site, in general I'd recommend smaller volumes per site. With less viscous concentrations like NPP, you may go slightly higher, such as 0.75ML for IM.

These needles cause minimum trauma, which is important. Over the course of some number of deep IM injections for example, scar tissue can develop, which is more than just cosmetic - it can reduce your mobility and impair the function of the muscle. You want all your injections to be minimally traumatic to the injection site. You reduce trauma by sticking to those more shallow injections, injecting smaller volumes of oil and using smaller diameter needles.

Which also brings me to my next point, if have the fat to consistently do SubQ injections, those will be the least traumatic. If you're a new user, you could inject about 650mg/week of testosterone on daily 0.3ML testosterone enanthate injections (300mg/ml concentration) and hold off on IM injections for some number of years. Where IM injections become a necessity is when you're either very lean and don't have have readily available fat to inject into OR you're injecting such volumes of oil that you couldn't reasonably do SubQ.

A few other tips:

- Always sterilize everything, both the injection site and the vial. Getting lazy with this part can result in an infection.

- For SubQ, stick to your lower back and thighs. SubQ injections do cause some small amount of trauma to the skin, so if maintaining a clean waistline (perhaps you intend to compete) is important to you, it might be best to stick to areas where skin is less sensitive.

- Daily injections are usually best, especially as the doses titrate up. It keeps hormones stable and tends to result in fewer sides. Injecting 75mg test on Monday and Friday is a lot more forgiving than injecting 400mg on Monday and Friday.

What rotation do you like to use for daily pinning?

 

[19NorFan]

9/22/2026 - Shoulders, Calves

Cable Iso Upright Row
25x15
25x15
25x15

Plate Loaded Shoulder Press (Matrix)
140x10
140x10

DB Chest Supported Raise
15x12
15x12
15x12

Cable Iso Side Delt (Done w/ Cuff)
10x15
10x15

KB Dorsiflexion
25x12
20x14
20x14
20x12

9/24/2026 - Chest, Triceps

Plate Loaded Incline Press (Matrix)
180x12
180x12

Lever Chest Fly
170x15
170x15
170x11*

Smith Machine Floor Press
185x10
185x10

Cable Iso Tri Extension
15x15
20x15
20x14

Cable Rope Overhead Extension
40x12
40x11

9/25/2026 - Back & Biceps

Hammer Strength Lever Pullover
270x12
270x12
270x10*

Cable Iso Pullover
35x12
35x10
35x10

Cable Wide Grip Pulldown
160x16
160x13

Icarian Preacher Curl
110x12
110x12
110x10

DB Curl
25x15 + 15x15
25x12 + 15x15

Notes: Excuse the delay in updates here, I've been traveling for different things this week and didn't get many opportunities to record and post. This week through next week, I'm bumping up the reps closer to the 10-15 range, to give my joints a break. I have no joint pain or injuries or anything like that, but I can sense based on how my joints feel during heavy weight movements when it's time to "deload" by increasing reps. Meaning, I'm not actually deloading stimulus, just adjusting the rep scheme and training style to give the joints a break from heavier weights. It's important to learn to feel when your joints might need a break before you go too far. For example, once I start to feel joint instability or if that tightness is gone, the next step in the progression is going to be joint pain and an eventual regression in training. So I want to make an adjustment well before that happens.

You can also make mechanical adjustments - for example, with delt raise variations, cable pec flies, etc, you can use a cuff. There also pulldown cuffs that work very well. You won't be able to generate the same amount of force, however, you can generate sufficient force to stimulate growth without getting your wrist or elbow joints involved. The natural tendency might be to stop training or to take days off instead. I find it more productive to just continue to train through it with adjustments.



This is an iso lateral cable pullover variation that I do. At the end of the movement, I push through the floor as a sort of isometric hold. Doing the exercise with a wider arc vs. a more linear arc to the groin, makes it more of a lat/intercostal exercise whereas taking the cable straight to the groin on the movement makes it more lat/rear delt dominant.

 

[19NorFan]

What rotation do you like to use for daily pinning?

Right now I inject a total of 1ML of NPP and MENT per day and 0.10ML Test Prop EOD.

I do 0.5MLs per injection site of the NPP and MENT intramuscularly. The Test Prop I do sub-q.

For example, days:

1. 0.5ML in the rectus femoris, 0.5ML in the vastus lateralis
2. Same as day 1, just the other leg
3. 0.5ML in the left pec, 0.5ML in the right pec
4. 0.5ML in the left calf, 0.5ML in the right calf
5. 0.5ML in the left lat, 0.5M in the right lat
6. 0.5ML in the left glute, 0.5ML in the right glute
7. 0.5ML in the left tricep, 0.5ML in the right tricep

I might hit the same injection site every 2-3 weeks by the time I've completed the full cycle of injections. The less frequently you inject in an area, the better. This hasn't been studied thoroughly, but injection are a form of trauma to the muscle. Injecting too frequently or too much oil in one location may affect the mechanics of the muscle and cause injuries. I have heard of people tearing a bicep for example, just from flexing after injecting too much oil.

 

[19NorFan]

Progress Pics:

9/21/2026

9/9/2026

9/25/2026 progress pics:

 

[WED]

With meats, I weigh them after cooking. Cooking removes the water and I get a consistent measurement week over week. Whereas if I weigh it before cooking, the variance in water weight from batch to batch may throw off my macros.

Weighing before and after cooking is best, IYAM. Just need to do a little math to be precise.

 

[19NorFan]

Here are a few snippets from my blood work ~5 weeks post contest. A few things that stand out:

- Lipids are still elevated. Typically, on this dose of NPP and test prop, total cholesterol should be about 150 and LDL should be in the 120s. Triglycerides should be between 20 and 30. I did use MENT and YK11 in this rebound and that could be causing the elevation. Or it just didn't fully recover yet from the orals.

- E2 is relatively low for 70mg/week of test prop. At this dose of NPP and test prop, it should be in the 60 - 75 range. Some users have reported that YK11 suppresses their E2 and that could be the case here.

- Big thing I look at in bloodwork is my kidney function, especially with tren use. I want creatinine to stay around 1 and eGFR as close to 100 as possible. I did order a Cystatin C test but it was not included in the panel so I'll follow up with Quest on that.

- Liver enzymes are in range, but usually lower than what is shown in this test.

- I do not test for testosterone levels. At 70mg/week of test prop, I know that they're going to be low, it doesn't really provide me with any useful information.

 

[19NorFan]

Here are a few snippets from my blood work ~5 weeks post contest. A few things that stand out:

- Lipids are still elevated. Typically, on this dose of NPP and test prop, total cholesterol should be about 150 and LDL should be in the 120s. Triglycerides should be between 20 and 30. I did use MENT and YK11 in this rebound and that could be causing the elevation. Or it just didn't fully recover yet from the orals.

- E2 is relatively low for 70mg/week of test prop. At this dose of NPP and test prop, it should be in the 60 - 75 range. Some users have reported that YK11 suppresses their E2 and that could be the case here.

- Big thing I look at in bloodwork is my kidney function, especially with tren use. I want creatinine to stay around 1 and eGFR as close to 100 as possible. I did order a Cystatin C test but it was not included in the panel so I'll follow up with Quest on that.

- Liver enzymes are in range, but usually lower than what is shown in this test.

- I do not test for testosterone levels. At 70mg/week of test prop, I know that they're going to be low, it doesn't really provide me with any useful information.

Correction: I'm on 35mg/week of test prop in which case, the E2 is acceptable.

Normally, I might go closer to 70mg/week of test prop paired with 500mg - 700mg of nandrolone for a replacement dose of E2. This time I went with 35, considering that MENT contributes estrogen too, albeit not a bioidentical form. And not a form that would be reflected in this test.

 

[19NorFan]

I've completed my health phase at this point and will now transition over to a growth phase. This one will be shorter than initially planned - It will go through December 15th, after which I'll do an 8 week cruise/health phase, followed by contest prep. I will be working with a contest prep coach moving forward and will be aiming for the next contest to be in spring/early summer.

The schedule adjustment + This growth phase being shorter than originally planned because for the next contest prep, I'll be doing a full 16 or 20 week prep. This will allow sufficient time to achieve a highly conditioned look. I greatly underestimated how lean I needed to be doing contest prep solo, so this is an area to really emphasize for the next one.

Moving forward, through December 15th, there will be a few adjustments to my training:

I'll be following a higher volume, higher frequency training program, primarily emphasizing upper back/rhomboids, side delts and upper pec development. Sets will be taken to 2-4 RIR, with 10-15 reps, at a cadence that aims for 60-90 seconds of TUT. ~ 2.5 min between sets. Emphasis on controlling the weight/movement. All straight sets, no drop sets, no rest pause, etc.

Split will be as follows:

Week 1 Week 2
1 Pull Pull
2 Push Push
3 Off Off
4 Pull Pull
5 Push Push
6 Pull Legs
7 Off Off

I completed the following workouts on Wednesday and then did an upper pec/side delt emphasis push day yesterday:

9/30/2026 - Pull - Lats Emphasis
Straight Bar Cable Pulldown
130x10
130x10
130x10

Cable Iso Pulldown
60x12
60x14
60x12
60x10

Cable Pullovers
40x14
40x14
40x14
40x11

DB Bench Supported Row
60x10
60x10
60x10

Cable Iso Preacher Curl
25x10
20x12
20x12

EZ Bar Curl
20x15
20x15
20x15

Notes: Moving forward I will be noting things like RIR, whether to increase weight or not next workout, and other fine detail notes that my coach may want to see. If anyone finds this useful to post, let me know and I'll include it. My notes are usually much more detailed than what I post her, just to make the thread more readable.

Moving forward, through December 15th, there will be a few adjustments to my training/supplements:

Supplements will be streamlined to just 1 Daily Serving of Apollon Multi, Ubiquinol, Fish oil, Creatine and Magnesium Glycinate. On days when I use insulin, I will also use non-stim pre-workout. Gorilla Mode Nitric is my go to non-stim pre, year round.

Macros will be 550 grams carbs, 360 grams protein, 75 grams fat. For a total of 4,300 calories per day. This is subject to change every 2 weeks depending on weight and other factors.

This was yesterdays day of food, some of this is specific to training days:

Meal 1 - 7AM
95g White Grits
520g Egg Whites
5g Butter
242g Kiwi
3 fish oil
30g bovine collagen

100g Carbs, 92g Protein, 9g Fat, 900 calories


Meal 2-3 - 9:30AM - 12:00PM
45g Whey
6 Rice Crispy Bars
285g Banana
100g Blueberries
50g Karbolyn

With this meal, I blend the whey and blueberries and have it with the rice crispies split evenly over the course of 1.5 hours. I take 20 units of Humalog at 10am. My workout starts around 11:30AM and I have the Karbolyn around 12PM. I'm not too OCD about hitting exact time, this is more so to give you an idea of how I time the carbs and insulin.

The macros for this 9:30AM - 12:00PM meal are 235g Carbs, 15g Fat, 40g Protein, 1,230 calories.


Meal 4 - 2:30PM
250g White Rice
4 Tbsp Ketchup
100g Kimchi
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
8oz Chicken Breast

100g Carbs, 77g Protein, 23g Fat, 914 calories.


Meal 5 - 5:00PM
100g Kale
150g Beets
300g Sweet Potato
3 Fish Oil
8oz 95% Ground Beef

86g Carbs, 71g Protein, 19g fat, 785 calories.


Meal 6 - 7:30PM
12oz Albacore Tuna

93g Protein, 7g Fat, 400 calories


Total Daily: 530g Carbs, 375g Protein, 73g Fat, 4225 Calories; 50/35/15 Macro Split

The final meal is followed up with a 30-45 minute walk. I also take 10 grams of psyllium husk at 1:30PM and 9PM

Here are the adjustments to my gear:

Through Dec 15th, cycle will be 125mg/day NPP, 35mg/day Mast Prop and 10mg/day Test Prop.

Originally, I was going to do a ~2 gram test solo growth phase but due to this more condensed time frame, the cycle will stick with shorter acting compounds to allow for a faster transition into the next health phase.

I will also bump up my HGH to 10iu day, split into 2 even doses. First dose will be at 11am pre workout. Second dose will be 11pm before bed. If the sides are manageable, I'll bump it up to 12iu/day in 2 weeks. For now I will use short acting insulin and will incorporate Lantus later on in the coming weeks.

 

[19NorFan]

A few clips from the last few days workouts:

 

[19NorFan]

 

[19NorFan]

 

[WED]

I will also bump up my HGH to 10iu day, split into 2 even doses. First dose will be at 11am pre workout. Second dose will be 11pm before bed. If the sides are manageable,

Gonna try this approach in my next phase. Was gonna do 8/4 night/pre workout

 

[19NorFan]

Gonna try this approach in my next phase. Was gonna do 8/4 night/pre workout

There could be some benefit timing it around the workout. Splitting mainly helps with staying awake.

IDK your experience with 10-12iu before bed but it makes staying awake the next day really difficut. At any given time I just have to lay down and take a nap.

 

[WED]

There could be some benefit timing it around the workout. Splitting mainly helps with staying awake.

IDK your experience with 10-12iu before bed but it makes staying awake the next day really difficut. At any given time I just have to lay down and take a nap.

I've gone up to 8 at night and seemed to have some sleepy next days where I wanted a nap. I've seen a few ppl talk about PWO benefits and doing it IM too.

Plan was to start with like 6/2 and titrate up to 8/4

 

[19NorFan]

I've gone up to 8 at night and seemed to have some sleepy next days where I wanted a nap. I've seen a few ppl talk about PWO benefits and doing it IM too.

Plan was to start with like 6/2 and titrate up to 8/4

Yeah you get more GH exposure timed during the immediate post workout recovery period that way.

I'm taking the Humalog IM at 10am and HGH subq at 11am. That way the Humalog peaks around the start of the workout and falls off by the end of it. Meanwhile, the HGH peaks post workout, when the Humalog is mostly inactive. There's an argument for not having both the Insulin and HGH to peak at the same time.

 

[WED]

Yeah you get more GH exposure timed during the immediate post workout recovery period that way.

I'm taking the Humalog IM at 10am and HGH subq at 11am. That way the Humalog peaks around the start of the workout and falls off by the end of it. Meanwhile, the HGH peaks post workout, when the Humalog is mostly inactive. There's an argument for not having both the Insulin and HGH to peak at the same time.

Similar, just earlier in the AM

 

[Meetketchup]

Was looking through blood work and was wondering if you have a history or genetically high LDL?

 

[19NorFan]

Was looking through blood work and was wondering if you have a history or genetically high LDL?

My LDL levels as a natural wouldn't fall under familial hypercholesterolemia. That does exist in my family though, my grandfathers levels IIRC were in the several hundred range, I think like 400+ for most of his life and did not medicate for it.

AAS do raise it noticeable but I can keep it in range with meds on any injectable. But orals unfortunately crank it up pretty high, even with statins. Which is one reason I limit my orals use to acute 3-14 day periods.

 

[19NorFan]

Also to touch on ancillaries - since I missed that on the prior post (I'll include all meds that have some kind of ancillary effect, even if not taken for that purpose):

40mg/day Telmisartan - This is mainly used for high blood pressure, cardiovascular risk reduction and kidney protection.

0.6mg/day Clonidine - This is an ADHD med, however it also reduces blood pressure. I take 0.3mg post workout to blunt the adrenaline rise caused by the workout, which otherwise will go on for hours. And 0.3mg before bed.

1ML of 5%/day Minoxidil - I use this year round for hair growth, however it also reduces blood pressure. It was originally formulated to treat high BP.

20mg/day Rosuvastatin - This keeps the LDL in range. I've not had to go this high, but it can be dosed up to 40mg/day. On a cruise dose of test OR trt, 2-3mg of Pitavastatin are sufficient to keep everything in range. Pitavastatin has a milder side effect profile. I take a high dose of Ubiquinol to counter the fatigue/muscle symptoms.

10mg/day Ezetimibe - Also lowers LDL, through a different pathway.

1g/day TUDCA - For general biliary/gallbladder support. I take 500mg on an empty stomach and 500mg with my highest fat meal. There is a benefit to taking this even when not on orals. During higher feeding periods, there is elevated demand on the various organ systems, one of them being the biliary system. I notice more complete and faster digestion when supplementing with TUDCA. Specifically, the immediate post meal stomach bloat is usually gone in about 30-45 minutes post meal when on TUDCA. Whereas with no TUDCA, sometimes the bloat can carry into the next meal, especially towards the end of the day.

3g/day NAC - I take 6 grams every other day on an empty stomach. Tons of benefits to this one, this is my primary antioxidant. It's primarily used for liver health.

50m/g day Astragaloside IV + 15g/day Astragulus Root - This is for kidney health. I've written about Astragulus on several posts and it's potential renal benefits. If anyone finds it useful, I could do a separate posts on all the data that's out on currently. Studies on Astragulus and renal health are still preclinical, however there are enough positive anecdotal/empirical evidence behind it for me to include it.

A few considerations to the above ancillary use:

Some of these are year round and some are cycle dependent. The NAC, TUDCA, Astragulus and Minoxidil are year round. The others are cycle dependent. For example, on an cruise dose of test, say 25mg/day of Test Prop for 2-3 months, I'll drop the Telmisartan, Rosoutivstatin and Ezetimibe.

If I'm at the back end of a bulk and fasting blood sugar starts pushing 95+, then I'll add Berberine, Metformin, a GLP or something else to support glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity. The go to isn't always meds. Sometimes just throwing in some fasted cardio a few times per week can be enough.

Which brings me to a second point, if you don't do it already, it's recommended to check your blood sugar during bulks. If you have chronically elevated blood sugar, it is not good for your kidneys. Even if you do not become diabetic as a result, you can develop the same kidney damage associated with hyperglycemia that a diabetic might experience. High fasting BS is usually always talked about in the context of low insulin sensitivity = bad for gains. But it's also bad for your organs.

One practice I also don't engage in is "grazing" simple carbs the entire day. I think this practice is potentially harmful as it keeps blood sugar chronically elevated. I am mindful of how long my blood sugar stays elevated. Ideally, I want to have an early morning to afternoon high carb period, with insulin to shuttle it ASAP. This is timed around my workout. And for the rest of the day beyond that I want to have slow digesting carbs. But the important thing to note here is that there are defined meals, no random snacking throughout the day.

You can track this with a blood glucose monitor:





Also, you should check your blood pressure daily. You can get a blood pressure monitor and check it yourself. High blood pressure is probably the #1 killer in this sport, all things considered. For example, yeah, you can get a stroke and drop dead mid workout from high blood pressure. But it also causes long term damage to various organs. Just about every vascularized organ can be damaged by high BP. With the kidneys, it causes mechanical stress to the small arteries and glomerular capillaries that filter the blood. Less commonly known, it can also damage the pancreas and cause dysfunction. And obviously the heart, it can cause LVH and a host of other cardiovascular issues.

I aim for 110/70 blood pressure and usually fall somewhere between that and 120/80. By "aim," I mean, if I'm deviating too far from that number, I'll make adjustments to whatever I'm doing to get it lower. On a bulk and on a high dose of AAS, I may go closer to 130/90 but that's not something I want to maintain for long. Same with heart rate; I want to be in the 60-70 RHR ballpark. On cuts, it comes down to the low 50s.

Eric Kanevsky did a video at the Olympia where he was checking bodybuilder's blood pressure (not the competitors, but the guys at the expo) and most of them were very elevated. Like 190/110... albeit it wasn't done under ideal conditions. But still, this is an issue in the sport. AAS use raises blood pressure in a dose dependent fashion and once they get to a certain size and have to push dosages higher, a lot of them just deal with the hypertension and take the damage that comes with it. You just have to not get too attached to this and know when the pull the plug because life on dialysis is not fun. From the sound of it at least.

 

[19NorFan]

10/4/2026 - Pull - Mid & Upper Back
Cable Bench Supported Iso Row
70x12
55x14
55x14

Cable Bench Supported Face Pull
50x16
60x14
60x14
60x14

DB Bench Supported Shrug
60x14
60x14
60x12

Cable Iso Rear Delt Fly
15x15
15x15
12x11

Lever Rear Delt Fly
100x12
100x12

Plate Loaded Row
90x16
90x16
90x14

10/5/2026 - Push - Shoulders & Triceps
DB Shoulder Press
55x12
55x12
55x12

Cable Iso Side Raise
10x14
10x14
5x18
5x16

Cable Iso Upright Row
20x15
30x12
30x12

DB Iso Overhead Tri
35x10
35x10
35x10

Cable Tri Extension
50x14
50x12

10/6/2026 - Pull - Lats & Biceps
Cable MAG Mid Grip Pulldown
135x12
135x12
135x12

Cable Iso Pulldown
60x12
60x12
60x12
60x12

Cable Bench Pullover
40x20
40x20
40x14

Cable Iso Curl
20x16
20x14
15x16

BB Curl
20x20
20x20

Notes: These are the first 3 full workouts for the month. This first week will be dedicated towards just establishing poundages and training pace. With higher volume training, it's easy to get carried away and let the workout push beyond a reasonable timeframe. These are 15-20 set workouts and should not take longer than about 75 minutes to complete. Pushing much further beyond that, tends to diminish training performance; the pump goes away, CNS starts to check out and the workout just starts feeling lousy. Pre workout + Intra workout carbs with insulin can help extend time and work capacity in the gym.

A few things to address about the first 3 days of this split:

- There is a lot of cable volume work, about 2/3rds of overall volume are on some type of cable machine. This is intentional - the cables allow for more freedom of movement at the wrists, elbows and shoulders, allowing each joint to follow a more natural pattern of movement, as opposed to being forced into a fixed movement pattern (such as a lever machine). Cables also tend to provide smoother, more consistent resistance with no chnages in joint torque. These two reasons and several others, make high volume training more sustainable long term with predominantly cable exercises. Sustainable, in that they provide good stimulus without beating up the joints too hard.

- To further preserve joints, most exercises will be completed with straps or cuffs. The wrist straps take the wrist out of the movement and allow for more isolation of the intended back muscle. They take some of the stress off the wrists too. These are all small adjustments that add up over time.

- The 10/6 pull workout is an alternating workout. Next week, this will be a leg workout and the week after that, it will be back again. The upcoming 10/9 back workout will be non-alternating. To mix things up, the 10/9 back workout will be more plate loaded machine and free weights dominant, for variance.

This training split will also have a good amount of bench supported exercises. This removes the variable of torso/trunk stability demand when doing high repetition or longer duration sets. Instead of using your back, hips and core to hold your position through the set, the bench supports you so you can better focus effort on the intended muscle group.

 

[19NorFan]

This is with a more neutral grip. A pronated grip makes me feel this more in the traps, whereas a neutral grip is more mid back.

 

[19NorFan]

And lastly, face pulls:

 

[19NorFan]

10/8/2026 - Push - Chest, Tris & Side Delts
SM High Incline Press
155x12
155x12
155x11

Lever Flat Supinated Press
90x12
90x12
90x12
90x12

Lever Upper Pec Fly
120x15
120x15
120x15

Cable Iso Tri Overhead Ext
20x20
25x12
20x16

Cable Side Raise
10x14
10x12
10x12

10/9/2026 - Pull - Upper Back & Biceps
Cable High Row
120x12
120x12
100x14

T Bar Row
90x14
90x14
90x14

DB Bench Supported Rear Fly
10x25
15x22
15x18
15x16

Cable Iso Pulldown - Red
90x9
DNF

Icarian Iso Preacher Curl
40x15
40x15
40x14

EZ Bar Reverse Curl
20x25
20x21

Notes: This concludes the first week of the growth phase. Overall training volume for the week is right at 80 sets, with 49 pull sets and 31 push sets. The split between isolation vs compound is roughly 50/50. Upper back and traps get the most volume at 15 sets, while lats are at 11. Per my coaches recommendation, I need to focus on upper back development, hence the bias towards upper back thickness. Additionally, I was advised to focus on delts too. Overall shoulder volume is at 26 sets, although there is some overlap in my shoulder training with other groups. For example, rear delt exercises do tend to hit the traps as well, even though it's categorized as a shoulder exercise. I track volume week to week and adjust it every ~ 2 weeks based on recovery. If I am recovering well, then I increase volume/intensity. If recovery is struggling and I can make no additional adjustments to enhance recovery (food, rest, gear), then I will pull back on volume.

Here are a few clips from the last back workout...

 

[19NorFan]

 

[19NorFan]

 

[19NorFan]

 

[19NorFan]

Physique check...

This is after a 1,000 gram carb day earlier this week, very watery. NPP does that too. 280 here but baseline weight right now is 264-267.

For comparison, if I dropped the NPP HGH and insulin, I'd probably come down to about 255 in 10 days or so.

 

[Meetketchup]

Notes: This concludes the first week of the growth phase.

280 here but baseline weight right now is 264-267.

You are at that weight only on week 1 of a growth phase? Damn! How much size are you looking to put on?

 

[19NorFan]

You are at that weight only on week 1 of a growth phase? Damn! How much size are you looking to put on?

With 1g/week NPP and HGH, there’s a lot of “fake weight” that you put on because of how fluid and nutrient retentive those are, so using weight to track progress can be deceiving.

I’m just maxing out training volume and calories through mid December, to put on as much back/delt size as I can. As long as my fasting blood sugar is <100 and I have visible abs (not in that pic bc high carb day has me watery), I’m not concerned about getting too fat or the exact weight I fall at. Although I’ll probably end up around 274-276 at this trajectory. Which will very quickly come down to 260ish once I drop down to a cruise dose of test solo.

That's not to say I never track weight. On a 20-24 week growth phase, it's definitely more controlled. This one's only 10 weeks, so there's more margin for error. It's not likely that I'll overdo it in 10 weeks.