Official 8 Wk Cycle of BULK-UP - Goal: 175lbs

[nathandegrave]

I'm curently on the third day of my cycle, so I'm starting this a bit behind.

With that said, today starts the official 8 wk cycle and transformation. My goal? To go from 165 and 15% body fat (according to my scale) to 175 down to only 8% body fat!

I have the size, and now I'm looking to get ripped.


Here's the plan:

Supplementation: 10 BULK-UP capsules/4 weeks, 12 BULK-UP capsules/4 weeks

View attachment 44834

Diet: 200-250 grams of protein, clean carbs, NO cheat days. If anyone wants to know what my diet consists of the next 8 weeks, let me know.

View attachment 44836

Training:

• Morning: Power Yoga by Rodney Yee (45-50 mins)
• 4-5pm: Resistance split training (45-50 mins 4 days/week)
• 6pm: Insanity by Shaun T and Beachbody (45 mins)

View attachment 44835​

My goal for the next 8 weeks is to totally transform my body in a way that I have never felt or experienced. I want extreme vascularity as much as possible.

Here's a little about me. I am 23, 165lbs and 15% bodyfat.

MEASUREMENTS

Neck: 16.4
Chest: 43.1
Forearms: 12.2
Hips: 33
Calves: 16.25
Shoulders: 25
Arms: 15.5
Waist: 33.5
Thighs: 21.87

Max Bench: 250
Max Squat: 360
Max Deadlift: 400
Max Curl: 120
Max Bent Over Row: 199
Max Military Press: 151


BEFORE PICTURES


Here is the official before picture with newspaper in hand. I will include two pictures.

View attachment 44833

This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago and I was the same size as I am today. The only difference is the camera. I took this with a newer and better camera so the definition comes out very differently.

View attachment 44832

Todays picture is actually 3 days into the cycle since I finally managed to get some time to take it. However, since the better camera got lost, I am forced to use an older camera. I wanted to include both of these pictures as a contrast, just in case I find the other camera and switch back.

I intend to make these 8 weeks results nothing short of extraordinary. Up to this point, I did absolutely no stretching of any kind or ANY form of cardio at all. This is a goal I wanted to achieve for awhile now (with or without a cycle).

I can't wait to see what happens!!

 

[stfuandliftbtch]

Are you sure half that isn't you moms? Btw, Gain 10 pounds and cut bodyfat by 7% in 8 weeks is a joke. Set realistic goals. You didn't make you last one, so why reach for the stars again? Your last one you "gained 25lbs of muscle in 3 months", but really at least 5-10 was water, and im sure a little bit of bodyfat. So you might of gained 25lbs, but really you probably only gained 10, 15lbs of muscle MAX, shorting your goal by half.

So now in 8 weeks you are trying to gain about 20lbs of pure muscle!? That is just ridiculous. 165 to 175 minus 7% bdft=about 15-20lbs muscle. GET REAL. Put on 20lbs of muscle while cutting!!?!!!!


P.s. Way to throw your whole kitchen together to make it look like you got tons of shit. I see 4 Peanut butters(of different brands), meaning some are another family members. 2 bags of organic sugar? Wtf? all natural Amazon Energy(probably your moms?)And its spread out all over.. A soup kit? Half the shit there is random bullshit to make you pic more impressive, but honestly, anyone with a brain can simply tell half the shit there is plain retarded.


P.S. 2-ADVICE:

insanity post workout is ridiculous! You'll just be hindering muscle gains. you need to rest post workout..Go with a light jog or power walk for 30 minutes before your yoga session on an empty stomach. After jog/pwr walk, have a protein shake with a banana, then after yoga, eat a meal. (1cup oats not cooked in milk, 2 whole eggs+8 egg whites.)

 

[stfuandliftbtch]

Your calves look pretty fucking big in that pic. Fuck you and your calf genes haha Good stuff!

 

[nathandegrave]

Your calves look pretty fucking big in that pic. Fuck you and your calf genes haha Good stuff!

Haha thanks man. Yeah, my calves are pretty massive (or so I'm told). I'm blessed.

So a little about the pic..

Firstly, everything there is mine. I live by myself. I keep everything stacked like that all the time, and thought I'd take a pic for the fun of it haha.

Yes, I'm obsessed with PB. One is organic and powdered which is actually 83% less fat! Awesome for protein shakes

Amazon all natural energy = much healthier alternative to a pre workout, and very effective I might add

And the soup kit? Well that's a little secret of mine. It's a 21 bean mixture from Trader Joe's that has a nice 52 grams protein/cup, 880 calories and only 1 gram of fat! I literally get them by the dozen

BTW, I posted another pic of what my average weekly diet looks like.

And as far as my goals, I understand it's probably set way too high. But, I find I achieve more when I set a goal that is extremely high, rather than something that is too easy. I'll be happy even if I come close.

 

[nathandegrave]

BTW, I definitely want to get ripped in these next 8 weeks, and I would really love to implement Insanity somehow. Would it be better to do it in the a.m after yoga and then lift in the p.m?

 

[lindburgh]

A

 

[lindburgh]

Sorry. That was posted by accident through my phone.

 

[nathandegrave]

DAY 4

I haven't noticed any weight or size gains just yet, but I know I have to be a little patient. Have been eating well, and since I started up until now I have been doing full body workouts to pass the time. Tomorrow starts split training and I'll be getting really serious.

I have noticed an immediate increase in my appetite, and my libido seems to be getting better. Both could be in my head so I'll believe it when my measurements start visibly increasing.

 

[stfuandliftbtch]

Haha thanks man. Yeah, my calves are pretty massive (or so I'm told). I'm blessed.

So a little about the pic..

Firstly, everything there is mine. I live by myself. I keep everything stacked like that all the time, and thought I'd take a pic for the fun of it haha.

Yes, I'm obsessed with PB. One is organic and powdered which is actually 83% less fat! Awesome for protein shakes

Amazon all natural energy = much healthier alternative to a pre workout, and very effective I might add

And the soup kit? Well that's a little secret of mine. It's a 21 bean mixture from Trader Joe's that has a nice 52 grams protein/cup, 880 calories and only 1 gram of fat! I literally get them by the dozen

BTW, I posted another pic of what my average weekly diet looks like.

And as far as my goals, I understand it's probably set way too high. But, I find I achieve more when I set a goal that is extremely high, rather than something that is too easy. I'll be happy even if I come close.

Mmm food looks yummy...dont take me seriously, i give everyone a hard time but mean nothing of it. Im obsessed with PB too, getting addicted to honey roasted PB a local grocery store carries..You click a button and it grinds up the honey roasted peanuts right there....sooo fucking good.

I figured the Amazon energy was someone elses only because i see the C4 Extreme on the counter .

As far as insanity, I'd do it in the morning, id choose either yoga, or insanity and switch it up day by day. You can still get ripped without cardio or any form of insanity workout...If you NEED to do both(which is totally unnecessary), then do yoga after your post workout MEAL. It would be very relaxing, help you calm down from the energy drink and loosen up the muscles you just worked as well as all other.

just cut the rest time in between sets in the gym and make sure you are eating aprox. 250-500 calories less than maintenance. If i cut, ill eat the same as offseason, but cut a little every week. Like when i bulked, id eat carbs before bed with my meal. Ill start by cutting mostly all carbs last meal of the day, which is approx. 250-500cal. Then the week after, cut maybe half the carbs from the meal before my last....so on and so on..Nothing to drastic so i dont loose muscle.

 

[stfuandliftbtch]

DAY 4

I haven't noticed any weight or size gains just yet, but I know I have to be a little patient. Have been eating well, and since I started up until now I have been doing full body workouts to pass the time. Tomorrow starts split training and I'll be getting really serious.

I have noticed an immediate increase in my appetite, and my libido seems to be getting better. Both could be in my head so I'll believe it when my measurements start visibly increasing.

If you are trying to cut your bodyfat in half, dont expect much if any visible increase in measurement.

 

[GreenGiant]

 

[heckler7]

are you guessing your 15% bf because you look lower. keep it up.

 

[oufinny]

Did you say after Yoga? Where is the lifting?

 

[nathandegrave]

I lift for 4-5 days a week. Still writing out my split training routines as I go along. My bf is 15% according to my scale, yet I have some ab definition and from what I understand, that doesn't come until about 10%. So the bodyfat could be give or take.

DAY 7

I did back & abs yesterday. Had a great workout, but nothing out of the ordinary just yet. I get a bit of nausea in the mornings but it quickly subsides.

Warmup: Two sets of 20 Pullups
Weighted Pullups (3 sets) 25 x 15, 25 x 12, 25 x 8
Lat Pulldown SS: 155 x 8, 135 x 12
Deadlift: 250 x 10, 275 x 8
Hanging Leg Lift: 23, 20, 15
Crunches: 35
Barbell Curl: 90 x 8, 90 x 6

Felt good, and definitely had a nice pump in the lats. I even measured in at 16.25 inches on the arms even though Im only 15.5 relaxed. Awesome!

Other than that, I'm hovering at 159 and 13.5% bodyfat, so I'm going to up the calories some more since Insanity is causing some weight loss. No size or strength gains just yet, but a noticeable effect in my mentality.

Also, I am developing "backne". Never ever had it in my life, and this morning I noticed three breakouts near the neck area. I'm definitely contributing that to BULK-UP, but at the same time, at least I know it is beginning to effect my body.

 

[jwa]

subbed

 

[nathandegrave]

Day 9

Just over my first week so far. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. I did leg day yesterday and absolutely destroyed my legs on the squat and leg press.

Incredible pump, and may be one of the best I had for legs so far.

Did 550 25 times...so pretty happy about that. I do look a bit leaner and my quads are looking more defined...but as far as size or strength gains, nothing just yet.

I am taking today Saturday and Sunday off, so I am really looking forward to Monday (chest day)... I can't wait until then cause I'm hoping by then I'll see some major differences

 

[nathandegrave]

It's DAY 13 and I still don't see any strength or size gains (I actually lost weight), but its a good thing because Im toning up like crazy due to the Insanity. I checked the stats and even though I lost weight, I maintained all my muscle mass, which means all the weight lost was fat and fat only

Going to the gym today after a 4 day break so Im psyched to see it my strength gains have gone up at all. As a side note, my friend made a comment yesterday and asked if I was "currently on anything" (who didn't know I was) said there's a different energy about me and couldn't explain it. Huh. I don't know if that's the BULK-UP but apparently it was different enough for him to notice and say something about it.

Also, another friend said it looked like BULK-UP was working already, but again, I don't know what they're seeing that I'm not. Since it's the come of the third week I'm thinking things should really be kicking in now. Lets see what happens later today

 

[jwa]

It's DAY 13 and I still don't see any strength or size gains (I actually lost weight), but its a good thing because Im toning up like crazy due to the Insanity. I checked the stats and even though I lost weight, I maintained all my muscle mass, which means all the weight lost was fat and fat only

Going to the gym today after a 4 day break so Im psyched to see it my strength gains have gone up at all. As a side note, my friend made a comment yesterday and asked if I was "currently on anything" (who didn't know I was) said there's a different energy about me and couldn't explain it. Huh. I don't know if that's the BULK-UP but apparently it was different enough for him to notice and say something about it.

Also, another friend said it looked like BULK-UP was working already, but again, I don't know what they're seeing that I'm not. Since it's the come of the third week I'm thinking things should really be kicking in now. Lets see what happens later today

sounds good so far

 

[nathandegrave]

DAY 17

I actually measured my arms this morning, and despite losing weight AND bodyfat, my arms jumped from 15.5 to almost 15 and 3/4ths!

I am actually bewildered on how that has happened.

I haven't put as much intensity into my routines this time around but somehow I am still seeing results. I'm really happy about it.

EFFECTS SO FAR

-Increased appetite
-Thicker face.. I literally have a more manly facial structure without a doubt.
-More energy, aggression, and competitiveness...especially playing what my friends call ''extreme frisbee''
-Bigger arms. I haven't measured anywhere else yet but I wouldn't be surprised if I lost a little on the other areas. (only because of my dramatic fat loss)
-Nice pumps in the gym
-Short temperedness.. to say the least

Today is leg day. I will let you know how that goes later on. Im psyched!

 

[nathandegrave]

Oh, and one more thing....bad breakouts all over

 

[nathandegrave]

Leg day was awesome!

Great pump, felt strong and lasted about 45 minutes!

I focused on long, slow movements and really contracted my muscles at the bottom of the squat to really burn that muscle for all its worth!

Again, even with the weight loss, I added on some inches:

Before:

Quads: 21.87
Calves: 16.25

Currently

Quads: 22.5 (+ 3/4 inch)
Calves: 16.5 (+ 1/4 inch)

Pics are below:

 

[nathandegrave]

Oops, I just realized a mistake...

it's actually day 17 TODAY...and on day 17 it was day 15. I was two days ahead.

 

[PushAndPull]

You're part of a spam club now

 

[nathandegrave]

It's DAY 20 and yesterday was an amazing chest workout. Chest was pumped up and huge all day, and still feels pumped. Not bigger but mid chest looks much higher than usual.

I did 25 total sets for chest day and I destroyed it in the gym. Did a lot more than I usually do so I contribute that to BULK-UP

Other than that, I hve been feeling lethargic all day and the breakouts keep coming..almost a new one every day. Breaking out on the face, all over the shoulders, and had a nice breakout on the side of the neck. Never been this bad in my life, but at this point, I've stopped caring.

 

[MattPorter]

LOL @ "thicker manly face"

hehe

-Matt

 

[nathandegrave]

DAY 51


Still at the same weight but lifts and confidence are still through the roof! I've had two separate people tell me that they've noticed changes in me and are blaming it on what I'm taking.


Vascularity is amazing, shoulder veins are connecting to the biceps and are looking sick. Chest veins are FINALLY visible thank god.


Weight is the same, body fat is down to 10%, which means my muscle mass went up 3%. Haven't been lifting but been doing calisthenics: 5 sets of pushups, 5 sets of shoulder pushups, 5 sets of dips, 5 sets of pullups, 5 sets of hindu squats, and 5 sets of crunches. Pumps are fucking insane afterwards.


And yesterday, I did 225 pushups in a row!


SIDE EFFECTS: minimal. Sensitivity in the nipples. Small breakouts. That's it.

 

[JMedic79]

And yesterday, I did 225 pushups in a row!

you obviously don't mean without breaking a plank position. or are you actually claiming to have done 225 consecutive push ups without stop or rest?

 

[R1balla]

sorry just saw this. not trying to hate or anything, but these threads are on alot of forums for the androfactory....personally, im sticking to PP