Swedishfish - Round 1

[Swedishfish]

damn..i am in my famine day 4....
after looking through your log and saw all those FOOD makes me even more hungry...

i miss my protein...

btw..GREAT WORK MAN~

Haha sorry man; hang in there it'll get better very soon. The famine to feast ratio feels bad now but is really very generous.

Thanks for the kind words

Feast Day 44
6 Days left - 2 more lifts!
Stats
Weight: 209

Diet
Cals
2950
Fat
85 g
Cholesterol
719 mg
Sodium
4086 mg
Carbs
307 g
Fiber
24 g
Protein
231 g
Sugars
155 g

The cookies are gone so calories will drop a bit now, along with sugar.

Training
Workout #22

BB Bent Row 135x2, 155x2, 165x1, 165x10, 165x10, 165x10, 165x10, 165x10

BB Bench Press 135x2, 155x2, 165x1, 175x1, 175x8, 175x8, 175x8, 175x6+2, 165x6+2 (had to rest-pause these then drop the weight, chest development has always been slow with me...)

DB Walking Lunge bwx2, 45x2, 55x2, 65x1, 65x8, 65x8, 65x8, 65x8, 65x8

DB Shoulder Press 45x2, 55x2, 65x1, 70x1, 70x8, 70x8, 70x8, 70x8, 70x7

Dips bwx8, bwx8, bwx8, bwx8
DB Bicep curl 30x10, 35x8, 40x6, 45x4, 30x10
BB Bicep curl barx12, barx12, barx12 (mostly for pump)
DB Bent Delt. Flyes 25x10, 25x10, 25x10, 25x10

Obliques & Transverse abdominis

Supps
Testforce2 2/2
E-bol 3/3 pre&post-worout
Reversitol v2 1/2
Slin-sane 1 pre-workout / 1 pre-bed
Appnut FreeTest 2/2
Protocol w/ breakfast & post-workout & pre-bed

PSU + GreenMag + Blackcats (preworkout)
3xPiT + 20g BCAA + 10g L-glutamine + GreenMag (periworkout)
BulletProof + 10g L-glutamine (prebed)

Notes
Post-workout brunch yesterday (3 cups honey nut cheerios + 1 cup blueberries, 16oz egg whites + 2 whole eggs w/mushrooms, spinach, red peppers & avacado)



So easy but so good


Rest-day breakfast (short stack of dark chocolate protein pancakes w/blueberries & SF Syrup)



first bite

[RobRegish]

Absolutely fantastic work. Thanks for doing it justice man...

Food porn pics are great too

[Swedishfish]

Absolutely fantastic work. Thanks for doing it justice man...

Food porn pics are great too

My pleasure Rob. Glad to see you around again.

Feast Day 45
5 Days left - 2 more lifts!
Stats
Weight: 209
Holding steady at 209.

Diet
Cals
2683
Fat
90 g
Cholesterol
618 mg
Sodium
2679 mg
Carbs
281 g
Fiber
31 g
Protein
201 g
Sugars
96 g

Training
Rest Day - lots of couch time.

Supps
Testforce2 2/2
E-bol 2/2/2 with meals
Reversitol v2 1/2
Slin-sane 1 pre-breakfast / 1 pre-bed
Appnut FreeTest 2/2
Protocol w/ breakfast & pre-bed

10g L-glutamine (prebed)

Notes

[Swedishfish]

Feast Day 46
4 Days left - 1 more lift!
Stats
Weight: 208

Diet
Cals
2287
Fat
67 g
Cholesterol
457 mg
Sodium
2403 mg
Carbs
220 g
Fiber
36 g
Protein
192 g
Sugars
58 g

Training
Workout #23

Deadlift 135x2, 185x2, 205x2, 225x2, 245x1, 275x1, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8 (5 working sets)

Pushups 12, 12, 12, 12, 12

Squat 135x2, 155x2, 185x2, 225x1, 245x1, 245x8, 245x8, 245x8, 245x8, 245x8

Chin up 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

V-bar lat pulldown 125x10, 125x10
Leg Ext. 150x8, 150x8
Leg curl 110x8, 110x8
BB Shrugs 225x10, 225x10, 225x10
Calf Press 310x12, 320x12, 320x12

Upper Abs
Lower Abs

Supps
Testforce2 2/2
E-bol 3/3 pre&post workout
Reversitol v2 1/2
Slin-sane 1 pre-workout / 1 pre-bed
Appnut FreeTest 2/2
Protocol w/ breakfast & post-workout

GreenMag + 1.5 scoops PSU (preworkout)
3 scoops PiT + 1 Scoop GreenMag + 20g BCAA + 10g L-glutamine (periworkout)
Bulletproof (prebed)

Notes
Knees are really aching after yesterday; will probably ice them tonight. Looking forward to starting cruise.

[RobRegish]

"Knees are really aching after yesterday; will probably ice them tonight....."

Sign right there. Your body's telling you it's time and you're listening.

Good man

[Swedishfish]

Feast Day 47
3 Days left - 1 more lift!
Stats
Weight: 209

Diet
Cals
2696
Fat
117 g
Cholesterol
419 mg
Sodium
2877 mg
Carbs
184 g
Fiber
17 g
Protein
215 g
Sugars
24 g

Training
Rest.

Supps
Testforce2 2/1
E-bol 2/2/2 with meals
Reversitol v2 1/2
Slin-sane 1 pre-breakfast / 1 pre-bed
Appnut FreeTest 2/2
Protocol w/ breakfast

Notes
Last lift today. Can't wait!

[RobRegish]

I'm probably too late for this but just noticed something...

Carbs
184 g

Protein
215 g

Consider flipping those ratios around or at the very least, getting them to 1:1.

REASON: You feed your body protein, it gets real good at burning... protein. This is costly, inefficient (brain/body wants glucose) and throws off alot of metabolic waste - think urea.

Also, if possible take just one extra rest day to mentally/physically prepare. Visualize that PR not for a single, but for a triple! Do this 3x, with at least one of those prior to sleep in order to allow it to build into your subconscience.

For what the mind can conceive... the body will achieve.

Believe it.

TFOF(tm) 4 Life

[Swedishfish]

I'm probably too late for this but just noticed something...

Carbs
184 g

Protein
215 g

Also, if possible take just one extra rest day to mentally/physically prepare.

Morning Rob,

Sorry I didn't see this in time for yesterdays workout - didn't take an extra day; probably would've helped but I was still on the 1on/1off rotation from the rest of feast.

About Tuesday, I had a really upset stomach and didn't really get a solid dinner in; which is probably why the macros are so off. It's since calmed down and I've been eating more normally. Also I'm trying to scale back the calories now that I'm coming out of feast.

Feast Day 48
0 more lifts!
Stats
Weight: 210

How appropriate that on the last day of Feast I hit 210.

Diet
Cals
1936
Fat
22 g
Cholesterol
359 mg
Sodium
1136 mg
Carbs
233 g
Fiber
43 g
Protein
199 g
Sugars
91 g

Training
BB Bent Row 135x2, 155x2, 165x1, 165x10, 165x10, 165x10, 165x10, 165x12

BB Bench Press 135x2, 155x2, 165x1, 175x1, 175x8, 175x8, 175x8, 175x6, 165x10 (couldn't even do a pushup after these)

DB Walking Lunge 45x2, 55x2, 65x1, 65x8, 65x8, 65x8, 65x8, 65x10

DB Shoulder Press 45x2, 55x2, 65x1, 70x1, 70x8, 70x8, 70x8, 70x8, 70x8

Dips 8,8,8,8
Cable Flyes 60x8, 50x8, 45x8
DB Bicep Curl 30x10, 35x8, 40x6, 45x5, 30x10
BB Bicep Curl 45x12, 45x12, 45x12
DB lateral raise 20x10, 20x10, 20x10, 20x10

Supps
Testforce2 1/1 (ran out)
E-bol 3/3/3 with breakfast & pre/post-workout
Reversitol v2 1/2
Slin-sane 1 pre-workout / 1 pre-bed
Appnut FreeTest 2/2
Protocol w/ breakfast & post-workout

Notes
Officially finished with TestForce 2 and E-Bol, will continue with FreeTest, bottle has only about 5 days left at most. Full write-up on supps, training, and blueprint to follow. As well as strength and size assessments.

Cruise is 7 workouts over 21 days, so I'm looking forward to more rest time and getting my diet under control again.

[Swedishfish]

Original Stats
Height - 6' 2" / 74 inches / 182.8 cm
Weight - 198 (AM) - 202 (PM) / 90-91 kg
Est BF 20% - 159 LBM

Final Stats
Height - still 6'2"
Weight - 210 (AM) +/- 4 (PM)
Est BF 22% - 164 LBM +5 lbs

Diet
This changed a lot from the beginning - as per Rob's recommendation I added additional carbs and lowered protein a bit from my original, as well as ditching fasted training.

I see now why this was important - I honestly don't believe I would've had the energy to complete some of these workouts without the added carbs - even if it did contribute to some fat gain.

This is the heaviest I've been in years

Big 3
My most recent maxes (November)
Deadlift - 315 x 6 (Calculated 1RM - 371)
Bench - 195 x 6 (Calculated 1RM - 230)
Squat - 255 x 6 (Calculated 1RM - 300)

Calculated Maxes at the end of Feast
Deadlift 275 x 10 (Calculated 1RM - 357.5)
Bench 175 x 8 (Calculated 1RM - 217)
Squat 245 x 8 (Calculated 1RM - 303.

Strength gains were minimal - though this is not the blueprint's fault as strength was not my stated goal and the workouts that Rob devised for me were not built around strength but overall body composition.

I'm not sure how much I can really rely on these calculated numbers, in a given set yes I also dead lifted 275x10 (for example) but I did 5 sets at this weight, which is more than I've ever done that heavy. So on some level conventional measures of strength are down, but as far as muscular endurance and practical strength are concerned, I feel exponentially stronger than when I started. I think this will show in cruise as I switch to a more conventional 5x5 scheme.

My Goals
I've always been an endomorph - I need to eat very little to put on fat, but it's very hard for me to gain strength without putting on fat. I don't like the traditional bulk/cut approach. I feel that if you do things correctly it should be possible to gains strength and size without adding fat, and even while cutting fat.

Still an endomorph, still put on fat easily as evidenced by the weight gain over the course of this log. On the surface it would appear as if I've failed this goal, getting stronger while cutting fat. I did stray from the program though; I feasted and I feasted hard - it was hard to be in the mindset of getting stronger and doing these high volume workouts and then switching the next day to eating some 70% of maintenance. I think on some levels this program was just a psychological hurdle more than anything

[Swedishfish]

Final Feast Writeup

Supplements
Wow I didn't realize until I wrote out this list how many supplements I was actually taking...

E-Bol - I gave E-bol a glowing review in my half way point progress report and supp review. I think I'd still have to agree that this was an integral part of the log and BluePrint. The program Rob has poured himself into really is all about change, and adapting to change. Forcing your body to guess every week, from exercise order, sets, reps, and weight nothing stays constant for long. This is where E-Bol shines. I'm not sure how it would be if I was just doing a normal workout log with the same workouts from week to week with minor weight increases; in my mind it wouldn't do much there. Paired with BluePrint however I see no reason not to give this flying colors/10.

Final Rating: 9/10
Would buy again with Blueprint - probably wouldn't buy it otherwise.

FreeTest - I originally bought this during the enormous Black Friday sale that App Nut had. Then I read sloops Blueprint log and I got even more excited for this. Though I didn't pick up any HGHup. This had all the classic signs of a natty test booster that I've become accustomed to, some worse than others; irritability, shortness of temper, oily forehead & shoulders, increased aggression, alpha feeling, not much change in libido (but thats not something I usually get from natty boosters). From all accounts I think this product performed admirably throughout the log. My only complaint would be the stomach irritation from Forksolin; had I read the label more carefully I might not have bought this, I just don't tolerate Forksolin well - I learned this from a run of BioForge over a year ago.

Final Rating: for me 7/10, general public 9/10
Would buy again if not for Forksolin - still rank Activate Extreme #1 in my book

TestForce2 - This is a strange supplement. I read a lot of logs, even saw some convincing enough blood work to give this one a shot. All things said and done I would've probably been better without this. Maybe I was just convincing myself it wasn't doing much, maybe it was doing more than I give it credit for. Without blood work I really can't say definitively either way unfortunately. Taste was fine, mixed easily most of the time. Really no complaints about the product as a product just the effectiveness.

Final Rating: 6/10
Would not buy again. Would only accept if it were free, and even then I'd have my doubts.

Slin-Sane - This was my first experience with a GDA and I'm happy to report it was a positive one. As I mentioned previously I've extremely sensitive to carbs, anything over what my body needs and its quick to save it for later. The best luck I've had with a cutting diet was carb cycling to avoid unnecessary carbs. This didn't quite vibe with Blueprint however so Slin-Sane became a staple, anytime I was about to eat more than 75g of carbs, down the hatch! And after the meal I felt great 9/10 - wasn't full or bloated. The secret weapon is the pre-bed dose, lowering blood glucose to increase GH release and get a solid nights rest - this was key. Not to mention waking up without any bloat. I haven't tried any similar products to compare it to, but at $14 a bottle I'm happy I bought 4 when I did and wish I had some more.

Final Rating: 9/10 (just cause I haven't tried anything else)
Would Def buy again. Would pay more for.

Reversitol v2 - This one is a tried and true SERM type product for me. I've used it previously during cuts and bulks, I've always enjoyed the effects. The price point was good for Black Friday and I picked up 6 bottles. The other 4 will sit in my pantry until I need them. I won't get into exhaustive detail here, and again without personal blood work I can't really say 100% that it worked, but I believe it to be a solid product that I have a lot of faith in.

Final Rating: 8/10
Would buy again.

Bullet Proof - I've never taken a PM supplement before aside from Casein and Controlled Labs REDuction PM. I really do enjoy this supplement. I tried to only take in on workout days to ensure proper rest, and to avoid reducing its effectiveness as people can habituate to these products. Every time I took it I fell asleep quickly, slept through the night, and woke up feeling like I'd gotten as much rest as I needed. My only complaint is that sometimes it would leave me a little groggy or slow to rise in the morning.

I'd be curious to try some other PM products with good reviews, including HGHup and Animal PM.

Final Rating : 8/10
Would buy again

Protocol - On it's surface it's hard to see what makes Protocol so great, its a non proprietary blend of Leucine, Beta-Alanine, L-Carnitine and Agmatine. I used to take straight BCAA for recovery, but I've become a big fan of Protocol. Granted it mixes like a BCAA i.e. not well, but once you get past that the flavoring is good, not too strong, and my recovery has shot up. Taking it twice or even three times a day I'm still on my first tub, and I've had no problems with soreness throughout this log, maybe a little stiffness but certainly nothing that would keep me from lifting in the 1on/1off schedule that is outlined. Great product at a great price point. Genomyx has made a believer out of me here. Not to mention their reps are excellent.

Final Rating: 9/10
Would buy again (once I work my way through the 3 tubs I have still)

Black Cats - This was hardly a staple of this log, but I thought since I used it, it wouldn't hurt to throw up a quick review for those curious. WOW what a kick, the recommended dose on the bottle is 2 caps, I wouldn't dare. I never took more than 1 and even contemplated splitting a cap. It's strong stuff. I'm a stim junkie - so I loved the high it gave me; and I really do mean high, its as close to drugs as you can probably legally get without exploding someones heart. I've taken EC before, that is much smoother. Black cats is a strong up with a very slow down, 3-4 hours later I still feel it. I don't know why anyone would ever waste $2 a day on coffee when you can get 60 days of this stuff for under $20. Fantastic product but dose carefully.

Final Rating: 9/10 (I want to try purus muscle marinade before I give this a 10/10 for stims)
Would pay more for.

GreenMag - My favorite creatine product to date. 80 servings in a tub, I didn't even make it all the way through 1 tub at 2 scoops on workout days. Fantastic taste, mixes easily, meshes well with pre-workout flavors. I can't think of a single downside here - other than the green color which immediately lets everyone know you aren't drinking anything close to normal.

Final Rating: 9/10 (still want to try cbol creatine and trinitine)
Would buy again

PurpleinTrain - I'm not sure where I sit on this one. I bought the two tubs I had on wheycheap awhile back and I added it to this log to try and fill the periworkout requirements that Rob laid out. Mostly trying to get hydrolyzed whey and carbs intraworkout. I've tried SizeOn PC before and I think I like that better, and from what I've read Max Performance would be worth a shot as well. Cost per serving is fantastic and the ingredient profile doesn't leave much to be desired. The mixibility isn't great, it settles out of solution pretty quickly and stuck to the sides a bit leaving a white residue. Additionally the aftertaste is hard to shake, sometimes I can even taste it the next day. Still a solid profile.

Final Rating: 7.5/10
Would buy on sale.

PreSurge Unleashed - I've had a lot of pre-workouts (white flood, superpump250, n.o.xplode, jack3d, flashover, 1MR) and this one is among the best. Its well dosed in the stim department, you definitely feel it but it won't send you into a panic attack like some pre-workouts I've tried. I do like stims, and usually acclimate pretty well to them, but this one I never got above 2 scoops of. At the end of the summer I was dosing Jack3d at 3 scoops and not even feeling it that much. The 1,3 doesn't bother me, but if it gives you headaches or other problems I might caution you towards a 1,3 free product like white flood which is still one of my favorites. A word of warning, this product did leave me with occasional stim-dick usually until the next morning, as I workout in the late afternoons. Still a great product and any downside is going to be shared with most pre-workouts.

Final Rating: 9/10
Would buy again.

Training & Strength
This is a hard category to summarize. As I mentioned in my first post, the hard numbers would make it appear as if I've lost strength. On the converse, my endurance and stamina is better than it's ever been working in the 8-12 rep range for 5 sets. Cruise is suited more towards conventional strength building workouts (5x5) and I expect to see a lot more conventional strength numbers in Cruise, so stay tuned for that.

As far as a final verdict, I would say the jury is still out. Also, be honest with yourself when developing your training protocol with BluePrint. I told myself that strength wasn't as important as body composition, but as soon as I started to feel strength go down, I piled on the calories. My strength is definitely more important to me than I realized previously. So I lived feast to the fullest, building as much strength as I could, and now I have a longer road to beach season. Thats just how my psyche dealt with it. So my advice is to know yourself and really pick out whats important to you.

Also realize that it's really hard to get through a phase called "Feast" without putting on some weight. The name is fitting.

The BluePrint
Really the biggest selling point for BluePrint isn't the strength that I see people pack on, or the massive body composition changes. It's the support and the community. The BP forums are great, I get daily, yes daily, advice, critique and support from people who've been through blueprint 3, 4, or even 5 times. Its a priceless resource that you won't get anywhere else just copying a workout from some .com.

Then there's Mix/Rob. What a pair these two are. I can't even begin to say enough about the PM's and posts that these guys have shared with me. The knowledge and the passion is so omnipresent in them it's hard not to be attracted (no homo) to their charisma. I'm certain that this will not be the last time BluePrint will be in my life, and I cannot wait for 3.0 to give it a real run at strength gains; enough with the body composition garbage.

[beefcake66]

Wow that's a pretty phenomenal final write up you did there!! Thanks for all the info and the great reviews!


...can I have your recipe for those protein pancakes?? lol

[bigpelo]

Wow that's a pretty phenomenal final write up you did there!! Thanks for all the info and the great reviews!


...can I have your recipe for those protein pancakes?? lol

x2

Thumbs up!

[Hank!]

Great write up, thank you so much for the time and contribution!


and for food Pornz!

[Swedishfish]

Thanks for the kind words gents *edit* & Lady. Really couldn't have done it without all of you.

Pancakes are simple
1 cup bisquick
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (or enough to get desired consistency)
2 scoops protein powder (anymore than this and the texture gets a bit funky)
+any mix-ins you desire I find fruit and nuts work best though dark cocoa powder does wonders as well.