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Going to start famine tomorrow. This is my first time doing something this radical. I used to do powerlifting and we had a school team at Georgia State. I used to do only deadlifts and got to 550lbs at 175. A month before my first competition, I had a crazy aching in my balls and I knew it was bad. Doctor confirmed bilateral inguinal hernias. After surgery (was over this last summer) I experimented with german volume training and had great success for upper body. My lower body has been slowly decreasing in size and its depressing. Anything too heavy and my surgical site aches. I dont want to mess anything up at this point so lower body work will probably be limited to DB lunges and step-ups/1 leg squats... or sprints/bike. Id like to use weight, but thats not always possible.

My goal is to start with ~1500 cal for the famine as i am roughly 185 pounds right now. I will weigh myself tomorrow morning to get a better estimate. Im 5' 8".

Ive digested the famine stuff after reading the BP along with logs so I understand this and have made an outline on notebook paper for exactly what needs to be done. As for the feast stage, I got most of it but ill do some more research and worry about that when i get there. Most of the confusion comes with timing my workouts. Im 21 years old and my recovery is really good, but regardless, thats to wait till the feast stage.

Supplements I will be using for my first run are:
ADAM multivitamin
Fishoil (3g/day)
Vitamin C (2g/ divided)
Beta Alanine/Creatine

Debating on the Ebol, i noticed everyone uses an ECD product but they are so expensive. Might wana run through this and get a baseline without ECD then try again with it and compare. Also havnt seen any mentions of beta alanine and creatine but they help me and i have a stash of it left, so id rather use it up instead of it sitting around. I got a lot of BCAA/EAAs sitting around as well so im going to use that with the 3on/3off protocol with the feast stage. I think that covers everything, Ill be updating my workout and diet tomorrow.

Welcome aboard man!

You've obviously done your homework so excited to get this underway. I appreciate what you're putting into it and you'll get all that and more back!

Right here for you if you have any questions!

I ordered some E-bol this morning because i got a bonus at work so i figured it was a sign :p

So far today ive eaten: (in no particular order)

3 servings supergreens powder (105 cal)
1/4 pound of spinach (maybe 50 cal)
vegetable/fruit juice blend (660 calories)
fiber bar (160 calories)
banana (~170 calories)

so im below my calorie limit. i usually dont eat too great but i figure this is my chance to work on diet now that i have a specific routine to follow and i feel better just knowing im eating healthier. i just got back from my workout and i was really surprised how much of a dive my endurance took just from semi fasting half a day. i started off feeling good but then after the first grouping of supersets, i felt worn out.

Step-up(95 pounds) superset with weighted chinups(10 pounds)
5 reps/ 6 reps
5 reps/ 6 reps
6 reps/ 6 reps

Plate loaded row machine (6 plates) superset with bodyweight chinups
6 reps/ 5 reps
6 reps/ 4 reps
5 reps/ 3 reps

BB curl: 70lbs x 6 reps
Incline DB curl: 20lbs x 8 reps
Machine preacher curl: 110lbs x 6 reps


I know traditionally the squat movement is combined with a row, but i had to change it up because i went when my gym was way too busy and i wouldnt have been able to run across the gym from squat rack to cable row without having to fight someone for one of the positions. Chinups were done full range of motion with a small pause at the bottom. I dont know how I got so few reps on chin-ups, usually i can do at least 15 with bodyweight. I guess a lack of protein is pretty detrimental to performance. Ive also had almost no fat today. So for my next meal i probably need to get some fat in with the last bit of food for the night.

Any comments on what ive done so far? This famine phase is gonna be hell, i can already tell ill be so weak by the end of the week, but the payoff with be well worth it!

It looks good and understand on the modifications you've had to make. Do take care to eat ENOUGH though. Don't want to make it more difficult than it already is

Proceed with caution but workout #2 is the next test. Watch the scale and make sure to record heart rate. We'll make the call together on whether or not workout #3 is warranted.

Great start!

I still dont quite understand the heart rate part, is it just a quick way to monitor stress? My BP is usually a few points high, but i will start checking it in the mornings. I guess it would have helped if i started monitoring it a few days before the "famine" phase. I just checked it now and its 124/69 pulse is 76. This is surprising thats its not higher considering i took ephedrine and caffeine this morning to help me study for my last final tomorrow morning. I know its not as beneficial as knowing the early morning BP, so I will start keeping track.

125/66 pulse 76, this was after my shower. i instinctively jumped in the shower right after waking up, hope this doesnt skew results. my final meal last night was two pieces of wheat break with a slice of american cheese melted on top of each, was under 300 cals.

Today is day 2 of famine.

Careful on that EC as it can skew things... always get a Dr.'s clearance. The RHR tells us how stressed Phase I is making you. Recall that with no stress to adapt to, adaptogens perform sub-optimally.

Thus, our diagnostic in phase I (1 of them)...

Im very suprised even with no protein my muscles havnt deflated over the past 2 days, which i expected would happen. My body doesnt feel as strong, tho. Looking in the mirror, i actually look a bit leaner as well. My digestive track feels great having no processed food or meat going through it. Today i ate a crapload of carrots and some red peppers along with other assorted fruits and vegetables.

Yes, what you're experiencing is the detox/cleansing effect. Although difficult (toxins are being released), it is a healthy and beneficial exercise.

Look for it to hit on day 3 (it does for me) and proceed with EXTREME CAUTION. I ALWAYS counsel the following:

If you at all feel sick, "off" or just not right - discontinue.

You MAY not require workout 3. Some don't. Provided you're losing 1lb/day or thereabouts and your resting heart rate is elevated near 8 beats per minute over baseline, you're there.

Let me know as things progress and I'll provide you my guidance if so desired. Right here for you if you need me!

123/70 pulse 70
weight is at 183 pounds, so ive lost 2.4 pounds in 2 days so far

my systolic pressure has dropped slightly and my diastolic has gone up slightly. IIRC from anatomy, we spend 1/3 of the time in systole and 2/3 in diastole so i could use the diastolic to measure stress? i know the systolic is down just from a lack of sodium in my diet. im pretty confident in that. pulse is down because i used ephedrine 2 days in a row before that and it usually elevates my pulse for a 24 hour period after my last dose. speaking of that, the way i use it was recommended by my microbiology teacher, who is also a bariatrics doctor. he may not know my medical history or whatnot but the way i use it is 12.5mg eph with 100mg caffeine then i take another dose of that 2-3 hours later and thats it. so im not using super high amounts, just enough optimize my time i spend studying.

so for the workout today, would it be ok if i changed it up to just 4 supersets of flat bench/db shoulder press combo and then 4 straight sets of vertical dips for triceps? i like to change up my exercise selection every once in a while so that i dont get bored with it and i tried weighted dips for the first time in months last week and re-fell in love with them so id like to use just that for triceps. as for the incline and decline bench, i dont feel that at all in my chest and if i dont get to hit chest again for a few days i want to use a movement i have a strong mind-muscle connection with. this really old bench machine at my gym that i use to work chest and i hardly ever usually do BB bench, so when my numbers are crap, thats why. the machine gives me an amazing pump and nails my chest perfectly so i was sticking to that previously.

"so for the workout today, would it be ok if i changed it up to just 4 supersets of flat bench/db shoulder press combo and then 4 straight sets of vertical dips for triceps?"

Sure that's fine. Will deplete muscle substrate just the same..

my workout:

BB bench, feet off the ground: 135 (4 sets of 10)
DB shoulder press 40's (3 sets of 10)
Bodyweight dips (3 sets of 10)

I didnt have the energy to superset the first two lifts, so i did them straight set. I felt like i had a high amount of lactic acid building up and my muscles didnt want to work.

OK per my advice above, DISCONTINUE if you feel sick, off or just not right.

Otherwise, don't feel bad if you're reduced to bodyweight squats and the like on workout #3.

If you're at all in dount, SKIP it. Everything I'm reading here tells me you're ALMOSt there. Likely will be by day 5

yea, i'll probably stick to bodyweight lunges for friday. im incredibly suprised my chest/tris arnt sore today. my legs were feeling a little sore until last night due to a lack of protein. im feeling great so far just not as strong in the gym.


todays weight: 182.2 and my blood pressure dropped to 108/64. lost 3.2 pounds so far, but im not sure why my blood pressure dropped so much. i checked it 5 times, all with similar results. i even plugged the device into the wall instead of using battery power (thinking the batteries might be dying) and no variation. in this situation, would i just use my weight/strength reduction as my stress level indicator?