Doc Hollywood’s BodyBlog

After sustaining the back injury, and needing some time off i decided to do some house keeping, getting things done that i had kept putting off. One of these jobs was to have a blood screen, including testosterone, free androgen index, creatine and lft’s. The results were far from what i expected, quite shocking actually. alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were nearly double what they should be. For those of you in the know and those off you that dont, that means there is a problem with the liver. Gamma Glutamic Transpeptidase (GGT): levels were not raised which would indicated that the other levels were caused by any medication i am on. Now i have done a hemochromatosis gene assay, and the normal hepatitis array. We are ruling out the hep stuff because of lifestyle, and i am booked for an ultrasound.

Now if you know about hemochromatosis, one of the other indicators is your testosterone levels, and androgen index overall. Well i am just about a girl (no insult intended) and it would seem a rather large and strong one. My test and free test levels are so low they havent made it into the norms. Now the treatment for hemochromatosis is phebotomy, taking 1/2 liter of blood a week for around 3 years, doesnt sound good. But i will also need hormone replacement. Whats the regime for this, normally either Reandron which is Testosterone Undeconate, or Sustanon, or even deca durabolin. This is where the problem begins, obviously this will now stop me from having a steriod free and thus natural status, but will increase my levels to that of just a normal person. Geez whats a guy to do.

Well one week after hurting my back deadlifting, the muscular pain has gone away. Problem now is the dull pain left behind, leads to the conclussion of spinal nerve interference hopefully not from my already degenerating L5-S1 disc which has already been operated on. This is a major bummer because I was setting sights on a comp in May, and now surgery may get in the way. Well i am a realist and the last nerve root reduction i had didnt even touch the sides. I may give it a go, its damn painful to have done but if it works you can escape the knife. Bottom line is i am feeling sorry for myself and the wife is still away.

Brings me to another interesting point. My wife is hot, well i reckon anyway. She has the most bubbly contagious personality and loves everything and everyone. So i thought i would put a pic of her up on my bodyspace to see what happened. Well my observations of this site are correct. She had more views of her pic in one day then i have had since i logged on here. Who says T and A doesnt draw a crowd. What i really want to see is the real life shots, not the ones that people look like for a couple of days a year, sure they have there place but show us what you actually look like for the rest of the year. I dont know any guy that runs around with 4% BF brown and shiny as all year round, lets see the real you.

Man what a couple of crappy days. Because of my back injury the pain killers i had taken were masking the fact that i was getting a pretty severe tooth infection. So when i stopped the pain relief, holy mother of whatever can cause the most pain in a persons mouth. Result cant eat and didnt sleep and couldnt get to the dentist until this morning, could have just died. It was a rest day so didnt have to train, and then the dentist sorted the problem this morning so i trained in the afternoon. Not real well though, was already down on carbs and after missing a couple of meals was really running on empty.

Should hopefully catch up on some well needed sleep tonight, and its nearly time to switch back to a decent amount of carbs again. Definatley noticed the difference in the body fat levels this rotation, my leg seperation is coming along really good, i think by the next one some abs might even make an apperance. Will try and get a leg shot up soon. Must go naked wild on has just come on foxtel, and the wife is still away so have to remind myself what the opposite sex looks like, mmmmmm boobies got to love them.

When i am not lifting weights, one of my favorite passions is tournament fishing. This weekend was particulary good as I won this event, which was a qualifier for a larger event on the east coast later in the year. I have the food thing down pat and my watch alarm reminds me when its time to eat. As i am on a cut diet at the moment the lack of carbs makes it hard. What doesnt help is when my partner catches a fish which i duly net reminding him to be careful of my few grains of rice while he gets the fish into the livewell. Not even two minutes later i am doing the same thing and bang caught the edge of my lunch box sending my precious mouthfuls of carbs flying over the side. Crap.

I had forgot that training the next day was early. My training partner has kids so we had to fit them in with creche hours at our gym because it school holidays over here. So it was leg day and i had bugger all carbs onboard. With the new light leg alternating with heavy deads in the same week happening now, it was light leg day, so after just a few sets of 250pnd squats for 15s i was dead, and by the end of hammies i just couldnt walk and could have easily just have fallen asleep on the gym floor. The good thing about training early which i normally never do, is that you see a new set of faces in the gym, and there were a few competitive guys there. After quick intros (aussies say hello to anyone) we were all the same age and about to hit masters categories next year. Interesting to keep an eye on the competition.

Chest and Bis today so peace out, im off.

Gee doesnt time fly when you get to eat carbs, its that time again when I bring out the ol cutting diet until the end of the month. Being as the wife is still in south africa and doesnt know when she will be back, it suits me fine, I can get as crabby as I like and dont have to worry about snapping at her. This is the second cycle doing it like this, I am liking Laynes way of thinking. I have managed to put on a kg or 2 but have stayed leaner putting on the weight this time. The boy knows his stuff in the world of Natural bodybuilding.

Bit of a lifting policy change as well. Am loving squatting heavy (mondays) and then dealifting heavy (fridays). This results in sore legs all week, so i am settling with an alternating method in which only one of the workouts is heavy in any particular week. This should give the legs better recovery time. I have put on an inch since my last photos, but i am still looking for a bit more fullness and separation. Shall give this a month to see how it goes, after all i am not a powerlifter, so strength really is secondary, and i am getting older. Thats my story and i am sticking to it.

its a sad day in my house, for those few that have read my blogs you would know that the wife and I just returned from South Africa, after visiting with her mum and dad for her 30th birthday. Well last night I had to put her back on the plane because her dad had passed away during the day. She was very close to her family and the distance away kills her but she is in constant contact.

It was especially hard for me because i knew the end was near, but in my capacity as husband, i hate putting on my doctors hat to deliver the hard news, so against what i knew to be the case i prayed for a miracle, but it didnt eventuate. Its hard to focus on the training, knowing my wife is a long way away for goodness knows how long, but you have to keep on keeping on.

If theres one good thing about being an Aussie in Australia its that we get to the weekend before you Yanks. And this week by god i am needing it, its been a crap one. After going through the weeks finances and having to stock up on whey, and supps, and being natural, unable to buy any shortcuts, it was a mental low. Looking at all these monster freaks on various fit show segments, and then wondering if going natural is really worth the effort. So it was off to the "House of Layne" as i call it, show 1 through 9 straight up.

Funny thing was with the new gym and all, i am just all psycho in there, and at the time i go its normally only me, in the heavy weights room, or the girls if they are training with me. I am pushing through the poundages and busting butt on the new gear. I think its when i am away from the gym i lose my way. Ah well suck it up and keep on pumping away. Killer back and Tris today, and its a beautiful day here in sunny Perth so i am going to catch some rays for 20 minutes and chill out. Have a good weekend all.

The new gym has provided some well needed motivation. Workout out with missus and mate, which accomplished 2 things. First workout with the missus which she likes and second she can workout with mate which means I dont lose focus, and get to work out with two hot chicks, hehehe.

Started with squats, warmup 20 reps add a plate then 15 reps, working set 320, 3 sets 8. Have to start pushing up the weight now, deadlifting has helped strengthen spinal support muscles, (slight spinal lordosis, and discectomy 2 years ago) semms strong enough to squat more now. Leg press just over 1000 pounds (new machine is so smooth) 3 sets, hack squat 2 sets pretty light, 3 sets extensions. Looked at the clock and i had been there only 35 minutes. No wonder i was struggling to walk. Hammies were stiff legs, lying curls and seated curls, which are awesome and didnt have one at the last gym.

One of the gym trainers is only a youngster with good bone structure, who wants to compete in the future. I am getting on his case becuase the future is now, and he could start now for next years INBA. Anyway he seems keen, so i will keep at him, so many of us old guys lament of what coould have been, if the oppurtunities were available for us. Its amazing how many older competitors are out there now, and i put it down to technology, and advances in our lifestyle choices. Websites like this and others that are a click away make products, training routines, nutritional advances etc so much more accessible. Look how many people from this site do well in comps and say the advice they got from other members here got them over the line.