ten_sixety_six’s BodyBlog

When looking at most natural "Testosterone Boosters" that are available on the market there are common ingredients between them all. The key to understanding them is to know what to look for. Most of the individual ingredients go by multiple names. One company may use one name while another may use a more obscure name. This is a good marketing technique so that it appears that one product is different form another.

The ingredients of most products can be broken down into 2 to 3 categories. They are: Testosterone Therapy, Liver Support and Estrogen suppression. There is a fourth category that some ingredients fall into that will be discussed later - Aphrodisiacs.

First lets take a look at the common ingredients that are used for Testosterone Therapy:

• Tribulus terrestris
• Eurycoma longifolia
• Zinc monomethionine aspartate and Magnesium Aspartate

There are other ingredients that some may include that are purported to have an effect on natural testosterone levels, but most of these have actively been used as an aphrodisiac. To better understand the labels on the back of the supplements, lets take a look at alternate names that each one of these ingredients may go by:

Tribulus terrestris - The most common other names that are used are: Puncture Vine, Caltrop, Yellow Vine, Goathead, Tribulus (sometimes even misspelled as Trivulus). Some other names that you might find are: bindy eye, bindii, bullhead, burnut, burra gokhroo, calthrops, cat’s head, common dubbeltjie, devil’s thorn, devil’s weed, doublegee, dubbeltje, gokshura, ground bur-nut, isiHoho, land caltrop, Maltese cross, Mexican sandbur, puncture weed, rose, small caltrops, tackweed, and Texas sandbur.

Eurycoma longifolia - Other names this will go by are: Tongkat Ali, Pasak Bumi, Eurycoma longifolia Extract, Ali’s Walking Stick or LongJack. Some products will use a tradmarked name LJ100.

Zinc monomethionine aspartate and Magnesium Aspartate - This is simply ZMA (Vitamin B6, Mgnesium and Zinc).

In the next installment we will take a look at the different natural ingredients that are used for liver/urinary support. In the mean time, take a look at the label on that Natural Test Booster that I KNOW you have in your cabinet and see if you see any of these "less common" names listed in the ingredients.

Over time I have notice a large number of Testosterone Supplements enter the market. They all have claims that they are the "best", that they will jack you up like no other product, that if you take them you will get huge like Mr O.

These products can be useful and they can help give some results if you understand what their purpose is and how or when to use them. It is also important to note that these products are not intended for everyone. If you are 18 years old, then the only thing that is going to increase your already "out-of-control" testosterone levels is a controlled substance. If you fall into that category then this series of posts or these products are not for you. However if you are over the age of 30 and you want to make sure that your hormone levels are at their peak then maybe it is something to consider.

Over the next few posts I will be taking a look at the different supplements that are available and breaking down their ingredients and what the purpose of each one is. What you will find is that there is a common thread with them all and maybe how to stack natural supplements yourself to achieve the largest benefit.

Well as some of you know I am on my 4 week quest to curl 145lbs 4 times. Stronger biceps equal stronger back - plus I just want to do it! This has made me hit my arms hard within the last few weeks. My bicep workout has changed partly due to some numbness that happens in my left arm and partly due to specific training for this lift. My workout now consist of:

Warmup
Straight bar curl
Bar x 10
65lbs X 10
EZ Bar Curl
75lbs x 6
95lbs X 3

Workout

EZ Bar Curl
145lbs X (how many ever I can do)
145lbs X (how many ever I can do)
115lbs X 6
115lbs X 6

(then if I feel good enough)
95lbs X 8
95lbs x 8
95lbs X 8

Concentration Curl on the cable machine
60lbs X 8 (left then right)
60lbs X 8 (left then right)
60lbs x 6 (left then right)

Straight Bar Curl
(The weight here will vary due to my bis already being torn down)
3 sets of 8

Concentration Curls on the cable machine
40lbs x 6
40lbs x 6
40lbs x till I give out

Needless to say by the time I am done I am totally spent. Well today I went through that routine after also doing it last Saturday. By the time I was done my arms were so pumped up but there was a problem. I was hurting so bad an in all the wrong places. The numbness in my left arm was back and this time it’s little friend pain came along with it. I tried pushing through the pain to finish the workout and was finally able to. On the drive home though I was shaking and the pain in my arm was getting so bad I felt weak.

After I got home I mixed up my trusty weight gainer to help feed the muscles and get me the protein and the aminos that I needed but that didn’t help the numbness and pain. Being so spent and then "full" from the gainer I got really sleepy. So I turned on the TV and took me a nap on the couch.

I have heard so many people say that taking short naps are really good for you. I take them from time to time during the day when I am able. They do make you feel energized. I never really knew how much your body repairs during sleep state though until today. My nap was about 45 minutes - somewhat longer than those "power naps" that people talk about. However when I woke up my arm was so much better.

Now I won’t lie to you and say that it is 100% better and it feels like nothing ever happened. Don’t get me wrong, I am very aware of the work that I put into my bis today. They are reminding me - LOL. However the numbness is gone and the pain has subsided a LOT. I do feel much better right now than I did this time last week though. My muscles feel like they are already recovering.

So, next time that you have a workout that makes you feel like you are going to pass out - go home, drink your recovery drink and try to take about a 15 - 30 minute nap. It is amazing how your  muscles will start to repair right then!

So here I am complaining about all my aches and pains. The problem is they are not the good aches - the ones where you have taken your muscles to the very edge and it hurts just to look at them. This is the good ache, the one where you know in your mind you are growing. You can feel your muscles getting bigger (or is that just all in my head). No, this isn’t that kind of ache. I welcome that kind. This is the kind that reminds me that I am not 20 years old any more.

It started this time a few weeks ago in my back. It seems that I made my spine twist and two of my vertebra touched. This caused my brain to say "Hey - thats not right!" and told one of my back muscles to clamp down to prevent it from happening again. Enter "Getting Old Factor 1" - Alzheimer’s… My brain forgot to tell my back muscle to let go. After four days it was evident that my brain just forgot about that muscle - thus the constant feeling that I was about to cramp along with a constant dull ache. The official diagnosis was "myofascial pain or possible thoracic spine facetogenic pain". This is a fancy way to say "You can’t work your back for a while".

Well, after a round of muscle relaxers, pain killers and Lidoderm patches my back is all better. Since I am feeling all better I set out this week to test my back in preparation for leg day.

Pullups to warm up - felt pretty good. Lets move to single arm dumbbell rows. 60lbs feels pretty good. Lets get the straps out (since I am working my back and not my forearms) and try a little heavier. 90lbs - that feels pretty good too. Lets to about 3 sets of 8 with that. That felt pretty good. Lets try some bent over barbell rows. That feels pretty good to - no pain. I think I will take it easy though and only work with 135lbs for 3 sets. I think that my back is feeling OK. Lets move to Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row. I think I will start with two 45lb plates. That feels alright - lets bump it up - three plates. That feels good too - enter "Getting Old Factor 2" - short term memory loss. I forgot that I was just testing my back to see if I was in any shape to squat. Lets put four plates on - yea.. thats a good idea. One set of 8. Feels good. Second set of 8. Feel great! Third set, I think I will stop at 6. My back sure is tired, I wonder why? I better just finish it off with a few sets of wide grip lat pulls and then some iso-lateral lat pulls to exhaustion because I sure am hungry… Man my back feels good and tired. Myofascial Pain my a$$… "Getting Old Factor 3" - denial.
(… the next day …)

Hmmm leg day. I spend all day convincing myself that I love to work my legs. I love squats. I love not being able to walk. I love not being able to sit. I welcome the pain, the exhaustion, the dizziness. I know that this will help me grow. Big squats will help my core, help to raise my HGH levels, UUuuurrrrruuuu…. Lets go get big…

Hmm, the gym sure is empty. Everyone must be at home watching the game. Where are my workout partners? Oh well. I’m here and they are not - I win, they loose. Lets get to work with some leg warmups. Feel pretty good tonight. I think this is going to be a record squat night! I feel pretty warm, lets do some squats with just the bar to get my body moving in the right direction - yea, this is going to be a good night.  OK, lets start moving up. 135lbs. That feels light but I will stop at 8 reps. Two more plates go on - 225lbs. Still feels pretty good. I better stop at 8 reps and not burn out too early. Ok now I am ready to start lifting. I really, REALLY want that 405 x 4 again. Lets slide on two more plates. Yea… here we go - 315lbs - easy weight.

As I step out into the cage with the bar on my shoulders I start down slowly. I get only about 3 inches down and my entire body is screaming at me! What in the HELL is wrong with my back!!!??? I can barely get the bar back on the hooks.  What in the hell just happened? (scratching head) Oh yea, I think I remember something about a back muscle and some muscle relaxers… was that me?

Enter "Getting Old Factor 4" - too stubborn  for your own good.

Well, I sure am not going to let my 24 hour leg pep talk go to waste. Besides I am already missing part of the game, I better make it work my time.  Lets try my new favorite thing - dropsets. Load the bar with four 25lb plates on each side - 245lbs. It sure does not look like 245lbs. It actually looks kind of funny.

245lbs x 6
(have my spotters drop 25 off each side without re-racking the bar)
195lbs x 6
(have my spotters drop 25 off each side without re-racking the bar)
145lbs x 6
(have my spotters drop 25 off each side without re-racking the bar)
95lbs x 6
(have my spotters drop 25 off each side without re-racking the bar)
45lbs x 6 (just the bar)
(have my spotters rack the bar)
0lbs x 6 (no weight, just squats with arms out forward)

WOW, I sure am dizzy and sweat just pouring off of me. Man that was great! I think I will finish my leg workout now

So here I am, the next day, complaining about all my aches and pains. I have this funny feeling in one of the inner leg adductors that feels like I stretched a tendon, my back feels weak,  my joints ache and to top it all off my jaw is hurting. Yea, it really sucks getting old…

Well, last night was shoulders and what a sorry workout I got. I think that I was just so spent from heavy curls on Sat, heavy ab work on Sun (crunch machine with 200lbs) and then the chest workout from the day before. I have changed my suppliments around a little too so that might be messing with me.

Then again, in case none of you keep track of the weather, it has been in the 70’s here in NC for some time now - and it is January! But yesterday things started to cool down and the temp was in the 40’s. Now they are saying that we might get some freezing rain tomorrow! This rapid weather changes really messes me up.

Anyway, I did some shoulder presses which hurt, side laterals that hurt more, front laterals which hurt the most. Then I did some traps which I tried to hurt even more since everything else on me was hurting… Not even close to my normal workout but as least it kept me going.

Maybe tonight will be better - it’s Back night

Last was chest night and I found something interesting and disturbing. In trying to go heavy I felt that I was putting more and more stress on my shoulders. After lifting I actually felt like I was working my shoulders and not my pecs. This was disturbing since the purpose of that movement is pecs. Finally I decided to try some drop-sets using a lower weight. I put three 25lb plates on each side for my last set and it went like this:

195 x 8
(drop 50 - 25 on each side)
145 x 8
(drop 50 - 25 on each side)
95 x 6
(drop 50 - 25 on each side)
45 x 5 (just the bar)

That last set with just the bar was the hardest set that I have ever done. When I finished I was literally dripping with sweat, dizzy and my pecs were pumped up like they have not been in a long time. There were about 5-6 people standing around watching (like they had never seen that before) and I imagine that it did look kind of funny with me struggling so hard with just the bar, but it seemed like the best work that I have ever done on my chest.

I will see how this works out -