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Afternoon, guys.
A couple of guys I know from another forum have set up journals here recently and have said great things about the place. I was hoping to set up here too and share what I'm doing as a way of keeping myself accountable and getting some input/feedback from folks who have experience and passion.
I'll try to give some background without boring you to tears.
I'm from the UK, recently turned 34, been lifting on and off (mostly on) since age 14. Training has mostly always been bodybuilding style but I have been sidetracked here and there over the years - last year it was hybrid training and this year yoga, but always maintained a base of BB style training throughout. Competing would be cool but I've always talked myself out of going for it.
Last year I was absolutely steamrolled by a Crohn's flare up, hospitalised twice, inflammation markets 100 times the normal rate, shitting blood 20 times a day, honestly thought I was on the way out. I had to try a bunch of different medication to get my symptoms under control but just a few weeks ago I had blood work done and was deemed as in remission - all inflammation markers in normal range. I am on a biologic medication called Ustekinumab which I inject once every 8 weeks and it's pretty much been a life saver. A benefit of being on the meds is I've had bloods every 4 weeks (changing to every 6 weeks now) which has allowed me to keep an eye on other health markers.
So with being sidetracked with yoga for the first half of the year and wanting to get my Crohn's under control before having a real stab at bodybuilding, my PED use has been fairy mild - I've been running 120 mg Test C per week for most of the year and 2 IU GH daily (marginal boost to sleep quality for me). I did one cycle at 200 mg Test per week and 25 mg Anavar per day and I did one cut on my cruise dose with a small dose of T3 added. Throughout the year I've also been using oral BPC 157 at 250 mcg per day to help repair the bowel and surrounding areas. My scopes during my flare up looked like somebody had been at it with a cheese grater.
I have bloods coming up again in the first week of January. If everything looks okay there and my markers are in range, I am going to run a small cycle and really knuckle down with bodybuilding training. I'll want to gain some size and strength and then if I am feeling good and my bowel issues are under control, I would like to pick a show and compete at some point in 2026. Some of you guys will be able to judge better than I can but I think if anything, my frame will be suited towards Classic Physique. I have a small frame (5'6") and weight currently is 81.5 KG or 179 lbs, I'll post my current condition below.
Diet currently has me in a small calorie surplus at 3,650 calories per day, protein I've had at 180 g daily, fats are usually in the 80-90 g range and the remainder will go on carbs. I've been having 2 meals per day pre-prepared by the gym each containing 60 g protein which has helped to streamline the process for me and I've just filled the rest in with foods I know I digest well - digestion was a minefield immediately post flare up but I am tolerating most/all foods well now.
I do not have any OTC supplements/vitamins in the mix at the moment. Partly because I was conscious about them disrupting digestion after my flare up and partly because I have been getting bloods taken so often that I figured I would be able to identify gaps as and when and adjust my diet/supplementation when needed. I use whey ad hoc but for the most part I've been trying to get all calories through food.
I will post some recent pics below to give an idea of my starting point.
Most recent shots from this week at around 81.5 KG:
This is from when I had finished cutting at around 77 KG in August:
Not quite as tidy now but I have had some vacations, trips and commitments since then.
Essentially what I want to do is give my full commitment to gaining some size and strength with a cycle from the beginning of January when my bloods come back and document my training, diet, PEDs and progress in here and implement any tweaks you guys might suggest. Between now and then I want to maintain similar condition and start to ramp my training up.
I am running push, pull, legs, rest, repeat now and completing two rotations over 8 days. I’ve added more volume/emphasis to weaker areas recently (inner/outer thigh and mid back/traps). After each training session I do 20 minutes stairs at circa 140 BPM. I usually do 8-10K steps daily and also do some hiking on the side. I am conscious that I am rambling in this introductory post guys, I will follow up on this one with a breakdown of what my sessions typically look like and then later I may float some cycle ideas on here for Jan if that’s allowed and get you guys’ input/feedback. But yeah I hope to update this frequently, more so in January and hopefully I can collaborate with you guys and get my physique to a place where I can enter a first timers show without feeling like a fraud. And between now and then I’m going to read some training logs in here and see what you guys are up to/what works for you as I look to put my final draft training/diet/cycle plan together as things have been too intuitive from my end lately and not as structured as I would like.
Cheers for reading this wall of text.
A couple of guys I know from another forum have set up journals here recently and have said great things about the place. I was hoping to set up here too and share what I'm doing as a way of keeping myself accountable and getting some input/feedback from folks who have experience and passion.
I'll try to give some background without boring you to tears.
I'm from the UK, recently turned 34, been lifting on and off (mostly on) since age 14. Training has mostly always been bodybuilding style but I have been sidetracked here and there over the years - last year it was hybrid training and this year yoga, but always maintained a base of BB style training throughout. Competing would be cool but I've always talked myself out of going for it.
Last year I was absolutely steamrolled by a Crohn's flare up, hospitalised twice, inflammation markets 100 times the normal rate, shitting blood 20 times a day, honestly thought I was on the way out. I had to try a bunch of different medication to get my symptoms under control but just a few weeks ago I had blood work done and was deemed as in remission - all inflammation markers in normal range. I am on a biologic medication called Ustekinumab which I inject once every 8 weeks and it's pretty much been a life saver. A benefit of being on the meds is I've had bloods every 4 weeks (changing to every 6 weeks now) which has allowed me to keep an eye on other health markers.
So with being sidetracked with yoga for the first half of the year and wanting to get my Crohn's under control before having a real stab at bodybuilding, my PED use has been fairy mild - I've been running 120 mg Test C per week for most of the year and 2 IU GH daily (marginal boost to sleep quality for me). I did one cycle at 200 mg Test per week and 25 mg Anavar per day and I did one cut on my cruise dose with a small dose of T3 added. Throughout the year I've also been using oral BPC 157 at 250 mcg per day to help repair the bowel and surrounding areas. My scopes during my flare up looked like somebody had been at it with a cheese grater.
I have bloods coming up again in the first week of January. If everything looks okay there and my markers are in range, I am going to run a small cycle and really knuckle down with bodybuilding training. I'll want to gain some size and strength and then if I am feeling good and my bowel issues are under control, I would like to pick a show and compete at some point in 2026. Some of you guys will be able to judge better than I can but I think if anything, my frame will be suited towards Classic Physique. I have a small frame (5'6") and weight currently is 81.5 KG or 179 lbs, I'll post my current condition below.
Diet currently has me in a small calorie surplus at 3,650 calories per day, protein I've had at 180 g daily, fats are usually in the 80-90 g range and the remainder will go on carbs. I've been having 2 meals per day pre-prepared by the gym each containing 60 g protein which has helped to streamline the process for me and I've just filled the rest in with foods I know I digest well - digestion was a minefield immediately post flare up but I am tolerating most/all foods well now.
I do not have any OTC supplements/vitamins in the mix at the moment. Partly because I was conscious about them disrupting digestion after my flare up and partly because I have been getting bloods taken so often that I figured I would be able to identify gaps as and when and adjust my diet/supplementation when needed. I use whey ad hoc but for the most part I've been trying to get all calories through food.
I will post some recent pics below to give an idea of my starting point.
Most recent shots from this week at around 81.5 KG:
This is from when I had finished cutting at around 77 KG in August:
Not quite as tidy now but I have had some vacations, trips and commitments since then.
Essentially what I want to do is give my full commitment to gaining some size and strength with a cycle from the beginning of January when my bloods come back and document my training, diet, PEDs and progress in here and implement any tweaks you guys might suggest. Between now and then I want to maintain similar condition and start to ramp my training up.
I am running push, pull, legs, rest, repeat now and completing two rotations over 8 days. I’ve added more volume/emphasis to weaker areas recently (inner/outer thigh and mid back/traps). After each training session I do 20 minutes stairs at circa 140 BPM. I usually do 8-10K steps daily and also do some hiking on the side. I am conscious that I am rambling in this introductory post guys, I will follow up on this one with a breakdown of what my sessions typically look like and then later I may float some cycle ideas on here for Jan if that’s allowed and get you guys’ input/feedback. But yeah I hope to update this frequently, more so in January and hopefully I can collaborate with you guys and get my physique to a place where I can enter a first timers show without feeling like a fraud. And between now and then I’m going to read some training logs in here and see what you guys are up to/what works for you as I look to put my final draft training/diet/cycle plan together as things have been too intuitive from my end lately and not as structured as I would like.
Cheers for reading this wall of text.
physique looks phenomenal, top notch. Evo is a wealth of information you can search up, ask or listen with the evolutionary podcast, this place by design is for helping anyone and everyone no matter the jounery or obstacles in the way, hsppy you decided to come on over.
