2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

The larger ones always did steroids, along with HGH and Winstrol to get lean. I use to see some huge guys in the gym I worked at in San Antonio with Anavar in their bags.

I loved Anavar. Sweet spot was 40mg daily for 6 weeks. Wrecked my lipids but was lean. Stuff you can tolerate at 35. Found a place here that sells online. Picked up a bottle and had it in my hand and was like...wtf are you doing???

7 hours ago, happydreamer said:

I loved Anavar. Sweet spot was 40mg daily for 6 weeks. Wrecked my lipids but was lean. Stuff you can tolerate at 35. Found a place here that sells online. Picked up a bottle and had it in my hand and was like...wtf are you doing???

Never thought of doing anything besides HGH, which I still am, and will when we return home.

• Intermittent Fasting: Fasting for 16–24 hours can significantly increase HGH levels. This is a survival mechanism designed to preserve muscle mass and mobilize body fat for fuel during periods of food scarcity.

Rest pause study 2017

2017 Prestes et al. study (published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research), w

Metric	Traditional Sets	Rest-Pause (Prestes Protocol)
Total Reps	18–30 (across 3 sets)	18 (one extended set)
Rest Interval	120 Seconds	20 Seconds
Thigh Hypertrophy	+1%	+11%
Endurance	Moderate	Significant Increase
Time Spent	~10-15 mins / exercise	~5 mins / exercise

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Never thought of doing anything besides HGH, which I still am, and will when we return home.

Once you go on it, isn't it a little touch and go to come off it. I have complete medical records going back decades. Blood work, Blood Pressure and glucose. I'm weird and love spreadsheets and numbers. I can look at them for hours. Anyhow, my testosterone is increasing the last decade and I'm 59. During my cycling years it was low but haven't been on a bike in 11 years. I was also high strung pre 2015 and in a not so good long term relationship. Stress can tank the numbers I think?

Below are my last two tests and plan on getting another one soon. I usually don't include testerone test in my blood tests. In 2014 it was 356.

On 4/21/2026 at 1:17 PM, fredwiggy said:

I'm hoping for longevity and quality, as I have a daughter that I'll be taking care of for at least 9 more years, and still hope to finish my bucket list, which includes traveling to a few places. I used to be very flexible but need to work on that more now. I'm just happy I didn't drink to excess or smoke, and always ate healthy. Now it's probiotics, yogurt, kimchi, fermented pickles, turmeric, slippery elm powder and daily oatmeal, along with the usual things. I wish I didn't lift so heavy for so long, as no one's joints can take that forever.

On 4/21/2026 at 1:17 PM, fredwiggy said:

I'm hoping for longevity and quality, as I have a daughter that I'll be taking care of for at least 9 more years, and still hope to finish my bucket list, which includes traveling to a few places. I used to be very flexible but need to work on that more now. I'm just happy I didn't drink to excess or smoke, and always ate healthy. Now it's probiotics, yogurt, kimchi, fermented pickles, turmeric, slippery elm powder and daily oatmeal, along with the usual things. I wish I didn't lift so heavy for so long, as no one's joints can take that forever.

On 4/21/2026 at 1:17 PM, fredwiggy said:

I'm hoping for longevity and quality, as I have a daughter that I'll be taking care of for at least 9 more years, and still hope to finish my bucket list, which includes traveling to a few places. I used to be very flexible but need to work on that more now. I'm just happy I didn't drink to excess or smoke, and always ate healthy. Now it's probiotics, yogurt, kimchi, fermented pickles, turmeric, slippery elm powder and daily oatmeal, along with the usual things. I wish I didn't lift so heavy for so long, as no one's joints can take that forever.

yeah on the joints. Lots of "experts" now saying that after 50/60 weight lifters need to cut some of the weight off and rest longer between days of lifting. My self, about 10 years ago I watched a British program "Trust me I'm a Doctor" where they did an experiment on weight lifting comparing heavy versus light with lots of repititions. Since I was already old, I went in that direction. Now at 80 I still lift with 3 days between sessions. Weight is still the light until exhausted - 18 exercises 4-5 sets and total of 90+ minutes of exercise after which I feel energized. Also do core and walk aerobics most days. Eating is based on Dr. William Li's food research books. Never hungry and do at least a 16 hour fast daily. No medicines, and haven't even had a physical headache in 25 years. Wake every day after 7.5 or 8 hours without any aches and pains. Visited daughter in Korea last fall - walked an average of 20K every day of that visit including climbing hills!

4 hours ago, atpeace said:

Once you go on it, isn't it a little touch and go to come off it. I have complete medical records going back decades. Blood work, Blood Pressure and glucose. I'm weird and love spreadsheets and numbers. I can look at them for hours. Anyhow, my testosterone is increasing the last decade and I'm 59. During my cycling years it was low but haven't been on a bike in 11 years. I was also high strung pre 2015 and in a not so good long term relationship. Stress can tank the numbers I think?

Below are my last two tests and plan on getting another one soon. I usually don't include testerone test in my blood tests. In 2014 it was 356.

4 hours ago, atpeace said:

Never had testosterone measured but I'm thinking it's still okay for obvious reasons. Yes, it's always best to be under a doctors supervision as far as any performance drugs, especially HGH. Will be doing that when we return to Texas.

2 minutes ago, Presnock said:

yeah on the joints. Lots of "experts" now saying that after 50/60 weight lifters need to cut some of the weight off and rest longer between days of lifting. My self, about 10 years ago I watched a British program "Trust me I'm a Doctor" where they did an experiment on weight lifting comparing heavy versus light with lots of repititions. Since I was already old, I went in that direction. Now at 80 I still lift with 3 days between sessions. Weight is still the light until exhausted - 18 exercises 4-5 sets and total of 90+ minutes of exercise after which I feel energized. Also do core and walk aerobics most days. Eating is based on Dr. William Li's food research books. Never hungry and do at least a 16 hour fast daily. No medicines, and haven't even had a physical headache in 25 years. Wake every day after 7.5 or 8 hours without any aches and pains. Visited daughter in Korea last fall - walked an average of 20K every day of that visit including climbing hills!

Keep moving and things are always better. Yes, lowering your weights should be a priority, to prevent injuries that could stop you altogether, and working out with more reps and more often is the best as you age. Resting longer between specific body parts, upper one day, lower the next, day off for walking, then back again.

On 4/21/2026 at 1:17 PM, atpeace said:

Also add about 6-8 teaspoons of salt to my drinks each day because sodium is always low and last test was scary low for a runner in the heat.

A lot of people do not realise how dead the drinking water is in Thailand. It is filtered and reverse osmosis, which removes all impurities, but unfortunately, some of those impurities are good for you. Now you can improve it somewhat by running it through a PH filter, but I physically add a half-teaspoon of Celtic Sea Salt to each 18.9 liter bottle. Table salt is not good as it is refined and lacks any minerals, but Himalayan pink salt is a good alternative.

Cooking bananas is not a good idea. It destroys or reduces many of the minerals and vitamins, and also converts more of the starch into sugar. The healthiest way to eat a banana is when it is green, as it has resistant starch, high Pectin, and low sugar.

43 minutes ago, Jaggg88 said:

A lot of people do not realise how dead the drinking water is in Thailand. It is filtered and reverse osmosis, which removes all impurities, but unfortunately, some of those impurities are good for you. Now you can improve it somewhat by running it through a PH filter, but I physically add a half-teaspoon of Celtic Sea Salt to each 18.9 liter bottle. Table salt is not good as it is refined and lacks any minerals, but Himalayan pink salt is a good alternative.

We use RO bottled water for tea, coffee and to cook with, but not really to drink. I only drink coffee, tea & water kefir. Same with wife, though she drink water sometimes.

My salt intake is fine, as I season every thing pretty good with salt. More for the iodine than the sodium part. Only daily foods I eat with iodine, and not much per day, is eggs & water kefir. So table salt fills in that gap.

2 hours ago, Jaggg88 said:

A lot of people do not realise how dead the drinking water is in Thailand. It is filtered and reverse osmosis, which removes all impurities, but unfortunately, some of those impurities are good for you. Now you can improve it somewhat by running it through a PH filter, but I physically add a half-teaspoon of Celtic Sea Salt to each 18.9 liter bottle. Table salt is not good as it is refined and lacks any minerals, but Himalayan pink salt is a good alternative.

Cooking bananas is not a good idea. It destroys or reduces many of the minerals and vitamins, and also converts more of the starch into sugar. The healthiest way to eat a banana is when it is green, as it has resistant starch, high Pectin, and low sugar.

I did loads of research on sea salt and my concussion was it offered little to no benefit for me and the data supports it is just a scam. Just my opinion and I could be wrong and everyone is a little different in their needs.

For my lifestyle any banana (cooked, extremely ripe or green ) will suffice. The research shows there is little difference in potassium content. My issue was magnesium. I sweat so much I lose too much magnesium and eventually over months I use up the stores in my bones because there is not enough in my blood. I then could eat 10 bananas a day and I will just piss out the potassium because the body needs magnesium to process it.

For me it is loads of salt and magnesium and 3-6 bananas a day. The combination draws water into your cells vs storing it outside your cells. The bloat and jiggly look vs tight skin and muscle volume. The above would not be a good idea for most but knowing your needs is key!