Bulking is Done! - 22 Weeks Bulking Progress

After 22 weeks my bulk is finally over! After the holidays, I honestly couldn't wait because I was tired of being fat and couldn't wait to start cutting! Although it felt good at first to eat "bad" foods again, it got old pretty quick. Foods that I enjoyed while cutting started not to taste as good anymore and it got to be a chore to down it all. 


The end result of my bulk?... 19 lbs gained in 22 weeks. I didn't quite gain the 1 lb per week I set out to do, but I think that was probably a good thing. After 8 weeks, I started to feel like I was gaining a lot of fat so I may have subconsciously started eating less and consciously implemented more no carb/cardio days.


People may think I'm crazy, but I definitely enjoy cutting a lot more than I do bulking. After reaching low bodyfat percentages, it's difficult to be fine with being any fatter. 


Here are my starting and ending measurements:

	Starting	Final	Difference
Weight	164 lbs	183 lbs	+19 lbs
Chest	41.5”	43.5”	+2”
Shoulders	49”	50”	+1”
Arms	15”	15.5”	+.5”
Neck	15”	15”	+0”
Waist	31”	33”	+2”
Hips	37.5”	39.5”	+2”
Thighs	23”	24”	+1”
Calves	16”	16.5”	+.05”

Obviously, I gained inches everywhere on this bulk, but I"m happy with the 2" inches gained in on my chest measurement since I did put an emphasis to improve it. I'm also happy with only gaining 2 inches in my waist, which is down from the 35" inches I was at the same time last year. 


One thing I didn't mention in my previous progress post is that I removed my leg days from my lifting schedule. I felt like my legs and especially my hips/glutes were getting out of proportion, thus ruining my aesthetics :) You can see that I gained 2 inches in my hip measurement despite despite not training hips at all for the last 6 weeks.


Overall, I'm happy with the end result. I have never been this big, strong, or "lean" at this weight before. Below are all my progress pictures that I during this bulk going from from left to right. (The pictures aren't perfectly aligned because I tried to scale the images all to about the same head size...and I got lazy with cropping.)


I'm not sure why the first picture's lighting is totally different but this was taken sometime around August when I was maintaining my lean condition for the summer. As you can see in the pictures as they progress, the cuts and tan decreases and the fat and size increases.

Looking at this picture sure does make me miss being at low bodyfat percentages!


Now that I'm done with bulking, I'm excited to start cutting and have actually been doing so for the past week and a half. It sure has felt great to start shedding the fat and seeing more cuts again! :)

LG Sciences Lipotropic Protein: 5 lbs for 18 dollars!

If you guys want some cheap protein, I just ordered some LG Sciences Lipotropic Protein from Sportsnutritiononline.com. It's currently  5 lbs for 18 dollars!

Flat rate shipping is 5.99. Use code  CEL-emdub  for an extra 5% off. 

It is a blend of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, genus protein isolate(pea protein), milk protein isolate, egg protein isolate and micellar casein. 

I initially only ordered one bottle because I read reviews saying it was terrible but other reviews said it was pretty good. 

I received my bottle and tasted it. It doesn't taste bad and is definitely drinkable. But it does have a unique taste to it due to the pea protein. But for 18 bucks it is a steal! It is cheap because it is expiring in April 2012. So I ordered another 2 bottles :)

Cellucor C4 Extreme Review

Cellucor C4 Extreme Preworkout Review

Cellucor C4 Extreme ...pretty cool container!

My recent fishoil order from Bodybuilding.com unexpectedly came with a sample of the popular preworkout product, C4 by Cellucor.

I've heard a lot about the product but never looked into trying it or buying it. I think it was because I had never heard of the company so I never considered it. I have to admit though that this preworkout has been the best I have sampled thus far!

Sample of Cellucor C4 Extreme from Bodybuilding.com

It tasted good, mixed well, and provided me with one of my best workouts ever! So here's my review of the sample product I received:

Taste

The sample I received was a 2 serving packet of their Blue Raspberry flavor. It mixed very well in the blender bottle and left no floating remnants. It also had a great initial taste with a minor mediciny aftertaste that I've come to expect from preworkouts. Despite this aftertaste, I would say it's a pretty good tasting preworkout that I would have no problem sipping on if I chose to.

Energy

The energy I felt on this was awesome. 10-15 minutes after drinking the preworkout, I started getting that amped up feeling and was ready to pump some iron. I also started feeling the beta alanine tingles too...I think I actually like this feeling and it kinda gets me psyched to workout. 

Strength

I was stronger in every lift during this particular workout! This was unexpected but a very motivating feeling. I used more weight and did more reps during this workout than any other I've had with other preworkouts!

Endurance

My endurance was very good during this workout. I never felt tired or exhausted and was able to put full energy and focus into my sets at the beginning of the work as well as towards the end of my workout.

Pump

The pumps were pretty amazing on this as well. If you've read my previous preworkout reviews, you know I don't have a difficult time getting a pump. But with this preworkout, I noticed my pump was even greater than normal and it felt fantastic!

Overall

I am very impressed with Cellucor C4 and would definitely buy it if I find a good sale on it. The effects in the gym were awesome with no negative side effects (unless you dislike the beta alanine tingles). I'll be keeping my eye out for any sales on this product and will let you guys know if I find any :)


Nutritional information:

30 Servings Blue Raspberry Serving Size:1Scoop(5.7g) Servings Per Container:30 Amount Per Serving % DV Calories 5 Total Carbohydrates 1g <1%** Vitamin C 250mg 417% Niacin (As Niacinamide) 30mg 150% Folate 250mcg 62% Vitamin B12 35mcg 588% Beta Alanine 1500mg † Creatine Nitrate 1000mg † Arginine AKG 1000mg † Explosive Energy Blend 718mg † Vitamin C (As Ascorbic Acid), N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Caffeine Anhydrous (135mg), Mucuna Pruriens, Niacinamide, Synephrine HCL, Folate (As Folic Acid), Pyridoxine Phosphate, Vitamin B12 (As Methylcobalamin) ** Percent Daily Values (% DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.

Other Ingredients: Natural And Artificial Flavors, (Contains: FD&C Blue #1), Citric Acid, Silicon Dioxide, Malic Acid, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K)