- EG Cash
- 13,194
From Jacked to Normal in two years...
Hello E.G. world. The ground I have traversed over the last 2 years has been rocky and rough. Over that time period, and actually it may be closer to the last 4 years, my body went thru some changes. I begin to notice that my strength was starting to taper off. Nothing drastic...but a definite change. It was more in my quads than anywhere else.
Also, I started to lose strength in my right bicep and delts. Also I noticed a lot of pins and needle sensations going down my trap and delts. I would call it a "cascade". Because it felt as if there was a cascade of liquid electricity trickling down that area.
I ignored all symptoms. They wernt severe and I chalked it up to age (I was 52 at the time) and injuries. So I did what I always do...adjust your workout.
So around that time I went away from heavy 4 - 8 reps and adopted a medium weight / high rep type workouts. At that time I weighed around 225 and at 12% bf. So from there I kept adjusting my workouts to compensate. So, obviously I was gonna lose some size from this new approach, but I also walked around with single digit bf and looked really good (Frank Zane type of build) and just accepted and moved on.
I stayed at about 200 pounds for about 2 years. Next my weight continued to drop. I keep adjusting my workouts thinking "new approach / new results". Over the next year my fat was low and I was still shrinking. I was now at 180. I looked good. Lots of compliments and lots of attention from the ladies. All good! But now my strength is really dropping and fast. So I keep adjusting. But it's getting alarming.
Now...I was juicing the whole time. 400 mg test per week. And would always mix in one or two compounds. Trin was go to. I would run anywhere from 100 mg per week to 500. Still, my weight and strength was plummeting.
Off to the doc. My family physician whom I have been with for 15 years was shocked. He had seen me at 240...225...200...now 170. He knows I juice...and he decided to do battery of test to diagnose the issue.
Blood test.. genetic test...MRI...XRays...CT scan. Nothing showed up. So now to a neurologist for more diagnosis. After a few physical test he was leaning towards Muscular Dystrophy. Scary! But...the test ruled that out along with ALS...Pompeii Disease...Guillain Barret, all negative. After a few more test he concluded the muscle is fine. The nerves are the issue. After another MRI he concluded it was Spinal Stenosis.
Apparently...C2 - C5 vertebrae show there is a severe narrowing of the spinal canal and is blocking signals to my muscles. It was most severe in the quads. So an entire 2 years of test and the problem got worse. On advice from the docs...I havent worked in over a year. And I haven't juiced.
Today I weigh 155 pound. My biceps shrank from 19" to 13". Quads went from 28" to 17". I have lost nearly 75 pounds in mass. I'm street normal size for most Americans. All due to spinal stenosis.
So Weds I go in neck surgery. Laminectomy is the procedure. 3 hour procedure. 4 weeks of nothing...then ease back in to the world of iron.
What injury caused this problem? BODY SURFING! About 7 years ago I was body surfing and dropped in to low into crashing wave. It picked up vertical and drove my head onto bottom and it was basically like a hard packed surface. I hit head first on the bottom. Stood up...laughed...I tingled all across my neck and shoulders and thought nothing of it. I'm sure there are other injuries that contributed to it but I think the body surf got me.
I will juice again. Gear has shown a propensity to re-fire nerves and establish new pathways around the bad nerves.
I know I have been off the boards and that's the reason why. I will give an update later. But please, my old friends on here, keep me in your thoughts.
Tunaman
Hello E.G. world. The ground I have traversed over the last 2 years has been rocky and rough. Over that time period, and actually it may be closer to the last 4 years, my body went thru some changes. I begin to notice that my strength was starting to taper off. Nothing drastic...but a definite change. It was more in my quads than anywhere else.
Also, I started to lose strength in my right bicep and delts. Also I noticed a lot of pins and needle sensations going down my trap and delts. I would call it a "cascade". Because it felt as if there was a cascade of liquid electricity trickling down that area.
I ignored all symptoms. They wernt severe and I chalked it up to age (I was 52 at the time) and injuries. So I did what I always do...adjust your workout.
So around that time I went away from heavy 4 - 8 reps and adopted a medium weight / high rep type workouts. At that time I weighed around 225 and at 12% bf. So from there I kept adjusting my workouts to compensate. So, obviously I was gonna lose some size from this new approach, but I also walked around with single digit bf and looked really good (Frank Zane type of build) and just accepted and moved on.
I stayed at about 200 pounds for about 2 years. Next my weight continued to drop. I keep adjusting my workouts thinking "new approach / new results". Over the next year my fat was low and I was still shrinking. I was now at 180. I looked good. Lots of compliments and lots of attention from the ladies. All good! But now my strength is really dropping and fast. So I keep adjusting. But it's getting alarming.
Now...I was juicing the whole time. 400 mg test per week. And would always mix in one or two compounds. Trin was go to. I would run anywhere from 100 mg per week to 500. Still, my weight and strength was plummeting.
Off to the doc. My family physician whom I have been with for 15 years was shocked. He had seen me at 240...225...200...now 170. He knows I juice...and he decided to do battery of test to diagnose the issue.
Blood test.. genetic test...MRI...XRays...CT scan. Nothing showed up. So now to a neurologist for more diagnosis. After a few physical test he was leaning towards Muscular Dystrophy. Scary! But...the test ruled that out along with ALS...Pompeii Disease...Guillain Barret, all negative. After a few more test he concluded the muscle is fine. The nerves are the issue. After another MRI he concluded it was Spinal Stenosis.
Apparently...C2 - C5 vertebrae show there is a severe narrowing of the spinal canal and is blocking signals to my muscles. It was most severe in the quads. So an entire 2 years of test and the problem got worse. On advice from the docs...I havent worked in over a year. And I haven't juiced.
Today I weigh 155 pound. My biceps shrank from 19" to 13". Quads went from 28" to 17". I have lost nearly 75 pounds in mass. I'm street normal size for most Americans. All due to spinal stenosis.
So Weds I go in neck surgery. Laminectomy is the procedure. 3 hour procedure. 4 weeks of nothing...then ease back in to the world of iron.
What injury caused this problem? BODY SURFING! About 7 years ago I was body surfing and dropped in to low into crashing wave. It picked up vertical and drove my head onto bottom and it was basically like a hard packed surface. I hit head first on the bottom. Stood up...laughed...I tingled all across my neck and shoulders and thought nothing of it. I'm sure there are other injuries that contributed to it but I think the body surf got me.
I will juice again. Gear has shown a propensity to re-fire nerves and establish new pathways around the bad nerves.
I know I have been off the boards and that's the reason why. I will give an update later. But please, my old friends on here, keep me in your thoughts.
Tunaman
