Tom Ryan / A5omic

Protocol Log / Week 2

Week 2: KSM-66 + Tongkat Continuation

· 1 min read

Research Note collecting · low confidence

QuestionIf I keep the same stack running for a second week without adding anything new, does the signal persist, fade, or reveal downsides?

Current ReadWeek 2 is a continuation block: clean adherence through Thursday, roughly eight-hour sleep, normal/stable home measures, no new skin or side-effect issue, and a repeated subjective appearance signal: slightly more vascular and muscular. Because this is uncontrolled and self-observed, the data are useful for continuity but weak for causal interpretation.

3 benefit 0 negative 3 neutral 1 limit

Claim Ladder

  1. This continuation does not test a new intervention.
  2. This is an uncontrolled continuation block, so confidence stays low.
  3. Stable sleep and no side effects support tolerability, not efficacy.
  4. Vascularity or muscularity notes can be moved by pump, fat change, lighting, training, hydration, and expectation.
  5. The next useful step is tighter same-day logging or a controlled stop/restart block.
Evidence Review Why this question is testable
Intervention Continue KSM-66 ashwagandha 600 mg/day and Tongkat Ali 200 mg/day with food, without adding any new protocol variable.

HypothesisIf the Week 1 subjective signal was real enough to keep testing, Week 2 should show stable adherence, no side-effect accumulation, usable sleep, and repeated body-signal notes without needing a new intervention.

Completion CriteriaAt least 5 of 7 days with both supplements taken, no new protocol variable added, and no clear side-effect accumulation.

Signal Board Benefits, negatives, and limits
benefit Adherence
5/5 logged hits

Sunday through Thursday were reported as strict continuation days. Friday and Saturday remain open.

benefit Sleep
about 8h/night

Reported sleep stayed between about 7h50m and 8h20m, which is cleaner than the end of Week 1.

neutral Home measures
normal/stable

Vitals were described as normal and similar to prior days. Exact readings are private; no abnormal public signal.

neutral Grip / strength
one private high

Grip was reported mostly stable with one private high during the block. Directional signal only.

benefit Appearance
vascularity repeated

More vascular/muscular appearance was noticed again, but fat loss, pump, lighting, and placebo remain plausible.

neutral Skin / side effects
quiet

No meaningful acne or side-effect issue was reported beyond occasional minor pimples.

limitation Confounders
placebo + body comp

The appearance signal is highly confounded by training, pump, lighting, body composition, and expectation.

Charts Daily signal view

Adherence

1 Sun
1 Mon
1 Tue
1 Wed
1 Thu
— Fri
— Sat

Calm Score

9/10 Sun
9/10 Mon
9/10 Tue
9/10 Wed
9/10 Thu
— Fri
— Sat

Energy Score

8/10 Sun
8/10 Mon
8/10 Tue
8/10 Wed
8/10 Thu
— Fri
— Sat

Mood Score

8/10 Sun
8/10 Mon
8/10 Tue
8/10 Wed
8/10 Thu
— Fri
— Sat

Sleep Window

8h Sun
8.1h Mon
8h Tue
8.2h Wed
8.1h Thu
— Fri
— Sat

Home Lab Logged

1 Sun
1 Mon
1 Tue
1 Wed
1 Thu
— Fri
— Sat

Side-Effect Clear

1 Sun
1 Mon
1 Tue
1 Wed
1 Thu
— Fri
— Sat
Measurement Plan Supplement / Compound

Primary Markers

  • Dose and timing: both supplements taken with food; note any missed dose.
  • Anxiety / calm: anxiety 1-10, calm 1-10, irritability 1-10.
  • Side effects: GI changes, headache, jitteriness, fatigue, sleep disruption, appetite changes, rash/flush.

Secondary Markers

  • Sleep / recovery: rough duration, quality, wakeups, HRV/RHR if available.
  • Home vitals / grip / peak flow: exact values stay private; public output uses capture status and direction.
  • Training/body signal: body feel, pump, soreness, fatigue, grip direction, and any new max intentionally chosen for publication.
  • Skin / appearance: acne, redness, dryness, oiliness, puffiness, vascularity, and muscularity notes.

Controls

  • No new supplement, device, diet rule, or training protocol was added during the continuation block.
  • Uncontrolled continuation observations are treated as lower confidence than a planned control block.
  • Treat vascularity/muscularity as a hypothesis generator only.
Protocol Setup Materials and setup
owned KSM-66 ashwagandha

600 mg/day supplement continued from Week 1.

owned Tongkat Ali

200 mg/day supplement continued from Week 1.

owned Home measurement kit

Blood pressure, pulse/oxygen, grip strength, and peak flow captured privately when used.

Prep Notes

  • For the remaining days, keep the daily check-in tight.
  • If the signal still looks good by the end of Week 2, decide whether to keep, stop/restart, or run a tighter control block.

Daily Observations

5/7 days recorded · 71% protocol-hit rate

71%
Sun hit

Continue both supplements with food; no new protocol variable.

dose, sleep, vitals/home measures, mood/anxiety, training, skin/appearance, side effects, confounders, note Dose hit. calm 9/10 (high), energy 8/10 (high), mood 8/10 (high), anxiety 1/10 (low). Sleep: about 8h. Body signal: appearance/body state logged. Skin: small acne/appearance signal logged. Side effects: no clear issue logged. Confounders: training/diet variance.
dosesleepvitalsmoodtrainingskinside effectconfoundernote
Mon hit

Continue both supplements with food; no new protocol variable.

dose, sleep, vitals/home measures, mood/anxiety, training, skin/appearance, side effects, confounders, note Dose hit. calm 9/10 (high), energy 8/10 (high), mood 8/10 (high), anxiety 1/10 (low). Sleep: about 8h. Body signal: appearance/body state logged. Appearance: vascularity/vein visibility noted. Side effects: no clear issue logged. Confounders: expectation/placebo, body composition.
dosesleepvitalsmoodtrainingskinside effectconfoundernote
Tue hit

Continue both supplements with food; no new protocol variable.

dose, sleep, vitals/home measures, mood/anxiety, training, skin/appearance, side effects, confounders, note Dose hit. calm 9/10 (high), energy 8/10 (high), mood 8/10 (high), anxiety 1/10 (low). Sleep: about 8h. Body signal: appearance/body state logged. Appearance: vascularity/vein visibility noted. Side effects: no clear issue logged. Confounders: expectation/placebo, body composition.
dosesleepvitalsmoodtrainingskinside effectconfoundernote
Wed hit

Continue both supplements with food; no new protocol variable.

dose, sleep, vitals/home measures, mood/anxiety, training, skin/appearance, side effects, confounders, note Dose hit. calm 9/10 (high), energy 8/10 (high), mood 8/10 (high), anxiety 1/10 (low). Sleep: about 8h. Body signal: appearance/body state logged. Appearance: vascularity/vein visibility noted. Side effects: no clear issue logged. Confounders: expectation/placebo, training/diet variance.
dosesleepvitalsmoodtrainingskinside effectconfoundernote
Thu hit

Continue both supplements with food; no new protocol variable.

dose, sleep, vitals/home measures, mood/anxiety, training, skin/appearance, side effects, confounders, note Dose hit. calm 9/10 (high), energy 8/10 (high), mood 8/10 (high), anxiety 1/10 (low). Sleep: about 8h. Body signal: appearance/body state logged. Appearance: vascularity/vein visibility noted. Side effects: no clear issue logged. Confounders: expectation/placebo, body composition, training/diet variance.
dosesleepvitalsmoodtrainingskinside effectconfoundernote
Fri pending

Continue both supplements with food; same-day check-in preferred.

Dose, sleep, vitals if measured, mood/anxiety, training, skin, side effects. Awaiting same-day check-in.
Sat pending

Continue both supplements with food; close the continuation week.

Dose, sleep, vitals if measured, mood/anxiety, training, skin, side effects. Awaiting same-day check-in.

Study Snapshot

Weekly test
KSM-66 + Tongkat continuation Same stack, no new variable.
Observations
5/7 started Sunday through Thursday are logged; Friday and Saturday remain open.
Primary signal
Tolerability + persistence Stable sleep, stable mood, no side-effect accumulation.
Current status
Collecting Reported signal is favorable but still uncontrolled.
New marker
Appearance persistence Vascularity/muscularity repeated, but causal read is weak.

Protocol Changes

  • No new intervention added.
  • Current KSM-66 + Tongkat protocol extended into a second week.

Current Read

Week 2 is a continuation block, not a new experiment. That matters: this week is less about novelty and more about whether the Week 1 signal survives contact with another ordinary week.

Through Thursday, the reported pattern is stable: strict adherence, roughly eight-hour sleep, normal/stable home measures, no major skin issue, no clear side effects, and repeated subjective vascularity/muscularity.

Interpretation

The strongest read is tolerability. Continuing the stack did not obviously break sleep, skin, mood, or training feel.

The most interesting read is appearance, but it is also the easiest to fool yourself with. Vascularity and muscularity can move from pump, hydration, lighting, sodium, body fat, training, and expectation. Treat it as a signal to keep measuring, not as proof.

Next Step

Finish Friday and Saturday with same-day logs. If the block still looks favorable, the cleanest next experiment is a stop/restart or tighter control block, because the current read is promising but too confounded to claim.

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