Wasting your first cycle on a maintenance phase?

[Turkeybuilder]

I'm a rookie but my current experience might be helpful. I started my first cycle around 15%bf.

Started at 400mg/week. Not in week 15 at 600mg.

I've gained about 16 pounds, been pushing for the whole time but doing so systematically. Surprisingly my condition has held the while time. My abs even started to show more half way through while still gaining weight.

The last couple weeks I've got loose with the diet so feeling a little fluffy in the midsection.

My one let take away is that I should have started leaner. I was eager to get going. But in hindsight being around 10% would have given a lot more room to play with vs sort of being on the edge of limit of bf I'd like to hit.

It's been a great cycle but next time I'll definitely cut down longer.

That’s some good insight. Sounds like you started from where I was considering starting now. So it sounds like the first half of your cycle you maintained you BF or even got lower? Do you think if you maintained a good diet you would have stayed lean?

Were you eating in a calorie surplus from the very beginning of your cycle?

 

[newguy2]

That’s some good insight. Sounds like you started from where I was considering starting now. So it sounds like the first half of your cycle you maintained you BF or even got lower? Do you think if you maintained a good diet you would have stayed lean?

Were you eating in a calorie surplus from the very beginning of your cycle?

Basically stayed at the same body fat. If I stopped pushing food yes I would have got leaner because when the scale stalled my abs would begin to show more.

I was on a strict diet the whole time. Surplus from the beginning bumping carbs after a weight stall. It’s just been the last two weeks that I’ve eaten some extra, but honestly in the morning I look about the same in the midsection that I did at the beginning.

Definitely put on a decent amount of muscle. It’s been a productive push I’m excited for the next one. But also looking forward to the cut to see how I look after shedding some pounds.

 

[Turkeybuilder]

Basically stayed at the same body fat. If I stopped pushing food yes I would have got leaner because when the scale stalled my abs would begin to show more.

I was on a strict diet the whole time. Surplus from the beginning bumping carbs after a weight stall. It’s just been the last two weeks that I’ve eaten some extra, but honestly in the morning I look about the same in the midsection that I did at the beginning.

Definitely put on a decent amount of muscle. It’s been a productive push I’m excited for the next one. But also looking forward to the cut to see how I look after shedding some pounds.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Wish there was a more clear cut answer if I knew I would be able to put on size while also maintaining my current BF or even leaning out, considering it would be my first ever cycle.

I dont think I’ll try and find out though because I know i’d want to bail on the cycle the second I see myself putting on fat I don’t want. I worked too hard to get myself to a healthy BF % for the first time in my life lmao

 

[RockyP]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Wish there was a more clear cut answer if I knew I would be able to put on size while also maintaining my current BF or even leaning out, considering it would be my first ever cycle.

I dont think I’ll try and find out though because I know i’d want to bail on the cycle the second I see myself putting on fat I don’t want. I worked too hard to get myself to a healthy BF % for the first time in my life lmao

In the same way that people can lose weight and see their bf% increase (due to muscle loss), you can gain weight and see your bf% stay the same or, less commonly, decrease a little. However, you will still gain fat during this process. I hope that makes sense. It’s physiologically impossible outside of clever PED use, rare genetics and clever dietary manipulation, to gain significant mass while cutting. But if you start at 200 lbs and 20% bf and gain 10 lbs, 3 of which is fat, your bf% is basically unchanged, but you have more muscle on you. That will “look” like you got leaner when in fact you added weight and fat mass (but bf% didn’t move). A 210 lb body looks better than a 200 lb body at the same bf%. This is overly simplistic and leaves out a million variables but you can see that gaining weight if done properly doesn’t have to have a negative aesthetic impact.

 

[Turkeybuilder]

In the same way that people can lose weight and see their bf% increase (due to muscle loss), you can gain weight and see your bf% stay the same or, less commonly, decrease a little. However, you will still gain fat during this process. I hope that makes sense. It’s physiologically impossible outside of clever PED use, rare genetics and clever dietary manipulation, to gain significant mass while cutting. But if you start at 200 lbs and 20% bf and gain 10 lbs, 3 of which is fat, your bf% is basically unchanged, but you have more muscle on you. That will “look” like you got leaner when in fact you added weight and fat mass (but bf% didn’t move). A 210 lb body looks better than a 200 lb body at the same bf%. This is overly simplistic and leaves out a million variables but you can see that gaining weight if done properly doesn’t have to have a negative aesthetic impact.

That makes sense. The fat to muscle ratio just gets lower since youve put on more muscle so its not that you lost fat, more of your weight is now muscle so that means mathematically the ratio is more favorable.

Thank you for explaining that and reminding me of that. I just need to be patient

 

[RockyP]

That makes sense. The fat to muscle ratio just gets lower since youve put on more muscle so its not that you lost fat, more of your weight is now muscle so that means mathematically the ratio is more favorable.

Thank you for explaining that and reminding me of that. I just need to be patient

You’ll be fine. Patience is gold in this sport. It’s very much an easy come easy go game.

I just want to mention again, and I’m not trying to put ideas in your head or be a bad influence, but down the line if / when you are ready, if you call upon your favorite Uncle Trenbolone he’ll be more than happy to get you big, strong, and shredded all at the same time (usually at a small price). But keep that far off in the distance for now.

 

[Turkeybuilder]

You’ll be fine. Patience is gold in this sport. It’s very much an easy come easy go game.

I just want to mention again, and I’m not trying to put ideas in your head or be a bad influence, but down the line if / when you are ready, if you call upon your favorite Uncle Trenbolone he’ll be more than happy to get you big, strong, and shredded all at the same time (usually at a small price). But keep that far off in the distance for now.

Unfortunately i’ve already decided the only compounds I will ever touch are test, EQ, and gh. I value my hair too much and I got a hair transplant 4 years ago. Currently on daily oral dut/minoxidil

 

[RockyP]

Unfortunately i’ve already decided the only compounds I will ever touch are test, EQ, and gh. I value my hair too much and I got a hair transplant 4 years ago. Currently on daily oral dut/minoxidil

The dirty secret of this game is unless you’re competing you don’t need anything other than test and GH. But we like to have our fun anyway.