Getting into shape for a cycle - advice?

[Mr. Kisses]

I'm 33. I have been weight training consistently now for a year, following a 531 for beginners routine. Current routine looks like
- 3 days a week in the gym
- 2 days 25km round trip cycle in to work average 23km/h
- approx 10k steps most days

I'd love to do more but this amount is sustainable given my work and family commitments. I'm seeing slow and steady progress with the 531 routine and really enjoying it.

Current max lifts on the program (these represent 95% of my theoretical max on those lifts)
- Squat 125kg
- DL 135kg
- Bench 85kg
- Press 60kg

I was pretty experienced with cardio before I started lifting (3hr 55m marathon, plenty of running and cycling) but never had the body I wanted. I've been very fit at times but I was never "strong". I've always had a "heavy" frame - read: never been skinny, never struggled to gain weight.

I never really knew anything about nutrition and more often than not I carried more weight than I was happy about. I have had "love handles" as long as I remembered.

Started tracking what I was eating in the middle of August with Macrofactor and realised I was pretty significantly overeating on fats - olive oil and butter in particular. As well as giving in to my sweet tooth more than I should, and some less than ideal drinking to top it off (drinking once or twice a week, bingeing when I drink socially).

I've lost around 7kg since August (87kg to just under 80kg), with the help of Macrofactor, without any real noticeable impact on energy levels, and without impacting progression on the lifts. Cutting out excessive fats, cutting out chocolate and sweets pretty much entirely (sugar free jelly or a protein bar when I want to satisfy a craving) and really cutting back on booze. According to my tracking I'm pretty consistently eating at about a 500kcal deficit since I started tracking.

I'm amazed at my progress in the last 3 months. My expenditure hasn't changed that much but I've really dialled in my nutrition and it's been a pretty dramatic effect. Losing some fat I can see there is some muscle under there (not enough!), which I've never seen before at times when I had less weight on.

I'm going to my GP to get bloods done in the next week to see where I'm at with natural hormone levels. The only PED I've ever experimented with in the past is Ephedrine. This recent weightloss has been helped only by coffee and lots of protein.

I'm very seriously considering running a test only cycle sometime in the new year. I'm in no rush though, I'd like to work towards getting into optimal shape for a cycle.

As well as that, I don't know how to figure out my optimal weight? How much more weight should I aim to lose before switching to maintenance, or even trying to gain? I really want to get rid of my love handles/wide hip vibes. A combination of losing more fat and putting on upper body muscle I guess, but how to find the balance?

I have no idea what I would do beyond a first cycle!

I would love some frank opinions and advice on where to go from where I'm at. Will listen to any and all that take the time to contribute. Thanks

 

[Mr. Kisses]

"I've lost around 7kg since August (87kg to just under 80kg), with the help of Macrofactor, without any real noticeable impact on energy levels, and without impacting progression on the lifts"

I say the above but I should also say that the week 3 lifts have gotten REALLY hard at the weights I'm at. I feel I'll probably need to up my calories intake at least somewhat to keep the progression with load.

 

[Live_Evil]

Research AAS for a couple hours a day until you feel like you know more about everyone on this forum. Be honest with yourself, though. How easily you retain what you're learning and how easily you understand what you read will dramatically impact the length of time required to really know what you're getting yourself into.

And I'm not talking about taking forum posts as the gospel truth and regurgitating what you read from random posters. I'm talking about research papers, anecdotes, looking at forums posts and actively trying to link what you've learned to the post, trying to solve problems people present on forums, posing view points that contradict yours against your own. You know, really diving in head first.

Hell, even researching offshoots of AAS related subjects like hairloss, prostate health, sports performance, etc., is excellent for your overall knowledge.

Then again, most guys just want to get big, can't read research papers, and aren't interested enough in the subject for it to hold their attention. There's really nothing wrong with that, but you're better off for falling into the first paragraph.

When you find yourself correcting 60% of the bologna people post on here, you still don't know shit, but you could easily cycle without having a rough time at all.

Anyone here can design a cycle for you, but if you can be interested enough in biology and hormones to read constantly, the AAS endeavor will be extremely easy for you and much more fruitful than simply doing what others say.

By the way, I'm not saying I know even 5% of what there is to know regarding AAS, so I hope this post doesn't come off as condescending.

 

[Inspired]

Your weight loss was recent, and the body always tries to seek homeostasis, so when you go to bulk (eat to grow), you may regain a lot of the fat you just lost recently. That said, you admitted that you discovered new ways of eating, so maybe you can avoid that.

At this point, you may as well just jump in and experiment with AAS. So start reading more and start planning what you're going to try first. There's no point to trying to lose more weight. If you keep your actively level the same, keep lifting, keep protein high, you will grow.

You will most likely get fat again because your body type will go there easily, and people tend to slack off and slip into bad habits. It's human nature. You have to stay disciplined for the rest of your life if you want to look good. But with extra muscle, even if you get fat, you'll look better than you did, so even in times when you slack off, you will still be better off than you were.

 

[Deezznutzz]

I'd get the hormone panel. You may be in trt range if under 499. Some say that's an OK number but around 499 and a test at 399 I started having trouble making progress but I was over 40 at the time. Wish I got on sooner. In my opinion I don't see the need to cycle and PCT then lose all your Gaines. If you're close enough to trt age you can start that and then do two or three blasts a year and stay pretty big and hold on to your muscle. A 400 or 500 12 week test cycle would be good as a first one with maybe 25 or 50 mg anavar thrown in somewhere for 8 weeks. You would lose most of it though after you come off unless you go to like sports trt 200 a week.

 

[lukiss96]

Nah man, pass up...

Still no where near a decent muscar base. Work out harder it takes time. In a year or two see if you want to progress more. No point now really.

 

[Demondosage]

Kick the reps up, a 5/3/1 in 3 work sets is hardly even a workout! Don’t think of it as “lifting things” but think of it as an actual workout, train for a pump. Sorry but a 5-3-1 ain’t gonna get a pump on

 

[Live_Evil]

Kick the reps up, a 5/3/1 in 3 work sets is hardly even a workout! Don’t think of it as “lifting things” but think of it as an actual workout, train for a pump. Sorry but a 5-3-1 ain’t gonna get a pump on

You're definitely right, at least across the board, but not everyone responds to various training stimuli the same. I actually grow much better on 5 reps than anything higher.

I will say though, 5-3-1 done correctly, definitely feels like far more of a workout than the "pump and fluff" bologna most bros do in the gym.

 

[LSDPowerlifting]

You're definitely right, at least across the board, but not everyone responds to various training stimuli the same. I actually grow much better on 5 reps than anything higher.

I will say though, 5-3-1 done correctly, definitely feels like far more of a workout than the "pump and fluff" bologna most bros do in the gym.

Don't you ever wonder why all those gym bros are jacked and you aren't?

 

[Demondosage]

You're definitely right, at least across the board, but not everyone responds to various training stimuli the same. I actually grow much better on 5 reps than anything higher.

I will say though, 5-3-1 done correctly, definitely feels like far more of a workout than the "pump and fluff" bologna most bros do in the gym.

No, it’s not that they don’t respond the same, it’s more like ppl not having the guts to take their sets into another level of pain