PCT training advice

[alphadog22]

I just finished up my second 8 week cycle of test prop and im half way through pct. Ive been lifting pretty hard to try and maintain my gains but fuck am i sore. Like on cycle i could dl everyday and be fine, but now it takes like a week to heal. Im just wondering if im overdoing it while still on my pct, or just suck it up and keep pushing hard

 

[Docd187123]

Make sure to eat according to your goals and if you're feeling best up then reduce the volume of your work while maintaining a high intensity (percentage of 1RM).

 

[alphadog22]

i forgot how difficult it was to train in the first few weeks after cycle, but this is really disgruntleing. Do you think there is a possibility to "overtrain"?

 

[Docd187123]

Anybody at any point can overtrain but there's a difference between simple accumulated fatigue, over reaching, a bad day, and overtraining. You may or may not be overtrained at this point in time and you may or may not be headed to that point. I don't know enough about you to even guess one way or the other. Reducing volume will help regardless of the cause and maintaining high intensity will promote better lbm retention than high volume would. Plus volume over training is harsher and harder to recover from than intensity induced over training. Try take a few recovery days in the gym, foam roll, stretch, erc.

 

[alphadog22]

Ill give it a go, on cycle i was doing pretty high volume stuff, started doing German volume training toward the end, 10x10 at 75%, so there's gotta be some sort change to my routine, thanks man

 

[Docd187123]

GVT is a brutally tough program on gear and especially off. Very high volume, hence the name, and you could definitely be close to overdoing it but again not positive. Fatigue can accumulate or dissipate depending on what you do with it. Building up fatigue is I protons for progress but only up to a point. After that it affects performance so much and you begin overtraining that it becomes a nuisance and hinderance more than anything. If I had to out money I'd say you're beat up from a rough training protocol and will feel better after a few days or so of reduced work.

 

[alphadog22]

Yeah man this regimen was brutal, but fuck it works, gained almost 40 pounds in 8 weeks, which is insane, stretchmarks are fucking everywhere, its just difficult to move from such a powerful feeling to literally watching yourself deflate

 

[raysugar1234]

Yeah man this regimen was brutal, but fuck it works, gained almost 40 pounds in 8 weeks, which is insane, stretchmarks are fucking everywhere, its just difficult to move from such a powerful feeling to literally watching yourself deflate

That's one reason I always step down to low dose test for a few weeks after a heavy cycle before I start pct. After a GVT program it would probably be a good idea to switch to something with less volume regardless if your on cycle or not. Heavy weight with low reps and less volume causes less DOMS, also I have found that creatine post workout helps me a lot with soreness.

 

[alphadog22]

That's one reason I always step down to low dose test for a few weeks after a heavy cycle before I start pct. After a GVT program it would probably be a good idea to switch to something with less volume regardless if your on cycle or not. Heavy weight with low reps and less volume causes less DOMS, also I have found that creatine post workout helps me a lot with soreness.

Whats your version of low test, just wondering, i was doing 150 eod which is really low for some of the guys ive seen on here

 

[raysugar1234]

Whats your version of low test, just wondering, i was doing 150 eod which is really low for some of the guys ive seen on here

For me that's not low, lol. I have never done prop only E and C. On a cycle I do between 500-750 per week and to step down I take between 150-250.

 

[alphadog22]

For me that's not low, lol. I have never done prop only E and C. On a cycle I do between 500-750 per week and to step down I take between 150-250.

Is it easier to jump into pct by doing this, I get really depressed, mentally and physically for a solid 2 weeks post cycle, probobly because im using clomid/nolva, but if there is anything that would help for my next cycle im willing to give it a shot

 

[raysugar1234]

Is it easier to jump into pct by doing this, I get really depressed, mentally and physically for a solid 2 weeks post cycle, probobly because im using clomid/nolva, but if there is anything that would help for my next cycle im willing to give it a shot

It is MUCH easier I don't know why more guys don't do it. Guys will go from a heavy cycle with very high test and other strong compounds like Tren, Deca, Eq, and most run orals along with it then they totally stop everything and take serms. It's brutal, stepping down to just 150 of test E for 3-4 weeks can make all the difference in the world.

 

[alphadog22]

makes perfect sense, idk why more guys arent doing this.....

 

[raysugar1234]

makes perfect sense, idk why more guys arent doing this.....

Because most guys do cookie cutter cycles and don't think outside the box.

 

[Docd187123]

makes perfect sense, idk why more guys arent doing this.....

Bc it also extends the length of time one is suppressed making recovery somewhat or significantly more difficult.

 

[raysugar1234]

Bc it also extends the length of time one is suppressed making recovery somewhat or significantly more difficult.

It does make the cycle a little bit longer but it made a huge difference for me.

 

[alphadog22]

Bc it also extends the length of time one is suppressed making recovery somewhat or significantly more difficult.

Would the benefit from such as high test volume to zero be the same as like trt to zero?

 

[Docd187123]

Would the benefit from such as high test volume to zero be the same as like trt to zero?

Well theoretically you can recover from a high dose blast but you cannot recover from TRT hence why you're on it to begin with. At first they'd be similar but if recovery happens from a blast and not from TRT they'd end up very differently.

 

[Docd187123]

It does make the cycle a little bit longer but it made a huge difference for me.

I'm not saying it couldn't but it's a trade off regardless. Longer in time harder recovery possibly for a better feeling vs shorter on time easier recovery possibly and a worse feeling. Only you can ultimately make that decision for yourself I think.

 

[alphadog22]

I'm not saying it couldn't but it's a trade off regardless. Longer in time harder recovery possibly for a better feeling vs shorter on time easier recovery possibly and a worse feeling. Only you can ultimately make that decision for yourself I think.

im only running the short esters and i peak at around week 6-7 on prop so pushing it to 9-10 weeks with the taper wouldnt be too much of a problem. Im curious as to what readings you have done about the recovery from a high dose as opposed to the trt dose. I can see how the body will more readily respond to the high dose, with such a high fluctuation, but ive just never heard that it was difficult to come off of a low dose