I am 33, 5’11, 183lbs, 13% bodyfat. Did a 600mg, 16 week test cyp cycle, my first true steroid cycle. My results, according to DEXA scans before and after- 3lbs lean mass gained, 5lbs fat gained.
I got good sleep, ate in a caloric surplus (went from 175lb to 194lbs at my peak, before lightly cutting down to 183lbs), ate around 180 grams of protein a day. I am training to be a pro athlete (football punting), and have top level coaches. Weight lifted three times a week throughout cycle. Lifts went up somewhat in the first half of cycle but ended up about where I started (maybe related to the weight gain and then loss). Blood work confirmed that total test levels were very high, wasn’t bunk gear.
Caveats that may or may not be notable:
I had previously been on TRT (~160mg a week test cyp)
I can’t for the life of me figure out how I only gained 3ish pounds of muscle. Any ideas?
I am fully in the camp of diminishing returns with long AAS cycle duration. I believe you reach a peak between 6 and 8 weeks in. From then on, gains slow. You either up the doses or get off the cycle. I would go off cycle for 4 to 8 weeks and then get back on.
Also I always took an anabolic steroid to stack with the testosterone. But I didn’t use high doses as are now popular.
The easy answer here is that you bulked and then cut back down.
When I cut or bulk, I usually hold my end weight for 1-4 months before I start another weight changing phase. I base this off of something called set point theory, which I think holds true to some degree.
You disrupted homeostasis with the bulking and then got back to it through the cut. You essentially can be happy that you gained 3 lbs lean muscle. If I’d do what you did, I’d probably not gain anything.
For your future you should think of it like this: cycling is ONLY for bulking. You can do the cutting later. When cycling you wanna maximize muscle and strength gain.
I couldn’t disagree more. Sure cycling is good for bulking. But in my experience I wouldn’t consider a cut without steroids.
Disclaimer: I have never felt the need to “cut” except to compete in a bodybuilding contest. I suppose I was genetically gifted with good body composition. So my experience may not apply to many.
The guy is not a bodybuilder. I don’t think blasting is necessary to cut except maybe for top level bodybuilders. Why would you need to cycle during a cut?
They’re football coaches, they don’t specialize in steroid use. I ran a caloric surplus for most of the cycle, and then a moderate caloric deficit toward the end.
I agree for the most part. Esp for guys doing their first couple cycles, use that new stimulus to bulk up, and maybe TRT levels to cut. Or if you are prepping for a show or a summer at the beach, throw in a little more androgens to maintain some muscle or look fuller.
I don’t think we have enough information to know what you did wrong exactly, but it’s worth noting that a football coach with no experience with AAS would not be a “top level” coach in this case. Doesn’t mean they aren’t good at coaching football! But that’s a different discipline entirely, sort of like if you asked your mechanic why your dinner got burned.
