Should My First Cycle Be a Cut or Bulk?

Pharma / TRT
1

Current stats
200lbs
6’3"

Im on a bulk rn and I average around 5 to 6 meals a day if I were to track I would say im getting 5000 but some of that comes from mass gainer. My goal is to hit 225 pounds and still be lean I started my bulk at 185 and I am still decently lean. Should I start my first cycle with a cut after gaining all that weight so I can retain the mass or should I wait until next year and use it to bulk.

for either scenario I would start with typical 500 a week of test for about 12 weeks. And also if I do 500 a week should I ween myself off the last two weeks by lowering the dose or should I just do 500 a week until the last week and then stop. And if i do either of these how much mass am I expected to lose if I keep my diet in check because I have heard that I will retain most, ive heard ill retain a little, and ive heard ill retain nothing and its a huge waste. People keep telling me to keep doing research but the research is confusing me because everyone has different opinions.

2

What is your current estimated bodyfat percentage?

3

probably 15% I can still see my abs a little bit and I’m not even trying to stay super lean its definitely going up with the weight though when I started the bulk I was probably at 7 or 8%

4

You can stop bulking around 14-17% body fat. If you can only see outlines but no clear separation, it is a good time to switch to maintenance.

Observe your weight for 2-4 weeks if it maintains. If it does, you can start cutting. Otherwise, adjust your calorie intake accordingly.

PS. It is suggested to use calorie cycling around this bodyfat level when cutting.

5

If my goal is to gain as much lean body mass as possible shouldn’t I stay in a caloric surplus as long as possible. I would rather cut before spring break because cutting around the holidays sounds brutal

6

If you continue bulking (assuming intelligently), your muscle:fat gain ratio would be sub-optimal. If you don’t want to gain excess fat, you should cut around your current bodyfat.

The holidays are good time for a 1-2 week diet break. Just go to maintenance during this period.

7

Makes me laugh that @jayvee94 has made 2 threads in the beginner section basically asking the same thing (without the PED) and yet feels confident enough to give someone else advice.

Correct me if I’m wrong Jayvee, perhaps you have experience with artificial T and are just otherwise clueless about programming and nutrition…?