Cutting on Test E.. Advices, Tips and Thoughts..

Vin47

New member
So long story short, here's my friend's stats :

27 y.o, 7 years bodybuilding, did 5 - 6 cycles, 14% b.f, 200lb, 5.8"..
(He is Not on TRT)

He wants to get to 8% - 10% b.f, he will start the next Cycle in about a month from now..

I advised him to use Test E since he just wanna maintain muscle mass while Cutting..

So here's what im here for :

1 - Does he need to use any other Steroids or Test is enough ?! As far as i know no Steroid will shred your fat away, no winny, anavar or etc.. they will just make you look harder cuz you get no water retention when using them..

(He isn't attending to use Steroids to cut fat, but to perserve muscle mass)

2 - how much Test is enough ?! Will using more than enough be beneficial ?! (Let's say for example he needs 2ml / Week, will using 4ml for example make any difference ?)

(By "Enough" i mean to perserve muscle mass since he's been through alot of Cycles with different Steroids, im guessing since it's only a Test E Cycle and since he already built a decent amount of muscle he would need more Test to perserve muscle mass)

3 - if using more will make difference, is 4ml / Week too much ?!

(Which is 1g / Week ÷ 2 shots "to perserve muscle" looking at his history)

4 - Does he need to change his micro split (specially Protein intake) to the same split as if he was on a Bulking Cycle ?! Or is less Protein acceptable ?!

(Since he is Cutting On Test E, will eating less Protein like 1g / pound for example still make him lose muscle while on Steroids)

5 - will doing so much Cardio make him lose muscle mass even if he's Cutting on Steroids ?! And no i don't mean HIIT Cardio..

(Since normal cardio will make you lose muscle while Cutting naturally, does this apply to Cutting on Steroids ?! Or he still has to do HIIT Cardio even if he is Cutting on Roids ?!)

Thanks in advance everyone :)


EDIT : guys im not noob here, i know about Diet and Training while on Cycles and Steroids, i was just wondering if Cutting on Steroids requires different strategy, since i was focusing all my readings for the past year on Bulking Cycles and Steroids in general, not Cutting Cycles..
 
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Vin there's a few Q's and much to say .....

I will be back and get into this tonight. Until then, Vin pay attention to the other guys...

But one Q's now... is this guy going to compete and why isn't he here... ? :dunno:

OMM :)
 
Vin there's a few Q's and much to say .....

I will be back and get into this tonight. Until then, Vin pay attention to the other guys...

But one Q's now... is this guy going to compete and why isn't he here... ? :dunno:

OMM :)

Take your time brother, and i appreciate your concern to answer my questions and help me out here man :)

Thanks for giving me your time..

And No, he isn't considering competing, it's just that he has been bulking for a long time and he finally wants to get shreded.. well, not SO much shreded just 10% bf is enough to finally see his hard work over the years..

:D he doesn't speak english very well :D
 
Vin there's a few Q's and much to say .....

I will be back and get into this tonight. Until then, Vin pay attention to the other guys...

But one Q's now... is this guy going to compete and why isn't he here... ? :dunno:

OMM :)

OMG i've just checked your biography, im so sorry if my replies were inappropriate !! I should say "sir" from now own instead of "man", and "older brother" instead of "brother"..

Excuse my ignorance sir.. :)
 
In BOLD
So long story short, here's my friend's stats :ok, lets go with that

27 y.o, 7 years bodybuilding, did 5 - 6 cycles, 14% b.f, 200lb, 5.8"..
(He is Not on TRT)

He wants to get to 8% - 10% b.f, he will start the next Cycle in about a month from now..

I advised him to use Test E since he just wanna maintain muscle mass while Cutting..

So here's what im here for :

1 - Does he need to use any other Steroids or Test is enough ?! As far as i know no Steroid will shred your fat away, no winny, anavar or etc.. they will just make you look harder cuz you get no water retention when using
test is enough.. and steroids do not dictate your goals, your nutrition and training dictate your goals. steroids do not directly affect the ability to burn fat. cutting is cutting.. test is a bonus
2 - how much Test is enough ?! Will using more than enough be beneficial ?! (Let's say for example he needs 2ml / Week, will using 4ml for example make any difference ?)
if its his first cycle i recommend he starts at 400-500mg a week. sounds like you, yourself, are not too educated on cycling. read up, learn.
3 - if using more will make difference, is 4ml / Week too much ?!
answer above
4 - Does he need to eat so much Protein like if he was bulking ?! Or is 1g or 1.2g / pound is enough for maintaining muscles while on Steroids ? ok.. you need ALOT of help here.. im going to stop here and post up an article for you to read.

5 - will doing so much Cardio make him lose muscle mass even if he's on Steroids ?! And no i don't mean HIIT Cardio.. that matters to how many calories he consumes and what his TDEE IS
Thanks in advance everyone :)
THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO STEROIDS & NUTRITION
BY 3J
OLOGY'S SPORTS NUTRITIONIST

Diet, training, and steroids;

They all play an integral role in muscle building. But so many people are completely lost when they try to take the plunge into bodybuilding. With years of experience on bodybuilding and steroid forums I have seen too many people put together a poor plan for their bulking goals only to find themselves right back where they started when they are done. Its unfortunate to see so many people with such strong motivation to get the physique they dreamed about have those dreams/motivation crushed because they did not take the time to educate themselves properly on the science behind their nutrition, training, and anabolic use. You see, the way you execute these three categories play a major role in the success of your efforts. Diet is the most important factor followed by your training routine. People put too much of an emphasis on steroids alone. Keep in mind that you can bulk successfully without the use of steroids, they are just here to help enhance and speed up the process.
In this article, I will cover the biological process of protein synthesis/muscle growth, a proper entry level steroid cycle, a proper training routine while on cycle, and, most importantly, proper nutrition. With that being sad, lets go ahead and cover these subject matters so that you are better prepared when you decide to take the plunge, and we can avoid seeing you fail.



Protein synthesis is the foundation in which bodybuilding was built upon. It is the reason why we are able to grow our muscles through weight training and nutrition. The principle of weight training can be reduced to a simple sentence, lifting weights plus rest with improvement over time. But there are a number of variables that always make that principle much more complex than it seems, like nutrition. Protein synthesis is the utilization of amino acids to create proteins in the body for consumption. Alarmingly, many who participate in bodybuilding are clueless as to how muscular growth actually occurs so lets go ahead and cover that.


Understanding Muscle Damage and Muscular Hypertrophy

Lets try to put this in the most simple terms as possible. The growth of muscle comes from muscular cell damage and the enlarging of the muscle fibers via repair. The reason we go to the gym and lift weights is because we are trying to put enough strain on our muscle fibers so that they are damaged. The damaging of muscle fibers induces the process of protein synthesis. Muscular growth is caused by hypertrophy, or the enlargement of muscle fibers. A breach in plasma member of the muscle fiber cell allows the passage of calcium from the blood causing an imbalance of calcium in the muscle vs the bloodstream. Increased calcium levels activate enzymes called calpains which remove the damaged pieces of the muscle (easily releasable myofilaments). Furthermore, ubiquitin (a protein that is present in all muscle cells) binds to the removed filaments causing neutrophils (white blood cells) to attack and destroy the filaments. As this process occurs, monocytes enter the damaged muscle and from macrophages which further handle the destruction of damaged tissue (1). Ironically, macrophanges also active satellite cells for muscular repair. We will come back to satellite cells in a moment.

So, we have covered how the body gets rid of the damaged tissue. Lets talk about how muscles grow. There are many nuclei in muscle cells. Each nuclei can only handle so much protein at a time and the number of nuclei in a muscle is directly correlated in how much growth can occur, which is a very important fact for choosing a training routine. We will revisit this later in the article. Lets go back to those satellite cells. Satellite cells are stem cells that attach to muscle, donating their nuclei to the muscle through the process of proliferation (the increase of satellite cells) and differentiation (becoming more like muscle cells) (2). When the wall of muscle cells are damaged, growth factors are released to allow the process of proliferation and differentiation. Remember that hypertrophy means the growth of the fiber and should not be confused with hyperplasia, or the increase in the number of fibers in the muscle (3).

The main two major growth factor released are FGG (fibroblast growth factor) and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1). FGF is released from the cell and causes proliferation of satellite cells (4) while IGF-1 causes satellite cells to differentiate, causing them to fuse with muscle cells and allow for growth (hypertrophy). Protein synthesis occurs because mRNA (a genetically coded substance) is sent out from the nuclei to ribosomes which then being the building of protein from amino acids (5).


Prostaglandins and Satellite Cells

Prostagladins are a group of lipid compounds that have hormone like effects. For the purposes of this article we shall only focus on PGE2 and PGF2-alpha(a)since they are most significant to growth. During contraction and stretching of muscle fibers a number of prostaglandins are released including PGE2 and PGF2-a. PGF2-a increases protein synthesis while PGE2 increases protein degradation. Ironically, PGE2 is also a major player in inducing satellite cell proliferation and infusion. The more satellite cells available for activation, the greater the potential for growth (8).
Protein Synthesis

Lets go back to the phase of muscular repair where the mRNA (messenger RNA, a coded substance) is released by the cell to begin the process of protein synthesis. The mRNA has the correct instructions to activate ribosomes and instructs ribosomes to begin translation (the assembly of amino acids). tRNA (transfer RNA) then takes over, arranging amino acids in a linear fashion to create the protein given in the initial instructions by mRNA. This is the process in which we actually gain hypertrophy of the muscle fiber (6).


Testosterone and Protein Synthesis

Nothing is more naturally anabolic than testosterone, it directly causes protein synthesis. Testosterone binds to the androgen receptor in cells which causes activation of protein synthesis in the nuclei. Testosterone also increases the sensitivity of IGF-1 and FGF to satellite cells. The act of resistance training has been shown to increase the receptive capability of testosterone and other important hypertrophy factors like GH and IGF-1. Protein synthesis is said to last anywhere from 36 to 48 hours after strenuous exercise (7).

IGF-1

There are two types of IGF-1. Autocrine IGF-1 is made locally in cells while paracrine IGF-1 is made in the liver. Autocrine IGF-1 only affects the tissues in the area in which it is released while paracrine IGF-1 can travel through the bloodstream into different tissues of the body, connecting to receptors on the surface of cells that specifically need its presence to trigger an anabolic effect. Autocrine IGF-1 is what does the business for bodybuilding. Recall that damage to the muscle causes calcium to leak into the cells. Its this same calcium that releases autocrine IGF-1 locally and sets off the process that is protein synthesis. A mixture of IGF-1, calcium, and enzymes all allow the protein synthesis but also depend on calcium to make the process begin (5).


The IGF-1/HGH Connection

The main contributing anabolic factor of human growth hormone is that it causes the cells in the liver and muscle fiber to release IGF-1. It triggers paracrine IGF-1 to be released from the live and autocrine IGF-1 from muscle cells. One can now understand why the combining of HGH and testosterone causes a much more efficient anabolic response. GH releases IGF while testosterone binds to the androgen receptor and increases the receptive capability of IGF and FGF to satellite cells. Satellite cells give their nuclei to muscle fiber and allow for an increased capacity for protein synthesis causing the end goal of every bodybuilder, muscular hypertrophy!


Proper Beginners Training Routine for Bulking

Lets revisit a very important fact in the muscular hypertrophy biological process that I pointed out earlier
Each nuclei can only handle so much protein at a time and the number of nuclei in a muscle is directly correlated in how much growth can occur.

What exactly does this statement mean? It means that there is a limited capability of protein synthesis of each individual cell in any muscle. As an entry level bodybuilder you should be looking to form a solid base of muscle. This means that you treat every single muscle in your body equally, looking to maximize gains of lean body mass. Dont make the mistake of settings goals for just bigger arms, or chest, or insert whatever body part here. What you should be looking for is an increase in overall muscle. This also means trying to cause as much damage to as many muscular fibers in any given week with your training routine. Therefore, a training routine that impacts as many muscles it can while allowing for ample rest would be ideal. Lets cover that


The Full Body Training Routine

This is a very effective full body training routine that I have used in the past with clients. It is a 3 days split with rest in between days and 2 days rest after the 3rd day (Train M,W,F Rest S, Sun for example). Please make sure to stretch before your workout and warm up with a light set of each exercise before hitting the sets below.
WorkoutSetsReps
Olympic Bar Squats46-8
Bench Press46-8
Dumbbell Flys46-8
Dumbbell Lateral Raises46-8
Dead Lifts46-8
Bent Over Rows46-8
Lat Pull Downs46-8
Military Press46-8
Bicep Dumbbell Curls46-8
Bicep Ez Bar Curls46-8
Skull Crushers46-8
Overhead Tricep Extensions46-8




Proper Nutrition for Bulking

I cannot emphasize enough how important nutrition is for your goals. It affects just about every biological function your body has to process. Eating for bulking is not difficult, you just have to be organized. Any proper type of dieting MUST INVOLVE CALORIE AND MACRO COUNTING (macros are Protein/Carbs/Fats). I see way too many people playing a guessing game with their nutrition by ignoring the fact that you have to weigh/measure all your food and account for every calorie your body takes in, only to complain that they are not growing the way they should be. One of the first questions i ask on any thread in the forum where the post involves the inability to bulk is the current caloric intake of the original poster. About 8 out of 10 times i get the dreaded ***8220;im not sure***8221; or ***8220;im not counting calories.***8221; The other times the original poster gives a caloric intake that is too low for his/her stats with a bulk in mind. MAKE NO MISTAKE, MOST OF YOU WILL EITHER OVER OR UNDER ESTIMATE YOUR CALORIC INTAKE IF YOU ARE NOT KEEPING TRACK OF IT! Bodybuilding is a science. Science involves emperical measurement and statistics. Tracking your calories is not a suggestion, its a requirement!


How Many Calories Should I Consume?

The amount of calories you need to consume are directly correlated with your current total weight, body fat percentage, and activity level. In order to get a correct BMR (basil metabolic rate or the amount of calories your body needs to sustain itself without added activity) and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure or the actual amount of calories your body burns with activity) you have to get your lean body mass and input it into the following BMR formula.

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Here are simple steps to figure out your BMR using the above formula

Get a proper Body Fat measurement. Do not use a bio-impedance device (anything that you either stand on or hold on to to get your body fat). They are very inaccurate. Caliper tests are only accurate up to 15% body fat. The most ideal body fat tests are hydrostatic testing, dexa scan, or bodpod. But you don***8217;t have to spend all that money. Post or PM a vet pictures on the forums and get a rough estimate. I know I***8217;m pretty accurate with my body fat estimates so long as pictures are clear with good lighting.

Take your body fat percentage and subtract it by your total body weight for your lean body-weight. If you were 200lbs and had 15% body fat, then you would have a lean body-weight of 170lbs. 200 x .15 (covert body fat percentage to decimal point) = 30. 200 ***8211; 30 = 170lbs

Convert your lean body weight from lbs to kg (if you weighed in kg, you can skip this) by dividing your lean body weight by 2.2. 170 / 2.2 = 77.27kg

Input your lean body weight into the formula 370 = (21.6 x 77.27kg)

Multiply 21.6 by your lean body weight 21.6 x 77.27 = 1669.032

Add 370 to that number to get your BMR 1669.032 + 370 = 2039.032, or 2039 calories

Having figured out your BMR, you now need to calculate your TDEE. This is done simply by multiplying your activity level in this list below with your BMR.

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Unless you have a very demanding manual labor focused job, its likely that you will use a 1.55 activity factor with the given workout split. Take your BMR 2039 and multiply it by 1.55 to get your TDEE
2039 x 1.55 = 3160

We have established, though our best scientific guess, that your total daily energy expenditure is 3160 calories. Now, lets work out a bulking diet.

We are all bound by the laws of physics. Believe it or not, physics play a major role in bulking. The fact that you cannot gain mass without adding mass holds true. If your body burns 3160 calories a day, you MUST eat more than 3160 calories every day to gain weight. There are no ands, ifs, or butsabout it. With a cycle in mind and increased protein synthesis due to it, i recommend eating 800 calories above your TDEE to start your bulk. I also recommend that you take a few weeks to eat at that caloric level and make sure your gaining at least 1 and no more than 2lbs a week. You should be weighing yourself fasted first thing in the morning on the same scale and the same day of the week every week. If youre gaining more than 2lbs a week, reduce your cals by 200 a day for the next week. If your not gaining at least 1 lb a week increase your cals by 300 a day for the next week. Repeat this process until you reach your goal weight gain weekly, then start your cycle (we will cover the cycle next).

Ok, so we need to add 800 to your TDEE of 3160 which equals 3960 calories. Let***8217;s talk macros. Macros are measured in grams. We have 3 main macros we intake in our daily nutrition; Fat (9 calories per gram), Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram), and Protein (4 calories per gram). Each type of nutrient plays its own vital role in our bodies metabolic processes. Since we have already covered protein earlier, I will skip it.

Fats: Fats actually play a vital role in our bodies day to day biological function. Due to its inability to make its own, the body depends on fat intake from our nutrition. Essential fatty acids, cholesterol, and triglycerides play important roles in the body like insulating us, protecting vital organs, and storing energy for later use. Fats are messengers that have a direct effect on protein synthesis. They also play a vital role in starting many chemical reactions involved in reproduction (saturated fats are the building blocks of sperm), immune function, and growth. They store a multitude of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in the liver and fat deposits of the body (9).

Carbohydrate: They have such a bad reputation thanks to misinformation. Carbohydrates are a very important factor in your nutrition while bulking. Carbohydrates come in both soluble and insoluble forms. The soluble form provides energy in the form of glucose for the body. The insoluble form is called fiber, and aids in digestion, cholesterol control, and digestive rate. Carbs are an immediate source of energy to the body. Through cellular respiration, carbs produce ATP, which our bodies cells use as energy. The body will use this energy to build/repair muscle, for example (10).


Setting Up a Proper Macro Split


I am not a fan of using ratio or percentage macro splits. For the sake of keeping this simple, I am going to use one of those percentage macro splits with just a bit of a disclaimer. There is a traditional bulking macro split that requires 40% of your calories to come from protein, 40% from carbs, and 20% from fat. Let***8217;s see how that works out for our 200lb guy who had a necessary intake of 3960.

40% of 3960 = 1584 Calories

20% of 3960 = 792 Calories
We know that each gram of protein and each gram of carbs has 4 calories. So let***8217;s divide 4 by 1584 to get our total number of protein and carbs we need.

Then let***8217;s divide 792 by the 9, the amount of calories in 1 gram of fat.

1584 / 4 = 396
792 / 9 = 88

With the current setup, we need 396g protein, 396g carbs, and 88g fat. Here is where I have an issue with percentages like this. Unless you***8217;re a Mr. Olympia competitor you will very likely never need 396g protein per day for a bulking diet. In the many years I have been a sports nutritionist, I have rarely needed to take my clients protein intake over 300g a day. If your over 200lbs you can go up to 300g a day, if you***8217;re under 200lbs I recommend you stick to somewhere in between 225-250g protein a day.

Let***8217;s make the adjustments based upon this. Let***8217;s reduce 96g protein and add 96g carbs to balance things out.

300g protein
492g carbs
88g fats

Now divide each macro by the number of meals you plan on eating a day (I recommend at least 5, though I will be using 6 in this example)

300/6= 50
492/6= 82
88/6= 14.6

I would personally try to divide as equally as possible my protein and carbs into 6 meals, aiming for 50g protein and 82g carbs per meal. I would then realistically add the fats into my meals so that I reach 88g. It doesn***8217;t have to divided evenly over 6 meals, though you***8217;re going to have fat in your meals whether you like it or not.
Now, grab your calorie counter and build your diet. Here are a few examples of good food choices to make for your food choices

Good Meats/Proteins ( Grass fed naturally farmed GMO Free when possible)
Chicken Breast
Turkey Breast
Eggs/Egg Whites
Bison/Deer Meat
93% and up lean beef (ground beef, roast beef, london broil are just a few examples)
Fish (tuna, salmon, tilapia etc.)
Whey (PWO ONLY)
Casein (BEDTIME ONLY)

Good Complex Carbs
Oats (all natural steel cut/rolled oats)
Sweet potato
Yams
Wheat Bread (no, not the enriched type)
Ezekiel Bread
Gluten Free Bread
Good Fats
Almonds
Avocado (my fav)
Cashews
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Fish Oil

Congrats, you just built your bulking diet. I recommend a 200 calorie increase in your diet (mainly from fats) every 15 days on cycle.

Proper Beginners Anabolic Steroid Cycle
Your first cycle should always only be testosterone. The reason why emphasize this rule is that if you use more than one compound in your cycle and something goes wrong, you have no idea what to blame. Furthermore, being of virgin steroid origin testosterone alone will yield impressive results. Your first cycle should be done with Test E or C. Let***8217;s first take about some things you need to know before we get into a proper first cycle. Specifically, lets cover esters, hCG, arimidex (aromatization), and PCT.


Understanding Esters (The E or C after testosterone in this case)

An ester is simply the oil that the steroid is mixed with. Oil is used because it takes time to break down in your body. When you inject Testosterone Enanthate you are injecting the compound testosterone with an oil called Enanthate. There are many esters you can choose from: Cypionate, Enanthate, and Propionate are usually the most popular ones. When you choose an ester, you are also choosing how quickly the drug enters your system, or the half-life of the drug.

The half-life of the steroid you inject is based on the ester its mixed with. In the world of medication and drugs the half-life is the time it takes the body to reduce the medication by half. Here is a basic breakdown to help you understand.

Bob has just injected 250mg of Testosterone Enanthate into his muscle. There is now a depot of testosterone in the injection site that is being broken down by the body. The half-life of Enanthate is about 10.5 days. In 10.5 days, there will be 125mg of testosterone Enanthate left in the depot site. In 21 days, there will only be half of that (62.5mg) and so on and so forth till the compound has been eliminated from the body. It***8217;s the Enanthate ester that controls the release of drug in the body. It takes a certain amount of time to break through the Enanthate oil and as the body breaks it down it also releases the drug into the system. Here is a list of Esters and their respectable half-life

Acetate 3 days
Propionate 2 days
Enanthate 10.5 days
Cypionate 12 days
Nonanoate 13.5 days
Decanoate 15 days
Undecanoate 16.5 days

Now, when you start to inject a steroid the golden rule is to run the steroid at about half the half-life of the ester. You want the steadiest levels as possible so that you don***8217;t experience side effects of anabolic use like high estrogen and acne. For that reason, Cypionate and Enanthate are usually injected every 3.5 days. Propionate and acetate is usually injected every day or some choose to inject every other day, which has been deemed acceptable but not optimal.
So what happens when you start injecting Enanthate every 3.5 days? The drug starts to overlap itself and the actual amount of the drug that***8217;s in your system goes up. As stated before within 10 days of the injection half of the 250mg has been eliminated. But within those 10 days you should have injected about 3 250mg shots. There is a slow but steady rise of the drug in your system that usually started to peak out around the 5-week mark. When injecting a shorter ester like Prop or Ace you will see lower peak values but the drug is entering your system much quicker. This means you peak your dosage in your cycle much quicker and can run shorter cycles.

Understanding HCG

One of the main issues faced with the use of anabolics is the reduction of natural testosterone production of the human body while on cycle and the importance of recovering that natural production once anabolics have been discontinued. The use of anabolics effects the hypothalamic pituitary testicular axis (HPTA) which is the system of organs (the gonads, pituitary gland, and hypothalamus) that regulate testosterone production. The hypothalamus releases a hormone (GnRH), the pituitary gland releases the luteinizing hormone (LH) and the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and the gonads produce estrogen and testosterone. These processes are all linked. The GnRH is produced to release LH and FSH from the pituitary which in turn stimulate the production of testosterone from the gonads. In males***8217; LH is the main stimulant of testosterone production while the FSH is in charge of sperm production. The body has a negative feedback loop that regulates the release of these hormones based on the amount of available testosterone in the system. When the body sees there is sufficient levels of the hormone the HPTA regulates the amount of LH to be released, lowering the secretion of it. With the use of anabolic steroids, the body comes to that point fairly quickly and shuts down LH production, giving us our issue with recovery and a need for post cycle therapy drugs that stimulate LH production (11).

In anabolic users hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is used to combat the shutdown of LH. hCG mimics the luteinizing hormone (LH) allowing for the user to stimulate the testes for testosterone production solving the issue of shutdown when on cycle or trt. hCG is usually prescribed by doctors for testosterone replacement therapy patients or found on the black market for anabolic steroid users. The use of hCG can reduce the recovery time of post cycle therapy since the testes never actually shut down while on cycle. Since studies have shown that the use of testosterone can greatly reduce the natural testosterone levels of the user post cycle, hCG is a valuable tool in recovery and also a valuable tool for maintaining fertility while on trt. In order for post cycle recovery of LH function to occur your androgenic hormones have to come to a state of balance again by lowering to a level the HPTA is comfortable with for a lack of better words (12).


Understanding PCT


As stated in the HCG paragraph, exogenous testosterone will shut down your body***8217;s natural testosterone production. PCT, or post cycle therapy, is a protocol used to help your body recover its natural testosterone production. Clomid and Nolva, which are both SERM***8217;s (selective estrogen receptor modulators) both affect the bodies pituitary gland and send signals to the hpta to begin the production of testosterone. Clomid is very effective at stimulating the production of LH, which tells the testes to start producing testosterone (13).
Understanding Aromatization and the need for Arimidex
As males, our body likes to keep a certain ratio of testosterone to estrogen. Roughly, a 10:1 ratio has been the acceptable common knowledge standard. When you introduce high levels of exogenous testosterone, the aromatase enzyme in the body starts to rapidly convert that testosterone to estrogen. High estrogen can cause many unwanted sides like gynecomastia (the development of female breast tissue in males) and heavy water retention. Arimidex is an aromatase inhibitor, blocking the ability of the aromatase enzyme to convert testosterone into estrogen and keeping your estrogen levels in check while on cycle (14).


Proper First Cycle Setup
Testosterone E or C250mg Monday & ThursdayWeeks 1-12
HCG250iu Monday & ThursdayWeeks 1-14
Arimidex.25mg 1st 2 weeks, .5mg afterWeeks 1-14

Proper PCT
Clomid50mg every dayWeeks 14-18
Nolvadex20mg every dayWeeks 14-18



Post PCT

Don***8217;t make the mistake of easing up on your nutrition and training in and post pct. You***8217;ve gained a number of lbs of muscle in your cycle. Realistically, your TDEE has gone up thanks to the added muscle. In order to maintain your gains, you have to continue to eat at that higher caloric intake. I recommend a maintenance phase of 4 weeks post pct where you keep your calories as high as they were before you started pct. After that you can reduce your calories to your new TDEE and prepare for whatever next phase that has been planned.
I hope that this article has helped you with your goals



3J
Ologys Head Sports Nutritionist and Owner of 3Js Nutrition Network
To inquire about becoming a client please email me at 3jdiet@gmail.com




Website link: www.3jsdiet.com


  1. Pedersen, B. K. Exercise Immunology. New York: Chapman and Hall; Austin: R. G. Landes, 1997.
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  3. Russell, B., D. Motlagh,, and W. W. Ashley. Form follows functions: how muscle shape is regulated by work. Journal of Applied Physiology 88: 1127-1132, 2000. Hypertrophy
  4. Adams, G.R., and F. Haddad. The relationships among IGF-1, DNA content, and protein accumulation during skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Applied Physiology 81(6): 2509-2516, 1996. FGF
  5. Fiatarone Singh, M. A., W. Ding, T. J. Manfredi, et al. Insulin-like growth factor I in skeletal muscle after weight-lifting exercise in frail elders. American Journal of Physiology 277 (Endocrinology Metabolism 40): E135-E143, 1999. IGF
  6. Alberts, Bruce (2002). Molecular biology of the cell. New York: Garland Science.
  7. Vermeulen, A., S. Goemaere, and J. M. Kaufman. Testosterone, body composition and aging. Journal of Endocrinology Investigation 22: 110-116, 1999 test
  8. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2006 Dec;31(6):782-90.

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Mr. 3J, thank you for taking your time to read and answer my questions, but you have misunderstood the situation..

I read your article allready and all the stickies a while a go and i have been educating my self about Steroids for the past year. (I'm not saying i know everything about Steroids, i still need alot and that's why im here).

I know about Nutrition on bulking Cycles in general, how Steroids works and training Splits while on Cycle, but i never got into reading about the details while Cutting on Cycle..

That's why im asking all this, i thought Cutting would require another strategy since we are not trying to build muscles while on Cycle we are just trying to maintain them..

I know that generally 1.5 - 2g of protein is required on Cycle while bulking, and none of your clients required more than 300g..

I know it's all about diet and the gear only makes 5% and it's just pushing you through your gentic limits..

I know there's no such Steroids to shred fat and the only way is through diet, training.. and if there's any compounds to HELP with it, it would be Clen, T3, DNP, etc... But i was just wondering why do people use Steroids such as anavar or winny while they can persevere muscles on Test E which I prefer personally, only for water retention purposes ?!

As i said before this is my friend's 6th or 7th Cycle, and that's also the reason im talking about higher Test E dosages since he's been through alot of Cycles with mixed Steroids, and i thought he might need some extra dosages to perserve all the muscle mass he build through his recent Cycles wbile he is Cutting..

So shouldn't he upper the dosage since he is Cutting and been through alot of Cycles for the past 5 years and only using Test E to persevere muscle ? That was my question..

I know 2×250ml / Week should be the 1st Cycle, as i am doing mine in few months, and we discussed this, diet, pct and everything else actually on earlier thread and im following your plans..

And about my last question, i meant losing Muscles while on Cutting Cycle, i know HIIT Cardio will minimize your muscle loss if Cutting naturally, and normal Cardio will eat up your muscles if you're Cutting and specially if loasing weight too fast, but does that apply on Cutting while on Steroids too ?! That was my question..

Sorry maybe i didn't make my self clear enough and i didn't explain my questions enough, hope everything is clear now..

Thanks for the help.. :)
 
Mr. 3J, thank you for taking your time to read and answer my questions.....

And about my last question, i meant losing Muscles while on Cutting Cycle, i know HIIT Cardio will minimize your muscle loss if Cutting naturally, and normal Cardio will eat up your muscles if you're Cutting and specially if loasing weight too fast, but does that apply on Cutting while on Steroids too ?! That was my question..

Sorry maybe i didn't make my self clear enough and i didn't explain my questions enough, hope everything is clear now..

Thanks for the help.. :)

Hi Vin sorry this took so long. I have been inundated with life and some alignments like my back shoulder and stomach problems.

Now I am going to try to help you understand something but first I am NOT the person to discuss diet with. The above highlighted Q.. in regard to loosing MM.
If you keep your calories enough for the maintenance not for building New LMM (BULKING) you can loose, fat and water at the same time maintaining.

IF you want to seriously lose the fatty tissue and shed the water you need some aerobics. At 14% BF and the weight you have you certainly must have fat that needs to come off as well as the water. So what I would do dieting and I would incorporate some stationary bike work. However the bike work only 30 - 40mins or more and always after training. I did my work then the bike the same session as my training.

Also we didn't talk about your training. ,I always would do a high reps routine. Still one or two heavy 6-8 max rep sets but focus on most lifts are done a very high reps. 20 plus or 30 plus. Ya go for total failure at the high reps. `Lifting with form but at a high speed This will begin an aerobic type activity to the lifting. taking little tome between reps and sets. I used to also incorporate super sets , giant sets and strip sets. AS you said , at this time I have developed enough mass for this cut. SO to help with the hardness and the vascularity this will help burn fat.

Another thing to help vascularity is to use 5 mgs or more of Cialis everyday. Loosing the subcutaneous water and the vascularity will come out.

Good Luck

OMM

PS: Vin can you post a picture. This would help greatly
 
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Hi Vin sorry this took so long. I have been inundated with life and some alignments like my back shoulder and stomach problems.

Now I am going to try to help you understand something but first I am NOT the person to discuss diet with. The above highlighted Q.. in regard to loosing MM.
If you keep your calories enough for the maintenance not for building New LMM (BULKING) you can loose, fat and water at the same time maintaining.

IF you want to seriously lose the fatty tissue and shed the water you need some aerobics. At 14% BF and the weight you have you certainly must have fat that needs to come off as well as the water. So what I would do dieting and I would incorporate some stationary bike work. However the bike work only 30 - 40mins or more and always after training. I did my work then the bike the same session as my training.

Also we didn't talk about your training. ,I always would do a high reps routine. Still one or two heavy 6-8 max rep sets but focus on most lifts are done a very high reps. 20 plus or 30 plus. Ya go for total failure at the high reps. `Lifting with form but at a high speed This will begin an aerobic type activity to the lifting. taking little tome between reps and sets. I used to also incorporate super sets , giant sets and strip sets. AS you said , at this time I have developed enough mass for this cut. SO to help with the hardness and the vascularity this will help burn fat.

Another thing to help vascularity is to use 5 mgs or more of Cialis everyday. Loosing the subcutaneous water and the vascularity will come out.

Good Luck

OMM

PS: Vin can you post a picture. This would help greatly

Don't worry about it, and im sorry to hear about your health probs, hope you recover soon sir :)..

Okay, now i will pass the training technique (Aerobics Training, Biking, reps) to my friend and i will make sure he follows a good diet and keep an eye on his b.f and LMM tommake everything is working the right way, i will make sure that he takes the Cialis too, thanks for this advice :)

Now, what about the 1st three questions ?! Can you help me out here ?! I would appreciate it :)

I will ask him to take a clear picture..
 
It seems you've answered your own questions. 3j gave advice and you said you already knew it. Well I thought it kinda answered your questions. Diet and cardio are the big factors here and the gear is just gonna help maintain muscle while in a deficit. Eat to maintain and cardio to enter a deficit. You answered your own question about other compounds.......the so called "cutting" compounds are those that convert very little, or none at all, into estrogen. An ai will help keep you dry but you already know this after 6 or 7 cycles. Sounds like you're in GREAT shape for a little cutting. I would say bulking and cutting doses stay roughly the same and the diet tells your body what to do. You already know about diet so it seems you have all the tools you need.

Good luck bro.. let us know how this goes.
 
So long story short, here's my friend's stats :


So here's what im here for :

1 - Does he need to use any other Steroids or Test is enough ?! As far as i know no Steroid will shred your fat away, no winny, anavar or etc.. they will just make you look harder cuz you get no water retention when using them..

(He isn't attending to use Steroids to cut fat, but to perserve muscle mass)

2 - how much Test is enough ?! Will using more than enough be beneficial ?! (Let's say for example he needs 2ml / Week, will using 4ml for example make any difference ?)

(By "Enough" i mean to perserve muscle mass since he's been through alot of Cycles with different Steroids, im guessing since it's only a Test E Cycle and since he already built a decent amount of muscle he would need more Test to perserve muscle mass)

3 - if using more will make difference, is 4ml / Week too much ?!

(Which is 1g / Week ÷ 2 shots "to perserve muscle" looking at his history)...

You refer to these ^^^ , I believe.

Listen if he is just wanting to hold on to what he has and keep building to a small degree Test is all you NEED however by using another compound as in Var or Winstrol at the ending 3rd of the cycle would help dry you out and bringing out Vascularity and maybe promote any striations to appear. :) This is depending how far you wanna take it. I don't think it's really good to get too dry and lean as a steady diet , no puns.

Another good choice or addition would be Equipoise. It's low in Aromatizing activity so with the use of an AI holding water will not be an issue. SO with that you can use just a minimal amount of Test. Test at 250 and EQ at say 400 max you can cut nicely depending On ???? :Pat: Yea diet... here we go again, and get used to it....diet, diet and diet is most important. :dance2: And 3j is the go to man. His article is something to digest for some, ... a great read / study.

2 and 3 in one ?? I think I answered that with the doses I recommended . But most important more test in this case of maintaining more is not needed to answer that.

Now you need to get it straight between volume is mL's or cc's and dosage is mgs and grams. It makes it easier to understand the dosages if you speak in those terms and measurements.

I think I've covered it all however always ask if I didn't get it. I'm getting old man... :insane:

OMM
 
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