Diet help for Test only cycle for lean muscle gain.

[Ajinkya]

Im still learning, im sorry if this has already been asked, thinking of starting a cycle in a few weeks, wanted info about the diet, i know you should do 1.5g/lb of pro and 0.40g of fat, but my question is how much calories should i go over my TDEE for a lean bulk, dont mind some fat.. I've come up with the following cycle

Week1-12 TEST E 500mg, 250mg MONDAY AND THURSDAY
HCG @500iu a week
Arimidex .25mg EOD starting day 2 of my cycle

Wait 2 weeks
Week 15: 75mg clomid ED & 40mg novladex ED
Week 16-18: 50mg clomid & 20mg novladex


600 mg of N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) daily.


My current macros are
1g/lb protein
0.40g/lb fat
165p/504c/65f (750 over TDEE) as I'm bulking.

my stats are
25 years
5.7"
165 lbs
3 years training exp

My Workout (5x a week, lyle mc donalds generic bulking routine)
Monday - Upper body
Tuesday - Lower body
Wednesday - Cardio 20 mins/ abs 20x5, shrugs and other small muscles
Thursday - Upper Body
Friday - Lower body

How much gain can i expect from my cycle? I'm going to gain more 5-10 lbs naturally.. And as this is my first time i want to keep it simple, so i hope im on the right track and this is a good gain cycle..

Just trying to get lean and gather all the info before starting.

 

[PrinceDianabol]

If bulking natty you definitely don't wanna be 750 over maintenance. Start natty bulk at a 250-300 calorie surplus. Maybe go up to 500 if your not gaining too much fat.

On cycle, start at 500. Go as high as you like, though I wouldn't recommend much over 1000. Just keep in mind the bigger the surplus the more fat gain. AAS will help limit it, but you'll always gain more fat the larger the surplus.

Lyle won't steer you wrong - I highly suggest reading as many articles and books of his as you can.

 

[Ajinkya]

If bulking natty you definitely don't wanna be 750 over maintenance. Start natty bulk at a 250-300 calorie surplus. Maybe go up to 500 if your not gaining too much fat.

On cycle, start at 500. Go as high as you like, though I wouldn't recommend much over 1000. Just keep in mind the bigger the surplus the more fat gain. AAS will help limit it, but you'll always gain more fat the larger the surplus.

Lyle won't steer you wrong - I highly suggest reading as many articles and books of his as you can.

Okay, i knw 750 is too much but i started off with 300, then as i stopped progressing i increased my surplus, been gaining since more than a year. when i started i was a fat fuck..As i'll be continuing with the same workout, my question is, what about the deload weeks? do you still do that while on gear? how much progress should i make every week in terms of weights? i usually try to increase 10 lbs every 2 weeks, on all my lifts..would it be different?

 

[3J]

go to my free diet advice thread.. read post 1.. then post up your diet and ill give you a free critique

 

[Ajinkya]

go to my free diet advice thread.. read post 1.. then post up your diet and ill give you a free critique

I've already posted my diet over there, I'm waiting for your response.

 

[ADenver]

Diet seems to be overrated. I have a feeling a lot of these guys are getting big by using steroids and claim it is diet helping them. Maybe I am wrong on this one.

Just like with everything else you've posted, you're wrong.

 

[Ajinkya]

Can anyone help me with my question?

 

[PrinceDianabol]

Okay, i knw 750 is too much but i started off with 300, then as i stopped progressing i increased my surplus, been gaining since more than a year. when i started i was a fat fuck..As i'll be continuing with the same workout, my question is, what about the deload weeks? do you still do that while on gear? how much progress should i make every week in terms of weights? i usually try to increase 10 lbs every 2 weeks, on all my lifts..would it be different?

You should deload before starting your cycle IMO. In a 12 week cycle it's not going to be necessary, but if you've been training hard for a while now it will be beneficial. Or even have a week off training and eat at maintenance. Your diet needs some addressing before you start as well - 3J will sort you out. You'd be a thousand times better off hiring him for an 8 week carb cycle plan on your cycle. He can also guide you with your work outs.

As for your weights - it can vary a lot. Just take it easy and make comfortable increases. You have to keep in mind that your muscle strength will go up a tonne, but your connective tissue (tendons etc.) will actually become slightly weaker. So yes, you can lift heavier every week, but don't go crazy to the point your straining every session. You will make awesome gains even without lifting at maximum every session. AAS are great like that lol. IMO you should look after your health and longevity FIRST and then worry about gains.

No point lifting huge weights for four weeks and then not being able to train the rest of your cycle due to inflamed tendon or muscle tears.

 

[Ajinkya]

You should deload before starting your cycle IMO. In a 12 week cycle it's not going to be necessary, but if you've been training hard for a while now it will be beneficial. Or even have a week off training and eat at maintenance. Your diet needs some addressing before you start as well - 3J will sort you out. You'd be a thousand times better off hiring him for an 8 week carb cycle plan on your cycle. He can also guide you with your work outs.

As for your weights - it can vary a lot. Just take it easy and make comfortable increases. You have to keep in mind that your muscle strength will go up a tonne, but your connective tissue (tendons etc.) will actually become slightly weaker. So yes, you can lift heavier every week, but don't go crazy to the point your straining every session. You will make awesome gains even without lifting at maximum every session. AAS are great like that lol. IMO you should look after your health and longevity FIRST and then worry about gains.

No point lifting huge weights for four weeks and then not being able to train the rest of your cycle due to inflamed tendon or muscle tears.

That was very informative, thank you.. about deload, as ive written i'm doing generic bulking routine, and lyle suggests to do 2 weeks deload and 4weeks try to make progress, sow hile on gear, i wouldnt have to worry about the dealod part? and yes you just commented on my other post, so i will take your advice and gain 10 lbs more naturally, do a cut(but for how long?) and then start off with my cycle...

 

[PrinceDianabol]

That was very informative, thank you.. about deload, as ive written i'm doing generic bulking routine, and lyle suggests to do 2 weeks deload and 4weeks try to make progress, sow hile on gear, i wouldnt have to worry about the dealod part? and yes you just commented on my other post, so i will take your advice and gain 10 lbs more naturally, do a cut(but for how long?) and then start off with my cycle...

As a natural, that makes a lot of sense and I highly recommend following Lyle's advice. On cycle however, you will recover MUCH faster and the need for a deload will be decreased. If you were doing a huge 20week+ bulking cycle then yes, I'd say it would be necessary, but for 12 weeks just kill it.

More than likely at some point during the 12 weeks life will get in the way, and you'll end up with a couple extra days off or something... should be enough. If you find yourself feeling run down/tired/overly lethargic or not getting stronger a deload or few extra days off certainly won't hurt.

You would cut to a decent range to start a bulk at: 12-15% bf. As to how long that will take you depends on how fat you start from, your diet & genetics. Keep in mind the maintenance period is profoundly important. Whenever you gain muscle, or lose fat, you need to give your brain time to 'adjust' to the new body composition before trying to do the other. This is due to a whole bunch of hormonal and meta_bolic adaptions. Give it 6-8 weeks maintenance before switching to a bulk. 4-6 weeks before switching to a cut. Otherwise you'll end up losing more of the muscle at the start of your cut, or adding more fat (and therefore less muscle) in the beginning of your bulk.

Hope this helps

 

[Ajinkya]

As a natural, that makes a lot of sense and I highly recommend following Lyle's advice. On cycle however, you will recover MUCH faster and the need for a deload will be decreased. If you were doing a huge 20week+ bulking cycle then yes, I'd say it would be necessary, but for 12 weeks just kill it.

More than likely at some point during the 12 weeks life will get in the way, and you'll end up with a couple extra days off or something... should be enough. If you find yourself feeling run down/tired/overly lethargic or not getting stronger a deload or few extra days off certainly won't hurt.

You would cut to a decent range to start a bulk at: 12-15% bf. As to how long that will take you depends on how fat you start from, your diet & genetics. Keep in mind the maintenance period is profoundly important. Whenever you gain muscle, or lose fat, you need to give your brain time to 'adjust' to the new body composition before trying to do the other. This is due to a whole bunch of hormonal and meta_bolic adaptions. Give it 6-8 weeks maintenance before switching to a bulk. 4-6 weeks before switching to a cut. Otherwise you'll end up losing more of the muscle at the start of your cut, or adding more fat (and therefore less muscle) in the beginning of your bulk.

Hope this helps

Amazing, ill get back to this thread in exactly 3 months. And currently i'm bulking, so i need to wait for 4-6 weeks when i reach that 175-180 range for a cut, and then again wait to 6-8 for my cycle, just getting it cleared, im sorry

 

[PrinceDianabol]

Amazing, ill get back to this thread in exactly 3 months. And currently i'm bulking, so i need to wait for 4-6 weeks when i reach that 175-180 range for a cut, and then again wait to 6-8 for my cycle, just getting it cleared, im sorry

Bang on mate. Hit your weight goal, maintain it, then cut. Hit your new weight goal, maintain it, then smash your cycle. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Definitely have your diet evaluated by 3J, and if you want to speed up the overall process, just go ahead and hire him now. He can take a lot of the 'guess work' and learning what works etc. out of it for you, and really speed things up.

 

[Ajinkya]

Bang on mate. Hit your weight goal, maintain it, then cut. Hit your new weight goal, maintain it, then smash your cycle. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Definitely have your diet evaluated by 3J, and if you want to speed up the overall process, just go ahead and hire him now. He can take a lot of the 'guess work' and learning what works etc. out of it for you, and really speed things up.

Thank you so much, Ive got the perfect cycle, just need some patience.. thank you for all your help.