Recomp calorie intake - 500mg test

[oliverduke]

So i have been on test cycle 500mg for 3 weeks, appetite has increased but I'm holding some water weight on my stomach/legs so I have upped aromasin dosage and will get oestrogen tested next week.

I haven't been too strict with my diet as i finished a cut for a competition sitting at around 6-8%bf and with some post contest binging and eating issues iv gone back up to 12-15% depending on the level of water retention I'm experiencing that day, I have been eating a lot probably around 3500 calories on average. Have put on a mixture of fat and water but I'm not sitting much over 12% probably 0.5inch over abs, still visible



I am going back to a structure diet next week, with an estimated maintenance calorie intake of 2500-800 depending on activity levels.



I was thinking of cycling my calories/carbs to hopefully gain some lean mass and possibly lean out, I'm unsure if its better to be above or below maintenance at the end of the week for this effect on cycle.



Calorie intake

5 workout days - 2500 (280P, 280C, 50F)

2 non workout days - 2000 (280P 100C 60F)

Macros are rough and will fluctuate 10-20g but calorie intake will remain on point.



This will put me on a weekly calorie intake of 2300 which is roughly 300 below maintenance.



I was thinking of running this level of calories for one week then as follows.

week 1 - 2300 net

week 2 - 2400 net

week 3 - 2500 net

week 4- judge condition and reflect from there.



Im probably being a bit conservative on calories, I'm fairly lean but the water retention can play with the head a bit!! I could add a high carb day one day a week to each of those levels and bring them all up 100 calories respectively.



Thanks

 

[sqidd]

Are you trying to add lean mass while on the test cycle?

 

[Onk]

Are you trying to add lean mass while on the test cycle?

he says that in his post mate.

otherwise OP, you didn't ask any questions so I'm guessing you're just sharing what you're doing rather than asking for opinions?

 

[oliverduke]

Are you trying to add lean mass while on the test cycle?

he says that in his post mate.

otherwise OP, you didn't ask any questions so I'm guessing you're just sharing what you're doing rather than asking for opinions?

Yeh, i guess really I'm looking for reassurance over my calorie intake for my goals. I know the whole recomp scenario is a pretty difficult one to accomplish and i often get undecided on issues such as: -

- above or below maintenance is better for recomp? (hence why I'm starting below maintenance then planning to slowly creap to meaintence and above)
- iv always used cardio as a tool to burn calories when in a deficit, don't buy the whole cardio burns fat argument but is this still try when assisted? or does cardio have a direct effect on fat on cycle?

was going to keep cardio to a minimum.

so yeh guess more of an thumbs up/opinion thread than anything to get my mind fixed on a solid plan!

 

[bigben66]

2000kcals seems a bit on the low side - even on non-training days (but you never gave your bodyweight, so I can only summise)

If you are planning on carb cycling, keep the daily intake of kcals the same and just lower and raise the fat as you lower and raise the carbs...

Also try to hit the major bodyparts (legs and back) on a higher carb day.

Other than that, I can't really help you... everyone's body is different - you just run a diet, check results and tweak accordingly.

I will add though, a recomp is a very hard thing to achieve - I sincerely doubt that you will gain any muscle at all on a low dose of Test and 2000kcals a day.

I'd keep your expectations to a more reasonable 'cut fat whilst maintaining muscle' goal if I was you.

 

[oliverduke]

2000kcals seems a bit on the low side - even on non-training days (but you never gave your bodyweight, so I can only summise)

If you are planning on carb cycling, keep the daily intake of kcals the same and just lower and raise the fat as you lower and raise the carbs...

Also try to hit the major bodyparts (legs and back) on a higher carb day.

Other than that, I can't really help you... everyone's body is different - you just run a diet, check results and tweak accordingly.

I will add though, a recomp is a very hard thing to achieve - I sincerely doubt that you will gain any muscle at all on a low dose of Test and 2000kcals a day.

I'd keep your expectations to a more reasonable 'cut fat whilst maintaining muscle' goal if I was you.

Thanks, my plan on the lower calorie days was simply to reduce the overall weekly calorie intake to leave it in a deficit without being in a deficit on training days?

yeh i guess your right on the recomp part, thats why part of me is like cut calories even further and go for an aggressive cut, with the other saying increase calls and just go for muscle gain and disregard being lean.

issue is after getting so lean only a few months ago even though I'm probably a respectable 12-15% it feels a lot more haha!


EDIT
- Making me think some more, maybe I'm better off hitting a more solid deficit for 2 weeks then reverse dieting from there so i actually lean out a bit then lean bulk into it?

maybe down to 2200 net weekly calories

 

[bigben66]

If you cut too aggressively, you run a very high risk of losing muscle...

Also, why are you so intent on dropping kcals so low on non-training days?
Your body still needs to preserve and recover!

 

[oliverduke]

If you cut too aggressively, you run a very high risk of losing muscle...

Also, why are you so intent on dropping kcals so low on non-training days?
Your body still needs to preserve and recover!

guess because i don't want to cut for long, just want to get in and out pretty quick...

the pic attached is how lean i was, I'm currently 4-5%bf higher with blurry abs. My intent was to reverise diet from that condition but the binge/starve cycle completely messed that up!

So i guess I'm such in a limbo at the moment of

1. I want to gain mass, but I'm at a higher bf% than i would like to be.
2. Do i then A - Cut quicky now then get back on track with reverse diet
B - Not worry about being higher bf% and try and lean bulk as best as possible.

I can upload a current BF% pic if that would help

 

[bigben66]

Only you can answer those questions bro...

Do you desperately need abs going in to the Autumn?

It all boils down to your long term and short term goals...

 

[oliverduke]

Only you can answer those questions bro...

Do you desperately need abs going in to the Autumn?

It all boils down to your long term and short term goals...

I guess not, ultimately I'm frustrated because i got to a level of leanness that i could of bulked from and ended up not too top heavy either way.

Right now I feel as though I am already at the body fat % i would want to be near the end of my bulk, I feel if i bulk from here on the cut later down the road will be even longer.

I guess realistically I'm better off leaning back out to a body fat % i am happy with.

However I'm not sure i need to be on 500mg of test to accomplish that?

Im on TRT anyway, so maybe i should just lower the dosage to 300mg/week and reduce weekly calories to 2300 for a while and go from there?

thanks

 

[halfwit]

Why not simply reduce cals to around 300-500 below maintenance and recomp that way? If your body needs more energy (less cardio in this case), it can pull it from fat stores. It's when the cut is so drastic, that the body panics and starts catabolizing muscle.

Slow and steady is how you can have both. Most opt for a bulk->cut approach as results are visible sooner, adding to motivation. Doing it slower will provide less drastic results IME, but it does accomplish both tasks at the same time - while keeping you healthier in general.

My .02c

 

[oliverduke]

Why not simply reduce cals to around 300-500 below maintenance and recomp that way? If your body needs more energy (less cardio in this case), it can pull it from fat stores. It's when the cut is so drastic, that the body panics and starts catabolizing muscle.

Slow and steady is how you can have both. Most opt for a bulk->cut approach as results are visible sooner, adding to motivation. Doing it slower will provide less drastic results IME, but it does accomplish both tasks at the same time - while keeping you healthier in general.

My .02c

Thanks mate resembles my plan

I'm going for a 2 week intense cut now of 2000 calls and then will add 100-100 calls each week thereafter for the remainder of the cycle to possible add some lbm while still hopefully leaning out!