what adjustments to your training do you make while on cycle?

[Mrrippedzilla]

Me & 3J are thinking along the same lines here.

For a programme to be optimal in the first place you need to be progressing on it.
Will your body adapt? Sure - that's when you add weight, reps, sets, etc. Progressive overload is the key to continuous growth, not muscle confusion broscience.
I never, at any point, suggested sticking to a routine where your progress has stalled or that there is one magical "optimal" routine for everyone.

The take home point is:
If the routine your currently using is working (your PROGRESSING on it) then it can be considered "optimal" for you - then don't suddenly change it because your starting a cycle.

 

[3J]

Me & 3J are thinking along the same lines here.

For a programme to be optimal in the first place you need to be progressing on it.
Will your body adapt? Sure - that's when you add weight, reps, sets, etc. Progressive overload is the key to continuous growth, not muscle confusion broscience.
I never, at any point, suggested sticking to a routine where your progress has stalled or that there is one magical "optimal" routine for everyone.

The take home point is:
If the routine your currently using is working (your PROGRESSING on it) then it can be considered "optimal" for you - then don't suddenly change it because your starting a cycle.

yup...

yet alot of n00b steroid users start stacking up the weights on cycle.. then they get injured... why?? because tendons and ligaments dont grow on cycle... they fall behind and get damaged due to the quick weight increase..

i love those "damn im adding 20lbs a week to my max" posts.. a month later the guy has ac joint issues.. tendon issues.. etc..

leave your ego at the door fellas.. you want to do this for a long time.. not 12 weeks at a time

 

[Roush]

yup...

yet alot of n00b steroid users start stacking up the weights on cycle.. then they get injured... why?? because tendons and ligaments dont grow on cycle... they fall behind and get damaged due to the quick weight increase..

i love those "damn im adding 20lbs a week to my max" posts.. a month later the guy has ac joint issues.. tendon issues.. etc..

leave your ego at the door fellas.. you want to do this for a long time.. not 12 weeks at a time

That's why increasing the volume, doing an extra set or reps, a little more time under tension... Is better on cycle then just throwing on more weight.. Just cause your getting and feeling stronger on cycle is NO reason to suddenly go heavy

 

[SoCalSwole]

Trying to understand the premise of this thread. Bottom line is you should be pushing yourself as hard as you can everytime you step into the gym.

Let me clarify. At some point you should be able to gain a sense about where your at on that particular day. Like a physical inventory. How does my chest feel after that last chest workout? Are my knees sore? Is anything tight? How is my general mood towards training today?

I pretty much have a set program I run that I set way in advance but sometimes I need to tweak it a little. Maybe it's chest day and I have a weird soreness in my left pec. Tomorrow is leg day and the legs feel great today. Ok I train legs today and hit chest tomorrow. That's what i mean. But once you walk in the gym with a set plan you execute that plan to the best of your ability each time. Some times I can increase the weight other times I can't. SO then I drop the weight and just smoke that body part with a crazy drop set or something. Change up the rest intervals or the rep cadence.

So to me when someone asks, "Should I change my training program because now I am on cycle?" It kind of sends up a red flag because this guy has not figured out the basics of gaining yet, but the straight answer is this. The answer is yes and no. Yes you should change your workouts frequently, but not necessarily because your on cycle. Learn to train instinctively and train as hard as your body will allow you to every time.

 

[Mrrippedzilla]

Yesssss that makes sense. Thanks. I wish I had time to do two-a-days. So right now on a cut I'm doing 5 day split... Usual to failure, heavy, intense... Squats, press, all the good stuff. My bulk cycle sill be intense. Do you think I should kick it up a notch? 6 day split? Maybe two a days on my days off? Does it also matter what kind of "supps" I'll be using?

It all depends on whether your progressing on your current routine - as you can tell in this thread, I'm not a fan of changing something if its working

If your progress has stalled, then the 6 day split you were thinking of sounds like a good route to go because its something you should be able to do year round.
I would avoid the two a days and other more high volume methods because I cannot see how you'll be able to keep progressing on them off cycle.

Beyond that, I'd recommend making your own thread or PM me and ask these questions - I don't want to hijack the OPs thread too much.