Genetic Potential-Keeping gains, What's the real answer?

[FreakMonster]

I hear of all these people claiming that they kept 30% of their gains or 75%. I don't see how that is possible unless they started out as skinny dudes or far below their genetic limit. Either that or they were not off long enough to fall back to their genetic peak. Is the answer to stay on year round?

Here is something I found which seems to be true for a vast majority of trainees:

Most people train far too much and since they are perpetually overtrained they don't progress very far past the beginner stage. They make super gains when they first start (duh!) then are stagnant unless they learn to train briefly (hard as possible) and infrequently, VERY FEW PEOPLE DO THIS! After a time of trying LOTS of things, usually everything except training correctly they hit the gear. Again, they make huge gains at first if they do a real cycle. THAT is their set-point. AS LONG AS THEY STAY AT THIS WEIGHT FOR A TIME BY DOING ENOUGH CYCLES WITHOUT TOO MUCH TIME BETWEEN THEM THAT THEY LOOSE THE MASS THEY CAN QUIT AND ONLY LOSE MAYBE 40-60% OF THAT MASS. As long as they continue training (provided they come off correctly) they will always be bigger than they were pre-gear. Now each additional cycle after this is a fucking roller coaster. They go up 10-30 lbs and go back down 5-25 lbs. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE FUCK YOU READ ON WHATEVER BOARDS NO ONE KEEPS 75% OF THEIR GAINS AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF CYCLES. If it worked that way our typical "Johnny wonder" who starts out at 170 and gains 20 lbs each cycle and keeps 75% of it would be how big after only doing 3 cycles a year for two years? Well he'd be 20 lbs x 75% = 15 lbs kept x 6 = 90 fucking lbs heavier, yeah, Johnny's now a 260 lb monster that scares even himself.........welcome to the real world, it don't work like that. Each additional cycle will usually net Johnny average 2-5 lbs kept muscle AFTER time has allowed his body relieve him of all that damn muscle it doesn't really want to carry. That's why it's been a truism that after the beginner stage if you can gain 10 lbs of muscle a year you are really making great progress. Dan Duchaine always said that after a good cycle you can hold that mass for quite some time but after 6 months to a year clean it will all be gone, EXCEPT THAT INITIAL MUSCLE GAINED FROM YOUR EARLY TRAINING AND FIRST COUPLE OF CYCLES MINUS WHAT YOU LOST AT AFTER FIRST COMING OFF. Yes, it is VERY possible to naturally accrue muscle mass, and you can keep PART of what you gain from just doing one or two cycles a year, but it is a slow process. That is why the big boys stay on. Of course there are plenty of people that break these rules and make huge gains and keep them, or those that get huge naturally. Guess what? They are probably not you and me. Us Johnny averages just don't have the genetics to carry extreme muscle mass without extreme gear use, and many of us can't even get there with extreme gear use. If you think I'm painting an ugly picture I'm sorry, it's reality, however the reality is MOST of us with proper training and gear use can still build a physique or strenght base that is astonishing to the general public and will get you noticed anywhere but up on the stage with competitive Bodybuilders or in the top 100 club with Powerlifters. I NEVER recommend young guys stay on year round unless BB is their lives. After age 35 or so it becomes more of an option in my book as smart people will go on test replacement after 40 anyway for all the HEALTH advantages provided by good testosterone levels.

 

[Suspension]

Good Post!

 

[c3bodybuilding]

Excellent post. At first I thought "another bitter post, from someone who keeps losing gains", but then, I kept reading. I really like how you were honest that some, if very few can get big naturally, and on juice and keep it. Sadly, not everyone can do that, but their are some. I hope this is an eye opener for a lot. For every 2 people who can get huge naturally, and then once on gear don't lose much, there are probably 100 more who lose almost all of it each cycle, and can't get huge naturally, or otherwise.

I still believe though, a person can build a quality body if they do the proper heavy training, using mostly compounds, eating a lot, and resting properly. Sadly, most people don't do this, and turn to gear, and when that doesn't work give up. They can't figure out why 8 sets of pec decks, cable curls, and the leg press, followed by some 'shakes' didn't get them huge...