How many of you generally keep the gains from your cycle?

[Cauliflower Ear]

yeah eat eat eat is a good stradegy.....as well as train train train!!!

 

[maldorf]

Once you are past your genetic potential you will lose most if not all of your gains after you stop using AAS!I don't know why people think they can keep them,if you used 1g of test a week to get there what makes you think that its keepable if the average male only produces about 70-100mg per week!Test levels naturally increase due to weight lifting (stress on the muscle tissue) but don't continue to do so,they platue.The majority of gains are from nitrogen and protein retention causing hypertrophy of muscle cells.So lets say you stop lifting weights wich means you will have less test in your system and you lose muscle mass.Same goes with excess test that you put in your system once you stop your bodies own test even with proper PCT cannot and will not support the additional mass!The gains will fade with time!

that is how I see it. You see all these guys on here claiming to put on 15 pounds or more on a cycle and keep most of it. If this were true they would put on 30-45 pounds a year and all be Ronnie Coleman's within the space of a few years. I think one is doing good if you can keep 3-5 pounds of lean body mass from a cycle. Unless you stay on perpetually, youre gonna lose most of your gains. Over the years my time off has gotten shorter and shorter in order to try to hang on to those gains.

 

[AF PROSPECT]

You should always bust your ass in the gym. You may reduce your number of sets but the intensity should always be your best. Don't bust your ass until your natural test levels are back? That's the worst advice I've ever read on this board.

Whoah there. I meant exactly what you said and you say that's the worst advice you've ever read!!! I see way too many people scramble the fuck around like idiots doing 1,000 sets per bodypart in a DESPARATE attempt to keep the muscle. Personally, all I do is decrease my overall volume. Don't get me wrong, I still train hard, but I also take the fact that there will be a brief period during my PCT that my test levels will be at their lowest. During that time, I take it easy...for the rest of the time, I basically focus on a powerlifting-style routine.

 

[chemical soldier]

Gains = lifetime commitment and discipline as well as the desire to always maintain the BB lifestyle. Take AAS out of the equation..lets talk about a regular joe...if he works out, eats right he gains muscle looks good...say he stops 6 months down the line he's back where he started maybe worse...the point is its in the dedication you keep...once your off doesnt mean slack off....keep with it...up untill your next cycle..if you dont have a next cycle..then keep eating like a beast...adjust your workouts, your eating habbits..pay attention to your body and dont be lazy..

amen brother!

 

[chemical soldier]

that is how I see it. You see all these guys on here claiming to put on 15 pounds or more on a cycle and keep most of it. If this were true they would put on 30-45 pounds a year and all be Ronnie Coleman's within the space of a few years. I think one is doing good if you can keep 3-5 pounds of lean body mass from a cycle. Unless you stay on perpetually, youre gonna lose most of your gains. Over the years my time off has gotten shorter and shorter in order to try to hang on to those gains.

sad to say but that makes sense...

 

[bigtasty25]

i think if you're a competitive bodybuilder...youre impeding your progress by coming off if you are PAST YOUR GENETIC LIMIT. It's as simple as that. It doesnt mean you need to take large doses in order to stay anti catabolic...it just means bridging with an amount u can get by on to maintain mass, say 250-300mg test (depending on how far u are past your limit), with some hgh, and possibly slin, and or igf. of course, the glutamine/bcaa's, creatine wouldnt hurt also. I honestly dont see how such a small amount of test can hurt the liver or kidneys...in which case..i dont see a point in coming off unless you WANT to get smaller and impede your progress, and have to spend some of ure next cycle gaining it back..theres absolutely no point in that, its unneccessary. This way, you go 2 steps forward...wait a couple months..then go another 2 steps forward...etc..makes better sense to me really...UNLESS you are below your genetic potential, then..thats a completely different story.

As for your balls shrinking and whatknot by staying on so long...its been generally accepted I belive that between 2-300 iu of hcg mon/wed/fri is usually the best route to keep normal test levels flowing. I use 200iu mon/wed/fri..have for the last 9 months..and my nuts are still normal sized. Ive heard hgh helps in this aspect as well, same with igf, but im not totally sure on that one.

 

[athlete.03]

I did three low-moderate dose cycles centering around test.

Gained a great deal and kept virtually all of it. I attribute that to proper PCT and intense POST-cycle training.

 

[bigtasty25]

ttt

 

[rake922]

I keep most or all of my gains.... however doesnt it depend on what i'm using

 

[hanibal]

the better your PCT is, and the intensity of your training and diet post cycle, determines how much u keep. the key is always use proper PCT, then continue training, dieting, doing cardio as if u were still on. it's easier said than done for some though.