To Stop Cycle Early?

[muscleman1234]

Cycle of Enanthate 400mg/wk 1-10 and Dbol 20mg/Day 1-4.

Was obtaining gains of ~2lbs per week.

Currently in 5th week and gains have stopped (both lifts-wise and bodyweight-wise).

Is it advisable to stop the cycle early and begin recovery or should the cycle be taken to the end even if no gains are realized?

I've heard of extending cycles past 10 weeks if still gaining, but does the same apply for cutting it short?

 

[chanmanfoo]

many people put on most of the weight the first half of the cycle but weight does not = gains necessarily. you should be making quality gains at this point in your cycle, building strength and lbm. remember you will notice a slight strength loss after the dbol is stopped but if your enan is good you should really be peaking on it right now. i would definitely not stop now, you cant just give up because your not making easy gains, you need to work harder. good luck
foo

 

[chanmanfoo]

and like iceman11111 said i am assuming your diet is in check. you need a high protein and high cal. diet.
foo

 

[muscleman1234]

About 1.5 of the 2lbs/wk is muscle mass (according to BF measurements). But this week it is 0lbs.

Diet is high cal/high prot, but I notice a lot of fat gain in the stomach area so I was thinking it may actually be too high cals? How do I know if my cals are high enough?

 

[02gixxersix]

i hear ya bro my gains arent wat they were for the first half of my cycle either and its starting to piss me off. I am having trouble eating enough I think tho so I'm just tryin to increase my protein and cal intake. although I'm not gaining weight, the quality of my muscle is increasing i think and my strength is still up so just keep working bro thats all you can do.

 

[muscleman1234]

Here are my weekly stats to this point (the BF measurements are from a Tanita Scale and are thus not accurate, but they are consistent):

Weight BF LBM Gain
186.5 23% 143.605
192 23% 147.84 4.235
195.5 23% 150.535 2.695
201 24% 152.76 2.225
203.5 24% 154.66 1.9
206 26% 152.44 -2.22

You can see why I was thinking of stopping at this point. Gains are decreasing and fat is increasing. Anyone have advice on what I should change at this point? More Test? More Cals? Less Cals? More Prot? More Carbs? Heavier Weights? More Reps?

I'm screwed....

 

[muscleman1234]

That didnt come out too well, I'll try again:

Weight/BF/LBM/Weekly Gain

187 23% 144 N/A
192 23% 148 4.2
196 23% 151 2.7
201 24% 153 2.3
204 24% 153 1.9
206 26% 153 -2.2

 

[muscleman1234]

Bump for comments?

 

[muscleman1234]

Bumping for the Sunday crowd...

"You can see why I was thinking of stopping at this point. Gains are decreasing and fat is increasing. Anyone have advice on what I should change at this point? More Test? More Cals? Less Cals? More Prot? More Carbs? Heavier Weights? More Reps?"

 

[zen42]

Muscleman,

Assuming your Test is legit, stay the course.

If I'm reading your post correctly you stopped the dbol in week 4. Now you're shedding water, that'll drop the poundage on the scale and affect how the less-than-perfect Tanita estimates your fat level.

In other words...you can't trust the scale right now.

How many calories are you eating a day and how much is protein?

Also, what is your workout routine?

Zen

 

[muscleman1234]

Hi Zen,

Thanks, I never thought of that...shedding water DOES make the scale inaccurate...and of course will make weight drop...a combination that leads to misleading results.

Any idea if the BF% goes up or down with decrease in water retention?

Eating 4000 cals a day and about 300g of that is protein.

Workout is 3x/wk fullbody. 1 set per exercise:

Squats, Bench, Deadlifts, Chinups, Military Press, Rows, Dips, Shrugs, Upright Rows, EZ Curls, SkullCrushers, Leg Curls, Calf Raises and Incline Abdominals.

A lot of exercises, but only 1 set each.

 

[zen42]

Muscle,

I'd stay the course. I think you're getting enough calories and protein based on what you're saying.

As for the Tanita...ya! It measures using electrical impedance. Less water, more impedance. Higher water levels make it think there's more muscle.

Measure yourself sometime right before you take a shower and then later after you towel off.

Don't be surprised if your numbers are poor next week, trust the test! ;-)

Zen