eating at or below maintainance and AS

[Bell Tower]

Would eating at or below maintainance level and a cycle be substantialy beneficial?

Would the anabolic effect use fat stores as a means to support or even build muscle?

Just a thought. Thanks for any help.

[Boxer101]

Well yes in a sense it would be productive for fat lose but depending on the dosages you were taking and the actual contents of your diet as in protein, carbs and so on I think this would be the determining factor as to whether or not you made any substantial lean mass gains. Most body builders and athletes use this principle when a weight class is an issue. AAS's preserve your mass will on a low calorie diet that might otherwise be catabolic. This is really based on what exactly you are taking and how you are eating. I dont think 2 twinkies a day and a gram of test is going to be productive for either fat loss or lean mass gain. However, a low fat diet spread throughout the day in the same manner you would structure your bulking diet (every 2-3 hours) would be ideal.

[daem]

if one were to create a caloric deficit while on a cycle then one wouldn't lose muscle, however mass gains will be subpar at best. strength on the other hand will increase from increased protein synthesis inside the muscle regardless of how many calories one consumes if it is still 1.5-2g/lb of bodyweight.

some might have differing opinions here but i feel like if you are going to be doing a cutter cycle you won't need a caloric deficit to achieve your goals. i like to go much higher above maintenance during the first 3/4 of my cycle to really pack on the muscle and then the last 1/4 tweak my diet to a level that i can taper down to when i come off...this way gains are more permanent and one's body does not experience as much shock as when calories are reduced by 750 or 1000 a day post cycle.

so my answer to the question is no, it is not beneficial since you can do the same thing you are talking about without AS as long as you are strict with diet.

[Bell Tower]

Well my plan is to run 250 enan and 200 deca every five days for 70 days followed by clomid. These are the compounds I have and will be using them this way.

I plan on eating at maintainance and clean. This is kind of an experiment at best and thought it might be beneficial.

I wish to lose BF and increase strength.

[Boxer101]

If your goal is only to lose BF then I think it could be successful depending on your diet. A caloric deficit is not quite as harmful as a protein deficit when you are on. But certain you need to expect little to no weight gain especially at those dosages. At best I would expect your weight to remain constant and lean mass to slightly improve while body steadily decreased.

Personally I think this is the wrong approach though. I would bulk past goal and lean to the weight that I wanted to achieve. I dont believe in getting bigger and leaner at the same time.

[BigGreen]

I know I post this link often, but i think it's a worthwhile read, particularly in light of this little discussion:

http://www.t-mag.com/articles/189ster.html

[Rickson]

I think cutting is the optimal time to use AAS. When you are not limiting your calories it is much easier to put on mass. Cutting is what makes it tougher to keep lean mass which is when AAS come in to play.

[Jenseno9]

Biggreen very nice article....thanks