Should I gain back my natural size first?

[tlaloc]

Hello and thanks for your time.

I lost a considerable amount of muscle mass and strength earlier this year when I went on a weight cutting cycle and lifted a lot less weight , ate a lot less and did a lot more cardio.

I am going on a testosterone cycle later this year.

My question is, should I gain back all of my strength and muscle mass naturally before going on the cycle and going above and beyond my natural limits? ( I estimate it would take 5 to 8 months to get back to my natural peak)

Or should I just jump into the cycle immediately?

Any advantages to doing it one way or another?

Im about (estimate)14 pct bodyfat, 6ft 1 in 197 lbs right now.

[Iron-56]

Your call but I believe you should be able to retain mass gains well when you are trying to obtain size you once had. Victor Martinez is a great example.

[Gaspaco]

I would start bulk natty and when the plateau comes hop on the cycle.

[Bio-Active]

I would try to retain as much muscle as possible while cutting your bf down to 10% or below and cycle after that. You will be really happy with the results the leaner you are. Just my .02

[Java Man]

I would start bulk natty and when the plateau comes hop on the cycle.

This

[tlaloc]

So then you are saying I should go ahead and jump into it immediately, since I will retain gains either way? Also, who is Victor Martinez?

[tlaloc]

Then I should probably start on the cycle immediately, since I will likely gain a decent amount of fat ( along with muscle) when I try to peak naturally.

Am I also going to gain fat with the test cycle?

[Bio-Active]

Then I should probably start on the cycle immediately, since I will likely gain a decent amount of fat ( along with muscle) when I try to peak naturally.

Am I also going to gain fat with the test cycle?

This is exactly why I think you should get your bf lower before cycling if you are wanting to bulk? If you are at 14 % body fat and are trying to get leaner by running a cycle then that would make more sense. I don't see much benefit to cycling and gaining bf ending your cycle between 16-18 %. That would be disappointing