Why do people do it if muscle goes away?

**JDToronto** · 11-03-2016, 05:46 PM

This just popped up in my head, about roids. Why do people use them if that once done a cycle you can lose the muscle you've gained from being on them. I'm sure you do lose some of the muscle gained. So to keep looking the way one wants to they would need to be constantly on cycles?

**Mattcole1** · 11-03-2016, 05:53 PM

The amount of muscle you keep post cycle depends on a number of things. How you run your PCT, the PCat quality, diet, genetics, how much water you retain. ect....it differs from person to person. Hope this helped.

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**Obs** · 11-03-2016, 10:24 PM

If you end a cycle and stop lifting you will go straight to hell. It also will boil down to drive. Do you have the natural drive to eat like a horse and push your body to the max, or is it the roids allowing you all that? You don't have to lose a lot.

**Livinlean** · 11-04-2016, 12:31 AM

Muscle is very hard to lose. People grossly underestimate how good our body is at holding onto muscle. Unless you are in a caloric deficit you should not face this issue.

After a cycle, of course you can expect to lose a little bit of muscle because you're test levels are coming back to reality but I would say you can keep at least 8 of your 10-12 lbs that you would have gained on cycle. Any more weight that you gained would be water or due to increased glycogen retention. If you train hard and eat enough food you should be able to maintain a good chunk of your cycle gains.

**Vash the Stampede** · 11-04-2016, 12:43 AM

People do it because when you go back ON cycle, the muscles come back AND more.

Gotta love dem roids lol

**TestoSuper** · 11-04-2016, 06:36 AM

I think this is an interesting topic for all users of AAS.
I agree with the comments above, I also add that the challenge in the use of AAS should be the increase year after year of pure lean mass.
It will be inevitable at the end of a cycle to lose a good amount of water, glycogen and a portion of pure lean mass.
The challenge is to minimize this portion.
From my personal experience with a cycle a year only it's a bit difficult, but with a mild short summer cycle for maintenance this will certainly be possible.

**Mr.BB** · 11-04-2016, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Livinlean

Muscle is very hard to lose. People grossly underestimate how good our body is at holding onto muscle. Unless you are in a caloric deficit you should not face this issue.

.

Have to disagree. Just look at Levrone, Palumbo or very recently Dennis Wolf.

Past a certain point our body is always trying to go catabolic. Stop eating and training and you will lose all gains in matter of months.

**DocToxin8** · 11-04-2016, 07:34 AM

My personal experience is that when I quit training completely for over a year,
I lost most of my mass, but I never became as skinny as I were before the juice. Biceps and triceps took especially long time to shrink.

When I started training and quite soon juicing again, I gained pretty much all I lost within months. (Muscle memory)

So how fast you'll lose muscle if you continue to train depends on a lot of factors, one of the biggest factors is how much muscle mass u have attained.
The more muscle mass the more you'll lose, but it will take a long time (if ever) before you'll become a "skinny" guy (if you ever were) again.

But let's say you eventually lose all, even so you'll always gain what you lost in a tremendous rate again, so that you will push beyond what you were for a long time, until you reach a level where you'll probably need TRT just to keep T levels in the high end of normal. (At this point you'll might need TRT anyways, but this doesn't apply to most users, as they never attain that much muscle mass or cycle so much as to damage the HPTA permanently.)

Then again, if you want to keep the same muscle mass at 40 that you managed to attain at 28, chances are you'll need to boost your test to accomplish that.
(I'm talking about muscle attained through AAS use)

**ScotchGuard02** · 11-04-2016, 09:34 AM

I don't cycle because I'm going to lose muscle after PCT. I cycle because during the cycle, about 3 months, I'm the strongest guy in the gym, I feel amazing, and get the looks from the chicks. LOL Yeah, right old man! Yes, I do lose some gains after PCT but that's minimal. I'm already looking forward to the next cycle when I'll feel like superman. I can't think of very many periods in my life where I can, legally, feel on top of the world and build a beautiful body on top of that.

**JDToronto** · 11-04-2016, 09:49 PM

well, I dont mean youll lose (my keyboard for some reason is suddenly typing weird fonts when I use commas etc) muscle, but you obviously gain a lot of muscle you wouldnèt gain if you werenèt on roids, so to maintain that muscle you would need to constantly be on roids otherwise youll lose some of it. The thing is I dont want to be on roids for long, it screws up the body and its costly to maintain (the liver protectants, roids, Anti Estrogens).

**Obs** · 11-04-2016, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by Mr.BB

Have to disagree. Just look at Levrone, Palumbo or very recently Dennis Wolf.

Past a certain point our body is always trying to go catabolic. Stop eating and training and you will lose all gains in matter of months.

Without a doubt. The best shape I was ever in I was 215 dry and naked and I wenter to 160 or less in a couple months by not lifting, not eating, and drinking. Coupled with low t, you go into depression and loose all interest in life and want to die. Training and diet is the only thing that will keep you together afterward.

**Marsoc** · 11-05-2016, 12:19 AM

I imagine that the idea that most musle gains will be lost if your "that guy" that guy that's not built for it. For instance a 135lb male that wants to juice and be big like the other guys cuz he's sick of being small well I got news for you. ..maybe it's just my thought but I think that if ur body isn't built for it then it will be a constant effort however that may be. I'm a big fan of making what Ur born with the best it can be. Not trying to be something ur not. Lots of girls told me. I just don't look right all small and shit. But I imagine if ur not built for it that you will have to keep cycling to keep it cuz ur genetics won't allow u to retain it.
Just like me. Even though it's opposite. If I want to be Lean I have to constantly be on a conscious effort to maintain being lean in any way. By healthy life style not compunds. .
Granted I gained 40lbs in the past 4.5-5 months. I'm 205 now at 14% bf. Just weighed and measured at the doctors today. I don't think that's bad for natural. Coming off the dope diet where's I dropped to 165lbs. Couldn't believe it.

But I can't wait to see what happens on a cycle. A solid safe cycle. See where it goes. I can't wait for my legs to grow.
And when I'm done I'm sure it will be up to my diet and training to retain gains God willing.

I'm sure u don't just lose it all then again I have no idea.

**MR-FQ320** · 11-05-2016, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by Mattcole1

The amount of muscle you keep post cycle depends on a number of things. How you run your PCT, the PCat quality, diet, genetics, how much water you retain. ect....it differs from person to person. Hope this helped.

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And how hard you train after cycle

**bethdoth** · 11-07-2016, 01:57 PM

I was just thinking about this the other day. I have jealous friends that say there is no way I would be built like this if I didn't do roids. I'm 55 and have worked out pretty much my entire life (boxed and played hockey in school then 21 years in the Navy). I have been on HRT for 5 years and have done 3 cycles in the past 18 months or so. Well I hurt my shoulder back on July 29th and have not been able to lift seriously since that day. I have not lost any muscle and am still sitting about 208. I still do what I can legs, abs, arms and cardio. So I feel that the approximately 10-15 pounds of muscle I have added in the past 5 years is staying put for now after 3 months.

**diesel101** · 11-07-2016, 04:35 PM

I was a late coming to the gear party (41) but I would have to say in the last 5 years I have kept a large percentage of the muscle I have gained, I would estimate that I have kept at least 90 percent of what I gained running gear. I am also on trt but I train just as hard off cycle as I do on cycle and I watch my diet very close.

**zejj** · 11-07-2016, 05:57 PM

Ego is a big reason

**Cupid** · 11-07-2016, 07:04 PM

If you are already someone who hits the gym on a daily basis and eats well as a lifestyle....going on cycle and coming off will give you a NET boost forward. You will lose some, but not all....and you will be definitely more ahead than if you had not gone on cycle.
The problem is that some people only decide to get disciplined and work hard WHILE they are on cycle....before and after is just meh....so obviously that won't do shit for them.
Steroids are only worthwhile to those who have committed to the fitness/bodybuilding lifestyle.

**DGenRit** · 11-08-2016, 01:41 PM

I'm 48 years old (yes in that avatar pic) and I started gear 2 years ago. I had done a few cycles in my early 20s. Anyway - I have done 2 cycles in the last 2 years and starting my 3rd this week. I have always NET GAINED. What i mean is 4 steps forward (while on) and 1 step backward (while off). That said, I eat clean all the time (on and off) and train just as hard. It's a lifestyle. If you're looking to do a cycle for the beach body in the summer and then slack till next summer, you will be on a roller coaster ride and will not make Net Gains. Just my 2 cents...