Recomp Explained / Bulk to Cut transition

Hi everyone,
You'll have to bear with me being new so this may be a somewhat dumb question. I've searched the forum and read plenty of recomp threads but they're all specific questions/cycle questions.

I'm trying to get a better GENERAL idea of how a recomp works with AAS as compared to a natural bulk/cut.

I've been lifting for about 12 years and have always prescribed winter-summer/bulk-cut-maintain way of doing things, which I've had good success with. I'd run a bulk diet and lifting regimen for about 20 weeks in the winter (October-February), then cut for 8-12 weeks (February-March/April) with increased protein, decreased carbs/fats in a caloric deficit and just maintain through the summer months.

I'm doing research for my first cycle and am just trying to get an idea of how this works with the assistance of AAS.

Can someone explain the difference in a "recomp" cycle vs a bulk cycle followed by a cut?
How is a cut recommended following a bulk cycle with regard to the PCT from that bulk? Do you run the full PCT prior to cutting down calories?
What does the timeline look like for a recomp cycle vs that of a bulk cycle followed by a cut?

I don't have a significant amount of fat to lose I'm I'm currently sitting around 17% bf.
Sorry if this is a dumb question but i really want to have a good base understanding of the fundamentals rather than jumping to specific cycle questions.

Thanks in advance.

I would not cycle steroids unless I were to be on TRT for the rest of my life. You will lose pretty much all of your gains and go back to pre-cycle status within a couple of months or more of stopping the cycle. So you will have accomplished nothing but screwed up your HPTA and caused some possible irreversible damage to your body. Getting off cycle sucks even when going back to TRT, now imagine how bad it sucks going back to natty... The guys who claim to keep anything from a cycle are guys who were never near their genetic limit to begin with - after 12 years of training, I assume you are close to your genetic limit.

That said, a recomp doesn't really work, imo. People throw that around, but I've yet to see someone do a successful recomp. You can gain more muscle than fat during a bulk, which would technically mean your BF % went down, but that doesn't mean you now have less fat than before; you have more.

You may think "I'll bulk for 1.5 months, and cut the next 1.5 months." Doesn't work that way. You will lose anything you've gained, much more quickly than just bulking and then going natty. The body needs to hold on to muscle for a long time for it to become more or less permanent. If you just put muscle on in 2 months and then immediately cut, you will lose most or all of that, and that's with TRT/steroids.

There are compounds like tren that you can blast and possibly lose fat while gaining muscle on a cycle, but the doses would have to be on the higher end, and you'd probably feel like shit most of the time. These compounds come at a cost, which is your health and wellbeing. Think before you jab :)

So for you, I'd stay the course until you want to go full blown TRT and then you can cycle to your heart's content.

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Originally Posted by Test Monsterone

I would not cycle steroids unless I were to be on TRT for the rest of my life. You will lose pretty much all of your gains and go back to pre-cycle status within a couple of months or more of stopping the cycle. So you will have accomplished nothing but screwed up your HPTA and caused some possible irreversible damage to your body. Getting off cycle sucks even when going back to TRT, now imagine how bad it sucks going back to natty... The guys who claim to keep anything from a cycle are guys who were never near their genetic limit to begin with - after 12 years of training, I assume you are close to your genetic limit.

That said, a recomp doesn't really work, imo. People throw that around, but I've yet to see someone do a successful recomp. You can gain more muscle than fat during a bulk, which would technically mean your BF % went down, but that doesn't mean you now have less fat than before; you have more.

You may think "I'll bulk for 1.5 months, and cut the next 1.5 months." Doesn't work that way. You will lose anything you've gained, much more quickly than just bulking and then going natty. The body needs to hold on to muscle for a long time for it to become more or less permanent. If you just put muscle on in 2 months and then immediately cut, you will lose most or all of that, and that's with TRT/steroids.

There are compounds like tren that you can blast and possibly lose fat while gaining muscle on a cycle, but the doses would have to be on the higher end, and you'd probably feel like shit most of the time. These compounds come at a cost, which is your health and wellbeing. Think before you jab :)

So for you, I'd stay the course until you want to go full blown TRT and then you can cycle to your heart's content.

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TBH I wouldn't say I'm at my genetic limit. I've trained for years but like I said, it has been on and off. I've got some good strength and I've had my most successful years in the last 2 due to a more locked down nutrition plan. But I still think there's room to improve as there always is.

I'm curious how to gain more success with a bulk and (slight) cut when utilizing AAS. I agree with what you said that the idea of a "recomp" hasn't really ever made much sense to me for multiple reasons but primarily the caloric needs of a bulk vs a cut.
As far as a bulk and cut. My goals are to continue to bulk and add some good, lean size over the winter, followed by a PCT and then cutting a few pounds after the PCT leading into the summer months.

Hypothetically if I were to run a 12-15 week first cycle with the goal of bulking followed by a proper PCT, what recommendations would you or others have to drop a few pounds of fat, either with the assistance of AAS or naturally so that I can keep as much of those gains as possible while in a deficit? I'm just trying to wrap my head around the techniques and procedures people use for this transition from bulking to cutting and what that process looks like when jumping from natural to assisted.

You're asking a lot of questions with a lot of variables. You just have to understand that the longer you're on, the longer and harder it will be to get back to your previous testosterone levels. PCT doesn't guarantee anything and you will still experience shutdown and possibly months or more of low-T after your cycle, if you ever recover completely. If you are going to cycle, then I would keep the cycles shorter to maybe 8-10 weeks max. Then you would use shorter ester steroids which work faster. If you are indending on staying on a low TRT dose after a cycle, then there is no point to a PCT. Losing weight is the same whether you are on steroids or not. You will lose more muscle size being natty and cutting, especially right after your cycle when your T levels are 0 or close to it. Obviously being on a TRT dose would yield better cutting results than being natty with low T.

I will agree with the above. The idea of recomp to me basically means lean bulk. The idea of recomposition suggests your turning fat into muscle, which is impossible. Even if you're not near your genetic potential AAS gains are hard to keep. If you keep 40-50% thats still a successful cycle. I ran cycles through my late 20's and most of my 30's and can tell you that my body composition was like a yoyo. PCT always brought on at least a small amount of depression while trying to get my test levels back to normal, even once they came back Its still hard to keep your mindset right after losing strength and muscle mass during and after PCT. Then in my late 30's PCT didn't work and had to get on trt. Pinning test when i was younger was kinda thrilling and I looked forward to Pin days. Let me tell ya though, when you do it every week for a couple years, the thrill is gone.

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Originally Posted by scotty51312

I will agree with the above. The idea of recomp to me basically means lean bulk. The idea of recomposition suggests your turning fat into muscle, which is impossible. Even if you're not near your genetic potential AAS gains are hard to keep. If you keep 40-50% thats still a successful cycle. I ran cycles through my late 20's and most of my 30's and can tell you that my body composition was like a yoyo. PCT always brought on at least a small amount of depression while trying to get my test levels back to normal, even once they came back Its still hard to keep your mindset right after losing strength and muscle mass during and after PCT. Then in my late 30's PCT didn't work and had to get on trt. Pinning test when i was younger was kinda thrilling and I looked forward to Pin days. Let me tell ya though, when you do it every week for a couple years, the thrill is gone.

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Thanks for the input. I know it's probably wishful thinking but my plan right now is to do one, MAYBE two cycles and call it good. I'm sure a lot of people say that but i think that's just where my head is with it. Still have a lot to learn though.

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Originally Posted by Nerveblock67

Thanks for the input. I know it's probably wishful thinking but my plan right now is to do one, MAYBE two cycles and call it good. I'm sure a lot of people say that but i think that's just where my head is with it. Still have a lot to learn though.

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Whatever you do dude, don't cut straight after a cycle or you will lose everything you gained.

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Originally Posted by scotty51312

I will agree with the above. The idea of recomp to me basically means lean bulk. The idea of recomposition suggests your turning fat into muscle, which is impossible. Even if you're not near your genetic potential AAS gains are hard to keep. If you keep 40-50% thats still a successful cycle. I ran cycles through my late 20's and most of my 30's and can tell you that my body composition was like a yoyo. PCT always brought on at least a small amount of depression while trying to get my test levels back to normal, even once they came back Its still hard to keep your mindset right after losing strength and muscle mass during and after PCT. Then in my late 30's PCT didn't work and had to get on trt. Pinning test when i was younger was kinda thrilling and I looked forward to Pin days. Let me tell ya though, when you do it every week for a couple years, the thrill is gone.

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I guess I am about to prove everyone wrong. I did a recomp and gaine 5lbs of stage weight ( as opposed to just gaining weight) and decreased my body fat.
I went 2.5 months between competitions and gained weight while going down about 1-2% bodyfat.
I was 53 years old while doing this.
In order to do this, everything needs to be spot on- diet/ cardio/ weights, etc. And adjusting as necessary. The main thing was taking the AAS to preserve the muscle as much as possible and burn mostly fat. The other facit was to thicken the muscle fibers as opposed to breaking down the muscle and building it up again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by charger69

I guess I am about to prove everyone wrong. I did a recomp and gaine 5lbs of stage weight ( as opposed to just gaining weight) and decreased my body fat.
I went 2.5 months between competitions and gained weight while going down about 1-2% bodyfat.
I was 53 years old while doing this.
In order to do this, everything needs to be spot on- diet/ cardio/ weights, etc. And adjusting as necessary. The main thing was taking the AAS to preserve the muscle as much as possible and burn mostly fat. The other facit was to thicken the muscle fibers as opposed to breaking down the muscle and building it up again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I believe that while its possible...only a very small percentage of people can do it, with perfect diet, training, rest, gear support... and I also believe that genetics play a certain role in it as well. Also 20 or 30 years of learning your body doesn't hurt :)