lean bulk calories on cycle

[Pericu]

Hej folks,

I need some answer to questions which came to my mind.

On a natural lean bulk we increase the daily kcal by about 200-300kcal above maintenance.
I started my first cycle (test e only) 5 weeks ago and now I was asking myself if 200-300 surplus is too small for a cycle?

Testosterone uses the eaten nutrition more effective. So, am I limiting myself when "only" consuming 200-300kcals above maintenance like on a natural lean bulk or is it the way to go on roids as well?

Another question is, when test e stacked up in the body (about week 4-5) is now the time to increase calories?

Hope you can clear it up for me

[gbrice75]

Generally accepted calorie increase for a lean bulk is anywhere from ~ 200-500kcal. I'd definitely bump to 500 immediately, and see how it goes over the next few weeks. How long do you have this cycle planned for? And, what are your beginning stats?

[Buster Brown]

Hej folks,

I need some answer to questions which came to my mind.

On a natural lean bulk we increase the daily kcal by about 200-300kcal above maintenance.
I started my first cycle (test e only) 5 weeks ago and now I was asking myself if 200-300 surplus is too small for a cycle?

Testosterone uses the eaten nutrition more effective. So, am I limiting myself when "only" consuming 200-300kcals above maintenance like on a natural lean bulk or is it the way to go on roids as well?

Another question is, when test e stacked up in the body (about week 4-5) is now the time to increase calories?

Hope you can clear it up for me

Another approach to what Gbrice said would be to ramp up your calories by 100 per week. Say week 1-2.....300 plus a day. Week 3....400 plus per day then week 4 .....500 plus a week.

[Times Roman]

Hej folks,

I need some answer to questions which came to my mind.

On a natural lean bulk we increase the daily kcal by about 200-300kcal above maintenance.
I started my first cycle (test e only) 5 weeks ago and now I was asking myself if 200-300 surplus is too small for a cycle?

Testosterone uses the eaten nutrition more effective. So, am I limiting myself when "only" consuming 200-300kcals above maintenance like on a natural lean bulk or is it the way to go on roids as well?

Another question is, when test e stacked up in the body (about week 4-5) is now the time to increase calories?

Hope you can clear it up for me

variety of philosophies and therefore a variety of answers

any calc such as the harris benedict can only estimate TDEE and can easily be off by 10% or more. so the first step is you need to really gain an understanding of your TDEE at any given activity level. This takes time and effort.

The second step, when limiting calories, is to make sure you eat sufficient protein, not excessive protein. You can eat 500+ TDEE, but if too much of that is protein, your body won't fully utilize all the calories and therefore limit your growth potential. A real good start is 1.25 grams of protein per lb of LBM. I've started whole threads on this and kept detailed logs over several months, so I don't make this comment lightly.

The third thing you need to understand is that your caloric requirement is based primarily on your activity level. if you cycle, and your activity level goes up, then you will need more calories to maintain. An extreme example would be if you were a couch potato and then took testosterone. the sheer act of taking the testosterone will really not change your TDEE much, if any.

[Pericu]

Generally accepted calorie increase for a lean bulk is anywhere from ~ 200-500kcal. I'd definitely bump to 500 immediately, and see how it goes over the next few weeks. How long do you have this cycle planned for? And, what are your beginning stats?

Yeah. Naturally, I always have full control over my weight gain/loss and know how to react on different situations. But now on my first cycle, weightfluctuations are pretty huge and I can't predict how my body reacts when I bump up the kcal (which I could when I was natural. I osimply knew what's going to happen and how much I'd gain)

Btw. my cylce looks as followed;
- Week 1 to 14: Testosterone enanthate @ 250 mg every 3.5 days (500mg/week total)
- Week 1 to 14: hCG @ 250 iu every 3.5 days (500 iu/week total)
- Week 1 to 16: Arimidex @ 0.25mg every other day (From day 2 up until PCT starts)
- Week 1 to 20: N-Acetyl Cystein 600mg täglich+Vitamin E 150mg/ 200Ui
- Week 7/8: Blood work (CBC, CMP, Test, Estro)
- Week 16 to 20: Phosphatidylserin 300mg/day, Lavendel+Melisse Tee, Vitamin C 500mg
- Week 16 to 20: Clomid @ 75/50/50/50 & Nolvadex @ 40/20/20/20

Stats;
M, 27, 5'9, 185lbs. about 13-15%BF.
SQ; 352lbs, Bench; 275lbs, DL; 462lbs

Another approach to what Gbrice said would be to ramp up your calories by 100 per week. Say week 1-2.....300 plus a day. Week 3....400 plus per day then week 4 .....500 plus a week.

I do increase my carbs by 35gr. per week split over the 7 days (ie. 1.st monday 450->2.nd monday 455gr. and so on) until I find my sweetspot. At least that's what I always did without roids. Now I'm on and my weight fluctuates pretty much, so it's hard to tell if 35gr. per week is "too much" or if it's still acceptable.

variety of philosophies and therefore a variety of answers

any calc such as the harris benedict can only estimate TDEE and can easily be off by 10% or more. so the first step is you need to really gain an understanding of your TDEE at any given activity level. This takes time and effort.

The second step, when limiting calories, is to make sure you eat sufficient protein, not excessive protein. You can eat 500+ TDEE, but if too much of that is protein, your body won't fully utilize all the calories and therefore limit your growth potential. A real good start is 1.25 grams of protein per lb of LBM. I've started whole threads on this and kept detailed logs over several months, so I don't make this comment lightly.

The third thing you need to understand is that your caloric requirement is based primarily on your activity level. if you cycle, and your activity level goes up, then you will need more calories to maintain. An extreme example would be if you were a couch potato and then took testosterone. the sheer act of taking the testosterone will really not change your TDEE much, if any.

Yeah, I know. I'm tracking macros since a long time and I'm on an autoregulated routine. I kind of know how much macros I need, etc. But, I just want to get the most out of the cycle and wondered how effective Test will use the nutrition/kcals I give to my body.
Just as sie info, training 4days a week+2GPP training days for some that would count as training day ;-))

[Pericu]

EDIT:
What interests me is, how do you track your weight gain and how do you know when it's too much? It's already a thin blade to track your weight on a scale when you're natural, but with the massive weight fluctuations on roid I find it hard track the progress and know if I'm gaining too quickly or too slow:-/

[gbrice75]

EDIT:
What interests me is, how do you track your weight gain and how do you know when it's too much? It's already a thin blade to track your weight on a scale when you're natural, but with the massive weight fluctuations on roid I find it hard track the progress and know if I'm gaining too quickly or too slow:-/

That's all a matter of 'feel'. Keep a close eye on your body, how clothes fit, if they're getting tight, where (i.e. waist vs. chest/shoulders), and more important - measurements.

[Buster Brown]

Yeah. Naturally, I always have full control over my weight gain/loss and know how to react on different situations. But now on my first cycle, weightfluctuations are pretty huge and I can't predict how my body reacts when I bump up the kcal (which I could when I was natural. I osimply knew what's going to happen and how much I'd gain)

Btw. my cylce looks as followed;
- Week 1 to 14: Testosterone enanthate @ 250 mg every 3.5 days (500mg/week total)
- Week 1 to 14: hCG @ 250 iu every 3.5 days (500 iu/week total)
- Week 1 to 16: Arimidex @ 0.25mg every other day (From day 2 up until PCT starts)
- Week 1 to 20: N-Acetyl Cystein 600mg täglich+Vitamin E 150mg/ 200Ui
- Week 7/8: Blood work (CBC, CMP, Test, Estro)
- Week 16 to 20: Phosphatidylserin 300mg/day, Lavendel+Melisse Tee, Vitamin C 500mg
- Week 16 to 20: Clomid @ 75/50/50/50 & Nolvadex @ 40/20/20/20

Stats;
M, 27, 5'9, 185lbs. about 13-15%BF.
SQ; 352lbs, Bench; 275lbs, DL; 462lbs

I do increase my carbs by 35gr. per week split over the 7 days (ie. 1.st monday 450->2.nd monday 455gr. and so on) until I find my sweetspot. At least that's what I always did without roids. Now I'm on and my weight fluctuates pretty much, so it's hard to tell if 35gr. per week is "too much" or if it's still acceptable.

Yeah, I know. I'm tracking macros since a long time and I'm on an autoregulated routine. I kind of know how much macros I need, etc. But, I just want to get the most out of the cycle and wondered how effective Test will use the nutrition/kcals I give to my body.
Just as sie info, training 4days a week+2GPP training days for some that would count as training day ;-))

It will fluctuate a bit throughout the whole cycle.....how much? That's individual and it is more a fluctuation in water then anything. It is hard at first to stay away from the scale because you want to try and accurately track your progress. Use the scale as a gauge and try to not live and die by it.

[Pericu]

It will fluctuate a bit throughout the whole cycle.....how much? That's individual and it is more a fluctuation in water then anything. It is hard at first to stay away from the scale because you want to try and accurately track your progress. Use the scale as a gauge and try to not live and die by it.

You're absolutely right. The scale is only 1 piece of a bigger puzzle. The scale can already be tricky naturally when you don't know it better. When I with getting in shape, I always tell them to forget about the numbers on the scale, because people who don't know better totally freak out.
But I realized that the scale is kind of unreliable when it comes to aas. Just a pretty rough rough rough guideline.

I knew that I'll get a lot of water retention, but I didn't think of that this will total screw weight tracking via scale :-)
Think I need to stick to the other tools. (Measurements, pictures, etc) and furthermore I try to bump up my carbs and try to find my sweet spot. I mean, it's my first cycle, I need to see how I react to aas anyway, which until now, seems to work pretty well :-)

[Buster Brown]

I used to stress over the scale.....now I might check it once every other week.....you need some water weight and getting your diet down to a science in one cycle is probably not going to happen. Train hard, eat big, and sleep well........you will learn alot about your body on cycle.....and off.