Start your readings here!!!

[JaneDoe]

Welcome new members.I decided to share some topics for you who don't know where tos start their research here in the forum!



Austinite's Educational Article Database

New Members & First Cycle MUST Read:

3 Steps To Get Replies & Feedback for Your Cycle Proposal Threads

Explanation of HPTA / Endocrine System & How Steroids Affect You

My First Cycle: Planning and Executing a Successful First Cycle

Cycles without Testosterone: Why you should avoid them at all costs


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steroid Cycle Support and Management:

HCG: Why you should use it on-cycle only & how to prepare your hCG for injections

How To Cycle Safely by observing Blood Counts

Estrogen, Prolactin, Progesterone Management + Gynecomastia Prevention & Reversal

Why you need both Nolva and Clomid for PCT.

Stop Using Aromatase Inhibitors to Reverse gynecomastia! SERM's Only!

Injections: Tips, Tricks, Questions and Answers

Do I Have Gynecomastia? If you're asking this question, read this thread.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prescription or "Research" Enhancers:

T3: A complete guide to cycling T3 and how it works

Cialis and your Prostate: Understanding Prostate Issues, Prevention & Treatment

Vitamin B12: Benefits and rankings of different types & delivery methods


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the Counter Supplement Articles & Protocols:

Essential Supplements, for those of you who don't like to supplement too much

Austinite's "FEEL GOOD" Stack - 2 supplements per day, feel good all day.

Austinite's Amino Acids, Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs and more.

Austinite's Fat Loss Protocol using Over the Counter Products.

Austinite drops CoQ10 and picks up UBQH instead - Find out why!

Austinite's Acne Treatment Protocol - (1 Vitamin, 1 Mineral, 1 Herb)

Austinite's Liver Protection Comparison: NAC vs. UDCA

Austinites Thoughts on the Study Linking Red Meat to Heart Disease via L-Carnitine

Austinite's Oxytocin Experience: 30 Day Experiment.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Guides and Informative Articles:

Austinite's journey with Vitamin D deficiency - Log

Cyvita is a SCAM. - Erectile Dysfunction Drug... supposedly.

​Before you post, read this: "HOW TO" guide to fix common browser issues.

Watermelon: It's Darn Good For You

Last edited by austinite; 07-21-2014 at 02:26 AM.

• Like

Family_guy, numbere, Rrexy and 34 others like this.

~ Austinite's Links to Various Protocols, Educational Articles and More ~


~ PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR SOURCE CHECKS ~

"It's human nature in a 'more is better' society full of a younger generation that expects instant gratification, then complain when they don't get it. The problem will get far worse before it gets better". ~ kelkel

[JaneDoe]

***Dieting 101: Carb Cycling***

Dieting 101: Carb Cycling

Carb Cycling: What is it?
Carb cycling is a pretty basic concept that can be applied to your nutrition regimen to help reach your goal. The great thing is, it can be used for virtually any goal: bulking, cutting, maintaining, and everything in between (whatever that may be! )!

Simply put, it's the manipulation of the carbohydrate macronutrient within your weekly diet plan. You should know up front that there are MANY ways to set up a carb cycle; there's no right or wrong, but I will give you examples (later) of what I think is optimal, what I've personally used and have had success with. Typically, a well-thought out carb cycle will follow some sort of pattern on a daily basis... e.g. Monday - high carbs, Tuesday - low carbs, Wednesday - no carbs, etc. I say "well-thought out" because we shouldn't just arbitrarily change carb intake from day to day; there has to be a reason behind it, a goal. Let's start with 'bulking'.

Carb Cycling For Bulking
First, if you've read my posts or Lean Bulking sticky (found here: http://forums.steroid.com/nutrition-...%2A%2A%2A.html ), you know I'm not personally a fan of 'bulking' per se; I am a fan of adding as much lean mass as possible, with as little fat gain as possible. This, IMO, is where cycling carbs can REALLY help.

I believe in taking in energy (i.e. carbs) when your body needs it most. A weight training session, high intensity cardio, a hike, playing sports, etc. - all good times to have energy stores ready to go. On the other hand, not as much energy is required during downtime; off days, etc. For example, if you're eating 3500 calories on workout days, and that's 500 calories above maintenance, I see no need to consume 3500 calories on off days (which could be looked at as additional caloric overage beyond 500). Since I always keep protein and fats moderate no matter what, I can reduce carbs which will, by default, reduce overall calories. Some disagree with this logic, but you will have to decide for yourself what makes sense, and more important, what works for you. Let's look at an example:

5'11 male, 200lbs, 12% bodyfat. TDEE is roughly 2600 calories. He's lean bulking, and wants to keep his bodyfat as close to 12% (or lower) as possible. He's decided that on workout days, 3100 calories is what he needs to add lean muscle tissue. He's going with a 40/45/15 (Protein/Carbs/Fats) macro split which puts him at 310g protein, 350g carbs, and 50g fat. He'll be working out on a 3 day split, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He'll be doing cardio on Tuesday's, Thursday's, and Saturday's, with a complete rest day on Sunday. Here's the way I'd set up his carb cycle for optimal muscle gain with minimal fat:

Mon/Wed/Fri - High carb days (350g carbs)

Tue/Thur/Sat - Moderate carb days (175g carbs, total calories are now roughly 2400)

Sunday - Low Carb day ( mostly fibrous veggies, <50g starchy carbs, total calories are at roughly 2000, not counting veggies, which, if you eat enough [and you should], can actually add up )

On workout days, he's fueling his workouts, with plenty of spare carbs left over for recovery.

On his cardio only days, he's taking half the amount of carbs (lesser activity), but still enough to aid with continued recovery and growth.

On his rest day, he's taking in very few starchy carbs, and eating mostly fibrous veggies instead. He's been eating plenty of carbs all week, glycogen stores are close to full if not 100% full, and although this is a total rest (i.e. recovery) day, there's no need for a large amount of additional carbs.

Some people might look at total calories and think they are too low for a 'bulk'. Remember that a) this isn't a traditional bulk. It's a lean bulk - we don't want to add a bunch of weight (fat) just to have to spend months later cutting to get it all off and (hopefully) yield a few lbs of LBM. Further, in my experience, most people think they need a lot more calories than they actually do. This is especially true with beginner dieters, and so called hard gainers (who just haven't learned to eat and/or train optimally yet).

Again, this can be set up other ways, this is only one example. Not everybody works out only 3 days a week, but the underlying objective still applies: more energy taken when needed. If you workout 5 days a week and follow a typical single bodypart split, you may want to consider moderate carb days for shoulders and arms, and save the high carb days for bigger workouts like legs, chest and back. You have endless combinations and numbers to play with; experiment, stick with it for a bit, and see what works best for you.

Carb Cycling For Cutting
So how about those of us who want to shed bodyfat? This, IMO, is where carb cycling really can shine. The carb cycle that has worked extremely well for me in the past (I also happen to be running it as of the time of this write up) is similar in many ways to Lyle McDonald's UD2.0 plan - if you're not familiar with it, google it. It's tougher than anything I'm presenting here, but a very good read.

The sole purpose of cycling carbs with regard to cutting is depleting (and later, replenishing) glycogen stores. Glycogen is a molecule made up of glucose and water, stored in muscle and the liver. Without going too much into it, our bodies use glycogen as a primary energy source. When glycogen gets depleted (via training, exercise, activity, etc.), our bodies begin to mobilize fatty acids, which can then be burned as fuel in place of/in addition to glycogen and glucose. As such, carb cycling for cutting should be set up very differently from that of bulking. Let's take the same example from earlier:

5'11 male, 200lbs, 12% bodyfat - wants to reduce his bodyfat to < 10%. His TDEE is still around 2600, and he's decided to go with a modest deficit of 2200 calories to start with. Now we have a number to start working out a carb cycle. He's training Monday through Friday, doing cardio Monday through Saturday, and taking Sunday off to rest completely. That's actually my current schedule; here's how my carb cycle is set up:

Mon/Tues/Wed - Moderate Carbs
Thurs/Fri/Sat - Low Carbs
Sunday - High Carb/Refeed

Using 2200 calories as my 'baseline', I'd apply that to my moderate carb days and set macros up as follows:


Moderate
275g protein (roughly 1.5g/lb of LBM)
55g fat
150g carbs


So for Monday through Wednesday, we're following this calorie/macro scheme. I'd also be focusing my more intense training sessions (e.g. legs, back, etc.) during this period. I'd then start a 3 day carb depletion phase on Thursday:


Low
275g protein
55g fat
0g carbs* (no starchy carbs. Fibrous veggies only!)

That's roughly 1600 calories. The absence of (starchy) carbs furthers the caloric deficit by default. Too low? Not really. For one, we're only talking about 3 days, and secondly, this will be followed by a high carb refeed day.

Note the asterisk next to '0g carbs'. You won't really be consuming 0g. For one, there will likely be trace amounts of carbs in the foods you eat on a daily basis (e.g. cottage cheese, protein powders, condiments, etc.). Secondly, you will ideally be consuming lots of fibrous veggies. While they are relatively light in terms of carbs, they do add up. You'll probably wind up eating somewhere between 50-100g carbs on these days, but again, mainly via fibrous veggies.

Workouts during the depletion phase (Thursday through Saturday in this example) should change to fit the goal (glycogen depletion). Higher reps/lighter weight, more sets, total body exercises, bodyweight/depletive type workouts, etc. Remember that you will be doing cardio as well (moderate and low days).

This 3 day window is your fat burning sweet spot. Glycogen should be close to depleted after about 1.5 days, BGL will be low, and insulin will be suppressed. You'll mainly be running on fatty acids. By the end of day 3, you may be at the onset of ketosis - but don't bother buying keto sticks. The goal here isn't to enter ketosis.

Sunday: After 3 days of depletion, you're ready to replenish glycogen stores with a carb refeed. With any luck, you may also have a small window of growth as you will be overfeeding and in a very anabolic state, albeit for a brief period. As such, this high carb/refeed day should take place on a complete rest day. No training, no cardio. Just relax, recover, and try to enjoy yourself a bit. You're not only recovering, but preparing your body for the cycle to start over again the following day.


High/Refeed
275g protein
55g fat
400g carbs

This breakdown will put you at roughly 3200 calories, 600 over maintenance. Carbs should consist of mainly starchy (potatoes, pasta, breads, rice, quinoa, lentils/beans, etc.), but feel free to enjoy life a bit with some fruit, or something you've been craving all week. Personally, I like to take an 'IIFYM' (If It Fits Your Macros) approach on this day. It gives me a mental break and allows me to enjoy some of the foods I normally don't eat while cutting. Just be careful not to go overboard, particularly with fat, because you are already consuming lots of carbs. Once glycogen stores are full, you'll experience the 'spill over' effect, which means additional energy (carbs/fats) gets stored in... fat cells! Definitely counter-productive. Just be mindful of what you're eating, do your best to hit your macros, and you'll be fine, especially if you've been perfect all week long.

Carb Cycling For Maintenance

IMO, running maintenance is, at certain times, just as important as cutting or 'bulking'. For one, giving your body a break from either of the 2 latter is always a good idea. Since doing 'nothing' wouldn't be a good approach, running maintenance, even if just for 4 weeks, is a good idea. Further, some people like to just maintain throughout the summer. They don't want to 'bulk' (for obvious reasons), and may already feel they're lean enough and/or don't want a flat/small/depleted look while they're at the beach. Even still, there are people who *need* to run maintenance for several months in an effort to 'reset' their body's 'set point'; e.g. maybe you've just finished a successful cut after years of being heavier/fatter. Jumping right back into a regimen where gaining weight is the goal would be a terrible and disastrous idea (I speak from experience)... you're body isn't yet 'comfortable' with it's new composition and needs an adjustment period, i.e. maintenance. Whatever the case may be, carb cycling can be applied to this as well.

I'm not going to provide sample cycles in this case simply because there is no specific goal per se; essentially, you want to maintain your current weight and/or body composition. You want to keep bodyfat in check, and maintain muscle mass. You could set up a carb cycle many different ways to help accomplish this, but the important thing is that you don't arbitrarily do so. Picking random days of the week and saying "I think THIS will be a high carb day, and THIS will be a low day, etc." probably isn't a great approach. Make it count. Training legs Tuesday and taking off Wednesday? Perhaps you should make Monday a high carb day, and Tuesday moderate. A carb cycle will only be as effective as the workout it's built around. That is, I build my carb cycles to compliment the training regimen.

One noteworthy point is with regard to maintenance calories. Running maintenance doesn't mean you have to eat at your TDEE every single day. You could do that, but you don't have to. Keep in mind that your body doesn't add up calories at the end of the day. We're continuously going through the process of breaking down and building up, caloric deficits and overages (even when eating in a deficit or overage), etc. As such, given a maintenance of 2200 calories, you could consume 1800 one day and 2600 the next, or vice versa, and manipulating carbs is what allows you this kind of flexibility.

In summary, carb cycling is a tool that can be used as part of a balanced, intelligent nutrition plan. Like anything else, if it isn't applied with consistency, results will be lackluster. There is no magic here, no smoke and mirrors, no perfect diet plan - only the knowledge to succeed, and your drive to apply it consistently. Enjoy!

~GB

Last edited by gbrice75; 05-02-2013 at 06:49 PM.

• Like

falco21, Soar, austinite and 13 others like this.




***Dieting 101: Lean Bulking***

Dieting 101: Lean Bulking

Hi all, GB here. This write up will hopefully serve as a basic guideline for those looking to add lean mass. Note I didn’t use the word ‘bulk’. I used it in the title to lure you in because I’m evil that way. Now that I have you’re attention, I want us to forget the word. At least in the traditional sense. Let’s take a look at what bulking means, traditionally:

The term ‘bulking’ generally refers to the phase a bodybuilder periodically goes through where he tries to add as much mass as possible, with little regard to bodyfat. This is generally done on the off season of competitive bodybuilders. It is the direct counterpart to ‘cutting’ (for a detailed write up on cutting, see my sticky on the topic here : Dieting 101: Cutting ). It’s not uncommon for bodyfat to reach proportions of 25% and higher in some guys! I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in adding a bunch of bodyfat, then having to spend months and months on a grueling cut just to hopefully yield a few pounds of lean muscle… and that’s only if you do everything right.

Bulking is an old-school philosophy and while it obviously works, it isn’t the only way to add muscle. These days, a lot more attention is being paid to methods used to add muscle without all, or at least most of the unwanted bodyfat. It’s a slower, but more consistent process. It’s generally referred to as ‘lean bulking’ or ‘adding lean mass’. We’ll call it ‘lean bulking’ for the sake of this write up.

Choose a goal and stand behind it

People are always wanting to add lean mass and lose bodyfat. Ask 10 guys what their goal is, and that’s what it’ll be for 9 of them. Of course. Who wouldn’t want that? That's the holy grail, the reason we're all here. While it is possible to do both (called a body recomposition), it’s outside the scope of what this article deals with, so we will focus our efforts strictly on adding lean mass, not reducing bodyfat. Perhaps we'll address body recomp in a future write up.

Note the title: Choose a goal and stand behind it. This is what I always suggest to people. If you want to add lean mass, then let’s put together a plan and see it through to completion. If you want to reduce bodyfat, then let’s focus our efforts on that goal. That’s not to say we ignore increases in bodyfat on a mass plan, or ignore muscle loss on a cutting plan. Quite the contrary, but more on that later. It’s just that I’ve seen so many people bounce back and forth trying to micro manage both goals simultaneously, that they never really allow enough time for one or the other to take effect… and ultimately wind up looking about the same as when they started out. I should know; I’m one of them. So I say – decide what you really want to do, and then focus your efforts on that goal. Give it a good 90 days before you abandon what you’re doing. Results don't happen overnight. Nor are results linear; you will go through periods of growth spurt, and periods where nothing seems to happen despite your best efforts. It can be frustrating, but when you stick with it and remain consistent, the results will speak for themselves. Note when I say "give it 90 days before you abandon what you're doing", that's with regard to the primary goal. The need for tweaks and minor changes throughout are common and to be expected.

What is lean bulking?

Lean bulking can be defined as the effort put forth to add as much lean mass (i.e. muscle) as possible with as little change to bodyfat as possible. Very few people can add mass without adding some bodyfat. A bit of added bodyfat should be expected, but that doesn’t mean you have to get sloppy and out of shape (see traditional bulking). Most guys will have a predetermined bodyfat percentage number threshold in mind at the onset of a lean bulk. e.g. if I start my lean bulk at 10% bodyfat, I’ll allow myself to get as high as 13% before pulling back and making some revamps to get things back in check.

I always recommend people start at a relatively low bodyfat percentage to begin with. For me, that’d be < 13%. In my experience, most people starting off higher usually aren’t happy with the end result. Going from 10% to 13% isn’t all that bad for most. 16% to 19% might be.

How much do I eat?

Here starts the great controversy. First, you have to realize that our bodies don’t need a great deal of surplus calories to grow. If you’ve read my posts on this topic before, you’ve probably heard me say “more is better doesn’t apply in bodybuilding”. It’s the truth. For most, a few hundred calories over maintenance is all that’s needed. If your body can optimally use 300 additional calories/day to slowly add muscle, feeding it 1000 calories extra/day isn’t necessarily going to speed up that process and build more muscle. What it will do is make you fat (again, see bulking).

I will generally start around 500 calories over maintenance and adjust up/down from there as needed. In most cases, the adjustment will be down, not up. It's very important to consistently monitor your progress so you know when it's time to make a change, and what change to make. Generally, I recommend a combination of tools: Scale weight, your own assessment in the mirror, how your clothes fit, and most importantly, measurements! Pick 1 day a week to take these measurements, and try to be consistent with the day and time. While this isn't a science experiment, we do want to keep things as 'controlled' as possible in order to yield the most accurate results.

Macronutrient Breakdown

Here’s another place where I see a lot of people making what I’d consider a big mistake. Or better put, a missed opportunity. People seem to think that ‘bulking’ automatically means you must raise your protein intake to obscene proportions. There are a few problems with this. First, I see a lot of people with their protein already too high regardless of the goal. 400g and up. Unless you’re a 250lb bodybuilder on tons of gear, chances of you needing - not to mention your body being able to assimilate - 400+ grams of protein on a daily basis are slim. 1.5-2g per pound of LBM is usually sufficient.

My second issue is this: protein should always be sufficient. If you’re cutting, you need sufficient protein to halt the breakdown of LBM due to a prolonged hypocaloric diet, cardio, etc. If protein is sufficient, then why would you need to raise it to add mass? Do you think you’re body is going to use more? It won’t. In fact, you could actually get away with less protein due to the protein/muscle sparing properties of carbs and fats, which will both be higher on a hypercaloric diet.

What we do want to pay attention to are those other 2 aforementioned macros: fats, and particularly, carbs. Of the 3 macros, carbs have the most profound effect on blood glucose levels and therefore, the release of insulin . Insulin is a highly anabolic hormone, so having it present in your bloodstream is a good idea where adding mass is concerned. My ideal macro breakdown for lean bulking is:

40% protein, 45% carbs, 15% fats. On a 3000 calorie per day diet, that would equate to roughly 300g protein, 340g carbs, and 50g fat. Depending on the individuals stats and protein requirements, I may even ‘steal’ some of the protein to add more carbs, and wind up with something looking like 270g protein, 370g carbs, 50g fat. Of the 3 macros, fat is most easily stored as bodyfat. For this reason, and the fact that we will be eating in excess of maintenance levels, I like to keep this macro relatively low, hence 15%, and definitely no higher than 20%.

How do I arrange my meals?

There are many ways to go about this, so realize now that my way is neither the ‘right’ way, or the only way. This is something very individualistic and you will need to play around and tailor a plan that best suits you.

On workout days, I like to have carbs in every meal with the exception of the last. This will ensure I’m creating an anabolic environment throughout most of the day. Some people can get away with carbs in their last meal, but I’m not one of them unfortunately. You will have to experiment to find what your own body responds best to.

On non-workout days, I’d have carbs in the early part of my day only. We have less activity obviously, therefore less demand for energy. Based on our macros from above, this would look something like:

270g protein, 185g carbs, 50g fat. We’ve basically cut the carb macro in half. This will obviously lower calories overall, which is what we want, because we are also trying to keep bodyfat in check. Remember that you can always add or remove if need be, based on your progress.

Typical Workout Day Sample Diet (macros only)

Based on 6 meals/day, my diet would look something like this:

5am (preworkout): 45g protein, 85g carbs, 8g fat

8am (postworkout): 45g protein, 85g carbs, 8g fat

11am (PPWO): 45g protein, 80g carbs, 8g fat

3pm: 45g protein, 60g carbs, 8g fat

6pm: 45g protein, 60g carbs, 8g fat

9pm: 45g protein, trace carbs, 8g fat

What I did here was keep the highest concentration of carbs focused around my workout window, then tapered off at the end of the day.

Typical Non-Workout Day Sample Diet (macros only)

7am: 45g protein, 60g carbs, 8g fat

10am: 45g protein, 60g carbs, 8g fat

1pm: 45g protein, 60g carbs, 8g fat

4pm: 45g protein, trace carbs, 8g fat

7pm: 45g protein, trace carbs, 8g fat

10pm: 45g protein, trace carbs, 8g fat

I simply took my lowered carb macro (half of the original 370g) then divided it equally across the first 3 of 6 meals.

In both examples above, you'll see that I have my fat macro split evenly across all 6 meals. Again, this is just what I do, it's not necessarily what you should do. Particularly on the lower carb days, you can lower the fat content in the higher carb meals, and use that extra fat in the no carb meals to make them higher fat. At the end of the day (literally and figuratively), overall calories haven't changed, only the macro placement.

Food Choices

Since 'bulking' and especially 'dirty bulking' aren't part of my vocabulary, my philosophy is that food choices don't change based on goals, only quantities do. With that said, all of the obvious foods should be considered. And for God sake, please have some variety in your diet!! I see so many diets with chicken for almost every meal. Do you REALLY think that's a sustainable diet for any appreciable length of time!? It isn't. You'll get sick of it, and most likely feel discouraged and quit. There are plenty of foods to choose from. Aside from helping you keep your sanity, you'll also take advantage of varying absorption rates and in the case of proteins, different amino acid profiles.

Lean Proteins
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Boneless, Skinless Turkey Breast
'White' fish - e.g. tilapia, flounder/fluke, snapper, orange roughy, tuna, etc.
Egg whites
Lean Ground Beef (I try to stick with 95% lean or better)
Lean Bison
Lean pork (trimmed center cut chops, loin, etc)
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Various Protein Powders

Complex (starchy) Carbs
Sweet Potato/Yam
Red/White/Yellow Potato (note - I don't make much of an issue over 'white' potatoes vs. sweet potatoes, especially when adding mass is the primary goal. As long as you're not eating the carb source by itself (and you shouldn't be), the differences beyond vitamin/mineral content are negligible IMO)
Oats
Grits
Cous Cous
Rice (all types... even white)
Beans/Lentils/Legumes

to a lesser extent (i.e. a few days a week):
whole grain 'brown' breads
whole grain 'brown' pasta

Fats
Avacado
Nuts (all kinds)
Nut butters (all kinds - e.g. almond, cashew, peanut, etc)
Oils (all kinds - olive, coconut, etc)

Note on fats: Generally, I find it unnecessary to add fats to my diet, as I get enough from my protein sources + some supplemental fish oil (which is a great idea for many reasons... but I digress). However you may have higher caloric requirements than me, and will need to add a small amount of fats to some meals, particularly low/no carb meals.

Protein/Fat Combos
Whole Eggs
Higher fat ground beef (I'd stick with 90% lean)
Various cuts of steak (e.g. top sirloin, flank, flat iron, filet, etc. Porterhouse, T-Bone, Ribeye etc. are VERY high fat and not acceptable choices, IMHO)
Oily fish - salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.

Fibrous Carbs (veggies)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Kale
Various green lettuces (not iceberg!!)
Spinach
Brussell Sprouts
Green Beans
Alfalfa Sprouts
many other options... think anything leafy green.

Do I HAVE To Eat Veggies?
I don't want to digress too far into why eating veggies is an excellent idea. You'll just have to trust me that it is. Briefly:
Vitamins
Minerals
Fiber
Phytochemicals
Antioxidants (look up 'free radicals' and you'll see why you should be eating foods high in antioxidants)
Essentially, if having a healthy diet and lifestyle is of interest to you (I can't imagine why that wouldn't be of interest to everyone), you should be eating plenty of veggies. Can't stand em'? Don't have time to cook em'? Supplement with a green 'superfood' powder, or do like I've recently begun doing, and start juicing! No, not that kind of juicing - this is the nutrition section, not the AAS section! Vegetable Juicing FTW!!!

Note the above is far from a complete food list, but should give you enough to work with to get started.

GB, What About Fruit?
Fruit is a controversial food in bodybuilding due to the sugar content. Yes you get fiber, tons of great vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, etc. But you still get sugar. There's no avoiding that. My personal preference is to avoid fruit while cutting, and allow it in small quantities while adding lean mass, focusing it around my workout window. Even then, I try to stick with something like blueberries over apples for instance. More nutrients, less sugar. Everybody wins!

Cardio

Cardio is another one of those topics with many different schools of thought. Personally, I would do a light amount of cardio PWO on training days (think 20 mins HIIT, 30 mins MAX) but would definitely do moderate intensity cardio on my non-training days, preferably in the morning while still in a fasted state. 45-60 mins. Whatever you choose to do, the important thing is that you DO CARDIO!!! Don’t let people tell you about how you’re trying to add muscle, and cardio is counterproductive, bla bla bla. When done right, this shouldn’t be a concern. And since you're meticulously monitoring your progress (RIGHT!!? ), you'll know when you need to cut back... or add more.

Use the link below to be taken to the open thread for Q&A and I will do my best to keep up with responding to all inquiries. I hope you find this helpful!!! GB

Thread for open discussion on this subject click HERE to comment

Written by gbrice75 for Steroid.com


.

• Like

basketballfan22, songdog, Live for the PUMP and 11 others like this.

[JaneDoe]

Dieting 101: Cutting

Written by: gbrice75 for Steroid.com


Dieting 101: Cutting, the Dont's


So you've been a bit lazy over the past year and woke up one morning to realize you've acquired quite the gut. Or maybe you've been trying to gain as much muscle as possible, but managed to add a bunch of bodyfat in the process. Or maybe you've always been the fat kid and are finally fed up and ready to take charge and change yourself once and for all. In any case, I intend to cover the bare essentials that will help to get you started and eventually realize your goals.

First, let's talk about what NOT to do. Starving yourself won't work. It seems simple enough at a glance - eat very little, lose weight! Well, unfortunately it isn't that simple. At least not for people whose goal is to have a lean muscular physique, as opposed to simply 'losing weight'.


Severe Calorie Restricted Diets

You've been eating like a pig and have decided once and for all that you've HAD IT!!! Tomorrow, all the junk goes in the garbage and you will start eating very light. You'll have a cup of yogurt, a few egg whites and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. At lunch, you'll have a few slices of turkey breast w/ mustard on whole grain bread. For dinner, a small portion of grilled chicken breast and a small mixed greens salad. You might even allow a snack - maybe a low-fat string cheese. Before, you were eating 5000 calories/day, now you've figured this new plan to put you somewhere in the 900-1100 calorie range. Since you've used our formulas and figured out that your body requires 2500 calories/day to maintain weight, you'll be losing a TON of weight between this diet and all the exercise you plan to do!!! Perfect, right? WRONG!!!

Severe caloric restriction will eventually lead to a slowed metabolism. Once your metabolic rate has slowed, eating the same amount of food that once allowed you to maintain your weight will now cause you to GAIN weight! This is because you have trained your body to function on a lower caloric level. In our example above, you were able to maintain your current weight at 2500 calories/day. After X amount of time (everybody is different, there is no set rule) eating at 900-1100 calories on your new diet, your body has lowered your metabolic rate to cope with this new lowered intake. When you ultimately crash and binge eat (I guarantee you will, because a diet based on extreme caloric restriction isn't sustainable for any appreciable length of time, and you will be irritable and miserable with no energy), you will gain weight and/or bodyfat even faster than before!

Another disaster that can result from eating at a very low caloric level is your body going into 'starvation mode'. There is alot out there about this and it's way overblown IMO (people missing a single meal and freaking out because they think they'll be in starvation mode). This isn't something that will happen over night, or even in a week, but it can eventually happen, and will wreak havoc on your body! Your body senses that it isn't being fed adequately. Besides slowing your basal metabolic rate as mentioned above, your body may also hold on to its fat stores. It will even create NEW fat stores from dietary fats (fats consumed in your diet). Basically your body says "hmm... I'm slowly being starved. Instead of metabolizing this dietary fat and using it for immediate energy, I better store it for use later in case I'm starved even more!" We as a species have adapted to cope with times of famine, which is a great thing - when there's risk of famine. I think it's safe to assume that anybody reading this article on their computer while flipping through an $8 Muscle and Fitness mag doesn't anticipate facing famine anytime soon, so for us, it's NOT a good thing. So you see, you're starving yourself in an effort to lose bodyfat, and in response your body is not only holding on to that bodyfat (while breaking down muscle to compensate, more on that next), but it's actually storing additional/new bodyfat! Completely counter-productive!!!

Possibly worst of all is what I mentioned above - the breaking down of muscle tissue/LBM (lean body mass). Your body requires more energy to maintain muscle mass than it does body fat, because fat isn't considered 'active' tissue, while muscle is. When your body isn't getting sufficient calories, it doesn't want to use energy for anything non-essential (breathing, organ function, etc would be considered essential to life) and having big muscles is NOT essential - so which do you think is going to be the first to go, fat or muscle? You got it - muscle tissue. I've seen it happen. People go on severe calorie restricted diets and use nothing but the scale as their guide. They see that they're losing 4, 5, sometimes 6lbs a week. "OMG, that's GREAT!!!" A few months later, they wonder why they don't look like that lean, cut, muscular person they thought they would when they started the diet. Well, they basically lost alot of muscle and a little body fat. They simply look like a smaller version of the same person they were before. This is called 'skinny-fat'. It's dreadful. Trust me guys, i'm speaking from first hand experience, I've been there. The good news is it's possible to drop bodyfat with very little affect on muscle mass.

So if you're ready to take charge and be accountable for what you put into your body, let's stop talking about what you shouldn't do, and get into what you should.

Dieting 101: Cutting, the DO's

First, you need to figure out your TDEE. I won't go into detail here - you can find this information in Jimmyinkedup's sticky. CLICK HERE TDEE stands for 'Total Daily Energy Expenditure'. We'll refer to it as your 'maintenance level' at times. Let's say your TDEE is 2500 calories/day as an example. In theory, if you ate exactly 2500 calories/day, you will neither gain nor lose weight. This is a very oversimplified description and there are many other factors at play, but this is the gist of it.

Note: Before we go further, I want to make one point. We generally track our calories by the day, i.e. a 24 hour period of time. We will say "my TDEE is 2500 calories per day", or "I ate 500 calories under my maintenance level today". Understand that time is a human concept. It's an extremely useful tool that allows us to track and limit things we do in our daily lives. However, your body isn't aware of the concept of time. Your body does not wait until the end of the day to add up that day's food intake. Your body is constantly breaking down and buildling up. It's an endless process. People think they need to be in a constant state of caloric deficit, surplus, or maintenance. The point I'm making here is that your body goes through all 3 states, all at different times of course.

Now that you know your TDEE, you need to get over to the Bodybuilding Foods Macro nutrients Chart <-- CLICK and start making some food choices that you plan to use for your diet. Don't worry about portion size yet; we'll cover that shortly. For now, select some foods that you like. We will fill them in as we go through a sample cutting diet.

How many calories should I eat?

So your TDEE is 2500. You know that if you eat 2500 calories per day, you should maintain your weight. You also know that dropping calories too low is a terrible idea. So, what is the answer? The fact is, there is no set answer as we are all different. However, the general rule of thumb is to start with a deficit of 300-500 calories. You will need to monitor yourself closely and continue to adjust until you hit your 'sweet spot' (you'll know when you do). In my example, I'm going with a 500 calorie deficit, so my daily intake will be 2000 calories per day.

You can widen your deficit even further by adding additional activity. This would be my choice as opposed to reducing calories further. We will cover aerobic and cardiovascular activity later. Let's focus on the diet itself for now.

How many meals per day should I eat?

This is a hotly debated topic in the bodybuilding community. My answer is - there are many ways to skin a cat. Some people can eat 1 large meal/day and get great results. Some fast for several hours/day, then go through a feeding phase. For the purpose of this article, we are going to stick with the generally accepted standard of 6 to 8 smaller meals per day. I try and keep my meals about 3 hours apart. If you can only do 2 hours apart, do it. If you have a gap of 3.5 to 4 hours in between a meal, don't sweat it - it will have no bearing on your diet. The important thing is to hit your macros for the day, i.e. be concerned with eating what you're supposed to, and less concerned with eating every 3.122323424 hours.

I've figured out my TDEE, but have no idea how much protein, carbs, and fats I should eat to reach that number!

For our sample diet, we're going with a TDEE of 2500 calories, with a 500 calorie deficit - therefore our diet will be 2000 calories/day. There are countless macro percentage splits (macros = macro nutrients - you know, the stuff that makes up your food? i.e. protein, carbs, and fats), but a widely accepted starting point is 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats, shortened to 40/40/20. So 40% of 2000 calories = 800 calories (2000 x .40 = 800) - that means 800 of your calories will come from protein, and 800 will come from carbs. 20% of 2000 = 400. 400 of your calories will come from fats. protein and carbs each contain 4 calories per gram, and fats contain 9 calories per gram, therefore this diet will consist of 200g protein, 200g carbs, and 45g fat (if I have to show you the math for how I arrived at these numbers, you have bigger issues than cutting bodyfat... just sayin!).

From this point, you can play with the numbers a bit to your liking. You may want to adjust slightly to make it 250g protein, 150g carbs, and 45g of fat. In so doing, the total of 2000 calories hasn't changed, only the macro split has. If you are at a relatively high BF% (high teens and up), these minor tweaks won't make a huge difference IMO, but I digress.

There is another method I like to use instead of percentages. I like to calculate protein needs first based on LBM, then fill in the other 2 macros accordingly. I like 1.5g protein/lb of LBM. So let's take a 200lb male at 20% bodyfat. His LBM is 160 (200 x .20 = 40. 200 - 40 = 160). 160 x 1.5 = 240g protein. Notice that the number is relatively close to the 40/40/20 example - so either way, you're covered. 240g protein = 960 calories, leaving you 1040 to split accordingly between carbs and fats. I would keep fats lowest, and carbs a bit higher. Play with the numbers and use common sense, or until you know what you're doing, stick with the percentage method.

But I don't know how I should combine my proteins, carbs, and fats. What should I eat, and when?

Great question! Now you know you'll be eating 2000 calories/day, at 40/40/20, then modified a bit to bring us to 250g protein, 150g carbs, and 45g fat. In our example diet, we will break this down across 6 meals, spaced 3 hours apart.

There are plenty of opinions on when to eat what, but one that I think everybody will agree on is to have a protein source in every meal. To make our sample diet easy to follow, I am going to break our 250g protein down evenly across our 6 meals. Note this isn't the 'right' way, i.e. some will prefer to have a bit more protein in the morning, and/or pre and post workout. It's up to you. Remember, this is just a sample. So 250g protein / 6 meals = roughly 40g protein per meal. When the fat macro is relatively low like in our example, I would do the same - break it down evenly across all meals. So 45g fat / 6 meals = 7.5g fat per meal. That leaves us with carbs, the biggest 'variable' and arguably most controversial of the macros.

On a diet where cutting bodyfat is the primary goal, I like to keep carbs focused around your high energy activity, namely, your workout. Pre and Post workout is an ideal time to consume the majority of your carbs. Your first meal of the day is also a great time for carbs for other reasons, but we'll save that for another article. For now, stick with me. We will have carbs in meals 1, pre, and post workout. 3 meals - i.e. 150g / 3 meals = 50g carbs per meal. You're ready to construct your diet!!!



Workout Day Sample Diet (macros only)

6:30am - wake up

7am - meal 1 - 40g protein, 50g carbs, 7.5g fat

10am - meal 2 - 40g protein, 7.5g fat

1pm - meal 3 - Preworkout nutrition - 40g protein, 50g carbs, 7.5g fat

2pm - WORKOUT

3pm - PWO CARDIO

4pm - meal 4 - Post workout nutrition - 40g protein, 50g carbs, 7.5g fat

7pm - meal 5 - 40g protein, 7.5g fat

10pm - meal 6 - BEDTIME MEAL - 40g protein, 7.5g fat

All you need to do is plug in the proper foods and quantities from Jimmyinkedup's list, and you're off and running with your diet!!! Easy enough. Note this is a very basic sample. There are many tweaks that can and should be made from this point. I don't want to get too far into that here as this is a basic guide, however I may rob a few grams of carbs from meal 1 and add them to meals 3 and 4, I may remove most fat from meal 4 and split it over meals 5 and 6, etc. I will address tweaks and such in a Q & A within this thread. Every diet should be monitored for progress, and adjusted accordingly. As your body composition changes, your diet will need to be adjusted.

My thoughts on some debated topics

These are just some random thoughts that I wanted to share. Some will agree, some will not. Don't take my word alone; do your due diligence, research, and draw your own conclusions. Experiment on yourself and find what works best for you. I've said it before - we are all different, and as such, we will all handle things differently. i.e. what works great for me might not work very well for you. Keep this in mind any time somebody is giving you advice.

PWO Nutrition - the 'magic window of opportunity'

We've all heard of it. After a grueling workout in the gym, you're COMPLETELY catabolic, your muscles are literally STARVED of nutrients, and are optimized for nutrient uptake. If you don't get that whey shake in IMMEDIATELY, that window is going to shut, and you've missed your opportunity to make leet gainz. Right?

Wrong. Kind of. Supplement companies and muscle mags have brainwashed us into thinking this way, and the fact of the matter is, as far as I'm concerned, it's way overblown.

Firstly, if you are eating a proper diet, and especially in the case of a good preworkout meal, you will not be catabolic in the sense you are led to believe. First of all, look up the definition of the word 'catabolism'. As per Dictionary.com - destructive metabolism; the breaking down in living organisms of more complex substances into simpler ones, with the release of energy

When you workout, you are breaking down muscle tissue. When you eat food, your body is breaking it down. These are both catabolic activities. Remember earlier when I said that your body is constantly breaking down and building up, all throughout the day, every day, 24/7? This is what i'm talking about. Look at the end of the definiton - 'with the release of energy'. Food is broken down in order to be used to rebuild tissue. Tissue is broken down and repaired via the nutrients from the food. It's all a process the body is always going through. So catabolism, by definition, is not this horrible demon that we've been brainwashed into believing it is.

Now that we're clear on that point, let's get back to PWO nutrition and the 'magic window of opportunity'. After a workout, you are catabolic by TRUE definition. Are your muscles STARVING? Overstatement IMO. Are your muscles primed and is nutrient uptake sensitivity heightened? Yes, i'd say so. Does that automatically stop after exactly 1 hour? Definitely not. In fact, studies show that sensitivity INCREASES several hours after your workout. The point here is this - don't be so anal and worried about getting that PWO shake in the second your workout is over. Do your cardio. Take your shower. Take your time getting dressed. I assure you you're not missing out. By the way, if you're eating every 3 hours or so, you'll have a constant supply of aminos in your bloodstream and do not need to worry. If you're still concerned, sip on some BCAA's during your workout, or right after. It'll put your mind at ease if nothing else.

Consuming fats and carbs together

You will see alot of people recommending you separate your carb and fat meals. i.e. make your meals either protein/carb, or protein/fat, but not all 3. I used to preach this but have become more relaxed. Today i'd say I agree with this general principle (on cutting diets), within reason.

Both carbs and fats are broken down by your body for use as immediate energy, and/or are stored for future use (as glycogen or fat in the case of carbs, and fat in the case of dietary fats). However, glucose (what carbs are ultimately broken down into) is your body's preferred energy source and will be used first whenever present. If you eat a meal that's relatively high in both carbs and fat, your body will use the glucose (carbs) first, and what do you think is likely to happen with the consumed fat? It will very likely be stored as bodyfat. I should also point out here that dietary fat is much more likely to be stored as body fat than dietary carbs are.

So, I will usually have a small amount of fats in meals containing carbs. In meals containing trace amounts of carbs (i.e. a few grams here or there from protein powder, cottage cheese, etc), I may be more forgiving with supplementing some additional fat. A general rule of thumb is that you'll get all the fats you need by default from the foods you eat. Protein powders, meats, etc. With the exception of fish oils/ omega-3 EFA's, you shouldn't really need to supplement additional fats. Note: some people do well on higher fat, lower carb diets. You will see alot of people adding nuts, nut butters, avacado, etc. While the aforementioned foods have a decent fat profile, they are not factored into this sample diet. We are aiming for a relatively high protein, moderate carb, low fat diet in an effort to shed the most bodyfat possible.

Nighttime Eating and Catabolism

There goes that catabolism demon again, eating up all your muscle while you sleep!!! Thank GOD the supplement companies invented the Casein protein powder fairy!!! Here's the real scoop: if you are eating a sufficient meal late in the evening (by sufficient, I mean a slower digesting protein source, beef would be ideal as a last or 2nd to last meal before bed), you do not need to worry about burning through muscle while you sleep, or waking up on purpose to slam a shake. Number one, you're sleeping - while that still requires energy, it doesn't take much. Yes your body is most efficient at repairing damaged muscle tissue while you sleep. That's because it has nothing else to do, i.e. you're not moving around, requiring energy for anything else. Like I said earlier, if you are eating throughout the day every few hours, you ensure you'll have a steady supply of aminos in the blood stream, even during the night's 'fast'. Your body doesn't dump a huge amount of amino's into the bloodstream after you consume a meal, then an hour later you're on empty again. Think of an IV in the hospital and how it trickles - your body works more in that fashion. Digestion is a process that takes several hours (sometimes 12 or more depending on the foods). I always find it funny hearing about a guy who has a 10oz steak for dinner, then realizes before bed he was out of casein powder and starts freaking out, lol!!

There is a thread open for discussion on this subject click to HERE comment

.

• Like

Jenniferst78, JOJO77, Villan-83 and 9 others like this.

Every man has the ability to be a fool, it is what he does to recover that shows who the fool really is.
~Anonymous~

Those who believe that they are exclusively in the right are generally those who achieve something.
~Aldous Huxley~

Completely Cleanse Your Body of Steroids in Only 5 Days! - www.SteroidCleanse.com

[JaneDoe]

why the need for anti estrogens or AI's

I'm mainly posting this for newer users to this forum. the general consensus around here is that AI's are not needed and most guys on this forum have gotten much better gains after dropping their use of anti estrogens.


so question for you newer guys . why are you so concerned about estrogen and think that an AI is essential in your cycles ?


I mean most Anabolic Steroids don't even convert to estrogen in the first place. you can run a dozen different drugs and cycle for 20 years and never have to deal with estrogen in the first place because most drugs don't convert to estrogen.
yet you think AI's are critical on cycle . ummm , learn how to cycle

Masteron - doesn't convert and has anti E properties
Primobolan - doesn't convert and has anti E properties
Winstrol - doesn't covert
Halo - doesn't convert
Stenbolone - doesn't convert
DHB - doesn't convert
Proviron - doesn't convert and has anti E properties
Var - doesn't convert
Tbol - doesn't convert
Superdrol - doesn't convert
EQ - converts at a very small rate but has anti estrogen properties (your e levels go down not up on EQ)
Deca - does not elevate E levels but is progestinic
Npp - same as deca
Tren - does not convert but is progestinic
Metribolone - does not convert
Anadrol - does not convert but will activate estrogen receptors
SARMs - don't convert

I could go on...


now for the few steroids that do aromatize

Dbol - very estrogenic and aromatizes a ton
Ment - very estrogenic (have you even heard of ment let alone are you going to run it)
Cheque Drops - very estrogenic (have you even heard of cheque drops let alone are you going to run it)

^ pretty short lis here eh . and two of the drugs listed you likely never even heard of.



so when you compare these lists and think about the actual AAS your going to run ,, why are AI's even a consideration for your cycles , let alone a focal point of them.


note - I left out Test because test is not technically (by medical definition) an Anabolic Steroid , its a naturally occurring androgen. and yes test does convert to E , but thats what its supposed to do, thats how we make the estrogen we need. when you add Test to any cycle you do , your doing so for the whole purpose of getting the estrogen you need (because most other steroids will shut down natural estrogen production, and we need estrogen for health and to build muscle).



so with all the different drugs at our disposal , we can surely run a various amount of steroid stacks without ever needing an AI.

and the most simplest common sense thing in the world is -- IF you don't want elevated estrogen then simply don't run Aromatizing Steroids. DUH.. if you don't want elevated estrogen, then by golly don't run Dbol and Ment together silly.. Run Deca and Winny or the countess other AAS that don't aromatize .
if you don't want elevated estrogen, don't run a gram of test. its that simple. running an estrogenic compound on purpose, then running an AI with it is counter productive and defeating the purpose. the whole reason you would decide to run an aromatizing compound is for the very reason that it does aromatize and you do want the estrogen.
eg,, if you were running a SARMs cycle but didn't want to suppress estrogen, you could add a low dose of Dbol to get some estrogen.



the use of AI's is totally over blown and over exaggerated . people talk about using AI's all the time. heck some guys will say you shouldn't even run a cycle without them . what a load of crap . look at the big picture. look at the AAS at our disposal . AI's are completely unnecessary

side note - and of course estrogen is anabolic and helps build muscle , helps blood flow and vascularity, helps with muscle pumps and glycogen loading, increases IGF , etc .. so why would you want to suppress an anabolic hormone when your trying to build muscle in the first place.
AI's are anti anabolic and hinder gains

Last edited by GearHeaded; 11-25-2019 at 08:22 PM.

• Unlike

You, Bjorg89, Chark and 1 others like this.

[JaneDoe]

STOP running estrogenic compounds if you don't want estrogen sides !!!!

ok so I've said this over and over again on here. but I figured I'd make a post and make it as clear as possible, especially to our newer members on here.

so you want to run a cycle BUT , for whatever reason you don't want elevated estrogen (which is in itself silly being elevated estrogen in the presence of elevated androgens is extremely anabolic and is the whole reason your cycling to begin with .. but whatever, for some reason you want to keep your E levels low while on cycle) .

ok , I get it . you want to run a cycle but keep E levels in the low range. fine. but why in the hell are you picking Test and Dbol as your compounds to run !! then choosing to run a whole bunch of an AI or Nolva just to block estrogen.
thats completely defeating the purpose of those two compounds . you run those compounds FOR the estrogen conversion to begin with.

it makes zero sense to run test only cycles or test and dbol cycles , when you want to keep E levels low . thats like deciding to buy a Ferrari and then put a speed governor on it (like an AI) that only lets it go 40 miles per hour.. lol whats the point.
the reason you run test and dbol is FOR the estrogen conversion in the first place! if your going to run those compounds, then block the estrogen (which is what those compounds do) then your defeating the purpose.


are you not aware that a majority of the AAS available to us don't convert to estrogen in the first place ! ?

if your going to run a cycle and you want to keep E levels low (which again I don't think is optimal , unless your getting on stage) then design your cycle using non estrgeonic compounds . its that simple guys !!!
and screw the idea of test only cycles and test has to be the foundation of every cycle you do.. thats BS. if you want to keep E levels on the low end, then simply don't mess with test, or just keep it super low.

look , heres a list of a ton of compounds you can run and stacks you can put together without having to worry about elevated estrogen . none of these drugs would require an AI (in fact some of them actually lower E levels).
- Primo
- Anavar
- Masteron
- DHB
- Stenbolone
- Wnstrol
- Deca
- NPP
- Tren
- Eq
- halotestin
- superdrol
etc etc.. I could go on. point being, you can run AAS for years without ever having to touch an AI or estrogenic compound

why everyone, that wants to keep E levels low, keeps reverting to test only cycles is just ridiculous . expand your horizons.. run actual anabolic steroids , that provide more results and less sides then test, and don't convert a ton over to estrogen (if thats your goal ,, again I personally think estrogen is useful and should be part of most cycles.. but to each their own)

• Like

i_SLAM_cougars, Obs, 956Vette and 6 others like this.

[JaneDoe]

https://forums.steroid.com/igf-1-lr3...er-thread.html

[JaneDoe]

GearHeaded
Anabolic Member

Join DateNov 2017Posts6,890

AI's hindering your gains

In a lot of other threads I've spoken about estrogen being needed for growth and putting on muscle mass. I've talked about how you need to limit your AI use if you want to grow or are bulking. But that AI's are fine while in a cut cycle.
Also talked about how abusing AI's is a cause of a lot of negative problems while on cycle.
so I decided to put a lot of these points into one thread.

- Everyone knows that Tren is a drug that was produced for cattle to "bulk" them up for the slaughter. But what most people don't know is that these cattle get injected with Tren AND a crap ton of ESTROGEN , and this is how they bulk up. the estrogen plays a vital role.

Estrogen helps with muscle growth and other growth factors.. here are just a few benefits
- E helps promote nitric oxide production and stimulates better blood flow and relaxation of vascular system (it has cardiovascular benefits ,, this is why we see women in their early 20s with high levels of estrogen rarely ever having heart attack or stroke,, but men in their 20s still die from these things as well as do older post-menopause women with low estrogen)

- E works on a host of different receptors , from the brain, kidney, heart etc.. to skeletal muscle . Estrogen acts on a specific muscle receptor that is responsible for satellite cell proliferation (specifically interacts with ER-B receptors to increase myogenic substances). So estrogen encourages muscle growth in a very similar way as does growth hormone .. satellite cells are muscle stem cells that aide in growth and repair.

- Estrogen , in the presence of high levels of Test, will stimulate the elevation of IGF-1 (the most anabolic hormone) and thus aide in muscle growth as well as more satellite cell stimulation
^^. that right there is enough to warrant letting your E levels be elevated while on cycle if growth is your primary goal

thats kinda the science stuff . but even old school bodybuilders who had no idea the science as to why estrogen helps you grow knew it and they go on record saying they grew much better in the off season by not using an AI





if my main goal is growth , then I rarely use an AI (or use it at lower doses .. just depends on my goal for that cycle) but not every cycle we do is just about growth . if we want to stay tight and dry and less watery then we will probably need to use an AI often . my point is not to be afraid of E especially if growth is the goal.

my theory as to why high levels of test, with tren , with high levels of estrogen will really help a guy grow (if he's not gyno prone) is because of the massive spike in IGF-1 . IGF gains are more permanent growth gains , compared to just blowing up with Dbol for a few weeks


one more note on estrogen and AI's .. On most the forums the answer to most peoples problems is usually always "are you running an AI''. , "increase your AI dose'', and the comments on posted proposed AAS cycles is usually always "wheres your AI , you need it"" ... AI use is the answer for everything lol . but its all parroted BS Imo .

the reason why the cost of Arimidex has gotten so high over the past 7 years is cause of whats promoted on all the forums and so many newb users popping AIs daily like tic tacs.

these guys run 5-6 cycles and still look like they are natty lifters . also same guys always complain about lack of sex drive when they are running 500mg of test and should have a super strong sex drive ,, well what do you know, AIs directly effect your sex drive in a negative way.

stop abusing the AIs and you'll be fine. Stop over using the AI's and maybe you'll finally look like an enhanced bodybuilder and not like a skinny natty after running several cycles


I've been getting a lot of PM's from guys asking how to go about running a cycle with less or no AI use so they can get higher estrogen and better growth, but they don't want to end up with gyno. SIMPLE

Run 10-20mg of Nolva per day for the whole length of your cycle with NO AI. you'll grow much better and still keep estrogen in check at the receptor site.
even better, if your not gyno prone, then go without the Nolva as well and run nothing but your AAS compounds.

^^. thats not very popular way of doing things on most the forums, BUT its popular within the high ranks of bodybuilding. I currently have a pro level bodybuilding coach prepping me and he, like me, does not believe in using an AI if your trying to grow. I'm on 1500mg a week of test and no AI currently.

Heres a pic of a pro bodybuilder who is also a coach and never runs his off season growing cycles using an AI. He believes he grows much better without using an AI . and the pic seems to show that is true for him




if you guys are running a cycle for the purpose of adding muscular size and to grow ,, then you may want to re-cnsider how you use AI's

Last edited by GearHeaded; 01-29-2018 at 04:01 PM.

• Like

Charlie67, David LoPan and ThatGuy82 like this.

[zeph1ro7]

This thread is great man, really appreciate all the info!

[KINGKONG]

Looks like my tomorrow evening reading
Thanks guys, subbed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk