Quote Originally Posted by sagittarius View Post
This is from "Anabolics", 9th Edition:

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Are the gains from steroid use temporary?

Yes, and no. Steroids can help you do two basic things with regard to muscle growth. First, they can allow you to more rapidly reach your genetic limits for muscle growth. Provided you continue to train actively, eat properly, and use an effective PCT program, you should be able to maintain at your genetic limit indefinitely. So in this regard, the early gains do not have to be temporary.

Later, steroids can allow you to push well beyond your genetic limits. It is important to emphasize this, as extreme physical development cannot be maintained long-term without the repeat administration of anabolic substances. The body will always revert back towards its normal metabolic limits once AAS are removed. In this context, some of the gains will not be permanent.

Steroids do permanently alter the physiology of your muscles by adding more cellular nuclei.With higher nuclei content, each muscle cell can manage its volume more efficiently, which allows more rapid expansion. Even after a long period of complete abstinence from training and AAS, the nuclei remain. This may provide a "muscle memory" effect, allowing you to reach your genetic limit (perhaps a slightly extended limit) faster than if you had never used AAS in the past. So in this regard, there are lasting benefits beyond the temporary increase in muscle size itself.
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That basically sums up the most compelling argument, THEORY again, that I have heard and yet I have not seen or experienced it....amazing uh - you guys must think I am living on Mars lol.
Let me add to the argument. steroids help you train and recover harder and better and hence increase the neuro pathways that are required to trigger the muscles etc. You can call it muscle memory or whatever, So when you are off the juice you can train and get to a higher level (not to the steroid level but a higher level non the less) QUICKER than before. That will help you get to your natural max quicker.
the problem is that I have not seen it happen that way. I have added muscle and a little fat post cycle ....convinced myself ever which way that I have maintained this and maintained that from the cycle use.....but NO, if I am honest with myself I do not believe it now. The pure muscle gain from cycle goes away after months of non use. Of course you still train hard and diet good and increase somewhat but that would have happened anyway. Even natural gains will look different (flat muscles) if you stop training, so you still need to train to maintain natural muscle....
I wonder what a competitor(s) on this forums have to say....?
Oh well.....
That