Advice for a first cycle

[Times Roman]

22 years old
6'2"
205lbs
~12% bf
Been training since 17 started taking seriously at 18
Bench - 225x10
Squat - 315x6
Military press seated db - 80s x12
Macros: 450c 220p 90f

I'll give you a quick tip.

(not enough protein)
redistribute your macros. Bump your protein intake by 100 grams of protein, and offset it primarily by reducing fat and carbs.

do that for six months instead of the drugs and see what happens.

Good luck!
---Roman

[Mike15]

I'll give you a quick tip.

(not enough protein)
redistribute your macros. Bump your protein intake by 100 grams of protein, and offset it primarily by reducing fat and carbs.

do that for six months instead of the and see what happens.

Good luck!
---Roman

How would this be any different then adding carbs as the bulk which I always have done in the past for the most? Why would it be more beneficial to be eating pretty much 1.5g protein/lb a day vs 1g/lb?

[Times Roman]

How would this be any different then adding carbs as the bulk which I always have done in the past for the most? Why would it be more beneficial to be eating pretty much 1.5g protein/lb a day vs 1g/lb?

in this lifestyle, compared to regular Joe six pack and dorritos that walks down the street, our minimum protein requirement is considerably higher than normal.

As a result, it is recommend you include a MINIMUM 1.5grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. When you lift, you are actually degrading muscle fiber. And it needs to be repaired. Hence the higher protein requirement. So say you are 180lbm. this means you would need at a very minimum 270 grams of protein. However, if you are eating at TDEE, we observe a macro distribution of 40/40/20. Some tweak it here and there, but it's generally where most start. What we do NOT do is to say, ok, my TDEE is 3,200 cals/day, and therefore I will only eat the minimum 270 grams of protein which would be 1080 cals and the remaining 2,120 cals on fat and carb. Although carbs are necessary, as it is the fuel that drives intensity in the gym and quite often mood (so you don't feel tired and grumpy), you do not want an excessive amount of carbs, as it is easily stored as fat when not utilized for energy. And you don't want all the excess dumped in fat either. So by increasing protein beyond the minimum, you are trying to "tease" additional muscle fiber growth, something you cannot do with either fat or carbs. By eating only the minimum in protein, you also run the risk of having gaps or periods of protein insufficiency. Protein is not as easily converted to fat as carbs. And about the stress excess protein causes the kidneys. if this risk were as real as the medical community would have you believe, then kidney damage would be a "fact of life" to this community. We do not typically discuss kidney issues, since it's really not a problem. We do discuss liver damage, as this is something that can happen when overly reliant on oral AAS.

Hope this clears up some of the "mystery' of why we need the protein at the levels we do.

Now, back to my original recommendation....

...bump your grams of protein by about 100 grams. Do that for six months and see what happens.

Good luck (again)
---Roman