Thou Shall Cut on Gear and Bulk off Cycle

How many times have you heard someone say “I’m going to bulk up while on cycle and cut up once I’m finished?” They are probably under the train of thought that they can eat everything in sight as long as it has protein in it. The trainee is most likely using aromatizing bulking agents for their cycle, which elicits estrogenic body fat accumulation in Alpha-2 enriched adipose sites.

Estrogenic Alpha-2 Receptors Shown Below:

A poorly planned diet disregarding quality calories on top of highly aromatizable compounds is a perfect recipe for looking like a sumo wrestler instead of a bodybuilder! These misinformed individuals typically think that they will magically cut up once they cease their cycle of anabolics. Due to an ignorant nutrition program and a lack of understanding about the way hormones work, they set themselves up for a major disappointment.  Sure they naturally lose excessive water retention from discontinuing the aromatizing compounds and fool themselves into thinking they are on their way to being shredded, but that surely isn’t the case. In fact, they will most likely lose everything they gained on cycle, and perhaps look worse than before starting the cycle. An insufficient recovery, due to excessive calorie cutting and ineffective PCT products will yield a catabolic environment. Deciding to diet down during your post cycle therapy is perhaps the most catastrophic time to do so. You see, when in PCT, your endogenous hormone levels are plummeted and high calories from protein, carbohydrates, and fats are crucial in holding size, and keeping cortisol levels under control.  When you diet during a post cycle therapy phase you are essentially pouring more gas on the catabolic fire. You increase cortisol by reducing calories lower than on cycle, incorporating more cardiovascular training, and opting for lighter weight and higher reps for your weight training.  Please do not make this mistake and throw your muscle gains and money down the toilet, and keep reading to learn a better approach to proper hormone cycling.

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The wisest approach when cycling would be to aim for an extreme composition change where you diet stringently to achieve the lowest body fat possible, while gaining muscle mass in the process. In order to accomplish such a feat, you need to be incredibly meticulous with your diet, training, and cardio regimen.  You should plan a cycle that is safe and effective so you have adequate time to meet your goal. A 12-18 week cycle would be recommended as you want to gradually lower body fat and increase muscle mass. The first half of the cycle and sometimes a little longer is what I refer to as “the grace period,” meaning, at that time you should still have adequate nutrition for muscle accrual yet low enough calories to continuously shed body fat. The final 4 weeks of the diet should be brutally strict and at this time you will you go from “ripped” to “shredded.” Calories are further reduced and cardiovascular exercise is maximized, the exogenous hormones will be able to prevent you from burning up muscle.

“RIPPED to SHREDDED”

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Once the cycle is concluded you should be in the best shape of your life and looking absolutely amazing with paper thin skin, pronounced vascularity, and very chiseled features. By having the discipline and mental toughness to get yourself into such lean condition, you have set yourself up for a very productive Post Cycle Therapy and mass gaining phase simultaneously. You will need to plan your off cycle and bulking phase to perfection to yield the desired results. I would recommend Human Chorionic Gonatropin to have been sporadically implemented into the cutting cycle to keep luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone still functioning at some capacity. Proper SERM selection would be ideal for PCT alongside natural hormonal boosters such as, trans-resveratrol, d-aspartic-acid and quality Bulgarian tribulus.

HCG + Sustain Alpha + TCF-1 + Tribestan = Superior Hormonal Recovery.

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In the initial stages of your post cycle phase you want to really take advantage of your rebound, and voracious appetite, and ingest copious amounts of quality foods. Months of dieting dramatically increases your insulin sensitivity, which makes processing glucose from carbohydrates very efficient, driving nutrients into muscle cells opposed to adipose tissue.  You should prioritize nutritious carbohydrate sources from whole oats, yams, Ezekiel bread, various beans and berries. Fats should be from whole eggs, red meat, and essential fatty acids. Protein should be in ample supply from all sources. The first 2 weeks of this off-cycle and bulking phase will be incredible as you will soak up nutrients like a sponge and muscle cells will be engorged with glycogen, minerals, and amino acids. Strength will be creeping up from the extra weight gain and water retention, while fat accumulation hasn’t started to  manifest itself yet.

Ideal protein sources:                      Ideal carb sources:                    Ideal fat sources:
-Bonesless,skinless chicken breast       -Whole oats                                 -Egg yolks
-Lean and fatty fresh fish                      -Yams                                           -Olive oil
-Cottage cheese                                   -Flourless Breads                         -Fish oil
-Lean cuts of red meat                         -Black beans                                 -Raw nuts
-Whole eggs                                         -Berries                                         -Fat from meat

Keep in mind, what goes up, must come down. Meaning, you cannot keep forcing high calories like the first 3-4 weeks or else you are asking for excessive body fat accumulation. After week 4, you must put on the brakes and begin cycling your carbohydrates and calories accordingly to make sure you stay in acceptable condition for your bulking phase. This cycling practice is very common amongst competitive Bodybuilders who choose to stay natural in the off-season and only use hormonal assistance when preparing for a competition.  This method will allow you to get into amazing condition while on cycle and essentially grow off cycle. You also increase your post cycle recovery by introducing an influx of calories, which will boost insulin and testosterone from the carbohydrate and dietary fat intake.  You also get to give your endocrine system a nice break and clean out, so you can be receptive for your next bout of cycling. By now you should realize how detrimental it is to not diet or “cut up” once you conclude your steroid cycle, and that doing the exact opposite will be your best plan of action in achieving the optimal results for the goal at hand.

References:
1.) Demling RH, Orgill DP. The anticatabolic and wound healing effects of the testosterone analog oxandrolone after severe burn injury.  J Crit Care. 2000 Mar;15(1):12-7.

2.) D’Aniello A, Di Cosmo A, Di Cristo C, Annunziato L, Petrucelli L, Fisher GH:
Involvement of D-aspartic acid in the synthesis of testosterone in rat testes. Life Sci. 1996, 59:97-104.

3.) D’Aniello A, Di Fiore MM, D’Aniello G, Colin FE, Lewis G, Setchell BP: Secretion of
D-aspartic acid by the rat testis and its role in endocrinology of the testis and
spermatogenesis. FEBS Letters 1998, 436:23-27.

4.) Meikle AAW, Stringham JJD, Woodward MMG, McMurry MMP. Effects of a fat-containing meal on sex hormones in men. Metabolism, clinical and experimental 1990;39:943-6.

5.) Ferrando AA, Chinkes DL, Wolf SE, Matin S, Herndon DN, Wolfe RR. 1999 A submaximal dose of insulin promotes net skeletal muscle protein synthesis in patients with severe burns. Ann Surg. 229(1):11–18.