Recomp diet

[Lacosanostra]

Hi all,

I’m 32, 11-12% BF, 6’, and around 195 lbs.

I just started my first test enanthate cycle @ 500 mg per week (250 mg Mon/Thur). It will be a 12 week cycle. I am also taking 25 mg aromasin E3.5D as per your recommendations.

My goals, broadly speaking, are to gain about 10 lbs of LBM with minimal fat and water gain (obviously). More specifically, I want to add volume while losing the last bit of fat around my love handles and develop better vascularity on my bicep, at least. I should also add I am an athlete so would hate for my added size to impact my speed, agility, and stamina.

My pre-cycle diet consisted of a caloric deficit on 3 non-workout days and a caloric surplus on 4 workout days. Having had apparent success naturally, I have continued this trend on my first week of cycle.

Here are my macros...

Non-workout 2200 kcal - 20% C / 40% P / 40% F
Workout 3600 kcal - 30% C / 30% P / 40% F

Regardless of the day I'm mindful to keep sodium, saturated fats, and sugars down while maximizing potassium. (I aim for a 2:1 potassium to sodium ratio generally hovering around 2000-3000:1000-1500 mg ratio)

Thoughts? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Whisky]

Honestly bro it looks really good to me. Literally only thing I’d say is protein could be higher (to take advantage of increased synthesis while enhanced) - your 220-270g per day and personally I’d want to be 1.5g per lb bw so 300g plus for you - but others may say otherwise.

It’s a small point as you obviously know what your doing and to be fair your goals aren’t to get massive anyway.

You’ve done really well natty so clearly your discipline is spot on. Hope you have a great cycle brother.

 

[Wobmarvel]

Looks more like a cutting diet to me. I went as low as 2200 cals when I cut last year and that was when I had got down to below 170lbs. Currently logging an sd and Lgd cycle and even at 4250 cals per day I am peaking at about 191lbs. Also 6 ft tall BTW. Do you actually have love handles at 11% body fat?

 

[Lacosanostra]

Looks more like a cutting diet to me. I went as low as 2200 cals when I cut last year and that was when I had got down to below 170lbs. Currently logging an sd and Lgd cycle and even at 4250 cals per day I am peaking at about 191lbs. Also 6 ft tall BTW. Do you actually have love handles at 11% body fat?

Yes...you can check my pictures on my "Gyno or paranoia" thread...

 

[Whisky]

Looks more like a cutting diet to me. I went as low as 2200 cals when I cut last year and that was when I had got down to below 170lbs. Currently logging an sd and Lgd cycle and even at 4250 cals per day I am peaking at about 191lbs. Also 6 ft tall BTW. Do you actually have love handles at 11% body fat?

Personally I think there’s too many variables (metabolic set point, activity on non training days, diet, daily supps etc etc) to compare person to person.

I think anyone who gets to the same position as op likely has a handle on maintenance/cutting/lean bulk levels.

Personally at 6’2 and 220lbs I’m gaining on cycle at 4,000 Cals. Yet at 200lbs last year I cut at 3,250. Activity levels the same (shed load of fasted cardio) and diet clean as anything. Compared to others I’d probably expect to need more to gain and less to cut lol

 

[Lacosanostra]

Personally I think there’s too many variables (metabolic set point, activity on non training days, diet, daily supps etc etc) to compare person to person.

I think anyone who gets to the same position as op likely has a handle on maintenance/cutting/lean bulk levels.

Personally at 6’2 and 220lbs I’m gaining on cycle at 4,000 Cals. Yet at 200lbs last year I cut at 3,250. Activity levels the same (shed load of fasted cardio) and diet clean as anything. Compared to others I’d probably expect to need more to gain and less to cut lol

I don't know if it's so much the details of the diet that I'm questioning (specifically because the points you bring up regarding variability) as much as it is the concept of recomping versus the traditional "lean bulk" - that is, strictly a caloric surplus 7 days per week.

There's a lot of information online pertaining to this debate, but not too much tailored to those on gear.

The issue I find myself encountering naturally is whenever I want to drop my BF anymore on a "cut" I start losing muscle and by that same token, whenever I try adding more size my BF increases.

How much do the rules change? Can I do, say, a 3500-4000 calorie "bulk" without as much concern for gaining body fat? Or should I stay the course?

Personally input and experiences greatly appreciated.

 

[Wobmarvel]

Your "before" pic looks better than any of my "after" pics so I'm out.

 

[Whisky]

I don't know if it's so much the details of the diet that I'm questioning (specifically because the points you bring up regarding variability) as much as it is the concept of recomping versus the traditional "lean bulk" - that is, strictly a caloric surplus 7 days per week.

There's a lot of information online pertaining to this debate, but not too much tailored to those on gear.

The issue I find myself encountering naturally is whenever I want to drop my BF anymore on a "cut" I start losing muscle and by that same token, whenever I try adding more size my BF increases.

How much do the rules change? Can I do, say, a 3500-4000 calorie "bulk" without as much concern for gaining body fat? Or should I stay the course?

Personally input and experiences greatly appreciated.

Ah I’m with you.

I only ran my first cycle last year, and that was a basic ph stack but as someone who regains fat really easy I was staggered at the nutrient partitioning effect, I was getting leaner at a 500 surplus where previously that would have seen me gaining fat for sure.

The rules do change. Fat gain is possible definitely but if your diet it clean and you don’t go crazy then it’s unlikely.

Recomping is really hard natty but very feasible on gear. Just eat around maintainence and you’ll add some lean mass and drop some bf.

If it’s the idea of some deficit and some surplus days your wondering about I’m going to tag hairygrandpa - sure I saw you were now doing burn and build days? (Although your thread is far to many posts for me to search and check).....I like that concept but haven’t tried it myself.....logically I would expect it to work but be better suited to being natty purely as you can recomp without doing it on cycle...

 

[hairygrandpa]

Ah I’m with you.

I only ran my first cycle last year, and that was a basic ph stack but as someone who regains fat really easy I was staggered at the nutrient partitioning effect, I was getting leaner at a 500 surplus where previously that would have seen me gaining fat for sure.

The rules do change. Fat gain is possible definitely but if your diet it clean and you don’t go crazy then it’s unlikely.

Recomping is really hard natty but very feasible on gear. Just eat around maintainence and you’ll add some lean mass and drop some bf.

If it’s the idea of some deficit and some surplus days your wondering about I’m going to tag hairygrandpa - sure I saw you were now doing burn and build days? (Although your thread is far to many posts for me to search and check).....I like that concept but haven’t tried it myself.....logically I would expect it to work but be better suited to being natty purely as you can recomp without doing it on cycle...

I'm not the guy to tag about diet, LOL. Everyone responds differently. My own weird diets are hit -and miss.