First 1-test cycle!

[Bryan]

Need some Advice on my first cycle

Well If my cutting continues to go as well as it has been the past few weeks. I should be able to start my cycle in 2-3 weeks. I'm currently 159lbs and 9-10% bf. I would like to try and gain 10lbs or so off my first cycle which consists of 1 bottle of 1-test(6g) transdermal[4 week long cycle]. I'll be hitting the gym 3 times a week and doing hiit 2-3 times a week to try and stay as lean as possible.

The first week I'll eat 3000 calories and the next 3 weeks 3500 calories. I'll aim for 250-300g of protien daily, 100g of fat(efa's/mono) and the rest from carbs(200g+). Low gi carbs of course, except post workout which will be dextrose . I wont drink any alcohol during the cycle and will aim for a minimum of 8 hours sleep each night.

Gonna stick with creatine during the cycle and will be taking my usuall multi vit/c/b-complex/glucosmine and 6-8g of fish oils daily.

COMMENTS?

 

[Alpha Dog]

A couple of things. First, my experience is that HIT is lousy for cutting (if your intent is to stay lean). Volume is best on cycle, HIT is great off cycle. Second, three times a week is probably light. You can increase workout volume while on PH's/AAS being that your body will recup faster. I would suggest hitting the gym at least 5 times a week for your 4 week cycle. I doubt you will have to wory about overtraining.

 

[Bryan]

Not HIT, HIIT High Intensity Interval Training, intense cardio.

 

[Bryan]

I was wondering if I should alter my training at all during the cycle? Here is my current routine.

Day 1 - Chest, Triceps,Shoulders

Chest
-Flat Bench Press 3x8-10
-Cable Crossovers 2x8-10
-Decline DB Press 3x8-10

Triceps
-Close Grip Bench Press 2x8-10
-Skull Crushes 2x8-10
-One Arm Push Downs 2x8-10

Shoulders
-Behind Neck Press 2x8-10
-DB Shoulder Press 3x8-10
-Lateral Raises 3x8-10


Day 2 - Back,Biceps,Traps

Back
-Bent Over Rows 3x8-10
-Front Pull down 2x8-10
-Wide Grip Chins 3x6-8
-Deadlifts 3x8-10

Biceps
-DB Curl 3x8-10
-Hammer Curl 3x8-10

Traps
-Shrugs 3x10-12
-Upright Row 3x8-10

Day 3 - Legs, Abs

Legs
-Squats 4x12-14
-Leg Press 3x10-12
-Lying Leg Curls 3x8-10
-Standing Calf Raises 3x12-14

Abs
-Weighted Cruches 3x10-12
-Hanging Leg Raises 3x10-12
-Side Bench 3x10-12

 

[Bryan]

anybody?

 

[CROWLER]

I think 3 days a week is fine.

Heck even guys on big steroid cycles MANY times stay with the 3 days a week.


I just wanted to respond so you knew there were people out here.

I didn't look your workout routine over real well I will check when I have a little more time.

 

[CROWLER]

IMO the front pull downs are not neccessary with the wide grip pull ups.

And maybe get rid of the side bends.

Do good mornings or stiff leg deadlift with arched back and only bring the bar down to the shins instead of the floor. Do this instead of the leg curl.

Drop either the shrugs or the upright rows.

Do your dead lifts with the weight already off the floor (set the bar on the pins in the rack) so you are working mainly back instead of legs which you already worked the session preceeding that one.

Just some suggestions can do or not do.

Good luck with your program and let us know how it goes.

 

[Bryan]

Thanks, I'm probably gonna start my cycle next friday. I'm going order some cytogainer tomorrow to make sure I can get my calories each day

 

[Bryan]

This is what I've got planned for post cycle recovery.

-ECA
-Clomid
-Keep calories high(3000ish->high protien/carbs)
-5g of Vit C
-Zinc/Flax

Should I keep training normally during the first 2-3 weeks after my cycle?

 

[CROWLER]

Sorry I am not knowledgable in that area but I will bump this for you.

 

[Bryan]

 

[AlexParty]

Bryan, why don't you train 2 on, 1 off, 1 on , 1off and reapeat? I'm sure 4 days is plenty of workout, plus yo need to give your muscles time to rest. I got the 2 on, 1 off training from a member on gaining-mass.com

 

[Kitchen Chemist]

When i did my first couple cycles of ph's i used a 3 on 1 off and repeat and i gained quite well, don't know how it would of compared to results if i just did a 4 day a week workout though.

 

[Bryan]

So you did say, Day1/Day2/Day3/Rest repeat?

currently I'm doing day1/rest/day2/rest/rest/day3/rest but I was wondering if I should up the volume while on my cycle. And also post-cycle do I keep working out normally?

 

[sage]

upping volume while using androgens is a good idea. personally, ive never had results with a three day split like you have currently. When coming off a cycle, you do need to cut back on your volume and frequency of your workouts. This should come naturally, without you even having to think about, "am i training enough, or too much, etc" Sage

 

[Bryan]

I'm thinking I might try the 3/1 ratio of training off days. Train mon/tues/weds/thurs off repeat starting friday/sat/sun/mon off. How does that sound? But then where does the hiit cardio fit in?

 

[kranden]

depends on what you are looking for, on a cycle if you are looking for mass, you don't want to do too much cardio because then you would have to increase your calories more to make up for the calories you burned running, otherwise I would just run on your off days or in the mornings and weightlift at night

 

[scotty2]

Shoulders
-Behind Neck Press 2x8-10

Anyone I've ever seen suffer a shoulder injury was as a result of these. IMO, AVOID, substitute with a barbell front press.

 

[Bryan]

Yah I actually dropped those a few weeks ago scotty, sorry I havent updated that program completely.

I want to gain LBM and alot of it I figured HIIT would be best for 2 reasons. 1) I love doing it 2) It burns alot less calories than regular cardio. I mean I can easily make up for a HIIT session by tossing an extra tbs of olive oil into my shake.

 

[AlexParty]

Bryan, Bryan, listen. You need to give you muscles rest, working out 4 days or 3 days straight I would not suggest unless your genetically gifted and are a mesomorph then go ahead it's probably good for you, but other than that a workout following by a none workout would probably be the best thing to do. So like this......> Mon(workout) Tues(rest), Wed(workout), Thur(rest), Fri(workout) and Sat + Sun rest unless you want to workout 4 times a week?? I'm gonna try a 2 on 1 off 1 on 1 off 1 on and 1 off = 7 days

 

[Bryan]

Alex, I usually do a 3 day split(work out 3 days a week) but since Im gonna be doing an anabolic cycle which helps with recovery I think I can up the volume a bit more.

 

[Kitchen Chemist]

Bryan, Bryan, listen. You need to give you muscles rest, working out 4 days or 3 days straight I would not suggest unless your genetically gifted and are a mesomorph then go ahead it's probably good for you, but other than that a workout following by a none workout would probably be the best thing to do. So like this......> Mon(workout) Tues(rest), Wed(workout), Thur(rest), Fri(workout) and Sat + Sun rest unless you want to workout 4 times a week?? I'm gonna try a 2 on 1 off 1 on 1 off 1 on and 1 off = 7 days

Definately don't agree with you here bro, when using gear or ph's you can up your workouts to twice a week no prob. Right now i'm working out monday to saturday and plan to for my whole cycle unless i'm away for the weekend.

 

[Alpha Dog]

Bump on KC's point. I see way to may guys on 7+ day routines before repeating while on PH's/AAS. Your body can take considerably more volume without overtraining while on 1-test. You should be able to go from seven day routines to four day routines witout a problem.

 

[AlexParty]

sure your body can take considerably more volume but your muscles still need the rest. I've read many posts where guys were successful with only 2 training days a week look at this thread http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=168850&highlight=cycle

not saying you should go for 2 training days cos if your on AAS then of course up the volume but this link is an example. I normally do 3 workouts per week but going on AAS I will up it 4 days a week.

 

[NPursuit]

Here is one for you guys. My usual routine off cycle is 2 on 1 off 1 body part per day. When I started my cycle I planned on switching back to my old routine of 2 body parts a day, and I soon realized the second muscle group always get's the shaft. I guess my body just prefers going in pounding out 12 sets and calling it a day. I am up 11lbs. on this cycle going into week 3, and my strength is going up significantly. I guess you need to listen to your body, and do what's right for you.

 

[Kitchen Chemist]

I agree about the second part getting the shaft but i usually do back then bis the first day and bis then back the second time around.

 

[NPursuit]

Originally posted by Kitchen Chemist
I agree about the second part getting the shaft but i usually do back then bis the first day and bis then back the second time around.

 

That never seemed to work for me either.  I never had enough left in me to hold on to the bars.  I never liked working the smaller muscle first, but I guess it's another case of whatever works for you stick with it.

 

[Bryan]

I think I should be able to handle the increased volume, esp since I know my diet/sleep will be on key the whole cycle.

 

[AlexParty]

Bryan, your right. The diet and rest is the "key"

Npursuit, why dont you do major muslce groups with workouts like bpress, shoul.press etc.. and anyways the smaller muscle groups will act as synergists to the bigger exercises. This should increase genral mass. If your looking to be specific then I guess you do your way of training. Howe is your training working out? Are you an ecto or meso? I should ask this whole board if there are any successful ectos/hardgainers.....

 

[NPursuit]

Originally posted by AlexParty
Bryan, your right. The diet and rest is the "key"

Npursuit, why dont you do major muslce groups with workouts like bpress, shoul.press etc.. and anyways the smaller muscle groups will act as synergists to the bigger exercises. This should increase genral mass. If your looking to be specific then I guess you do your way of training. Howe is your training working out? Are you an ecto or meso? I should ask this whole board if there are any successful ectos/hardgainers.....

I do all the major exercises.  I don't believe I ever said I didn't.  I just don't have as good of a workout if I do 2 muscle groups in the same day.  An example would be

Deadlifts

Pullups

Bent over rows

After wrecking myself on these exercises the following bicep routine would not be as intense.

BB Curl

Hammer Curl

Incline DB Curl

Behind the back wrist curls

 

I am not a hardgainer.

 

[quasar]

Three days a week seems like too much work in too little time.  Why not work out 5 days a week and do more sets and only work one muscle group/day?

After reading this thread, you guys have me thinking I work out too much. I used to do a powerlifting/football training routine where I would hit each muscle group 2x per week with lots of compound movements and a light day/heavy day spread.  Now I'm doing Max-OT where each muscle group is trained once per week but with more volume and it feels easier and more effective than my previous routine, tho it helped me get into shape.  Usually I do a 5on/2off every week and take a week off to do pure cardio every month or two. I'll usually do about 25min of cardio as a warm up and then lift for 40min.  I've tried cutting cardio and focusing more on lifting but I feel fatter around the stomach when I do. Any suggestions? 

 

[AlexParty]

First, getting fat around the waist is normal if your going for size, you should avoid cardio since it might hinder your results, UNLESS your a mesomorph or have genetics. But you do what's best for you, if training the way you were training gets you results, then continue, but if your not happy with it try and do max 4 workouts per week. Your body needs rest, your muscles need time to repair. So in my opinion try and get more rest and remember when you get the size you want by either bulking or whatever then that's when you "cut down", not while your trying to gain size. How much do you weight?? whats your body fat?

ps: If your lifting weights while trying to hget rid of the fat around your waist, then good luck because it's gonna be a slow process. You have to focus on one thing, either you lift to get size, or you go on some fat loss diet. It's one or the other, not both.

 

[AlexParty]

Sorry I forgot to add, try and make your warm-up 4-6 minutes. Then stretch, then workout. Keep it under 70 minutes.

 

[quasar]

thanks for the suggestions bro, it's good to know some heaviness is normal and I'll try cutting cardio and lifting more, esp on my upcoming cycle! later

btw, my height is 5'9" (medium frame) and I weigh about 183lbs with about 20%bf tested about 2 months ago by fat calipers; 20% seems high but I seem to do more cardio at higher intensity than most everyone else at my gym and I don't look fat anymore but still have a small tire from youth that I can't shake (too much junk food as a kid)

 

[AlexParty]

Hmmm I see, I know exactly what you mean. This may be a bad suggestion and I don't want anyone to say I am corrupting you but if your looking to "cut down" the cheap way but effective get "Drythoxicut", man this stuff will give you a fu*king burst of energy. I used it to play soccer and it's crazy ****. It's 10 times better than Ephedrine Plus or Pure, why? Because it has other ingredients like caffeine, Chromium and 20mg of ephedrine(that's basic). This stuff is clinically proven to burn fat fast. Not only that it speeds up your metabolism. It cost me 60$ Canadian and since it's illegal here it's hard to get, since you live in the states I'm sure it'
s easy access. Oh another tip, if you want to lose the fat off your waist there is no better way than a fat loss diet with cardio. One of the best ways for a cardio run is when you wake up in the morning. Since you sleep for max 8 hours your body is free of any food so if you go for a run on an empty stomach you'll burn fat in a great way. Has always worked. I'm on the same boat bro. I've got some fat around my waist(not too much). I never had that before but only because I eat alot for size. I'm around 5'10 and 162 LBM now. If there's anything I can help you with let me know. One more thing, have you done any pros or AAS?