This is without a doubt my biggest pet peeve in the arena of weight training for strength and size........
CAN ONE KEEP THE SIZE AND STRENGTH GAINS THEY ACHIEVE AFTER A CYCLE OF PH'S OR AS?
Guys who cycle PH's (I am one) or who cycle AS (I used to 15+ years ago) are very free with their "advice", and most of what I see on the Internet is downright WRONG or based on WISHFUL THINKING, because the "advisor" is hoping they will keep their gains they've achieved with their PH's or AS.
Even with usage of post cycle ancillaries like Nolva, Clomid, 6-oxo, etc., whether or not one "keeps" their hard earned strength and size post cycle (AS or PH) depends ENTIRELY on whether they've exceeded their natural capacity to maintain that size and strength. I realize the difficulty in defining one's "natural capacity", a lot of it has to do with age, number of years in training, diet, etc. We're all VERY different is this regard, and my potential may be quite a bit less OR quite a bit more than the that of the next guy.
In any event however, in the end it's pretty simple. Once the PH's, AS's, post cycle ancillaries, etc. all leave one's system, and this may take several months time, the endocrine system will return to it's normal range.
Burn this next paragraph into your mind, indellibly, FOREVER....
If anyone's gains while on cycle have exceeded their endocrine system's ability to sustain that post cycle, strength and size will be lost. If you have NOT exceeded your endocrine system's ability to sustain size and strength, you will likely keep it with continued good training and diet.
What TYPE of PH or AS you took, what supplements, all the rest, it makes no difference. It also makes no difference if you are more of an ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph.
If your endocrine system cannot maintain the size and strength, pffffffffffftttttt like a balloon inflating while you're on, then pffffffffftttttttt DEFLATING when off. It's that simple. And we see it week in and week out in any gym anywhere that PH's and AS are used by members who train there. In spite of the rhetoric one hears everywhere about "oh yeah, you'll keep your gains on THIS STUFF", one only needs to look around to see proof to the contrary. If that isn't enough for you, just look at guys who "used" to compete but still train naturally. They're few and far between, and while the guys who still train look great, they're only a shadow of their former selves.......... so if I'm wrong here, why is this so?
Here's a practical example: Take a normal, healthy 22 year old male with purely "average" atheletic ability, and who's been weight training 6 months. He began by being able to bench press 135 lbs. for 5 reps on his very first day of weight training, After 6 months time, he was able to bench press 185 lbs. for 5-6 reps. Within 1-2 years, (training naturally) he was able to bench press 215 lbs. for 5-6 reps. After 4-5 years time, he was able to bench press 225 lbs for 10 reps and put up a 300 single rep max. And after 8-10 years time, he was able to bench 315 lbs. for 4 reps and put up a single rep max of 350lbs, and now was 32 years of age. This is no small accomplishment for the average Joe who begins struggling with 135 lbs for reps, unless they're partricularly well constructed for leverage on the bench press. And btw, there are plenty of bro's out there who don't have the genetics to build a 300 pound bench press. Don't feel bad, it's more important that you "look" like you can bench 300 lbs., and that can be achieved by most guys.
Now there no doubt are bro's reading this who have naturally built 400 lb bench press, in half that time. You are the exception NOT the general rule. I have a brother in law like this, and it's damned annoying frankly. But he's almost a pure mesomorph, he has the gift. That's great for you and other guys like that, but you're not typical. In fact, my scenario above may even be aggressive for gains for some people, but again, I'm assuming we're talking about average or so atheletic ability, and a high degree of dedication/perspiration.
I submit to you that at 32 years of age, and after 10 years of dedicated intensive weight training, whatever this individual can bench, they're within 90-95% of their overall "natural" strength and size potential.
Now let's take the non-existent "1 cycle only" hypothetical. I say hypothetical, because no one only does 1 cycle, be it AS or PH's. In both cases, (PH or AS) the cycle is smartly crafted for this individual by an (older fart) veteran who smartly advises both on cycle and post cycle meds, sound dietary advice, etc.
On a good PH cycle, this guy may gain 30-40 pounds on a single rep max. On a good AS cycle, he may achieve 40-60. My experience is that there are guys who have achieved more, however it's not usually their first cycle. With PH's for example, very often you'll read about guys who have put 50 pounds on their single rep bench, but oftentimes they have taken AS when they were younger, and so they have a "muscle memory" advantage over guys who have not taken anything before. It's just like the guy who trains for 2 years, takes 6 months off, and then resumes. Well, if he resumes training with a newbie, the newbie will probably be a little frustrated because his training partner will increase all of his weights very quickly by comparison....... HIS body REMEMBER's being larger and stronger, and comes back MUCH more quickly than it took to build the first time, hence the term muscle memory.
So let's go back to our example. Our guy on PH's went from a 350 single rep max to a 390 lb single rep max on Ph's. Not too shabby at all, although he was probably hoping to crack 400 (also why NO ONE only does 1 cycle). With post cycle meds, his system doesn't crash, so he doesn't lose any natural ability. Still after 4 months time, he no longer is training with all those extra androgens in his body, and by comparison, he feels very flat and isn't nearly so motivated as he was back when he was taking them. He's still training "hard" but he's had to back off a bit. One has to, to avoid injury if they're training beyond natural capacity.
In all liklihood, within 4-6 months time he will be bench pressing 350-360 lbs. He may retain some of his gains, but he could probably have gotten that extra 10 pounds just training naturally.
What if our bro started taking the same PH cycle back when he was benching about 275 lbs ? Well, then if he added 40 lbs to his bench press, but was still within his natural potential, he'd have a better chance of keeping more of those gains if again, post cycle, he was taking ancillaries like Nolva, and continued to train and eat well.
While the difference is "easy" on paper, what each of our "natural potential" really is, is more difficult to say.
But in a nutshell, that's how it works. The TRUTH is, if you can't build it naturally, through diet, training and rest, you are NOT going to be able to keep it post cycle. IF you can build it naturally, you have a better chance.
In the end, we are products of our genetics and our natural hormone levels. Guys with high natural test levels are the gifted atheletes, and they can and do go farther. If you're in the "normal" range, or even below that, well you weren't blessed with genetics, hopefully you have other gifts. You then are going to have the greater difficulty keeping your on cycle gains because your endocrine system will hold you back.
Sorry, but that's the truth. And I would like to see more people aware of this when they're making the decision on whether to take or not take PH's and AS. Mind you, I don't care which way you go, only that you not be making your decision based on bad information or wishful thinking by others who don't know and haven't been there.
Good luck,
Train hard
Train smart
Be well.