Best Advice for Getting My Muscles Back Quickly

So I just after back in the gym two weeks ago and my last workout before that was in 2018. I started working out when I was 15 stayed natural my whole life and I am now 31 and trying to decide what is the best way to get back to my old self in the quickest way. Do I just diet hard and train? If I try to cut weight how much of my strength will I get back while cutting.

My max bench before was 315 for three,deadlift 405 for 5, and squat 365 for 5. My lifts now are bench 165 for 5, squat 185 for 5, deadlift 275 for 5. Iā€™m going get blood work next week and if my test is low Iā€™m hopping on trt. Just wondering whatā€™s the best and quickest way to get back to what I was.

I weighted about 185 Iā€™m now 206 but holding so much fat with my strength in the shitter. Does muscle memory still work after 4 years? Could something any type of supplement help or benefit me to shed my stomach fat quicker? This is some of my before pics and after





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Yeah, like everyone else.

64.89% or thereabouts.

ā€œTRTā€, right.

Yes, itā€™s a stack called ā€œpatienceā€ and ā€œdisciplineā€. Apply daily.

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IMO, just return to what you were doing when you stopped.

Clean up your diet, but donā€™t try to lose fat yet.

Rebuild your strength and muscle first.

The fat loss will be easier with more muscle

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Given that low testosterone can often be a product of lifestyle habits and, by your own admission, youā€™ve had poor habits these past 4+ years, is there a reason your immediate solution is medical vs lifestyle modifications?

TRT is an amazing treatment for a terrible affliction, but if you can resolve it WITHOUT TRT, that would be my approach.

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Best answer so far this year!

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So oxyelite or preworkout would not help in any type of way to lose weight? At all

I will stay natural if my test level are normal which Iā€™m hopping for. Iā€™m getting blood work done just to check on my cholesterol because high cholesterol runs in my family. I also have been fatigued but maybe it is due to poor lifestyle choices I just want to be certain Iā€™m also on Zoloft

Also do you think I should build my strength and muscle back up first or go on a cut and just lift heavy at the same time

Should I build my strength and muscle back up or go on a cut while lifting heavy?

4+ years out of the gym and already asking about shortcuts :roll_eyes:

P.S. Iā€™m jealous of your frame. You seem to have good genetics for bodybuilding. Based on your before photos Iā€™m guessing your T is actually on the higher end.

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This seems like a given.

What I am saying is, if they ARE low, rather than jumping straight to potentially irreversible medical treatment, I would adjust my lifestyle FIRST.

I did the same thing when I was prescribed a statin for high cholesterol: I fixed my lifestyle and got away from the drugs.

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Eat like an adult and get after it in the gym. When progress from your newbie neurological adaptations stall, then choose to dial in your diet and cutā€¦ youā€™ve got some time where getting stronger will not be impacted by eating less. Take advantage of it.

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I wish you didnā€™t post these lol

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You do realize that ā€˜normalā€™ for test is utter bullshit, right?

The typical range is 300-1200, so your top end is 4x the minimumā€¦ good luck figuring out standard deviations on that.

Also, Total Test is the metric they (and you) will probably go by, which is stupid. Get your Free Test checked cia Equilibrium Dialysis and then you have some idea as to what matters.

Yeah youā€™re like the sex ed teacher ā€œAbstinence is the only sure way, but I know youā€™re gonna fuck anyway so letā€™s talk about how to be safeā€¦ā€

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Howcome?

Because you reek of someone looking for shortcuts.

There isnā€™t a ton of research on restarting training after a break, but there is some. I think a decent rule of thumb is that it takes half as long to get back to your previous level of muscularity than the duration of the break. So for you, expect it to take about 2 years, assuming you work exactly as hard as you were working to reach that level of muscularity in the first place. That seems fairly reasonable to me based on the pictures you posted as well.

In the long term, it probably doesnā€™t matter if you focus on losing fat now or later, because youā€™ll have to do it at some point either way. Personally, Iā€™d probably prioritize that first because youā€™re carrying enough bodyfat to have a negative impact on your health, so Iā€™d rather get that sorted sooner than later. This will also be the fastest way to make a large visual improvement to your physique, which is a nice bonus and can help to maintain motivation.

Finally, you seem eager to start taking drugs of some type (steroids, fat burners, etc). Youā€™re a grown man so by all means do whatever you want, but I would seriously consider stepping back and reconsidering those impulses. It makes sense that you want to look better now, but thats not how it works even with drugs. From my perspective, its not worth jeopardizing your health and/or signing up for a life-long monthly charge at your local TRT clinic because youā€™re currently feeling a flood of motivation to look better. Do things right, and in 6 months youā€™ll look like a completely different person. Keep it up for another 18, and youā€™ll probably look pretty close to how you did in your ā€œbeforeā€ pictures. No drugs necessary.

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Iā€™m not giving advice Iā€™m asking for advice

You seriously need to post more often.

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