Just completed my first cycle ever, kept it light for a few reasons, mainly my goal was to drop fat while still gaining muscle:
12wks
300mg Test cyp / week + HCG
Week 2-5: 40mg TBol
Week 6-8: 60mg Anavar
The cycle was great, little to none sides, very clean gains (~10kgs, Got up to 103kgs) amazing state of mind.
Started my PCT this week but I live in Italy and the country has gone on lockdown because of the coronavirus (Literally no gyms).
I definitely won’t be able to train heavy weights until the 3rd of April and this may extend even longer (While on PCT!).
I have some weights at home but can’t do much. Legs, chest and back are out of the question, bi’s tri’s and shoulders can do.
I’m sure this will hurt what i’ve gained more than It would if I were allowed to go to the gym. I will probably lose more muscle and gain more fat.
I need an action plan to come out on top of this so I am looking for general advice on training and mainly diet for someone on PCT that cannot train heavy weights.
As always my goal is to stay lean while minimizing muscle loss.
Also, would it be a bad idea if I did a new cycle with the same dosages in around May?
I.e: 2 months after stopping the first one? I think this training ban will really set me back in terms of training goals and want to get back up as soon as possible.
Keep your calories up, you will gain fat, but that you can at least cut. If you drop your calories it will be tough to maintain newly built muscles. I’d worry less about fat gain and more about muscle loss in this situation.
Pull ups, push ups, lunges, up hill sprints, body weight squats. It’s not ideal, but keep the muscles being used so your body thinks it needs to maintain the muscle. You’re going to lose muscle no matter what, timing just sucks.
You could extend your cycle 4 more weeks… it’s a gamble , but hopefully gyms will be open then.
That’s a huge bummer. I would actually add primobolan for the boost in immune system, forgo the anavar and tbol. Rest period should equal cycle period. I believe a cycle should be at least 8 weeks, less than that, the gains aren’t maximal.
Okay if you can’t go to the gym , i would actually suggest you stop the cycle and do the usual wait 3-4 weeks then pct. Or you can opt for using resistance bands and continue the cycle. It’s pretty decent, but it’s not optimal.
Interesting, never heard Primo boosted the immune system. Do you have studies for this? What’s the reason why it does? I thought AAS were immunosuppressive.
Plenty of exercises you can do at home if you have some weights,(plenty of exercises if you don’t have many weights, like aaronca suggested).
For chest you can still do floor press with barbells or dumbbells, supine flyes on the floor, one arm flyes on your side. Pullovers .Not hard to find somewhere to do dips, even between two sturdy chairs.
You don’t have to have much weight. Do the reps slowly, and keep the reps high. Push ups with legs elevated on a chair, or between chairs.
Back; High rep deadlifts, even with light weight are good. Stiff legged deads for lower back and hamstrings.
Dumbbell row, barbell row for back.
Useful exercises not commonly used by bodybuilders, like kettlebell swings(can use a dumbbell too), and other kettlebell exercises, squats cleans and combos. These are great exercises, underrated by most people, especially bodybuilders.
I would guess while on. As said below, exogenous test has been shown to lower the immune system (I haven’t looked this up but have been told this by two respected TRT docs). Hence why 1,000-3,000mg of vitamin C is a relatively standard recommendation.
I have also experienced personally a horrible immune system during all 3 of my cycles.
Does indeed ring a bell though, Haven’t been sick entire 2019, but this februari i had a cold fever, during my cycle lol.
But I can’t imagen PCT being any better? I usually feel way worse and more weak during PCT than on cycle? Wonder how the immune system is during PCT, since it’s also going through processes at that time.
when at suprapyshiological doses androgens are immunosuppressant. the more androgenic= the more suppresion BUT if it’s a properly aromitizing compound (test) that’s a different story. estrogen is immunoprotictive so it will even itself out UNLESS you’re popping arimidex without feeling Estrogen side effecrs ( some people pop it just because they don’t want to hold water and think it has no repercussions. spoiler alert it does)
which is why some people get sick after shooting sust or prop at the start of the cycle. they don’t have any aromitizaton yet and they still don’t have it when the prop releases too fast for the aromatese enzymes to provide sufficient aromitizaton, resulting in a androgen dominant homeostasis (which isn’t homeostasis since it’s imbalanced)
Thanks for the tip, I was initially going to do the opposite in that I expected fat to be the major problem and hoped muscle memory would kick in once I started lifting heavy again but I guess I’ll just have to keep the calories a bit on the higher end and then cut down again.
There are loads of studies showing a weaker immune system while on TRT for example but I would still expect the immune system to become even weaker during PCT but that’s not founded and I couldn’t find much on the topic of immunity during PCT in particular so take it with a grain of salt.
Nevertheless, vitamin C is a must
If gyms were to open by the start of April again, and assuming my bloodwork comes back ok would it be a terrible idea to start another cycle like the one above by may/june (I.e. just 2 months after finishing PCT)?
Of course I would only do that If this corona thing has come to an end and I can be sure they wont close gyms again.