so you are able to keep the same detail, hardness, and seperation you had while on, but with a few less pounds?
Yes. Pretty much. I live in Ft Lauderdale and stay fairly lean year around since we never really have an "off" or "winter" season down here. The weather is always beautiful (shorts and sandals weather) and there is no reason to bulk up and get fat. Generally I gain a few pounds on the scale while on cycle, but become more vascular (about 30% increase). Which generally means I have gained a little more than what the scales show since I will drop a 3-5 pounds of fat too. But nothing drastically that means my clothes don't fit or I am out of breath walking up stairs.
I am lucky that I personally know quite a few pros and have trained many times with them here and back in Atlanta - Haney (post retirement, still a walking encyclopedia who never lied or fed me bullshit), Taylor (again, post retirement, still an awesome person), Freeman, Paul Baker (funniest guy alive and who uses the LEAST amount of AAS I have ever heard of despite his fucking monster size), Wilmore (worst case of BO you could imagine) Darrem, Shabazz, Rowe (could have been the black Bob Paris if he didn't have bad luck with motorcycles and hung around Shabazz all the time), Stafford (uggghh), McCrary (weird as fuck, total asshole mentality, but did learn a thing or two from him), and a few others. But the point I am making is that everyone of the pros that are known for having a small tight midsection (minus Wilmore and McCrary) were also known for NOT bulking up and going too far above their competition weights.
Freeman stays in decent shape year around and could guest pose with a weeks notice. Haney and Taylor were the same way.
I am never going to compete or earn a living in a thong so why be miserable upping the dose and having to eat a shit load of food all the time and sit on the toilet?
What do you run?
How do u have the self control to only do 3 months a year?
Can u explain how u alter your training and diet to keep gains?
I run Test Cyp, Test Enan, Test Enan/Cyp, Test Enan/Prop and Primo. Sounds like a lot but it isn't really. Let me clarify this a bit.
I get my test from a HRT/TRT clinic, which I have shared on here many times. I do NOT have low test. But what I do have is a professional license that would effectively kill my career if I lost it due to a drug charge for getting a hot pack in the mail or busted by someone ratting me out. I do NOT make money off my body or gym efforts, I make my money off my career which has to come first. So I waited post cycle about years ago and went to the HRT clinic and saw the doc. Remember I live in South Florida where these places are a thicker than the hair on a dogs back. I asked around about who was "cool" to go see and went there. So my test is legit for both where it comes from and for me to carry around. (I do photography as a hobby and a very good friend of mine contracts me out for his dream vacation travel services when he charters a vacation to be his official photographer. So I can legally fly with my stash and not have any worries.)
The common HRT protocol in South Florida (cookie cutter version) is :
200mg Test Weekly
500iu x 2 HCG weekly
2 x 1mg tabs adex weekly
All related supplies. Syringers, 18g needles to pull with, 10ml volume syringes (for preparing the hcg), insulin syringes, alcohol pads, etc...
1 annual doctor visit check up
3x annual blood/lab work
The Test you get is based on the doctor's opinion. All the test I listed above is what I get, not all the test I use. Your doc and Rx just cyp, or enan, or a combo of both, or he may choose to Rx one of the longer acting esters with Prop. The important thing here is that you ALWAYS save your extra vials once they are empty.
You get a box six times a year with a two month supply in each box. Obviously, you are going to end up with 1 or 2 extra test shots per box.
The clinics usually charge you $149 or $199 a month. In addition, due to the competitive nature of the clinics trying to get as many customers as possible and sale as many "extras" as possible, you often get some kind of "freebie" thrown in. Cialis or Levitra to try. Pain relief (Voltaren gel), etc... My doc even sends me a few Ambien sleeping pills a couple of times per year to help me on the long flights when I do a gig overseas.
Many of these clinics also offer legit HGH services and scripts. I posted more details on that in another thread here previously.
Ok, enough with the basics so you understand how these places work. What *I* do is, the 8-9 months that I am off cycle, I stock pile my supply every month. I don't use anything. I do not have low test technically, so when I go for my blood work at the times of the year when I am clean, I am still testing in the 800-900 range naturally. When I am on, I test over 2800 (depending on how long it has been since a shot and the blood draw). When the doc asks why my numbers are in the 800-900 range (typically, 1 shot of test 200mg every Monday will have you testing about 1000-1200 on Wednesday) I just tell him I missed a dose. He is cool about it and once you get used to the fixed pattern of when the tests occur each year, you can plan accordingly.
So for 3 months I use :
600mg Test
600mg Primo (Geneza Primo 200mg)
Now sometimes I will stay on for 4 months, but only if I have missed a bit of training (sick, hurt, traveling to places that don't have gym or cruise ships that have inadequate gyms, etc... let's face it. All the AAS in the world is not going to do you any good if you are on a 2 week safari trip with no gym to go to)
I don't use the adex because my E levels do not rise about 30 while on. Normal levels are consider 15-22. I do not have any issues with gyno, acne, or water retention (another advantage of only using AAS while you are in shape to begin with). I have tried using the adex in the past at his prescribed dose (2 of the 1mg tabs weekly) and at my own choice (1/2 tab on Monday and Thursday for a total of 1 tab weekly) and in both cases my E was ground down to under a 6. 2 tabs weekly had me barely registering a 1. And despite what some people think, you really NEED some estrogen in you. For mental and physical well being. The dry itchy skin, quickly and over irritating attitude, impatience, and joint aches that come from low E is nothing to look forward to.
I don't use the HCG because quite simply, I have never had a problem with my testicles shrinking on cycle. That is the ONLY reason that HRT/TRT docs add it to the mix. Oh, they say it is for the follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) advantage and benefit. Well guess what? It ain't happening. Once you add in synthetic test, your FSH drops to 0. Zero. Nada. Post HCG, you may get it to a 1.5 or 2 for a short time of 24-48 hours. But after that... nothing. Trust me, it is strictly cosmetic in this program. These 40 year olds that don't lift weights, all they do is play golf, sit on a boat and get Botox every eight weeks would shit their collective drawers if their testicles were to shrink. So the docs Rx it just to keep them and their "boys" happy. If you have a problem with shrinkage, then I would suggest taking it, but I don't have that problem so there is really no reason to use it. Like the adex they supply, I simply don't believe in using things that I don't need. I also don't believe in using things for another purpose than what they are known for. Which is why I don't recommend people using AIs for water retention. Yes, it will help.... especially if the water retention is from ER related activity, but if it is from going down and eating two dozen chicken wings every day, a shitty diet, alcohol, and generally unclean lifestyle, then using an AI isn't what you need.
The primo that I use, I only use Geneza brand. Why? I ain't going to lie. I trust it. And it's free. I know Naps. I don't mean I just know about him, like who he is and what his name is like some people do, I mean I "KNOW" him. Ok. Let's leave it at that. I trust his stuff. Some people swear by it. Some people swear it off. Some love other labs and hate anything related to Naps, but I believe in being honest and upfront. I trust him and I use his stuff.
This is why I save the empty vials from the test I get each month. I may have a script of legit test, but I don't have one for primo. So I transfer all my primo to my test vials. Now I can legally travel and not have to worry about TSA agents or LE causing a hassle. Unless they have a fucking AAS testing machine and protocol on site, they have no choice but to release me and my medications if there is any incident where they try to bring it up. Now in some cases, if they want to be an asshole they can look at the length of your trip and the quantity you have packed. For instance if I am going for a week, I really don't need 2 bottles that are 10ml each do I? Well, here is how you get around that.
You have your legit test in one bottle that says Test Cyp
You have your primo in another bottle that says Test Enan/Test Prop combo
***Important Note*** You make absolutely sure your doc has stated in the directions that use and administration of these medications are PRN. (Basically as needed is what this means and the person who determines when it is needed and how much is YOU). That is all. If you have it labeled as take 1cc once weekly, then you are going to raise suspicions showing up with two bottles of the same drug, one opened with 4mls in it and the other one brand new and unopened for a week or two travel trip.
Not that anyone has every questioned me about this. I have had it removed twice in six years from my bag and after seeing the script and checking my ID they waved me through. Once in Canada, once in UK.
But this isn't just for travel. You need to be cautious at home too. If you are not making money off supplement contracts, winning shows, magazine covers, etc... then you are not making money off your body (unless you are a $5000 per night escort) and really don't need to risk a drug charge. Yeah, the first time you will just get probation or some such with counseling, NA, etc... but do you really need that hassle? Not to mention it goes on your record and will only haunt you on down the road if you are charged with something else, even non related. I know too many people that got busted because cops were called for a domestic violence situation and the spouse turned them in and showed the po-pos where their stash was.
Bottom line, be legit and keep yourself safe.
For self control, it is fairly easy actually. I don't obsess with what the scale says. I don't earn a living off looking like a pro. I go between 220-228 year around, always with abs and vascular. More vascular on cycle. I don't dramatically increase in size while on, so I don't dramatically decrease in size while off. I look above average compared to most when off cycle and I am happy with that. I guess I do not have an addictive personality or have deluded myself into believing that I am going to be battling it out on the Mr O stage in a couple of years.
Now in regards to how I cycle my training and diet, this may seem unconventional, but I can assure you that very very few pros and big guys actually train intensely year around. Or diet very strictly. In a nutshell, this is the schedule I follow :
January - March PHASE 1
I follow a program that is a modified version of the one Phil Hernon charges $300 for. I didn't pay for this. I sort of developed/came into this on my own. It is a very short training program that is designed to increase your strength, "open up" the tendons and ligaments you use for bodybuilding exercises, and reintroduce the body to performing resistance training in a set movement path. The only difference between my version and Phils is the exercises. For instance, he advocates dips - I don't do dips. Etc..
(read on and this phase will make more sense later)
My diet during this time has my protein increasing, carbs lowering and healthy fats staying the same.
April - October PHASE 2
A more common schedule. Pretty much what everyone else follows. More volume - 10-14 total sets depending on the intensity. Reps are kept in the 10-12 range.
I do not do any cardio in the gym. Not saying that I don't do cardio which I do, but it is usually outside riding my bike all day on weekends, power walking on the beach - sounds beta but walking on sand is a hell of a lot harder than walking on the sidewalk or a treadmill, basket ball, etc..
The advantage to PHASE 1 is that the strength increases I have gotten during that time are more beneficial here once applied in the way of doing more sets and more reps.
My diet during this time has my protein increasing higher, my carbs leveling off to a moderate amount, and my healthy fats increasing.
November - December PHASE 3
This is actually a recovery/recuperation period. I don't body build or weight train at all. I stay active, very active in fact but in other ways. For instance one year I did two months of Cross Fit. (go ahead and laugh, but at least I learned what it was about and how it did and didn't work for me), another year (and this past year that makes twice) I went to TRX classes 4x a week. Using the bands and body weight exercises. One year I actually taught the PM boxing class at Golds Gym 4x a week. The absolute best thing I ever did was a few years ago there was a class that combined power yoga and foam rolling. Sounds like something a woman would do, but it was fucking intense and the positions on the foam roller were down right painful. I would love to take this class again, but the instructor went up to Palm Beach and they never got a replacement.
Basically what PHASE 3 is for is to first of all give your body time off from the grind in the gym and recuperate the CNS as a whole and any minor injuries or sore points you have developed over the year. But keeping yourself in an "active rest" type mod. By staying active with a certain intensity, you won't lose any gains you made over the year in the first two phases and you surprise the body by making it work hard at new things and in new ways. Incorporating movements that are not locked into a set path of movement like bodybuilding exercises are.
Since PHASE 3 normally turns out to be more aerobic in nature, my carbs go up, protein down, healthy fats stay about the same as in PHASE 2.
Now.... to retouch on PHASE 1 again....
When the above two months are over and you have stayed active, tried new things, pushed your body in new ways.... you start back over the next year in January - March again. Just like above. This is the time you reintroduce your body to resistant training in predetermined pathways again. You become familiar with the exercises again and reestablish a stronger mind/muscle connection that you didn't have from the random activities you did the last two months. You keep the reps around 6-8 and wake up the muscle memory a bit. You build strength in the muscles, and check out the tendons and ligaments to make sure any sore spots have healed. You don't really need to do a full blown work out during this time because after being away from the gym for two months, you will have an easy time catching up and surpassing where you were a year ago. The first month is basically a reintroduction and catch up. The last two are where you start really working on the strength increases that will carry over to PHASE 2 and make the volume training more effectively.
That in a nutshell is how I cycle, train and diet.
