Tbh you made some great gains on a minimal dose in your recent cycle. I was surprised how well you responded. I could picture Bhanky screaming at the mirror and throwing his skateboard at it when you were on.
Thanks Dalton.
I had reduced body weight a little before starting, assuming the gear would help me absorb nutrients like a spong if I sort of started in a deficit.
I roughly doubled my calories.
I also had 5.5 years of gear, so I had "fresh receptors", or whatever the scientific explanation for that is.
Gyms were also closed for over 500 days in Canada during the fake pandemic, and I had muscle memory on my side.
Add all those things up, and I don't consider my gains to be unusual. They were roughly what I expected.
I am 190 exactly now, but it's not just a body weight thing with gear - you just have a different look on gear.
Fuller/more pumped up, perpetually.
IMO, you cannot achieve that look without gear, with as little effort.
Even if I did have the same look - the pumps would not last.
You need gear for that.
The only thing that annoys me is that it's not possible to maintain gear gains off-cycle.
You can maintain a bit...for a while...but nothing close to 100%.
I wish that perpetual pumped look could be had off gear...but it can't.