Tweet
Why training should NEVER be altered any differently while on-cycle as off-cycle.
One of the most common questions asked is whether or not training protocol should be altered or changed during a cycle of anabolic steroids compared to when off-cycle. It is well known that anabolic steroids increase the rate of protein synthesis in the body, and therefore decrease recovery times. However, it is a massive misconception that anabolic steroids decrease recovery time to the point where it will allow for what would otherwise be considered chronic severe overtraining. The fact of the matter is this:
If you need to ask the question "should I change my training and/or training frequency around while on-cycle compared to off-cycle?", then you are not ready to use anabolic steroids.
The answer is NO, nothing needs to be changed other than the usual changes in progressive resistance, exercises, and/or periodization. Changes to the overall training program, such as frequency or any drastic changes, do not need to be done. Frequency does not need to be altered, and there is no reason to suddenly begin training each muscle twice weekly while on-cycle if you were previously training each muscle once weekly off-cycle. The reasoning is simple. By the time an individual makes the decision to use anabolic steroids, he/she should already be at a point in their training whereby they hold enough experience to understand their body's responses to various training programs, lifts, set and rep schemes, and training stimuli. What put the muscle on there in the first place is going to keep it there! Not only that, but if you have been putting muscle on naturally at a steady rate and decide to engage in your first anabolic steroid cycle and maintain your training as it is, you will experience the maximum gains from your cycle because of the fact that anabolic steroids simply enhance what you have already been doing!! They do not create, they merely enhance.
And thus this is why the most prominent reccomendation to those looking to use anabolic steroids for the first time is to ensure that you have engaged in proper training protocols. If you can gain muscle naturally, then you can sure as hell gain muscle while you are on an anabolic steroid cycle, and most importantly: KEEP IT! Sure, anybody can put muscle on during a cycle, but if training is drastically altered under the false understanding that training should be changed on-cycle, then it is almost guaranteed that muscle will not be maintained following the termination of the cycle. Ask any veteren and you will find that there are stories abound about people engaging in anabolic steroid cycles too soon into their training journeys who either saw no gains during the cycle, or whatever gains were seen were lost soon afterwards. Why? Because they have not obtained enough experience yet in order to understand what training works for them naturally, and to stick to it throughout their training whether it be on-cycle or off-cycle.
Many people will use being on-cycle as an excuse to begin training muscle groups at a more frequent rate, and guess what? These people will end up seeing sub-par results and they will not achieve their expectations because they still overtrain, even on a cycle. Anabolic steroids reduce the likeliness of overtraining, but they do not completely remove the possibility. The complete concept is this:
Continue to engage in the same training frequency and routine you have been engaging in thus far (provided it has been beneficial up to this point) and the anabolic steroids will assist you in gaining even more size and strength. The way you train on-cycle is the exact same way you should train when off-cycle!
Now, with that having been established, I will now mention that diet is perhaps the single component of your bodybuilding/training that you should have a lot of freedom to change and work with, dependant on your goals of course. With nutrition and diet, it is basic: increase total overall calories and protein in order to gain muscle mass. This is especially important when on a cycle, as the increased levels of AAS will enable your body to utilize more of the food you eat for building muscle compared to being off-cycle.
I will repeat it once more concerning training: training should not no different on-cycle compared to off-cycle. Routines should not be drastically altered, rep ranges should be kept within the same ranges for mass/strength gaining, and the frequency of training each muscle should not be altered. Anabolic steroids will only enhance what you have already been doing. Diet and nutrition is the only dynamic that should change on a drastic scale. Furthermore, all of these points, details, and instructions should be understood and better yet, established before engaging in any cycles. Hence the general figure normally given of 5 years worth of natural training that should be established before making the decision to cycle.
If you need to ask the question "should I change my training and/or training frequency around while on-cycle compared to off-cycle?", then you are not ready to use anabolic steroids.
The answer is NO, nothing needs to be changed other than the usual changes in progressive resistance, exercises, and/or periodization. Changes to the overall training program, such as frequency or any drastic changes, do not need to be done. Frequency does not need to be altered, and there is no reason to suddenly begin training each muscle twice weekly while on-cycle if you were previously training each muscle once weekly off-cycle. The reasoning is simple. By the time an individual makes the decision to use anabolic steroids, he/she should already be at a point in their training whereby they hold enough experience to understand their body's responses to various training programs, lifts, set and rep schemes, and training stimuli. What put the muscle on there in the first place is going to keep it there! Not only that, but if you have been putting muscle on naturally at a steady rate and decide to engage in your first anabolic steroid cycle and maintain your training as it is, you will experience the maximum gains from your cycle because of the fact that anabolic steroids simply enhance what you have already been doing!! They do not create, they merely enhance.
And thus this is why the most prominent reccomendation to those looking to use anabolic steroids for the first time is to ensure that you have engaged in proper training protocols. If you can gain muscle naturally, then you can sure as hell gain muscle while you are on an anabolic steroid cycle, and most importantly: KEEP IT! Sure, anybody can put muscle on during a cycle, but if training is drastically altered under the false understanding that training should be changed on-cycle, then it is almost guaranteed that muscle will not be maintained following the termination of the cycle. Ask any veteren and you will find that there are stories abound about people engaging in anabolic steroid cycles too soon into their training journeys who either saw no gains during the cycle, or whatever gains were seen were lost soon afterwards. Why? Because they have not obtained enough experience yet in order to understand what training works for them naturally, and to stick to it throughout their training whether it be on-cycle or off-cycle.
Many people will use being on-cycle as an excuse to begin training muscle groups at a more frequent rate, and guess what? These people will end up seeing sub-par results and they will not achieve their expectations because they still overtrain, even on a cycle. Anabolic steroids reduce the likeliness of overtraining, but they do not completely remove the possibility. The complete concept is this:
Continue to engage in the same training frequency and routine you have been engaging in thus far (provided it has been beneficial up to this point) and the anabolic steroids will assist you in gaining even more size and strength. The way you train on-cycle is the exact same way you should train when off-cycle!
Now, with that having been established, I will now mention that diet is perhaps the single component of your bodybuilding/training that you should have a lot of freedom to change and work with, dependant on your goals of course. With nutrition and diet, it is basic: increase total overall calories and protein in order to gain muscle mass. This is especially important when on a cycle, as the increased levels of AAS will enable your body to utilize more of the food you eat for building muscle compared to being off-cycle.
I will repeat it once more concerning training: training should not no different on-cycle compared to off-cycle. Routines should not be drastically altered, rep ranges should be kept within the same ranges for mass/strength gaining, and the frequency of training each muscle should not be altered. Anabolic steroids will only enhance what you have already been doing. Diet and nutrition is the only dynamic that should change on a drastic scale. Furthermore, all of these points, details, and instructions should be understood and better yet, established before engaging in any cycles. Hence the general figure normally given of 5 years worth of natural training that should be established before making the decision to cycle.