Hi all,
I'm getting ready for my first cycle and have been researching compounds, dosing schedules, etc. for a couple of months. As a 31 year old female powerlifter weighing around 150 (not competing yet, but definitely training for strength) there have been very few forum posts and/or logs that I find comparable to my situation and goals (I've seen mostly figure competitors, many of whom are in their 20's, and all of whom are lighter than I am).
I've gotten what I think is some good advice here and elsewhere and narrowed it down to clen + var for 8 weeks. The clen is because, while I'm not aiming for a specific "look" the way figure/BB girls are, I'd be lying if I said I didn't care about aesthetics at all (or being able to fit into my clothes) and I'm certainly not strong enough to move up in a weight class for when I eventually do start competing.
However, I've seen multiple posts on this forum and others that advise people to get lean before going on cycle in order to "get the most out of it". I'm not sure if this is more from a looks perspective or actually related to drug effectiveness? Obviously it makes sense that the less body fat you have (and the smaller you are in general), the lower the dose you can probably get away with and still make gains (and probably have fewer sides because the dose is lower). But if it's just a dosing issue (less vs. more), rather than an actual overall effectiveness issue (works well vs. barely works), that's different.
Does anyone have any research/evidence or personal experience to share that supports one of the following:
1) starting with a certain body fat % is OPTIMAL to make gains (and/or keep gains post-cycle)
2) starting with a certain body fat % is CRUCIAL to make any real gains (and/or keep gains post-cycle)
3) as long as the dose is appropriate and diet, training, rest, etc. are on point, body fat % isn't directly related to gains on-cycle (and/or keeping gains post-cycle)
Of course, I know this will likely differ for men and women to a certain extent, but it would still be helpful for me to hear how you guys did on cycle and if how lean you were when you started seemed to make any difference.
Thanks in advance!
- Christie
I'm getting ready for my first cycle and have been researching compounds, dosing schedules, etc. for a couple of months. As a 31 year old female powerlifter weighing around 150 (not competing yet, but definitely training for strength) there have been very few forum posts and/or logs that I find comparable to my situation and goals (I've seen mostly figure competitors, many of whom are in their 20's, and all of whom are lighter than I am).
I've gotten what I think is some good advice here and elsewhere and narrowed it down to clen + var for 8 weeks. The clen is because, while I'm not aiming for a specific "look" the way figure/BB girls are, I'd be lying if I said I didn't care about aesthetics at all (or being able to fit into my clothes) and I'm certainly not strong enough to move up in a weight class for when I eventually do start competing.
However, I've seen multiple posts on this forum and others that advise people to get lean before going on cycle in order to "get the most out of it". I'm not sure if this is more from a looks perspective or actually related to drug effectiveness? Obviously it makes sense that the less body fat you have (and the smaller you are in general), the lower the dose you can probably get away with and still make gains (and probably have fewer sides because the dose is lower). But if it's just a dosing issue (less vs. more), rather than an actual overall effectiveness issue (works well vs. barely works), that's different.
Does anyone have any research/evidence or personal experience to share that supports one of the following:
1) starting with a certain body fat % is OPTIMAL to make gains (and/or keep gains post-cycle)
2) starting with a certain body fat % is CRUCIAL to make any real gains (and/or keep gains post-cycle)
3) as long as the dose is appropriate and diet, training, rest, etc. are on point, body fat % isn't directly related to gains on-cycle (and/or keeping gains post-cycle)
Of course, I know this will likely differ for men and women to a certain extent, but it would still be helpful for me to hear how you guys did on cycle and if how lean you were when you started seemed to make any difference.
Thanks in advance!
- Christie