I personally only take ai around week three or four when my test is really starting to kick in.This is when your body tries to maintain a hormonal balance because of the build up of test.It tries to convert the excess amount of test to estrogen and balance your hormones.I take half an adex for a week maybe two then stop.I only take additional ai if sides come back.This is what works for me.I find that my strength and energy is way higher if don't take ai throughout the whole cycle and only take it when needed.Of course when I started taking gear fourteen years ago you couldn't always get what you wanted when you wanted it.Many cycles in my past I didn't have ai like adex or letro aromisin only had nolva to combat estrogen.Didn't always have eroids or the internet to make your life so easy.I know a lot of people that take ai throughout their entire cycle because they have to they are really gyno prone or just prone to other estro sides like severe bloat.You need to experiment and figure out what works best for you.

Doesn't the extra water make u stronger from a biomechanical standpoint? I know that the heavier weight u r lifting the more your muscles need to adapt.

It's not ideal to completely obliterate estrogen, but keeping estrogen in the fairly low to normal range will not hinder gains. You won't put on weight as quickly because you'll retain less water but the weight you do put on will be drier and quality muscle. So I guess it's more of a mental thing...if you like for your weight to skyrocket and don't mind the bloat then don't run an AI but you will risk gyno. But it goes both way...you'll freak the fuck out when you lose 10 pounds (of water) in pct.

Well it takes away water weight which itself is a lot of the weight gain. So it will hinder the water weight therefore feeling u aren't gaining as much