So we are currently seeing a plethora of cycles being proposed where the goal is to “lean bulk”. Never mind that many are being proposed by under 25’s who have no business considering cycles (that is not the topic for this post although it is certainly relevant). Many are being proposed by guys who while “of age” and perhaps lean have not spend the time and the effort to build a proper base from which to cycle from. This is not new information by any means but hopefully useful as a reminder to some or for newer and younger members to reference when they are considering embarking on their physique building journey.

Why do I need a base?

Too often we get guys on this board who simply do not have enough lean muscle mass to run an aas cycle. But why is this important? Well it’s simple.

1. If you don’t have enough lean muscle mass and you run a cycle you may look good come the end of the cycle but then what happens. You stop and PCT and recover and you lose everything you gained and probably more. So you’ve looked good for a few months (probably around summer time) and now that’s over, PCT is done and you’re looking in the mirror going what the hell happened – I look worse than I did before I ran the cycle. A classic case of taking one step-forward and two steps back.
2. Achieving a long-term and sustainable physique is all about diet, training and building enough base strength to be able to move more weight for a greater number of repetitions and sets. You will not achieve this quickly or sustainably without putting the hard work in over a number of YEARS – not just a summer cycle.

I am sure there are other very valid reasons that other will chime in on but for me these are the critical ones. In a nutshell mess up building you base and you will stay in the same place or end up worse off. Don’t prolong this – get on with it. I am not here to tell you how to do this in detail but basically it means spending time eating right, with enough calories and quality whole foods (to keep you in a surplus) to allow your body to grow with the right stimulus in the gym. You’re not only looking to build muscle, you’re looking to build a base of power at the same time. Focus in the gym should be on the big lifts and applying correct form. Making sure you rest and recover is equally key here.

But what if I get “fat” doing this and I can no longer see my abs? Well the truth is your probably will. And the truth is you want this to happen to an extent. Clearly the aim is not to become obese with massively high levels of body fat. But no one should worry about bulking up to around 20%. The younger you are with better levels of natty testosterone and a well-functioning metabolism the less likely you will be to add high levels of fat – and you will equally likely find it easy to drop fat and retain muscle when you need to. Fat accumulation however is part and parcel of building the base. This is a bit harder the older you get or if you have previously been obese. It’s been my experience that more fat comes on than it did when I was younger. Does it matter – not really. The reality is that once you’ve built that base you can do what you want to do with relatively simple manipulation of your calories, macros and activity. In my experience it is much harder to add muscle than it is to lose fat.

To be clear I am not saying that an aas cycle has not part in building a base but I am saying it should be held in reserve for the very end of this process and not at the beginning or throughout or relied on to achieve this as it will be counterproductive – see above.

Bulking and Cutting – what about the lean bulk?

So Dacky, I’ve done what you said. I’ve been patient and I’ve built my base of muscle and power over the last couple of years. I’ve got stronger and can move heavy weight for more reps and sets. Now I want to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Surely I can construct a stack that will allow me to do just that and “lean bulk”. Well I am afraid not. The reality is that apart from a very few genetically gifted individuals or some pretty specific circumstances - either being obese with no muscle base (that won’t be you) or exceptionally (comp) lean (again that won’t be you but do ask Gear Head for more details if you’re interested) this isn’t going to happen in the meaningful way you imagine in your mind. Many have tried and most have failed. Talk to the seasoned vets (Catalyst, Makwa, Tony, Gear Head for example to name a few) who have or currently compete and they will all tell you the same thing. You must pick a goal and stick to it. Decide if you want to build muscle or rip away some fat to show the base you already have. If you’ve done your building right then both options are equally valid although as I said above building muscle is generally harder than losing fat in my experience and so I tend to favour aas cycles for bulking over cutting. Trying to do both at the same time is a pipedream and as Makwa likes to say: “will only see you spinning your wheels”. Now there are strategies for limiting fat accumulation when bulking such as cyclical bulking, using carb and calorie cycling, using cardio intelligently and appropriately and of course sparing muscle when cutting is key and many of the same strategies can be applied when cutting. Remember that any cycle (bulking or cutting) is only a small part of the process. In other words no one bulks for just the 14 or 16 weeks and no one cuts for just the 8 to 12 weeks that they are on cycle. There is the time you spend before you cycle working towards your goal, the time you spend in PCT and the time you spend post PCT and while you’re recovering all matters. At the end of the day the cycle is the smallest component to all this. You need to look at it as a holistic system of diet, training, rest and supplementation over an appropriate period of time that will see you to your goal.

The question you need to ask is whether you have the patience to do all this. Answer yes and work towards it and you can go far. You will also earn the respect of the very knowledgeable members here who will help you throughout your journey. Answer no then from this boards perspective aas cycles are not for you and limited to no help will be forthcoming.