Diet for Maximizing Your Cycle

Diet for On and Post Cycle

On Cycle - Mass Gain

When on a PH cycle your body will utilize protein far more efficiently and store glycogen in the muscle cells to a greater extent, you are in a constant anabolic state. Therefore, to make the most of your time you need to feed your body the building blocks required.

Generally speaking we would recommend the first week of a bulking cycle you slowly increase calories each day by 50-100 till you reach the end of the first week and you will then be on a surplus of 350-700 - a great range to be in and by slowly ramping you will help to minimise the initial water weight increases associated with people ramming sudden increases in calories.

The focus should be on ensuring plenty of protein for growth, repair and recovery and good quality carbohydrates for providing the energy, particularly as many bulking compounds cause lethargy.

This initial increase in calories from week 1 should be maintained for a few days into the second week and then weight checks every 2-3 days and an increase of 50-100 calories for every lb gained that is deemed to be lbm gains.

Do not ignore fats from your diet as omega's and good unsaturated fats will help with cholesterol balance, adding calories without the bloat associated to carbs and are anabolic too.

A macro split of 30/40/30 protein/carbs/fat is a good foundation.

On Cycle Cutting

You do not need to go too mad with cutting calories as providing you have chosen a suitable cycle for this goal you will find the thermo aspect of the cycle will take care plenty and instead I would recommend starting out on maintenance and dropping 50 calories per day for the first week and then running the second week on a deficit of 350 calories per day - assessing after 14 days and dropping 50calories for every 1lb lost - so long as strength has either been maintained or increased. Follow this principle over the duration of the cycle.

Post Cycle Nutrition

It is important if coming off a bulk to not panic about any unwanted weight gained and immediately cut as your body is primed to dump muscle at this time and if you remove the source to sustain it then you will quickly lose strength and then struggle to maintain gains. Instead keep the calories going the same as those which you finished the cycle on but increase cardio and switch to a macro split of 40/30/30 protein/carbs/fat.