Giving up the needle

[Snarling Force]

I'm done with the juice + the up/down of cycles. I'm really not an experienced user, but 5 cycles of watching my weight go up and then gradually down over time (yes, diet + PCT was fine) has convinced me that my genetics are trying to tell me something - I'm not supposed to be 200 + ripped. At first I tried looking for the secret combo (tried var/primo/sust/eq/winny over the years) and thought maybe proper PCT was the key- but that only ever bought me a few more months before gains went away.

It costs too much money and effort to cycle continuously (eg 8 weeks on, 8 weeks off), which for me is the only way I would be able to maintain the majority of my gains. I don't want to risk long term health with a semi-continuous stream of drugs in my system - as far as I'm concerned, to have this stuff in me even only 30% of the year, year after year, is too much long term. Sure was fun while it lasted though.

I'm going to try to convince myself I'm happy looking lean. It's the only sustainable way that I can see, anything else is fighting nature, which can only ever last until the drugs wear off.

Anyone else have the same experience as me? If so, I guess you're probably not browsing this board.

I hear ya bro. I'm kind of in the same boat. Just finished my 2nd cycle a couple months back and am wondering if all of this and what goes with it is for me.

 

[fbodyguy02]

Good thread. I think at one point in our lives, that we will or have come to this same conclusion...you can't always be in the game. Realistically, you gotta stop sometime...or die...it's a drug addiction.

 

[glennds]

This varies from individual to individual. I know a fella or two who used gear over 3 years ago and is still jacked. Nothing is black and white, and you can't apply either side to the entire gear using population.

was he able to maintain ALL his gains, vascularity, hardness? if he was able to he is blessed. AAS are like any other drug, they cannot do anything for you if you don't take them.

 

[LoneTree]

I think the bigger you are, the more difficult it is to keep naturally.
I also believe that work out once a week is not going to do it.
I made a decision some time ago that I don't want to be huge.
This thread has removed any doubts that I had.
Two more cycles, and I am done with it.

 

[krishna]

was he able to maintain ALL his gains, vascularity, hardness? if he was able to he is blessed. AAS are like any other drug, they cannot do anything for you if you don't take them.

I actually think he's gained since then. He never really was that vascular on or off gear, so I can't comment on that. He was hard and solid before he started, while he was on, and to this day, so I can't really comment on that either.

Some of the Shamans and Medicine Men in historic native american cultures use to take drugs to help them reach enlightenment. Once they reached enlightenment, they no longer needed the drugs. Of course drugs cannot do anything for you if you don't take them. The question is whether or not you can keep the things you've achieved from drugs taken in the past. If your belief is that you can't, then there are definitely exceptions to the rule.

 

[freag33]

He'll be back. They always come crawling back.

LOL.

The reason that I have a good feeling about resisting the temptation is because I think over time it's going to teach me discipline and to focus on hard work better than using the drugs as a crutch. You can really jack off when on roids with diet + training, and you will grow. Actually it helps to jack off with both arms, if you use only one you will end up lopsided.

A big problem I always had was 2 months after cycle, when you start to feel small, weights feel heavy, and go down down down, which was discouraging enough to keep me out of the gym for days and weeks sometimes. For the past 8 months I've been clean, and I haven't had a problem with motivation - gains in strength + weight have been very slow (but actually they feel better, because they're unaided), but much less drastic up + down, which has been better for my brain. Over the next couple of years, maybe I can add 10 pounds of bodyweight slowly, or at the least, get and stay strong + healthy.

Ok but to be honest, I kind of want to do the last few Susts I have in my closet. um.

 

[glennds]

LOL.


A big problem I always had was 2 months after cycle, when you start to feel small, weights feel heavy, and go down down down,

exactly. seems to be 2 months after cycle when this happens. i have been since Feb and just started up with some test this week. plan on adding tren. gotta say feels GREAT to be back on.

now looking forward to the gym instead of it being a big old chore. yesterday did legs and worked harder than in many weeks.

am i a hopeless addict?

 

[Dieselgoku23]

I think the problem in this thread that people here has lack of natural training. If you have trained naturally for many years in my case about 8 years you would know that you can grow besides using gear. I personally gone from 190lbs at 17 years old in high school to 236lbs without gear just training hard and lots of supplements, L Glutamine, Creatine, Arginine etc...... I did my first cycle and went to 250lbs ofcourse I'm not as the lean I want to be because when you train naturally you are going to put on some fat with muscle. I believe genetics has a major part to do with it but also if you have trained for 2 years and start to juice ofcourse the only way you think you can grow is by using AAS and thats not the case you can make awesome progress training naturally. Also I think everybody should have a strong base training for at least 5 years before they even touch gear. Hell if I lose all my gains I did on this cycle I wouldnt care as much because I was already thick and big. Now my plan is to cut down and look nice for the ladies just my .2 cents bros!!

 

[krishna]

I think the problem in this thread that people here has lack of natural training. If you have trained naturally for many years in my case about 8 years you would know that you can grow besides using gear. I personally gone from 190lbs at 17 years old in high school to 236lbs without gear just training hard and lots of supplements, L Glutamine, Creatine, Arginine etc...... I did my first cycle and went to 250lbs ofcourse I'm not as the lean I want to be because when you train naturally you are going to put on some fat with muscle. I believe genetics has a major part to do with it but also if you have trained for 2 years and start to juice ofcourse the only way you think you can grow is by using AAS and thats not the case you can make awesome progress training naturally. Also I think everybody should have a strong base training for at least 5 years before they even touch gear. Hell if I lose all my gains I did on this cycle I wouldnt care as much because I was already thick and big. Now my plan is to cut down and look nice for the ladies just my .2 cents bros!!

Well said bro! I trained steadily for 7 years before I touched gear. I trained on and off before that since I was 15 years old. I have no problem making gains naturally. Some people jump into gear after only lifting a year or two and it's no wonder they can't gain without them; it's also no wonder they lose all their gains everytime. You have to know how to work with your body, and that takes years of training to accomplish. People get used to the big gains off gear and think that's the only way they can get big. I've made huge strides and big gains naturally. I'm definitely not going to ride the up and down roller coaster some other guys do. I know how to keep my body steady and progressive. Gear just helps me get a jump start and take it to the next level. I don't doubt that there will come a point (because of genetics) where it will be harder to maintain weight and gains, but I don't think I want to get much bigger than that anyway. I'm 6 foot, 218 lbs, and I still feel like I could gain naturally if I had to.