Reframing Hypertrophy Nutrition: Post-Diet Anabolism Requires Anti-Catabolic Strategy, Not Just a Small Surplus

Introduction and Core Hypothesis

After a fat-loss phase or contest diet, the body is primed in a stress-driven, catabolic state. Traditional “lean bulk” advice suggests adding a minimal caloric surplus (~100–300 kcal above…

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Okay I think I owe you a little more context:

A couple of days ago, I saw a video with Chris Bumstead. He said that today, he has very controlled and clean off-seasons because he is already so advanced in his physique. But back in the days, he did really dirty bulks to get big in the first place. Also, today, he would advise against this kind…

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It praises TBJP Supplements.
For example. it says Unwind is a very well done formula.
And it also says that 4 capsules Vital Support is enough for TRT because it’s a very strong formula.

It usually is pretty harsh towards supplement formulas because so many products have fillers in them or ingredients with low bioactivity. Checking the…

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@Jordan: Thanks for taking your time to answer and sharing your insights. I really appreciate that.

@Peter

Thanks for your reply as well. You guys are a great help.

I work in enterprise tech, so I work with AI a lot. Implementing it into existing systems, automating boring stuff, creating information gathering or reporting routines, etc. So I…

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Hard training, lots of food, and AAS?

ChatGPT told me to stay away from lean bulking.

I‘d appreciate your input on this matter.

Talking about GPT 4o (paid version).

Here are the key points the AI gave me:

1. A caloric surplus is not automatically anabolic.

A small surplus is often only enough to refill glycogen stores, retain a bit of water, and feel “full”, but not to build real…

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Thanks for the answers, everyone.

I agree that being able to actively engage with the world, connect with others, and live in a way that brings joy feels more rewarding than simply counting years.

The idea of life isn’t just to stretch out time but to fill it with meaningful experiences.

Chronic health issues often push us to reconsider…

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Hi guys,

If bodybuilding is not a factor:

What would be the healthiest form of TRT that can be done for multiple decades without problems?

Background:

I got Long Covid from a Covid19 infection in 2022. I had extremely high inflammation that kept rising with no end in sight. Lot’s of cellular damage in organs. The full program.

Doctors brought me…

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Thanks for the answers, guys. Really appreciate the input.

Thanks for the reply, Kuba.

He said testosterone injections are highly damaging to the reproductive organs. According to him, restoring fertility after gel usage is fairly easy, but it can be very tricky after injections. For some men, a single injection is enough to lose…

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Yes, exactly.

I had my first appointment with the professor for andrology last quarter. It’s pretty awesome that I got access to such a high-profile doctor. My Urologist did a trick to bypass German insurance complications by sending me to the clinic as an emergency patient.

The prof did bloods on our first meeting and I did not prepare in any…

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Thanks, Kamara.

Thanks for the answer. Sounds reasonable.

Hi guys,

Here in Germany we get TRT covered by public healthcare if we have low testosterone blood tests in two consecutive quarters.

My testosterone is low and I have symptoms, but it’s not yet low enough.

The bloods will get done by a professor for andrology. He said that my symptoms are a clear thing and that he will give me testosterone. But…

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No drugs. No alcohol.

The doc called me and said he discussed the situation with his more experienced colleagues. They’ll send me to the hepatology of the nearest university hospital.

Hi Kuba, thanks for answering.

I was not fasted when the blood was drawn.

The doc is an assistant physician. Here in Germany, we have a two-tiered healthcare system: If you have money or you’re working for the government, you get quick access to the best doctors. If you’re a regular employee like me, you have to wait months for appointments and…

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Hi everyone,

So I did bloods to check how healthy I am and the doc said that he’s worrying about some values:

AST is at 99 U/l (normal value would be <50) -> these are increasing since the last 4 quarters.

ALT is at 269 U/l (normal value would be <50) -> these are increasing since the last 4 quarters.

Lymphocytes are at 1030 / µl (normal would…

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Thank you guys. So many great comments.

Thanks guys. Will do.

Thanks guys. Really appreciate you taking the time to answer.

Hey guys,

So I was watching a YT video of JP doing deadlift triplets and a couple of hours later I googled myself to the Wikipedia page for “Hysterical Strength”.

Which made wonder: Is there a way to override the security mechanisms of our body in order to enhance performance? I’m not talking PEDs. This is more about psychological approaches…

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So if I get the Natty stack and do bloods before and after again, you think that it will give me similar positive results?

I definitely noticed a difference. Especially when I stopped taking it. Half a week after the last pill I got dry eyes problem again.

I’m a 36 male. My testosterone levels are not optimal and I have been experiencing low T symptoms for quiet some time.

Everything was fine until I had my intermittent fasting “phase” in which I experimented with extremes like OMAD. It had very bad impact on my sexual life which to this day never recovered even after I switched back to a…

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So here’s an update after three weeks of doing what Clare recommended:

I still get up at 5:30am but now I start training at 6:30am. I drink a big glass of water which is about 350ml, then I have CoR with Whey, Salt and Coconut Oil. After eating I drink another glass.

Intra stayed the same.

Post I now eat real food only: Two slices of bread,…

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May I ask if this split can work with naturals too or only with enhanced athletes?

I’m happy with my split right now and don’t want to switch. I just want to learn. The split you posted seems rather unusual with three sessions in a row and training synergistic body parts on consecutive days.

I train as hard as possible everytime I go to the gym. I’m not lean enough, though. There’s still body fat to lose.

Thanks for your advice. I will definitely add fats to my pre-workout and see how that affects my performance.

No. Everything was as always until after I finished the first worker set.

I’m a beginner in the sense of I’m not yet good at bodybuilding. I started training three or four years ago and did a lot of things wrong for a long time. Unfortunately I’m one of those people who have to do most things right to see any progress at all. But I enjoy it. It’s by far my favorite hobby and I will keep doing it just for fun.

I…

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Thank you for the advice. I drink at least 500ml when I wake up.

I live in Germany so the easiest to get cyclic dextrin is ESN Cluster Dextrin. I won’t buy ESN anymore because 3 days ago they completely shut down Team Andro which was the biggest German bodybuilding community with decades of bodybuilding discussion. ESN bought them to…

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I don’t take performance enhacing drugs. I don’t even drink coffee since I don’t like the effect of caffeine.

Okay I googled it. In case you’re talking about hypoglycemia:

I start my training at 6am. I get up at 5:30am and have a shake consisting of 25g cyclic dextrin, 45g whey isolate and salt. During training I drink ~1.7 litres water with 25g cyclic dextrin, 25g EAA, 5g creatine, salt and 200ml coconut water.

Thanks for the reply. What is hypo?

I’m a beginner and I do the fullbody routine every other day. Today I started training with the Nautilus incline chest press. Feeling was great, execution was very good (as far as my personal judgement goes) and I managed to do two more reps than before.

30-60 seconds after finishing the worker set, I got a very bad feeling in my body. My brain…

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Hi everyone,

I’m doing the alternating full-boy routine from the educational videos.

A thing I noticed: I can shoulder press 100% more weight when it’s my starting exercise compared to when I start with the chest press and do the shoulder press afterwards. Vice versa it’s the same.

So here’s my question: Is this fine or should I use… Read more