[Simon]

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 maintenance) to slowly gain muscle with minimal fat. However, this approach may overlook the hormonal and molecular environment needed for muscle hypertrophy. Prolonged energy deficit and extreme leanness elevate cortisol and other catabolic signals, suppress anabolic hormones, and leave muscles in a state resistant to growth. The core hypothesis here is that post-diet muscle growth is limited more by persistent catabolic signaling (e.g. high cortisol) than by calorie quantity alone. Therefore, successful post-diet hypertrophy requires nutritional tactics that actively shift the body’s internal milieu back toward an anabolic, anti-catabolic state – not merely creeping into a slight caloric surplus. In essence, one must “eat against cortisol” and restore hormonal balance to unlock muscle growth potential. Below, we explore key questions and evidence supporting this reframed strategy for post-diet hypertrophy.

Post-Diet Cortisol Elevation and Its Impact on Muscle Anabolism

Dieting-induced stress and cortisol: A period of caloric restriction (especially severe or prolonged) triggers the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis to release more cortisol as a survival mechanism. Studies confirm that cutting calories raises total cortisol output. In one experiment, women on a 1200 kcal diet for 3 weeks had significantly increased salivary cortisol levels, indicating that energy restriction itself elevates chronic cortisol. This makes evolutionary sense: cortisol helps mobilize fuel (breaking down tissue for glucose) during perceived “famine.” Unfortunately for physique athletes, that survival response is fundamentally at odds with building new muscle tissue.

Cortisol vs. Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS): Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that directly blunts muscle protein synthesis and promotes protein breakdown. At the molecular level, glucocorticoids (like cortisol) interfere with the mTOR pathway – the master regulator of muscle growth. Cortisol signaling increases the expression of REDD1 and sestrin1, which activate the TSC1/2 complex to inhibit mTOR, thereby reducing protein synthesis. It also triggers a drop in circulating and intramuscular BCAA levels by upregulating BCAA-catabolizing enzymes (e.g. BCAT2). The fall in leucine and other BCAAs due to cortisol removes a key amino acid trigger for MPS, further suppressing protein synthesis. Researchers have shown that under glucocorticoid exposure, muscle mTOR phosphorylation and protein synthesis decrease – but providing extra leucine/BCAAs can partially rescue MPS, underscoring that cortisol’s catabolic effect works in part through mTOR inhibition. In short, elevated cortisol creates an intracellular environment where even if nutrients are present, the muscle’s protein-building machinery is down-regulated.

Cortisol and muscle breakdown pathways: High cortisol not only slows synthesis, but also actively increases muscle protein breakdown (MPB). It does so by upregulating “atrophy genes” and pathways: for example, cortisol can increase myostatin (a powerful inhibitor of muscle growth) and activate FOXO transcription factors that induce muscle protein ubiquitin-tagging and degradation. It also promotes the expression of muscle-specific E3 ubiquitin ligases (MAFbx/atrogin-1 and MuRF1) that accelerate protein degradation. Essentially, cortisol flips on the catabolic switch in muscle, leading to net loss of muscle protein unless counteracted. This is why chronically high cortisol (as seen in Cushing’s syndrome or long-term steroid use) causes muscle atrophy. Even acutely, cortisol can prevent muscle recovery and adaptation – historical studies showed administering ACTH or glucocorticoids to subjects increased muscle protein breakdown and prevented normal protein synthesis response to feeding.

Satellite cell activation and repair: Muscle hypertrophy over the long-term requires satellite cells (muscle stem cells) to activate, proliferate, and fuse to muscle fibers, adding nuclei and supporting growth. Cortisol can impede this process as well. Emerging evidence indicates glucocorticoids are potent inhibitors of satellite cell function. In cachexia models, glucocorticoid elevation was linked to satellite cells failing to fuse into muscle fibers, likely via upregulation of Pax7 which keeps them in a quiescent state. A study by Dong et al. found that synthetic glucocorticoids severely impaired satellite cell activation and muscle regeneration capacity. For a bodybuilder coming off a diet, this implies that if cortisol remains abnormally high, the normal muscle repair from training and the addition of new muscle fibers could be blunted. The muscle may not “heal” and grow as effectively post-workout because the very cells responsible for adaptation are being held back by a catabolic signal.

Recovery kinetics under stress: High cortisol also affects recovery speed from exercise. Typically, after training, cortisol should spike and then recede as the body enters a recovery mode. Under chronic stress or calorie deficit, cortisol can stay elevated longer, delaying recovery. Research on athletes shows that those under high life stress maintain higher cortisol concentrations after exercise and recover more slowly, with prolonged muscle soreness and impairment. In elite athletes, chronic stress extended the cortisol rise for up to 20 hours post-exercise and correlated with more illness/injury, whereas lower-stress athletes cleared cortisol faster. The lesson for a post-diet lifter is that a system still on high alert (high cortisol) may have a widened “window” of catabolism after each workout, during which muscle breakdown exceeds synthesis. Thus, persistently elevated cortisol means slower recovery and less muscle protein net gain from each training session – effectively hampering hypertrophy.

In summary, the post-diet state often features chronically elevated cortisol and associated catabolic signals that suppress muscle protein synthesis, promote muscle breakdown, and impair the normal anabolic response to training and nutrition. This hormonal state can linger even after one stops dieting, especially if body fat is very low or training stress remains high. Simply adding back a small number of calories might not immediately fix this; without addressing cortisol and related imbalances, the muscle-building “machinery” remains inhibited.

Minimal Surplus vs. Aggressive Refeed: Where Does Initial Nutrition Go?

For a fatigued, dieted-down individual with high training output, a tiny caloric surplus often seems to “disappear” with little muscle to show for it. Here’s why a +100–300 kcal surplus in a post-diet, high-stress scenario often fails to produce an anabolic outcome:

• Glycogen and energy store repletion: After a diet, muscle and liver glycogen stores are typically depleted (especially if the diet involved low carbs or high cardio). The first extra calories will be diverted to refilling these glycogen tanks. In a glycogen-depleted state, incoming carbs (and the calories they carry) don’t contribute to new lean tissue; they go into restoring glycogen, along with water (each gram of glycogen is stored with ~3 grams of water). A very small surplus may do no more than continuously top up glycogen from hard training – essentially using those calories to replace fuel, not to build new muscle proteins.

• Thermogenic and metabolic adaptation: Dieting causes adaptive thermogenesis – the body’s metabolic rate drops below what you’d predict for a given body size, and non-exercise activity (NEAT) also reduces. When calories are added back in small increments, often the body simply reverses some of these adaptations. For example, a +200 kcal surplus might be canceled out by an increase in NEAT (you subconsciously move more with more energy) or by a rise in resting metabolic rate as the body senses more food. In other words, the “surplus” may be absorbed by an increase in total energy expenditure, keeping you at maintenance in practice. This is especially true for individuals who were extremely lean – their hormonal and metabolic state hungrily absorbs small increases. Coaches have observed cases where raising calories actually results in no weight gain or even continued weight loss immediately post-diet because metabolism ramps back up (e.g. thyroid hormone, NEAT) when fuel is reintroduced. A minimal surplus might just eliminate the caloric deficit but not create a true surplus for muscle anabolism.

• Persistent stress/inflammation: A few hundred extra calories may be insufficient to counteract the systemic stress from hard training plus the prior deficit. If an individual continues high training intensity and volume, a small caloric bump mostly goes into fueling that work (and the recovery from it) rather than building new tissue. Think of it as fixing the “energy debt” and micro-damage first. High cortisol and inflammatory markers remain elevated until a significant energy surplus and rest allow them to fall. If cortisol remains high, some of those calories might even be oxidized in futile cycles driven by stress hormones (e.g. elevated NEAT, thermogenesis, immune activity) rather than used for muscle. A minimal surplus might fail to override catabolic signals or immune system demands, acting more like maintenance fuel for a stressed system than growth fuel.

• Anabolic resistance in a hypocaloric-trained state: There is evidence that muscles can become “anabolically resistant” after periods of energy deficit or intense training without adequate refeeding. In short-term energy restriction, resting muscle protein synthesis drops significantly. Even when protein is ingested, the muscle’s response is blunted compared to when energy is ample. Although resistance exercise and high protein can restore some MPS in a deficit, the threshold of leucine and total protein needed to stimulate MPS is higher when calories are low. If one only adds, say, 10% more calories above a very low intake, the muscle may still behave as if it’s in a semi-deficit and not fully ramp up protein synthesis. This anabolic resistance means the first calories back on the plate go toward overcoming a muscle that’s “stubborn” about growth. Until energy status is convincingly positive (and signals like insulin, IGF-1, leptin, etc., rise to normal), the muscle might not efficiently use nutrients to build new contractile proteins.

• Hormonal lag: Gaining a bit of weight (fat) is actually part of the recovery of normal hormone levels. Research on physique athletes shows that hormones like testosterone, thyroid (T3), IGF-1, and leptin are all depressed at the end of a diet, and they do not instantly rebound with a small refeed. It can take several weeks of increased intake (and some fat regain) for these hormones to climb back toward baseline. Cortisol, as noted, was elevated at the end of a contest prep and took around 4–6 weeks of refed maintenance/surplus to normalize. A tiny surplus might not sufficiently flip the hormonal balance to “anabolic” – it’s enough to stop losing weight, but not enough to quickly restore optimal anabolic hormone levels. During that lag time, muscle gain will be slow. By contrast, a larger initial influx of calories (especially from carbs and fats) can rapidly raise leptin, insulin, and lower cortisol, helping signal the body that it is no longer in starvation. This is why some experts advocate an aggressive “recovery diet” after competition, aiming to restore a healthier endocrine environment faster rather than lingering in semi-starvation. For example, Dr. Layne Norton’s team notes that if an athlete is stage-lean (extremely low body fat), staying at that level with a tiny surplus is not beneficial – it prolongs hormonal havoc and can even be detrimental to long-term progress. They advise that adding back body weight (fat) more quickly is often necessary to normalize hormones (testosterone, thyroid, etc.) and metabolic rate that were suppressed. In short, until the internal milieu is right, muscle won’t grow much – and a minimal surplus often isn’t enough to fix the milieu in a reasonable time.

To illustrate, consider a highly trained bodybuilder just after contest: they are 5% body fat, cortisol through the roof, low T3, low testosterone. If this athlete eats only +200 kcal over maintenance, those calories will likely: refill some glycogen, raise thermogenesis slightly, and perhaps reduce cortisol a tad – but not enough to flip the switch into an overt anabolic state. They might stay looking stringy and feel drained, with minimal muscle gain, for weeks. Meanwhile, another athlete who goes into a more assertive surplus (say +500–700 kcal, focusing on carbs and protein) will rapidly fill out glycogen, gain a few kilograms (mostly water and glycogen), see cortisol drop and anabolic hormones rise within a couple weeks, and then be in a position to lay down new muscle tissue.

It’s a fine line to walk, because too large a surplus for too long will lead to unnecessary fat gain. But the evidence and real-world observation suggest that when coming out of an extreme deficit, one should first neutralize the catabolic state decisively, even if it means a faster initial weight regain. Persisting with a sparse surplus keeps the body in “survival mode,” undermining muscle gains. As one review on natural bodybuilders notes, returning to at least baseline body fat (and even overshooting it slightly) within ~1–2 months post-contest is important for full physiological recovery. Remaining excessively lean with tiny calorie increases can leave the athlete in a prolonged state of suppressed RMR and hormones. In essence, calories are not just fuel but also information: a trickle of calories tells the body “we are still in scarcity, conserve resources,” whereas a flood (within reason) tells the body “abundance is here, you can invest in growth again.”

Early Post-Diet Weight Rebound: Water, Glycogen, or Fat?

A common experience after ending a diet is rapid weight gain in the first days and weeks. This “rebound” often causes panic – people assume they’ve piled on fat. However, much of the initial weight is not adipose tissue. Let’s break down what accounts for early post-diet weight gain and what “puffiness” really signifies in terms of anabolism:

Glycogen and water restoration: When you increase carbohydrate intake post-diet, muscles and liver replenish glycogen stores. For every gram of glycogen stored, about 3 grams of water are stored with it (at minimum). This well-established ratio means that regaining, say, 500 g of glycogen (not uncommon if you were depleted) adds ~2 kg of water weight. Thus a large portion of the sudden 5–10 lb jump in the first week of refeeding is simply water bound to glycogen inside your muscles. Far from being “bad,” this intracellular water is actually a good thing – it means your muscles are rehydrating and carbing up, which makes them look fuller (“puffier”) and perform better. In fact, case studies on physique athletes show that in the first 4 weeks post-contest, athletes often gained up to 9 kg of body weight, yet lean body mass was maintained or even increased slightly during that time. Since it’s physiologically impossible to gain 9 kg of pure muscle in a month, and likely undesirable to gain that much pure fat so fast, the explanation is that most of that weight is water, glycogen, and food bulk, with some fat. The athletes’ lean mass readings on DXA or other measures stayed stable, meaning they did not lose muscle – the added weight was split between fat and fat-free mass (with fat-free mass including water and glycogen). So, the perceived rapid “fat gain” is overstated. Early rapid weight gain is not all fat – a significant proportion is non-fat weight.

Fluid shifts (“puffiness”) and anabolic signals: The rebound “puffy” look – muscles feeling swollen and a bit of bloating – can actually be a sign that anabolic conditions are returning. Cellular hydration itself is a potent anabolic signal. As Dr. Häussinger’s landmark research demonstrated, cell swelling acts as an anabolic, proliferative signal, whereas cell shrinkage is catabolic. During the diet, dehydration and glycogen depletion cause muscle cells to shrink, which the body reads as a stress, triggering proteolysis (protein breakdown). When you refeed, those cells swell up again with water and nutrients. This swelling triggers the opposite: it downregulates proteolysis and stimulates protein synthesis, sending a signal that conditions are favorable for growth. Bodybuilders have long observed that a muscle “pump” and fullness seem correlated with growth, and this bears out scientifically: muscle cell volumization (e.g. via creatine supplementation or high-carb refeed) is associated with increased MPS and reduced muscle breakdown. So, the intracellular water retention is not “fake muscle” – it is an enabling factor for muscle anabolism. It increases muscle fiber diameter (temporarily), which can improve leverage in lifting, and it likely enhances IGF-1 signaling and nutrient delivery. Higher intramuscular hydration may also improve insulin sensitivity in muscle. Anecdotally, many post-diet individuals notice better pumps and training performance once they’ve regained some water weight; this is a precursor to regaining actual muscle tissue.

To put it another way, that initial water-weight rebound is your body refilling the sponge that is your muscle. A dry sponge can’t do much; a well-hydrated sponge is primed for growth. Some coaches interpret the early “fluff” as the body restoring normal hydration in muscle and interstitial spaces, which could reflect improved IGF-1 and insulin activity. (During starvation, IGF-1 levels drop; refeeding carbs and protein raises insulin and IGF-1, which in turn increases muscle glycogen and water uptake.) Indeed, one case study noted that testosterone and IGF-1, which had been low at the end of a prep, rose back toward baseline in the weeks following an increase in carbs/fats, at the same time that weight (and presumably water) was regained. So the puffiness might be a visual sign of hormones shifting to an anabolic state.

Gut content and digestive recovery: Another often overlooked factor is simply food volume. A contest diet might involve low food volume (especially near the end) and possibly GI sluggishness. When you suddenly eat more (and more carbs/fiber), your gastrointestinal tract holds more food in transit. This can easily add a pound or two of weight that is literally food inside you, not body mass. It also contributes to a bloated midsection temporarily. Additionally, higher sodium intake common in off-season eating will cause the body to hold more water in the bloodstream and under the skin (extracellular water) until equilibrium is reached. None of this is fat, and much will normalize within a couple of weeks as the body adapts to the new intake.

Inflammation from training and stress relief: In the immediate post-diet phase, if one also reduces cardio or the sheer stress on the body, there can be shifts in inflammation that affect water retention. Sometimes decreasing chronic cortisol and stress (by eating more and resting more) can actually drop some water retention (for example, stubborn edema from high cortisol may clear up). On the other hand, intense new training or novel stimulus in the off-season could cause some water retention in muscles due to soreness (inflammation draws fluid). These are short-term fluid fluctuations that again are not fat tissue.

So, how much of early weight gain is fat? Likely much less than people fear. If someone gains, say, 5 kg in the first month after a show, and they only overshot their pre-diet weight by 1 kg of fat by 6 months (which is common), that means the majority of that early weight was not adipose. It was transient or functional weight. Modern measurements like DXA confirm that early rapid gains show a disproportionate rise in lean mass (which includes water) compared to fat. Over time, of course, continued surplus will add some fat – but one should recognize that initial rapid weight regain is a mix of water, glycogen, food, and a return to normal hydration, with only a fraction being actual fat deposition.

For athletes worried about “blowing up” in the weeks after a diet: Keep in mind that some increase in scale weight is necessary and even beneficial. Regaining hydration and some body fat will help normalize your metabolism and hormones. The key is to distinguish functional weight from adipose tissue. Using tools like body composition scans or girth measurements can help show that you haven’t suddenly gained back all fat. For instance, you might gain 10 pounds but your skinfolds or DXA body fat% only rise modestly – indicating the rest was lean mass (water/glycogen) and thus mostly repairing the temporary dehydration/deflation of dieting. In practical terms, expect your muscles to fill out and your vascularity to reduce a bit (due to water under the skin) in early refeed – that’s not ruining your physique, that’s paving the way for muscle growth by restoring normal tissue volume.

“Eating Against Cortisol”: Nutritional Strategies to Restore Anabolic Dominance

Given that a key goal post-diet is to blunt cortisol and shift the body into an anabolic mode, nutritional timing and composition become powerful tools – arguably more important than micromanaging a 200 kcal surplus. It’s about what you feed your body and when, to actively counter catabolism. Here are evidence-backed strategies:

• Prioritize protein, and especially leucine-rich protein: High protein intake is critical in any muscle-building phase, but post-diet it also serves an anti-catabolic role. Ample protein (with sufficient leucine) can help drive muscle protein synthesis even in the face of some cortisol. For example, leucine supplementation has been shown to partially rescue mTOR activity and protein synthesis under glucocorticoid exposure. Ensure each meal hits a robust protein serving (e.g. 30+ grams, or ~0.4 g/kg), so that blood amino acids stay high and cortisol has a harder time breaking down muscle. Spreading protein across the day (4–5 feedings) may improve net balance. Many physique athletes keep protein intake at 2.2 g/kg (1 g/lb) or higher during post-diet recovery, which also aids satiety and metabolic rate. Think of protein as giving your muscles the building blocks and as a signal to muscle that “we have plenty of resources, you don’t need to cannibalize yourself.”

• Carbohydrate timing to suppress cortisol: Carbs are a powerful tool to lower cortisol via insulin release. Insulin and cortisol have opposing actions; when insulin is elevated (after carb intake), it tends to blunt cortisol secretion. Leveraging this: Have carbohydrates at times when cortisol is naturally high, such as in the morning and around workouts. Cortisol peaks in the morning after the overnight fast (this is when your body is breaking down protein to maintain blood glucose). Eating a carb-inclusive breakfast will spike insulin and reduce the need for cortisol, thereby lowering cortisol levels that were highest on waking. This stops the overnight catabolic cascade in its tracks. Similarly, during intense exercise, cortisol rises to mobilize fuel. Consuming fast carbs (and some protein) intra-workout or immediately post-workout can curtail the cortisol response by spiking insulin. Research shows that ingesting carbs during resistance exercise significantly attenuates the rise in cortisol compared to training without carbs. A high-carb plus protein drink/meal right after training will not only refill glycogen but also create an insulin surge that pushes the body into an anabolic, recovery state more quickly. In short, don’t stay low-carb when the goal is anti-catabolism – use carbs tactically to tell your body “fuel is abundant, no need for stress hormones.” This improves training performance and recovery simultaneously.

• Sodium and hydration: Restoring sodium intake after a contest prep (where sodium might have been manipulated or was low due to “clean” eating) can improve adrenal function and lower cortisol. Adequate sodium and water intake support blood volume and reduce perceived stress on the body. There is a reason many post-show athletes find they look better (after an initial bloat) once they normalize salt and water – the body releases aldosterone/cortisol-related water retention when it senses consistent intake. Moreover, muscle cell hydration is improved, which as discussed sends anabolic signals. Don’t be afraid of adding salt to meals post-diet, especially around workouts, as it can enhance your pump and volume (again, cell swelling). Ensuring you drink plenty of water is likewise important; mild dehydration is a stress that can raise cortisol, whereas being well-hydrated keeps the cellular environment optimized for growth.

• Pre-bed slow protein (casein): Nighttime is the longest catabolic period (no food for 6–8 hours or more). Cortisol can spike early in the morning as glycogen drops. Taking a slow-digesting protein before bed (casein or a protein blend, or even high-protein whole foods like cottage cheese/Greek yogurt) provides a trickle of amino acids through the night, which has been shown to increase overnight muscle protein synthesis. This reduces muscle protein breakdown during sleep and can improve net balance by morning. While casein itself doesn’t “lower cortisol” per se, it combats the effects of cortisol by preventing the muscle from being without nutrients. Think of it as fortifying the muscle so cortisol has less effect. Some bodybuilders also include small amounts of carbs with the pre-bed meal (if it doesn’t disrupt their sleep) to further aid in reducing overnight cortisol. The overall idea is to not let your blood amino acids and insulin go to rock-bottom if you’re trying to maximize anabolism.

• Don’t skimp on fats either: Dietary fats, especially cholesterol and certain fatty acids, are crucial for restoring hormone production (e.g. testosterone, which likely tanked during the diet). Post-diet is a time to bring fats back to a healthy range (at least 20–30% of calories). There’s also evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can have anti-inflammatory effects in muscle and might mitigate cortisol-induced muscle atrophy. While protein and carbs are prioritized for their direct anabolic/cortisol-lowering roles, including sufficient fats (and even some saturated fats and cholesterol for hormonal health) is part of the “heal and grow” equation.

• Meal timing and frequency: Regular meals (every 3–5 hours) with protein and carbs will keep a steady influx of insulin and aminos, preventing large cortisol swings. Time-restricted feeding or long fasts might not be ideal in this phase because they can elevate cortisol and create big gaps of muscle breakdown. Some athletes implement a carbohydrate meal or branched-chain amino acids right after fasted cardio or upon waking (if they train fasted) to quickly blunt the cortisol from those activities. The motto is “fuel the work, feed the recovery.” By never letting the tank run dry, you minimize the stress signals.

• Supplements (where appropriate): Certain supplements can aid in controlling cortisol or its effects. For instance, phosphatidylserine and ashwagandha have some research showing cortisol-lowering properties; creatine not only volumizes cells (anabolic signal) but also can reduce muscle damage and thus cortisol response to training; HMB might help attenuate cortisol-related breakdown of muscle. Even something like Vitamin C at high doses has been shown in some studies to reduce exercise cortisol. While nutrition and calories are the primary levers, these can be adjuncts in an anti-catabolic strategy.

Finally, it’s worth noting that psychological stress management (sleep, relaxation, etc.) synergizes with nutrition here. All the anti-catabolic nutrition in the world won’t fully work if you sleep 4 hours a night or remain highly stressed. Cortisol will stay elevated. So, a holistic approach is needed: increase calories intelligently, eat the right things at the right times, and prioritize recovery modalities. Many bodybuilders report that once they start sleeping better and feel the tension of contest prep fade (with more food), their strength and muscle rebound dramatically. That’s the anti-catabolic environment taking hold.

Conclusion

In reframing post-diet hypertrophy, we shift from a narrow focus on “calories just above maintenance” to a focus on hormonal and molecular permissiveness for growth. The minimal surplus approach, while well-intentioned to avoid fat gain, can backfire if the body’s catabolic alarms are still blaring. A post-diet body is like a dried-out plant – if you only give it a sip of water, it might survive but it won’t flourish. You need to sufficiently water the soil (rehydrate, refuel, reduce stress) before it can grow new leaves. By blunting cortisol and providing anti-catabolic, anabolic signaling through nutrition, you create a soil in which muscle can grow robustly, not just refill its roots.

Key takeaways: In the weeks after an intense cut, do not fear a reasonable amount of weight regain – much of it is water and protective mass, not fat. That weight gain often signals that your body is regaining an anabolic edge (higher insulin, IGF-1, lower cortisol, better hydration). Use strategic nutrition to accelerate this process: feed yourself enough and with the right nutrients to loudly tell your body it’s no longer starving. Once hormonal homeostasis is restored, muscle protein synthesis can fire on all cylinders and hypertrophy can occur at a much faster rate. Athletes who embrace an “anti-catabolic first, anabolic second” approach often find they feel better, recover faster, and start adding quality lean mass sooner than those who tiptoe out of a diet. In summary, muscle growth after a diet isn’t merely about eating a little above maintenance – it’s about decisively shifting your body back into growth mode. Calories are the wood, but hormones are the spark; a big enough flame will light the wood even if it’s a bit wet from dieting. So stoke that fire with smart post-diet nutrition, and hypertrophy will follow.

[Simon]

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 of bulking.

This made me realize:

Pretty much every successful bodybuilder I ever saw in an interview or I talked to in person said the same:

They did real bulking themselves to get big, but they would advise against it today.

An exception is Markus Rühl, who to this day says you gotta force-feed yourself relentlessly for real muscle growth.

In a mentorship position, people tend to focus on impression management. That’s why publicly given advice always has a tendency to be socially acceptable. “Do as I say, not as I do”. Plato coined the term “noble lie”.

A bodybuilder dirty bulks for maximum results, knowing it’s not optimal health-wise. But he advises clean bulking to others because it’s safer, healthier, and more responsible advice.

So I asked ChatGPT on the matter. And to my surprise, ChatGPT said clean bulking is not recommended for optimal results.

I let GPT4.5 (highest-end version) create a white paper on this matter. I told it to create if for a pro bodybuilder who is also a medical doctor. I will paste it in the following comment.

What’s interesting is that the AI autonomously narrowed the use case down to “post-diet” in this whitepaper. So I think while compiling the information, it realized that the matter might be situational and not universal.

[Simon]

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 TBJP supplements with AI yields overwhelmingly positive results.

[Simon]

@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 have access to a lot of tools, with so-called “Large Language Models” (LLM) like ChatGPT among them. For some tasks, you can increase productivity immensely: what took you a month of boring work before, can be done in less than 30 Minutes with AI.

So of course I play around with these tools and ask them all kinds of stuff to find out their strengths and weaknesses. How else would I be able to find the perfect use case?

Here’s GPT’s definition of Lean Bulking from the chat that I used to generate the content mentioned in my initial post:

“Lean Bulking” means eating in a caloric surplus, but only just enough to avoid gaining visible fat – staying as lean as possible while building muscle:

• Low caloric surplus like 200 kcal per day or lower
• Constant mirror-checking and scale-watching
• Usually less than 0.5 kg of weight gain per month
• Fear of water retention, a “softer” look, or slight fat gains

Result:

• Glycogen stores fill up -> you feel “fuller”
• Maybe 100-200 g of actual muscle gain per month
• Mostly just a temporary cell pump, not real growth
• In the next cutting phase: almost all of it disappears again

[Simon]

Hard training, lots of food, and AAS?

[Simon]

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 our priorities.

Instead of taking daily activities for granted, you become an expert in pacing yourself, choosing carefully where to spend the energy. Each decision comes with more weight, and the desire for quality moments, no matter how small like playing with my dogs and seeing them happy, becomes central.

With Long Covid, so much of the future is uncertain and out of control, anyway.

Who knows how many years are waiting for me.

Better make them count. 💪

[Simon]

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

Neither gel or injections will not do any damage to your organs.

It’s the same thing!

Just like saying oral antibiotics are better than IV

It literally doesn’t matter

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 fertility forever.

I’m starting this TRT 100% for medical reasons. I feel like complete shit for months. I rarely sleep longer than 3-4 hours a night and my body can’t take more than one low-intensity session every 9 days. I first thought it might be overtraining. But even after two phases where I didn’t train for 2 months each, things went downhill pretty fast.

Right now I’m hoping that it’s “just” the Covid-19 induced hypogonadism like the prof said and nothing worse. According to him I should be back on track after 3 months of TRT. And with the gel, chances are potentially higher that I can still have kids.

[Simon]

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 way. He didn’t tell me the results until this week.

Had my second test last Monday. This time I came prepared with bad sleep, high sugar meal 90 minutes before and so on.

I got the results back this week and just like Peter and Kamara said, both tests were exactly the same.

So I’m officially allowed to do TRT now.

I asked the prof why the results are much lower than the ones I got back from my general practitioner and he said that every lab will get you different results. He has his own lab.

He says that he’s 99% sure that my high liver enzymes are due to low t. AST is at 99 and ALT is at 269. Both are rising since my Covid-19 infection. Before the infection, everything was fine. Prof says Covid-19 was potentially deadly for men with low t and there’s evidence that Covid-19 can bring down testosterone down to hypogonadism levels.

We will do some checks now to be 100% sure that nothing else is causing liver problems and then we’ll start therapy in December.

He recommends Cypionate, but we will start with gel because I asked for it. There’s a Drugs N Stuff podcast with Dave Crosland where he says that gel is perfectly fine for TRT. I want to give it a try because I have no experience with needles. Prof says that gel will do a much less damage to my organs than injections.

[Simon]

Thanks, Kamara.

[Simon]

Thanks for the answer. Sounds reasonable.

[Simon]

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.

[Simon]

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 you get examined by the newbies. I can get the MRT done in 2024 at the very earliest.

The AST is increased by factor 2 above the upper limit of normal. The ALT by factor 5.4.

Is this withing range for someone who trains hard and eats lots of protein?

[Simon]

Thank you guys. So many great comments.

[Simon]

Thanks guys. Will do.

[Simon]

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