Personal Experiences- Period of Best Gains

[legacy]

Would be keen on people experiences on at what point after they started lifting did they get the best gains over a given period and the reasons why eg. diet change,routine change,roids,genetics etc and whether they believe that the best gains come when you first start lifting?

Cheers legacy...

[roadie]

my 2c would be that apart from taking hormones the best gains would be when you start weight training.

unfortunately basically 9.9 out of 10 punters stuff up their first year or two, getting no results as they dont dial in all the other factors you list.

over the years all the factors you list have affected me, but the biggest one is persistence, you have to stick at it for a long time to make real gains.

[Maximus]

Keeping a decent journal is the best way of monitoring your progress and more importantly having a goal to reach.

[legacy]

bumping this as I'm sure there is a lot of people that could provide some input to this to help beginners.

[Grover]

previously has been whilst working under guidance of a good PT

trying this year to achieve the same or better myself.

[Shutupandsquat]

Genetics has to play as a key factor in my opinion but I also think routine change is a part of it since you can create a certain routine to get the results you want e.g. thicker back, wider back, chest fullness, chest mass.

[HarryB]

Best gains for me were at the beginning and then every time after I had dieted for a contest.

[lemon]

When I found out a bit of the science behind it. I then realized I needed to change my routine and efforts to get anywhere.

That's when my results came. When I was clueless I was doing 10 reps 1 set of everything (I was 15)

[Rookie]

Best gains for me were at the beginning and then every time after I had dieted for a contest.

Awesome bro, what sort of gains did you get (kgs) after each comp and did they differ as from year to year?

[tonyb]

I went on a cut for 2.5 months just before christmas. I cut down good but did hit a plateau towards the end. Then came christmas so I just went crazy with junk food for two weeks over the holidays. I ate anything & everything. I put on 3 kilos but after going back to a clean diet & good training in mid January my gains went through the roof! I also lost the 3 kilos & even more. I am now more ripped with more muscle than after the cut last year. So a re-feed help me with the best gains I have had for ages.

[mike27]

yeah a 2 week break will give your body plenty of time to rest up and be ready to get back into it!

[Chemo]

Best gain for myself was on a totally uncompromised bulk (meaning all out see food diet) I think mainly because I was of course well nourished, calories, carbs, vits and minerals were all more than surplus. I put on fat for sure but the lean gains within that time are far better than if I were doing a lean bulk or constructing a more sophisticated diet. Bulking is such a mental break too, weights go up easy, during winter I never got a cold or bug.

[dmcb]

after about 2 years of working out when i starting eating way more.

And after i lost a lot of weight due to sickness, so when i got back into it i got the strength gains back with just over half the weight i recovered