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Dealing with increased recovery time post-cycle

SakuraIron

SakuraIron

TID Lady Member
Dec 6, 2013
173
32
So I just finished my mast/var cycle (started w/ mast 1st 12 weeks, started var 6 weeks in, finished var in 10 weeks), with no PCT (my decision, based on everything I've read about females and if they need PCT or not). I didn't PCT after my first var-only cycle, and had no noticeable sides at all.

It's been almost 2 weeks and the only things I've been noticing is increased hairloss in the shower/sore scalp and hair (feels like it's drying out), how sore my body is every day. It seems like my body takes forever to recover after a workout. On mast/var I felt like Superwoman, needing no recovery time at all. Anyone have any suggestions on how to shorten recovery time? I take Ibuprofen everyday now. Do you think all I really need is a good BCAA? I eat plenty, sleep plenty, and drink at least a gallon of water a day. I start my next training cycle for my next meet really soon and it's intense programming so I can't deal with being super super sore every day.
 
GiantSlayer

GiantSlayer

VIP Member
Jan 27, 2013
2,402
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Bcaa won't do it. You should do some research about the role the inflamatory response plays in muscle growth. I can think of a few reasons for you to stop taking ibuprofen but the best reason is because it is killing your gains.
 
jhotsauce7

jhotsauce7

TID Board Of Directors
Jan 18, 2011
2,805
684
Peri workout nutrition:bcaa/eaa myocelar casein, highly branched cyclic dextrin and citruline malate.. Also glutamine pre and post wo, along with foam rolling... Also you will probably eventually have to alter your training. Enhanced training and natty training need to be of different approaches for specifically this reason imho
 

Jenner

Friends Remembered
Jan 9, 2012
2,457
553
So I just finished my mast/var cycle (started w/ mast 1st 12 weeks, started var 6 weeks in, finished var in 10 weeks), with no PCT (my decision, based on everything I've read about females and if they need PCT or not). I didn't PCT after my first var-only cycle, and had no noticeable sides at all.

It's been almost 2 weeks and the only things I've been noticing is increased hairloss in the shower/sore scalp and hair (feels like it's drying out), how sore my body is every day. It seems like my body takes forever to recover after a workout. On mast/var I felt like Superwoman, needing no recovery time at all. Anyone have any suggestions on how to shorten recovery time? I take Ibuprofen everyday now. Do you think all I really need is a good BCAA? I eat plenty, sleep plenty, and drink at least a gallon of water a day. I start my next training cycle for my next meet really soon and it's intense programming so I can't deal with being super super sore every day.

I hate to say this, but it's part of the game. You no longer have the help in recovery. The hair loss is most likely a side from the mast...I lost a very limited amount of hair on mast and actually grew facial hair! We all react differently.

I am not thinking the ibuprofen everyday is good, I know why you are taking it but it's not a good thing.

When you start your next cycle, you will go back to having the good recovery time again.
 
sassy69

sassy69

TID Lady Member
Aug 16, 2011
1,067
398
Definitely need to pay attention to "enhanced" / "not enhanced". Both Mast & Var take about 3 weeks to clear your system, so you have some hormone flux going on right now. The hairloss - I'd suggest using Nizoral 1% or 2% shampoo if you are going to do use any DHT-derivative to help w/ the hairloss. Not sure if it will do much at this point, but never hurts to keep a bottle around if you're going to continue cycling in the future.

RE: recovery time - VERY important to work w/ the rate your body can work - patience is a virtue w/ cycling as your body is going to be under the influence of the compound(s) and an even bigger virtue when you come off. Ain't nuttin for free - so all that time of amazing recovery, great feeling of well-being, etc, has the cost of allowing your body to recover as well, and then recognizing that it won't be able to be treated the same as while 'on'. Frankly IMO there's a reason for that - because you can't stay on a cycle forever and repeated cycles w/ shorter & shorter recovery times will result in accumulated sides and longer-remaining sides, as well as just plain old stress on your body. The point is not to keep taking steroids, but rather to use them to allow your body to make some gains over one phase, and then working with your body to let it assimilate those changes. The more you can keep while NOT on a cycle, the more that is actually YOURS (i.e. what your body and lifestyle can maintain).

RE: DOMS, etc. - here is where knowledge of other tools to help "heal" is powerful - this includes stretching, foam rolling, good quality sleep. In terms of supplements, defintely put good quality EFAs at the top of your list. Additionally you can research some OTC / natural anti-inflammatories online. Here's a quick list I found: http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/10-anti-inflammatory-supplements-that-work

There are no quicky shifts to force on your body. Let it work at the rate it can, but support it. Take the off-time to focus on solid diet, training at the rate that you can and not at the rate you trained while "on". More stretching, etc. Basically more consideration for your body, and generally slowing things down a little overall while you get back to an overall maintenance level. The art of using cycles to "enhance" yourself is to use them to supplement your body's abilities, not override them - because it will blow up in your face eventually if you don't.
 
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SakuraIron

SakuraIron

TID Lady Member
Dec 6, 2013
173
32
Thanks everyone for your responses!
I do focus on proper recovery aspects every day already with foam rolling and such. I know ibuprofen can be a negative thing for muscle building, that's why I try to just take it at night before going to sleep, but definitely going to try to stay away from it now. I'm going to read that t-nation article GS once I'm done with my last final today (WHOO!)

I think once I start my new training cycle, I'm just going to adjust it according to how my body feels.
 
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