I’ve been off my second cycle for about 2 months now and just finished up my PCT. I made sure to get my bloodwork done and everything is finally back to normal, which is a relief. I actually managed to keep a good amount of the size I put on too, so I'm pretty happy with how it went.
The thing is, I’m already dying to jump back on again. I’m curious what the standard wait time is for everyone else? How long do you guys usually stay off before starting the next one?
that itch to hop back on never really goes away lol but props for actually finishing pct and getting labs first
most guys i know try to stay off at least as long as they were on, gives your body some breathing room
if bloods look good that’s huge but i still think some extra time off pays off long term
keeping size after pct is a win honestly, a lot of people rush back on and mess that part up
patience sucks but future you will thank you for not blasting back to back cycles too fast
man the itch to jump back on is real lol. but seriously dont rush it. if you just finished pct your body literally just started breathing on its own again. give it some time to chill
glad the bloods came back clean! thats the biggest hurdle. general rule of thumb most guys follow is time on + pct = time off. so if you were on for 12 weeks and did 4 weeks pct, stay off for at least 16 before the next pin
honestly if you feel good and bloods are perfect you could go sooner but your health is a marathon not a sprint. i usually wait at least 4 months between cycles just to let my hair and skin recover too haha
nice work keeping the size! what was the cycle? usually i try to stay off as long as i was on. it helps keep the gains permanent rather than just being "rental muscle" you know?
i feel you on wanting to go back. the natty life feels so slow after a cycle lol. but stay strong man, let your lipids and liver enzymes really settle. bloodwork can look "normal" but still be trending the wrong way if you jump back too fast
standard is usually time on = time off but everyone is different. if youre young i’d definitely lean towards staying off longer. no need to fry your endocrine system before you even hit 30
2 months off is a good start but id wait at least another 2. your hpta is fragile right now. if you shut it down again immediately it might be way harder to kickstart it next time
i usually wait until my strength in the gym stabilizes. once i stop losing that "enhanced" pop and find my new natty baseline, then i know im ready to push again. usually takes me about 3-5 months total
its a trap! haha i always want to start again the second pct ends. just remind yourself why you did the pct in the first place. let your body stay at homeostatis for a bit so the next cycle actually hits harder
