how did bodybuilders keep gains before there was "pct"

[vlad878]

did they just never come off or was the stuff they took better and more gains were kept?

 

[BigStev21]

prob never took breaks

 

[hawkmoon]

Depends on how you define "kept".

In the late 80s early 90s there was no real PCT (maybe some HCG). We tapered down. Always seemed to work OK.

 

[Kaladryn]

Dan Duchaine used to recommend not going off because all the sides came when you went off. People knew about adex and nolvadex but rarely used it, and they were hard to come by. This was early/mid 90s, before that I would imagine that most people had a hard time finding a constant supply, and so would have to cycle. But forget PCT, the real advantage we have when coming off is GH.

 

[MrCyp]

The exact same way how bodybuilders keep gains now. They always stay on.

 

[whiteknucks]

what about back in the day when test was shunned upon? Arnold and Franco days?

 

[RONJON]

^this topic always brings up some interesting points

 

[vlad878]

what about back in the day when test was shunned upon? Arnold and Franco days?

i dont know mabey a old timer from this board can chime in on this topic

 

[Jrizzle385]

PCT is overrated and really only pushed by internet guru know-it-all types and the guys who sell ancilliary drugs. That's the real truth. Back in the days you would just taper down, and for most, the transition went very smoothly. Everyone's body is different though.

I mean sure, there's plenty of medical documentation showing that clomid and HCG can help restore LH and FSH levels, but there's also a lot of literature showing these values rebounding with no treatment at all after ceasing hormone usage.

I say find what works for you and stick with it. Don't pile on 9 extra drugs you don't need just because you read it on the internet or some guy in your gym says you have to. Less is more sometimes.



Food for thought...

 

[DLStryker]

Depends on how you define "kept".

In the late 80s early 90s there was no real PCT (maybe some HCG). We tapered down. Always seemed to work OK.

Exactly........ dosages were lower and we tapered down.

DLStryker

 

[gator_mclusky]

Back in 88 when I started juicing it was said that a high dose of HCG would 3000-5000 i.u.s over 3 days kick started the pituitary to start producing natural Test which it did but it didnt keep the natural test coming so we just kept training, eating but backed off from training 6 days to 4 days a wk and the real heavy poundage we lightened up on also. We lost some water weight but it wasnt bad.

gator

 

[MrCyp]

Tapering doesnt do shit for recovering. Without PCT you simply dont recover in a timely fashion. Sure you can recover but it will take a long ass time. The pro's back then stayed on all the time. Im sure they thought taking a few dbols a day was being off, kinda like guys nowadays who run a little primo and proviron and think they are off.

 

[Kaladryn]

just like today, most people I knew talked about cycling but actually stayed on all the time, I think more people actually do take time off today because you can without losing really anything at all with good pct and gh.

 

[hawkmoon]

I did a few 8-12 week cycles 20 years ago and did time on=time off. I didn't lose much and actually held most of my gains over the years of being clean thereafter.

It really depends on the individual.

 

[Myck]

I've seen mid 70's off-season pics of Arnold in his prime Olympia years, when he looked absolutely nothing like the huge Arnold we were accustomed to.

 

[hawkmoon]

I've seen mid 70's off-season pics of Arnold in his prime Olympia years, when he looked absolutely nothing like the huge Arnold we were accustomed to.

Yeah, many forget that some of these guys were bodybuilders to win contests and not to be big all the time. The goal was to win, not to be jacked 24/7.
Levrone is a "modern" example.

 

[sarcoplasm]

Love this topic. A very good friend of mine was part of the original golds gym scenec and has many pics in the novel Pumping iron and he's told me on numerous occasions that there was no pct back then and there was no "on" al year practices. Imagine dbol, deca and var al,l year with not pct!!! To me the answer is no they did not keep all there gains! Ever see Frank Zane off juice! Look at Arnold in Stay Hungry! there was a difference. The answers is also the fact that they had 100% legit American and European Phamaceutical gear! Keep in mind that those guys didn't use high doses so alot of what they built was easily maintained, they also didn't do anywhere near as many guest appearances
Finally,keep in mind that you are looking at pictures and that even ArIold at his best would not win the Nationals today!

 

[MrCyp]

Wasnt dbol pretty poplular in high doses. I know test and deca were low in the 400mg range but I thought 100mg dbol daily wasnt uncommon back then.

 

[comedycentral]

i thought d boll amounts back in the 60's and 70's was low?

i remember reading larry scott im sure he said he made the decision to go from 5mg to 10mg per day.

if you have ver read the book by the wrestler dynamite kid however during the early 80's his dosages were insane for a guy that weighed 220.

i remember early 90's i started and the standard protocol was taper up peak then down then off and use hcg which i never did. nolvadex was about

 

[dgarr21]

Being on test year long in 200mg-300mg doses shouldn't really bother u alot. Just get blood work done two three times a year (not that i take steriods at all). When guys say they don't come off they usually do not mean taking a gram or two of AAS year long. They probably take 250mg a week of test and blast twice a year thats it. One should wonder how dangerous it is to your bodies system to come off and go back and come off and go back on over and over. Seems to me the logically thing to do would be stay off for a long period of time like 6-8 months (or dont do them) or stay on low trt doses and blast maybe twice a year and get blood tested three times a year...

Just my two cents in the bucket by no means am i expert but then again who is