GeneticGoldmine
New member
It’s a common piece of advice you’ll see in cycle logs: “You should lower your body fat before starting your cycle.” While the reasoning is often framed around minimizing potential side effects like gynecomastia or high blood pressure (which is true), there’s another, possibly even more convincing reason to do so: you will gain more muscle.
After all, the goal of using performance-enhancing substances is to maximize muscle growth, right? So, why would you undermine your potential by starting your cycle with excess body fat? Lowering your body fat before starting a cycle doesn’t just help with side effect management — it directly enhances your muscle-building results.
This isn’t just bro-science; it's supported by actual scientific evidence. The leaner you are at the start of your cycle, the more muscle mass you can gain. The key concept here is nutrient partitioning.
What is Nutrient Partitioning?
Nutrient partitioning refers to how your body distributes the nutrients you consume — either towards building lean muscle or storing fat. By reducing your body fat before starting your cycle, you can optimize this process, directing more of the nutrients you consume into muscle growth rather than fat storage. This has been proven through Forbe’s Theory.
Forbe’s Theory and Muscle Gain
Forbe’s research demonstrates a logarithmic relationship between body fat and lean muscle gain. Essentially, the lower your body fat percentage when you start your cycle, the more muscle you will be able to build. For example, individuals with higher levels of body fat experience diminished muscle gains, while those starting leaner enjoy more efficient muscle growth.
In simple terms: the leaner you are, the better your muscle gains will be. If that’s not convincing enough to drop your body fat before cycling, I don’t know what is.
What Is an Acceptable Body Fat Percentage?
You’re probably wondering what an “acceptable” body fat percentage is. While lower is always better, anecdotal evidence suggests that a body fat percentage between 10-15% is optimal for nutrient partitioning. Going above 15% can start to shift the balance, favoring fat gain over muscle growth.
Think about this for a moment: why do professional bodybuilders and physique competitors continue to get leaner and more muscular every year, while most average gym-goers seem to plateau? It’s because, when getting ready for stage competitions, these athletes reduce their body fat to extremely low levels, enhancing their nutrient partitioning ability. This allows their bodies to effectively direct the nutrients from their food into muscle growth, not fat storage.
Negative Partitioning Agents: Junk Food
On the flip side, don’t sabotage your progress by consuming foods that are considered "negative partitioning agents." These are typically processed and refined junk foods — anything that’s high in sugar, trans fats, or low in nutrients. When you eat junk food, your body is more likely to store the calories as fat, rather than using them to build muscle.
In contrast, clean foods like chicken, tuna, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal promote muscle growth because they support proper nutrient partitioning. The quality of the food you eat matters — 1000 calories of fast food will behave very differently in your body compared to 1000 calories of lean protein and complex carbs.
Compounds That Improve Nutrient Partitioning
While AAS (anabolic steroids) are well-known for improving nutrient partitioning, there are other supplements and compounds that can also help shift the balance toward muscle building:
- Fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids)
- Ephedrine
- BCAAs (especially L-leucine)
- DHEA
- Lecithin
- Tyramine
- Creatine
- ALCAR (acetyl-l-carnitine)
- Green tea extract
- CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
Final Thoughts
Your starting body fat percentage significantly impacts the quality and amount of muscle mass you will gain during your cycle. Excess body fat will hinder your muscle-building potential, while lowering your body fat allows for better nutrient partitioning, helping you build lean muscle more effectively.
The science is clear: to maximize muscle gains, aim to start your cycle with a body fat percentage below 15%, and the leaner, the better.
After all, the goal of using performance-enhancing substances is to maximize muscle growth, right? So, why would you undermine your potential by starting your cycle with excess body fat? Lowering your body fat before starting a cycle doesn’t just help with side effect management — it directly enhances your muscle-building results.
This isn’t just bro-science; it's supported by actual scientific evidence. The leaner you are at the start of your cycle, the more muscle mass you can gain. The key concept here is nutrient partitioning.
What is Nutrient Partitioning?
Nutrient partitioning refers to how your body distributes the nutrients you consume — either towards building lean muscle or storing fat. By reducing your body fat before starting your cycle, you can optimize this process, directing more of the nutrients you consume into muscle growth rather than fat storage. This has been proven through Forbe’s Theory.
Forbe’s Theory and Muscle Gain
Forbe’s research demonstrates a logarithmic relationship between body fat and lean muscle gain. Essentially, the lower your body fat percentage when you start your cycle, the more muscle you will be able to build. For example, individuals with higher levels of body fat experience diminished muscle gains, while those starting leaner enjoy more efficient muscle growth.
In simple terms: the leaner you are, the better your muscle gains will be. If that’s not convincing enough to drop your body fat before cycling, I don’t know what is.
What Is an Acceptable Body Fat Percentage?
You’re probably wondering what an “acceptable” body fat percentage is. While lower is always better, anecdotal evidence suggests that a body fat percentage between 10-15% is optimal for nutrient partitioning. Going above 15% can start to shift the balance, favoring fat gain over muscle growth.
Think about this for a moment: why do professional bodybuilders and physique competitors continue to get leaner and more muscular every year, while most average gym-goers seem to plateau? It’s because, when getting ready for stage competitions, these athletes reduce their body fat to extremely low levels, enhancing their nutrient partitioning ability. This allows their bodies to effectively direct the nutrients from their food into muscle growth, not fat storage.
Negative Partitioning Agents: Junk Food
On the flip side, don’t sabotage your progress by consuming foods that are considered "negative partitioning agents." These are typically processed and refined junk foods — anything that’s high in sugar, trans fats, or low in nutrients. When you eat junk food, your body is more likely to store the calories as fat, rather than using them to build muscle.
In contrast, clean foods like chicken, tuna, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal promote muscle growth because they support proper nutrient partitioning. The quality of the food you eat matters — 1000 calories of fast food will behave very differently in your body compared to 1000 calories of lean protein and complex carbs.
Compounds That Improve Nutrient Partitioning
While AAS (anabolic steroids) are well-known for improving nutrient partitioning, there are other supplements and compounds that can also help shift the balance toward muscle building:
- Fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids)
- Ephedrine
- BCAAs (especially L-leucine)
- DHEA
- Lecithin
- Tyramine
- Creatine
- ALCAR (acetyl-l-carnitine)
- Green tea extract
- CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
Final Thoughts
Your starting body fat percentage significantly impacts the quality and amount of muscle mass you will gain during your cycle. Excess body fat will hinder your muscle-building potential, while lowering your body fat allows for better nutrient partitioning, helping you build lean muscle more effectively.
The science is clear: to maximize muscle gains, aim to start your cycle with a body fat percentage below 15%, and the leaner, the better.
