I Walk the Line (Between Size and Definition)

That's right, just like the Johnny Cash song, I walk the line. Only I walk the line between size and definition, not pain pills and women.

What is the fine line between size and definition?

Well that all depends on who you ask. If you ask me, it's about 210-220 lbs at any given time, fairly lean. I'm not talking about contest lean here, but it's right around 8-12% body fat, and you could swing one way or the other within a month and be bigger or much more cut.

Now, when I say 210-220 lbs, this is for a man of average height (5'8″-6′) and will usually require steroid cycles of at least 2 cycles per year or 1 really long cycle. This can be done with moderate dosages and under 1,000 mg/wk total per cycle.

My normal rule is under a gram a week of gear and I feel that this is an amount that is better for your health and financially realistic.

Cycles do not have to be anything crazy, a few hundred mg's of test with a couple hundred mg's of deca per week, or a few hundred mg's of EQ with 200 mg's/wk testosterone, something along those lines can give you the results to walk around at this size. You'll be much larger than most guys at the gym and more defined if your diet is decent.

Strive for the best of both worlds

Walking that fine line is much more rewarding to me than the extremes of being super shredded and weak, or super powerful and fat. It's really the best of both worlds, and I frequently take smaller time frames to either A) gain more strength, or B) lose more body fat. But I could take my shirt off at any given time and look better than 99% of most people.

I used to go through the extremes of gaining and losing, and eating and dieting, but not anymore. I'm always eating clean, but I may fall off the wagon two-three times a week as opposed to just once if I were competition prepping.

A good trick to do is to throw in your junk meal the day before a muscle group you're trying to improve. I got great results when I'd throw in a high calorie cheat meal the evening before my chest day.

I found the extra energy gave me much better workouts and my chest has turned into one of my best body parts now. When I began lifting it was one of my weakest!

Another little trick you can do is throw in higher carbs pre-workout and then post workout, and then go right back to dieting hard the remainder of the day. This will give you great results, and since the bulk of the carbs were near the workout time you won't gain much fat, if any.

Cycles

For guys on hormone replacement, I would recommend a cycle pattern of a shot every 4-5 days of a smaller dosage of something that complements hormone replacement. Something like primobolan could be taken every 4th or 5th day at 150-200 mg/shot while keeping your testosterone at 150-250 mg/wk (I personally take 200 mg/wk usually).

Another favorite of mine is NPP, or commonly known as fast acting Deca. You can get away with taking this twice/wk and you'll hold very little water with it, unlike regular Deca.

EQ would be another suitable choice at a couple hundred mg's/wk. Yes, under normal cycle protocols you'd go higher with some of these compounds, but for a guy on HRT, a 20 week run of something in a very low dose alongside your test is a great way to maintain good size and feel good. I really just feel good running my gear this way!

Some compounds I'd suggest for running alongside your test replacement would be; 20-25 mg/day Winstrol, 2-300 mg/wk Primo, 2-300 mg/wk EQ, 200 mg/wk deca or NPP, 50 mg/day Proviron tabs, 30 mg/day Anavar, 300 mg/wk Masteron.

With only Winstrol being the exception, I would run any of these compounds at those dosages for up to 20 weeks at a shot alongside my normal testosterone replacement dose. The low dose Winny would probably be thrown in for an 8 week block if I were to use that. For myself, a 20 week run like that, and possibly 1 higher mg cycle during the year would be how I'd do things.

Supplements

As for supplements, a good quality whey isolate or whey matrix on the regular, a basic multi-vitamin such as Centrum (I just don't waste my money on “vitamin packs” I think they're bullshit and you piss it all out), glucosamine taken on the regular, digestive enzymes, and possibly 5,000-10,000 mg/day creatine monohydrate.

I take stuff like this EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK, EVERY MONTH. I rarely take anything over the counter that I'm just going to try for a “supplement cycle.” Any supplements I use are staples and they're factored into my monthly budget the same way a car payment would be.

As far as I'm concerned, the only major changes in the bodies over the past 20 years would be from HGH and insulin. Take out those resources, and the bodies would have never gotten much different than the Golden era. So I just don't spend a lot of money on supplements that are “new and cutting edge”.

Now, if you aren't done growing yet, then you need to keep hammering away and eat, eat, eat! Someone with at least 5-8 years in the gym would be a candidate for “walking the line.” If I tried to walk the line at 180 lbs then I would have never made it to 220 lbs.

Don't neglect athleticism!

It's my personal opinion that a lean 210-220 lbs is the perfect combination of size/definition, as well as athleticism! Athleticism is so important now, because a lot of bigger guys just don't have that anymore.

I still swim laps, ride my mountain bike, and I can still run. I still swing a golf club, throw a baseball or a football, and I can ice skate and inline skate fairly well. Do not let the size hinder you from doing things, your lack of athleticism and flexibility will only lead to far greater chances of injury.

MMA would also be a great extra curricular activity to complement bodybuilding. you need to be able to kick, strike, and be flexible on the ground for MMA, training in this fashion would help you keep grounded while trying to further develop your body.

There is no point in building a powerful looking physique that is utterly useless for other activities!

I practice walking straight and not like a penguin, I keep my quads proportionate to my frame (a defined 27″), and I try and keep a tighter waist. A gorilla-like ass and walking like you wobble just looks fucking stupid to me.

I used to walk that way when I was up around 265 lbs at 5'9″, and I wouldn't realize how bad it was until I saw myself on video. I try to keep it so I can still wear a pair of dress pants or khaki's if I had to. Yes, my suits will always need to be altered because of the shoulder to waist drop, but other than that I can usually fit into a lot of normal clothes.

I wear an XL size T-shirt and it's snug, but I like my clothes form fitting. I think that nice clothes that you can still fit into with a good physique commands more respect than being a walking block. This is where “sculpting your body” makes good sense.

If doing squats is making your ass grow too much, then go to leg presses for awhile. Quit listening to some of these idiots and start sculpting your body!

Walk the line!

-JD

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19 thoughts on “I Walk the Line (Between Size and Definition)”

    • I go once/wk, injecting yourself gets to be a pain in the ass (literally) and once/wk suits me fine. It’s not infrequent enough that blood levels shift, but frequent enough to keep you leveled out. Once every 2 weeks is not enough, and that is what most Docs have patients do nowadays

      Reply
      • 1) my doc has me on 50mg/week now – when move up to 100mg/week will I notice a difference in my mood? I actually feel worse now

        2) is injecting into the delts ok? I’ve heard that there’s slower absorption or some shit

        Reply
  1. Interesting article! How do you avoid injuries if you do Bodybuilding and also other sports (e.g. Mountainbike or swimming as mentioned)? I am just asking as this is always my biggest concern.

    Reply
    • It’s hard to get injured swimming since it’s low impact and low resistance, mountain biking on the other hand, I try not to fall, LOL. Just stretching man, and those cross train type activities help keep injuries down as well

      Reply
  2. I am about 215-220. I am muscular and strong I can bench 315 for 6 and ive never taken a steroid. But my muscles are kind of doughy. I want to rip up and harden my muscles. I woukd also like to shred up and get down to 195 withouf losing strength. Is this possible? What kind of stack would I need to do this? Any articles that can help me learn this?

    Reply
    • you’re going to lose some strength, it’s just part of the game when it comes to getting shredded. Everyone does. As for what to use to accomplish that task, you dont need much if anything. Remember, all gear does is help preserve muscle while in a caloric deficit. It’s your diet that is the ultimate factor. If I wanted to use just enough to get the job done, I personally would go for 100mg mon/wed/fri test prop, and 50mg/day anavar

      Reply
  3. I have been on TRT for one year straight. Im currently off and going to stay off for a good 6 weeks. Is there anyway not too feel like shit for the next 5 weeks.. I don’t have access to clomid or hcg… I know those two help boost natural test… Found you through victors websites. You guys keep up the good work..

    Reply
    • First off thanks for following as a new reader. As for feeling good when you’re not on test, not really. The thought of taking something to help boost natural test is a nice thought, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite work like that on TRT. You’re on TRT because your own test was in the dirt to begin with. Staying on test as a replacement is a surefire way of making it so your own test is never coming back. However, there is such a thing as Leutinizing hormone stimulation while on TRT, which is very important. That is why HCG is eventually necessary on hormone replacement. There can come a point on TRT where you can still feel off because of this lack of LH stimulation. Are you on prescription TRT or are you doing this yourself? And my next question is what is your logic behind coming off test?

      Reply
      • I am on a prescription for TRT.. To answer your question about why I got off. I was feeling like my sexual performance was becoming immuned in some way. My body and mind was still good. I wasn’t getting the sexual performance I was when I first started.. Basically thinking I would give my body a rest for recovery.. My dr doesn’t know I’m taking a break.. I will look into the LH stimulation. I’m not sure what it is tho

        Reply
  4. I have 6 tablets of clomiphene citrate 50 mg.. If I took a half a tablet for 12 days would that be enough to get my normal test kicking again? I know You have said 21 days before but just wondering if I could get by on what I have?

    Reply
    • it’ll help but time is going to be the biggest factor in recovery. Time is the biggest factor even with adequate PCT. Guys seem to think as long as they do PCT they are instantly normal 3 wks after cycle and this is definitely not the case

      Reply
  5. Hi john
    My name is Ivan.
    First thanks for all your great work and feedback with diets training and gear. I think the way you do things is a great lesson to other bodybuilders out there. My question is I’m on hrt in Australia and they have proscribed sustanon 250 1 shot every 10 days. Should I be splitting this dose 1 half shot every 5 days or should I be asking for a longer Easter like primotestan? They also have this. Your experience and advise would be appreciated.

    Reply
    • For right now you need to split the dose into shots at least every 3 days. Sustanon has propionate in it and you’re not getting full advantage of that by only using it once every 10 days. Switch to a single ester in the future, then you can do 1 shot every 10 days

      Reply
  6. Hey John, thanks for all the good info. I’m 41 and sitting about 220 lbs at around 10-12% body fat. I’ve been on TRT for 4 years now and currently take 200mg cypionate per week. I feel good on it. I’m wanting to use some deca to steadily gain some more mass before my next show in the spring. How many mg’s would you suggest and how often? Can I take deca on the same day as test? I have access to two 10ml bottles. Thanks!

    Reply
    • if using for show prep then go 200-300mg/wk and drop it at about 3 wks out. Make sure you use some arimadex alongside it, you’ll look harder

      Reply
  7. Hello, thanks for all you do. I am about to begin TRT (51 yrs old). I am going to speak to my MD about dosage at my visit next week, but I was thinking 125mg of E or C, or 100mg of Prop (to account for the esters). But, I am going to ask the doc if I could start with 200mg per week for a month or two, then go down to therapeutic levels mentioned above, If he does not go along, I will supplement on my own. But after 2 months of 200mg per week, and 200 mg of Primo per week that I will do along side of it, is it possible to keep those mild gains when I go back down to just Therapeutic TRT levels? Based on your article, I think I read that I can possibly keep gains on low levels of TRT. (FYI, earlier this year I did a 10 week cycle of low low dose test and npp. I gained 16 lbs. Did my PCT and lost everything 6 weeks after PCT. I assume I just no longer have natural test levels to hold on to gains. Thanks.

    Reply
    • you can retain a lot just on TRT itself. I didn’t have the ups and downs once I went on TRT. 100mg per week is usually standard, although my doc gives me 200/wk, I just come off 2 weeks before any labs. And yea man, PCT is sort of overrated when it comes to retaining any gains. Good luck -JD

      Reply

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