Cycle One: Test E

[Cratos]

Goals:

• Looking to bulk and PR on all major exercises. I'd prefer gaining the least amount of fat possible.

Pre Cycle Stats:

• Age: 27
• Height: 5’7
• Weight: 182lb
• BF%: 13-17%? Abs slightly faded

Diet:

• Calories: 4300
• Carbs: 500g minimum
• Protein: 181g minimum
• Fiber: 40g minimum
• Fish Oil: 2grams
• CoQ10: 200mg
• The last six weeks I increased the total calories from 3900 to 4300.

Training:

• 4 years training experience with a focus on powerlifting.
• PR’s include meet legal 420 High Bar Squat/265 Pause Bench/455 Beltless Deadlift (stiff bar).
• I am conservatively within 5% of hitting these numbers.
• I was sick for several weeks and recovering from an overuse injury from months ago so I ran simple layout like starting strength for 6 weeks to get my strength back up.
• I was thinking of running the Texas Method as I have done so before with great success as the weekly volume/intensity steadily increases and I won’t risk doing too much too quickly and getting injured.

QUESTION: Have any of you done this program while on a first cycle and if so did you make any adjustments such as an increased rate of progression? Are there any programs out there more suited for a first cycle?


Cycle:

• 250mg Test E weeks 1-6
• 500mg Test E weeks 7-18
• Plan on pinning 2x/week 250mg ea.
• AI on hand if needed.
• The gear is not pharma grade but reliable. The first six weeks was highly recommended by a Powerlifting friend of mine who has been running gear for years to see I how I would initially react to the drug at a lower dose before increasing it to 500mg for 12 weeks. I am now 6 weeks in and have a little bit of acne but it’s mostly gone via switching moisturizers and soaps. Now, the plan is to increase the dose and finish the cycle.

QUESTION: Is 500mg for 12 weeks after 6 weeks of 250mg too much for a first cycle and if so how should it be adjusted? I am not opposed to cruising on TRT doses for several weeks before starting a proper cycle if what I have done has hampered with possible progress on a first cycle.


Post Cycle:

• The plan is to cruise as I don’t mind pinning weekly for the rest of my life a few years ahead of when I would most likely be needing it anyway.

Future:

• I tried to avoid forums the best I could as all kinds of people say different things but realized how hands on experience is always necessary to take into account. That is exactly why I started this cycle in the first place. My only regrets are not looking to the opinions and experiences of others as well as not getting blood work done pre cycle as oppose to post cycle. In the future I plan to be 100% certain of everything before beginning a cycle as well as getting regular blood work done.

 

[Inquiring Mind]

Goals:

• Looking to bulk and PR on all major exercises. I'd prefer gaining the least amount of fat possible.

Pre Cycle Stats:

• Age: 27
• Height: 5’7
• Weight: 182lb
• BF%: 13-17%? Abs slightly faded

Diet:

• Calories: 4300
• Carbs: 500g minimum
• Protein: 181g minimum
• Fiber: 40g minimum
• Fish Oil: 2grams
• CoQ10: 200mg
• The last six weeks I increased the total calories from 3900 to 4300.

Training:

• 4 years training experience with a focus on powerlifting.
• PR’s include meet legal 420 High Bar Squat/265 Pause Bench/455 Beltless Deadlift (stiff bar).
• I am conservatively within 5% of hitting these numbers.
• I was sick for several weeks and recovering from an overuse injury from months ago so I ran simple layout like starting strength for 6 weeks to get my strength back up.
• I was thinking of running the Texas Method as I have done so before with great success as the weekly volume/intensity steadily increases and I won’t risk doing too much too quickly and getting injured.

QUESTION: Have any of you done this program while on a first cycle and if so did you make any adjustments such as an increased rate of progression? Are there any programs out there more suited for a first cycle?


Cycle:

• 250mg Test E weeks 1-6
• 500mg Test E weeks 7-18
• Plan on pinning 2x/week 250mg ea.
• AI on hand if needed.
• The gear is not pharma grade but reliable. The first six weeks was highly recommended by a Powerlifting friend of mine who has been running gear for years to see I how I would initially react to the drug at a lower dose before increasing it to 500mg for 12 weeks. I am now 6 weeks in and have a little bit of acne but it’s mostly gone via switching moisturizers and soaps. Now, the plan is to increase the dose and finish the cycle.

QUESTION: Is 500mg for 12 weeks after 6 weeks of 250mg too much for a first cycle and if so how should it be adjusted? I am not opposed to cruising on TRT doses for several weeks before starting a proper cycle if what I have done has hampered with possible progress on a first cycle.


Post Cycle:

• The plan is to cruise as I don’t mind pinning weekly for the rest of my life a few years ahead of when I would most likely be needing it anyway.

Future:

• I tried to avoid forums the best I could as all kinds of people say different things but realized how hands on experience is always necessary to take into account. That is exactly why I started this cycle in the first place. My only regrets are not looking to the opinions and experiences of others as well as not getting blood work done pre cycle as oppose to post cycle. In the future I plan to be 100% certain of everything before beginning a cycle as well as getting regular blood work done.

The proposed cycle is good. It was good advise to start with 250 and work your way up, now that you know that you can, on the surface, tolerate exogenous Test. You should like bright young man, but not getting you pre-bloods and jumping in both feet first was a disservice to yourself.
Cant undo whats done, and no point in deviating for what you planned for...but do get a couple mid-cycle boods and of course post-cycle if you choose to pct..Make sure to give enough time for the Test to clear out..

All else look promising. However, as to cruising "forever" you might want to reconsider that statement. You haven't lived this life long enough to make such a finite deceleration. To each there own, but i think most would agree that you keep our options open....you never know what lies ahead.

 

[Cratos]

The proposed cycle is good. It was good advise to start with 250 and work your way up, now that you know that you can, on the surface, tolerate exogenous Test. You should like bright young man, but not getting you pre-bloods and jumping in both feet first was a disservice to yourself.
Cant undo whats done, and no point in deviating for what you planned for...but do get a couple mid-cycle boods and of course post-cycle if you choose to pct..Make sure to give enough time for the Test to clear out..

All else look promising. However, as to cruising "forever" you might want to reconsider that statement. You haven't lived this life long enough to make such a finite deceleration. To each there own, but i think most would agree that you keep our options open....you never know what lies ahead.

Thanks you. How far into a cycle would you typically get blood work down, mid cycle? Also, I might have used the word cruise incorrectly. I was saying trying to say that I was planning on blasting and cruising when I finally started pinning because I know one day not too far into future, likely after my twenties, I would be on TRT for life anyway. This was one area where I would get flak from a lot of people and understandably so.

 

[Inquiring Mind]

Thanks you. How far into a cycle would you typically get blood work down, mid cycle? Also, I might have used the word cruise incorrectly. I was saying trying to say that I was planning on blasting and cruising when I finally started pinning because I know one day not too far into future, likely after my twenties, I would be on TRT for life anyway. This was one area where I would get flak from a lot of people and understandably so.

When people say pre/mid/post ...that is the standard minimums...with AAS, a smart person would be vigilant with getting bloods..personally I get a pre and 2 mids and a post.

The beauty with your cycle is that you are taking only one compound...so a great deal of guessing is narrowed down to just the Test..best off all, you have a chance to truly learn and realize your tolerance to estrogen. That will be key knowledge as you advance and start incorporating additional compounds one day, if you do choose.

In answer to your question, you are at the mid point of your cycle and should get bloods ASAP. Moreover, for what your doing, bloods are relatively cheep for CBC,CMP, Lipids, Total Test and Free Tear (uncapped). Pretty much all you will need to know about your health.
Cheep enough that I would suggest getting another set in 3 more weeks. Post cycle bloods will show you how much and how drastically numbers change after your off gear.

 

[Cratos]

A slight modification has been made and that would be twice weekly pinning of 200mg as oppose to 250mg, meaning 400mg weekly for the first cycle as oppose to 500mg. I'll update this log as I go along for anyone interested or those who stumble upon this in the future.

 

[Dr. Savage]

I'm following! Looking forward to seeing your experience and results!

 

[Cratos]

So far 4 pins of 4/5cc (left quad, right shoulder, right pec, left shoulder) and all went smooth except the quad. I was semi flexed by accident -_-.. a little to due with nerves since it was my first pin. For shoulders I didn't even feel it the next day. For pec it was a little sore.

As far as progress, the little acne I had has gotten better, likely due to switching from 250mg e7d to 200mg e3.5d.

 

[Cratos]

So far this is what the pinning schedule has looked like:

5/11/2017 250mg Test E/150mg Deca
5/15/2017 250mg Test
5/18/2017 150mg Test
5/22/2017 189.2lb 200mg Test
5/25/2017 189.0lb 200mg Test
5/29/2017 189.8lb 200mg Test
6/1/2017 191.6lb 200mg Test
6/5/2017 193.8lb 200mg Test

I first shot was intended for my friend but I used the wrong pin -_-.. so I wanted to mention that mistake. As it is i'm not feeling that great, thinking I should start using an AI as morning wood hasn't really been there for 2 weeks. I'm not sure if I should get blood work done yet or wait a little while longer for the Test to build up in my system/have the deca out of my system.

When do you guys recommended I get blood work and should I just start using the AI or wait til the blood work?

 

[Cratos]

Blood drawn about 49 hours post injection. I've been taking .5mg arimidex EOD since week 4 of 400mg of Test E and now it's week 8. As a reminder I had 250mg for 6 weeks earlier with no AI. Anyway, this is where I am at and not sure if I should up the AI dose or not? Also, I was thinking of donating blood. Any tips or opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Cratos]

It's been 2 weeks since I got blood work done and thought I'd get some responses here ad surprisingly I got zero. Anyway, i'll continue updating this thread in case someone stumbles upon it and finds useful information.

 

[Cratos]

Update: 9 Weeks completed.

Daily averages for the last 3 weeks are 190.5lb/4180 calories/200g protein/136g fat/536g carb/45g fiber. Lower body training has been going well, although I have had some shoulder pain from weighted dips the last few weeks, so I did a few sets of push ups for those sessions and am getting back into pressing with lighter weights. There is still some discomfort as felt on deadlifts yesterday but i'll leave dips alone for a while and train smart and hard as I always aim too.

 

[ThatYoungGuy]

Update: 9 Weeks completed.

Daily averages for the last 3 weeks are 190.5lb/4180 calories/200g protein/136g fat/536g carb/45g fiber. Lower body training has been going well, although I have had some shoulder pain from weighted dips the last few weeks, so I did a few sets of push ups for those sessions and am getting back into pressing with lighter weights. There is still some discomfort as felt on deadlifts yesterday but i'll leave dips alone for a while and train smart and hard as I always aim too.

Looks close to the same cycle I'm running but 8weeks instead. Did you see any side from the est during the first 6 weeks? Enough where you started taking arimidex right? I'm stuck on if I should start week 3 or a little earlier as I won't be able to acquire bloods mid cycle

 

[Cratos]

Looks close to the same cycle I'm running but 8weeks instead. Did you see any side from the est during the first 6 weeks? Enough where you started taking arimidex right? I'm stuck on if I should start week 3 or a little earlier as I won't be able to acquire bloods mid cycle

When I used 250mg for several weeks I felt fine but when I cruise on 200mg i'll draw blood at some point to see if I'll stick to .25 EOD while cruising. I started using it at the end of week 4 using 400mg since it took time arrive in the mail. Looking back I would probably do .25mg EOD for 200-300mg, .5mg EOD for 400-500mg from the beginning of the cycle/blast, especially if I kickstart or frontload. Dosing varies from person to person but more people are sensitive to estro then are not. Arimidex is milder than Aromison which milder than Letro, so it's best to stick to Arimidex and venture to the others later as if you go too low on the others it will take longer to get estro up.

 

[ThatYoungGuy]

When I used 250mg for several weeks I felt fine but when I cruise on 200mg i'll draw blood at some point to see if I'll stick to .25 EOD while cruising. I started using it at the end of week 4 using 400mg since it took time arrive in the mail. Looking back I would probably do .25mg EOD for 200-300mg, .5mg EOD for 400-500mg from the beginning of the cycle/blast, especially if I kickstart or frontload. Dosing varies from person to person but more people are sensitive to estro then are not. Arimidex is milder than Aromison which milder than Letro, so it's best to stick to Arimidex and venture to the others later as if you go too low on the others it will take longer to get estro up.

I gotcha, I'm still stuck on if I should front load or not. I understand the reason behind it but not knowing how the test will react with my body my first cycle is skeptical, I'll probably just play it safe and start at normal doses.

 

[Cratos]

I gotcha, I'm still stuck on if I should front load or not. I understand the reason behind it but not knowing how the test will react with my body my first cycle is skeptical, I'll probably just play it safe and start at normal doses.

Play it safe man. You can always kickstart or frontload 2nd cycle on. I actually started because I was sick about a month, flu followed by a throat infection. Dropped from 186 to 181. 6 weeks of 250mg worked great to preserve and make progress and I felt good on it. 400mg took about 3 weeks to kick in and didn't see a point in front load or kick starting it.

 

[ThatYoungGuy]

Play it safe man. You can always kickstart or frontload 2nd cycle on. I actually started because I was sick about a month, flu followed by a throat infection. Dropped from 186 to 181. 6 weeks of 250mg worked great to preserve and make progress and I felt good on it. 400mg took about 3 weeks to kick in and didn't see a point in front load or kick starting it.

Yeah man that's what I plan on doing, I also lost about 10lbs of gains when I got sick with mono. I'm a CrossFit guy so I was going to CrossFit four-five times a week and entered up getting mono 10lbs into my gains. Wasn't even on gear either that's the shitty part.

 

[MCFC]

@Cratos Make sure to get the uncapped blood tests next time so you can see where your test levels are actually act. Capping it at 1500 doesn't really tell you much.

 

[Cratos]

@Cratos Make sure to get the uncapped blood tests next time so you can see where your test levels are actually act. Capping it at 1500 doesn't really tell you much.

This was cheap yet very helpful panel. I wanted to see where my blood markers were as well as my estrogen. I didn't really care to find out where my T was as it would have cost more and I don't plan I buy from the same source again. The dickhead charged me $45 for 10 capsules of anastrozle -_-... and I had to pay him since I was still looking for an online source and I new my estrogen was high. Next time around when I purchase gear from an online source i'll run tests to see if the product is dosed correctly. Thanks for reply man!

 

[Cratos]

Update: 13 Weeks completed.

Daily averages for the last 4 weeks are 191.6lb/4317 calories.

Having gained a little more than a pound in the last month isn’t bad seeing as how I did minimal upper body training, but truth be told I expected a lot more overall. Upper body has no pain from Decline/Overheads, been using 135/95 last couple weeks and feel it’s time to up the weight each session each session linearly. Sleep has consistent 8 hours though I wake up a few times a night to pee (2-3). Eating has been very consistent though I might need more than I was getting. I upped my AI a few weeks ago as I was in the high range with .5mg EOD to 1mg 3x/week.

I was going to go get tested as I’m feeling tired overall as my E2 might be too low or the high volume squats/deads are catching up to me (especially deadlifts), or combo of both. However, I am considering cutting the cycle short 3 weeks, deloading a week, dropping to 150mg for 6 or so weeks for a small break and to progress upper body movements, running bloods and starting it over with more food and 500-600mg Test or 200mg Test/300 Deca. Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated!

I was impressed with 250mg for 6 weeks as I regained what I had lost very quickly when I was sick for about a month and then more (was 184lb). However, 13 weeks of 400mg didn’t make many changes (189 to 191.6) though I did have the shoulder injury leaving the upper body mostly out for the cycle.