First Cycle Design

[ZyzzLegend]

Hi everyone,


I’m planning to start this cycle in mid to late January, and I’d really appreciate some feedback from knowledgeable people who can help evaluate it and suggest improvements.

A bit of background about me and my goals:
I’m 20 years old, 180 cm (5'11") tall, and weigh around 75 kg (165 lbs.). I’m fairly lean—roughly an estimated 16% body fat. I have solid training and dietary experience and have been going to the gym consistently for about five years.

The main goal of this cycle is to gain as much muscle mass as possible while prioritizing safety. I want to approach this conservatively by using the minimum effective doses and keeping health as the top priority.

I’m aware this is an advanced first cycle in terms of duration and monitoring, which is why I’m being conservative with doses and very strict with health tracking.

I’m planning to run a 20-week cycle, starting in late January and finishing around late May or early June. During this period, I’ll be in a dedicated bulking phase and training intensively.

Below are the two compounds I plan to run. I’ll try to explain my reasoning for including each one as clearly as possible, based on the knowledge and research I currently have.

I will break down each compound and ancillary separately.


MAIN COMPOUNDS

Testosterone Enanthate 250 mg per week - 35 mg daily subQ
Growth Hormone 4 IU daily - Increase to 5–6 IU if tolerated
Proviron - 6.25 mg daily
hCG 300 IU subQ - Monday Wednesday Friday
E2 control only if needed, either via low-dose Primobolan (50–100 mg/week) or low-dose Aromasin.

INSULIN SENSITIVITY

Tirzepatide - 0.5–1 mg weekly
5-Amino-1MQ - 5 mg subQ daily
Berberine - 500 mg with carb-heavy meals 2–3 times daily
L-Carnitine - injectable 500 mg before fasted cardio

HEALTH / SUPPORT

Telmisartan
Nebivolol
Tadalafil
Omega 3 2–3 g EPA + DHA
Magnesium 400 mg
Zinc 30 mg
Boron 6 mg
Vitamin D3 10,000 IU
Vitamin K2 200 mcg
Copper 1 mg
P5P B6 40 mg
Life extension Two per day Multivitamin
Citrus Bergamot
Ezetimibe ( if needed )

CoQ10 100–200 mg
Creatine 10 g
Taurine 5 g
Electrolytes
KPV 100–200 mcg daily on/off
DSIP 250 mcg before bed when needed
Glutathione 200–300 mg every other day

TRAINING / DIET

Upper / Lower / Upper / Lower / Upper ( If recovery allows I usually stick to U/L U/L )

Calorie surplus 500–1000 kcal
Protein 200–220 g daily , High carbs , Moderate Fat.

Fasted cardio 30 minutes daily
Incline treadmill ~4 km/h

Sleep 8–10 hours nightly

Check Blood Glucose daily Fasted and Check blood Pressure Daily morning.

Additional details worth mentioning: I plan to complete comprehensive blood work before starting the cycle, again around weeks 6–8, at week 14, and once more post-cycle.

At the moment, I already have a full set of blood work available from approximately two months ago, which I can provide if needed. At that time, my lab results were generally within a very good range.

Those labs were taken while I was following a strict carnivore “lion diet” (beef, salt, and water only), which I ran for about 30 days. The blood work itself was done around day 14 of that diet. Since then, I’ve returned to a more balanced, conventional diet and overall lifestyle, and I’m feeling noticeably better. I originally tried the lion diet to address ongoing eczema issues; unfortunately, it didn’t resolve the problem. In fact, during that period my energy levels and libido dropped significantly.

Since reintroducing a normal diet, both my energy and libido have improved substantially. I will continue to update with additional blood work as it becomes available, including pre-cycle, mid-cycle, and post-cycle results.

These are the blood work values from two months ago, taken during the lion diet, so some markers may be diet-related. Overall, however, the labs look solid, and I currently feel quite good.

Lipids​

• HDL cholesterol: 1.77 mmol/L (> 1.55)
• LDL cholesterol: 3.85 mmol/L (0 – 3.35)
• Triglycerides: 0.57 mmol/L (< 1.7)

Liver / Enzymes​

• AST (GOT): 27 U/L (11 – 34)
• ALT (GPT): 29 U/L (< 45)
• GGT: 12 U/L (< 55)
• LDH: 156 U/L (125 – 220)

Kidney / Electrolytes​

• Creatinine: 86 µmol/L (53 – 106)
• Calcium (total): 2.39 mmol/L (2.1 – 2.55)
• Calcium (ionic): 0.97 mmol/L (1.05 – 1.30)
• Magnesium: 0.90 mmol/L (0.66 – 1.07)

Glucose / Metabolic​

• Fasting glucose: 3.77 mmol/L (4.1 – 6.4)
• Insulin: < 11.5 pmol/L (0 – 251.13)

Inflammation / Immune​

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP): 1.09 mg/L (0 – 5)
• ESR (VSH): 8 mm/h (2 – 15)
• ASLO: 81 IU/mL (0 – 200)
• Total IgE: 29.7 IU/mL (0 – 100)

Hormones​

• Total Testosterone: 15.50 nmol/L (0.46 – 31.42)
• Estradiol (E2): < 24 pg/mL (11 – 44)
• Prolactin: 113.64 mIU/L (72.66 – 407.4)
• Cortisol (AM): 413.9 nmol/L (102.1 – 535.2)
• DHEA-S: 598.2 µg/dL (238.4 – 539.3)

Thyroid​

• TSH: 0.81 mIU/L (0.35 – 4.94)
• Free T4 (FT4): 14.85 pmol/L (9.01 – 19.05)
• Free T3 (FT3): 3.19 pmol/L (2.43 – 6)

Iron Status​

• Ferritin: 162.4 ng/mL (21.81 – 274.66)
• Serum iron (Sideremia): 12.82 µmol/L (11.6 – 31.3)

Complete Blood Count (CBC)​

• WBC: 8.98 ×10³/µL (4.8 – 11)
• RBC: 4.89 ×10⁶/µL (4.5 – 5.5)
• Hemoglobin: 14.9 g/dL (13 – 17)
• Hematocrit: 43.4 % (40 – 50)
• MCV: 88.8 fL (80 – 96)
• MCH: 30.5 pg (28 – 34)
• MCHC: 34.3 g/dL (32 – 36)
• Platelets: 219 ×10³/µL (150 – 450)

Urinalysis​

• Urine density: 1013 (1015 – 1025)
• Urine pH: 5.5 (5 – 6)
• Protein: Negative
• Glucose: Normal
• Ketones: ++ (Negative)
• Blood: Negative
• Leukocytes: Negative
• Nitrites: Negative

Thank you for taking the time to read through this lengthy post—I genuinely appreciate it. If you made it through the entire write-up, I’d be grateful for an objective assessment of the cycle: what looks solid, what could be improved, and where adjustments might be needed.
I’m hoping this reaches some of the more experienced and knowledgeable members here who can help me refine the stack overall. I’d especially appreciate any input from @Ghoul —you seem very knowledgeable, and I believe your feedback would be extremely valuable to me.
Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to read and respond.

​

​

​

 

[Gonz0]

I did not go over all the bloodwork results , maybe it’s an issue on my end , but I can’t see a good portion of this post. I wouldn’t start a 20 week mass phase at 16% bf, eating around maintenance and trying to recomp down to 10-12% tops before committing to a bulk for 20 weeks. Or if you want to lean out faster just start a cut. The leaner you are the better you will respond to everything , better insulin sensitivity etc.

 

[ZyzzLegend]

I did not go over all the bloodwork results , maybe it’s an issue on my end , but I can’t see a good portion of this post. I wouldn’t start a 20 week mass phase at 16% bf, eating around maintenance and trying to recomp down to 10-12% tops before committing to a bulk for 20 weeks. Or if you want to lean out faster just start a cut. The leaner you are the better you will respond to everything , better insulin sensitivity etc.

I might be overestimating my bf by a little , I am ferly lean bicep, lats, forearm veins and even a few ab veins I might be lower but I'm definitely not 10-12 that's for sure.

 

[delay3s]

I’m 20 years old, 180 cm (5'11") tall, and weigh around 75 kg (165 lbs.). I’m fairly lean—roughly an estimated 16% body fat. I have solid training and dietary experience and have been going to the gym consistently for about five years.

16% isnt fairly lean... in fact that near the fattest or over the fattest I would ever want to END my bulk, especially since your going into a bigger surplus (500-1000). Also why are you 165lbs at 5'11 after 5 years of consistent training? Not to be an asshole but what the hell were you doing in the gym/outside of the gym in those 5 years? As far as the cycle it seems fine, proviron is useless imo and the test is lower than I would keep it for an entire cycle but a good starting point. Test and GH is a great combo and you will grow good on it if you train and eat right. Your young and don't have low testosterone/hormonal problems that I can see so can I ask why you are going into a cycle? Impatience, trying to be a bodybuilder, or another reason? I ask because this is a commitment and something you need to stick too. Also your plans after this cycle, I see you plan on using hcg are you planning a pct after or going on a cruise? These things are important to have thought out and you should have a plan going into to it during it and after the cycle. Aside from that having baseline bloodwork is good, daily bg and bp checking is good and having ancillaries on hand and doing blood checkups after 6-8 weeks is great. How is your lifestyle now if you dont mind me asking? Diet/Cals, Training/Recovery, Cardio/Steps. I'd get leaner before starting a cycle if you were going to, ideally below 12% which you're not too far off of if your 16% now

 

[Gonz0]

I might be overestimating my bf by a little , I am ferly lean bicep, lats, forearm veins and even a few ab veins I might be lower but I'm definitely not 10-12 that's for sure.

That’s good , most people are too loose with their bf estimates. All you gotta do is get lean once brah, then everyone will be mirin because your finishing bulks under 15% bf

 

[IndividualMan]

Hi everyone,


I’m planning to start this cycle in mid to late January, and I’d really appreciate some feedback from knowledgeable people who can help evaluate it and suggest improvements.

A bit of background about me and my goals:
I’m 20 years old, 180 cm (5'11") tall, and weigh around 75 kg (165 lbs.). I’m fairly lean—roughly an estimated 16% body fat. I have solid training and dietary experience and have been going to the gym consistently for about five years.

The main goal of this cycle is to gain as much muscle mass as possible while prioritizing safety. I want to approach this conservatively by using the minimum effective doses and keeping health as the top priority.

I’m aware this is an advanced first cycle in terms of duration and monitoring, which is why I’m being conservative with doses and very strict with health tracking.

I’m planning to run a 20-week cycle, starting in late January and finishing around late May or early June. During this period, I’ll be in a dedicated bulking phase and training intensively.

Below are the two compounds I plan to run. I’ll try to explain my reasoning for including each one as clearly as possible, based on the knowledge and research I currently have.

I will break down each compound and ancillary separately.


MAIN COMPOUNDS

Testosterone Enanthate 250 mg per week - 35 mg daily subQ
Growth Hormone 4 IU daily - Increase to 5–6 IU if tolerated
Proviron - 6.25 mg daily
hCG 300 IU subQ - Monday Wednesday Friday
E2 control only if needed, either via low-dose Primobolan (50–100 mg/week) or low-dose Aromasin.

INSULIN SENSITIVITY

Tirzepatide - 0.5–1 mg weekly
5-Amino-1MQ - 5 mg subQ daily
Berberine - 500 mg with carb-heavy meals 2–3 times daily
L-Carnitine - injectable 500 mg before fasted cardio

HEALTH / SUPPORT

Telmisartan
Nebivolol
Tadalafil
Omega 3 2–3 g EPA + DHA
Magnesium 400 mg
Zinc 30 mg
Boron 6 mg
Vitamin D3 10,000 IU
Vitamin K2 200 mcg
Copper 1 mg
P5P B6 40 mg
Life extension Two per day Multivitamin
Citrus Bergamot
Ezetimibe ( if needed )

CoQ10 100–200 mg
Creatine 10 g
Taurine 5 g
Electrolytes
KPV 100–200 mcg daily on/off
DSIP 250 mcg before bed when needed
Glutathione 200–300 mg every other day

TRAINING / DIET

Upper / Lower / Upper / Lower / Upper ( If recovery allows I usually stick to U/L U/L )

Calorie surplus 500–1000 kcal
Protein 200–220 g daily , High carbs , Moderate Fat.

Fasted cardio 30 minutes daily
Incline treadmill ~4 km/h

Sleep 8–10 hours nightly

Check Blood Glucose daily Fasted and Check blood Pressure Daily morning.

Additional details worth mentioning: I plan to complete comprehensive blood work before starting the cycle, again around weeks 6–8, at week 14, and once more post-cycle.

At the moment, I already have a full set of blood work available from approximately two months ago, which I can provide if needed. At that time, my lab results were generally within a very good range.

Those labs were taken while I was following a strict carnivore “lion diet” (beef, salt, and water only), which I ran for about 30 days. The blood work itself was done around day 14 of that diet. Since then, I’ve returned to a more balanced, conventional diet and overall lifestyle, and I’m feeling noticeably better. I originally tried the lion diet to address ongoing eczema issues; unfortunately, it didn’t resolve the problem. In fact, during that period my energy levels and libido dropped significantly.

Since reintroducing a normal diet, both my energy and libido have improved substantially. I will continue to update with additional blood work as it becomes available, including pre-cycle, mid-cycle, and post-cycle results.

These are the blood work values from two months ago, taken during the lion diet, so some markers may be diet-related. Overall, however, the labs look solid, and I currently feel quite good.

Lipids​

• HDL cholesterol: 1.77 mmol/L (> 1.55)
• LDL cholesterol: 3.85 mmol/L (0 – 3.35)
• Triglycerides: 0.57 mmol/L (< 1.7)

Liver / Enzymes​

• AST (GOT): 27 U/L (11 – 34)
• ALT (GPT): 29 U/L (< 45)
• GGT: 12 U/L (< 55)
• LDH: 156 U/L (125 – 220)

Kidney / Electrolytes​

• Creatinine: 86 µmol/L (53 – 106)
• Calcium (total): 2.39 mmol/L (2.1 – 2.55)
• Calcium (ionic): 0.97 mmol/L (1.05 – 1.30)
• Magnesium: 0.90 mmol/L (0.66 – 1.07)

Glucose / Metabolic​

• Fasting glucose: 3.77 mmol/L (4.1 – 6.4)
• Insulin: < 11.5 pmol/L (0 – 251.13)

Inflammation / Immune​

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP): 1.09 mg/L (0 – 5)
• ESR (VSH): 8 mm/h (2 – 15)
• ASLO: 81 IU/mL (0 – 200)
• Total IgE: 29.7 IU/mL (0 – 100)

Hormones​

• Total Testosterone: 15.50 nmol/L (0.46 – 31.42)
• Estradiol (E2): < 24 pg/mL (11 – 44)
• Prolactin: 113.64 mIU/L (72.66 – 407.4)
• Cortisol (AM): 413.9 nmol/L (102.1 – 535.2)
• DHEA-S: 598.2 µg/dL (238.4 – 539.3)

Thyroid​

• TSH: 0.81 mIU/L (0.35 – 4.94)
• Free T4 (FT4): 14.85 pmol/L (9.01 – 19.05)
• Free T3 (FT3): 3.19 pmol/L (2.43 – 6)

Iron Status​

• Ferritin: 162.4 ng/mL (21.81 – 274.66)
• Serum iron (Sideremia): 12.82 µmol/L (11.6 – 31.3)

Complete Blood Count (CBC)​

• WBC: 8.98 ×10³/µL (4.8 – 11)
• RBC: 4.89 ×10⁶/µL (4.5 – 5.5)
• Hemoglobin: 14.9 g/dL (13 – 17)
• Hematocrit: 43.4 % (40 – 50)
• MCV: 88.8 fL (80 – 96)
• MCH: 30.5 pg (28 – 34)
• MCHC: 34.3 g/dL (32 – 36)
• Platelets: 219 ×10³/µL (150 – 450)

Urinalysis​

• Urine density: 1013 (1015 – 1025)
• Urine pH: 5.5 (5 – 6)
• Protein: Negative
• Glucose: Normal
• Ketones: ++ (Negative)
• Blood: Negative
• Leukocytes: Negative
• Nitrites: Negative

Thank you for taking the time to read through this lengthy post—I genuinely appreciate it. If you made it through the entire write-up, I’d be grateful for an objective assessment of the cycle: what looks solid, what could be improved, and where adjustments might be needed.
I’m hoping this reaches some of the more experienced and knowledgeable members here who can help me refine the stack overall. I’d especially appreciate any input from @Ghoul —you seem very knowledgeable, and I believe your feedback would be extremely valuable to me.
Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to read and respond.

​

​

​

cut down a bit more first, and 20 weeks of 250 test is a bit low. if you can handle it, go to 375 after 10 weeks.
also, is the proviron injectable? if its oral it will not do shit (3% bioavaliability due to not being 17aa) if it is injectable the dose is quite high (i would only recommend 1-2 mg/day if you are really a beginner.

If E2 sides are an issue, lowering SHBG is also not a good idea. it also binds E2.
CRP is also a bit high for someone who isnt pinning. mine was at 0.08, even while actively pinning stuff. you should try to pinpoint what is causing the CRP to be around 1.

doing 6IU GH on 250 test is useless. (not really, but you get so much more out of it with more AAS) I would stick to the 4IU dosage, even if you decide to up the test.

5AM1MQ is a bit overkill, same as the 1.5g berberine.
L-carn pre cardio is nice, moving it to Pre lift is also something you should try.
Tirz is good, but only if needed (rising fasted insulin is teh best marker, alerts you earlier than rising fasted BG)

the surplus is too large, doing 2-400 calories should be plenty if you truly track your cals accurately. getting too fat to fast is the #1 thing that causes insulin resistance, (speaking from experience)

DSIP and Glutathione are overkill.
just do a gram of NAC instead of the glutathione. gets you the same result for cheaper, without potentially downregulating your own glutathione production.
The glutathione (higher dosed obviously) would be warranted on a 375 Test, 150mg DHB, 100mg Tren, 10mg SDrol "and whatever else yo ugot in the do not use drawer" stack, not on a health oriented cautious first cycle like this one.

And lastly, train harder. 2-3 sets per excercise, discounting warmups.
go to failure/close to failure.

 

[BigDadd7]

Put all that garbage away. First cycle: 400-500 test c.

 

[ZyzzLegend]

16% isnt fairly lean... in fact that near the fattest or over the fattest I would ever want to END my bulk, especially since your going into a bigger surplus (500-1000). Also why are you 165lbs at 5'11 after 5 years of consistent training? Not to be an asshole but what the hell were you doing in the gym/outside of the gym in those 5 years? As far as the cycle it seems fine, proviron is useless imo and the test is lower than I would keep it for an entire cycle but a good starting point. Test and GH is a great combo and you will grow good on it if you train and eat right. Your young and don't have low testosterone/hormonal problems that I can see so can I ask why you are going into a cycle? Impatience, trying to be a bodybuilder, or another reason? I ask because this is a commitment and something you need to stick too. Also your plans after this cycle, I see you plan on using hcg are you planning a pct after or going on a cruise? These things are important to have thought out and you should have a plan going into to it during it and after the cycle. Aside from that having baseline bloodwork is good, daily bg and bp checking is good and having ancillaries on hand and doing blood checkups after 6-8 weeks is great. How is your lifestyle now if you dont mind me asking? Diet/Cals, Training/Recovery, Cardio/Steps. I'd get leaner before starting a cycle if you were going to, ideally below 12% which you're not too far off of if your 16% now

Fair points, no offense taken.
I agree 15-16% isn’t lean in a bodybuilding context and I’ll likely lean down closer to ~12% before starting. As for being 165 lb at 5'11 — I used to be bigger, but personal issues took me out of the gym for a while and I lost size. That time off and earlier inconsistency explain most of it.

As for the cycle, it’s not about low T or rushing anything — it’s something I’m seriously considering once my lifestyle is fully dialed in. I want to start on the lower side, see how I respond, and adjust based on bloodwork. Proviron is optional and I’m open to dropping it.
I do plan to PCT after

Appreciate the feedback.

 

[ZyzzLegend]

cut down a bit more first, and 20 weeks of 250 test is a bit low. if you can handle it, go to 375 after 10 weeks.
also, is the proviron injectable? if its oral it will not do shit (3% bioavaliability due to not being 17aa) if it is injectable the dose is quite high (i would only recommend 1-2 mg/day if you are really a beginner.

If E2 sides are an issue, lowering SHBG is also not a good idea. it also binds E2.
CRP is also a bit high for someone who isnt pinning. mine was at 0.08, even while actively pinning stuff. you should try to pinpoint what is causing the CRP to be around 1.

doing 6IU GH on 250 test is useless. (not really, but you get so much more out of it with more AAS) I would stick to the 4IU dosage, even if you decide to up the test.

5AM1MQ is a bit overkill, same as the 1.5g berberine.
L-carn pre cardio is nice, moving it to Pre lift is also something you should try.
Tirz is good, but only if needed (rising fasted insulin is teh best marker, alerts you earlier than rising fasted BG)

the surplus is too large, doing 2-400 calories should be plenty if you truly track your cals accurately. getting too fat to fast is the #1 thing that causes insulin resistance, (speaking from experience)

DSIP and Glutathione are overkill.
just do a gram of NAC instead of the glutathione. gets you the same result for cheaper, without potentially downregulating your own glutathione production.
The glutathione (higher dosed obviously) would be warranted on a 375 Test, 150mg DHB, 100mg Tren, 10mg SDrol "and whatever else yo ugot in the do not use drawer" stack, not on a health oriented cautious first cycle like this one.

And lastly, train harder. 2-3 sets per excercise, discounting warmups.
go to failure/close to failure.

Good points, appreciate it.

I’ll lean down a bit more first and keep the surplus tighter (200–500 kcal). Starting at 250 test to assess response, with the option to push higher later if bloods and sides look good. Proviron is oral and its optional.
Just to clarify, the CRP I mentioned was standard CRP not hs-CRP, and it was taken while I had a mild cold though still it should be lower.
Il probably stick to 4iu of GH and with the all insulin sensitivity supplements I mostly want to deploy them if needed just if Blood Glucose starts to raise.