First Cycle Guide Revised

mkulltra58

New Member
Introduction
This guide will discuss choosing a source, which drugs to use, the dosage of those drugs, needles and syringes, how to inject, AI, and PCT. I recommend doing your own research on these things as this is for information purposes only. Also, before you start your cycle it is recommended that you get bloodwork to determine your baseline levels. This can be done through a private lab such as privatemdlabs.com or labsmd.com. You will want to get a full hormone profile. It is also recommended that if you are under 25 years old that you should wait before using steroids until you have reached your peak natural testosterone production. However, this is ultimately your decision.

Compounds
The first thing you need to figure out is what type of AAS you are going to use. The first thing most new users think about is an all oral cycle. This is a terrible idea for many reasons and it wouldn’t take much research to figure out why. The most commonly recommended first cycle is a simple cycle of a long ester Testosterone. This would be your basic Testosterone Ethanate (Test E) or Testosterone Cypionate (Test C). The reason for this is because they are longer acting esters which means you won’t need to inject as often as a short ester like Testosterone Propionate. Both Test E and Test C have similar properties and half-life so choose whichever you would like.

Dosage
Now that you have chosen the compound that you are going to start with, either Test E or Test C, let’s talk about dosage. The standard first cycle recommendation is 500mg of Testosterone for 10-12 weeks. You will now need to do some math to figure out how many vials of product you will need for your cycle. Most products are sold in 10mL vials. Depending on the manufacturer, the amount of Testosterone per mL can vary. Common Test E or C amounts are 250 mg/mL or 300 mg/mL. That means you will have 10 doses of 250 mg or 300 mg per vial. If you are using 500mg per week, you will need to 2 mL of 250 mg/mL or 1.66mL for 300 mg/mL. Some people chose to dose at 600mg per week if they are using 300 mg/mL to make it easier for their first cycle. This is up to you and what you feel comfortable with. If you are using 2 mL’s per week, you will need 2 vials for a 10 week cycle and 3 vials for a 12 week cycle. However, it is always recommended to have more than what you need. For this first cycle, I would recommend having 3 vials whether you are running for 10 or 12 weeks.

Sources
How do I find a source for steroids? First, I recommend visiting AnabolicLab.com and reviewing the lab testing for popular manufacturers. This is a free harm reduction service that has underground (UGL) products tested by certified laboratories. I recommend making a donation to this program while you are there. Once you have found a manufacturer of Test E or C that you are interested in, I recommend you come back here to Meso RX forum and use the search function for that manufacturers. Read through the threads in their entirety and with the most recent information you should be able to decide if you are comfortable making a purchase with this source. Do not ask for recommendations or whether the source is good to go on these threads. This is a decision that you need to make on your own. If you have questions, I recommend finding the contact information for the source and send them an email. This way you can judge the quality of the customer service and get answers directly from them. I also recommend visiting the Security section of Meso Rx forum to learn how to protect yourself when making an order and receiving products.

Steroid Underground Forum
Steroid Underground | MESO-Rx Forum

Security, Privacy, Anonymity Forum
Security, Privacy & Anonymity | MESO-Rx Forum

Aromatase Inhibitors (AI)

Next, you are going to want to purchase an aromatase inhibitor (AI). This is a drug that stops androgens in your body from aromatizing into estrogens. In laymen's terms this prevents gynecomastia, which is the development of painful tissue behind your nipples. There are two very popular AIs, Arimidex (Adex) and Aromasin (Asin). Either one is fine for you first cycle and you can try the other one during a later cycle. Adex commonly comes in 1mg tablets and Aromasin comes in 25mg tablets. Most recommend starting at quarter to a half tablet every other day (EOD) of either one from the start of your cycle. It is recommended that you use pharmacy grade products for AI and post cycle therapy. Make sure you order enough AI to last up until you start your post cycle therapy (PCT) which is two to three weeks after your last injection. You will want to get bloodwork done halfway into your cycle and adjust your dose if your E2 or estrogen is too high or low.

Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
The recommended products for PCT are Clomid and Nolvadex. Some say you can use one or the other, but most recommend using both. Some also recommend using Hcg during your cycle to help with your recovery.

You can learn more about PCT and dosing by reading this thread: Comprehensive Guide to PCT | MESO-Rx Forum

Syringes
You are going to need to purchase needles and syringes for your cycle. You need to determine what sizes and lengths you will need to buy. I will discuss my preferences for this, however, there are many options to choose from. I use 3mL syringes with 20 gauge 1.5” and 25 gauge 1” needles. I use the 20g to draw the oil with and the 25g to inject. I have found the 25g to be near painless without any scarring. And 1” works on almost all injection sites for me. The needles screw off the syringes and can be replaced so you can buy the 20g combo and 25g needle only. Other products I recommend are antibacterial gauze pads, bandaids, Sharps Disposal container, and alcohol prep pads.

For more information on where to buy needles and syringes: Where do you buy your pins?! | MESO-Rx Forum

Injections
Finally we get to the Testosterone injection. There are several locations that you can choose to inject; such as, the glutes, quads, delts, etc. Most choose to go with their upper, outer quads for the first few injections because you can easily see what you are doing, and you can easily use both hands. I recommend going to YouTube and watching videos on intramuscular injections or testosterone injections. Watch these videos until you feel comfortable that you know what you are doing.

The steps that I use are as follows. I will wipe the Testosterone stopper with an alcohol pad to get rid of any germs on the stopper. I then unwrap a 20-gauge needle/syringe and withdraw the amount that I want to inject. With the needle still in the vial, I will tilt the syringe so that the needle is pointed up and flick the syringe so that all of the air bubbles are brought to the top. I then push that air, and any extra Testosterone, back into the vial until I have exactly 1cc in the syringe. I pull the needle out of the vial and pull the plunger back a little bit to draw the Testosterone that's within the needle into the syringe. This is so that I don't waste any. I then twist the needle off and replace it with a 25-gauge needle.

I prep the injection site by cleaning it with an alcohol pad. Once cleaned, I uncap the needle and push the excess air within the syringe out slowly. Once I see a bead of Testosterone on the tip of the needle, I then place the needle at a 90 degree angle with the skin where I plan to inject. I simply place the needle on the skin and push gently. It doesn't take very long for the sharp needle to puncture the skin. You'll feel a little mosquito bite, and that's it. It's really not painful at all. Once the needle has punctured the skin, you're home free. Continue pushing the needle until it enters the muscle. If you push slowly, you can feel when this happens because you'll feel a slight resistance, but no pain. Push it a little deeper to make sure you're down in the muscle and start injecting the Testosterone. This was surprisingly hard to do... you have to push pretty hard to inject the solution. Once all is injected, remove the needle slowly and softly massage the area for 30 seconds and discard all of your needles and syringes in a Sharps container. That's it, it's really not that big of a deal. After doing it a few times, I got to where I actually looked forward to injection day.

More information on injection sites: https://www.bd.com/hypodermic/pdf/Intramuscular_Injection_Guidelines.pdf

Diet
I want to touch on one more thing because I feel that it is very important for your first cycle. That is your diet. You can take all of the steroids in the world but if you diet isn’t on point, you won’t get the results you were hoping for. The way steroids help you build muscle is by increasing the use of protein in your body for repairing and building muscle (layman’s description I know, but this is otherwise known as protein synthesis). If you are not providing your body with enough protein and nutrients to utilize this increase in protein synthesis, then your body won’t be able to build the muscle you are hoping for. You need to eat more than you would if you were training naturally to meet these dietary needs. For most people this is at least 500-1000 extra calories per day over your TDEE or maintenance calories or more. This includes an increase in protein over the normal consumption and is general recommend to eat up to 2 grams per pound of body weight. Meaning if you weigh 200 pounds, you should be eating up to 400 grams of protein. Keep in mind this is a diet for bulking and putting on muscle. If you are looking to cut or recomp, you diet is going to be different but still different than a natural cutting or recomp diet.

Further reading on nutrition:
Nutrition / Supplements Forum | MESO-Rx Forum

Further reading on training:
Training Forum | MESO-Rx Forum
 
You put too much time into threads for new folks. I say that in the nicest way as it should prevent some people from posting thinking they will be mr O because they start gear at 15. You've done a service yet again my friend! This has been added to my ever growing list of links to send to idiots whom can't use the search function themselves. @Millard Baker if we could get this on or his previous post on the complete first beginners cycle posted as a sticky that would be great!
 
You put too much time into threads for new folks. I say that in the nicest way as it should prevent some people from posting thinking they will be mr O because they start gear at 15. You've done a service yet again my friend! This has been added to my ever growing list of links to send to idiots whom can't use the search function themselves. @Millard Baker if we could get this on or his previous post on the complete first beginners cycle posted as a sticky that would be great!

Thanks, @RodgerThat and @pumpingiron22

There will still be those people that don't read and just post for first cycle advice. But what I have found from the messages and what makes it rewarding, the new guy that is too shy or for personal reasons won't post their questions is being helped and put on the right track for their first cycle. They really do appreciate it.
 
Your AI and diet sections need work

1) AI's do NOT prevent gynecomastia
2) your generic "half or quarter tablet EOD" is off. The half lives of each are significantly different as are the effective doses. 6.25mg of aromasin /= 0.25mg of arimidex
3) gyno is not painful tissue behind the nipples. Gyno can be defined as benign proliferation of male breast glandular tissue that then can have a side effect of being painful. The side effect is not the definition of the issue.
4) there's no need for AAS users to eat more than natural lifters. Certain benefits might be had but they're anecdotal and not set in stone.
5) it's not generally recommended to get double protein intake while on gear. This again is anecdotal.
 
I would add a couple addendum's to this.

Exemestane is kind of misunderstood, I wouldn't recommend anyone running it lower than 12.5-25mg QD on a cycle with moderate amounts of test (500mg +/week). I would also not recommend EOD dosing, ED only. It's actually kind of hard to nuke your e2 with a-sin, I saw someones bloodwork on here that was running 50mg of pharma a-sin QD and even that wasn't completely bottomed out.

Then there is the cost component. Running a-sin is generally more expensive than a comparable amount of adex.

As always, gyno can still occur even with the use of an AI. SERM's are the most efficient treatment for gyno. Always. This should be mentioned because guys always freak out over the earliest signs of gyno and they attempt to do stupid shit like double their AI dosing, then they will end up feeling like a bag of shit. And to top it off, it's not even necessary, let alone being the most effective treatment.

I would also mention that steroids are multi-faceted in the mechanisms they build muscle, protein synthesis is just one factor of many.

The 2g of protein / 1lb of bw is more bro-lore than it is based on evidence, but hey, some people swear by it. I would also suggest increasing TDEE by percentages rather than fixed amounts of calories. 10-20 percent in either direction depending on goals.
 
I came across this thread through reading another. Thank you so much for this great post.

Thanks! Someone recommended that it be bumped after being read so it stays on first page. I think there a lot of new members that can benefit from the information. I also notice less first cycle/oral only/etc. threads when this is on the first page.
 
Not a bad guide at all, and good to see some experienced members offering corrections and additional info.
 
I'm on my second cycle now but this is still useful. I wish I had it before my first cycle but it didn't turn out bad just didn't get the most out of it
 
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