I wanted to write this guide for new AAS users that are planning their first cycle. There is a ton of things to learn for your first cycle and to make it easier I wanted to put together as much information as I can in one place. 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.
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. You will be tempted to add other products into your cycle but as most members will tell you, this is a bad decision for your first cycle. If you run multiple compounds on your first cycle that you don’t know how your body will react to, you can run into serious complications and won’t know which product is causing the problems. Stick to Testosterone for your first cycle and see how your body reacts. You will have plenty other cycles to add additional compounds. Also, more isn’t necessarily better and you will have great gains on your first cycle with just Testosterone.
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.
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 for 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.
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 half a tablet every other day (EOD) for either one from the start of your cycle. I believe it is better to prevent gyno sides rather than waiting until you have them. AI’s are commonly sold by sources, however, it is recommend that you purchase pharmacy (Pharm) grade products rather than UGL or research grade. Some UGL sources sell pharmacy products and there are real pharmacies in Europe that sell these products also. [EDIT: Source referral removed at OP request.] 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.
You are also going to need to buy the products for your PCT. The recommended products for PCT are Clomid and Nolvadex. Some say you can use one or the other, but most recommend using both. The standard recommended doses are as follows. Clomid for four weeks at 100/100/50/50 per day by week. Meaning your first week will be 100 mg per day and third week at 50mg per day. For Nolvadex, the stand doses are 40/40/20/20 per day by week. It is very important that you have these and all your products already in hand before starting your cycle. Steroids can really mess up your hormones and if you need to stop early or don’t get your PCT products in time, this can lead to some serious problems. You want to make sure you recover properly from your steroid use. Some recommend using HcG throughout your cycle for an easier recovery. If you are interested in this, you should visit the PCT section of the Meso RX forum.
Lastly, 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 purchase these products from gpzmedlab.com and receive them in a few days. 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.
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.
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. 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. Personally, I eat near my maintenance calories for recomp during cycle. Anyway, I recommend visiting the Training and Nutrition sections of the Meso Rx forum for awesome advice on this topic.
I’m sure I might be missing some things or maybe not everyone will agree with everything in this post but I hope this provides help for a lot of new members on this forum. We see so many new members posting either first cycle checks or crazy questions. I’m hoping that they can be guided here or will read this first before posting. I believe if you keep it simple and follow the recommendations I have laid out here, you will have a good first cycle and be happy with the results. As always, I hope that everyone stays safe and I appreciate the opportunity to be a member of this awesome forum.
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