Starting slow/Recomp Test/Primo/NPP

[BuffMaltese]

Beginning stats: 47 years old, 6’, 175 lbs.

Started on 12/10/25. Increased testosterone from 150 mg to 200 mg per week, added Primobolan at 133 mg per week, and kept NPP at 100 mg per week. Also running 3 IU of HGH.

This comes off the back of a very successful cut. I dropped to roughly 14–15% body fat eating around 2,000 calories per day while using 1–4 mg of retatrutide for about 11 weeks. Calories are now up to roughly 2,500 with the goal of attempting a slow recomp. Retatrutide has been reduced to 1 mg per week since it was clearly affecting my sleep.

For now, the plan is to keep all doses exactly where they are until bloodwork in about 4–6 weeks. No rush to change anything without data.

Mentally, I’m a bit torn on the idea of increasing doses. On one hand, I’ve had an honestly insane response to TRT paired with low-dose NPP and HGH. Recovery, training tolerance, and overall performance have been better than I expected, and part of me thinks, why mess with something that’s clearly working. On the other hand, there’s that voice saying the clock is ticking and if I’m ever going to push progress, now might be the time as I get closer to 50.

Primary goals are improved recovery, the ability to train as much as I want, and continued strength and performance gains, not chasing a cartoon physique. That said, I’m already starting to look noticeably enhanced, which I’m not entirely sure I’m comfortable with. My forearms are getting borderline ridiculous in terms of vascularity. It’s fun to look fit, but I don’t really want to explain or justify what I’m doing to people. This feels personal, and I’d like to keep it that way.

After adding Primo, I’ve experienced some bouts of pretty extreme fatigue. Around the same time, I picked up a virus from my daughter. I haven’t been sick in a long time, so that alone could easily explain how I was feeling rather than assuming it was compound-related.

For now, the focus is patience, consistency, and letting bloodwork guide the next steps instead of emotion or urgency.

 

[oldage]

I would stick to the 200mg test. Get your macros dialed in. Eat more than 2,500kcal if u want to grow and train for a cple years. More gear won't give u what u want. Eating, sleeping, and training hard with 200mg test, maybe up to 300mg after training a little while. (Total test of no more than 1,500 ng/dl per blood work) This will have people asking u what ur on.

More PED's will put a lot more stress on your body and if u haven't put on 10lb, low end, to 20lbs of muscle it will just be a waste of money and unneeded damage.

Fyi, I wanted to do the same thing as you after 2 years on TRT and putting on 15lbs. Then took the time to stop estimating my caloric intake and realized I was holding myself back. I was still under eating, sleep is a battle, training hard is what I love. I have a ton of space to grow. Do I want desperately to grow bigger, faster and through PEDS at it. Hell ya! But to what end?

Just a thought from a stranger. Good luck on ur journey. Oh, and Primo and crashed E2 may be whats causing extreme fatigue.

 

[BuffMaltese]

I would stick to the 200mg test. Get your macros dialed in. Eat more than 2,500kcal if u want to grow and train for a cple years. More gear won't give u what u want. Eating, sleeping, and training hard with 200mg test, maybe up to 300mg after training a little while. (Total test of no more than 1,500 ng/dl per blood work) This will have people asking u what ur on.

More PED's will put a lot more stress on your body and if u haven't put on 10lb, low end, to 20lbs of muscle it will just be a waste of money and unneeded damage.

Fyi, I wanted to do the same thing as you after 2 years on TRT and putting on 15lbs. Then took the time to stop estimating my caloric intake and realized I was holding myself back. I was still under eating, sleep is a battle, training hard is what I love. I have a ton of space to grow. Do I want desperately to grow bigger, faster and through PEDS at it. Hell ya! But to what end?

Just a thought from a stranger. Good luck on ur journey. Oh, and Primo and crashed E2 may be whats causing extreme fatigue.

Appreciate the reply. I don’t really disagree with your points and I’m not trying to out-gear poor eating or sleep.

Just to clarify, I’m not talking about going wild with compounds. What I’ve been considering is more like 300 test / ~200 primo / ~200 NPP, not stacking for the sake of it.

I’m trying to understand your main point though. Are you mostly cautioning against wasting gear while recomping or under-eating, or are you saying additional PEDs are premature regardless? I’m not huge, but I’ve put in consistent training and my health markers are solid.

From your perspective, would something like 200 mg/week NPP meaningfully improve recovery and training quality over TRT alone if diet and sleep are reasonably dialed in, or is your view that unless calories are clearly in a surplus, anything beyond test is largely wasted?

Not arguing, just looking to understand where you’re coming from. Appreciate the insight.

 

[BuffMaltese]

Adding another pic for better context on current physique.

 

[oldage]

Where u are at u will need/want a surplus of calories to achieve your goal of building nore muscle and better recovery. (Note: 300mg test sounds good if blood work shows up to 1,500 ng/dl, super physiological) Remember adding more test is ur best option until u start getting sides before adding anything else. The point of adding another compound is to increase your androgen load past what u can run test at.

Do u know ur E2 running 200mg, 300mg, 400mg test? Do u use an AI? Primo is known drop ur E2.

There is a ton of info on Meso about the importance of managing E2.

Deca will add water weight for sure but u won't keep all of the scale weight and probably be disappointed when u discontinue using it. It also has sides that we all know and the ones we don't talk about are the effects on our brain, dopamine, and structural and functional damage to the heart including cardiac remodeling, and reduced contractile function. I I think the risk to reward is not in your favor.

Maybe 50mg/week deca if needed for joints.

Also, I dont really believe you are in a recomp phase anymore based on bodyfat/photos.

If u want to add Primo, id wait until u have put the weight on u want. Then cut and increase your androgen load then. Adding primo and masterone with a decent amount of Test to preserve muscle if cutting to 12%r below

Best bet may be test and HGH for recovery, bodyfat, anit-aging, general health.