Hey guys, now I want to preface this by saying I know many of you guys are going to be against this but I’m really looking for any information I don’t know already that is going to put me off.
I understand the risks associated with gear usage, particularly at my age. I understand testicles shrinking, hair receding, acne, heart issues, liver issues, kidney issues, growth stunting, potentially becoming infertile, high blood pressure, psychological changes, reduced fluid intelligence, erectile dysfunction and a whole host of other issues associated with gear usage.
I understand the dosage protocols, I understand the mechanism of action of different substances, I understand the process of doing blood work and reading it to identify issues such as thick blood from elevated hemoglobin and hematocrit, lipid damage, elevated liver enzymes etc. I understand the process required to manage each of these issues. I understand all of these things, I understand not just the process but also the pharmacology behind these because pharmacology is a subject I have great interest in so I am able to read and understand the studies.
After all of this, and understanding all the risks associated, I still really want to do them. I know I should wait till I’m 25 at least really, but I really don’t want to. I’m hoping someone can provide me with some information I don’t know already that is going to change my mind, or if someone can please share their experience of doing so at the same age or similar age. I am wanting to run 300mg test for 20 weeks and then either PCT or blast and cruise for life.
Edit: feel like I should add in, my diet is dialled in and proper, my sleep routine is extremely dialled in, my workout routine and intensity is dialled in and I have been training for 6 years.
You want to get as much of your natural muscle gains that you can before starting AAS. At least get a fairly good muscular foundation.
I started lifting weights at 19 years old. I made pretty good progress, though it was steady, it was rather slower than most people would like. I entered my first bodybuilding contest when I was 21 years old, still natural. I did start 10mg/day of Dianabol when I was 22 for 8 week cycles.
I won’t try to talk you out of getting your natural gains. Just that I would believe that you are making a poor choice for achieving your optimal physique.
What are your lifts with 6 years of dialed in diet and training.
Height?
Weight?
Max bench press?
Max squat?
Do you feel confident enough to post a flexed pose?
Height is 5ft 7 (I haven’t grown since I was 13 so I am completely certain this is never changing as my growth plates have already closed which I got x-rayed to know)
Weight currently in the morning: 78kg (on a bulk so I’m at about 15% body fat right now)
Max bench: 116kg
Max squat: 160kg
How would I post a physique picture? I can do so I’m just wondering how to post it to here?
I would echo the idea that you want to gain as much as possible naturally. Similarly, at 17 years old, you’re not even done growing physically. Put another way, if you’ve been training hard consistently with a proper supporting diet from now until you’re 25, and you’re still not satisfied with where you’re at, then yes, maybe consider some assistance. Another thought, from Dan John, if you embrace assistance, you have to think about what happens when you go off assistance and your performance drops - you may end up like the Westside guys and on gear for life.
Yeah I get that I might have to be on gear forever, but that’s honestly not something that really bothers me. It’s something I’d be prepared for, I’m also completely aware I can’t be huge forever and I’m okay with that. Do you use gear and what age did you start if you did if you don’t mind me asking?
Rate of increase is tapering off, been virtually stagnant for a year now, only added 5kg in the past year to bench, 10kg to squat, and 15kg to deadlift (although I rarely train deadlift so it’s not a good measurement). Which contrasts the previous years where I was adding 20-30kg each lift.
With or without AAS you will be faced with dealing with plateaus. The first approach is ALWAYS training, diet, and sleep (and other cortisol elevators).
Your training might once been dialed in, but even the perfect training program reaches a point where it is no longer perfect for you. Maybe your protein is insufficient to build more muscle. [I ate at least 40 grams of protein six times a day. I assumed that I could digest no more than 40 grams of protein at any one meal]
You must manage cortisol to maximize muscle gains.
I understand plateaus will occur, I have many different training protocols I have worked through and I have worked through plateaus before. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily in a plateau now but my rate of gain is certainly slowed down dramatically.
My cortisol is managed very well, I have many methods of dealing with stress and I think my particularly rigid sleep schedule assists in that. I have virtually every protocol necessary for reducing cortisol already in my life as it was something I researched in depth for quite a while at one point.
My protein intake is great as well, typically around 220g a day with 370g of carbs and 100g of fat coming out to about 3300 calories a day.
Actually, I haven’t used gear. I’m almost 58 years old, so it still may be in my future (for maintenance against aging, not for performance or aesthetics anymore). Anyway, when I was young, I did consider using it for football (I played in college, but nothing that was high level or distinguished). I chose not to mainly because I was afraid of losing my hair (ended up losing it in my late 40’s anyway) as well as the fear of what going off gear would look like (possible sexual problems). Also, it’s not like I had a pathway to the NFL, so it didn’t make sense for me. Anyway, as you age, other things than the gym become your priorities (work, family, kids, etc.) - you can still keep most of what you built in your teens and 20’s, but it’s really maintenance vs. gains. Now in my 50’s, I have more time to train, I even took up competitive rowing. I’m not what I used to be, but no one is at this point in aging. Still, I can outlift many people in the gym who are decades younger than I am. Back to your question though, I do think that at some point becoming older will make me consider gear. However, I realize that being on gear will be more or less for the rest of my life because, again per Dan John, once I get the benefit of it, I won’t want to give that up. Hence, I’m putting that decision off as long as I can. I also recognize that we have different starting points - when I was 17, I was 6’5" on my way to 6’6’ and 235lb on my way, eventually to 275lb, so the need to “get bigger” was not my main goal. Mainly, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’ve been diligently pursuing something for years and you’ve reached a plateau, then yes, try some assistance. However, adding in assistance so early in the game for you seems like a mistake. Hope this helps.
You have answers for all my questions and check all but two of my boxes, which you are lacking. One will get answered when you reach an older age, the other may not at all.
I would recommend waiting until you are at least 21 years old. You are just not naturally strong enough. It is my opinion (which many strongly disagree) that you should only use AAS if you compete.
Make your first contest before you start AAS, then I support your use of AAS.
Well you see the reasoning that I’m considering it now is because this is my final year in school and I only have about 14 weeks left and I am aiming to break the bench press record for my school before I leave and at my rate of progress I simply don’t think this will be possible. This goal genuinely means the world to me and I’ve unfortunately been faced with the reality that I won’t be able to achieve that goal unless I take PED’s, that’s why I’m asking. I know I’m going to hop on in the future and because of that I feel like with that it doesn’t really matter if I hop on now. This goal just really means the world to me and I know the only way it’s possible to achieve it is with PED’s.
I know this seems like a very important thing to you right now, but its not worth it. Keep lifting and eating and in 5 years revisit the topic. I promise you will have a different outlook on everything.
I would expect that there is at least an implicit rule that high school athletes are not using AAS. So, you want to be a big fish in your tiny high school pond so bad, that you are willing to cheat in order to accomplish that?
I mean no. I wouldn’t be a big fish in a tiny pond. I go to a school filled with some of the top athletes in my country and the person that holds the record was on gear and was competing at a national level.
