19 years old - considering a cycle

Pharma
1

Hello everyone,

Stats: 6’4 – 220 lbs

This is going to be my first post on this forum.

I’ve been training consistently for about 1.5 years, and I’ve made significant progress in that time. To the point where almost everyone at my gym assumes I’m not natural. I do have genetics that make me look older than I am, which probably plays a role, but I’ve genuinely put in serious work and stayed consistent.

My strong points are arms and back, while my biggest weak point is chest. No matter what I do, my chest has been extremely stubborn. I’ve tried different programs, rep ranges, exercises, volume adjustments, and form tweaks, but chest growth has been minimal compared to everything else.

One of my close friends is currently on his second cycle at 19. He originally hopped on because he was very skinny, and honestly, he’s made impressive gains. His diet, sleep, and training are all on point, but the difference after starting gear has been very noticeable. Seeing that has definitely made me think more about this path.

I also want to add that I’ve had severe gyno since around age 12–13, diagnosed by my family doctor. I was told it would go away with age, but that hasn’t been the case for me. This has always been something I’ve been insecure about and is a big factor in my decision-making.

I have been contemplating on whether I should start my first cycle or not and I just don’t know if it’s worth the outcomes. A short cycle would be ideal for me something like

A trt dose of 150-300mg test per week, armidex as needed and maybe pair with some hcg and other supporting supplements (which I don’t know what xD) and hopefully little to no long term side effects?

I understand there are real risks and long-term consequences, and I’m not taking this lightly. I’m mainly here to learn, hear real experiences, and understand the full picture good and bad.

I’d like to hear honest opinions on:

•	Whether starting this young is ever worth it

•	What long-term effects I should realistically be prepared for

•	How it could impact hormones, fertility

•	If there are smarter alternatives I should explore first
    • And ideal injectables/orals (if I were to hop on)

I’m open to all advice, criticism, and reality checks. Don’t sugarcoat anything I’d rather hear the truth.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate everyone who takes the time to respond.

1 Like
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No you should not be touching gear and messing with your hormones.
1.5 years of training is nothing. You are nowhere near your genetic potential. Besides the physical/mental side effects, taking gear without the proper base is like renting muscle.
Don’t make the mistake your friend made. Everyone that I know that had started young regrets it and they are dealing with life long issues.

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I respect the honesty. When you say “proper base,” what exactly do you mean by that? Is it years of training, strength levels, physique development, or something else in terms of gear? Just trying to understand your perspective better.

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A proper base would mean building a fair bit of muscle and reaching your genetic limit. If you start gear without a solid base you will blow up when you start and you will lose it all in PCT and beyond.
Get 10 solid years of training in. By that time your body/brain will be done developing and if you keep up your training you should be in a great place to start using drugs.
If you feel your not making the progress you want to see then start a training log an tag me so we can review what your doing and what can be improved. Also pics of current physique are very helpful.
This is my current log if you wanna check it out You can use it as a template if you like.

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Post a pic with your face blurred please. Lets see where you are at and what you have accomplished in 1.5 years.

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The photo of me curling aswell as the back photo is from May 2025, the tricep photo is around 2 weeks ago. I have put on a decent amount of fat since May 2025

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Just keep doing what your doing. You look great. If you want to grow you may need to consider putting on a little more fat as well. Growing and remaining lean is not the most ideal way to go about it.
Star a log. We can get you progressing once we see what diet and training look like.

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Sounds good man thank you. And I will start that log up. Appreciate it once again.

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For a 19 year old, who is not taking any AAS, you have very nice triceps and fairly good deltoids.

Most everything else is okay, but we have no idea how well your thighs have developed. At 6’4" thigh development is usually a huge challenge to look symmetrical.

I would like to see you stay natural longer (at least until you turn 22) to see what your natural genetics can achieve without AAS.

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My thighs aren’t terrible, they aren’t incredibly lean but they’re strong. I can squat 340lbs for 10. Haven’t tested my pr.

But ill keep in touch for the next 3 years!

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I know of no good reason to attempt a 1 rep max. Maybe run some sets of 5 reps to better build strength. I did 10 rep squats to build size. In fact all my leg sets were sets of 10 reps to build size.

For percentages, using 2% per rep, I calculate your 1 rep max to be 425lbs.

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What would you suggest for mass/thickness on back muscles? Low volume or higher?

Also if I were to run a small cycle of test do I risk losing my natural production? Would hcg and pct protect that?

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Check out this video on chest training technique and breathing/rib position when you work pecs.

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A huge YES! Be natural as long as you are making significant progress regardless of the fact that you would have made greater gains with AAS.

Once you start using AAS to make the gains that being natural can no longer achieve at a good pace, you want to be taking the least amount you need to get gains. Don’t go in search of the best AAS stack. That doesn’t become necessary until at least 5 years into using AAS.

What is your goal that you are willing to risk your health to achieve?

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Before I ever started lifting weight I could do 20 pullups and 20 parallel bar dips. By the time I was beginning to be competitive in Bodybuilding contests, I noticed that my back thickness was lagging behind other muscle groups.

We believed that “top to bottom” lat exercises build width and “front to back” lat exercises built thickness. I started starting my back workouts with heavy bent over barbell rows (Sets of 8 reps), followed by deadlifts (2 sets of 10 reps). Then I would vary the rest of the back (2 or 3) exercises. [This is relatively high volume, but I was cycling AAS then and could tolerate the higher volume programs]

You should probably vary between high volume and high intensity.

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Not worth it. You already look pretty damn good for your age and natural. Not to mention you said you already have Gyno, (for what its worth, i dont see anything in your picture) do you actually have lumps under your nipples? Or just puffy nipples?.. Unfortunately i have the “puffy nipple” look, which isnt awful but i do not have gyno, endo confirmed.. Its from puberty, like yourself. I also did prohormones when i was about your age, had no idea, they were being sold at GMC, muscle shops, was young and dumb and figured it couldn’t hurt since it was legal! Dealt with low test from about 20-29, life long TRT patient at this point..

Your age, your doctor saying you have Gyno, and what you have already done in only 1.5 years all tell me you shouldn’t even consider gear for a long time.

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I hope to compete in my early 20’s but a big part of it, is that it’s my hobby, I love the gym I’ve never had the guts to skip a day at the gym because I’m so eager to grow and to see what’s next.

What are your thoughts on a trt dose of 150-300mg test per week, armidex on standby as needed and pair the test with some HCG and other supporting supplements like anavar

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Thanks for the insight brother​:heart:

Yea I have very puffy nipples, you can feel the lump of gyno underneath.

My cheat code for posing is to get a little bit cold so that my nipples shrink up HAHAHA. It works but not all the time.

Thanks for the compliment man. I just think to myself “why wait when I can do this now” but then I also realize that this sh*t is not a game and that there are levels to AAS, and in reality your health is being exchanged for muscles

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Thanks man. I’ll definitely start putting more emphasis on front-back workouts.

Thanks for all your help.