Advice for 40Yr Old Martial Artist? Need More Energy

Pharma / TRT
1

My Profile: 40 year old male. 5 foot 6, 22% fat. 167lbs. Never used steroid before.

Enjoy kickboxing, wrestling for 10 years. No allergies, no health concerns. My Bodybuilding history: lifted, dieted carefully in my 20`s. Have been lifting weights, gone to the gym 2X a week, for the past 20 years.

My problem: I must take anti-depressants for PTSD. This is not optional for me.
Anti-Depressants Makes me sleepy, lazy. I also take anti-depressants and have something called “SAD” (seasonal affective disorder). I take vitamin D`s, and use a special light daily.

My goals: to gain energy, lower fat down to 14% before March 2019.

My Eating Plan: 500 calories BELOW caloric maintenance. 150 grams protein/day + tonnes of vegetables, water. Clean eating, low salt foods, good fats + low blood preasure foods. Considering I will be exercising about 1 hour daily, it will likely be a 2000 calorie diet.

My workout plans:
daily cardio 1 hour at 140 BPM.
3 days martial arts.
3 days “bodybuilding,” type workouts (push, pull, legs)
1 day 3X3 strength.

Pharma Help: Low doses anavar and winstrol. Not for bodybuilding purposes, but for recovery and to increase testosterone levels.

40mg/day of anavar for first 2 months.
30mg/day winstrol for last 1 month…
taper of - use PCT if needed.

Can you please tell me what think about the above plan?
1). is 30mg anavar a good choice for my goals? (increase, fat cut + quicker recovery)
2). is 30mg/day winstrol a good choice for my goals? (increase, fat cut + quicker recovery)

*Again, Im not interested in large muscles, Im interested in recovering quickly enough that I will be able to
1). PUSH IT in the gym
2). have enough energy to get back in the next day.

I`m a newbie to this forum, thank you so much for reading my post…
Any, all thoughts are super appreciate.

2

You do not need AAS for your goals. I would not attempt to run either cycle as you have laid them out either. For your goals you can research fat burners like ECA stacks and clenbuterol to give you the edge needed to assist in fat loss and energy.

3

Thanks for your kind reply!
I agree 100% Good nutrition and caffeine will certainly improve my energy levels.

I`m uncertain if, at 22% body fat I should go to clen at this particular moment and time?

I`ve 2 months of no work and a long, rainy winter here in the Pacific Northwest.
Do you think that at 40 years of age…

If I used 20-30mg of either substance…
Would help me “feel young,” more positive, upbeat and allow me to recover more quickly?

Ive heard that steroids (I realize they are not all the same) in general help with mood and confidence. Id love to go to the gym on a nearly daily bases, I have not much else to do,
and I`d like that extra push to challenge myself.

My main question
I realize its not ideal. But do you think at low doses I have much to loose? Im 40, don`t drink and will looked after my liver, blood pressure etc.

4

This is a terrible idea. You MUST run testosterone as a base with any cycle. Both Anavar and Winny will shut down your natural production and you will feel like shit. Sounds like you want to do an oral only cycle.

5

Are you sure you are only 22%? Because that’s honestly not that much. People often severely underestimate their body fat. I see guys on here all the time that think they are 15-20% and are more like 30%. Still, at the end of the day, the number is just a number and its how you look/feel that’s important.

If you are truly around the low 20s yes I think fat burner are a good route. No they will not make you ‘feel young’. Some AAS can enhance your mood for awhile but they also have the potential to make you feel anxious, depressed, and moody. In my experience only, I feel they have way more potential for a down side in mood than upside. I’ve struggled with my levels for years now and still do.

If you are interested in continuing down the path of AAS… stop, get baseline labs first. Then maybe consider TRT or if cycling start with test only. If you must run an oral I always like to use test as my base as your oral will shut your natural test down.

6

Simple testosterone only for your first cycle. There is a reason it is the #1 reccomended way into the word of AAS. First though, you need to get a blood test to make sure you are healthy(cholesterol, blood glucose, etc.). Make sure that your blood pressure is not high, and I cannot stress this enough, make sure your MENTAL HEALTH is good. If you have PTSD I would not take any steroids. It’s my personal opinion and considering I started when my mental health wasn’t 100% you will have to trust me when I tell you this.

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Yes, I want to do an oral only cycle only because I am new to this and do not have solid contacts yet.

Do you believe that at 20 - 30mg/day, for 6 weeks… that my system might really shut down?

8

Even if your body doesn’t shut down(IT WILL SHUT DOWN) you should be prepared for the possibility that you might shut down and never get back up and running when you take AAS of any kind. It’s rare but it can happen, especially since you are older. If you aren’t willing to accept that possibility then stop right here.

9

If you want to avoid injections, low dose Dbol would be good. It provides euphoric effects in some (me included).

Ever since i quit caffeine my energy levels have never been higher.

SB

10

Here, I did the search term for you.

https://t-nation.com/search?q=oral%20only%20cycles

11

I am 42, train MMA, lift weights… very similar to your situation.

As others have stated, taking a bunch of oral steroids is going to suppress and or/eventually shut down your natural testosterone production. It’s also going to destroy your liver over time and is absolutely not a sustainable, healthy plan.

You could jump on testosterone, but even that needs to be cycled on and off. Also, when I run test, my flexibility and cardio goes to shit. I’m stronger, and recover quicker, but at a serious cost.

I noticed you mentioned 7 days of training each week… what about rest days? This simple missing component could be the answer to your problem. Some serious athletes and gym rats (on tons of gear) get by with everyday workouts, but is this realistic at age 40?

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12

Almost all has been said here before, and by people most probably more knowledgeable than me. Also, this is not the T-Replacement section, but let me ask you this. Have you had a full and thorough endocrinology panel/test yet? Being in the same shoes, I know for a fact (stated by my doc) that SSRIs tend to work best when your thyroid values are in the best 1/3 of the range (for ex., TSH ~0.5-2), and your testosterone (incl. free T!) is in the optimal range too.
This is how I myself found out about my low T (and sub-optimal TSH), and started TRT. In any case, people like us should look for a sustainable solution, not sg that gives you a temporary high, only to rebound to a worse crash afterwards.

Best wishes for your quest, mate!

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That was my initial thought, not enough rest, no longer a young pup

14

If I were you I’d get my doctor to order some labs to find out where you stand. You could just have low T and TRT could possibly fix a lot of your problems. What I would not do is run orals solo at your age having never ran a cycle. This sounds disastrous in the long run I’d guess after you are done you will feel much worse than you do now. If you get labs and your test and everything is normal Id suggest natural alternatives for energy and weight loss. If you insist on AAS then go the simple Test cycle route.

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I should clarify that going to the gym 7 days a week are not “bodybuilding sessions.”
My purpose is not to tear down muscle fibres but to loose fat, and practice martial arts.
Currently I got to the gym 3 days a week.

My goal schedule is this:
Got hard 2 or 3 days a week@about 75% max effort
And go 60% the rest of the time

Example Schedule
Monday: slow jogging + bodybuilding routine = medium effort
Tuesday kickboxing = hard day
Wednesday slow jog + stretching 1 hr = low effort
Thursday: bjj = hard day
Friday: light jog + rehab work
Saturday = 5X5 workout
Sunday jog = low effort

I understand that the best way MIGHT be to do a low amount of pure testosterone-E,
but again…no contacts where I live. I`m scared to stick a needle in my ass, scared of infections.

16

Thank you so much for the help, I think I might do what you suggest.
Additionally, I`m cutting out all sugars this month.
Upping my clean protein and vegetable intake.

I would go on a simple, very low Test-E cycle if I had a trusted contact.

Can you explain why a simple test-e cycle would be better for me health wise than a similar low dosage of, for example, winstrol or anavar?

There seems to be the consensus that a low dose of test is better, safer than
a low dosage of orals.

Why do people suggest that orals “will shut someone down,” More than test-e?

Is there research that low dosses of orals “shut people down,” quicker, more readily than low doses of test?

Thanks so much for your time,
I truly appreciate it!
M

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Yes, I also really cut down my caffeine intake. Also, Im not a huge fan of pre-workout supplements because I dont usually go 100% at the gym I try to go often and at about 60 - 80% max.

18

Can you explain why test + oral = a more healthy option…than just orals?
Why do orals only “shut you down,” what does this mean? How does this happen? Why is this reaction different from test?

19

It’s not that it shuts you down more… They both shut you down. But when a test cycle shuts your natural test down you don’t get horrible low test side effects because you substituing it with exogenous testosterone. If your running a winstrol only cycle your supressing your natural test with no added outside testosterone to counter act it. Iv read where people have a good winstrol only cycles but IV also heard a lot more stories of people running winstrol or var solo and having horrible experiences like not being able to get a hard dick the enitre time and feeling anxious etc etc

They make oral testosterone as well… You have a computer and internet because your posting here therfore you also have a source… Just look harder

I’m not suggesting this. what I’m suggesting is you need to find out why you are having energy and recovery problems. If it’s due to low test then a doctor can put you on trt you won’t need a underground source… If your test levels are fine I personally wouldn’t suggest the use of AAS’s for someone who is looking to burn fat or gain energy. If your test levels are fine you probably have a lack of energy because your body fat is higher than you think. And you are probably having a hard time losing it because your diet isn’t as tight as you think. I lost 100lbs before I touched AAS the whole time losing that weight I wanted to take a short cut but I knew if I didn’t do it with discipline I’d never have the discipline to continue to train and keep the fat off. Also as I lost weight my energy went up.

Caffeine is a great energy booster there is nothing wrong with it. If a pre work out makes you jittery find a more mild one. Granted they aren’t for everyone but there are plenty all natural pre work outs that could be right for you

Plz get labs done before taking anything. Try to get to the root of the problem before adding more shit that ultimately will cause a much bigger problem 3 months from now when after a oral only cycle of winny or var your test is in the gutter and your back to feeling like shit hoping pct will get you back to the less shit you felt like before the cycle

20

Zeek, thanks so much. Food for thought!
I think Ill definitely tighten my diet before doing ANYTHING else. Im going to drop 15lbs before making any other decisions. That way, I`ll be around 14% body fat.

Zeek,
I understood that winsrol and anavar are actually a form of testosterone, either that, or they actually convert into testosterone…boosting the bodies testosterone production while on cycle? Of course during post-cycle, I would expect my natural testosterone to drop a little bit, but at 20mg a day…over 6 weeks, Im hoping and praying that it wonT be too bad if I gradually ween off of it.

Do you have any sound links which articulate the difference in “shutting down,” between anavar/winstrol and testosterone?

If I did try an anavar only cycle, it will be cautiously low doses…
If I feel anything is out of place, I would definitely immediately stop.