HI Guys,
About to jump on a test e cycle. 500mg a week over 12 weeks. Two pins of 250mg every 3.5 days.
I have done pre cycle blood work to get my cholesterol, test, estrogen etc baselines. Planning on getting mid and post cycle blood work to assess my AI dosage and PCT effectiveness.
I’m planning on running 0.5 Arimidex EOD during cycle, hoping mid cycle blood work gives me a gauge on a proper dosage as I don’t know to what extent my body will aromatise.
Question - I have novladex ready to go…after research i was under the impression this will suffice, was going to wait two weeks for the ester to finish then run two weeks of 40mg everyday and two weeks of 20mg everyday. After digging a bit more there seems to be alot of people running much more comprehensive PCTs. Nolva and Clomid with HCG and an AI.
My question is will nolva suffice or should I run a short course of HCG then go into my nolva. Should I run Clomid aswell or is that over kill?
Any PCT assistance and experiences will be much appreciated.
Nolva only is fine. Dosages as you’ve listed are correct. The only thing you have wrong is your AI. Starting dose should be .25mg with each injection (2x per week) and then adjust accordingly. That’s assuming you need it at all.
For PCT we have all seen the protocol calling for AIs like aromasin, this is wrong. Using an AI during PCT will work against you.
You really only need Nolvadex for PCT. If you want to take clomid as well it won’t hurt you but it won’t be necessary for recovery. There is nothing wrong with peace of mind. If you do take clomid as well then take one standard dose of Nolvadex and Clomid per day for two weeks then half of a standard dose per day for two weeks. Nolvadex standard dose is 20mgs and Clomid is 50mgs.
HCG is okay to take up to but not during PCT, it will work against you. PCT is our way to get our bodies to produce their own “HCG”. It can make post cycle crash less significant but it isn’t necessary unless you are young and worried about long term fertility. It actually is a synthetic version of how out bodies tell itself to make testosterone so taking during cycle prevents shutdown and taking for a few weeks right before PCT get production back up and kicking. Again not necessarily a requirement, plenty of guys never touch it and recover just fine.
I feel the need to reiterate what blshaw said, 0.5 mgs EOD is too high of a starting dose. You might find you need it but don’t assume you need it and start with it. Start your cycle without any AI. Monitor for signs of high estrogen. If signs show up then start at 0.25-0.5 mgs on days you inject Testosterone. Stay at that same dose for two weeks. If signs of high estrogen go away then stay at that dose. If signs don’t go away then slightly increase for another two weeks then reassess. If you end up needing AI you need to understand that it takes a couple of days for the arimidex to work then another couple of days for symptoms to start to go away. A lot of guys think it should be instant like overnight so they keep increasing the dose in a panic and ultimately crashing their estrogen. We need some estrogen especially to gain muscle.
Other than that you seem to have a sensible first cycle laid out. Good for you!
Now I have to close with something I should point out more,…I noticed that you did not include your age nor any stats nor workout history…
27
175cm or 5"8
86kg or 189 pounds
I havnt had a BF% test. Realistically I would say 15-16%. Been on a cut for 6 weeks. Plan is to start cycle when I hit 12%. I know I’m not there yet.
Been working out my whole life in the army, however only started real weight lifting hypertrophy training for 2 years hard and consistent.
Bench - 110kg
Squat - 140-160 kg
Deadlift - 150-170kg
I know squat and deadlift are not that high, flexibility has hindered me the past couple of years getting the most from these exercises, do you recommend I train longer before jumping on ??
Upper ranges are two reps btw