Hi all,
Im new here but i figured it as good as any place to ask questions on a subject i know next to nothing.
Im 46 years old, been lifting just over 10 years now, so have a good knowledge on training. Im currently cutting using clen, anavar and T3, going with 2 week on and off the clen, thats going ok and diet is good.
Im contemplating using Test, not just for training purposes but ive noticed my libido has dropped a bit over the past year. So as im at this age i fugure my natural test lvls have dropped a bit.
Now ive never used injectable before, no idea on doses etc, but am willing to give it a go.
Anyone have any suggestions for a first timer, what to go with, dose etc.
Im uk based also, so drs tk get bloodwork done i think will be difficult.
This will shut down your natural testosterone production. How long have you been taking Var?
Again, your natural production is getting schwacked by Var, but it isnât giving you enough testosterone to actualy replace what it is shutting down (AKA, Var is ruining your libido without anything to boost test back to ânormalâ levels). You shouldnât be running just Var without at least a test base.
Clen, Var and T3 at age 46 is doing your lipids NO favors, and it isnât exactly the friendliest towards your heart either. Iâd recommend lightening up on the orals and replacing them with proper dieting, for the sake of health.
EDIT:
I would recommend going with TRT doses of test (200-250mg/wk), rather than âcyclesâ or âblastsâ. Injections arenât that big of a deal, and itâs significantly safer than oral options.
DISCLAIMER: not on âsteroidsâ but on TRT (the only difference is the dose, in terms of Test)
You should also give him the rundown on TOT vs TRT. That weekly dosing should definitely give a 46 year old a little boost. But at his age he is running oxandrolone, T3 and Clen so either risk tolerance is high or ignorant of the risks.
Pharma section, nevermind . 250 mg/week for TRT aka cruise year round.
If you want to blast and cruise, Iâd start with a cruise. Dial it in, get bloods. Figure out how to interpret bloods. Get yourself a reliable BP monitor.
Iâd start low with just testosterone. No ancillaries to start. You have to ask yourself what youâre comfortable with dose wise for your cruise. Iâm not looking to get huge so Iâm on 175 mg/wk. What you cruise on kinda dictates how much youâre going to blast. It doesnât make sense to me to get way bigger than I can maintain on cruise. For me, I plan on keeping the blasts more mild. Never went to crazy either, but some would say 875 test a week with 40 mg/day tbol (only the end of the blast for the tbol) is a lot, some would say itâs peanuts.
Kinda rambled there. I wouldnât use the anavar continually, and Iâd always use it only when on test.
I agree with @RT_Nomad about messing with t3. I did it, but wouldnât do it again. Makes holding muscle difficult, and I just donât think the risks are worth it.
I started similarly to you, no blood tests, just felt low (but old at around 53 years old) and started on low dose oxandrolone (âanavarâ) having been told to cycle it on and off for 4 weeks periods.
Started reading Tnation and saw that wasnât a great idea so stopped the var while I planned what to do.
1 month later, still felt amazing and did bloods, my test was very low and LH and FSH very suppressed. Obviously after getting the results I felt tired and weak the next day!
Started UGL 2 days later, felt fab again within 24 hours! Ahh the power of the mind!
What I believe you should do (bearing in mind Iâm not a med pro)
Stop everything for a few weeks, get blood tests to see what your levels are, go from there when everything appears to have stabilized and you can make a decisions based on numbers and how you feel.
Ideally contact a TRT clinic in the UK and get their advice from the start (I use Optimale for my blood tests).
What you could also do (I.e. what I sort of did), buy UGL test, start on a dose you think sounds reasonable (I would suggest as you are very likely suppressed that a dose of around 150mg will seem fab).
Either take that in one or two shots spilt during the week (splitting will stabilze blood swings, possibly good but more importantly lessen the highest amount your body has to deal with at a time, also the lowest. â flattens the curve? â.)
Do this for around 8 weeks and get bloods done again and see what they say.
Itâs very unlikely youâll get a full blood panel done on the NHS and even if you can you need (at least at first) to get a few done regularly so rather than waste time Iâd just order from a provider.
If you just get bloods and donât sign up to full treatment they canât give you treatment advice from your results but they will point out anything that needs further checks.
Ive been on Anavar for just over 2 weeks now, just finished the 1st 2 week cycle of clen. So Anavar af this stage hasnt shut me down, but i never knew it could, just use it to help lessen muscle loss.
T3 ive been on for over a year as yes i do have thyroid issues, currently on 100mg/day T4 and 40mg/day T3 anyway, this is prescribed from NHS.
Youll have to forgive my ignorance totermz used, but is cruising when you permanently use, with no PCT? Whats blasting? A sudden higher dose?
Previous tousing, my diet has been good, dropping 14lbs in roughly 8 weeks, which included a holiday abroad, no alcohol or junk food.
Im 6â1 and currently weight 230lb, still got a bit to drop.
@Dave2014
Anavar shouldnât shut you down, just suppress your levels to almost zero, but this is normally much easier/quicker to recover from than being shut down. What it will have done to you I wouldnât know but Iâd imagine its not going to be much trouble to get back to speed when/if you come off.
As to the lingo, theres a bit of back and forth between people but as I see the basics are;
Cycle, short period (months) of using anabolic steroids which will lower/stop your natural testosterone levels, you then use various drugs (PCT) or just wait it out for your levels to get back to normal, then repeat if desired.
TRT; constant use of testosterone to bring your levels up to the range of an adult male (huge discussion on what those levels are) to allow you to function ânormallyâ in the bedroom and everyday society.
Blast and cruise; normally low level testosterone dosage (similar to the TRT dose) taken to bring up levels the same etc., then every few months/weeks a larger dose of steroids is added to the existing protocol so you can function abnormally in the gym.
Personally doing a cycle sees a bit hit and miss, especially if youâre older.
TRT is a good thing to aim for if you have lower natural levels (IMO)
and B+C a fun way if you can control the urge to stay on higher doses for longer etc, its very easy to stop taking something then think I seem fine, I might as well increase my TRT dose or add a small dose of anavar etc etc.
My guess is that suppression of testosterone while the feedback system is operating properly is the distinction @MrGrant is making.
And I would guess that shutting down is failure of the feedback system to function at all. I donât know of any AAS users who have experienced âshutdownâ. But my sample might be too small.
Using AAS causes LH and FSH to shut down as can be seen in blood tests posted by every TRT user on here. These ARE the feedback system. Using exogenous hormones shuts down both your feedback system and your production of natural testosterone.
Iâve heard some people say they can take anavar without their test levels completely tanking. They end up with maybe 50% production, vs if they took tren solo they would have basically 0 production.
I thought the body is compensating for high SHBG with higher TT (natural). If on exogenous test, I donât understand how TT would reduce as a result of lower SHBG.
. 250 mg/week for TRT aka cruise year round.