Q&A with Shadow Pro

Pharma
641

[quote]whattheapple wrote:
Hello,
I have a couple of questions in regards to TRT. I am currently 25 and had a lot of blood work done in recent months to determine my “issue”. A quick little background. I have been impotent since my first sexual experience. After many years I discovered that this isnâ??t normal. (about 50/50 chance of it “working” aka wet noodle syndrome) and decided i should see a doctor.

I lost around 55 pounds, quit drinking, quit smoking and eating properly. Fast forward to today, I have multiple test AM tests done (5 to date, ranging from 6.2 to 8.0 nmol/L). After these tests were done I was sent to a specialist for further testing (some stats are… SHBG 12 nmol/L, SHBG 12 nmol/L, Testosterone/SHBG 0.65, Bioavailable Test 5.8). After these results were done it was determined that I had “physiologically Lower levels of sex hormone binding globulin”, and no further action was taken by that doctor.

I went to get a second opinion as being impotent at 25 is in my opinion unacceptable. The new doctor seemed to care about my person issues and decided to start TRT (delatestryl 200 mg/ML, 1.5ml per month, and 1 shot, but because its on short I had substitute it for Depo-Testosterone Inj 100mg/ml at 3ml per month). I had baseline testing done before my first shot, and will be repeating testing every 6 weeks for 3 visits, than once every 6 months.

Now my questions. Should I be cycling, or because this is TRT there is no need to cycle? Also, at this dosage is it necessary to have anything for estrogen levels? What kind of side effects should I be expecting at this dosage or what should I look out for? Also, at this dosage how long will it take effectively be in my system (next day, or 2-3 weeks?) And what kind of questions should I be asking my doctor for when I see him next?
Thank you for taking the time to read and maybe reply to all my questions.
[/quote]

There’s no need to cycle off of such a low dose, in your case it’s beneficial to stay on this. At such a low dose you won’t need to worry about estrogen levels but if you notice any issues your doctor should prescribe something for you but I really doubt this will be an issue.

You should expect to feel more energetic and a better overall feeling of well… And it should help fix your original issue. You will start too seeing good things happen after about 2 weeks. You could ask the doctor to pay attention to make sure you aren’t getting gyno issues and also ask to get regular blood tests to see that your test levels are increasing with the treatments.

642

  1. Test and deca will make you retain water and will create a “puffy” look, making you look even fatter than you are now. At this current bodyfat level these will not give you any kind of significant bodyfat loss. You ca use GH if you can find pharmaceutical stuff, this will help you at a low dose 2-3iu

  2. It’s hard to say an exact number, just have a dexa scan every 4-6 weeks and it will tell you your bodyfat percentage, no point in guessing.

  3. I can’t give you a specific diet for you without knowing you personally and it sounds you have a lot of other issues that I don’t know about. And creating a specialized diet for someone is something I don’t take lightly and it would take hours of my time which isn’t fair for others here. In general, carb cycling is a good idea. I wouldn’t do any “fasting” days because it’s too extreme and not beneficial. Be in a calorie deficit at all times until you reach desired bodyfat

  4. You have a lot of fat to lose, you WILL NOT lose any muscle doing the cardio I suggested… Period! I hate to tell you this but you have a lot of fat to lose and losing muscle should not be a concern, your body will now be using fat as an energy source because it’s very available. If you looked at my earlier post, i said you take AlphaMale to increase your natural test levels which will help.

  5. Ok, don’t use either… But use the indigo, there is no stimulant there. The fact that you are taking t3 and not losing fat tells me your diet and cardio are far off or you need to check your levels again and speak with your doctor about reevaluating your dosage.

  6. I cannot give you any other suggestions because of your injuries. I am not your doctor so I don’t have a handle on your physical capabilities. My training partner has 3 bulging discs and he’s squatting more than me so i think this is individual and you need to seek professional advice from your physician.

  7. Try to bump it up to 6… Goal is to spend as much energy as you can to lose bodyfat.

  8. You’re taking so many supplements that the synergy between them can cause water retention, think about how hard your system is working to try and utilize all of these, it’s working overtime.

I would love to help you further but because I don’t know all of your medical background it’s not a wise choice for me to give potentially hazardous advice.

643

[quote]Cadztra wrote:
Can one, while using AAS, still gain muscle size while in a calorie deficit?

Assuming exercise and diet is on point w/ protein remaining high/moderate- as in 1 to 1.5 grams per lb of bw. [/quote]

For a beginner they can absolutely gain muscle size while in a defecit… It’s not ideal but it definitely possible.

For an intermediate athlete with a protein level of 1.5g/lb or higher it’s possible but not a lot of gains can be achieved.

For an advanced athlete I would say 99% no… But some genetic freaks will grow no matter that they do so that’s a rare case.

644

[quote]Genk250 wrote:
Sorry about the side way pics.

This one is actually most recent from a week ago.

Here im at 250lbs

Im the above picture i was about 242-244lbs. (Was on fast acting ester gear, test prop, tren ace, mast prop, ect)

I guess im asking cause im just curious on how you do things.

I believe you can never stop learning, cause once you do. Thats when the gains stop.

I do have a very good coach, and i listen to him. But if there is something that i think can help me then i want to run it by him and get his opinion to see what he thinks.

Thank you
Its been great to have someone honest and not bash people for doing things the wrong way. Its a nice change of pace compared to what i see on F.B. and other forums. Keep it up !!![/quote]

I can only comment based on your pictures and what you’ve told me. I’ve never seen you train so I don’t know what your level of intensity or training style is in the gym or any limiting factors due to injuries and what not. The training is a huge part of it and it can make a lot of difference in the rate and quality of progress,

From a physique point of view I will say this:

  • you need more overall thickness(this will come from a lot of deadlifting and rowing variations) keep it basic and try to move heavy weight.
    -you also need more width so a lot of weighted chin ups and vertical pulling will help. Use a lot of different techniques along with these exercises like Supersets, drop sets and concentrate on slow negatives. Do the same thing when training arms to achieve a “rounder” look
  • as for your diet, since you are very lean you can add insulin use pre-workout (humalog) start at 10iu with 100g of Plazma intraworkout, this alone will make a huge improvement in gains. Slowly bump the carbs and insulin up accordingly as long as you are just gaining water and not fat. You want to stay under 10%. If you keep adding carbs and you see that you have no fat accumulation you could also consider another shot of insulin in the morning and adjust carbs accordingly. Rule:usually the leaner you are,the more carbs you can consume so increase them as much as your body allows.
  • at your age and with your training experience, I would without a doubt increase the GH if your budget allows. A minimum of 6iu and preferably 8 will make sure jumps in muscle gains.
    -the way you are using your GH depends on your goal. There are a lot of different ways and times to take it. In your case, increasing it will definitely benefit you any way you look at it.
    -your dosages are considered moderate, and if you are healthy you can think about increasing the test to 1g or 1.2/week and you could increase the dbol as well… Some people do great at 60 and others can go up to 100 or more. I would also consider playing with eq rather than deca, if you want to go up a weight class you need to eat and the eq will help appetite.

All in all, you are doing a great job and it’s good to see people like you contributing and sharing in the forum. One of the other reasons I decided to post here rather than elsewhere is that besides my long term experience with the supplements, the community here is very supportive and positive which is very different from what you find on other sites.

I’m not sure what your experiences are like with tren, but tren-e in the off season can be very very effective for muscle and strength gains. It seems to me like you’ve found a coach that is taking good care of you so good for both of you and I wish you the best of luck.

645

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Everyone here is posting huge walls of text, props to Shadow for actually reading almost every single one and replying! I would not have the patience. Heh.

[/quote]

I’m actually not a very patient person at all, but this is my passion and I am enjoying the interaction. As long as people are being appreciative, I’ll continue. You guys are doing a good job at chasing the morons away.

646

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Shadow,

What is your opinion on Winstrol (oral) as a fat burner? Do you see it as a fat burner or mostly as something to help maintain strength at the end of a contest prep without adding water retention?

I’m not a competitor.

[/quote]

It wouldn’t be a choice of mine for specific fat burning purposes. It’s not a weak drug as it is commonly thought of. It’s great for strength gains and an overall hard, full and grainy look. People use it at different parts of a cycle, not necessarily just at the end of a prep. You can use it as a strength compound in order to get stronger without water retention or to gain a harder look during a diet. People do use it in the last 6-8 weeks of contest prep but it’s also a choice amongst strength athletes and other professional athletes for many reasons.

647

[quote]Diluted56 wrote:
Shadow Pro thanks for posting here and spreading some truth…

I wanted to know what AI/serm do you think is good for general well-being on a off-season stack of say test & deca?

I was thinking nolvadex once a week at 20mg. I am not estrogen sensitive and not worried about being ‘dry’ as I believe water in the off-season is good and necessary to get ‘new’ thickness for the proceeding prep. Would nolva once a week be solid at preventive measures or would it be needed on a more regular basis throughout the week?[/quote]

It depends on the amounts you are taking of both test and deca. For precaution a minimum of 10mg every day of nolva even in the off season maybe 20 depending on dosage. It will NOT hurt your gains. If you are using deca, keep caber on hand incase of progesterone related issues.

648

[quote]kanabolic wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

You can thank me about the Plazma later… Actually, you could buy me a bottle instead of thanking me! Just kidding.

My instinct is no for what you suggested but you are right about being 10% bodyfat and it seems that you are making good progress so I will leave the final up to you. You can stretch this cycle for another 8 weeks and try low doses of tren. The pros is that you will see progress, probably getting leaner, harder and stronger and the cons are that you don’t know how sensitive you are to tren side effects yet and that might not be pleasant. If you decide to go with it, only use tren-a and if you are not reacting good you can stop right away and it will be out of your system. Start with something like 75 mg EOD and make sure that when the cycle is done you do an aggressive pct… I can help you with this when the time comes.

If you are planning to do this, start 250iu of HCG every 3rd day and 10mg of nolvadex starting immediately, it will help you from shutting down and the nolva will be used as a precaution because you are going to be on test a long time.

Thanks for posting pictures.[/quote]

I appreciate the response. I’ll save tren for the next cycle. Who knows, maybe Plazma is all I’ve been looking for after all.

Thanks again for the info, this is invaluable stuff. [/quote]

I think you’re making the right choice, the tren will always be there and it’s better that you save it for a more advanced phase. If you train your ass off you’ll see the Plazma makes a huge difference.

Keep training until your Plazma is finished, if you are done your workout and still have Plazma left then do a few extra sets or exercises until it’s done… You won’t have any energy drops in the workout.

649

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]therajraj wrote:
Everyone here is posting huge walls of text, props to Shadow for actually reading almost every single one and replying! I would not have the patience. Heh.

[/quote]

I’m actually not a very patient person at all, but this is my passion and I am enjoying the interaction. As long as people are being appreciative, I’ll continue. You guys are doing a good job at chasing the morons away.
[/quote]
.

650

[quote]Uncreative123 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Uncreative123 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

For a physique competitor your doses are plain and simply way too high! These are amounts that high level bodybuilders are taking. Why are you taking so much, if I may ask?

Also, this cycle is way too long. My best advice at this point is to come off and get clean with a good PCT and stay clean for a good 3-4 months. Once your body has repaired and blood tests come back norm then you can come back on a sane cycle that suits a men’s physique competitor. I think your body is just worn out and this is why no matter what you are trying, you are not getting your desired look. Cut your loses and think about next season… Whatever you do now is just going to set you back further so think long term.

When you have a great off season and a carefully planned program you can consider back to back shows. It’s never easy on your body to do shows this way and if everything isn’t optimal in your program it can be disastrous. It’s easier for a men’s physique to do back to back shows because their stage condition and drug protocol is much easier on the system and they are able to maintain this look for longer periods of time. There’s no reason why a men’s physique competitor should ever take 1g of test, 600mg of eq and 600mg of tren…there’s no logic here. It will make you hold a shit load of water and put unnecessary pressure on your system making it much harder to get to your desired look. More is not better!

T3 and Clen are not mandatory, they are used in certain amounts and dosages depending on the specific case. I know a lot of men’s physique competitors who don’t use it at all… A good diet and training program can get you to this point. You aren’t trying to get to 3% bodyfat so there’s no need for extreme measures.

I’m not saying to run diuretics 1-2 days before or to run them at all for that matter. It’s completely individual. Some people cut water completely and some don’t cut it at all… Some people use diuretics and some people don’t use them at all… You keep mentioning water pills, are you talking about an over the counter diuretic? Some of these can cause different side effects and taking them for days on end may not be a good idea. The last week leading up to a show is individual and there is NO formula that exists… This is why people hire coaches because the last week is crucial and needs to be well thought out and planned on an individual case.

Regarding your diet… I can’t give you any specific advise because you aren’t my client therefore I don’t know how your body works but I can tell you that I’m a big believer in high carbs and carb cycling in general so it might be something to look into. I count all of my carbs, even veggies.

I think the biggest issue here is the drug protocol… Too much for too long with wrong decisions.everything else is an easy fix but if you don’t clean your body to have a fresh start, I really doubt you will look any better in the next show. Sounds to me like your body is in a big mess right now. If you want to do it long term, i would think about cleaning up now and looking towards a show next year instead.[/quote]

Again, thanks for the response. I think you misunderstood though- I was NOT taking all that stuff at once. The first half of the cycle was Test and EQ, then I dropped both of them and switched over to the Tren/Test/Mast. That’s all I’m on now. I would never run that much gear together. Right now I’m roughly on about 800-850mg/wk altogether. Nothing crazy.

Honestly just within the last week of adding in 25-30 min of cardio a day (6 days a week) and doing some carb and fat cycling I’ve already noticed some big changes in fat loss. It gives me hope and I want to keep it up over the next couple weeks and see how it goes. I know you advise against this, but I feel like those are some very important aspects I neglected the first time around.

I’d like to send you a couple pics maybe in like two weeks to see where you think I stand and whether or not at that point I should call it a day. I’ll be slowly tapering off calories over the next 4ish weeks. Looks roughly something like this right now:

(6’ 1" 210 lbs)
2500 cal/day for this week
Today (Thursday)
High carb day 270 carbs
29g/fat
315g/protein

Friday:
190 carbs
50g/fat
315g/protein

Satuday:
160g/carbs
65g/fat
315g/protein

Sunday:
160g/carbs
65g/fat
315g/protein

Monday:
65g/carbs
95g/fat
315g/protein

Tuesday:
65g/carbs
95g/fat
315g/protein

Wed.:
160g/carbs
65g/fat
315g/protein

I can go lower on some of those carb days if need be, and definitely lower on fats. That’s kind of a rough plan, and then subtract an additional 150/cal each week. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks again.[/quote]

If you’ve decided to compete anyways, your diet looks ok for now. Because your body is in a sensitive condition your diet should be reassessed every 3-4days (at least find someone with an objective eye to make sure you are progressing)
You can add clenbuterol to prevent catabolism and aid in fat loss. 0.2mcg this week and 0.4mcg next week… Post some pics here in 2 weeks and I’ll see where you’re at. You could add t3 @12.5mcg this week and 25 next week to increase metabolism .

I know you’re thinking you’re not taking much, but you are competing in men’s physique and not bodybuilding… Trust me, even if I misunderstood some of it, it’s still a lot. Close to 1g of test and these amounts of eq are 100% not necessary. Tren is questionable. I promise if you would have done things right from the beginning you would be using a lot less and looking a lot better. If you want to compete now, just do what you need to do and then reevaluate everything after.

Last piece of advise, if you want to look hard on stage drop the test 2 weeks out.[/quote]

Thank you. My T3 and Clen should be here today. Honestly with all the cardio and change in diet I think I’m looking better and even dryer than I was when I stepped on stage two weeks ago. (Really over did it with the cheat meals afterwards) I’ve seen you mentioning to do 45min cardio for most people, so I think I’m going to try to up it to that from 30 min. I’ve noticed that I’ve even had a lot more energy in the gym lately which I didn’t expect from doing two separate workouts- cardio in the AM and lifting in the evening as well as carb/fat cycling.

I’ve had some serious stress/post-break-up blues/never ending bullshit setbacks to deal with but I’m getting better. I feel like that’s the only thing really holding me back at this point that I can’t do much about.

Regarding training, since abs are so important for men’s physique, how would you suggest approaching that? Some weighted abs OK? No weighted abs? Just planks, crunches, etc?

Again I really appreciate this, I feel like your guidance is really helping. I’m moving at the end of the month so I’ve got a lot of stuff to take care of financially, but after that if it’s cool I’d like to send you a tub of Plazma (and get one for myself to try it out) just to show my appreciation. I don’t need your name or address or anything since you are remaining anonymous- if the Mods here at T-Nation or someone at Biotest could set it up to work that out however they need to, I’m down. You’re literally helping everyone out here with invaluable advice so I feel like it’s the least I can do.

I’ll have some more pics soon.[/quote]

I’m happy that I’m able to help, I’ll always give you my honest opinion regardless of if it’s good or bad.

Cardio is very individual but because we are adding t3 and Clen and you still have bodyfat lose. I prefer you are ready 10-14 days before the show. For now you can bump up your cardio to 45 min. Post pics every 4 days and I will adjust according to what I see.

By all means do abs and a lot of them. A mix between weighted and bodyweight exercises are fine.
Day 1: giant set (weighted decline crunches 15 reps, bodyweight knee raises to failure, planks 1-1.5min)
Repeat 5x
Day 2: weighted flat crunches 3 sets for 20 reps
Ab machine 3 sets for 15-20 reps
Weighted crunches on Swiss ball 3 sets for 15 reps
Alternate between these days, you can do 4-5 days a week.

Again, because your body is in a delicate situation the key is to adjust while we go so the more communication with your coach the better. Adjustment needs to be made every 3-4 days based on progress. Another important thing to consider is to take the drugs you need to maintain what you have, which Is not a lot. The less you take the better right now. If you take more it can cause water retention and you won’t look as hard, you just need the basics now. Good luck!

I appreciate that you want to offer something to me but I am not here for that purpose. If you want to give back just invest in the book that I will be writing, it will be much cheaper than a bottle of Plazma and you will greatly benefit from the information that will be contained. It’s going to be very detailed and cover many subjects including some special and unique tricks that I’ve learned over the years that will be shared. I still need to get permission from the site but I’m hoping you will be able to buy it right here on tnation if they’ll allow me to do so.

651

[quote]powerbuilder57 wrote:
hi
what bodyfat do you think i am??
or any suggstions??
should i add anything for more sharpness??
it my first week on 200mg testo e per week and 120mg tren eod plus 50 mg proviron
my legs are more dryer
i am going to cut plus add and 100mg oral winny for 4 weeks, i also carb cycle…
[/quote]

Sorry to tell you this, but cutting is the last thing you need to worry about. Your bodyfat isn’t high, you are about 12-13%. The amount of drugs you are taking compared to the amount of mass you have is simply ridiculous. Sorry to be harsh but if you are cutting from this point I’m not sure what will be left of you, you won’t even be able to stand on stage at a men’s physique novice competition. This to me is a classic case of abusing drugs and clearly with these dosages your training and diet are far from being on point. I’m not sure how old you are or your experience with training but I have teenage natural competitors who are carrying twice the amount of mass you have and they aren’t even breaching their natural potential yet.

If I were you, do a pct… Get off drugs… Get diet and training on point. You are using the same amount of winstrol that I use and the amount of tren is pushing the limits of some of my top regional competitors(in bodybuilding)

652

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Yogi wrote:
Shadwell,

What do you think about short term GH use? Do you see any value in adding it to a 12 week cycle? My cycles tend to be fairly modest (1g of test-ish, a little dbol here, a little anavar there) but I’ve always been intrigued as to whether adding a couple of iu of GH daily would make much of an impact.

The typical bro-mantra tells us that anything less than 6 months is pointless, but I just can’t justify the expenditure. I could maybe stretch to a 12 weeker + PCT if there was going to be a significant benefit.

I have never used GH before, in case you were wondering.[/quote]

Thank you for asking this… And just when I thought you’d disappeared from the thread you come back with a quality question.

I DEFINITELY think it would give great benefits, even in a 12 week window. When using GH, usually the longer you can stay on the better it is but using it for 10-12 weeks will give you some nice benefits. What you could expect to see is fuller and “rounder” look (like a ninja turtle) it’s hard to pinpoint it but it’s the only drug that will give you this unique look. If you are using a quality GH(pharm… No Chinese BS) you will see these changes almost immediately… Most people report finding tighter skin with a better tone, fat loss and the ability to increase calories without gaining fat. You will notice an huge difference in recovery from training and better sleep quality. One of the biggest things I’ve found for people who are serious in the gym is that it helps a lot with existing injuries… I have always had shitty knees and I never have any issues when I’m on GH.

As for dosage, I would start with 6iu/day (to see these specific benefits that I listed) for people who are just looking for fat loss or skin improvements when 3-4iu will be sufficient.

So it does work in short term for sure, it’s optimal to stay on it longer if possible but I think taking it for a short period is better than skipping it all together.
[/quote]

Don’t worry big fella, I’ll be popping in and out to keep it interesting!

So 6iu for 12 weeks it is then. Looks like I’m going to have to start doing some overtime. 12 weeks of that’s going to cost me like Ã???Ã???Ã???Ã??Ã?£800![/quote]

Ã???Ã???Ã??Ã?£800 for 12 weeks, pharmaceutical? 1.52/iu… Are you sleeping with the pharmacist? If you are thinking about generics I don’t think I’d go with it, that sounds extremely cheap to me. 99% of the generics are not real so save your money and wait until you can buy the real thing. It seems ridiculously expensive to switch to pharm GH but it’s also insane to pay money for viles of sucralose and whatever kind of other shit they stuff in there.

Years ago when I decided to make the switch and spend more on GH was the year I made a huge jump in my career… And a huge hole in my bank account.

The difference isn’t something subtle, you notice it right away clear cut differences… Your reaction will be “WOW!” And you won’t be stuck wondering if it is/isn’t working. You can continue to waste money on generics or try and find a source for pharm, you’ll be happy you did. There is a smalllllll chance you can land some decent underground kits but have them tested in a lab before wasting more money.
[/quote]

hmm well that’s interesting! It was Ã???Ã??Ã?£200 for enough Growth to run 5iu for 20 days (that’s 100iu for those of you whose maths ain’t so good) and I was assured it was pharm grade! The guy that uses it swears by it and he’s a nationally ranked BBer, although I know that’s never an indication that people actually know what they’re talking about. He’s the dude I get my oils off as he gets them at a pretty decent knock down price and the quality is good. I just assumed the GH would be kosher as well.

I know we’re not supposed to discuss prices but what would the ballpark figure be for real growth then (sorry mods if that’s not cool to ask).[/quote]

Let me give you an example… If you walk into a pharmacy today with a prescription and no medical plan that helps with costs of prescription drugs you would be looking to pay $1800-2200USD for 128iu of pharmaceutical product. A good price could be $700 for 120iu… If u are finding cheaper than this I would be questioning the quality, unless you are sleeping with the girls at the facory… Hmmm, that’s a good idea! I know guys who got it this way btw.

It’s out there, just keep looking!!! Like I said to Reed, these low quality/no quality kits are the reason people don’t understand the true benefits of GH.
[/quote]

well fuuuuuuuck me, how do you afford to use it at all? What does your wife/girlfriend say about you spending that much money? I’d be sleeping on the sofa for years!

That’s interesting though, and certainly suggests that everyone I know who uses GH is getting shite. Maybe it’s just cheaper here in the UK than the US but I think that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

Thanks for the responses as always. Enjoyed that article you wrote the other day too. Nice to see this site coming back around to articles about steroids and professional bodybuilding.[/quote]

My girl is 100% supportive of my career and I have a great job, support system and sponsors. I see it over and over again when people come to me and say they are using 15iu/day and seeing no results using generics and then once they switch to something as low as 4iu from pharm grade they get immediate results… Wondering why they wasted their money on the other stuff before that. I have seen hundreds of generic brands and nothing is comparable… And believe me, I wish they were too!

Sorry to tell you this but I know pros from the UK who are getting their stuff from here in the US, I’ve heard it’s even worse there. You can try it if you want but I honestly think you’re wasting your hard earned money.

I think that this is the only site that has positive vibes without all of the trolls… I was happy to see they wanted to publish the article. I have a lot more writing to share and hopefully a book about juice coming in the near future.(hoping they will let me sell the book here so it will be easily accessible for my followers here)

653

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]whattheapple wrote:
Hello,
I have a couple of questions in regards to TRT. I am currently 25 and had a lot of blood work done in recent months to determine my “issue”. A quick little background. I have been impotent since my first sexual experience. After many years I discovered that this isnÃ?¢??t normal. (about 50/50 chance of it “working” aka wet noodle syndrome) and decided i should see a doctor.

I lost around 55 pounds, quit drinking, quit smoking and eating properly. Fast forward to today, I have multiple test AM tests done (5 to date, ranging from 6.2 to 8.0 nmol/L). After these tests were done I was sent to a specialist for further testing (some stats are… SHBG 12 nmol/L, SHBG 12 nmol/L, Testosterone/SHBG 0.65, Bioavailable Test 5.8). After these results were done it was determined that I had “physiologically Lower levels of sex hormone binding globulin”, and no further action was taken by that doctor.

I went to get a second opinion as being impotent at 25 is in my opinion unacceptable. The new doctor seemed to care about my person issues and decided to start TRT (delatestryl 200 mg/ML, 1.5ml per month, and 1 shot, but because its on short I had substitute it for Depo-Testosterone Inj 100mg/ml at 3ml per month). I had baseline testing done before my first shot, and will be repeating testing every 6 weeks for 3 visits, than once every 6 months.

Now my questions. Should I be cycling, or because this is TRT there is no need to cycle? Also, at this dosage is it necessary to have anything for estrogen levels? What kind of side effects should I be expecting at this dosage or what should I look out for? Also, at this dosage how long will it take effectively be in my system (next day, or 2-3 weeks?) And what kind of questions should I be asking my doctor for when I see him next?
Thank you for taking the time to read and maybe reply to all my questions.
[/quote]

There’s no need to cycle off of such a low dose, in your case it’s beneficial to stay on this. At such a low dose you won’t need to worry about estrogen levels but if you notice any issues your doctor should prescribe something for you but I really doubt this will be an issue.

You should expect to feel more energetic and a better overall feeling of well… And it should help fix your original issue. You will start too seeing good things happen after about 2 weeks. You could ask the doctor to pay attention to make sure you aren’t getting gyno issues and also ask to get regular blood tests to see that your test levels are increasing with the treatments.[/quote]

Thank you! My next question hopefully makes sense. My SHBG (sex hormone binding glublon?) is low. my question is would test shots even work since thats low? my understanding is that SHBG is what converts test to be “usable”

still alot to learn, and thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. from my reading, 1 single shot of 300mg for 1 month is not the greatest. i should be doing once every 2 weeks or even weekly to minimize the extreme highs n lows effect(dosage adjusted of course). with such a low dosage would it matter going from 2 weeks to one? i wouldnt be pinning myself.

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[quote]Big Ronan wrote:
Hi Shadow Pro,

Great resource people have here thanks for your time.

  1. Please talk a bit about the politics of bodybuilding relating to judging and placements, what has your own experiences revealed to you in this regard.

  2. what sort of diuretic protocol do Ifbb professionals use at the top of the game to come in dry yet not destroy there muscle fullness. I competed recently and used some dyazide but it did not do me justice and pulled too much water from inside the muscle making me smaller in certain areas and looking less conditioned. I would like to know a way to be bone dry without this happening.

  3. from what I have read you suggest using only the highest quality pharma grade GH or none at all?

  4. do you think development and progress with ones physique happens more from competing each year or taking extended off seasons? I have yet to take a year out since getting back in to bodybuilding 3 years ago.

regards, Ro[/quote]

  1. It’s dirty in a lot of ways I can’t even start to explain, especially on the women’s side of things. You really need to know the right people and kiss a lot of ass. There is an article here on T-Nation that you can read if you want to hear some more.

  2. It’s completely individual, depending on so many factors… Insulin use, sodium manipulation, if you’re cutting water or not, current condition, sensitivity to diuretics. I’ve used so many different systems from not taking diuretics at all to using aldactone, diazide, lasix and others. Sometimes 1/2 a pill and sometimes 3-4 and it actually varies from show to show. I do not have any shows that I have done the exact same thing. It’s important to have someone looking at you every 3-4 hours in the last few days before the show and everyday in the last week, this is why a caring coach is very important.

  3. Absolutely, 99% is shit… After I’ve seeing the results of real GH I stopped wasting my money on generics.

  4. There’s pros and cons for both approaches, I think you can make your best gains rebounding after a show if you do things right but to take a 2 year off season every 4-5 years on the condition that you keep your diet, training and drugs on point at the same level as you would if you were planning to compete. Some people won’t push if they don’t have a show in from of them. I would say compete 2-3 seasons in a row and rebound hard after each show then every 4th year you could take 2 years off of you are able to keep everything at the same intensity.

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[quote]thor159 wrote:
Clen… dose it once a day or spread the dose. If spreading the dose, should it be done when past how many mg?

What about T3?[/quote]

My favorite time to take it is before cardio. You can split the dose if you want, it won’t make a lot of difference.

T3 before cardio and before bed. Your metabolism will race over night since you aren’t eating in these hours. On sufficient amount of gear it won’t mark you catabolic enough to burn muscle. The metabolic boost is very strong.

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d.[quote]
Hey thanks a lot for the help and taking time out to answer all my questions. I like the idea of 10 day cycles for a routine and am going to start doing that soon.[/quote]

Happy you like it. At 17, you are on the right track and have great potential so keep pushing hard and keep me posted on progress.

657

[quote]Quadrociraptor wrote:
Hello i have readed all 26 pages you did say a lot of interesting stuff that all can learn thanks for that so i have some questions.
What do you and others do 2 weeks prior to a competition what drugs and diuritics are used how do you dehydrate do you cut the water totaly or not and how low and do you cut the sodium intake and how do you carb load
Thanks for the thread btw we sure can learn a lot. hope you can awnser[/quote]

Someone else just asked something similar and if I had a magic formula I would share it but I really don’t. Here’s what I told him…

It’s completely individual, depending on so many factors… Insulin use, sodium manipulation, if you’re cutting water or not, current condition, sensitivity to diuretics. I’ve used so many different systems from not taking diuretics at all to using aldactone, diazide, lasix and others. Sometimes 1/2 a pill and sometimes 3-4 and it actually varies from show to show. I do not have any shows that I have done the exact same thing. It’s important to have someone looking at you every 3-4 hours in the last few days before the show and everyday in the last week, this is why a caring coach is very important.

A few general rules for someone with a shitty coach or little knowledge.
-never cut sodium completely… I would keep it high throughout the diet and you may cut it in half near the end but never cut it completely or else you will end up flat and probably cramping. Sodium keeps you full
-use minimal diuretics…More is not better! There are cases you need to use more but that is individual.
-NOT everyone cuts water completely, when you are carb loading your body needs some water and sodium to absorb the nutrients… The trick here is knowing how much because the difference between 4 and 8 oz could be critical.
-do not do anything drastic, no depleting or loading like crazy. Your body like to be balanced so the more gradual you do things, the better response you’ll get.
-only use shitloads as an emergency, in most cases it leads to a complete disaster… If you do things right you shouldn’t need it. A lot of people get carried away and can’t decipher the difference between their body needing it or just their mind wanting this. Best choice is to go without it.

If you have a coach to make the decision for you it’s priceless because it’s hard to stay objective about how I look as I approach the show date.

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[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

If you want to experiment with tren in your 3rd cycle that’s up to you. The dbol with tren is a good combo for strength. Take dbol pre workout and before bed so you won’t have issues with the half life… The timing doesn’t have to be that accurate, a few hours give or take won’t make a huge difference.

With what you have, you can try something like this.
Week 1-12
Test-e 500mg/week
Tren-e 400mg/week
Week 1-6
Dbol 30-50mg/day
250iu Hcg 2x/week
10-20mg nolva

Pct:
Clomid @ 50mg for 4 weeks
500iu Hcg 2x/week for 4 weeks
Nolvadex @ 20mg for 4 weeks.

Happy you liked the article, I will hopefully have another new one up soon.
[/quote]Thank you. Quite the same plan I was thinking of. So just to be sure: I should shoot 500IU HCG for weeks 1-6, then stop for weeks 6-12 + the remaining 10 days of the testosterone’s half-life, and then start back to shoot HCG with my anti-estrogen ?

Oh, and another question: was wondering what could be the best plan to correct my biggest symmetry issue (the front delt). picture : http://tnation.T-Nation.com/forum_images/b/9/b91ca_ORIG-gymevo2.jpg

As you can see, my front right delt (left on the picture) is more developped, and there is a better harmony with my upper right pec. I guess that being on a cycle is the best moment to try to correct this. I was thinking about training my shoulders once a week as usual, but to do 3-4 sets of dumbbell front raise (with my left arm only) another day. Could maybe do the same thing for my left lat, and even my left lower pec. Seems like all my left side is weaker than my right one. -_-

Thanks.

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Shadow,

Thanks for the reply.

As for training, i consider my workouts very intense, and hard. Like i said in other post i do a mountaindog style now, focusing on moving heavy weight in strict form, going for the most intense pump. In my younger years i did doggcrapp style training (dante worked with me for 3 years and built the foundation i have now) i also went to Las Vegas to learn Beyond Failure Training with the late Trevor Smith. There i learn what true intensity was. Now i consider myself wiser and older so Meadows style is my best fit.

I"ll take a look at the Plazma for my intra workout. Ive been doing Gycofuse but it never hurts to change things up.

Thank you

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[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:
d.[quote]
Hey thanks a lot for the help and taking time out to answer all my questions. I like the idea of 10 day cycles for a routine and am going to start doing that soon.[/quote]

Happy you like it. At 17, you are on the right track and have great potential so keep pushing hard and keep me posted on progress.
[/quote]
Hell yeah I’ll keep you posted. If you’re still on here in a couple months I’ll post up my stats and a couple pics.