Test E Cycle Questions

Hi I’m 21 years old and I’ve been training seriously for about 4 years now ( have lifted since I was 14). I’m going to be starting my first steroid cycle within the next month or two and had a few questions.

First off my cycle is looking like this.

Test E - weeks 1-12 @ 500 mg/week @ 2 injections a week
Dbol - weeks 1-4 @ 30 mg/ED

PCT - Nolva 2 weeks after last shot @ 40/40/20/20

Some things I have concerns about:

  • I’m very prone to gyno atleast with the types of oral test boosters I’ve taken. (Have slight gyno but not really noticeable)
  • I have Arimidex on hand and was wondering if I should go perhaps 0.25 mg/EOD or 0.50 mg/ED throughout the cycle in order to prevent estrogenic sides? I have enough to run throughout the cycle (Better safe than sorry?). My experiences with test boosters tell me that I will have gyno flareup with no AI so I’m just wondering what you guys may suggest as this is my first real AAS cycle and I’d like to have a successful cycle.

Thanks

If you know you’re prone to gyno, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll need adex on cycle while running two highly aromatic steroids. Use adex from day 1. It’s got tons more benefits than just to prevent gyno.

That said, I would cut the cycle down to 8 weeks and frontload it. Save the dbol for the last 4 weeks of the cycle, (6-10) and start PCT week 11.

What are your stats?

If you already know your prone to estrogenic sides then absolutely run the Adex throughout, like rrjc said it has more benefits within your cycle than just keeping estrogen at bay.
Other than that I would keep your Test E as is but also use your D-Bol last four weeks at the same dose.
Stif

Ok thanks for your input guys.
Stats:

Height: 6 foot
Weight: 205
BF%: 14%

Max Bench: 330 for 1
Max Squat: 465 for 1
Racks: 505 for 1

Would you guys say running the Adex starting on day 1 throughout @ 0.50mg ED or EOD? I’d rather be safe than sorry. Was just wondering what dosage I should start at.

I would go .5mg ED,
In studies that have been done, Arimidex has been shown to reduce estrogen in the body by roughly 50%. This is a good balance for bodybuilders , because some estrogen is needed in order for the full anabolic benefits of the steroids being taken to be achieved.

THESE RESULTS ARE TYPICALLY THE SAME WITH A DOSAGE OF .5mg A DAY AS THEY ARE WITH A DOSAGE OF 1mg A DAY, meaning that in most cases, a half tablet a day will be sufficient for estrogen control throughout cycle.
Hope this helps
Stiff

Thanks for your advice stiffler!

[quote]lbstiffler83 wrote:
I would go .5mg ED,
In studies that have been done, Arimidex has been shown to reduce estrogen in the body by roughly 50%. This is a good balance for bodybuilders , because some estrogen is needed in order for the full anabolic benefits of the steroids being taken to be achieved.

THESE RESULTS ARE TYPICALLY THE SAME WITH A DOSAGE OF .5mg A DAY AS THEY ARE WITH A DOSAGE OF 1mg A DAY, meaning that in most cases, a half tablet a day will be sufficient for estrogen control throughout cycle.
Hope this helps
Stiff[/quote]

THIS IS COMPLETELY WRONG

The amount of testosterone that is prevented from being aromatized is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to the amount of AI used.

Men who are not over-responders to arimidex typically need 1mg of arimidex per week for every 100mg of testosterone.

Show me proof that 1mg of arimidex will yield the same level of E2 as .5mg (when the same amount of T is taken, obviously). Taken in whatever dosing schedule you please.

You also have to be a moron to think that ANY dose (what you implied in your opening paragraph) will reduce E2 by 50%. How could it be possible that 100mg of arimidex taken daily will give the same E2 level as .5mg taken daily.

Stop posting bullshit.

What would you advise bonez?

I’d start with .25mg ed and adjust accordingly.

Bones, here’s a study with exactly what I was stating (there’s a chart that I can’t get in here, but you see the literature), now you and I both know that when I refer to “studies” these aren’t double blind ones held in labs but more anecdotal in nature, but unfortunately with AAS lumped into the war on drugs this is what we’re left with. Rather than being combative with what I might put on a board explain to me what I misunderstood or misconstrued so we might get a dialogue going and get to closer to the answer that we’re looking for. For the record I am an Exercise Physiologist and do perform tests at a human performance laboratory all day long, now obviously I’m doing things with VO2 Max, Cardio-Respiratory response, yada, yada, yada, and if I even suggested doing a serious study on AAS in any capacity I would be on my ass in a second through some career suicide.

The only thing we have to go on is anecdotal and connective research and what I stated in this thread is what I have found to be true, but again, my pursuit is sound knowledge so definitely correct me if I miss state something but I’m far from talking bullshit. PM me if you want me to send you some sources so you can check it out and tell me what you think about the research, I think you’re pretty knowledgable so I would like to hear why you do dispute these claims. In the meantime I’ll see if I can scrounge up some more studies. BTW, no animosity coming from me, just explaining to you where this information came from.
Stif

In one study, both .5mg and 1mg doses of Arimidex were shown to decrease estrogen by roughly 50%. The 1mg/day dose also increased testosterone levels by 58% (1). In that same study, in both groups, LH and FSH also went up slightly.

Take a look:

Changes in testosterone and E2 concentrations in normal young men (15 22 yr old) before () and after 10 days of oral anastrozole at 0.5 and 1 mg.(1) (This relates to the chart that I can’t seem to get on here)

This would seem to suggest that for use during a cycle, a dose of .5mgs/day would be sufficient to combat estrogen-related side effects. It is, however, important to remember that some estrogen is necessary to obtain optimal muscle growth. The lower estrogen levels provided by arimidex seems, anecdotally at least, to produce a more “hard” and “quality” look for bodybuilders who have experimented with it´s use in either a cutting or bulking cycle.

I´d like to point out that the elevation in Testosterone provided by Arimidex is so large that it can be used as a “form” of testosterone replacement therapy for hypogonadal men (2). Clearly, this suggests its use in a post-cycle-therapy (as well as its previously discussed use within a cycle) to regain natural testosterone levels and full functioning of the HPTA (Hypothalamic-Testicular-Pituitary-Axis).

Literature provided by the original maker of Anastrozole (Arimidex, produced by Zeneca Pharmaceuticals) states that stable blood plasma concentrations of the compound are achieved after a mere 7 consecutive 1mg daily doses. Also, Arimidex is just over 80% effective at inhibiting aromatase (3). Thus, if you want to take it for the entire duration of a cycle of anabolic steroids, you can simply start taking it on the same day you begin your cycle. Those are some pretty good numbers, huh?

But can you use it for the entire duration of a cycle? Is it dangerous? Well, certainly reducing estrogen levels in your body is good from a body building point of view, as it reduces water-retention and the potential for gynocomastia (if there´s no estrogen in your body, you can´t get gyno, regardless of how much progesterone is floating around)(5). Luckily this stuff is very mild on blood lipids (cholesterol) and doesn´t affect them adversely (2), in the studies I´ve seen.

These are the references

1.J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000 Jul;85(7):2370-7, “Estrogen Suppression in Males”
2.Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2005 Feb;62(2):228-35.
3.Arimidex Package insert
4.J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2002 Apr;80(4-5):411-8.
5.Progesterone is not essential to the differentiative potential of mammary epithelium in the male mouse. Freeman, Topper. Endocrinology. 1978 Jul;103(1):186-92

I really dont see where that applies to people who have 10x as much T in their system as normal.

The point of my post was that more arimidex is needed when more T is used. Regardless of the percentage of aromatization that is prevented. If somoene is using a gram of T and 80% of it is prevented from aromatizing the person will still have a lot more E2 in their system than somone who is using 250mg of T of which 80% is prevented from being aromatized.

I hope that is clearer now.

The stuff you posted makes no mention of the amount of T in the system. Most young to middle aged men have somewhere between 400-800ng/dL of T. People using exogenous T can have levels upwards of 2000, depending on their dose. The more T present the more E2 results. Men tend to feel best with E2 levels around 20-26 (give or take a bit depending on the individual). To find out exactly how much arimidex to use per a specific dose of exo-T one should get blood work done a few times while tinkering with the dose of arimidex.

Stiffler, with all do respect, you have read one article on one topic not applying to the OP’s post. If you have no further knowledge in the subject please refrain from giving false and SHITTY advice.

Coudy, do as Bonez said and I both advised. I believe you have 2 threads over the same topic. .25mg ED then adjust accordingly. pay attention to bloating/joint pain to raise/lower the dose.

And refrain from listening to this idiot.

BMC

Thanks for the advice guys willdo!