300 mg is a cycle.
I don’t see a reason why a non competitive athlete would want t levels that high.
The target should be to dial in the weekly dosing that makes one feel their best.
The rest is just noise.
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I can say one thing, since I’ve stopped taking the Anavar, my knees aren’t hurting as much.
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Well back in the 90s I was taking over 750mg per week. Here in San Diego, I knew a slew or IFBBs two that were on the Olympia stage 2x. I never heard of a competitive bodybuilder only using 300 mg unless they were starting their cycle.
Usually it was:
300,300 second week, 400mg third, 400 4th, 500 5th and 6th 750 7th and 8th week then begin tapering down the same ladder. Usually started off with Dbol combo, working up to 100mg daily for Dbol, coming off that and finishing the last 2-3 weeks with Win. Of course there were others that combined Test, deca and win etc.
I really haven’t seen any obviously noticeable muscle gains in the last month on 200mg-260mg of test e and 25mg of Anavar per day. Obviously some strength gains, better pumps, but I wouldn’t call it a competitive dosage
Not sure how you interpreted that I said that ifbb pros only use 300 mg.
Well, there is a difference between wanting to be on 300 mg a week and whether you should be, even if not a competitive athlete. I can think of a lot of reasons somebody would want to be. I wish I could be on 300 mg forever.
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When you re do your labs, make sure you are hydrated. I have had my bloods appear high, but i was dehydrated. Made sure to hydrate before labs moving forward, never been a problem since. I dont mean overhydrate, just drink at least 2 bottles of water before going.
Besides the obvious test results that need addressing, I would also agree with @blshaw that you need to address your hematocrit as well. You should probably go and donate some blood, just whole blood donation, on a somewhat regular basis while you are taking exogenous testosterone to keep that level down. Think of your blood like spaghetti sauce, and when your hematocrit (red blood cells) get into the 50s, ESPECIALLY approaching 54 and up, your blood is like a THICK ragu sauce. This can be extremely dangerous and can lead to a much higher risk of heart attack and stroke as that thick blood doesn’t flow as freely, or easily, as thinner blood.
Again, most, not all, but most people taking testosterone injections will have elevated hematocrit, and as we are all different, some of us will make A LOT more extra RBCs than others. Unfortunately, my damn body is one of the ones who kicks RBC production into overdrive when I’m taking my TRT, so I have to usually go donate every 3-4 weeks. It’s not that bad, and hey, you’re doing something good for your community and saving lives so I dunno, maybe it’s just me but it makes me feel good that it’s helping others.
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I’ve since gone off the Anavar and lowered the dose of the testosterone to 125mg every 5 days
I have an appointment early December with Defy medical. I will look into donating blood
Good advice
Frequent blood donation can lower your iron if you are over fifty.
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Why do you have to be over 50?
Frequent blood donation can lower your iron if you are over fifty.
It can…but you can also take an iron supplement. I know there is this huge debate these days about donating blood vs. not donating blood to control hematocrit, and I guess it’s really just a personal decision. Personally, I just think that I’d prefer the lesser of two evils, and if there is something I can do to lower my risk of heart attack or stroke, I’m going to do it. But I know, some say that people living at elevation have naturally higher hematocrit levels and they’re fine, and other things, but you just have to do what you think is best for you. I DO KNOW that after I’ve been donating regularly, I sleep better, I breathe better, I don’t get random pins and needles in my hands, my face doesn’t have a perpetual redness about it, etc. And while I donate pretty regularly, I try to not OVER donate and really aim to get my hematocrit level to just a hair under 50, so like 49 or 50 is where I like to be, because I do know that going to low will crash your ferritin, which IS bad.
To the OP, this is a good topic for you to bring up with your doctor and if your TRT provider is someone different, that person as well. My doctor prescribes my TRT so I just pick it up at the pharmacy and take it at home, and he’s very well versed in TRT and stays up to date on all the medical literature/studies, and he advocates for lowering hematocrit for heart/stroke prevention. I think a heart attack/stroke is much more worrisome that low iron/ferritin levels.
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I don’t know, it’s what a friend told me. He donates platelets instead. Probably because things don’t work as well as they used to when you get older, but now it appears to not be restricted to us old farts.
Protein for example - you don’t absorb as well when you are older, so you need more (so I read).
think a lot of the issues I had were due to Anavar. Since life stopped taking it, I’m leaner and more ripped actually and my joints feel better. Ideally, I’d like to possibly stay on 100mg cyp or ethanate and maybe 50mg of deca if he feels it will be ok. Plus my provider out here in California has know that my prostrate has been enlarged since last September after i tried the same exact regimen. They sent me for an MRI and gave me flow max. After my next PSA test that was at 5.2 they set up a cystoscopy. My natural testosterone dropped from 338 in 2020 to 308 on my last blood test in 9/25/25, which is at the bottom of the range for my age. Nonetheless, I still had excellent strength and a strong sex drive, but my joints hurt and I felt brain fog, anxiety and lack of focus. I’ve been on 200mg test e weekly and 25mg Anavar daily for a month. Since I’ve stopped the Anavar I’ve actually got leaner and holding less water. The most recent test show my testosterone over 1500 and my PSA now at 7.5. So two things:
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Im hoping my consult with a TRT clinic I have on December 2, my 53 birthday actually will provide me with insight to lower the prostrate via another compound or if I need to get BPH. I’m hoping I can avoid any surgery at all costs. BPH procedures aren’t guaranteed and been known to cause additional issues. My dad had a laser vaporization of his prostrate, it’s hereditary, cause him all sorts of problems.
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If my natural testosterone dropped level dropped to 308, how much per week of cypionate, Ethanate etc would I need to stay around 550 or the middle of the range for my age .
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And if he wants me to stay off and get BPH, what schedule of PCT does he want me to follow.
First of all, your MAIN focus should be on your prostate and doing anything in your power to pursue resolving whatever it is. While doing so, I’d stop any additional AAS like anavar or whatever else, as you don’t need any extra stress on your body. As far as getting your test levels into the middle of the range, well, you definitely need to lower your TRT dose, as 200mg is not really TRT but rather a light light cycle dose as it puts your free test well over 1,000. A dose of 100mg/week might just get you where you want to be, but you’ll have to of course stay at that dose, once a week, for maybe 2 months so that your test levels can normalize themselves and come down from such a high level. Then you do blood work to check, always getting your blood drawn in the trough, or the day you are supposed to take your injection. That way you get a reading when your test levels are at their lowest. You get blood work within a few days after your shot, and of course your free test levels will be much more elevated.
That anavar, even though supposedly a “mild oral” is still an oral steroid and as such will wreak havoc on your lipids, liver, kidneys, etc and cause your blood work to show all sorts of bad results. Stay away from that or anything else, your health is the most important thing in the world, not getting big or ripped or whatever….look at all the pro bodybuilders who die way way too early….yeah, they got jacked and looked insane, but now they are worm food. I’d rather be alive more than anything in the world.
Get your prostate stuff addressed NOW! If I were in your shoes and the doc told me I had to get off of my TRT, I’d be tossing my vials before he finished his sentence! People always take their health for granted…..until the day they are NOT healthy and then they are filled with so much regret, thinking of all of the things they did that they knew weren’t great for their health but just went ahead anyway. We’re all guilty of it, but man, get your body healthy!
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Thanks
Needed to hear this. Yesterday was my last shot @ 100mg.
I see the urologist 1/14/26 for the cystoscopy. I told them about my elevated PSA levels, so they may see me earlier.
The Anavar was a big mistake.
Don’t beat yourself up man, live and learn. What I tell people our age (I’m 45) is that there is just NO NEED to be on a cycle or taking all different kinds of AAS, it’s just not worth the damage they can do to our body. Just being on TRT with a healthy dosage, getting your free test levels in the high end of the range can yield great results in the gym no problem.
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So Defy, lowered my dosage to 120mg Test E every 5 days until my Cytoscopy. He did not recommend coming off going into the cytoscopy since my hormonal levels would dip and he does not want to do a PCT going into the cytoscopy.
He does not think there is cancer since my prostrate is smooth and enlarged and not rough enlarged, along with the MRI coming back fine. He would like to see my test levels around 800-900 ideally and he thinks the 120mg every 5 days may address that. To address the issues of the high PSA, he prescribed me 1mg daily of Finestaride. Stated the hematocrit should most likely come down with the lower dose of Test Ethanante and the cessation of the Anavar. He scientifcailly explained Anavar to me and the impact it has.
He stated after my cytoscopy providing all is well, he will discuss possibly adding a small dose of Deca or nandralone to address my joint issues in my knee.
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Keep us posted. Hope all goes well with the cytoscopy!
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I wish you well. At your age you should have a greater life extension focus than an optimal physique focus.
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