So, I’ve been doing a bit of reading here but from what I’ve gathered thus far answers tend to be bit situational and individualized. I’m 35 and after hitting it hard for around 7 months I hurt my bicep and had to take a few months off. I just started back in the gym but having lost all my previous progress I’ve become distraught and discouraged. After speaking with a friend of mine he suggested a little Tren and Test based on the fact that I’m looking for body recomp and strength gains.
With that said, I’ve never taking anabolics and I am a bit leery of side effects. I just want to know what you guys think is be best and safest way to get the results I want with minimal potential for side effects. Any advice is highly appreciated, including going a different route entirely.
I’ve searched first cycle and just about all tend to be people in their low 20’s. I may be wrong but without spending hours upon hours combing thru every articles I dont think I can possibly find what I’m looking for…also since I don’t entirely know what I’m looking for since I have 0 knowledge. I didn’t even know what Tren was when my friend first suggested it.
I assumed that it wouldn’t take someone very much effort to impart some knowledge they already posses upon me…surely no more effort than your post took.
My post did impart the proper knowledge. Nobody with as little workout experience as you have should be cycling. Its bad practice. I won’t advise you simply for that alone. Secondly… just to be nice… I told you where you could find your information. Go for it…
1st, no one in their early 20s should be running steroids unless professionally competing.
2nd. Tren is one of the harshest AAS there is, with lots of potential side effects.
3rd. First cycles should always be Test only, so that if you see how your body reacts to one compound first
4th. Muscle memory is great, you will regain whatever you lost VERY quickly.
5th. You should have a few years of training and good eating under your belt before considering steroids. Reach close to your natural potential before taking the risks with steroids.
6th. If your diet isn’t on point, no matter what you gain on cycle, will all but disappear after you come off.
Oh I didn’t really put my workout experience, that’s just when I really got back into lifting. I lifted all thru high school as a running back, then joined the Army as an MP at 19 where I lifted regularly while I worked Guantanamo Bay and the Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth. I stopped while in Iraq and after I got injured. Did some light lifting as part of my PT after I got the hardware in my hip put in.
I started lifting again March of 2017 but after going thru my divorce stopped in august. I resumed in January of this year and stopped again in July after straining my bicep and just started back up a week ago. My apologize, I wasn’t aware workout history played a role in taking anabolics. Also I guess it might be noteworthy that I’ve tried multiple test boosters from GNC. I’ve taken Creatine, Glutamine, BCAAs, EAAs and CLA pretty religiously over my lifting depending on the time frame. Also was heavy into amateur mma whilst in the Army and would like to get back into it.
Thanks Aaron, yeah thats what I seemed to read a lot about the 20 years olds which is why I assumed most of the info didn’t really pertain to me.
I’ll give just Test a try than. I normally eat fairly well, I’ve done Keto on and off now I just try to cut out sugar and really limit simple carbs. Appreciate the advice.
Yeah, I saw that one Blshaw…but don’t really understand any of that so I’m not entirely sure how to apply it to myself. I’m not saying the info doesn’t exist on the forum, I’m merely saying that without combing thru every thread with a printed glossary of terms I don’t think I can answer my own question.
So based on you’re post I should be looking up SARM, S23, Estradiol, Nolvadex and then read that article and it’ll point me in the right direction?
Get blood work. Full panel to include hormones, checking Free Test, Total Test, SHBG, E2, also get Thyroid checked if you can convince the Doc. Test Boosters are known to shut people down. I would check and see where your normal Test numbers are at. You might be a candidate for TrT.
Just updated… see above post again. This is a typical layout for your knowledge. But please please… research for awhile. Learn. Research some more. These are not like creatine/protein/vitamins. They can have long term affects on your physical AND mental health. This is not something to be taken lightly. Again, I stress… get a few more years under your belt of consistent training. Learn during that time then reevaluate.
I try not to use the VA, I’m 100% disabled unemployable so I also have State Health Insurance which I tend to use. I go to the VA for my annual and for my dental but that’s about it.
@newbvet gave a the proper first step direction. You can really only check your baseline blood work once. After you start taking test you will never know what your baseline was etc. Also, TRT, if needed, can work wonders and is run by medical professionals.
I use the Phoenix VA and to be honest, they have been amazing. I have not one single complaint about them in regards to my TrT. My first lab work showed a Test level of 253 on a scale of 300-900. The Doc required another blood draw, which showed a 308. Then I had an MRI on the pituitary gland to rule out tumors. It all took about a month. I think the VA is probably easier to get thru than state insurance.
They send me all the Test to my mailbox, I have 12 bottles of Test Cyp 200mgs/ml sitting in my shelf. They send me 4 every month. I stock pile the unused for the times I want to up my dose for a short period.
Right now I am running 200mgs per week, which is putting my Test levels at around 1200.
Read through the symptoms of Low T and see if they fit you.
Lack of morning wood is a huge one
Lethargy
brain fog
night sweats
low libido
storing body fat around the mid section, loss of muscle mass
This is Not Testosterone. This is a gimmick or test booster, which probably shut down your natural test production.
My experiences has been slightly different, got an infection after the first time they put hardware in my leg. Lead to endocarditis, they couldn’t figure out which bacteria it was. Spent 3 months bed ridden until they sent the culture off to the mayo clinic. Spiking 105deg fevers daily for a about 2 months before the 6 week IV antibiotic cycle I needed started to stop them. Whats worse is I’m in CT and the West Haven VA is filled with Yale doctors…so go figure. I had to have the hardware replaced cause the bacteria backed the bolt and screws out to were the snapped…been a few years with now issues. The second surgery was done at Yale due to the difficulty of it, so not sure the difference.
No excuses. If you can articulate the symptoms you are having, backed up by labwork then it really shouldnt matter where the Dr comes from. Study the symptoms, identify how they are involved in your life and be able to explain that to a Dr. There are ways to get Test numbers lower if they are close.
This TrT route will be the best route for you Vs just going the route of using gear.
Test boosters are not Test, and are not anywhere near the same playing field. That’s like T-Ball compared to the MLB. So I would highly advise gaining a real understanding of this stuff. You risk a lot by jumping on AAS, and it’s not for everyone.
The gym time stuff is important for a few reasons. If you don’t have much experience and don’t really know how to lift properly, AAS won’t do much to help you Second, it’s far more beneficial to reach near your max natural levels and then start steroids. If you start early, and had the ability to gain 20lbs of lean mass still naturally, you’re going to run a few cycles to add what you could have naturally, and you’re going to continue to probably need higher doses or more compounds to achieve levels beyond that.
There’s tons of good knowledge here. Sounds like someone mentioned TRT too, definitely helps to get blood work done before going any further, and then that will help you decide a course of action.
IMO, I would not even think about steroids if a strained bicep causes you to completely stop training. Might not be able to do everything, but I would be in there doing what I could.
Also, you are worried about the time the research would take? You are literally performing a medical procedure on yourself with powerful drugs! Take your time to understand exactly what could happen. IMO, you are not ready for even a test only cycle.
One more thing, do not take advice from that friend. He is likely an example of Dunning Krueger. Tren is like a steroid on steroids, and can cause ED, heart issues, terrible coughs (people end up in the hospital because they think they are dying).
Tren is magic, its harsh and it will fuck you up in some way.
Given that most people don’t respond well to even a simple 500mg test cycle, tren from the get go could either go very well for you, or very fucking bad.