Hi all, I’m currently on TRT - Test/Cyp 200 mg/ml - 80 mg 2x weekly + Anastrazole. Been on for 4 months now.
In the last 7 months, due to diet and daily exercise/lifting, I’ve gone from 230lbs and 22% body fat to 185lbs and 14% body fat.
I have additional gear that I purchased, prior to getting on TRT, when I was considering doing a cycle. Now that I’m getting more muscular and leaner, I am considering running a cycle to get even bigger. Could someone advise me?
I’d be very grateful. I’ve looked online and can’t find anything definitive. I mean, there’s a lot out there but hard to see what is legit and what is for folks like me that are on TRT.
Maybe, technically, you are asking about adding a “blast” to your TRT (where your TRT would be your “cruise”).
I sure would not advise a cycle followed by being totally “off” because you have been too long on TRT.
I don’t think it much matters the specific AAS or doses, because even a little boost would build some muscle. Of course, the more muscle you want out of the blast, the more AAS you need.
You don’t mention your current strength or years of serious training, so you are not giving us much information to give you specific recommendations. If you are fairly weak, you might not be ready to take advantage of a good blast.
You have been on TRT for only 4 months? Aside from the advice @RT_Nomad gave you I would also wait for at least 8-12 months so you are confident in your protocol and have a numerous blood tests to make sure everything is going good before you start throwing more stuff in the mix.
This is super important advice here. Give yourself a year on TRT. Yes your progress will slow but you need confidence in your protocol and a safe place to return should you need to bail.
Thanks for the advice! I did labs after 10 weeks, and everything looked great. My cholesterol was a bit high that day for some reason, but that was about it. Here’s a link to my labs, if that is of any help. iCloud
Yes, I’m talking about blasting. Then resuming my normal TRT protocol. Thanks for asking for clarification.
I trained for about 7 years, and did some amateur fitness modeling, and contemplated going further with it. Then I started drinking heavily for about 6 years, that turned into alcoholism, that then resulted in me almost dying. I’ve been sober now for 2 years, and begun to restart my fitness journey 8 months ago. For 4 months I lifted in the morning then did cardio at night. I now only lift in the morning, training 6 days a week, with one day of rest and just doing core work. I worked with a trainer for 2 months to help me get to learn my body, again, after being out of shape for so long. I now keep a journal of my daily lifting so that I can measure progress and gains, and I weigh and measure myself twice a week. I eat clean, don’t drink or use drugs, drink about a gallon of water (or more) a day, consume about 180g of protein a day, use creatine and BCAA’s, and my twice a week shots of T and Gonadrolin (to save my testicles, in case I want kids one day). I also take anastrazole.
I’ve reduced my abdomen measurement from 42” down to 34.07”, and increased my chest from 39.65” to 46.05”, to give you a somewhat broad idea of my loss and gains.
I love working out, and have turned that addict part of my brain from being destructive with alcohol to now being focused on being my absolute best. I read more, meditate, sleep better, and do everything that I can to ensure that I live the best life I can.
All of that being said - there is that side of me that knows the potential awaiting me. I’m already injecting T twice a week, and I feel like my old self again, finally. I know that injecting more could help me get to my goals with musculature and such.
I have to supplies, I know how to inject (since I’ve been doing it for TRT, anyway), I eat well, I don’t drink or use drugs, I eat very clean (mostly. I do love me a pastry on occasion), and I have a structured plan of working out - with everything else in my life fitting around it, versus the other way around.
I feel I have all the things in place to take the next step and push the limits a bit further.
Any and all help/advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated.
What are you talking about? These are the first replies I’ve made, none of which are telling anyone that their advice is wrong. Are you replying to the right thread?
He saying you’ve had two long standing members, with this exact experience, telling to wait a year. And your reply is “I think I’m ready”. So why ask if you’re doing it anyway? I mean its your call, but its not the wisest approach.
Ok so you’re looking to blast Test E. You don’t likely need the Nolva, but you could keep it in case of breast tenderness. You don’t need it for PCT. Aromasin is not my favorite AI, but it will do.
Personal call. If you search these forums a bit you’ll find the standard advice is the same most times.
I agree with others that you should wait a bit and milk the TRT gains.
That being said, if you plan on TRT being your cruise, it doesn’t make sense to blast huge amounts, because you won’t be able to maintain it on TRT doses (unless they are too high). 3X the TRT dose for 12 weeks should give you good gains. Gains that you will probably keep, unless you are basically already at your TRT potential, which you probably aren’t at this point.
I guess this is kinda my philosophy. Blast and cruise dosages should be matched up. Why rent muscle that you won’t keep long term? A big blast can make sense if you are cruising on 500-1,000 mg of Test a week and want to be a monster. But if you don’t have that large base in place to maintain those gains, then the blast should be conservative as well.
Wait on the AI to see if you need it. If you do, start really low. Like a quarter pill once a week. You can up it from there, but it’s best to approach AI conservatively as it works very well for some people.
From a process improvement perspective “being your absolute best” is more of a mission or vision. Goals need to be measureable and have a time limitation.
After spending so many years being a sloppy drunk, I’m honestly very very glad and thankful to be where I am now, after a lot of hard work. So that’s a great question. Do y’all have goals like size chest/arms, or weight? Or pure aesthetics?
I was a beast when I was like 22, 185 lbs and 6% body fat. So there is that aspiration, to get to where I once was. But that’s pretty lofty, considering that’s 10+ years ago.
I always used strength. It is extremely reliable. Let’s say you are currently able to bench press 225lbs for 8 reps. Set a short term goal of adding 10lbs to your 8 rep max. Track your progress. Also track your body weight. If you achieved your bench press goal, but had to add 15lbs of body weight, your gains aren’t very impressive.
Also, allow the mirror to add some sanity to your achieves goals. I am not very fond of body fat measurements that are expensive or not repeatable. I have found that the skin fold test is very instructive. Not because of its precision, but because it can be repeatable with some practice. You can tell if you are increasing, decreasing, or staying the same.
Once you achieve the short term goal, set another goal.
All of this can get complex when you initially consider doing it, but it is fairly straight forward. You are trying to track metrics that demonstrate muscle gains, while keeping an eye on body composition.
Measurements of the flexed arm, and waist at the navel are pretty good at keeping one honest. More so than the mirror IMO. You have to be consistent with your measurement technique, but I think that is easier than relying on the mirror.
I say this because I have a buddy that has recently added 15 lbs of weight. He is sure of himself that he looks leaner in the mirror, but he is looking softer for sure. I don’t think he’d be thinking this as he is generally pretty smart, but since it’s his first go with Testosterone, I think he is expecting magic.