First Cycle Advice

Hey all, new here and wanted to get some advice on using gear. 32 years old, male.

I have been in shape before in my late 20s (27-29) and was completely natural, and got in good shape, was pretty lean at 13-14% body fat and was doing low carb pretty much year round doing that "perma-lean" style diet, would have carbs maybe one or two days a week. That seemed to work back then.

Covid hit, I relapsed on my drug of choice (opiates) and for those of you who know, opiates lower your testosterone and stopped working out for like 2.5 - 3 years and now I have been working out since October of last year consistently 3-6 times a week (about 7 months almost 8 now).

I did my blood work when I got sober and had basically girl levels of test, it was in the 200s. so I did enclomiphene for a month to get my levels back up in the 500 range.

I worked out the first four months natural with a test level of about 500ish, then I started doing 250mg test shots. In the last two weeks I have added 10mg anavar, 12.5mg ostarine, 15mg cardarine, and semaglutide just started today (to help combat the appetite I am getting from taking steroids)

I want to do a recomp, really get lean but still build muscle. I know that's a difficult thing to do, but basically I want to keep taking test (TRT) so I dont lose my gains and can retain whatever I gained on cycle.

I am definitely building muscle and losing fat just feels like it's "taking forever" to get that shredded look. I haven't been the best on my diet which is probably why I look bloated, but I think the steroids are making me hungry as f*ck, literally feel like a teenager on them. That's why I started the semaglutide, to control my appetite.

I lift heavy as I possibly can, do all the compound lifts regular and incline bench, bench 225 max on regular bench and 185 on incline, I squat 275, am just now starting to do weighted pullups, so like, I am decently strong but obviously still have room to progress.

Anyways, thoughts? Advice on what I could be doing different? Up the ostarine? up the anavar? up the cardarine?

Doing too many things at once? Not doing enough? Diet or training advice?

spikespiegel7 said:

Hey all, new here and wanted to get some advice on using gear. 32 years old, male.

I have been in shape before in my late 20s (27-29) and was completely natural, and got in good shape, was pretty lean at 13-14% body fat and was doing low carb pretty much year round doing that "perma-lean" style diet, would have carbs maybe one or two days a week. That seemed to work back then.

Covid hit, I relapsed on my drug of choice (opiates) and for those of you who know, opiates lower your testosterone and stopped working out for like 2.5 - 3 years and now I have been working out since October of last year consistently 3-6 times a week (about 7 months almost 8 now).

I did my blood work when I got sober and had basically girl levels of test, it was in the 200s. so I did enclomiphene for a month to get my levels back up in the 500 range.

I worked out the first four months natural with a test level of about 500ish, then I started doing 250mg test shots. In the last two weeks I have added 10mg anavar, 12.5mg ostarine, 15mg cardarine, and semaglutide just started today (to help combat the appetite I am getting from taking steroids)

I want to do a recomp, really get lean but still build muscle. I know that's a difficult thing to do, but basically I want to keep taking test (TRT) so I dont lose my gains and can retain whatever I gained on cycle.

I am definitely building muscle and losing fat just feels like it's "taking forever" to get that shredded look. I haven't been the best on my diet which is probably why I look bloated, but I think the steroids are making me hungry as f*ck, literally feel like a teenager on them. That's why I started the semaglutide, to control my appetite.

I lift heavy as I possibly can, do all the compound lifts regular and incline bench, bench 225 max on regular bench and 185 on incline, I squat 275, am just now starting to do weighted pullups, so like, I am decently strong but obviously still have room to progress.

Anyways, thoughts? Advice on what I could be doing different? Up the ostarine? up the anavar? up the cardarine?

Doing too many things at once? Not doing enough? Diet or training advice?

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The problem isn't the drugs.

Like you stated, your diet needs improvement, plus it's only been 7 months after a multi year layoff with opiates involved. This doesn't happen overnight.

Congrats on the sobriety. How long have you been clean?

I’ll let more knowledgeable members advise on training/diet.

But some general advice - be careful you’re not just replacing one drug problem with another.

Keep it simple and be patient. I’ve never used SARMs but I’ve read nothing but negative things about them.

Hey there, I’d say give it a while before hitting up a cycle, the trt will help. Get diet right and keep with it a while.

I may have missed it but what is your size, ht, weight.

Agreed drop everything but the trt….Sl

advice ?

clean nutrition
clean training
clean rest
test only.

Thanks for the responses! I am 32, 5"9 if I had to guess based on experience I am probably 22-23% body fat (and that's me overestimating a bit) and this morning weighed 185lb. Before I got clean I was 222lbs.

Honestly? I don't like how aggressive the anavar makes me, it makes things difficult in my relationships with people. The cardarine makes me feel good for the most part and the ostarine just makes me hungry really.

I actually didn't take the ostarine, cardarine today because I started that semaglutide last night. I will just maintain 250mg test shots then cause the test actually makes me feel WAY better mentally, brought back my sex drive, and I feel not super strong on it but much stronger than I would be otherwise. Facial hair grows super fast and that's kind of annoying but it really helped bring me out of depression I think.

Have been clean since September 8th of last year so almost 8 months. Was doing IV Fentanyl. Literal miracle I am not dead.

I think it's probably best to just give the TRT a few more months to work, build my physique and strength to a solid foundation, then possibly consider blasting a cycle if I am in a good enough place at that point. Patience....which is hard lol. This is the longest I have worked out consistently in YEARS so I have to remember to try and congratulate myself on the wins so far and not be ungrateful.

I haven't eaten the best, like having bread and tortillas and eating foods cooked in excessive oil like chick fil a. I definitely have not been tracking calories.

I did well yesterday though - I had a 6 inch sandwhich which wasn't the best but normally I eat 12" then at dinner I had chicken alfredo with almond flour noodles and low calorie alfredo sauce (lower carb noodles)

The keto diet worked extremely well for me when I was 27. After four months doing keto I had a flat stomach and visible abs, veins popping out all over, striations when I flexed etc. But I was weak as fuck in the gym, and had to push myself way harder. I could handle that 5 years ago when I was 27 but I guess years of abusing drugs and eating like shit and not exercising can fuck things up considerably.

Is it true that when you are on supraphysiological amounts of test that you can get away with eating more or being a little more loose with your diet? Or is that another myth lol?

BTW this semaglutide is working.... have ZERO appetite for food which is going to be great for a cutting a few % body fat.

I am nauseated at the thought of food.

Anyone here ever take it? Advice on how to still maintain my protein number per day ? I feel like the test is going to help me preserve muscle so that is working in my favor but I know I still have to keep protein high

spikespiegel7 said:

Thanks for the responses! I am 32, 5"9 if I had to guess based on experience I am probably 22-23% body fat (and that's me overestimating a bit) and this morning weighed 185lb. Before I got clean I was 222lbs.

Honestly? I don't like how aggressive the anavar makes me, it makes things difficult in my relationships with people. The cardarine makes me feel good for the most part and the ostarine just makes me hungry really.

I actually didn't take the ostarine, cardarine today because I started that semaglutide last night. I will just maintain 250mg test shots then cause the test actually makes me feel WAY better mentally, brought back my sex drive, and I feel not super strong on it but much stronger than I would be otherwise. Facial hair grows super fast and that's kind of annoying but it really helped bring me out of depression I think.

Have been clean since September 8th of last year so almost 8 months. Was doing IV Fentanyl. Literal miracle I am not dead.

I think it's probably best to just give the TRT a few more months to work, build my physique and strength to a solid foundation, then possibly consider blasting a cycle if I am in a good enough place at that point.

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Give it a solid YEAR, or more.

spikespiegel7 said:

Patience....which is hard lol. This is the longest I have worked out consistently in YEARS so I have to remember to try and congratulate myself on the wins so far and not be ungrateful.

I haven't eaten the best, like having bread and tortillas and eating foods cooked in excessive oil like chick fil a. I definitely have not been tracking calories.

I did well yesterday though - I had a 6 inch sandwhich which wasn't the best but normally I eat 12" then at dinner I had chicken alfredo with almond flour noodles and low calorie alfredo sauce (lower carb noodles)

The keto diet worked extremely well for me when I was 27. After four months doing keto I had a flat stomach and visible abs, veins popping out all over, striations when I flexed etc. But I was weak as fuck in the gym, and had to push myself way harder. I could handle that 5 years ago when I was 27 but I guess years of abusing drugs and eating like shit and not exercising can fuck things up considerably.

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There is nothing magical about keto, or any other of the "name diets". They're just different ways of getting you into a calorie deficit through marketing.

If it works for you, fine. Just be cognizant of possible nutrient deficiencies.

spikespiegel7 said:

Is it true that when you are on supraphysiological amounts of test that you can get away with eating more or being a little more loose with your diet? Or is that another myth lol?

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If you eat in excess, you'll gain weight. Being on a bunch of AAS could assist in building more muscle than you otherwise would have, but you can most certainly gain bodyfat, too.

I can't maintain keto no matter how hard I try these days, just don't have that kind of discipline anymore. I also feel weak as fuck on keto...so probably not a good thing.

Yeah I am definitely going to keep eating carbs, cause I set myself up for failure trying to do nothing but grilled chicken salad all day for five days in a row.

Would much rather eat steak and a small serving of potatoes or rice.

Thanks for all the input, I know what worked for me before...but 5 years does make a difference for anyone, especially going from your 20s to 30s.

hopefully the semaglutide will put me where I need to be, because when I was doing keto all those years ago, I was doing one meal a day (fasting until dinner time), jumping rope 5 days a week in addition to lifting weights doing handstand pushups, working out with gymnastics rings etc. and doing low calories. so...of course, I was lean as fuck / ripped during that time period. Was not "big". Weighed 155lbs and was at most 13-14% body fat with being on the leaner side at one point maybe around 11%.

I was killing myself to achieve that as a "natural" and holy shit, I just dont have the time / energy / dedication to do that these days. I am busy with work, living married life, kids, blah blah blah

I just don't have that kind of "get up and go" physically like I did back then, dunno how to describe it. I still bust my ass and lift heavy as possible the three to six times a week I go now. Only jump rope maybe twice a week now for heart health.

Really though I just gotta stop making excuses

spikespiegel7 said:

I can't maintain keto no matter how hard I try these days, just don't have that kind of discipline anymore. I also feel weak as fuck on keto...so probably not a good thing.

Yeah I am definitely going to keep eating carbs, cause I set myself up for failure trying to do nothing but grilled chicken salad all day for five days in a row.

Would much rather eat steak and a small serving of potatoes or rice.

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Good, because carbs are not evil and they don't make you fat. They're the preferred fuel source for the body.

spikespiegel7 said:

Thanks for all the input, I know what worked for me before...but 5 years does make a difference for anyone, especially going from your 20s to 30s.

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It actually doesn't. It's an excuse we make for not being as active.

spikespiegel7 said:

hopefully the semaglutide will put me where I need to be

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Semaglutide will curb your hunger, but won't do diddly squat for your body composition.

spikespiegel7 said:

, because when I was doing keto all those years ago, I was doing one meal a day (fasting until dinner time), jumping rope 5 days a week in addition to lifting weights doing handstand pushups, working out with gymnastics rings etc. and doing low calories. so...of course, I was lean as fuck / ripped during that time period. Was not "big". Weighed 155lbs and was at most 13-14% body fat with being on the leaner side at one point maybe around 11%.

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Probably the worst thing you could've done. One meal per day is literally why you were a small runt with no muscle, just being honest, no offense.

spikespiegel7 said:

I was killing myself to achieve that as a "natural" and holy shit, I just dont have the time / energy / dedication to do that these days. I am busy with work, living married life, kids, blah blah blah

I just don't have that kind of "get up and go" physically like I did back then, dunno how to describe it.

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Just do it.

spikespiegel7 said:

I still bust my ass and lift heavy as possible the three to six times a week I go now.

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That's not being consistent.

spikespiegel7 said:

Only jump rope maybe twice a week now for heart health.

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There are other modalities, too. You don't have to jump rope.

spikespiegel7 said:

Really though I just gotta stop making excuses

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THIS is your problem. Stop looking at drugs for the answer, look in the mirror instead.

No offense taken! Came here for solid advice, don't want folks to tell me what I want to hear.

I'll definitely do all that, and quit trying to lie to myself or make excuses why I can't get down to 15% body fat. Easy as fuck to lift heavy (to me) and eat, but it's a whole different animal when trying to cut out food

spikespiegel7 said:

...but it's a whole different animal when trying to cut out food

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Often, simply making different choices on the foods you eat will result in less calories consumed while eating the same, or even higher, volume of food.

@CJ said it all. Follow his advice and you will do well.

Top marks for the intro. It seemed honest even to the point where you made yourself look a little lost in application.

I can't be bothered going back to make sure these points are correct so forgive me for being wrong.

22 to 23% body fat is as accurate as fuck. Not sure you got it right but we got the point.

12% body fat isn't lean or shredded. It is a reasonable place to be off season.

225 pounds with a loss of 10% body fat puts you close to that 200 pounds and 12%. A great place to be. As I said that isn't shredded.

Training consistently at 3 to 6 days a week is the wrong use of the word consistent. Training 3 days a week consistently is ok. Training 6 days a week is consistent.

Don't see the point to running a cycle for anyone at 23% body fat. Unless you are a wrestler powerlifter or world strongest man. Do trt and get on top of that diet.

Personally I doubt you are putting on any muscle from a cycle. Water. Muscle memory and natural adaption.

Not trying to sound full of hate. But backing up what you know. To reach big and important goals you need to have every aspect covered. Diet and training need to be sharper than a pin.

At any time day or night I should be able to ask why you are eating that or doing that and your answer should fit your goals.

Best of luck. You have got this.

Mainly I just miss having a chiseled face, tired of it being rounded and puffy. I read that TRT can make you a bit bloated and retain water which is kind of a bummer but I can probably get around that by dialing in the nutrition even further.

Pictures below for reference... black and white picture was when I was lean and muscular





this recent mirror pic was from a couple days ago. obviously the lighting isnt the best but my chest is way bigger in the bottom photo than the top, also my max bench when i was skinny / lean was 185lb maybe 190 on a goody day. I am hitting 225 five times now, but clearly you can see the fat covering the definition on my muscles so i have this very vague outline of where my muscles are and can actually see a little bit of definition in certain lighting (obivously)...

I am just guessing when I say 23% but based on these pictures it's possible it could be higher. I am starting to see the outline of my obliques and top abs, but really thats nothing compared to how lean I was before. IDK maybe the pictures will be helpful

spikespiegel7 said:

Mainly I just miss having a chiseled face, tired of it being rounded and puffy. I read that TRT can make you a bit bloated and retain water which is kind of a bummer but I can probably get around that by dialing in the nutrition even further.

Pictures below for reference... black and white picture was when I was lean and muscular

View attachment 50165

View attachment 50166

this recent mirror pic was from a couple days ago. obviously the lighting isnt the best but my chest is way bigger in the bottom photo than the top, also my max bench when i was skinny / lean was 185lb maybe 190 on a goody day. I am hitting 225 five times now, but clearly you can see the fat covering the definition on my muscles so i have this very vague outline of where my muscles are and can actually see a little bit of definition in certain lighting (obivously)...

I am just guessing when I say 23% but based on these pictures it's possible it could be higher. I am starting to see the outline of my obliques and top abs, but really thats nothing compared to how lean I was before. IDK maybe the pictures will be helpful

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I'm thinking the black and white is about 12% and the colour is 20%. Seriously you are in a goid place to make real gains.

Is it a genetic disorder or the angle of both pics that it appears you have no shoulders or traps.

I know how bad selfies make you look but the black and white chest looked watery or fat. Not muscular.

Sure you Cary more fat now. But the shape you have in the colour pic is a better look. Drop 7% body fat and put on 10 pound of natural muscle and that may be all you need to make the next goal.

I'm honestly supprised I thought you were a tub of lard. But you are just out of shape. Stay on trt or the extra water will smooth you out. Get serious about eating right. Get to the gym 5 days a week. Make one of those days shoulders and traps. Deadlifts will be your best friend.

You got this.

I have always struggled to have big shoulders honestly, my traps and neck are fairly thick definitely a bad angle with not the best lighting, but yes my shoulders need work was considering adding a few more sets of overhead presses and making a couple of my push days more shoulder focused which should allow me to progress in my bench. Oh....I was a tub of lard. Check out the picture from November 1 2023...



that was after one month of working out, I was definitely at least 26-27% body fat in that picture easily. If I had been going a little bit harder when I was taking anavar and ostarine I probably would have been a bit bigger by now, but oh well. I dont like how they make me feel, I always want to fight people on that shit lol.

thanks for the input...I am just impatient is really all it is. I wanna be where I was a few years ago but getting frustrated and forgot that it takes time to build a body that is worth having. especially since I abused it with hard drugs and poor diet for years. recently cleared Hep C out of my system too , took the epclusa for 3 months and it "cured" me.

So maybe that has something to do with it idk. Who knows lol, I just know the basics. Lift heavy, progressive overload, eat clean, cardio for heart health. I tend to overcomplicate stuff.

spikespiegel7 said:

I have always struggled to have big shoulders honestly, my traps and neck are fairly thick definitely a bad angle with not the best lighting, but yes my shoulders need work was considering adding a few more sets of overhead presses and making a couple of my push days more shoulder focused which should allow me to progress in my bench. Oh....I was a tub of lard. Check out the picture from November 1 2023...

View attachment 50167

that was after one month of working out, I was definitely at least 26-27% body fat in that picture easily. If I had been going a little bit harder when I was taking anavar and ostarine I probably would have been a bit bigger by now, but oh well. I dont like how they make me feel, I always want to fight people on that shit lol.

thanks for the input...I am just impatient is really all it is. I wanna be where I was a few years ago but getting frustrated and forgot that it takes time to build a body that is worth having. especially since I abused it with hard drugs and poor diet for years. recently cleared Hep C out of my system too , took the epclusa for 3 months and it "cured" me.

So maybe that has something to do with it idk. Who knows lol, I just know the basics. Lift heavy, progressive overload, eat clean, cardio for heart health. I tend to overcomplicate stuff.

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One posative is that most of the fat is in your tummy. Beer belly we call it in australia. I would suggest monitoring your food for high sugar contents. I stand by what i said. Even in your fatty pic. I thought you must be a tub of lard. But even at your highest body fat you still had good shape.

Get on point with your diet. Plenty of guys here can assist you if you keep a training log and continue being honest. For now don't put in any new pics of your body. That will just frustrate you. Let people know in your log what you see in the mirror. First row of abbs. Begins getting more pronounced. That type of thing. Then when you feel you have made a big step forward place your best and worst photoes side by side.

There is an exceptionally helpful guy here. @Diesel59. Ask him how to start a training log in pm. I know he will help. He also ubderates how much he knows about diet and training too. He is the brother i wish shared my last name.

You got this.

LOL @Rickt I only pass along what I have learned from this forum. But yes, I am more than happy to pass it along to newer guys.

The OP has made a lot of progress already.

Diesel59 said:

LOL @Rickt I only pass along what I have learned from this forum. But yes, I am more than happy to pass it along to newer guys.

The OP has made a lot of progress already.

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Plenty of people here know all about everything. But only a handful genuinely care about people. You are in that group. Anyone can Google for answers. But to find a person to trust isnt so easy.

But I'm sure your friends and family tell you that all the time.
Just saying. My wife says you need to work on that premature ejaculation.