TRT++ for 20 weeks, first time, any suggestions?

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36/male/160 lbs/ 15% bf.


Been on TRT for almost a year. 140mg Testosterone Cypionate , .25mg Anastrazole, 1000 IU of HCG, all split in 2 doses per week. I was traveling internationally and forgot to take my T. So, the local doctor prescribed me more T. But then I returned earlier than expected. So, now I've my regular TRT dose and an extra 10ml of Testosterone Cypionate 200mg/ml.

If I add another 0.5ML to my TRT dose (from the extra bottle), I suppose, I'd be taking 240mg of Testosterone per week and the bottle will last me 20 weeks.

Questions:

  1. I'm skinny, training (Stronglifts 5x5, 3/4 days a week) for a few months, so I'm nowhere close to genetic limit. I'd like to get 15lbs of LEAN muscle in 20 weeks (of blast) with least amount of fat. Is this 240mg T/week dose enough?
  2. When I drop back down to 140mg/T per week, would I be able to keep my gains?
  3. Is this Testosterone-only blast enough? I don't have access to any other anabolic compound to stack to this so I wonder if T-only will even work or be just waste of good Testosterone.
  4. Since TRT I've been retaining water more. Face is puffier and stomach section too. Would this extra 0.5ml (100mg of T) make water retention worse? If so, any suggestion to counter that?

BTW:
My TRT dose of: 140mg of T per week keeps my T levels at around 1000ng/dl consistently (just top of range) and .25mg Anastrazole has been keeping my e2 to around 30 pg/ml (range < 35pg/ml). HCG seems to be keeping my balls normal sized. My DHT and Free T are already slightly above top-range with my TRT dose and my SHBG is naturally low at 11 on a range of 10-25.
 

Gibsonator

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240/week isnt much of a blast, unless adding a 2nd compound. most beginners start at 500/week. gainz are made through food and training, the jewz is the icing on the cake.
 

snake

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I will say, for first-time guy you're really on top of things. For that you're going to get my opinion.

You should be able to keep most of what you get over that 20 weeks. I say that just because of where you're at; a beginner but seeming smart. That's a good combination for keeping gains.

My guess is you put on about 15 lb with a good diet. 10 lbs of that gain will be muscle. 6 months later I bet you weigh the same, just a little softer.
 

snake

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240/week isnt much of a blast, unless adding a 2nd compound. most beginners start at 500/week. gainz are made through food and training, the jewz is the icing on the cake.

He's popping 1,000 TT on 140. I think the bump would be noticeable especeally over 20 weeks.
 

DF

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It isn't much of a blast as Gibs has said. You also will need to consider if your doc plans on getting blood work. Also at 160lbs you are going to need to consider modifying your diet for the gains. 15lbs of lean muscle doesn't come easy.
 

Jin

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Either run a proper cycle (400+) or stick with trt IMO.

Get more test to pin and go 500/week or make your gains on trt. You’ve got plenty of room to improve on trt.
 

automatondan

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Let me share something with you... I was a newbie like you with TRT a few years ago and basically the same thing happened to me and I aqquired an extra vial of Rx test from similar circumstances. Well because my TRT dose was higher (200 mg per week) I decided to run a 10 week blast at 400 mg per week. It was great. Absolutely amazing. I put on a ton of muscle. But... It was amazing because I had already figured out how to manipulate my diet and grow from it. You see, steroids are only as good as the specific calories and training you provide them. Without understanding that stuff, you will be wasting your time, money, and health. And after it's all over with, you will lose your gains. Unless you figure out how to eat first. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions and welcome to the board.
 
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Thanks everyone!

Training: I'm planning to continue Stronglifts 5 x 5, it is simpler to follow for me. After 12 weeks, may do PPL.

Diet - I used to be a poor eater, mainly out of laziness I'd just get whatever junk food was nearest. I hate cooking so that's what I do, every single day. But few months ago, I signed-up for prepared meal-service (Freshly) and I eat 3 of these meals a day. Relatively healthy meals - most meals have 50g of protein and around 600 total calories. I don't snack in between meals, never have and don't have a sweet tooth. Weekend I do eat a couple of junk meals but my weekday diet is more or less on-point and a vast improvement. I'm neither gaining nor losing weight. So, to gain, I could just starting eating 4 of these meals a day and add a protein shake. That'd put me on calorie surplus.

Testosterone dosage:

CJ275
not sure if that is better than 240mg for 20 weeks? Unless you're saying 240mg is below the minimum effective dosage?

automatondan Thanks! I think diet is relatively clean already. And because it is a meal-service, I can easily eat more by simply opening another meal.

snake I've never been muscular so I don't know what muscles feel like on me, let alone soft vs hard muscles. I'd take soft muscles over no muscles any day :)


This week, I upped my Testosterone to 200mg. I took 2 x .5ml injections. Just got blood work done (2 days after the shot) and waiting for results. I want to be sure hematocrit and E2 stay in range. So, I'm trying to see how much additional anastrazole I might need (if at all). And if I'd need to donate blood.

I plan to test again 2 weeks after increasing the dose to 240mg (or to 300mg, if that's what you guys recommend). If I do 300mg, it'd last less. But if that IS the minimum effective dosage, then there is no choice.

I want to avoid going higher than 300mg because I want to:
1. reduce side effects as much as posssible. For example, hair fall!

2. when I drop-down to my TRT dosage (140mg / week), it won't be so much lower than my blast that I end up losing most of my gains. I think if I made gains at 500mg / week, then 140mg TRT dose might not be enough to keep even half of those gains. But if I made gains at 240mg or 300mg a week, then 140mg might be enough to hold on to half or more of those gains, as long as I continue to train and diet properly.
 
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CJ

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You should be able to keep most, if not all of your gains after you drop back down to trt. You're going to be so far below your genetic limit, that you're not going to need high amounts of exogenous hormones to keep your muscle.

You just have to be diligent with proper training and nutrition.
 
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If possible maybe get more test and run a better blast. Are you planning to do this just once or blast and cruise from here out?
 
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If possible maybe get more test and run a better blast. Are you planning to do this just once or blast and cruise from here out?

Ideally, just once. If I get 15lbs of additional lean body mass on my current frame, it'd be significant and noticeable. That's all I want. Also, unlikely, I'd be able to get double testosterone prescribed like this by accident. That said, I've read several threads where people talk about doing it only once and then somehow come back and keep doing cycles again and again.

Anyway, I only have 1 extra bottle. So, at 240mg it'd last me 20 weeks. At 300mg, it'd last me 12.5 weeks.
 
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So in my opinion, steroids are like tattoos. Very rarely do you find someone with 1 tattoo. Steroids are kind of the same way. And make no mistake, doing any testosterone over the therapeutic dose, you’re on steroids. What happens is you go on trt and feel great. You realize how easy it is to stick a needle in your ass. You workout and get some gains. And you say wow, this is awesome. Then you turn it up and find out how much more awesome it is. That cycle ends, you drop to trt again and you feel pretty good.

But you felt awesome on the higher dose. You want that again. And then you learn how easy it really is to get your hands on more test. Or dbol. Or any steroid. And then you’re hooked.
 
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Just got the test results:
Total Testosterone is now 1200 ng/dl with 200mg dose.
This week, I'll up it to 300mg and then get tested again after 2 weeks to be sure other hormones are in check.
A little surprised though because 140mg was already keeping me at 1000 ng/dl. So, the extra 60mg didn't increase TT by that much.

At 300mg, I should be able to do 12 weeks before dropping back down to TRT dose of 140mg.
 

CJ

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Train properly for those 12 weeks. Stick to mainly the big compound lifts, and make good quality food choices. You'll see some results.
 

gymrat827

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let me share something with you... I was a newbie like you with trt a few years ago and basically the same thing happened to me and i aqquired an extra vial of rx test from similar circumstances. Well because my trt dose was higher (200 mg per week) i decided to run a 10 week blast at 400 mg per week. It was great. Absolutely amazing. I put on a ton of muscle. But... It was amazing because i had already figured out how to manipulate my diet and grow from it. You see, steroids are only as good as the specific calories and training you provide them. Without understanding that stuff, you will be wasting your time, money, and health. And after it's all over with, you will lose your gains. Unless you figure out how to eat first. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions and welcome to the board.


this>>>>>>>>
 
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I increased my dosage to 300mg/week (.5ml x 3 injections) and at 2 days after my third injection, I got tested again. My T is only 1200 ng/dl. This is very strange because I get to 1000ng/dl on 140mg TRT dosage already. So, more than doubled my T dosage and yet the serum Testosterone hasn't increased much at all.
 
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I wanted to update this thread:

Stopped T for 2 weeks because I was traveling and then started again on August 1:

August 1 to September 10:
- 300mg/week of Testosterone Cypionate (100mg x 3 doses, Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
- Anastrazol 0.225mg with each injection
- HCG 500 IU same time as Testosterone injection

Definitely seeing improvement in muscle gains, I'd say about 4lbs in 2 months and I'm ok with this rate of progress. If I can get to overall 12lbs gain (mostly, lean) in 6 months, I'd be happy.

But on the negative side: very bad erectile dysfunction. Can get it hard but loss of sensation and 'f-ck-ing' feels like 'work'. Not enjoying sex at all.

Blood tests showed:
Total T: 1490
E2: 24
DHT, Free T also above the top range.

So, the numbers are good. But sexual dysfunction is horrible.

September 12, made following changes:
- (Continue) 300mg/week of Testosterone Cypionate (100mg x 3 doses, Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
- (CHANGED TO) Aromasin 6.25mg with each injection (split 25mg tablet into 4)
- (Continue) HCG 500 IU same time as Testosterone injection

And this seems to have fixed ED. Simply switching from Anastrazol/Arimidex to Aromasin has helped. I'm doing blood tests again so I'll update thread with new numbers.
 
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My doc has me taking 1mg anastrazol 2 days after my shot so its interesting to see that you take yours on the same day. 240mg/wk puts me at 1100T which is where my doc keeps me at.
 
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My doc has me taking 1mg anastrazol 2 days after my shot so its interesting to see that you take yours on the same day. 240mg/wk puts me at 1100T which is where my doc keeps me at.
Just for convenience, I take everything at the same time.
 

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