First cycle - am I doing it right?

[Dinmor]

I need advice on my plan. This is my plan for my first ever cycle. I'm trying to avoid side affects as much as possible even if it causes less muscle gain. My goal is to decrease body fat % and to increase muscle mass.
My plan is a cycle of 8 weeks followed by PCT. Is my plan good enough? Do I need to make changes?


My stats:
Age: 32
Body fat: 17-18 %
Muscle mass: 32 kg (70.5 lbs)
Height: 176 cm ( 5 feet 9 inches)
Worked out for a year.
I've only ever taken creatine.

To sum up my 8 weeks cycle followed by PCT (that starts 2 weeks after cycle):


Testosterone Enanthate
250 mg/week (125 mg on Monday and Thursday)

Oxandrolone (Anavar)
210 mg/week (30 mg/day)

Arimidex
1.75 mg/week (0.25 mg every other day)


Fish Oil, Creatine, Multi vitamins, Milk Thistle (or TUDCA)
Daily


And during PCT:
Clomid (Clomiphene)
700 mg/week (100 mg/day for Week 1-2, 50 mg/day for Week 3-4, 25 mg/day for Week 5-6)


Tamoxifen (Nolvadex)
280 mg/week (40 mg/day for Week 1-2, 20 mg/day for Week 3-4, 10 mg/day for Week 5-6)


Fish Oil, ZMA, Creatine, Multi-vitamins
Daily

 

[Thrawn]

Just commenting on cycle only.
I would up test to 500mg at least 12wks. minimum of 400mg if you wanted lower dose.
At your cycle dose I Would not touch Adex unless absolutely needed. If anti E is needed I would still use something else.

Some may consider your anavar dose high. It's fine but would to 15mg x2 day. 8wks.

 

[BoogalooBob]

Just agreeing with Thrawn that you should avoid the estrogen blocker unless you need it, and even then you should be dialing it in with bloodwork. Not everyone aromatizes the same, on 500mg test / 300 deca a week I only need ~0.5mg/week of arimidex (0.25mg every 3.5 days, when I pin) to keep my E2 down, anything more than that and I crash to 0.

Regular bloodwork is important.

Since I'm typing this, might as well agree that 250 for 8 weeks is a waste of time.

 

[Test_subject]

You don’t think that taking steroids a year in at 17-18% body fat might be jumping the gun a bit?

 

[Thrawn]

You don’t think that taking steroids a year in at 17-18% body fat might be jumping the gun a bit?

Rarely do I touch on weather someone should because I would not and did not listen to reason at that age. There is absolutely nothing anybody could have said to deter me. So I don't waste my time for a 1% success rate unless I see disaster coming.

 

[Thrawn]

Sorry I thought they were younger. Statement still stands though because even now if I want something especially if it's detrimental to me in some shape or form I'm probably going to still do it. Because I'm genetically predisposition to want things I do my very best too not put myself in situations of want or desire.
Hell when I noticed my resistance breaks down I have physically made it impossible for me to complete whatever task, usually gives me 7 to 14 days to get back in control.

 

[CJ]

I need advice on my plan. This is my plan for my first ever cycle. I'm trying to avoid side affects as much as possible even if it causes less muscle gain. My goal is to decrease body fat % and to increase muscle mass.
My plan is a cycle of 8 weeks followed by PCT. Is my plan good enough? Do I need to make changes?


My stats:
Age: 32
Body fat: 17-18 %
Muscle mass: 32 kg (70.5 lbs)
Height: 176 cm ( 5 feet 9 inches)
Worked out for a year.
I've only ever taken creatine.

To sum up my 8 weeks cycle followed by PCT (that starts 2 weeks after cycle):


Testosterone Enanthate
250 mg/week (125 mg on Monday and Thursday)

Oxandrolone (Anavar)
210 mg/week (30 mg/day)

Arimidex
1.75 mg/week (0.25 mg every other day)


Fish Oil, Creatine, Multi vitamins, Milk Thistle (or TUDCA)
Daily


And during PCT:
Clomid (Clomiphene)
700 mg/week (100 mg/day for Week 1-2, 50 mg/day for Week 3-4, 25 mg/day for Week 5-6)


Tamoxifen (Nolvadex)
280 mg/week (40 mg/day for Week 1-2, 20 mg/day for Week 3-4, 10 mg/day for Week 5-6)


Fish Oil, ZMA, Creatine, Multi-vitamins
Daily

To avoid side effects as much as possible, you'll want to use a compound that your body recognizes, that it makes and knows what to do with, and use it on as small of an effective dose as possible, which is somewhat subjective.

If it were me, I'd run a straight forward cycle of 300 mg of testosterone, only.

That dose is probably, but not guaranteed, to be small enough where unwanted effects shouldn't be a major concern, yet large enough where it's much more testosterone than we can produce on our own.

I also wouldn't use the anavar. Although mild for most, it's not for all. I get ridiculous acne if I use it, and if my first cycle was both testosterone and anavar, I'd have no clue which compound was causing the problem. I'd save it for later. Then when I did try it, I'd know very quickly that it wasn't for me, and drop it.

 

[Jonjon]

Good advice so far.
Just take test. Keep the ai on hand. If you think you’re getting high estrogen effects, spend $30 on a estradiol blood test and you’ll know for sure and you can get some help on dosing ai here, after you’ve established the fact that estrogen is high.

Anavar is fine but let’s say it covers you with acne. You’ll never know if it was from test or var.

8 weeks is not long enough in my opinion. Enanthate won’t even reach peak concentration in your body until week 6 most likely (maybe 5).
I’d run 12 weeks minimum.

300mg a week is a good place to start. You can increase to 500 after a month if all is well.

Test is king. It’s the granddaddy of all compounds. If you can’t grow on test then you probably won’t grow on any anabolics

 

[Dinmor]

Thank you all for your advice. Amazing to see so many replies! I have a few more follow-up questions after trying to do some more research.

I'll do a 12 weeks cycle and I’ll up test to 500 mg weekly.


Why should I not use Nolvadex / AI? I’ll do home-tests to monitor Estrogen levels; if they get too low, I guess I should start Nolvadex, right?
Or is it fine to just stick with Arimidex? The dose of Arimidex could be lower than I originally said but I’ll do E-levels test at home to make sure I dont get to much or too little. Does this sound fine?

What’s wrong with Anavar? Other than acne? I’d like to lose body fat as well (I don’t like having 17 % BF, but can’t cut yet)... I also really don't want any gyno.

And finally, should I do a cycle now or perhaps work out for another year and lower my body-fat percentage? I’ve had two comments about this and I'm not entirely sure why.

 

[Test_subject]

Thank you all for your advice. Amazing to see so many replies! I have a few more follow-up questions after trying to do some more research.

I'll do a 12 weeks cycle and I’ll up test to 500 mg weekly.


Why should I not use Nolvadex / AI? I’ll do home-tests to monitor Estrogen levels; if they get too low, I guess I should start Nolvadex, right?
Or is it fine to just stick with Arimidex? The dose of Arimidex could be lower than I originally said but I’ll do E-levels test at home to make sure I dont get to much or too little. Does this sound fine?

What’s wrong with Anavar? Other than acne? I’d like to lose body fat as well (I don’t like having 17 % BF, but can’t cut yet)... I also really don't want any gyno.

And finally, should I do a cycle now or perhaps work out for another year and lower my body-fat percentage? I’ve had two comments about this and I'm not entirely sure why.

I’d wait, personally, because there’s no point in using drugs to do something that you can do without drugs.

The more dialed in you are with your diet and training before using anything the better. When you do start using AAS, your results will be significantly better because your base of knowledge will be stronger and you’ll be using AAS for enhancement rather than as a crutch to make up for gaps in your diet and training.

Give yourself another year and get yourself to 10-12%, then think about enhancement. Ultimately, you’re a grown ass man and can make your own choices, but that’s my take as someone who has been there.

 

[Jonjon]

I can’t grow on an ai. Not everybody is that way but it puts a halt to my progress, even if I’m being careful and estradiol is kept in a favorable range.

This is your opportunity to learn how your body responds to test only. Even anavar will throw off estrogen. Just take test.

Tamoxifen is not necessary and is useless unless you’re treating gyno.

 

[Thrawn]

Place more weight on @Test_subject and @CJ advice than mine.

 

[CJ]

Thank you all for your advice. Amazing to see so many replies! I have a few more follow-up questions after trying to do some more research.

I'll do a 12 weeks cycle and I’ll up test to 500 mg weekly.

Why? Don't add more for the sake of adding more. If you're making progress, ride it out as long as possible. More drugs could mean more problems.

You only have so many androgen receptors. They do up-regulate, but it takes time, months and years. If you use more drugs than your body can handle at the time, that's when the unwanted effects can occur.

I have yet to use 500 mg of Test in a cycle, because I learned that that's too much for my body.

Don't be impatient. That's never the best road to travel.

Why should I not use Nolvadex / AI?

Only use these drugs IF NEEDED. They're not without their own problems, you want to avoid them of possible. Using more/other drugs to offset unwanted effects of other drugs is a dumb game to play.

I’ll do home-tests to monitor Estrogen levels; if they get too low, I guess I should start Nolvadex, right?

Under what circumstance would you use Nolva if your estrogen level was low?

And at-home tests are junk. Get real blood work drawn and analyzed in a lab.

Or is it fine to just stick with Arimidex? The dose of Arimidex could be lower than I originally said but I’ll do E-levels test at home to make sure I dont get to much or too little. Does this sound fine?

You have no clue what to use, or when to use it. You need to do some more research before you get yourself in trouble.

What’s wrong with Anavar? Other than acne? I’d like to lose body fat as well (I don’t like having 17 % BF, but can’t cut yet)... I also really don't want any gyno.

Anavar isn't a fat burner. Use the right tool for the job, you wouldn't hammer a nail with a screwdriver.

Look at one of the conditions why it's prescribed medically. To AIDS patients to prevent weight loss. Read that again, TO PREVENT WEIGHT LOSS.

It's an anabolic steroid. Anabolism is the process of making things bigger.

You want help dropping fat? Employ a sensible diet and activity level, then maybe an add on like caffeine to stoke the fire a little bit.

When I think of fat loss, Anavar wouldn't even make my Top 25 list.

And finally, should I do a cycle now or perhaps work out for another year and lower my body-fat percentage? I’ve had two comments about this and I'm not entirely sure why.

Wait. You're not ready yet.

Learn how to train, how to diet, then when you do start on drugs, you'll already be going in the right direction, and the drugs will be a nice wind in your sails pushing you along.

You don't wait, you'll learn nothing, you'll spin your wheels, and you'll be right back at square one, but with the incorrect mindset that drugs are the answer.

 

[Trenbolonely]

Lose weight first. Gear won’t help with that.
Once you figure out diet at minimum then start. Chances are you have very very little muscle to hold onto under the fat after natural training a year, and don’t need ant PEDS to get to a healthy place. Once your body is a good environment for the muscle building process revisit this question.

 

[GreatGunz]

Wait a minute!
5’9 with a lean body mass of 70 lbs ?
But not giving a total weight……,

Sounds like you need to eat a lot more and after lifting for a year..,

 

[Dinmor]

I forgot to add my weight, sorry It's 67 kg (147 lbs). I have no issue losing weight; I just don't want to lose the little muscles I have. So I force myself to eat in a calorie surplus every single day.


I have come to the conclusion that I am not ready for gear yet - because I clearly don't know enough and because I'm still new to working out (a year so far).

Thank you all for your amazing replies. I'm saving them for when I feel ready. I think I'll wait at least a year. My body building journey has only just begun I'm really thankful for your replies... really!

My next step is to figure out how much to eat. I find it kind of irritating that I force myself to eat enough to gain muscles yet it negatively affects my body fat % that just keeps going up (slowly, but still) ... or for how long I have to live in calorie surplus

 

[Trenbolonely]

I forgot to add my weight, sorry It's 67 kg (147 lbs). I have no issue losing weight; I just don't want to lose the little muscles I have. So I force myself to eat in a calorie surplus every single day.

If you got too fat and didn’t gain enough muscle you overate. Force feeding is not the best way to grow if you CAN eat. Then you will just get fat. This only is helpful for people when they have trouble eating as much as they need to.

My next step is to figure out how much to eat. I find it kind of irritating that I force myself to eat enough to gain muscles yet it negatively affects my body fat % that just keeps going up (slowly, but still) ... or for how long I have to live in calorie surplus

Knowing how to eat: what foods, when, and how much is one of the absolute most important things you need to learn.
You need a surplus that is feeding your body just enough to grow muscle, instead of muscle and fat. If you grow muscle and then too much fat, this is how people can spin their wheels because they need to do such a harsh cut later.
You also need too earn how to cut so that it is mild enough that you don’t sacrifice muscle

 

[gp0385316]

I need advice on my plan. This is my plan for my first ever cycle. I'm trying to avoid side affects as much as possible even if it causes less muscle gain. My goal is to decrease body fat % and to increase muscle mass.
My plan is a cycle of 8 weeks followed by PCT. Is my plan good enough? Do I need to make changes?


My stats:
Age: 32
Body fat: 17-18 %
Muscle mass: 32 kg (70.5 lbs)
Height: 176 cm ( 5 feet 9 inches)
Worked out for a year.
I've only ever taken creatine.

To sum up my 8 weeks cycle followed by PCT (that starts 2 weeks after cycle):


Testosterone Enanthate
250 mg/week (125 mg on Monday and Thursday)

Oxandrolone (Anavar)
210 mg/week (30 mg/day)

Arimidex
1.75 mg/week (0.25 mg every other day)


Fish Oil, Creatine, Multi vitamins, Milk Thistle (or TUDCA)
Daily


And during PCT:
Clomid (Clomiphene)
700 mg/week (100 mg/day for Week 1-2, 50 mg/day for Week 3-4, 25 mg/day for Week 5-6)


Tamoxifen (Nolvadex)
280 mg/week (40 mg/day for Week 1-2, 20 mg/day for Week 3-4, 10 mg/day for Week 5-6)


Fish Oil, ZMA, Creatine, Multi-vitamins
Daily

No, no, no.


First, relax. Forget all the ridiculous horror stories, all fables, you've been told about steroids your whole life. You will not die, you will not ruin your liver, you will not have a heart attack. You will not damage your long term health in any way at all!
Just be smart. But, being smart also means using gear so it actually works as you want it to. What you are planning to do is just horrible, sorry!.

First 250 MGS a week of test is just dumb, it's not enough.
Use at least 500 MGS which should be sufficient.

Forget the Anavar. I can't explain everything I'll give you a suggestion take it or leave it.

TEST C OR E 500 MGS A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS
DECA 400 MGS A WEEK FOR 10 WEEKS
NOVELDEX 10 MGS A DAY.

You train right and eat right this will work perfectly for you and you'll make it through alive!

Sent from my SM-A156U using Tapatalk

 

[gp0385316]

If you got too fat and didn’t gain enough muscle you overate. Force feeding is not the best way to grow if you CAN eat. Then you will just get fat. This only is helpful for people when they have trouble eating as much as they need to.

Knowing how to eat: what foods, when, and how much is one of the absolute most important things you need to learn.
You need a surplus that is feeding your body just enough to grow muscle, instead of muscle and fat. If you grow muscle and then too much fat, this is how people can spin their wheels because they need to do such a harsh cut later.
You also need too earn how to cut so that it is mild enough that you don’t sacrifice muscle

No doubt.

I did this when I was very young, like 20. I was so obsessed with just putting on as much size as possible I started listening to a guy who was popular at the time because he had trained a guy named Franco Santoriello from my part of the world, NJ. I actually met Franco several times at a Golds Gym in Dunellin NJ. What a damn freak of nature and what a complete drug addict, mess. Guy won the national, out of nowhere l, at 21i believe. If you never heard of him do a Google search the dude looked unbelievable . I won't get into the issues that ended him up fat and homeless, living in a car in the parking lot of that golds gym. He loved cocaine and booze and women more than he loved bodybuilding or himself really.

Anyway, guys name was John Parillo and he put out a book outlining eating clean but a tremendous amount with MCT oil at every meal. 7-8 meals. I remember I was sick, all the time eating 5000 calories a day of clean food. It's easy to eat 5000 if you load up on Burger King ECT. Try doing it with baked potatoes, chicken breasts and MCT oil.


Bottom line is I followed this perfectly and the result was me turning into a fat water logged pug with my blood pressure higher than it's ever been. I was frequently getting nose bleeds because of this, had 0 energy, couldnt get a decent looking girl to look at me for first time in my life. I was a fat pig.


Eating absolutely no junk at all. If you simply eat too much it doesn't matter what it is it's too much and it will be stored as fat and water. Learned big lesson.

Sent from my SM-A156U using Tapatalk

 

[A-steroid]

Here are a few tweaks to improve safety and minimize side effects:

Test E (250mg/week) → 8 weeks is too short; 12 weeks is better since it kicks in late.

Anavar (30mg/day) → Run for 6 weeks, not 8, to reduce liver strain.

Arimidex (0.25mg EOD) → Only use if you get high estrogen sides, don’t crash it.

PCT Fixes:

Clomid: 50/50/25/25 (your dose is too high).

Nolva: 40/40/20/20 (drop weeks 5-6).