Final update: 3/30/2026

I did the final pin of EQ yesterday, and my weekly test dose has tapered down to 350. I will continue to taper for another two weeks, but with the last bit of EQ this cycle is wrapped up. All in all it was a good success and I would run it again. I weighed 184 at the start, and weighed in at 207 this morning. I have noticed I am a little softer through the midsection, but even if I gained 2-3% bodyfat, that would still put total lean tissue around 8-12lbs.

I plan on holding calories where I am at (3700 or so) for another week and then drop down closer to my non-enhanced maintenance of 3400. I’ll keep it there while the tissue gains stabilize and hormones even out before jumping into a cut.

I gained a lot of strength this cycle. Lower body gains were hampered by lingering patellar issues. Strength shot up and the connective tissue could not keep up. Iearned that I tolerate the combination of EQ and NPP well, and that dbol in 10-20mg doses when my estrogen is low is great - killer pumps, great strength, great mood, high libido. Anyone considering this combination would be well advised to start slow, but the only regrets I have are not increasing calories faster, and not increasing the test to 525mg total earlier. But overall, this was a great growth cycle for me. I will follow up again with postcycle bloodwork when I get my numbers back.

Update: 3/23/26

Tapering began last week. I have been fully pleased with how this cycle has unfolded. I have bloodwork planned for shortly after my final pin, so I will have to hold off on a full assessment of how I managed things until I see how it looks, but from a gains and qualitative experience perspective this cycle was great. I felt good throughout, with the exception of the brief window in January when I crashed my E2. But that led me to discover just how great dbol is! It seems no one is a fan of dbol these days except old school juice heads. I loved how it made me feel! Gym performance was great, and with the EQ managing my estrogen, the extra boost of methylestradiol from the dbol was welcome. My mood was good, my libido was great, and my strength was up. I didn't turn into a water bag, and didn't even really see a big weight increase when I started it, or drop when I took it out. But the dbol gave me a little extra pep in my step, which is something I have seen reported here and elsewhere, almost like a light feeling of well-being.

I finished my last vial of NPP about two weeks ago and haven't lost fullness or weight since coming off. Gym performance is still high, but I'm also still on 420mg of EQ and 525 mg total test per week. I dropped the EQ to 315mg/week last week, and down again to 210mg. The vial is just about empty, so I'll run it at 210 through this week, but I don't think it will last quite that long. I'm tapering my test from the high of 525mg/week to my cruise of 140mg/week. This week it is down to 350mg, next week will be 280 for two weeks, and then 175, then cruising out at 140.

I will provide true "after" photos when I have taken my last pin of EQ. I started the cycle at 184lbs and today I weighed 206. I gained minimal body fat, maybe 1-2% to bring me to the 12% range. So, if 8-10lbs of that 20lb jump is solid tissue that I can hold onto, I will count this cycle a real success, especially if my end-of-cycle bloods come back similar to my mid-cycle bloods. Interestingly my body weight plateaued at 205 or so, and even when I pushed calories close to 4000 wouldn't move. I think if I had pushed them higher I could have eked out another few pounds, but I suspect it would have come with more body fat and the juice at that point didn't seem worth the squeeze. Besides, having reset my metabolism for a maintenance at around 3800cal/day sets me up for an easy cutting season come May/June. My last cut I was digging down into the 1800cal range and struggling. I successfully raised my maintenance enough that I suspect if I cut to 3,000kcal/day I can shed some extra bodyfat.

Stay tuned for final thoughts and after-cycle pics.

Update: 2/19/2026

Still rolling with this cycle. Only change is I have upped my test from 350 to 420 test enanthate. I had a vial of Test E on hand and figured I would run out the final phase of the cycle with that. I had initially planned to drop the NPP in week 12, but since my bloodwork looked good and I have had no negative sides (none of the psychological issues some folks get with 19-nors, no prolactin sides) I figured I would run it until the end. Plus I got an additional vial as a promo, so I figured what the hell? So, I still plan to begin tapering off the EQ in early March after a full 16 weeks. The NPP will be finished by then. By early April, I will be back to my TRT cruise.

I have been eating 3500-3700kcal per day, which seems like a good spot for me to accrue 1/2lb or so a week of primarily lean tissue. I started this growth phase at 184lbs. I'm currently sitting at around 206lbs. Of that, I figure 8lbs is solid lean tissue and the rest is water and glycogen. If I can get to a weekly average of 210 I will have hit my goal for this cycle, after which I will hold steady at maintenance calories for a health phase of about 8 weeks before I start cutting calories to get a bit leaner. Fat gain has been pretty minimal this cycle, but I figure I started around 10% and I am probably up to 12-14%. Nothing some reta and extra cardio, along with a calorie deficit, can't take care of in about 8 weeks.

Update: 1/22/2026

Bloodwork update! As expected, estradiol was crashed - single digits. I should go for another since implementing the dbol to see where it sits now, but I'll hold off for a couple more weeks. All other blood markers were good, with the exception of HDL. My LDL came down from 111 to 44, which is surprising, but my HDL tanked from 53 to 23. I will implement some citrus bergamot and see if that helps restore things. Hematocrit (the big one to watch with EQ) edged up from 41% to 45%. I'm not sure that justifies phlebotomizing just yet, so I think I'll hold off on dumping blood, especially since my blood pressure has stayed well within the healthy 120/70 range. ALT actually improved going from 65 pre-cycle to 58 two months in, but AST worsened, jumping from 38 to 56. That jump might be lifting stress induced, though, since when I did my pre-cycle bloodwork I took a deload the four days prior and had not trained, whereas I did glutes and hammies the morning of this blood draw, so I'm not worried about it. Everything else looks good.

This raises a question for me: I'm supposed to wrap up the NPP run in mid-February, since that would be 8 weeks on the full 240mg/week, plus 4 weeks titrating up for a total of 12 weeks on a 19-nors. I've heard one ought not run 19-nors for longer that 12 weeks at a time. Any opinions among the readers out there? I might just run it for another month and then taper it along with the EQ as I transition into a health phase/cruise in mid-March to April. If the bloods are good, and the gains are coming in solidly (1/2lb a week presently, at about 3400-3500kcal a day, and around 400g carbs daily). I'll see how I'm feeling in two weeks, but since resolving the low-E2 issues, I have felt great and gym performance has been phenomenal. Who wants to see the good times end? Any suggestions?

Update: OOPS! I Crashed My E2! (1/16/2026)

Welp, it happened, as many of you warned. I was cruising along at 315mg of EQ (45mg/day) with test cyp at 350, NPP bumped up to 245, and TPP at 10mg/day. And I said to myself, "I'm feeling great! And my strength is up! Why not ratchet things up just a tad?" I had been increasing the EQ modestly since the start of January, so I was actually probably closer to 360mg/week, and then just went ahead and pushed it up to 60mg/day, and upped TPP to 15mg/day, thinking that would keep the ratio close to where it previously was. Then last week I started getting some patellar tendon strain/irritation when squatting, which I attributed to the big strength increases and the tendon lagging behind. Then my back started creaking, which is not unusual at 40 and with a history of L4 and L5 issues. And then the elbows started getting a little achey. And at the start of this week some real fatigue set in, which I initially attributed to a cold brought home from school by one of my children. But by Wednesday of this past week it was clear: I'm having low E2 symptoms. I ran bloods a couple days ago as already planned, so I should have confirmation soon. But rather than wait I decided to pull the dbol parachute. Two days later, at a low dose of 10mg in the morning, and 10mg in the late afternoon, the methylestradiol spike from the dbol has really helped, more or less confirming my suspicions. Again, bloodwork is forthcoming and I'll report those results, but pretty sure I overshot with the EQ. Oh well - live and learn. I'm considering keeping 10mg of dbol preworkout for the final 8 weeks of the cycle to keep E2 elevated until I start tapering the EQ. NPP is in its final four weeks, so I'll be dropping that soon, which may also leave me needing some E2 support.

Aside from the E2 crash, strength and weight gain is consistent. Up to a weekly average of 198lbs, so gaining just under a pound a week. The dbol will probably spike those numbers with water weight. Calories currently at 3300-3400 weekly average, which is where I'm holding them as long as the scale weight continues to move at this nice incremental pace. Doing some modest carb cycling, with high carb days (375-400g) on my lower body days, and more modest carbs (325-350g) on push/pull days, and slightly lower on my LISS/rest days (300-325g). Protein is the same at around 250g/day, and fats 50-80g, largely depending on my protein sources.

Will keep you posted about bloodwork, and where my E2 comes back!

Update: Mid-way point (1/7/2026)

Been on cycle now for eight weeks. Everything is going swimmingly. After the holidays I increased doses to get the most out of the increase in calories: NPP now at 245mg/wk, EQ at 420mg/wk, test cyp still at 350mg/wk, and test pp at 105mg/wk. Haven't had to pull the dianabol trigger yet as I haven't had any low E2 sides. The EQ is fully saturated and making its presence felt now - strong pumps, increased size and density particularly through shoulders and chest, and the EQ hunger is no joke. I'm up to 3200-3400kcal/day now, and going to hold there since scale weight is now moving 1-2lbs each week. So far no real fat gain as I have kept my steps around 10-12k daily, and regular cardio, and grouped my calories around my pre- and post-workout anabolic window. Currently getting 1850kcal of my daily total in pre-, intra-, and post-workout food, and the rest is filled out by lunch and dinner. On high carb days I'm hitting near 400g carbs, 250g protein, and between 50-75g fat, depending mostly on protein sources for that day. The carbs are really driving things now, supported by AAS nutrient partitioning. The NPP has things moving smoothly, and has given me great gym enthusiasm. The negative sleep sides that I was initially experiencing have subsided somewhat and my sleep quality has improved. Digestion is holding fine with increased calories. Only real sides to report is some sebum acne (nothing cystic or terrible) on my shoulders and chest, increased hunger from the EQ, and despite the added lubrication from the nandrolone, I have been having patellar tendon irritation and some tennis elbow. Both are moderate enough I can train around them, and I suspect it is the increase in strength that is putting a bit more strain on my tendons, which are struggling to keep up. Strength increases have so far significantly exceeded mass accumulation. I'm adding 1-2 reps per set on all my compound lifts week after week. I'm trying to avoid making big jumps so I don't hurt/strain anything, but the strength increases are probably the most exciting and enjoyable thing about this cycle.

All told, I am tolerating these compounds very well. The real test will come next week when I run mid-cycle bloods. BP has stayed comfortably in the mid-120s/mid-60s - a slight elevation, but nothing concerning. I'm expecting some negative impacts on my lipid profile, and higher hematocrit, which will help me determine whether a mid-cycle blood donation is in order. I'm really curious where my estradiol will come in given the strong AI-affect of the EQ. Based on "feel," and the relative dryness of my gains (not a lot of nandrolone-driven spillover at this point) I am betting it will be in the mid-teens to low-twenties. Will update you all when I have the numbers, and will provide mid-cycle picture updates at that time. Thanks for reading!

Update: Week Five (12/17/25)

Little new to report here: calories are up to 2800 and all the drugs are at their holding doses (kicked the NPP up to 210 at the end of last week). So far all is good. The TPP has added a nice little boost, and I think my estrogen is up slightly, but no signs of high E2 what with the boldenone keeping things in check. No progesterone sides, either: no itchy nips, mood swings etc. I'll hold steady here, even though I'm tempted to further increase the NPP to 250 or so, but I'm getting the desired effect at the lower dose so probably no real benefit in doing so. Water gain has been minimal, but I maintain a pretty strict diet and keep NEAT high, in addition to regular LISS cardio. Aiming to get total calories around 3,000-3200, but taking it slow, maybe too slow since I might miss out on some gains. But frankly I don't want to have to diet super hard again come May/June, so if I miss out on a little mass but can keep bodyfat down that's fine with me.

This will probably be my last update until I run mid-cycle bloods in January to see where things are at. So far primary health markers are good. I haven't seen a big spike in blood pressure, which makes me think my hematology is fine - still registering in the low 120s over low 60s the 3-4 times I check it each week. Depending on how the test results come back, I will decide whether I need to donate, but if my hematocrit is still in the low-mid 40% then I won't bother. I'll post a few mid-cycle photos - not much change. Maybe a little fuller, a little more vascular, shoulders are popping a bit more but no real muscle size or density increases yet. For that I'll need to let the food do its work.

Update: Four weeks in (12/10/25)

Still holding the doses steady; no sides and generally feeling great: calm, confident, very mild edge that lets me feel like I'm "on" but without overwhelming things. No EQ anxiety or low E2 fatigue/achy joints etc. The only lingering issue is sleep - I'm falling asleep fine but struggling to stay asleep, and basically anticipating my alarm every morning; lots of wake-ups between 12 and 4am. I wonder if this might be a 19-nors side. My NPP dose is low (still 175mg/week, titrating up to 210mg/week starting on Saturday), but like everyone else I have heard of trensomnia. Are sleep issues a common side with 19-nors? It isn't terrible, but it is tiring. Implemented 10mg TPP each day this week to stay ahead of possible EQ related E2 issues, and that's been great - I like the extra little kick of test.

Gym performance up this week: solid aggression, strength and fullness increases. I'm about at saturation with the EQ, and the NPP is basically saturated for the 175mg dose, and I can tell. I'm feeling really strong gym motivation (maybe one reason my sleep is shot - I work out first thing in the morning, like 5am, and I'm eager to get there!) and the weights are moving.

Planning on midcycle bloods in a couple weeks after I have established baseline with 210mg/week NPP, and will reassess from there.

Update: Three Weeks (12/3/25)

NPP currently at 175mg/week, administered as 25mg ED, along with 45mg EQ and 50mg Test Cyp. Given my EQ frontload I'm currently at about a 90-95% saturation, and test is fully saturated. I titrated from 140mg/week NPP to 175 four days ago and will continue at this dose until I reach saturation in another 5-7 days, at which point depending on how things feel I'll bump to 210mg/week (30mg ED). I feel a bit like a pin cushion trying to find injection sites that I haven't hit in the past week. Currently rotating through the various deltoids, hams, and lats. Avoiding quads because the one administration to quads I did left me sore for days and negatively impacted lower body performance on my big compound lifts. Strength is up modestly - from 225 for 10 on incline to 225 for 12, for instance, and bent over rows up from 225 for 10 to 245 for 8. Joints all feel good, and intensity/gym performance is up overall, which feels good.

Sleep is still shitty. I'm hoping once I settle into my maintenance dosages for the main growth phase of this course it will even out. I suspect the constantly changing/increasing androgen load is largely to blame since I don't have any symptoms of crashed E2. At the end of this week I will add in Test Phenylpropionate to provide a faster acting, faster aromatizing testosterone to forestall any potential E2 crash that might be coming as I reach full saturation on the EQ. Debating whether to start at 5mg/ED (bumping total test to 385mg/week) or going straight to 10mg to get me to a more favorable Test/EQ ratio (1:.75 test to EQ).

But, so far, so good. Aside from sleep disturbance, no sides. Feel good, no fatigue, good energy, and overall positive feeling (no EQ anxiety, no nandrolone anhedonia). Just started pushing food, so the water gains I have seen over the past two weeks (up to 188-190 from 193/194) should start increasing. I'm eating 2500kcal per day, upping each week until I hit 3200 or so, which is a moderate surplus for me. Will continue to keep you all updated as the cycle hits its stride in the next two weeks.

Update: two weeks in (11/26/25)

One week has gone by since increasing NPP to 140mg/week (20mg/daily), with test c holding at 350mg/week and EQ at 315mg. I should be hitting blood serum on the cyp and EQ over the next week or so, and per the blood serum graphs I have consulted (generated by ChatGPT, so to be taken with a grain of salt since pharmacokinetics are notoriously idiosyncratic) I should be hitting serum saturation on test this week, and EQ over the next two weeks or so. If I am going to get an EQ-induced estradiol crash it will likely come in the next 2-3 weeks, so I am monitoring myself carefully and maintaining daily journal entries on my strength, libido, psychology, and physiology. I will begin gradually increasing food by 100kcal/day each week starting next week - well timed because with the holiday tomorrow and my 40th birthday there will likely be a few days of extra indulgence in there.

I have noticed the effects of 140mg NPP this week: some mild water retention (up about 3-4lbs), increased muscle fullness, nice pumps in the gym, solid gym performance, and an overall feeling of calm and well-being. This is my first 19-nors, and I know many folks experience unpleasant psychological sides. So far at this low dose I don't have any of the nandrolone-induced anhedonia, libido is still good (no Deca dick), no issues maintaining an erection of difficulty reaching climax. I bump my dose again to 175mg/week early next week, so hopefully these positive trends continue. If all goes well I intend to settle at 210mg/week (30mg/daily) by mid-December and ride that through February. Strength increases have been modest and may be attributable mostly to the placebo effect of being "on" and the extra drive that tends to induce.

I have had some sleep issues the last week - I suspect cortisol dumps in the very early morning (2-3am; I get up at 4am to lift and get to sleep around 9pm) are to blame, but also a bit of extra parasympathetic nervous system agitation from the higher than usual test. I will continue to monitor this and see how the titrating doses impact it.

Update: one week in (11/18/25)

One week front load of EQ wraps up today, with steady-state serum levels projected for week 3-4. After listening to the feedback here and consulting with some folks more knowledgeable than I, I have elected to lower the EQ maintenance dose to 315 and keep it there pending results and bloodwork in week 6 of the cycle. I have also decided to proactively implement the testosterone phenylpropionate I have on hand at a rate of 10mg/day beginning in week five in order to stay ahead of any potential EQ dip.

I will increase NPP to 140mg/week (20mg/day) beginning tomorrow. So far I have felt only the increased testosterone: some parasympathetic nervous system response (a bit more energy, but also a touch jittery). I have noticed better pumps, and minor increases in fullness from the NPP but nothing much in terms of response to the low initial dose. I think my joints are feeling better, but that might be placebo, and I have not seen any substantive strength changes in the week since starting.

I have not started pushing food yet and am slowly reverse dieting out of a cut, holding calories around 2400/day until hormone levels stabilize in week four, at which point I will bump carbs and increase calories gradually each week by around 100kcal/day. I am aiming to get my calories around 3200-3400 by week 8, which will be the heart of the growth phase, but also aiming to minimize fat accumulation by not pushing calories too high, or bumping them too quickly. My insulin sensitivity is great right now (fasting glucose around 80) and I want to take advantage of my efficient nutrient partitioning in this stage before the AAS take over and help significantly with that. Carbs are currently between 200 and 300 grams per day, protein at 220-250, and fats between 60 and 85.

Cycle Overview:

I'm 40 years old, lifting for the last fifteen years after a hiatus from the gym during my boozy 20s. I started TRT at 39 (80mg/week) when my bloodwork showed testosterone in the mid-low 200s. I have been on TRT, and experimenting with different courses of supplemental hormones for the last 9 months. This is my third course (first was modest test of 300mg/week, and the second test (300)+mast (300)+var (70)). My goal is to add strength and 10-15lbs muscle mass, with the NPP used for the first 10 weeks to support joint health. I pin test daily, so a little extra NPP is easy.

This course will run November-April. I started today with a modest EQ frontload of 735mg/week before I will drop down to maintenance of 420 in 10 days. I'm a high aromatizer (at 150mg TRT cruise my estradiol is in the 50s-60s). My pre-cycle blood work work shows a clean starting position: good lipids (sub 80 LDL, high HDL), healthy hematocrit levels, and my cruising test levels in the upper 600s. Depending on how things go and how my body handles these compounds, I may increase the EQ and Test when the NPP drops out, going up to 525 EQ and 450 test, but if I am getting good results with the lower dosage I will just continue with it. Because I love anavar, I will probably throw that in at a low dose (10mg) pre-workout as I taper the EQ in March-April.

I have Dbol and Test PP on hand in the event the EQ crashes my estradiol, and arimidex in the less likely event my E2 spikes. Though I am a high aromatizer, I perform best (higher libido, better skin and hair, better overall mental health and mood) with mid-high E2, so I am more concerned about crashing E2. No plans for PCT - I will taper the EQ from mid-March to April and then cruise at 175 test right into a summer cut. Thanks for reading and following along!

Stats:
40 yo man
184lbs as of morning weigh in on day one
Body Fat approximately (based on the flawed methodology of ChatGPT visual assessment...) 12%
I'm 40 so I don't go for one rep maxes. I squat 315, incline bench 295, pull 405 with focus on form and ROM.
My training split is currently upper/lower twice per week. I will adjust when I reach saturation to a classic enhanced Push/Pull/Legs/Shoulders+arms

I'll be using this log to track my progress, strength increases, weight, and general mood changes. We all decry bro-science, but in the absence of solid clinical data for many of these compounds, anecdote is one of the best resources we have. I will be transparent about how these compounds affect my body, professional performance, relationships, mental health, and general outlook on life. I like to think of it as like the citizen scientists of the past, or Humphrey Davy huffing the various results of his chemical experiments. If you have any particular questions or suggestions you would like to offer, I'm open to fielding them and will respond to the best of my ability.