posted Sun, 01/04/2026 - 10:36
911
On TRT but want go to the next level.
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Im a noob with all this. Id say I'm experienced in the gym but certainly not an expert. Im 37 and have been battling low T for years so started on TRT 6 months ago. On 150mg per week now. Ive had great gains in the gym but also go hard several times a week. In just the last 2 months I've lost 14lbs of fat and gained 6.5lbs of lean muscle. On Reta as well as taking ipamoralin and CJC. I want to kick it into the next gear but being a nurse, Im concerned for negative health effects. It seems that the safest way would be just to I crease my test c to maybe 300-400 but even that has the potential to negatively impact your heath. What can I do to get better results and mitigate negative impact?
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Best way is tune that food supply in to meet your needs. Gear is only RECOVERY if gym is solid and NUTRIENTS are in play.
As others have suggested, once your gains start to slow, try a 16 week cycle of 400-500 test. Ensure you keep an eye on your E2 and blood pressure. Blood work is essential before during and after.
Lots of good advice here!
I’ll throw out some other compounds:
Anavar is a decent oral but does fuck up your lipid profile bad.
Primo is another tested/researched compound and is viewed as “safe”
Deca can be added in at low doses for joint support and generally low risk. However, highish doses of Deca will/can have sides.
As others have suggested. Ride out the success and consider changing by something up if you feel like it needs to happen.
Have you considered waiting until gains slow on your TRT dose? 6.5lb LbM gain in 2 months suggests your still primed to keep growing. Once gains slow then consider upping the dose to 300-500mg ew. There’s no safe steroid cycle or ways to mitigate all negative side effects. You’re taking risk regardless. So I’d consider only taking that risk when it’s necessary. Right now it’s not, you’re still making progress.
If you don’t want to do that then ya 300-500mg ew is a good first cycle. For 16ish weeks.
Thanks brother. Ya I may be getting ahead of myself. Been going through body recomp for a few months and eating in a deficit for quite a while. My protein intake is good and I feel like my weight training is pretty solid. I'm just wondering how much longer I can continue to build lean mass while in a deficit. I'm getting composition scans done every 2 months so I'm sure you're right. I'll just wait until things start to slow before going to the next thing
Probably not much longer but I’d ride it out. At that point upping your dose may not do much either. Recomp is hard and typically doesn’t happen in a deficit except at the early stages of lifting and physique development.
If you’re 20% bf now it won’t take you but another couple months to cut down to like 12-14. I’d stay with your TRT dose, Reta a the peptides until you get there and then shift into a surplus, bump the test up and do a cycle focused on adding muscle.
Great questions ! As a nurse you know that for longevity less is better. Assuming you u could improve your diet, I would dial that first….CONSISTENTLY getting 1gm/lb body weight protein (40grams with each 5 meals throughout the day) will build muscle and tighten up good. iMHO I would stick with the 150 mg test for a year. I do 125 a week but to keep levels stable I do two shot of 75mg twice a week. This evens out the peaks and valleys in blood concentrations. Also I would consider dropping the peptides and add low dose HGH at 2 to 3ius/day. That shit got me serious veins in my upper arms and thighs. Never had veins in my thighs before HGH!
Finally labs, Labs, LABS! High normal blood levels and normal BP, lipids, and endocrine levels are a must for a happy healthy life. Ride your gains for a while and if the blood work is stable then maybe bump
Up the test but keep it short and infrequent.
Just my 2 cents but note Pennie’s are no longer being produce so not worth much
Thanks for the good advice. Im just impatient but I'll see what my labs come back luke in a few days. I feel like I've dialed in my diet pretty well but Im sure I could do better. I'll just keep it slow and steady for now probably. Ive been using the HGH secretagogues instead of HGH to avoid issues with the negative feedback loop shutting down or slowing natural production. I'm not an endocrinologist for sure so if there is a safe way to do this without that happening then I'll have to look into it but that's always been my understanding
GH secretagogues are a waste of money compared to the real deal! As others have said, you normal production of GH kicks back in quickly and you don’t get any weird sides well it’s kicking back in.
I’m almost certain that if you supplement HGH, when you stop your body will pretty quickly return to its normal production as if nothing happened. It’s not like Testosterone. Double check me on that though. Also, I’ve heard something about these hgh secretagogues that might be news to you. I see you are almost 40. Your body is not secreting hgh at an optimal level (like when you were younger) and will continue to fall off as you get older. With that in mind, you are probably waisting your time and money trying to trigger your body to produce at max output, which is probably subpar considering your aging issue. Your body is only going to naturally produce so much at this age no matter what you do. Hence actual HGH supplementation. Just blast some test responsibly, consider spending your cash on the actual HGH products and enjoy the ride. Don’t get lazy with the bloodwork ever and keep researching. Your in the right place homeboy
Thanks brother. That does make sense. I'll have to look into it a little further but knowing that the pituitary will bounce back rather quickly definitely puts my mind at ease
GH isn’t like Testosterone. Your pituitary gland will fix itself and begin secreting normally again in like a week after you get off GH. Best decision I ever made was hopping on GH
Perhaps I'll try it then
It’s about a $1k a year hobby. Cheaper than a boat.
With my research that I've been doing, I'm hearing people say that it causes things like organ growth which is what causes the GH belly and then it increases insulin sensitivity so it can potentially cause diabetes. Is this a legitimate concern or is it from years of using it at higher doses?
From what I’ve researched/seen, it’s not the people taking 2-4iu a day that have issues with organ grow. It’s the people take 10-18iu a day where it can become a concern.
Insulin sensitivity seems to become an issue if you take your GH and then have a high carb meal within 1/2 hour or so. Every I’ve found suggests GH be taken fasted and staying that way for an hour or so.
That was also the impression that I was getting. Thank you.
Organ growth is a risk you take with anabolics and GH. The distended abdomens are caused by eating 5-7k calories of food a day along with being insulin insensitive. Yes high dose GH will cause you to be less insulin sensitive and is something that should
Be monitored if taking. None of this is risk free and side effects should always be monitored.
A lot of people that take GH daily normally forgo their doses when they eat shit like Pizza for dinner bc of this effect.
Love this comment --
Both will get you pussy too!
Being on a steroid review site you'd expect less guys to tell you not to do roids right? Seems like everyone that does gear feels like the gatekeeper to the gear.
Just plan out a reasonable blast and do it. You're getting bloodwork, and are a nurse (or some shit like that) so presumably have access and knowledge on how to check bp and monitor your health. Testosterone only is ur best bet for first blast. 4-500 a week for 16-20 weeks. Mid cycle bloods. Very important to eat to match ur growth (a lot). Acquire the things you may need on blast before hand like bp meds and an AI. if things go south then abondon ur blast. Simple as that. This is all considering that you're already in decent health and shape. It's a risk, sure. But all of us here are taking similar risks. Be safe brother.
This is really good advise. If you are going to blast just up the test to a level you are comfortable with. Most guys will tell you their first blast is 300-500mg. Can also tell you I’ve had to double my bp meds some days during my cycle. Bp goes up with the water retention. So, monitor your bloods every few weeks on cycle.
Don’t do drugs. They are a health risk
Why dont you get a blood test and at least see what your levels are before you make such a big blind decision. You might be happy with where 150mg puts you. You shouldn't go up or down without knowing what the 150 is even doing. Your nurse instincts will kick in and you will agree with me if you are truly concerned for negative health effects.
I've gotten several blood tests over the last 6 months and have been monitoring it closely. Anither one tomorrow actually. Last was test at 1150
Oh ok. Was wondering why you withheld the most important part of your post and question lol. Thats not a bad number for 150mg
It's important data for sure but didn't think that it was necessarily pertinent to include in my question. I'm just wondering assuming I'm doing all of the right things, is there something else that I can do to achieve further results with minimal negative effects
No you can definitely go up. But stick to just testosterone still till you know how your estrogen, blood pressure etc responds to a higher dose before trying other stuff. Double it at 300 for a bit. At that dose you can maintain the sides if you get any and not real abuse to your organs.
You’re already doing the hardest part, you’ve built momentum and you’re getting objectively great results. 14 lbs fat down and +6.5 lbs lean in 8 weeks is working. And very well I might add!!
If your main goal is “next gear” with the least health cost, I’d be careful assuming the safest move is doubling test. Going from 150 up to 300 or 400 isn’t a small tweak, that’s where BP, hematocrit, lipids, sleep/apnea, and estrogen management start becoming the actual project.
Safest path to “more results” usually looks like this order:
1. Lock in the boring basics harder (food precision, sleep, steps/cardio, recovery) you’d be shocked how much more you can squeeze out without changing drugs or doses.
2. Training progression > training harder: volume/intensity managed, not just “go hard.”
3. Get labs and build your individual guardrails so you’re not guessing: CBC/hematocrit, lipids (ApoB if possible), CMP, A1C/fasting glucose, TT/FT + SHBG, sensitive E2, BP.
4. If you still want to push, consider small, measured changes, not a jump to 400. Increment/titrate, recheck labs, assess how you feel.
Also: you’re already stacking Reta + CJC/IPA. Before adding or increasing anything, make sure you’re not trying to out-drug a recovery problem (sleep, stress, calories, programming). That’s where guys get sides and feel “off.”
Bottom line: you can absolutely get better results, but the approach is: optimize the food/ sleep first, add second, and measure everything. Internet opinions are fine, but your labs and BP don’t lie
I battled low T for years, probably 5-6 in total, 3 confirmed with bloodwork, before committing to taking T regularly. As it was and is a permanent lifestyle change. I can tell you I had abs and striated muscles, and visible veins between my hips and lower/below belly button with low t, basically a beach body year round with very minimal activity but an exacting diet and great sleep.
You don’t need the T to do it. It helps, don’t get me wrong! But you can do it naturally with discipline and practice.
It sounds like you've started doing your research, I'd keep researching until you find the answer you're after. There is a risk with everything, it's part of it. It's finding the comfort level and commitment you're willing to make.
Internet strangers can advise on what they've done to mitigate risk, or tell you about the risk they're willing to take. End of the day though, they are just strangers. Their risk/reward doesn't necessarily align with yours.
Think about your current body fat percentage, the risk that comes with taking AI, how much you are in the gym now, and your willingness to get labs on your own.
Best of luck!