posted Fri, 01/10/2025 - 21:36
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First cycle - thoughts?
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Hi all, lurker for a while but finally made an account
I’m 25, 6ft tall and just over 80kg at the moment, approx 17% body fat
I train BJJ 4 times a week and Judo twice a week, and tend to do 2x full body lifts
I’m contemplating hopping on a beginner cycle to help with recovery and performance and also to pack on some extra lean mass to help with my sports.
I’m considering 300mg of Test E (3x 100mg over the week), my main goals are to get stronger for competitions but Im concerned that my lower volume of lifting might mean I don’t get the results I want?
Does anyone have any thoughts about this, apologies if there’s not enough info here, happy to answer any follow up questions
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I would definitely recommend getting your baseline bloodwork done to see where your levels are before starting a cycle
That seems to be the way to go about it before blasting off!
I'm going to ask a crazy question. Have you had blood work done to make sure you don't have other issues going on like your thyroid? If your natural test levels are good, why do a cycle of test? I'm not trying to derail you, but also don't want you to kill your natural production if you don't need to. The whole safety thing, ya know?
If you are dead set on running a cycle and your initial natural test is good, you'll need a good PCT regimen.
It’s a valid question, and to be honest I’d say I’m within a normal range for my natural test (Haven’t had this tested but at a guess)
I just train a lot & would like to enhance the gains I get as I’m only able to lift twice a week, I understand that it’s probably best to stay natural and keep grinding for more years to come, but I’ve been at that for 3/4 years or so & would like to get better results
Appreciate the concern & I will certainly make sure my PCT is good
There are some other routes to take here with other compounds. Methylene Blue, SLU PP 332,check out Vigorous Steve he has a video dedicated to this for contact sport athletes.
Oh nice, I’ll check Vigorous Steve out, I thought I would opt for test as a first cycle as it’s the most beginner friendly i suppose, very open minded to looking at alternatives though
SeeohShow has some good ideas for you, I would say do the test maybe you could do less so it doesn't effect stamina with these other compounds, and the HGH or mk677.
I take it you care way more about the BJJ and Judo than you do the lifting, correct? As in, you lift in the gym solely to help those two sports you participate in?
Exactly yeah, I wouldn’t really want to sacrifice any training sessions in exchange for more lifting sessions, but then if recovery is really good on a cycle i could double train on the same day i guess?
But I do also want to up my strength, it does play a big part especially in competitions
Got it then:
First point: 300mg of test will definitely up your strength. I think it’ll do exactly what you want it to do. I don’t think you’d need to increase your lifting sessions either.
Second point: You can make plenty of gains off 2x full body sessions. Perfect or ideal? No. But you can still make gains.
Third point: if recovery still seems lacking the only other thing you’d really wanna consider adding is HGH. That’s where recovery goes to a new level.
For sports purposes you can do everything you want with 250-300mg test + HGH. I think you’ll be very happy with that dose. Sides should be easily manageable (if you have any at all) and then you just can just focus on your training with it working its magic in the background
Fantastic, thanks for the reply
I think I’d run 300mg test at first so i can monitor for any side effects, I’ll admit I don’t know much about HGH but could maybe incorporate that after 12 weeks or so with some research
Appreciate the input, cheers
My first run was 300mg a week and i gained 18lbs with 15lbs solid kept after pct. Abs clear too. Its 95% food and gym. Gear simply repairs muscles.
How long was your cycle?
Oh you’re 25…yea it shouldn’t be a problem. If anything you’d just wanna add something that boosts your own levels like mk677. I’m damn near a decade older than you lol recovery can be a problem. However, get an igf test when you do your bloodwork while running 300mg test just to get a baseline to see where you sit naturally. Bloodwork can be done pretty cheap, so please don’t skimp on that aspect of this.
Yeah I’ll be keeping an eye out for any side effects but from my understanding 300mg is a fairly conservative dose but should be enough to notice the gains if the diet & training is dialled in
Might seem like a silly question, but should i get the bloods done before and after starting the cycle?
Certainly won’t be neglecting the blood work, I’m under the impression I should get them done every 6 weeks or so
300mg will make noticeable changes even being considered “conservative.” It’s just everyone converts/reacts differently. Some may need an AI and others may not. You can reduce conversion by increasing shot frequency. I personally am a fan of every day injects. I’ve just done bloodwork that’s shown double the E2 doing 2x a week vs ED injects at the same weekly dose. But that’s just for me. It’s up to you to find your ideal pinning frequency. Be it 2x a week, 3x a week, etc.
Before - for baseline
Mid cycle - to see how your body reacts to that dose. E2 levels, blood values, etc
Post Cycle - to see if you recovered to baseline after PCT.
Enanthate will reach peak serum levels around the 6 week mark, so blood work at the 6-8 week mark is ideal.
Appreciate the advice. I’m thinking of running the cycle for around 6 months or so, when I do cycle off, do you have any recommendations for PCT? You seem pretty knowledgeable
Nope I don’t PCT. Unless by PCT you mean just lowering the test dose
There’s some PCT guides on here if you use the search bar up top. Here’s one for example:
https://www.eroids.com/forums/steroids-qa/pct-anti-estrogens/simple-pct-...
Plenty of sources on here for all the materials needed. Though you could wait until mid cycle to procure them. You never know, you might like the feeling of being enhanced so much that you do decided to pull the trigger on the blast and cruise lifestyle. It’s not the smartest choice, but since when do we always make the smartest choice in lieu of the more fun choice? I’d say majority of folks on here are in the bodybuilder track, so they’ll (rightfully) say “maximize your gains before hopping on the juice”…that mantra can be different in the sports world where you need to maximize performance and you don’t have a decade to make those performance gains very slowly. I’ve played sports my whole life and now continue to play in competitive men’s leagues for basketball. Being on gear makes people think I’m 10 years younger than I am based on athletic performance.
Plenty of valuable info on this forum if you search for it. Bloodwork guides, OTC supplement guides for organ protection or cholesterol help, blood pressure guides, etc. Just do the research, feel free to ask questions, and play it smart, and you’ll be perfectly fine and have a great time doing it.