So I was a newbie on here November 2011, crapping my pants about starting a cycle and having to stick a needle in myself!, I read through all the articles on the forum, posted up questions and asked for advice, 99% of the time the response was positive and very helful.

The reason for this post is that I want to share my experience, being a newbie it would have been helpful to know what to expect along the way, of course everyone is different but here is my experience of cycles;

My first cycle was 10 weeks of Test E 600mg a week split into 2 injections.
Then 2 weeks tapering off with prop eod and a solid PCT

That prob sounds like a standard cycle to most looking to start out...Point 1 - the injection is not as bad as you think, I find that the following helps -
Have a shower first - the warm water helps the elactisity of the skin.
If using an oil based injectible warm this up too before injecting, it makes the oil thinner and gets in the syringe easier making it simpler to inject.
Have tissue at the ready - you will at some point hit or nip yourself with the needle on the way out causing blood to rush out...dont panic, it happens, after all your not a trained professional at sticking needles in yourself.
ALWAYS aspirate!
I find that breathing out just before injecting relaxes me, until all the oxygen is gone from my lungs then stick the needle in...one quick swoop....the slower you do it the more it will hurt!...relax

On my first cycle at the time I was also taking estorgen inhibitors Amidex - these gave me a terrible migrane! very intense and in the end I got rid of them... point 2 - you dont necessarily need an Estrogen Inhibitor, just keep them on hand in case you get sides...even if you do get Estrogen related sides dont start popping lots of pills, start slow, take it easy. When on steroids it is easy to get paranoid about itchy nipples and other related stuff but it can just be your mind playing tricks on you.

That brings me to point 3 - your mind playing tricks on you - heart palpitations, sweats, dizziness, short of breath, all of these things (although can be serious) are mostly not as serious as you think and for me, as soon as I felt a twinge I would relate that to my cycle because it was such a big deal for me....let me give you some stats here, its very unlikely anything serious will go wrong - 500,000 people per year die in the USA from tobacco, 375,000 from alcohol and last year only 3 cases reported from steroid abuse! my advice is buy a blood pressure monitor and check yourself daily, also consult your doctor....

Point 4 - tell your doctor what you are doing, talk to him or her about your cycle, your plans, if they dont want to listen find another doctor....if not for just peace of mind, find the right doctor and it will put your mind at ease.....FYI they will not agree with you but any professional should discuss with you from a third party perspective without bias.

Point 5 - a cycle (bulking) is not an excuse to eat anything and everything... with the right training, nutrition and solid cycle you really can transform your body....

The results..... I have put on 30lbs in the last 8-9 months, lean mass, I still sit at just 10% body fat right now and weigh in at 202 lbs.

Finally - for me personally being "off" for so long was a realy dissapointment, now I run short cycles of test prop and tren, 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off, again...with the right diet and training, the results have been amazing!

I hope this helps those looking to start out even if just a little