Recommendations for a Novice AS Cycle

I'm a 23 year old Rugby player (non-professional) and am currently trying to drop bodyfat after suffering a broken arm in February. I am 5'11" & 175lbs with an approx. bf% of around 17-18%. I'm hoping to get down to below 15% within the next month.

After I've dropped my bf% I am planning to start a bulking diet & exercise regime to add some much needed lean body mass in time for the start of the rugby season at the beginning of September.
I am planning to use a creatine formula (such as cell-tech) as well.

I have tried Anabolic Steroids on 2 previous occasions:

My 1st course was during Summer 2001 and consisted of 400mg Deca per week, for around 10-12 weeks. During this time I gained a decent amount of lean mass with no real side effects. However, on discontiuation of the course, I lost pretty much all of my gains and suffered from lack of motivation/aggression which affected my rugby.

My 2nd course was during Spring/Summer 2002 and again consisted of 400mg Deca per week for 12 weeks, but also included a 6 week course of Dbol in the middle (up to 7 tablets a day). I also included a bit of Test Cyp. at the beginning of my course until I found out that it was counterfeit. Again I did gain a good amount of muscle but lost it all upon discontinuation. I also suffered from the same loss of motivation & aggression.

However this was the least of my worries; this time I also suffered from complete loss of sexual function due to shutdown of natural test production (according to my doctor) and had to be prescribed tablets to correct this.

Does anyone know why this was caused? Does it mean that I am particularly susceptable to side effects? Is there a way of taking AS without the risk of side effects?

There's no way I want to go through that shit again!

I know my cycles have been pretty fucked up but I was taking advice from 'friends' who I now realise didn't have a clue!

I have recently considered adding a small amount of deca (say 200mg per week for 8 weeks) to my Bulking Phase to help me achieve my goals in the 2 months I will have prior to the Rugby Season.

Can anyone give me advice on the kind of cycle I would take which would give me decent lean mass gains but would not result in the terrible side effect that I suffered last time? I am not after massive gains, just a decent amount of lean muscle, say 6-12lbs.

Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated.

Use the search tool bro and search for Clomid and post cycle therapy (PCT). Never do a cycle without having a PCT plan. It is essential that you take Clomid or Nolvadex after a cycle to kick start your hypophysial testicular axis (HPTA) and get your natural test levels up.

Due to your size, weight and cycle history I would suggest you take 400mg deca per week and 500mg test (enan) per week for 10 weeks. Finish this off with Winny if you want to harden your gains.

Do not take steriods without a proper training and diet plan - there's little point and if you don't continue to eat and train properly after your cycle you will lose your gains.

Remember after any cycle make sure you have Clomid or Nolvadex for your PCT.

Your problem the first two times was due to your HPTA levels being low after finishing your cycle. When using an anabolic or androgenic substance, the body no longer needs to produce testosterone naturally as it is receiving it artificially. However when you discontinue use, it takes a long time for the body to restore it's natural levels of test...clomid (clomiphine citrate) can aid in rebooting natural test production. Clomid is a synthetic estrogen, that has a high binding affinity to estrogen receptors but it does not exhibit estrogenic side affects (gyno, water retention, etc...). Therefore it's use after a cycle can lead to positive feedback to the hpta thus stimulating the production of natural testosterone. In the past your test levels were down so you lost muscle mass and had no sex drive.

As far as recommendations for lean quality mass with little sides, I would suggest something like this:

week 1-10 EQ @ 400mg/week
week 1-10 Test enth @ 400-600mg/week
weeks 1-10 arimidex* @ .5mg/day
week 13 start clomid 300mg/day 1, 100mg/day x next 10 days, 50mg/day x next 10 days.

*Arimidex is an anti-estrogen and will prevent gynocomastia (bitch titis) and reduce water retention from test.

You need to do a lot of homework. I would suggest Prop and Winny, should give nice solid results. Look into Arimidex and Clomid. YOU must put in the reall effectiveness. By this I mean, you gotta do the weight training/cardio/rest/proper dieting to get the results you desire. AS aren't magic beans, just catalysts really.