First Cycle

[vinzz89]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and to juicing in general. My stats are 25, 5'8", 165 lbs, 10% bf. I'm currently on a caloric deficit diet on 2500 calories consisting of 311/235/35 protein/carbs/fat. I've been cutting for approximately 2 months now and have dropped down from 175 lbs, ~13% bf. I can confidently say my diet, rest and training are now in check. Currently getting in workouts 5 days a week with at least 3x 20min HIIT sessions/week on the regular.

I've been lifting since the age of 18 (7 years) where my stats were approx 127 lbs, ~11-12% bf. You will have figured out by now I'm your generic ectomorph/hard-gainer with a high metabolism.

I'd like to say I have done my fair share of research, but just to reassure myself I thought I'd ask for your feedback.

I'm wanting to put on another 6-8 lbs of lean muscle and have decided to start cycling. For my first cycle, taking advice from this forum I'm considering:

Week 1 to 10: Test E on 250 mg every 3.5 days (500mg/week)
Week 1 to 12: Arimidex on 0.25mg EOD
Clomid 75/50/50/50 & Nolvadex 40/20/20/20 14 days after last shot.

I did suffer from acute acne as a teen, and unfortunately there are family members on my mother's side with baldness over the age of 40. Am I right in understanding that I may be susceptible to hair loss and acne?

Secondly, I understand with gear I will gain muscle even on a calorie deficit. My underlying question here is, is it likely I will achieve my target of 170-175 lbs at <10% bf, while continuing to drop body fat on my current calorie deficient diet? Or will I need to bump up to maintenance at ~2800, or bulk at ~3200 to see the results I want? Obviously will need to adjust calories as weight increases. My biggest concern is putting on body fat as a result of bulking.

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance

[lovbyts]

To gain even on gear you have to bump up your food intake above maintenance. Eat clean and you wont gain fat.

It's hit and miss on the baldness. It may speed it up but then it may not do anything.

Cycle for the most part looks fine but I think you could easily meet your goals without any gear, just diet alone.

[vinzz89]

Thanks lovbyts. I've never been able to cross the 175 lbs mark despite multiple attempts at clean bulking for months together on 4000 calories. I seem to platue at just short of 175 lbs. This is why I've chosen to start cycling.

[Khazima]

You should be well developed after 7 years of training, weight doesn't always tell all. Would you be able to post some pics? At your weight you should be able to reach your goals naturally, when you plateu you just need to switch something up, but as I said weight doesn't always tell all.

[vinzz89]

I thought I'd give this topic a bump and ask my question here. Finally got around to running the above cycle. I'm eating ~3200 calories a day and currently am in week 6 of my cycle. I'm pinning twice a week (250mg Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings) and taking Arimidex 0.25mg EOD.

Now here's where it gets funny - I'm in week 6 and it almost feels as if the 'feeling of being on something' has completely gone. Around week 2 I started getting a bit of face acne, oily skin, good pumps, good erections and generally felt 'awake and confident'. Now as of week 5 I've been very stressed due to a few issues I have going on in life and I started noticing I wasn't getting the same pumps in the gym. The minor acne I did have disappeared around the start of week 4, and libido feels lower than normal.

My starting stats were:
76.9kg at 12.8% bf

I'm at mid-week week 6 and am sitting at 78kg at 10.2% bf. At the start of week 5 I was at 78.8kg at 10.2% bf but when it came to weighing in at the start of week 6 I had dropped to 77.8kg. Now I'm curious as to whether the minor weight gain/bodyfat loss has been due to water weight (I loaded creatine in week 2 and am now maintaing at 5g a day) and good dieting and perhaps the test hasn't even really hit me at all? The thought of bunk gear has crossed my mind but the stats I'm seeing are all very borderline in my interpretation. I thought I would ask here to get a more experienced opinion?

I do have a more extensive log that I've kept if necessary.

[vinzz89]

I thought I'd post the full log here for anyone interested.

Starting stats: 76.9kg at 12.8% bf

Day1
No initial reactions. Accidently applied sideways pressure to needle while injecting causing pinching sensation. Typical injection soreness in right glute started the following day.

Day4:
No initial reactions. Forgot to aspirate . Executed smoothly otherwise. Spot of blood upon dabbing. Managed to get a cramp in my lower abs as I was twisting around to inject. Felt slight tingling through left side of body - unsure if this is just placebo.

Week2: 77.2kg at unknown bf

Day8:
No initial reactions. Executed smoothly. Minor spot of blood upon dabbing. Experienced a day of 100% mood/feeling a day or so ago, but have been feeling normal since - not sure if placebo. Also been experiencing minor flu like symptoms - minor headaches, blocked nose etc

Day11:
Slight pinch sensation as injecting. Moved around a lot so could cause a bit of soreness in days to come. Minor bleeding after removing injection. Been feeling 'confident' and 'driven' on and off. Erections, when they do come are rock solid. Forehead/face seems to be more oiler than usual. Not sure if placebo or if Test is kicking in. I do feel alot more 'awake' - could just be that I added a coffee in the evenings too. Not feeling depressed or lethargic as I did previously.

Week3: 76.8 kg at unknown bf

Day15:
No initial reaction, painless. Slight dab of blood upon exit. Been experiencing oily skin, slight acne on face and around arms. Pumps and energy levels in gym have been great. Been feeling very confident and positive despite a few life problems. Erections have been very hard when they occur. Aggression when angry seems to be constant but elevated - definitely controllable.

Day18:
No initial reaction. A little bit of movement while injecting. Expect mild soreness. Minor dab of blood. Pumps have been great in the gym. Vascularity increasing and bodyfat is clearly dropping - muscle seems to be taking its place. Minor weight gain. Started creatine load on 10/08/15.

Week 4: 77.9kg at 10.2% bf

Day22:
No initial reactions. Painless entry. Smooth injection and minor dab of blood upon exit. Pumps have been fantastic in the gym. Vascularity, and muscle definition definitely are increasing. Measurements show growth and weight gain has started - possibly due to creatine load. Acne has reduced - back under control. Confidence/aggression has returned to normal - not feeling 'sharp' anymore - perhaps body has developed a tolerance? Still yet to experience strength gain. Bodyfat also continues to drop. No other noticeable side effects.

Day25:
No intial reactions. Painless entry. A bit of blood on exit. Oily skin on and off - generally taking two showers a day when I've been sweaty. Anger is explosive when I am angry. Aggressive/confidence feeling has gone - perhaps due to recent negative moods. No strength gains as yet but pumps and vascularity continue to increase. Creatine bloat has begun - weight seems to be increasing - possibly due to creatine. Lots of tummy upsets lately - may need to reduce liquid supplements to allow body to heal.

Week5: 78.8kg at 10.1% bf

Day29:
No intial reactions. Painless entry. A spot of blood on exit. Oily skin has been on and off. No apparent acne - the odd pimple here and there. Diet has been below what it has been in the previous weeks. Pumps have been good and weight seems to be consistently increasing now. Bodyfat continues to drop. Aggression/confidence seems normal. Libido has been comparatively low to when I was off cycle - a little surprised here.

Day32:
No initial reactions. Painless entry however needle moved around a lot. Could be a painful recovery. Oily skin and sweaty hands on and off. No apparent acne. Diet has been below what it has been in the previous week. Appears that I have put on a bit of body fat. Did not observe any good pumps this week however weight seems to be increasing consistently. Bodyfat seems to be increasing. Been feeling lethargic/tired most of this week - no aggression/confidence other than normal. Libido also has seemed lower than normal - with the exception of spikes. Been experiencing strong erections in my sleep.

Week6: 77.8kg at 10.2% bf

Day36:
A bit of a pinch upon entry - felt as if I almost hit a vein. However no blood upon draw - hence proceeded with injection. Minimal movement, smooth inject. A bit of blood upon exit dab (more than usual). Observed hairloss for the first time today - minor (20 or so strands). Woke up with hair on pillow. Minor acne on forehead. Been very stressed lately. Been significantly snappy - however minimal aggression in the gym. Confidence levels appear to be normal. Strength seems to have increased marginally. Weight loss observed (1kg) - very strange - could perhaps be due to poor dieting during the week. Bodyfat remains the same. Minimal oily skin - almost as if body has become immune to test.

Any insight or thoughts on my progress would really be appreciated guys! Is my gear bunk?

[solit1ea]

Interested to see what answers you get from this.....

How's your macro breakdown on your diet? Should be taking in quite a bit of protein (I'd say upwards of 40-50% with moderate carb consumption. Although I wonder if since your an ecto...)

I've never done a cycle but from what I've read usually this stuff kicks in after a week or three. Could be a "placebo effect" the first few weeks or so and now nothing? Could be fake gear? We'll see what the experts say

[Mr.BB]

So you are doing a cut on a 1st cycle?

Dont really understand why you want to cut at 77kgs, you barely have any muscles, cutting to see your bones?

Seems a waste as the 1st cycle is the one that gives most gains.

[vinzz89]

So you are doing a cut on a 1st cycle?

Dont really understand why you want to cut at 77kgs, you barely have any muscles, cutting to see your bones?

Seems a waste as the 1st cycle is the one that gives most gains.

I think you're mistaking what I've asked in my original post with what I've asked recently. It's my own fault really, I should have started a new thread altogether.

To clarify, I'm on a bulk at ~3200 calories a day consisting of 320/360/50 protein/carbs/fat.

What I'm asking for here is your opinion on my progress to date - from my log does it sound like I've mostly just put on water weight and that the 'sides' I've been experiencing have just been placebo or whether it sounds like bunk gear?

My concern was raised after observing that at week 6 alot of the 'sides' and the 'feel of being on something' went away and my pumps weren't as good as they had been. This could just be all in my head, but I wanted a second opinion. As mentioned previously, I've marginally gained weight and have also lost bodyfat since I started my cycle (through a very clean diet).

[Mr.BB]

I think you're mistaking what I've asked in my original post with what I've asked recently. It's my own fault really, I should have started a new thread altogether.

To clarify, I'm on a bulk at ~3200 calories a day consisting of 320/360/50 protein/carbs/fat.

What I'm asking for here is your opinion on my progress to date - from my log does it sound like I've mostly just put on water weight and that the 'sides' I've been experiencing have just been placebo or whether it sounds like bunk gear?

My concern was raised after observing that at week 6 alot of the 'sides' and the 'feel of being on something' went away and my pumps weren't as good as they had been. This could just be all in my head, but I wanted a second opinion. As mentioned previously, I've marginally gained weight and have also lost bodyfat since I started my cycle (through a very clean diet).

My bad, you are right, read 1st post.

Still in your log you are saying your bf lowered from 12 to 10%. You should have had at least 3 kilos of water weight, unless you are not eating enough carbs.

It is normal after the initial phase for us to get used to the testosterone , what I dont think its normal its such low weight gain. Bf% is kinda of subjective unless you are doing a dexa scan.

Either you are not eating enough or your gear is bunk.

[vinzz89]

I've just received my 6 week blood work back and the results are as follows:

Oestradiol = 299 pmol/L Ref. range (<161)
Testosterone = >50.0 nmol/L Ref. range (8.0 - 29.0)
SHBG = 38 nmol/L Ref. range (13 - 71)
Free testosterone = 1318 pmol/L Ref. range (198 - 619)

Looks like the gear is real, however by E2 seems high even whilst taking 0.25mg Adex EOD which probably explains why I'm not seeing any significant gains. Is anyone able to offer any advice? Shall I double my dosage of Adex to 0.5mg EOD?