First cycle in 20 years

[trainerjyms]

I have gone from 304 to 234 in the last year and been stuck there for some time. I have slowly started to creep back up and have decided I want to go hard before my 50th Bday in 13 months. I was thinking of just moving from the standard ECA that I have used for the last couple years and trying some T3 and maybe some Anavar to both kill the appetite and maintain some muscle while hitting the diet/training again.

Stats
48 yrs old
6'3" 235lbs 20%BF give or take
Personal trainer (so plenty of gym time and experience)
last cycle was in my late 20s using just some winny. useless attempt

Would starting on T3 for 6-8 weeks x 25mcg and then adding 40-50 mcg Var for 6 weeks with T3 be enough? I haven't got any PCT or anything yet either because I actually ordered the anavar without. Always understood it wasn't necessary if I was taking 40-50mcg but after reading around here I think I do. I'm not looking for huge gains, just really need to lean out, get stronger and in overall better shape.

Any other thoughts?

[MickeyKnox]

Welcome to the Forums.


I recommend you adjust your diet and reduce your Body Fat to around 15% before you begin your cycle. This will also reduce your likelihood of experiencing unwanted sides attributed to high E2 levels like, Erectile Dysfunction (ED), Acne, Raised Blood Pressure, Increased Heart Rate, Bloating, Cardio vascular Issues, Mood swings, changes to your Cholesterol Factors (HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC)...ect.

Excess fatty tissue is a huge proponent of Estrogen. "Adipose tissue can contribute significantly to the circulating pool of estrogens." You want your BF to be as low as possible before you begin your proposed cycle - very important! Read this clinical study…Estrogen production and action. [J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001] - PubMed - NCBI

And then head over to the Nutritional Forums and the Specialists in there will assist you in developing a solid diet that will reflect your intended goals and slim you down to a more suitable and safe BF%. Remember, your gains and body composition begin in the kitchen, not the needle.

Nutritional Forum

NUTRITION RESOURCE FORUM

[magic32]

Mickey's advice is solid as usual, so there is overlap in mine.

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Superb questions, and I like the way you think. However, there are some decisive flaws in your reasoning!

I have gone from 304 to 234 in the last year and been stuck there for some time. I have slowly started to creep back up and have decided I want to go hard before my 50th Bday in 13 months. I was thinking of just moving from the standard ECA that I have used for the last couple years and trying some T3 and maybe some Anavar to both kill the appetite and maintain some muscle while hitting the diet/training again.
Though Var is sometimes written about as being an appetite suppressant, it isn't. Generally speaking, all anabolic steroids increase hunger which helps them perform their primary goal of weight gain, and as a legitimate steroid Var is no exception. Even combining it with T3, which helps burn fat won't make this a weight loss stack. Fat loss and weight loss are not necessarily synonymous, though they can be with the right knowledge and application.

This segues nicely into your first flaw, you will gain...not lose weight with Anavar. When bb'ers take it (and other compounds) to cut, they manipulate diet and training variables to lean out but this is largely contingent upon the types, frequency, and amounts of foods consumed, and the kind of and frequency of training participated in...which primarily (along with estro levels, water retention, etc.) dictate lean muscle or massive muscle development. Steroids (even without training in bedridden clinical settings) were SPECIFICALLY designed to increase muscle/weight gain, and they do so quite well. So you can look forward to more weight, not less. You initially mentioned growing weary of the ECA stack and wanting to try this, but remember Var is an anabolic steroid, not an alternative weight loss supplement.

Stats
48 yrs old
6'3" 235lbs 20%BF give or take
Personal trainer (so plenty of gym time and experience)
last cycle was in my late 20s using just some winny. useless attempt

Would starting on T3 for 6-8 weeks x 25mcg
Firstly, Cytomel (T3) is not to be run without anabolic steroids , because it will catabolize both fat and muscle for stored energy. Thus in the absence of aas, T3 is counterproductive to bb'er training goals.

Secondly, supplementing 25 mcg/ed won't be enough to incite genuine metabolic enhancement, though some may be experienced. Daily dosages of higher than 50 mcg are required, most plateau at 75 mcg, which is often considered optimally safe, whereas some go higher.

and then adding 40-50 mcg Var for 6 weeks with T3 be enough?
40 mg/ed of Var, not "mcg", generally provides minimal anabolic results, though some choose lower dosages with reduced benefit. What it boils down to is, Var is a dose-dependent steroid, i.e. the higher the dosage the better the anabolic results. However, the 'Law of Diminishing Returns' kicks in at dosages greater than 80 mg of this steroid, so most users plateau right at 80 mg/ed. However, you are always encouraged to manipulate your dosages (within the parameters of safety) to find what best suits your goals. Regardless of dosage, be sure to divide it into two daily servings of at least eight (8) hours apart to sustain optimal blood serum concentrations of Anavar's in light of its very short half-life.

I haven't got any PCT or anything yet either because I actually ordered the Anavar without. Always understood it wasn't necessary if I was taking 40-50mcg but after reading around here I think I do.
This is a common misconception, but as clearly expressed above, Var is a legitimate anabolic steroid and as such warrants legitimate PCT.

I'm not looking for huge gains, just really need to lean out, get stronger and in overall better shape.
As a trainer you know that leaning out, is a product of diet. Nothing you take Clen, T3, Var, Test, is going to lean you out unless you tame that table. This appears to be a problem for you, not simply because you've plateaued at this weight, but also because your bf is higher than it should be, especially for someone whose vocation is indicative of training knowledge and time spent at in the gym. You should visit the Diet Forum on this website to overhaul yours, else your cycle will be far less rewarding. I won't argue your decision to run Var-only, but Test Is Best, and technically should be the foundation to any cycle...just making sure you know.

Any other thoughts?

Gotta run, but this should get you off on the right foot.

Best to you.

[MickeyKnox]

Magic filled all the gaps with that answer. Great coverage Magic.

[trainerjyms]

Ya I know my diet needs work. It's not a knowledge problem as much as a time management and effort problem. I am already tightening that as well as hopefully adding the T3 to speed things along and using the Var (40-50mg not mcg obv) to solve some of the catobolic nature of the T3. I am willing to lose muscle doing the T3 since I never have had much problem putting on size, I just find things are moving slow as an almost 50yr old and thought a little help would do the trick. Particularly since Tshirt weather is almost here. Would anyone suggest maybe using the T3 and test instead for now and then dropping the T3 adding the var later to get stronger after the cut?

[fit2bOld]

Offering an over 50 perspective. I started to looked good when my diet got good. You really are what you eat.
A test only cycle would be all I would recommend along with a great plan to eat properly.

[mrmida]

Welcome to the Forums.

I recommend you adjust your diet and reduce your Body Fat to around 15% before you begin your cycle. This will also reduce your likelihood of experiencing unwanted sides attributed to high E2 levels like, Erectile Dysfunction (ED), Acne, Raised Blood Pressure, Increased Heart Rate, Bloating, Cardio vascular Issues, Mood swings, changes to your Cholesterol Factors (HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC)...ect.

Excess fatty tissue is a huge proponent of Estrogen. "Adipose tissue can contribute significantly to the circulating pool of estrogens." You want your BF to be as low as possible before you begin your proposed cycle - very important! Read this clinical study...Estrogen production and action. [J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001] - PubMed - NCBI

And then head over to the Nutritional Forums and the Specialists in there will assist you in developing a solid diet that will reflect your intended goals and slim you down to a more suitable and safe BF%. Remember, your gains and body composition begin in the kitchen, not the needle.

Nutritional Forum

NUTRITION RESOURCE FORUM

Just read this whole article and was able to take about 3 sentences with me... I'm college educated but this still was in another language!

[trainerjyms]

Offering an over 50 perspective. I started to looked good when my diet got good. You really are what you eat.
A test only cycle would be all I would recommend along with a great plan to eat properly.

Ok, so I am getting my PCT as well as some aromasin and HCG and I am going to then go for a Test E "only" cycle first while taking a moderate amount of T3. The goal is to maintain as much while leaning out and I might backload with the Var since I already have it too. My diet is right on now since I am going back to IF with high protein/low carb and BCAA's preworkout. Gonna run about 500cals below maintenance over the week but cycling carbs post workout only.

Sound fair?

[trainerjyms]

Ok so I'm at 230 and at 18% when I switched the settings on my Tanita from "normal" to "athletic". I started taking the T3 at 50mcg a day for the last week and the Clen just showed up today, they are 50mcg tablets though. Gonna start the Clen by ramping up from 50mcg adding half pill a day till I think 100 ,112.5 or 125mcg if I can stand it for two weeks then take two weeks off. My Diet, cardio and training are on point, I promise.

I also have 20ml's of TestE to use( and Var but I know to wait) if I was worried about muscle loss as I get lower. Would anyone recommend a maintenance dose of Test to hold of the catabolic effect or should I wait for the BF% to get a little lower then run 200/250 twice a week to get some muscle back? MY main goal right now is to get leaner and down in weight a lot more. I'm not looking for size at this time, I can always work to get some back after. I have Clomid and Nolva to run either during and PCT if needed. I don't want to run enough to make gyno a large possibility and if someone suggests I can get an AI but I was hoping a TRT dose or slightly higher may not be an issue.