First Cycle, 22, Test only...suggestions please.

[tempest818]

Hi everyone. Sorry my first post has to be about me wanting to start a cycle but I was hoping for some guidance after doing my fair share of research and reading on the subject.

Stats: 22 yo, 200lb 5'10-11. I have recently, over the summer dropped down from 260 to a steady 202-200 and want to continue this cut up until 185-190.

My diet is accounted for and my workouts are spot on. i dont miss days and I dont mess with my diet. I have my morning cup of coffee reading articles on nutrition , training, and up until recently, AAS use. The reason I want to even cycle is purely because I love working out....I love the gym and I have a hardened mentality of doing what I have to do to get to where I want. What I want is to be an absolute monster. I have grown to love it and i feel as though it is the only thing I have put my heart into.

Considering I drop weight , and that nutrition and training is done correctly (which it most certainly is) , am I far too young to do a Test E only cycle? It would look like this:

500 MG Test E split to two doses a week
250IU HCG twice weekly (or bi weekly, ill have to read the protocol on it)
AI such as Arimidex EOD regardless of sides considering my BF isnt as low as it should be

and a standard Nolva Clomid PCT


I want you guys to consider everything is on point except for the fact that I have maybe another 20 lbs to lose before I cycle ...at my age...is this something that might set me back for good in the longrun? Im talking risks that would be for sure apparent for someone my age.

I believe that mentally I am ready and mature enough with my training to run one cycle; however, if you guys, who know much more than i do, tell me its a bad idea, I will not do it. I might add some pics later if i get to my PC.

Thanks again, much love!

[tempest818]

Sorry! This is a 12 week cycle...PCT 2 weeks after last Jab...HCG taken on cycle only.

[tempest818]

bump

[MrFreshmaker]

bump

I doubt anyone will give you feedback,cuz you're too young to cycle.

[tempest818]

I doubt anyone will give you feedback,cuz you're too young to cycle.

I dont need feedback, I know how to run it, I just wanted to know if I was too young to go ahead with it...

[The Deadlifting Dog]

Not only are you too young but I would guess that you don't have a decent base yet.
You just recently dropped 50 or so pounds so my guess is you haven't been working out intensely for very long.

[Mitch535]

It sounds like you still have a lot of natural progression to go. At your age you can still be an absolute beast. Max out your natural potential before sticking yourself. You'll get a lot more out of your first cycle if you do and you'll feel better about doing it

[tempest818]

You're right. I am nearing a 1000lb gym total which isn't where it should be. My workouts are high volume and intensity. And that is true mitch, I know that I can for sure get more naturally once I start a slow bulk, but i felt that a cycle would catapult me...

[NACH3]

In short your HPTA isn't fully matured yet - the age Endos suggest/or offer there opinions to cycling would be that by age 25 one's endocrine system is probably done maturing by then - so just learn the most important part of this and get your training and nutrition on point(it's what we all wish at your age we did) stick around and learn - by the time you can make some huge strides natty still and be very thankful you did! GL

[tempest818]

Alright then, thanks for all the replies guys, I was pretty dead set on running just one cycle but I guess I'll hold off on it until I get older. I'm not going to lie, another big factor as to WHY I wanted to do it was to be able to train for longer periods of time...I'm not kidding when I say I look forward to and actually enjoy going to the gym. I like to train with volume and intensity and I figured it's going to be detrimental to my gains after a certain point and that gear would allow me to do what I love doing without having to worry about training for too much intensity at the volume I train at. But anyways, thanks again...!

[marcus300]

There isn't an exact age were we all stop developing and growing because this is determined by our genes and DNA, we are all genetically programmed individually and we inherit our genes from our parents. To give an exact age we stop growing would be incorrect because everyone's genetic blueprint is different.The main development of our bodies is up to the age of 21yrs of age but this can vary between individuals. There are parts of our bodies what carry on developing and adjusting slowly up until the age of 25yrs old, an example of this is the brain. The Endocrine system is a part of the brain what is very complex and keeps our bodies in a homeostasis state. Our testosterone levels start raising and roughly peak around 25yrs old and then start to slowly decline, so even though some of us may have stopped growing at the age of 21yrs old, others may still be developing up until the age of 25yrs old.

I have recently spoken to my Endo regarding this matter and he tells me that the HPTA is very sensitive and as many pathways how it regulates the human body, he states steroids disrupt the normal balance of hormones in the body which can cause reversible and irreversible changes at any age but risks are far more if you administrate exogenous androgens during development, this will put you in a very unnatural environment at a crucial time and your hormones should be treated with care especially in the early stages of maturity. The adverse effects can be erratic behaviour of the HPTA and potentially therapy when your older.

I did ask him what age he would think would be the safest as far as risk to damages and he said many endocrinologist suggest full maturation is reached by 25 years of age and this would also give the HPTA time to be established with your natural hormone balance and patterns. I personally feel 24-25yrs old would also be ideal starting point to get bloodwrok drawn to see exact what your natural levels are before starting any kind of cycles and waiting till you have reach your testosterone peak would be a good starting point, for me there is to much evidence over the forums and what I've seen personally over the last 25yrs I've been bodybuilding. Obviously it isn't going to be all 19- 21yr old bodybuilders who suffer side effects what are irreversible but I am edging on the side of caution what age I advice to the newbies.
Marcus

[Mitch535]

You're right. I am nearing a 1000lb gym total which isn't where it should be. My workouts are high volume and intensity. And that is true mitch, I know that I can for sure get more naturally once I start a slow bulk, but i felt that a cycle would catapult me...

It would catapult you. You are right. But it will cause you problems later on. At 22 years old your body is still maturing in subtle ways that you may not be noticing now, but tampering with at this point will cause noticeable issues later in life. And I know at your age you want to live for today, but trust me (I just turned 30...) you'll eventually want to start living for tomorrow. No one wants to be a broken man in his 50s because of poor choices made in your 20s. You're going to make a shitload of bad decisions as a 20 year old anyway, I wouldn't compound it with something you could have prevented with some forethought.

You're actually in a great position to develop a 5 year plan. That would be my suggestion. Make a plan for goals you'd like to achieve each year for a 5 year span.
Year 1 - this is the easiest to plan because it's the most immediate. Where do you want to be when you're 23 years old?
Year 2 - You'll be 24 years old. You'll have a couple years of working out and dieting under your belt. You'll look like a beast. Results will slow down, but be much more defined and evident. Where do you see yourself at this point?
Year 3 - You'll be 25. You'll be around the age you could start considering your first cycle, if your bloodwork looks good and you've truly slowed on getting natural results. BUT, you'll have 3 years of hard work, a strong body and a good foundation to work with if that is the case.
Year 4 - Dream about where you'd be after a cycle.
Year 5- Maybe you're just coming off a second cycle as a strong 27 year old man. Seems like a long time from now, but it's not, and if you know where you want to be ultimately, it makes it much easier to plan your journey. You gotta know where you're going before you can figure out how to get there!

That goes for life too. It's never too late to start a 5 year plan for your financial goals, education, or anything else that you may want to improve in. Have a goal, develop the plan, and adjust for life until you get to where you want to be. You'll be one of the few young men with drive instead of wandering aimlessly through your 20s and wondering what the hell happened when you're 30 and not where you thought you'd be.

[Mitch535]

Alright then, thanks for all the replies guys, I was pretty dead set on running just one cycle but I guess I'll hold off on it until I get older. I'm not going to lie, another big factor as to WHY I wanted to do it was to be able to train for longer periods of time...I'm not kidding when I say I look forward to and actually enjoy going to the gym. I like to train with volume and intensity and I figured it's going to be detrimental to my gains after a certain point and that gear would allow me to do what I love doing without having to worry about training for too much intensity at the volume I train at. But anyways, thanks again...!

I get where you are coming from. When I was a personal trainer I had several clients develop the same feeling that you have, but my feelings are that there are two types of people in the gym- those who lift for the gym, and those who lift for their time out of the gym. By that I mean, you could be the guy that goes to the gym, gets big, and does nothing with it other than look good. Or, you could be the guy who goes to the gym, gets big or fit, and then has a hobby or a sport. Want to be strong? Take up powerlifting. Want to get big? Take up competitive body building. Want to be fit? Take up running or MMA or boxing or rock climbing.

It makes your time in the gym mean a lot more when you are training for something more than just looking at your own self in the mirror.

Just my opinion.

[tempest818]

You're right Mitch...I'll be honest, I'm probably not going to cycle in the future if I'm not going to now...possibly at 25 but I dont know where I'll be by then...hopefully with the same attitude and fire for improvement. I'm just youre average 22 year old who wants to be bigger than the rest of my age group and I feel like i am in my prime now and NOW is when I really want to shine. It's still summer break for me so I understand why I have the time and drive to give so much thought to this (because I have absolutely nothing else to do), but I don't want it to change. I probably have some room for improvement...my LBM is probably 155ish and I've never done a bulk in my life...I've always been fat until now and now that I had the chance to do it I wanted to go in guns blazing lol.

I appreciate the help and suggestions very much!

But just out of curiosity, assuming my LBM is near 155...and my training has always been on a cut, how much mass can I expect to add? Does it matter that my training has never been on a bulk and that I never truly aimed at packing on mass? I want an honest opinon, not one to get me to not cycle...im off that boat now lol. It's probably 300-400 dollars I can spend on something more important, like my damn rent.