Frustrated lifter, ready for first cycle. Please critique

[JCUSN]

I’m 34 and I’ve been on TRT for a year. I take 50mg Test Cyp x2 per week (100mg total), and 200iu HCG x3 per week (600iu total). This gives me total T of ~850 during my low point, and sensitive estradiol count of 36.

Prior to TRT, my levels were ~620, however my free T levels were low due to high SHBG. My doc said TRT wasn’t entirely necessary, but said I could try to see how I feel. I’ve been up and down with my experience, and I’m ready to try to quit TRT and use clomid to get back to my old levels, but I want to maybe do a Test Cyp cycle first.

Been lifting steadily for 4 years, and I’ve put on about 12 pounds. I’m 34 years old, 5’10”, and I now weigh 155 pounds. I work out with a 5 day split, and I do HIIT cardio 3 times a week. I’ve really hit a plateau here.

I’m currently on an 80f/210c/180p diet. I’ve gone higher than that, but it seems I just instantly start gaining body fat with minimal muscle/strength increase. Maybe it’s my age? Maybe I’m small naturally and this my natural best size?

Anyway, I’m planning to run test Cyp at 400mg a week for 8 weeks and HCG split into 3 weekly doses of 300iu. With my estradiol at 36 on 100mg per week, should I take arimidex with this cycle as well? If so, at what dose?

For PCT, I plan to just immediately jump into my HPTA restart and not return to my TRT dosage. Clomid-only at 25mg ED for 8 weeks is what my doctor recommended. Any thoughts on this?

Should I even run a cycle at all at this age/height/weight?

Thanks a lot for your help, everyone! Cheers.

[Ernst]

What's your BF%?

Can we see a more detailed workout split and diet?

Off the top of my head I'd say you train too much and eat too little.

[JCUSN]

What's your BF%?

Can we see a more detailed workout split and diet?

Off the top of my head I'd say you train too much and eat too little.

Sure, man.

Body fat percentage sits at around 10%. I do m-f workouts. Chest day, back day, legs, shoulders, arms. I throw in 10-15 cardio in each day. I do anywhere from 18-22 sets per muscle group, with reps between 8-15. Saturday and Sunday are rest days.

Thanks!

[GearHeaded]

so you started off at 5'10" tall and 143 pounds . . and after 4 years of lifting you ONLY put on 12 pounds, and so 155 today ??
AND that is with optimized testosterone levels ?

now thats the definition of a "hard gainer" -- I've got regular average joes that join my gym and I train them and put 12 pounds on them in 4 weeks, let alone 4 years!!! theres something wrong with this picture, or your training or your diet.

I’m currently on an 80f/210c/180p diet. I’ve gone higher than that, but it seems I just instantly start gaining body fat with minimal muscle/strength increase

your only eating 2200 calories per day, YET your training 5 days per week plus doing cardio. your eating like a bikini girl. not even close to enough to be adding size and muscle. I'd add 1500 more calories to that just to start, maybe more.
IF you say you start eating more and you just get fat, I say BS, you don't even know what fat is your 10% body fat, which means your ripped with a defined 6 pack. its not big deal to add some fat when trying to put on muscle.
it could be that you just don't partition nutrients very well. thats an easy fix, you may just need to change the timing of the foods that you eat and the way you eat, and then perhaps add in something like Metformin.

it could be your eating a majority of your carbs at times of the day that are not near your workout, thus your not insulin sensitive. it could be you eat most your fat at the same time you take in your carbs. lots of different factors , but prob easily fixed.

the main issue is you do not eat enough at all , period. for someone who weight trains 5 days a week and wants to put on size

[JCUSN]

so you started off at 5'10" tall and 143 pounds . . and after 4 years of lifting you ONLY put on 12 pounds, and so 155 today ??
AND that is with optimized testosterone levels ?

now thats the definition of a "hard gainer" -- I've got regular average joes that join my gym and I train them and put 12 pounds on them in 4 weeks, let alone 4 years!!! theres something wrong with this picture, or your training or your diet.



your only eating 2200 calories per day, YET your training 5 days per week plus doing cardio. your eating like a bikini girl. not even close to enough to be adding size and muscle. I'd add 1500 more calories to that just to start, maybe more.
IF you say you start eating more and you just get fat, I say BS, you don't even know what fat is your 10% body fat, which means your ripped with a defined 6 pack. its not big deal to add some fat when trying to put on muscle.
it could be that you just don't partition nutrients very well. thats an easy fix, you may just need to change the timing of the foods that you eat and the way you eat, and then perhaps add in something like Metformin.

it could be your eating a majority of your carbs at times of the day that are not near your workout, thus your not insulin sensitive. it could be you eat most your fat at the same time you take in your carbs. lots of different factors , but prob easily fixed.

the main issue is you do not eat enough at all , period. for someone who weight trains 5 days a week and wants to put on size

Thanks for your reply, man. The 12 pounds was not with optimized test levels. I’ve only been on TRT for the last year, and made some appreciable gains with that, but those have diminished now.

I know my calories, and yes, just as you said...it’s because I feel I always just gain fat once I up them. It drives me nuts because it seems it all goes straight to my face and I walk around looking horrible.

For nutritient partitioning, I typically have steady fats throughout the day, then a slightly larger amount at night. I have carbs low throughout the day, but largest amounts before and after workouts. Protein is steady through the day and comes from whey/casein blend, lean steak, chicken thighs/breast, and salmon.

Does that sound about right?

Do you think doing a cycle is not a good choice? If I do the one I outlined above, does it sound like a good cycle? I plan to eat like a monster if I cycle since I know fat gain won’t be as pronounced and it’s just for a short period.

Thanks!

[AlphaMindz]

Try doing one day on, one day off. Or two days on, one day off. A buddy of mine recently was stuck and unable to make any gains so i told him to take a day off after every workout and make his worlkouts more intense. More super sets and drop sets and then rest properly to recover. In just a few weeks he's made some noticeable gains!

Another thing you can try is adjusting your macros to more fat and less carbs. I've seen guys lose bf and still build size by increasing the energy content from fats and lowering carbs since they impact your blood sugar and can have a greater effect on body composition.

[GearHeaded]

running a cycle will greatly enhance your nutrient partitioning. you'll drive a lot more glucose into muscle rather then storing body fat. so if your wanting to gain muscle and less fat, then YES running a cycle is going to optimize that.
sounds like you may also want to look into metformin and GDA's

an 8 week blast of 400mg of test is just fine, Imo. unlikely you'll need arimidex with that low of dose (especially if your trying to gain size), but definitely have it on hand as well as Nolva. get blood work 5 weeks in that way you know how you respond to that dosage of test.


as for your diet. only have your fats with one or two protein meals (no carbs) only .. then the rest of your meals should all be lean protein and carbs together. having fats throughout the day is not optimal and is more likely to be stored as body fat this way

[GearHeaded]

. I do m-f workouts. Chest day, back day, legs, shoulders, arms. I throw in 10-15 cardio in each day. I do anywhere from 18-22 sets per muscle group, with reps between 8-15. Saturday and Sunday are rest days.

this traditional one body part per week bro split is NOT ideal for someone your size. your really cutting yourself short and missing out on a lot of potential gains.

""yeah but don't the pros do one body part per week splits like this, and look at them"".

well the pro's are not 155 pounds the reason a lot of bigger guys will only do one body part per week is because they cause so much homeostatic stress on the one muscle group that they need a whole week to recover . you on the other hand likely do not.

heres an example-
pro chest day - he benches 495 for reps, he incline presses 180 pound dumbbells for reps
your chest day - you bench 185 for reps, you incline press 50 pound dumbbells for reps

now tell me who has done so much homeostatic damage to the chest and the CNS that you need a whole week to recover from it. obviously the pro. he's done 100x more volume. you on the other hand have done so little volume that your chest will recover in just a few days and will be ready to be trained again. by waiting so long to train it after its already recovered is just missing out on more potential growth.

I highly advise you try a training split where you hit multiple body parts per workout so that each body part is hit 2-3 times per week rather then just once per week.

[JCUSN]

running a cycle will greatly enhance your nutrient partitioning. you'll drive a lot more glucose into muscle rather then storing body fat. so if your wanting to gain muscle and less fat, then YES running a cycle is going to optimize that.
sounds like you may also want to look into metformin and GDA's

an 8 week blast of 400mg of test is just fine, Imo. unlikely you'll need arimidex with that low of dose (especially if your trying to gain size), but definitely have it on hand as well as Nolva. get blood work 5 weeks in that way you know how you respond to that dosage of test.


as for your diet. only have your fats with one or two protein meals (no carbs) only .. then the rest of your meals should all be lean protein and carbs together. having fats throughout the day is not optimal and is more likely to be stored as body fat this way

Thanks for the info! I think I’m going to probably move forward on the cycle, and do some thorough research on Metformin as well. I’ll have Adex and Nolva on-hand as needed. Do you really think I won’t need the Adex considering my estradiol is already 36 on just 100mg dose of Test Cyp? Will increase my test dose x4 not also increase estradiol x4?

[JCUSN]

this traditional one body part per week bro split is NOT ideal for someone your size. your really cutting yourself short and missing out on a lot of potential gains.

""yeah but don't the pros do one body part per week splits like this, and look at them"".

well the pro's are not 155 pounds the reason a lot of bigger guys will only do one body part per week is because they cause so much homeostatic stress on the one muscle group that they need a whole week to recover . you on the other hand likely do not.

heres an example-
pro chest day - he benches 495 for reps, he incline presses 180 pound dumbbells for reps
your chest day - you bench 185 for reps, you incline press 50 pound dumbbells for reps

now tell me who has done so much homeostatic damage to the chest and the CNS that you need a whole week to recover from it. obviously the pro. he's done 100x more volume. you on the other hand have done so little volume that your chest will recover in just a few days and will be ready to be trained again. by waiting so long to train it after its already recovered is just missing out on more potential growth.

I highly advise you try a training split where you hit multiple body parts per workout so that each body part is hit 2-3 times per week rather then just once per week.

Thanks for breaking this down. It makes total sense. Any specific recommendations on the split you mentioned to hit each part 2-3 times per week? If I design my own split, how many sets/reps each workout should it shoot for? Per week?

Thanks again, man!