32 and considering getting on test forever

I'm 32, been lifting since I was 15. I hit my genetic potential when I was 22. Since then I've been the same or smaller. One thing I realized is I never got the body I wanted. I look pretty big with a shirt on (I'm 6'2, 245 lbs), but I'm also carrying fat especially around the stomach and moobs. I think I'm about 18% BF.

I'm considering getting on testosterone and just staying on a "therapeutic" dose of 250 - 400 mg/week of Test E. At this dose I hope I don't need any anti-estrogens and I hope I don't retain too much water.

My concerns:
I have a slightly elevated blood pressure which I control with medicine. Resting BP is around 130/80 or slightly lower with a heart rate of 65.

For you guys who know your sh!t:

I am looking at cutting down to 225 lbs and maintaining around 10% BF. Considering that's a 20 lb drop from where I'm at now, I'm hoping that if I do get on Test I will be able to maintain a similar BP since I'll be lighter - even though I'll be on test.

My question:
Can I realistically expect to take a moderate dose of Test E and reduce the chance of most side-effects, including increased BP, decreased LDL, increased HDL with a very clean diet and lower body mass? I don't want to overcomplicate things and become a science experiment and I want to stay as healthy as possible.

thank you!

I can guarantee you that you did not hit your genetic potential at 22. You need diet and a workout plan not AAS.
IMHO your reasoning is incorrect which is causing you to make an incorrect decision. I would never recommend someone intentionally risking their natural test production by cruising.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I HAD to go on TRT around your age due to primary hypogonadism and now I am at 49. Being on TRT sucks, period! Having to take test every week ( two time a week) is just a pain. I wish I did not have to do it. So OP, think about what you are really asking yourself: Do I want to HAVE to be in TRT for the rest of my life?

Therapeutic does it not what you have listed. 400 mg is a light cycle and 250 is high on TRT. You need to get your bloodwork done and see where you are first and foremost. Do you have to take an AI on this type of dose? All depends, I didnt have to take one for years on trt then one day I had to. But at a higher dose of test means yes, yes you should be taking an AI. The other drug that you forgot is HCG, you will need to take it peroid if your going to be on TRT. You can go without it for a while but you will end up on it and there is something else to inject a couple of times a week. This is for the rest of your life.

If you are not sure about your BF then go get a scan to find out. Maintaining 10% BF is hard to do. You have to have a diet that is on point. I hate the word diet because it is not what I now know it to be. You have to change your eating HABBITS and know what fuel your putting in your body. Look up your TDEE and go from there to start to get cut.

Now think about costs of TRT. Needles, doctors offices, bloodwork, and perscriptions cost money. This adds up and when you change your eating habbits food will be much more expensive. Last thing, your BP might go up but now you can add more risks due to your cholostrol and a highter risk of heart related issues and BPH. You will be taking more meds now as well.

Hope this helps.

Thank you both for your inputs. In the past I wasn't very focused on diet, just mainly bulking. I honestly feel like my testosterone has dropped over the past few years. I don't feel as full in my chest and arms. I don't have as much energy. I have always worked out very intensely and knew what I was doing. Put it this way: people on steroids asked me what cycle I was on.

One thing I didn't mention is that I'm a pretty depressive person. I go up and down, but I stay down for long periods of time. For example now, I feel like complete sh!t. I work out, I eat healthy, etc. I've heard steroids help with depression.

Another thing is I have been getting a lot of joint aches. I can't flex my left bicep because my elbow kills. My hips are sore just from sitting all day. I have aches and pains here and there which are most likely related to lifting. I've been busting my ass in the gym just to maintain an OK physique. Nowhere near where I want to be. So I'm thinking, why am I destroying my joints lifting all this weight, when my body hasn't changed in a decade? Yeah, I can and will lose the weight and drop to about 12% lets say, but then I wont be happy with my size. I'll just look deflated.

I hear you on the dedication, time, and money it takes to be on TRT, but I honestly feel like I got nothing to lose. I don't have kids, don't have a wife, no longer have a GF... I'm just spinning my wheels and feeling like sh!t most of the time. And when I go out I see this kids 25 years old clearly on gear and I just get pissed. I work out harder than anyone in my gym but then I see the cliques of steroid users standing around in the gym, talking, hardly even lifting, and they're as big or bigger than me (and cut). So why try so hard if my body realistically won't change much at all? Believe me, I lift HARD. I sleep 8-9 hours. I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I eat a good healthy diet of complex carbs, vegetables, fish, chicken, and beef. Believe me, I've been obsessed with bodybuilding for the last 17 years - I pretty much know everything there is to know about working out (not trying to sound like a know-it-all but I've been researching and trying things for a long time).


Anyway, I figure I'm on the way down now as far as my natty test levels are concerned and my natty GH production. I'm not getting any younger and I just want to have that solid physique once in my life. I want to look like what I should look like for the effort I put in. Not that my body is chopped liver, but I don't want to just look good with a shirt on. I've seen guys get shredded from a simple cycle. When I cut I don't like how flabby my muscles get. We got one life, I just want to feel like THE MAN again. I'm not gonna live forever anyway, you know? Just want to do it as safely as possible. Knowing how depressive I get, I don't think I could cycle. That would put me in a suicidal state.

Sorry for the essay. I'm gonna cut the next few months and try to get my BF% down as low as I can get it. Then if I'm happy with my body, fine, but if I'm not, I think I'm gonna jump on something very moderate and see how it goes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Test Monsterone

Thank you both for your inputs. In the past I wasn't very focused on diet, just mainly bulking. I honestly feel like my testosterone has dropped over the past few years. I don't feel as full in my chest and arms. I don't have as much energy. I have always worked out very intensely and knew what I was doing. Put it this way: people on steroids asked me what cycle I was on.

One thing I didn't mention is that I'm a pretty depressive person. I go up and down, but I stay down for long periods of time. For example now, I feel like complete sh!t. I work out, I eat healthy, etc. I've heard steroids help with depression.

Another thing is I have been getting a lot of joint aches. I can't flex my left bicep because my elbow kills. My hips are sore just from sitting all day. I have aches and pains here and there which are most likely related to lifting. I've been busting my ass in the gym just to maintain an OK physique. Nowhere near where I want to be. So I'm thinking, why am I destroying my joints lifting all this weight, when my body hasn't changed in a decade? Yeah, I can and will lose the weight and drop to about 12% lets say, but then I wont be happy with my size. I'll just look deflated.

I hear you on the dedication, time, and money it takes to be on TRT, but I honestly feel like I got nothing to lose. I don't have kids, don't have a wife, no longer have a GF... I'm just spinning my wheels and feeling like sh!t most of the time. And when I go out I see this kids 25 years old clearly on gear and I just get pissed. I work out harder than anyone in my gym but then I see the cliques of steroid users standing around in the gym, talking, hardly even lifting, and they're as big or bigger than me (and cut). So why try so hard if my body realistically won't change much at all? Believe me, I lift HARD. I sleep 8-9 hours. I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I eat a good healthy diet of complex carbs, vegetables, fish, chicken, and beef. Believe me, I've been obsessed with bodybuilding for the last 17 years - I pretty much know everything there is to know about working out (not trying to sound like a know-it-all but I've been researching and trying things for a long time).


Anyway, I figure I'm on the way down now as far as my natty test levels are concerned and my natty GH production. I'm not getting any younger and I just want to have that solid physique once in my life. I want to look like what I should look like for the effort I put in. Not that my body is chopped liver, but I don't want to just look good with a shirt on. I've seen guys get shredded from a simple cycle. When I cut I don't like how flabby my muscles get. We got one life, I just want to feel like THE MAN again. I'm not gonna live forever anyway, you know? Just want to do it as safely as possible. Knowing how depressive I get, I don't think I could cycle. That would put me in a suicidal state.

Sorry for the essay. I'm gonna cut the next few months and try to get my BF% down as low as I can get it. Then if I'm happy with my body, fine, but if I'm not, I think I'm gonna jump on something very moderate and see how it goes.

---

Please do like DLP suggests. Get blood work. If you really need TRT then get the appropriate treatment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

250mg/wk to 400mg/wk is higher than TRT dose and there is a good chance you'll get gyno. So if you're on an AI and HCG forever, that means you're on a "forever" cycle. It is not healthy. If you wan to get on TRT, get blood work and see where you're at. Then you can self medicate accordingly.

Full blood work is your first step. Be sure the proper tests are conducted to include LH/FSH.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by David LoPan

I HAD to go on TRT around your age due to primary hypogonadism and now I am at 49. Being on TRT sucks, period! Having to take test every week ( two time a week) is just a pain. I wish I did not have to do it. So OP, think about what you are really asking yourself: Do I want to HAVE to be in TRT for the rest of my life?

Therapeutic does it not what you have listed. 400 mg is a light cycle and 250 is high on TRT. You need to get your bloodwork done and see where you are first and foremost. Do you have to take an AI on this type of dose? All depends, I didnt have to take one for years on trt then one day I had to. But at a higher dose of test means yes, yes you should be taking an AI. The other drug that you forgot is HCG, you will need to take it peroid if your going to be on TRT. You can go without it for a while but you will end up on it and there is something else to inject a couple of times a week. This is for the rest of your life.

If you are not sure about your BF then go get a scan to find out. Maintaining 10% BF is hard to do. You have to have a diet that is on point. I hate the word diet because it is not what I now know it to be. You have to change your eating HABBITS and know what fuel your putting in your body. Look up your TDEE and go from there to start to get cut.

Now think about costs of TRT. Needles, doctors offices, bloodwork, and perscriptions cost money. This adds up and when you change your eating habbits food will be much more expensive. Last thing, your BP might go up but now you can add more risks due to your cholostrol and a highter risk of heart related issues and BPH. You will be taking more meds now as well.

Hope this helps.

---

I assume I’ll be on this TRT shit for life and I haven’t been on it s long as you, but it doesn’t seem so bad SO FAR. I’ll take the pinning to feel like a normal human any day of the week.
What I find annoying is to always have to figure out the AI dosage so my E doesn’t go out of wack. That shit is annoying. I used to be terrified of needles and now I’m pinning myself twice a week. It can be annoyIng but I always try and see the positives in it all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chrisp83TRT

I assume I’ll be on this TRT shit for life and I haven’t been on it s long as you, but it doesn’t seem so bad SO FAR. I’ll take the pinning to feel like a normal human any day of the week.
What I find annoying is to always have to figure out the AI dosage so my E doesn’t go out of wack. That shit is annoying. I used to be terrified of needles and now I’m pinning myself twice a week. It can be annoyIng but I always try and see the positives in it all.

---

Might not want to go too crazy on the AIs. Jerry Brainum just posted this video a few hours ago, and he knows his sh!t:

https://youtu.be/Kma63UK8A3k