Noob's 1st Cycle Log

I just started my first cycle today (fiiiinally). Figured I'd do a log, mostly just because I want to, but also as a way of, I guess, showing others who are considering their first cycle, what it's like to do this for the first time. And for the veterans to have a laugh at all of my rookie mistakes and slip-ups :1laugh: I'll do my best to keep it updated regularly. So without further ado...

Nov. 4, 2019 – I took my first injection today. So far so good, but it was only a little over an hour ago. I feel that I need at least 2 days to be certain that nothing went horribly wrong. Everything seemed to be going about as smoothly as can be expected when it’s your very first time dealing with injectables. But once I got that needle close to my skin, I started freaking out. So I ended up getting tipsy on an empty stomach just to get me through it without my hands shaking too much. There goes my diet for today. I know that’s not the “right answer”, but I had to do what I had to do. My thought is that after the first time, it should get easier from there. I certainly hope so. I barely felt the pinch of the needle going in, then after that, everything was smooth sailing. Maybe the alcohol helped, idk. But it wasn’t painful. I used a 25G needle so I'm sure that helped too. I really didn’t expect it to be all that bad, but when it’s your first time ever sticking a needle in yourself, you’re GOING to be nervous…or maybe that’s just me. Idk. A decent bit of blood came out after I pulled the needle out so I braced myself for the possible “death cough” that supposedly comes with getting some into a vein. Luckily, that never occurred. I’m still slightly freaking out with the hypochondriac-ish thoughts of “What if I did something wrong and I end up with an infection?” and “This is highly concentrated gear so the PIP is probably gonna SUCK tomorrow” and “What about test flu?”. But I’ve read MUCH worse horror stories of first injections than what I went through today so far, so I’m hopeful for the best, even if I am acting like a lil’ bitch right now.

Edit: At the end of the day, my shoulder is hurting a bit more than before. If I stick my arm straight out to my side, it hurts to go any higher than perpendicular with the ground, but it’s perfectly bearable so far. I can put my arm all the way up without unbearable pain or anything. At this rate, I’ve got a slightly bad feeling about tomorrow, but this is about what I expected, considering I’m putting more highly concentrated gear (400/ml) into virgin muscle. Luckily, the way I’m dosing, I’m putting less than 1/2cc per injection, since I’m doing E3D instead of 3.5 due to my work schedule. 12-13 hour work days don’t make every 3.5 days very easy on a consistent basis.

Once you have the needle inside pull back on the plunger. If it flashes red with blood your in a vain.

Keep us posted. I am curious how it goes for you. I am completely new to this also. Planning my first cycle soon. What are you taking for your first cycle? My plan was only Test C then PTC ( HCG and Nolvadex and Clomid)

It's just a test E cycle. And I wouldn't use HCG for PCT. My understanding is that HCG mimics LH in order to keep your nuts working, but because of that, it's just as suppressive to your HPTA as test. So using HCG during you PCT would kind of nullify the PCT

From what I have read here is HCG can be used through a entire cycle. It can also be stared 6 weeks from end of cycle. I don’t believe it is suppressive to the HPTA. People take it the entire cycle to prevent Testicular atrophy. When taken for PTC it is suppose to boost the natural production of testosterone . HCG can be used as a fertility treatment for men. Hence it gets the body producing testosterone naturally during PCT.

I could be wrong. I have only been here for a week or so. Maybe someone else could chime in

Nov. 5, 2019 – During the first part of the day, the PIP didn’t seem to be much worse than it had been the night before. However, I had some numbness in my fingers on my left hand (same arm I injected in) for maybe the first 6-8 hours I was awake. I was able to do a back/bicep/forearm workout without any pain, literally almost forgetting that I had any PIP at all. The numbness was in and out, mostly in. But when the numbness went away for good, it was replaced by worse PIP. Where yesterday I could lift my arm perpendicular to the ground before feeling any pain, tonight, I can only lift it about 45° before the pain kicks in. And honestly, I feel at least a slight pain all the time now. But, based on what I got and that I’m new, this is about what I thought was going to happen. I know I can push through it, but it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens when it comes time to do chest/triceps/shoulders.

I’m seriously considering getting gear from another source during the cycle and going with something less concentrated, especially since I don’t really have to worry about not having what I need. Worst case scenario, I still have all test I need for the cycle and it’s just gonna hurt like a bitch for a while. But I also don’t want to waste what I already have. So we’ll see. If nothing else…lesson learned.

Mostly , the PIP kicks in anywhere between the night to the next day. Also, why don't just keep the site to the glutes, imo you shouldn't be injecting in your shoulder during first cycle. I too switched gear during cycle since the one that was giving me problems was quite thick oil.

you could easily pick up a couple bottles of just test E dosed at 250mg/ml , and save the test 400 you have for a future cycle when your no longer a 'virgin' . heck a bottle of test is only like $35

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Originally Posted by GearHeaded

you could easily pick up a couple bottles of just test E dosed at 250mg/ml , and save the test 400 you have for a future cycle when your no longer a 'virgin' . heck a bottle of test is only like $35

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Originally Posted by bobspix

Mostly , the PIP kicks in anywhere between the night to the next day. Also, why don't just keep the site to the glutes, imo you shouldn't be injecting in your shoulder during first cycle. I too switched gear during cycle since the one that was giving me problems was quite thick oil.

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Well I chose shoulders first because they're easier to reach and seem to be about as safe a location in terms of nerves and blood vessels as glutes. I'm honestly too scared to even do my thighs after everything I've heard with them. Either glutes or lats will be my next site, but I'm afraid with this kinda PIP, I won't be able to sit for a couple days if I hit glutes! But I've got (hopefully) better stuff on the way that might not be PIP in a bottle. Definitely not hitting my other shoulder yet though. I don't need BOTH shoulders hurting at once haha

Nov. 6, 2019 – For some reason I only got 4-5 hours of sleep, and woke up from what felt like a REALLY deep sleep, the kind of sleep where the dreams start getting...well...deep. It's VERY unusual for me to have a dream like that and then wake up on my own without an alarm or something. Around the middle of the day, the PIP was at its all-time worst. But by the end of the day, it’s actually started to get less painful. The numbness in my fingers never returned. Yesterday, the injection site was a little warm to the touch so I kept a cautious eye on it, and today the heat increased a little, but by now, the heat feels like it MIGHT have gone down from where it was earlier. So I think I’m past the worst of the PIP (for that injection). I think infection can be ruled out by this point. Just some harsh shit. I even felt slightly sick for a good portion of the day, with a very mild fever. But now, before bedtime, I actually feel pretty damn good.

I went ahead and ordered some more test from a brand with a better reputation and with a lower concentration. But 300 was the lowest concentration I could get without ampules from there. Dragon Pharma already has a reputation for PIP, supposedly due to high amounts of BA in their gear (I can't prove that though), not to mention high concentration in virgin muscle…I kinda gave myself the triple threat of PIP. I have no one to blame but myself I guess.

Nov. 7, 2019 – YOUCH!!! My shoulder actually started off slightly improved, but then throughout the day, got worse. I swear if I fly lands on my shoulder right now, I would cry. Okay I’m exaggerating….but shit fuckin hurts man! Swelling hasn’t gotten any worse though. It was never bad to begin with. My left shoulder just looks GOOD! But another person looking at me wouldn’t be able to tell the difference unless they were specifically looking for it. There’s the slightest amount of redness now, just enough that I almost thought it was my imagination. If anything, the heat at that area has actually gone down. I know I’m being paranoid about infection, but the paranoia is keeping my smart about my pinning, so I’ll embrace it.

I did my second pin today, this time in my left glute. No booze this time! But my hand was shaking like crazy, mostly because I’m not flexible enough to easily get that needle back there. Still had to psych myself up a little bit, but I never even felt it go in. But the PIP hit me even harder in the glute than it did in the shoulder! Walking sucks right now!! My next pin is supposed to be Sunday so I better have my new stuff by then, because I don’t think I can handle THREE spots being in this much pain. Yay for pain meds I didn’t use after my surgery. I knew it was gonna be bad, but I wasn’t expecting it to be THIS bad. But hey, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

You are worried about PIP too much bro, just enjoy the cycle :) I actually like PIP when it happens..

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Originally Posted by The God Himself

You are worried about PIP too much bro, just enjoy the cycle :) I actually like PIP when it happens..

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Im with you TGH, it reminds me that I’m in for a good ride. No different than post workout soreness, let’s me know I earned it.
Don’t overthink it bro, comes with the territory and you’ve no doubt already gone though the hard part. It’ll just keep getting easier...

I have to disagree. The PIP was so bad a couple days ago that walking was almost out of the question without pain meds. If it was just a little soreness that'd be one thing. But when it interferes with my ability to workout, let alone walk straight for days at a time because it feels like I have a porcupine in my ass cheek, it's doing more harm than good. But as you said...comes with the territory.

Nov. 8, 2019 – I got through the day with hydrocodone and ibuprofen. I was able to do chest and tris, but shoulders were COMPLETELY out of the question. Whoever said “suck it up” a while back, either A) Has never had bad PIP before (good for them), B) Is a troll or C) Is an idiot. It’s LITERALLY crippling. A cane would actually really come in handy right about now. Because I can’t move in any way that resembles a normal human without pain meds I’m not supposed to still have. And this is coming from someone who tore their pectoral tendon and walked it off....this PIP is WAY more painful than that torn tendon EVER was (not more painful than waking up from the surgery though). Granted, I made an idiotic decision with that stuff so I can’t really talk about anyone else being an idiot. Shoulder PIP is officially on the decline, but ass PIP is getting worse.

Nov. 11, 2019 – Lat injection gone wrong. Long story short, needle ended up coming out over halfway through the injection and I had to change needles and decided to put the rest of it in the non-virgin shoulder since it was already about 98-99% pain free and I’m gonna save my other shoulder for the new stuff.

The pain in my shoulder is downright bearable compared to last time. Maybe because less than half the injection went in there. Maybe it also helped that I warmed the oil. Because there is virtually NO PIP in my lat. Or maybe lats just aren’t as susceptible to PIP. Who knows.

Your cycle log is turning more into a Pip Log; focus on what matters... my 2 cents.

Good luck with it!

its like a bad trip.

just relax, pain will be there running test 400 on virgin muscles.

if u are really having to take pain meds after the injection then abort that gear bro or suck it up.

your pain is self chosen, you are worrying urself into pain. screw pain meds and take valium.

and GROW.

Can't say I've ever see someone inject into shoulders on a first cycle. T400 would not have been my choice either for Test

- Switch to MWF injections to lower volume per injection
- Inject in Glute or outer quad not shoulders

If that doesn't work get new gear.

NSAIDs are the devil when it comes to bodybuilding. It's going to negate a lot of your gains.

I agree with Windex here pretty much what id recommend also. Alternate injection sites as frequently as possible, test 400 was a bad choice try something like test e, c 200 or 250 next time... ive injected for years and i still get horrible pip if the gear is shit. Source has alot to do with it

Something you have to learn as you go with cycling... good luck

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Originally Posted by CALLMEOCT

Your cycle log is turning more into a Pip Log; focus on what matters... my 2 cents.

Good luck with it!

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You're not wrong. It was just so bad there for a while that it was hard to really focus on anything else. Like trying to focus on the moon when it's behind the sun (I know that would never happen, but you see my point).

And is there anything inherently wrong with shoulder injections on a first cycle? Other than all the blood that came out the last time I did it?....
Any recommended sites other than just glutes?

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Originally Posted by Arcânn

And is there anything inherently wrong with shoulder injections on a first cycle? Other than all the blood that came out the last time I did it?....
Any recommended sites other than just glutes?

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Only way your going to discover which injections site work best is to try them. I believe there are still instructional videos on how to inject into each muscle group on the website.

Only site I would not suggest is calves. Took me
months to master calf injections.

Delts are the easiest injection spots for me. That was the first place I ever injected. Arcan, you should have gotten less concentrated oils for the first time. I also have dragon pharma and I get no pip. I’m only doing 1 mL of a combination of steroids every other day. I didn’t see how much you were injecting or the gauge and length of the needle. 5/8 25 gauge works great for shoulders imo. Glutes need at least 1”. Pip was more aggressive the first time. Now I hardly feel anything. I forget where my last injection even was.

It is possible that you are pressing it in too fast. A 25 G needle is small for an oil. You have to press hard to get it to move but, when you do that, it jets out the other side and into the tissue.
1-try sub q
2- inject into quads and don't inject too fast/press too hard.

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Originally Posted by Quester

It is possible that you are pressing it in too fast. A 25 G needle is small for an oil. You have to press hard to get it to move but, when you do that, it jets out the other side and into the tissue.
1-try sub q
2- inject into quads and don't inject too fast/press too hard.

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Sub q test injection?

I would definitely not sub Q inject any gear that is causing PIP.
I would not inject more than 0.5ml oil sub Q.
I would inject pharma gear sub Q.
I would be wary of injecting any UGL sub Q.

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Originally Posted by The Deadlifting Dog

I would definitely not sub Q inject any gear that is causing PIP.
I would not inject more than 0.5ml oil sub Q.
I would inject pharma gear sub Q.
I would be wary of injecting any UGL sub Q.

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This. I made the mistake of subq with harsh ugl test. Yeah it hurt in the muscles, but it REALLY pissed off my skin. I almost thought that I had an infection until I realized that it was staying very local, and that a couple of Benadryl tabs knocked the swelling down.

It was almost identical to a hornet sting.

Yes if pip is bad in the muscle, it’s extra bad in the fat. I cannot pin more than .3-.4 mL without getting a painful lump.

Nov. 18, 2019 - The new gear I got was Pharmacom and it's been treating me much better. My first time using it still caused some PIP, but nothing on the level of Dragon. My 2nd injection with it caused little/no PIP at all. So that's pretty much behind me.

I never expected to feel a difference until at least 2 weeks in, but for most of the last week, I've felt a little bit of a difference. My mood's usually better, I over-think less and am slightly quicker to action, more confident in everything, and life just feels better. And interestingly enough, I'm actually quite a bit slower to anger than usual. If anything, roid rage is the opposite of what's happening, so fuck that myth. Although if I DID get mad, I could see how I'd possibly react a little more passionately. At first I thought it was just a placebo but I don't think so at this point.

But then comes the next issue...blood pressure. My normal BP is ~130/80. But only 2 weeks in and it's suddenly 166/94!!!!!! And that's WITH 10mg cialis/day! And I'm sure it's only gonna get worse. From my understanding, BP usually goes up more drastically on the first cycle than others, especially if you just continue using test, but this was worse than I was expecting. And my diet hasn't changed one bit, since I actually plan on cutting once this stuff really kicks in...which it may very well be time for. Hopefully a drop in weight will help things a little (kinda really glad I chose not to bulk now).

So your very first cycle is going to be used to cut? What are your current stats weight, height, bf % estimate, waist size? Also if you haven’t already posted what is your goal for this cycle?




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Originally Posted by Arcânn

Nov. 18, 2019 - The new gear I got was Pharmacom and it's been treating me much better. My first time using it still caused some PIP, but nothing on the level of Dragon. My 2nd injection with it caused little/no PIP at all. So that's pretty much behind me.

I never expected to feel a difference until at least 2 weeks in, but for most of the last week, I've felt a little bit of a difference. My mood's usually better, I over-think less and am slightly quicker to action, more confident in everything, and life just feels better. And interestingly enough, I'm actually quite a bit slower to anger than usual. If anything, roid rage is the opposite of what's happening, so fuck that myth. Although if I DID get mad, I could see how I'd possibly react a little more passionately. At first I thought it was just a placebo but I don't think so at this point.

But then comes the next issue...blood pressure. My normal BP is ~130/80. But only 2 weeks in and it's suddenly 166/94!!!!!! And that's WITH 10mg cialis/day! And I'm sure it's only gonna get worse. From my understanding, BP usually goes up more drastically on the first cycle than others, especially if you just continue using test, but this was worse than I was expecting. And my diet hasn't changed one bit, since I actually plan on cutting once this stuff really kicks in...which it may very well be time for. Hopefully a drop in weight will help things a little (kinda really glad I chose not to bulk now).

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You are way over thinking everything friend. 2 weeks in the Test hasn't even tickled your system. Add on to the fact you were using Decanoate for half the test dosage.

The blood pressure isn't even a concern. How do you even define your normal blood pressure ? Are you telling me for the last 26 weeks every monday morning you check your blood pressure ? Then every check came in at 130/80 +/- 5 points ? And if so are you controlling variables like fasted vs fed, mental acuity, stress matrix, etc ?

You know how to gaurentee your blood pressure will get worse? Simply by thinking it will get worse. That's the power of stress and anxiety.

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Originally Posted by balance

So your very first cycle is going to be used to cut? What are your current stats weight, height, bf % estimate, waist size? Also if you haven’t already posted what is your goal for this cycle?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I can't remember if I posted that here or in another thread, but unless I get on TRT, all of my cycles will be cutting. I'm not interested in putting on muscle I can't keep, which is all but a guarantee that I won't keep most of what I gain from one cycle to the next if I'm going the PCT route. I'd rather cycle in order to keep what I have while cutting, instead of cutting naturally and inevitably losing a fair amount of muscle in the process. Then bulk naturally and hope I can get back to the same weight but at a lower BF%. I know it's unorthodox to do a first cycle as a cut, but based on what I've been learning for the last year and a half before cycling, I simply don't see the sense in bulking if you're not on TRT or cruising. As for stats:

6'2"
215-216 LBS
Probably 16-18% BF
I've never once measured my waist, but size 32-34 pants tend to fit me the best in the waist.

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Originally Posted by Windex

You are way over thinking everything friend. 2 weeks in the Test hasn't even tickled your system. Add on to the fact you were using Decanoate for half the test dosage.

The blood pressure isn't even a concern. How do you even define your normal blood pressure ? Are you telling me for the last 26 weeks every monday morning you check your blood pressure ? Then every check came in at 130/80 +/- 5 points ? And if so are you controlling variables like fasted vs fed, mental acuity, stress matrix, etc ?

You know how to gaurentee your blood pressure will get worse? Simply by thinking it will get worse. That's the power of stress and anxiety.

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Well I don't disagree, but I'd rather overthink than underthink when it comes to this. No, I didn't check BP for 26 weeks straight before cycling, and I'm not sure all of THAT would've been necessary, but I did check it on a pretty regular basis, and for the week before I started, I was checking 1-3 times a day just to be sure. I did notice that it was generally lower after waking up and generally higher after a workout or meal, but the variations were usually very small. The lowest I ever saw it was 128/79 and the highest it got was 144/81, but the doorbell unexpectedly rang in the middle of the check so I blame that. But other than that, the worst I ever saw it was 141/81 and that was immediately after a workout, so I figured that's maybe not the best time to check my BP. I will admit, I wasn't very diligent with checking once I started because I simply thought it was too soon for it to be doing anything. I didn't check it until I was already a week in and it showed 147/83. I was a little surprised but didn't think anything of it. I checked a couple days later and it was 155/87 and I started to worry because that's a FAST increase and I've been back to checking 1-3 times ever since. So yeah, worrying probably made it worse...but I think it would be HIGHLY irresponsible to not be worried if less than 2 weeks in your BP is significantly higher than you've ever seen while you're already taking precautions. The last person I know who decided not to worry about it is currently out of work on medical leave for the last 3-4 months, specifically due to BP related issues, or so he tells everyone anyway. He's also like 46-47 years old and eats like an asshole and has been on gear for longer than I've known him.

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Originally Posted by Arcânn

but unless I get on TRT, all of my cycles will be cutting. I'm not interested in putting on muscle I can't keep, which is all but a guarantee that I won't keep most of what I gain from one cycle to the next if I'm going the PCT route. I'd rather cycle in order to keep what I have while cutting, instead of cutting naturally and inevitably losing a fair amount of muscle in the process. Then bulk naturally and hope I can get back to the same weight but at a lower BF%. I know it's unorthodox

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I’ve heard basic phrases like “the look is rented” but can’t a reasonably sizeable amount of muscle loss be mitigated via diet during the PCT protocol and that a majority of the weight loss be attributable to lessened water retention and glyocen?

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Originally Posted by Arcânn

I can't remember if I posted that here or in another thread, but unless I get on TRT, all of my cycles will be cutting. I'm not interested in putting on muscle I can't keep, which is all but a guarantee that I won't keep most of what I gain from one cycle to the next if I'm going the PCT route. I'd rather cycle in order to keep what I have while cutting, instead of cutting naturally and inevitably losing a fair amount of muscle in the process. Then bulk naturally and hope I can get back to the same weight but at a lower BF%. I know it's unorthodox to do a first cycle as a cut, but based on what I've been learning for the last year and a half before cycling, I simply don't see the sense in bulking if you're not on TRT or cruising. As for stats:

6'2"
215-216 LBS
Probably 16-18% BF.

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this is not a bad strategy at all . I actually strongly recommend cutting as the most important time to run gear, and that bulking can be done naturally or at least on TRT or lower dosages. I don't think your strategy is "unorthodox" at all . its what bodybuilders have done for the last 50 years. they take AAS when on contest prep (ie cutting) and come off gear when not in contest prep.

however, in your current situation I don't see why multiple cutting phases would even be necessary. your already only 16% body fat. it should take you only ONE 12 week cycle to get shredded.

I suppose the reasoning is that after you get shredded , your going to want to bulk again ? but why? if your goal is to be more muscular why are you trying to get so lean in the first place if your not competing. why spend 12 weeks and running gear to get lean and doing all that hard work and dieting if your just going to go natty after wards and fatten back up . serious question

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Originally Posted by Chark

I’ve heard basic phrases like “the look is rented” but can’t a reasonably sizeable amount of muscle loss be mitigated via diet during the PCT protocol and that a majority of the weight loss be attributable to lessened water retention and glyocen?

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coming off cycle you will most certainly lose glycogen and water retention and thus lose weight. not necessarily lose actual muscle tissue, just muscle fullness due to AAS super compensation effects no longer working in your favor . a calorie surplus and high carb diet can certainly mitigate this to a small degree (coming off cycle and running HGH and Insulin is a good idea to mitigate this even further).

but , if your off cycle and your cutting, you will no doubt lose muscle . period. in order to lose fat your body has to go into a catabolic state (fat burning is catabolic) and muscle loss will most certainly occur.. only in the presence of AAS that have muscle and protein sparing capabilities can you cut and not lose muscle.

which is why cutting phases are generally the most important times to be on cycle , which is what OP is doing

Sorry I've been pretty much a ghost on this forum for a while. I've just had quite a bit going on but honestly, there isn't really all that much to update on yet.

BP has more or less normalized. It's still a little on the high end, 140's/80's shortly after I wake up, but no great cause for concern, all things considered. I plan on working on that a bit more though.

I feel like my muscles look a little more "full", but not necessarily "bigger". The tape measure only has me at 1/16" bigger around the bicep, but I look more cut maybe? Everything just seems to "pop out" a little more than it did before, and that's with no change to diet.

But now that I'm seeing results and definitely "feeling" results in terms of strength, mood, all that good stuff, it's seems like the right time to start cutting calories.

Acne is definitely more present, but nothing really notable. I expect that to be worse during/after PCT.

Ever since I started warming the oil first, PIP is completely non-existent. At worst, I'll get SLIGHT soreness the next day, and that's about it. As far as I know, there's no scientific evidence to support the idea of warming the oil to reduce PIP, but it's working wonders for me, even in virgin muscle.

Even if muscle weren't a factor, I can tell I'm going to be hesitant to come off this stuff because MAN it feels good. Way better than any other drug or substance I've ever used in my entire life. I see why people choose to stay on rather high TRT doses/cruises.