Test and water retention

[apnutter]

Hey all, long time lurker. Im 35/m and have been training for 17years on and off. Took a hiatus due to life and kids. I have been training consistently for 3 years tracking macros and eating 3000 kcals a day which is slightly above my maintenance. BF% was 13% before hoping on cycle. After much research on this forum amongst other places, I decided to hop on a cycle of test cyp 500mg/per week split into 2 250mg doses. I take Arimidex .25mg eod. Pre bloods were good and everything was in "normal" ranges. My question is, in 5 weeks I have added about 15lbs, mostly water weight. I don't know to increase AI to .5mg eod or to take .5mg on injection days only or to ride out the water weight gain and see where it goes. I have no other symptoms of high e2. I've read that test can cause water retention but not sure what is normal.

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[DinAZ]

Sounds like you know what you are doing. I don’t like to take AI as much as you but if your getting so much water retention I can see why you would take it EOD.

I have gone from 235 to 225 in less than 48 hours just by sweating and taking 1/4th an AI. It concerned me early on when I lost some weight then gained 8lbs in a day but I’m not worried about it anymore.


I am on 400mg test-e split 2x a week so fairly similar to your dose. I don’t know your height/weight but holding some water is normal.

Are you having any edema or any problems with swelling? Are you consuming a lot of salts? I’d cut down on salts if possible.I think water retention is just part of the game.

SampsonAndDelilah recommended using tape measure to track gains on cycle instead of relying solely on scale which seems to be great advice.

[apnutter]

No. I'm not noticing the bloat or swelling. I'm still just as vascular as pre cycle. I'll tinker with diet and may experiment with carb cycling as well as cutting as much sodium as possible. I had a weekend get away and indulged in A LOT of food this past weekend. That most likely had something to do with most recent gain on scale. I'll ride this out and see where it plateaus.

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[XnavyHMCS]

Sounds like you know what you are doing. I don’t like to take AI as much as you but if your getting so much water retention I can see why you would take it EOD.

I have gone from 235 to 225 in less than 48 hours just by sweating and taking 1/4th an AI. It concerned me early on when I lost some weight then gained 8lbs in a day but I’m not worried about it anymore.


I am on 400mg test-e split 2x a week so fairly similar to your dose. I don’t know your height/weight but holding some water is normal.

Are you having any edema or any problems with swelling? Are you consuming a lot of salts? I’d cut down on salts if possible.I think water retention is just part of the game.

SampsonAndDelilah recommended using tape measure to track gains on cycle instead of relying solely on scale which seems to be great advice.

I would second everything which DinAZ wrote here (see bro... the duality of man on full display, "visible, to the naked eye", vis a vis a moi... sorry for the roid rage induced reply to your reply on the other thread, I am only human).

You might want to consider / research Masterone E/A as a substitute for AI. I was recommended this by a past guru here on the board, and it works like the bomb. Hardens you up nicely for the summer months, which are rapidly waning... Check it out...!!!

In my many years of experimenting with AAS, I have seen guys reacting differently to the same drug. Each body may, or may not, react a bit differently. Hence your water retention from Test. If you are experiencing water retention with Test, wait till you throw in some Dbol to the mix.

Watch the salt intake, as advised and good luck.

[DinAZ]

Sounds good. You seem like you know what you are doing. I eat pretty clean normally but on the weekends I’ll eat out once or twice. I didn’t really think about it but it was a Monday when I gained 10lbs in 2 days so your idea about eating out could be spot on.

You seem self-aware about your body so I think you will be good.

[DinAZ]

I would second everything which DinAZ wrote here (see bro... the duality of man on full display, "visible, to the naked eye", vis a vis a moi... sorry for the roid rage induced reply to your reply on the other thread, I am only human).

No need to be sorry I was just a bit irritated by the amount of troll questions lately but that’s my issue not yours. But at least there are threads like this with real people with real questions wanting help.

[magic32]

I've read that test can cause water retention but not sure what is normal..

Two good points.
Longer esters do promote water retention (WR) as part of the muscle building process, and there is plenty of research to support this fact. If you'd like to look it up, check out PubMed - the U.S. biomedical and life sciences Dbase. This is why Prop is preferred when cutting and Cyp/Enth when bulking, shorter esters incite this phemenon to a noticeably lesser degree - also in the journal research.

However, one of the single biggest and often most overlooked culprits in WR is sodium intake (and to a lesser degree sugar intake), especially HIDDEN sodium. Pay special attention to, and reduce your levels for optimal results. Moderating this nutrient is central to that coveted dry/dialed in appearance.

To your other point, normal is different for everyone. As your cycle experience grows, you'll learn what to expect from your physique (your normal), and how best to drain water from your system. DO NOT USE WATER PILLS as they wreak havoc on your fluid levels, which promotes excessive cramping and can cause other undesirable effects. The aforementioned compounds (Winny, Mast, Primo, etc.) are good ones for this condition, but ULTIMATELY, as many a good bb'er will attest, it comes down to sodium.

Best to you.