Dsurfr's 1st Cycle Log

[Dsurfr]

Hello, all.

I started my first cycle yesterday and want to keep a log of all my experiences. Here is my stack:

1cc T400 every 4th day
50mg Dbol daily

I took the advice of this website to heart and decided to start with a basic Testosterone/Dbol cycle. That way, I can gauge my body's tolerance.

Day 1:

Age: 35
Height: 5'10"
Starting weight: 180 lbs
BF%: 13% (3-point caliper test)
Years Lifting: 16

I wiped down the top of the T400 vial with alcohol and then drew a little over 1cc. I then changed the needle (the original one is dulled when passed through the rubber), disinfected a spot in my right butt cheek, and injected there. There was no pain and no blood.

- Newbie Mistake 1: I pulled the needle out too quickly. I noticed that there was oil still sticking to it. I read that I should leave it in for about 15 seconds after the injection to let that absorb. I'll do that next time.

I also took my first tab of dBol. I was told to chew it a few times before swallowing to aid in the digestion. I did so and noticed that there was no bitter chemical flavor, but it almost had a sweetish flavor. I wonder if this is normal? Or are these bunk pills?

After about an hour, I hit the gym and worked chest and triceps. That workout was pretty normal.

Day 2:

This morning, I took another tab of the dBol. I then went in and hit Back and Biceps. I did not notice any immediate improvement in power and or strength from the dBol. But then, it's only been 24 hours. I have also begun keeping a log of lift stats to track my progress. If anyone is interested, I'll post that here with my updates.

Side Effects Noted:
-As I sit here writing this blog, I notice that my bum is a little bit sore deep in the muscle tissue in the injection area. I looked at it during my last shower and am satisfied that no infection has occurred. Instead, the soreness reminds me of penicillin shots that I got when I was in the military. I remember being told then to roll around on my butt after that injection to help spread it out. Doing so seemed to help reduce discomfort. I wonder if the same action will work here?

-I have also noted some small muscle cramps. Today it was in the bicep/tricep area of my right arm. Nothing too bad, just wanted to note it.


Additional Supplements:
- I was advised to take milk thistle to help keep my liver clean. I'm going to pick some up today.
- I also am taking the Animal Pak vitamins first thing in the morning and NO Explode 2, 30-minutes before my workout. That always has given me a good pump and today was no different.


Tomorrow, I plan to hit Shoulders and Abs, Legs on Monday, then restart with Chest and Triceps on Tuesday. I think the Legs day will give my upper body a day off to recoup.

If anyone has any questions and/or suggestions, I look forward to hearing from you.

TTFN

[Dsurfr]

Day 3:

I made sure to get 8 hours of sleep last night. Today, I'm feeling great and looking good in the mirror. I immediately notice that my muscle pump is lasting longer. On the other side of that, my muscles are staying sore longer. I did Chest and Tris on Friday and I would normally not be sore today.

I took my dBol this morning with a Milk Thistle cap. I also took my Animal Pak and NO Explode 2. I am ready to hit shoulders and abs today. Before I do, though, I'm going to do some body measurements.

Neck: 17"
Shoulders: 49"
Chest: 41"
Arms: 15"
Forearms: 11.2"
Waist: 34"
Hips: 38.8"
Thighs: 22.5"
Calves: 14.8"

[Dsurfr]

Here's a starting pic taken this morning

[< <Samson> >]

Eat a lot and try to eat clean so you don't pack on the fat.

But this cycle should do you up pretty solid.

How many weeks are running?

Also is your test a combo shot, if so - Of what?

[Dsurfr]

Thanks, Samson.

It is a combo shot: 6.25% Testosterone Propionate, 47% Testosterone Enanthate, 46.75% Testosterone Cypionate. I'll be running it for 12 weeks.

Eating clean is not a problem. It's taken me years, but I've finally learned how to get a lot of protein from many sources in a relatively inexpensive way. My favorite, and maybe an advantage, is raw salmon. I spent a few years in Japan and learned an appreciation for raw fish. I also buy Myoplex 42g protein pre-mix by the case for a quick snack, egg beaters for breakfast, and now New Whey 42g protein shots. For fats/carbs, I eat raw rolled oats (Quaker Oats) and a handful of raw almonds.

[Dsurfr]

Today at the gym went pretty well. Shoulders and abs. My shrug and clean/press strength seems to have improved. I have been working on my shoulders quite a bit lately so this was nice to see. I did have my right shoulder cleaned out a couple years ago (torn tendon and bone spurs from years of push-ups, pull-ups, and bad form on just about every exercise) so I am definitely paying attention to what my joints are telling me. There was no discomfort but I want to be slow and methodical about increasing weight in these lifts.

Side Effects Noted: The skin on my face is more oily that it has been in a long time. Remembering back to my teen years, I know that this could lead to acne quickly. I'll have to pick up some face wash to stay on top of this.

So far, no gynocomastia. I remember having a bit of this when I was 12-14 years old. It went away, but this tells me that I could be susceptible.

[Dsurfr]

Sidebar of Note: While reading up on Testosterone Propionate, I saw that it promotes nitrogen retention in the muscle. I thought, "Now where are my muscles going to get more nitrogen to retain?" Then it hit me: NO Explode 2. If NO Explode increases free Nitrogen in the blood stream and Propionate promotes nitrogen retention, these two seem like a pretty good pairing, no?

[< <Samson> >]

The test combos kind of suck. Why even have prop in it? You dont shoot it often enough to have any effects of it since prop half life is quite short compared to enan or cyp.

But it will still work, just kinda wasteful.

[Dsurfr]

Not sure, bud. That's how it comes.

[Dsurfr]

Day 4: I rolled my ankle yesterday working around the house, so I took the day off from the gym. I'm feeling great, though. All soreness from the first pin is gone. I upped my carb intake, so the cramps are gone. I have been sleeping really well and I'm noticing a revved sex drive. Nothing strong yet, but it's better than it has been for a while.

A question for you experienced folks: does it matter how long before a workout that a shot is taken or a tab is swallowed? I'm not sure if I should be timing this or not.

Pin number 2 tomorrow. I'm going to do it first thing, before the gym.

[stpete]

Doesn't matter at all. As long as you're consistent w/your dosing, you're fine.

[Dsurfr]

Thanks, StPete. That helps a lot.

Day 5:
Took my second injection this morning along with a 50mg tab of dBol. 1cc T400, this time in the left butt cheek. I learned from my mistake in pin number 1 and left the pin in for about 15 seconds after the injection this time. I also twisted the needle as I pulled it out and it came out clean. No oil sticking to it. Problem solved.

My ankle felt better this morning so I did my leg workout. That went well. I can see my overall size increasing though I don't feel any strength gains yet. If I understand correctly, that won't happen until the test kicks in around the beginning of week 3?

Side Effects Noted: Increased appetite, dramatic weight gain (though I suspect it's all of the extra food I've been eating). No residual pain from injection 1 or injection 2. Face wash for the increased skin oils. So far, so good.

Tomorrow, Chest and Triceps.

[Dsurfr]

Holy water retention! I'm bloating up like a fish!

Just kidding. I am retaining water though. I've been reading through some posts about dBol water bloat. I guess I slipped up and let too much salt creep into my diet. I'm trying to avoid too much attention, so i need to try and cut this down. My first remedy will be to drink more water. This seems counter-intuitive, but many people say it works.

Bottoms up!

[Dsurfr]

Day 8:

So far, everything is going well. Pin 3 will be in the morning. I still have a bit of discomfort from pin 2. Nothing unbearable. My bloating has subsided. Drinking more water and less sodium intake has done the trick. I'm still taking dBol 50mg daily.

Today was shoulders and abs day. I had to cut short my shoulder lifts because my muscles felt like they were getting ready to tear. I dont know how else to describe it. I guess they were just properly fatigued already with a heavier lift on fewer sets. I'll keep an eye on it.


Back to legs tomorrow. If there's a spot on my body that is lagging behind, legs would be it. Does anyone have a good leg workout routine for mass? I appreciate any suggestions.

[Dsurfr]

Day 10:

I was really exhausted yesterday, so I took the day off from the gym and slept. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and excited to hit the gym.

Pin 3 went well yesterday with no problems.

Here are my current stats:

Last Week This Week % Change
Weight: 180 185 +2.7%
Chest: 41" 41.25" +.5%
Arms: 15" 15.5" +3.2%
Forearms: 11.5" 11.2" +2.6%
Hips: 38.8" 39.25" +1.1%
Waist: 34" 35.5" +4.2%
Thighs: 22.5" 23.5" +4.3%
Calf: 14.8" 15" +1.3%
Shoulders: 49" 49.75" +1.5%
Neck: 17" 17" No Change

[Dsurfr]

Day 13:

Pin 4 today. I must be getting used to the feeling of these shots now because there is no residual pain anymore.

3 days ago I cut back on the dBol. I'm now doing 25 mg tabs every day instead of 50. That seems to have helped reduce some of my water retention.

I saw some real gains yesterday in my bench press. The lift was smooth and solid, no shaking. Like someone said in another thread, the weight just kept going up. I expect this is the T400 kicking in so I look forward to seeing these gains.

Side Effects
Other than bloating, I have not noticed any side effects. The oily skin issue i had at the start has subsided. There is no gyno. General sex drive is still unchanged. Sexual performance has improved considerably.

Question for the pros
Is there something I can add to my stack that will cut my body fat% significantly while still letting muscles grow with the test? Or is this a pipe dream? I'm liking how my muscles are growing, but I'm losing overall definition. Which sucks in the summer. I need my beach body!

It looked like Winnie might do this, but i didnt know if it can stack with the T400. What would you all suggest?

[JAB1]

You can stack winny with test. However its recommended to keep 1st cycle to one compound, and since you already are doing 2, I wouldnt add a 3rd( i get that youd be done the dbol when you start winnie but still). You should get great results of the test alone, especially since your doing a fairly high dose for first timer. I think it comes down to goals and diet for you. Based on your pic I would clean bulk though pct + a month or two to keeps good amount of gains and then cut. Disclaimer, Im no pro.....

[Dsurfr]

Day 15:

After doing some research and a few conversations, I decided to add tren to my stack. I feel like I worked out the kinks with the dBol and T400 but still wasn't going to get what I was looking for. Here's my modified stack:

25mg dBol in the morning and another in the evening, every day
1cc T400 on Day 1, Day 5, Day 9, etc
1cc Trenbolone on Day 3, Day 7, Day 11, etc

I will stop the dBol at the end of week 4 and continue the Tren/Test stack through week 12.

Side Effect Updates
My original bloating problem was solved by drinking plenty of water and reducing salt from my diet. Then I reduced my dose from 50mg once a day, to 25mg for one day, then 25mg doses twice a day split AM and PM. That seemed to have reduced the bloating peaks of the dBol to more normal levels.

A day after my first Tren pin, I began noticing heat flashes on my face. I'm not entirely sure what this means. It could be a thermogenic response, or it could be from the extra toxins in my system. I'll keep an eye on it.

Newbie Mistake #2: I pumped to much air into the vial before drawing the tren into the needle. This resulted in the cap popping off and about a third of the product spilling out. So sad. A little air is good, too much air is bad. Lesson learned!

My overall gains are going well. I'll have measurements to post tomorrow.

[Dsurfr]

Here's my measurements at the start of week three:




Overall, not bad. My upper body is outpacing my lower though. I need to figure out how to flip this around.

[< <Samson> >]

I wouldn't have added Tren, no need to hit it this hard. . . But, I wanna see how this goes.

[Dsurfr]

The results of last week are in and I'm a bit underwhelmed. My overall strength is up, but my size is down. Weight is down 2 pounds, overall musculature is down a couple percent. But, even though the numbers are down, I am still overall satisfied with how I'm looking in the mirror. It looks like I am trimming down a bit.

This is my last week with dBol. I think I probably could have discontinued last week.

Side Effects: I don't know if I'm just being a bit more careless, but my arms are bruising. Has anyone noticed anything like this? Other than that, there has been no gyno and no roid-rage (I actually feel more even keeled). Ball shrinkage is minimal. Sex drive is ok, but not through the roof.

I've changed up where I'm doing my pins. I was doing just butt cheeks but have added quads to the mix. There are a ton of veins that I can see, so it makes it easier to miss them.

Here's my current stats. I'm going to try to really up my protein this week and see if I can break the 200lb mark. It could be tuff as I am going to be on the road for a few days.

[Dsurfr]

Start of Week 7.

It's been a couple weeks, so I want to give you an update. First, here's my overall progress stats.



I am starting to see the results that I wanted: a nice proportional overall gain in muscle mass. I don't want to be huge. I never did. But I do want to be impressive. The compliments that I'm getting say that I'm hitting my target. Here's a progress pic:

Seven Weeks Ago:


Today:


To get here, I have had to adjust my pinning schedule. When my cycle is done, I will happily share with you what I have done.

Five weeks to go with bulking. I plan a 4-week bridge then a 12-16 week cutting cycle to reveal all of my hard work.

One thing is for certain, steroids gives no free ride. All they do is maximize the reward for hard work. I'm lifting like crazy with my partner at least 5-days a week and am struggling to get enough protein (250-300g/day) and calories to keep up with my hunger.

My sex drive kicked into warp speed about two weeks ago. HOORAYY!!! That has been awesome and I'm glad it did.

There have been no side effects that I have seen. No gyno, no hair loss, no roid rage ... nothing. Just solid mass gains.

[vonner]

the skys the limit

[dep30]

Im subscribing to this thread im gonna be running a simiilar cycle next time. Keep us updated man!

[< <Samson> >]

Looking thicker for sure. . . Watch that diet, keep it clean or the fat will find it's way. It's either fat or water weight in your midsection.


What are you currently running?

[Dsurfr]

It's probably water as my diet is pretty clean. I'm still running the test/tren stack.

I'm going to take measurements in the next couple of days to see where I am. My strength on lifts continue to raise at a consistent pace.

[Mr. Small]

Dude, your waist is up by a full 2 inches so far. How clean is your diet?

[Dsurfr]

Mr. Small, it could be cleaner, no doubt. But I am not terribly concerned about it. It will come off when I start cutting.