Still thinking about doing my 1st cycle

[JackMan017]

Only thing holding me back is my body-fat percentage. I'm just not comfortable doing my first cycle until I'm lean. Anyone else experiencing something like this? I've lifted weights for a long time but only in the last 3 years have taken it seriously - i.e. proven lifting routine, good rest, counting calories, etc....I'm 36y/o, 5'8 201lbs estimating my body fat is still 18%-19%. To the experienced users out there, I need to continue cutting down, correct? Takes so much mental discipline for me to stay consistent in a cut, such is life I guess.

[Quester]

Yes, most say you should be under 15% to minimize estrogen related sides.

[Reborn747]

Do a cutting cyle . Most people will say get your body fat down first but whats the point ? Your never going to be able to loose fat as fast as if you where on course ,just keep it simple an control your e

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[Reborn747]

Yes, most say you should be under 15% to minimize estrogen related sides.

Why do powerlifters use gear then? 90% of them are over 15% bf ? You cant use a guide for your body that has not yet been written (you have too experiment )

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[Quester]

Powerlifters and bodybuilders have different goals.

[HDThunder]

Most will say you shouldn't start a cycle until you're under 15% BF. I don't think it's a requirement if you have your diet on point and know how to train hard and get enough cardio. But if you can't do that it's pointless starting a cycle anyway.

I was 20%+ BF when I started back in Jan. of this year. I'm just under 6'2". Basically did a recomp and added mass at the same time. Went from 235lb. 20%+ BF to 258lb. sub 15% today. Still working toward sub 12% BF without losing too much size. It can be done.

[Reborn747]

Most will say you shouldn't start a cycle until you're under 15% BF. I don't think it's a requirement if you have your diet on point and know how to train hard and get enough cardio. But if you can't do that it's pointless starting a cycle anyway.

I was 20%+ BF when I started back in Jan. of this year. I'm just under 6'2". Basically did a recomp and added mass at the same time. Went from 235lb. 20%+ BF to 258lb. sub 15% today. Still working toward sub 12% BF without losing too much size. It can be done.

Agreed

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[JackMan017]

Do a cutting cyle . Most people will say get your body fat down first but whats the point ? Your never going to be able to loose fat as fast as if you where on course ,just keep it simple an control your e

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I'm not sure how a cutting cycle would look vs the standard test 500mg beginner cycle most people recommend. And from what I research, a test only cycle is the complete opposite of a dry cycle.

The thing is, I feel somewhat chunky at 18%/19% (i.e. little bit of body dismorphia) so I'm assuming if I hop on, all that's going to happen is I turn into a block-ier version of my current self. (I.e. washed out abs, chest fat, non super lean arms, etc but every body part of course is going to be larger mass wise.

That last part is interesting. I've researched back and forth on this for a long time. Half of what I research says I'll remain the same body fat if I hop on and keep everything else constant, while the other half tells me somehow I can lean down while on given the same training/nutrition/sleep that's occurring now. Obviously everyone's going to react differently so difficult to quantify how I'll react. And I certainly do not want to lead myself into thinking just because I'm on I somehow deserve to get leaner.

[JackMan017]

Most will say you shouldn't start a cycle until you're under 15% BF. I don't think it's a requirement if you have your diet on point and know how to train hard and get enough cardio. But if you can't do that it's pointless starting a cycle anyway.

I was 20%+ BF when I started back in Jan. of this year. I'm just under 6'2". Basically did a recomp and added mass at the same time. Went from 235lb. 20%+ BF to 258lb. sub 15% today. Still working toward sub 12% BF without losing too much size. It can be done.

Did your caloric intake more or less stay around the same during that impressive recomp phase?

[cousinmuscles]

Why do powerlifters use gear then? 90% of them are over 15% bf ? You cant use a guide for your body that has not yet been written (you have too experiment )

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And a lot of those chubby ones have a pair of tits (some even scars from breast tissue removal), that's why it's a good idea to keep bodyfat low. When you study the health effects of supraphysiological estrogen levels you will know why you want to keep it under control, beyond simply being able to see your tits growing.

[cousinmuscles]

Only thing holding me back is my body-fat percentage. I'm just not comfortable doing my first cycle until I'm lean. Anyone else experiencing something like this? I've lifted weights for a long time but only in the last 3 years have taken it seriously - i.e. proven lifting routine, good rest, counting calories, etc....I'm 36y/o, 5'8 201lbs estimating my body fat is still 18%-19%. To the experienced users out there, I need to continue cutting down, correct? Takes so much mental discipline for me to stay consistent in a cut, such is life I guess.

If that kind of discipline is too much, then you need to get your priorities straight. What's the point of using g AAS if you're going to half-ass everything? Using gear to make up for a lack of discipline? Imagine the results if you did both!

[HDThunder]

Did your caloric intake more or less stay around the same during that impressive recomp phase?

During the recomp yes. About 3800 calories a day broken out into 8 feedings between 5am-10pm. But that was about 1000 cal over what I was eating when I went back to the gym. Completely changed up my diet. I was actually surprised at the clean weight gain. It wasn't expected. Probably some water weight. Expect to drop about 10 pounds when I go to cruise mode end of August. I'll be happy with 250lb and 12% BF.

[Grumpo]

I don’t think the bodyfat is an issue. I’ve cycled at 20 percent bodyfat before and was fine.

I powerlift so depending on what weight class I’m doing dictates my leaness. I have competed at 198 220 and 242 classes. Once even at 260. I like big changes in weight

However I’ve gotten in good condition naturally and was quite lean for my first cycle.

For your first cycle I’d suggest starting lean, especially if you haven’t quite figured out how to diet down naturally first.

After your first cycle and you know how estrogen sensitive you are and you are familiar manipulating your bodyweight through diet and cardio you can start expiermenting at different weights with different compounds and have some fun!




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[Couchlockd]

You like gaining 62 lbs of fat and or muscle then loosing it?

[Windex]

Throw this cutting / bulking compounds / cycles idea out the window. The compounds have little to do with what determines a person adding mass (bulking) or reducing bodyfat (cutting) - that comes from nutrition, cardio, and training. Some compounds work better for specific goals relative to other compounds . If you decide to cycle (which you shouldn't at your bodyfat) then you need to at the very least read all the educational threads, twice.

The reason why Test only to start is the golden rule is because it allows the person to determine how they react to a single compound, especially at 5x what the body normally produces. People who start their first cycle with 2 or more compounds that run into side effects end up wasting half their cycle figuring out what is causing what and end up finishing their cycle frustrated and potentially in worse shape than what they started.

At the end of the day, if you can't cut weight naturally, no amount of steroids is going to help. If you lack mental discipline then do something about it. There are so many exercises that help train the mind. I don't even think it's a valid excuse anymore. You have

- Yoga
- Meditation
- Vow of Silence
- Fasting
- Polar Bear swimming
- 101 different Phone Apps
- Motivational or Self Help in the form of Books, Audiobooks, or Podcasts

[Arcânn]

Welllll....if your goal is to cut, the only thing wrong with your BF% is that you're more susceptible to estro sides. Like windex said though, if your diet isn't on point, steroids aren't going to help, especially a relatively wet steroid like test. If your diet is good, I think all that would happen is you'd lose fat at the same rate that you normally would in a natty cutting cycle, but you'd maintain a lot more muscle, if not all of it. I'm not gonna say DON'T do it, because if your diet's good, you should get good results, but you need to be VERY careful of the estro sides. You're a lot more likely to get hit by those when you're almost 20% BF.

If your diet's not already good (which I doubt at you BF%), at the very least, I would make sure you've got that covered before you start a cycle. You should probably make sure you're getting results from that diet before you start, just so you know you're on the right track and you'll have less fat before starting.

[carvv]

Others may disagree, but I would do it if you want. You'll learn a lot. It will probably also change your body composition while adding muscle. You might end up with quite a bit of added muscle with a significant drop in body fat as well. This is what happened to me. Just make sure your diet is great while you're in your cycle.

An added bonus for me was that seeing the results of my first cycle motivated me to really fix my diet even further. Get some success and build on that. Just be safe.

[JackMan017]

I've got the ball rolling on the cut. I've been somewhat lean before (i.e. 12%-14%) so I know I can get back down there. Just got to hunker back down.

I made this post almost as if I needed some tough love and/or encouragement in addition to the opinions. And I appreciate everyone's feedback in this thread.

The only thing I hate about being lean is the hungrier feeling, when food feels like it digests in seconds with an empty feeling soon after. But that's just the way it's gotta be.

Lets get this done!

[Windex]

I've got the ball rolling on the cut. I've been somewhat lean before (i.e. 12%-14%) so I know I can get back down there. Just got to hunker back down.

I made this post almost as if I needed some tough love and/or encouragement in addition to the opinions. And I appreciate everyone's feedback in this thread.

The only thing I hate about being lean is the hungrier feeling, when food feels like it digests in seconds with an empty feeling soon after. But that's just the way it's gotta be.

Lets get this done!

Load up on more water and vegetables then