New to anabolics - first cycle 34 yo M
Hey all, new to forums and I’ve been researching gear/cycles for a while now. I’ve spoken in person to a few people that have a lot of experience with it but are definitely a little “loose” with their science and although I can tell they have good results I’d rather consult some more strict minds and see what you all think.
A little background:
- 34 year old male pharmacist (yes I have a breadth of drug knowledge but I’ve been in the medical field long enough to know that we have limited QUALITY studies actually understanding how to do this and if that’s not bad enough genetics throws a huge wrench into things)
- Been lifting for about 16 years now, I feel like I finally have a good understanding of form (really understand what you all are talking about when you say it’s a bad idea to start gear without a foundation – I have a herniated disc and can’t imagine doing this without a lot of lifting experience)
- Plenty of sports my whole life but mainly basketball, played some D2 and knew some that used gear
Stats:
- 6’1”
- 195 or so pounds
- Last time I had it checked I was about 14.5% body fat (I’ll post some pics when I can here soon)
- I don’t barbell bench anymore due to shoulder issues but dumbbell bench x10 is about 90-100lbs, squatting ~235-240lbs x10, deadlifts I’m careful with (herniated disc/sciatica) so I’m typically not traditionally deadlifting more than about ~300lbs x10 (sorry I don’t do 1maxrep anymore after injuries)
- I’m going to edit and add blood work here as well once I get it, for now I’m going to get just my free test/test levels for baseline before the cycle as I’ve already been through basic lab testing and all is well. I’ll get other things post cycle to see where it’s all at.
Goals:
- Honestly I’m hoping to reach just around 10% body fat and maybe reach around 205-210lbs or so. I’m not looking to be “ripped” out of my mind but going for a very athletic or beach friendly body look. I’m hoping to achieve this with some slight diet mods and a simple test + maybe stanol(?) cycle.
Workouts:
- I’ve tried so many damn things over the years but truly believe in the generic progressive overload being by far the best results. I’ve recognized over the years that my body has responded best by doing “bro splits”, I think it responds better specifically because my body seems to appreciate more rest and recovery with muscle groups. I’ve also noticed that I’ve bulked SIGNIFCANTLY better as I’ve aged and I think this really came down to metabolism/diet changes.
- I’m actually very open to some ideas on different types of training though if anyone has some links to a good program
Diet:
- I know people want really specific breakdowns here and I’d be lying if I told you I’m a counter because I’m not. I just generally eat pretty healthy and make sure that I’m getting in anywhere from 150-200gms protein each day, my numbers suggest I need to be considerably higher than this during cycle which I’m gonna have to dedicate time to (this is an area of improvement I know, but I don’t want to lie and tell you all I’m going hardcore in this area because I know myself and I’m likely not to). I’ve tried some super strict intakes for 3 months in the past with a nutritionist and I saw almost 0 results vs my standard diet. In general I eat fairly low carb because my body seems to respond best to it but I’ve attempted keto and my body truly does not appreciate it.
o Main carbs I eat: White rice, whole grain noodles, tortillas and I use tortilla chips with my cottage cheese
o Proteins: Variety but mostly chicken, ground turkey (lean), some steak (body really seems to respond well to fatty beef periodically, especially after leg/back days), fish, and I tend to eat a decent amount of 2% cottage cheese before bed, Kirkland protein bars (low carb)
o Fats: Tons of nuts, nut butters, some from the periodic steak, I also eat regular eggs occasionally
- As an authentic question, I understand that the recommendation would be to get REAL serious about counting macros but has anyone tried not being as intense and just generally eating healthy w/ an excess in protein to make sure they have enough for synthesis. Would like to hear any stories in this area bad or good
AAS cycle 1:
- Test E 250mg twice a week x 12 weeks (bought 4 vials 250mg/ml, 10 ml)
o I would REALLY like some thoughts on not doing 500mg and attempting to see how my body responds to lower doses and continuing to check my test levels to see where I’m at (about 4 weeks into cycle) to see results/etc to keep doses at a min
- Nolvadex 20mg for PCT 14 days after last test shot (bought 100tabs 20mg/tab)
- Aromasin PRN (gyno, water weight, etc)
- Stanzol 50mg (50 tabs, NOT part of my cycle…yet, but was considering, and figured I would buy to try in second cycle either way)
I think that’s about it, sorry for the crazy long post but wanted to be thorough and show that I’ve actually read a bunch of these threads. Not just coming in with “Hey, new to steroids how do I look like Chris Pratt in Jurassic Park?”. If I did miss anything though please let me know and I promise to add as soon as I can.