
Originally Posted by
newbie2017
Nolva is for pct. I haven't taken an AI in 6 weeks. My initial protocol was .25 arimidex eod but I felt horrible and dropped it as well. I couldn't even get an erection. I'm on my first cycle 500mg test e 2x's a week and 250iu hcg. Getting BW tomorrow to make sure my source is legit but No signs of high estrogen. My natural exogenous test was 965 so I'm looking forward to getting my bw back to see what my levels are. I feel great. I'm not emotional and I haven't had back acne or gyno problems. I'm not here to cause conflict and I definitely don't want to be kicked off the forum. I don't want to step on any toes because I'm still learning and I'm just sharing information and experimenting myself. Everyone is the teacher, the student, and the guinea pig of these science experiments at the end of the day. With that being said...
Gearheaded, I hope it's ok that I quote you on this one:
"this is all person dependent . if growth is your overall goal you may not want to take an AI at all.
Estrogen helps with muscle growth and other growth factors.. here are just a few benefits
- E helps promote nitric oxide production and stimulates better blood flow and relaxation of vascular system (it has cardiovascular benefits ,, this is why we see women in their early 20s with high levels of estrogen rarely ever having heart attack or stroke,, but men in their 20s still die from these things as well as do older post-menopause women with low estrogen)
- E works on a host of different receptors , from the brain, kidney, heart etc.. to skeletal muscle . Estrogen acts on a specific muscle receptor that is responsible for satellite cell proliferation (specifically interacts with ER-B receptors to increase myogenic substances). So estrogen encourages muscle growth in a very similar way as does growth hormone .. satellite cells are muscle stem cells that aide in growth and repair.
- Estrogen , in the presence of high levels of Test, will stimulate the elevation of IGF-1 (the most anabolic hormone) and thus aide in muscle growth as well as more satellite cell stimulation
^^. that right there is enough to warrant letting your E levels be elevated while on cycle if growth is your primary goal
thats kinda the science stuff . but even old school bodybuilders who had no idea the science as to why estrogen helps you grow knew it and they go on record saying they grew much better in the off season by not using an AI
if my main goal is growth , then I rarely use an AI (or use it at lower doses .. just depends on my goal for that cycle) but not every cycle we do is just about growth . if we want to stay tight and dry and less watery then we will probably need to use an AI often . my point is not to be afraid of E especially if growth is the goal.
my theory as to why high levels of test, with tren , with high levels of estrogen will really help a guy grow (if he's not gyno prone) is because of the massive spike in IGF-1 . IGF gains are more permanent growth gains , compared to just blowing up with Dbol for a few weeks"
Credit: gearheaded / knowledgeable member