First Cycle Planning [Requesting Feedback]

[yosemite-gains]

Stats / Background
Hey everyone. Like the last guy i’m new here and would like your feedback on the cycle I have planned. I’ve found myself with 16 weeks to train uninterrupted and i’d like to run my 1st cycle.

My primary goal for this cycle would be to put on 10 lbs of muscle and see my body fat % stay constant or go down 1-2 %. A close secondary goal would be to put lbs onto my powerlifting total. My current total is 1225, and i’d like to finish this near 1400. The cycle i’m proposing to help me get there would be 350mg Testosterone / week for 16 weeks. More on this below. I've chosen 350mg/week instead of the standard 500 because I value minimizing negative side effects over maximizing gains.

Age: 27
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 170
BF%: 15
Diet: excellent
TDEE: 2550
Cycle Exp: none
Training Exp: 10 years
Squat: 420
Bench: 300
Deadlift: 505
Testosterone, Total: 668ng/dL

Nutrition
I've been tracking daily calories and weight for a long time and have a strong grasp here. My current TDEE is ~2550 calories. Like I mentioned, I’d like to aim for 10 lbs over 16 weeks. I’m planning a 300 calorie surplus, at 2850 daily calories. The macro makeup will be 65f | 385c | 180p. I’ll be moving carbs up along the way as my TDEE increases.

Training
I’ve enjoyed sheiko advanced medium load in the past and I think i’ll use that again. A sampling of one training week week is below. In general, its a powerlifting program with relatively higher volume and lower intensity. There are main movements at the start of the workout followed by accessories.

Day 1
Bench: 80%x6x3, 85%x3x2
Squat: 70%x6x3-7
Upper accessory
Core

Day 2
Deficit deadlift: 70%x4x2
Bench Press: 75%x4x2
Deadlift accessory (compound)
Back accessory
Tricep accessory
Hip hinge

Day 3
Bench: 85%x4x2, 70%x4x4
Squat: 80%x4x2
Chest accessory
Core

Day 4
Deadlift: 85%x4x3
Chest compound accessory
Shoulder accessory
Back accessory
Posterior accessory

Cycle
Planning to source these from PSL using euro-pharma. I don’t want to turn this into a source convo, but let me know if i’m g2g.

Testosterone Enanthate 250: 350mg / week injected EOD. SubQ. Injections will be .40mg each.

HCG: Weeks 1-18 @ 250 IU EOD.

Anavar: Weeks 11-16. 25mg / day. I'm unsure if I want to include this. I think it will help with my strength goal and my bf goal. However, i’m hesitant to source it and wondering if its worth the added liver toxicity.

Arimidex: I will have 50mg of arimidex on hand. This is enough to last me 1mg EOD for the duration of the cycle. I'll start with .5mg EOD only if I notice any high E sides.

Nolvadex: Weeks 19 - 26. 10mg EOD. 1,000 mg on hand in case of gyno flare ups. I've been advised that front loading the dose in PCT is not necessary and only increases risk of side effects. I'm using 8 weeks here because i've seen a study that longer PCT is better for hormone recovery.

Feedback
Please comment on anything here, but a few points i’d like to highlight are below:
- 300 calorie surplus enough?
- 10 lbs realistic?
- Am i misguided at only 350mg/week, given my goals above.
- Should I reconsider subq injections? At a .4mL pin, I believe this is small enough to not cause lumps / problems at injection site and i’m getting benefit from EOD injections.
- Liver support with Anavar? y/n
- At 500mg/week for 12 weeks, why do I often see people order 4x10mL vials? Isn’t that excessive.

[Cylon357]

Subq can be challenging with certain carrier oils. I think EP uses mct oil, it or grapeseed oil seem to work well for subq for a lot of folks. Have you reached out to EP or done any research regarding using their oil based products subq?

Also, expect grief from folks about not just going IM. That's just going to happen, despite any science

The goal of adding LBM AND dropping body fat makes me think "recomp", and recomp makes me think "HIIT". I don't see any cardio at all in your plan.

I like the back loading of anavar. Add some milk thistle or other liver support, though at 25 mg per day for 6 weeks, you may not need it.

That much arimidex may be a lifetime supply! Nothing wrong with having it on hand just in case!

I would add enclomiphene at 25 / 12.5 /12.5 /12.5 to your PCT. There are a handful of RC vendors who seem to make a legit product. Also, I think there are a few OTC supps that make good add ons to PCT. Longjack, tribulus, and DAA all bring something to the table in my experience, though do your research on those. And note that those are add ons, not replacements for SERMS.

[yosemite-gains]

Subq can be challenging with certain carrier oils. I think EP uses mct oil, it or grapeseed oil seem to work well for subq for a lot of folks. Have you reached out to EP or done any research regarding using their oil based products subq?

The goal of adding LBM AND dropping body fat makes me think "recomp", and recomp makes me think "HIIT". I don't see any cardio at all in your plan.

Add some milk thistle or other liver support

I would add enclomiphene at 25 / 12.5 /12.5 /12.5 to your PCT. There are a handful of RC vendors who seem to make a legit product. Also, I think there are a few OTC supps that make good add ons to PCT. Longjack, tribulus, and DAA all bring something to the table in my experience, though do your research on those. And note that those are add ons, not replacements for SERMS.

I'd overlooked the carrier oil component. I'll be sure to check that out.

To clarify on the "recomp" point, what I meant was more along the lines of if i gain gain 10 lbs of muscle and only 3 lbs of fat, my bf percentage has gone down. I'm not really looking to lose fat, just maintain my overall bf percent. For cardio, I do 25-30 minutes walking per day.

This was the kind of feedback I was looking for. Thank you!

[Cylon357]

I'd overlooked the carrier oil component. I'll be sure to check that out.

To clarify on the "recomp" point, what I meant was more along the lines of if i gain gain 10 lbs of muscle and only 3 lbs of fat, my bf percentage has gone down. I'm not really looking to lose fat, just maintain my overall bf percent. For cardio, I do 25-30 minutes walking per day.

This was the kind of feedback I was looking for. Thank you!

Yes that's a good point. I blame barely being awake with having missed it lol

[Test Monsterone]

To add to what Cyclon already said, I don't think there is a way for you to inject 350 mg/week of testosterone sub-q. I get large, painful lumps with just .2 mL at a time that last 7-10 days at minimum. You can inject with a thin needle (25-30 gauge) at about 1/2" - 5/8" into the delts with no issue. Sub q is only meant with very small doses. Btw you load the syringe with a thicker needle and inject with a thinner one.

[kelkel]

Do you have an issue with IM?

[Mooseman33]

hcg looks high

[wango]

Stats / Background
Hey everyone. Like the last guy i’m new here and would like your feedback on the cycle I have planned. I’ve found myself with 16 weeks to train uninterrupted and i’d like to run my 1st cycle.

My primary goal for this cycle would be to put on 10 lbs of muscle and see my body fat % stay constant or go down 1-2 %. A close secondary goal would be to put lbs onto my powerlifting total. My current total is 1225, and i’d like to finish this near 1400. The cycle i’m proposing to help me get there would be 350mg Testosterone / week for 16 weeks. More on this below. I've chosen 350mg/week instead of the standard 500 because I value minimizing negative side effects over maximizing gains.

Age: 27
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 170
BF%: 15
Diet: excellent
TDEE: 2550
Cycle Exp: none
Training Exp: 10 years
Squat: 420
Bench: 300
Deadlift: 505
Testosterone, Total: 668ng/dL

Nutrition
I've been tracking daily calories and weight for a long time and have a strong grasp here. My current TDEE is ~2550 calories. Like I mentioned, I’d like to aim for 10 lbs over 16 weeks. I’m planning a 300 calorie surplus, at 2850 daily calories. The macro makeup will be 65f | 385c | 180p. I’ll be moving carbs up along the way as my TDEE increases.

Training
I’ve enjoyed sheiko advanced medium load in the past and I think i’ll use that again. A sampling of one training week week is below. In general, its a powerlifting program with relatively higher volume and lower intensity. There are main movements at the start of the workout followed by accessories.

Day 1
Bench: 80%x6x3, 85%x3x2
Squat: 70%x6x3-7
Upper accessory
Core

Day 2
Deficit deadlift: 70%x4x2
Bench Press: 75%x4x2
Deadlift accessory (compound)
Back accessory
Tricep accessory
Hip hinge

Day 3
Bench: 85%x4x2, 70%x4x4
Squat: 80%x4x2
Chest accessory
Core

Day 4
Deadlift: 85%x4x3
Chest compound accessory
Shoulder accessory
Back accessory
Posterior accessory

Cycle
Planning to source these from PSL using euro-pharma. I don’t want to turn this into a source convo, but let me know if i’m g2g.

Testosterone Enanthate 250: 350mg / week injected EOD. SubQ. Injections will be .40mg each.

HCG: Weeks 1-18 @ 250 IU EOD.

Anavar: Weeks 11-16. 25mg / day. I'm unsure if I want to include this. I think it will help with my strength goal and my bf goal. However, i’m hesitant to source it and wondering if its worth the added liver toxicity.

Arimidex: I will have 50mg of arimidex on hand. This is enough to last me 1mg EOD for the duration of the cycle. I'll start with .5mg EOD only if I notice any high E sides.

Nolvadex: Weeks 19 - 26. 10mg EOD. 1,000 mg on hand in case of gyno flare ups. I've been advised that front loading the dose in PCT is not necessary and only increases risk of side effects. I'm using 8 weeks here because i've seen a study that longer PCT is better for hormone recovery.

Feedback
Please comment on anything here, but a few points i’d like to highlight are below:
- 300 calorie surplus enough?
- 10 lbs realistic?
- Am i misguided at only 350mg/week, given my goals above.
- Should I reconsider subq injections? At a .4mL pin, I believe this is small enough to not cause lumps / problems at injection site and i’m getting benefit from EOD injections.
- Liver support with Anavar? y/n
- At 500mg/week for 12 weeks, why do I often see people order 4x10mL vials? Isn’t that excessive.

I too was worried about IM injections for my first cycle. I used 500 mg broken into 3 sub-q injections per week. Even with prescribed pharm grade testosterone I still got lumps, but not too bad & never painful. When I do try to do sub-q with UGL testosterone, I don’t like it, the lumps are larger and sometimes tender.

Now I stick with pharm grade test for TRT only. When I blast with UGL test or other compounds, I love a 5/8” needle pinned into my delt or pec. Piece of cake, even for a guy that was needle shy.

At week 11, you definitely will know how you’ve responded to the testosterone. I think the var will be a nice addition then. And less is best, particularly at first.

Sure, liver support is always a good thing.

Diet wise, it depends on how you handle the extra calories. Some folks can eat tons more on cycles and the calories go right to their muscles, others, well, more inclined to adding to fat. An increase of 300 could be low for some, but perfect for you.

Good luck. Maybe start a thread on the accountability forum and let us know how you progress.

[yosemite-gains]

Do you have an issue with IM?

No issue with IM. I've just done subq before when I used BPC-157 and so i'm familiar with it. I thought at this lower I could get away with it and benefit from more frequent injections. I think I will try subq and if it doesn't work out, i'm prepared to go to IM.

[yosemite-gains]

I too was worried about IM injections for my first cycle. I used 500 mg broken into 3 sub-q injections per week. Even with prescribed pharm grade testosterone I still got lumps, but not too bad & never painful. When I do try to do sub-q with UGL testosterone, I don’t like it, the lumps are larger and sometimes tender.

At week 11, you definitely will know how you’ve responded to the testosterone. I think the var will be a nice addition then. And less is best, particularly at first.


Diet wise, it depends on how you handle the extra calories. Some folks can eat tons more on cycles and the calories go right to their muscles, others, well, more inclined to adding to fat. An increase of 300 could be low for some, but perfect for you.

Good luck. Maybe start a thread on the accountability forum and let us know how you progress.

Hey question, when ppl say pharma grade does that necessarily mean with an RX from a certified domestic pharmacy like Pfizer?

Thanks for that bump on the anavar!

I know i could do handle IM injections. Subq sounds hit or miss for everyone.

[Cylon357]

No issue with IM. I've just done subq before when I used BPC-157 and so i'm familiar with it. I thought at this lower I could get away with it and benefit from more frequent injections. I think I will try subq and if it doesn't work out, i'm prepared to go to IM.

I've done a ton of peptides subq, probably hundreds of injections in total... they are all water based and have presented zero problems. That said, the first (and only) shot I did subq with UGL test resulted in an infection. Well thought of source, mct oil, just my body did NOT like it.

Point being oil and water will present a different response, though my reaction was an extreme. All that said, I do have some PharmaCom test in GSO that is calling my name...

[wango]

Hey question, when ppl say pharma grade does that necessarily mean with an RX from a certified domestic pharmacy like Pfizer?

Thanks for that bump on the anavar!

I know i could do handle IM injections. Subq sounds hit or miss for everyone.

I meant for myself it was my physician prescribed testosterone from our pharmacy. I certainly could be wrong, but I thought that pharma grade was the correct usage.

[yosemite-gains]

I meant for myself it was my physician prescribed testosterone from our pharmacy. I certainly could be wrong, but I thought that pharma grade was the correct usage.

You’re good. I was trying to ask what Pharma grade means! That answers that