First Cycle, PCT and basic understanding

[Macedog24]

Almost every single day I'm seeing someone post and ask questions about what products to run, for how long, what doses, what can they expect and what side effects will they have.
Now due to all the overwhelming choices available and responses you may receive from people I can understand how this could become confusing, especially for someone new to this lifestyle. (Beginner) so I will go over some basic information with you and hopefully this will help you understand a little better.

First thing is plan ahead make sure you have everything you need in hand before you begin. Also make sure to use a reliable source.
I highly recommend having blood work done before your cycle, during and after your PCT to assure your levels return to normal ,unless your on TRT. Then return to your trt dose after cycle. A pct will not be necessary although I highly recommend using an all in one support supplement(cheaper in price)to help mitigate and/or regulate any possible side effects.

What is considered a normal first cycle
500-600 mg a week. Divided into 2 doses.
Mon/ Thursday or Tues / Friday as examples.
Arimidex 0.5-1.0mg eod or Aromasin 10 -25mg daily
HCG if you choose 500iu X2

The reasons you take your test like this is to provide stable blood levels.
When injecting long esters like cypionate or Enanthate with this frequency I tend to have less side effects then once a week injections.
You wanna keep everything nice and even , not like a roller coaster going up then down over and over. This will cause more side effects and harder to control.

There are a number of esters which provide varying release times. Acetate or propionate esters extend the release time of testosterone a couple of days. deconate ester prolongs the release of test about 3 weeks. Testosterone enanthate and cypionate are almost identical esters. The use of an ester allows for a less frequent injection schedule than using a water based testosterone like suspension which has no ester at all and is rapidly in and out of your system after injection. The published release times are not exact and are many times based on a single injection not many multiple injections which can delay the release of the hormone. Other factors affect release times of esters such as scar tissue and the muscle group injected. Only a blood test can confirm when the active hormone has cleared your system.
Esters not only effect release times but also the potency of the Testosterone as esters make up part of the steroid weight. This must be taken into account when calculating dosages. The longer the release time the less free hormone. For example propionate is about 15% more potent mg. for mg. then enanthate so 500mg of propionate would equal about 575 mg. of enanthate.

Along with your testosterone you wanna take an AI.
Aromatase Inhibitor
Arimidex or Aromasin should be used on cycle to control and regulate your Estrogen. This will also help to keep free testosterone levels high.
0.5mg-1mg Arimidex eod OR 10-25mg Aromasin daily is recommended. Start with the lower dose and adjust as necessary. This can have an affect on water retention, your bp, and libido. Please make adjustments as needed. blood work is crucial for accuracy to make adjustments. Free T should be in the high range and estradiol 10-25 pg/ml.

Serm
Keep nolvadex/tamoxifen on hand in case of emergency or you believe your suffering from gyno symptoms. Doses may range from 10-40mg daily depending on your test doses being used and how your body responds. Individuals will respond differently.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
A simple way to restore ITT levels and maintain the mass of the testes is to administer HCG during testosterone treatment. During a study it was determined that HCG is dose dependant and that approximately 300iu HCG taken every other day equal to 1,050iu HCG weekly.
I would recommend 500iu twice a week while on test.


Testosterone dose-response relationships in healthy young men
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11701431/

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/...3Acrossref.org

Below is some info and stats from the study.

The only two groups that reported significant muscle building benefits were the 300 and 600 mg groups so any dose lower than 300mg will not be considered in this essay. 12 men participated in the 300 mg group and 13 men in the 600 mg group.

600mg of Testosterone a week for 20 weeks resulted in the following benefits. Increased fat free mass, muscle strength, muscle power, muscle volume, hemoglobin and IGF-1.
The same 600 mg administration resulted in 2 side effects. HDL cholesterol was negatively correlated and 2 men developed acne.


The normal range for total T in men is 241-827 ng/dl according to Labcorp and 260-1000 ng/dl according to Quest Laboratories. The normal range for IGF-1 is 81-225 according to Labcorp. Total T and IGF-1 levels were taken after 16 weeks and resulted in the following;


Total Testosterone
300 mg group-1,345 ng/dl a 691 ng increase from baseline
600 mg group-2,370 ng/dl a 1,737 ng increase from baseline
IGF-1
300 mg group-388 ng/dl a 74 ng increase from baseline
600 mg group-304 ng/dl a 77 ng increase from baseline


Body composition was measured after 20 weeks.


Fat Free Mass by underwater weighing
300 mg group-5.2kg (11.4lbs) increase
600 mg group-7.9kg (17.38lbs) increase
Fat Mass by underwater weighing
300 mg group-.5kg (1.1lbs) decrease
600 mg group-1.1kg (2.42lbs) decrease
Thigh Muscle Volume
300 mg group-84 cubic centimeter increase
600 mg group-126 cubic centimeter increase
Quadriceps Muscle Volume
300 mg group-43 cubic centimeter increase
600 mg group-68 cubic centimeter increase
Leg Press Strength
300 mg group-72.2kg (158.8lbs) increase
600 mg group-76.5kg (168.3lbs) increase
Leg Power
300 mg group-38.6 watt increase
600 mg group-48.1 watt increase
Hemoglobin
300 mg group-6.1 gram per liter increase
600 mg group-14.2 gram per liter increase
Plasma HDL Cholesterol
300 mg group-5.7 mg/dl decrease
600 mg group-8.4 mg/dl decrease
Acne
300 mg group-7 of the 12 men developed acne
600 mg group-2 of the 13 men developed acne


no significant changes in PSA or liver enzymes at any dose up to 600mg. However, long-term effects of androgen administration on the prostate, cardiovascular risk, and behavior are unknown. The study shows that there is a dose dependant relationship with testosterone administration. But keep in mind the more test your taking the greater the muscle building effects but also the greater chances of potential side effects.

An example of a cycle would look like this.




Monday 300mg Test E /10mg Asin (hcg500iu)
Tuesday 10mg Asin
Wednesday 10mg Asin
Thursday 300mg Test E/ 10mg Asin
Friday 10mg Asin (hcg500iu)
Saturday 10mg Asin/
Sunday 10mg Asin

If you choose to run HCG ?

PCT post cycle therapy
AI should be used as long as there is an aromatizing compound being administered. Testosterone and HCG aromatize therefore it is recommended to use an AI until they clear your system. Nolva has been shown to reduce IGF-1 and GH levels when used alone. On cycle this is not a big deal because testosterone increases IGF-1 in a dose dependant relationship. However off cycle this is a problem. PCT is a critical time and lower IGF-1 and GH levels is not something you wanna do. I am recommending an AI that is specific to men that can be used on cycle and during PCT. Aromasin is my definite choice..

Sample PCT protocol for long esters like Test C and Test E

100/100/100/50 Clomid
20mg/20mg/10mg/10mg Aromasin
3g Vit C every day
10g creatine daily

References
Testosterone dose-response relationships in healthy young men;
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11701431/

Pharmacokinetics and Dose Finding of a Potent Aromatase Inhibitor, Aromasin (Exemestane), in Young Males
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/articl...2/5951/2661508


Low-Dose Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Maintains Intratesticular Testosterone in Normal Men with Testosterone-Induced Gonadotropin Suppression
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15713727/

Use of clomiphene citrate to reverse premature andropause secondary to steroid abuse.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1252...eroid%20abuse.


I would like to give credit to and thank a good friend of mine HeavyIron. There use to be a post and thread originally written by HI that I have been unable to find. I may have left a few things out, I apologize for that. Hope this post is able to help some people .

Md24

[MONSTRO]

First cycle should always be only testosterone 400 to 500mg week . We use only test to see how your body reacts . Have tamox and exemestano on hand but try not use ( use only if you have signs because the more drugs you use more sides like lipid profile , hepatoxicity and kill your gains .