18 years old, contemplating when to start cycling AAS.

B

Bodybuilder101

Dedication
Stats:

5'6" 140 lbs, 8% Body Fat
18 year old male
Bodybuilding for 4 years, spot on diet and training.

I've been seriously contemplating 'hopping on the bike' and start taking anabolic steroids/ juice in the future and putting in a lot of research into this. This wouldn't be for a while, but just wanted some experience and opinions on this.

Now before you start typing the word "no" and flame me due to my young age, please understand I'm not your typical teenager who just wants to get big, or believes that an aesthetically pleasing body is the way to attracting women. I train because I enjoy bodybuilding, take satisfaction in improvements in my own physique and love the lifestyle. I don't train to impress friends, or for improved sporting performance, or for the girls as most teenagers do.

I don't drink alcohol or smoke. My diet has been spot on for over a year, I've cut down to and maintained 8% body fat. I have been hitting macro-nutrient goals, micros and daily calorie goals depending on whether I'm cutting, maintaining or bulking and of course, eating the right foods to hit these goals. My experience in resistance training is of 4 years and I believe I have excellent knowledge of anatomy (I'm off to university next year to take a sports science degree) and always ensure progressive overload and train every muscle group, periodization, perfect form, correct reps, sets and everything else.

The only reason I'm not more muscular after 4 years of proper training is due to a double shoulder injury I've had for around a year and half now, suspected SLAP tear in both shoulders and so this is has stopped my training right in it's tracks and can only do odd training sessions just to maintain my small amount of gains, therefore, I would need to wait until my shoulders are fixed, before starting gear.

I've contemplated staying natural, however, I aim for a bodybuilders/ cartoon-like, monster physique closer to 200 lbs lean rather than 175 lbs and the fitness model physique and so staying natural for long would be most likely out of the question for me. I believe my structural genetics for bodybuilding are pretty average, I have high lats, long bicep tendons, average clavicle width and wider than average hips/ pelvis, and so don't believe I would be successful on stage, however, I'm sure I shall compete in the future to provide me with a long term goal to aid my training and of course just to compete.

When taking steroids, my health would be of primary concern but do not wish to wait years until starting cycling and settling for slower gains as a natural, if it makes little difference to my future health knowing my growth plates have already fused, puberty has finished and other things. I have already looked into the benefits and drawbacks of AAS such as the money needed to purchase them, the law (I live in the UK where the law is not as strict as in the US), side effects, potential health risks and informative resources on the web such as the sticky thread found in this forum called "7 reasons why people should not take AAS" and others. Also, I've seen the arguments against starting at a young age such as "haven't finished growing" and "natural hormonal levels are already high enough", I think we all know exogenous amounts of hormone cycles will be higher than natural hormonal levels at all ages and I know for a fact from x-ray's that my growth plates have closed.

Please voice your arguments for and against me starting AAS at 19 years old instead of say 24, and consider my personal reasons above, all information will be of help to me in my decision, thanks.
 
Last edited:
two things to consider...
1- fertility- I know this is the last thing from your thinking. but I know a few fellas that started early and made some poor decisions. now they cant have kids without medical intervention. they deep down hate that they did that to themselves and to their spouses. AAS is a slippery slope and before you know it your blasting and cruising at 24. and you just dont have the perspective yet to understand the consequences.
2- maturity - hormone manipulation has emotional consequences. at 18 you may not have matured enough to handle it. I know I couldnt have.

that being said... if you have the genetics to be a pro bodybuilder and thats what you want... go nuts. If you have any question if you have the genetics or desire to do that, then dont do it.

but as a stewart of responsible aas use I would give yourself a few years.
 
Against. I'm 31 and still get told to make more natural gains. There aren't really any PRO's to starting at 19. Sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for.
 
I mentioned I don't believe my genetics for bodybuilding can get me very far at all in terms of competitive bodybuilding. I believe I am from the bottom of my heart, emotionally mature enough to deal with the emotional changes and discrepancies and do understand the drastic issue of future fertility problems and this is important to me, this is now very much on my mind so thanks for reminding me of the issue. Thanks for your input.
 
The pro's I can think of are getting to my desired goal quicker and not settling for much smaller gains naturally, then hitting my genetic limit and hopping on gear anyway, of course this takes a few years of training, but why wait if the health differences in the future would be not much different than if I started taking steroids at 30. Thanks for your input.
 
No one here is going to legitimately tell you at 18-19 to just go ahead and jump on the train. You seem pretty well aware of some of the risks involved and the age range we'd rather see you start.

I know you think at 18 you're more mature than your peers, but from my own naive experience, while that was indeed true, I still had A LOT to learn. There's a lot of personal maturation that happens from 18-21, when you start becoming your own person... Away from parents, forced to make decisions good and bad (this being one of them... And a major one at that!)

If you have no plans to become a pro bodybuilder, then why the rush? Continue working yourself hard and spend money on a nutritionist (3j on here is amazing and I guarantee could pack 10+ pounds on you naturally in a year or less).

Please keep reading and learning, there's a lot more to this than just getting huge by 21.
 
looking at it from the other side of the fence - do you think you could do your first cycle justice? Have you really experimented to know exactly what does and doesnt work for your body - strength training, BB splits, full body sessions, conditioning? If the answer is no, then just slow down on the gas a bit.

At 140lbs your body will continue to pack on lean mass relatively easily - you would just be burning cash by jumping on a cycle now.

Its a hard one to swallow, but by the time your shoulder heals you wont be at the level you were before you injured it ... youll be weaker, and it will take you a few months, possibly upto a year to fully heal .
 
Well here is my take on this. This coming from a guy who started cycling at 19 years old.

1. Theoretically you should have good testosterone levels at your age. That might be something to look in to. This means that you should be able to pack on some mass naturally. The last thing you want to do is screw with your endocrine system at your age. Just saying.

2. Post up your diet and training regime with numbers. I can't tell you how many times over the years I have heard guys say that they have their diet and training in check and yet the diet they post is horrendous and their training is retarded. If you indeed have a decent diet and training, then you will need to mix it up to hit your goals. And that is really why I recommend 3J. Invest some money in his services and that will be the best investment you can make for your physique at your young age.

3. You need to look at the bigger picture down the road. Do you want children?? Will you want a family one day?? Does the idea of injecting yourself for the rest of your life sound appeasing?? People just don't realize this game involves flipping a coin with luck. Meaning, I have had a friend cycle and get great results and have recovered fine. Yet, myself, I have had to deal with low T, low thyroid, messed up adrenals, high/low estrogen, high blood pressure, erectile issues, hair loss, etc. If you can go several years longer naturally, that is your best route. Again, you are not looking to be a pro or anything, then why rush?

4. Health should always been your top priority. And also remember things change. Remember when you were a young child and playing with toys or riding your bikes with friends?? Are you doing so now?? Most likely you are chasing girls. Just shows you that we all go through different phases in our life. I have had friends who use gear from 20-30 years old and then quit once they have a child or a job that is so demanding from them. All I am saying is things change you have to be ready for them.

5. Why not enjoy your current age?? I swear some guys have bodymorphic disorder. Quit over thinking stuff and enjoy your young age. Shouldn't you be out and about now chasing girls and banging them?? Instead you are stressing and worrying about a life long commitment to AAS. How big are high school age guys these days?? They are either very skinny or super fat. If you have a lower body fat and have abs and a face that doesn't look like a train wreck, then why not enjoy the ride. I know you said you don't juice to get girls and I understand that. However if you feel great health-wise now, why not enjoy that longer rather than taking a risk?? Lets say you cycle now and during PCT, your dick stops working. Can't get a hard on to save your life. Now you are 18 years old and should be banging girls in your bed but can't get it up. Makes zero sense.

Relax young lad. If you believe you are done growing, then so be it. However, at 5'6 140lbs, that is pretty thin. I am not calling you small either because I am fairly short but all I am saying is that you can definitely gain some more naturally. Post a pic if you want so we can see what you are working with and make some recommendations. Again, with a good diet and training program, there is no reason why you can't get to 180lbs and it won't take forever either.

Sometimes the price of admissions isn't worth the show. Listen to your body. Good luck!!
 
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So, what is the story with the shoulders? If you cant train correctly naturally, you cant train correctly on. Deca can help with joints slightly, but not that much.

"Suspected" slap tear tells me that you have not had this checked out. Probably from not benching correctly. I have a torn labrum in my right shoulder and torn supraspinatus and infraspinatus in my left shoulder and I can still bench over 600lbs so I dont see what the problem is there.

I am a professional lifter. I started at 19. I will never be able to produce testosterone naturally again. I will be taking at least 1 shot of test for the next 60 years. Think about that. It gets old real fast.
 
Bodybuilder101 said:
Stats:

5'6" 140 lbs, 8% Body Fat
18 year old male
Bodybuilding for 4 years, spot on diet and training.

I've been seriously contemplating 'hopping on the bike' and start taking anabolic steroids/ juice in the future and putting in a lot of research into this. This wouldn't be for a while, but just wanted some experience and opinions on this.

Now before you start typing the word "no" and flame me due to my young age, please understand I'm not your typical teenager who just wants to get big, or believes that an aesthetically pleasing body is the way to attracting women. I train because I enjoy bodybuilding, take satisfaction in improvements in my own physique and love the lifestyle. I don't train to impress friends, or for improved sporting performance, or for the girls as most teenagers do.

I don't drink alcohol or smoke. My diet has been spot on for over a year, I've cut down to and maintained 8% body fat. I have been hitting macro-nutrient goals, micros and daily calorie goals depending on whether I'm cutting, maintaining or bulking and of course, eating the right foods to hit these goals. My experience in resistance training is of 4 years and I believe I have excellent knowledge of anatomy (I'm off to university next year to take a sports science degree) and always ensure progressive overload and train every muscle group, periodization, perfect form, correct reps, sets and everything else.

The only reason I'm not more muscular after 4 years of proper training is due to a double shoulder injury I've had for around a year and half now, suspected SLAP tear in both shoulders and so this is has stopped my training right in it's tracks and can only do odd training sessions just to maintain my small amount of gains, therefore, I would need to wait until my shoulders are fixed, before starting gear.

I've contemplated staying natural, however, I aim for a bodybuilders/ cartoon-like, monster physique closer to 200 lbs lean rather than 175 lbs and the fitness model physique and so staying natural for long would be most likely out of the question for me. I believe my structural genetics for bodybuilding are pretty average, I have high lats, long bicep tendons, average clavicle width and wider than average hips/ pelvis, and so don't believe I would be successful on stage, however, I'm sure I shall compete in the future to provide me with a long term goal to aid my training and of course just to compete.

When taking steroids, my health would be of primary concern but do not wish to wait years until starting cycling and settling for slower gains as a natural, if it makes little difference to my future health knowing my growth plates have already fused, puberty has finished and other things. I have already looked into the benefits and drawbacks of AAS such as the money needed to purchase them, the law (I live in the UK where the law is not as strict as in the US), side effects, potential health risks and informative resources on the web such as the sticky thread found in this forum called "7 reasons why people should not take AAS" and others. Also, I've seen the arguments against starting at a young age such as "haven't finished growing" and "natural hormonal levels are already high enough", I think we all know exogenous amounts of hormone cycles will be higher than natural hormonal levels at all ages and I know for a fact from x-ray's that my growth plates have closed.

Please voice your arguments for and against me starting AAS at 19 years old instead of say 24, and consider my personal reasons above, all information will be of help to me in my decision, thanks.
Click to expand...

just a heads up I didn't read ANY of your post except the title but im going to say you shouldda started yesterday... like wtf man time is muscle!!!!

just incase ur wondering im kidding (except for the not reading your post shit)
 
Bodybuilder101 said:
Stats:

5'6" 140 lbs, 8% Body Fat
18 year old male
Bodybuilding for 4 years, spot on diet and training.

I've been seriously contemplating 'hopping on the bike' and start taking anabolic steroids/ juice in the future and putting in a lot of research into this. This wouldn't be for a while, but just wanted some experience and opinions on this.

Now before you start typing the word "no" and flame me due to my young age, please understand I'm not your typical teenager who just wants to get big, or believes that an aesthetically pleasing body is the way to attracting women. I train because I enjoy bodybuilding, take satisfaction in improvements in my own physique and love the lifestyle. I don't train to impress friends, or for improved sporting performance, or for the girls as most teenagers do.

I don't drink alcohol or smoke. My diet has been spot on for over a year, I've cut down to and maintained 8% body fat. I have been hitting macro-nutrient goals, micros and daily calorie goals depending on whether I'm cutting, maintaining or bulking and of course, eating the right foods to hit these goals. My experience in resistance training is of 4 years and I believe I have excellent knowledge of anatomy (I'm off to university next year to take a sports science degree) and always ensure progressive overload and train every muscle group, periodization, perfect form, correct reps, sets and everything else.

The only reason I'm not more muscular after 4 years of proper training is due to a double shoulder injury I've had for around a year and half now, suspected SLAP tear in both shoulders and so this is has stopped my training right in it's tracks and can only do odd training sessions just to maintain my small amount of gains, therefore, I would need to wait until my shoulders are fixed, before starting gear.

I've contemplated staying natural, however, I aim for a bodybuilders/ cartoon-like, monster physique closer to 200 lbs lean rather than 175 lbs and the fitness model physique and so staying natural for long would be most likely out of the question for me. I believe my structural genetics for bodybuilding are pretty average, I have high lats, long bicep tendons, average clavicle width and wider than average hips/ pelvis, and so don't believe I would be successful on stage, however, I'm sure I shall compete in the future to provide me with a long term goal to aid my training and of course just to compete.

When taking steroids, my health would be of primary concern but do not wish to wait years until starting cycling and settling for slower gains as a natural, if it makes little difference to my future health knowing my growth plates have already fused, puberty has finished and other things. I have already looked into the benefits and drawbacks of AAS such as the money needed to purchase them, the law (I live in the UK where the law is not as strict as in the US), side effects, potential health risks and informative resources on the web such as the sticky thread found in this forum called "7 reasons why people should not take AAS" and others. Also, I've seen the arguments against starting at a young age such as "haven't finished growing" and "natural hormonal levels are already high enough", I think we all know exogenous amounts of hormone cycles will be higher than natural hormonal levels at all ages and I know for a fact from x-ray's that my growth plates have closed.

Please voice your arguments for and against me starting AAS at 19 years old instead of say 24, and consider my personal reasons above, all information will be of help to me in my decision, thanks.
Click to expand...

just a heads up I didn't read ANY of your post except the title but im going to say you shouldda started yesterday... like wtf man time is muscle!!!!

just incase ur wondering im kidding (except for the not reading your post shit)
 
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