Current condition, constructive criticism, ready for 1st cycle?

[Hopefuldoc2012]

Stats:

27 y/o, 5'6", 195 lbs, best squat 485, bench 315, DL 405 in competition. 18% BF by calipers, 27%!! BF by bodpod (similar to underwater weighing).

I'm attaching a photobucket album. Has a few old pics, one of my best shape about 1 yr ago, and a bunch of currents.

I'm looking to lose 15 lbs of bodyfat (before cycle) at least and was considering a 1st cycle of test e 500 mg x 10 weeks (split into 2 pins per week) w/ Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) last 2 weeks of cycle and Nolvadex for PCT.

I'm looking for constructive feedback (I know I'm too fat) on my physique and opinions of how long I should wait to do my 1st cycle.

Currently doing chest/legs/back/shoulders/arms split with 1 hr cardio 4 times weekly. Diet is 1700-2000 kcal with ~200 g protein.

The album: (You'll have to cut and paste into your browser, I can't seem to get it to show up as a clickable link)

s149.photobucket.com/albums/s53/dwkwb8/Cutting%20Cycle%20Progress/

 

[Moose25]

What's your diet look like? Also what does your daily maintance calorie needs look like? A lot of it is what you eat and when you eat it. The usual advice I see about bodyfat percentage before a cycle is about 9-12%, but I could be wrong.

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

Diet is 1700 kcal daily with 200 g protein, low fat, eaten in small meals throughout day (irregular work schedule so some days varies). Pre and post workout protein shakes w/ some fruit juice post workout w/ creatine.

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

What bodyfat would everyone guess I am at? I thought maybe 18-20% but was really surprised when the bodpod said 27%.

 

[brother bundy]

imo when u see abs your ready for a cycle

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

imo when u see abs your ready for a cycle

Do you mean in general or for me specifically? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

More details on diet:

Protein is mostly in form of eggs, chicken breast, turkey lunchmeat (which kills my sodium intake), and muscle milk 100% whey protein powder.

I try to avoid fat (200 g of protein doesn't allow for much in 1700 kcal diet) and get most of carbs from whole grain bread.

The worst part is my sodium intake which sometimes tops 5000 mg...... It's really hard to cut down. I use an iPhone app MyNetDiary to log food and cardio so I know my exact intake (and was surprised how much sodium is hiding in certain foods).

 

[brother bundy]

both, very important to have low bf when u do juice.First it shows your diet is on the money which I think is number 1, dropp some bf before u take anything bro

 

[brother bundy]

If you really want to do this right get 3j to help u ,heard from some smart bros he knows his shit

 

[Mt-momma]

Sodium at 5000mgs!!!!!! Holy water retention batman! Why is that so hard to cut down? What the heck else are you eating to keep your sodium that high? There are also much better protein powders out there than muscle milk. Isopure and Optimum Nutrition to name a couple.
Also shakes for post workout only.
Your body fat % needs to be cut in half (at least) before you cycle. Couldn't click on your photobucket.

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

Sodium at 5000mgs!!!!!! Holy water retention batman! Why is that so hard to cut down? What the heck else are you eating to keep your sodium that high? There are also much better protein powders out there than muscle milk. Isopure and Optimum Nutrition to name a couple.
Also shakes for post workout only.
Your body fat % needs to be cut in half (at least) before you cycle. Couldn't click on your photobucket.

Mostly the salt comes from the turkey. I'm cutting that out of my diet currently to avoid so much salt. I was shocked too.

Also, I can't seem to make the link clickable but if you cut/paste it into your browser you should be able to see the pics.

s149.photobucket.com/albums/s53/dwkwb8/Cutting%20Cycle%20Progress/

What are everyone's thoughts on Clenbuterol or ECA? I've used ECA before with good results and I am curious about Clen.

 

[ski10804life]

^^ agreed, i used to take isopure when i was trying to cut down, the taste is ok. But huydro weigh actually is a litle better imo, sorry mt-momma , i love it, i take hydro biulder now, but hydro weigh is one of the best i think. And i also agree with ^^^ on cutting your bf% down alot before thinking about cycleing. And please let me know what you are eating that your sodium intake is 5000mg a day, that is actually hard to do lol, that needs to be fixed asap.

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

^^ agreed, i used to take isopure when i was trying to cut down, the taste is ok. But huydro weigh actually is a litle better imo, sorry mt-momma , i love it, i take hydro biulder now, but hydro weigh is one of the best i think. And i also agree with ^^^ on cutting your bf% down alot before thinking about cycleing. And please let me know what you are eating that your sodium intake is 5000mg a day, that is actually hard to do lol, that needs to be fixed asap.

Salt is mostly from the turkey........ EPIC fail I know........

Is it Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey and Nature's Best Perfect Zero Carb Isopure that you guys (and gals) like? I'm actually out of the MM whey so I'm picking something up today.

 

[brother bundy]

muscle milk gotta b the worst shit out there O. N. is much better

 

[bigherm2121]

imo when u see abs your ready for a cycle

Not really bundy! Fir this guy ya. At 10% bf is when most people see abs. Because you can see abs doesn't mean there ready. As far as bf yes. But if someone 6 foot 145 comes in and can see His abs and wants to cycle he's prob not ready.

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

How much bodyfat do you guys estimate I need to lose based on the pictures? I was around 175 lbs in the most lean picture in the photobucket set (the only one where you can see my abs). Is everyone able to copy/paste the URL and view the pics?

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

What's your diet look like? Also what does your daily maintance calorie needs look like? A lot of it is what you eat and when you eat it. The usual advice I see about bodyfat percentage before a cycle is about 9-12%, but I could be wrong.

My TDEE is between 2600-3000 kcal per day. My meals are split evenly throughout the day < 500 kcal x 4-6 meals per day. I'm shooting for 1700-2000 kcal per day depending on my activity.

 

[brother bundy]

Not really bundy! Fir this guy ya. At 10% bf is when most people see abs. Because you can see abs doesn't mean there ready. As far as bf yes. But if someone 6 foot 145 comes in and can see His abs and wants to cycle he's prob not ready.

Im only talking about this guy

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

Would it be totally unreasonable to start test e 250 mg weekly while cutting hard (to avoid losing the muscle I have and watch for possible side effects) and then increase to 500 mg weekly (split into 2 injections) for remainder of 10-12 week cycle?

As this is my 1st cycle I am concerned about acne especially (I had it very bad during middle/highschool).

I know that test e does very little for fat loss but would it allow me to cut a little harder (larger calorie deficit) while maintaining my lean mass.

I would like to end up around 10% bf (by calipers not the bodpod).

 

[Hopefuldoc2012]

Part of the reason I am so antsy to start this cycle is that I do not have to work (or go to school) for the next 2 months so I have the opportunity to workout/eat/sleep perfectly and want to make the most out of that time.