Dont care how "lean" someone is, injecting high levels of testosterone is gonna raise your e2 high unless you use an AI. Some people are not sensitive to high e2 and are willing to run it high in the absence of an AI or even at a low ai dose, but this practice is not usually condoned on this board. So......if someone is gonna cycle then they should do a proper cycle with hcg, ai, and pct lined up and in hand. Follow the beginner sticky. So.....you're wrong, AI is needed no matter how lean you are unless bloodwork says otherwise.
As for leaning out before cycling? Sure.....leaning out is advisable before cycling but it's less about e2 and more about dedication and seeing the results. First off, if you cant see the results because they are covered in fat then what's the point.....unless you're powerlifting or just wanna be big at all costs. Secondly, if you don't have the dedication and dietary control to lean out before cycling then it is unlikely you will have as much success as someone who is in control of their eating. Eat big and eat clean........cycle and workout......modify your diet to achieve whatever your goal is. Eat big to get big......eat in a deficit to lean out. Steroids are great at allowing us to hold on to our muscle mass while losing fat in a deficit. Improved feed efficiency.
All of your questions seem to be aimed at the same thing.....either talking yourself out of cycling or talking others into telling you that the cycle can be done with less compounds. We didn't just discover what works yesterday......the bros on here have been successfully cycling for years and they ALL SAY THE SAME THING......FOLLOW THE FIRST CYCLE STICKY. And it says to use an AI and get bloodwork to modify the dose, if necessary. This means that if your e2 comes back higher than your precycle baseline you may need to increase your AI dose, if it comes in under that amount then you may be able to lower or eliminate the use of an AI.
