Moppy1
New member
Been reading so many threads from guys in their early 20s (even 18-19) about starting their first cycle. Most older vets would agree this is way too young. Here is my story and recommendation:
I did practice what I am preaching, as I did not start AAS till 36 years of age, after my last kid, and well after I peaked in the gym (18 years of consistent working out). AAS then reinvigorated my life in the gym, and even outside the gym, in many ways. Bench went up 35% over past 9 years, as did all other lifts. Lost almost all body fat, and gained 20 lbs of muscle over this time, which I still have thanks to TRT (HRT). SO, while there are no hard fast rules to any of this, my recommendation is to wait till you have peaked in the gym, and have had your kids, which is generally in your 30s. It does worry me the number of young guys starting with AAS way too early. Read up on treads discussing TRT for life because of extended AAS use. It will happen to most of us.
SO, guidelines are:
1) I would NOT recommend getting started down the dark path of AAS till you have had 5-10 hard years in the gym optimizing your body. This ensures strong tendons, bones, and base of muscle strength, as well as knowledge about really lifting effectively. More importantly, you want to let your body build naturally through your 20s when Test is already pretty high. Having a more natural based of strength in the muscles, bones and tendons will also protect you from injury when the large jumps in strength occur with AAS.
2) Another consideration is having kids. You do take a risk of infertility on extended AAS usage.
3) 30 years old seems to be about right, maybe even a little older (but could be a little younger)
4) Waiting longer makes one mentally more secure and able to deal with the emotional aspects of AAS usage. Not worth getting into it, but there are emotional, anxiety issues that can crop up with AAS use and the game.
5) Why peak so early, as there is nothing to look forward to later in life. You will get bored of all this and the grind of the AAS game and being in the gym, give it time so working out is entrenched in your very soul, and AAS applied later in life will reinvigorate you in the gym and give you another 10 hard years.
6) Although minor, AAS use at high dosages for long periods of time probably does have some risk for cardiovascular disease and a few other things, so the longer you wait, the better the risk management with aging.
7) AAS use, especially in young people (18-25), will affect your personality. Not directly, but it will impact your self image and the way people respond to you. The older you are when all this happens, the more you can control and remain yourself. In business, when I walk into a room, other dudes (not women) naturally look to me for leadership, only because of my size and appearance. This can change your personality and self image.
8) It will affect your sexual performance. Trust me when I tell you that everything you have read about it being a sexual super charger is temporally limited. Mostly happens first few cycles. Thereafter it has the opposite effect on most of us. It effs up your sexual function, and most guys need viagra, etc. This is a sure thing with extended use, trust me.
9) You will likely need to be on TRT (HRT) the rest of your life when you stop. Not that there is anything wrong with this situation, but it is something to consider and can be a hassle. Wait till you are older.
10) It is psychologically addicting, so once you start, you will not want to stop.
I did practice what I am preaching, as I did not start AAS till 36 years of age, after my last kid, and well after I peaked in the gym (18 years of consistent working out). AAS then reinvigorated my life in the gym, and even outside the gym, in many ways. Bench went up 35% over past 9 years, as did all other lifts. Lost almost all body fat, and gained 20 lbs of muscle over this time, which I still have thanks to TRT (HRT). SO, while there are no hard fast rules to any of this, my recommendation is to wait till you have peaked in the gym, and have had your kids, which is generally in your 30s. It does worry me the number of young guys starting with AAS way too early. Read up on treads discussing TRT for life because of extended AAS use. It will happen to most of us.
SO, guidelines are:
1) I would NOT recommend getting started down the dark path of AAS till you have had 5-10 hard years in the gym optimizing your body. This ensures strong tendons, bones, and base of muscle strength, as well as knowledge about really lifting effectively. More importantly, you want to let your body build naturally through your 20s when Test is already pretty high. Having a more natural based of strength in the muscles, bones and tendons will also protect you from injury when the large jumps in strength occur with AAS.
2) Another consideration is having kids. You do take a risk of infertility on extended AAS usage.
3) 30 years old seems to be about right, maybe even a little older (but could be a little younger)
4) Waiting longer makes one mentally more secure and able to deal with the emotional aspects of AAS usage. Not worth getting into it, but there are emotional, anxiety issues that can crop up with AAS use and the game.
5) Why peak so early, as there is nothing to look forward to later in life. You will get bored of all this and the grind of the AAS game and being in the gym, give it time so working out is entrenched in your very soul, and AAS applied later in life will reinvigorate you in the gym and give you another 10 hard years.
6) Although minor, AAS use at high dosages for long periods of time probably does have some risk for cardiovascular disease and a few other things, so the longer you wait, the better the risk management with aging.
7) AAS use, especially in young people (18-25), will affect your personality. Not directly, but it will impact your self image and the way people respond to you. The older you are when all this happens, the more you can control and remain yourself. In business, when I walk into a room, other dudes (not women) naturally look to me for leadership, only because of my size and appearance. This can change your personality and self image.
8) It will affect your sexual performance. Trust me when I tell you that everything you have read about it being a sexual super charger is temporally limited. Mostly happens first few cycles. Thereafter it has the opposite effect on most of us. It effs up your sexual function, and most guys need viagra, etc. This is a sure thing with extended use, trust me.
9) You will likely need to be on TRT (HRT) the rest of your life when you stop. Not that there is anything wrong with this situation, but it is something to consider and can be a hassle. Wait till you are older.
10) It is psychologically addicting, so once you start, you will not want to stop.
