Thoughts halfway through 1st cycle

panzers

New member
Hello, I'm in week 8 of 15 week first cycle Test e 500 mg a week and wanted to share some of my thoughts, sides, etc thus far.

I'm in my late 30s and started the cycle at 15% bf at 176 lbs (small frame). 8 weeks in I am at 17.9% 201 lbs today. I am sure I had some naive misconceptions about aas. I thought you would gain mostly all muscle and pretty easily. But there have been numerous times where I lost two pounds in a week because the test is so thermogenic for me, that even eating a lot of calories I will burn off so much. My calories on training days started at about 3500 cal a day and have risen to 5500 or else I don't gain weight. Then some weeks I put on 4 lbs. I've gained more fat than I wanted, but I look at this 15 weeks as a chance to build supraphysiological amounts of muscle and don't want to hinder it by worrying too much about staying as trim as possible. I can cut in a few months, but now is for growing. And I only added calories when I wasn't gaining weight. I had to cut out all cardio because I wasn't gaining much weight.

My traps have taken off like a monster! They are sooo much thicker, it's quite noticeable the shape and size difference. I'd say they are the biggest difference. My shoulders are noticeably wider, my chest is much thicker. My triceps when I flex are much thicker as well, though I'm not pleased with overall arm size (but is any man?) I think my legs look bigger too. People at work have noticed. One lady said, Are you taking steroids or protein shakes or something? I just laughed and showed her my protein shaker cup.

My strength has gone through the roof. I'm throwing around weights for fun. Most major multijoint exercises have gone up about 30 lbs for reps of 5-8. I am at personal records on probably every major exercise. For instance, standing dumbbell curls without swinging, my lifetime high was 55 lbs. dumbbells for about 6-8 reps. Yesterday I did 70 lbs. for 4 reps after 65 lbs for 8 reps. This isn't to brag, as I am sure most of you are stronger, but to give you a reference for how I have done. My bench is up about 40 lbs.

For sides I have noticed: not one bit of increased sex drive, no boners at all, increased irritability and short temper (and I am very very laid back!) but I control the temper and just take a deep breath. I also have had minor body acne from time to time. I had a small patch of acne that looked like a rash on the inside of my right leg, some on the arm or chest. I feel very hot quite often and for weeks 5-7 I was wicked hot all the time, especially after meals and had crazy night sweats (which I didn't know you could get from test). My sheets were soaked, my pillow was like water :)!

I've been on aromasin ed .5 mg since week 2, noticed no obvious sides.

Overall so far I am pretty happy with the results. But studying what testosterone does to your prostate gland, I am increasingly worried (even though I have no symptoms) about that and don't plan more than 1-2 more cycles in the next year or two because I fear long-term prostate effects and years of BPH. I'll do another write up at the end of the cycle. Thanks for reading, hope you guys enjoyed this.
 
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Thanks sessions. I liked your log a lot. I was naive in that I hoped aaa would make me look quite big. But I think it takes several cycles. Anyway I'm halfway done and have gained 25 lbs.

At what point do you reduce calories? In pct since there is so much cortisol shouldn't they stay high? then after pct I don't know when to lower kcal and how much. I'll research it more when I get close to OCR.
 
But there have been numerous times where I lost two pounds in a week because the test is so thermogenic for me, that even eating a lot of calories I will burn off so much. My calories on training days started at about 3500 cal a day and have risen to 5500 or else I don't gain weight.

AAS is not some magically potion. You have to know what the fuk your doing. There is NO way you were eating 5500 cals a day, lifting heavy and on 500mg of test and lost weight. Just dumb
 
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Kty thanks for the kind response. I never lost two lbs on 5500 kcal a day; that's my current level and I haven't lost a lb for several weeks after I went above about 4400 kcal.

And I know aas are not magic. I researched a bit before I started but at the same time your brain wants to romanticize them when u start your first cycle, you really hope to get huge. That's all. I am doing the work. I am doing the eating. I am doing the sleeping. The aas are merely an aid.

Thanks for calling me names in a public forum. Stay Classy San Diego.
 
Good Job bro. I just think 5500 Cal may be too much, reason being the diet during cycle is important but even more so after the cycle.
You would have to continue eating something around the same amount during PCT but the problem with that is you will be gaining quite a bit of fat. During cycle your body breakdown of nutrients is elevated but does go down during PCT and you have to wait for yuor normal level to get back so i would say best thing will be to taper your self down to around 3500cal by the end of your cycle. its just my 2 cents.

Other than that have a good cycle and i will follow this thread.
 
Thanks curtis. I only lost two lbs once or twice at about 192-196 lbs so maybe you're right and I added too many kcal. I lift heavy 4x week. Those are my 5200-5500 kcal days but on off days maybe my cals are too high, about 4300? My tdee I think was 3600. Maybe that's where the fat is coming from. Maybe I will taper down like u said.

This being my first time it is all trial and error for me and what I have learned from all of you here. So whatever kcal level I end up at after last pin what changes calorie level wise the two weeks until pct and then the month of post cycle therapy (pct)? Also when I get blood lab done and feel recovered after pct how would you scale back cals? This is soooo much more than I normally bulk on and i plan to keep bulking for another couple months but I don't want to cut back so much I unnecessarily lose muscle. Thanks for any help.
 
This would be correct IMO and that is as follows.

When you taper down to lets say 3500 cals by then end of your cycle you should continue that same diet through out your PCT and even after because most people that i have heard off would have a great PCT and then will mess up there diet and will def lose some strenght and mass so the best thing would be to continue that diet for quite sometime and because you are planning to Bulk 3500 for someone with your possible future stats is still way for than enough and will help you bulk.

Always make slight changes when tapering because that allows your body to adapt to changes more evenly.

Keep it at 3500 during PCT and after. Later in the year anywhere between 2500 to 3000 would be great for keep at your weight.

I would say most of these advanced member and mods would agree with me on this.

Godd luck and any question I will try my best to help.:bigok:
 
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