All of the medical reasons for not cycling young aside, I would agree to leave AAS alone until you're 25+ and here's why. I started training about 14-15 years ago, and I've had many gym friends/training partners and here is what I would say based on my experience. First off, I find (most of the time) the people who stay natural longer tend to be better off, not only health wise but in terms of long term gym progress. When you're natural, you have to learn how to modify every aspect of your diet and training to get the results you want, whether it be physically, strength wise etc. I think this also makes you mentally tougher, struggling for gains and having to throw everything you have at it, and puts you in a better position mentally to deal with bumps in the road like injuries, along the way and bounce back from them. I've known 5 guys that have openly admitted to me they were cycling, and then myself (I also started a little too young IMO). Of the 6 of us, I'm the only one who still trains...like at all (except one, who recently came out for one workout with me and never came again). One is really sad because he actually had the genetics to be an extremely competitive bodybuilder. However he started AAS at I think 17-18 and never developed the real work ethic, it was easy for him to keep seeing gains by throwing more drugs at his physique and see improvements but when an injury took him out he didn't have the mental tenacity to work his way back up. Another one who also started at 18 is pretty much a walking billboard for low test symptoms, and the rest just got caught up in being young. Which brings me to my next point. You're 18, and have no clue what life has in store for you. The next probably 10 years in your life are likely going to be the most unstable/unpredictable years you'll have whether it be college, jobs, traveling, women (or men if that's what you are into), partying ect. Now I'm not saying you won't continue to love to train, but the reality is life happens and 5 years from now training may be way down your priority list, so why do something now that could negatively affect you in the future? I did a few cycles between 21-23ish and then as my life began to change, the gym became less and less of a priority and it was another probably 3 years before I started to take it seriously again. On the note of not being able to keep up with your friends, I recently worked out with one of the guys who started cycling at 18, even when we were natural he was always that little bit stronger than me and once he hopped on AAS I couldn't compete at all, but now here we are 10 years later and he couldn't even come close to me in the gym and let me tell you that feels real nice
. My point is that just from my personal experience I would recommend to everyone to hold off on cycling until at least 25.
