new intro, history and question

[sportwin]

ok. first off, hello everyone. i'm james, and i rarely use capital letters so i'll just dive in.
stats:
i am 38, 6'2", 255, about 24-26% bodyfat(mostly traded in my 6pack for a pony keg somewhere many moons ago. actually, i was 12 when that started to happen....completely out of control to the point that i got stretch marks on my belly when i was 13 even though nothing in my life or eating or work load changed except i moved to colorado from north dakota, so i had to trade hockey for football)
have low test(166-266ng) depending on the month i'm tested. i am not weak, as far as i know. however, i am no serious powerhouse or bodybuilder.
lifts:
that's easy enough. i bench 225x4-6 for 4 sets, squat about the same, but around 8-10reps per set, deadlift 275-325x4-6 for 4 sets, ezbar curls 95x6-8 for 4, backrow 135x12-15 for 4, shoulder press 155x10-12 for 4 and i can do two whole pullups on my very own! my best lift is legpress, which never ceases to amaze me. i can do 445 plus the rack, so i have no true idea what the final weight is, but it's just over 500lb.
i have been lifting religiously since 2006, with excessively limited gains or weight loss, after a 12 year hiatus after highschool. i went to tech school instead of college....whoops! can't complain, i make a good living in the healthcare field that being said, i am not an idiot or undereducated when it comes to biophysical activity. i just need some clarification on a few points that i am not wanting to ask my endocrinologist.

ok, so now with that out of the way here's what i'm up against. my test levels. so, i averaged out at test range at 216ng(166ng-266ng). pretty low huh? anyway, my wonderful endo prescribed androderm mainly because denverhealth doesn't support androgel. i have been on androderm for 7 months and noticed a small increase in libido and a little tiny bit more muscle definition and size. ok. two weeks ago, i came to the final conclusion that i was sick of the patches! they burn, leave welts, itch like mad during wear and even more after removal, plus they are kind of cumbersome. mine were the 2mg patches. so, last week, i asked my endo to find out if we support injection. to my trippy glee, we do! so i promptly started Deca-Testosterone Cypionate 200mg/bi-weekly-true prescription
i have noticed a few things. i like to fondle my wife much more often this last week my joints hurt much less. i am not as sore on an every-day basis and my mood is better than even with the androderm. i know injection is much better and more efficient than a patch.

this takes me to my next point:
with 200mg test injection....i have added Noestrogen from power labs yesterday with the intention of cycling it, but not the test, since it's doctor prescribed and only one shot every two weeks. i know there is novaldex and a couple other better aromatase inhibitors, but my thinking is an off-the-shelf PH should do just fine for my situation. i also take phentermine 30mg(i am about 25lbs overweight) and a multivitamin daily. on my workout days i take a heaping teaspoon of creatine and a scoop of 1.m.r.(pre-workout) then i have 1/2cup oatmeal with a scoop of musclemilk and 8 ounces of 2%milk and 12 ounces of water for a post-recovery shake. not a bad setup for a non-bodybuilding workout enthusiast, i don't think.

with that out of the way, on to my questions(please put on your thinking cap):
200mg test....split in half and take 100mg/week to narrow the peak and valley or leave it alone? i can do either option.
stay on noestrogen to help give a bump? (i would like to see a bit more muscle size, honestly)
change workout routine? i was doing a 5 day resistance geared workout where i did shoulders/lats, back/tri's, chest/bi's, legs, abs respectively. a couple months ago i started doing self-propelled crossfit style workouts, and have been since then.
there it is and there i am.

i should note that my goal is simple yet ominous: i want to drop the aforementioned 25lbs of fat and keep or put on around 5-10 lbs of muscle. remember, i'm 6'2" 255lbs. i am in no way a small man, nor a total weakling. i don't want to be huge, just built.
i was asked once some time ago, "do you want to look like a bodybuilder, or a marine?" well, a marine of course. i do not have the skeletal structure of a bodybuilder, i have the structure of a good old fashioned viking and the mentality to back it up!

so, anyone care to give a crack at this? i am all ears and more driven than 95% of the rest of this country when it comes to dedication.
good day and good health!

my motto:
"it's not what you have, it's what you do with what you have!"

 

[The Matrix]

Welcome to the board
Please clarify the exact medication you are taking.
Are you on deca and testosterone?
If so how much of each?

Spltting the dosage up into 2 50 mgs shots a week will help keep even plasma levels. This can be adminstered by an insulin pin loaded with a bigger gauge needle then just pull the plunger fill up to the 25 iu mark then put the plunger back on then flip it up side down so you get all the air out. Then push the plunger up till get a little liquid coming out. your testosterone is low for a specific reason which should be ruled out before going on HRT. At age of 38 you would be a good canidate for HRT, but you should see if there are other hidden underlying issues which need to be addressed such as thyroid, adrenals, lifestyles, emotional, or other biological issues (diabetes, high blood pressure, ect, ect). I would have not taken an estrogen blocker before you get a good 5-6 weeks into therapy. You may be shooting your self in the foot with out knowing where you are with out it. Dr's like to start people out of the gate with AI,HCG, T, but in the end you never not know what is working or what to adjust. Focus on a good lifestyle, clean eating, further evaluation of thyroid, adrenal, and other parameters in the blood to get a complete work up, and you should be on your way to reaching your goals.

 

[sportwin]

thanks for the reply matrix. the product is called Deca-Testosterone Cypionate by Pfizer. it is 200mg. one shot, bi-weekly. as i stated before, i have been on androderm for seven months and last week made the switch to injection. hope that helps. btw, my eating habits are very clean, in comparison to the average joe. i live an average lifestyle with a bit above average activity. i work for a hospital in denver and am on my feet 6-8 hours a day.

 

[The Matrix]

thanks for the reply matrix. the product is called Deca-Testosterone Cypionate by Pfizer. it is 200mg. one shot, bi-weekly. as i stated before, i have been on androderm for seven months and last week made the switch to injection. hope that helps. btw, my eating habits are very clean, in comparison to the average joe. i live an average lifestyle with a bit above average activity. i work for a hospital in denver and am on my feet 6-8 hours a day.

You mean DEPOT not deca testosterone that is what was probably throwing me off.

 

[sportwin]

yep, my bad. i just looked at the vial. it is Depo-Testosterone Cypionate. good catch. thanks. so, what do you think?

 

[The Matrix]

yep, my bad. i just looked at the vial. it is Depo-Testosterone Cypionate. good catch. thanks. so, what do you think?

I say as long as other parameters are checked out (thyroid adrenals, and few others) then being properly monitored I say go for it :dance:
I just like to have all engines go so nothing comes back and smacks you in the butt latter.

 

[sportwin]

thanks again. yeah everything, and i mean everything was checked out. my endocrinologist is the Chief of Endocrinology at DenverHealth, and i am an employee for the same hospital. they like to take care of their employees, really good care. most employees don't just get some doctor in whatever department they have to go to. they/we are awarded the best that the hospital has to offer. since we are a teaching hospital in conjunction with the University of Colorado most if not all the higher end doctors are, themselves, teachers. i get my depo($15/month) and phentermine($10/90days) absurdly cheap, due to the employee insurance and discount, so i have no complaints there. i consider myself extremely lucky in those regards! but, none-the-less, all other levels are totally within spec. except my estrogen/estradiol levels are almost double what they should be which led me to dive into noestrogen as a little bit of a bump in the right direction. i don't have my lab results here, i generally leave them with my doc and just do what he says, so i appologize for not having hard numbers. thanks again for the replies. oh yeah, one more thing:i take 3600mg fish oil every morning and 3 teaspoons of psyllium seed husk every night before bed. i know timing is everything which is why i wake up and take my phentermine, wait half an hour, then take 3600mg fish oil and eat or take my 1.m.r. and creatine on my workout days.

 

[The Matrix]

GEtting the proper TRT injection schedule will help e2 out tremendously
200 mgs once every 2 weeks you are going from peak of 1800 48 hours later to 200 14 days that is a huge rollercoaster ride of T and e2.
If you are doubled then over the counter may not work, but more like something like erase may be a better choice.

 

[lboston]

Just ordered some erase for myself to use. Matrix-how does this compare for use to arimidex?

 

[The Matrix]

Just ordered some erase for myself to use. Matrix-how does this compare for use to arimidex?

I 'm waiting to get a Dr's patient with high e2 and run it at 2 per day to see what results its gives clincall over a 4 weeks peroid or have the Dr test when symptoms are corrected or get worse to see just what is happening. I feel it may be a good alternative to aromasin with people who have issues with moderate estrogen issues. i have found clearing the GI, liver and estrogen pathways has also reduced e2 signifcantly in cases. In order to accomplish this there has to be comprehensive testing which majority of people do not want to go through other wise it would just be guessing games.

 

[kisaj]

I work with two guys that are on TRT- one is on 100mg and the other 150mg a week. They both take Erase because their docs don't prescribe an estrogen blocker and they said that they love it. No man boobs and no mood swings. One of them also takes DAA and claims that his balls never shrunk. Don't know if this is true, obvioulsy LOL, but I do rides (bike) with these guys and they definitely aren't suffering from growing tits.

 

[The Matrix]

I work with two guys that are on TRT- one is on 100mg and the other 150mg a week. They both take Erase because their docs don't prescribe an estrogen blocker and they said that they love it. No man boobs and no mood swings. One of them also takes DAA and claims that his balls never shrunk. Don't know if this is true, obvioulsy LOL, but I do rides (bike) with these guys and they definitely aren't suffering from growing tits.

Question is
1. Did they have a base line reading before and after, where symptoms evident prior before starting erase..This is the information I am most interested about. If people can find a safe alternative to AI then Dr's I am associated are all for it!!

DAA looks promising and need to do reseaerch into long term side effects. Could be a possible substitute for HCG..

If we can find something that actually has ability to lower e2 levels with a before and after baseline then we have a winner...For god sakes I be willing to test it out which I plan on doing my self. I have baseline reading with out and AI at 54 e2 now with an AI it brings me to 15 on 4021x quest. Be curous to see where it puts in 4 weeks with 2-3 per day..I wish I could figure out how to make an estrogenic adaptogen ..

 

[kisaj]

To answer your question- I am not really sure. We started talking about it because we are all in our late 30s and working out/fitness is huge in our lives. One guy started about 10 months ago and the other started about 6. They were both in good shape, so it wasn't like they were starting as pudgy lards hoping that trt would get them in shape. I just found it interesting that they have been doing trt for as long as they have at those doses and claim to never had a problem and it certainly doesn't look like they do. Could it also be that they train like mad men? Maybe that has a role in it.

The DAA is really interesting to me because it reportedly directly affects LH, so if you took it while on trt, why wouldn't it act like a mild hcg?