Cycle Length
I just finished an 8 week homebrew cycle this past Wednesday (7/24) using 1-test and 4-ad. I talked about this when I began the cycle under the recipe thread. I used the homebrew recipe posted there by chemo/curt2go, 240 ml bottle, 8 grams each of 1 test and 4 AD, applying 5cc's three times a day, here are my personal observations for what that's worth:
1. At that dosage level, I began experiencing results in about 3 days..... increased pump and energy/vitality during my workout. That's faster than AS start to work. And while gains overall are not directly comparable with what I used to get with AS, it is still VERY POTENT stuff. Nothing else over the counter even comes close. I have obtained excellent, high quality, lean muscle mass with minimal extra water weight. I've weighed 250 pounds before, but never of this quality;
2. 95% of my size/weight gains were achieved by weeks 6-7. However, I achieved a personal (non AS) strength record bench press during week 8. I do attribute this in large part to having begun to take creatine during week 7. Creatine/PH's for me are a very effective combination for both size and strength. My reasoning for not taking creatine sooner in my cycle is that I'm "saving" it for post cycle, hoping to retain more size and strength post cycle. I would still advocate an 8 week cycle though, just for the "muscle memory" benefit of being larger/stronger for a longer period of time. That gain level just cannot be achieved in 2 or 3 weeks time;
3. No hair loss for me. Interesting, because about a year ago I did an oral cycle utilizing BSN's 1-Testabolin (an oral, etherized 1-test product I rate highly) and AST's 4-diol products. I did lose some hair there, and expected to here, but no;
4. A touch of acne on the back, and a bit on the face. For your back guys, get yourself a long handled, soft bristle scrub brush and shower and scrub twice a day. For your face, wash twice a day with Noxzema. That should do it for most guys, unless you get a severe case of it.
5. In terms of testicular shrinkage, I'd say I lost about 20-25% of size and some firmness. Post cycle, I'm taking Nolva for 30 days. Never tried Nolva before, but have read about it's superiority compared to 6-oxo and Clomid. 6-oxo and zma have worked well for me in the past though, and within a couple of weeks time, testicles rebounded to 100% size and firmness;
6. At this level of dosing, the lethargy was almost unbearable, frankly. Talk about a lazy couch potato! The 4-AD helps tremendously with sexual performance, but in terms of combating the mental lethargy I experienced from 1-test, it did nothing. The only "fix" was to get an extra 1-2 hours of sleep each night, sneek in naps where possible, and double or triple the amount of black coffee I consumed. I also took some ephedra at times. I hate this aspect of 1-test frankly, but anabolically speaking, it is very good stuff for being "legal" for now;
7. In terms of strength gains, they were quite good. You'll note in my personal avatar, the scar on my right pec, a complete pec major avulsion (meaning I tore the tendon that connects my pec to my upper arm bone...... right off the bone in September 2002). While I can't provide you with a good A/B comparison due to my injury, suffice it to say that I'm now 10 months post corrective surgery, and I have well surpassed the strength level I was at when I tore it. I consider that to be a very good accomplishment for a guy over 40. And no, I don't do single rep maxes any more, the fewest reps I'll do on any exercise now is 4 reps. But you should understand that when I tore it, I couldn't bench 10 pounds afterwards. It is a very serious tendon injury.
8. You DEFINATELY want to get yourselves a box of rubber gloves to put this stuff on guys. It does NOT wash off your hands well at all. The first week or 2 I put it on with bare hands, and at some point rubbed my eye.......YEEEEEOWWW! I mean for 10 minutes I couldn't open my eye. I won't go into details about the difficulties you will have being intimate with your wife/girlfriend if you have any 1-test residue on your hands or elsewhere........
9. Plan on having gum or breath mints on hand at all times taking this much dmso. Your breath is going to have that sour milk/garlic stench unless you do. The lemonene smells nice on your skin but doesn't kill the breath. My kids were always telling me I smelled like "corn".
10. One other very interesting side from this is that it KILLED pain I get in my left ("good"?) a/c joint...... arthritis from years of bench pressing/military pressing. I'm actually going to have that fixed surgically next month, although that's minor in comparison to the pec tear. I asked my doctor about it, he indicated androgens are only a few carbon's away from cortocosteroids like cortisone, and that they probably give anti inflammatory pain relief if you have some arthritis as I do. When these PH's are out of my system, I'm sure the pain will resume. Normally, bench pressing without any Ibuprofen feels like a nail is being driven through that a/c joint. It's a bitch getting old guys.....
11. On many applications but not all, once the first application dried, I put on a second application of the homebrew WITHOUT any PH's added, to try to increase absorption. And once that dried, I would finally apply a mixture of aloe and vitamin E oil to the same area. Aside from even better absorption, it also helped my skin tremendously. As a result, I had no rash, and only a touch of dry skin. For me, it was easiest on my skin to apply it to my thighs, hamstrings, calves, shins, and tops of feet. Other body parts, even with aloe and vitamin E oil, did not tolerate the dmso very well. While this all sounds like a lot more work, do it in stages while you're dressing/shaving/bathing/drying off during the day. I did notice less residue on my skin when applying this way and I'm quite certain I enjoyed better absorption because of it.
Final Comment: I'm not anybody's "bodybuilder", nor am I any guru on training, PH's, AS, or diet. But I am 43 and have over 20 years experience with this stuff. In spite of what anyone else may say, if you can't naturally build your physique to the level you've attained on PH or AS, you are not going to keep that level post cycle. 6-oxo, Nolva, Clomid, ZMA, etc., will help to get our own testosterone supply flowing again post cycle, so that we don't "crash" post cycle (meaning that it took SO long for our own supply to begin flowing again that we're actually SMALLER and WEAKER post cycle than pre-cycle). I have crashed in the past, so I know how awful this can be. Our own strength and mass levels are determined by our genetics, including natural hormone levels. At some point well past "post cycle", after the AS, PH's and post cycle ancillaries have left our bodies, our endocrine systems return to our "normal" range. And while we can improve upon that slightly by training and eating, in the end we are products of our own genetics. That's fine. because most people don't work out anyway. And for we who do, we are almost "gods" in their eyes. I'm only saying this here because I think that doing 2 or 3 week cycles is, frankly, pointless. By the time the results you're achieving become "noticeable" to anyone else, you're getting off the stuff. in another 2 or 3 weeks time, your endocrine system has NOT returned to a normal state, but voila, you're starting another 2 or 3 week cycle. C'mon guys, what's the point?
If you're going to do this, then DO it. With a 6-8 week cycle, your gains will be obvious to everyone. Take your post cycle ancillaries so you don't crash. Plan your cycles around your calendar year as you need/want to. Expect to be bigger and stronger when on, expect to shrink at least somewhat, be less hard, and less strong afterwards no matter WHAT you do or take....... expectations need to be ratcheted up and down accordingly so you DON't INJURE YOURSELF!! More volume and intensity on, less off. You'll know when to adjust up and down because your body will be telling you....... just listen to it. Cycle training, diet, etc. Once you've been post cycle for 2 or 3 months, and your endocrine system is back to "normal" you can always focus your efforts on aerobic conditioning if you have that as a goal. Then again, there's always your education, career, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend. Everything in cycles guys.
But forget about 2 or 3 week cycles. That's fence sitting. Get on one side of that fence or the other.
Good luck, be well, train well.
PC1
