1st cycle ever at 35

[PegLeg_72]

Hi guys. Little about me. Male 35. Currently sitting at 189 pounds 5’7”. 32” jeans wearing large shirts. Since 2022 I’ve lost a total of 128 pounds. 100 of that strictly through diet and exercise. Last 28 came from retatrutide. I do 6mg a week of that.

Considering starting test cycle of 300-500mg a week. Would probably PCT the whole 16 weeks with HCG 1000iu 3x per week. Does this seem like a decent cycle plan? I plan on getting bloods done soon but I have zero experience with PEDs. Also my body fat is probably a bit high still. Hard to tell with the loose skin. I’ll attach some pictures. Current max bench is 290 squat 350.

Ultimate goal would be to continue cutting with Reta and try to get some lean gains.

 

[PegLeg_72]

More pics

 

[Dustin07]

Since 2022 I’ve lost a total of 128 pounds. 100 of that strictly through diet and exercise. Last 28 came from retatrutide. I do 6mg a week of that.

holy **** dude that's a huge feat, and you really appear to have good skin elasticity. have you not had to have any surgery for loose skin? I don't see scars and its' looking really good.

 

[PegLeg_72]

holy **** dude that's a huge feat, and you really appear to have good skin elasticity. have you not had to have any surgery for loose skin? I don't see scars and it’s' looking really good.

Thanks man. Yea no surgery. My lower gut skin is pretty much toast though. I’m assuming my BF% is right around 20 since I have pretty visible collar bones and ribs. Still a little high to start a cycle maybe.

 

[Dustin07]

My buddy lost a ton of weight, he played semi pro football at like 425lbs and cut all the way down to like 250lbs to become a cop, but he had to have a lot of skin removed so he has the scars from it (he also had to quit playing football when he got too small to keep playing center, lol). you're likely doing yourself a major favor with all that weight loss now instead of later. I can tell even at only 42 yrs old that when I cut weight my skin tightens back up a little slower. and I'm only talking about like 20lb cuts!

 

[PegLeg_72]

My buddy lost a ton of weight, he played semi pro football at like 425lbs and cut all the way down to like 250lbs to become a cop, but he had to have a lot of skin removed so he has the scars from it (he also had to quit playing football when he got too small to keep playing center, lol). you're likely doing yourself a major favor with all that weight loss now instead of later. I can tell even at only 42 yrs old that when I cut weight my skin tightens back up a little slower. and I'm only talking about like 20lb cuts!

425 to 250 is crazy. I think it depends on how long you were that big and how fast you lose it. Age to. Mine isn’t perfect and I still have some sub Q fat for sure. But the upper abs are starting to come in slightly.

 

[Dustin07]

to be fair, my buddy is 6'7" as well, lol. He tells me he sits at 280 now but I'm guessing he's over 300 walking around weight. he's stupid strong. My PR's are literally his warm ups. if he actually trained like a gym rat he'd be an insane beast and he's in his 40s

 

[BBiceps]

Good job on your weight loss!

PCT = Post Cycle Therapy so you do that after your cycle to recover from the cycle, NOT DURING the cycle. If you want you can use HCG during the cycle but you don’t need more than 500iu 2x week. Use Clomid for PCT at 25mg for 6-8 weeks.

Start Test at 300.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Good job on your weight loss!

PCT = Post Cycle Therapy so you do that after your cycle to recover from the cycle, NOT DURING the cycle. If you want you can use HCG during the cycle but you don’t need more than 500iu 2x week. Use Clomid for PCT at 25mg for 6-8 weeks.

Start Test at 300.

Thanks for the advice. And is the HCG during the encircle only if you want to try to maintain fertility? I have 4 biological kids and a vasectomy so I don’t really care about that. I’ve also seen guys do a small blast and then just titrate down to TRT levels to maintain more of the gains and cruise at that instead of a PCT. Like so said though, I’m a complete newb to all of this. I hear different things from different sources. One thing though. I’ve yet to talk to a guy that did TRT and regretted it.

 

[BBiceps]

Thanks for the advice. And is the HCG during the encircle only if you want to try to maintain fertility? I have 4 biological kids and a vasectomy so I don’t really care about that. I’ve also seen guys do a small blast and then just titrate down to TRT levels to maintain more of the gains and cruise at that instead of a PCT. Like so said though, I’m a complete newb to all of this. I hear different things from different sources. One thing though. I’ve yet to talk to a guy that did TRT and regretted it.

Yes, I wouldn’t bother with HCG in your case.

That depends if you want to go on TRT or not?
Steroids, Test and TRT is not magic and if you have unrealistic expectations it can be very disappointing. I have a few work colleagues that went on TRT and stopped after a few months… if you don’t needed it I wouldn’t start TRT.

Do your cycle, see how you feel after you recovered.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Yes, I wouldn’t bother with HCG in your case.

That depends if you want to go on TRT or not?
Steroids, Test and TRT is not magic and if you have unrealistic expectations it can be very disappointing. I have a few work colleagues that went on TRT and stopped after a few months… if you don’t needed it I wouldn’t start TRT.

Do your cycle, see how you feel after you recovered.

I’ve developed good habits on my weight loss journey. Consistancy being the biggest thing. I was 100 pounds down about a year or so in and maintained that for nearly 2 years until I stumbled upon Reta. I enjoy the gym and moving and tracking macros and calories. I’m a data driven kinda guy I guess lol. Even got the wife on Reta and she loves it compared to her name brand tirz.

I know none of its magic. But the hard work and results is what I chase anyway. I just figured at this point in my life, infertility and such is not a big deal, why not run a cycle and assess how I can fair with the discipline I’ve already instilled. Hell, this might even make me more disciplined. Who knows. I have fun on the journey and I know I’ll never go back to who I was before.

 

[botk1161]

If your considering TRT, I would get a baseline blood test to see where your at. You should do this regardless in order that you can either no if you have done an effective PCT (got back to your baseline levels) or simply to know where you started with.

 

[PegLeg_72]

If your considering TRT, I would get a baseline blood test to see where your at. You should do this regardless in order that you can either no if you have done an effective PCT (got back to your baseline levels) or simply to know where you started with.

Yep. That’s the plan. Probably gonna use this test.

 

[zaareleq]

I'd get the blood work done to get your baselines for sure. If I was a betting guy based on your current progress and weight you move I'd say your natural test level is pretty healthy. If so there is no reason to need a actual TRT post cycle. Just do a good post cycle to get back to baseline. TRT is a life time commitment and no need to start at your age unless necessary.

 

[LeanEngineer]

TRT is a life time commitment and no need to start at your age unless necessary.

Agreed. Too many people hop on the TRT wagon too early and then regret it a few years down the line. Best to hold the natty test production as long as possible.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Agreed. Too many people hop on the TRT wagon too early and then regret it a few years down the line. Best to hold the natty test production as long as possible.

Yea I agree. Seems like TRT is widely used anymore. Being that I’m in my mid 30s already sterile from vasectomy and done having kids, I wanted to explore this. I’m almost 36 and I know my natural testosterone definitely isn’t going up. But not sure I wanna take the TRT life time commitment. I’m gathering any and all info I can.

 

[ironviking]

Really dig into TRT before going that route, it can be really harmful if your test levels are in the normal range. From the progress you've made your test levels are probably good anyway. Don't discount the progress you made on reta, that 28lbs is significant.
Before hopping on a cycle though you might want to look at some of the supps promoted on the board and give those a try. Also, if you haven't already, consult a personal trainer, there are many out there that can give you a fresh look at your training and diet to get your progress moving again towards your goals. Then once you have all the basics dialed in and geared to where you want to get to, revisit the AAS question again. Either way freakin great progress so far keep it up.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Really dig into TRT before going that route, it can be really harmful if your test levels are in the normal range. From the progress you've made your test levels are probably good anyway. Don't discount the progress you made on reta, that 28lbs is significant.
Before hopping on a cycle though you might want to look at some of the supps promoted on the board and give those a try. Also, if you haven't already, consult a personal trainer, there are many out there that can give you a fresh look at your training and diet to get your progress moving again towards your goals. Then once you have all the basics dialed in and geared to where you want to get to, revisit the AAS question again. Either way freakin great progress so far keep it up.

For sure. I have blood tests getting done today for my baseline. I may look into some test boosters of some sort but I always kinda thought those were bogus. But again, I have no experience with those either.

 

[zaareleq]

For sure. I have blood tests getting done today for my baseline. I may look into some test boosters of some sort but I always kinda thought those were bogus. But again, I have no experience with those either.

Nothing wrong with running a test cycle with proper PCT. I think folks are just saying to make sure diet and training are optimized first. I personally would also look at doing your first cycle at 250-300 test cyp weekly. That was my first run long ago and I did very well with it. You have plenty of time to get to needing 500 or more ( which I did plenty of times too lol)

 

[LeanEngineer]

For sure. I have blood tests getting done today for my baseline. I may look into some test boosters of some sort but I always kinda thought those were bogus. But again, I have no experience with those either.

Optimize T by SNS definitely will increase it. Nothing like actual test would but it definitely helps. Diet, stress, and sleep play a big factor into it as well. If you're not competing in any shape or form probably best to ride it out natty as long as possible imo.

 

[mxrider28]

I would get a baseline set of bloods done to see your current levels. 400-500mg of test is a good start. Run for 12-14 weeks. 30-50mg of anavar towards the end can be safely taken as well. Have a plan and decide if you want to go on TRT after or if you plan to pct and completely come off. I’ll send you a PM

 

[PegLeg_72]

Well got the results back for my testosterone. 583 ng/dl total and 63 pg/ml free.

So it seems like I’m definitely not a candidate for TRT. Wouldn’t make much sense. Still might lean Down a bit more before starting a cycle. Not sure yet.

 

[mxrider28]

Yeah some docs might put you on if you went to an expensive clinic. I think your best route would be cycle and then pct or you could cruise after

 

[PegLeg_72]

Yeah some docs might put you on if you went to an expensive clinic. I think your best route would be cycle and then pct or you could cruise after

Yea. My free is on the low side though so I don’t know.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Well I think I’ve made up my mind and have decided to give test a try. My plan is to cycle 250mg twice a week for a total of 500mg per week for about 12-16 weeks and then TRT after at around 125-150mg a week. At my age my testosterone isn’t going to get better so TRT doesn’t seem like a bad option after a blast. If I don’t like it I will be PCTing off of the TRT. So we will see. Thanks for all the info and insight here guys! Much appreciated!

 

[LeanEngineer]

Well I think I’ve made up my mind and have decided to give test a try. My plan is to cycle 250mg twice a week for a total of 500mg per week for about 12-16 weeks and then TRT after at around 125-150mg a week. At my age my testosterone isn’t going to get better so TRT doesn’t seem like a bad option after a blast. If I don’t like it I will be PCTing off of the TRT. So we will see. Thanks for all the info and insight here guys! Much appreciated!

You'll have to let us know how the blast goes!

 

[PegLeg_72]

You'll have to let us know how the blast goes!

I’m excited to give it a try. Still waiting on my base E2 results but should be any day. I wanna do this right and get the most out of it. Still going to be doing plenty of research while wait in the test C to come in. It’s on order though. Along with AIs just in case.

 

[gphagan1]

I’m excited to give it a try. Still waiting on my base E2 results but should be any day. I wanna do this right and get the most out of it. Still going to be doing plenty of research while wait in the test C to come in. It’s on order though. Along with AIs just in case.

Glad you’re doing and are going to do more research before your first cycle, and are going at this intelligently to start with. We see so many guys start a cycle without research and make mistakes and then come on here to ask what to do.
Test at 500 is an excellent first cycle and allows you to see how your body responds to Test only. Good job man, hope you have a great cycle and enjoy the ride.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Glad you’re doing and are going to do more research before your first cycle, and are going at this intelligently to start with. We see so many guys start a cycle without research and make mistakes and then come on here to ask what to do.
Test at 500 is an excellent first cycle and allows you to see how your body responds to Test only. Good job man, hope you have a great cycle and enjoy the ride.

Absolutely. I’m on a couple of different discord groups and I feel like I’m the older guy haha. A lot of young guys blasting crazy stuff. I’m almost 36 and im probably in the best shape of my life besides when I got out of basic training. Just something I’ve always thought about doing as I’ve always enjoyed lifting but only in the last 3 years have I gotten truly serious about my health. I feel I’m in a pretty decent spot to give this a go. I’m down to 183 from 317 and feel great. My bloods came back with great results minus e2. Still waiting for that. I have my diet pretty well dialed in now as far as cutting and keeping my protein up.

 

[gphagan1]

Absolutely. I’m on a couple of different discord groups and I feel like I’m the older guy haha. A lot of young guys blasting crazy stuff. I’m almost 36 and im probably in the best shape of my life besides when I got out of basic training. Just something I’ve always thought about doing as I’ve always enjoyed lifting but only in the last 3 years have I gotten truly serious about my health. I feel I’m in a pretty decent spot to give this a go. I’m down to 183 from 317 and feel great. My bloods came back with great results minus e2. Still waiting for that. I have my diet pretty well dialed in now as far as cutting and keeping my protein up.

That’s great man, congrats on your very impressive weight loss. That shows you’re able to set goals and dedicate, persevere, and put in the work to reach those goals.

 

[zaareleq]

I'll say the cycle sounds great but I still think the TRT is likely very premature and would have you opt for PCT. Just my opinion and wish you luck whichever way you go.

 

[PegLeg_72]

I'll say the cycle sounds great but I still think the TRT is likely very premature and would have you opt for PCT. Just my opinion and wish you luck whichever way you go.

All good man. I may still go that route once I’m in the middle of the cycle. See how I even react to exogenous T. Just something I’ll have to consider for sure. The only reason I’m wanting to TRT is for my age. I know I’m not that old but I’m no 24 year old either haha.

 

[BBiceps]

Cool, the thing I would recommend is to have a good training program, set goal weights to hit (ego lifting is underrated) and an even better diet. If you can, hire a trainer to make sure you get the most out of your cycle. Good luck!

 

[PegLeg_72]

Well it’s pin day #1. I’ve decided in the middle ground at 400mg test cyp a week half Monday half Thursday. I managed to lean down a bit more and feel great about this. Down to 177 lbs so officially down 140 pounds since Sep ‘22. Little nervous but excited to. Will take progress pictures along the way. Starting to see upper ab lines ever so slightly. 16-20 week cycle depending on how I feel. AI on hand. Will then cruise at 150-200 after. Test only for now. Maybe anavar towards the end of cycle but I’m going to cross that bridge when I get there. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[gphagan1]

Well it’s pin day #1. I’ve decided in the middle ground at 400mg test cyp a week half Monday half Thursday. I managed to lean down a bit more and feel great about this. Down to 177 lbs so officially down 140 pounds since Sep ‘22. Little nervous but excited to. Will take progress pictures along the way. Starting to see upper ab lines ever so slightly. 16-20 week cycle depending on how I feel. AI on hand. Will then cruise at 150-200 after. Test only for now. Maybe anavar towards the end of cycle but I’m going to cross that bridge when I get there. Thanks for all the input guys.

Good luck, hope you have a great cycle.

 

[ironviking]

Good luck. Hoping the best for your cycle. What cycle support supps did you decide on? I'm interested in your experience with those during cycle also.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Good luck. Hoping the best for your cycle. What cycle support supps did you decide on? I'm interested in your experience with those during cycle also.

Fish oil and Tudca if I end up going with any orals. Magnesium as well. Any other you would recommend outside of standard animal pack vitamins?

 

[ironviking]

There are a couple cycle support complexes out there, SNS makes one. Definitely on track with the tudca for liver support, I'd also add in NAC but T shouldn't affect your liver so much. Blood pressure would be my biggest area of concern. Most of the cycle support complexes have decent compounds for that but best to monitor in case it starts to rise. if that happens (not medical advice here just what I would do) is take a low dose daily of tadalafil (aka cialis)5 -10mg. Keeping BP in check will help protect everything else. Easy enough to get a script for it just demand tadalafil and not a different PDE5 inhibitor. OR plenty of suppliers out there if you want to keep the doc out of it. Again I wouldn't recommend unless you start having issues with BP.

 

[PegLeg_72]

There are a couple cycle support complexes out there, SNS makes one. Definitely on track with the tudca for liver support, I'd also add in NAC but T shouldn't affect your liver so much. Blood pressure would be my biggest area of concern. Most of the cycle support complexes have decent compounds for that but best to monitor in case it starts to rise. if that happens (not medical advice here just what I would do) is take a low dose daily of tadalafil (aka cialis)5 -10mg. Keeping BP in check will help protect everything else. Easy enough to get a script for it just demand tadalafil and not a different PDE5 inhibitor. OR plenty of suppliers out there if you want to keep the doc out of it. Again I wouldn't recommend unless you start having issues with BP.

yea my wife has a nice at home blood pressure cuff from when hers was high during pregnancy. I’ll monitor that a few times a week. My baseline BP hovers at 117/70ish. Will def consider those for sure!

 

[PegLeg_72]

There are a couple cycle support complexes out there, SNS makes one. Definitely on track with the tudca for liver support, I'd also add in NAC but T shouldn't affect your liver so much. Blood pressure would be my biggest area of concern. Most of the cycle support complexes have decent compounds for that but best to monitor in case it starts to rise. if that happens (not medical advice here just what I would do) is take a low dose daily of tadalafil (aka cialis)5 -10mg. Keeping BP in check will help protect everything else. Easy enough to get a script for it just demand tadalafil and not a different PDE5 inhibitor. OR plenty of suppliers out there if you want to keep the doc out of it. Again I wouldn't recommend unless you start having issues with BP.

Saw this one while getting fish oil on Amazon.

 

[ironviking]

I'd go with CEL Cycle Assist over that one but the one by HUGE supplements on Amzn looks good too. This isn't something that should hold you up but adding in over the next couple weeks would be a good idea. Protect the organs they got to last you

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, CEL Cycle Assist is what I recommend as well.

 

[LeanEngineer]

Yeah, CEL Cycle Assist is what I recommend as well.

Agreed! Definitely my go to for on cycle support. We carry it at Strong Supplement Shop as well.

Cycle Assist by Competitive Edge Labs CEL

Cycle Assist by Competitive Edge Labs CEL Cycle Assist is designed to be an all-in-one support solution for basic on cycle and post cycle therapy needs. Cycle Assist contains a combination of specifically dosed ingredients designed to help provide live

www.strongsupplementshop.com

 

[BBiceps]

Good first cycle, good luck!

Btw cycle support is not necessary on 400mg Test only. Maybe if you add an oral but on a smaller dose of Test only it’s a waste of money.

 

[PegLeg_72]

Well started 300mg test cyp split 2 times a week on September 1st. Ended up cutting that down to 175mg and adding tren ace at 100mg a week to try to cut/recomp. Daily injections to keep hormone levels stable. It’s going quite well. The first pictures in this post I was at around 179 pounds. The newer ones I’m at 184 pounds but seem to be leaner. Bloods done at 6 weeks all looks good so will keep mini blasting with the tren for another few weeks then cut to test only and cruise.

 

[Dblock]

Nice progress, keep it up

 

[zaareleq]

Kind of surprised you added tren in your first cycle. Although it's my favorite steroid of all time I wouldn't consider it a beginner cycle component. Do you have Cabergoline or some kind of prolactin control on hand?

 

[PegLeg_72]

Kind of surprised you added tren in your first cycle. Although it's my favorite steroid of all time I wouldn't consider it a beginner cycle component. Do you have Cabergoline or some kind of prolactin control on hand?

I have caber 25mg tablets on hand. So far so good. Been on tren for about 2 weeks now. No sides thus far. But many have said 100mg a week and under dosed daily typically doesn’t give any high prolactin issues.

I went back and forth with starting tren. So far I’m glad I did. I chose ace that way if something does go a little wonky I can hop off and be back to normalish within a week or 2 as opposed to enanthate.