First Cycle...LFG **Last Post w/Pics**

[OnceNatty]

Hello all and thank you for having me.
Some of you may have seen my first post

Post in thread 'First Cycle Thoughts Needed'

Sep 14, 2025

Don't know why this got tagged. But its fixed now.

Much appreciated!

• OnceNatty

You gave wonderful information and I really appreciate it. I've taken that, prior reading etc...and started my first cycle; this Sunday will be 2 weeks in. Just an easy, light first cycle to test the waters, see any reactions etc... 300mg test/week, split every 3.5 days (Sun pm and Thurs am), for 9 weeks. I know the 9 weeks sounds funny but I have 3 cycles planned before my next show in fall of '26 and I got a late start on this first one by 1 week. I have Nolva and Exemestane on hand.
I took some before pics that I'll share at week 9 with some after pics so stay tuned!

So, about 2 weeks in; what have I experienced?
I wasn't keen on pinning myself but I'm getting better at it; more comfortable with it. I've done both quads, R glute and L delt so far. Had some bad pip in the L quad that ended up spreading across my whole thigh and into my knee. Seems to be going away now after 5 days but that concerned me a little. Not sure what caused that but... I started with 23g and 25g needles my source gave me to get me going. Was drawing and pinning with the same needle. I ordered some 18g to draw (I'm impatient) and 25 to pin. Those should arrive this weekend.

Leg day, 2 days ago. Felt noticeably stronger. Don't think it was placebo. The same weight went up easier than ever but the biggest thing I noticed was strength and power right out of the hole. I've never been stronger off the bottom than I was then; looking forward to more as I get further into the cycle. Chest/back tonight...strength was about the same but drive and endurance was noticeably up. Didn't need as much rest as usual; didn't fatigue as quickly.

I think I'm noticing a little anxiety as I tend to overthink things and I worry about sides. I have a blood pressure cuff at home and check it daily. Usually hover around 127-135 over 74-80. Slightly elevated but not too horrible; I'll continue to monitor this.

One of the things I worry about is thickening blood as I had that reaction when I tried test around 8 yrs ago. I only got 3 pins in and developed clots in my legs (had to stop it) so this cycle does have me concerned it will return. Nothing yet so that's good. Probably was bad test or oil.
Anyway, if I had thickening blood, my pressure would greatly increase, yes? I'm thinking if it stays in this range, I should be good.
I plan on bloods at week 4 and again at week 9 so this will tell me for sure; I'll share those as well as I'd love your feedback on numbers too.

I guess that's all for now. Will update when I can.

 

[ironviking]

Looking forward to seeing the results. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Just make sure you are eating enough and drinking enough water. You look like you can dial your diet in well but with the extra water retention it's easy to overlook. If BP starts going up my go to is tadalafil now. It has a lot of protective properties in many other areas as well.
With your planned cycles are you doing PCT in between each or staying with an HRT level of TEST?

 

[Smont]

I'm looking forward as well, something tells me that 9 weeks will turn into 16 weeks or longer. Tends to happen once the gain train starts moving

 

[Smont]

Also, it takes about 3 months to start seeing elevations in hematocrit, it wasn't from the testosterone if you only took 3 shots, it had to have been something that was going on for an extended period of time because nothing you could have took could have jacked up your hematocrit that much in a short period of time like that.

I'm sure there's factors I could be missing and I know we had talked about it possibly being the carrier oil but the more I think about it it takes time for hematocrit to elevate it just doesn't happen overnight. Typically to see a significant change positive or negative takes about 3 months as that's the life cycle of a red blood cell.

 

[OnceNatty]

Looking forward to seeing the results. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Just make sure you are eating enough and drinking enough water. You look like you can dial your diet in well but with the extra water retention it's easy to overlook. If BP starts going up my go to is tadalafil now. It has a lot of protective properties in many other areas as well.
With your planned cycles are you doing PCT in between each or staying with an HRT level of TEST?

PCT I plan on Nolva @ 40/40/20/20

I'm looking forward as well, something tells me that 9 weeks will turn into 16 weeks or longer. Tends to happen once the gain train starts moving

Already considering...

Also, it takes about 3 months to start seeing elevations in hematocrit, it wasn't from the testosterone if you only took 3 shots, it had to have been something that was going on for an extended period of time because nothing you could have took could have jacked up your hematocrit that much in a short period of time like that.

I'm sure there's factors I could be missing and I know we had talked about it possibly being the carrier oil but the more I think about it it takes time for hematocrit to elevate it just doesn't happen overnight. Typically to see a significant change positive or negative takes about 3 months as that's the life cycle of a red blood cell.

Thank you for pointing that out! This puts my mind at ease a little more.

 

[Smont]

You could always ask your doc to run bloods for clotting factors and see if your prone to blood clots too. I wish I knew more on this topic but I don't

 

[gphagan1]

Sounds like you’re off to a good start. Just enjoy the ride brother. Glad you’re giving us updates.

 

[OnceNatty]

2 1/2 weeks in...5 pins (6th tomorrow morning)...feeling good.
Leg night tonight and I definitely had more endurance and drive than before.
I'm doing better with the anxiety of pinning and knowing I'm on gear; getting better with pinning.

Noticeably bigger now (not greatly but some). I gained 6 lbs in the first 2 weeks; mostly water I'm sure. Not sure if I mentioned this in my OP but I had been on a cut to get to a good starting point. Then slowly went into a surplus 1 week after my first pin. So really the 6 lbs was in the last 1.5 weeks. That gain has slowed as I've caught up to the initial surplus. Time to add some more cals. I need to make sure I'm gaining .5 - .75 lbs per week.

Anyway, feeling really good all in all.

 

[gphagan1]

2 1/2 weeks in...5 pins (6th tomorrow morning)...feeling good.
Leg night tonight and I definitely had more endurance and drive than before.
I'm doing better with the anxiety of pinning and knowing I'm on gear; getting better with pinning.

Noticeably bigger now (not greatly but some). I gained 6 lbs in the first 2 weeks; mostly water I'm sure. Not sure if I mentioned this in my OP but I had been on a cut to get to a good starting point. Then slowly went into a surplus 1 week after my first pin. So really the 6 lbs was in the last 1.5 weeks. That gain has slowed as I've caught up to the initial surplus. Time to add some more cals. I need to make sure I'm gaining .5 - .75 lbs per week.

Anyway, feeling really good all in all.

Sounds like you’re getting comfortable….now you can just enjoy the ride on the gain train.

 

[OnceNatty]

So far I've pinned quads 3x, glute once and delts twice. I can see why everyone likes delts; much less pip, at least for me. I'll go at the glute again on Sunday.

 

[Rockslide]

Glad you are logging this. You have the experience and have made the natural gains which is going to allow you to have the first cycle results that everyone wants and expects and only like 2% of people actually get.

As far as the clotting… it can happen independently of the H and H. Most people that clot , clot with a normal hemoglobin . A high hgb slows down blood transit time and increases that risk, particularly in small vessels but a lot more can play into it. As smont said the lifecycle of a RBC being what it is… I doubt the elevation was due to test. Whether the clotting was or not … no way to know… especially given the short time actually on . Reaction to the carrier oil can do some weird things. As far as testing for stuff…. Not sure how excited any physician will be about testing for clotting disorders for superficial clots. The criteria is unusually unexplained/unprovoked deep vein clots, even in those only a smallish percentage have genetically inherited disorders.

A baby aspirin or nattokinase (I wouldn’t do both personally) is never a bad idea for anyone on hormones (providing someone isn’t prone to ulcers , bleeding, contraindications etc)

I find it interesting so many people like delts. I hate delts, especially anything over 1/2 cc. Glute medius or quads all day for me with zero pip.

 

[OnceNatty]

Great info Rockslide^^^
Thank you

 

[OnceNatty]

3.5 weeks in
Feeling stronger; literally getting bigger every week. I've gained anohter 1.5 lbs along with some expected bodyfat. I may ease up on the calories as I feel I may be gaining too quickly; I'd like this to be a little cleaner but don't want to spin my wheels.
I pinned the R glute on Sunday for the second time and had almost no pip. I was very pleased about this. Does a spot become less likely to get pip as you pin it more? Hitting the L delt for the second time tomorrow morning so we'll see what happens there.
Getting blood drawn this Friday morning. This will be 4 weeks in and I'm dying to see what the early numbers look like. Will post when they all come in.

 

[ironviking]

It'll be interesting to see the bloodwork and very smart in getting those done every 4 weeks. Which lab are you using if you don't mind me asking.
Can't really comment on the PIP I never had any worth commenting on except when I pinned my calves.
I'd be wary of cutting cals back due to weight gain at this point. You're going to have a few factors contributing to that including water retention which can look like fat gain; it can smooth you out. If you are really concerned with it try getting a body comp done, I'd rather err on a bit too much weight gain than not giving the anabolics all they need to get the job done.
All in all sounds like great progress so far.

 

[OnceNatty]

It'll be interesting to see the bloodwork and very smart in getting those done every 4 weeks. Which lab are you using if you don't mind me asking.
Can't really comment on the PIP I never had any worth commenting on except when I pinned my calves.
I'd be wary of cutting cals back due to weight gain at this point. You're going to have a few factors contributing to that including water retention which can look like fat gain; it can smooth you out. If you are really concerned with it try getting a body comp done, I'd rather err on a bit too much weight gain than not giving the anabolics all they need to get the job done.
All in all sounds like great progress so far.

I use PrivateMDLabs. They have a test that's around $70 that's pretty thorough. I'm anxious to hear what some thoughts are on how thorough it is though.
Great point on the calories...thank you! Your're right, I'll be holding some extra water so that can skew things. And yes, I definitely want to err on the high side to get the most out of the process. Plus I'm really enjoying this bulk!

Oh, how long is a vial of test good for after its opened? I won't be using all of my next vial. Can I store it for 4-5 months and use the rest?

 

[Rockslide]

That’s going to depend on who you ask and what the manufacturing process was. Pharm grade all day long as some people take like 80 mg a week and a 10 cc vial lasts like 6 months . If it was brewed in someone’s kitchen who knows. Depends on if it was completely sterile to start with and how much of the antibacterial solvents they added

 

[Rockslide]

Also….

Again consider going longer than 9 weeks. It really takes 4-6 with long estered test to get to the steady state of muscle gain in my opinion. The initial strength and water weight comes in first but the real muscle takes a little time . Usually 9 weeks would be people running like test prop because it kicks in so much faster .

Consider adding hcg. It’s a useful risk mitigation tool for anyone that will pct in general but as the real downside to extending the cycle is the prolonged shutdown, Hcg would mitigate that .

Pct after using Hcg while on is orders of magnitude easier than without it.

Think of it as trying to jump the battery on your car if you left the headlights on overnight vs left it out in a field for 3 years without starting it

 

[OnceNatty]

Here's the results from bloodwork at just about 4 weeks in.
Do you guys see anything bad here besides the Estradiol? And about that...I have Aromasin (exemestane) on hand; usually dosed at 12.5 EOD. Should I start at 1/2 that EOD? I don't know how high 55 is to a baseline. I will say that I looked back on all my other bloods and I'm usually 15-19.
Anything in blue is "out of range"
And how 'bout dat test?!?!
I wasn't expecting it nearly that high @300mg wk...but then again, I didn't really know what to expect.
Greatly appeciate your input!

 

[Rockslide]

looks pretty good. The estrogen isn’t very high especially for that test value . Unless symptoms are present most are going to leave it alone

 

[gphagan1]

Yeah, with as high as your Test is, your Estrogen isn’t that bad, and to be honest you don’t want your estrogen too get to low because it does help with building muscle and strength. I would save the AI, unless you start getting high estrogen sides, which I doubt you will at 300 a week. You definitely are a good responder to Test.

 

[OnceNatty]

Thanks guys.
I was thinking of just 6.25mg twice a week; just to take some edge off. I haven't noticed anything too bad. I do feel a little puffy/watery and have some nipple sensitivity though. I guess that's why I was thinking of adding it.

The other thing I wanted to mention/ask...I pinned my Sunday night pin last night. Above you may see that I switched esters and brands of test this week. I pinned my L quad and had zero pip, and none this morning...like, none at all. Just seems weird as I had pretty bad pip in the first 4 weeks. Can a different ester or carrier oil really be so different? I'm not complaining, just shocked. I suppose pip is just a personal response to the oil that differs with everyone. Very cool though.

 

[gphagan1]

Thanks guys.
I was thinking of just 6.25mg twice a week; just to take some edge off. I haven't noticed anything too bad. I do feel a little puffy/watery and have some nipple sensitivity though. I guess that's why I was thinking of adding it.

The other thing I wanted to mention/ask...I pinned my Sunday night pin last night. Above you may see that I switched esters and brands of test this week. I pinned my L quad and had zero pip, and none this morning...like, none at all. Just seems weird as I had pretty bad pip in the first 4 weeks. Can a different ester or carrier oil really be so different? I'm not complaining, just shocked. I suppose pip is just a personal response to the oil that differes with everyone. Very cool though.

Yep, probably because of a different oil. I actually very rarely get PIP with Test.

 

[OnceNatty]

Just over 4 weeks today.
Delts and arms tonight and I felt great! I really feel better after switching brands/esters. Not sure what it is or was but I had pretty bad anxiety for the first 4 weeks. Could have been my own head being my first cycle but all that went away since this last pin; going to stick with this brand and type from here.
Started at 155; was 168 tonight. A little fluffy but some good muscle under there I believe.
13lbs in 4 weeks is a little aggressive but I feel so good eating again. I really should be careful though.

 

[OnceNatty]

6 weeks in
Definietly more comfortable with the pin process now. Blood pressure still staying consistant at 135/80 area.
Weight is still coming on very easily. Started at 155...was 172 last night. I've smoothed out some...water and fat but I'm sure there's some good muscle growth in there as well. My strength really hasn't shot up much but then again, I train for hypertrophy so I'm not reallly pushing for those numbers anyway. The body feels good all in all with no real aches or pains and my shoulder is feeling good from my last surgery.
I didn't end up using the Aromasin yet, and don't think I'll have to. I do have some sensitivity in the nips but not bad and I don't want to risk anything odd happening with my estrogen. I'm hearing that reading of 55 isn't too bad so I'll let it ride.
Pumps are great in the gym and I feel like I have a pump all the time now; loving it.
Question...when do my nuts shrink?? lol
I haven't noticed a change at all. And I'm definitely getting test as my numbers show. Do some people not get affected too bad in that way or does that come as I stay on longer?

 

[Smont]

6 weeks in
Definietly more comfortable with the pin process now. Blood pressure still staying consistant at 135/80 area.
Weight is still coming on very easily. Started at 155...was 172 last night. I've smoothed out some...water and fat but I'm sure there's some good muscle growth in there as well. My strength really hasn't shot up much but then again, I train for hypertrophy so I'm not reallly pushing for those numbers anyway. The body feels good all in all with no real aches or pains and my shoulder is feeling good from my last surgery.
I didn't end up using the Aromasin yet, and don't think I'll have to. I do have some sensitivity in the nips but not bad and I don't want to risk anything odd happening with my estrogen. I'm hearing that reading of 55 isn't too bad so I'll let it ride.
Pumps are great in the gym and I feel like I have a pump all the time now; loving it.
Question...when do my nuts shrink?? lol
I haven't noticed a change at all. And I'm definitely getting test as my numbers show. Do some people not get affected too bad in that way or does that come as I stay on longer?

Couple things, my first cycle was 300 test, at 6 weeks in your should have significant strength gains coming on by now. Even if you haven't adjusted your weight, you should be doing significantly more reps. My first cycle I was doing incline db presses with 70's at planet fitness for sets of 15, about 2 months later I was doing the 75's for sets of 25+ and had to make them the last exercise in my push workout to make them useful. (The reason I mention planet fitness is because they only have 75 lb dumbbells so I had no choice but to add reps so I made that my goal to just keep adding reps and eventually the 75 is pretty much became useless unless I did them last in my workout) when I would go to my other gym to bench press I believe my max bench went from 270-315 at that time, deadlift was up 100lbs, hammer curls and tricep press downs doubled in weight. I'm wondering if the gear is under dosed or fake.

You said you have some nipple sensitivey, but not enough to use a AI. Terrible idea, any sensitivity at all you should use a AI. That kind of thinking is why I have gyno. Once gyno actually manifests and turns into a lump, it's significantly harder to get rid of and if that lump starts to harden then surgery is the only permanent fix. I use ralox to shrink mine if it flares up, luckily I haven't had to do it in over a year but pretty much once or twice a year I do have to do it. And I will indefinitely until I get surgery.

Finally, your nuts may never shrink. I used gear from age 25-30 and no shrinking. Came back on at 34 and now I'm 40 on TRT and 2 cycles a year and no shrinking. Even on tren they don't shrink.

Some ppl there nuts turn into raisins in a month or 2, some guys they slowly shrink over the course of the cycle but never fully shrivel up.
And some ppl get no shrinking at all

 

[Smont]

If your getting fluffy, or I should say if I was in your position, I would cut back slightly on the calories and bump my test to 450, id probably start the exemestane at 12.5mg for a few days till the sensitivity stops and only use the amount I need to keep it at bay afterwards. The drop in calories+ the bump in total gear should give you a recomposition effect during the remainder of your cycle. You could probably maintain your current weight while getting a little leaner and still building some muscle

 

[ironviking]

If your getting fluffy, or I should say if I was in your position, I would cut back slightly on the calories and bump my test to 450, id probably start the exemestane at 12.5mg for a few days till the sensitivity stops and only use the amount I need to keep it at bay afterwards. The drop in calories+ the bump in total gear should give you a recomposition effect during the remainder of your cycle. You could probably maintain your current weight while getting a little leaner and still building some muscle

Agreed, nip that nip sensitivity quickly and now would be the time to adjust the diet. Better to deal with some low E sides for a bit than gyno... one day I might drop the 9k for surgery. Strength should be going up but if I remember correctly you're in the 50's that will have an effect, not a deal killer by any means but your strength won't explode like a guy in younger years. Also if you're used to training more for hypertrophy you might be stronger than you think. You might want to try training in the 6 to 8 rep range to absolute failure you might surprise yourself. Then again there are risks to that you might want to avoid. All in all it seems the cycle is going well.

 

[OnceNatty]

I'm wondering if the gear is under dosed or fake.

You said you have some nipple sensitivey, but not enough to use a AI. Terrible idea, any sensitivity at all you should use a AI. That kind of thinking is why I have gyno. Once gyno actually manifests and turns into a lump, it's significantly harder to get rid of and if that lump starts to harden then surgery is the only permanent fix. I use ralox to shrink mine if it flares up, luckily I haven't had to do it in over a year but pretty much once or twice a year I do have to do it. And I will indefinitely until I get surgery.

Finally, your nuts may never shrink. I used gear from age 25-30 and no shrinking. Came back on at 34 and now I'm 40 on TRT and 2 cycles a year and no shrinking. Even on tren they don't shrink.

Some ppl there nuts turn into raisins in a month or 2, some guys they slowly shrink over the course of the cycle but never fully shrivel up.
And some ppl get no shrinking at all

I questioned the gear too but my blood numbers and test number look so good, it has to be good. I think it's just my training and what I focus on.
And I'll start in on some light Exem...good idea.

If your getting fluffy, or I should say if I was in your position, I would cut back slightly on the calories and bump my test to 450, id probably start the exemestane at 12.5mg for a few days till the sensitivity stops and only use the amount I need to keep it at bay afterwards. The drop in calories+ the bump in total gear should give you a recomposition effect during the remainder of your cycle. You could probably maintain your current weight while getting a little leaner and still building some muscle

I like this idea too, thanks.

Agreed, nip that nip sensitivity quickly and now would be the time to adjust the diet. Better to deal with some low E sides for a bit than gyno... one day I might drop the 9k for surgery. Strength should be going up but if I remember correctly you're in the 50's that will have an effect, not a deal killer by any means but your strength won't explode like a guy in younger years. Also if you're used to training more for hypertrophy you might be stronger than you think. You might want to try training in the 6 to 8 rep range to absolute failure you might surprise yourself. Then again there are risks to that you might want to avoid. All in all it seems the cycle is going well.

Yeah, I think it's just my training style. I'm also not 100% recovered from shoulder surgery so I've been a little cautious as well.

Thanks for the advice gents!

 

[OnceNatty]

Wed, 11/19
Does Aromasin dry you out?
I ask because I took 6.25mg on Saturday due to some nip sensitivity I was concerned about.
Did another 6 on Tuesday.
I weighed myself tonight at the gym (same time of day I always do, same clothes, same scale etc...) and I lost 3 lbs since Friday. I did cut back cals just a hair but I should be at maint, not a deficit. After a consistant 2lbs per week gain, I really shouldn't have lost anything with the amount I reduced.
I do feel a little harder and I think I look a little dryer, that's why I'm thinking, and hoping, it's water.
Guesses?
I also switched brands of test so I'm wondering about the quality of my gear too. I'll find that out at my last bloodwork in 2 more weeks.

 

[OnceNatty]

Welp...first cycle complete.
I'm very happy with how it all went. I had no issues at all, really no sides either. I did 300mg test for 9 weeks; pinning 150 Sunday pm and 150 Thursday am
Already kind of bummed to be coming off and looking forward to my next one. I'll take 10 weeks off and fire it back up again with 400mg per week; same protocol.
I started at 155lbs and ended at 175.5
Gained a little BF as expected but no big deal.
I'll post my befores and afters although the pics seem deceiving. I feel I look a lot better in person.
Totally relaxed, semi relaxed, full flex...same room, same time of day, tried to be in the same position.
Go easy on me guys
For real though, thank you for all the help, answers and suggestions. A lot of that helped me do this safe and effectively.

 

[Smont]

I wouldn't say you put on much fat at all, I just see a larger version of the starting photos. Everything is a little bigger, shoulders have got wider, bf looks roughly the same, maybe 1-2% change

 

[Smont]

And yes, anti estrogens can dry you out. Guys will crush estrogen in prep twords the end sometimes to try to get more dry and detailed looking

 

[gphagan1]

Welp...first cycle complete.
I'm very happy with how it all went. I had no issues at all, really no sides either. I did 300mg test for 9 weeks; pinning 150 Sunday pm and 150 Thursday am
Already kind of bummed to be coming off and looking forward to my next one. I'll take 10 weeks off and fire it back up again with 400mg per week; same protocol.
I started at 155lbs and ended at 175.5
Gained a little BF as expected but no big deal.
I'll post my befores and afters although the pics seem deceiving. I feel I look a lot better in person.
Totally relaxed, semi relaxed, full flex...same room, same time of day, tried to be in the same position.
Go easy on me guys
For real though, thank you for all the help, answers and suggestions. A lot of that helped me do this safe and effectively.

Good job man…. I agree with Smont, you can see you put on some size and your body fat looks roughly the same. So looks like you had your calories about right to squeeze about as much juice out of your cycle as you could.