TRT low level cycle advise

KrunkChris

New member
Hi, I am looking for some advice from some of the more experienced. I am 35 y/o, male. I am currently 195 lbs, ~20 lbs over weight (~20-25 BF%). I would like to drop down to 175 lb, and then build muscle back up to the 190-200 lb range. I feel like that is where I would be and feel pretty optimal.

However, I am struggling. I continue to work in a high stress environment, and also just had our first child weeks ago. I was dieting and it was working, but then started to reverse, and I thought it was best not to fight it, as it seemed to just stress more. I am generally happy, however I am just very burnt out and tired, which makes it hard to get up early, exercise, focus, and really get motivated.

I am not very experienced with anabolics, but have gone through ups and downs of weightlifting and dieting so I am not a total noob to this stuff. But I was thinking of running something low dose for ~12 weeks, like TRT level, to just help me jump start back in the right direction, and hopefully give me the boost I need, but no intention of wanting to keep the gas on. My original intention was to cut down to 175, and then run something a little heavier to help me put back on lean muscle, but not looking likely. I was thinking the lower dose is probably a bit safer as well. I have had labs done a few times and test levels were not terrible, but its been ~2 years since last set.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, or have some ideas to start a turn around? Any natural best practices as well? I know diet and exercise, but that is where I am struggling!
 
My man, you’re in a very stressful/busy season of your life. So it’s not surprising to me that remaining consistent has become difficult. It’s also worth noting that there is absolutely no shame in dialing back (whether intentional or not) so you can focus on family/work.

What were your levels last time you tested? I would get your levels checked again, if possible BEFORE you hop on a cycle. That will serve several purposes - you’ll have an accurate comparison for post cycle bloods to ensure your levels return to what they were pre cycle, you’ll have a firm answer on whether your test levels are contributing factor to what your describing, and if they are very low perhaps hopping on trt long term is a viable option.

Having meals prepared ahead of time is probably the single most important factor in regards to running an effective, and consistent meal plan (weight gain OR fat loss protocol). Not having meals prepped is a disaster waiting to happen. In regards to remaining consistent with your training, Try writing EVERYTHING down and try to add reps or weight to everything every single session (without compromising safety and form). This way you can compete with yourself every week.
 
Gear is the last thing you need right now op...just being honest..you don't just stick a needle in your ass and then you're not stressed totally motivated and everything is perfect for training. Just being honest
 
Thank you for that and appreciate your time and response. I think the meal prep in general has been my biggest slow down over these last few months, as the constant stress has added to not great eating and eating on the go. Its not terrible, but I know its certainly not good at all. I ordered a meal prep service to start next week, and going to try that for a few weeks to just help out.

My last testing was on 5/19/22 (not as long as I thought) - Total test 574, Free 12.7, Bio available 338. I am guessing it's less now as I am more over weight and naturally goes down for males after child birth.

I am not expecting a small amount of test to make my life do a 180. I am hoping that it helps enough to shift my direction and help change some habits. Better sleep, help with weight loss, build a little muscle, motivate me to meal prep and workout 3x a week. Just looking for a boost for a course correct, nothing crazy.

But I understand, it sounds like meal prepping and a little stress management might be the first two things to start right away.
 
Just the meal prep will reduce stress knowing you will start getting better results (in all areas of your life).
 
KrunkChris said:
Thank you for that and appreciate your time and response. I think the meal prep in general has been my biggest slow down over these last few months, as the constant stress has added to not great eating and eating on the go. Its not terrible, but I know its certainly not good at all. I ordered a meal prep service to start next week, and going to try that for a few weeks to just help out.

My last testing was on 5/19/22 (not as long as I thought) - Total test 574, Free 12.7, Bio available 338. I am guessing it's less now as I am more over weight and naturally goes down for males after child birth.

I am not expecting a small amount of test to make my life do a 180. I am hoping that it helps enough to shift my direction and help change some habits. Better sleep, help with weight loss, build a little muscle, motivate me to meal prep and workout 3x a week. Just looking for a boost for a course correct, nothing crazy.

But I understand, it sounds like meal prepping and a little stress management might be the first two things to start right away.
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Listen, if muscle building is your goal then I would normalize healthy eating and training habits before throwing anything in the mix. I would use Creatine, beta alanine, betaine, highly beached cyclic dextrin (or karbolyn), protein and vitamins to optimize things. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear, but if you start running testosterone and your eating and training fall off, you’re just throwing money away. And not to mention your risking your natural ability to produce testosterone. There’s always the possibility that your Hpta system never fully recovers and your natural production is permanently impaired.

If you’re dead set on running test, and you don’t want to dose higher than trt, I would start off at 100mg weekly. But like I said earlier, get your levels checked pre cycle.
 
I think the internet and YouTube have greatly exaggerated what trt does. There's no shortage of obese 50 year old men on trt and even cycles, at any gym I've ever been to. They all are 25% bodyfat with "big arms"
 
I cook 2 family packs of chicken beast every few days and have a rice cooker. Meal prep is actually pretty easy for bodybuilding. Actually eating consistently is the hard part. A proper diet is the most anabolic thing anyone can put in their body. Gear doesn’t do the work for me, it enhances the work I'm already doing. At 37 after 2 kids and a vasectomy I decided to hop on test. I'll second what Smont said, the results from lower doses of test were pretty underwhelming, even at 350mg I expected way more. When I got up to 560mg it was more in line with what I thought would happen. But that's a lot more than I would recommend to the op. Also, keep in mind the more body fat we have the more likely we are to have higher levels of aromatizing activity.
 
botk1161 said:
Just the meal prep will reduce stress knowing you will start getting better results (in all areas of your life).
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Agreed completely here. It's so nice to meal prep and have everything ready to go when you have a busy life.
 
Smont said:
I think the internet and YouTube have greatly exaggerated what trt does. There's no shortage of obese 50 year old men on trt and even cycles, at any gym I've ever been to. They all are 25% bodyfat with "big arms"
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^TRT^
Why anybody would want/recommend to do a cycle of a TRT dose of Test is beyond me???

If OP want to shut himself down with similar results as of now, yes, a TRT dose is for OP.
 
BBiceps said:
^TRT^
Why anybody would want/recommend to do a cycle of a TRT dose of Test is beyond me???

If OP want to shut himself down with similar results as of now, yes, a TRT dose is for OP.
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Your exactly right, you turn off your natural testosterone production and replace it with a natural...amount...of....testosterone. Then you gotta crash and do pct just to be the same as before and during the "cycle".

The only situation I can see it being useful is if someone was already single digit bf and still cutting. The trt would prevent your testosterone from going down but at that point, if your regularly doing cuts to single digit bf you likely will just stay on and start upping the dose. Also, I don't understand why ppl trying to loose weight think test will help, it will help you gain weight!
 
All honesty if your not doing it right now there is no magic pill. The kid right now is a potato, it only gets harder and busier from here.
 
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