Where Do I Start? Your First Cycle - Beginner Cycle Info

Bender · Feb 5, 2025

YOUR FIRST CYCLE/BEGINNER CYCLE

You're probably reading this after you've decided to take the plunge and inject chinese bathtub chemicals in your ass in a desperate attempt to get massive and lean. Maybe you've seen some big boys around the gym or been watching instagram influencers with 3D delts and you're convinced its your shit genetics holding you back.

Before you begin your journey as a human science experiment - some things need to be ironed out.
Steroids aren't magic
Steroids don't fix a lack of discipline
Steroids don't do the training for you
Steroids don't work with shit fuel (food)
Steroids don't work if you cant recover

To keep a long story short, if you're training/diet/recovery are shit, gear won't save you. In fact, it’ll just make your bad habits worse, except now you’ll have high blood pressure and gyno to go along with your mediocre physique. If you're still here and wanting to jump in, lets make sure they are used as effectively as possible.

Are you even ready?

> Training
Have you trained consistently for years and maximised your natural progression?
Do you understand progressive overload/training intensity/injury prevention/fatigue management?
Can you perform your lifts with proper form and full control even with a heavy load?

> Diet
Have you followed a structured meal plan for a substantial period of time?
Can you track macros/weigh food/adjust caloric intake?
Are you appropriately hydrating?

> Recovery
Are you sleeping 7-9 hours per night consistently?
Do you manage stress/avoid excessive alcohol and live a lifestyle that supports muscle growth?

If any of these conditions arent met, you will not be in a sufficient state to maximise growth and progress regardless of steroid use.

When you've checked every box off above and aren't looking for a shortcut, then you might finally be in a position to start. But before that, you need to decide whether this is a one-off thing for you or whether you are in for a long-term commit and accepting that you'll be on TRT for life. This is more than getting big to take some sick pics for your tinder profile, the choice to pin gear has the potential to permanently alter your endocrine system so lets outline cycling vs blasting and cruising.

Cycling
- Running a steroid cycle for a short period of time (typically 12-20 weeks)
- Not a long term commitment
- Discontinuing use by opting for post cycle therapy
- Some cons are you will experience a significant hormone crash after ceasing injections, possible permanent suppression, and will likely lose most gains post cycle as you wont have the enhanced hormone level

Blast and Cruise
- Sticking to TRT/low dose testosterone injections year round: "cruising"
- Ramping dosages/compounds up during "blast" phases (typically 12-20 weeks)
- Progress remains steady/no yo-yoing testosterone levels, no post cycle hormonal crash

YOUR FIRST CYCLE

Before you start your first cycle, it is ESSENTIAL to get a bloodwork panel done as a baseline for natural hormone level, current health condition and other important health markers. We recommend using imedical or roidsafe as these will be more comprehensive than whatever tests your GP requests (they are infamous for missing critical test markers)

Your first cycle should be as simple as possible to ascertain how your body reacts to supraphysiological levels of testosterone and effectively manage and minimise side effects. This will help form a base of experience with any future cycles/blasts. This is not the time to be touching trenbolone/anadrol/deca/anything else except test.

Your first cycle should simply be running testosterone enanthate or testosterone cypionate for 12-16 weeks at about 200-250mg. This should be plenty to put you in a supraphysiological range and put you in a position for good growth.

Why testosterone enan/cyp?
As a first time user, you likely aren't willing to go from never having injected yourself, to using test prop daily. This keeps injections per week lower but still effective.

When should I do bloodwork?
PRE CYCLE (hopefully you've already done this) and it is good practice to do another blood test at the 6 week mark to gauge your response/see your hormone level/see if the cycle is causing any inflammation/internal organ stress etc.

Why start low? I heard "PRO" uses 750/1000mg per week
Minimise side effects, gauge response to test level, find the highest effective level of test with minimal sides

How do I inject myself?
TBA - Injection guide thread coming

Do I need an AI like arimidex/aromasin?
An AI is only necessary if high e2 symptoms appear (gyno/water retention/mood swings etc)

My nipples are itchy - what do I do?
Your likely experiencing gyno growth caused by high e2. Bloodwork will confirm. You can manage this by reducing your testosterone dose/using an AI at an appropriate dose/using a SERM like Nolva/Ralox to prevent estrogen from binding to estrogens receptors.

What does **ELEVATED/DEPLETED* level mean on my bloodwork report?
Who knows. Post it to a bloodwork thread to get some experienced eyes on it.

What should I do for PCT?

Thread 'AAS Post Cycle Therapy'

Feb 3, 2025

AAS POST CYCLE THERAPY

What is a PCT?
Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) is the recovery phase after a steroid cycle, designed to help your body restore its natural testosterone production. When you run exogenous hormones, your body's own testosterone production shuts down due to negative feedback. PCT is essentially a structured approach to kickstarting your endogenous testosterone, minimizing post-cycle crashes, and holding onto as much of your gains as possible while avoiding unnecessary side effects.

Why do we need a PCT?
If you come off a steroid...

A good first cycle is about learning how your body responds. Less is more - avoid stacking multiple compounds on a first run. If you nail the basics of training, diet, and recovery, you’ll see great results even on low-dose testosterone.

Make sure you’re fully prepared before starting, and if you're unsure - wait.

Bender · Feb 5, 2025