Total beginner, wanting to dip my toes

[kleos_aphthiton]

I've been lifting fairly seriously for 16 months, most of that time working with a PT. He had me on a powerlifting routine plus some bodybuilding basics, which did make me stronger at first, but I plateaued really quickly, within a month. I eat as much as I can stomach, often more. I get my protein (1g/lb/day), lift 3-4 times a week, do everything my PT tells me, and just don't put on any mass. I have a small frame (tall narrow), and my T levels are "on the low side of normal" according to my Dr., but borderline not low enough for HRT. A friend has been on an identical routine at the same gym with the same trainer and has gained 30 lbs. of muscle. I've gained 8. In over a year.

I feel like I've tried very seriously, so I am looking for ways to break through my biology. I am looking for something simple to try. My arms look like a girl's or a teenager boy's and I'm 40. All I want is the strength/muscle bulk of an average man.

I have been reading, but there's SO much to read, so many arguments, and so little good info.

I thought I would start with Tren A (100 mg/week) together witih Test Mast (100 mg/wk) for 4-6 weeks. And see if that does anything whatsoever.

Any advice? Start lower?

 

[kleos_aphthiton]

(Feel free to tell me I'm an idiot if I've done something very wrong. Better to know.)

 

[psauce]

Just to get it out of the way, that's a horrible cycle idea. Test only for your first attempt. If I was you, I would start with "generous" TRT levels just to see what getting to the high side of normal does to you. If you respond well, you can stay on it for life. If you don't like it, you can stop and might not even need to PCT to get back to normal.

You may or may not have done this yourself, but your post doesn't contain much in the way of quantitative information. If you're going to start a true cycle, you need to know exactly what your caloric expenditure is and how much you're going to overshoot by. You need to have a training program -- with planned progressive overload -- in place. You need current bloodwork both to know what your baseline is, but to get an idea if there's something other than lowish testosterone that you need to address to be physiologically normal. If shit goes sideways, you need to know what you need your blood to get back to. How's your sleep? How's digestion?

Tren is not always bounceback-able -- it might be the most likely compound to permanently decrease your native production of testosterone. That's what people have in mind when they say, if you do a cycle, be prepared to make a lifetime commitment; if you think your testosterone isn't great now, imagine taking 10% off of that because of a cycle you didn't really plan out well and take maximum advantage of. Just some things to consider.

 

[Gbunk]

There are a lot of things wrong with this. Based off your gym experience and nutrition (from what you are showing us) you should not take anything over TRT. TRT can be amazing for people who have low T for obvious reasons like mood and energy. You don’t have enough of a foundation and understanding of lifting, drugs, and likely nutrition for starters. Also, Tren is not appropriate for a first, second, or probably 3rd cycle as it’s very harsh in terms of sides which most intolerable might be mental/psychology sides. More than 1 maybe 2 new compounds especially on a first cycle when you have no experience is never a good idea. My advice is looks into PEDs specifically testosterone, aromatase inhibitors, and serms. Just worry about the basics. Look into TRT and plan on getting blood work to check levels.

 

[Snowowl]

not saying that starting a cycle is a BAD idea, but I will tell you this. If you are having trouble gaining mass now but are eating “a lot” chances are when you start your cycle you’ll initially gain but again you will plateau and in the end will have to start eating more, it’s unlikely you’re eating enough.

Can you share some more info to help us help you?
Weight
Height
Current diet

 

[WereAllGonnaMakeIt]

You could probably find a decent doc for TRT which does come with some benefits but the downsides are expensiveness and low dose test E. Please for the love of jesus dont run tren on your first cycle idk who gave you that idea but tren is extremely hardcore for someone who has never run gear.

Test E 500mg x 12 weeks with AI and tamoxifen handy is far more reasonable and will yield results. When the gear kicks in you can train for a pretty long period of time without any breaks for recovery. I am cruising on 250mg test E /wk right now and unless I go extremely hard I am training 6-7 days in a row with no soreness at all.

Also on a side note save yourself a lot more money by spending some time searching the internet / youtube for some reasonable sources on lifting there is no reason for a personal trainer for lifting weights given the amount of great resources on the internet these days, just be sure to make sure the source you choose is knowledgable and established.

 

[kleos_aphthiton]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice. I can estimate my macro intakes, but I think it would be smarter to get an app and track them for a week or so to see if I'm off. Definitely will concentrate on Test only and nothing fancy.

You need to have a training program -- with planned progressive overload -- in place.

If my reps start to feel easy, or if I don't get at least get near failure by set 4, I raise my weight for the exercise. How do you plan your overload in advance? I just raise the weight any time I know I could be doing more. I believe I'd need to consume ~2700 kCal/day and ~200g protein if I wanted to reach my goal in one year, gaining about bit less than 2 lbs per month.

imagine taking 10% off of that

If I permanently lost 10%, I'd probably be in the range for my insurance to cover TRT. I've even considered deliberately sabotaging it for this reason. But ultimately I think that sounds dangerous.

Please for the love of jesus dont run tren on your first cycle idk who gave you that idea

Really big guy at the gym. Fuck he's a monster. I assumed he knew what he was talking about. Though I don't want to get that big.

Weight
Height
Current diet

Weight: 167 (Started at ~158)
Height: 6'1"
Diet (today as an example, it's 3PM, and so far): ~2300 cal, ~200g carbs, ~150g protein.

I don't know how to eat more. I do not have the appetite or desire to eat. I was hoping T would help with that.

 

[WereAllGonnaMakeIt]

Wow, thanks for all the great advice. I can estimate my macro intakes, but I think it would be smarter to get an app and track them for a week or so to see if I'm off. Definitely will concentrate on Test only and nothing fancy.


If my reps start to feel easy, or if I don't get at least get near failure by set 4, I raise my weight for the exercise. How do you plan your overload in advance? I just raise the weight any time I know I could be doing more. I believe I'd need to consume ~2700 kCal/day and ~200g protein if I wanted to reach my goal in one year, gaining about bit less than 2 lbs per month.


If I permanently lost 10%, I'd probably be in the range for my insurance to cover TRT. I've even considered deliberately sabotaging it for this reason. But ultimately I think that sounds dangerous.


Really big guy at the gym. Fuck he's a monster. I assumed he knew what he was talking about. Though I don't want to get that big.


Weight: 167 (Started at ~158)
Height: 6'1"
Diet (today as an example, it's 3PM, and so far): ~2300 cal, ~200g carbs, ~150g protein.

I don't know how to eat more. I do not have the appetite or desire to eat. I was hoping T would help with that.

I grew up in the gym with "gym bros" like that who are running all sorts of gear with no idea what they are doing, reusing needles (which is retarded and unnecessary) and cant even pronounce any of the drugs they are putting into their body. We used to call this "bro science". I recommend reading the book in the wiki of this website and getting a good solid foundation in terms of understanding the art of running gear before just hopping on lol. Just keep it to test enanthate 500mg a week for 12 weeks trust me you will have fun

 

[cosmotic]

Just keep it to test enanthate 500mg a week for 12

Newbie here; why not more than 500mg? What is one looking out for when starting out with the 'lower' dose?

 

[Gbunk]

Newbie here; why not more than 500mg? What is one looking out for when starting out with the 'lower' dose?

500 is just a good starter dose that’s generally seen as not too high and not too low.

 

[Hypertrophy]

For a first time AAS user, 500mg/wk of a single ester testosterone is going to be your best option Imo. This lets you know how your body is going to react to an exogenous hormone without the potential harsh side effects that Trenbolone carries. I do recommend pre cycle bloodwork to see your base line results and again 5 weeks later while on cycle. I personally feel my best with an E2 range within 55-60pg/dl.

 

[WereAllGonnaMakeIt]

Newbie here; why not more than 500mg? What is one looking out for when starting out with the 'lower' dose?

I am not sure what you mean by "lower dose" 500mg /wk is a very standard dose. There is no reason to go higher the first time. I dont know your situation or background, but if you are someone who lifts regularly and has a decent diet, you will be blown away with what a 500mg/wk test Enanthate cycle is going to do for your gains. Just be aware its not going to kick in for several weeks its a longer ester than some other forms but probably the most well known / reliable imo