Beginner Advice, Told I'm a Hyper-Responder

Pharma / TRT
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Looking to pack on more lean mass, without taking huge risks. About a year ago, i had been doing triathlons/road cycling/etc for years, never having touched T or other drug. Quit that, tired of being skinny, started bulking natty, went from about 135-165 in approx 5 months, bodyfat around 10%. Went on TRT starting last october, starting at 120mg/week, bumped to 150mg/week after a couple of months, along with 90mg nandro. Doc didn’t like hermatocrit level, so we dropped back down to 120mg/wk, 60mg nandro per week.

So, at those current levels, I’m at
1112 total test
296.9 free test

At 150 test/90 nandro, i was sitting at
1580 total test
479 free test

I think i have diet nailed down, training nailed down, currently sitting at 180 pounds, can see vascularity all over including abs, so fairly low BF. I’m still getting stronger, but weight is sort of hovering at 180, not going anywhere.

Given those levels above, if i want to pack on another 10 pounds of muscle, would i be better off leaving things as is, just trying to eat more? Would I get better results bumping back to 150 test, should I try higher?

I do not know what is normal for someone’s TT/FT would be while they’re on a mild cycle. If i’m already there at these low doses, then I don’t mind working harder at diet. If, for me, 150 or 200 is a mild cycle that could blast through that 180lb plateau, I don’t mind doing that for 6 weeks or so. Just looking for advice.

Thanks!!

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There is no ‘normal’ response. We all metabolize test differently. We aromatize at different rates and we have different SHBG. Nandrolone is not a TRT drug as you know but you admitted calling it a mild cycle which is really more what you’re doing.

As for your answer… more drugs will equal more muscle. Thats a given. Your risk tolerance is your own and side effects vary as you start increasing on an individual basis. Seeing as you’ve made such good progress in a short time I would stay the course for a bit longer.

What height are you? Care to post a faceless photo for assessment?

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I’m 5’10, 43 yo.

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In case it matters, as far as diet, i’m eating about 3k calories, 50% carbs / 30% protein / 20% fat. zero cardio, except for neighborhood walks, hit each bodypart 2x per week , lowerish rep range (8-10) once a week, higher rep range (12-15) once per week as well.

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You’re already in great shape but you know that. You’ll need to eat more to add more weight. Of course moving the test up will help but in your case I’m guessing adding some more kCal’s will go a long way. You’re going to loose some of that vascularity in your abs more than likely, it’s hard to gain with BF that low. You could bump to 200mg for a few weeks, or higher if you have it and are comfortable with it. You’ve been on TRT long enough to see how you can adapt and handle some of the sides. You may see no difference. I see very little difference in sides at 200mg or 700mg per week, but everyone is different.

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Those levels dont mean shit, other than that - “high” or “low” because for everyone it works different. For some its good, for some its bad, etc.

Read above.

eat till you cant see it, and then we will talk if you need more weight or different drugs… for now, you dont need steroids, you need food. If you see vascularity on your abs, OR your abs, dont even think about using steroids to bulk :slight_smile: its a waste of money, when your problem is elsewhere.

2 Likes
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thanks @hankthetank89 for the sane advice

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thanks dptfit for the advice. I guess whether i leave things as is or play with bumping the test, getting more calories will have to be part of the equation.

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You look great dude, excellent work. And I agree with everyone else, if you want to grow more then eat more. You know how to put on size, so just do what worked before +10% more. Should be easy for someone who’s got everything else dialed in so well.

10

Completely agree with your post besides the point he should eat until he doesn’t see his abs anymore.

At his level of leanness it will suffice to get a bit chubbier to gain which means, losing striatum a, vascularity and maybe the lower part of separation of the abs. But this would be at least a 5-7% BF increase which is enough to really bulk.

Don’t get too fat either is what I’m saying.

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Thanks for the advice guys. I’m going to bump the diet a little and see what happens. Based on a few weeks of that, I may also bump intensity or volume. Last option after all that, I may look again at bumping t for a while, but I think I probably have some room to grow before going there.

I’m already taking in so much food compared to what I used to, I guess I just didn’t realize it’s no longer “extra”, it’s now my baseline. Basic stuff I’m sure

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you cant maximize growth while keeping abs… all bodybuilders and powerlifters know, that if you want to maximize size, you will need to stop being afraid to get a bit chubby… J.M Blakely also said, that losing fat is much easier than gaining muscle, and if you can gain 50-50 fat/muscle, it is the best scenario.

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I know. I agree.

As Markus Rühl, the German beast once said “all of us were fat during the off season”

My point is not to go overboard. If he gains 25 pounds (up to 205), he’ll gain 12 pounds of fat, and will be at 12-13% BF, which I think is enough for his next bulk. He will still see his abs then and he will be 190 lean next cut. If he goes over that, the scenario will not look much better.

The more advanced you are, the fatter you have to become during your bulk but at 180 lbs I don’t see the point in bulking up to 225 all at once. Better do that in 2 bulks.

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