I decided to put this experience out there mostly for those looking to see results others had on a fairly basic beginner’s cycle. Before I started my cycle I scoured the internet forums looking for results with the cycle I planned and only found a few. I didn’t want to do a log because it’s a basic cycle and I am not good with keeping up with updates.
First a little background:
I’m 35 and have been in and out of the gym for 20 years. Usually in the gym consistently in the late fall through the early spring and faulter as activities/sports ramp up in the summer. I did much better in my 20’s than my 30’s. However the last couple years I’ve been a gym floor regular.
I have been researching AAS since I was in my early 20’s but never took the plunge because I wasn’t ready, the thought of injections freaked me out and trying to find them seemed like a dark art. In my early 20’s I did do some 4 week M1T/4AD cycles (when they were legal) and always had great results, followed with a standard Nolva PCT. It was easy, cheap and worked.
This year I decided to take the plunge and ordered, online, some Test E and Dbol; enough for a few cycles along with Winstrol for the future. After continued research I decided to K.I.S.S. and run a 10 week 500mg/week Test E cycle with 20mg of dbol every day for the first 40 days. I ended up extending my cycle to 11 weeks solely because my wedding anniversary was near when I planned to start PCT and I didn’t want to risk not being able to give it to her good. The extra week was worth it cause the sex was fantastic.
I trained 7 days a week and only took a day off when absolutely necessary; focusing on hypertrophy. I trained on a 5 day split:
Day 1: Legs & Calves
Day 2: Chest & Abs
Day 3: Back
Day 4: Shoulders & Calves
Day 5: Arms & Abs
Each day started out with 10 minutes on the stairmaster to get warmed up along with an appropriate warm up for the targeted muscle groups.
I kept a log of my lifts, food and measurements religiously. I also monitored my blood pressure regularly.
Starting stats:
Height: 6’2"
Weight: 208.4 lbs
Bodyfat: 16.9% (according to my scale, calipers/tape usually measure lower)
Waist: 35.5"
Chest: 45.25"
Arms: 16.25"
Quads: 24.5"
Calves: 15.5"
Bench Press: 225 lbs for 1
Squat: 315 lbs for 1
Deadlift: 455 lbs for 1 w/straps
Ending stats:
Height: 6’2"
Weight: 242.9 lbs (+34.5 lbs)
Bodyfat: 19% (+2.1%)
Waist: 38.5" (+3")
Chest: 48.875" (+3.625")
Arms: 18" (+1.75")
Quads: 27.25" (+2.75")
Calves: 16.5" (+1")
Bench Press: 250 for 4 (didn’t test 1RM)
Squat: 405 for 1
Deadlift: 500 for 1, no straps! I probably could’ve improved this if I had trained deadlift during the cycle.
Taking into account bodyfat % I (supposedly) added 20.6 lbs of lean mass. Which means I also added about 14 lbs of fat 
.
Adverse side effects noticed: acne, especially on shoulders… that is all.
Proverse side effects: aside of added size and strength, increased libido, enhance erections and ejaculations in both volume and force. My wife loved this.
I did not notice any appreciable testicular atrophy.
Lessons learned: I ate too much. There was a 3 week stretch (weeks 6 through 8) where I made no progress in terms of size or strength and I remedied that by increasing my caloric intake dramatically and while I did start gaining again, thats where I started packing on the chub. I was “chasing the dragon” so to speak and next time I need to be more mindful and patient. To be truthful, I had already nearly reached my weight goal by week 6 anyways.
Things I would’ve done differently in retrospect: nix the dbol, so I could see how my body reacted to test only. Be more patient with gains and more conservative with my caloric increase mid cycle. I should have also had labs taken before, I will have them taken after PCT.
All in all this experience has been fantastic. I reached and in some cases exceeded my goals. Now the question is: how much was water & how much can I hold on to?
The future: after PCT is complete I’ll be doing a short cut to get my bodyfat back down. I’m looking to do another cycle starting in May; I will forgo the dbol and add Winstrol to the end. I would like to keep fat gains to a minimum but increase strength in preparation for a possible powerlifting meet.
TL;DR I did a beginner cycle, got great results, ate too much.
It’s hard to see the gains in pictures through all the chub
