Hey guys,
I would like to share with you about my AAS and PCT experience. I’m 25, pharmacy student, lifts seriously for 2 years (previously, from 15 y.o., I was a hardcore road cyclist with 15-20 h/wk trainings and racing). This topic tends to help me collecting thoughts from last two years and share with you about my current upgraded PCT process. My approach is experience, science and blood-work based.
XI.2016 decided to take AAS after a 0.5 year of collecting data and introduction to training.
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 70 kg, 10% BF, 63 kg LBM
Squat/deadlift/bench press/OHP 1RM’s: 115/135/80/45 kg
1st cycle (XI.16 - II.17): Test enanthate 500 mg/wk for 16 weeks (ester washout included), hCG 400 UI e3d, Arimidex ~1 mg/wk.
Results (last cycle’s week):
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 84 kg, 11% BF, 74 kg LBM (LBM’s 11 kg increase in 4 months)
Squat/deadlift/bench press/OHP 1RM’s: 130/150/95/55 kg (15% AVG increase in 4 months)
1st PCT (II.17 - III.17): Clomid 50 mg for first 2 weeks (blood-work based), then tapering off (all-time with AI keeping E2 low preventing excessive SHBG synthesis).
First blood-work done 2 weeks after first Clomid administration:
LH 9.5 (1.7 - 8.6)
T 27 (10 - 28)
E2 60 (40 - 160)
It meant success, so I lowered Clomid dosage from 50 ED to 25 EOD (following weeks EOD dosages: 25/25/15/15/5/5 with very low AI dose, about 0.1 mg E3D); blood-work remained almost the same after those changes (T in upper range). I felt awfully during first 2 weeks of Clomid (depression, apathy, trouble sleeping, decreased mood and libido despite T in the range > definitely Clomid side effects, it was much better after lowering it’s dosage).
So it took me 8 weeks to fully recover from the first cycle, I was OFF for 5 weeks after (AAS cycle lasted 16 weeks, PCT+OFF 13 weeks).
Results (last OFF’s week):
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 81 kg, 10% BF, 72 kg LBM (LBM remained almost the same after PCT and being OFF)
Squat/deadlift/bench press/OHP 1RM’s: 130/145/95/60 kg (5% AVG increase being PCT+OFF for 13 weeks after cycle)
2nd cycle (V.17 - VII.17): Test propionate 650 mg/wk for 10 weeks, Dianabol 30 mg ED for first 7 weeks (washout period included), hCG 400 UI e3d, Arimidex ~2 mg/wk.
Results (last cycle’s week):
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 92 kg, 14% BF, 79 kg LBM (LBM’s 7 kg increase in 2 months)
Squat/deadlift/bench press/OHP 1RM’s: 145/165/110/65 kg (12% AVG increase in 2 months)
The cycle was tragic. Despite great LBM and 1RM improvements, about 1/2 of this time was facing E2 being too low/being too high. For example, with T prop 650 mg/wk and Dbol 30 mg/ed, AI 0.1 mg/ed resulted in E2 360 (40- 161); T prop 800 mg/wk and Dbol 30 mg/ed, AI 0.25 mg/ed (2x more) resulted in E2 350 (40 - 161); T prop 800mg/wk and no Dbol, AI 0.40 mg/ed resulted in acceptable E2 120 (40 - 161); conclusion: with heavier doses of T esters and highly-aromatizable orals, AI dosage should oscillate within ~1 mg/ed on my example. I won’t take Dbol or another highly-aromatizable component (except T ester of course) anymore, there’re many better AAS to choose (and T as E2 source is just enough for your general health and well-being).
2nd PCT (VIII.17 - X.17): Nolvadex 40 mg for 3 weeks, then Nolvadex 20 mg for 1 week, then Clomid because Nolvadex didn’t work as expected (all-time with AI keeping E2 low preventing excessive SHBG synthesis).
First blood-work done 1 week after first Nolvadex administration:
LH 1.5 (1.7 - 8.6)
T 6.6 (10 - 28)
E2 <18 (40 - 160)
2 weeks after first Nolvadex:
LH 1.8 (1.7 - 8.6)
T 15 (10 - 28)
E2 <18 (40 - 160)
3 weeks after first Nolvadex:
LH 2.0 (1.7 - 8.6)
T 12 (10 - 28)
E2 50 (40 - 160)
4 weeks after first Nolvadex:
LH 3.1 (1.7 - 8.6)
T 11 (10 - 28)
E2 56 (40 - 160)
As you can see, Nolvadex (40/40/40/20, which means heavy doses) remained HPTA shutdown almost untouched. What’s interesting, my libido wasn’t very low, I maintained my LBM and 1RM’s with little fluctuations, and my frame of mind wasn’t too bad. It was much better than first 2 weeks of Clomid in 1st PCT, despite HPTA started working almost immediately there. That’s why I decided to give Clomid a try… After 4 weeks of Nolva I administered 50 mg of Clomid, and then 0.25 mg EOD for a week, results after JUST 1 dose of 50 mg and 1 dose of 25 mg (after 4 days of Clomid, coupled with 20 mg of Nolvadex ed!):
LH 9.1 (1.7 - 8.6)
T 19 (10 - 28)
E2 55 (40 - 160)
And after that, I throw Nolvadex away, tapered Clomid in 1 month keeping my HPTA working with excellent blood-work (T in the upper range again) and in-life results. That’s so interesting guys, I doubt that Nolvadex was fake… If you fail to PCT with Nolva, couple it with Clom for several days or try Clom only; SERM’s pharmacokinetics and pharmacology is so complicated to explain why that happened to me with 100% certainty.
Was OFF for a month after that PCT, wanted to try another stuff (T3, tren) and deal with fat deposits I collected during last cycle (3rd cycle).
Results (last OFF’s week):
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 89 kg, 12% BF, 78 kg LBM (LBM remained almost the same after PCT and being OFF)
Squat/deadlift/bench press/OHP 1RM’s: 135/150/105/62 kg (5% AVG decrease being PCT+OFF for 15 weeks after cycle)
3rd cycle, shredding (XI.17 - IV.18): Test enanthate 350 mg/wk for 16 weeks, Tren acetate 350 mg/wk for 9 weeks, T3 50-75 mcg ED for 15 weeks (washout period included), hCG 400 UI e3d, Arimidex ~0.5 mg/wk.
Results (last cycle’s week):
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 82 kg, 6% BF, 78 kg LBM (LBM’s constant, about 8 kg of fat shredded)
Squat/deadlift/bench press/OHP 1RM’s: 170/190/115/72 kg (17% AVG increase in almost 5 months)
As you can see, no LBM improvements, fat loss (~0.4 kg/wk), 17% AVG increase in main lifts (technique and training programming advancement). The cycle was great - E2 was stable during the phase, FOM and libido… Do not ask, excellent. Tren ace 100 mg/eod works really good, w/o serious sides on my example.
SUMMARY
XI.2016 - IV.2018 (1.5 year)
Weight: 70 kg > 80 kg
%BF: 10 > 6
LBM: 63 kg > 78 kg (15 kg, it gives us ~0.9 kg/month despite long shredding, PCT and OFF periods I conducted)
SQUAT 1RM: 115 > 170 (48%, 3 kg/month)
DL 1RM: 135 > 190 (41%, 3 kg/month)
BENCH 1RM: 80 > 115 (44%, 2 kg/month)
OHP 1RM: 45 > 72 (60%, 1.5 kg/month)
AVG 1RM: +48%
Take into account that strenght results written above are related to shredding phase without AAS in circulation, with AAS and HC diet it usually increases up to 7-10%.
Very happy with the results.
TARGET: recover from 3rd cycle (PCT), keep 1RM’s and %BF, reverse diet, be healthy.
To be continued in following post.