First cycle advice - A bit of a long read. Any help appreciated.

[RodrigueZz]

Hello elitefitness. Thread title describes much of the reason why I have joined.

Currently I am floating around 142lbs. I am 63.5" tall and turning 21 in less than a month. I was hoping to do enough research on AAS and get my fitness level to a point where I would be comfortable doing a cycle sometime this summer.

Right now I am taking an ECA stack and trying to cut down. I am not sure what my body fat percentage is, but my abs are visible so I'd say if it is not under 10% it's gotta be right at 10.

My hope is to cut down really lean and then put on some lean mass with very minimal water weight and fat. I was wondering if there is an AAS out there that may help me with this goal in particular.

My current diet is inconsistent. I am a student and thus I am not as in control of what foods are readily available in my home as much as I would like to be. Usually though, I eat around 1600-1800 calories, with approximately 20% being carbs, 40% being protein and 40% being fats (I eat a lot of nuts, fish and chicken drum sticks to avoid carbs and meet protein needs. This results in high fat intake though). My body seems to be very carb sensitive which led to me eventually going in this direction with my diet.

Ideally I would like something that will allow me to keep my gains even after my cycle. I would be heartbroken to lose my gains if I ever decide that AAS usage is not for me and quit all together. I am also hopeful that I will not be forced to do cycle after cycle in order to maintain my gains.

My current workout routine is this

Day 1: Legs (Back squats, leg extensions, dumb bell lunges, straight leg dead lifts, hamstring curls, and calf raises)
Day 2: Biceps and shoulders (Seated military press, Barbell/dumb bell shrugs, Arnold Press, Dumb bell lateral raises, seated bicep curls, hammer curls, preacher curls, chin ups, reverse bicep curls)
Day 3: Abs, obliques and cardio (decline crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers, Side Jack knives, Seated trunk rotations, Side bends, Sprints, elliptical, and sometimes jump rope)
Day 4: Back (Dead lifts, hyper extensions, lower back machine? [no idea what it's called], pull ups, barbell/cable rows, and Straight arm/lat pulldowns)
Day 5: Triceps and Chest (Bench press, Incline bench press, decline bench press, dumb bell bench press, dumb bell fly, push ups, dips, lying tricep extensions, tricep kickbacks, Skull crushers, and Rope tricep push down)
Day 6: Abs, obliques and cardio (decline crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers, Side Jack knives, Seated trunk rotations, Side bends, Sprints, elliptical, and sometimes jump rope)

and then it repeats in a continuous loop.


Despite claims that the body needs time to rest I find myself feeling fine after almost a month of this routine. I quite like it, and justified the decision to hit the gym everyday with the idea that humans are designed for physical activity and in the Pre-Neolithic we were not granted "rest days". My body has not given me any signs that this is too much for me yet so I am going with it.


Current supplements:

Multivitamins, Fish oil, whey isolate, L-Carnitine Tartrate, ECA stack, ECGC, and 5-HTP.



If you require any more information just let me know. Hopefully there is a substance out there for me that will help me reach my goals.

 

[-SD-]

Too young for roids

 

[stevesmi]

first off you need to read the rules about posting underage. that will not be tolerated.

second off at 140 pounds you need to get on a better workout and diet routine asap. steroids are NOT for you in the near future

 

[-SD-]

first off you need to read the rules about posting underage. that will not be tolerated.

second off at 140 pounds you need to get on a better workout and diet routine asap. steroids are NOT for you in the near future

Too his slight credit he is only 5'3"

 

[RodrigueZz]

Too young for roids

"under 21. Well its prett frowned on but its best if you are over 21 for a number of reasons."
-needtogetaas

By the summer I will be 21. How is this too young? Arnold was Mr. Olympia at 22 which means he was already well into it by then as that kind of progress does not happen over night.

 

[buddhabuilder]

Arnold had a strong, developed base before any gear. He trained through his youth, including powerlifting moves, and years spent in the army where he had to invent exercises to challenge himself. No, you are not ready for gear, but you are in the right place to develop your muscularity. Use the search in the forums to come up with great workout routines that will blow your mind, then treat your diet like a science experiment to see how much muscle you can pack on. You will be able to do this for years before you will even want to think about gear, because you will be getting great results. Post your exercise routine in that forum and I'll give you quality feedback. Diet, the same. Welcome to bodybuilding!

 

[bobby winn]

Hello rodriguezz, An welcome to the forums, You will find alot of helpful people here, an ALOT of Great INFO,i have a Few questions for you,

1, being only 21 why would you want to start juicing ?
2, your 6'3 an weigh in at about 142, why in gods name are you trying to cut at that weight ?
3 how long have you been training ?

i have a few others i can think of but will settle for these right now, Not trying to be hard on you man, as I have just met you, But i really can say with a open mind an a heart that you really don't need to be any where near juice at being 21, you should really wait to even think about doing this, Because at your age you have alot of growing to do yet before you cross that line,think about it long an hard an then come back with your answers bud,being at around 142 you need to EAT an eat big man being around 6'3 my guess is that you should be around 195-230 tops,like i said not trying to be hard on you, for any reason, other than to make you stop an think about this, because once you start it's hard as hell to just stop,what happen to my post ? someone edited it :-(

 

[buddhabuilder]

He is 5'3"

 

[RodrigueZz]

I have been working out for over two years now, coming onto three. Training has been inconsistent at certain times due to school and employment obligations taking up too much time. I am not 6'3 though, I am 63" inches, also known as 5'3.

My mother is 5'4 and my father is 5'6. I am not sure if I will get taller, and any height I do gain will seemingly be minimal. I consume a lot of caffeine which does not help. All of this equates to the absence of fear that I may stunt my growth.

I am self conscious about my height, and when I see improvements in my physique it seems like a way I can compensate. If AAS can help me get the physique I want I will consider it. Currently I have some worries about it, but as I said by summer I am hoping to get over that and possess the necessary knowledge to look how I want and sculpt my body into something more aesthetic.

Getting hooked on it is something I did not consider much. My best response is that as a student the money I make at my crappy part time job does not afford me the luxury of being able to buy supplements every week. My usage would be moderated necessarily by my income.

I understand the concerns, and it is nice to see people are actually interested in helping even if it means telling someone no. If nothing else though I would like to know the reasons why it would not be ideal at this point in time. Are the changes in my body really going to be so drastic between now and when I am 23? (2 years?)

 

[buddhabuilder]

Bodybuilding is a science, and it takes a long time to learn even the basics. You can get great results without AAS for many years because your natty hormones will be going crazy well up into your mid-twenties. And all the ways you find to train and diet during this time will serve you well should you ever decide to juice. AAS alone will do nothing for you if you don't master all the other elements first.

 

[RodrigueZz]

Well I would not be doing it alone. I would be incorporating it into my current lifestyle. I already work out everyday. Just because I may be more knowledgeable about bodybuilding in the future and that added knowledge may benefit me does not mean that doing a cycle now is inherently wrong. With that logic you could argue that I should not speak because in a few years my understanding of language and communication skills will be stronger leading to a better final product. Anything now would be inferior to it so why speak at all now? Furthermore, you could constantly use that reason because the future always represents a potential improvement. Even at 35, I could learn more about fitness because I will not know everything. So at 35 AAS is a bad idea because if I wait until 40 I will be better prepared for it?

A future potential for a superior result does not seem like a good reason to postpone the pursuit of a particular interest.

 

[buddhabuilder]

Using AAS can stunt your eventual achievements, because they may undermine your bodies ability to manifest it's maximum potential. We are talking biology here, not philosophy. Hey, I'm the Buddha....

 

[-SD-]

"under 21. Well its prett frowned on but its best if you are over 21 for a number of reasons."
-needtogetaas

By the summer I will be 21. How is this too young? Arnold was Mr. Olympia at 22 which means he was already well into it by then as that kind of progress does not happen over night.

Are you seriously comparing your situation to the greatest bodybuilder of all time?
Bringing up Arnold is like winning the lottery, it aint gonna happen for you like it did for Arnold. Just like your average pickup game wont have the next Michael Jordan. Arnold had the greatest genetics, work ethic, ability to react to roids extremely favorably, the list is endless.
21 is too young because your endocrine system isnt settled and set yet, and your natural Test levels should be sky high right now. If you do roids now you risk blowing out your HPTA and be shackled to a needle every week when you have to inject Test for life.

If you want a reality check search this board for all the guys who hit the roids too young and regret it big time

 

[RodrigueZz]

Using AAS can stunt your eventual achievements, because they may undermine your bodies ability to manifest it's maximum potential. We are talking biology here, not philosophy. Hey, I'm the Buddha....

It is I, Jesus. I have come to steal your thunder, Buddha.

That is a better argument though. I do not know much about the dangers and the last thing I want is permanent irreversible damage that will worsen my quality of life.

At what point does the body become physical ready though? I am fairly certain my bones have already fused together. Hormone wise I only see myself getting worse from here. Am I really going to grow more?


The thing is, doing the EC stack and seeing how much a supplement can help has made me question how far humans, or more so myself, can really push go naturally. Every cut I have done before this left me looking scrawny and now I have managed to get lean and maintain the muscle and my mind is blown.

While my current approach is different from previous ones (no longer do cardio everyday for hours and carb intake is much lower) I'm not sure if I can attribute it all to that. That being said, if AAS is not a feasible option currently then where do I go in terms of supplementation?

 

[RodrigueZz]

Are you seriously comparing your situation to the greatest bodybuilder of all time?
Bringing up Arnold is like winning the lottery, it aint gonna happen for you like it did for Arnold. Just like your average pickup game wont have the next Michael Jordan. Arnold had the greatest genetics, work ethic, ability to react to roids extremely favorably, the list is endless.
21 is too young because your endocrine system isnt settled and set yet, and your natural Test levels should be sky high right now. If you do roids now you risk blowing out your HPTA and be shackled to a needle every week when you have to inject Test for life.

If you want a reality check search this board for all the guys who hit the roids too young and regret it big time

Ronnie Coleman has won 8, Arnie only 7. Him being the best is extremely debatable.

Also, he is not the only one. Many prominent bodybuilders start young. Haney won his first Olympia at 23. With this in mind the idea that starting young is necessary a bad idea is flawed. Many people do it and see great success. This does not necessarily mean I will but it does not necessarily mean I won't either.

 

[lithium1189]

You said your diet is inconsistent and being a student you can't afford buying supplements consistently either. Going into aas with these handicaps is just pointless. This shit is expensive, juice, supplements, pct, food. Get your diet in check and train hard. AAS is kind of an all in thing or your wasting time, money and health.

And I wouldn't ever try comparing Arnold or any mr Olympia athlete to anyone here, those guys are in a league of their own.

 

[buddhabuilder]

Mid to late twenties is usually a time when your natural hormones start to settle down. You can make great gains tweaking your training and diet until then. Like I said, write up a new, researched routine and post it in that section. We will work with you to make it the best it can be.

 

[-SD-]

Ronnie Coleman has won 8, Arnie only 7. Him being the best is extremely debatable.

Also, he is not the only one. Many prominent bodybuilders start young. Haney won his first Olympia at 23. With this in mind the idea that starting young is necessary a bad idea is flawed. Many people do it and see great success. This does not necessarily mean I will but it does not necessarily mean I won't either.

Ronnie, Arnold, Dorian, Jay, it doesnt matter they are all world class all time greats. They arent like you or I or anyone on this board so get those delusions of grandeur out of your head. If your plan is to just start cycling and see what happens that is a bad idea at your age for the reasons already listed. The risk of damage is obviously far greater than the chance you will be the next Arnold or Ronnie. But what do I know, Im 38 and used to be in your exact situation and Im damn glad I waited. You dont have the advantage of being a decade or so older and looking back on it all.

 

[MattJS]

To get the best out of AAS use you'd need to be spending $150 a week on groceries alone, over the course of a year this lifestyle costs serious money bro, why not spend a few years taking advantage of your natural hormones instead of going through health risks side effects and incredible expense when you could obviously benefit greatly from learning more about diet and training? If you run a cycle now it'll be a waste of time because you won't eat or train correctly to make it work, because you haven't put the years in that it takes to find out what works for you....

 

[-SD-]

To get the best out of AAS use you'd need to be spending $150 a week on groceries alone, over the course of a year this lifestyle costs serious money bro, why not spend a few years taking advantage of your natural hormones instead of going through health risks side effects and incredible expense when you could obviously benefit greatly from learning more about diet and training? If you run a cycle now it'll be a waste of time because you won't eat or train correctly to make it work, because you haven't put the years in that it takes to find out what works for you....

+1
This game is basically 100% disposable income, meaning its a complete luxury and you wont get far if you dont have the extra money for food and supps, not to mention gear costs.
There arent a lot of bodybuilders living below the poverty line.

 

[stevesmi]

dude your arguement is weak. don't compare yourself with arnold please. thanks.

we have rules on this board. either follow them or you will be shown the door. stop being a stubborn kid. 140 pounds at 5 3 is still skinny as hell.. why don't you stick with your school and one day when you have time to be consistent and build a base then we will talk