Hi, new here, could use your expertise and opinions, var related

[trainspotter]

Hi.

I've been doing so much research in the past few months- reading and reading and gone back and forth with this var thing.

I'm here to understand more, get some questions answered and also want to tell you about my history and other hormonal things I'm on, as I think some of these things may need to be stopped if I decide to move forward with var.

I'm a 37 year old female looking to compete this Fall. If not this Fall, spring or Fall of next year. If I don't compete, I don't compete- bikini would be where my mind-set is. To be honest, it is NOT about winning, it's about putting on some more lean body mass- it's just the look I've wanted for a really long time.

I've been in and out of the gym for over 10 years, doing dumb stuff...excessive cardio, poor diets, restrictive diets, super low calorie, low carb...binging, etc. I've done low weight, high rep- no program, just winging it. 2 years ago, I just had enough and hired a coach. All was well, but switched to another coach to get me the lean down look I wanted. I did well, naturally- worked my ass off, in the gym at 4 a.m., you all know how it goes. I have 3 kids, I do stay a home and by mid-december, I got down to 136 pounds - I'm 5'8" and got to about 14.8% bodyfat. Not bad for really doing this, "the right way" for once. I actually put on 2.5 pounds of muscle (bod pod calibration at the local university)... I looked great for a fitness photo shoot I booked, but knew at the end, I still didn't really have the lean muscle I wanted. Since then, I've been researching anavar and working with my new coach- he supports whatever I want to do, he has clients that do use it, but left it up to me to do research, weigh the pros/cons, be positive this is what I wanted to do. It's up to him to administer it safely and as low as possible to achieve results.

So, moving forward. About 2 years ago- felt like death- had some family issues going on, went to wellness doc, and I'm on a bunch of things.
* testosterone- compound, troche (under the tongue, melts in your mouth), 1.15 mg a day (just shy of "normal" range)
* progesterone- compound, it's a cream I apply, 2nd 2 weeks of the month.
*dhea- 10mg a day
* d3, 5mg a day
* astragalus (whole food supplement for immune support)
*ALC (whole food supplement for immune/metabolism?)
* cytomel (thyroid, 5mg a day)

I go to see my doc every 6 months where he evaluates my bloodwork and we go from there. Interactions with anavar? I imagine I would stop the progesterone and testosterone and was unsure about cytomel. March, is when I go back in for a re-eval, might go off most of the stuff, who knows.

Currently, right now, I'm sitting at about 140 pounds, 16-18% bodyfat - holding strong during a reverse dieting program, lifting hard, still hitting the gym 5 days a week, diet is 95%. I'm awesome at my diet, but I'm also a mom and tend not to live a life of perfection. I sneak some cheetos and I steal french fries once in awhile. All in all, I do damn good. I'm guessing my build program will be coming up in a few weeks or so- 4-6 weeks. I'm not looking to cut fat, get gigantic or be up on the olympia stage. I just like the look of nice, lean, muscular quads and hammies and the GLUTES, let us not forget the butt! I think one of the biggest reasons I'm considering anavar is obviously to compete, but also the asthetic look. Can I be on it all year, NO, do I want to be, NO. Also, important to add, that I had a reticular release (right knee- tendon gets pulled from the muscle) a few years ago, right before I started training hard. I for the life of me am struggling to gain muscle in my right quad. My left quad is okay (neither have great definition), but my right quad is DRASTICALLY behind. I'm occluding on a number of lifts- hack squat (feet together, facing outward, toes pointed out to target the outside muscle), all sorts of squats and leg extensions and I'm seeing very little changes.

A few things I need answers on, besides the medications I'm currently on.

* PCT, do I need this or not?
* I've seen people use this to build and cut, to just build, to just cut, which is it, which is more beneficial?
* I saw a post that women have said that sometimes gains can be lost after 6 months? WHAT? How is that possible? What's the point then?
* I would like to do this once, maybe twice.... so If I decide to do it during a build and during a cut, will I have to do it again to keep the lean muscle I'm after? I realize I won't be "as hard" once I come off, but just having the muscle there... that's mostly what I'm after.
* I'm predisposed for bad acne, runs in my family- can only guess it's gonna worse, what are the best things to combat this with?
* AR- I saw on a board awhile ago- something about AR- is that antigen receptor? Something involving the kidneys- I know risk is lower, because I will be between 5-10mg, but are there things out there to help, something about milk thistle?
* virilization- enlargement in the southern region, I get it- it can happen, probably will happen, and when discontinued, 4-6 weeks later, should return to normal? Everybody is different though
- deep voice- I think these are things I'm going to have to know about going into it and if it gets worse, will have to discontinue use.

I think that about wraps it all up. Really, I'm looking to gain some lean body mass- be in a build program for a good amount of time (6-9 months)- no, not all of that with anivar...continue to work hard, keep nutrition in check and cut with anavar (if it's needed) at a later date.

I thank all of you for this board- I've been reading on here all day. Thanks for listening, for your opinions, suggestions and advice.

 

[PitBullPretty]

Um...hmmm that's a lot of info.

Well, I've used var many times so all I can really do is share my experience, because everyone is very different. I tend to be predisposed to sides at a higher level than a lot of women, and have found var to be extremely mild...no acne, no deepening of the voice, hair growth or loss, etc. Yes, your downtown parts will swell, but will almost certainly return to normal if using a reasonable dose and giving yourself enough off-time between cycles. It will improve your libido and...er...lubrication.

-However-

As a first cycle, you may get some keepable gains from it, and will most certainly see strength increase about two weeks in, but I don't find it to be particularly anabolic by itself, from a mass building perspective. It will make you look tight and help you bring out shape in your muscles. You should get a very good pump while on it.

I would be more concerned with the cytomel being counterproductive to growth. It, in and of itself, is notorious for causing some muscle loss. Given that it's prescribed to you, and you only "sneak a french fry once in a while," I would be inclined to think you're not eating enough or lifting heavy enough to support any noticeable growth. I say this not because I think you're ignorant, but because I've been lifting for years and finally got a nutritionist. After I gave him a meal journal he said, "I'm shocked you have as much muscle mass as you do...you're freakin starving yourself!" The first week I was literally gagging trying to eat all the food in my plan...but I got fuller, bigger, stronger...and still leaner.

But, back on track. Anavar is an exceptional supplement for women. It is absolutely, IMO, the only AAS for a first-timer. But, it's counterfeited often so be very, VERY careful. I would only get it from wherever an experienced GIRL is getting it. It's also money that you don't want to waste, so I fully believe that if there are any holes in the rest of someone's program, they should line that out first before spending money on supps from which they may only get a 50-70% benefit.

Overall, I'm no expert but I think if you are serious about doing it, you will be very happy with the minimal sides and overall performance enhancement you would get from a quality cycle of var.

Hope this helps, if you have specific questions please ask.


Sent from my SCH-I535 using EliteFitness

 

[PitBullPretty]

Also!!!

You do NOT need PCT.

If you tend to be more mesomorphic, are blonde peach-fuzzy everywhere like I am, you *could* experience mild virulization.... but if I don't on 20mg/day, you *should* be fine on 5-10mg/day.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using EliteFitness

 

[trainspotter]

Hi, and thank you VERY MUCH for your response. I just needed to come somewhere and post my history, etc- I think it's important. I do apologize for the length of the post. EEK!

Right now, my coach has me on carb cycling- because I take 2 days off during the week. On my high days, I'm eating 150 grams of carbs, low days 120 ish. My fat is slowly going back up, almost each week- and I stick to my nutrition plan, hitting my macros each day- day in, day out. My breakdown looks like this right now: c:150/p165/f45 on low days: c/120/p150/f45. I'm anywhere from 1400-1900 calories, just depending on what I decide to eat during the day. I guess I'm in my build program- and I imagine if I do decide to do this, my macros will change and my workouts too. I started last year eating about 250-270 grams of carbs, and was losing weight (slowly). Those carbs over time went away as I prepared for my fitness photo shoot. I landed around the 110-120 range in carbs, and he's slowly working me back up again., building my metabolism to accommodate more calories, so I then (hopefully) will have an even better cut this next go around.

Thank you again for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it.

 

[caligirl85]

Welcome to EF! Great to have more women posting.

I'll add in my 2 cents, for what it's worth. The first thing I would wonder is do you have a dr. you could talk to about this? I would be a little concerned with the hormonal disruption taking var would cause for you. It's essentially taking more test right? So, if you're already on something, it may interact. I'm not well versed enough to tell you but Musclemom may have some thoughts on that too.

A few things I need answers on, besides the medications I'm currently on.

* PCT, do I need this or not? The standard answer for women is no PCT, however, there are women here who have supplemented a cycle with Zinc in the past. I have found that the older I get, the harder I crash post cycle and the longer it takes for me to recover hormonally. It's something I would watch with yourself if you run a cycle.
* I've seen people use this to build and cut, to just build, to just cut, which is it, which is more beneficial? I'd use it to bulk first and see how you do. Men use it more for cutting, as do competitors when dieting down for stage weight.
* I saw a post that women have said that sometimes gains can be lost after 6 months? WHAT? How is that possible? What's the point then? That's pretty standard in the AAS world. Gain 15 lbs/ keep 10. Often some of that gain is water, which goes away when you stop using. Keep protein high and training and you'll keep as much as possible.
* I would like to do this once, maybe twice.... so If I decide to do it during a build and during a cut, will I have to do it again to keep the lean muscle I'm after? I realize I won't be "as hard" once I come off, but just having the muscle there... that's mostly what I'm after.
* I'm predisposed for bad acne, runs in my family- can only guess it's gonna worse, what are the best things to combat this with? Lots of threads on this although mainly more in the men's section. It depends what works for you now.
* AR- I saw on a board awhile ago- something about AR- is that antigen receptor? Something involving the kidneys- I know risk is lower, because I will be between 5-10mg, but are there things out there to help, something about milk thistle? It's more the liver that people worry about. Milk thistle or there's other products like N2guard that will help protect you while on cycle.
* virilization- enlargement in the southern region, I get it- it can happen, probably will happen, and when discontinued, 4-6 weeks later, should return to normal? Everybody is different though No guarantees for this. You roll the dice and take the risk. Likely, a low dose var cycle will be fine and everything will return to normal.
- deep voice- I think these are things I'm going to have to know about going into it and if it gets worse, will have to discontinue use.

I think that about wraps it all up. Really, I'm looking to gain some lean body mass- be in a build program for a good amount of time (6-9 months)- no, not all of that with anivar...continue to work hard, keep nutrition in check and cut with anavar (if it's needed) at a later date.

I thank all of you for this board- I've been reading on here all day. Thanks for listening, for your opinions, suggestions and advice.

 

[trainspotter]

Thank you so much.. My coach was suppose to call me today- and probably won't hear from him until tomorrow or next week- so here I am on pins and needles, questioning my decision.

I haven't discussed with my husband yet- that's my biggest hurdle. No idea how to approach that-

 

[CML0915]

Second the advice given above.
I have to ask though... Why do you think it's necessary to take Var for Bikini? IMO, what the judges look for in that category is achievable naturally. Being that you're closer to 40 than 20 and have hormonal issues it may take you longer to build muscle (you need to be eating at a surplus for that BTW, which you haven't been), but you can do it. I'd be VERY cautious of adding any more drugs without a doctors approval.
My advice... Eat enough for growth, lift heavy and hard and see where you are in a year.

 

[musclemom]

Welcome to EF! Great to have more women posting.

I'll add in my 2 cents, for what it's worth. The first thing I would wonder is do you have a dr. you could talk to about this? I would be a little concerned with the hormonal disruption taking var would cause for you. It's essentially taking more test right? So, if you're already on something, it may interact. I'm not well versed enough to tell you but Musclemom may have some thoughts on that too.

Yeah, I kind of do ... but without knowing why Trainspotter is on the hormones, or where her hormonal blood levels are currently there's simply no useful concrete information I can provide.

Var is virilizing. Testosterone is virilizing. DHEA can convert to testosterone (it did in me) and cause virilization. So I'd say discontinue the test and DHEA.

NATURAL progesterone, the stuff that our body makes, is considered a "mother hormone" because it has the ability to convert to either testosterone or estrogen depending on our body's needs. As far as I've read, however, nobody has evidence that exogenous progesterone, bioidentical or not, no matter the delivery system, converts. Little FYI, progesterone can actually add the to acne problem (makes the pores close up and increases sebum production which either gives you a youthful dewy glow or zits). Progesterone also performs a bunch of other functions but anybody who can research AAS can dig up that info All of which is a round about way of saying when it comes to progesterone, without knowing why you're taking it, it's the one I would be most hesitant to say stop.

But again, flying blind here and I don't claim to be an expert. I have quite a lot of lay knowledge and experience with bioidentical hormones. I also have experience with exogenous testosterone supplementation and can tell you what happens if you over do too much of a good thing or if you don't have enough estrogen to balance out the testosterone, it's not pretty and you have no guarantees that you will ever bounce back from the worst of the bad effects -- and IMO a deep voice is the least of your concerns.

Long way of saying, I know what works in my body but I have no experience with var and I can't even begin to guess how it interacts with the female endocrine system ... especially one that is already on hormonal supplements.

 

[trainspotter]

THANK YOU.

Really good advice. I really appreciate all of the information and your advice- it's invaluable to me.

I'm still very undecided and I'm still uncertain that I will compete- it's been a goal for 2 years, but very troublesome trying to bring my legs up to where they need to be, because of my knee surgery. It's super frustrating. Even if I do not compete, I don't need the "hard" look all year round, but it's just the lean mass I'm looking for. And I agree- I'm not eating for a "build" program right now... my carbs are still really low- and I still have a lot of higher rep stuff, that is harder to do right now, because I just don't have the energy or power.

So, few things I need to talk over with my coach- and I thank all of you again.