First Cycle Log - Test E and Var Based

[dangerboy857]

Hi, I'm starting a log for feedback and advice. It's built on Test E and I'm trying to jumpstart it with some Var and Test gel.

I have questions about my stack, such as whether 8 weeks is too short and whether I should stretch to 10. As a newb, I'm trying to err on the side of caution with a shorter, lower dose cycle. But I'm open to advice on it.

I'm injecting into my ventral glute with a 25g 1" needle. It's only .5 ml injection, but the PIP still sucks. I've injected twice now (Thursday then Sunday) into both of my ventral glutes. The one from Thursday is still sore. The one from yesterday hurts like a motherfucker. The sore spot is not too big and it doesn't effect my ability to walk or lift weights. At least not yet. Still, wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I started the Test gel, Var, and Aromasin today (Monday).

Also having a hard time eating enough protein while staying clean. I notice a lot of people here have oats in their daily breakfast routine. What makes oats so great?



Dangerboy
37 yo, 5'11", 182 lbs, ~12% bf

Goals:
Recomposition, lower bodyfat, increased muscle mass, increased endurance. I'd like to stay between 165 and 190 pounds, but turn my fat into muscle.

I have a strong upper body, can bench 275 10x. Haven't tried a 1RM in years, but last time I tried it was 325.

I have a strong lower body too, but weak lower back which limits me with squats and deads in terms of the weight I use.

The Cycle and PCT Plan:

1-2: test transdermal @5mg ED (35mg/week) to help kickstart
1-4: anavar @50mg x once a day
1-8: test e @150mg x 2x/week for 300mg total per week - (.5ml dose @300mg/ml)
1-8: gw-50 @5mg - cardio workout days orally + tribulus to minimize polyps - (.25ml dose @20mg/ml)
1-8: aromasin 12.5mg x twice a week, day after injection
3-8: HCGenerate - 2 caps x twice/day
creatine, fish oil, milk thistle, throughout

PCT
9-13: mk/ostarine @10mg ED orally in the morning - (.2ml dose @50mg/ml)
10-13: aromasin 12.5 mg once a week
10-13: forma stanzol ED - 5 pumps am, 5 pumps pm
10-13: reservatrol ED
11-12: clomid @50mg ED
13: clomid @50mg EOD
10-13: HCGenerate - 2 caps @2x/day
10-13: tribulus
13-20: bottle of Bridge

Also ordered some Nizoral and N2 shampoo and have a bunch of nolvadex on hand in case clomid doesn't sit well with me. I was going to do HCG but couldn't swing it in the end, so instead bought a couple extra bottles of HCGenerate so I have 3 bottles now, which I hope makes up for it.

Also considering extending the Var to 8 weeks. Or possibly trying the 6-MDROL for the second 4 weeks instead.

Workout
My workout is built around circuit training. I usually do 2 or 3 circuits of 10 exercises @2x-3x per week with 8-15 reps/set. I circuit train because increasing my endurance is a goal, as I also train Muay Thai and MMA and endurance is probably my biggest weakness in the sport.

• bench press (some days with dumbbells, some with barbell) - 225-275 lbs
• weighted pullups (25 lbs)
• squat to overhead shoulder press - 45 lb dumbbells
• bent over rows - same 45 lb dumbbells
• weighted dips (35 lbs)
• cable rows - 150 lbs
• chest fly - 50 lb cable
• back fly - 50 lb cable
• squat, deadlift, or leg press
• abs (planks, crunches, leg lifts)

No more than 30 seconds rest between exercises until circuit is complete. Then rest up to 5 minutes before beginning circuit again. I also intend to join Crossfit in two weeks. How should cycling effect my workout routine? Should I lift more often? Should I do more sets/circuits? Contemplating moving to a 2 day split between upper and lower body to get a better legs workout.

Typically, my workout schedule looks like this:
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Circuit Train
Tuesday: HIIT Cardio then MMA Training
Wednesday: Circuit Train
Thursday: HIIT Cardio then MMA Training
Friday: MMA Training
Saturday: Circuit Train then HIIT Cardio

If I'm really beat, I may trade in the HIIT for some LISS cardio.

Diet
Diet is focused around eating clean high protein, high fiber, and low calories. I'm currently averaging about 150 grams of protein and 1800 calories per day. I intend to increase my protein intake to over 200g/day. Finding it hard to eat so much though without eating cheap garbage calories. Protein is mostly from deli meats and protein powder shakes (BSN Syntha-6). Carbs are low, but I'm not currently tracking. No bread, other than the occasional turkey sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast muffin frozen sandwich. Rice occasionally. Most carbs are coming from milk and frozen fruit in the protein smoothies.

Supplements I'm Taking
Protein Powder - BSN Syntha-6
Creatine Ethyl Ester
Fish Oil
Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc
Vitamin E
Reservatrol
L-Arginine
L-Citrulline
Maca (occasionally)
Hydroxycut (occasionally)
White Flood Pre-Workout (occasionally)

Any important sups I'm missing? BCAA's maybe? The BSN powder has some in it, I think 5 grams per serving and I'm drinking two a day.

 

[dangerboy857]

Thursday
Pinned 150mg test e. Did my HIIT cardio and then trained at fight gym.

Friday
Tried the GW at 5 mg dose. Along with eating clean, I think I noticed a difference in my sparring endurance.

Sunday
Pinned 150 mg of test e.

Monday
Woke up to pip in my left ventral glute. Lot worse than the pip from pinning Thursday, which is still sore but feels basically like a mild bruise. The more recent one though feels more like a spider bite or infection type pain. Hoping it feels a lot better tomorrow so I don't worry about infection. Took the test gel, var, and aromasin around noon. The gel irritated my skin a little bit, got a small rash, but it was gone within about an hour.

Did a 10 min cardio warmup, then did two circuits at the gym. Noticed a small but significant difference in my strength. My pecs also felt really hard, almost like they were flexing before I even started lifting. Didn't notice that feeling in my other muscles though. Maybe bc of the test gel, which I rubbed mostly into my chest and forearms?

Drank two protein shakes during the day. For dinner, made a stir fry of lean proteins, carrots, and onions. Ate it with a little bit of rice. Total protein intake today was 155 grams. Total calories consumed was about 1800.

 

[RickRock13]

Here to follow bro

 

[rustilldown]

Try injecting Into delts or quads , and you need more real protein. Deli meats and shakes may be once in a while but you need some lean meats, chicken tuna steak beef pork. Eggs and egg whites make a great addition too. Milk frozen fruits And cheese breakfast Sammie's aren't the best choices either. Oats are a popular choice for carbs because they are filling , low glycemic and fiber packed.

 

[dangerboy857]

Here to follow bro

I appreciate it RickRock.

 

[dangerboy857]

Try injecting Into delts or quads , and you need more real protein. Deli meats and shakes may be once in a while but you need some lean meats, chicken tuna steak beef pork. Eggs and egg whites make a great addition too. Milk frozen fruits And cheese breakfast Sammie's aren't the best choices either. Oats are a popular choice for carbs because they are filling , low glycemic and fiber packed.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try delts next probably. Have heard too many bad experiences with quads. Little concerned how a sore shoulder will impact my ability to lift. I went with ventral glutes because they seemed like the spot that would least impact my workouts even if it hurt.

Is the problem with deli meats the sodium content? It gets pricey eating that much protein from chicken, beef, and pork. I try to eat some eggs and turkey sausage in the morning if I have enough time instead of the frozen breakfast sandwiches with cheese, though they have like 17g of protein at only 240 calories, which seems pretty solid.

 

[Idobehigh]

Try a 1.5" needle for glutes personally I didn't mind quads to much the delts hurt the worse to me but everyone is different. I would say try them all once or twice and go from there

 

[dangerboy857]

Week 1 Continued
Got almost 7 hours of sleep last night, which is pretty good for me. I'd like to shoot for 7.5 while I'm on cycle. Weighed in on the scale at 183 lbs, which I've held at pretty steady all month after dropping about 8 pounds the month before going on cycle. I'm hoping that means I'm replacing fat with muscle, as my protein intake was under 100 grams while I was losing weight and has been averaging closer to 150 grams in July.

Took the test gel in the morning and the var around noon again today. I still have a small rash next to my bicep that was either caused by the test gel or it exacerbated a skin irritation I had not noticed before. It's small, like the size of a dime, but pretty red. Did my HIIT and MMA training. Took some GW for the second time today, upped the dosage to 8g but I don't think I noticed much difference in my workout today, other than a good amount more sweat than normal, wondering if that indicated higher body temp? Maybe if taking it only on cardio days is a bad idea and if I should just let it accumulate in me. Had long work meetings which made eating tough today. Consumed 1740 calories and 140g of protein.

Both injection sites are feeling better today. I might just stick with the ventral glutes after all. Seems like they'd be the least intrusive for my workouts even with PIP. In the shower I think I noticed a little more hair falling out than usual. Could just be my extra awareness of my hair though, I'm not sure. I ordered Nizoral and N2 shampoo both, but don't have them yet. Decided not to go with finasteride after reading all the horrible shit about it.

 

[dangerboy857]

WEEK 1

Got a solid 7 hours of sleep last night. Took test gel @5mg in morning. Drank a protein smoothie for breakfast. 50mg Var, 10mg GW, 625mg Tribulus, 2.25g Creatine, 4g Arginine, and 1g Citrulline around 11am. I can't agree with others who've said GW tastes like nothing. It tastes horrible, like burnt rubber. I have osta but not taking it until PCT and I think I've read here that it tastes a lot worse. Not looking forward to that.

Went to a noon yoga class. Ate a double beef pita on wheat at pita pit for lunch. Hit the gym after work around 5:30. Worked out for a little over an hour. Started with a 10 min cardio warmup on the elliptical. It was incredible. I increased my intensity significantly and could stay high intensity far longer than normal. I was basically sprinting for 2-3 minutes at a time with no problem at the maximum incline. Took a while longer than usual for my heart rate to get up though. It had to be the GW and the increased dosage. Then I hit the weights for my usual circuit, except I did more reps than normal for a couple of exercises. Also was sipping on my White Flood Fruit Punch PWO on the way to the gym.

The Circuit Workout
Leg Press
Circuit 1: 370 x 10
Circuit 2: 420 x 12

Bench Press
1: DBs 85 x 10
2: DBs 90 x 12

Weighted Pullups (25 lbs)
1: 8x
2: 10x

Weighted Dips (25 lbs)
1: 15x
2: 20x

Cable Rows
1: 140 x 10
2: 160 x 15

DB Squat to Overhead Shoulder Press
1: 45 x 10
2: 50 x 12

DB Bent over Rows
1: 45 x 10
2: 50 x 10

Cable Chest Fly
1: 45 x 10
2: 50 x 12

Cable Back Fly
1: 45 x 10
2: 50 x 12

Abs
1: Leg Lifts
2: Inverted Crunches


I felt really good from the workout. Circuits are always intense because of the lack of rest. But today felt especially good. Muscles, especially in the chest, felt really dense and hard. I'm thinking about switching toward higher weight and lower reps, but I'm always concerned about injuries from heavier weight because of back, shoulder, and neck issues. Last thing I want on cycle is to get an injury that knocks me out of the gym.

Diet
Came home after working out and made a 3 egg protein omelet. Quick and easy to make, quality protein, good macros. 305 cals, 30g protein, 6g carbs, 17g fat. A little bit of sriracha and it tastes pretty good and surprisingly filling for being so low cal. Other than the pita for lunch, I also had 1 protein shake and then snacked later on 8 slices of turkey breast. Consumed 162 grams of protein and 1645 calories today.

Side Effects
The only definitive side effect I have noticed on cycle so far has been an increase in my sweat production. Probably by like 25-30%. I think this is from the GW. Oh and also some minor skin irritation from the test gel and of course the PIP from pinning. I'm using Test E 300, is that the normal strength? I am less definitive on whether I'm shedding more hair or not. (Waiting on the N2 shampoo and Nizoral!) Also, I'm a little bit more tired, but not when I'm in the gym. That might just be from working out a little bit harder though than from the stack.

Ending the night with a .5ml/150mg pin of test e. Went back to ventral glute, but I may have picked a shallow spot. This one is also the first one to bleed a little bit. Still, so far so good!

 

[dangerboy857]

WEEK 1

Thursday
Trained MMA. Diet was 135g protein and 1555 calories. I've been eating more often late at night the last week. Last night's snack was half a box of chicken cold cuts and a few toasted crackers.

After dropping 8 or 9 pounds over the previous month, it's now completely stopped for the last week. In fact, I've gained a two or three despite being in a deficit. Is this my metabolism or is this fat being replaced by muscle?

N2 shampoo and Nizoral both arrived yesterday. The N2 smells really good. It's a soft vanilla. Lathered really well too.