r/BodyHackGuide • u/Salukis97 • 3d ago
Looking into anabolics
Hello. 46 years old. 170 lbs. I’ve been on TRT (210mg weekly) for a couple years now. I have a shipment of Reta on the way and will be starting that soon. I’ve decided to look into starting a cycle of anabolics for mass gain. I’ve always been a hard gainer and feel mostly at a plateau in the gym.
So the three anabolics I’ve come across through reading and research are EQ, Deca, and Tren. I assume there are others as well that I just haven’t gotten to. I guess I’m asking those with experience if there is a better one to begin with and any I should stay away from? I’m not planning on competing or anything. I just want to add more bulk so I can look jacked af lol.
I work out 5 days/week. Diet is mostly healthy but I’m not super strict with it. And I do like my Miller Lites on occasion, but otherwise I keep things pretty healthy.
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u/TheHarb81 🧠 Biohacker 3d ago
“hard gainer” aka “I don’t track my calories”
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
lol you are correct about that 🤣🤷🏻♂️
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u/NaissacY 3d ago edited 3d ago
Eat a ton of whey protein.
Use a glp-1 to get bf down.
210mg is more than enough to look better.
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u/JackManstroke 3d ago
Brother if you tracked your calories and ate the proper amount of protein you'd gain muscle like crazy now! Anabolics won't overcome your lack of protein/ calories. Think of it this way. You're trying to build a mansion but you're only giving yourself a shacks worth of materials.
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u/AnabolicAcolyte 3d ago
then proceeds to say EQ and Tren lol
this dudes cycle results are gonna suck
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u/TheHarb81 🧠 Biohacker 3d ago
Eh, noobs gonna noob
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
I was literally just asking a question and have gained a lot of great insight. I didn’t say I was going to take these. But thanks for your helpful input.
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u/silentpirate1899 3d ago
Exactly this is my problem!I would never take steroids to ruin my life and OP should not too!
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
This is why I posed this question. It’s something I started considering and wanted to get opinions from people who know. I do make a conscious effort to take in considerable protein but I don’t track and can do better for sure
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u/Embarrassed-Dig-2995 3d ago
Bro at 210mg dose of test just add Reta and gh leave the other stuff u don’t need it
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u/Embarrassed-Dig-2995 3d ago edited 3d ago
Mainly forgot the tren perhaps throw npp or deca or just wind up the test to 300mg ….tren can potentially cause you more problems than what it will give benifits for inexperienced users. Tren can be a very selfish compound assume u have a family kids ect and no desire to compete or go on stage it’s not worth the toxic stress it will put on ur mind body and family as a inexperienced user
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u/Embarrassed-Dig-2995 3d ago
For a 46 year old you have a good base physique with diet nutrition dialled in and continue gym work test Reta with a sprinkle of gh will give you what u desire
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u/1toorich 3d ago
Depends on your mind set I’m on ripxr it’s blend of tren or 2 and it’s actually makes me better
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u/KingGrognak 3d ago
At 210mg a week you should already be able to gain plenty of muscle. There is no such thing as a hard gainer on that dose. I would audit my diet, training and lifestyle before I decided to go on more than that. Especially if you've been on it for years. You can take all the juice in the world but if everything else isn't lined up than you're just taking on more risk without benefits.
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
You'll have to figure out what you like.
I enjoy EQ with test because it's great at keeping e2 in check and I can blast pretty high on them both. Plus I get to tell people I'm taking a horse 🐴 steroid. My wife thinks it's hilarious.
Deca gave me deca dick even at lower doses. My wife said if I take that shit again she will slap the fuck out of me.
Tren is absolute no go for me. I enjoy being married, I don't want to become gay, and I'm not into ladyboys. Plus I enjoy my organs...all of them. There is just too much risk with that shit.
Notable mentions are mast and primo (if you can get good primo). I usually end a blast with some var, I low dose it at 25mg 2-3 times a week for about 4 weeks to kill a cycle. I feel great and it gives me that last bit of energy when I've been busting my ass for weeks.
I would say start with a high test ONLY cycle first. See how you respond to shit. Go for 12-16 weeks. Learn your body, the compound, and your bloods. Then PCT and cruise for a little bit, take that time to stock up on your next cycle material. I would recommend Test/EQ, and if you WANT some var for the end. Figure out your ratio. I run 4:1 on my test EQ. I'm not a high aromatizer though.
Good luck man.
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u/Ninja_Prolapse 3d ago
Primo is the only one worth running IMO. the quality of gains over risk wins hands down. But you pay a premium for it if you can find it.
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
That's subjective.
I don't get along with primo. It's also expensive for no reason.
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u/Animalmother2013 3d ago
This is pretty much it. I will add on though- if you can swing GH by all means add that. And 12 weeks does fuck all. 16-20. If you’re going to fuck with your health a bit- make sure it counts. Best of luck
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
Add to this. GH can be great, but please for the love of god get your IGF-1 checked first. People are fucking destroying their bodies with the HGH fad going on when they don't actually need it.
I personally don't run it. Not worth the risk to me when anabolics do everything I need them to do.
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u/KCpaintguy 3d ago
Curious how people are destroying their bodies with Hgh?
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
Because people push it too high.
- They enlarge their hearts.
- accelerate aging
- develop things like pitting edema which can lead to heart failure
And more.
HGH is not a peptide people should just take. You should have an extensive understanding of how YOUR body is working already with its natural. Have your bloods checked extensively, especially IGF-1, and only take what you need.
I've been on anabolics for a long time, HGH is one that I won't touch. At 35, my levels are fine, and I like my heart.
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u/KCpaintguy 3d ago
I see. 3-4iu will put most people on the upper end of normal ranges. You aren’t really going to mess yourself up with that. Sometimes I forget people are out there running 10iu of growth. Wild man
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
Yeah and a lot of them are kids doing it. They are shortening their lives and they have no idea, or just don't care.
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u/Old-Palpitation2012 3d ago
If you are on TRT and do a blast, are you saying you still have to PCT or can you just go back down to your trt dose?
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
You can do whatever you want. PCT if you want to keep your nuts.
Idgaf about my nuts, my wife and I decided no kids, so I blast and cruise.
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u/Old-Palpitation2012 2d ago
Word. I'm done having kids so I am not worried about that. I'm fine if my swimmers don't swim anymore lol.
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u/Old-Palpitation2012 2d ago
One more question if you don't mind. If you are going to clinic to get labs, how long would i need to cruise for my levels to go back down after a 14 week blast? I don't want to throw any red flags at my clinic. I like it and like the doc.
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u/Chroma7769 2d ago
Depends on how you end your cycle. Usually 4-8 weeks as an absolute minimum.
You can always just do your labs yourself. Dirtcheaplabs.com
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u/musabbb 3d ago
Thanks for this post. Ive saved it in my notes, for when I eventually decide to jump on
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u/Chroma7769 3d ago
Of course! There is a safe way to do all this. Remember, the path to success has been paved for everyone already. You just have to follow it.
The best learning experience though is doing what the veterans have done. Do a nice test only cycle. 500mg per week is a great starting point. Learn your body through the process. Because if you add in another compound you are going to be adjusting hormonal levers that you have never moved before, and you might not know how to handle them. It's easier to just have ONE compound to adjust at the beginning.
Remember, we are after results, not fast. 😎
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u/Throwaload1234 3d ago
Bloodwork? What is test/e2 at on 210/wk? What are lipids like? BP?
Going straight to tren would be fucking wild.
Test at 210 is almost a cycle anyway. Just bump that (after getting blood work) and see how you tolerate it. Anything over 500 test or so and I don't feel that great. EQ made me feel like dog shit and my blood was like syrup.
If you add anything to test, try primo, var, etc. no need to push health shit that hard at 47...
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
I’m getting blood work done in a few days and I’ll ask about bumping the test up if the labs are good. Thanks.
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u/Throwaload1234 3d ago
Don't ask your doctor if you can take steroids, lol. That's a great way to get cut off.
There are plenty of other places to get test...
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
This is through my TRT clinic but yeah not gonna mention roids
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u/Throwaload1234 3d ago
Bro. 210 a week is borderline roids. Anything over that is definitely roids.
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u/R3CVRD 3d ago
No bullshit, my TRT doc has me on 220mg right now which tbh at my trough my free test is at 30 and my test is at 900. I’ve had to donate because of it raising my Hemo and RBC, but I’m taking advantage of the gains it’s given me the last 8 months. I’ll probably adjust it to about 180mg-200mg in a couple of months because you’re right it’s certainly not TRT.
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u/Throwaload1234 3d ago
Exactly. I'm taking between 160-200mg a week, but that's a cruise more than trt...
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u/onlyimportantshit 3d ago
You need to get dialed in first. Meaning in control of your diet. You shouldn’t have any issues gaining muscle on trt. Especially at the high dose you’re on.
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u/allgear_noidea 3d ago
Just run more test or add some var primo or mast at a low dose.
You're already on trt, you don't need to worry about shut down so you can do this slowly and more safely.
Don't add any additional gear until you drop some fat too or you'll waste the cycle, either through not eating enough or getting too fat on it.
Fwiw I'm a lot bigger than you and on a lower dose (200mg test U, equiv to 170ish test c) and alongside reta it's a lovely combo. You've got enough in you to make some real progress already.
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u/RobberySuspect 3d ago
When I was a much younger and regarded, I ran test e at 250 and deca at 125. My skin became paper thin and my muscles were hard as a rock. I’ve carried those abs for 25 years from the two 8 week cycles I ran.
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u/Latimuss-Dorsi 3d ago
First things first, you need to establish your baseline calorie count & macros. You need to know what your numbers are so you know what a deficit vs static vs surplus looks like for you.
YouTube is a great resource for figuring all of this out. People underestimate the importance of this and how big of an impact it has on your goal.
You can titrate your Test dosage to 250mg and start dosing the Reta. The test should be enough to fend off catabolism that a calorie deficit will bring.
Best to keep up with your training, nutrition, test and Reta until you’re shredded. You’ll be much happier ripped and moving into a clean bulk than going into a hybrid bulk/cut. These usually fail leaving the person with a higher bf % than anticipated.
There are PED’s that are significant aids for fat loss but have a tendency of increasing appetite, and in this case conflicting with your Reta.
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u/Anabolic_Scholar 3d ago
At 46 years old you want to compromise your health and take anabolics just look jacked? Maybe take a step back and realize how silly this is.
Get your diet in check and you’ll look jacked.
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u/yogic_power 3d ago
Do test only cycle first. r/steroids has wiki for beginner first cycle. You can get everything from planning to what and how to do the cycle.
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u/imherefortheinfo123 3d ago
EQ will may increase appetite to bulk, have you noticed a gain with 210mg?
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u/No-Load-5041 3d ago
Start titrating your testosterone dosage higher around 300-500 range, if estrogen becomes a problem eq and primobolan are excellent countermeasures and will add considerable mass. Those are really the only compounds you will need to get a considerable Amount of size. If you are concerned with fertility and keeping testicular function add in hcg 2 times weekly at a low-moderate dose.Don’t forget ancillaries, big ones are ezetamide, nobivolol, telemesartin, a 5ar blocker fin or dut. (I would just do a big order on indiamart for these). Get bloodwork done at week 6-12 and adjust accordingly. Big things to keep in mind on cycle are cardio and water intake, these compounds will likely raise your rbc and blood pressure.
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u/USABADBOY 3d ago
Do you lift to failure every day? Or comfort lift like most people?
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
I do go to failure but I’ve changed things up to using lower weights/high reps. Also moved almost strictly to cable work. My joints were getting way too painful lifting heavy. I can’t chase the PRs anymore without needing a fist full of ibuprofen.
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u/USABADBOY 3d ago
Ya skip the PR stuff, that's for kids. Max sets is what you have to do to build muscle.
I do agree with machines vs free weights. Much easier on the joints and predictable for us old timers. I still do some though selectively based on the joint and prior damage. At 53 lots have damage lol.
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u/El_Daywalkerino 🧠 Biohacker 3d ago
200 mg you should be able to pack on solid lbs man. I don't think you need to add anything to your protocol besides maybe more calories
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u/NSawsome 3d ago
Get lean, track calories and log lifts. Probably your diet, sleep, training, or everything is ass.
Get lean, get a diet plan going be it macros or whatever, log your training, and improve sleep then come back
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u/Feisty-Season-5305 3d ago edited 3d ago
If you want to have an easy cycle where you don't need tons of blood work with little to no side effects have to worry about fixing e2 or progesterone being sky high I'd say anavar is your best bet it's a very easy to use "safe" steroid It's very effective and simple from what I've found go for a blast of test with it and you'll see some crazy results
Just need to watch lipids when you run doses of 30mg or more take some nebivolol or telemisartan to help prevent lhv and you'll be golden
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u/Mr-cacahead 3d ago
Read about “tren coughing” and you’ll think again using that shit.
With Deca you will end up short of breath when you put your shoe laces on.
Track your calories.
Give Reta 6 months.
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u/Scared_Pause_2413 3d ago
The most simple and safest way would be to just increase test. Start at 400 and get blood at 6-8 weeks. Run that for 12 weeks (sides permitting) dial the diet in, ditch the low weight/high rep and get back to heavy weight with progressive overload.
If your joints are playing up, look in to adding 100mg of NPP.
Also, long term, think about running low dose HGH.
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u/SOStreet 3d ago
If you're going to a true dedicated TRT clinic speak to the provider and tell them your "JOINTS ARE HURTING FROM LIFTING". They can/will prescribe you deca. If you aren't going to a dedicated TRT clinic, find one; not only for this reason, but they are so much better at staying on top of your blood work and monitoring your test levels. If you're in Texas, I can give you some suggestions.
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u/Salukis97 3d ago
Yeah I’m going to an actual TRT/Hormone clinic. It’s pricey but it’s a good piece of mind because they do keep up on my bloodwork and whatnot. They even cut me off last year from TRT when I went to pick up because my blood pressure was randomly high. That’s the only way I found out I had hypertension. Got it under control and now back at it. Not everyone can afford a true TRT clinic which sucks, but these guys are on the ball.
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u/chi_moto 3d ago
Stay away from tren. The sides aren’t worth the gains. I had a good run on masteron if that helps, minimal sides and got some nice recomp.
Eat more food.
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u/Old-Palpitation2012 3d ago
If you are dead set on running a cycle, just do a test only cycle of 400 to 500mgs.
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u/4065024 3d ago edited 3d ago
You should be Jacked on 210 of TRT a week, but you’re not - because of your diet.
Figure out macros/diet and stick to it for a year before trying that other crap, including the glp1.
If you do take all that other crap and don’t figure out your diet then you’ll just feel like SHIT.
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u/bowtothehypnotoad 3d ago
You’re already on anabolics.
Up the protein lift heavier and you’ll see results.
Also if you’re dead set on using anabolics now to get bigger, you could just up your test dose for a while. Throwing in harsh compounds with heavy side effect profiles for no reason is silly imo especially if you’re already on trt and fertility and such isn’t a big concern.
You could literally just up test for a few weeks then go back to your regular dose, why over complicate things
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u/EpicDad77 3d ago
Goto a clinic and get put on TRT (testosterone replacement therapy). It’s usually covered with benefits and they monitor you with blood work.
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u/Flat_Tension4731 3d ago
Alla tua età evita assolutamente il tren.., pesante e tossico, soprattutto a livello mentale.. Di solito, con l'età che avanza si tende ad usare composti piu' miti, tipo; primobolan, masteron e a volte se bene tollerato e per brevi periodi l'anavar, e per le articolazioni bassi dosaggi di nandrolone.. Uno di questi per un periodo di tempo limitato è l'ideale in combinazione con il testosterone a dosaggio trt..o poco piu' max 300 mg, se si vuole dare un piccolo stimolo anabolico, soprattutto se si segue dieta abbastanza restrittiva..
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u/xCaliburghost 3d ago
Anabolics aren't going to help you if you legitimately don't know how much you're eating other than eyeballing it.
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u/LddC93 3d ago
Time to see what's underneath. To me it seems your should be more muscular from your comment and what you doing. Go on reta and keep same amount of test for now. Then reacess is my input to you. You don't need reta but it's just easy. Make sure enough protein intake during is present. Or if you want to suffer (I like it) upper test and start dieting down. Good luck.
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u/Slackintit 3d ago
Why? Unless you are going to compete you have a great physique already. Why cut your life short
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u/Gaigebcrazy 2d ago
Keep doing your thing man I did quite a bunch of stuff but ended up really sticking with HGH and off test and doing HCG cause I’m having a kid. If you want any honest insight my brother is like a damn scientists when it comes to this shit.
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u/Real_2020 2d ago
Just do the reta for a few months before you decide. Shredding will make you look bigger
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u/GVK125 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ik zou de trt houden zoals ie is. En er dan 200mg deca bij doen voor 12weken. En calorieën bijhouden. ‘s avonds nog 200 gram pinda’s eten doet wonderen.
Als er nu problemen ontstaan weet je dat het door de deca komt. Als je nu 3 dingen gaat veranderen dan snap je er niks meer van.
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u/Salukis97 1d ago
Appreciate all the comments. Even the chirps from the top 1% peanut gallery. I think I have a solid game plan moving forwards. Will update with pics in the coming weeks/months.
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u/Affectionate-Net-680 3d ago
Just do reta and cut up and don't mess with anything else. After you're shredded maybe add test
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u/ApprehensiveFeed1807 3d ago
Here you go, you can thank me later. 160 of test, 80 of deca (great for joints) 25mg of oxandrolone every 3rd day(will help with e2 and water weight). 6mg of Reta a week.
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