Ask the Expert: Episode 2

I have had 2 cycles of test e 500mg per week for 12 weeks and both went well. What would you advise be for a third cycle? Maybe keep the same amount of test and add an oral? Or could I lower the test and add an oral?

For your third cycle you have many options: you could run the same again. If you were happy with the results from your second cycle, then there isn’t really any reason to up the dose. Generally, you should increase when cycles stop being productive.

At the same time, you could quite comfortably add in another compound, either an oral or injectable (let’s say dbol or masteron). Ultimately, the decision is yours. But if you are still getting good responses, then there is no real reason to up the dose.

What is your thoughts on self-administered TRT doses for life? Mainly for quality of life purposes. Once I have kids this idea appeals to me; but I would like to know if there are any dangers and drawbacks.

Personally, I don’t think being dependant on anything for life is a particularly good idea. There is a lot of conflicting research regarding TRT. Some studies are saying that there are no health implications, while others are saying that there are. The biggest problem with self-treatment of TRT is the lack of testing and the tendency to take too much. Doctors tend to govern administration quite tightly, making sure you just get enough to replace natty production. When people self-administer, they tend to go too high with dosage and often end up with levels well over natty production level. Biggest areas of concern would be Estrogen management and cholesterol. And I can’t stress enough the importance of regular hormone testing.

I have a friend who says it is impossible to keep the gains made from steroids if you only ever stick to the one cycle. He believes that the body will slowly but surely lose all the muscle over time. I was thinking of doing just 1 steroid cycle to gain as much muscle as possible. I was hoping that if I ate perfectly and followed a well-planned PCT I could keep most of the muscle indefinitely. My plan doesn’t sound as appealing if my friend is correct. What’s yours views?

Ok, you’re always going to lose some gains. But studies have shown that people who have used a cycle of steroids carry more mass than someone who hasn’t (obviously given that they have continued training) and that even after a break from training, their potential for muscle mass is greater. Keeping all your gains would be different for each individual; but the biggest influencing factor would be how close you are to your genetic limit (the maximum amount of muscle you can carry naturally). The closer you are to that, the harder it is to maintain the increased muscle mass. Also, increases in muscle mass take a couple of months for your body to reset and fully accept them. The longer you stay at that level of mass, the harder your body will hold onto it. So you are going to drop some size (via loss of water and glycogen), but if you first cycle and you maintain it long enough for your body to accept it, then there is a good possibility you can retain quite a lot of it if your PCT is effective.

Steroids do come with dangers that is without dispute. But do you think that, if you cycle correctly, and cover all the bases, they are pretty much safe? If we don’t ABUSE steroids, then it’s not likely to cause any major issues later in life? If anything, shouldn’t steroids keep us fit and strong as we age?

Ok, let’s not beat around the bush here. All recreational use of anabolic steroids is abuse. They are not being used at either the doses or in the manner in which they were designed to be used, so it’s abuse. Having said that, some will abuse more than others. Now, you are correct: they are not safe; but yes, risks can be managed and, depending on the person, they can be managed quite effectively. However, there is no research into the real world effects of modern day steroid cycles on people, so it’s impossible to give a definitive answer. But, on the whole, it would appear that, with careful management, the risks can most certainly outweigh the benefits.

If any of you guys have any questions that you would like Dave to answer please forward them and we will do our best to get them answered.