How to... Minimize Side Effects, Increase Mucscle Retention during cycle and PCT

[markam]

How's it leave you feeling in the AM??

Fine. Melatonin clears the system quickly if you're in daylight.

Piracetam has been said to be beneficial re sleep quality, but I only got some yesterday, will see. It appears to be one of the more popular Nootropics.

[Scope75]

Fine. Melatonin clears the system quickly if you're in daylight.

Piracetam has been said to be beneficial re sleep quality, but I only got some yesterday, will see. It appears to be one of the more popular Nootropics.

That's what I figured with the short half life.
Is there any one brand you think is the best or best you've tried?

[markam]

That's what I figured with the short half life.
Is there any one brand you think is the best or best you've tried?

low dose sublingual is best for me as it works fine on a full stomach.
All brands I've tried have been fine.

[Scope75]

Yeah I'm not gonna be injecting it when UTT works just fine.
Thanks for the info and I'll pick some up soon.
I need my sleep.

[Sorrow]

How's it leave you feeling in the AM??

For me it does take an extra half hour to really come out of it but other then that normal. It doesn't knock me out it is more to keep me asleep once I fall asleep. I am at 5 mg. But I'll try the 1.5 and see if that makes a difference. Great stuff though.

[Scope75]

For me it does take an extra half hour to really come out of it but other then that normal. It doesn't knock me out it is more to keep me asleep once I fall asleep. I am at 5 mg. But I'll try the 1.5 and see if that makes a difference. Great stuff though.

I smoke weed in the AM pre cardio so it should be fine and I'll be trying to use the lowest dose possible.
1.5 is the starting point.

[O_RYAN_007]

How's it leave you feeling in the AM??

I've taken it on and off for the past 8 months, and I've never felt groggy in the morning. I love the dreams I get with 3mg of melatonin and the mod/ghrp-2 combo. These dreams feel very, very real!!

- - - Updated - - -

That's what I figured with the short half life.
Is there any one brand you think is the best or best you've tried?

I go with NOW sups brand.

[O_RYAN_007]

What is the perfect cycle? Simply put... it's a cycle in which you experience no side effects and keep all your gains.

So what does the following advice help with?

1. Minimizing side effects on cycle
2. Increasing muscle retention during pct

What's that? No mention of muscle gain or fat loss?

Look guys... muscle gained and fat lost is all about diet, training and what kind of cycle you're running. Want to gain a ton of weight? test+dbol. Want to cut down and bulk up at the same time? Test+tren+mast. No secrets, just eat a lot, eat right and train like a monster.

On Cycle Ancillaries:

Antaeus Labs Talos:

1. Black Rice Extract: Increase HDL, lower LDL
2. SAMe: Liver protection, Anti-oxidant, Anti-inflammatory
3. Ubiquinone (CoQ10): Lower blood pressure, reduce LDL oxidation (main cause of atherosclerosis)
4. Astilbin: Lower blood pressure, potassium retention
5. Trans-Resveratrol: Anti-oxidant, vasrelaxant
6. Salicylate: reduces risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke
7. Astaxanthin: powerful anti-oxidant, prevent atherosclerosis

Antaeus Labs Aegis (if you are using methyls/orals):

1. TUDCA: Best Liver Protection on the market

Melatonin:

1. Helps with sleep on anything that is disrupting your sleep. Isn't the beat all end all of sleep supps but it's so cheap. Buy it and try it at 3mg.

HCG:

1. Only if your cycle is over 10 weeks long: 250 iu E3D starting at week 4, ending the last week.

On cycle estrogen combat!

Always have these two on you at all times when cycling. You wouldn't want to be caught without them. And if you don't use them, you have them for next cycle. IF YOU DON'T USE THEM, YOU STILL HAVE THEM FOR NEXT TIME!

Letrozole: AI for the cycle. Don't start until high e2 symptoms arise.

1. If e2 symptoms arise, start using at .5mg per day. Increase dose until e2 symptoms are gone.
2. THEN, lower it back down to .5mg per day.
3. If sides recur, up to the dose you had it when they went away.

Nolvadex: SERM for the cycle. Don't start until high e2 symptoms arise.

1. Start dosing at 20mg.
2. Drop to 10mg after e2 sides are gone.
3. If sides recur, up dose to 20mg and stay there.

Why both an AI and a SERM for on-cycle protection?

1. I've found some guys who need both to do well with controlling gyno/estrogen sides on cycle. And this way your letro dose doesn't need to be crazy high either.
2. If you know you are prone to e2, I would suggest start dosing letro/nolva at .5mg and 1mg during the cycle. Increase dosage if needed.

Last 2 weeks of cycle:

Applies only to 8+ week cycles. HERE, we want to obliterate fat in the last 2 weeks to setup well for PCT. Going into PCT fat is a recipe for turning testosterone into estrogen, getting gyno, and losing your gains.

***Goal: Get to or below 12% body fat.***

For anyone crazy enough to risk death: DNP

1. 250-500mg per day (last 2 weeks of cycle ONLY!)
2. Extremely effective, extremely dangerous.

What most people should use: ECA+T3

1. T3 25-50mcg per day
2. E+C: 25/100 2-3x per day

PCT

(Yes, 6 week PCT. Deal with it. All the SERM studies show 3 months of use. No idea why PCT is only 4 weeks.)

Staples:

1. Aromasin (mg): 25/12.5/12.5/12.5 EOD/12.5 EOD/12.5 EOD
2. Toremifene (mg): 120/90/60/60/60/30 (each day per week)
3. Ostarine (mg): 12.5/12.5/10/10/5/5 (each day per week)

Extremely useful, but not necessary:

1. Insulin: 2 iu waking, 2 iu postworkout (all 6 weeks of PCT). This keeps you very anabolic.
2. GHRP/Mod-GRF: 100mcg/100mcg post-workout with insulin. 100mcg/100mcg before bed. Helps keep you leaner during PCT + retain gains.

Total ancillary cost w/out slin/ghrp: 365 (325 if no methyls)

And you're already going to be getting an AI+SERM+Cycle support. So it's only an extra $100 or so to make sure you do it right.

I've never heard of using both an AI and a serm in PCT... Sounds interesting.

[BBG]

I've never heard of using both an AI and a serm in PCT... Sounds interesting.

I take Patrick Arnold's stand on the issue:

"a serm followed by an AI is the best protocol in my opinion for protecting from gyno and establishing HPTA function

non-hormonal anti-catabolics are important in recovery as well, in respect to minimizing muscle mass loss"

this is an area with much theory and little science

so i keep it confined to what i know.

take a typical dose of a SERM for 2-3 weeks and then switch over to a typical dose of an aromatase inhibitor for 2-3 weeks

others here can help define what typical dose of a particular compound is. i would rather not mention compounds by name

Pct by patrick arnold

anabolic steroids upregulate aromatase and this upregulation can persist well after the cycle.

Also, SERMS increase estrogen production.

Those two facts suggest to me that it is a very wise decision to take an AI when you are done with the SERM portion of PCT

Pct by patrick arnold

[jpk]

BBG just to clarify,

Is the proper use of the AI to start it higher and taper down, or to taper up the AI as you taper down the SERM?