1. INTRODUCTION

Testosterone is the hormone your body already produces. It is the most studied, most predictable, and safest compound for beginners when used responsibly. Side effects are easier to manage than with oral-only or multi-compound cycles. That is why the perfect first cycle is a Testosterone-only cycle.

2. PRE-CYCLE REQUIREMENTS

Training age: 2–3 years of consistent progressive overload.

Body fat percentage: ≤15% – higher BF dramatically increases aromatization.

Mandatory baseline blood work - check out our other article about Bloodwork here.

3. COMPOUND CHOICE

The best forms of Testosterone for beginners are:

• Testosterone Enanthate (Test E)
• Testosterone Cypionate (Test C)

Both have an effective half-life of 7–10 days (average ~8.5 days in real-world data). They are virtually interchangeable, with some users preferring Test E and others opting for Test C.

4. DOSING & CYCLE LENGTH

The generally recommended first cycle length is 16 weeks. It typically takes 4 to 5 weeks for Test E or Test C to fully kick in, meaning that running a 8 to 12 week cycle only allows one to have 4 to 8 weeks of real gains.

When it comes to dosing the Testosterone, the sweetspot is typically 300 to 400mg per week. Dosing it lower than that will still yield some results, but the side-effects will be practically the same. Going higher than 400 could yield more gains, but the side-effects become significantly harder to manage.

For the sake of this article, we will go with a 350mg Testosterone Cypionate a week cycle as an example.

While the half-life of Testosterone Cypionate (and also of Enanthate) allows for once-weekly injections, most bodybuilders prefer to inject it every 3 to 5 days (some even inject it daily or every other day).

The more frequently you inject it, the more stable your levels will be, and the less likely you will be to experience estrogen-related side-effects.

In order to calculate the exact amount of Testosterone Cypionate that should be injected every time, you can use the following formula:

• Total Weekly Dose / 7 days in a week = Average Daily Dose
• Average Daily Dose x Injection Frequency = Your Dose per Injection

So, if we are running 350mg per week and we want to inject the Test C every 3 days…

• 350 / 7 = 50mg (Average Daily Dose)
• 50mg x 3 (because we want to inject every 3 days) = 150mg per injection

In other words, injecting 150mg every 3 days will allow us to hit a weekly average dose of 350mg. If we decided to do it every 2 days, each injection would have to be 100mg, and if we wanted to do it every 5 days, we would have to inject 250mg every time.

How do you inject? Check out our step-by-step guide to injections here.

5. ANCILLARY MEDICATIONS

The most common side-effects of a Testosterone cycle are estrogenic side-effects, cardiovascular side-effects and HPT Axis suppression. In order to prevent or mitigate those side-effects, a Testosterone cycle needs to include certain ancillary medications.

Estrogen Management

Managing estrogen on a Testosterone cycle requires the use of Aromatase Inhibitors (AIs). These are medications that inhibit the conversion of Testosterone into estrogen, with the most popular ones being Arimidex (Anastrozole) and Aromasin (Exemestane).
Here are some guidelines for how to use them.

• Do NOT start day 1. Wait for symptoms or blood work.
• If you notice water retention, moodiness, or even nipple sensitivity, start using Arimidex (at 0.25mg twice a week) or Aromasin (at 6.25mg every other day).
• If these additions are not sufficient, you can either increase Testosterone injection frequency, or double your Aromatase Inhibitor dose.
• If you notice joint pain, decreased libido or dry skin after adding an AI, that means your estrogen levels have been crushed too low, and you should decrease your AI doses or stop taking them altogether (and simply increasing Testosterone injection frequency to balance your levels).

Blood Pressure Management

Testosterone increases blood pressure by increasing Red Blood Cell production, which thickens the blood and causes it to exert more pressure against the walls of your blood vessels. If estrogen is not managed properly, it can cause water retention, which also increases blood pressure.

High blood pressure is not only annoying because it causes headaches and palpitations, but also incredibly dangerous because it weakens the heart and predisposes you to suffering from cardiovascular disease in the long run.

Blood pressure is mitigated by:

• Reducing blood thickness: Using Nattokinase at 100mg a day and donating blood after every cycle is typically sufficient.
• Using an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker or Beta Blocker to keep blood pressure in check during the cycle if necessary (monitor your blood pressure daily or at least weekly): Telmisartan at 40mg a day or Nebivolol at 10mg tend to get the job done.

HPT Axis Suppression

When you start using exogenous Testosterone, the body shuts down its own production of Testosterone, leading to testicular atrophy and decreased fertility. In order to prevent this, most people use Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG).

• 250 IU E3D (same syringe as test or separate subQ in belly fat).
• Start week 3, continued for 2 weeks post-cycle if doing a PCT or never discontinued if doing a cruise.

8. POST-CYCLE THERAPY (PCT) OR CRUISING

Once the cycle is over, you have to choose between doing a Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT) or cruising.

The goal of PCT is to restore your baseline endogenous Testosterone production so you no longer need to be on exogenous Testosterone to function. In other words, it takes you back to the hormonal environment you were in before doing the cycle.

Cruising, on the other hand, consists in staying on a lower dose of Testosterone after the cycle: High enough for you to feel good and keep your gains, but not high enough to be problematic and cause long-term side-effects.

We have an article that will help you choose the right route for you, and teach you exactly how to do a PCT or cruise correctly. Read it here!