Steroids, Aging, and Paying Attention to Your Overall Health

I have written and erased this article a few times now. I had started to write this as an informational blog to try to educate readers, but then I thought that maybe if I took the angle of speaking about my own experiences and of a couple guys I know it would be easier to write this.

A few years ago I was like everyone else and I’d defend steroid usage up and down, all day long. Nobody wants to think that what they’re doing can have any negative health consequences. A guy smoking 2 packs of cigarettes every day doesn’t know he can get lung cancer until he’s told he has it. Someone shooting heroin doesn’t think they can overdose until they buy a stronger grade or shoot a little too much. Someone who has used steroids for several years doesn’t know they can negatively effect their health until things start getting out of whack.

The issue with hormones is it’s seldom one of these deals where you inject this one day, and the day after you die. You can’t point your finger at something and say “Yep, he took steroids so this is what’s going on here.” The negative effects creep up very slowly and they usually don’t become an issue until later in life. Do I believe steroids can cause negative health consequences? Yes, BUT ONLY WHEN ABUSED AND HEALTH GOES NEGLECTED.

Size, not steroids, is the culprit

But I want to dig deeper into this thing first. You can’t say it’s just the steroids, it’s a little more involved than that. Let’s take 2 different guys for example, the first guy takes steroids and floats around 180-200 lbs in fairly lean condition year round. The second guy balloons up to 250 lbs and stays that size for the next half of his life. The 250 lb individual has increased his risk of health complications from body stature alone, not just steroids.

Sure, steroids may have helped him get there, but it’s now the effects of increased body mass and stress on the heart that becomes the health culprit, not the fact that this guy used steroids. The heart has to work harder to pump blood to the body because of his size, and throughout a number of years at this rate, he has increased the likelihood of a possible stroke or a heart attack.

Now, in some people who were genetically predisposed to be larger individuals anyways, this may not always be 100% accurate. But this is bodybuilding, and most of us were not genetically predisposed to become the size that we become. Organs in the body have to work harder to process things when more and more things have been introduced into the body. Be it food, drugs, caffeine, alcohol, chemicals in soda or whatever, the body has to work to process anything we put into it.

Bloodwork

So again, overall consumption becomes an issue as well, not just steroids. So what is the key to knowing how far you can take it? It’s called getting LABS DRAWN ON THE REGULAR. Whether you use performance enhancement or not, I believe anybody over the age of 30 should be getting regular blood work done, ESPECIALLY IF YOU USE STEROIDS! Steroids are not a death sentence, not even when used long term, if you know what the hell you’re doing and when to back off.

Let’s talk about false readings on blood labs. I use the word “false reading” very loosely here, because in a way it’s false and in a way it’s not. If you’re using steroids and go get your labs drawn mid-cycle then things may look a little out of whack. This is only a false reading in regard to the fact you’re taking something that is throwing things off short term, it’s not a false reading in that the measures shown aren’t really what they say at that given point in time.

When you come off your cycle then your labs will look better almost 90% of the time. Well when you never come off cycle then guess what? Your hematocrit that reads high is sure as hell isn’t lying. Your elevated blood pressure is really high as hell, it’s not just some fluke or something. You’ve gone several years now with these values possibly elevated, and that my friends causes damage.

Before you go freaking out on me, let me explain a few things here first. Much of this depends on what you’ve used, how your body has reacted to it, and how much you took. A guy who has used 200 mg/wk of Nandrolone for 20 weeks straight while maintaining good blood pressure, cholesterol levels and liver values, is in far better shape than that same guy who blindly uses 200 mg/wk of Nandrolone but is predisposed to elevated blood pressure from it. It becomes an individual thing to some degree, which is why you can’t generalize everyone who used steroids as a walking death sentence. But, the misinformed and stubborn ones are most often the ones with negative health consequences.

Have some stability before you take steroids

When a guy comes to me and asks me if I think he should use steroids, I don’t tell him yes or no. I prefer to educate them on the reality of it and what they’re looking at down the road. The first thing I ask him is “Where do you work and do you have health insurance?” If this guy tells me he has some stability in life and can go to a doctor if he needs to, then I tell him to go for it. If this guy is a 19 year old kid who has no health insurance and no clue as to what the hell he is going to do with his life then I advise against using them.

He’ll probably be perfectly fine and a lot like everyone else. He’ll hit a few cycles and get some results, and then he’ll probably move on and won’t take the gym as seriously as he gets older, or when he settles down with a wife and kids he’ll just quit altogether. He’ll be one of the guys who talks about, “Yeah, back in the day I tried Dbol, Tren, and Test” but he’ll get over it and move on and his hormone levels will come back to normal range.

HOWEVER, if he is someone who stays in the gym throughout the years and continues to use steroids into his 30’s and 40’s, but doesn’t have the financial means to get blood labs drawn, or proper health care coverage, he just may be a walking time bomb. It’s nice to think that you’ll make health a priority and get regular labs done and just pay cash, but 90% of people just can’t afford it and aren’t going to do it without heath insurance. So much of my answer to someone who asks me about steroids is based on that factor right there.

I know a guy right now in his mid 40’s who is going to die if he doesn’t get a kidney transplant. I’m talking about the walking picture of health and fitness his whole life. This is a guy who always ate clean and always stayed in the gym. But he always ran a bunch of gear, used recreational drugs, and never went to a damn doctor. This guy went downhill so fast it would make your head spin. I didn’t see him for a few months, and then one morning in the gym he pops up and he was so thin and frail looking I thought he must have had AIDS.

He didn’t speak to me that day and I later found out why. Nobody feels like talking when they think they’re on their deathbed, especially when they were known for being a picture of health and fitness before their life went to shit. Now, of course recreational drugs can play a major role in this, but who knows the specifics of it? He could have been someone who never came off orals, and I’m guessing that blood work wasn’t in the picture for him. This was a national level bodybuilding competitor who probably never went off gear. The point to this story is get your damn blood work done if steroids is a part of your lifestyle, so if you need to back off you know when.

A good friend of mine was just referred to a kidney specialist last week. He calls me up and tells me this, and starts asking all these questions about kidney values. Then he asks me what he could still use as far as steroids and what dosages I thought he could get away with. He is talking to me in terms of “If I can just make it another 5 years.” He is talking to me in a way that say’s he’s accepted the fact he is going to die soon, and if he can’t bodybuild then he’d assume to be dead anyways.

There were a lot of old timers that were like this, and many took their own lives when bodybuilding was over with. It drove them absolutely nuts that they were falling apart and they ended it before they suffered. Sometimes this isn’t always a deal where you have something happen and in a blink of an eye you’re dead. No, I’d almost say those may be the luckier ones. A lot of guys suffer through a lot of bullshit before they finally tap out.

Bodybuilding is still new

You have to remember that bodybuilding is still new. A lot of old timers from the 60’s and 70’s are just now starting to die off. They rarely make 70 years old and the ones who make 70 years old are lucky. Now we have a new breed of bodybuilders who are taking far more drugs, far bigger dosages, and far longer cycles. Well what comes to my mind is if the old timers rarely see 70 years old, then what is the time clock for a newer guy? Even with advances in the medical field something just tells me you can only fool mother nature for so long.

Now, on the other side of the coin we have health issues that come on from low testosterone. I know another guy who has been in the gym for 40 years, and has juiced up a total of 30 years now. He went off everything once for a period of 3 months due to a non-related medical condition. Guess what happened? His blood work went to hell, but then went back to normal when he resumed testosterone replacement therapy! Low testosterone is terrible and I’d dare say the lack of energy, anxiety, and stress, is worse than being on testosterone for the rest of your life. So you definitely cannot just rule this out and deem testosterone replacement therapy as the anti-Christ here.

From my experiences in bodybuilding and performance enhancement, every decade yields a twist in the way you eat, train, and even use performance enhancers. Yes, I’ve only been at this 2 decades now, but I’m already wise enough to know it’s going to change at 40 years old, again at 50 years old, and so on. But the thing is I already know what to do to manipulate things and how to train as an aging male.

I have too many friends and acquaintances in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s who I know on a very good level, so I know what it’s all about. I’ve seen it just in my time with bodybuilding alone, but I’m talking about some guys with 30 and 40 years of bodybuilding and steroids under their belt. One thing I’ll tell you is the quality of their lives is much better than their “normal” counterparts, because they are doing it right.

So, how do we do it right?

I’ve devised a list of things to pay close attention to in order to maintain your health while using steroids and aging;

#1 – Protein goes up when cycling, it drops when maintaining. Too much protein makes your kidneys work harder, and it can also make you sluggish. It’s a wise idea to lower it once in awhile, and it’s my belief that .8 grams per pound of body weight is all that is needed to build quality muscle for most people.

#2 – Dosages need to be lower as you age, but done with compounds you can run out for longer durations without negatively impacting labs to any significant degree. My drugs of choice as I’ve gotten older and on TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) would be low dose Deca, NPP, Primobolan Depot, Anavar, Masteron, and moderate dosages of EQ.

#3 – Anyone on replacement therapy should be donating blood on a regular basis. Donating blood keeps things in check; especially red blood cells and hematocrit. Women statistically live longer than men because of their menstrual cycles; their bodies lose blood and the creation of new blood pulls toxins from their vital organs. It’s a wise idea to donate blood on the regular if you commit to TRT or steroids for life.

#4 – Calories should be consumed at maintenance level to slightly below maintenance levels 80% of the year. There is no more gaining 20 lbs of muscle mass from cycles or ballooning up with water weight and fat gain. Your metabolism is getting slower and it doesn’t take as many calories to do the job. You will find yourself more energized on fewer calories than packing them in all the time.

At this point you’ve gained what you’re going to gain in terms of size (unless you’re new to it) and your efforts are better spent constantly refining what you have into better and better quality. I call this “old man muscle” and this is that grainy ass, hard as nails muscle you only see on vets who have been at this for years and years. It’s quite impressive. 90% of veteran trainers or middle aged men have absolutely no reason to consume over 3,000 calories per day.

#5 – Repetitions should become higher than they were in the beginning. It’s fine to occasionally drop to lower reps, but remember that your tendons and joints haven’t gotten as strong as your muscles have. The first rep of any set is the most dangerous rep, and the last rep is the safest. Whoever says you cannot benefit from high rep training is full of shit. I have found that a slower rep speed and reps frequently taken into the teens has done me a world of good as I’ve continued to train and use steroids along with getting older. Volumizing the muscles and pump becomes more important than lifting heavy as you get older. Your joints will thank you!

#6 – Sleep becomes more critical as we age. Sleep typically gets worse as we age also. Due to lower GH levels in our bodies, our sleep seems to just go to shit as we age. Stress, responsibilities, monotony of day-to-day routines, and lack of hormones can have a serious damper on sleep quality. I’M GUILTY AS CHARGED TOO! Try to make it a priority to be in bed at the same time each night and if you need to use something to help you fall asleep then use it. Whats worse, taking an ambien tab to fall asleep or going on no sleep and walking around like a zombie? Hey, I’m not saying to become a drug addict here, but if you need to pop a pill to go to bed once in awhile then fuck it, pop one.

#7 – Cardio, cardio, cardio! Look, holding muscle isn’t difficult if you’ve been a muscular stature for a long time. You can literally do just a couple sets per muscle group each week and you’re probably not going to lose jack shit in terms of muscle size, especially if you’e using testosterone. When you get to that point in the gym where you’ve been training for 45 minutes- 1 hour and you ask yourself “Should I continue to weight train and skip cardio or go do cardio?” then you need to go do cardio. Even if it’s just 20 minutes per day 3-5 times/week just make sure you’re doing it. Your heart will thank you and so will your lungs. You may find yourself looking much more impressive than just set after set after set in the weights.

#8 – Get to a manageable body weight that is a good combination of muscle/definition but not overboard. It’s a fact, bigger people statistically die younger and people on higher calorie diets die younger.

You guys have all heard of Frank Zane by now. Frank Zane competed around 180-190 lbs, and while certainly not the largest guy on stage he was pretty damn impressive. Frank Zane’s daily diet at this point is about 1200-1500 calories/day. He is heavily involved in meditation and clean living practices. Frank and his wife used to ride road cycles a lot as well. Zane was never concerned with being the biggest guy but everything was quality.

Frank is a far cry away from the shape a lot of older guys are in now health wise. He was always smart about things. Yes, Frank Zane used steroids, he wasn’t nicknamed “The chemist” for nothing. He taught chemistry if I’m not mistaken, but I’m sure his nickname wasn’t just because of that, if you get my drift. But at some given point in time he had to get smart and let a lot of it go. When I say a manageable body weight, I don’t mean you need to be a walking skeleton, but it’s a wise idea to try to get into the low 200’s if you can.

Serge Nubret was 200 lbs at 6′ tall, and anyone who says you cannot look muscular at 200 lbs and 6′ tall would change their view real fast if they went and pulled his photos up. So I’m about 5’9″ myself, there is absolutely no reason for me to be walking around at over 220 lbs as I get older and try to stay as healthy as my look.

But let me let you guys in on something here; LOSING WEIGHT IS AN ABSOLUTE BITCH WHEN YOU’VE HELD IT FOR SO LONG! For me to get under 220 lbs it’s like pulling teeth! I have to diet my ass off to get anywhere under 220 lbs, and if I went back to “normal eating patterns” I’d throw it right back on. Guys, this is even with no steroids outside of 150 mg/wk of testosterone as per replacement dosages. I’m advocating manageable body weight in terms of heart health, cardio health, and flexibility. Nobody wants a knee replacement because they had to walk around at 275 lbs their whole life feeling like king shit. You’re not king shit with arthritis and bad joints.

#9 – Enjoy life a little more! How many times did you do away with a certain activity because you went to the gym instead? Listen, you may have been in the gym on every sunny day for the majority of your life. Why not take up kayaking or hiking a couple days a week? Or how about riding a bike or surfing?

Something different once in awhile doesn’t hurt, for God sake don’t go to your grave missing out on other beautiful things life can offer besides a nice looking body! One of the biggest reasons people get depressed as they grow older is because day-to-day activities get downright monotonous and repetitive. The sad part is most people can’t figure that out! They’re too busy trying to make money and stressing out over stupid shit that really doesn’t mean as much as they think it does in the whole scheme of things.

#10 – DON’T PUT YOUR HEALTH IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HANDS! The medical industry wants you to stay sick! If you’re sick that means they make more money, and if you stay sick it’s even more money. Do you know how many classes most general practitioners take on pharmacology in school? ONE! They take 1 class on general medicine, that’s all.

Don’t go in for a fucking follow-up if there aren’t labs involved or an issue has subsided. What the hell for? So they can ding your insurance just a little harder and you get 2 minutes of some doc’s time? “So how you doing now?” he’ll ask you. “I’m doing fine” you’ll say. “OK, great! See you next week!” He’ll hurry you along because of the 4 other appointments his secretary has scheduled for the same time.

Don’t buy into it all and don’t put your health solely in the hands of someone else! Do you know how many people die that way? Learn from others who can educate you and do your own research. If someone specializes in a particular area then listen to them, sort of like I specialize in fitness and hormones! But at the end of the day, nobody should care more about you than you. And nobody should be held more responsible for your health than you!

Fitness with aging doesn’t have to be a difficult endeavor nor a horrible experience! I get all these guys in the gym who want to bitch to me about how hard it is. This guy today tells me how hard it is for him because he has to eat what his wife cooks. REALLY? Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds to me? If she wants to get fat then by all means, but the bitch isn’t force feeding you with a shovel. Grow a set of balls and tell her you want to start cleaning up your diet. She’ll think you’re cheating on her, but then again if she is some fat bitch who eats nothing but pasta and garlic bread then maybe you should.

Or all of these guys with back issues who refuse to train lower back or hit abs. There are ways to train around injuries and strengthen areas to protect yourself. Man wasn’t made to have some terrible injury and the body not try to correct itself. Stop being lazy. If you can’t do deadlifts then fine, do hyperextensions. If you can’t do hyperextension then take yoga classes to gain more flexibility and stabilizer strength, then go do hyperextensions!

I’ve deadlifted heavy as hell for the past 20 years straight and I have zero back issues BECAUSE I DEADLIFT. Go figure, I train myself to pick heavy shit up off the floor and I remain injury free! It’s funny how that works huh? The way I see it, you have 2 choices here; either stay strong and healthy or stay broke and hope the health insurance plans don’t get any worse than they already are. I know which one I’ll choose!

For more on anti-aging and testosterone replacement therapy, be sure to pick up “Straight from the Underground” which is scheduled to release very soon!

Train hard! -JD

PS – Don’t forget to check out Straight From the Underground, the new underground bodybuilding bible!

Straight from the Underground ebook

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36 thoughts on “Steroids, Aging, and Paying Attention to Your Overall Health”

  1. Great info JD.

    This is real world information that the mainstream will not touch. Thank you for helping and teaching. Every thing does change as we get older. Have you noticed that when the IFBB had its Masters Mr. Olympia several of these great champions are no longer with us. I concluded a similar thought coensiding with what you are saying in your article. Many of these men were engaging in similar practices that the younger pros were doing like eating eight means a day, increasing their dosages of ergogens and walking around 300 pounds bodyweight. You hit the nail on the head. God Bless JD.

    Reply
  2. Hey Bud,I was gonna ask you,have you ever thought about having a “DONATE button” or getting a P.O box where people could send you gifts? you may answer with you might wanna be different and dismiss it,but me personally I don’t think it would hurt,I can see you have a kind heart and wanna help people but why not get paid in the process,for your nuggets of WISDOM AND SERVICES!! Don’t cheat the people who may just wanna help you,help you.

    Reply
  3. Any advice for a slightly skinny-fat but otherwise healthy non-smoking/drinking/drug-taking 70kg 172cm 43-year-old with normal test levels for his age who wants a body like yours? Presumably I can’t eat or train like I’m 16.

    Reply
  4. Well said John… Having run trenbolone acetate twice now I chose to come off of the stuff recently just two weeks into it. Tren fucks with my thoughts and blood pressure too much. Yes, the strength gains and muscle definition are incredible on it, but I had to draw the line for myself. Like you said, test is best for health and the longhaul in the iron game. Thanks for this

    Best Regards.

    Reply
  5. I had a friend in high school that I talking Into doing some steroids with him i knew that he had been doing them for awhile and I thought he knew what he was doing so I trusted him. Anyways I think I went through a 50 ml bottle of Decca in that first month gained about 40 lb of muscle in 2 months time I feed St I did way to much and it screed me up. Now I’m 40 years old. And I have been going every week to get injections my test Was so low it barely registered. Unfortunately I’m about 50 pounds over weight and I started back at the gym again after decades of not working out in still pretty strong but I want to do a cycle correctly and the amount I get every week from the doctor isn’t enough for any gains just enough to make me feel some what normal.
    So right now I get a 1/2 of a cc/100 mg what is your suggestion to help me cut up and get gains at the same time?

    Reply
    • Cypinate.Wiend in high school that talked me Into doing some steroids with him i knew that he had been doing them for awhile and I thought he knew what he was doing so I trusted him. Anyways I think I went through a 50 ml bottle of Decca in that first month gained about 40 lb of muscle in 2 months time I know now i did way to much and it screwed me up. Now I’m 40 years old. And I have been going every week to get injections from kaiser my test Was so low it barely registered. Unfortunately I’m about 50 pounds over weight and I started back at the gym again after decades of not working out in still am pretty strong but I want to do a cycle correctly and the amount I get every week from the doctor isn’t enough for any gains just enough to make me feel some what normal.
      So right now I get a 1/2 of a cc/100 mg of Cypinate. What is your suggestion to help me cut up and get gains at the same time?

      Reply
    • If you are still overweight in terms of bodyfat then you have enough calories to put you in excess, so I would take it step by step. Right now you have to ignore your strength levels and try losing some weight first, this will not take any additional steroids nor will steroids do much without a clean diet that is lower in calories. Once you got into a better bodyfat range then I would consider using something alongside your testosterone replacement to either help preserve muscle as you cut down further, or help you grow, but leaner gains. That is a crossroad you will come to and have to decide on your goals. If I was going to try to get some gains, I would use the Doc prescribed test and throw in 300mg/wk of test propionate on my own, along with 1 other quality compound. Maybe some Equipoise at 400mg/wk

      Reply
  6. I just picked up test prop to start my self-administered TRT. I’m 43 living in Thailand. On impulse, I picked up 500 tabs of blue hearts dianabol to kickstart my program. What is your opinion on that? I have lost 30 lbs because of food poisoning etc, so I thought I’d nurse myself back to health with some dbol

    Reply
    • Here is the thing about Dbol; so many guys use it and just accept the fact they’re going to put on massive amounts of water with the strength gains, so subconsciously they think “it’s ok to eat dirty because I’m on Dbol and I’m going to get puffy anyways.” My advice is to go against this thought and still eat clean 90% of the time, you’ll be surprised at the results from the Dbol and water retention or fat gain will really be minimal. Old timers used Dbol all the time and looked great!! I just wouldn’t go crazy with it, maybe 20-25mg/day. I know guys who get great results from 15mg/day

      Reply
  7. Quality material here. All very valuable information. It always surprises me how many people blindly accept others (doctors) life plan for them. Makes no sense to me. Take charge of your health and fitness. Thanks for the insights and intelligence here.

    Reply
  8. Speaking of overall health, is there any way to keep above average/high libido year round? Obviously, it depends on many, many factors. But is there anything to maximize and maintain at high level physical factors which are responsible for sex drive?

    My guess is that simply higher level of T (assuming other factors like estrogen etc. are under control) is a good start. But what else can be used? I know things like Halo or Tren can ramp up libido through the roof but life would be too short to enjoy it if such compounds were used year round.

    Any insights would be very welcome.

    BTW John, start writing more about your sexual steroid-related experiences. It’s one of the reasons many people look for such compounds, it could boost your traffic and, damn, it’s simply interesting.

    Reply
    • A small maintenance dose of Cialis works well. 5mg-7.5 mg/day is perfect and will also help with pumps and vascularity in the gym

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  9. It’s cool you say you think it’s only 0.8g of protein per lbs of body weight – that is bang on what a study proved as that was the maximum amount even the most genetically gifted to process over a 24 hour period.

    0.65g per lbs was the average amount.

    Reply
  10. I’m new to your site and really enjoying the articles so far. I’ve been training hard since I was 17 and now that I’m approaching 31 I’ve come to realize some of the facts you’ve stated above. Lifting for me has become a way to build myself up and increase longevity opposed to constant break down. I regularly participate in jiu-jitsu and my advantages I have in the sport come from an educated approach to strength training, less is sometimes more. My question for you comes from the yearning to run a beginner test/anagram cycle. I’m 6’4″ and weigh between 215-220 at 8-10% Bf at any given point of the year. I have been very successful the last couple years in achieving my career and physical goals and I want to accent this summer with a test cycle in order to really feel on top of the world. I’ve listened to your advice about low dose cycles and currently plan on running a 10wk 300 mg/w test e and 40mg/day anavar weeks 2-6. My goals are to look great, and feel great. Do you think I’m set up for those goals with this cycle? First cycle btw.

    Reply
    • Yes, you’re already 8-10% bf% so you have a perfect starting point. But I would run the anavar out 6 wks if possible. Var is pretty mild, in most cases I would say a test only cycle is all that is needed for a first cycle but you are already very lean, go with it and enhance what you have

      Reply
  11. How often you you recommend donating blood? My insurance does cover blood work, but not as often as I would like. Some I don’t always know my crit count.

    Reply
    • As often as you they’ll let you. But you are only allowed to donate it every few months so as soon as you’re eligible then donate again

      Reply
  12. Hi John!

    I find today find your blog what is fantastic. The best I ever read and I subscribe directly.
    I will tell shortly about my self and I hope nobody be bored of my story.
    I am 67 years old now and living in Sweden. I began with weight-lift as junior and later trained BB in the 80th-ies. We didn´t knows anything about training or diet, just what was in Joe Weider Magazines. I trained years as average people, not much gain but more and more injuries.
    I stopped training at 50. Gone up in weight in couple years to 115 Kg body weight.
    With 55 got I diabetes and developing even IBS, Gluten and Lactos intolerants and going years with lot of infections in my body. Of course I had no idea about my IBS. Fore a couple years ago I find the diet LCHF and cut out the bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and been better. That followed out the processed food and almost all fruit and vegetables. A year ago opened a local gym here and I bought a membership there.
    I began with training as before and all my injuries was back directly. We have Internet now, not just Weiders shit paper and I find Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty Training Principles.
    With LCHF and HIT-training I am down on 93 kg body weight and in better shape then 30 years ago.
    Developed solid muscle gain on Mentzer´s Heavy Duty and all my issues gone back.. If I try conventional training, get injured directly.
    Now, John! A very important question and I need your advice.
    I don´t take any steroids under 30 years until now except 30/50 only Turinabol cycle a couple month ago.
    The question is how now? I am fine but still 67 years old. I read some article from Nelson Montana 3 weeks short cycle. 3 weeks on 3 weeks off and pretty high dosages.
    So, my questions is. Should I short cycle or should I long cycle or not cycle at all, just going some Testo e 14 days for life and never off ? Must I use any PCT or HCG in my age?
    What is the best for a old athlete?
    Staying on 250mg Testo e 10 or 14 days to the end of life?
    Or cycling ? In this case what prep, how much and how long cycle ?
    In waiting on your answer.
    Best Regards
    Stefan

    Reply
    • At 67 yrs old there is ZERO REASON to ever come off testosterone. 100-200mg/wk for life would by the route I would go, MINIMUM 100mg/wk. As for injuries, I understand, they always come and go and some seem to never leave. Look into a good joint supplement, I just did a review on “Joyful Joints” and the stuff is great!! A lot of aches and pains I had have literally disappeared in a matter of 1-2 weeks on that stuff, as God as my witness. Keep reps slower, train for pump and overall health and you can do this until the very end. As for short cycles of 3 weeks, absolutely worthless in my opinion. No reason for that, especially at your age and even at my age. I would do 2 “CYCLES” per year in between normal hormone replacement of 100-200mg/wk, 200mg will probably have you feeling much better though. AS for PCT, no need, just use small amount of aromatase inhibitor such as arimadex throughout testosterone replacement. 1/2mg adex 2-3x/wk is all you should need. When you come off cycle and resort back to normal replacement, no need for clomid or anything like that. It wouldnt hurt to hit a bout of HCG for 2 wks at 2500iu/wk for 2 wks. This is what I normally do myself, keep up the adex with your HCG. Best of luck to you

      Reply
      • Equine MSM powder has done wonders for my joints at 47 years young after years of being over 390 lbs and lifting heavy things. . You can find it on Amazon. It tastes like crap. Follow the dosing for a horse. Front lost for 7 days then just a normal
        10 gram dose. My 85 year old dad uses the equine DMSO cream and looks and moves like he is 29 years younger.

        Reply
  13. Tank you very much John for your nice advice, I will follow it exactly.
    Now, about this 2 cycle per year.
    How long should it be? 8-12 weeks or more?
    I think Deca, Primo and the other nice ones is the way to go.

    Have a Nice summer. I will buy your book soon.

    Best Regards
    Stefan

    Reply
  14. I just wanted to chime in and re-iterate the overall great sentiment here. This is one of the few no-ego articles I have read concerning bodybuilding and overall health. Your writing style and knowledge are a perfect combination that relates to us ‘seasoned’ guys (I’m 43 years old). I’m currently sitting at 185lbs, 6’2″ with about 12-15% body fat (depends on who is doing the measuring). I have laid off of training for a bit (had to nurse an injury – but now I’m good) and I want to get back into the game. I was thinking a Test Enanthate, Primo, Anavar, EQ cycle – perfectly timed for all substances would be the ticket to get an additional 8-10lbs of quality muscle and cut up in time for my trip to the Caribbean in December. What do I need to do to make sure I really dial all of this in? Thanks for your advice “John” – I value your opinions and advice far more than most of the chatterboxes on the web!

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    • If the source of primo is 110% legit then yes, but I wouldnt worry about using that with EQ, they are both very similar. Real primo is very hard to get now, and honestly swapping out for EQ wouldnt be a bad idea and more cost effective. Just go with 300/wk test e, 500wk EQ, and 50-75mg/day anavar, you’ll be plenty good off that

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  15. Ok john have been on your website for the last month and reading a lot of great stuff! I really respect u for how honest u are with everyone and how u reply so quickly with how busy u are. I have a few questions bout a cycle and cycles I wanna take in the future. I worked out from 19-28 years old 5-6 days a week and diet was pretty good the whole time. I was always in good shape and in that time I did around 5-6 cycles and loved them! I am 5 foot 8 and was around 190-200 lbs then I stopped working out when I was 28 till like 31 and only worked out here and there and didn’t do any cycles. Then I had to go to prison for 3 years and got back into it and now am really big on diet and health. When I left prison I was 180lbs at 8% body fat and now I am still around the same. I am 35 years old now. I am thinking of running a cycle of the cutstack test p/tren ace/mast at 1/2 a cc every other day for 10 weeks with 50mg of anadrol the first 5 weeks. I also got an extra bottle of test p to add a 1/2 cc every other day with the cutstack for more test. My goals are to gain as much lean muscle mass as I can. I don’t want to get all that all water weight and I plan to diet really good like 250 grams of pro/180 grams of carbs/85 grams of fat. That Is with 2-3 protein shakes a day. I would greatly appreciate your feedback on this. Thank u and I also would like to know if reading your book becoming the bull will help me.

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    • I dont know, had a lot of guys tell me the book helped them though. As for the cut stack, good shit, and you’re lean enough to benefit from that mast p in there too. As for anadrol, fucking worthless to use during the cut stack, I wouldn’t use it myself. Why blur out the definition ya know?

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  16. Damn that was fast! Ok thanks will X out the anadrol. Someone told me it was good to kick start with it for more mass. So I should just run the cutstack and extra 1/2 cc of prop and nothing else? What should I run for pct and how much? And what cycle do u recommend for gaining mass over the winter and how much of it? Thanks for responding so fast

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  17. hi..im 59…been training on and off for 39 yrs..been training steady the last 2 yrs. im on 200ml test from dr..my nos. are very low 72-140 total. test levels..that keeps me at high end at around 1100..im 5-11 195-200lbs…some lower back and side chest fat but not bad..im very solid and ive always trained hard and heavy to my ability..last year i tried decca @ 575mg/wk with extra test. totaling 625mg/wk ..didnt do much of ANYTHING..( i dont know if gear was underdosed)..for once in my life before i die i am going to do tren.A ( 300-350/wk) provided sides dont affect me..with extra test. of 300-350/wk total including my drs. test…im doing it for sure but id like to be as smart as i can about it.. going to do cabergoline ( half gram 2x/wk) and novalex on hand..remember after my cycle my trt of 200ml/wk will continue..so does this sound ok to you, a man with yrs. of experience…also any suggestions would be appreciated..thank you in advance…Jim G.

    Reply
    • My suggestion is not to use tren at all at 59 yrs of age, but if you’re going to do it then 300mg/wk is fine. I’d just go mon/wed/fri at 100mg/shot. I’m not familiar with caber, it’s just one I’ve never needed nor used. As for any sort of PCT, just HCG brother. Tren is just harsh man, I said in an older post that I would probably use it again if I was competing but I no longer think that. It’s bad on your sleep, your skin, and your cardio function. It’s def not the healthiest thing to be using. But does it work? Absolutely

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  18. Hello, I’m 52 years old and in great health, I’m 6’3″ and weigh 190lbs, very active, the wife an I walk/run about 4 miles a night. I’m on no meds at all, I just had complete blood work done and everything looks great, my test level was 347, so they put me on testosterone cypionate 200mg, I take 0.5ML twice a week, 1MG of Anastrozole twice a week on day of injection and 20 units of Sermorelin/GHRP-2/GHRP-6 every night before bed. I drink protein shakes through out the day, I get around 250 grams of protein a day. I have a weight gain shake I make myself (2 cups whole milk, 2 scoops of protein, 1/2 cup oats, 2 tablespoons peanut butter and a banana). Ive always been skinny no matter what I eat, I’ve never been able to build muscle, Ive been on all these meds before about a year ago, so I figured I would try again and see what happens, still nothing, someone said to try Dbol, but then another person said no, not at your age, its hard to get a straight answer out of anyone. I searched the net a ended up here, you seem to know what you’re talking so whats your opinion on what I need to bulk up and gain some muscle and keep it? what I need, how much I should Take and when, what to take after the cycle and all that. Thanks John.

    Reply
    • yea man, stay away from Dbol at your age, you don’t retain much muscle from it anyways as it’s mostly water weight. Yes, your protein seems adequate but I’d be looking closer at overall caloric intake. Bottom line is you’re just not eating enough if you’re not growing. The cardio every single night may not be helping your circumstances either. While I understand this is something you do with your wife, you’re probably burning any caloric reserves for possible muscle growth. If you’d like specifics on diet then I’d have to work with you on that. I cannot just reply in one simple answer on that, but that’s your issue. Hormones are in place so it’s the only logical answer. Gear isn’t your answer, it has nothing to do with something you are or aren’t using, you’d be gaining on what you’re using with proper caloric intake alone

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  19. What is you take on the whole hematocrit and hemoglobin being elevated. Doctors tell their patients on TRT constantly to donate blood but we know it depletes ferritin and iron pretty quick. What’s your take on that, and also on cycle… Is donating blood a must, or is it wrong bro science. And if donating is a must then how high can hematocrit go up before you’d consider it to be in the danger zone.

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    • This can vary person to person and there are several factors that come into play (genetics, level of test ran per week, other compounds ran alongside TRT) But a high hematocrit level means thicker blood, no 2 ways around it. Now, how thick that blood gets before that person is in the danger zone is still a bit inconclusive since it does vary between different individuals. I have worked with people who were elevated beyond “safe zone” almost every time they were eligible to donate, and it usually happens after they’ve been on TRT and other compounds for a very long time. One thing to also note, is that an abundant calcium intake regularly can contribute to a hematocrit elevation, so you also want to assess the diet if this happens. To accurately answer this question the issue itself isn’t broscience IMO, but to what level from one individual to the next is truly “danger zone” isn’t a 1 size-fits all sort of deal. I myself donate almost always as soon as I’m eligible again, and anything over 17 I consider high for me, since I’m trying to be proactive all the time. But on TRUE TRT, some guys can go on and on and never be in a danger zone to have to donate. However, I’m a realist here and I know that other compounds in the mix can warrant the need to donate to stay safe. High test is a major culprit, also equipoise is another biggie that elevates this level. Some guys may need to supplement with iron in order to be able to donate without levels dropping dangerously low, and if they constantly drop during consistent high elevations then someone may need to get a more in depth evaluation to make sure they do not have something like polycemia vera (a form of blood cancer that causes rapid elevation of red blood cells). My .02 -JD

      Reply

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