How to Run a Testosterone Cycle (Safely)

In this article, I'm going to break down every single thing you need to know about running a Testosterone cycle, including:

1. 01Testosterone thresholds and the drug ladder
2. 02Who should cycle (and who shouldn't)
3. 03Bulk vs. cut: picking your dose
4. 04How to inject
5. 05Side effects and ancillaries
6. 06Clinical monitoring
7. 07Post cycle therapy
8. 08Training and nutrition
9. 09Where to source gear

And more.

This is not about TRT, and this is not written for bodybuilders.

It's for the man who wants to pack on muscle fast without sacrificing his health in the process.

Let's strap in.

Testosterone Thresholds

If you're on TRT, when does your TRT dose become a "cycle"? At what Testosterone level do you start seeing negative effects? What level do you need to hit to produce supraphysiological muscle growth?

Answering these questions tells you whether you actually need a cycle, and how much Testosterone to take.

Here's the spectrum of Total and Free Testosterone levels you can roughly expect on various doses. These are broad strokes, individual responses vary:

The average male produces ~70mg of Testosterone per week, roughly corresponding to a Total Testosterone level of ~550 ng/dL, and a Free Testosterone of 80 pg/mL.

Put that same man on 120mg/week of TRT and his endogenous Testosterone production stops, while his circulating Total Testosterone level approximates 800-1,000 ng/dL.

Enclomiphene, a SERM which tells your body to produce more Testosterone, can get that same man to produce 1,000 ng/dL endogenously — without suppressing natural production or fertility.

Add in a daily dose of Oral Liposomal Testosterone or Topical Testosterone cream, and you can get up to 1,300-1,500 ng/dL Total Testosterone without suppressing fertility or endogenous production. This roughly equates to 200mg/week of traditional TRT.

There are 4 things I want you to internalize from the spectrum above:

1. 01~1,500 ng/dL of Testosterone is the rough threshold between natty and enhanced. Above this point, you begin to benefit from supraphysiological muscle gain. However, this is also the rough threshold where risk of side effects like hematocrit elevation, alopecia, blood pressure rises, lipid degradation, and more get serious.
2. 02Unless you're committed to TRT for life, injecting exogenous Testosterone below 200mg/week is almost never worth it. Enclomiphene with Oral or Topical Testosterone can get you to the same Testosterone levels endogenously — no suppression, temporary infertility, or cycling needed.
3. 03Cycles make sense at 300mg/week or above. This is where supraphysiological muscle growth kicks in, and where temporary endogenous Testosterone suppression is worth it.
4. 04500mg/week is the general ceiling of Testosterone usage for non-bodybuilders. For bodybuilders — this is the floor. Going beyond this massively increases muscle gain, but negative effects skyrocket. You will almost never need to go beyond 500mg of Test.

A Testosterone cycle is all-in. Going halfway is not worth it. Go all-in, manage your cycle, and you build way more muscle than you can naturally.

If you half ass it and take less than 300mg/week — the anabolic effects are rarely justified unless you are committed to TRT the rest of your life. Add on the brutal reality of post cycle therapy (covered later), and you'll see why running below 300mg Test per week can land you with a worse physique than when you started.

The Drug Ladder

The thresholds above reveal the right protocol for you:

Level 0: TRT or Enclomiphene + Oral/Topical Testosterone

If you want to mildly boost muscle mass and lower body fat with Testosterone year round — you don't need to cycle.

TRT protocols can get your Test levels to 1,000-1,500 ng/dL. This mildly increases muscle gain without dealing with the negative effects of Testosterone at higher doses.

Enclomiphene protocols come with the added benefit of increasing your body's own production of Testosterone via LH stimulation. Add a daily dose of liposomal/lipidic Oral Testosterone or a Topical Cream, and you get TRT+ levels without losing fertility or HPTA suppression.

These aren't cycles — they're starting points. TRT protocols produce mild but significant improvements in body composition, whereas cycles will make you superman. Starting at level 0 will show you how your body feels with higher Testosterone, helping you better decide whether you even need a cycle in the first place.

Enclomiphene gets a lot of hate amongst TRT bros. Most of the hate comes from people conflating Enclomiphene with Clomiphene. Clomiphene is a racemic mixture containing Zuclomiphene, which is an estrogen receptor agonist with a long half life that causes mood and visual side effects. Enclomiphene is the pure antagonist isomer with none of that. Safe to take in bouts up to 12 months based on available data. Chronic multi-year usage hasn't been studied, but the safety profile is clean.

TRT vs. Enclomiphene + Oral/Topical

Testosterone levels follow a diurnal rhythm in the body. They are highest in the morning, and lower at night.

TRT produces an unnatural (but not necessarily bad) concentration curve. Because Testosterone Enanthate/Cypionate have 5-6 day half lives — the amount of Testosterone circulating in your bloodstream throughout the day stays relatively consistent.

Enclomiphene preserves your body’s diurnal rhythm, but increases the total amount of Testosterone you produce. Oral/Topical Test added on top increases levels even further while preserving endogenous production.

Which is superior? Injectable TRT produces a higher area under the curve (AUC) than Enclomiphene protocols. Even though you can test at the same levels using either protocol in a blood test, TRT gives you higher total androgen exposure, and as a result produces a more profound effect on muscle mass & fat mass than Enclomiphene.

Both protocols work, but worth knowing the difference.

Level 1: 300mg of Testosterone per week

300mg/week is a real cycle. At this dose:

1. 01Muscle mass is gained significantly faster than natural or TRT levels
2. 02Endogenous Testosterone production stops while on the drug
3. 03You need clinical monitoring to manage side effects

If you're healthy, 300mg is extremely well tolerated and produces a significant increase in gains. This is not powerful enough for bodybuilders, but it works very well. Higher muscle mass, very well tolerated from a healthy baseline.

The dose is high enough to warrant proper bloodwork and proper PCT, but low enough that most people manage side effects without ancillaries beyond hematocrit management.

Level 2: 500mg of Testosterone per week

500mg/week is a proper bodybuilding cycle. 500mg/week gives you Testosterone levels 6-7x higher than the average man.

You'll build muscle way faster. You'll get stronger. You'll feel amazing.

You'll also face side effects that require active management. Hematocrit donation, possibly an AI, blood pressure monitoring.

This is the canonical cycle run by bodybuilders. You will rarely need to go beyond this unless you're competing on stage.

If mass is the priority: 500mg/week Test is your best bet.

Who Should Cycle

Traditional bodybuilding dogma holds that no one should run a steroid cycle until they hit an FFMI of 23 (~18-19 for women).

I disagree.

FFMI stands for fat free mass index. The closest proxy is BMI, which is your weight divided into your height squared. FFMI instead divides your fat free mass (weight minus fat mass) into your height squared. This is a way to compare how much fat free mass someone has relative to their height.

For men, an FFMI of 23 is achievable naturally with years of consistent dieting and training. The bodybuilding advice to wait until you hit this level makes sense for bodybuilders — because they take their muscularity well beyond natural limits and commit to being on gear year round.

But what about the every man who wants to get to their natural limit faster, or even just reach an FFMI of 23 without spending 5 years in the gym?

That's where cycles make sense. But there are 4 hard qualifiers for when you shouldn't cycle:

1. 01Training Experience: If you haven't consistently trained for hypertrophy for at least 2 years, a cycle is a waste of time. Cycles aren't for beginners. They're for people who know how to train, know how to diet, and know what training to failure feels like. If you haven't trained with proper form for 2+ consistent years, this is not for you.
2. 02Muscular Base: Most people benefit from "newbie gains" in their first 1-2 years of consistency. Running a cycle without a muscle base is a waste — proper training and nutrition will get you very far. You don't need to be at an FFMI of 23, but you need to look like you lift.
3. 03Health: Steroid cycles put significant strain on your body. If you're in good health — good liver, good cardiovascular function, no obesity, no chronic conditions — you can tolerate this strain very well. If you're in poor health, anabolics will land you in a hospital. Your body simply can't handle the androgenic stress.
4. 04Time: A typical cycle takes 3 months. You need at least 2 months recovering post-cycle. On-cycle is easy. Off-cycle is the hard part. Energy, strength, and physique all take a temporary hit. Proper off-cycle management is the difference between success and wasting months of training. Make sure you have the time, or don't do it at all.

If you don't hit criteria 1-3: do not run a cycle. You aren't ready. Spend 1-2 years training naturally first, then revisit.

If you don't hit criteria 4: you will regret running a cycle. It's easy to pack on muscle while on-cycle with Test. Off-cycle is the hard part, and that is what will make or break your gains.

Grind through post cycle therapy properly: you keep the muscle mass you gained and feel great.

Fuck post cycle therapy up: you lose your gains, and in some cases can end up in worse shape than when you started.

Three Rules for Responsible Use

Steroid abuse is real. Plenty of people pack on unnatural amounts of muscle with absurd doses, then watch their long-term health rot.

That does not have to be you. Three rules:

1. 01Never use without justification. Anabolics aren't supplements or party drugs. Use only if you have an actual reason. Plateaued gains that aren't due to poor training/nutrition. Time constraints requiring faster muscle accretion. Strong propensity to lose muscle in a deficit. "I want to get big and I'm doing everything else right" is a reason. "I just want to try it" is not.
2. 02Never build more muscle than you can maintain naturally. Higher muscle mass is health-promoting up to a point. Beyond that, more muscle taxes your cardiovascular system and shortens your lifespan. No one knows exactly where that threshold is, but it's likely beyond your genetic limit — partially because you can't maintain mass beyond genetic potential without being on gear year-round, and continuous androgenic load hits long-term health.
3. 03Never be reliant on something. Use anabolics as tools to achieve a result. Be disciplined with use, be disciplined with cycling off. You should be able to build and maintain your muscle naturally with proper training and nutrition. If you need a drug to feel strong, that's not a good sign. Exception: clinical TRT — but even then, you should be able to preserve and build muscle on a physiologic dose without additional drugs.

Should I Bulk or Cut on a Testosterone Cycle?

Testosterone is a powerful tool, but the dose should match the goal.

In a bulk: you'll build way more muscle than you can naturally, fast. You'll ameliorate fat gain in a calorie surplus, allowing you to eat more, perform better, and build more muscle without gaining fat. In some cases, you'll even lose fat while gaining muscle.

In a cut: you'll preserve lean body mass, and possibly gain some depending on your deficit. Almost all the weight you lose will partition to fat, allowing you to get leaner faster.

The problem with running a cycle however, is that you absolutely cannot cut natty for at least 2 months post cycle.

When you come off a cycle, your natural Testosterone levels go to zero temporarily. Recovering those levels requires focused post cycle therapy. If you try to cut with compromised Testosterone status — your body will simply burn through all of your muscle gained without burning fat.

This is a serious problem. I once cut post cycle without running PCT, and lost 21 lbs of lean mass and only 1.5 lbs of fat mass over 3 months. Learn from my mistakes.

This highlights a crucial decision: are you comfortable holding your current body fat level for the next 6 months?

• If no and you want to bulk: cut natty first. Shred fat, then start a bulk with 500mg/week Test once you are comfortable with holding your body fat for 6 months.
• If no and you want to cut/preserve muscle: run 300mg/week of Test for a 3 month cut, then PCT for at least 3 months. Mild, well-tolerated, preserves muscle through the deficit.
• If yes and you want to bulk: run 500mg/week of Test for 3 months. This is a proper bulking cycle.

Can you bulk on 300mg/week?

Yes, but it's arguably less worth it. With a bit more time, a TRT or Enclomiphene + Oral Test protocol may get you similar results with a few more months of training, and you don't have to deal with suppressive PCT. It works, but ROI is lower than 500mg.

The principle: don't half-ass it, and don't escalate beyond what the goal requires. 300mg is the right tool for a cut. 500mg is the right tool for a bulk. Below 300mg isn't a cycle worth running. Above 500mg you’re taking unnecessary amounts of gear.

Pick the right cycle, go all-in, then come off.

What Happens on Cycle?

I ran 300mg Test per week for 3.5 months on a cut, then 500mg Test per week for 2.5 months on a bulk. I clinically monitored every aspect of my transformation here from blood work to DEXA scans, training volume, nutrition, side effects and more. You can see the full case study here:

How to Inject Testosterone

Esters

Testosterone drugs come bound to esters. Esters extend Testosterone's half life so it can be dosed every few days instead of every few hours.

For cycles, you only need to worry about Testosterone Enanthate or Testosterone Cypionate. Both have 5-6 day half lives and are interchangeable.

Don't worry about Propionate (1 day half life), Undecanoate (30-day half life for TRT), Sustanon, etc.

Testosterone esters are fat soluble and come dissolved in oils — typically MCT, grapeseed, or synthetic blends. These are sterile injection-grade oils, not stovetop oils. If you need to dilute Testosterone, you buy sterile oils from a research chem supplier or compounding pharmacy.

Daily vs. 2x Per Week Dosing

Bodybuilder and TRT dogma will tell you to inject 2x per week. If on a 500mg/week cycle, you inject 250mg on Monday, 250mg on Thursday.

This protocol works, is standard, and allows you to inject less frequently. This is especially important with Intramuscular (IM) injections, where you often can't train a muscle a day or two after injecting it with Test.

However, these protocols have a massive problem. Look at the chart above. 2x per week dosing produces highly variable Testosterone levels throughout the week. Some days you're Superman, other days you feel flat.

Not good.

Daily injections fix this:

By injecting a smaller amount (70-100mg) daily 5-7 days a week — blood Testosterone levels are way more stable.

Performance, strength, energy, blood testing levels — everything is consistent throughout your cycle.

More importantly, daily injections unlock the best route of administration: subcutaneous injections.

Subcutaneous (SubQ) vs. Intramuscular (IM)

If you've ever taken a peptide injection, you've injected SubQ into fat tissue. Painless, easy, no scar tissue.

Bodybuilder dogma tells you Testosterone must be injected intramuscularly. This is bad advice:

1. 01IM is harder to do. SubQ is dead simple.
2. 02IM injection sites are sore for days. SubQ has minimal post-injection pain.
3. 03"Safer" IM sites (ventrogluteal, deltoid) are hard to self-administer.
4. 04IM carries higher risk of scarring and nerve injury.
5. 05SubQ produces the same circulating Testosterone levels as IM with similar pharmacokinetics — your body doesn't care whether the oil depot is in fat or muscle.

The only argument for IM is volume. SubQ tolerates up to 0.5-0.6mL per injection, IM tolerates way more. If you're dosing more than 500mg of Testosterone a week, injection volumes get too excessive for daily dosing, and you'll need to inject IM.

If dosing 500mg or less: daily SubQ injections of 70-100mg each are perfect. Easier to administer, less scarring tissue, no muscle soreness, and same net circulating Testosterone level.

Concentration Matters

Testosterone E/C typically comes at 200mg/mL. Occasionally you'll see 250mg/mL or 300mg/mL.

Do not inject 250mg/mL or higher SubQ or IM. Ever.

When you inject, the oil forms a depot in your tissue. Testosterone slowly leaches out of the depot into your bloodstream over 1-2 weeks (the whole point of esters).

The max solubility of Testosterone E/C in oil is roughly 200mg/mL. Inject anything more concentrated, and the oils diffuse into surrounding tissue while the Testosterone crystals get left behind, undissolved, sitting in your muscle or fat.

These crystals take weeks to clear and are extremely painful. You won't be able to train.

I made this mistake on my first injection — 300mg/mL into my right quad. I walked with a limp for two weeks and couldn't train legs. Lesson learned the hard way.

For SubQ specifically, I dilute down further to 160mg/mL. This reduces post-injection pain and makes the oil easier to push through a thin 30G needle.

How to Inject Subcutaneously

Equipment:

• 1mL Sterile Luer Lock Syringes (for injecting)
• 2.5mL or 5mL Luer Lock Syringes (for drawing/dilution)
• 30G 8mm Needle Tips (for injection)
• 18G 1 Inch Needle Tips (for drawing)
• Alcohol Swabs
• Testosterone Oil (sourcing covered later)
• Sterile MCT or Grapeseed Oil (for dilution)
• Borosilicate Vials with stoppers (optional, for dilution)
• Vial Crimper (optional)
• Label Printer (optional)

Step 1: Dilute (optional but recommended).

Your Testosterone will arrive at 200mg/mL. To dilute to 160mg/mL:

1. 01Alcohol swab the top of a sterile borosilicate vial and your Testosterone vial. Let alcohol evaporate.
2. 02Draw 2mL of Testosterone oil using an 18G needle. Pre-load the syringe with 2mL of air, push it into the vial to equalize pressure, then invert and draw the oil out.
3. 03Crimp seal the new vial.
4. 04Push the 2mL of Testosterone into the new vial, then withdraw 2mL of air to equalize pressure.
5. 05Repeat with 0.5mL of sterile MCT oil.
6. 06Gently invert to mix. Label with concentration so you don't forget.

You now have 2.5mL of 160mg/mL Testosterone. Each 0.5mL injection delivers 80mg.

Step 2: Inject.

1. 01Disinfect the target fat site (belly, love handle, upper thigh, glute fat) and your vial with alcohol swabs.
2. 02Draw 0.5mL (80mg at 160mg/mL) using a 1mL syringe with 30G 8mm needle.
3. 03Pinch fat tissue between two fingers, insert needle at 45-90 degrees depending on site fat thickness.
4. 04Push the oil in slowly. With a 30G needle and viscous oil, this will take ~60 seconds. Push too fast and it will hurt more.
5. 05Remove the needle gently. Apply gentle pressure with gauze.

A few notes:

• A small air bubble entering SubQ is harmless. Air bubbles are only a problem with IV administration.
• To inject all the oil from the needle tip, pull a bit of air into the syringe before injection. Invert needle-side-down, let air float to the top (takes 1-2 min with thick oil). Plunge — the air buffer pushes the residual oil out. Stop before air enters tissue.

Step 3: Rotate sites.

Each injection forms a small lump that lasts 5-7 days as the oil depot disperses. Don't inject the same site within 1-2 weeks. Rotate around belly, love handles, upper glute fat, thigh fat. If you're lean and running out of sites, pinch fat between two fingers tightly and inject into the bunched tissue.

Here's a video of a random lady I found on YouTube showing you how to inject Testosterone, in case you need more of a visual:

Watch the injection demonstration

Post Injection Pain

Post Injection Pain (PIP) is when the site of injection becomes sore or tender. Some PIP is normal, but you can minimize it:

• Inject at room temperature or warm slightly in warm water (also redissolves any crystallization)
• Inject slowly
• Use proper sterile technique
• Dilute to 160mg/mL

PIP becomes a problem when you see spreading redness, hot skin around the site, fever, or persistent severe pain past 5-7 days. These are signs of infection. Go to an ER. Do not wait. Sepsis kills.

Side Effects & Ancillaries

Testosterone cycles come with a list of known, manageable side effects.

This is why clinical monitoring is so important (more later). One does not simply run Testosterone by itself, you typically need a few other drugs alongside it to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Hematocrit Elevation

Testosterone stimulates erythropoiesis (red blood cell production). On the plus side, this is great for endurance training. On the negative side, once Hematocrit levels pass 54%: blood viscosity increases stroke and clot risk.

Testing: Do a Complete Blood Count every 4 weeks. You want to catch rises in Hct early.

Management:

1. 01If Hct is high, first line is to increase total blood plasma volume. That means increasing carb intake, staying aggressively hydrated, taking creatine, and implementing cardio 1-2 times per week. Doing this expands total blood volume, bringing Hct percentage down.
2. 02If Hct doesn't drop after step 1, your 2 options are to 1) donate blood, immediately dropping Hct by 3-5%, then donate again every 8-12 weeks or 2) lower/stop Testosterone administration.

In some cases, aspirin may help. This is a very easy side effect to manage, but you need to pay close attention to it.

Infertility

When you take exogenous Testosterone on cycle, your body stops producing its own Testosterone completely. This also suppresses 2 fertility hormones responsible for sperm production: LH & FSH.

On a cycle, sperm production can fall to zero. hCG acts like LH to maintain testosterone production in your testicles and can help support sperm production while on cycle.

It can also help limit Testicular Atrophy, which is when your balls become smaller on cycle.

Dosing: 500 IU of hCG per week, dosed as 2 SubQ injections of 250 IU throughout the week.

Estradiol & Gyno Management

In men, most of the Estradiol (E2) in your body is produced from Testosterone. An enzyme called aromatase converts Testosterone to E2.

The problem with having supraphysiological Testosterone is that more Testosterone means more substrate for aromatase, which means more E2.

High E2 in men leads to a lot of negative effects — most notably Gynecomastia. This is every anabolic user's worst nightmare: permanently enlarged breast tissue and puffy nipples.

Luckily, Gyno is easy to avoid.

Testing: Test Estradiol and Total, Free, & Bioavailable Testosterone via Mass Spec 4 weeks into your cycle, then every 4 weeks after.

Management:

The biggest mistake people make with Anastrozole is dosing too high too fast. Crashed E2 feels worse than high E2 — joint pain, no libido, depression, flat mood. Start low. Titrate up only if needed.

1. 01If E2 is elevated and you have symptoms (water retention, puffy nipples, mood swings), start with 1mg of Anastrozole per week, split into two 0.5mg doses.
2. 02Re-test E2 in 2-4 weeks. Target: 20-40 pg/mL.
3. 03If E2 is still high, bump to 2mg/week (1mg dosed 2x per week).
4. 04The ceiling is roughly 1mg every other day (~3.5mg/week). Most people never need this. If you're there and still struggling, your cycle is probably too aggressive for you.

If you are on Anastrozole but you still start to feel tenderness and puffiness around your nipples — you can introduce bigger guns.

Tamoxifen is a SERM that selectively blocks estrogen receptors in breast tissue. If you feel any signs of puffiness or tenderness, you can start taking 20mg of Tamoxifen every 1-2 days. Note that Tamoxifen has a long functional half life — about a week, so circulating levels will accumulate. Scale back quickly once symptoms resolve.

The core principle: keep E2 between 20-40 pg/mL. Have Tamoxifen on hand in case of breast tenderness, but you don't need to take it throughout your cycle.

Blood Pressure

Testosterone can raise blood pressure through multiple mechanisms including water retention, hematocrit elevation, and increased sympathetic tone.

On the mild end, this can lead to headaches, especially during training. On the more worrying end, this can increase the risk of blood clots, cardiovascular strain, or worsen sleep apnea.

Hence why it's very important to only run a cycle if you're starting from a healthy baseline. Not an unhealthy one.

Testing: at-home blood pressure cuff, test 1x per week first thing in the morning.

If elevated:

• Manage sodium intake, increase potassium intake
• Introduce 1-2 cardio training sessions per week
• If needed, Telmisartan 40-80mg or other blood pressure lowering drugs can help

Hair Loss

Testosterone converts to DHT via 5-alpha-reductase. DHT drives androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) in genetically predisposed individuals.

Even if you aren't genetically predisposed to alopecia, a cycle can still create temporary hair shedding by triggering acute telogen effluvium. This is when your hair follicles prematurely enter the telogen (resting) phase due to fluctuations in hormone levels.

For most, some hair loss is going to happen no matter what on a cycle. In most cases, it is reversible and grows back. For others, that hair loss might accelerate androgenic alopecia if you are genetically predisposed to it.

Luckily, you have a few options:

1. 01Topical Finasteride or Dutasteride. Blocks DHT at the scalp specifically, minimal systemic absorption. Best option for most people. Easier to apply if you have short hair — long hair makes scalp application a pain.
2. 02Oral Finasteride or Dutasteride. Works systemically. Bhasin's 20-week study found that Dutasteride with doses of up to 600mg/week of Testosterone did not significantly reduce fat-free mass or strength gains. The tradeoff: systemic DHT suppression blunts libido, mood, and drive in many men. Some people don't notice. Some feel like zombies. Topical sidesteps this.
3. 03Topical Minoxidil. Works via a different mechanism (vasodilation, hair cycle stimulation). Stacks well with topical 5AR inhibitors.
4. 04Ketoconazole shampoo (Nizoral) 2x/week. Mild scalp anti-androgen. Cheap, low-risk additive.
5. 05Lower the dose. If you're on 500mg and shedding, drop to 300mg. Often that alone solves it.

If you have meaningful MPB risk and you can't tolerate any hair loss, reconsider cycling, but this effect is preventable in many cases.

Lipids

Testosterone can have a mild effect on lipids, increasing LDL and decreasing HDL cholesterol.

In most people, lipids are very mildly affected. You can take a statin, PCSK9 inhibitor, or other cholesterol medication while on cycle. However, many just choose to accept transiently higher LDL and lower HDL while on cycle. 3 months of poor lipids will barely dent your cardiovascular health, and the effects reverse coming off cycle.

Monitor ApoB in your blood testing, as well as LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides. If ApoB is kept in range, you're generally in good shape.

Acne

Testosterone cycles can cause an increase in body & face acne. This is common and transient. Sometimes, acne is only pronounced off-cycle due to hormonal fluctuations.

Solution: wash with a salicylic acid cleanser, manage with topical adapalene + benzoyl peroxide or whatever your dermatologist recommends.

You can also take Accutane during your cycle — but make sure you're ready to deal with the negative effects of Accutane if you choose to take it.

Sleep

Testosterone can disrupt sleep, particularly at higher doses. Snoring increases. Sleep apnea risk rises if you're predisposed. Total sleep time often compresses even if quality stays acceptable.

Monitor sleep via a wearable. If you're snoring loudly or feeling unrested on adequate sleep duration, get evaluated for apnea. Sleep apnea + supraphysiological androgens is a cardiovascular nightmare.

Tendon and Connective Tissue Injury

On a cycle: muscle mass rises faster than tendons and connective tissue can adapt. Higher Test makes you much stronger, and it can be tempting to chase new 1RMs or PBs while on cycle.

I wouldn't recommend doing that.

Cycles should focus on hypertrophy and mass gain. Chasing powerlifting PBs are tempting, but your risk of injury is counterintuitively higher while on Test than off Test. The right way to approach this: build as much muscle as possible on-cycle, then train your nervous system to use that muscle better off-cycle to become stronger.

Mood, Libido, Intrusive Thoughts

Higher Testosterone will affect your mood and psychological state. You might become more aggressive or emotionally volatile. Or you might just be more impatient, easier to anger, or feel manic on cycle. Many people also have way more intrusive/violent thoughts with higher androgen exposure.

On the positive side, you'll naturally be more dominant & confident. Your libido will be way higher than baseline, and you might notice that women are more attracted to you than usual.

Generally speaking, there's not much you can do to manage the psychological effects of Testosterone. Most people handle it just fine, others are more volatile and can't handle their emotions with or without Testosterone. If your cycle is driving you to emotional states where you can't control yourself — consider hopping off-cycle and going to therapy.

Clinical Monitoring

If you are running a 300 or 500mg Test cycle, clinical monitoring becomes extremely important. You need to monitor how your body is responding to the drug to make sure your health stays in good shape.

Blood testing is extremely accessible.

Test Before Cycle:

• Complete Blood Count (Hematocrit, Hemoglobin etc.)
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (Liver, Kidney, Glucose, etc.)
• Total Testosterone, Free Testosterone, & SHBG via LC-MS or MS

IMPORTANT: Most Testosterone tests cap out at 1,500. If your Test levels are above 1,500 ng/dL, and they most certainly will be on cycle, they will report as ">1,500" without giving you the number. This is why you need to test via Mass Spec (MS) or Liquid Chromatography Mass Spec (LC-MS), not an Immunoassay. Look for the test that says MS or LC-MS next to it, and it's the right one.

• Estradiol (E2)
• Lipid Panel (HDL, LDL, Triglycerides etc.)
• ApoB (More accurate measure of atherogenic risk)
• hs-CRP (Inflammatory marker)
• Thyroid Panel (TSH, Free T3, Free T4)
• LH & FSH (Fertility Markers)
• Total PSA & Free PSA (If 35+)
• (optional) DHT: measure hair loss risk, expensive
• (optional) Prolactin: can contribute to gyno risk

Test Every 4 Weeks

• Complete Blood Count
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
• Total Testosterone, Free Testosterone & SHBG via LC-MS or MS
• Estradiol (E2)
• ApoB
• Lipid Panel
• (optional) DHT
• (optional) Total/Free PSA, if over 35

Monitor Weekly

• Blood Pressure: buy an at home cuff, test every morning
• Sleep via a wearable: sleep degradation via Test can be an early warning sign of cardiovascular stress

When to Pause or Abort Protocol

1. 01HCT >54%: implement protocol described in prior section. Donate blood if it doesn't go down. If HCT stays elevated, stop Test.
2. 02BP >150/100 despite intervention: scale back Test.
3. 03ALT/AST skyrockets: sign to scale back.
4. 04Resting heart rate elevates >20bpm from baseline persistently: sign of cardiovascular stress.
5. 05Any chest pain, irregular heart rhythms, persistent severe headaches: stop immediately, see a doctor.

Post Cycle Therapy

Building muscle on-cycle is easy. Off-cycle is where things get tough.

When you stop injecting Testosterone, the drug still circulates in your system for about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, your physiological Testosterone levels are basically at 0.

This is why, after a 2 week washout period, you take about 25mg of Enclomiphene every day to ramp natural Testosterone production back up. You can also choose to take another SERM like Tamoxifen, but Enclomiphene has the best safety profile of the bunch.

The protocol:

1. 01Wait for Testosterone levels to wash out over 2 weeks after your last injection.
2. 02Take Enclomiphene at 25mg daily for 4-8 weeks post cycle.
3. 03Stop using Enclomiphene for 4 weeks.
4. 04Test your Total, Free Testosterone, SHBG, E2, LH, & FSH 4 weeks after Enclomiphene washes out. If all markers are back to baseline: no need for more Enclomiphene. If LH/FSH are still low or Test/Free Test haven't fully recovered, take Enclomiphene for another 4-8 weeks at 12.5mg per day, then repeat the same steps above.

Some notes:

• DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CUT directly after your Testosterone cycle. Your Test levels are at 0. If you cut anytime within a 2 month period off-cycle, your risk of muscle loss skyrockets. Most likely outcome: your body burns through all of its muscle gains on-cycle while burning very little fat, because there isn't enough Testosterone to spare muscle tissue.
• Using hCG on-cycle preserves fertility and generally makes recovery faster. Use hCG while on cycle and in your 2-week washout period from your last Test dose. Stop using once you start Enclomiphene.
• If you do not have Enclomiphene, Tamoxifen can be used in place of Enclomiphene for PCT. Start with 40mg ED for 2 weeks, then 20mg ED for 2 weeks, then taper down to 10mg ED for 2 weeks. Tamoxifen has a much longer half life than Enclomiphene, so washout period before re-testing your levels should be 4-6 weeks. Tamoxifen works, but generally has a less favorable effect profile than Enclomiphene with risks of hot flashes, blood clotting etc. But it works.
• Estradiol levels can rise sharply while on PCT, producing gyno risk post-cycle. If using Tamoxifen as PCT, this is less of a problem as Tamoxifen blunts E2 receptors on breast tissue. However, if using Enclomiphene, your body may produce a lot of E2. To avoid, test your E2 levels after 4 weeks of PCT. If too high, implement 1-2mg of Anastrozole per week for 2 weeks and see how E2 levels change. Keep Anastrozole on hand at all times, stop using it during your Test washout period, but reintroduce as needed.

Most important of all: keep resistance training consistently at high intensity throughout your PCT. Low Test levels will mess with your training — but you need to grind through it. It can be tempting to run a deload in the month following your cycle but do not do this. Train hard for 4-6 weeks while you are on PCT, and deload only once your Test levels have returned closer to baseline. Training off-cycle is the differentiator between whether you keep your gains or erase all your progress.

Also eat at maintenance calories during your off-cycle. Due to low Test, surpluses can asymmetrically produce fat gain, while deficits asymmetrically produce muscle loss.

Regaining lean mass after PCT

I lost lean mass after my cycle. Months later, I got back to training while taking 10mg of Anavar daily. In four weeks, I had regained the lean mass I'd lost and was back at my testosterone cycle peak. I cover the rebound in my case study.

Training & Nutrition

On cycle, you’ll be able to train harder and more frequently, while recovering faster. The case study shows what Test did to my training at varying doses.

There are a few key notes to maximize gains on your cycle:

1. 01Train focused on hypertrophy, not strength. Strength training (powerlifting etc.) is tempting, but unnecessarily increases injury risk on-cycle due to joints, tendons, and connective tissue lagging behind muscle gain.
2. 02Train each muscle group a minimum of 2x per week, and ideally 3x per week, across 5-6 sessions per week.
3. 03Push closer to failure more often, but make sure you use proper, slow technique. On cycle, strength goes up but injury risk increases. Slow, controlled movements with good form >>> throwing weights around because you can.
4. 04Ideally, 1g/lb bodyweight protein intake should be the floor. I personally aim for 1.3+. Bodybuilders can go to 2g/lb bodyweight in some cases. More protein generally means better gains, especially on cycle.
5. 05You can eat more calories than you normally would without gaining fat, but don’t overdo it. You’ll still get fat if you eat 1k+ calories over maintenance, but note that you can eat more than you think without gaining fat as Testosterone is a very powerful partitioning agent. I like to aim for 300-500 calories over maintenance.
6. 06Cardio is optional on cycle but recommended. If you start to see blood pressure, Hct, lipid sides — adding 1-2 cardio sessions per week is a good idea. But, this is completely optional, and I personally run cycles without doing any cardio, and my body responds perfectly fine.

If you want a system to best run your training and nutrition protocols on-cycle and off-cycle, you can use Prana.

Our training model, MUSCLE-1, tells you exactly how much to train to produce a growth stimulus on- or off-cycle.

Learn more about MUSCLE-1

Sourcing Gear

The corporate answer: prescription medicines should come from a licensed clinician and a regulated pharmacy. Prana does not recommend or endorse unregulated suppliers.

This article was adapted from my original post on X, which may or may not have contained a list of vendors.

Full Shopping List

Below is a list of every item mentioned in this guide and where to get it:

• Testosterone Enanthate/Cypionate: doctor prescribed
• hCG, Tamoxifen (Nolvadex), Anastrozole, Accutane, Telmisartan, Sterile MCT/GSO oil: doctor prescribed
• Enclomiphene (prescribed): Maximus, Hims, Healthspan — tons of online Telehealth clinics.
• Oral / Topical Testosterone (prescribed): Maximus, Rugiet, OralOnly
• Sterile 1mL Syringes
• Sterile 2.5mL Syringes
• 18G, 1-inch Needles (for drawing into syringe)
• 30G, 8mm Needles (for SubQ administration)
• 27G, 1/2in Needles (for shallow IM administration)
• Oral/Topical Finasteride & Dutasteride: almost any telehealth clinic online, easy to prescribe
• Blood Testing: you can get labs via Ulta and other online services.
• Blood Pressure Monitor: CVS/Walgreens, etc.
• Borosilicate Vials
• Vial Crimper
• Alcohol Swabs
• Label Printer (optional)

Storage and Travel

Testosterone should be stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. No direct sunlight. Sealed vials of Test E/C are stable for 3-5 years at room temperature.

Refrigeration increases shelf life, but can cause the Testosterone crystals to precipitate out of the oil. To redissolve Testosterone crystals, place the bottom 3/4 of the vial in warm water and gently shake until things dissolve.

When travelling: Testosterone is a controlled substance in most places around the world.

Beyond Testosterone

Testosterone is the foundational mass gaining protocol for men. It is extremely powerful, and you almost never need to go beyond it.

That said, there are a few ways you can take things further:

1. 01Growth Hormone (augmentation doses, ~4IU): GH increases IGF-1 and synergistically improves mass gain, while also improving recovery and joint, tendon, and ligament formation, ameliorating injury risk on Test.
2. 02GLP-1s: Testosterone + GLP-1 is an amazing cutting stack. One preserves muscle, the other creates a deficit.
3. 03Oral Steroids: Anavar is another option to run a cycle with. Milder than Test, no injections, but comes with worse lipid/liver toxicity. Can be run alone or with Test.
4. 04Masteron/Primobolan: If for whatever reason you need to go beyond 500mg Test per week, the natural solution is to inject ~300mg Test/week, then add in 300-500mg Masteron or Primobolan per week to drive gains further. Mast/Primo allow you to get higher total anabolic effects with less androgenic sides than Testosterone. You will never need to do this unless you are a bodybuilder.

In most cases, Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and GLP-1s are more than enough to produce the body composition changes you want.

Go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want, but just be careful as you explore.

Closing

I use Prana to track my training and see how much growth stimulus each muscle is getting. Our prediction model and app will be out soon for you to use.