First Steroid Cycle 101: Complete Guide

Everyone had to start somewhere, right? You have only one steroid virginity to lose. Choose wisely and get ready for it properly! 

Remember when you had sex for the first time? I bet you were pretty happy about it. Your mood got better, self-confidence shot up, and… and that’s it? The only thing that changed is that you’ve had sex. Wow. 

Now, with anabolic steroids, you get way more changes. You get mental side effects, tremendous physical results, strength gains, muscle growth, endurance boost, your liver starts to work a little different, your balls literally adapt their function to the new circumstances, even your heart starts to work harder. 

Your first steroid cycle is more life-changing than your first time with a girl. 

Or a boy. Or whatever. You get the point. You can’t just get a couple of flowers, buy condoms and be ready for it. 

Here’s what you REALLY need to know before your first steroid cycle. 

Things to KNOW Before The First Steroid Cycle

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First, we’ll deal with the boring stuff that can save your life. There are several things you should know before considering steroids. Most of them are related to your pre-existing stats: 

Heart Health 

Anabolic steroids – regardless of the power of the compound and dosage – can affect your blood pressure. Even the slightest dose of orals can promote the production of extra red blood cells and put extra pressure on your heart. 

Do you have any conditions that would, say, worsen on AAS? How serious are those conditions? If you’re willing to take a risk. Are you sure that the healthcare system in your country will be able to save you in case of an emergency and won’t put you into life-long debt? Even if it is – sometimes the effects of AAS on your heart can be irreversible. Make sure your heart can deal with steroids. There’s no better way to do it than a regular medical check.

Other Health Issues 

The heart is the most important but not the only area to worry about. Along with heart health, pay attention BEFORE the cycle to other possible no-go’s and issues: 

• Increased LDL; 
• Decreased HDL; 
• Cancer stuff; 
• Prostate health; 
• Skin condition (are you prone to acne that can get worse on AAS?). 

In the best-case scenario, I’d recommend a full medical check. However, I know that sometimes it’s hard to get one, it can be expensive, and it may take a ton of your time. That’s why the best recommendation is: check your heart health and areas that you feel most worried about.

It would be better to start injecting powerful stuff in your body knowing that it can stand it, right? 

Things to DO Before The First Steroid Cycle 

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Now, a couple of things you can do ONLY before the cycle. 

Get Your Bloodworks

It’s a unique opportunity to check your baseline, natural stats before they get altered. 

It’s a prevalent issue in any bodybuilding discussion: «What was your level before the cycle» — «Oh, I don’t know. I got my bloods 2 weeks in», «Did you have any problems with prolactin naturally?» — «Dunno lol I only got tested when it turned into a problem». 

Seriously. Check your baseline. Get a mold of your body in an unaltered state, just for reference, and don’t even think that you won’t ever need it. You will. Here’s what you can do before the cycle to make life easier for your future self: 

Just key things that 99% WILL get affected by your first steroid cycle: 

• A most important one: Sex Hormones. You need to know your Free Testosterone, Total Testosterone, and your Estrogen (E2) level. 
• CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel). It’s also called SMA-20 sometimes. Basically, it’s an overview of MOST of your blood stats, from sugar and glucose to electrolytes and creatinine. It will show you how good your liver and kidneys work, along with HDL/LDL ratio; 
• RBC/WBC (red and white blood cells). 

What else may come in handy? Not necessary, but it can be helpful, and if you have an option to get it tested – you better do: 

• Prolactin; 
• Cortisol; 
• Vitamins (mostly D3 and B12). 

That’s it. Get the blood, put the papers away, and you’re in the lucky elite club of AAS users that can provide actual reference points. Don’t miss this opportunity – all these numbers will automatically stop being «natural» when you’ll pin for the first time. 

Learn Your Diet 

I bet you’ve heard that 90% of success is made in the kitchen, and the anabolic steroid cycle is – surprise-surprise – not an exception. It’s an obvious but so often overlooked thing.

If you can’t maintain a proper calorie deficit, you will not SEE the gains that steroids can give you. Your fat layer will hide it. If you can’t eat in a surplus property, you will not GET the full effect. It will be a waste of gear. 

Bulking gear will demand a lot of energy, protein, and nutrients. No steroid will give you crazy muscle gains without eating correctly and working out hard. The same goes for cutting gear. 

What’s the point of cutting on 15%+ body fat anyway? You won’t see the vascularity, you won’t see the shredded muscles, you won’t see the insane striation, you won’t even see your 6-pack.

Okay, weightlifters are an exception: regardless of how fat you are, you will get the strength gains with proper workouts. However, is it ALL you need? 

Best Compounds for First Steroid Cycle 

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Hell yes, off to practice. Here are the best compounds for your first steroid cycle: 

• Testosterone Propionate; 
• Testosterone Enanthate; 
• Anavar; 
• Dianabol. 

Now — a closer look, one by one: 

Level I: Testosterone First Cycle

Enanthate is a longer ester, stays active for about a week. Propionate is shorter. It gives you 2-3 days of activity. The exact choice here is up to your tolerance to injections only. With Enanthate, you can pin less (even though it’s recommended to split it and inject 50% of the weekly dose twice a week to avoid peaks). With Propionate, you have no other choice bu pinning every 2-3 days. It’s a topic for discussion. 

What shall NOT be discussed is that Testosterone is the absolute perfect compound for your first cycle. No other gear is as basic, simple, and predictable. Here you can read our extensive guide to Testosterone E, with all the details simplified. 

You can run it in a simple, basic protocol: 

Weeks	Testosterone Enanthate	Nolvadex PCT
1-8	200-300/EW	–
9-10	–	–
11-12	–	20mg/ED

OR 

You can try to play with a little pyramid, starting with almost TRT doses: 

Weeks	Testosterone Enanthate	Nolvadex PCT
1-3	150-200 EW	–
4-5	200-250 EW	–
6-8	250-300 EW
11-12	–	20mg/ED

The same goes for Propionate. Looks easy enough? Here are the aspects that so many beginners mess up: 

1. You don’t need extreme doses in your first cycle. You need to test the waters. 300mg will be more than enough for a week in 2 administrations; 
2. You 100% NEED PCT. Don’t even think about skipping it;
3. It would be best if you waited for a little to let the compound leave your body before starting the PCT. It can take up to 10 days. Note that the 12th week should not be strictly full.  

With JUST Testosterone and a mild dosage, your first steroid cycle results have all the chances to be outstanding.

You can expect:

• Muscle growth; 
• Strength gains;
• Better endurance; 
• Stamina boost; 
• Sex drive improvement; 
• Better mood. 

And most importantly – with a lower dose, you lower the risks to get severe side effects. Now – to level 2. 

Level II: Dianabol or Anavar. 

Some men just want more from the start. It’s a good approach (even though I would still recommend running a Test-only cycle first), and there’s a way to keep all the benefits of the first cycle with little extra gains in your preferred direction. 

If your main objective is lean look, shredded ABS, and crazy vascularity with strength gains – add Anavar; 

If your main goal is bulking, getting massive, growing new muscles, and cutting (to see them) later – add Dianabol. 

Simple stuff. Both are orals, both are powerful, both can give you extreme effects in relatively small doses. Both will fuck with your liver health, though, so it’s essential to get it checked beforehand. Also, both require a testosterone base to prevent the shutdown. 

Dianabol for First Steroid Cycle 

Here you can check our complete guide on Dianabol. It’s worth the read even for a fantastic history of this compound. And this is the mildest protocol you can get with it: 

Week	Dianabol	Testosterone Enanthate	Nolvadex PCT
1-4	25-40mg ED	300mg ED	–
5-8	–	300mg ED	–
9-10	–	–	–
11-12	–	–	20-40mg ED

25mg is a low dose for Dbol. Some athletes run 3 times more per cycle. With a low dose, you keep the benefits and lower the risks. Now – to Anavar. An even safer compound. 

Anavar for First Steroid Cycle 

One of the best things about Anavar (aka Oxandrolone) is that it’s incredibly mild yet capable. It’s designed to bear low androgenic properties while keeping the anabolic side high as hell. It’s a perfect first oral compound for beginners (even though it’s somewhat expensive) who want to get leaner. Here is our guide to Anavar – be sure to check it out. 

And here’s the protocol for a first steroid cycle with Anavar: 

Week	Anavar	Testosterone Enanthate	Nolvadex PCT
1-8	25-30mg ED	200-300mg EW	–
9-10	–	–	–
11-12	–	–	20-40mg

As simple as it gets, you just add the pills to your moderate Test cycle and enjoy the results (that come with moderate liver damage, but in this dosage – it’s almost insignificant). 

Worst Compounds for First Steroid Cycle 

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We’re done with the best, and now it’s time for the worst. Some gear is way beyond the beginner’s level. You’ll need too many ancillaries, a way higher level of control and caution than you need in your first cycle. And also, you’re most likely not going to get the full results. 

Here are compounds that should NEVER be your first steroids: 

• Trenbolone; 
• Masteron; 
• Testosterone blends; 
• Superdrol. 

The list can go on and on, but you get the point. Start with basics, your time to try the PRO level gear will come. 

First Steroid Cycle PCT 

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Not much to say here: post-cycle therapy is crucial for any steroid cycle, let alone the first one. It’s hard to predict how tolerant you will be to the compound, whether you are a powerful aromatizer or not, how your balls will react to such an unashamed intervention into their function, and so on. 

Here you can check our ultimate guide to PCT, and I strictly recommend researching the topic BEFORE you’ll hop on your cycle. 

Personal Opinion on First Steroid Cycle.

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You can lose your virginity with an experienced, mature prostitute, so she will teach you everything you know. With steroids, it doesn’t work like that. Frankly, it doesn’t work in real life either. 

Your first time is something that you should enjoy, FEEL, get the spirit. It’s not a purely rational hunt for mysterious «experience points». 

That’s why I don’t cover Level III and further here: you’re a beginner. Face it, enjoy it, don’t waste it in a rush. And don’t be a moron who’ll ruin the whole experience with exaggerated doses. It’s not what you really need, and you know it.