KGear Weekly Cycle Log: Test E/Anavar/Winstrol (12 Weeks)

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Getting ready to start a 12-week blast (July 20th ) on Test E/Anavar/Winstrol using KGear as my source exclusively.

The cycle game plan:

• 400 mg Test E (KGear) for 12 weeks (Split into 3x doses, MWF)
• 30 mg Anavar (KGear) Week 1 -8 (Split AM/Pre-Workout)
• 25 mg Winstrol (KGear) daily Week 8 -12 (swapping out the Anavar)

Add-ons:

• Retatrutide 8 mg/week
• hCG 1000 ius/week
• Anastrazole: 1.5 mg/week (split into MWF doses with Test E injections)
• Hair Loss Prevention: 0.1% Finasteride 12 weeks (then 8 weeks on post cycle) – Yes, I’m away it won’ protect against the WinAvar stack as DHT derivatives but I was too put off by the RU58841 side effects.

Supplement Stack:

• NAC
• Tudca
• Milk Thistle
• Coq10
• Fish Oil
• Niacin
• Citrus Bergamot

Nutrition: 2000 Cal Per Day

Macros: 40% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fats

200g of protein, 150g of carbs, and 44g of fat


Workout Split: Bro Split:

Monday- Arms

Tuesday – Chest

Wednesday- Back

Thursday – Legs

Friday – Shoulders

Saturday - Legs?

Cardio - 30 min Post Workout

Starting weight: 255 lbs, 5’8, 34 years old.

I know it is not ideal to start at higher BF% but ALL my bloodwork is in the green and have been on 180 mg per week TRT + hCG + Reta for the last 6 months.

I don’t have crazy high expectations as I am still ~29% BF but if I can keep the cut going, get the glycogen up, and retain (or even put on 5-10 lbs of muscle) that would be a big WIN for me.

I will post my updates weekly – end of week. I will add pre-cycle (week 0), mid-cycle (end of week 4), end of cycle (end of week 12), and post cycle blood work (4-8 weeks post cycle, no PCT planned since I will go back down to my cruise dose 180 mg/week Test).

Wish me luck boyz, let’s stay #anabolic.

Edit* Adding Week 0 (Precycle) Photos Below:

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Getting ready to start a 12-week blast (July 20th ) on Test E/Anavar/Winstrol using KGear as my source exclusively.

The cycle game plan:

• 400 mg Test E (KGear) for 12 weeks (Split into 3x doses, MWF)
• 30 mg Anavar (KGear) Week 1 -8 (Split AM/Pre-Workout)
• 25 mg Winstrol (KGear) daily Week 8 -12 (swapping out the Anavar)

Add-ons:

• Retatrutide 8 mg/week
• hCG 1000 ius/week
• Anastrazole: 1.5 mg/week (split into MWF doses with Test E injections)
• Hair Loss Prevention: 0.1% Finasteride 12 weeks (then 8 weeks on post cycle) – Yes, I’m away it won’ protect against the WinAvar stack as DHT derivatives but I was too put off by the RU58841 side effects.

Supplement Stack:

• NAC
• Tudca
• Milk Thistle
• Coq10
• Fish Oil
• Niacin
• Citrus Bergamot

Nutrition: 2000 Cal Per Day

Macros: 40% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fats

200g of protein, 150g of carbs, and 44g of fat


Workout Split: Bro Split:

Monday- Arms

Tuesday – Chest

Wednesday- Back

Thursday – Legs

Friday – Shoulders

Saturday - Legs?

Cardio - 30 min Post Workout

Starting weight: 255 lbs, 5’8, 34 years old.

I know it is not ideal to start at higher BF% but ALL my bloodwork is in the green and have been on 180 mg per week TRT + hCG + Reta for the last 6 months.

I don’t have crazy high expectations as I am still ~29% BF but if I can keep the cut going, get the glycogen up, and retain (or even put on 5-10 lbs of muscle) that would be a big WIN for me.

I will post my updates weekly – end of week. I will add pre-cycle (week 0), mid-cycle (end of week 4), end of cycle (end of week 12), and post cycle blood work (4-8 weeks post cycle, no PCT planned since I will go back down to my cruise dose 180 mg/week Test).

Wish me luck boyz, let’s stay #anabolic.

Pre-cycle bloodwork complete ✅ will post results here soon.

The markers and lab appointments I have already purchased in advance: https://www.anabolicinsights.ai/labs/panels/share/ce26bfd23982dd3748be7d13492f8174

Cbc Morphology​

Cbc Morphology​

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)​

Creatine Kinase (CK), Total​

Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT)​

Lipid Panel, Standard​

Insulin​

Apolipoprotein B​

Thyroid Panel with TSH

Dihydrotestosterone​

Hemoglobin A1c​

Ferritin​

Testosterone, Free (Dialysis) and Total, MS
Estradiol, Ultrasensitive, LC/MS

Cystatin C with Glomerular Filtration Rate, Estimated (eGFR)​

IGF-1, LC/MS​

hs-CRP​

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

Prolactin​

CBC (includes Differential and Platelets)

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Getting ready to start a 12-week blast (July 20th ) on Test E/Anavar/Winstrol using KGear as my source exclusively.

The cycle game plan:

• 400 mg Test E (KGear) for 12 weeks (Split into 3x doses, MWF)
• 30 mg Anavar (KGear) Week 1 -8 (Split AM/Pre-Workout)
• 25 mg Winstrol (KGear) daily Week 8 -12 (swapping out the Anavar)

Add-ons:

• Retatrutide 8 mg/week
• hCG 1000 ius/week
• Anastrazole: 1.5 mg/week (split into MWF doses with Test E injections)
• Hair Loss Prevention: 0.1% Finasteride 12 weeks (then 8 weeks on post cycle) – Yes, I’m away it won’ protect against the WinAvar stack as DHT derivatives but I was too put off by the RU58841 side effects.

Supplement Stack:

• NAC
• Tudca
• Milk Thistle
• Coq10
• Fish Oil
• Niacin
• Citrus Bergamot

Nutrition: 2000 Cal Per Day

Macros: 40% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fats

200g of protein, 150g of carbs, and 44g of fat


Workout Split: Bro Split:

Monday- Arms

Tuesday – Chest

Wednesday- Back

Thursday – Legs

Friday – Shoulders

Saturday - Legs?

Cardio - 30 min Post Workout

Starting weight: 255 lbs, 5’8, 34 years old.

I know it is not ideal to start at higher BF% but ALL my bloodwork is in the green and have been on 180 mg per week TRT + hCG + Reta for the last 6 months.

I don’t have crazy high expectations as I am still ~29% BF but if I can keep the cut going, get the glycogen up, and retain (or even put on 5-10 lbs of muscle) that would be a big WIN for me.

I will post my updates weekly – end of week. I will add pre-cycle (week 0), mid-cycle (end of week 4), end of cycle (end of week 12), and post cycle blood work (4-8 weeks post cycle, no PCT planned since I will go back down to my cruise dose 180 mg/week Test).

Wish me luck boyz, let’s stay #anabolic.

Edit* Adding Week 0 (Precycle) Photos Below:
View attachment 16080
View attachment 16081
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Adding Week 0 (Precycle) Photos to original thread!

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Week 1 Update

The first week is officially in the books, so I wanted to share an honest update. I know it's way too early to judge the cycle itself since both Test E and Anavar need time before you really know what they're doing, but I figured I'd document everything from Day 1 so people can follow along.

Current Stats

• Age: 34
• Height: 5'8"
• Starting Weight: 258 lbs
• Current Weight: 257 lbs
• Total Change: -1 lb

Weight bounced around this week. I actually hit 255 lbs before coming back up to 257 lbs, which honestly didn't surprise me. Between starting 400 mg Test E and increasing muscle glycogen, I expected a little water fluctuation. I'm more interested in the long-term trend than what the scale does during Week 1.

---

​

Current Cycle

• 400 mg Test Enanthate (KGear) – M/W/F
• 30 mg Anavar (KGear) – 15 mg AM / 15 mg Pre-Workout
• 1000 IU hCG/week
• 8 mg Retatrutide/week
• 1.5 mg Anastrozole/week – M/W/F
• No protocol changes this week

---

​

Training

Completed 6 out of 6 workouts.

Workout split:

• Arms
• Chest
• Back
• Legs
• Shoulders
• Legs

Cardio has been consistent:

• 25–30 minutes post-workout every session

Performance

No huge strength increases yet (which I expected).

I did notice:

• Better arm pumps by Saturday
• Slight increase in workout stamina
• Muscles starting to stay fuller during training

I'm not expecting Test E or Anavar to be in full swing yet, so I'm trying not to read too much into Week 1.

---

​

Nutrition

Average intake has been very consistent.

• Calories: ~2,100/day
• Protein: 200+ grams/day

Only cheat meal:

🌯 Chipotle chicken & rice bowl

Retatrutide continues to make dieting surprisingly easy.

I'm honestly not very hungry during the day.

The only time I really notice hunger is:

• After training
• Late evening

I'm also getting at least ½ gallon of water daily.

---

​

Physique Changes

Nothing dramatic yet, but I have noticed some encouraging signs.

Vascularity

• Bicep vein started showing during arm day near the end of the week.
• Quad vein is beginning to outline.

Considering I'm still sitting around 29% body fat, that's pretty motivating.

Muscle Fullness

Started the week looking fairly flat.

By Day 6 I definitely looked a little fuller, especially after workouts.

Progress pictures are attached below.

---

​

Recovery

Recovery has been solid.

• Around 7 hours of sleep every night
• Minimal soreness
• No issues recovering between workouts

---

​

Side Effects

Overall, this has been an uneventful first week (which is exactly what I wanted).

Blood Pressure

120/68

Resting Heart Rate

75–83 bpm

Injection Experience

I rotated between:

• Rear glute
• Right ventroglute
• Right deltoid

Rear glute and deltoid were basically non-issues.

The ventroglute was definitely the sorest injection.

Pain:

• Rear glute: 1–2/10
• Deltoid: 1–2/10
• Ventroglute: 2–3/10

The ventroglute soreness lasted around 4–5 days.

I also noticed a small amount of blood in the syringe dead space after withdrawing the needle, so I probably nicked a small vessel.

I'm thinking the extra soreness was probably a combination of:

• Larger injection volume (0.54 mL vs ~0.3 mL on TRT)
• New carrier oil (MCT)
• Higher concentration (250 mg/mL)
• New Test E formulation

No redness.
No warmth.
No swelling.
No signs of infection.

---

​

Other Side Effects

• Acne: None
• Oily skin: None
• Libido: Excellent
• Mood: Excellent
• Sleep: Good
• Water retention: Mild
• Hair shedding: Normal (same as TRT)
• Joint comfort: Great

---

​

KGear Review – Week 1

Obviously it's much too early to judge potency after only one week, so I'm focusing on the quality of the product itself and the injection experience.

Test Enanthate 250 mg/mL

Injection Experience

• Carrier Oil: MCT
• Injection Smoothness: Excellent
• PIP: Mild (2–3/10 max)
• No redness
• No swelling
• Small ventroglute lump that resolved

Product Quality

• Oil: Crystal clear
• No crashing
• No crystallization
• Packaging looked professional
• Fill volume appeared accurate

Drawing and injecting was smooth with both:

• 25G x 1" (glutes)
• 27G x ½" (deltoid)

Early Performance

Too early to rate potency.

Current observations:

• Pumps slowly improving
• Muscle fullness improving
• Recovery good
• Strength hasn't noticeably changed yet

The Week 4 bloodwork will be the first real checkpoint for evaluating how the products are performing objectively.

---

​

Biggest Positive

Consistency.

Every workout was completed.

Diet stayed on track.

Cardio stayed on track.

Recovery has been excellent.

I feel like I'm setting myself up for a strong next few weeks.

---

​

Biggest Challenge

Honestly...

Being patient.

It's easy to expect immediate changes after starting a blast, but I know Test E takes time. Right now I'm focusing on doing all the little things consistently instead of chasing quick results.

---

​

Next Week Goals

• Stay around 2,100 calories
• Keep protein above 200 g
• Continue 25–30 minutes of cardio after every workout
• Maintain hydration
• Keep blood pressure monitored
• Continue documenting progress with photos and weekly weigh-ins

---

​

Looking Ahead

The update I'm most excited about will be Week 4, when I'll have objective data to compare against my baseline:

• CBC
• CMP
• Lipid panel
• Total & Free Testosterone
• Sensitive Estradiol (LC/MS)
• Hematocrit
• GGT
• Etc.

That should give a much better picture of how this protocol is affecting my body than how I "feel."

As always, if anyone has questions, suggestions, or sees something I should keep an eye on, let me know. I'm documenting everything as honestly as I can so others can learn from the experience too. Stay anabolic! 💪

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Week 2 Update

Week 2 is officially complete, and I feel like the cycle is finally starting to come alive. I still think it's early to judge the full effects of Test E, but I'm beginning to notice subtle improvements in the gym, muscle fullness, and overall training performance. Weight is definitely up, but considering the increased testosterone, glycogen, and water retention, I expected that during the first couple of weeks.

---

​

Current Stats

• Age: 34
• Height: 5'8"
• Starting Weight: 257 lbs
• Current Weight: 261.4 lbs
• Weekly Weight Trend: 255 lbs → 261.4 lbs
• Total Change: +4.4 lbs

I'm not concerned with the scale at this point. Most of this increase is almost certainly glycogen, intracellular water, and the initial effects of higher testosterone. My focus is still on body composition rather than scale weight.

---

​

Current Cycle

• 400 mg Test Enanthate (KGear) – Split M/W/F
• 30 mg Anavar (KGear) – 15 mg AM / 15 mg Pre-Workout
• 1000 IU hCG/week
• 8 mg Retatrutide/week
• 1.5 mg Anastrozole/week – Split M/W/F
• NEW: Added 2 mg Tesamorelin on a 5-days-on / 2-days-off schedule.

For reference, while on 200 mg/week TRT, this same Tesamorelin protocol increased my IGF-1 to 269 ng/mL after approximately 8 weeks, so it'll be interesting to see how it responds alongside this cycle.

---

​

Training

Completed 6 out of 6 workouts.

Workout split remains:

• Arms
• Chest
• Back
• Legs
• Shoulders
• Legs

Cardio:

• 25–30 minutes post-workout every session

Performance

This week was the first time I noticed a measurable difference.

• Strength increased approximately 10–20% on several lifts compared to the beginning of the cycle.
• Muscles are feeling noticeably fuller.
• Workout stamina continues improving.

Pumps are definitely better than Week 1, although I still haven't experienced the "skin-splitting" Anavar pumps that many people describe. My understanding is that Anavar levels continue building during the first 1–2 weeks, so I'm expecting the next couple of weeks to be more telling.

---

​

Nutrition

Nutrition has been very consistent.

• Calories: ~2,200/day
• Protein: 200+ grams/day

Cheat meal:
🌯 Chipotle Chicken & Rice Bowl

Retatrutide continues to make dieting surprisingly manageable.

Most hunger still occurs:

• After training
• Late evening

Hydration:

• Minimum ½ gallon of water daily

---

​

Physique Changes

This is probably where I've noticed the biggest visual difference.

Vascularity

• Bicep vein becoming much more visible during workouts.
• Quad vein outline continues becoming more noticeable.
• Still waiting for the intense Anavar pumps many people report, but vascularity is definitely improving.

Muscle Fullness

Started the cycle looking relatively flat.

By the end of Week 2 I'm consistently looking fuller throughout the day, not just after training.

Progress pictures attached below.

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​

Recovery

Recovery has remained excellent.

• Around 7 hours of sleep every night
• No issues completing six training sessions
• Recovery between workouts has been very good

The only noticeable downside is increased daytime fatigue, which I suspect is simply from training significantly harder than I was pre-cycle.

---

​

Side Effects

Overall, Week 2 has gone smoothly.

Blood Pressure

117/68 mmHg

Resting Heart Rate

80–88 bpm

Injection Experience

Injection rotation this week:

• Rear glute
• Ventroglute
• Left deltoid

Rear glute and deltoid continue to be my favorite injection sites.

Pain:

• Rear glute: 1–2/10
• Left deltoid: 0–1/10
• Ventroglute: 2–3/10

The ventroglute remains the only site that consistently produces noticeable soreness.

Rear glute soreness resolved within 1–2 days.

Ventroglute soreness lasted approximately 4–5 days.

I still think this is likely related to one or more of the following:

• Larger injection volume (0.54 mL vs ~0.30 mL during TRT)
• Higher concentration (250 mg/mL)
• MCT carrier oil
• Individual sensitivity to the ventroglute site

No redness.

No swelling.

No signs of infection.

---

​

Other Side Effects

• Acne: None
• Oily skin: A few very small pimples on the shoulders and triceps (not cystic). I'm using a 10% benzoyl peroxide wash on my chest, back, shoulders, and arms every shower as a preventative measure.
• Libido: Excellent
• Mood: Excellent
• Sleep: Good
• Water retention: Mild to moderate (reflected mostly on the scale)
• Hair shedding: Normal (5–10 hairs during showers, unchanged from TRT)
• Joint comfort: Excellent

---

​

KGear Review – Week 2

I'm still early into the cycle, but I have enough exposure now to comment on the products and injection experience.

Products Used

• Test Enanthate 250 mg/mL
• Anavar 10 mg
• Winstrol 25 mg (starting Week 8)

---

​

Injection Experience

• Carrier Oil: MCT
• Injection Smoothness: Excellent
• Ease of Drawing: Excellent
• Ease of Injecting: Excellent

Post-injection soreness remains very manageable.

PIP:

• 2–3/10 maximum

No redness.

No swelling.

The only lump occurred after a ventroglute injection, which I believe was more likely related to injection volume and site sensitivity than the product itself.

---

​

Product Quality

• Oil clarity: Crystal clear
• Crashing: None
• Crystallization: None
• Sterility concerns: None
• Packaging: Excellent
• Fill volume: Appears accurate

Everything has looked professional and consistent so far.

---

​

Early Performance

Although it's still early, I'm beginning to notice improvements.

• Strength: Slowly increasing
• Pumps: Slowly improving each week
• Muscle fullness: Becoming more noticeable
• Recovery: Good
• Overall feel: Positive

Compared with previous testosterone products I've used, this formulation has performed well from both a handling and injection standpoint. I'll reserve final judgment until I have my Week 4 bloodwork, but my early impression has been favorable.

---

​

Biggest Positive

Consistency.

Every workout was completed.

Diet remained on target.

Cardio was completed every session.

For the first time, I'm beginning to notice objective improvements in strength and muscle fullness, which is motivating.

---

​

Biggest Challenge

Managing expectations.

The scale jumped more than expected, but I recognize that early-cycle weight gain is often driven by glycogen and water rather than body fat. I'm trying to focus more on weekly photos, waist measurements, strength progression, and eventually my DEXA scans than daily fluctuations on the scale.

---

​

Plan for Week 3

• Continue averaging ~2,200 calories/day
• Keep protein above 200 g/day
• Complete all scheduled workouts and post-workout cardio
• Continue monitoring blood pressure and injection sites
• Stay consistent with Tesamorelin and monitor any changes in recovery or sleep
• Looking forward to my Week 4 bloodwork to evaluate:
  • Total & Free Testosterone, Sensitive,
  • Sensitive Estradiol
  • CBC
  • CMP
  • Liver enzymes
  • Lipids
  • Hematocrit

Overall, Week 2 has been encouraging. While I know it's still early in the cycle, I'm beginning to see the first signs of increased performance and muscle fullness without any significant side effects. The next couple of weeks should be much more revealing as testosterone enanthate approaches steady state and Anavar has had more time to exert its effects. I'm excited to see what the Week 4 bloodwork shows and will continue documenting everything as objectively as possible. 💪

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Week 3 Update

Week 3 is in the books. The scale is basically holding at ~260 lbs, but the mirror is starting to tell a different story. Waist and stomach are looking flatter, while my upper body is beginning to look more defined. So even though scale weight has stalled, I'm seeing signs of positive body-composition changes.

📊 Current Stats

• Age: 34
• Height: 5'8"
• Weight: ~260 lbs
• Scale: Holding steady
• Physique: Flatter waist/stomach + increased upper-body definition

💉 Cycle

• Test E: 400 mg/week — M/W/F
• Anavar: 30 mg/day — split doses
• hCG: 1,000 IU/week
• Retatrutide: 8 mg/week
• Anastrozole: 1.5 mg/week — split M/W/F
• Tesamorelin: 2 mg, 5 days on / 2 days off

🏋️ Training

Probably my biggest update this week:

Dozens of PRs across the bro split.

Most of the progress has been on progressive-overload sets, with improvements in both:

• Weight + reps
• Total volume

I'm definitely feeling stronger and fuller overall.

I did slightly tweak my shoulder during my final dumbbell press using 85 lb dumbbells. No ongoing pain, but certain movements still cause a slight flare-up, so I'll be backing off the really heavy pressing for now and prioritizing keeping the shoulder healthy.

💪 Anavar / Physique Effects

The Anavar effects still feel relatively mild from a pre-workout perspective. I haven't experienced the crazy pumps some people describe.

What I am noticing:

• More muscle fullness when I wake up
• Slight "warm-up set" type pump even while resting
• Better fullness during training
• Continued strength progression

I'm still early enough that I'm not expecting the full picture yet.

🧴 Skin / Hair

Acne: Significantly improved and essentially gone after using a benzoyl peroxide wash daily in the shower.

Hair shedding: ~15–20 hairs during a shower, roughly comparable to the peak shedding I experienced while on 200 mg TRT.

I'm continuing:

• 0.1% topical finasteride
• 10% topical minoxidil
• Applied daily after showering before bed

The increased shedding could potentially be a combination of the androgen exposure and the fact that I've been losing weight consistently for ~8 months, so I'm keeping an eye on it rather than jumping to conclusions.

💉 Test E / Injection Experience

Test E continues to be very smooth overall.

The only recurring issue is the ventroglute, which tends to develop a small lump and soreness lasting ~4–5 days afterward.

Rear glute and deltoid injections have been much more comfortable. At this point I'm chalking the ventroglute issue up to repeatedly hitting less favorable spots/site sensitivity rather than having a general issue with the Test E.

📈 Overall Thoughts

The biggest takeaway this week is that the scale isn't moving, but my physique appears to be changing.

Waist/stomach are looking flatter, upper-body definition is improving, muscles are feeling fuller, and strength is moving up significantly.

I'm going to keep the diet and training consistent rather than chasing the scale.

Next week: early-cycle bloodwork to see how I'm handling the Test/Anavar combination and to evaluate estradiol, CBC/hematocrit, liver enzymes, lipids, testosterone, and the current AI dose.

Slow progress is still progress. 💪

#Week3 #TestE #Anavar #CycleLog #ProgressiveOverload #BodyComposition

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Week 4 Update​

4 weeks down, 8 to go. Starting to see some noticeable changes in the mirror, but I'm also realizing that recovery needs to be a bigger priority after 8 months of dieting and consistent training.

📊 Current Stats​

• Age: 34
• Height: 5'8"
• Weight: 260–263 lbs
• Cycle low: 255 lbs
• Starting weight: 258 lbs

The scale is still bouncing around 260–263, but I'm not too concerned because the mirror is starting to tell a different story.

My shoulders are looking wider and fuller, and I'm seeing more shape through the upper chest/shoulder area. My waist and love handles are also starting to slim down. The belly still has plenty of work to go, but overall the direction is encouraging.

💉 Current Protocol​

• Test E: 400 mg/week — M/W/F
• Anavar: 30 mg/day — split doses
• hCG: 1,000 IU/week
• Retatrutide: 8 mg/week
• Anastrozole: 1.5 mg/week — M/W/F
• Tesamorelin: 2 mg, 5x/week — started July 30
• No other changes

Tesamorelin is still relatively new, so it's too early to judge its effect. I'm particularly interested in seeing what happens with IGF-1 and body composition over the next several weeks.

🏋️ Training & Recovery​

This is the biggest change going into Week 5.

I've been training 6 days/week with cardio for months, and I'm starting to notice cumulative fatigue. Toward the end of the week I'll sometimes feel completely fine and then suddenly hit a wall and want to take a nap.

So I'm switching to:

5 lifting days/week + 30 min cardio after training.

I want to use the additional recovery capacity to make my workouts more productive rather than assuming being on cycle means I should simply train harder and longer.

💉 Injection Experience​

Much better this week.

I had essentially no ventroglute soreness after improving my injection site selection/technique. No unusual redness, swelling, or other issues.

Last week's soreness was likely related to nicking a small blood vessel, along with the larger injection volume/new Test E formulation.

🧑‍🦲 Hair / DHT​

I'm starting to notice a small increase in shedding:

• Shower: ~15–20 hairs vs. ~10–15 previously
• Applying topical 0.1% finasteride: ~6–7 hairs fall out when I rub it in or I find on my hand.

Could be the higher testosterone exposure, Anavar, prolonged calorie deficit/training, or a combination. I'm not panicking over it, but I'm definitely monitoring it closely.

🧪 Week 4 Bloodwork​

Bloodwork is coming up, and I'm very interested to see how the first four weeks have affected:

Total T • Free T • SHBG • DHT • E2 • Hct • HDL/LDL • ApoB • AST/ALT • IGF-1

July 20 baseline:

• Total T: 850 Quest / 887.8 LabCorp
• Free T: 160.5 pg/mL
• DHT: 39 ng/dL
• SHBG: 23 nmol/L
• Hct: 47.9%
• HDL: 40
• LDL: 87
• ApoB: 85

🔥 Biggest Positive​

Physique changes are finally becoming more noticeable. Fuller/wider shoulders, more upper-body shape, and a slimmer waist/love-handle area despite the scale staying relatively flat.

⚠️ Biggest Challenge​

Cumulative fatigue. I'm hoping moving to 5 training days allows me to recover better and get more out of each session.

Week 4 complete. 8 weeks left. 💪

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

Week 5 Update — 5 Weeks In (Early Bloodwork)

📊 Current Stats

• Age: 34
• Height: 5'8"
• Current weight: 256 lbs
• Cycle-low: 255 lbs
• Progress: Scale is finally starting to move down after hovering around 260–263 lbs for several weeks
• Overall: Feeling like the cut is starting to move in the right direction again.

💉 Cycle

• Test E: 400 mg/week — M/W/F split
• Anavar: 30 mg/day — currently continuing
• hCG: No change
• Retatrutide: Reducing to 4 mg/week — 6 mg has been suppressing appetite too strongly, especially the first few days after dosing. I'm sometimes unable to finish a normal meal.
• Tesamorelin: 2 mg M–F
• Anastrozole: Increasing by 0.5 mg/week in an attempt to bring E2 down toward my target range.
• Hair: Continuing topical finasteride

🏋️ Training

I'm reducing training from 6 → 5 days/week.

I've been noticing more cumulative fatigue after several weeks of dieting + high training volume, so I'm hoping the additional recovery day helps with performance and recovery while still maintaining the cut.

• Cardio: ~30 min post-workout
• Recovery: Overall good, but cumulative fatigue has become more noticeable.

🥗 Nutrition

• Calories: ~2,100/day
• Protein: >200 g/day
• Appetite: Now too suppressed on 6 mg Reta, particularly early in the week.
• Water: ~0.5 gal/day minimum

The scale finally moving again is encouraging. I'm more interested in the trend over the next few weeks than day-to-day fluctuations.

🧪 Week 4 Bloodwork

Some interesting changes from my 7/20 pre-cycle labs:

Marker	Jul 20	Aug 17	Δ
🔴 Total Chol	178	220	+23.6%
🔴 LDL-C	121	172	+42.1%
🔴 HDL-C	36	27	−25.0%
🟢 Triglycerides	106	92	−13.2%
🔴 ApoB	95	143	+50.5%
🟢 hs-CRP	8.7	5.0	−42.5%
🔴 ALT	23	104	+352%
🟡 AST	18	41	+128%
🟢 GGT	36	20	−44.4%
🟢 Creatinine	1.01	1.03	+2.0%
🟢 eGFR	100	98	−2.0%
🟡 CK	288	408	+41.7%
🟢 Glucose	83	78	−6.0%
🟢 Insulin	7.4	7.5	+1.4%
🟢 Hematocrit	47.9%	45.1%	−5.8%
🟢 Hemoglobin	16.0	14.8	−7.5%
🟢 RBC	5.29	4.85	−8.3%
🔴 SHBG	23	12	−47.8%
🟢 Ferritin	55	74	+34.5%
🔴 Total Testosterone	1,033	1,217	+17.8%
🔴 Free Testosterone	160.5	336.4	+109.6%
🔴 Estradiol (E2)	36	70	+94.4%
🟢 IGF-1	166	157	−5.4%

The lipid and ALT changes are definitely something I'm watching closely, especially with the oral portion of the cycle. Oxandrolone is known to suppress SHBG and can adversely affect liver/lipid markers, so the SHBG of 12 is one variable I'm keeping in mind when interpreting the testosterone results.

🔬 Testosterone / Vial Testing

One thing I'm trying to figure out is why total testosterone is only 1,217 ng/dL on a reported 400 mg/week Test E dose, which is only modestly higher than my previous ~200 mg TRT exposure.

However, my free T is 336.4, so biological androgen exposure is clearly much higher. Anavar's strong SHBG suppression could be contributing to the unusual total-T/free-T relationship.

Rather than trying to determine vial potency from bloodwork alone, I've sent a sample of the KGear Test E vial to Janoshik for blind identity and concentration testing. That should give me a much more definitive answer about what's actually in the vial.

💭 Overall Thoughts

Biggest positive: The scale is finally moving again, and I'm seeing the direction I wanted after several weeks of fluctuations.

Biggest challenge: Cumulative fatigue and appetite suppression have become more noticeable.

Plan for Week 6:
Continue the cut, reduce training to 5 days, lower Reta to 4 mg/week for better food tolerance, monitor the response to the increased AI, and continue monitoring the bloodwork closely.

Still early, but I’m starting to see the direction I’m looking for. 💪

Stay anabolic.

 

[Tairy_Hesticles]

📋 WEEK 6 — CYCLE LOG
🔄 Cycle Midpoint | Week 0 → Week 6
💉 CURRENT CYCLE

• Test E: 400 mg/week
• AI: 2 mg/week
• Training: 5 days/week
• Anavar – Reduced to 20 mg/day from 30 mg/day based on week 4 bloods
• Tesamorelin/Ipamorelin - 1 mg/0.5 mg blend
• Cycle status: Midpoint

🏋️ TRAINING & FEEDBACK

• 🟢 Feeling better with 5 days/week compared with the previous training frequency.
• 🟢 Strength remains strong with multiple PRs achieved during August
• 🔄 Planning to switch to a new 5-day workout routine to introduce a different training stimulus/muscle-confusion approach
• 🟢 No major subjective changes or concerns this week.

📸 PROGRESS PHOTOS — WEEK 0 → WEEK 6

• 🔍 Overall visual change is not drastic yet when comparing Week 0 with Week 6.
• 🟢 Face appears noticeably leaner, which is currently one of the clearest visual changes.
• 🟢 Overall muscular fullness remains strong.
• 📌 Progress is currently more subtle visual than expected for the midpoint, so continued photo comparisons will be important through the second half.

🧪 WEEK 6 BLOODWORK

Marker	Week 6	Assessment
🧬 Total Testosterone	1,510 ng/dL	🔴 Very high
💪 Free Testosterone	473.3 pg/mL	🔴 Very high
🌸 Estradiol	47 pg/mL	🟢 In preferred range
🧬 DHT	15 ng/dL	🔵 Low with finasteride
🧠 IGF-1	164 ng/mL	🟡 Low/modest response
🍬 Glucose	83 mg/dL	🟢 Normal
💉 Fasting Insulin	12 µIU/mL	🟡 Increased
📊 HOMA-IR	2.46	🟡 Monitor
🧪 ALT	126 U/L	🔴 Elevated
🧪 AST	48 U/L	🔴 Elevated
🧪 ALP	49 U/L	🟢 Normal
🩸 Hematocrit	46.4%	🟢 Normal
🩸 Hemoglobin	14.8 g/dL	🟢 Normal
🩸 Platelets	496K/µL	🔴 Elevated
🧲 Ferritin	118 ng/mL	🟢 Normal
🫀 LDL-C	~165 mg/dL	🔴 High
🫀 HDL-C	23 mg/dL	🔴 Very low
🫀 Triglycerides	132 mg/dL	🟢 Normal
🫀 Non-HDL-C	192 mg/dL	🔴 High

⚠️ WEEK 6 LAB ASSESSMENT
🫀 Lipids: The biggest cardiovascular concern remains the very unfavorable LDL/HDL profile — approximately 165 LDL and 23 HDL. AAS exposure is well documented to worsen LDL/HDL profiles, with oral AAS often producing particularly pronounced effects.

🧪 Liver: ALT increased to 126 U/L and AST to 48 U/L, while bilirubin and ALP remain normal. The elevation warrants continued monitoring and consideration of other contributors such as oral anabolic use, strenuous training, alcohol, medications/supplements, and underlying liver disease.

🩸 Platelets: Platelets are 496K/µL, which is above the usual thrombocytosis threshold of 450K. This should be rechecked rather than assumed to be a direct testosterone effect, particularly given the concurrent liver-enzyme elevation.

🍬 Insulin: Fasting insulin increased to 12 µIU/mL, with glucose still normal at 83 mg/dL. HOMA-IR is approximately 2.46, so insulin sensitivity will be worth watching on subsequent labs. This is likely due to Tesamorelin/Ipamorelin pin the night before. However, IGF-1 has not increased likely due to elevated liver enzymes.
🌸 AI / E2 MANAGEMENT

2 mg/week of AI brought E2 to 47 pg/mL despite the higher testosterone exposure and current body-fat level.
🟢 This puts E2 within the 35–50 pg/mL range that has been working well symptomatically.

⚠️ The important variable going forward is body-fat reduction. As body fat decreases, aromatization may decrease as well, meaning the current 2 mg/week AI dose could eventually become more suppressive than necessary.
Plan: Continue to monitor E2 rather than automatically increasing AI, particularly as body composition changes. The goal is to avoid both excessive estrogen and unnecessary estrogen suppression.

🧪 TESTOSTERONE PRODUCT CHECK
The KGear Test E vial was independently tested by Janoshik: https://verify.janoshik.com/tests/226286-KGTE250_92TBMRHYZ97J

• 🧪 Label: 250 mg/mL
• 🔬 Janoshik result: 233.45 mg/mL
• 📉 Actual vs. label: 93.38%
• ⚠️ Underdosed: ~6.6%

This indicates the tested vial was slightly underdosed, but not dramatically so. Based on that result, 400 mg/week labeled exposure would correspond to approximately 373 mg/week actual testosterone enanthate, assuming the concentration and injection volumes are representative.

🎯 WEEK 6 SUMMARY

🟢 Training: Feeling better on 5 days/week
🟢 Strength: Strong / PRs maintained
🟢 E2: 47 pg/mL on 2 mg AI
🟡 Insulin: Increased; monitor trend
🔴 Liver: ALT/AST elevated
🔴 Lipids: Major cardiovascular concern
🔴 Platelets: Elevated; repeat CBC
🔄 Training: New 5-day split planned
🧪 Test E: Janoshik confirmed slight underdosing

Overall: Midpoint is characterized by strong training performance and subtle visible physique changes, with the main priorities for the second half being monitoring liver enzymes, lipids, platelets, insulin sensitivity, and E2 as body fat continues to decrease.