What's your current old man cycle?

[verylargeshoes]

Six weeks isn't bad. I think mine failed but it's all a guess till I get some imaging.

Imaging? Fancy. My surgeon just poked me in the belly a few times. Seemed pretty low-tech for a guy who's going to use robots to operate on me.

Good luck!

 

[BamaCrazy]

Imaging? Fancy. My surgeon just poked me in the belly a few times. Seemed pretty low-tech for a guy who's going to use robots to operate on me.

Good luck!

I’m putting my surgery off until the Fall. It’s not causing me issues yet, but I can see the lump pop out when doing squats and ab exercises.

 

[verylargeshoes]

I’m putting my surgery off until the Fall. It’s not causing me issues yet, but I can see the lump pop out when doing squats and ab exercises.

I had really good luck wearing a truss (link) while in the gym. It's not really obvious under a regular t-shirt. Thanks to that, the hernia causes me more trouble just walking around than it does when I'm working out. Zero issues while lifting.

Before getting all that figured out, I did have a scare where it protruded and I couldn't get it to reduce, and unlike the soft feel it normally had, it was very inflexible to the touch. Hurt like a bitch, too. I enjoyed a nice little Dilaudid IV cocktail while waiting in the ER, and then the doc was able to fix it by having me lie supine and arch my back while he got real personal with it. I would not recommend that experience to you.

The ER doc told me no more lifting anything more than 15 pounds. A week later, my surgeon said that as long as the truss was working for me, I was welcome to do "any workout you can get away with" until my surgery. I laid off the heavy squats and ab exercises, and try not to hold my breath/valsalva when straining, but otherwise I'm gaining and hitting new PRs.

Anyway, wrap that thing up before it gets out of hand.

 

[deadbeef]

Exact same thing happened to me. Had one fixed, and the repair failed. So I'll be getting a mesh this time around. My doc says 6 weeks for a full return to lifting, which isn't too bad.

Is he doing open or laparoscopic? I have an inguinal hernia that my surgeon said I can return to lifting after two weeks. He'll be doing laparoscopic. I had the same thing repaired 8 years ago the same way and two weeks is what I took off then, also.

 

[verylargeshoes]

Is he doing open or laparoscopic? I have an inguinal hernia that my surgeon said I can return to lifting after two weeks. He'll be doing laparoscopic. I had the same thing repaired 8 years ago the same way and two weeks is what I took off then, also.

Laparoscopic. Two weeks is fast! I’ll see if I can haggle him down

 

[roofer22]

I had really good luck wearing a truss (link) while in the gym. It's not really obvious under a regular t-shirt. Thanks to that, the hernia causes me more trouble just walking around than it does when I'm working out. Zero issues while lifting.

Before getting all that figured out, I did have a scare where it protruded and I couldn'

I had really good luck wearing a truss (link) while in the gym. It's not really obvious under a regular t-shirt. Thanks to that, the hernia causes me more trouble just walking around than it does when I'm working out. Zero issues while lifting.

Thanks for this, I ordered one. The only thing I worry about is it hurts just to touch mine lightly. I'm not sure how it's going to feel compressed. It's supposed to land today, so I'll find out.

 

[verylargeshoes]

Thanks for this, I ordered one. The only thing I worry about is it hurts just to touch mine lightly. I'm not sure how it's going to feel compressed. It's supposed to land today, so I'll find out.

If you can’t mostly reduce the hernia and it hurts to touch, yeah, that support isn’t going to be pleasant. It comes with pads with lumps/plugs of various sizes to focus pressure to fill the hernia gap and prevent escape. Sounds like you’re past that point. If I were you, I’d take it super easy until your doc appt Monday, and don’t try anything new until you find out more.

It’s just my opinion, but people just shouldn’t be turning inside out like this. It’s bad design.

Good luck with it, roofer, and keep us posted.

 

[roofer22]

If you can’t mostly reduce the hernia and it hurts to touch, yeah, that support isn’t going to be pleasant. It comes with pads with lumps/plugs of various sizes to focus pressure to fill the hernia gap and prevent escape. Sounds like you’re past that point. If I were you, I’d take it super easy until your doc appt Monday, and don’t try anything new until you find out more.

It’s just my opinion, but people just shouldn’t be turning inside out like this. It’s bad design.

Good luck with it, roofer, and keep us posted.

Yeah, maybe it will help for the recovery phase. I had surgery once and it sucked. I couldn't get out of bed to piss for a couple days. And then I talk to people who say it was no big deal. Maybe because I had two fixed it was worse.

Regardless I'm going to cancel my labs. No point in getting baselines now.

 

[SonhoDourado]

200mg Test/week+ 50Mg of Var pre workout for 6 weeks. My TRT dose is 150/week so this isn’t much of a cycle per say. Just a slight bump in dose with the Anavar to boost workouts and performance. Late 40’s now so only trying to use the least amount necessary to achieve my current goals. Which is to stay lean and healthy. Will be getting bw 6 -8weeks after cycle ends in September to see how bad lipids where affected. Currently running Jeff Longs Like A Pro Complete Health V3,Nordic naturals extra strength fish oil+ Revive MD Lipids formula. Really wanted to run mast or primo this summer but with the shortages going on this was the best bet as I already had extra test+my script test Cyp and the Var.

 

[RockyP]

200mg Test/week+ 50Mg of Var pre workout for 6 weeks. My TRT dose is 150/week so this isn’t much of a cycle per say. Just a slight bump in dose with the Anavar to boost workouts and performance. Late 40’s now so only trying to use the least amount necessary to achieve my current goals. Which is to stay lean and healthy. Will be getting bw 6 -8weeks after cycle ends in September to see how bad lipids where affected. Currently running Jeff Longs Like A Pro Complete Health V3,Nordic naturals extra strength fish oil+ Revive MD Lipids formula. Really wanted to run mast or primo this summer but with the shortages going on this was the best bet as I already had extra test+my script test Cyp and the Var.

I would think that your Lipids would return to baseline 6 to 8 weeks after the cycle. I'm in a similar boat as you age-wise and risk mitigation-wise. I'm running 225 test / 150 primo and am getting the itch to throw in some pre-workout anavar a few days per week. I'm concerned about lipids so I'm going to test my bloods in 4 to 6 weeks on the primo. If all is ok and I decide to do the anavar i'm going to check bloods while on it. I want to see how bad the HDL lowering is so I can assess future runs (if they are to be). If the lipids are normal 2 months after the cycle I would definitely be pleased with that, but I'm curious as to how bad the impact is while running the compounds.

 

[deadbeef]

Here's what my lipids did on 25mg var for 6 weeks:

HDL: 41 -> 32
LDL: 52 -> 48
ApoB: 59 -> 62

I am on lipid lowering meds.

 

[RockyP]

Here's what my lipids did on 25mg var for 6 weeks:

HDL: 41 -> 32
LDL: 52 -> 48
ApoB: 59 -> 62

I am on lipid lowering meds.

Not too bad at all. After a long discussion with my cardiologist, not wanting to condone any PED usage beyond TRT, he relented and said that with APoB numbers like that and LDL < 55, HDL almost doesn’t matter (at least for short stints).

You were running it daily yes? Not just preworkout?

 

[bastxpl]

Current Old Man Stack (turning 50 on 7/13)– July 2025

Anabolics:

Test E (Jelfa) + Primobolan Depot: Daily 1 mL injection (drawn from 5 mL mix – 300 mg Test / 200 mg Primo weekly)

Oral Tbol: 30 mg/day

HGH (Somato): 3 IU/day – 2 IU AM, 1 IU PM

Peptides & Adjuncts:

MOTS-c: 5x/week, AM fasted

Glutathione + Methylene Blue pen: AM, taken with MOTS-c

TB-500 + BPC-157 (premixed): post-lift

Selank: AM, focus and autonomic balance

GHK-Cu: sub-Q + topical use on skin (abdomen, elbows, crow’s feet)

(No TA-1 currently, but cycle to help immunity)

Supplements:

AM: NMN, Ubiquinol, NAC, EPA/DHA, Vitamins

PM: Magnesium (Threonate + Glycinate), Spermidine, GABA/melatonin-based sleep stack

Bloods (latest):

Total T: 1250 ng/dL | Free T: 32 ng/dL

E2 (sensitive): ~32 pg/mL | LDL: 68 | HDL: 64 | Trig: 72

CRP-hs: 0.3 | A1C: 5.1%

Diet:

Cutting (~2,000–2,200 kcal):

~180g protein / 75g fat / 100–150g carbs (training-day adjusted)

Mediterranean foundation, plus whey post-lift

Tirzepatide to keep appetite and A1C in check. I'm on Telmisartan (30mg), Crestor (20mg), and a low-dose rhythm med (3.75 Bisocard), all monitored. That’s why I’m not sweating BP or cholesterol on Primo/Tbol.

16:8 or 18:6 fasting on off-days

Training:

Rucking: Tues/Thurs – 3.5–5 miles with 44.5 lb

Lifting: Mon/Wed/Fri – garage gym while my trainer’s on his usual summer month off

Recovery: hikes, long walks, calisthenics (optional Sat)

Body Comp & Transition: Down over 75 pounds the past year (~260 → ~180).
Currently around 20–23% BF (via Navy method + smart scale), aiming for 15%. Just picked up a Garmin scale to tighten the tracking.

Skin’s holding up better than expected, though I’ve got minor sag at the elbows. I’ve been hitting problem areas with GHK-Cu (sub-Q + topical) and a red light/TMS wand on the lower abs and crow’s feet.

Planning a rest phase (TRT-only) soon, then transitioning into a lean bulk to help restore fullness and minimize loose skin.

Not posting physique shots yet, but I’ll throw up a few clothed ones. Full progress pics to follow once this cut wraps.

Update – Mid-Cycle Adjustment (Week 5)

Quick follow-up to my July 11 post — I made an early tweak when nipple sensitivity hit hard (felt like my shirt was going to sand them off). Rather than let E2 creep higher, I bumped the test up, adjusted the orals, and added Masteron to tighten things up.

Current Cycle – Aug 2025 (Week 5 of 12)

Test C / Test E (combined): 500 mg/week (400 mg Test C + 100 mg TRT Test E)

Primobolan Depot: 200 mg/week

Masteron E: 300 mg/week (added Week 5)

Orals: Swapping from Dbol (40 mg/day, Weeks 5–6) to Tbol (30 mg/day starting Week 7)

HGH (Somato): 3 IU/day – 2 IU AM, 1 IU PM

Peptides & Adjuncts: MOTS-c (AM fasted), TB-500 + BPC-157 post-lift, Selank (AM), GHK-Cu sub-Q + topical, Glutathione + Methylene Blue pen (AM)


Bloods (most recent):

Total T: 1250 ng/dL | Free T: 32 ng/dL

E2 (sensitive): ~32 pg/mL

LDL: 68 | HDL: 64 | Trig: 72

CRP-hs: 0.3 | A1C: 5.1%


Diet & Training:

Calories: ~2,000–2,200/day

Macros (yesterday’s actuals): ~180g protein / 150–170g fat / ≤30g net carbs

Whole food–based keto, timed carbs on lift days

Mon/Wed/Fri: Personal trainer – HIIT, CrossFit, and powerlifting hybrid

Tues/Thurs: Rucking (3.5–5 mi, 44.5 lb)


Plan Forward:
Run this through Week 12, then do a 6–8 week TRT cruise (~100–150 mg/week) before the next cycle.

 

[roofer22]

Update – Mid-Cycle Adjustment (Week 5)

Quick follow-up to my July 11 post — I made an early tweak when nipple sensitivity hit hard (felt like my shirt was going to sand them off). Rather than let E2 creep higher, I bumped the test up, adjusted the orals, and added Masteron to tighten things up.

Current Cycle – Aug 2025 (Week 5 of 12)

Test C / Test E (combined): 500 mg/week (400 mg Test C + 100 mg TRT Test E)

Primobolan Depot: 200 mg/week

Masteron E: 300 mg/week (added Week 5)

Orals: Swapping from Dbol (40 mg/day, Weeks 5–6) to Tbol (30 mg/day starting Week 7)

HGH (Somato): 3 IU/day – 2 IU AM, 1 IU PM

Peptides & Adjuncts: MOTS-c (AM fasted), TB-500 + BPC-157 post-lift, Selank (AM), GHK-Cu sub-Q + topical, Glutathione + Methylene Blue pen (AM)


Bloods (most recent):

Total T: 1250 ng/dL | Free T: 32 ng/dL

E2 (sensitive): ~32 pg/mL

LDL: 68 | HDL: 64 | Trig: 72

CRP-hs: 0.3 | A1C: 5.1%


Diet & Training:

Calories: ~2,000–2,200/day

Macros (yesterday’s actuals): ~180g protein / 150–170g fat / ≤30g net carbs

Whole food–based keto, timed carbs on lift days

Mon/Wed/Fri: Personal trainer – HIIT, CrossFit, and powerlifting hybrid

Tues/Thurs: Rucking (3.5–5 mi, 44.5 lb)


Plan Forward:
Run this through Week 12, then do a 6–8 week TRT cruise (~100–150 mg/week) before the next cycle.

Are you cutting? Calories seem kind of low for a bulk which I figured you were on with dbol. Recomp?

 

[bastxpl]

Are you cutting? Calories seem kind of low for a bulk which I figured you were on with dbol. Recomp?

Yeah, it’s a hybrid. I started the cycle in more of a cut/recomp phase... leaning on the dbol for strength and performance while keeping calories controlled to keep fat gain in check. I’m not in a full surplus yet. I’ll be swapping to tbol shortly for a cleaner, drier finish before cruising, then I’ll push into a proper lean bulk next cycle.

 

[RockyP]

Yeah, it’s a hybrid. I started the cycle in more of a cut/recomp phase... leaning on the dbol for strength and performance while keeping calories controlled to keep fat gain in check. I’m not in a full surplus yet. I’ll be swapping to tbol shortly for a cleaner, drier finish before cruising, then I’ll push into a proper lean bulk next cycle.

Using compounds like nandrolone and DBol when in a deficit is a nice hack I like to use (not the DBol but def NPP) to move a cut along and stay full / strong before adding in things like tren / mast.

 

[bastxpl]

Are you cutting? Calories seem kind of low for a bulk which I figured you were on with dbol. Recomp?

As an aside... anecdotally, I think orals scare a lot of people off, but I’ve been watching a lot of Dr. Mike Israetel’s content (worth checking out if you’re into diet and performance optimization). He’s an open PED user and often brings on legit subject matter experts.

Both dbol and tbol give me an insane energy and focus boost about 45–60 min after taking them—lasts 2–3 hrs. Honestly, that’s the main reason I’ll probably keep them in, assuming my liver values stay clean. I’m running NAC + TUDCA, dosing 20–30 mg/day, and timing it pre-workout or pre-ruck. The performance kick is real for me... whether or not the muscle gain from the oral alone is huge, the training output is night-and-day better.

 

[roofer22]

As an aside... anecdotally, I think orals scare a lot of people off, but I’ve been watching a lot of Dr. Mike Israetel’s content (worth checking out if you’re into diet and performance optimization). He’s an open PED user and often brings on legit subject matter experts.

Both dbol and tbol give me an insane energy and focus boost about 45–60 min after taking them—lasts 2–3 hrs. Honestly, that’s the main reason I’ll probably keep them in, assuming my liver values stay clean. I’m running NAC + TUDCA, dosing 20–30 mg/day, and timing it pre-workout or pre-ruck. The performance kick is real for me... whether or not the muscle gain from the oral alone is huge, the training output is night-and-day better.

I used to love dbol in my 20's, not so much anymore. I watch some of Dr. Mike's stuff. One thing about him I don't like is he had a video suggesting an oral only cycle for first timers. I can't get down with that.

 

[bastxpl]

I used to love dbol in my 20's, not so much anymore. I watch some of Dr. Mike's stuff. One thing about him I don't like is he had a video suggesting an oral only cycle for first timers. I can't get down with that.

I concur (abt Dr. Mike). Like all these podcasters and SME's you have to sift through a lot to get the good information. This is my first time incorporating D-bol or T-bol, so I will hold my full evaluation on that for now.

 

[deadbeef]

Not too bad at all. After a long discussion with my cardiologist, not wanting to condone any PED usage beyond TRT, he relented and said that with APoB numbers like that and LDL < 55, HDL almost doesn’t matter (at least for short stints).

Agreed. Because of these numbers I'd feel comfortable continuing for another 6 weeks.

You were running it daily yes? Not just preworkout?

Yes, 12.5mg morning and 12.5mg in the afternoon.