u/Cmd_reboot_sim

I just started 200mg a week and want to make the most out of this honeymoon phase. I’ve been lifting for about 3 years but have made little gains over that time. Prior to getting on TRT I lost 35lbs in 12 weeks with Reta and definitely lost a pretty decent amount of muscle. Went from benching 215 to struggling with 175. All my compound lifts dropped by a lot.

I dropped my Reta dose and am now beginning a slow bulking phase. I want to build muscle but I think for me more importantly I want to focus on strength until I can hit 2 plates on a bench press. I think TRT will help me achieve this goal. I’ve only ever done power building routines structured into a 5 day PPL/UL or just 4 days U/L splits.

What would you guys recommend for someone in my situation? Should I do something like starting strength? I completely skipped over that as a beginner. I’d like to build muscle as well but for me my main priority for now is strength.

32 M, 157lbs 5’9”. I just recently lost 35lbs in 12 weeks using Reta. I went from 192 to 157. I realize this was pretty fast, I also was not meeting protein goals for about 1/3 of this phase. I believe I lost a significant amount of muscle and it’s definitely showed in my training. These last 2-3 weeks I have been struggling to finish some workouts and have even skipped a few days in the gym. My compound lifts dropped 20-30%.
I’ve been consistently lifting 5 days a week for the better part of the last 3 years now and I maybe have just lost most of the muscle I worked so hard to gain. I look tiny now with a semi muscular build. More like a runners build. My daughter said I have a “Justin Bieber build” which honestly kinda destroyed me inside lol… I’m trying to look jacked…

My test levels were low before I got on Reta but now even lower. Free T and SHBG very high, estradiol very low. i just started 200mg test last week. 3x a week IM injection M/W/F. I’m going on vacation tomorrow and just took my last dose of Reta. I expect when I get back from vacation I will be around 160lbs and start titrating off the Reta. My plan is to hit the gym consistently 5 days a week like I was before getting on Reta and begin bulking. Before test I had trouble building muscle, even with a clean diet and consistent resistance training. I want to get the most out of this honeymoon phase and while I’m taking 200mg try to build as much muscle as I can before I decrease dose to mitigate side effects. I plan to run TRT for life but really want to take advantage of this muscle building phase.

What can I do to make the most of this test? I plan to lock in and I am super excited to see what limits I can push. I’ve been working out consistently for 3 years now and have stalled at 215lb bench, 250 squat, 320 deadlift. It’s been frustrating putting so much hard work into the gym and not reaping the benefits fits I see that others get. I definitely put the work in. What are things I should focus on?

Started TRT on Friday 7/17. Today I noticed a dull ache in my testes, started mild but has gotten worse throughout the day. Currently at work and the discomfort is causing a subtle limp. I’m noticing a lot of discomfort in the testes and abdomen area. I know that exogenous testosterone will cause your natural production to shut down and in result shrinking your testes but I was not expecting that to start so soon? Anyone else experience this? It feels like the day after I got my vasectomy. Was not expecting that at all…