How to Build Your First Steroid Cycle: The Essential Blueprint

Every first-time steroid user experiences the same moment. Your browser is open. Your cursor hovers over “Add to Cart.” And suddenly you realize: you have no idea if you are doing this right.

Should you buy Testosterone or Anavar? What is PCT? Do you need the ancillaries everyone mentions but few explain?

After more than a decade in this industry, I have watched thousands of first-time buyers make the same mistakes. These mistakes rarely come from the steroids themselves. They come from what people fail to buy alongside them.

This guide is not about maximum gains. It is about maximum learning.

The Golden Rule of First Cycles

Your first cycle is not for maximum gains. It is for maximum learning.

You are introducing external hormones into a system that has regulated itself since puberty. You do not know your aromatization rate. You do not know your side-effect profile. You do not know how you will respond psychologically to elevated androgen levels.

The goal of a first cycle is to answer these questions with as few variables as possible.

You cannot do that with four compounds. You cannot do that with unverified sources. And you cannot do that without bloodwork, ancillaries, and post-cycle therapy.

Simplicity is safety. Predictability is progress.

Step 1: Choose Your Foundation

Testosterone is the only compound you need for your first cycle.

Not Trenbolone. Not Dianabol. Not Deca. Testosterone.

Why? Because testosterone is bioidentical. Your body already produces it. If side effects appear, they are usually predictable and manageable. With harsher compounds, problems can escalate quickly with little room for control.

First cycle protocol:

One compound. One variable. One focus.

Why 300–400 mg?
High enough to produce noticeable results, but low enough to keep side effects manageable and recovery straightforward.

Why long esters?
Fewer injections, stable hormone levels, and fewer peaks and crashes.

For first-time users, sourcing matters as much as the protocol. Muscle Gear has supplied pharmaceutical-grade testosterone from brands like Novo-Pharm and Apoxar since 2012. Verified batches, expiry dates, and long-term operational history provide the kind of consistency beginners need.

Step 2: Secure Your Ancillaries First

Here is the paradox: you may not need ancillaries—but if you do, you need them immediately.

You cannot wait for shipping while symptoms develop.

Essential ancillaries for every first cycle:

Aromasin (Exemestane)

A powerful aromatase inhibitor.
Take 12.5 mg only if symptoms appear: nipple sensitivity, puffiness, or itching.

Do not use it preemptively. Estrogen is important for libido, mood, and cardiovascular health. The goal is control, not elimination.

Nolvadex (Tamoxifen)

Blocks estrogen receptors in breast tissue.
Use 20 mg daily if symptoms persist despite Aromasin.

TUDCA or NAC

Even injectable cycles place stress on the liver.

• TUDCA: 500–1000 mg daily
• NAC: 600–1200 mg daily

Pharmaceutical Omega-3s

Testosterone can suppress HDL cholesterol.
Take 3,000 mg combined EPA/DHA daily.
Standard fish oil capsules are usually insufficient.

Muscle Gear stocks all essential ancillaries, allowing users to order everything in one shipment and keep it ready before the cycle begins. Ideally, you never need them—but if you do, they should already be in your drawer.

Step 3: Secure Your PCT Before Your First Injection

If there is one priority beginners consistently get wrong, it is post-cycle therapy.

Many users buy steroids, run the cycle, and tell themselves they will “figure out PCT later.” Later arrives. Estrogen rebounds. Testosterone remains suppressed. Gains disappear. Libido disappears. And the vendor they used is no longer responding.

PCT is not optional.

When you introduce external testosterone, your natural production shuts down. This is normal. But once the external source is removed, your body does not automatically restart production at full capacity.

PCT provides that signal.

Standard first-cycle PCT protocol:

Timing:
Start PCT two weeks after your last testosterone injection.

Muscle Gear provides pharmaceutical-grade Nolvadex and Clomid, not research liquids or unverified suspensions. For beginners, accurate dosing and reliable supply matter more than price.

Step 4: Secure Your Monitoring Equipment

You cannot manage what you cannot measure.

Bloodwork

Pre-cycle:

• CBC
• Lipid panel
• Metabolic panel
• Hormones (total and free testosterone, LH, FSH, estradiol, SHBG)

Mid-cycle (week 5–6):

• Estradiol
• Hematocrit
• Lipids

Post-PCT (4 weeks after last SERM):
Compare results to your baseline.

Home Blood Pressure Monitor

Steroids can increase hematocrit, water retention, and cardiac workload. Hypertension often has no symptoms.

Measure every other morning.
If systolic pressure consistently exceeds 140, take corrective action.

Digital Milligram Scale

If using oral compounds in future cycles, accurate dosing matters. Tablet splitting without verification leads to errors.

Step 5: Execute the Cycle

Weeks 1–12

• Inject 150–200 mg testosterone every 3.5 days.
• Check blood pressure every 48 hours.
• Monitor for nipple sensitivity.
• Train hard, eat in a slight surplus, and sleep at least 7 hours.

Do not add compounds.
Do not increase the dose.
Do not extend the duration.

If estrogen symptoms appear:

1. Take 12.5 mg Aromasin.
2. Wait 24 hours and reassess.
3. If symptoms persist, take another 12.5 mg.
4. If symptoms continue beyond 48 hours, add 20 mg Nolvadex daily.

Weeks 13–14: Clearance Period

• No injections
• No ancillaries
• Continue cardio and clean nutrition

Weeks 15–18: PCT

• Nolvadex: 40/40/20/20
• Clomid: 50/50/25/25

Maintain training. Expect some strength decline. This is normal.

Week 19+

Get bloodwork four weeks after your last SERM.

If hormone levels return to baseline, plan your next cycle only after taking at least as much time off as you spent on.

What Does Not Belong in Your First Cycle

• Trenbolone
• Dianabol or Anadrol
• Superdrol
• Equipoise
• Deca-Durabolin
• Any compound you cannot clearly explain

You have your entire training career to experiment. You have exactly one chance to establish your baseline response. Do not complicate it.

Why Muscle Gear Is a Trusted Source for First Cycles

First cycles require certainty.

Underdosed testosterone can suppress your natural production without producing results. Counterfeit or mislabeled compounds can create serious side effects. Shipping delays can leave you without PCT when you need it most.

Muscle Gear has operated in Canada since 2012 and distributes products from established manufacturers such as:

• Apoxar (injectables)
• Novo-Pharm (orals and ancillaries)
• NeoSARMS
• Nurotropin
• Innovagen

Longevity is one of the strongest signals of reliability in this industry. Vendors who survive more than a decade typically do so because they deliver consistent quality, reliable shipping, and responsive service.

For first-time buyers, that stability matters more than chasing the newest or cheapest option.

The First Cycle Checklist

From Muscle Gear:

• Testosterone Enanthate or Cypionate
• Aromasin
• Nolvadex
• Clomid
• TUDCA or NAC
• Pharmaceutical omega-3s

From a pharmacy or medical supplier:

• Syringes and needles
• Alcohol swabs
• Sharps container
• Home blood pressure monitor
• Digital milligram scale

From a lab:

• Pre-cycle bloodwork
• Mid-cycle bloodwork
• Post-PCT bloodwork

From yourself:

• Commitment to one compound only
• Commitment to proper PCT
• Commitment to bloodwork
• Commitment to equal time off as time on

The Final Word

Anabolic steroids are powerful tools. They build tissue, accelerate recovery, and transform physiques in ways natural training cannot replicate.

But effectiveness is not the same as simplicity.

The difference between a successful first cycle and a cautionary tale is rarely the steroid itself. It is everything around it:

• Bloodwork that revealed rising estradiol early
• Aromasin available when symptoms appeared
• PCT purchased before it was needed
• A reliable supplier with a long operational history

Muscle Gear has filled that role for Canadian buyers for more than a decade. They have served multiple generations of customers, products, and protocols—and they will still be there when you finish your cycle and need support for the next step.

Buy the testosterone.
Buy the ancillaries.
Buy the monitoring tools.

But most importantly, buy from a source that has proven it will still be there when you need it.

For more, visit Pure Magazine