Prep cycle critique

[Shlux]

Good morning ASF.

I'm planning on doing my first show in May of 2026 and I've been planning a 20 week prep cycle as follows

Proposed cycle
1-14 EQ 500mg/week
1-16 Test E 500mg/week
1-20 Aromasin 12.5mg EOD
14-19 Tren A 100-250mg/week
**15-20 Retatrutide .5/.5/1/1/2/2mg
17-20 Test P 350mg/week
17-20 Mast P 400-450mg/week
17-20 Winstrol 50/50/50/75
19-20 Halo 20mg daily
**Dose may change depending on where I'm at.

I'm 33 years old, 5'7", 190lbs, and have been training for about 15 years, and have experience with all drugs listed.

I will be hiring a coach for the last 8-12 weeks but this is my general plan.

Please let me know what you think and any critiques are welcome.
Thanks bros

 

[Bigjape34]

got a pic you can post? Ever prepped before? Why add the prop in week 17? What’s your trading split look like? Why aromasin right off the bat? From what I know and there are much more knowledgeable people than me but I wouldn’t have tunnel vision with those compounds and dosages you’ve used em before but never for a prep. What’s your diet look like? Which coach were you thinking of using and I’d personally get one sooner

 

[thebiggestdumbass]

Hire a coach now. Coaches won’t want to have to clean up your mess, for lack of a better term, on that short of a time line. Plus work g with someone the entire time gives them more time to learn you which means delivering a better package.

If you don’t go that route:

That’s a fuck ton of Reta your going to be backed up.

Drop the eq, use mast the entire time and increase it at week 17. If you want another anabolic in till tren goes in, something dry like primo or dhb. I’d personally go for dhb since I don’t get much from primo

Cut your test e dosage in half and add in that half of test P. This will allow you to reduce the test e over the course of the cycle while increasing the test p at the same time. Have test e mostly out by 3 weeks out or keep in 50mg. I found I was less watery my last prep with this combination.

Tren looks fine but personally, I would run it at 300

Any clen, t3/t4?

 

[Meetketchup]

I will be hiring a coach for the last 8-12 weeks but this is my general plan.

Good luck finding one that will take on someone that close out from a show. Always best to get one for the off-season before so they know how your body works. If you are going to get one. Get one now.

It's ok to have a basic outline of what to run, but it's a week-to-week thing. You have a lot in there.

 

[Shlux]

I started a prep 2 years ago but unfortunately never got to complete it due to life things.

The prop was to have minimal water retention as I read some people like to switch 4 weeks out, i wasnt quite sure on that.

Oh my bad on aromasin from week 1, that should've been week 3.

I do a push pull legs split that rotates through 3 different workouts each. 3 push, 3 pull, 3 leg days.

I attached my starting diet. I'll be upping carbs and cheat meals as needed until im in a surplus which is usually around 3800 cals.

 

[Shlux]

 

[Shlux]

Hire a coach now. Coaches won’t want to have to clean up your mess, for lack of a better term, on that short of a time line. Plus work g with someone the entire time gives them more time to learn you which means delivering a better package.

If you don’t go that route:

That’s a fuck ton of Reta your going to be backed up.

Drop the eq, use mast the entire time and increase it at week 17. If you want another anabolic in till tren goes in, something dry like primo or dhb. I’d personally go for dhb since I don’t get much from primo

Cut your test e dosage in half and add in that half of test P. This will allow you to reduce the test e over the course of the cycle while increasing the test p at the same time. Have test e mostly out by 3 weeks out or keep in 50mg. I found I was less watery my last prep with this combination.

Tren looks fine but personally, I would run it at 300

Any clen, t3/t4?

Hire a coach now. Coaches won’t want to have to clean up your mess, for lack of a better term, on that short of a time line. Plus work g with someone the entire time gives them more time to learn you which means delivering a better package.

If you don’t go that route:

That’s a fuck ton of Reta your going to be backed up.

Drop the eq, use mast the entire time and increase it at week 17. If you want another anabolic in till tren goes in, something dry like primo or dhb. I’d personally go for dhb since I don’t get much from primo

Cut your test e dosage in half and add in that half of test P. This will allow you to reduce the test e over the course of the cycle while increasing the test p at the same time. Have test e mostly out by 3 weeks out or keep in 50mg. I found I was less watery my last prep with this combination.

Tren looks fine but personally, I would run it at 300

Any clen, t3/t4?

Hey thanks dude, I appreciate it. I'll just hire a coach at the end of the month. I would run the tren higher but tren makes me feel like total dog shit past 200-250. Considering T3 but really want to avoid clen as it messes with my heart to much.

 

[Shlux]

Good luck finding one that will take on someone that close out from a show. Always best to get one for the off-season before so they know how your body works. If you are going to get one. Get one now.

It's ok to have a basic outline of what to run, but it's a week-to-week thing. You have a lot in there.

Yeah I think I'll just hire a coach next month. I don't think I grasp prep enough to make these calls. That's what I was trying to feel out here

 

[thebiggestdumbass]

Hey thanks dude, I appreciate it. I'll just hire a coach at the end of the month. I would run the tren higher but tren makes me feel like total dog shit past 200-250. Considering T3 but really want to avoid clen as it messes with my heart to much.

T3 is a great option.

I’ve found tren side effects are close to non existent at the end of prep

 

[Halfi]

Why would u hire a coach the last 8-12 weeks? lol u think these guys have a magic ball or something and know how ur ganna respond immidiatley? I wish u the best man but ur only hurting ur self in that situation. Hire somebody and work with them the whole way. It’s ganna take a lot longer then 8-12 weeks of a prep to learn how u respond to things

 

[Shlux]

T3 is a great option.

I’ve found tren side effects are close to non existent at the end of prep

Thats a relief!

 

[Shlux]

Why would u hire a coach the last 8-12 weeks? lol u think these guys have a magic ball or something and know how ur ganna respond immidiatley? I wish u the best man but ur only hurting ur self in that situation. Hire somebody and work with them the whole way. It’s ganna take a lot longer then 8-12 weeks of a prep to learn how u respond to things

Ya I feel ya. I can admit when I'm wrong. I agree with you

 

[Sector.]

Like others said hiring a coach early makes more sense so they can figure out how your body responds to adjustments in carbs or fats or sodium and potassium changes and how that affects your water retention or how well you digest certain foods.

The cycle layout doesn’t look too horrific, not the best but not terrible either. If you don’t want to push the tren, could always go a little harder on the winstrol or add some superdrol the last week or two as it’ll help with fullness but without the subq water retention.

I also wouldn’t add the Reta in the final weeks. Could cause sides or digestion issues due to gastric emptying (and you don’t want to have digestion issues and be a bloated mess on stage. If anything I’d add it 12-8 weeks out, then as you get closer to the show drop it completely so you don’t get the delayed gastric emptying or potential flattening effects from the Reta.

Most people use run eq until 6 weeks out, test e up until 2 weeks out then they drop it completely, mast and tren usually goes up last 4-6 weeks, orals go In the last 2-4 weeks, usually starts low and tapers up (winstrol/halo/sometimes var and superdrol) but winstrol is really the bread and butter in terms of the look. Most also increase the AI the final couple weeks going into the show. I’d maybe up the aromasin the last two weeks or even go harder into letrozole to really nuke estrogen and dry out. Then assuming you’re lean and dry enough, it’s really just water manipulation. Enough carbs and sodium to stay full without spilling over and coming in watery and bloated, the right sodium to potassium ratios, thing like that.

Going with a coach early is a better bet though. The more time they get to learn you the more effective they can be with the adjustments they can make.

 

[Shlux]

Like others said hiring a coach early makes more sense so they can figure out how your body responds to adjustments in carbs or fats or sodium and potassium changes and how that affects your water retention or how well you digest certain foods.

The cycle layout doesn’t look too horrific, not the best but not terrible either. If you don’t want to push the tren, could always go a little harder on the winstrol or add some superdrol the last week or two as it’ll help with fullness but without the subq water retention.

I also wouldn’t add the Reta in the final weeks. Could cause sides or digestion issues due to gastric emptying (and you don’t want to have digestion issues and be a bloated mess on stage. If anything I’d add it 12-8 weeks out, then as you get closer to the show drop it completely so you don’t get the delayed gastric emptying or potential flattening effects from the Reta.

Most people use run eq until 6 weeks out, test e up until 2 weeks out then they drop it completely, mast and tren usually goes up last 4-6 weeks, orals go In the last 2-4 weeks, usually starts low and tapers up (winstrol/halo/sometimes var and superdrol) but winstrol is really the bread and butter in terms of the look. Most also increase the AI the final couple weeks going into the show. I’d maybe up the aromasin the last two weeks or even go harder into letrozole to really nuke estrogen and dry out. Then assuming you’re lean and dry enough, it’s really just water manipulation. Enough carbs and sodium to stay full without spilling over and coming in watery and bloated, the right sodium to potassium ratios, thing like that.

Going with a coach early is a better bet though. The more time they get to learn you the more effective they can be with the adjustments they can make.

Woah dude! Thanks alot. I appreciate all the info, thats a great write up. I will be hiring a coach by year end to help me out so I can focus all my energy on training and eating. I appreciate you brother

 

[lottalead]

Hey thanks dude, I appreciate it. I'll just hire a coach at the end of the month. I would run the tren higher but tren makes me feel like total dog shit past 200-250. Considering T3 but really want to avoid clen as it messes with my heart to much.

you have some smart people here for advice---i am not one of them