# An observation...



## Cashout (Jan 29, 2013)

In the past  six months, I've seen an increase in the number of HRT guys who, for whatever reason, are going the "Blast and Cruise" route.

If that process brings you closer to achieving your personal goals then by all means consider it as an option.

For your decision-make process, I'd like to offer you a couple of points for consideration when evaluating the "Blast and Cruise" model as part of your HRT program.

*1) The goal of HRT is all about improving health and quality of life.*
I always get concerned when I see guys doing things that are contrary to their health and well being. For us older guys in our 40's or 50's and beyond, we know better and should act accordingly. The older guys are the ones I'm preaching to with this point. If you have risk factors like high BP, skewed lipid profile, excessive body fat, pre-existing health conditions, ect, don't ignore those things and think that shooting some test is going to make those things disapear. Address those issues head on and work to rectify the conditions. If you are drinking, smoking, have a poor diet, take the steps necessary to remedy the causes. Don't even think about a "blast" until you have those issues properly address. All you are doing is compounding risk factors by blasting.

*2) If you have been on HRT less than a year don't "Blast and Cruise." *
Look, you started HRT because you had a health issue - you felt bad enough to seek out help and try to alleviate the source of your illness. Let your body acclimate to your HRT protocol and give yourself some time to evaluate how it has impacted your health and well being. I hate to see guys 3 or 6 months into a new HRT protocol start "blastng." Heck, 6 months is nothing in terms of HRT. For most it will take at least a year before the full effects and refined protocol actually are realized fully. Give yourself time to establish a new baseline before you go tinkering with your program and screwing things up.

Okay, rant off.


----------



## sfstud33 (Jan 29, 2013)

I think the guys doing blast & cruise can not all be lumped into one pool of old sick men. 

I can only speak for myself but my health is pretty excellent except i have low T. Apart from the low T, my cholesterol is good, other blood results are good, weight is good and im fitter now than i was when i was 20. 

With regard to my low T, i put up with it for years. I had tests going back to 2004 confirming it was low, but i thought it would maybe rise. This was before ever doing a cycle, so i know that steroids were not the root cause.

So those of us that are using HRT may choose to "supplement" it from time to time, but the overall goal is to ensure that everything done maximizes your chances for living a long, healthy and productive life. That means not going crazy, and finding what works best. If i can use anabolics or growth hormone to delay the effects of aging and keep myself fit, then im all for it. I try to use the minimum weight to achieve the objective, and the minimum test to maintain health.

I think its about maintaining yourself. I dont want to be the guy that bends over to pick up a weight at the gym and throws out his back!  

Regards, SF.


----------



## Cashout (Jan 30, 2013)

sfstud33 said:


> I think the guys doing blast & cruise can not all be lumped into one pool of old sick men.



I haven't "lumped" anyone that is why I used the word "If" as in "If you have risk factors..." and "If you have been on HRT..."

Again, "if" one fits in to the description then they may want to consider the points of discussion in deciding whether to employ a "blast and cruise" approach.

If one dosen't mirror the descriptions, like you, then the suggestion may not be as valuable to you.

My point was not to "lump" all HRT guys as "sick old men" but rather to point out a trend that I've notice among a lot of HRT guys over the past several months.


----------



## Hardpr (Jan 30, 2013)

i have been around many years cashout. i like your less is more approach. i enjoy reading your posts.  if we concentrate more on our health and well being and diet right most of us can achieve our golas with less aas.


----------



## ken Sass (Jan 30, 2013)

Cashout said:


> In the past  six months, I've seen an increase in the number of HRT guys who, for whatever reason, are going the "Blast and Cruise" route.
> 
> If that process brings you closer to achieving your personal goals then by all means consider it as an option.
> 
> ...


your rant is appreciated, some of the factors i consider (since i hit all the metrics you mention, type 2 diabetes, overweight, poor diet) i am not getting any younger and if i am ever gonna get big i had better get going.. what do i do? who am i? the answer is i am a weightlifter, have been since 14. i don't expect test to be a magic cure for anything but i need to use the tools at my disposal to get bigger, lift more.. when it comes down to it am i willing to take a risk, with my health to get what i want, that is a question we all must answer for are self's, i also ride a motorcycle , this 2 is hazardous to my health but if living to be 90 means not enjoying life what is the point?. as far as we should know better and act accordingly lol hell, i am still 18...my mind says... old to soon ,smart to late.
 the only thing i can do more than what i am already doing is my diet, i only drink water, i don't smoke, i gave up sweets, i don't drink, my blood sugar a1c is 6.1. i get plenty of rest and i train hard. frankly i don't know if i could live the clean diet life. food is about all i got left. with respect..ken


----------



## gymrat827 (Jan 31, 2013)

mr unreal.....


how you feel about younger guys crusing??  like ones who dont need to.  been thinkin of rolling with 300-350 a wk for 18-22wks possibly...??


----------



## SFGiants (Jan 31, 2013)

gymrat827 said:


> mr unreal.....
> 
> 
> how you feel about younger guys crusing??  like ones who dont need to.  been thinkin of rolling with 300-350 a wk for 18-22wks possibly...??


that is not a cruise lol, 100mg to 200mg is a cruise seeming most at 150mg I myself test in the 700's on less then 200mg week but more then 150mg around 170ish.


----------



## gymrat827 (Jan 31, 2013)

ik ik....

but i was thinking a lot about guys doing 10-14 wk runs @ 500-600 a wk.  I do fine on 350, i like it, love it in fact.  will use hcg but i have never gone past 12wks on.  and instead of the higher dose i want the longer duration.  I think it will be way better in terms of gains......just worried about coming back from it.


----------



## SFGiants (Jan 31, 2013)

Blast and cruise means we never come off so a blast is a cycle and a cruise is PCT / HRT it's us getting back to a normal range and 300mg to 250mg would have to be bunk stuff to be in normal range bro.

That IMO is a true blast and cruise it's a cycle and HRT.


----------



## Cashout (Jan 31, 2013)

gymrat827 said:


> mr unreal.....
> 
> 
> how you feel about younger guys crusing??  like ones who dont need to.  been thinking of rolling with 300-350 a wk for 18-22wks possibly...??



Blasting and cruising is fine - the dosage really is of little consequence for the cruise portion. I would say if you are a HRT patient 350 is going to be excessive from your attending physician's perspective. 300 - 350 will keep most guys CBC markers significantly elevated and that is going to be a big warning flag for a physician. He/she may try to pull you off HRT all together if he/she notices this pattern. Of course if you are strictly self-administering AAS it won't matter.

Of course, as was pointed out blast and cruise is not "extended cycle" but an "always on" approach.


----------



## BigFella (Feb 15, 2013)

I'm doing 290 mg Test E weekly, have been for nine months or so. That gets me to about 1,300 total T, I aromatise heavily and use around 0.5 ml Adex e2d or so.

To me it feel like blast levels I could cruise at for a long time. Occasionally I get tempted to blast - double it - for a few months, and may do that soon.

And then I start thinking like Cashout and remembering why we're doing this.


----------



## robot lord (Feb 20, 2013)

Well I am definitely one to here  cashout's message. Got a little over board in the year that I have been on Hrt. I have ran three cycles in the past 12 months with compounds like masteron, tren, var and test obviously. I have also run HCG, hgh, t4,caber n adex. Big first year right! I'm going to be 41 next month and my bp is high and my lipid profile was not so good at last bloods. I have been reading the wise words of cashout for months and have slowly adopted his ideology. I have dropped back to just 50mg test e84hr, no HCG  n hoping to be able to drop AI all together. Waiting 2-3 weeks at this protocol to do bloods. Started having dull constant chest pain n bp shot up. Finished last cycle of tren mast test n var early December and ran out of gh about the same time. Going to follow cashout's warning and give my body a chance to get in tune with my Hrt protocol for a bit before I even consider a possible blast. Good news is I have lost 40 lbs and packed on some muscle. I look great on the outside. Lol! I need to quit smoking, clean the diet back up n thank god drinking season is over. Holidays, football and dark gray east coast days make the bottle a little more appealing! My Ravens kicked some ass n my livers ass too!!!


----------



## Cashout (Feb 21, 2013)

Kudos! Stay the course with your plan and over time you'll see that a little bit really really goes a long way! Step by step, small changes will get you you to a happy, healthy place that you'll be able to maintain for the long term. 



robot lord said:


> Well I am definitely one to here  cashout's message. Got a little over board in the year that I have been on Hrt. I have ran three cycles in the past 12 months with compounds like masteron, tren, var and test obviously. I have also run HCG, hgh, t4,caber n adex. Big first year right! I'm going to be 41 next month and my bp is high and my lipid profile was not so good at last bloods. I have been reading the wise words of cashout for months and have slowly adopted his ideology. I have dropped back to just 50mg test e84hr, no HCG  n hoping to be able to drop AI all together. Waiting 2-3 weeks at this protocol to do bloods. Started having dull constant chest pain n bp shot up. Finished last cycle of tren mast test n var early December and ran out of gh about the same time. Going to follow cashout's warning and give my body a chance to get in tune with my Hrt protocol for a bit before I even consider a possible blast. Good news is I have lost 40 lbs and packed on some muscle. I look great on the outside. Lol! I need to quit smoking, clean the diet back up n thank god drinking season is over. Holidays, football and dark gray east coast days make the bottle a little more appealing! My Ravens kicked some ass n my livers ass too!!!


----------



## robot lord (Feb 27, 2013)

Headed to Labcorp for blood work. Just a female panel today and lipid profile in a few weeks. Good news is my BP is down to 130 over 78. Not perfect but better than 140 over 96!!!!! Chest pains have gone away. At this protocol I feel better. Not a monster in the gym or 24 hr boner city but how I wanted to feel when I first looked into TRT. I have the mental focus and energy I had lacked and wanted back so desperately. Sex drive is good, lost 40 lbs and most of all I feel normal again. I do miss the feeling of being on cycle but I have to ask my self at what cost does that feeling of power come. I know it's more mental than physical and for right now getting healthy is where it's at for me. I will be adding the GH (RIPS) back to my protocol at a modest 2IU 5 on 2 off in a few weeks. I'm not saying I will never hit another cycle ever again but I can say I will be a little smarter. The tren train will be collecting dust in the station in favor of some more geezer friendly compounds like primo and mast. Like I said I am going to give this low dose protocol a good run before I even think about ever hitting a cycle again. Who knows, I may never opt for that again and be completely satisfied at a super lean and ripped 215. That's the goal for summer as I am currently bouncing between 225 and 227. 

Added these supps from Puritan as advised by Spongy and they have really helped the BP!
> > > > coq10 600mg (get ubiquinol)
> > > > garlic 2500mg
> > > > b-12 2500mg sublingual
> > > > niacin 1000mg
> > > > fish oil 6,000mg
> > > > red yeast rice 2400mg
> > > > calcium 2000mg
> > > > magnesium 800mg
> > > > multi 
Sorry for jack moving the thread!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## DF (Feb 27, 2013)

That's great! I'm glad you got that BP under control.  Congrats on getting the weight down too.


----------



## Cashout (Feb 27, 2013)

robot lord said:


> Headed to Labcorp for blood work. Just a female panel today and lipid profile in a few weeks. Good news is my BP is down to 130 over 78. Not perfect but better than 140 over 96!!!!! Chest pains have gone away. At this protocol I feel better. Not a monster in the gym or 24 hr boner city but how I wanted to feel when I first looked into TRT. I have the mental focus and energy I had lacked and wanted back so desperately. Sex drive is good, lost 40 lbs and most of all I feel normal again. I do miss the feeling of being on cycle but I have to ask my self at what cost does that feeling of power come. I know it's more mental than physical and for right now getting healthy is where it's at for me. I will be adding the GH (RIPS) back to my protocol at a modest 2IU 5 on 2 off in a few weeks. I'm not saying I will never hit another cycle ever again but I can say I will be a little smarter. The tren train will be collecting dust in the station in favor of some more geezer friendly compounds like primo and mast. Like I said I am going to give this low dose protocol a good run before I even think about ever hitting a cycle again. Who knows, I may never opt for that again and be *completely satisfied at a super lean and ripped 215.* That's the goal for summer as I am currently bouncing between 225 and 227.
> 
> Added these supps from Puritan as advised by Spongy and they have really helped the BP!
> > > > > coq10 600mg (get ubiquinol)
> ...



Keep us posted on the labs and your progress!

I'll bet the biggest thing that you were able to accomplish that has facilitated your improvement in BP and cardiac condition is the loss of the 40 lbs. Keep doing the work with the diet. It will pay far greater dividends a than any supplement you can take. Dropping the body fat is treating the cause and that is the way to go! Glad to hear you are focused on a healthy plan.


----------



## robot lord (Mar 1, 2013)

Labs are in and are as follows. Only listing high and low values.

Hemoglobin 18.3 High
Hematocrit 53.4 High 
Glucose Serum 64 Low
Alt (sgpt) 48 High
Estradiol 53.3 
Test 1087
 Very happy with testosterone levels but it is apparant that I can not drop my AI. Any suggestions on AI would help(have liquid adex). Current protocol is 50 mg test e e84hr( mon morning n thur evening pins). Labs were taken on wed afternoon after a  monday morning pin of test e 50 mg and no AI in a week or two. Test level may drop a bit as I just came down from 100mg test e e84hr about a week n a half ago. Not feeling bad with elevated estradiol but have noticed erections a little weaker than previous. Some months ago if I even thought about a woman I would sprout a hard on that could cut diamonds! LOL. However my dumb ass did not do labs. Had I tested I would know what my sweet spot was and could reproduce said magic boners. Up until this week a lab represented a 2hr journey out of state and was a huge pain in the ass. My state does not allow self testing requests and privatemdlabs.com sent me out of state to labcorp. Just out of curiosity I went to a local labcorp with my requisition sheet and they did not turn me away. Now labs take about a half hour of my time, less gas,miles on vehicle and will allow me to test frequent. Good shit!! If I can get estro between 20-30 I am thinking that's the golden ticket Willie Wonka. Lol. Thanks again for all the support from my SI brothers and sisters. I'm sorry I don't post more and hope to one day be an asset to this site. Have a great weekend!!!!


----------



## robot lord (Mar 1, 2013)

Forgot to mention I am donating blood next week. Been doing so on TRT and on cycle every 56 days.


----------



## Cashout (Mar 1, 2013)

Biggest concern here is the hemocrit and hemoglobin levels. Above 53% is not good particularly if you have other risk factors including lipid issues and a history of genetic inclination to cardiovascular issues.

Since you mentioned you ran 3 cycles recently, it is likely that your crit number is still effected from those cycles. I would expect it will drop over time and no additional cycles.

I would not give a second thought the the elevated liver enzyme number. It is barely above normal and no where near what is considered "clincal."

Estrogen could be controlled with an AI but I also take a "wait and see" approach to that. Especially given the fact that you are still stepping down. Give it some time.

Test number looks good.




robot lord said:


> Labs are in and are as follows. Only listing high and low values.
> 
> Hemoglobin 18.3 High
> Hematocrit 53.4 High
> ...


----------



## robot lord (Mar 2, 2013)

Thanks for taking an interesst Cashout. You have my respect and my thanks. I'm thinking labs in another 3 weeks at this protocol. less is more like you said and I'm happy that 50mg pins are painless, less frequent than cycle, no swollen prostate, hearts not beating out of my chest(TREN), I can sleep(TREN), I'm not so nasty(TREN), my Test vials lasts so long, the acne has gone away and I feel as though I'm just generally in a better place. This past year has been a roller coaster ride for sure. I have learned so much about TRT, cycles, compounds, GH and sides.

 Year two will be what year one should have been. This year is going to be dedicated to learning as much about nutrition/health and building better workouts as I have learned about AAS. Like so many before me, I jumped into what I could jam in my quad to change my physique before I really understood my own body and how it works. I'm going to take the road less traveled for now and rely more so on diet and dedication rather than quick fixes. If I'm going to be in this for the long haul, some restucturing of my plan of attack is long over due!


----------

