I don't want to Google search battle, so this is just my gossip and opinion.
It's important to identify "necessary"? Necessary for what? For recovery of natural testosterone it is completely unnecessary, and in the case of HCG, which mimics LH, is not desirable as you are trying to
raise your LH to stimulate the testes to wake up and produce test. However, HCG can possibly raise testosterone faster than cold turkey, but in the end will slow complete recovery. Clomid is pretty much harmless, but if you are doing a cycle so high that your estrogen is super high, you should be earning a living from your physique, as no recreational bodybuilder should do cycles so large as to dramatically raise estrogen. Sorry I don't have a right to say what a grown man "should" do but heavy use without the genetics to justify dosage has historically been frowned upon. There should be genetics to justify dosage.
You should also know your conversion rate(T/E) as in your 20s you have a 40, 50 or higher but a 50 year old guy might have a T/E ratio of 10. So you convert at a different rate over the course of your life. There are so many factors but PCT as it's called does not make testosterone any higher than cold turkey. It may take longer, but cold turkey is much better for your natural test than PCT. When your body senses
drastically low testosterone after a cycle, it begins ramp up LH and FSH, and your testosterone actually could end up
higher than at baseline.
Any of you old enough to remember the old boards, and the Bill Robert's 2 on/4 off "experiment with "Jim"?. it was a dbol only cycle with a shot of test prop on day 1. You train and eat your ass off for 2 weeks on dbol then go off. Roberts said the body has essentially 2 levels of test shutdown, and only after 2 weeks does a deeper HPTA inhibition but actually androgen receptors sensitize. And you will actually super compensate and end up with higher natural test likely from the increased LH and FSH from the temporary low test after 2 weeks, and your balls haven't shrunk so the LH gives them and extra kick.
They did the cycle with this guy Jim, and he put on more muscle than he ever could have done naturally
and had higher test. No possible health issues in 2 weeks. That was around 2000 on the old boards before the steroid guys took over bodybuilding.
There are so many variables, but my opinion(it's only that) is that permanent shutdown is a myth so guys can continue to take gear with a clear conscience. The only way permanent shutdown would be possible is if LH and FSH were permanently lowered OR there was permanent damage to the actual Leydig cells, in which case HCG would not work. I think the test of whether you have permanent shutdown would be try HCG. It would eliminate Leydig cell damage.
Old men with super low testosterone have SUPER high LH and FSH, but their balls don't work anymore. If you're 35 your balls are fine, or they will be. Permanent shutdown from gear simply is not backed by science. 20 years of steroids has seriously damaged your endocrine system. You declare 3 years is YOUR timeline to recovery. 10 years seems hellish but if you get your test back in half the time you used that seems reasonable. But god that's hard.
Any guys been in prison for more than 5 years after being on and find you super compensated after a couple years and got jacked? Craig Titus at his parole hearing last year looks jacked and his skin firmness and tone at 60 years old suggests someone with high testosterone. I know many will say he sneaks in gear but this close to release he wouldn't risk it as close as he's watched for drugs. He's super compensated from the crash when he entered. Just took time.
I was on nonstop for years, living in Mexico I'd pick up Sostenon preload and shoot 2 or three. SO 750mg or more for many years, no break, never went off. I ended up with heart failure, 10 percent ejection fraction(Thank god I was on vacation here and never went back) But I could never do steroids again. 4 years later I'm 100% recovered, elite level fitness for my age. Guys gear causes heart failure. It killed Big Lenny. 90% of people with 10 percent EF are dead within a couple years. The ONLY thing that changed is I eliminated gear.
Good news is, after about 3 years, my bloodwork showed 680 test along with a perfect CMP. So it took 3 years after being on HIGH doses of sostenon( I'm not including the 50mg daily dbol tabs) for about 6 years, no break, in 3 years of cold turkey I not only recovered but have super compensated which makes complete scientific sense. I had high LH and FSH because I was so shut down. Now it's 5 years later, 51 years old now, high test, happy with physique.
So again it's about your goals. If it's only recovery of natural test, why would you do PCT?
Notomorrow theorumIf you have not recovered and/or super compensated in half the time you were on, there is Notomorrow for your natural testosterone, you need to be on TRT. You may not claim permanent shutdown until that point.
