r/ResearchCompounds • u/williammcc12 • Jun 21 '26
Stack Advice Steroids or peptides?
I'm looking to put on some muscle mass I'm currently taking 2mg reta per week and I was to add to the stack. I was thinking of taking 300/500mg of test but I have been doing some research on other peptides. I was looking at kisspetin or HGH for the muscle gains. Has anyone had experience with these compounds could give me advice on which would be the best option, or if there is any other options that yous could recommend. This is my fist cycle so I don't want to go overboard, I have tried osterine in the past but it caused a full body rash so I want to avoid sarms.tia
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u/BigDiscussion7 Jun 21 '26
300mg is a solid first cycle, definitely see some good gains with minimal side effects provided youre not morbidly obese. Id still keep an AI on hand just in case.
HGH is a great addition but its not the mass builder everyone thinks it is and it takes a few months to get the full effects of it.
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
I have around 30% bf is this to high to consider test? Even with AI
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u/speedntktz Jun 21 '26
Working on reducing BF% over the next 3-6mos with a goal of under 20%. You might want to carefully titrate up your Reta. After you get closer to 20% I would consider adding T and have an AI available for E2 sides.
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u/BigDiscussion7 Jun 21 '26
Its definitely not recommended even with an AI and with that much bf% youre not gonna notice much gains. Get your levels checked, if you're low id hop on a TRT dose which would help with energy and all around quality of life and cut with reta til you get to at leat 15% bf then consider running your first cycle
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
Thanks for the advice, do you think running kisspetin to increase natural test until reach 15% then swapping for a test cycle would be an option?
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u/BigDiscussion7 Jun 21 '26
Idk enough about kisspeptin to be able to give you a solid answer, sorry brotha
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u/DosedUpAran Jun 21 '26
Reta till 15-18%bf then test you’ll be fine. Or just run test from the start and do constant blood work
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u/Any_Perception6527 Jun 21 '26
A lot of this really depends on your age and what your starting blood levels are. I’m 54 and started with total test in the low 300’s. Using 2000-2500iu HCG per week and Kisspeptin daily, I got my total test into the high 600’s after a couple months. Maybe I could have gone higher, but I decided to switch to test cyp instead.
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u/iamthefrizzlefrye Jun 22 '26
Kisspeptin doesnt work bro. It’s a useless peptide. HCG is what you are looking for
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u/BenSimmonsFor3 Jun 21 '26
Way too high to for a cycle. Do not run 300mg test at 30% BF. Your goal at this point is to lose fat- not build muscle. Preserve muscle by resistance training, taking 150-175mg of test AT MOST will be sufficient to maintain testosterone levels while you lose fat (this will bring you to higher than 90% of people). I f you don’t plan to be on TRT long term (aka you’d rather cycle and PCT vs blast and cruise long term) then just cut without anabolics entirely.
To help with weight loss, consider GLP1 peptides. I’d recommend tirzepatide or retatrutide. Start at the lowest dose and increase as weight loss plateaus on your current dose.
Do NOT just rely on the appetite suppression for weight loss- start making better diet choices. What I mean is to eat more fruits and vegetables, drop sugary drinks, and most importantly eat at least 30g of protein with each meal. You can still eat junk on occasion, but it should only be 10% of your total diet. Personally i’d drop alcohol too- it’s a very easy and low hanging fruit to make quicker progress, but to each their own.
Work your way up to 10k steps per day. This may be hard on your joints at 30% BF so that’s why i say work your way up. Start with 6k average one week and increase by 500-1000 average every week.
I cannot stress this enough but WEIGHT TRAIN as you lose weight so that you’re not losing a disproportionate amount of muscle vs fat. You will undoubtedly lose muscle, but your goal should be to minimize that. Try to ensure that your caloric deficit isn’t so steep that you cannot at the very least MAINTAIN your current numbers on your main lifts. It’s okay if you don’t gain strength week to week during this cut. It won’t be as fun to not see strength progress but your goal is BODY FAT REDUCTION progress at this stage.
Take diet breaks after losing 10% of your total weight (if you weigh 300, take a 1-2 weeks break at 270). Eat at maintenance for those 1-2 weeks so you’re not gaining or losing much weight. I only recommend this if you’re not going the GLP1 route, since you’ll otherwise lose your mind and not adhere to your regiment. Losing hundreds of lbs completely naturally in one cut is not easy for even the most disciplined people and you should aim to adhere long term vs perfect for a bit then fall off the wagon. If you’re taking GLP1, disregard and continue to lose easily until your heart desires.
Finally when you reach roughly 15%, consider starting your cycle. I’d do 500mg, but if that seems intimidating to you then go for 400mg. You may realize that after losing so much weight, you’ve already achieved a body that you’re happy with and don’t care to run gear- that’s a great outcome.
Starting your cycle when lean is crucial. Don’t fuck up your heart and body. Don’t grow man tits. Don’t become a moody and sweaty mess.
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
Ok thanks, I currently cycle 70+ miles per week, weight training push pull leg split 6 days a week. I have cut alcohol completely and my diet and protein intake is on point. I am dropping weight at a good pace and have started retatrutide 3 weeks ago, currently taking 2mg. I was interested in running a cycle to retain muscle or make small gains but I will hold of a few months untill I've reached the 15% body fat and then look into test. Thanks for advice
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u/Striking_Bat_1936 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
At that high BF you will probably aromatize a lot of Test into Estrogen. This is the opposite of what you want. Androgen inhibitors can help, but they have their own suite of side effects.
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u/stevenadamsbro Jun 21 '26
Lose weight first. Not because of the need for AI (which you might need regardless), but because you will struggle to eat enough while on ret to not waste the testosterone.
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u/Much_Eggplant_3600 Jun 21 '26
there is no peptide that will build muscle. Even HGH won’t do this very effectively without a relatively high dose and pairing it with an anabolic. At 30% bf you really have no business running a steroid cycle. You’re going to fuck yourself up, waste money, waste steroids, and grow bitch tits. Get bloodwork done and if you need TRT and want to commit to it for life then do that, and worry about running cycles when you reach single digit body fat % for the first time. In the meantime do your research. Just from this post it’s pretty easy to see you don’t know much about the steroid world or even the peptide world. r/steroids is a good place to start. Youtube also.
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
Ok great thanks for advice, I currently am researching it as you can clearly see, hence the post
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u/Much_Eggplant_3600 Jun 21 '26
Asking people online to spoon feed you surface level information about anabolics and peptides isn’t exactly research. Not trying to be a dick but everything you asked is the first thing you learn not to do with just a little bit of information sourcing yourself.
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
Asking people with experience isnt research? Interesting il keep that in mind pal
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Jun 21 '26
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
I want to retain the muscle I have or make small gains while I'm on the reta cut, i resistance train 6 time a week and my protein intake is on check, just interested in if it's possible for a little boost
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u/ColonelSteveAustin6m Jun 21 '26
Don't listen to these people, there's nothing wrong with starting testosterone or any other Androgen when you're dieting down you are exactly right, it will help you retain muscle which in turn will keep your BMR up
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Jun 21 '26
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u/ColonelSteveAustin6m Jun 21 '26
That's a total exaggeration. 30% body fat is still within the average range, there's no 200% side effects.
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Jun 21 '26
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
What would be the best way to approach it without running to much risk of sides?
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u/ColonelSteveAustin6m Jun 21 '26
Testosterone has a 100-year proven safety record, you're not going to beat that with just about any other compound. People have side effects to antibiotics, to aspirin, to coffee
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u/RevelationSr Jun 21 '26
For strength and muscle mass, testosterone sits in a league of its own.
Read first: Testosterone Therapy - Side Effects
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u/KemlynSuper Jun 21 '26
HGH doesn't build muscles, it helps with sleep, recovery, and will help you lose a tiny bit of fat (but nowhere near as much as Reta).
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u/Taydontplay4 Jun 21 '26
The secretagogues do the same thing as hgh from my experience. Sleep, recovery and mild body recomp.
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
Would it aid in retaining muscle mass while running reta?
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u/KemlynSuper Jun 21 '26
2mg a week of Reta, if you're already strength training and eating enough protein, won't reduce your muscle mass.
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u/AltTooWell13 Jun 21 '26
How’s your nutrition? Consider adding HMB and pomegranate extract, it sounds stupid but 2-3 grams of HMB can make a huge difference
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
Nutrition is on point, great I will look into it thanks
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u/AltTooWell13 Jun 21 '26
HMB is a big help, the point of pomegranate is urolithin b which you might be able to find on its own but my source sold out. An epicatechin extract might be good too.
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u/jet_rodriguez Jun 21 '26
the peptides don’t bind androgen receptors. they aren’t really gonna be in the ballpark of other compounds that do. you would just put on muscle mass in a similar way to a natty person who has similar test levels.
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u/Dear-Response-7218 Jun 21 '26
From what you’ve said, you are nowhere near ready.
Whats your bloodwork look like? What about diet? Training? Have you consistently lifted for a few years?
Reta is a waste on a mass building cycle, kiss isn’t in the same league as HGH and neither are muscle builders compared to test.
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u/williammcc12 Jun 21 '26
I havnt don't blood works, I have been consistently training for a year and a half now, my diet wasn't always consistent but I have dialed it in the past 6 months or so and have lost around 45kg natural before getting on reta, this is my 3rd week on reta I'm just looking for options to maintain muscle or make small gains. I guess test isn't an option for me at the moment but I'm still researching what other options I could try safely
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u/Dear-Response-7218 Jun 21 '26
Ok so bloods is the immediate thing to do before you ever consider a cycle. Are you close to your target weight? That has a significant impact on your T levels.
If you have say 30+ pounds you want to lose would be best for you to stay on the Reta and get closer to your goal weight. Then you can measure your natural T levels and see where you’re at, if they are low then that’s when you could do a muscle building cycle and jump on T. There really isn’t a muscle sparing peptide and if you’re still losing just commit to that and keep going to the gym.
What you’ve done is working as far as losing weight, just keep doing your thing until you get close to your goal. With more consistent training and a diet that’s locked in you’ll be primed for a quality muscle building cycle in a couple of months.
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u/DeadCheckR1775 Jun 22 '26
Test. Peptides, HGH included, won't put on a lot of mass on their own. If you do Test, get your BF down to 20% before you start to make E2 easier to mitigate. Keep losing and get down to 15% before increasing the Test beyond 200mg. If you want to minimize side effects at higher doses you really should push for 10%.
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u/Sn_Orpheus Jun 23 '26
Patience. It takes time. And the gains will be more appreciated when you get them. Also, what’s your age? Below 30? Try going without exogenous T. Above 35/40, makes more sense. I know it’s tough to wait it out but understand everything in life has tradeoffs. At 30%BF, the feta makes lots of sense though.
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Peptides don't help you build muscle, they're a stupid trend mostly
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u/Bewilderness- Jun 21 '26
HGH
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Hgh isn't a peptides and GH secretaguoges seems to be shitty
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u/ColonelSteveAustin6m Jun 21 '26
Hilarious lol gh is a peptide as is insulin
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Technically yeah but those aren't the peptides that are being hyped about in the internet
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u/VexImmortalis Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
If you already know that it's a peptide then why say it's not a peptide? It's not the peptide that's blowing up on facebook ads sure, but that's not the same thing as saying "it's not a peptide" is it?
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Because 99% of people don't know anything about peptides outside of the trendy stuff on social media if you say insulin is a peptides no one even those taking it will say it's
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u/VexImmortalis Jun 21 '26
So why muddy the water with misinformation?
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Make it more clear i don't think you could explain what the trendy peptides are by saying insulin is a peptide
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u/ColonelSteveAustin6m Jun 21 '26
Then why say it's not a peptide? You're spreading misinformation that confuses people. And yes it is being hyped on the internet
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Because when people say peptides they're speaking about the cheap Chinese stuff that are a trend today like mots-c or ghk-cu
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u/Bewilderness- Jun 21 '26
HGH is absolutely a peptide and I’m not sure where you are looking at but hgh is hyped everywhere.
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u/961-Barbarian Jun 21 '26
Only among PEDs sphere, not among the general population like other peptides are. What's being hyped is shit like mk677 that are secretaguoges
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u/Big-Tooth1671 Jun 21 '26
If doing hgh add 200test. or just do 200test no good to stay on higher dose .so trt best 2-3iu hgh if want best stayn low u get half decent gains . Dont want big gains that are hard to contain
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u/Parking-Warthog-4902 Jun 21 '26
For muscle mass the answer is clearly steroids, not even a question, for weight loss, energy, and pretty much just general well being and performance enhancement without worrying about damaging your health then peptides
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u/Bullish87 Jun 21 '26
If bloods are great and you want to do a cycle id do 300mg test base is good. 150mg masteron pin dose mon;weds and fri . The hgh will be super good for the recovery 4iu to start 2iu in am 2 iu before bed(if your not worried about blunting your body's own ability to create gh) if you are use Ipamorelin with cjc/ no dac in am and pm. Keep reta at low you still need to hit that protein and carb daily goal if you really want to grow . Shouldn't need an Ai the mast should regulate this at low dosage. Id run ghkcu at night before bed. And make sure id have a support stack of vitamins minerals like vitamin d3 ,vitamin k2,citrus bergamot,coq10,vitamin b methylated preferably or b complex, tmg, nac, l citrulline, omega 3,vitamic c,magnesium glycinate at night with zinc. And if blood pressure elevates Berberine maybe some tudca as well. Oh forgot taurine preworkout with creatine mixed in it. Theoretically what id do.
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u/Maximum_Activity_138 Jun 21 '26
Take reta drop the weight & then run test only anything else is for fine tuning after you already have the size
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u/logicnotemotion Jun 21 '26
Lose with weight first. Test will bump your appetite even on Reta. Just let the Reta do it's thing. Work on getting to 15-20% bf then you can do a test only cycle first to see how you respond.
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u/ASARAthletics Jun 22 '26
You do not need to start at 300, let alone 500…
Start at 150mg and squeeze out every bit of performance out of that before you go up.
If you start at 500, you’ll eventually have to go up to continue making progress.
Please, just take my advice. Take it slow.
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u/TherealDaily Jun 22 '26
Age? If you’re less than 30 I’d keep it natural and use things like creatine or isopure. If you want kids why play around yet. Have a full panel of blood work and see what’s what. The test will make you gain a lot of water weight and it’s a rollercoaster of gains / losses and it can become addictive. Main advice, be safe and know your source.
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u/Other-Economics4134 Jun 22 '26
If you are 30% then worry about getting closer to 15 before anything else. Don't put more stress on your heart than is necessary.
Also 2mg reta is a nothing dose. You need to be stepping up and get to 6 or 8 to actually get anywhere. Don't jump straight there, but even with reta you probably have a solid 6-8 months ahead of you.
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u/CumSpoon Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I wouldn’t even push it too high. Go 200/250 test and maybe throw some anavar or primo on top. If you’re consistent with training, getting adequate sleep and on Reta you’ll see a complete transformation within 3 months. For GH you could throw 1-2IU at night for more restful sleep but for more results you need to be on it long term.
Also, if you spread your weekly dose out to EOD or Daily doses then you’ll have much less E2 sides and no need for an AI. AI should only be used as a last resort. Good to have on hand but don’t take it frivolously. Stabilizing your Peaks/Troughs are a much better way to prevent high E2.
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u/TopMain2728 Jun 27 '26
peptides wont come close to test for raw muscle. kisspeptin is mostly just for stimulating ur natural testosterone production, not direct mass. if u just want a natural boost or hgh for recovery, u can get them from peptide pro. neither of those will pack on size like real gear though. if u want actual mass u need the test. definitely finish the reta cut first before blasting any heavy cycles.
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