Experimental protocol
Testosterone Cypionate
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Testosterone Cypionate
Handling
This ships as a ready-to-use oil at 250 mg/mL. There is nothing to reconstitute.
Store at room temperature, out of direct light. The oil does not need refrigeration.
If it looks cloudy or has visible particles, do not use it. Gentle warming can clear crystallisation from cold storage.
Draw with one needle and inject with a fresh one, since drawing through oil dulls the tip.
Suggested Protocol
100 mg to 150 mg per week, most commonly split into two equal shots every 3.5 days (e.g. 50 to 75 mg Monday and Thursday)
At 250 mg/mL, a 75 mg dose is a 0.3 mL draw on a 3 mL syringe
Subcutaneous or intramuscular
The classic beginner cycle is 500 mg per week for 12 weeks, test only, nothing else stacked
Split it into two 250 mg shots per week (for example Monday and Thursday)
At 250 mg/mL, 250 mg is a 1 mL draw per shot on a 3 mL syringe
Run 12 weeks rather than less: with this ester it takes 4 to 5 weeks just to reach stable blood levels, so shorter cycles waste most of the climb
500 mg/week aromatises, so keep an aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole or aromasin) on hand for estrogen symptoms (puffiness, sore or swollen nipples)
Use it only if symptoms show up, not automatically
Pull bloodwork mid-cycle to see where estradiol and hematocrit sit
500 mg/week shuts down your own testosterone, so PCT is not optional
Start 14 days after your last shot (the ester has to clear first)
Common protocol: Nolvadex 40 mg/day for 2 weeks, then 20 mg/day for 2 weeks
Clomid is the alternative at 50 mg/day for 2 weeks then 25 mg/day for 2 weeks
Check total and free testosterone, estradiol and hematocrit at 6 to 8 weeks
On TRT the target trough is roughly 500 to 900 ng/dL
On a 500 mg cycle your levels will sit well above range by design; the point of the bloodwork is watching estradiol and hematocrit, not chasing a trough number
Unlike a cycle, TRT is not something you come off
At a replacement dose it is an ongoing, long-term protocol: most people stay on it for life once dialled in, pulling bloodwork a couple of times a year to keep their numbers in range
There is no PCT because you are not trying to restart your own production
Any testosterone, TRT dose or cycle dose, suppresses your own production and lowers sperm count, often to zero while you are on it
This is real, so do not rely on being infertile as birth control, and plan around it if you want kids soon
The reassuring part: it is reversible for the large majority
Pooled study data shows roughly 67% of men return to a normal sperm count by 6 months off, about 90% by 12 months, and close to 100% by 24 months
Recovery is slower with older age and longer time on, and it can be sped up with hCG (run on cycle to keep the testicles active) or a SERM like Clomid afterward
If fertility matters in the near term, banking sperm before you start is the simplest insurance
Dosing Detail
Most start at 100 to 150 mg/week, split into two shots 3.5 days apart for stable levels.
Cypionate has a 7 to 8 day half-life, which is why twice-weekly beats one large weekly shot.
Subcutaneous and intramuscular work equally well at these volumes; subQ causes less scar tissue.
Get bloodwork at 6 to 8 weeks and have a plan for managing estrogen.
Based on the fixed 250 mg/mL concentration. This is an oil, so draw and inject with a 3 mL syringe and a Luer lock needle (draw with one needle, inject with a fresh one), not an insulin syringe.
Want a different syringe type or more detail? Open the full dose calculator.
Duration
A long-run protocol. Most people stay on it indefinitely once dialled in, pulling regular bloodwork to keep their numbers in range.
Notes
Injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly; rotate sites.
Cypionate is a longer ester, so levels build over a few weeks.
Pulling your own bloodwork and keeping estrogen in check is the difference between doing this well and winging it.
Storage
Store the oil at room temperature, away from light.
No refrigeration needed.
Do not use if cloudy or full of particles.
Informational content for research. This material is educational and intended for laboratory research contexts. It is not medical advice, a prescription, a clinical protocol, or a guarantee of outcome.