I usually stay away from stuff like this these days, but this is somewhat tempting.....
1. Where do you think the point of diminishing returns is with test? (ie when do you feel side effects or gains are no longer possible w out sever sides)
IMO, for most, this will be around 1500 mg qwk. I know a lot of guys on this thread are saying that they grow just as good on 500 mg but I have to call bullshit on that. It has been very clearly proven both anecdotally and clinically that the effects of T are dose dependent. Meaning the greater the dose the greater the effect. At some point this has to plane off. This happens somewhere around 1500mg for practical purposes. Even people like Lats who hate test
will admit they grow more on more test. Maybe you can't "tolerate" it for whatever reason (which I am suspicious of), but it is pure physiology and there is no such thing as some people who grow more off more test and some who don't. Everyone grows more off more T, period.
Guy I knew who was an engineer actually extrapolated the dose dependent increases in the famous T study where guys were given up to 600mg qwk for 16 weeks. Not saying it means anything, but he came up w/ 1500 mg as well in his calculations based on the dose response curve. Does that mean 2000 mg will not produce more effect than 1500 mg? No, T is dose dependent like I said, its just that the small increase in efficacy does not warrant a higher dose past that point.
Of course you have the possibility of post mediated growth w/ multi gram dosages, but this is not practical even if it occurs. When people are talking about you winning the Olympia then you can decide on whether you want to do crazy shit like that. But honestly, if you can't be in serious contention for a pro card @ 1500 mg T qwk along with some of the usual additions, then you should probably give up on your bodybuilding dreams.
I'm not saying that amount is needed, it depends on the person, but you have to set reasonable limits. You have guys on here trying to win a state show on a gram + of test a week. If you have to try that hard you are better off quitting now. Its ridiculous what some of these guys do to attempt to overcome the fact that they have no talent for bodybuilding. I won the NPC state open overall as a teenager having never used never more than 200 mg T qwk at that point. I just saw a good friend of mine tonight @ Gold's who won the overall at the nationals on no higher than 750 mg qwk, which a lot of you won't believe. But he's a short fucker who had all the mass he needed for that level w/ that dose, so why go higher? He's also very gifted genetically. I think a lot of guys here have never been around really good genetics, knowing for sure what they are doing drug wise. But people don't want to believe it because they would have to admit to themselves that they have shit for talent in bodybuilding. Then who would they be?
2. Do you take anti e's no matter what dose or only on higher doses?
Yes. AIs are a part of normal HRT protocol. Dose is titrated obviously depending on T.
3. what do you personally think is a "high dose" of test
I will say a high dose of T is 1 gm qwk. I think if we get to the point that 1 gram of T is not considered a "high dose" then that's just pathetic. Most people in the 80s never went higher than 400-500 mg, many just 200-250mg, and they built plenty of muscle. If you couldn't do well on fairly low-moderate doses then you just didn't do well. You didn't have people in droves trying to overcome their lack of talent with drugs like you do now.
4. what dose do you think is too small to reap any benefits from?
Depends on the benefit. You can maintain quite a bit of muscle on 200mg that you would not maintain otherwise so to me that's a benefit. You'll only grow so much at that dose though obviously, which probably happened not long after you first started. Of course true HRT doses are lower and benefit those people. 50-100mg can benefit depending on who you are.
Rex.