CommunityTraining & Muscle

Bulking on Reta- starting to believe!

27 replies7 peopleApr 9, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

Can you successfully bulk or recomp on Retatrutide while running test, GH and other compounds?

Users report maintaining or gaining muscle and strength on low-dose Reta during a slow bulk or recomp phase when stacking with testosterone, EQ or NPP, HGH and timed carbs. Several describe continued fat loss or stable weight alongside visible muscle gains and better vascularity even in mild deficits. Higher Reta doses are tolerated by some for over a year but others prefer to stay lower and add short cycles of other peptides.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether EQ suppresses E2 more strongly than Primo and if that makes it worth using at lower doses.

Still open

How much muscle is truly lost versus water/glycogen changes during the initial Reta cut phase.

Nothing here is advice.

27 replies · 7 people
KeenQuill76archiveopening postApr 9

Hey everyone, wanted to post my experience so far and see what others are running. Started Reta January 10th after several years of PED use and a decent muscle base. Began at 228 lbs around 18 % body fat, 5'9", 33 years old. Dropped to 197 lbs at 13 % by March 10th, never went over 5 mg weekly. Added four weeks of mots-c which seemed to speed up fat loss, stayed on TRT and HGH throughout. Main worry is noticeable muscle loss and big drop in strength. Switched to bulk around March 12th on test, eq, gh with Reta held at 2.25 mg. Keeping the same cutting meals but slowly adding carbs to reach 3300 calories now, aiming for a clean slow gain. Scale has only reached 203 lbs in the morning so far, which feels slower than past bulks.

KeenTimber66archiveApr 9

Nine weeks into a lean bulk on 450 mg test, 250 mg NPP, 200 mg Primo, 3 IU HGH in the evening plus 12 mg Reta weekly and KLOW. Running a 5-day push/lower/pull/cardio/lower/upper/cardio split and averaging minus 0.71 lb per week while skeletal muscle percentage creeps up 0.07 % weekly. Mirror shows size coming in despite the deficit. Planning to add EQ for a bigger bulk phase in December. How are you finding EQ and can you still eat enough with the Reta appetite effect? I time carb loads around training so weight stays stable and glycogen refills without extra fat. My high-stim pre-workout stash is also getting out of control.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 9

Sounds like solid progress. Twelve milligrams a week sounds high, how long have you been running Reta? Gaining muscle in a deficit is wild. The 0.07 % weekly muscle bump might just be the percentage shifting because total body weight fell while muscle held steady. I was going to try deca but switched to adding tren for the final six weeks. Any water retention issues with deca? EQ keeps estrogen in check nicely so I run it at a 2:1 test-to-eq ratio instead of an AI. Appetite is fine on my lower dose. I also time carbs around workouts and add 30 g dextrose during sessions, especially heavy leg days.

KeenTimber66archiveApr 9

Fourteen months on Reta total, started at 2 mg and worked up to 12 mg. NPP and deca have been good so far; chose the short ester first time around in case sides appeared. Hard to judge joint benefits because KLOW and KVP are also in the mix. Heard deca might edge out NPP for joints but could be harsher mentally even though they are the same base compound. No real issues with sexual function, maybe slightly longer duration. Primo handles estrogen control well for me; I had to lower the dose to bring estradiol numbers up. EQ worries me because people say it crushes estrogen harder than Primo, yet I still want the lowest effective dose so the compound feels worthwhile.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 9

Fair point. Primo is tough to source in Canada so I probably won't get to try it. Glad the progress is going well, keep it up.

BrightLantern56archiveApr 9

Fourteen months on Reta and my ALMI rose from 8.9 to 9.3 kg/m² on DEXA. That tracks appendicular lean mass in arms and legs, excluding trunk fat and organs. Training volume and intensity drive the change more than anything. Protein is only 100-125 g daily. TRT stays at 135 mg per week.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 9
↳ replying to @BrightLantern56

How big is the calorie deficit and how much weight have you lost?

BrightLantern56archiveApr 9
↳ replying to @KeenQuill76

Deficit is small; some months weight stays flat and that is fine. Frame is small so the goal was recomp and metabolic improvement rather than scale weight. Dropped about 15 lbs fat, added 5-10 lbs muscle, lost 4 inches off the waist. Body composition and midsection changes are the main wins.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 9

Those changes sound excellent. Wish I had started Reta earlier.

RustCinder98archiveApr 10

Reta while bulking, interesting times.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 10
↳ replying to @RustCinder98

Feels backwards at first but worth testing. Keeping insulin sensitivity high while increasing carbs, especially alongside growth hormone, changes the usual outcome. Normally a bulk would leave me carrying extra fat within a month.

CopperLedger65archiveApr 10

Anyone willing to share before-and-after photos? Planning to get TRT stable first, then add Reta, then 1-2 IU HGH for a recomp approach.

SharpCinder28archiveApr 10
↳ replying to @CopperLedger65

Reddit has plenty of face-covered before-and-after shots for Reta plus testosterone. I noticed slight moon-face on 1-2 IU HGH that my partner did not see. Jardiance as a diuretic seemed to prevent it, which is another reason I am switching to tesa this weekend.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 10
↳ replying to @CopperLedger65

Would like to post my own photos but recognizable tattoos make privacy an issue. Plenty of fitness coaches on Instagram share client progress shots instead.

CopperLedger65archiveApr 10
↳ replying to @SharpCinder28

Keep us updated on the tesa switch. Did HGH give any noticeable benefit and was it 191aa? How long did you run it?

PlainAnchor67archiveApr 11

Finishing week seven back on Reta alongside test and growth. Seeing clearer differences in the mirror and how clothes fit, plus more vascularity showing up.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @PlainAnchor67

Veins appearing in new spots for me too. Slow titration probably means you are just hitting the effective range now.

PlainAnchor67archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @KeenQuill76

Sitting at 3 mg Reta and 2 IU growth, plan to increase both next week.

KeenTimber66archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @CopperLedger65

First photo is from a year and a half ago. Cut hard for a year on Reta and diet, then slowly added movement back. Started TRT August 25 and AAS/HGH February 5.

CopperLedger65archiveApr 11

Solid work, looking much healthier.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @PlainAnchor67

Five milligrams was my highest dose and weight came off fast; also ran 4 IU GH at the time.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @KeenTimber66

Still running Reta or have you dropped it?

KeenTimber66archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @KeenQuill76

Reta, test, HGH and KLOW form the base stack that stays year-round. Cycle SS-31, NAD+ and mots-c on top when needed.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 11

Must have been stacked with melanotan.

PlainAnchor67archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @KeenQuill76

First run went up to 7.5 mg but sides forced a stop. Hoping the added growth hormone lets me stay at a lower Reta dose this time.

KeenQuill76archiveApr 11
↳ replying to @PlainAnchor67

Would suggest four weeks of mots-c; it noticeably increased fat loss for me.

SharpCinder28archiveApr 14
↳ replying to @CopperLedger65

No clear benefit from a short HGH run using one 36 IU vial. Same vial earlier seemed to ease Achilles tendonitis temporarily, possibly just from water retention. Most people recommend six months or longer but I am cautious. The facial fullness I thought was from HGH turned out to be subq fat, so fat loss remains the priority. No obvious sides at 1-2 IU. IGF-1 baseline was around 190 naturally; skipped retesting. Starting tesa soon and have a backlog of other peptides for recovery including KPV, TA-1, BPC and TB-500.

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Bulking on Reta- starting to believe! · ZyraTrack Community