Steroid Stacks and Cycles
With the wide variety of anabolic/androgenic
steroids available, planning the most appropriate cycle
may seem like a difficult task to the steroid novice.
Even if we have settled on a particular drug or drug
combination, it is still easy to question whether or
not we are using them in the most effective manner.
This is one of those topics which can get more confusing
with research, as you will find the popular literature
filled with various stacking, cycling, tapering and
receptor response [upregulation/downregulation] theories.
If you have purchased this book in the hopes it will
provide you some new and unusual ways to take anabolic/androgenic
steroids, you will probably be disappointed. I have
actually developed the opinion that athletes usually
place too much importance on cycle construction. Experimenting
with fancy dosing patterns, rotation schedules and [especially]
tapering routines, hoping they will bring about enhanced
results, is in my opinion a very unreliable practice.
In this section I will therefore be ignoring the more
lavish intake regimens, and focus on the more fundamental
aspects to using these drugs. This is obvious when you
look at the sample cycles included, which you will notice
display little fluctuation in drug dosages from start
to finish. They are not fashioned as such due to laziness,
but simply because my personal experience has led me
to a place where picking a dosage and sticking with
it [unless there is an obvious need to adjust] seems
to make the most sense. Of course it is ultimately up
to the individual to find out what works best for him
or her, as nobody can rightly claim that there is one
"correct" way for everyone to use steroids.
Here are a few things to think about when deciding on
the right cycle for your needs.
Stacking
It is an extremely common
practice for an athlete to take more than one individual
steroid during a cycle. By taking a combination of steroids,
the user is of course seeking to enhance the amoun/quality
of muscle mass gained from drug therapy. While I am
sure it is no surprise that stacking is generally an
effective practice, you should probably give some thought
to expected goals and side effects before simply combining
steroids. If you are looking to gain considerable mass
for example, the use of two strong androgens like testosterone
and Anadrol 50® would be one of the more potent
cycles to attempt. But this combination would also lead
to very harsh side effects, and may be too uncomfortable
far some individuals. In this case it may be a good
suggestion to combine a milder anabolic with a base
androgen instead. A stack such as Deca-Durabolin®
and Dianabol would still produce very formidable muscle
mass gains, but would provide to user much less water/fat
retention, gynecomastia, hair loss/growth and acne than
the former.
On the other hand, "anabolics"
are typically the favored class of steroids for cutting/dieting
phases of training. This is because most have little
or no tendency for estrogen conversion, which as you
know makes them less apt to induce fat and water accumulation.
It is important to remember however that these steroids
can still suppress endogenous testosterone production
during a cycle. Since the administered drugs may not
provide the body enough androgen content to compensate
for this loss, this type of cycle may sometimes interfere
with aggression and libido [Deca is a common offender].
In such a state the user might become depressed and
unmotivated [see: side effects, depression], seriously
reducing the quality [results and comfort] of the cycle.
It is therefore usually a good idea to include some
type of androgen during this type of cycle, especially
if you have experienced such problems before. The preference
would be a non-aromatizing androgenic compound like
Proviron®, Halotestin® or trenbolone, which
will not increase the likelihood for fat/water retention.
In the absence of excess estrogen, the heightened androgen
level brought about by these drugs can actually enhance
the removal of body fat, and noticeably increase the
look of hardness/density to the physique [provided the
users body fat percentage is low enough to make this
visible]. Such compounds were unavailable, perhaps a
weekly [low dosage] shot of testosterone would prove
sufficient to ward off any problems.
Finally, is also good
to remember that it is not absolutely necessary to take
more than one steroid at a time. The term you hear most
often is synergy, which implies that two [or more] steroids
used together will often compliment [and amplify] each
other, providing a greater muscle gain than if they
had been used consecutively. Though not well understood,
a number of studies do suggest that different modes
of action might exist for steroids outside of the androgen
receptor [which would seem to support the notion that
cooperative or synergistic effects can be seen with
different drug arrangements]. Athletes also seem to
know that certain drug combinations work extremely well
together [Deca & Dianabol, testosterone and Anadrol
50®, trenbolone and Winstrol® etc.], which is
a testament to the notion of drug synergy. But this
should not be confused with the idea that you cannot
make gains on one drug alone. An athlete new to the
world of steroids could make exceptional gains on a
cycle of testosterone, Anadrol 50® or Dianabol for
example, without ever needing to add a second drug.
Heavily increased dosages and multidrug stacks are likewise
most prominent among those who are already very familiar
with steroid use, and find they are necessary in order
to continue to gain or maintain muscle mass.
Dosing and Megadosing
There are many different
opinions as to exactly what dosage an individual should
use of any particular drug in order to elicit optimal
results. Some seem to find they make exceptional gains
on relatively low dosages of most steroids, while others
insist they need to administer very large amounts of
androgens for the proper level of bulk. While I would
be no means claim to have the solution for everybody,
I would say those most steroids seem to work their best
in a particular range of dosage, and usually fall short
of expectations as we go higher or lower. On the one
hand we may find that going below what is considered
to be a normal dosage for a specific drug will cause
a very poor gain to be achieved, the hormone level perhaps
not rising enough above normal to stimulate a considerable
response. For example, 200-800mg of testosterone enanthate
per week is typically sufficient for a man to receive
very formidable gains, while 50-100mg may not provide
very noticeable results at all [of course this is all
common sense]. On the other extreme, athletes generally
find that unusually large doses [lets say 1000-2000mg
per week] will provide a relatively low quality increase
over that of the normal dosage range. Yes, the amount
of muscle mass may be considerably more than expected
with a typical dose, but this will probably not be proportionate
with the gain of new body fat and water weight. The
user will typically be stuck with a much more noticeable
level of side effects, while receiving a poor return
[as in solid muscle mass] on his money. When steroids
were abundant and cheap in the 1980s, mega-dosing among
recreational steroid users was not all that uncommon.
No doubt paying $20 per week as opposed to $5 was not
a very difficult decision to make. But today high prices
will usually prevent the widespread practice of such
excessive dosing, as such a cycle could cost hundreds
of dollars each week. The side note to this is that
one can reach an extreme level of development where
year round high dosage steroid use is a necessity to
maintain an anabolic state.
Cycle Duration
There are also many arguments
as to how long one should stay on a steroid cycle before
taking a break. Opinions range from those of cautious
individuals, who are often vehement about short cycles
and long off-periods, to the seriously hard-core user
who suggests year round use for optimal results. Since
it is really up to the individual to choose the cycle
that is best for him or her, I can only provide some
very basic advice. For starters, it is very important
to watch your intake duration when on stronger or more
toxic substances. This includes all c17 alpha alkylated
orals, or high-dose cycles of easily aromatized steroids.
These compounds place the most stress on your organs,
and likewise should be utilized for only limited intervals
[preferably less than 8 weeks]. Afterwards a break of
at least as much time [preferably more] should be taken
to give the body ample time to rest/recover. For those
who refuse to follow such advice, blood work and regular
health checkups should be an absolute necessity.
When taking milder anabolics
like Deca-Durabolin®, Primobolan® or Equipoise,
one might opt to take the drugs for a longer duration.
This is due to the fact that these compounds do not
act in an extremely dramatic manner, and instead promote
a slow but consistent buildup of muscle tissue. With
this understanding it is not unusual for an athlete
to find a cycle of three, even four or more months to
be the most appropriate. If used for only a short duration,
the individual might find the overall gains to be uninspiring.
Year round, on-all-the-time steroid use should be avoided
if at all possible, as one should respect the natural
hormonal balance your body strives for. The body really
should be given time to regain a natural hormonal balance
every so often, to ensure that there is little possibility
of future problems. Although many believe the effects
of these drugs to be 100% fully reversible, it is not
impossible to see problems with virility, libido etc.
after the body had been overloaded with hormones for
many years. The health risks associated with elevated
cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or liver toxicity
are of course also important reasons the athlete should
limit the duration of steroid intake.
Tapering
One of the most fundamental
beliefs among steroid users is that tapering, or the
practice of slowly reducing their drug dosage when discontinuing
a cycle, is an absolute necessity when wishing to preserve
your newly gained muscle mass. It is rare to find an
athlete who does not religiously dedicate [at least]
three or four weeks to a tapering schedule after every
serious cycle. The obvious belief is that the body will
notice the lowering androgen level, and compensate by
resuming the manufacture of testosterone. Unfortunately
you will see that this theory is in fact, extremely
flawed. This is because in order for the production
of testosterone to be fully restored, the body will
really need to recognize an androgen deficit, not just
a drop in steroid dosage. Since for example even one
Dianabol tablets could provide the equivalent of a days
androgen supply for the average male, tapering from
five, to four, to three etc. will accomplish relatively
nothing. In the three or four weeks the athlete will
spend doing this, his body is still reading "androgen
overload", and is not attempting to restore the
output of testosterone. This will of course hold true
for all anabolic steroids, not just the strong androgens.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that even tapering with
mild anabolics such as Primobolan® or Anavar [normally
thought of as mild in terms of testosterone suppression]
is enough to prevent or delay a hormonal rebound.
So if tapering is useless
what should the athlete do in order to properly discontinue
a steroid cycle? Of course the obvious answer is to
pay much closer attention to ancillary drug use than
tapering. The proper application of testosterone stimulating
compounds like HCG, Clomid®, Nolvadex® and/or
cyclofenil are the most critical, as these can greatly
aid in the balancing of body hormones. [The popular
methods for using all the above medications are laid
out under their individual profiles.] In the few cycles
I have illustrated in this section you will notice that
I have not even bothered to lower the drug dosages before
the ancillary drugs are added. Simply put, there is
no need to. In my opinion going "cold turkey"
is just the most logical option.
Sample Steroid Stacks
Sample steroid stacks
are provided to demonstrate common and/or effective
drug combinations in use by bodybuilders. For most of
these cycles, the dosages used are in the moderate range.
They are intended to represent a balance of peak effectiveness
with tolerable side effects, and are also designed so
that they can be assembled with very basic and common
black market items. For most novice steroid users, stacks
like these provide more than a sufficient level of steroid
for very dramatic results. Some even find that they
can make substantial progress on much less. These represent
only common guidelines toward typical use, and by no
means are indented to be the perfect cycles for everybody.
You will also notice that I have not provided cycles
geared towards women. This is quite simply because I
think women should be extremely cautious with these
drugs. Those absolutely determined to use them should
certainly avoiding multiple drug combinations, especially
as a novice to these agents.
