The Basics of a Cycle

Steroid use is highly variable with no prescribed usage pattern designed for muscle growth and definition. Users typically listen to the experiences of their peers, experiment on their own and ultimately learn through trial and error. Many argue the current laws make this issue worse, as users cannot access professionals for advice, direction or treatment.¹ Regardless, steroid use is documented to involve over a million users and the true number is likely much higher.^2,3 Considering the expense and resources put into drug testing and monitoring in organized sports, steroid use appears to be a barely contained matter.

Bodybuilders are probably the most sophisticated group of athletes using steroids, but use occurs in nearly every sport. "Steroids" refers to the diverse class of drugs derived from the hormone testosterone. The drugs are chemical modifications of testosterone, designed to either improve delivery of the hormone or change the profile of the drug, thereby increasing the anabolic (muscle building) effects and decreasing the androgenic (masculinizing) effects. All of these steroids have androgenic and anabolic properties. The difference is a matter of degree, with some being highly androgenic, others being much less so. With the exception of a foolhardy few, most users will "cycle" steroids, meaning that they will use the drugs for a defined period of time. After a cycle is finished, athletes typically take a break from drug use, usually for an equal amount of time (i.e., 12 weeks on followed by 12 weeks off).⁴

            Definition of a Cycle

A cycle is defined by three Ds: Drug(s), Dose and Duration. Before moving forward with a cycle though, one needs to fully consider the decision. Steroids are illegal to use or purchase without a prescription; a positive drug test may end an athletic career or endorsement contract; relationships often suffer; and it is very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle. Users find it difficult to resist the lure of "one more cycle" when the results from a previous cycle disappear. Unfortunately, most of the gains will be lost over time, so if the user expects to maintain the level of development provided by steroids, he is pressured to continue using steroids.

In the ideal world, the user would be well educated regarding the differences among the steroids and be able to select his drugs of choice. Sadly, most users depend upon black market dealers and choices are restricted to what is available in the dealer's inventory. Thus, most cycles are similar and follow fairly simple guidelines.

Few bodybuilders use just one steroid. Instead, they combine two or more steroids to maximize gains and benefits. This practice is referred to as "stacking." Experienced users will base their cycles on injectables, while novices tend to rely upon orals, as many suffer from a fear of needles.

There are three basic types of cycles: size (mass), cutting and compromise. The drugs chosen reflect the goal of the cycle.

Mass Cycle

 Mass cycles rely upon highly androgenic steroids, particularly the testosterone esters (enanthate, cypionate, Sustanon), combined with an androgenic oral steroid (Dianabol, Anadrol). These particular steroids are very effective for mass gains, in part because they readily aromatize to estrogenic hormones, such as estradiol.^5,6 Conversion of androgens to estrogenic hormones is usually regarded as a negative side effect of testosterone esters, but it is becoming evident that estrogen promotes the increase in muscle size experienced under the influence of steroids.⁷ Most bodybuilders avoid traditional mass cycles, as the high estrogen load may cause undesirable estrogenic side effects, such as water retention, fat accretion and gynecomastia.^5,8,9 Side effects are very common and the chance of experiencing at least one such side effect increases with heavy doses. For this reason, estrogen receptor blockers or aromatase inhibitors are often used during mass cycles.

Drug use patterns have changed dramatically over the years. In the early years of steroids, doses were mild, possibly due to the limited production of the drugs. During the ‘70s and ‘80s, steroids became widely available within the realm of elite athletes and the iron brotherhood. It was during this time that stacking and mega-dosing became prevalent. However, even then, doses were reasonably controlled. Bodybuilders used pyramiding schemes, with more time spent building up drug levels and tapering off than was spent on a peak dose. During the last several years, the pattern has become much more abrupt, with most experienced users beginning their cycle at maximum doses and ignoring any tapering.

While the current dosing scheme appears to be more effective, it is also prone to problems. Steroids are psychoactive hormones, meaning they can alter the mood or temper of well-balanced people, and for those with psychiatric problems, can exacerbate a psychotic event.^10,11 It is more sensible to introduce the drug into the system step-wise, to avoid the hormonal punch of immediately launching into the peak dose. Similarly, it's important to withdraw from steroid use with some caution. Unless an additional drug is used to re-stimulate natural testosterone production (e.g., hCG), there can be a lag of several months before natural testosterone levels are restored.¹² This drop-off in natural testosterone production can cause depression, muscle wasting and infertility. The taper and buildup period is more relevant for the quick-acting steroids, such as testosterone propionate or the orals.^10,13 Long-acting, slow- release esters (enanthate, decanoate) will build up and taper off slowly, as a function of the pharmacokinetics of the drug.

Mass cycles are relatively short, lasting from four to 10 weeks. As mass cycles use rapidly acting drugs, it's not uncommon to hear of people gaining as much as 30 to 50 pounds within a couple of months. Needless to say, much of this weight gain is water and fat, which is quickly lost after the cycle is finished. For most, the limiting factor for mass cycles is the onset of negative side effects. As noted, water retention and fat gain are as rapid as muscle growth with such cycles. The body handles the abnormally high levels of androgens poorly, much of the steroid is aromatized and estrogen levels rise. Gynecomastia occurs more frequently than is realized, with some of the breast growth hidden beneath the surface fat covering the chest.

Example of a Mass Cycle

Week 1: T enanthate 200 mg twice weekly; dianabol 10-20 mg/day

Week 2 - 8: T enanthate 400 mg twice weekly; dianabol 20-50 mg/day

Week 9: Dianabol 15-0 mg/day

Week 10 - 11: hCG

Other supportive drugs used: Arimidex, Nolvadex, Proscar, insulin

Cutting Cycle

Cutting cycles rely upon the highly anabolic steroids, as the more androgenic steroids cause a great degree of water retention and fat accretion due to the conversion of the androgenic steroids to estrogenic hormones. Despite being able to provide a more defined and hardened look, cutting cycles are not as popular, as the size and strength gains are not as dramatic as those provided by the size cycles. Common drug choices include the highly anabolic injectables (Deca durabolin, Winstrol) combined with select orals (Winstrol, Anavar, Primobolan).

On average, cutting cycles last longer than mass cycles. This is due to the fact that the drugs are less potent at increasing strength gains and are considered to be less toxic. True cutting cycles are uncommon; they are used primarily by competitive bodybuilders during the final pre-contest phase of their training. A cutting cycle may immediately follow a mass cycle in many cases, as some bodybuilders still adhere to the "bulking-cutting" mentality. Experienced bodybuilders may launch directly into the peak dose of a cutting cycle, but in fact, many spend the entire cycle tinkering with different drugs and doses. Some claim orals should be avoided the last two weeks, others switch entirely to orals, while yet others switch from Deca durabolin and Anavar the first six weeks to Winstrol V and primobolan the second six weeks. While cutting cycles are less prone to the estrogenic side effects of the mass cycle, the orals used may be toxic to the liver. Perhaps the greatest concern is the concurrent use of other potent drugs used for fat loss, such as DNP, clenbuterol, etc.

The drugs used in a cutting cycle do not provide the same training benefits and are less psychoactive, but users are still at risk of suffering withdrawal effects if adjunct drugs are not used to re-stimulate natural testosterone production.¹²

Example of a Cutting Cycle

Week 1: Deca durabolin 200 mg twice weekly; Winstrol tabs 6-10 mg/day

Week 2 - 12: Deca durabolin 400 mg twice weekly; Winstrol tabs 10-20 mg/day

Week 13 - 14: Winstrol tabs 20-0 mg/day

Week 15 - 16: hCG

Other supportive drugs used: Clenbuterol, ephedrine, DNP, Growth hormone

Compromise Cycle

The last category of steroid cycles is the most common, as the majority of users are not competitive athletes, nor do they desire to carry the bloat associated with mass cycles. Most users are non-competitive weightlifters. For some, it's the pursuit of a more appealing physique, for others it's the challenge of pushing for personal records. Regardless, the black market thrives off the demand created by students, blue-collar workers and white-collar professionals; in fact, just about any category you can name.

The general public glamorizes the healthy and athletic physique. Even with dedicated training and a disciplined diet, this physique is beyond most people, creating the demand for steroids. Few people want the acne and bloat of a mass cycle. Few wish to apply the strict diet and catabolic training required for a successful cutting cycle. Most people want to maximize the muscle growth of their training and be able to comfortably acquire the same physique that one sees on the comic strip characters and action movie heroes.

This group follows a compromise of both mass and cutting cycles. They wish to have the quick response and gains in size and strength seen in mass cycles, yet they also want definition. The public doesn't care about striations in the quads; they are more interested in getting a six-pack set of abs. So, to meet these goals, moderate doses of both androgenic and anabolic steroids are used. The most popular cycle of all time was Deca durabolin and Dianabol. This cycle provided increases in size, strength and definition. Dan Duchaine once commented that if someone doesn't grow on Deca and D-bol, nothing will work.¹⁴ This cycle become so popular that Dianabol ceased to be produced as governmental pressure caused the company to discontinue production. Other examples of compromise cycles include Equipoise and Dianabol; Testosterone esters and Winstrol tabs; Deca durabolin and trenbolone.

Compromise cycles are dosed more moderately than mass cycles, so side effects are less common. Thus, these cycles may persist for 12 to 16 weeks. Recreational users will often taper off as they look to cycle as inexpensively as possible and are either unaware of the need for, or unable to obtain, hCG to re-stimulate natural testosterone production.

Example of a Compromise Cycle

Week 1: Equipoise 100 mg twice weekly; dianabol 5-10 mg/day

Week 2 - 12: Equipoise 300 mg twice weekly; dianabol 10-30 mg/day

Week 13: Dianabol 20-0 mg/day

Week 14: hCG

Other supportive drugs used: Arimidex, ephedrine

            Vulnerable Population

These three examples are general and only provide a glimpse of the steroid usage patterns of bodybuilders and other athletes. It's evident that steroids amplify the training effect and they have been used to create more massive bodybuilders and raise the bar on Athletic Performance. As the goals of a cycle are subjective to the user, it's crucial that the steroids be chosen based upon an understanding of the expected effects and side effects of the drugs. The amount of drug used has progressively increased over the years, as has the incidence of side effects and the need for adjunct drugs (aromatase inhibitors, reductase inhibitors, hCG). Cycles may be as brief as four weeks or they may persist for several months. Often, the limiting factor will be the advent of negative side effects.

It appears steroid use remains rampant and the pressure for success causes many others to consider using these potent drugs. A poorly informed athlete may make this decision without full knowledge of the consequences of his actions, or he may choose drugs that will not provide the effects he desires. Credible sources of information need to be made available to bodybuilders and athletes, as these groups are vulnerable to the misinformation widely spread regarding steroid use. 

References 

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12. Menon DK. Successful treatment of anabolic steroid-induced azoospermia with human chorionic gonadotrophin and human menopausal gonadotrophin. Fertil Steril, 2003 Jun;79 Suppl 3:1659-61.
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14. Duchaine D. Personal communication, 1996.