Post steroid cycle therapy and How to Keep Your Gains

As bodybuilders, the first thing we need to understand is what is going on with our bodies when we’re taking anabolic steroids. Exogenous anabolic hormones (or derivatives of anabolic hormones) are being brought into your system. This causes the body to take a number of responsive actions. The first and foremost (as you already know) is increased muscle mass. Unfortunately, other things are also going on that aren’t so great.

When an enzyme or hormone is brought into the system, chemical balances shift around to attain a certain equilibrium. In a nutshell, your body will increase production of estrogen, cortisol, and other hormones in response to heightened testosterone levels, while simultaneously slowing (or completely stopping) natural production of testosterone. Biologists call this negative feedback.

Natural testosterone production relies on a feedback system; when your brain detects that natural testosterone levels fall below a certain point, it signals the testes to produce more testosterone. This is called the Hypothalamic Testicular Pituitary Axis (HPTA). Natural testosterone production happens when the hypothalamus gland in the brain detects that testosterone levels in the blood go below a certain point (this point can vary with individual people). When it detects this, it sends a message to the testicles to tell them to start producing testosterone. When there is enough testosterone released into the system, the process stops until levels fall again. This process happens all the time during a normal day (assuming you have no medical condition that interferes with or prevents it).

Why is this important?

When you take anabolic steroids your body detects that your testosterone levels have risen and it switches off natural production while levels remain high. If natural production is switched off for a long time, such as a typical cycle, it can take some time before the body starts to produce it again naturally. In some cases, natural production can be extremely difficult to restore.

The longer you are on-cycle, the more likely you will have problems re-starting natural production (this is what users call “shut down”). The longer you are in this state, the more muscle mass you will likely lose and the harder it may become to restart natural testosterone production. This is the reason that it is important to recover your own natural hormonal levels quickly and lose far less of the gains you worked so hard for on the cycle. High estrogen levels play an integral part in Post Cycle therapy (PCT). That’s right, you want to welcome high estrogen with open freaking arms, but there’s a trick to it. And that trick is the almighty SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator).
SERM’s: the foundation of post cycle therapy.

Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators are the foundation for any proper post-cycle therapy plan. A post cycle therapy plan without them isn’t a PCT plan. The purpose of a SERM is to block the negative effects estrogen, while your hormone levels go back to equilibrium.

Types of Post Cycle Therapy drugs?

Typically, people will use any or all of these drugs (Tamoxifen, Clomiphene and HCG) to help restart natural testosterone production. It is not advised to start post-cycle therapy until your testosterone levels drop below your natural level.

The different SERM’s:

1)Tamoxifen (Nolvadex):

• Reputation: Most popular SERM for post cycle therapy
• Pros:  Effective for gyno prevention.
• Cons: Heptatoxicity
• Popular Dosage (for a 4-week cycle): 40/40/20/20

2) Clomiphene Citrate (clomid):

• Reputation: Second most popular. Usually taken the first week or so to speed up Testosterone recovery with Tamoxifen being taken the whole therapy.
• Pros: Better than Tamoxifen for HTPA regernation. Less heptatoxicity.
• Cons: Less effective against gyno. Can cause emotional issues.
• Popular Dosage (for a 4-week cycle): 100-200mg/100mg/50mg/50mg

3) HCG(Human Chorionic Gonadotropin):

• Reputation: Used in conjunction with SERMS. Best results seen in medium to long cycles.
• Pros: Used to stimulate testosterone production in men.
• Cons: Not to be used with signs of gyno as it can worsen the situation.
• Popular dosage(last 4 weeks of cycle): 2000 IU/week, with 500 IU 4x/week, or 250 IU/dayor 500 IU every other day (these come to 1750 IU/week)

Anabolic Steroids. Bulking, Cutting and Post Cycle Therapy

Generally, injectable steroids are more suitable for beginners. Orals can be more toxic, which we recommend to intermmediate users, so to keep our benefit to risk ratio high, we will only discuss injectables here. Many people get freaked out when thinking about sticking a needle into their body. In reality, its a very easy and painless procedure when done properly. You may read about the basic steroid injection procedure on our site.

Testosterone is the base of our cycles. A beginner doesnt need much to see great gains. Over the last couple years on the internet, the beginner dosage has slowly increased. Once upon a time, 250mgs of testosterone a week was enough to see very good strength and muscle gains. However, today, many people will say a dosage of 500mgs a week, is the very minimal. This is not true, this is being suggested under the thinking, more is better, which is false.

A successful first cycle (assuming the diet is in check), would be 250mgs of testosterone, every 5 days. Possible testosterones for this cycle would be Sustanon (a testosterone blend), Testosterone Enanthate, or Testosterone Cypionate. These testosterones have a slow acting ester, which means they do not have to be injected frequently. With a slow acting testosterone, a user will begin to see results at approximately the 3-4 week mark. If the user has proper diet and training, a 10-20lb size increase can be expected. Other positive side effects will include increased energy, sex drive, strength, and a sense of well being.

At this dose, negative side effects should not be present. Depending on the diet there may be some water retention. Taking testosterone propionate, which should be injected every second day (minimal), would decrease the water bloat, but many people do not like frequent injections.

For added boost, or possibly for a second cycle, a user can add Equipoise (Boldenone Undecyclate) with the testosterone. Equipoise is a popular veterinary steroid, which can be used for adding mass, or while dieting. Equipoise will give a slow, steady increase in mass and strength. Another plus to equipoise is that it increase appetite, which makes it more appropriate for bulking than cutting. 150mgs every three says will yield impressive results. Equipoise is a rather safe steroids, with no major side effects. It has been my many users at 800-1000mgs a week without any noticeable side effects.

A total steroid cycle should last 8-10 weeks. This is a beginner recommendation. Some suggest doing short 2-3 week cycles, on and off, while others will suggest doing 16-20 week cycles. We believe beginners should start at the basic 8-10 week cycles.

Surprisingly, the same above steroids can be taken to lose weight, and will work effectively. Steroids arent magic, they arent going to help you lose weight. They will help you maintain your muscle, while you are dieting, and give your muscles the full look, but they dont burn fat. Testosterone Suspension or Propionate are better choices than Enanthate and Cypionate, as you wont hold as much water. The Suspenion or Propionate can be taken 50mgs everyday. They are fast acting, and you should see a lot quicker results compared to the slower acting testosterones. Although equipoise increases appetite is also great for that veiny or vascular look. Winstrol (Stanozolol) is another option, but there is the chance of increased negative side effects. There is a chance of hair thinning, acne and liver toxicity but it all depends on how the users body reacts to the drug, and if they are taking anything to minimize the side effects. Winstrol can be injected at 50mgs every other day, or taken orally at 30-50mgs a day, (30mgs/day suggested) with the dosages being split up through out the day. A non-steroid drug, Clenbuterol, can be used to aid fat loss. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator, used in treatment for asthma. It is slightly thermogenic, and increases the bodys temperature, which in turn, increase the bodys fat loss capabilities.

Other steroids
There are a few other steroids that are also for beginners; with very little side effects. You have:

• Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate)
• Anavar (Oxandrolone)
• Primobolan

The only problem with the above three is the price, it can get quite expensive. Deca Durabolin can take the place of equipoise in the above bulking cycle, but we wouldnt recommend it in the cutting cycle. Users can hold water with Deca, and you just wont get the same look and feel, as you will with equipoise. Anavar is a great overall drug, but is probably the most expensive steroid available. It is known as the safest steroid, side effects are extremely rare. It yields slow steady gains, and can be used while bulking or cutting. Primobolan, similar to Anavar, it will give slow, steady gains, with very little side effects. Primobolan and Deca are injectables, while Anavar is an oral steroid. Several years ago, Primobolan and Deca Durabolin were two of the top steroids on the market. Because of research on other drugs, availability, and changing in prices, they arent used quite as often anymore.

If you dont come off properly, you can lose your gains, have emotional problems, and your testosterone may remain shut down, just to name a few. As you can see, its very important to come off anabolic steroids the right way.

First, let us see the basics. Forget the steroids, forget the drugs, we need to really concentrate on the training, dieting, and rest part of your life. Training focus and intensity must remain high. Your mentality can change once you are off steroids, so you must keep training hard, and keep your mind focused. You must keep your protein intake high as well. Dont think once you are off you can stop eating properly. This is possibly the most important time to make sure your diet is in check. Rest, rest and rest. Make sure you get a lot of rest. While you were on steroids, your body, more specifically you muscles recovered a lot faster than they would naturally. Get a lot of rest, and make sure you dont overtrain.

On to the drugs and supplements. Over the years there have been a number of different theories of how to come off anabolic steroids. Some say take HCG, some say not to, some say take Clomid, some say dont, some say take Nolvadex, some say dont you get the point. More info on those drugs are on our main page, and there is a huge drug database in our members section.

We are going to give two basic choices, and reasons why we decided to offer two choices. Remember, there are numerous ways to come off steroids, or Post cycle therapy (PCT). This is our way, and we feel its best. However, its just our opinion, everyone can do more research and decide what is best for them. Method one, Nolvadex (Tamoxifen Citrate) only.

Recommended dosage:
40mgs a day for 14 days, then 20mgs a day for the next 14 days. The idea to use Nolvadex post cycle came around not too long ago, and Nolvadex only, even sooner than that. Users report full recover in their testosterone product and overall feeling. No side effects noticed. Thats it for the first method, nice and simple.

Method two, Nolvadex with clomid (Clomiphene Citrate). Users report an even better recovery with this, than Nolvadex alone. On the down side, Clomid has known to cause temporary side effects. Some users will get acne and extremely emotional for 2-4 weeks. However, many believe this is due to the natural testosterone production, and the imbalance with estrogen levels. 2-4 weeks is a very short period, considering your body is once again producing its natural testosterone once again, and you shall keep almost all of your gains.

As for health supplements, some like to take tribulus territories, which helps with the libido. Protein powders are always useful, while on or off steroids. Glutamine, which some swear by, while others claim it is useless, may be used as well, which is supposed to aid in muscle recovery. Creatine can also be started, which will help you keep your strength and weight (water) up, to avoid any immediate emotional disorders ie. if you happen to lose a bit of weight or strength, you may go into a depressed state.

Testosterone Propionate is a powerful steroid

In the world of anabolic steroids testosterone is king; in-fact, all anabolic steroids owe their allegiance to the testosterone hormone, for without it they would not exist. Of all the forms of anabolic steroids it is testosterone that was first and regarding mass production Testosterone Propionate was the first to hit the shelves in mass quantity ready for human use. Testosterone Propionate is one of the longest existing anabolic steroids and since its inception and into the present day it has remained one of the most popular of all time. Its popularity stems from many points but first and foremost it remains popular because it is simply pure testosterone, a hormone of great anabolic and androgenic power. Further, as we will shortly see testosterone is one of the more versatile hormones we can ever become acquainted with and while all testosterone forms are simply that, testosterone, Testosterone Propionate holds a special place in the hearts of many performance enhancers due to its fast acting nature. Regardless of anything else Testosterone Propionate is the easiest testosterone form to control, it is very easy to maintain stable levels, easy to control in-terms of side-effects and generally one of the more user friendly anabolic androgenic steroids anyone could ever choose.

Testosterone is a hormone produced by both men and women and is essential to our very functioning existence. As it is responsible for a host of functions we can see the majority of the functions when we examine low levels of the hormone and the negative effects it can cause. As for Testosterone Propionate, what we have is identical to the testosterone hormone you naturally produced, the only difference being Testosterone Propionate is synthetically manufactured.

How important is the testosterone hormone? Largely the examination of low levels can tell us everything we need to know and while low levels in of themselves are not life-threatening they can be beyond problematic and lead to many problems that can be life-threatening indeed; look at it like opening a door that should remained closed. Individuals who suffer from low testosterone and while more men will fall prey many women do as well, will often find symptoms such as increases in body-fat, loss of muscle tissue and strength, the inability to lose body-fat even when dieting and exercising, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction in men, a weakened immune system, lethargy, depression, a lack of mental focus, a lack of clarity of thought; the list goes on and on. Again, directly none of these conditions are life-threatening but you’d be hard pressed to make a positive argument regarding a single one. Further, it’s no secret, excess body-fat and a loss of muscle tissue is well-known to be the gateway to many serious physical problems, many of which are quite life-threatening indeed. An interesting note, in recent year’s low testosterone has also been linked to dementia, most notably regarding fatal Alzheimer’s disease.

For the individual who suffers from low levels, when he supplements with testosterone and Testosterone Propionate can be used for just that, he will in-fact see each and every area that was once found lacking improved upon and to a strong degree this is exactly how we can look at performance enhancing. For the performance enhancer the idea is simple, to take the levels of testosterone past what can be produced naturally thereby enhancing the traits and functions for what it is responsible for greatly. It really is that simple and is nowhere nearly as complicated as many like to make it out to be.

So how does it all work? By its nature and direct mode of action Testosterone Propionate as a pure testosterone form greatly increases nitrogen retention in the muscles as well as overall protein synthesis. Both of these traits are key factors in building lean tissue as well as preserving it and as lean tissue increases so does our overall metabolic rate. If nothing else this makes the hormone immeasurable in-terms of how truly beneficial it is but as you may have guessed its direct mode of action goes much deeper.

Testosterone Propionate will dramatically reduce and inhibit the release of glucocorticoid hormones in the body. This is important because these are the hormones that destroy muscle tissue and promote the storage of body-fat; while you may not be familiar with all glucocorticoid hormones you’ve probably heard of one, the most famous of all, cortisol. By supplementing and increasing our testosterone levels through the use of Testosterone Propionate we now have less cortisol in our body; again, promoting greater metabolic activity.

Testosterone also plays a key and vital role along with IGF-1, a naturally produced peptide hormone of immense anabolic power and importance. IGF-1 effects nearly every single cell in the human body and the more testosterone in your system the greater release of this peptide hormone there will be. IGF-1 also play a direct role alongside another peptide hormone, the most famous of all, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and it is the release of IGF-1 that plays a very important role in how much HGH you produce.

While this gives you a general understanding of the testosterone hormone you still need to understand the Propionate ester. Propionate is not a steroid, it is not a hormone, it is an ester that can be attached to a hormone and testosterone is not the only one. Propionate is one of the smaller esters we have available, not the smallest but pretty close; of the most common esters used the only smaller ester most will use will be Acetate. As a small ester based testosterone, Testosterone Propionate will become active and noticeable very quickly and as to be expected will carry a very short half-life; meaning, the total duration of activity is very short lived, thereby making frequent administration necessary. Testosterone Propionate carries a half-life of approximately 4 days and will need to be administered at least every 3 days with every other day being far more optimal. Further, as more of an interesting note, as the Propionate ester is so small it will take up very little mass in the compound; meaning a larger portion of the compound will be pure testosterone. For example, 100mg of Testosterone Propionate will yield more usable testosterone than 100mg of a larger ester based form such as Testosterone Cypionate. In the end, while worthy of note it is of little consequence since dosing can easily be adjusted to receive the same amount with any form.

As Testosterone Propionate is just that, testosterone it is for all intense purpose one of the very few perfect anabolic steroids. Individual goals can greatly vary from treating low testosterone, performance enhancement, bulking, cutting, improving athletic performance or simple vanity and Testosterone Propionate can have a place in each and every one. As is evident from the hormones description above Testosterone Propionate can greatly add muscle mass, increase strength, improve metabolic efficiency, improve athletic performance and grant you a greater sense of well-being; is there really much more you could want? Further, because Testosterone Propionate is such a fast acting anabolic steroid, while most will tolerate it very well if you are one of the few who does not for whatever reason, simply discontinuing use will be very simple as the hormone will clear in just a few days.

By-and-large the simplest way to look at the benefits are as we discussed above; when we understand what testosterone is responsible for we then understand why it’s important to make sure levels are adequate if they are lacking. Further, regarding performance enhancement when we understand again what the hormone is responsible for we understand very easily how increasing our levels increases its efficiency by in-which it functions, we literally enhance the performance of the testosterone hormone.

Anabolic steroids carry with them possible side-effects and as Testosterone Propionate is an anabolic androgenic steroid it too carries with it possible side-effects. However, it is very important to remember testosterone is not akin to taking medicine; although steroids are often labeled “Drugs” such a label is somewhat haphazard. As you recall, testosterone is a hormone you naturally produce and have so your entire life and by basic logic the presence of testosterone will generally be very well tolerated. Even so, when we present to our body anything in exogenous form there is always some level of risk; how great the risk varies from each and every item and in the world of anabolic steroids the level of risk varies with each and every one. In the case of Testosterone Propionate, as it is very well-tolerated in most healthy adult men most will not have any problems; however, responsible use will always be the safest route to follow. Of course it must be noted, “responsible use” can mean quite a few different things to different people but nevertheless, there are facts and there are real life experiences we can pull from to gauge our choices.

 Of the possible side-effects you will find they most commonly include Gynecomastia, water retention, high blood pressure and issues of a cholesterol nature as well as testicular atrophy; testicular atrophy being the one guaranteed side-effect in all men. Testicular atrophy occurs for one simple reason; the presence of anabolic androgenic steroids, even testosterone suppresses natural testosterone production. As testosterone is produced in the testicles and production comes to a halt the testicles simply shrink in size; no, contrary to popular belief they do not shrink to where you can barely see them, we’re speaking of a slight decline is fullness. Once use is discontinued your testicles will return to their normal size as natural testosterone production will begin yet again.

As for the other side-effects, they are by no means guaranteed but if they do occur they will do so because of the testosterone conversion process. Testosterone converts into estrogen via the aromatase process and as excess estrogen builds up such related side-effects can become problematic. Absolutely, the total dose of Testosterone Propionate you take will play a big role; the more testosterone in your system the more testosterone there is to convert into estrogen. Individual sensitivity will also play a large role but there are things we can do if we are sensitive or as simple precautionary measures and none is better than supplementing with an aromatase inhibitor (AI.) An AI inhibits the conversion to estrogen and further reduces the amount of estrogen in the body; as the brunt of potential side-effects are brought on by estrogen you an easily see how and why this can be so beneficial.

Go to any steroid related message board and you’ll find individuals who claim Testosterone Propionate is better suited for cutting cycles and that longer ester based testosterones should be used when bulking; the point, do not listen to these people. Testosterone Propionate can be used for any cycle, as can pretty much any testosterone form; Testosterone Propionate is a perfect steroid because it is pure testosterone and it is not the ester that deems it better for one purpose or the other. It is true, some people will hold a little less water when they use this small ester version but in most cases any water problems can be controlled with diet and the use of AI’s. As for bulking, again, as this is pure testosterone and testosterone is the best agent for a bulking cycle Testosterone Propionate can be perfect. Yes, you’ll need to inject frequently regardless of the end goal but sometimes this isn’t really a bad thing. Frequent injections of small ester based anabolics are often much easier to control in-terms of maintaining stable and peaked levels of a particular hormone. In the end, when making your choice you’ll find Testosterone Propionate to be a fine one regardless of anything else but other forms can be just as good.

For the Testosterone Replacement Therapy candidate generally dosing will fall in the 100mg-200mg per week range and rarely surpassing this amount. However, as frequent injections are necessary most physicians will generally opt for larger ester forms, most commonly Testosterone Cypionate so the patient only has to inject once per week.

For the performance enhancer the dosing will be much larger and the varying levels will be much wider too but he must necessarily inject frequently as discussed if he is going to maintain stability. Generally the minimal dose when supplementing for performance purposes will be 100mg every other day with 200mg every other day being as high as most will ever go. Yes, you an absolutely take more, there is no set in stone amount but understand such high-end doses can open up the doors to side-effects that you may have wished to remain shut. In elite level competitive sports, especially in elite level bodybuilding it is not uncommon to see doses surpass a 2,000mg per week range but this can be very harsh and there is simply no way such a dosing could ever be recommended in a responsible manner.

As with all cycles, as natural testosterone production will be suppressed, once use is discontinued and responsible use will include breaks Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) is a must in order to aid and speed up the recovery process. This is where Testosterone Propionate has a bit of advantage over many other forms of testosterone; as a small ester that clears very quickly if your cycle ends with Testosterone Propionate and there is no other long ester gear present in your system your PCT plan can start almost immediately. Remember, the sooner we start our PCT the better off we’ll be and such rapid PCT application cannot be accomplished with long ester based testosterone. If your cycle ends with Testosterone Propionate you could reasonably wait 3 days before PCT therapy begins; if it ends with large ester gear you will need to wait approximately 2 weeks.