Cycle theories
Empirical and anecdotal evidence clearlv show that steroids are most effective and safest when they are used in a logical sequence referred to as a cycle. The term cycle is commonly used by athletes to refer to the time they are on steroids. An average on cycle is usually from 6 to 12 weeks. An average off cycle, which is the time off of the steroids, should be at least 10 to 12 weeks. This pattern is needed to minimize side effects associated with long term steroid use. It is felt that doing just 2 cycles a year is best to keep side effects to a minimum. In the off cycle period, the user is allowing the body to restore its natural hormonal patterns and to recover from any stress that occurred during the cycle. Cycling steroids is also important to insure their effectiveness. If a person stays on a steroid for too long, receptor sites will fail to recognize it. This attenuation is not experienced if cycles are done properly. Some evidence supports keeping cycles fairly short; about two months in length or less. Recent evidence has shown that receptor down regulation, which is a decrease in the amount of a steroid being picked up by a cell, occurs in as little as 3 weeks. Also shown was that the positive nitrogen balance, a primary anabolic indicator of a steroid, will not exist if the dosage is not continually increased. This is also due to the fairly rapid and progressive loss of sensitivity of receptors to exogenous steroids. With cycles of excessive duration, the receptor site gets so over stimulated by exogenous steroids, that it can even fail to respond to endogenous androgens. A person in this state could use huge dosages and still not get any results. This explains a great deal of logic behind some of the cycle patterns commonly used today. The wiser athletes put every bit of knowledge they have into designing their cycles. One of the cycles gaining in popularity is the 3 week blitz. In this cycle, the athlete uses each drug for three weeks at a time. The idea here is the steroid will not suppress the androgen receptors in just 3 weeks, resulting in only slight impairment of receptor functions versus the degree of attenuation that is experienced if one drug were taken for a long period of time. Another cycle pattern which goes on the same premise as the 3 week blitz, is the double mini-cycle. In this cycle, 2-3 steroids are taken in a certain combination for 6 weeks, then a 2 week off cycle is taken before coming back to another 6 week cycle of the same, or more favorably, 2 different steroids. After this second cycle, an off period of at least 2 months is taken.
A familiar cycle pattern is the diamond. This one starts with a minimal dosage of one or more steroids, increases for several weeks and then decreases for several weeks in an attempt to bring the body's own testosterone production back up before going off the steroids.
The inverted pyramid is another cycle pattern. This cycle starts with a maximum dosage and works down from there. This cycle is very popular in situations where the athlete is going to be drug tested. Steroid cycles take on an infinite number of patterns and involve the use
of just one or up to a dozen different drugs. These cycles are just examples of how other people have used these drugs.
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