Example Cycle Layouts

You've heard the terms "cycle" and "stack" before in regards to anabolic steroid use. A cycle refers to the time of use, the period of time in-which the individual is supplementing with anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs (PED's). A stack refers to the PED's is being used during the particular cycle; the grouping of two or more PED's in the same cycle. In most cycles stacking has shown to improve results as compared to using only one anabolic steroid. If you supplement with one steroid say testosterone at 500mg per week and then in the next cycle supplement with less testosterone, say 400mg per week yet include a dosing of Anavar or Winstrol you'll get more out of the second cycle than the first.

When planning a cycle you actually want to plan it out; you want to stack the right PED's together for optimal results. Each PED functions by its own nature and carries its own primary roles as well as secondary characteristics. Some steroids will be more suited towards mass; some will be more suited towards strength. Some steroids will be more suited towards conditioning and then some steroids will be very well-suited for all of these traits; these are the truly versatile hormones. Of course when we stack various PED's there's always the issue of possible side-effects. In the case of anabolic steroids each steroid carries its own list of possible side-effects. Within each steroid many will carry similar possible side-effects but the level of probability can vary with each and every one and of course some steroids will carry possible side-effects unique unto their own. The key to any successful cycle or stack is understanding the possible side-effects, how we can prevent them and what we can do to remedy them should they occur.

The following three cycles are considered Novice cycles. As our cycle listed under the "Novice Cycles I" link is for a true beginner some beginners may choose to start here with a little more but should only do so if their personal education is well beyond average. Most who will supplement with the following cycles will have at least one cycle similar to the one under the "Novice Cycles I" link under their belt but are still relatively new to PED use. Each cycle is listed by PED and the dosing to correspond with each week. At the bottom of the page you will find a PCT plan that is to follow each cycle.

• Novice Cycle #2-1

Notes on Novice Cycle #2-1:

- Very well-suited for mass but can be used when dieting as well. In either case the end result will largely be dictated by your diet.

- Due to the aromatizing nature of these steroids SERM's or AI's may be needed and should be kept on hand. Nolvadex is the SERM of choice but if stronger AI's are needed Arimidex and Letrozole will both work well.

• Novice Cycle #2-2

Notes on Novice Cycle #2-2:

- Very well-suited for mass but can be used when dieting as well. In either case the end result will largely be dictated by your diet.

- Due to the aromatizing nature of these steroids SERM's or AI's may be needed and should be kept on hand. Nolvadex is the SERM of choice but if stronger AI's are needed Arimidex and Letrozole will both work well.

- The switch from Testosterone-Enanthate to Testosterone-Propionate at the end will allow the PCT process to begin approximately 3 days after your last injection.

• Novice Cycle #2-3

Notes on Novice Cycle #2-3:

• Very well-suited for very lean gains and cutting. Regardless of desired total results the end result will largely be dictated by your diet.
• Due to the aromatizing nature of these steroids SERM's or AI's may be needed and should be kept on hand. Nolvadex is the SERM of choice but if stronger AI's are needed Arimidex and Letrozole will both work well.
• The switch from Testosterone-Cypionate to Testosterone-Propionate at the end will allow the PCT process to begin approximately 3 days after your last injection. Further, this will ensure you're holding a little less water to give you a nice finishing touch.
• "eod" - stands for Every Other Day

Novice Cycle #2-4

Notes on Novice Cycle #2-3

• Very well-suited for very lean gains and cutting. Regardless of desired total results the end result will largely be dictated by your diet.
• Due to the aromatizing nature of these steroids SERM's or AI's may be needed and should be kept on hand. Nolvadex is the SERM of choice but if stronger AI's are needed Arimidex and Letrozole will both work well.
• "eod" stands for Every Other Day
• "ed" stands for Every Day

Post Cycle Therapy Plan: For all cycles listed:

Notes on Post Cycle Therapy:

• hcg is only used for 10 days, 10 straight days
• PCT therapy begins 3 days after your last injection if you complete Novice Cycle 2-2, 2-3 or 2-4
• PCT therapy begins 10 days after your last injection if you complete Novice Cycle 2-1
• "eod" stands for Every Other Day
• "ed" stands for Every Day

Most people understand what a beginner is; someone who is new to an endeavor and is taking part in it for the first time or while they may have already taken part are still somewhat fresh. For the anabolic steroid user this is someone who has never supplemented before or who only has a couple cycles under their belt; this is a beginner. Then we have the advanced; advanced steroid cycles are for those who have cycled for a long time, have numerous cycles under their belt and who either by desire or necessity have cause to really push the envelope into what is commonly referred to as "the hardcore level." What then about an intermediate? The intermediate level is a little harder to define as there is no set in stone one size fits all answer to determine if one is at the intermediate level. We can say you should have at least one cycle that has been completed and most would be best served if they've completed at least two. If you've completed two cycles does this mean you're ready for an intermediate level? Absolutely not; it means you can be but it doesn't mean you have to be. Many performance enhancers will be just fine with beginner style cycles each and every time they supplement but for many others, as is often the case in life, many will want a little more.

To determine if you're ready for an intermediate cycle we have provided you a list of guidelines in-which to go by. Again, and it cannot be emphasized enough, even if you fit these guidelines to a tee that doesn't mean you have to move into a more advanced level beyond Novice level cycles; it is a choice only you can make. For those who believe they may be ready for an intermediate cycle the following guidelines will prove beneficial:

• Have completed at least one cycle successfully; preferably two cycles.
• Have supplemented with at least three different anabolic steroids and in a successful manner with all three.
• Have stacked at least two anabolic steroids together in a successful manner.
• Desire more than they are obtaining from successful Novice cycles.

These are our guidelines and if you fit the mold for each one you may indeed be ready for the next level should you desire. The following cycle will provide excellent gains for a solid bulking cycle but it must be noted the total bulk will largely depend on how you eat.

Cycle Notes:

• Arimidex is added due to the large amount of estrogen that may buildup due to the amounts of Testosterone, Deca-Durabolin and Dianabol being used. Most will be able to combat this issue with 0.5mg/eod but some may have to go as high as 1mg/eod to provide solution.
• Gains will come very quickly with this cycle. Those who consume enough calories can expect to gain as much as 20 or even 30lbs in the first few weeks due to Dianabol use at this level. Once the Dianabol has been discontinued the Testosterone and Deca will have built up enough in your system to keep progress moving forward.
• While we have extended Deca-Durabolin into the 12 week mark some may find it useful if they drop the Deca at week 10 or 11 in-order to create a smoother transition into their PCT as this steroid has a very long lasting effect.
• Testosterone-Cypionate injections are to be performed two times per week in equal doses, both at 300mg per injection. A sample schedule might be Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday or any other time frame you can come up with that fits the time frames given.
• Deca-Durabolin can be injected in one 400mg injection once per week along with one of your Testosterone-Cypionate injections. However, most will find it easier to split the dose into two equal 200mg injections by simply putting 200mg in the same syringe as your Testosterone-Cypionate injection. This will not necessarily provide an advantage regarding the Deca's activity but simply provide a more convenient means of administration.
• If Testosterone-Cypionate is not available you can use Testosterone-Enanthate in the same 600mg per week dosing. Both forms of testosterone are virtually identical. As Testosterone-Cypionate normally comes dosed at 200mg/ml and Testosterone-Enanthate normally comes dosed at 250mg/ml we have simply chosen the Cypionate form based on convenience. 200mg/ml Cypionate will mean 2 injections per week both at 1.5ml. If you use 250mg/ml Enanthate you will simply inject 1.2ml per injection.

Post Cycle Therapy

The following cycle and stack is not intended for beginners. If this is your first venture into anabolic steroid use the cycle to follow is not for you. Failure to abide by this warning may result in a very unpleasant outcome. Supplement properly and exercise patience.

What is an intermediate? What is an intermediate cycle? Defining a beginner is much easier and understanding what a beginner is will be the only way we can understand intermediate. A beginner, in this case a beginner anabolic steroid user is someone who has never supplemented with anabolic steroid before but that's not all. A beginner can also be someone who has supplemented before but is still in the early stages of use. Look at it like a rookie football player, he plays his first game, he's a beginner; he plays another game or two and while he's now a little more experienced he's still a beginner.

Where does this leave us as it pertains to the anabolic steroid world? When does someone move from the beginner stage and into the intermediate realm? Unfortunately there's no cut and dry one size fits all answer as we are all individuals with individual natures and goals. Further, and we cannot over emphasize enough, some will always stay at the beginner level; you do not have to move to intermediate level cycles. For many, beginner or novice level cycles will be all the anabolic steroids they ever need; for many a simple 400mg-500mg a week of testosterone will be all they ever want and that's fine. However, some will want more; this is inevitable as it is simply part of human nature. With that in mind, while there is not a perfect point, we have provided you some guidelines that should be fulfilled before you try an intermediate level cycle. Once you have fulfilled these guidelines you are free to try an intermediate cycle but you do not have to. Many will stay with beginner level cycles numerous times before advancing and many will stay with beginner cycles through their entire anabolic steroid use and continue to get the results they desire. The guidelines are as follows:

• Have completed at least one cycle successfully; preferably two cycles.
• Have supplemented with at least three different anabolic steroids and in a successful manner with all three.
• Have stacked at least two anabolic steroids together in a successful manner.
• Desire more than they are obtaining from successful Novice cycles

These are the guidelines and if fulfilled you may indeed be ready for the following intermediate level cycle. The following cycle and stack will be best served when dieting but it must be noted your diet itself will largely dictate how you lean you get.

Cycle Notes:

• Arimidex is added due to the amount of estrogen that may buildup due to the use of Testosterone, as well as protect against the progestin nature of Trenbolone. Most will be fine with 0.5mg/eod, some may have to go as high as 1mg/eod but this should be enough for any man. We can say that some may not need any at all but most will be best served with at least 0.5mg/eod as it will also help provide a dryer and harder look.
• Testosterone-Propionate is optimal for this cycle, if not available or if you have issues with this form as some do, a dosing of Testosterone-Cypionate at 400mg per week is acceptable.
• Trenbolone-Acetate: Most will be fine with the 75mg dose. If you show adverse effects try dropping the dose down to 50mg/eod. If this does not work then Trenbolone is not for you. If you do tolerate the hormone well, as most will, you will find this is the most powerful hormone in the stack. It will provide a harder and more defined look unlike any other. Further, it will greatly help maintain strength when calories are restricted and further greatly aid in fat-loss in a very direct manner.
• While Winstrol is optimal, Anavar can be used instead. A dosing of 50mg-80mg per day can be used but it will not be as optimal and as effective as Winstrol.
• Through this cycle you can get as lean and as hard as you want. How far you take it will depend on how hard you diet. For most men this will be the only cutting cycle they really ever need.
• As you will be injecting on an every other day basis simply inject the Testosterone-Propionate and Trenbolone-Acetate at the same time in the same syringe.

Post Cycle Therapy

If you have never supplemented with anabolic steroids before the following cycle and stack is not for you. If this is your first venture into the anabolic steroid world please consider a begginer cycle above.

An intermediate level cycle is for someone who has supplemented with anabolic steroids before and while that's obvious there's more to it than mere use. When we first begin steroidal supplemental use, beyond gains and progress the main thing we want is a positive experience; we want to respond well to the hormones. Once this point has been reached you may be ready for a bigger cycle; as such we have provided you a specific set of guidelines in-which to follow to determine if you're ready. They are as follows:

• Have completed at least one cycle successfully; preferably two cycles.
• Have supplemented with at least three different anabolic steroids and in a successful manner with all three.
• Have stacked at least two anabolic steroids together in a successful manner.
• Desire more than they are obtaining from successful beginner cycles.

These are the guidelines but there are few things you need to understand. If you have fulfilled the first three and are satisfied with the results you do not have to move to the next level. Many may run a novice level cycle numerous times and be happy with what they receive and that's a good thing. The fewer anabolic steroids we can use and be happy with the better off we'll be. Of course some will not be satisfied some will want more and that can be fine too; the ticket is having a solid plan in mind that provides those results in the most efficient way possible.

The following cycle and stack is well-suited for what many might refer to as "Lean Bulking" gains. While this can be a sound definition for this cycle it can only be to a degree. There are other cycles that will provide more growth but there is no cycle that's going to cause you to gain fat; you can gain fat on any cycle if you eat too much. The following cycle will simply provide a decent amount of tissue gain but it can also be a good cycle for a diet if calories are restricted.

Cycle Notes:

• Testosterone-Propionate is optimal but Testosterone-Cypionate or Testosterone-Enanthate can be used if the Propionate is a problem for you.
• Trenbolone-Acetate will really set this cycle off more so than any steroid in the stack. If you respond poorly to the hormone you might replace it with Masteron-Propionate at a dosing of 300mg per week; three injections of 100mg each.
• While Equipoise on its own is not a great mass builder, coupled with Testosterone-Propionate and the initial Dianabol use you will produce some very solid gains and see your strength increase very nicely. Further, EQ will promote a more conditioned look while you're still growing.
• Arimidex may not be needed for some but most will be best served with this low dose. If aromatase related side-effects become a problem you will need to increase the dose to 1mg/eod and in most all men this will eliminate the problems.
• How much weight can you gain from this cycle? That's a hard question to answer; it will greatly depend on how high your calorie intake is. If you are eating a maintenance level diet you may be able to put on 7-10lbs of tissue, this is excluding any water weight that might come with the Dianabol but any water weight will dissipate shortly after it's discontinued. Further, the Arimidex will greatly help control this issue. Moreover, the higher your carb intake is above necessity the more water you'll probably hold.

Post Cycle Therapy:

The following cycle is not for a beginner and should only be attempted by those with a fair amount of experience under their belt.

An advanced cycle and stack will generally include numerous compounds and it is here we will see the highest doses. Advanced cycles are not for beginners as they have not yet learned how they respond to certain hormones. To be ready for an advanced cycle you will have numerous cycles under your belt, you will have supplemented with several anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs and have a good understanding as to how each affects your body. Further, you will only attempt an advanced cycle if you truly desire strong effects that will also carry the greatest level of risk. Absolutely, advanced cycles can be completed very safely but the probability of adverse effects does increase. For the healthy adult male, if he supplements responsibly, understands how certain hormones affect him he can remain safe.

We must also state and cannot over emphasize enough; if you have numerous or even countless cycles under your belt yet are losing half or even more than half your gains from each one you are not ready for an advance cycle. The reason is simple; youre obviously doing something wrong. Absolutely, when a cycle has ended and some time has passed some of the progress will be lost. Without the high influx of hormones in your system you will not be able to maintain what you have achieved at a 100% level. Even so, you should be able to maintain a great deal of it, especially when referring to bulking. Cutting can be a little different as once a diet is over, anabolic steroid use or not you will not hold peaked conditioning but this doesnt mean you have to turn into a fat pig. The point; you should be able to hold onto progress to a large degree and if you cant you need to revisit more moderate cycles and most importantly revisit your nutritional and training plans.

The following cycle and stack will be our optimal advanced cutting cycle that will yield the strongest effect. It is a 16 week plan perfect for a competitive bodybuilder and one that may be used by a physique minded individual who has no competition in mind but enjoys such a lifestyle; that is the majority of performance enhancers. Performance athletes looking for a cycle will normally never need to go beyond intermediate level cycles

Notes on Advanced Cycle:

• The switch from Testosterone-Enanthate to Testosterone-Propionate is not without reason. The last 8 weeks of the cycle, when we will be our leanest, as the Propionate version will yield less water it is optimal here. If you cannot use Testosterone-Propionate, as quite a few cannot due to negative reactions, you can stick with Testosterone-Enanthate or Testosterone-Cypionate the entire time. Moreover, while testosterone is simply testosterone, using one form and switching to another can provide benefit simply by the way the body responds. It may not be much but when cutting well take all we can get.
• One thing many will notice is the injection frequency of large ester steroids Testosterone-Enanthate and Equipoise. It is true, neither has to be injected more than once or twice per week but this doesnt mean there is no advantage in more frequent injections. The frequent schedule will keep your total levels peaked throughout the entire diet at their highest level throughout. Again, this provides an advantage and when dieting we want every last advantage we can get.
• The last 2 weeks the Trenbolone, Winstrol and Arimidex doses are doubled simply to provide a dryer and more enhanced look at the conclusion of the diet. These are not doses one would want to hold to for the entire duration of the cycle.
• HGH is dropped the last week due to water retention it can cause many to hold.
• Many may find adding Clenbuterol and Cytomel into the equation to be very beneficial. Where you add it in will depend on your needs but both can be used the entire cycle if needed.
• This cycle will provide a lean and cut look that is hard, dry and vascular like no other; of course you will have to diet hard to truly reap the ultimate reward. If this cycle does not achieve the desired end something else is wrong. It may be your diet and it could be the quality of the hormones you have in hand but if all things are as they should be this is the ultimate cutting cycle to use.

Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)

Notes on PCT

• PCT should start approximately 3 days after youre your anabolic steroid cycle ends. If it ended with Testosterone-Enanthate or Testosterone-Cypionate instead of the Propionate version you will wait 10 days before you start hCG therapy.
• hCG is used the first 10 days for 10 days straight. This will be all of week 1 and into the 3rd day of week 2.
• Nolvadex begins the day after your last injection of hCG.
• Clenbuterol and Cytomel are only taken during the PCT period if they were added in during the actual anabolic steroid cycle.
• An optional week of Nolvadex therapy may be added if needed.
• Clomid may be used in the place of Nolvadex; both will get the job done. If you supplement with Clomid the dosing plan will be as follows:

PCT Option 2

The following cycles are only for the truly advanced and should not be used by those who have not completed several smaller cycles successfully.

We have listed four cycles of an advanced nature, two suited for supreme off-season gains, one that is more of a lean bulker and one that is a pure cutting cycle. You will also find a great cutting cycle in the Advanced Cycle I link and it will be the Advanced Cycle I that is best for a competitive bodybuilder or one who is like minded.

If you believe you are ready for one of the following cycles you will have many cycles under your belt, supplemented with numerous anabolic steroids, 5 is a good number and have learned how to not only have successful cycles but ones in-which side-effects are controlled. Further, to be ready for an advanced cycle you will be one who is able to maintain more gains after a cycle than you lose. Some gains will always be lost after a cycle is complete, this is a given but maintaining a majority of your gains is possible. If this is not possible for you then you need to reexamine your use, your diet and perhaps even your training.

Advanced Cycle #2-1: Bulking:

Advanced Cycle #2-2: Supreme Bulking:

Advanced Cycle #2-3: Lean Bulking

Advanced Cycle #2-3: Lean Bulking: (Please see Advanced Cycle I link for ultimate bodybuilding cutting stack and cycle)

Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) All Cycles