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Standard Contest Cycle - Not Newbie Friendly
Here is, in my opinion, the best stack/cycle for pre-contest prep for the every day bodybuilder. This isn't a stack/cycle that's insanely crazy or what might be used by top pros or even many national competitors. It's also not a cycle a newbie competitor would use. It's simply a stack/cycle most bodybuilders can do well with and equally important, afford. I'd call this an intermediate bodybuilder cycle - a cycle someone who competes in the open class would could use, who has a good enough physique to win and possibly do nationals. A guy with great genetics could do well with this stack at nationals, but in some cases he may need other things with it - hard to say. This is more or less a general outline. As with anything I say on here regarding competing, your best bet is to hire someone that knows what they're doing to help you adjust things. So many guys do so much worse than they would have if they would simply hire a competent prep coach, and that's a shame considering the time and effort that's put into prep.
WK 1-8: Testosterone Enanthate 250mg/eod
WK 1-8: NPP or EQ 200mg/eod
WK 9-14: Tren-a 100mg/eod
WK 9-14: Masteron-p 100mg/eod
WK 9-14 Winstrol 50mg/ed
WK 9-16: Testosterone Propionate 200mg/eod
WK 15-16 Tren-a 100mg/ed
WK 15-16 Masteron-p 100mg/ed
WK 15-16: Winstrol 100mg/ed
WK 1-14: HGH 4-5iu/ed
WK 1-14: Anastrozle 0.5mg/wk
WK 15-16: Anastrozle 1mg/ed
Notes:
*Testosterone doses may need to be reduced towards the latter part of the prep. Do not assume or try to guess what the dose will need to be. Don't lower the dose just because 10wks ago you assumed that's where it would need to be. Go by the mirror or hopefully the eyes of someone else that knows what they're talking about. Important note - you can use Enanthate the entire time, personally this is my preference. My normal is to use testosterone at the full dose until 4wks out, and if needed drop to a TRT dose the last 4wks. But in just as many cases I won't lower the dose at all. And yes, you can substitute in Cypionate for Enanthate, same dose. Sustanon or other blends, I'm not a fan simply because I don't trust them. Last two batches of Sustanon I ever had, Karachis and then Niles, both were bunk. Testosterone levels tested in the 100's in both cases.
*T3 - I typically run T3 the entire prep starting with 50mcg per day and increase 12.5-25mcg as needed (increases usually occur once every 2wks or so). 100-125mcg is typically where I max out, although I have gone higher at times.
*Tren & Masteron - 100mg/eod is enough for a lot of people and can do some great things. However, I have run 200mg/eod the full 8wks and several times a full 12wks. It really boils down to what you need, what you can tolerate and what you can afford. I also prefer the short ester versions of these two compounds so that you can easily and quickly adjust dosages when needed. In this case, I'm not talking about because of side effects. I'm referring to the need for more and quickly because of prep. Again, more isn't always needed, the 100/100/eod dose of both can be just fine in many cases.
*HGH: 4iu is generally a good dose for a diet but 5iu is simply easier due to the 10iu bottles. There's nothing special or more magical about 5iu over 4iu. In my opinion, you won't see much of a difference in the benefits of HGH during a diet over the 5iu mark until you hit the 10iu per day or more mark. And plenty will argue that 14wks of HGH is worthless, that it has to be run for 6 months or more to see results. If we're talking about the full benefits of HGH, this is very true. However, we're talking about contest prep, and in this case, HGH is being used at this dose strictly for conditioning purposes. And we're also not getting into big HGH doses, that's a different ballgame and one most cannot afford to play.
*Clen - it's not mentioned because I hate it. Use it if you want to.
*NPP: This one is hit or miss. I have used both NPP and EQ in this slot, generally 200mg/eod of either. You really have to go with the one you do best with. Some will knock EQ in this stack, and that's find, but you need to understand the purpose of it in the stack. The purpose isn't mass gains (EQ will never produce mass gains). The purpose is to increase the total MG's of anabolics in the body, that's it. This helps protect mass, and also seems to have a positive impact on the metabolism. Yes, you could opt to simply use more testosterone, but this tends to bring about more side effects. Most men do not do well when they get well above the 1g a week of testosterone. On the same topic, some men do not do well with that much Nandrolone, so in that case use EQ. No, those are not interchangeable compounds, but EQ is milder and easier for most to tolerate. If you happen to be one of those that EQ increases appetite, well, simply don't over eat...not that hard. Drink a glass of water and take your butt to bed.
*Halotestin - yes, it can make a difference in some cases. However, it's also a pretty nasty item. You really shouldn't need it, IMO, with the other compounds that are in play.
*Anadrol - Useful, often very useful at the end for 3-4wks or so. Very hard to predict when to use or how much to use but you better be in top shape if you're going to use it. Generally 25mg/ed for just two weeks leading up to the show can make a difference in a very lean guy. But again, you should have some shows under your belt before trying this.
A chart that lays out the stack:
Attachment 154911
