Cycle length question

[doctorb325]

First things first, let me clarify that this is NOT a cycle that I am going to be doing in the near future. I am in the middle of my first cycle, 500 mg test e/week with outstanding results (gains of 25 pounds thus far in week 8, some water and body fat gained but really great gains) so I see no need to add anymore compounds to my future cycles as of yet.

I will probably run my second cycle of test prop/winny around next spring, but my training partner argues that many people, more particularly some bodybuilding amatuer competitors use one long cycle (16-20 weeks) in which they bulk the first half, and cut the second half. I think there is some truth to this, and here is an example of a cycle he outlined:

weeks 1-10
Test Enanthate at 750 mg/week
Deca or EQ at 400 mg/week

Weeks 1-4
Dianabol at 30 mg/day

Weeks 11-20

Test Prop at 100 mg/eod
Tren Ace at 100 mg/eod

Weeks 17-20
Winstrol at 50 mg/day

These numbers are a little higher than I would try with my limited experience (not to mention expensive) but this has me thinking about a few things:

1) Is it really better for your HPTA to shut it down, start it up again, then shut it down again a few months later, then try to start it up again? This seems to be more stressful than simply staying ON for a longer period of time, then staying OFF for a longer period. The latter seems less likely to place one on HRT.

2) Would it be easier to keep gains from a bulking cycle if you stayed on gear while you cut immediately after. Granted, calories would not be immediately Cut in half or anything, more like ramped down gradually.

3) If you managed your cholesterol and blood pressure, are there really any additional health risks that immediately come to mind from running such a cycle?

The argument here is that if you run about two cycles a year, you're on about six months maybe? Why break the six months up in two separate cycles, rather than running a six month on, six month off type cycle. It seems like it may be more beneficial for cholesterol and lipid profile to have a longer period of time to stay normal. Also, I believe your HPTA may recover more effectively if you stayed off for a longer period of time.

Does anybody have any experience running such a cycle? What were your results? I may consider lowering the doses slightly and running less compounds, but running a cycle like this for possibly my third or fourth cycle.

All the best

[doctorb325]

nobody?

[Critical Mass]

I dont think shutting down and restarting your hpta time and time again is any good either. Are you famlilier with the articles by Ronnie Rowland? This is the future,atleast for me.

[doctorb325]

I agree with you. Shutting down every couple months then starting back up just seems like unneccessary stress doesnt it?

I'm reading those articles as we speak, thanks.

The only other concern would be prolonged time with bad cholesterol and high blood pressure. I believe it is the high blood pressure that causes the left ventricle changes in teh heart I read about. But nowadays it isn't too hard to take your own blood pressure and you can get a home cholesterol test that gives you HDL and LDL values at your local walgreens. So if you managed to keep these things in check i thnk it might be more beneficial to just stay on longer and off longer.

[hankdiesel]

Your friend is wrong. Most people don't do it that way....even though you can. Most will do a bulking cycle and then take off a few months (time on + pct = time off) and then do a cutting cycle.

[Critical Mass]

Your friend is wrong. Most people don't do it that way....even though you can. Most will do a bulking cycle and then take off a few months (time on + pct = time off) and then do a cutting cycle.

I think the end result would have been better with 8 weeks bulk,2 weeks deload and 8 week cut. You dont have nothing to cut if you take 4 months off after the bulk cycle. My2cent..