With the wide variety of anabolic/androgenic steroids available, planning the most appropriate cycle may seem like a difficult task to the steroid novice. Even if we have settled on a particular drug or drug combination, it is still easy to question whether or not we are using them in the most effective manner. This is one of those topics which can get more confusing with research, as you will find the popular literature filled with various stacking, cycling, tapering and receptor response (upregulation/downregulation) theories.  Here are a few things to think about when deciding on the right cycle for your needs.

STACKING

It is an extremely common practice for an athlete to take more than one individual steroid during a cycle. By taking a combination of steroids, the user is of course seeking to enhance the amount/quality of muscle mass gained from drug therapy. While we're sure it is no surprise that stacking is generally an effective practice, you should probably give some thought to expected goals and side effects before simply combining steroids. If you are looking to gain considerable mass for example, the use of two strong androgens like testosterone and Anadrol would be one of the more potent cycles to attempt. But this combination would also lead to very harsh side effects, and may be too uncomfortable for some individuals. In this case it may be a good suggestion to combine a milder anabolic with a base androgen instead. A stack such as Deca-Durabolin and Dianabol would still produce very formidable muscle mass gains, but would provide to user much less water/fat retention, gynecomastia, hair loss/growth and acne than the former.

On the other hand, "anabolics" are typically the favored class of steroids for cutting/dieting phases of training. This is because most have little or no tendency for estrogen conversion, which as you know makes them less apt to induce fat and water accumulation. It is important to remember however that these steroids can still suppress endogenous testosterone production during a cycle. Since the administered drug(s) may not provide the body enough androgen content to compensate for this loss, this type of cycle may sometimes interfere with aggression and libido (Deca is a common offender). In such a state the user might become depressed and unmotivated, seriously reducing the quality of the cycle. It is therefore usually a good idea to include some type of androgen during this type of cycle, especially if you have experienced such problems before. The preference would be a nonaromatizing androgenic compound like Proviron, which will not increase the likelihood for fat/water retention. In the absence of excess estrogen, the heightened androgen level brought about by these drugs can actually enhance the removal of body fat, and noticeably increase the look of hardness/density to the physique (provided the user's body fat percentage is low enough to make this visible). If such compounds were unavailable, perhaps a weekly (low dosage) shot of testosterone would prove sufficient to ward off any problems.

Finally, is also good to remember that it is not absolutely necessary to take more than one steroid at a time. The term you hear most often is synergy, which implies that two (or more) steroids used together will often compliment (and amplify) each other, providing a greater muscle gain than if they had been used consecutively. Though not well understood, a number of studies do suggest that different modes of action might exist for steroids outside of the androgen receptor (which would seem to support the notion that cooperative or synergistic effects can be seen with different drug arrangements). Athletes also seem to know that certain drug combinations work extremely well together (Deca & Dianabol, testosterone and Anadrol and Winstrol, etc.), which is a testament to the notion of drug synergy. But this should not be confused with the idea that you cannot make gains on one drug alone. An athlete new to the world of steroids could make exceptional gains on a cycle of testosterone, Anadrol or Dianabol for example, without ever needing to add a second drug. Heavily increased dosages and multi-drug stacks are likewise most prominent among those who are already very familiar with steroid use, and find they are necessary in order to continue to gain or maintain muscle mass.

DOSING AND MEGADOSING

There are many different opinions as to exactly what dosage an individual should use of any particular drug in order to elicit optimal results. Some seem to find they make exceptional gains on relatively low dosages of most steroids, while others insist they need to administer very large amounts of androgens for the proper level of bulk. While we would be no means claim to have the solution for everybody, we would say those most steroids seem to work their best in a particular range of dosage, and usually fall short of expectations as we go higher or lower. On the one hand we may find that going below what is considered to be a normal dosage for a specific drug will cause a very poor gain to be achieved, the hormone level perhaps not rising enough above normal to stimulate a considerable response. For example, 200-800 mg of Testosterone enanthate per week is typically sufficient for a man to receive very formidable gains, while 50-100 mg may not provide very noticeable results at all (of course this is all common sense). On the other extreme, athletes generally find that unusually large doses (let's say 1000-2000 mg per week) will provide a relatively low quality increase over that of the normal dosage range. Yes, the amount of muscle mass may be considerably more than expected with a typical dose, but this will probably not be proportionate with the gain of new body fat and water weight. The user will typically be stuck with a much more noticeable level of side effects, while receiving a poor return (as in solid muscle mass) on his money.

CYCLE DURATION

There are also many arguments as to how long one should stay on a steroid cycle before taking a break. Opinions range from those of cautious individuals, who are often vehement about short cycles and long off-periods, to the seriously hard-core user who suggests year round use for optimal results. Since it is really up to the individual to choose the cycle that is best for him or her, we can only provide some very basic advice.

For starters, it is very important to watch your intake duration when on stronger or more toxic substances. This includes all c17 alpha alkylated orals, or high-dose cycles of easily aromatized steroids. These compounds place the most stress on your organs, and likewise should be utilized for only limited intervals (preferably less than 8 weeks). Afterwards a break of at least as much time (preferably more) should be taken to give the body ample time to rest/recover. For those who refuse to follow such advice, blood work and regular health checkups should be an absolute necessity.

When taking milder anabolics like Deca Durabolin or Primobolan, one might opt to take the drugs for a longer duration. This is due to the fact that these compounds do not act in an extremely dramatic manner, and instead promote a slow but consistent buildup of muscle tissue. With this understanding it is not unusual for an athlete to find a cycle of three, even four or more months to be the most appropriate. If used for only a short duration, the individual might find the overall gains to be uninspiring.

Year round, on-all-the-time steroid use should be avoided if at all possible, as one should respect the natural hormonal balance your body strives for. The body really should be given time to regain a natural hormonal balance every so often, to ensure that there is little possibility of future problems. Although many believe the effects of these drugs to be 100% fully reversible, it is not impossible to see problems with virnity, libido etc. after the body had been overloaded with hormones for many years. The health risks associated with elevated cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or liver toxicity are of course also important reasons the athlete should limit the duration of steroid intake.