The different types of anabolic steroid cycles

The training seasons of most bodybuilders and other athletes can be subdivided into two categories: the off-season, and the pre-competition.  During the off-season athletes in most sports tend to focus their training on increasing strength and power.  Their workout programs incorporate basic exercises such as heavy resistance weight training.  During the competitive (or pre-competition) season the athletes have lighter training regimes.

There are sound reasons for this strategy.  The first and probably most important concerns the increased risk of injuries during or close to competition.  The second reason is that athletes try to structure their training sessions to reach their peak (best) performance over a given time period.  This time period is variable.  For a football player it could last months, for an Olympian it could be weeks, and for a bodybuilder it could be days.

Athletes who use steroids plan their drug programs according to the season and follow different types of anabolic steroid cycles.  As with training, there is both an off-season steroid cycle and a pre-competition cycle.  Athletes who use steroids for sports in which steroid use is banned, such as the Olympics, must tailor their drug cycles in a manner that will enable them to pass drug tests.  Five standard patterns of steroid use can be distinguished among athletes; “pyramid”, “cliff-hanger”, “ski-slope”, “straight-arrow”, and “non-cyclic”.

In a few of the following cycles an exact dosage for a specific drug is not mentioned.  Only non-specific terms such as “one shot of” and “couple of tabs” are found in the literature.  The previously provided gym doses can be used to approximate dosages.

STRAIGHT-ARROW PATTERN

The “straight-arrow” pattern consists of a steroid stack in which the doses taken by the athlete remain constant for each drug during the cycle.  The addition of drugs after the start of the cycle does not change this designation, provided the drug added is taken at a constant dosage during the cycle. The following cycles are examples.

Cycle A:  12 weeks (7)

Weeks 1-12

            Nilivar 30 mg/day

Cycle B:  8 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-8

            Deca-Durabolin (i.m.) 100 mg/wk

Weeks 3-8

            Proviron 2 tabs/day

            Testosterone Undecanoate (oral) 120 mg/day

Cycle C:  8 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-8

            Anavar 7.5 mg/45 kg/day

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Parabolin (i.m.) 1 shot/8 days

Cycle D:  6 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-6

            Sustanon 250 (i.m.) 1 shot/week

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Nolvadex 10 mg/day

Cycle E:  6 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-6

            Primobolin Acetate 1 shot/2 days

            Winstrol-V 1 cc/2 days

            Halotestin 10 mg/day

            Anavar 20 mg/day

            Nolvadex 100 mg/day

Cycle F:  5 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-5

            Permastril-masteron 2 cc/4 days

            Primobolin 100 mg/2 day

            Winstrol-V 1 cc/2 days

            Nolvadex 10 mg/day

Cycle G:  5 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-5

            Primobolin Acetate 1 shot/2 days

            Anavar 7.5 mg/100 lbs/day

            Winstrol 8 mg/day

            Nolvadex 10mg/day

Weeks 3-5

            Halotestin 20 mg/day

Cycle H:  5 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-5

            Equipoise (i.m.) 100 mg/week

            Anavar 7.5 mg/100 lbs/day

            Primobolin 100 mg/day

Cycle I:  8 weeks (8)

Weeks 1-8

            Dianabol (oral) 15-25 mg/day

            Depo-Testosterone (i.m.) 30-50 mg/day

Cycle J:  8 weeks (8)

Weeks 1-8

            Winstrol (oral) 6 mg/day

            Deca-Durabolin (i.m.) 15-30 mg/day

Cycle K:  8-12 weeks (8)

Weeks 1-8 or 1-12

            Dianabol (oral) 40 mg/day

            Depo-Testosterone (i.m.) 250 mg(4/week)

            Anadrol (oral) 50 mg/day

Cycle L:  10 weeks (9)

Weeks 1-10

            Winstrol (oral) 12 mg/day

            Anavar (oral) 10 mg/day

            Proviron (oral) 50 mg/day

Weeks 4-10

            Winstrol-V 50 mg/2 days

Weeks 6-10

            Primobolin 30 mg/2 days

CLIFF-HANGER PATTERN

The “Cliff-hanger” pattern is one of the most abrupt of the different types of anabolic steroid cycles. It involves an overall increase in dosage during the cycle. There is no tapering off at the end. This pattern would only be used during the off-season, as an athlete would not pass a drug test with such a high concentration of steroids in his/her system.  The big disadvantage of this pattern is that the body’s hormonal system is not given a chance to normalize at the end of the cycle.  As a result, the athlete often experiences problems with low sex drive, impotence, and a general lack of motivation.  These symptoms are transitory and will disappear once the body’s own hormonal system kicks back in, or the athlete begins another cycle. The following cycles are examples:

Cycle A:  10 weeks (10)

Weeks 1-10

            Anavar 12.5 mg/day

Weeks 4-8

            Winstrol 100 mg/wk

Weeks 8-10

            Winstrol 200 mg/wk

Cycle B:  6-8 weeks (6)

Weeks 1-8

            Injectable Primobolin 100 mg/week

Weeks 1-2

            Maxibolin (oral) 2 mg/day

            Winstrol (oral) 2 mg/day

            Nolvadex (oral) 10 mg/day

Weeks 2-4

            Maxibolin 6 mg/day

            Winstrol 6 mg/day

            Nolvadex 10 mg/day

Weeks 4-8

            Maxibolin 10 mg/day

            Winstrol 10 mg/day

            Nolvadex 10 mg/day

SKI-SLOPE PATTERN

Of all the different types of anabolic steroid cycles the “ski-slope” pattern of steroid use is probably the safest and most popular with athletes. It can be described as a stack in which the steroid dosages decrease over the duration of the cycle. This pattern has an advantage over the other patterns, from a health perspective, because a decreasing dose pattern of steroid use limits the risk of taking the drugs. This pattern is seen in many athletes during the pre-competition phase of their training. The rationale being that this pattern will result in very low levels of drugs in the athletes’ systems near or at the time of the drug test. The following are examples:

Cycle A:  8 weeks (112)

2 weeks of high anabolic dosage (up to 100 mg/day)

2 weeks of moderate anabolic dosage (50-60 mg/day

2 weeks of low anabolic dosage (15 mg/day)

2 weeks off steroids, plus HCG (2 cc every other day)

Cycle B:  14 weeks (5)

Weeks 1-7, amount taken according to personal preference

Week 8

            Dianabol 35 mg/day

            Winstrol-V 1 cc/3 days

            Proviron 2 tabs/day

Week 9

            Dianabol 30 mg/day

            Winstrol-V 1cc/3 days

            Proviron 2 tabs/day

Week 10

            Dianabol 25 mg/day

            Winstrol-V 1cc/3 days

            Proviron 2 tabs/day

Week 11

            Dianabol 20 mg/day

            Winstrol-V 1 cc/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

Week 12

            Dianabol 10 mg/day

            Winstrol-V Discontinued

            Proviron 1 tab/day

Week 13

            Dianabol 5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

Week 14

            All drugs stopped

Cycle C:         15 weeks (5)

Weeks 1-6

            Masteron 2 cc/4 days

            Primobolin 1 cc/2 days

            Winstrol-V 1 cc/2 days

Week 7          

            Anavar 25 mg/day

            Primobolin and Winstrol-V continue at same dosage until Week 10.

Week 8

            Anavar 25 mg/day

Week 9

            Anavar 20 mg/day

Week 10

            Anavar 15 mg/day

Week 11

            Anavar 10mg/day

            Primobolin (oral) 50 mg/day

            Winstrol (oral) 8 mg/day

Week 12

            Anavar 7.5 mg/day

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Winstrol 6 mg/day

Week 13

            Anavar 2.5 mg/day

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Winstrol 4 mg/day

Week 14

            Anavar discontinued

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Winstrol discontinued

Week 15

            All drugs stopped

Cycle D:  15 weeks (5)

(Metandren is taken sub-lingually)

Weeks 1-8

            Metandren 50 mg/day

            Android 1 cc/day

            Anavar 40-50 mg/day

Week 9

            Metandren 37.5 mg/day

            Android 1 cc/2 days

            Anavar 25 mg/day

Week 10

            Metandren 25 mg/day

            Android 1 cc/2 days

            Anavar 25 mg/day

Week 11

            Metandren 25 mg/day

            Android 1 cc/2 days

            Anavar 12.5 mg/day

Week 12

            Metandren Discontinued

            Android 1 cc/3 days

            Anavar 7.5 mg/day

Week 13

            Android 1 cc/3 days

            Anavar 2.5 mg/day

Week 14

            Android 0.5 cc/3 days

            Anavar Discontinued

Week 15

            All drugs stopped.

PYRAMID PATTERN

The “pyramid” pattern is probably the most complex of the different types of anabolic steroid cycles. It is characterized by a cycle that can be broken down into three consecutive phases. The first phase is one of increasing dosage, the second phase is the highest dosage reached, and the third phase is marked by a decreasing dosage. Once again, as with the “ski-slope pattern”, this pattern is favored as a pre-competition cycle.  Because it leaves low levels of drug in the system, the athlete has a better chance of passing a drug test. The following cycles are examples of “pyramid” patterns.

Cycle A:  15 weeks (5)

Week 1-2

            Winstrol (oral) 4 mg/day

            Primobolin (oral) 100 mg/day

            Maxibolin (oral) 4 mg/day

Week 3-5

            Winstrol 6 mg/day

            Primobolin 100 mg/day

            Maxibolin 6 mg/day

Week 6-8

            Winstrol 4 mg/day

            Primobolin 100 mg/day

            Maxibolin 4 mg/day

Week 9-10

            Winstrol 4 mg/day

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Maxibolin 4 mg/day

Week 11-12

            Winstrol 2 mg/day

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Maxibolin 2 mg/day

Week 13-14

            Winstrol Discontinued

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Maxibolin Discontinued

Week 15

            All drugs stopped.

Cycle B:  15 weeks (5)

Week 1-2

            Anavar 2.5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 2 mg/day

Week 3

            Anavar 5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 4 mg/day

Week 4

            Anavar 10 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 8 mg/day

Week 5

            Anavar 12.5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 8 mg/day

Week 6-8

            Anavar 15 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 10 mg/day

Week 9

            Anavar 10 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 10 mg/day

Week 10-11

            Anavar 5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 8 mg/day

Week 12

            Anavar 5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 6 mg/day

Week 13

            Anavar 2.5 mg/day

            Proviron 1 tab/day

            Winstrol 4 mg/day

Week 14

            Anavar Discontinued

            Proviron Discontinued

            Primobolin 50 mg/day

            Winstrol Discontinued

Week 15

            All drugs stopped.

Steroids

Anabolicum

Andriol

Anadrol

Anatrofin

Asellacrin

Bolasterone

Bolfortan

Crescormin

Curablon

Cyclofenil

Deca-Durabolin

Dianabol

Dihydrolone

Durateston

Dymethyzine

Esiclene

Equipoise

Exoboline

Finaject

Furazabol

Halostein

Hombreol

Iontanyl

Laurabolin

Lipiodex

Metanabol

Methandrostenolone

Nerobol

Nilevar

Nolvadex

Nondrabolin

Nor-Diethylin

Omnifin

Oxandrolone

Oxitosona

Parabolan

Primobolan/Primobolan depot

Primotestin/Primotestin depot

Proviron

Quinalone

Retabolil

Stromba

Sustanon

Testoviron Depot

Triacana

Trophobolene

Uni-Test Suspension

Undestor

Winstrol

Anti-estrogens

Arimidex

Clomid

Nolvadex

Proviron

Cutting drugs

Clenbuterol

T-3

T-4

Thiomucase

Xenical

Hormones

HCH – Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

HGH – Human Growth Hormone