Duration

The administration of anabolic/androgenic steroids at a given dosage will typically produce noticeable increases in muscle size and strength for approximately 6-8 weeks. After this point, the rate of new muscle gain typically slows significantly. A plateau may be reached soon after, where all forward momentum has ceased. To continue making significant progress beyond this point can entail escalating dosages, which is likely to coincide with a greater incidence of adverse reactions and diminishing anabolic returns. Even without dosage escalation, negative health changes are already likely to be apparent, and should be corrected fairly quickly. The practice of extended or continuous steroid administration is discouraged for these reasons. It is generally recommended to use AAS drugs for no longer than 8 weeks at a time (10-12 weeks at the maximum), followed by an equal or longer period of abstinence before another steroid regimen is initiated. This pattern of rotating between “on” and “off” periods is referred to as cycling.

Off-Cycle (Recovery, Bridging, and Tapering)

The period immediately following steroid cession can involve a state of hypogonadism (low androgen levels), and as a result protein catabolism. In an effort to minimize muscle loss, the objective here is usually on restoring natural testosterone production, maintaining an optimal level of muscle stimulation, and remaining dedicated to proper nutrition. A hormonal recovery program is usually initiated, which may involve the use of HCG, tamoxifen, and clomiphene (see PCT: Post Cycle Therapy). A substantial off-cycle period is also advised, involving abstinence from anabolic/androgenic steroids for at least 8-12 weeks. Some AAS abusers have difficulties with complete drug abstinence, and will initiate “bridging” routines between full-dose cycles. This may involve the periodic low-dose administration of an injectable steroid, such as 200 mg of testosterone enanthate or methenolone enanthate every 2-3 weeks. Such practice is discouraged, however, as it can interfere with hormonal recovery, and prevent a return to metabolic homeostasis.

When concluding a cycle, some steroid users also follow a practice of first slowly reducing their dosages (tapering). This tapering may proceed for a 3-4 week period, and will involve an even stepping down of the dose each week until the point of drug discontinuance. It is unknown, however, if such tapering offers any tangible value. This practice has never been evaluated in a clinical setting, and is not widely recommended with steroid medications as it is with some other drugs such as thyroid hormones or antidepressants. Virtually every high-dose AAS administration study can also be found to end at the maximum dosage, with no time allotted to tapering. One flaw in the logic of using a tapering program is that they are ostensibly designed to aid hormone recovery. Recovery is not possible, however, while supraphysiological levels of androgens are present, and such levels are usually found during all weeks of a normal (nonmedical) steroid taper. Individuals remain cautioned that dosage tapering is not a proven way to reduce post- cycle muscle catabolism.

Figure 2. Anabolic/androgenic steroids tend to be most effective at a given dosage for approximately 6-8 weeks.After this point, the rate of new muscle gain will slow, and soon after will usually hit a full plateau.

Stacking

As individuals become more experienced with anabolic/androgenic steroid use they may begin experimenting with the use of more than one steroid at a time. This practice is referred to as stacking. Stacking is most common with advanced bodybuilders who find that at a certain level of physical development they begin hitting plateaus that are difficult to break with a previous single-agent approach. In many cases, however, it may simply be the greater cumulative steroid dosage that is necessary for the resumed progress. Stacking usually involves the combination of a more androgenic steroid with one or more primarily anabolic agents. On the anabolic side, common steroids of choice include boldenone, methenolone, nandrolone, oxandrolone, and stanozolol. Testosterone, oxymetholone, or methandrostenolone will serves as the androgenic base of most stacks.

The reasons for stacking androgenic and anabolic steroids together in this manner during steroid cycles are two fold. On the one hand, high doses of testosterone, oxymetholone, or methandrostenolone are prone to producing strong androgenic and estrogenic side effects. Stacking first became very popular during the 1960s, a time when effective estrogen maintenance drugs were not widely available. An anabolic-androgen stack allowed the use of a higher total steroid dosage than would be tolerable with a single androgen. Anabolic-androgen pairing also appears to offer efficacy advantages over the use of primarily anabolic agents alone, even when they are taken in higher doses. This conflicts with the original expectations for “anabolic” steroids, which were specifically designed to emphasize muscle-building properties, but is repeatedly noticed by users. The reason the basic androgenic steroids are more anabolically productive is not fully understood, but is believed to involve the interplay of estrogenic hormones, androgenic stimulation in the central nervous system, and potentially other unidentified synergisms necessary for optimal muscle growth.

Today, the availability of drugs that can reduce estrogenic activity makes the continued use of single agent steroid cycles based on a strong androgen like testosterone enanthate or cypionate much more viable than it was decades ago. Side effects like gynecomastia and water retention can now be effectively minimized with anti-estrogens or aromatase inhibitors, even when taking higher doses. Individuals should be aware that stacking is, likewise, not a necessary practice. It is likely to remain commonly applicable in competitive bodybuilding circles, however, or when an individual is sure they have progressed as far as they possibly can with a single-agent approach. Otherwise, for many athletes and recreational bodybuilders, the periodic use of a single steroid will be more than sufficient to maintain optimal levels of muscle mass and performance, and it may never be necessary to deviate from this approach.