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How to avoid the post cycle crash

Too many bodybuilders dive into steroid use without thinking through exactly what they are getting themselves into. For example, a lot of first time steroid users beleive that all they have to do is inject some steroid (in their mind any steroid will often do) and they will get bigger and stay bigger. The fact is most first time steroid users do almost everything wrong and end up worse off in the end. There are a number of reasons for this unfortunate occurence. In order to understand these reasons you have to first understand what taking anabolic steroids does to your body. By injecting an external form of testosterone into your body, you are artificially increasing the amount of androgens in your blood. Your body is a master of regulating itself and any additional hormones floating around in your bloodstream cause your body to react in order to balance itself out. Along with increasing nitrogen retention and assisting in protein synthesis, which in turn builds muscle, steroids have a number of secondary effects that can cause unwanted side effects during and especially after the cycle ends. Artificially high levels of testosterone will cause you body to convert some of the extra testosterone into the female hormone estrogen. The extra estrogen that is now floating around in your blood stream can cause a number of side effects such as water retention and gyno (bitch tits). By giving your body an outside source of testosterone you also signal it to slow down and eventually stop its own natural production. This can lead to the shrinking of the testes. Androgens also interfere with cortisol receptors which make it difficult for the cortisol hormone to bind with its receptor. This is one of the main factors behind the signifigant muscle gains during a cycle of steroids. Without its ability to break down your muscle, the effect of cortisol is minimized and your body is able to grow freely. Although this effect is a good thing while on steroids, it will come back to haunt you after the cycle ends.

What happens when you stop taking

When you stop taking anabolic steroids (most people will cycle on for 4, 6, 8, or 10 weeks at a time) your body goes through a hormone reversal of fortune. As we have already noted, external forms of testosterone cause your body to slow down and ultimately over time, stop its natural production of testosterone. For this reason, when you come off a cycle lasting any more then 2 weeks (research shows that it takes 2 weeks for your body to notice the increase in testosterone levels and in response, begin to shut down its own production), your natural testosterone levels will be dangerously low. This has a number of ramifications. For one thing, you won't have nearly enough testosterone in your blood to maintain your new muscle mass. Your body have become bigger because it had a large amount of free testosterone floating around. Without all that testosterone, it simply will not be able to maintain its new weight. Secondly, the artificially low levels of testosterone will put you in a dangerous state called catabolism. This catabolic state is caused by low levels of testosterone combined with high levels of cortisol and estrogen. As we said before, some of the androgens you take while on steroids will be converted to estrogen as your body attempts to balance itself out. After your external souce of androgens is stopped (once the cycle ends) your body still has all that extra estrogen floating around. A normal man has much higher amounts of testosterone then he does estrogen. A woman on the other hand has much higher amounts of estrogen then she does testosterone. Its this difference that makes men and women physically unique. When a man comes off steroids, his hormone levels swing dangerously in favor of estrogen instead of testosterone. This is why so many men report cases of gyno (bitch tits) after their cycle has ended as opposed to during. Along with gyno, high levels of estrogen can also lead to increased fat storage and the catabolism of lean muscle mass.

High post cycle cortisol levels are a result of the excess cortisol that is left floating around during the cycle with no where to attach itself. As we said before, androgens interfere with cortisol receptor sites, so when you come off a cycle all those androgens are no longer playing interference and all that free cortisol that has built up during the cycle, is allowed to bind to muscle cell receptors all over your body. This leads to rapid catabolism of muscle. Not only will most of your new muscle be broken down but some unfortunate users end up losing more then they gained and end up smaller then before. Imagine that, you take steroids because you want to be bigger but end up smaller!

LH stimulators and anti-estrogens

As we have seen, after a cycle ends your testosterone levels are supressed while your estrogen and cortisol levels are increased. A perfect reciepe for disaster. So, why would anymore possibly want to take steroids and who do some people who take steroids manage to keep the muscle they get from the juice? The answer is preventative and recovery drugs such as clomid and novadex and in intelligent cycling. Clomid especially is one word you should memorize. Clomid is a drug used by woman to encourage ovulation. However it can be used in men to boost natural testosterone levels. Clomid stimulates the body to produce more LH which in turn stimulates the testes to produce more tesosterone. For this reason clomid can serve two very important functions for bodybuilders. One, it can be taken during a cycle to keep your balls from shutting down your natural testosterone and two it can (and should always) be taken for at least 3 weeks after the steroids have cleared your system to stimulate the body to get its natural testosterone levels back up to where they should be. Normal testosterone levels is the first step to maintaining your new muscle. Clomid also serves another important function. In addition to stimulating the body to produce more testosterone it also acts as an anti-estrogen. Not only will clomid get your natural testosterone back up, it will help block some of that estrogen thats floating around your system. You can take 50mg of clomid every other day during the cycle and 100 mg every day for two weeks after the cycle has ended and then 50 mg every day for an addition week after that. If you are suffering from seriously high levels of estrogen and fear that you may be starting to feel the signs of gyno (itchy, sore nipples), then novadex is the solution for you. Like clomid, it is also an anti-estrogen but it is far more effective at blocking estrogen, especially at the receptor sites in the chest. You should begin taking novadex as soon as you feel the first signs of gyno. In addition, taking novadex is probably a good idea during cycles of heavy androgens (such as high amounts of dianabol or anadrol).

Other helpful supplements

In addition to the above illegal drugs, you can also take ephedrine in conjunction with caffeine and glutamine peptides. All of these have anti-catabolic properties and can be used post cycle to help protect yourself from the normal catabolic surge that takes place once the steroids are stopped. Five grams of glutamine peptides taken every 2-3 hours can have signifigant muscle sparring effects.

Tapering

Intelligent cycling is also important if you plan to keep any of your gains and not crash. Tapering down at the end of your cycle is a method you should get used to. However, taper right. Some people will taper down so low that they are still surpressing their natural testosterone levels but not providing enough to maintain their gains. Try and end every cycle with around 200 to 250mg (or its equivilant) of testosterone a week. Too many people will attempt to taper down to 100mg a week thinking that their body will start producing its own testosterone at these levels and they can just slide off the juice without causing any problems. What they don't realize is that once the body has shut itself down, it will stay shut down until the external androgens stop. That means no more juice. The purpose of tapering is not to slowly allow the body to turn itself back on. The purpose of tapering is to come off the juice at a low enough level that you will still have enough to maintain but not have too much that you will crash harder then you have to. For example, if your taking testosterone cypinate for 6 weeks, you might want to take it something like that - 750, 750, 500, 500, 250, 250 (amounts are per week and in mg's). You would also want to take clomid for at least the last two weeks of the cycle in addition to the proceding three weeks.

End weak

It should also be mentioned that the best way to help maintain your gains after a cycle is to end all cycles with a weak steroid, one that is highly anabolic but very mildly androgenic. For example, starting a cycle with a combination of heavy androgens such as testosterone cypinate and dianabol and then ending with a couple weeks of winstrol combined with clomid will help you hold on to your gains. Winstrol will not put much size on your but its anabolic properties will certainly counter act the catabolic effects of comming off a cycle. To repeat, start a cycle with the heavy andro gens like anadrol, dianabol, testosterone and end it with mild anabolics like winstrol, priomobolan or deca. However, do not end a cycle with only deca durabolin. Deca is very mildly androgenic but it will kill your sex drive if taken alone. Its best taken at the same time as a testosterone etc. or winstrol while comming off a cycle.

Give these suggestions a try. I promise they will help you maintain your gains and avoid the not so uncommon post cycle crash. There is nothing worse then being big and strong one day and frabile and weak the next. Do things the right way and steroids can be a beneficial and pleasant experience. Do them wrong and you will regret it.