Thread: Short burst cycles explained

This is a good read and was posted at steroidology and I thought it was worth sharing.........



Short burst cycling explained-
One of the best approaches Ive ever used to build muscle tissue is short burst cycling, before i go any further i want to state that short cycling can be implemented to what ever level you are, its not only for the advance Bodybuilder it can be for all stages, its just the amount of gear Mg is adjusted to suit the individual's level. The best part of this thread will be aimed at advanced bodybuilders because of the high dose used with burst cycling but no discussion on dosages will be made on the open board Vunless it needs to be discussed.

Muscle tissue doesn't grow continuously over long periods of time, weight gain and muscular growth doesn't happen that way. Not in infants, toddlers, teenagers, or even weight trainers. Instead, weight gain seems to come in spurts or surges. It's amazing how you can train hard and eat very well year round yet only seem to make progress in quick little infrequent spurts of growth even with taking all the AAS compounds the body still gets use to whats being taken and builds up tolerance and adapts. If you look back over your cycle history you will notice the growth spurts within the cycles , we don't keep on growing because if we did we would all be 500lbs+. This method can build huge tissue gains in that short growth window if everything is in place.

Pre -Cycle Primming- First you must open the growth window and create a very anabolic environment for muscle tissue to grow, muscle receptors will get very excitable and upgrade to except more glucose which will shift the muscle to fat ratio which in turn will create muscle tissue to build very quickly, when this is coupled with a short burst cycle right after a prime the results can be outstanding, some of you will understand this from rebound cycling after a comp, its very similar except the prime isn't as harsh as the pre-cycle comp diet and the prime is only directed at creating and opening the growth window for the cycle, its a pre-cycle prime.(details of primming is in a separate thread).HGH protocol should be ran during the prime at low dose and kicked up when cycle starts.

Duration - Short burst cycling usually last for around 30 days, there is no set rule on the length of cycle and normally it can be open ended and stopped when growth slows/stops. You have to listen to the body and adjust, with burst cycling it shouldn't be ran for long periods of time, longer doesn't mean more or better gains.Keep it short and feed the growth window and build the tissue and stop, recover and maintain.

Dosages- The dose for a short burst cycle is alot more than you would normally use in a standard length cycle, because of the prime and the body being in a very anabolic environment it can take on board alot more than usual and over loading androgens will fully push the body to grow, it also takes time for the body to adjust to the high level of hormones in relation to sides so before you are experiencing them your off cycle. Over your cycle history you would of tried the heavy dosages and seen the sides come and where its not worth the risk's to muscle gain, this is why its kept to a short period before the body can adjust with sides the cycle is over and growth is completed. Individual dosages are designed off your cycle history, there is no set dose it all depends on what your cycle history looks like, someone who normally uses 500mg per wk will be completely different to the guy who uses 1500mgs per wk when designing short burst cycles, but both will have the benefit of using high amounts what they normally don't run.

Side effects- If your looking for the best effective way to run hormones without to much negative feedback staying on for long periods of time probably isn't the best option to take. Ive had far better blood work back from high burst cycles than when Ive ran longer cycles at alot less dosage. There is minimal impact on the HPTA and recovery is far easier than trying to bring back natural production from a long cycle, there is some elevated aggression because of the high amount of androgens but overall this can be channeled into your workouts. PCT should be painless and within normal boundaries of how you recover. Blood pressure in some can be a problem but not serious but needs to be checked throughout the period so aids can be used to combat the problem if needed. Water retention is low but can be elevated if this system is ran for long periods, but if there is a problem normal AI can be used to help this issue and OTC herbal diuretics. tren user's within this system get bad BW results due to the harshness of the compound but boy does it produce gains but you have to be prepared to have a hard recovery and sides, kinda defeats the object but again, down to the individual.

Compounds- Because its a short period of time the normal way would to run short ester's, but you can use long ester's within a short cycle, i know what some of you are thinking but it can be done with great results, because of the androgen overload your simply frontloading long ester's to an amount were it is effective straight from the start, the only problem is you have to drop them out 14 days before the end and swap them with fast ester's so everything is clear for PCT, i know what some are saying sounds pointless but its not, to the BB's who prefer long ester and they respond better to them, remember its designed of your cycle history so if your better with long esters go with them until 14 days from the end and swap to fast ester's, the daily injection and the amount of tissue the body can produce in a short period is amazing, if anyone wants to discuss long ester's with this theory i will but at this moment in time i will stop before i complicate things more. Short ester's and fast acting compounds are used and the exact compounds depends on what your trying to achieve but normally its test based or what you respond best to, 2 /3 compounds are ran at a time but no need to run loads, keep them limited less is better,Ive even known guys used 1 compound with stunning results. HGH is increased to a high amount when cycle starts just like all the compounds. I did a study once with some BB's and the dosages range alot with all different HGH protocol's which is interesting reading but i can go into that at a later date.

Maintenance - Due to the HPTA being shut down or suppressed for a short period of time its far better to get it to respond when the cycle is over, remember being shut down for weeks on end cause's serious issues about recovery and maintenance, shorter shut downs produces easier recovery no matter how much you have pushed in the body,which in turn results in better maintenance which equals keeping more gains. Once you have shut down your HPTA its down and its the period of shutdown what cause's damage, would you rather shut down your HPTA for 14 weeks or 30 days?? or continually shutting down and recovering isn't the other best approach either, depends on the person's goals and what he wants to achieve with BBing, some of my friends who are at a high level use short burst cycling coupled with bridge's because of what they have to compete with on stage and get ready for photo shoots nearly all the time. Recovering from a standard or long cycle it cost muscle tissue while trying to recovery even with all the peptide's chemicals this day and age we still lose tissue, with this theory losing tissue is limited.

Diet - After the prime as been implemented correctly, the cycle should be started and this day should line up with the first high carb day after the low day carbs within the prime, calories from then on should be increased to over maintenance, different opinions here to how much, again down to knowing your body and how it responds, many who increase too fast will create huge water retention due to the increase of carbs, some don't and over load can be implemented, if your one of these guys who has water retention when carbs are increased after being depleted then over maintenance should be ran for 1 week ish then, overload should be used, if your not and you don't carry the water from the carbs increase calories well over maintenance and go with growth,also depends on how much of a prime as been ran!! feed the dramatic growth what can occur if you have done the procedure correctly.Over eat, over feed, overload on the first day of the cycle straight after the prime from low carb phase.One last thing and i hope many understand this- diet is 24hr dedication while running the theory.

Training - Train to how you grow, best advice here is heavy intense workouts to total failure,HIT style or what ever works for you, you have the answers on how you grow. Intense is the key, stimulation of the whole body to grow, don't waste this time, remember to train how i am recommending is impossible for 10-12 weeks, its to hard and wouldn't last 4 weeks, before a turn around is needed and lay up from the heavy training session, so with this in mind you can mentally focus on this because its only for around 30 days long. Ive used many ways myself but the best for me with this style of cycling was heavy drop sets to failure plus forced, swapped to pre-exhausted drop sets to failure the following next total body workout, then swapped again. Workouts are short but seriously intense but you have the food/chemicals and energy to support this for this short period so don't waste it, Ive seen huge amounts of tissue build from this, myself i created 10lbs of clean tissue in a very short period of time after PCT and maintenance. Everybody's different to how much they build and comes down to if you have primed correctly, designed the perfect stack for you, placed the correct amount of mg's in the blood every day and how well you train to build fresh tissue.

When i was first learnt this method my whole body changed to a serious level,I never went back to the normal way of cycling, it suited me so much and the growth was amazing. Borreson sat me down and explained in detail how this can happen and to this day things have moved forward so much from Paul's day but i always remember him saying "please try it you will be amazed" he was right and it could for you. Look at Dorian what he did straight after a show....he was back in the gym the day after while the other were on vacation, he was using the growth window to create a very anabolic environment for tissue to grow and he used it, thats why in some years he produced some serious muscle tissue gains what has been seen since due to his method and style, many top pro's used this system but its tweaked to suit their individual's needs.

Please note, i am not saying do short burst cycles with little time off and then back on short burst cycle, no i haven't gone into that side of things, all i am doing is explaining the whole theory behind short burst cycling with first hand experience from myself and many bodybuilder's.
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Priming before cycle

Frequently, athletes research how to better layout an anabolic-androgenic steroid cycle, as well as proper post cycle therapy for making the transition back to a natural training state. Unfortunately, many neglect another component for a successful AAS cycle: maximizing the time spent on using pre-cycle therapy, better know as “priming.”

What is priming?

Priming is a preparatory method used to create a favorable growth environment so an AAS cycle can maximize muscle gains. The goal of priming is to make an athletes system very sensitive to increased calories, greater training intensity and elevated anabolic hormones. Psychologically, a trainee should feel pent up and ready to move heavy loads.

Priming should be done before every cycle – no matter the athlete’s previous AAS cycle experience. If completed correctly, priming will lead to very quick and dramatic results. Because of the faster results, cycle duration can also be cut back to make coming off and restoring proper hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis functioning easier, for a faster recovery of the body’s endogenous androgen production.

How should you prime?

Priming involves correct dietary and training manipulations that allow an athlete to lower body fat while sparing muscle. Basically, it is essential to diet down slow enough to simply lose fat – again, no muscle or strength should be lost.

Bodybuilders spend a lot of time preparing to exhibit a lean, muscular build. But other things are going on inside. Their body is getting really sensitive for a period of growth following the long period of dieting and depletion training. Most advanced bodybuilders – especially those that compete – know how responsive the body can be right after leaning up; such as the growth spurts frequently experienced after a competition with or without concurrent AAS administration. This is an example of what occurs by priming before a bulking phase, although pre-contest routines are generally too exhaustive since extremely low body fat levels are required. Simply put: priming opens the window for a great opportunity to obtain phenomenal muscle building results and end training plateaus.

Training cycles must change as goals change. While priming, the training should not be so intense that overtraining is likely; in fact, a general maintenance routine would be best in many circumstances. The training routine should also let the athlete mentally prepare for a split that is very progressive. The amount of aerobic training (as well a total calorie intake) is determined by current lean body mass and what has previously been learned about personal metabolism and limitations. The concurrent aerobic and anaerobic training effect won’t limit results since the goal is not to gain strength or muscle but rather to preserve it.

The diet should allow the body to become sensitive to carbohydrates and the other macronutrients. Generally, a cyclic-ketogenic diet works wonders. This method helps many lose fat while preserving lean body mass while becoming carbohydrate sensitive for superior calorie partitioning once the AAS cycle begins.

It is very catabolic to train with no carbohydrate intake and no scheduled carbohydrate loads; lost muscle is inevitable. Why take two steps back and then two steps forward every time you cycle? Scheduling carbohydrate loads presents an opportunity to fill out energy stores for a productive – and frequently progressive – power workouts, opportunities to fight for strength levels and muscle mass.

Using a CKD approach, carbohydrates remain very low for three or four days – maximum – followed by a “carb up,” a period where carbohydrate intake is substantial. Remember, glycogen levels must become grossly depleted during the weekly rotation to ensure the proper response from a carbohydrate load. Be careful of total calorie intake – results gained by obtaining low carbohydrate can be diverted if total calorie intake is too high; this can negatively affect the depletion phase.

After successfully depleting glycogen levels, a subsequent carb up can not only replenish glycogen depots but super compensate them. Stick to high-protein and high-carbohydrate food sources during the carbohydrate load. Total calorie intake during this period can be very high – some can eat well over 6,000 calories and still burn fat! Any high-fat cravings should be curbed within the first several hours of the carbohydrate load. Studies show fat gain during this time is very low since the body is more interested in replenishing itself than it is in storing fat. As you advance through the carbohydrate load, high fat foods are more likely to be stored as fat.

Regardless, carbohydrate loading will cause dramatic increases in bodyweight, though this is not suggestive of regaining fat. Weight fluctuations vary based on the athletes lean body mass. It is common for many to re-gain six to 10 pounds after a carbohydrate load due; much of this is due to the concurrent water uptake required to store the excess supply of glycogen. During the depletion week, it is common for many to lose seven to 12 pounds – roughly netting one or two pounds of fat loss per week with the rest of the weight composed mostly of dropped water.

The carbohydrate load also provides a key opportunity to train heavy and possibly make some gains in limit strength. A succeeding power training day is a great opportunity to accurately gauge muscle wasting or drops in limit strength. An abbreviated full body workout can be used with great success. All of the lifts should stay strong or possibly get stronger – use a workout journal!

The last four or five days before the cycle starts should be low carbohydrate. The steroid cycle should commence on the same day as a carbohydrate load. Testosterone and most of its popular derivatives will make this carbohydrate load very effective. Glycogen super compensation can occur very quickly, especially if short-ester (suspension, acetate, propionate) steroids are used; otherwise, front load longer esters (enanthate, cypionate, decanoate) to get blood levels up quickly.

Here is an example split for successful priming (based on Ultimate Diet 2.0 by Lyle McDonald, which is considered an up-to-date version of Underground Bodyopus by Daniel Duchaine):

Day 1: Moderate Carb/Cardio at maintenance calorie intake.
Day 2: Low Carb/Upperbody Supersets at a caloric deficit, either through diet or cardio.
Day 3: Low Carb/Lowerbody Supersets at a caloric deficit, either through diet or cardio.
Day 4: Low Carb/Cardio at a caloric deficit, either through diet or cardio.
Day 5: Low Carb/Full Body Workout with daytime calorie intake should be slightly less than they were during the previous days. The carbohydrate load should follow immediately after evening training.
Day 6: Carb Load/No training
Day 7: Moderate Carb/Power Training (Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Presses), eating slightly above maintenance.
Repeat

Once the cycle has begun, your body will remain very responsive and you should begin training hard; using supersets, drop sets, rest-pause – heavy and intense training. You should feel pent up and ready for it. As always, a training log will help maximize the growth window.

How long should the priming period last?

Proper priming generally last about six to eight weeks, pre-cycle. The body will be very responsive if finished correctly and long enough. Obviously, finding the best ratio between priming, cutting and growth macro cycles can guarantee the greatest results during the training year. This relation is best identified through experience.

Successful priming will bring your body fat levels down but the most important aspect is to become sensitive for a growth period. If body fat is high, an athlete could extend the priming period with a target body composition in mind before switching to a growth phase but don’t allow gross overtraining to occur. If body fat mass is currently out of control, it is better to focus on dieting and training strictly for fat loss. A lean body is much more effective at proper calorie partitioning. Once bodyfat levels are within reason, take a brief pause, and then begin priming for the AAS cycle.

Are any ancillary drugs helpful for priming?

Proviron and Bromocriptine can be very helpful for sustaining muscle mass and fat metabolism. Proviron helps to support natural testosterone levels during a calorie restricted diet. Bromocriptine helps support suitable hormone levels while training to metabolize body fat; in addition to dulling hunger pangs. Either drug can help trick your body from trying to put a stopper on fat loss and limit muscle wasting. Unfortunately, Bromocriptine is notorious for bad side effects, such as decreased appetite and nausea. This drug should be tapered up and only administered in the mornings, to avoid uncomfortable side effects. Exogenous insulin can help carbohydrate loads – especially brief loads under 24 hours – by increasing faster glycogen storage.

Are any non-pharmaceutical ancillaries helpful for priming?

A multi vitamin and mineral supplement is always good practice while on a macro-restrictive diet, to fill holes in daily nutritional requirements. Extra Vitamin C can also help deter flu symptoms and keep you from falling ill during an important training cycle. A daily dose of around four to eight grams of vitamin C per day will serve to support a healthy immune system during any training cycle. Obviously, getting sick can mess everything up.

Taking a healthy dose of the essential branched chain amino acids helps to deter overtraining and over-reaching symptoms. They also help prevent muscle wasting during dieting to foster a better environment to remain on a progressive strength routine. Studies show that it’s harder to overtrain while taking at least 10 grams of the essential bcaa’s daily. Ten grams pre-workout can have a substantially positive effect on strength and mental focus while using a CKD program.

Source: Anasci.com