assistance with how long to use Prohormones, This article will help to go through some of the different strategies available to users, as well as clearing up some myths that have arisen around this subject.
Birth of a Myth
It is an unfortunate fact that a great deal of what passes for training and nutrition advice in the general bodybuilding press, online forums, or gyms, is out of date at best, and inaccurate at worst. Unfortunately, much of what you will see or hear is based upon hype, recycled information with no factual basis in scientific evidence, and upon occasion, outright lies. When it comes to prohormones, what I have frequently seen is people looking at cycling strategies used by drug users taking anabolic steroids (AAS), and deciding that since a majority of these athletes appear to employ long cycles of 6 to 8 weeks (some more) that this should rationally imply that prohormones, being a related product, should be used in the same way.
However, one of the distinguishing features of an AAS cycle is the use of slow releasing injectable products such as Testosterone Enanthate which take a few weeks to be fully absorbed, making the use of long cycles a sensible option for those employing these drugs.
By contrast, prohormones are all oral compounds rapidly absorbed by the body and with most, they will be processed by the body in a single day. For the user of prohormones this means that they will experience gains from day 1, at least as measured by increased blood levels of androgens. Although it may take time for muscle gains to be visible in the mirror, it is not unheard of for prohormone users to gain upto 7-10 pounds in the first two weeks of their cycle.
This leads to the situation that over a short period of time the use of prohormones could lead to greater muscle gains than can be achieved by long acting anabolic steroids in the same period of time.
So we have established that prohormone use, by virtue of the fact that they are oral in nature can lead to muscle growth quite rapidly, depending on the nature of the compound used.
So the next question is how do we decide how long we need to stay on.
Calculating Prohormone Cycle Length
Here is a quick rundown of factors we need to consider when calculating cycle length:
1.The prohormone taken
2.Individual tolerance to potential side effects
3. Age and history of the person taking them
4.Availability of PCT products
5.Injury Status
6.Benefit to Cost Ratio
Taken together these factors can help us shape our decision on what products, and what cycle length is most appropriate.
Prohormone Taken
Different prohormones have differing characteristics. For a more thorough review read the following article titled Prohormones – A Comprehensive Guide.
Depending on the product taken cycle length would be adjusted accordingly so that products which are most liver toxic would be taken for a shorter duration with cycle lengths of no more than four weeks at most. Fortunately, prohormones that are most liver toxic are able to provide considerable muscle gain in a short period of time anyway so this should not be a concern. Considering that the extremely liver toxic M1T was often noted to produce muscle gains of up to ten pounds in two weeks, a shorter duration cycle for products such as Dymethazine and M-Drol should not be a problem.
Apart from the liver toxicity of the prohormone taken, we need also to look at the degree of androgenic and estrogenic action exhibited. For those individuals concerned about this, cycle length would be monitored more closely and reduced if this is a major concern. Finally, some prohormones are often associated with producing fatigue, in itself a possible sign of elevated liver enzymes, so it would be prudent to keep cycle lengths short for these products as well as employing the use of a liver support product during the course of a cycle.
Individual Tolerance to Side Effects
As outlined above, individuals will differ in their tolerance and susceptibility to side effects caused by prohormones which will play a part in the length of time they remain on a given prohormone. At one extreme, there will be those people who do not notice any androgenic side effects such as acne or aggression, and those who can find excessive use of prohormones causes them to develop these problems. Similarly, hair loss which is a concern for many can usually resolve itself by keeping cycle length short – no more than 3-4 weeks.
Estrogenic side effects are more worrying for most people being as they can cause gynecomastia, water retention, and otherwise spoil our desire for an ideal physique. Keeping cycle lengths short can usually avoid these problems but the use of an estrogen blocker such as I Force Nutrition’s Reversitol or IBE's Formex is recommended for those particularly concerned by these side effects and who wish to run a prohormone cycle for longer.
We have already covered issues relating to elevated liver enzymes in the previous section but we can add effects on lipid levels as a fourth key factor which needs to be taken into account when calculating cycle length, as elevated levels of these will increase stress on the cardiovascular system. Again, assuming the user is not having blood tests to measure lipid levels, a cautious approach is recommended, especially with the stronger products on the market.
One last point, but important to make, is that these side effects are only of concern to some as many an athlete will not care less about fatigue, water retention, acne etc and simply see these as necessary things to endure. Of course, at the other end of the spectrum many people will not experience any side effects from products, at least not cosmetic effects that are apparent to the user.
Age and History of the Person
If an individual has never previously taken prohormones then they should expect significant muscle and strength gains from their first cycle, especially if they are a young person with much scope for muscle growth. As such, dosages and cycle lengths should be kept short as even a “mild” cycle will produce significant benefits for the user, and by keeping the length short we can certainly keep side effects to a minimum whilst still experiencing tremendous benefits for the user.
At the other end of the spectrum, an older individual with many cycles under his belt may find that gains come a little slower, or that dosages need to be increased a little. It is my opinion that usually this is only the case when an individual is close to their genetic potential as at this point more is needed to push the body beyond its natural limits. A longer cycle may make sense, depending on the nature of the product taken, although health related side effects such as stress on liver and cardiovascular function should be carefully monitored anytime dosage or length of administration is increased, especially in older individuals.

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Disclaimer: Hypermuscles.com does not promote the use of anabolic steroids without a doctor's prescription. The information we share is for entertainment and research purposes only.