Cutting Cycle Synergy by heavyiron
For years bodybuilders have experimented with various compounds while in their cutting phases to find the ultimate AAS stack to assist in cutting body fat while preserving lean body mass. Almost any steroid may be used to cut with as long as nutrition, training and recovery are properly in place but as contest time approaches most bodybuilders want a hard, defined and dry look. This is a time when various low or non aromatizing anabolic steroids are employed.
The Secret Weapon
Certain anabolic steroids work synergistically with one another and years ago a particular stack started being used often by bodybuilders around the world. At first it was called ???The Secret Weapon???. This stack is a powerful combination of anabolic steroids that can elicit a hard, dry grainy look. It preserves muscle mass even during extreme dieting. In fact, many users report gaining lean body mass while dieting on this powerful cocktail of anabolic steroids.
Cut Mix
The secret weapon is no longer a secret. Once this combination of steroids started gaining popularity the manufacturers of steroid products immediately started producing these steroids together in a blend. Most users who administer these blends are amazed at just how effective they are. Today The Secret Weapon is more commonly referred to as Cut Mix.
Cut Mix is a blend of 3 anabolic hormones. Each ml typically contains the following active ingredients: Drostanolone Propionate ??? 50 mg/ml, Testosterone Propionate ??? 50 mg/ml, Trenbolone Acetate ??? 50 mg/ml. Therefore 1ml Cut Mix daily equals 350mg Masteron, 350mg Testosterone Propionate and 350mg Trenbolone Acetate weekly.
One of the challenges with using a pre measured blend is you are locked into certain ratios. The above mix is a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio which may be problematic if you want to keep one compound lower or higher than another. For example, many guys like to run Testosterone at higher or lower doses in relationship to their Trenbolone dose. This is especially true towards the end of prep when the Testosterone dose may be dropped very low or altogether while the Trenbolone dose is kept higher. Therefore I personally like having all compounds in a separate vial so I can create whatever ratio I want depending on the period of the cycle I???m in.
Masteron (drostanolone propionate) is a moderately anabolic steroid that promotes increases in hardness, lean body mass and strength which has a positive effect on the potential for fat loss. Masteron does not possess any estrogenic activity and therefore water retention is highly unlikely. In fact, Masteron is often described as anti-estrogenic. This DHT derivative actually competes with other aromatizable substrates for binding to the aromatase enzyme. Masteron is not only a moderate anabolic but also a mild anti-estrogen which is very useful when stacking with low doses of other aromatizing steroids such as Testosterone.
Testosterone Propionate is a powerful mass building drug that is able to rapidly add gains in muscle size and strength. It???s the only aromatizing steroid in this stack but at reasonable doses aromatization is moderate. I???m convinced there???s almost no other traditional injectable stack that???s as potent and versatile as Testosterone and Trenbolone. It???s a simple stack with enormous potential to harden muscle, promote fat loss and add raw strength. The addition of Masteron adds even more to this synergy as it acts as an anti-estrogen to control aromatization of Testosterone. If Testosterone doses are higher an Aromatase Inhibitor may be needed.
Trenbolone Acetate is at least 3 times more anabolic and androgenic than Testosterone or Nandrolone. Trenbolone binds to androgen receptors (ARs) with approximately three times the affinity of testosterone and has been shown to augment skeletal muscle mass and bone growth and reduce adiposity! Tren is one potent weapon in the bodybuilder???s arsenal. Trenbolone is a non-estrogenic steroid so water retention is highly unlikely. Stacking with complimentary steroids such as Testosterone maximizes Trenbolones potential and also reduces side effects such as loss of libido.
In addition to the Cut Mix several other medications are typically employed to further optimize the cutting cycle. The first compound is Winstrol tabs or an injectable preperation.
Stanozolol has an anabolic rating of 320 and an androgenic rating of 30 making it an excellent steroid for promoting muscle growth with zero water retention. Stanozolol cannot aromatize into estrogen so estrogenic side effects like water retention are not a factor. Winstrol is excellent for dieting bodybuilders and is best employed near the end of a cutting cycle to keep the user anabolic but give a dry shredded appearance. Winstrol significantly lowers SHBG even at very low doses in a matter of a few days. This is significant because that equates to more free testosterone. Winstrol stacked with testosterone means more testosterone stays free or active. Some users report increased sex drive when stacking Winstrol with testosterone. Basically Winstrol makes your testosterone work better and it can raise libido.
Oxandrolone is derived from DHT. It has a very strong separation of anabolic (about 525) and androgenic (24) effect, and no progestational or estrogenic activity. Anavar is noted for being quite mild as far as oral steroids are concerned, which is great for the promotion of strength and quality muscle tissue gains however lipids should be monitored as it will lower HDL significantly. Mg for mg it displays as much as five-six times the anabolic activity of testosterone in assays, with way less androgenicity. This drug is a favorite of dieting bodybuilders and competitive athletes in speed/anaerobic performance sports, where its tendency for LBM gain (without fat or water retention) fits well with the desired goals.
Cytomel or T3 is used to increase metabolic rate. This increase means more nutrient uptake including increased protein synthesis. Since oxidation rate is increased, energy demands are also increased. When you are in a calorie deficit this will mean even more fat loss when using T3. However, T3 is catabolic so it must be used with anabolic steroids to preserve lean body mass while dieting. Start with 25mcg???s T3 daily and after one week increase the T3 to 50mcg???s daily. After one week you may increase the T3 dose once again to 75mcg???s daily if needed.
Stimulants are typically employed to further increase energy expenditure. Ephedrine and Caffeine are commonly used in this regard. Beta 2 agonists like Clenbuterol may also be used during a cut. All of these may act as an appetite suppressant as well. Personally I???m not a big fan of stimulants because they tend to make me jittery and agitated however I do use caffeine on a regular basis. Caffeine is inexpensive and works well for me. Clenbuterol has some science demonstrating that it???s slightly anabolic so if I was to advise on the use of any of these, Clen would be my preference for those who have no problems with these compounds.
Final 6 weeks of prep
Before the final 6 weeks of prep I recommend cutting on 50-100mg of Anadrol daily and 1 gram of Testosterone weekly. During this phase almost any combination of steroids may be used but I prefer these two compounds as they provide significant power and energy while dieting. An aromatase inhibitor may be used to control excessive aromatase activity from the Testosterone and always keep Nolvadex on hand in case gynocomastia presents. T3 may be loaded during this first part of the cutting phase.
The last 6 weeks of prep I recommend employing the Secret Weapon. Depending on the male users experience level you may inject between 0.5ml ??? 2 ml daily. However the preferred method is mixing your own ratios to suit your individual needs. I recommend daily injects during contest prep because that will yield the highest blood androgen levels. The Propionate esters from the Masteron and Testosterone possess a half life of about 48 hours however the decline is so significant by the 30th hour that waiting another 18 hours is counter productive. However, a gym rat doing a summer cut for the beach may opt for an every other day injection schedule. The following chart shows the pharmacokinetic characteristics of propionate.
Secret Weapon Sample Cutting Cycle
Week 1-4~One gram Testosterone weekly/50mg Anadrol daily/Arimidex as needed
Week 5~One gram Testosterone weekly/50mg Anadrol daily/25mcg???s T3 daily/Arimidex as needed
Week 6~One gram Testosterone weekly/50mg Anadrol daily/50mcg???s T3 daily/Arimidex as needed
Week 7-10~50mg Test Prop, 50mg Mast Prop, 50mg Tren Ace daily/50 mcg???s T3 daily/Arimidex as needed
Week 11-12~25mg Test Prop, 50mg Mast Prop, 50mg Tren Ace daily/50 mcg???s T3 daily/50mg Winstrol tabs daily/Arimidex as needed
Week 13~50mg Winstrol tabs daily/50mg Anavar tabs daily/50 mcg???s T3 daily/Arimidex as needed
The above cycle is just one example and may be modified to meet individual needs, however this basic cutting cycle has such powerful synergy that it will illicit amazing results if nutrition, training and recovery are dialed in.
