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Should Training Vary During “Off Weeks” and “On Weeks” for Two-Week Steroid Cycles?
BY BILL ROBERTS
Q:“Two-week steroid cycles obviously have some weeks quite different from others in a regular pattern. Obviously things are very different in the weeks with anabolic steroids versus those without. Should I just train the same way every week regardless, or should training vary along with the 2-week cycle pattern?”
A: For best results, absolutely training should vary along with the 2-week cycle pattern.
A first concern is volume, whether considered as total reps per week or as workload per week (weight times reps, approximately speaking.) The “on” weeks should be at higher volume than the “off” weeks. A good increment is usually about 30% more than what you generally find best for yourself when unassisted by anabolic steroids.
A second consideration is the weight relative to your 1RM. The “on” weeks are generally most efficient when the work sets or top work sets are at about 80-85% 1RM.
The first “off” week is usually best treated as a deload week with considerably reduced volume, such as only about half to two-thirds of your usual amount. The goals in the gym that week should not include trying to stimulate growth by really hard work. The body is already stimulated from the previous week’s work, and should instead be allowed to grow from that without having to devote too much energy to current work.
Always keep at least one rep in reserve in this week.
That doesn’t mean that the first “off” week needs to be unproductive. Speed work as described by Louie Simmons, and/or some 8×2 work at about 80% 1RM as described by Pavel Tsatsouline can really consolidate your strength gains from the “on” weeks while allowing growth and not taxing recovery. If you like, the end of the first “off” week can be a good time to ramp up to a new best single in one to three exercises.
The other “off” weeks can be fairly ordinary training. But in many instances, there’s a lot to be said for employing a considerable proportion of relatively low-percent-1RM work (60-75%) in the “off” weeks in preparation for the “on” weeks.
BY BILL ROBERTS
Q:“Two-week steroid cycles obviously have some weeks quite different from others in a regular pattern. Obviously things are very different in the weeks with anabolic steroids versus those without. Should I just train the same way every week regardless, or should training vary along with the 2-week cycle pattern?”
A: For best results, absolutely training should vary along with the 2-week cycle pattern.
A first concern is volume, whether considered as total reps per week or as workload per week (weight times reps, approximately speaking.) The “on” weeks should be at higher volume than the “off” weeks. A good increment is usually about 30% more than what you generally find best for yourself when unassisted by anabolic steroids.
A second consideration is the weight relative to your 1RM. The “on” weeks are generally most efficient when the work sets or top work sets are at about 80-85% 1RM.
The first “off” week is usually best treated as a deload week with considerably reduced volume, such as only about half to two-thirds of your usual amount. The goals in the gym that week should not include trying to stimulate growth by really hard work. The body is already stimulated from the previous week’s work, and should instead be allowed to grow from that without having to devote too much energy to current work.
Always keep at least one rep in reserve in this week.
That doesn’t mean that the first “off” week needs to be unproductive. Speed work as described by Louie Simmons, and/or some 8×2 work at about 80% 1RM as described by Pavel Tsatsouline can really consolidate your strength gains from the “on” weeks while allowing growth and not taxing recovery. If you like, the end of the first “off” week can be a good time to ramp up to a new best single in one to three exercises.
The other “off” weeks can be fairly ordinary training. But in many instances, there’s a lot to be said for employing a considerable proportion of relatively low-percent-1RM work (60-75%) in the “off” weeks in preparation for the “on” weeks.
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