Equipoise Cycle
An Equipoise cycle is typically a bulking cycle or lean mass cycle where the user's general goal is significant mass and size gains (including strength gains).
While Equipoise can easily be utilized in a cutting cycle during a period of fat loss, it is also commonly used for mass gain.
This is largely the result of a strange rumor that many bodybuilders have been hearing for decades, claiming that Equipoise is an anabolic steroid that is the sister or cousin of Nandrolone (Deca Durabolin).
This could not be further from the truth, as these are two completely different compounds with very different effects.
The origin of these rumors lies in the fact that nandrolone and equipoise have almost identical anabolic and androgenic strength ratings, and they also have almost identical estrogenic activity in the body, but that's where the similarities end.
As such, many have found that Nandrolone and Equipoise can be used interchangeably on a regular basis.
For example, an individual who is very sensitive to certain side effects of nandrolone, but prefers an anabolic steroid with a very similar anabolic:androgenic strength ratio and a very similar estrogenic activity ratio, may choose to cycle with EQ instead of nandrolone.
Individuals who find Equipoise undesirable for any reason may also choose a cycle with Nandrolone instead of Equipoise.
In general, the type and rate of lean mass gains with both anabolic steroids are very similar. But once again, the similarities do not end there.
Equipoise cycles, in particular, should actually be run for a longer cycle duration than average.
This is because Equipoise uses a very long eudensylenate ester attached to it, which has a very long half-life and a long release period.
As a result, optimal blood levels are not reached until several weeks after administration of Equipoise.
This is why a 'kickstarting' compound, such as Dianabol or Anadrol, is usually included in an Equipoise cycle to provide the user with anabolic effects while Equipoise slowly builds up in the user's system.
By the time the kickstarting compound is discontinued (usually in week 4-6), the effects of Equipoise are fully realized.
A second way to overcome Equipoise's long kick-in period is to front-load the substance (by administering twice the full dose in the first week of the cycle).
Beginner Equipoise Cycle
Example beginner EQ cycle (14 weeks total cycle time)
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1- 14weeks |
- Testosterone Enanthate 300 - 500mg /week -Equipoise 400mg /week |
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The most basic and beginner variation of the Equipoise cycle, this is a cycle that introduces the least amount of safe compounds while still providing effective results and potential gains.
This particular cycle can be utilized for almost any purpose, including bulking up, cutting, or losing weight.
However, any individual looking to run this type of EQ cycle, where testosterone is run in bodybuilding doses, must ensure proper estrogen control.
While Equipoise itself exhibits low estrogenic activity, testosterone itself can typically cause aromatization issues at bodybuilding doses.
Therefore, all potential users should control estrogen in some way through the use of an aromatase inhibitor.
Without such intervention, these cycles can cause estrogenic side effects such as water retention, which can often result in an unwanted 'soft' and bloated looking physique.
Some individuals don't mind this, especially during bulking cycles.
However, this is an important detail to remember.
Many readers will also notice that the typical cycle length for this particular cycle is 14 weeks.
This is to account for the slow and steady action of Equipoise, as the average user on such a cycle will not begin to see significant gains in terms of strength or size until around week 5.
For this reason, most steroid cycles are typically run for a maximum of 12 to 14 weeks.
It is not uncommon to see users exceeding this recommended cycle, and all individuals should understand that this can lead to side effects, reduced workout gains, and an increased likelihood of damage to the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis (HPTA).
Intermediate Equipoise Cycle
Example Intermediate Equipoise Cycle (12 weeks total cycle time)
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1- 12weeks |
- Testosterone Enanthate 100mg /week -Equipoise 600mg /week |
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1- 4weeks |
- Dianabol 25mg /일 |
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This intermediate EQ cycle is generally very similar to the very popular Testosterone / Nandrolone / Dianabol stack.
The difference in this case is that nandrolone is excluded and Equipoise is substituted, which serves to prove to some extent that Equipoise can indeed replace nandrolone.
This cycle also has some distinct changes from the beginner cycle.
The first noticeable change is the addition of Dianabol, an oral anabolic steroid, at 25 mg daily.
This is to kickstart the cycle for the first four weeks, while your EQ levels are slowly rising to the optimal target level in your body.
This is to give the user an example of how the kickstart is utilized (as described above).
By the time Dianabol administration ends, plasma Equipoise levels should have reached a steady peak and the user should be experiencing gains.
The second change is to reduce the testosterone to 100mg per week, which is a TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) dose, which is only used to maintain the normal physiological function of testosterone during periods when endogenous natural testosterone is non-functional or suppressed by the use of exogenous anabolic steroids in this cycle.
Testosterone is not the primary anabolic compound in this cycle, and is instead relegated to a secondary position of providing normal physiologic levels of testosterone.
The third change is that the total cycle is 12 weeks instead of 14 weeks.
This is to show that not all cycles need to be the maximum length of 14 weeks, as often cycles of this length can increase the likelihood of HPTA damage.
Advanced Equipoise cycle
Advanced cycle example (total cycle time of 12 weeks)
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1- 12weeks |
- Testosterone Enanthate 100mg /week -Equipoise 600mg /week
-Trenbolone Enanthate 400mg /week |
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There is not much difference between the previous two steroid cycles.
The only major change is the addition of trenbolone, a very powerful injectable anabolic steroid.
Trenbolone enanthate in particular was chosen to mix well with the other two anabolic steroids due to its longer ester (enanthate and undecylenate), which has a longer half-life.
Trenbolone itself does not convert to estrogen at any dose and is the most powerful commercially available anabolic steroid known to man.
It is also an anabolic steroid that should only be used by experienced anabolic steroid users, and because of this it works very well for advanced users.
Such a cycle should provide minimal estrogenic activity and is very suitable for cutting, lean mass addition and bulking cycles.
