Time off=Time on:Where's the proof?

[drveejay11]

I understand and agree that it is a wise practice to spend as much time "off" as time spent "on" in an effort to allow your body to return to a state of homeostasis. I also believe this time off allows the body to fully recuperate. However...I have never seen any studies on this whatsoever. How do we know it is in fact enough time off or conversely too much time "wasted" being off? It would be nice to get more of a scientific answer to "how long it takes to truly recover".

 

[macho21]

It is just a round guess to follow. It is impossible to tell, specially since everyone is different, but in my case, that is not enough time to restore my hormone levels, and my cholesterol always takes a bit longer to fully return to baseline levels. It also depends on the drugs you use. I guess the only real studies are your own through monitoring your blood.

 

[drveejay11]

Hmmmmmmmm.............

 

[Lumberg]

Franco columbu actually advocated that time off should equal 2x time on. No quantitative evidence except his own experience I suppose.

JC

 

[Japanese machine]

Hmmmmmmmm.............

I am quoting 2thick here, i heard him state a about a day ago....

"it takes 2 months to recover; 6 months to FULLY recover" (paraphrased)

so if cycling is your way, then time on= time off, sounds suffice.

 

[serge]

I understand and agree that it is a wise practice to spend as much time "off" as time spent "on" in an effort to allow your body to return to a state of homeostasis. I also believe this time off allows the body to fully recuperate. However...I have never seen any studies on this whatsoever. How do we know it is in fact enough time off or conversely too much time "wasted" being off? It would be nice to get more of a scientific answer to "how long it takes to truly recover".

the proof that you seek does not exist, as the time off will vary from one individual to another, some may fully recover in 3-4 weeks while others may make much longer........in some cases up to 8-12months

the only way to know for sure is to run blood work

 

[Dr.M]

I understand and agree that it is a wise practice to spend as much time "off" as time spent "on" in an effort to allow your body to return to a state of homeostasis. I also believe this time off allows the body to fully recuperate. However...I have never seen any studies on this whatsoever. How do we know it is in fact enough time off or conversely too much time "wasted" being off? It would be nice to get more of a scientific answer to "how long it takes to truly recover".

The only way to prove it for yourself is to get a doctor who will test your natural levels before, and then do your cycle, and keep testing after to see when your back up and running.

I think its just a general good rule of thumb, I'm not going to compete and I do not plan to , so I do NOT need to push the envelope, and its a good way to keep me from letting myself become addicted to the stuff.

 

[Bulldog_10]

I don't get why everyone is in a rush to get back on? The way I am planning on using gear is like this:

Every 4-8 weeks I change up my workout routine. I start with very high volume (8-12 reps, 6-10 sets) and low intensity.

Then I up the weight a bit, and lower the volume (4-6 reps, 3-5 sets).

Then I up the weight more, and lower the volume more (2-3 reps, 3-5 sets).

Then up the weight even more, and lower the volume even more (1-3 reps, 2-3 sets).

Then it's back to high volume, low intensity (8-12 reps, 6-10 sets)



What I'm going to do is throw in a cycle every time I hit the "high volume/low intensity" phase of training (hypertrophy phase). Since this is the time in your training when you will need the most help with recovery...steroids will be the most help here.

Of course, after doing a few cycles in this fashion, I will cycle during other phases just to change things up a bit...

That's just my theory...do whatever is best for you.

 

[Dr.M]

I do HST for 3 weeks, then 4 on 1 off for 3 cycles (15 days), then maybe another day or two off if I feel like it.

Why does everyone want to jump back on? Addiction.

Someone probably just came up with time on time off, and I think its a good rule of thumb regardless of being made up or not. For those who compete, then envelope pushing is a different matter altogether.

 

[B182]

I understand and agree that it is a wise practice to spend as much time "off" as time spent "on" in an effort to allow your body to return to a state of homeostasis. I also believe this time off allows the body to fully recuperate. However...I have never seen any studies on this whatsoever. How do we know it is in fact enough time off or conversely too much time "wasted" being off? It would be nice to get more of a scientific answer to "how long it takes to truly recover".

That's probably because there's hardly any research pertaining to this- remember, steroids are produced in pharmaceutical industry for medical purposes, not bodybuilders.

However, I do recall one study involving a BBer that had been on for years, and it requred somewhere around a year for his sperm count and test levels to reach normal range. I dont recall the specifics, but this is available on medline. Also, bill robert's articles on mesomorphosis combine a little scientific education with personal and anecdotal experience.