i never used it without GH for that long except once or twice, of course it worked nowhere near as good as it did in conjunction with GH.,
i had tried it the usualy pyramid up to high dose as quick as possible, stay there then tapered down after 8-12 weeks while dieting with really good results once... so im not just talking out of my ass supporting longer cycles with a more moderate dose with no experience about short cycles.
i found even though i didnt suffer any real bad rebound(none that i couldnt attribute to mainly my diet getting way loose after cutting hard) nor did i see anylong term supression from the short cycles, i definitely felt suppressed for at least a month or two and my body temp was much lower.
i also have had friends who did the usual high dose short cycle thing under the assumption that staying on for a short period and using a dose higher than normal or a dose that puts the levels above HIGH NATURAL levels in the body, the theory was flawed and they suffered supresson basically at least for as long as they were on in many cases. ,
RESULTS OF THE TYPICAL HIGHER DOSE TAPER CYCLEIMO and in theirs it wasnt worth it, especially since real strict dieting usually results in slacking off when you come off the diet, so coming off of a diet AND off of t3 is a bad idea for maintaining results. plus, any technique that you can use for fat loss or to maintain fat loss such as dieting stricter, lowering cals/carbs, or increasing cardio/training to increase your fat burning naturally, every one of those techniques also negatively influence thyroid output or recovery.
LONGER, LOW/MODERATE DOSE USEwithout GH, id probably either use bloodwork to monitor thyroid output during dieting and just use exogenous t3 as a way to keep my thyroid at optimal levels when the diet starts to slow down natural production. i know this is the way alot of contest prep gurus suggest, and many experienced pros. if you dont want to do the whole bloodwork thing, your best bet is to take your temp every morning at the same time for a couple weeks before you start dieting as a baseline to get an avg. temp per week, and then keep taking it ED when you start your diet.
when you start seeing a consistent temp decrease ED over a week or so, its a good bet that your body is reacting to the diet trying to do the homeostasis thing, and you could benefit from adding t3 n increments of 12.5-25mcg of t3 per day and seeing how that affects your temp results boosting them back near normal.
id say 25mcg to start, then if you dont see results after 7-14 days as far as fat burning slow down start pickng up at least, or an increase to your morning body temp, then add another tab of t3 per week until you do. even the largest pro's that do this say that you shouldnt need more than 50-75mcg MAX.
LOW/MODERATE DOSE RESULTSthere are HUGE benefitsto this method IMO.
this seems much more effective and safe in regards to staying on it for a longer period. if you are simply adding enough t3 to keep your body in optimal range as it fights to stay the same as part of your training and diet regime, IMO coming off will be much much less painful and the results of coming off will be minor or neglible even perhaps, as long as you keep your diet very clean, i would imagine even if it was after a show, an increase in CLEAN cals plus some gugguls/iodine and other thryroid support supps would help your bodies natural thyroid output recover as quick as possible.
that is my observation from personal results of both methods as well as what have seen with others, regarding the low/moderate dosages in regards to using anywhere from 2-6 months without gh, and even up to 10 months or so in conjunction with 3-6iu gh per day.
if your not going to have your thyroid levels tested often while on it trying to stay in optimal normal levels, AT LEAST have them tested before, and then 4-8 weeks AFTER you cease using t3 and/or dieting. id take my temp ED as well, if anything using it as a guideline to decide when to get my levels checked.. if my morning temp is rising consistently for a few weeks after i come off, or if they are at or close to my pre diet temperature in relation to how much my temp dropped while dieting when i was dieting, then i know that levels are probably back or close to 100% and its time to get the bloodwork to know for sure.
on the other hand, if my temp is still noticeably lower than pre diet levels, or as low or lower than my AM temp was prior to adding low dose replacement t3 to my diet, its a sign im not recovering, and its time to get bloodwork done to see what is up and how low they are.
if they are still low, i dont know of how much you could do to encourage recovery except for some support supps and more time off.
HOWEVER, continuing to restrict calories, as well as overtraining will have definite effects on your thyroid levels. these factors can inhibit thyroid output even if you hadnt used exogenous thyroid meds, so you may want to alter these variables if you are not recovering. a MODERATE increase in CLEAN calories, adding a piece or two of fruit, and a decrease in training volume and intensity after a very intense period of training and dieting even after using t3 should help your natural levels recover.
WHY HIGHER DOSE SHORT CYCLES FAIL FOR ANYTHING BUT TEMPORARY RESULTS
you really need to remember these factors and not be afraid to gain a lb or two of fat and water after you come off, you cant stay in contest shape forever, and like stated before, even in a non t3 assisted diet, when getting VERY lean, the intensity of your dieting and training will negatively effect thyroid output as your body fights the change to stay in homeostasis.
by staying SUPER strict, ie very low carbs low fat or low anything, or continuing to do high levels of cardio ie 2 a day sessions on top of your weight training etc, you may be doing yourself more harm then good in the long run, at the minimum keep lifting intensely, but reduce your cardio and increase your cals slightly to support your thyroid recovery.
many guys do crazy shit like even increasing their cardio or calorie restrictions after coming off of t3 in an attempt to keep every last lb of fat and water they lost off of their bodies... all this achieves is continuing to supress your thyroid levels regardless of coming off IMO.
HERE IS MY THEORY ON WHY SHORT BURST PYRAMID T3 CYCLES SUCK, AND WHY LONGER LOW DOSE IS BETTERIMO if you keep cals SUPER clean but let them increase to maintenance at least, and decrease the cardio but keep the lifting intense, you better your chances of natural levels recovering as quickly as possible, AND ALSO by lifting intensely doing everything you can by keeping as much of the weight you do regain as muscle, you cant stay super lean forever, but you CAN eat and train in a way that supports body recomposition as favorably towards muscle as possible.
dont forget, the biggest boost to your metabolism is your muscle mass and increasing it... that is another reason why i think longer lower dose t3 cycles are FAR more optimal to the old pyramid up, pyramid down high dose brief cycles that you see everywhere, lasting anywhere from 4-10 weeks.
low/moderate dose t3 may have a positive effect on metabolism and muscle building, but when using doses that put you way out of the natural optimum levels, you are simply increasing your metabolism to a point that you need to eat extra protein and cals to stave off the muscle loss.
logically, if you are using t3 in dosages that put your levels way over normal range, you are simply making up for a shitty innefficient diet, either due to inexperience or just laziness and RELYING on the drug for fat loss, instead of using it as an adjunct to a proper diet and training.
for someone inexperienced in thyroid use, compare it to gear use. take 2 guys of similar genetics, and both are using the same types of gear, say test and tren or something basic but effective.
SHORTCUT VS LONG TERM COMPARISONbber #1 has an impeccable work ethic, trains hard and intensely but also efficiently and intelligently to avoid overtraining. he also follows a good well rounded bbing diet, rarely misses meals, and although he enjoys himself and will have some drinks with his buds and party or get drunk every blue moon, he mostly makes sure he is well rested to ensure proper recovery. most importantly #1 does all these important things that build lean muscle CONSISTENTLY and both on or off cycle.
bber#1 uses a base of test, moderate dose of 400mg tren E or para. he may use an oral or fast acting drug to kick start his cycle for couple weeks or a month, and then use a fast acting drug towards the end of his cycle with proper PCT when he comes off, or uses an HRT dose as a bridge
bber #2 goes through the motions at the gym, when he is on he trains balls to the wall sometimes every day for 1.5-2hrs a day cuz his cycles enable him to feel like superman and his strenght stays up and he doesnt fatigue anywhere near as fast as he does when clean, and following his more is better philosophy, he trains each bodypart until he "feels" its time to stop, and trains them up to 2x a week when he is on cycle and feels this is better. however he is quick to burnout, even while on a heavy cycle, and starts missing workouts.
#2 is the same way with dieting, goes to the extreme over does everything, but isnt consistent. he also doesnt eat near as clean, he gains alot of water/fat weight when he is on, gets burnt out and either starts dieting or simply skipping meals soon after he bulks, never being able to stick to one or the other for 6-8 weeks. he still makes great gains and can look just as good as bber #1 sometimes and can hang with him in the gym when they are on cycle.
#2 will run 1g of test per week minimum, with at least 100mg of tren ace per day or an equal dose of longer acting tren per week. he will throw in orals, dbol/anadrol, anything that gives him immediate results to kick start his cycle, even if the results on the scale and in the gym as far as weights are simply a temporary boost from increased in water, even if its intramuscular mostly and he still looks good.
also, if his gains slow or come to a halt, he simply ups the dose, adds more gear, or throws the orals back in.
his training and diet, while sometimes very dedicated, even to the point of being counterproductive, are very inconsistent. he looks to drugs as the main source of gains or lack thereof and never really sits back to look at the big picture and never figures out that its his lack of a consistent schedule/diet, and inadequate rest, and too much partying.
even tho bber #2 also makes incredible gains when he is on cycle, he looks to drugs as the be all and end all, cause of and solution to results and/or lack.
#2 thinks every bber that is pro or even bigger than him either has better genetics, and/or is on higher doses and other drugs and combos that he cant afford or believes he just doesnt know about.
now lets say both bbers at the peak of their cycles are in very similar condition, almost exact as far as mass/leanness...
which bber do you believe will have the most success at maintaining or bettering their peak or near peak condition year round whether or not they are at the peak of their cycle, or are simply off or on an HRT replacement dose.
anyways, if u look at my example, IMO it VERY relates to a bber using t3. if you have to use a dose of T3 that pushes your levels way past the upper normal limits, you are using it as a crutch to either A)make up for a diet and/or training that is severly lacking, or B) your trying to lose too much fat too fast.
in the case of A, if you need higher doses of t3 to achieve a level of leanness you couldnt approach otherwise, you are really setting yourslf up for a big dissapointment. IF YOU CANT GET NEAR THAT CONDITION WITH NO OR LOW TO MODERATE T3 USE, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAINTAIN ANYTHING CLOSE TO THAT WHEN YOU COME OFF, EVEN IF YOUR LEVELS RECOVER AS FAST AS POSSIBLE?? YOU CANT!
so IMO low/moderate use, though best used as short as possible, even if u need to use it longer cuz you have more fat to lose, it is MUCH more optimal to do it this way as far as maintaining or even gaining some muscle while getting to the desired body composition. plus you will be n a much better.
Short term higher doses could be used if your really impatient and out of shape and want to get lean as fast as possible, but pretty much unless you are just looking for temporary results it is a waste, and though you might not gain EVERYTHING back, any results are much harder to maintain.
