Getting Ripped: the Best Cutting Stack





The effectiveness of any stack has as much to do with your diet and training (perhaps more) than the drugs and dosages used.





By William Llewellyn



It is certainly that time of year again. Bodybuilders everywhere are deep in the gym. They are upping volume, increasing reps, extending cardio … working very hard to turn the winter bulk into the chiseled physique we all desire come T-shirt weather … beach season. This can be a difficult transformation for most of us. The body likes that bit of extra subcutaneous fat. Of course, overcoming this biological tendency to the point that enough of our muscular cuts and striations are visible on the surface involves not only a great deal of discipline in our training, but also our diet. This is the time of year I start getting a lot of questions about “assistance.” While I don’t give specific drug use recommendations, it is true that some agents and combinations do work better than others. On that note, I’m going to give you my hypothetical concept of an ideal men’s cutting stack.





First, I want to get one thing out of the way. There absolutely is no “best” cutting stack. The same goes for a bulking, performance and strength stacks. People respond to drugs differently. Some will notice distinct fat loss on a particular cycle, where others might report fat gain. Some require much higher doses than others. The response to anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and related drugs is a very individualized thing. The effectiveness of any stack also has as much to do with your diet and training (perhaps more) than the drugs and dosages used. With that said, there are certainly some drug combinations that are more inclined to assist with cutting than others. While I am not here to recommend the best such program for you, I will tell you what I’ve seen work very well for others, along with some observations of my own. So, let’s begin by running down the list of drugs in this hypothetical program.





Winstrol (stanozolol). Back in the day, when I was in my 20s, this was the number-one cutting steroid for me personally. I still have fond memories of the 50mg/mL water-based injectable Stanazolic from Denkall (Mexico). This drug is long gone now, but wow … it transformed me (visually, for the better) more than any other drug. I grew. I got cut. The dosage I would use was always the same: 50 milligrams every other day. I would inject in the shoulders, which produced an added localized, anabolic effect. My shoulders were never as big as they were when I used Stanazolic. Anyway, aside from the size, it was excellent for leaning out. Note, however, that I would be very cautious about buying water-based injectable stanozolol in this day and age. There are some pharmaceutical-grade products out there, but more often than not, what you find are underground preparations. These are likely not sterile. Water-based products are very hard to make and keep sterile without a real pharmaceutical lab. Oral stanozolol carries less bacteria risk, and does work with near-effectiveness, in my experience.





Trenbolone (any ester). Trenbolone wasn’t a big drug when I was in the game. It was extremely scarce back in the ‘90s. There were only a couple of preparations known to exist at the time. However, I do have some experience with the drug, enough to know it can be both a powerful muscle-builder and cutting agent. Today, this drug is one of the most commonly used injectable steroids, and is widely applied in all types of programs. With ready access came the realization by the community at large that this is just one very strong and highly versatile anabolic steroid. I don’t believe trenbolone needs to be used in a very high dosage to be effective, though. One injection of 200 milligrams or two injections of 100 milligrams, each week, is more than sufficient to notice a very distinct cutting and muscle-preserving (during dieting) effect for most users.





Testosterone Cypionate or Enanthate. This is probably going to be viewed as unnecessary by some readers. For many, it probably is. An AAS stack of trenbolone and stanozolol is already very strong, and would facilitate noticeable fat loss for most people. You shouldn’t need more AAS at this point, and testosterone isn’t an ideal cutting drug. However, some will have concerns over the lack of testosterone, and the possibility of sexual or other central nervous system (CNS) side effects. Whether it is the estrogen that comes from testosterone, some other metabolite, or a distinct property of the hormone itself, many people just don’t feel 100 percent without it. If I were inclined to include this hormone, I would probably do so at or near a supplemental dose, say 100-200 milligrams per week. Remember that if you take too much testosterone, you wind up having excess estrogen, which can work against your cutting efforts. I’d personally want only enough to counter any side effects, not add to them.





Arimidex (anastrozole).This is one of the more effective aromatase inhibitors, a type of drug that prevents testosterone from converting to estrogen, thus helping to lower its levels in the body. There are also several other drugs of this class that would work equally well in the place of Arimidex. Lowering estrogen, especially past a certain physiological norm, generally helps reduce fat. However, like testosterone, many will view this as optional. Inhibiting aromatase for fat loss is a strategy with mixed reviews. Sometimes low estrogen causes sexual or CNS side effects. Again, this may be why many people are sensitive to cycles without testosterone. Even those who add testosterone will often keep some Arimidex on hand, however, just in case estrogen levels get too high. They might use small doses in an attempt to find the right balance between testosterone and Arimidex. Others are not bothered by the low estrogen at all, don’t add testosterone, and use Arimidex to help get that stubborn bit of extra fat off. In either case, a dose of .5 to one milligram every one to two days is usually applied.





Human Growth Hormone (hGH). They call it growth hormone, but really it should be called “lean-out and maybe notice some growth” hormone. The first trait seems to be the more pronounced for this drug, in my experience. You don’t need a massive dosage of hGH to do the job, either. I’ve found that one to two units per day are ample to receive visible fat-loss benefits. It used to be that growth hormone was prohibitively expensive, and thus only the most serious competitors, or those with high disposable incomes, would use it. Over the years, that has changed a lot. Today, generic black-market hGH flows quite readily and cheaply from Asia. Note, however, that much of it is low quality or not even growth hormone. As with all black-market drugs these days, the buyer has to be very careful. Still, few who use real hGH will deny that it works for this purpose.





Hypothetical Best Cutting Cycle





This type of cutting stack represents an excellent balance between effectiveness and relative risk.





Stanozolol


25 mg per day





Trenbolone


200 mg per week





Testosterone C/E


100 mg per week





Arimidex


.5-1 mg per 1-2 days





Human Growth Hormone


1-2 IU daily





So there you have my hypothetical version of a best cutting cycle. Because of the liver-toxic agent stanozolol, this is something someone might run for eight weeks, no longer. During this time, they would be focusing immensely on training intensity, cardio and diet, of course. In my opinion, if you aren’t doing this, you have no business messing with the agents. I feel this type of cutting stack represents an excellent balance between effectiveness and relative risk. The dosages used are moderate, but reasonable by most standards. I have also avoided the more dangerous cutting agents. An “absolutely most effective without any concern for my own health” cutting stack would look quite different. Then again, I probably wouldn’t write that post. I just don’t like venturing into the realm of such risk.





Some may disagree with my drug choices here. Admittedly, there are many other drugs that fit into a cutting program. I believe that as people gain experience, they should strive to tailor their programs to their own bodies and needs. Soon enough, we learn what works best for us. Your ideal cutting stack may look very different. I concede that point.





I suspect many will also disagree with the dosages used here, and recommend much higher amounts. On this point, I would disagree, especially as it pertains to beginners and recreational bodybuilders. These dosages are more than sufficient. They were very common (the norm) in my day. The more advanced bodybuilders might take a bit more, sure, but not much. These were respectable levels. Seriously! Don’t let anyone tell you 100 milligrams of stanozolol per day, and one gram of testosterone per week, should be the base of your first stack – hell, any stack. That’s just ridiculous.





Never attempt to replace the needed hard work with higher dosages. It doesn’t work well and gives you more side effects than added gains. As always, be safe.





William Llewellyn is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the use of performance-enhancing substances. He is the author of the bestselling anabolic steroid reference guide ANABOLICS and CEO of Molecular Nutrition. William is an accomplished researcher/developer in the field of anabolic substances, and is also a longtime advocate for harm reduction and legislative change. He built the website anabolic.org, an extensive online database of information on anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.






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