# COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDING - POWERLIFTING - ATHLETICS & SPORTS > COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDING Q & A >  When do you get off your gear

## Bvette

I was wondering if people ended their cycles before the show?

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## FireGuy

Anything that may cause water retention is usually quit prior to the show, how far out depends on what compound. A short ester may be stopped a week out while longer ones are stopped earlier. All injections usually are stopped 7-10 days out while many will run orals right up to the contest.

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## dec11

> Anything that may cause water retention is usually quit prior to the show, how far out depends on what compound. A short ester may be stopped a week out while longer ones are stopped earlier. All injections usually are stopped 7-10 days out while many will run orals right up to the contest.


just out of interest, would competitors just test suspension right up just before?

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## FireGuy

You could from a water retention standpoint but I wouldnt risk pinning that close to a show. If you drop Prop a week out you arent going to lose anything due to the test levels dropping especially with orals still on board. I know some guys who prefer running enanthate and will drop it a month out. I think at that point most guys are running higher levels of DHT compounds than test as well so dropping the test isnt a huge deal. I am sure if you asked 10 different guys you would get 10 slightly different answers.

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## dec11

> You could from a water retention standpoint but I wouldnt risk pinning that close to a show. If you drop Prop a week out you arent going to lose anything due to the test levels dropping especially with orals still on board. I know some guys who prefer running enanthate and will drop it a month out. I think at that point most guys are running higher levels of DHT compounds than test as well so dropping the test isnt a huge deal. I am sure if you asked 10 different guys you would get 10 slightly different answers.


cheers, was always curious about suspension from that point of view

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## Bvette

> Anything that may cause water retention is usually quit prior to the show, how far out depends on what compound. A short ester may be stopped a week out while longer ones are stopped earlier. All injections usually are stopped 7-10 days out while many will run orals right up to the contest.


Hey FireGuy thanks for the answer. One more question does every single person retain water for sure? I am wondering because I have a show in 13 days. I am hardly retaining water now. I will post pics tomorrow.

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## FireGuy

Every one of us retains water, just a matter to what degree. You might be one of the genetically blessed that doesnt hold much. What weight do you go to bed at and what weight do you wake up at?

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## Tough92

Not to hijack thread but since were somehwat on topic

How does one manage using gear and competing?what I mean is from what i understand to fully recover between cycles its about 2 cycles a year so how do u manage your time cycling and the show time?

For example say you do a 12 week bulk cycle and then you wanna compete in a competion 3 months later what do you do?you can't start a cutting cycle because you won't be recovered.so do you do a nateral cut without aas?or would u lose your gains that way?

you guys understand what I mean?I'm gonna eventually cycle and compete and was thinking I would have to take a year off from competing to say do 2 bulk cycles then a cut cycle for a first comp,since it might not make sence todo 1 bulk cycle then cut on your 2nd ever?Or what happens if u wanna compete in multiple shows in a year?

hope I don't sound confusing but can someone aware me how this is done?

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## vishus

i know plenty of guys who run gear months out leading up to their show then take a few months off from gear after the show date to give their body a rest. have known guys that stop test 4 weeks out adn run tren and EQ up to a week before the show along with winny and clen

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## itsmrgreen

I am running sust for 5 months and im going to stop around 4-5 months before the show is that enough time for it to get out of my system because i read that sust leaves your system in 4-6 months

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## Tough92

Were u guys replying to my post?

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## itsmrgreen

No basically i had the same question i just read it now

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## Tough92

> No basically i had the same question i just read it now


Oh ok can someone chime in?

Also your running test for 5 months?so 20 weeks?woundt thst shut u down really hard?how are you runing it?I though its reccomened to keep cyles at 12weeks,how would u recover on a 20 week cycle

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## itsmrgreen

I do a shots twice a week and after im gonna take l-dex,clomid, and nolvadex and my friend ran a 7 month cycle but im not trying to do that i still want kids lol

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## FireGuy

> Not to hijack thread but since were somehwat on topic
> 
> How does one manage using gear and competing?what I mean is from what i understand to fully recover between cycles its about 2 cycles a year so how do u manage your time cycling and the show time?
> 
> For example say you do a 12 week bulk cycle and then you wanna compete in a competion 3 months later what do you do?you can't start a cutting cycle because you won't be recovered.so do you do a nateral cut without aas?or would u lose your gains that way?
> 
> you guys understand what I mean?I'm gonna eventually cycle and compete and was thinking I would have to take a year off from competing to say do 2 bulk cycles then a cut cycle for a first comp,since it might not make sence todo 1 bulk cycle then cut on your 2nd ever?Or what happens if u wanna compete in multiple shows in a year?
> 
> hope I don't sound confusing but can someone aware me how this is done?


Everyone does things differently, some guys cruise and blast, others only run a cycle prior to a show and stay clean in their off season and some will run a longer cycles that switch compounds midway through.




> I am running sust for 5 months and im going to stop around 4-5 months before the show is that enough time for it to get out of my system because i read that sust leaves your system in 4-6 months


Why would you want it out of your system 5 months before a show? The idea is to be peaking the day of the show. Any residual water retention from Sust would clear in 2-3 weeks maximum.

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## itsmrgreen

because dont they check for it at the competitions? mine says it will
heres the contest website
http://www.inbfnys.com/index.htm

heres the banned products
http://www.inbfnys.com/images/Banned_Substances.pdf

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## FireGuy

You are going to go into a natural show on drugs? Nice, do yourself a favor. Take the money you have set aside for your entry fee and go to the trophy shop and have them make you one that says 1st place. You will have earned that one as much as any one you might get at the show. Sorry, as a guy who did compete natural for 15 years I can say guys like you never cease to amaze me. You wanna use steroids compete against guys on an even playing field.

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## itsmrgreen

> You are going to go into a natural show on drugs? Nice, do yourself a favor. Take the money you have set aside for your entry fee and go to the trophy shop and have them make you one that says 1st place. You will have earned that one as much as any one you might get at the show. Sorry, as a guy who did compete natural for 15 years I can say guys like you never cease to amaze me. You wanna use steroids compete against guys on an even playing field.


Well i didnt realize it was all natural because the last time i visited the site was around 3-4 months ago and i just noticed it said all naturla so then i just tried finding competitions in new york but i didnt really have any luck do you know where i could find some like maybe a website or something like that?

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## FireGuy

Replied to the thread you started with info. Sorry man, drug guys in natural shows is my "hot button".

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## Tough92

> Everyone does things differently, some guys cruise and blast, others only run a cycle prior to a show and stay clean in their off season and some will run a longer cycles that switch compounds midway through.
> 
> 
> 
> Why would you want it out of your system 5 months before a show? The idea is to be peaking the day of the show. Any residual water retention from Sust would clear in 2-3 weeks maximum.


Thanks for the reply fireguy but im still kinda confused obviously pro BB's or anyone who is huge stays on and blast and cruise but what about younger NPC guys who are big?How exactly do they do it if there is only room for 2 cycles a month?

can you enlighten me more?Im guessing you compete,If you dont mind me asking how do you do it?Or people you know?(not cruising/blast though)

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## FireGuy

I really cant speak as to what others do other than the general statements I made previously. I think everyones situation is a bit different. Some people compete once every couple years while others will do several shows per year. For me personally, *IF* using steroids were legal I would only use them the last 10-12 weeks leading up to a show. But you have to remember I am content competing at my current weight and am not looking to add a significant amount of muscle. For me they would just be a a way to help hold my muscle while contest dieting.

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## itsmrgreen

> Replied to the thread you started with info. Sorry man, drug guys in natural shows is my "hot button".


yeah i just realized that it was all natural haha

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## Tough92

> I really cant speak as to what others do other than the general statements I made previously. I think everyones situation is a bit different. Some people compete once every couple years while others will do several shows per year. For me personally, *IF* using steroids were legal I would only use them the last 10-12 weeks leading up to a show. But you have to remember I am content competing at my current weight and am not looking to add a significant amount of muscle. For me they would just be a a way to help hold my muscle while contest dieting.



Ok i see 1 more thing lets say there a person who competed natty and now wants to crossover to NPC but never cycled before,He wants todo a show in a years time so his first cycle would be a standard bulk test-e cycle and then after his recovery he wants todo his 2nd cycle before a show which would obviously be a cutting one

Would that be ok todo?Whats your take on that?

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## FireGuy

Well I am not into the whole bulking and cutting mindset, I think staying relatively lean year round and slowly adding quality muscle is the best way to go for the majority of people. That said, yes you could conceivably run something as you outlined.

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## itsmrgreen

I was reading over this and i had a question, I am probably going to compete in a NPC comp. next march and im probably going to do deca and test-e around september through december and then take winny and test prop. starting a few weeks before the comp. should i take winny and test prop throughout the competition or would it be best to stop about a week or two before?

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