I think so, yes. I have seen time and time again people doing low doses or tapering off have little problems despite how long they were on. I don’t think shut down is all or none as some do and I do think you can be on some gear and not be 100% suppressed. I also think there are levels of suppression that are acheived with higher dosages that are different than with lower dosages, even in a short cycle. Many people say it is not dose but time on and I think both dose and time on are important. It makes sense to me and it’s what I’ve seen in real life.
There is a lot of science and pseudo science that people will write on the topic. A lot of those discussions will go off in crazy directions when people try to support their own crap and attack others. The bottom line is we really only have experiences and people don’t keep good logs or track blood levels of hormones most of the time so no one has the sure answers. Many go on feel and performance. I will say that I have gotten shut down on two week short cycles using high doses and crashed pretty hard. I’ve also done longer cycles with lower doses, with tapers at the end and done better and felt way better. Many people report this exact thing. I am an athlete and work with all athletes so the most I see guys using is 600mg the first week and 400-100mg/week in the subsequent weeks. Almost none use PCT or even anti-e’s. Bodybuilders I know have many more issues. The difference is the dose and tons of crazy ancillaries.
At the end of the day, even if the taper or low dosing is not ideal when you consider the “science” and all the details that folks against the taper or low dose cycles talk about, it’s a psychological advantage in that you don’t just completely stop using test and, at the same time, your body is never exposed to an insanely physiological level of androgen that is off the proverbial charts when it comes to normal levels. It’s more moderate and I think more tolerable by the endocrine system. Which I have to believe, like most systems, is not an all or none system but there are degrees involved, especially with things like suppression.
Also, athletes like, say, grapplers should never need more than 600mg/week and should do great on even 300mg/week. Athletes want strength and performance and an edge in recovery from their usually over training schedule, not to look like a huge freak show. The old days of doing a lower dose first cycle and tapering off to see how you respond and then trying higher doses later are gone. People ridicule this approach. They know so many details it’s crazy. But in the end, if you talk to jacked, successful athletes, you’ll see tapers and lower doses than is often reported on the boards.
[quote]heavythrower wrote:
that is not what i was trying to say. what i meant to say was that i wondered what the deal was with my particular situation. was the dose low enough that despite the length i was on m own system did not shut completely down and i never experienced the “crash” i hear stories about. it was more of a question than a suggestion as to what you should do. ummm-kay?[/quote]