Winstrol (Stanozolol) is a very popular steroid that, unlike a lot of anabolic steroids, is mainly used to improve physique, athletic performance and strength rather than for bulking.

This makes Winstrol a top choice as a highly effective cutting anabolic steroid capable of fast results that create a hard look within just days, making it a favourite amongst competitive and professional users. Additionally, Stanozolol is one of the very few anabolic steroids that can be used by females with a lower risk of side effects at minimal doses.

Winstrol is a unique steroid with a fairly specialist range of effects and benefits that will appeal to people who know exactly what they’re trying to achieve. Consider some of these top benefits of Winstrol before you consider whether this is the steroid that suits you:

• Perfect for cutting cycle and fat loss. Winstrol will help you cut fat while preserving your existing lean muscle.
• Achieve greater strength without bulking up. Expect noticeable gains in speed, power, stamina and endurance as well.
• Winstrol’s diuretic effect gives your body a hard and lean look, often within mere days of starting a cycle. The lack of water retention is one of the core reasons Winstrol is incredibly popular as a body sculpting and competitive substance.
• Increased vascularity as a result of a more ripped, hard and lean body.

There are countless benefits to using Winstrol so it’s not surprising that this steroid appeals to so many people. Winstrol:

• Is an excellent cutting steroid
• Boosts strength, agility and power so your performance and results skyrocket
• Increases muscle hardness without water retention so it’s known as a dry steroid
• Does not convert to estrogen so you miss out on other nasty side effects that other steroids cause
• Causes moderate but not huge gains in muscle, so it’s perfect for toning without bulking
• Helps reduce body fat percentage without losing your hard earned muscle gains without water retention.
• Is one of the few suitable steroids for women
  Very suitable and effective for stacking with a large range of other steroids
• Has relatively moderate side effects when used sensibly compared with other steroids
• Dosage is simple so no need to convert quantities

It goes without saying that to experience the best that Winstrol can deliver during a cutting phase, you should already be doing everything you can when it comes to diet and exercise to get lean and trim.

The benefits and positive effects of Winstrol need to be balanced against the negatives, including its high level of hepatotoxicity which is why most people use Winstrol sparingly and at times where it will be of maximum benefit – such as prior to competitions.

Your experience level and goals will greatly determine the dosage you’re going to be comfortable at. Most men will stick to anywhere from 40mg to 80mg daily for an oral dose. Because of liver toxicity issues, higher doses than this is only recommended to be done when injecting Winstrol.

Winstrol Depot (injectable) dosage up to 100mg once a day. A common strategy on a Winstrol cycle is to use your comfortable maximum dosage in the last week or two prior to a competition, and a lower dose earlier in the cycle.

Women that use Winstrol should stick to 5mg/day and carefully monitor side effects. More experienced female users of Winstrol who are aware of this steroid’s effect on the body are known to raise the dosage right up to 10mg or even 15mg, but this should be done with great caution and certainly not for new users.

A typical cycle for Winstrol runs for between 6 and 8 weeks. As with all oral steroids, the toxic effects on the liver make it unsuitable and potentially dangerous to take for longer than 8 weeks.

It’s not just the liver you have to worry about with a longer Winstrol cycle: the other reason not to exceed an 8 week cycle is because of Winstrol’s effect on cholesterol.

Sticking to a 6 week cycle strikes a balance between experiencing the benefits of this steroid while reducing the risk of serious adverse health effects. When you’re undertaking a longer stacked steroid cycle, taking Winstrol for the first six weeks then stopping it while continuing with other steroids is a popular option for advanced users.

Regardless of experience level, the maximum length of a Winstrol cycle is recommended to be no longer than 8 weeks because of the impacts on your cholesterol and liver. A 6-8 week Winstrol cycle is considered typical.

Winstrol only Cycle
A cycle of Winstrol only is not a popular choice, not only due to the above mentioned joint issues that some people experience, but also because of the suppression of testosterone that will bring about a range of side effects not the least of which is likely to be low energy – something no athlete wants to experience.

Adding at least a testosterone steroid to the cycle will counter these negative effects. Women on the other hand can benefit from a Winstrol only cycle much more so than males.

Beginner Winstrol Cycle
A beginner to Winstrol will almost certainly opt for the oral form. This beginner oral Winstrol cycle runs for 6 weeks at a dosage of between 20mg daily up to 50mg daily – although as a beginner you will want to closely monitor side effects and preferably start off at that lower dosage until you know how Winstrol affects your body both positively and negatively.

Beginners should not exceed a 6 week cycle because of the effects on the liver. To build more muscle on a Winstrol cycle and to negate the suppression of testosterone, stacking with a testosterone ester at 250-500mg per week is ideal for beginners.

Week 1-12 – 500mg/week Testosterone Enanthate, 0.5mg/eod Arimidex
Week 7-12 – 50mg/day Winstrol
or

Week 1-12 – 100mg/eod Testosterone Propionate, 0.5mg/eod Arimidex
Week 7-12 – 50mg/day Winstrol
*eod – every other day

Intermediate Winstrol Cycle
40mg to 80mg daily of oral Winstrol for a 6 week cycle is ideal for intermediate users. Again, monitoring effects as you go allows you to increase or decrease dosage throughout the cycle, keeping in mind that the positive benefits of using a much higher dosage are going to be outweighed by the negative impact to the liver.

Most intermediate users using Winstrol for cutting cycles and fat loss will stack it with a steroid like Trenbolone to achieve maximum fat loss while retaining lean muscle and accomplishing a hard, ripped and vascular appearance by the end of the cycle.

Week 1-12 – 150mg/eod Testosterone Propionate, 0.5mg/eod Arimidex
Week 1-8 – 400mg/week Equipoise
Week 7-12 – 50mg/day Winstrol, 75mg/eod Trenbolone Acetate
*eod – every other day

Advanced Winstrol Cycle
A maximum dosage of 100mg/day is often considered by advanced users of Winstrol, particularly for an upcoming competition. In this case, an advanced Winstrol cycle may involve using 50mg/day for four weeks, increasing to 100mg/day for the final two weeks of this six to eight week cycle.

Advanced users will likely be using multiple other steroids in a stack, while at the very least including a testosterone steroid such as a long ester in the form of Testosterone Enanthate at up to 500mg per week and depending on overall goals, halting Winstrol at week 6 to 8 of the cycle, while continuing with testosterone and other steroids for the remaining duration.

Week 1-8 – 250mg/eod Testosterone Enanthate, 200mg/eod Equipoise
Week 9-16 – 200mg/eod Testosterone Propionate, 50mg/day Winstrol, 100mg/eod Trenbolone Acetate
Week 1-16 (optional) – 1mg/ed Arimidex, 4iu/ed HGH
*eod – every other day
*ed – every day

In low doses, Winstrol is usable by women while keeping most side effects under control. But even at these low dosages some women will still experience masculine physical traits forming, such as growth of body hair and a deepened voice, in which case Winstrol should be stopped immediately.

An appropriate dosage of Winstrol for a female is 10mg every other day (every two days). While a 10mg daily dosage is possible, extra caution needs to be taken to keep on top of any virilization effects that may begin to show up.

Here is an example of a beginner/intermediate female Winstrol cycle:

Week 1-5 – 10mg/ed Winstrol
Week 7-12 – 10mg/ed Anavar
(Optional) Week 1-12 – 2iu/ed HGH
An advanced female Winstrol cycle:

Week 1-4 – 10mg/ed Anavar
Week 4-7 – 100mg/week Primobolan Depot
Week 8-12 – 10mg/ed Winstrol, 10mg/ed Anavar
(Optional) Week 1-12 – 2iu/ed HGH
*ed – every day

Winstrol suppresses your normal production of testosterone, so one of the big goals of your PCT is to kickstart natural hormone function again, both to retain gains and body fat improvements you’ve made on your cycle, and for your overall health.

Starting PCT after a Winstrol cycle is recommended within about 12 hours of the end of the cycle due to the short half life of this steroid. However, because Winstrol is rarely taken as a standalone steroid, other steroid compounds you’re using in your cycle will likely determine when you’re going to begin PCT and which drugs you’re going to use since most other steroids are aromatizing and it is the effects of the other steroids, rather than Winstrol, that you will be aiming to reverse during your PCT cycle.

Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) PCT is considered a good PCT choice for more mild steroid cycles. It helps restore your natural hormone activity and comes with minimal risk of side effects. A Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) running for four weeks at a dosage of 40mg daily for the first two weeks, followed by 20mg daily for the final two weeks will have your natural testosterone and other hormones back on track and functioning as they were before your steroid cycle.