Do you take your bodybuilding regimen quite seriously? Chances are, you might refer to a routine of taking essential bodybuilding supplements. When it comes to maintaining overall health, consistency is the key. Surprisingly, a number of experts explain that cycling (taking breaks from) certain bodybuilding supplements can actually help you achieve maximum benefits.
Supplement cycling is also known as pulsing. It refers to the concept of taking strategic breaks from certain supplements or vitamins rather than sticking to them year-round. What is the objective behind this concept? To offer your body a reset, minimise potential dependency, and allow you to follow a consistent routine to the best possible extent.
The manner in which you cycle your bodybuilding supplements will depend on your specific goals. For example, some individuals follow a ‘week on week’ approach. At the same time, other people take certain supplements only during particular seasons or when they need extra support. The overall idea is to prevent your body from adapting excessively to a particular supplement, which might minimise the ultimate benefits or even cause unwanted side effects.
Your choice of supplement cycling will depend on what you are consuming in the first place. For example, some nutrients, including water-soluble vitamins, get flushed out of the system quickly and might require more replenishment. On the other hand, fat-soluble vitamins, certain minerals, and adaptogens tend to build up in the body over time. In such cases, a period breakout is necessary.
What are the Benefits of Supplement Cycling?
1. Supporting Optimal Nutrient Absorption
When you take a high dose of a certain supplement every day, it might actually mess with how well your body is absorbing other important nutrients. For example, calcium and iron supplements can interfere with each other’s absorption rates when taken simultaneously. This is because calcium tends to inhibit non-heme iron absorption.
To minimise this risk, you can consider alternating between the consumption of calcium and iron in different cycles or at different intervals to ensure that you obtain the full benefits of each nutrient. The process of supplement cycling can also keep your nutrient levels balanced while preventing absorption or buildup issues. For example, factors like age, gut health, diet, and genetics all tend to affect how well the body absorbs nutrients.
When a supplement is not absorbed effectively or leads to excessive accumulation in the body, you can consider cycling supplements to adjust and optimise absorption.
2. Reducing the Risks of Toxicity
Some vitamins, particularly fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D, tend to be in your body for longer than other nutrients. In comparison to water-soluble vitamins that are easily flushed out of the system, vitamin D tends to build up over time. This is why cycling this vitamin can help prevent accumulation, depending on your dose.
If you are only maintaining your vitamin D levels, instead of correcting any deficiency, it is not necessary to take vitamin D supplements daily. The same applies to B-complex supplements. Most formulas contain higher doses than you might actually need. Therefore, taking them every day is not needed until a deficiency occurs.
3. Preventing Potential Dependency and Reduced Efficacy
When you consume a high level of almost anything, your body starts adjusting and adapting to these high levels. Over time, this adaptation could diminish the effects or even overall dependency. For example, if you are used to drinking coffee every day, when you suddenly cut it back, you can experience withdrawal symptoms like irritability, headaches, or fatigue. At the same time, you might also feel that your usual intake has a less noticeable impact on your focus or energy.
This principle applies to specific supplements. Fat-soluble minerals, vitamins, and adaptogens tend to accumulate in the body over time. This potentially leads to reduced effectiveness and imbalances. At the same time, taking higher doses of melatonin regularly can make your body produce less melatonin on its own. This makes it difficult to fall asleep without its consumption.
When you cycle these supplements, you might offer your body a chance to reset, create balance, and prevent unnecessary buildups. This makes sure that your routine is beneficial and not counterproductive.
Which Supplements Should You Cycle?
- Vitamin D: As vitamin D is stored in the form of fat, higher doses (more than 5000 IU) are expected to be consumed a few times a week. The consumption will ultimately depend on your individual needs.
- Iron: According to research reports, it is observed that when you take iron alternately, it is more effective than its daily consumption. This strategy will help restore levels and improve overall absorption.
- Melatonin: According to experts, it is suggested to indulge in periodic breaks to avoid excess dependence on melatonin supplements for sleep. You can consider taking it once or twice a month. Then, you can stop its consumption for two weeks to observe the results.
- Energy Boosters: You can cycle caffeine-based bodybuilding supplements to prevent tolerance buildup. This helps keep the overall energising effects strong.
- Fat-soluble Vitamins: Vitamins A, E, and K are stored in the fatty tissues and liver of the body. This allows them to accumulate over time. When you consume them in excess amounts for a long period, it might increase the potential for toxicity.
Conclusion
In addition to being a leading strategy, supplement cycling is a highly sustainable approach that helps your body to be responsive, free from unnecessary strains, and balanced throughout. While not all bodybuilding supplements require cycling, some of them can still benefit from structured on-off phases. Ultimately, the objective is to support your overall gains and maintain long-term health & effectiveness.
