How long is the ideal stim break?

DLX106

DLX106

New member
Just curious how long you guys would stim break for. I'm just about coming to my 3rd week of no stims.

It has been really tough, especially with work. I've been so tempted to just grab a can of Red Bull or something and down it but I stayed away. I was taking in around 300-500mg caffeine a day, used E/C a little and yohimbine during my cut prior to having the stim break.

Would 4 weeks be enough time to reset my tolerance completely? I'm 143lbs if that makes any difference
 
Everyone is a tad different.

The types of stims you were on, doses, and the duration will also play a role....but, anywhere from 1-2 months to get back to a normal baseline. I know it sucks. But stim tolerance can take a while to get back down.

Based on what you were taking, you might be able to get away with a month off then ease back on. Start at the lowest effective dose that you feel good on and work your way back up as tolerance builds up again.

If you find yourself needing to hit 500mg of caffiene right out the gate to feel good, then you'll know your body has not reset and you really should take a little more time off.

Also, you may want to look into some non-stim energizers or nootropics. Lots of info here on the forum. I myself am going to be trying Focus XT for this purpose and will let you know how it goes.

Regards,
 
NoAddedHmones said:
Couple of weeks and you will be good to go. Farrrrk a few months lmfao.
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Oh I hear you on the F a couple months. Couldn't do it myself. But, real stim tolerance can take a long time to shake and get those receptors back to normal.

But as I said, 1 month should be good with what the OP was on.

And of course everyone if different.

Regards,
 
I go 4 months on 2 weeks off. If my receptors are not back to baseline they will need to respond to double dose of stim
 
I'd say 2 to 4 weeks is the typically time off. Once you start back up it will be awesome. ha
 
goodvibes said:
I go 4 months on 2 weeks off. If my receptors are not back to baseline they will need to respond to double dose of stim
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lol, nice. When I'm running stims I go pretty hard so I normally take 1-1.5 months off.

Partly to reduce tolerance, but more so for general health (I.e lower BP, lower metabolic stress, etc)
 
I like to go 2 months on, 1 month off. That one month includes tapering the first week, and 3 weeks completely no caffeine.

Works well for me as pre-workouts (stim and non-stim) usually last a month at a time anyway. Works for me at least.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.

Does going past 4 weeks provide any more noticeable difference to stim tolerance? I tried 2 weeks once before and then went back on the stims and I was pepped up as hell. I'm thinking 4 weeks will have me like a stim virgin again, but I've heard others say to go even longer (even as long as 6-8 weeks). Is that even necessary?

Would love to hear some knowledge on this
 
DLX106 said:
Thanks for the responses guys.

Does going past 4 weeks provide any more noticeable difference to stim tolerance? I tried 2 weeks once before and then went back on the stims and I was pepped up as hell. I'm thinking 4 weeks will have me like a stim virgin again, but I've heard others say to go even longer (even as long as 6-8 weeks). Is that even necessary?

Would love to hear some knowledge on this
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I get and agree that "receptor burnout," although a bit complex of a topic, doesn't exist to the extent that bioscience has implied. And time off to "recover" can be somewhat short.

That said, I personally take a tad longer off stims more so out of general health concerns. I'm not that old (31), but as I age I do become more aware of various health risks.

Even though many of us (including myself) have been guilty of running fairly strong stims more months out of the year than not, I can't imagine anyone would argue that being on stims say 8-9 months out of the year is a "healthy" thing to do, especially as it relates to BP and heart health.

Before I get blasted, I'm talking about stims outside of caffeine (I.e stronger stims)...or caffiene at a ridiculous dose per day, not a few cups of coffee etc a day which I don't feel is bad.

Regards,
 
kboxer7 said:
I get and agree that "receptor burnout," although a bit complex of a topic, doesn't exist to the extent that bioscience has implied. And time off to "recover" can be somewhat short.

That said, I personally take a tad longer off stims more so out of general health concerns. I'm not that old (31), but as I age I do become more aware of various health risks.

Even though many of us (including myself) have been guilty of running fairly strong stims more months out of the year than not, I can't imagine anyone would argue that being on stims say 8-9 months out of the year is a "healthy" thing to do, especially as it relates to BP and heart health.

Before I get blasted, I'm talking about stims outside of caffeine (I.e stronger stims)...or caffiene at a ridiculous dose per day, not a few cups of coffee etc a day which I don't feel is bad.

Regards,
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Thats why you be vigilant with what you are using and ensure you blood pressure stays in a safe range (at rest).

If anything, reducing your tolerance will result in increased blood pressure and effect on your heart.
 
NoAddedHmones said:
Thats why you be vigilant with what you are using and ensure you blood pressure stays in a safe range (at rest).

If anything, reducing your tolerance will result in increased blood pressure and effect on your heart.
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I get your point of view and I agree. All things in moderation and with educated caution.

For me, stims can raise my BP by up to +15-20

And it puts me borderline (pre-hypertension). So for that reason I dont like to run stims the majority of the year.
 
kboxer7 said:
I get your point of view and I agree. All things in moderation and with educated caution.

For me, stims can raise my BP by up to +15-20

And it puts me borderline (pre-hypertension). So for that reason I dont like to run stims the majority of the year.
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Which eludes back to what i was saying about dosages. You are obviously using to high if your blood pressure is going up so much.
 
Adrenal burnout isn't a concern or a real thing - the body has a tremendous capability to reduce our tolerance to things in order to keep the body in homeostasis. If you decrease the density of receptors, then you have a diminished effect as there are less receptors to bind to.

To answer OP, tolerance will reduce but putting an arbitrary number on it means nothing. Try four weeks, see how you respond.
 
User dependent.

I've done full 4 week breaks in the past and after the first or 2nd, they didn't seem to do much to reset tolerance. I've just kind of said "meh" since then and take in around 300mg caffeine a day and don't "feel" it like I used to, but also am focused and don't have headaches, so I live with that lol.

But I agree, try 4 weeks, so how it feels, respond accordingly.
 
I take a day or two off on weekends sometimes... :D

Honestly, my personal experience with "stim breaks" is enormously underwhelming. 2-4 weeks of noticeably less productive workouts, lower general energy, and lower productivity in the rest of my life (no afternoon coffee, etc.) yields 2-4 days of notably improved stimulant sensitivity before I'm right back to where I was.

I'm not really willing to trade a week of "meh" for a day of "awesome." So I don't really do conventional stim breaks at all.

What does help me a lot is to be selective about when I'm using my stimulants. By not indiscriminately chugging coffee all day (well, I'll still do decaf) and saving the "hits" for power-focused workouts, important meetings and the like, I can adjust the most useful stimulated periods to where they're most impactful on my life and goals.
 
Nyrin said:
I take a day or two off on weekends sometimes... :D

Honestly, my personal experience with "stim breaks" is enormously underwhelming. 2-4 weeks of noticeably less productive workouts, lower general energy, and lower productivity in the rest of my life (no afternoon coffee, etc.) yields 2-4 days of notably improved stimulant sensitivity before I'm right back to where I was.

I'm not really willing to trade a week of "meh" for a day of "awesome." So I don't really do conventional stim breaks at all.

What does help me a lot is to be selective about when I'm using my stimulants. By not indiscriminately chugging coffee all day (well, I'll still do decaf) and saving the "hits" for power-focused workouts, important meetings and the like, I can adjust the most useful stimulated periods to where they're most impactful on my life and goals.
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Yeah that makes the most sense. A "stimulant break" is just bro-science culture.....It's really not gonna make that much of a difference. Read the thread I linked for more information.
 
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