The 5-Step Muscle Mass Plan

As a bodybuilder, you want to be as big as possible. In order to do that, you need to get muscle mass. In order to get the size you want you have to follow a plan and live by it.

The Winner’s Way to Gaining Muscle Mass

1) The first step in gaining muscle mass is to EAT and EAT then EAT some more. This does not mean McDonald’s throughout the day, but you should be eating at least six times a day! Theses meals should be high in protein and calories. Let’s say you have a 10oz steak and 2 cups of rice – you’re then looking at 1,121 calories 88g of carbs and 83g of protein.  Multiply that by six (once for each meal), and you’re consuming over six thousand calories and 250g of protein a day. In theory, a 200 pound bodybuilder should be consuming about 4000 calories a day. You need to work out a plan and perhaps use a food journal to hold yourself accountable for your proper intake.

2) Lift like a champ. You cannot go into a gym and just fool around. Go in with a plan and follow it without a thought of doing something else. Use the gym to its full potential, including its free weights and machine weights. Stay away from the crazy exercises like standing on a exercise ball while doing squats. It looks stupid and its just gives you bad form. Also, lift heavy. If you can only do 250 bench presses four times then do that and do it for four to six sets. Keep increasing the weight over time, i.e. a couple weeks later, make it 255 and so on.

3) Sleep is a crucial factor for mass. During your sleep, your body regenerates and recovers. Your body releases growth hormones during deep sleep, which aids in muscle mass growth, joint repair, and fat loss. You should be getting at least eight hours of sleep a night.  Not only does sleep help with recovery, but if you’re not getting adequate sleep then you will have a hard time keeping up at the gym because your sluggish self won’t be able to push through the work out like you want.

The Other Aspects of Gaining Muscle Mass

4) Supplements are very beneficial to gaining mass. You have stimulates like caffeine, which decrease exertion and increase strength and intensity during workouts. Of course, there is also creatine, one of the most important supplements because it aids in gaining strength and muscle growth. Last but not least, whey protein. Whey protein will pack on the size in no time, and with all different kinds out there it will be easy to find one for you.

5)  Bench, deadlifts, and squats. Basic exercises will be the most beneficial when trying to get mass. In order to gain muscle you need to cause muscle damage, anabolic hormone release and strength. Bench press, deadlifts,and squats are the best exercises to do in order to achieve great gains.

Gaining Muscle Mass is a Goal

Remember these five steps to gain freaky mass. In order to achieve this, you have to stay focused and have a plan. Don’t give up!

The Half Lives of the Most Popular Anabolic Steroids

It’s common for published values to be different, because pharmacokinetic studies are often performed on only a few subjects at a time, and there can be considerable variability between subjects. Further, there ends up being a confusion between the elimination process and the distribution process, which is variable particularly in the earlier part of the process. For example, reported half-life values for nandrolone decanoate in humans range from 7 to 12 days.

For this reason, it’s best to not take any one report overly literally, but instead to get the best reading of all the data that’s available. Fortunately, for anabolic steroids the half life is very closely related to a predictable property, the partition coefficient (this is generally approximately equal to the ratio between lipid solubility and water solubility.) Where the only difference between two steroid esters is the number of carbons – arrangement being the same or similar! – then each added carbon adds about a day to the half life.

With this information, to make a best estimate for the half life of one steroid, data from similar steroids can be used as well.

For purposes of calculating recovery or for calculating frontloading, these figures have always worked well for anabolic steroid half lives:

• Acetate esters: About 1 day
• Propionate esters: About 2 days
• Phenylpropionate esters: About 3 days
• Enanthate esters: About 5 days
• Cypionate esters: About 6 days
• Decanoate esters: About 10 days
• Undecanoate esters: Really not established from practice. From extrapolation, probably about 11 days. Does not appear to be over about 14 days, or much if any less than 11 days. I use 14 days for recovery calculation in the case of Equipoise, though that might be a larger number than necessary.

With regard to the parent steroid, theory would suggest adding a day for 19-nor, subtracting some small amount for 5-alpha reduction, or adding some small amount for having more than one double bond, and some unknown adjustment for drug metabolism differences. But in practice there seems no need for such adjustments. Accounting for the ester alone seems sufficient.

T3’s half life is variable between individuals but roughly speaking is about a day. There would be no use for a numeric value in practice because T3 should not be frontloaded, and calculating what day it has cleared is not important.

Clenbuterol’s half life is about a day and a half.

Clomiphene, Tamoxifen all have half lives of about 5 days. The anti-aromases Anastrozole and Letrozole have half lives of about 2 days.

Build Muscle and Lose Fat with Astralean (Clenbuterol)

Astralean is the Clenbuterol tablets by Alpha Pharma. Clenbuterol was originally prescribed as an asthma medication used in the treatment of bronchitis and other breathing related problems. Clenbuterol is now taken by bodybuilders and weightwatchers for its amazing fat burning qualities. Astralean (Clenbuterol), unlike other fat burners has some unique fat burning abilities without causing any serious side effects. It is best used for short periods of time (up to 2 weeks) as the body get used to the drug. It is recommended to take Clenbuterol for two weeks on and two weeks off.

Astralean (Clenbuterol) is a very effective fat burner and weight loss aid being a non anabolic steroid. The main function of Clenbuterol is to boost the production and secretion of catabolic hormones, which are produced in the adrenal region of the brain. These hormones have different types of functions and purposes. Initially they would appear to alter the contractile characteristics of smooth muscle. They will be able to stimulate some and inhibit others. It has a soothing effect in patients suffering from breathing problems.

Clenbuterol is a great help for weight loss and fat burning. It is called thermogenesis - a process by which the body increases its metabolic rate above normal and thus liberates its heat, or energy. This in turn happens due to a rise in blood pressure, increase in heart beat by stimulating heart muscle and an increase in body temperature, which finally results in burning of calories. So Clenbuterol increases the rate of burning of protein and fat in the body and this results in loss of adipose tissue/fat. This in turn results into a harder and leaner physique by means of loss in weight. It reverses the effect of insulin thereby resulting into release of glycogen that goes back into blood as glucose; gradually reaches a stage when further storage or use of glycogen is not at all possible.

Clenbuterol 40mg is a beta 2 adrenergic agonist with many commonalities with ephedrine. But comparatively its results are better and longer in terms of efficacy and efficiency. Clenbuterol acts as a thermogenic drug, thermogenics being supplemental diet that are used for stimulating the burning of fat in body. Thermogenics also increase the metabolism of fat tissues in the body thereby generating heat, called thermogenesis.

Clenbuterol allows patients to eat heavy food without bothering about an increase in body fats. It increases physical strength and ability to perform more workouts. It is considered as an alternative to steroids. Clenbuterol has functionality similar to mild steroids and thus it can be used by bodybuilders to increase strength and muscle hardness. It is a stackable drug and hence can be administered with other steroids or drugs.

T3 and the Modern Athlete

So you've decided to use T3 to help you shed fat now that you've read up on it and gotten past the nay sayers who expound the ills of shutting down your body’s own production of natural thyroid. Wonderful, T3 when used correctly can be a great addition to any diet and cardio plan. Read that again boys and girls, IN ADDITION TO ANY DIET AND CARDIO PLAN!!! If you've turned to T3 because you think it's a magic pill that will allow you to eat like crap and still lose weight you've been listening to the wrong advice. Can you lose weight/fat while using T3 and still eating junk food, unfortunately yes to a degree. I say unfortunately because this fact often leads people to do just that, it starts with a cheat meal that turns to a cheat day, which eventually has the athlete eating whatever and whenever they want and still they lose some weight. So what's wrong with this if the eventual out come, weight loss that is, is reached? The first problem is the weight you are losing may not be fat if your eating like crap, the second is what happens when you stop the T3 cycle and your metabolism is suppressed temporarily, if you were eating sloppy during the T3 usage your most likely to keep following that pattern and the combination of a slow metabolism combined with sloppy eating results in rebound weight gain. So in the end what have you really accomplished outside of being able to eat what you want with out getting any fatter for a month or so? And that's if you’re lucky and the rebound weight gain doesn't push you past your starting weight!!!

Now that I have your attention and you know what NOT to do, let's concentrate on what TO do. Just like any other chemical we find in our arsenal, T3 can and is used in a variety of ways when it comes to dosage and length of cycle, both for cutting and bulking. This article will deal with cutting use only. There are some who prefer to "hit it hard" and go high dosage with a quick taper down at the end losing a great amount of weight in a short time, but this way tends to eat as much muscle as fat in my experience and you end up looking basically the same as when you began, except that you weigh less and are smaller. There are those who like to use the same dosage throughout the cycle with no taper up or down figuring if your metabolism is going to be sluggish anyhow why waste the days using it at a low dosage when you could be burning more fat on those days. Then there are those who slowly taper up, maintain the highest dosage for a set time and then slowly taper down. It's the last group I'll concentrate on here, as this is the system that has shown it's best overall results with those I've worked with.

Let's start with the dosage, T3 is a very individual drug, when it comes to dosage I've seen guys use as high as 250-300mcg/day and others as low as 25mcg/day where both athletes lost fat and reached their goals. As a rule I start everyone (and for now I'm dealing with men I'll pen an article on women’s usage in the future) at 25mcg/day. I usually base the time of the cycle on their individual weight loss goals, if it's a smaller amount I'll go 3 weeks tops, if it's a lot of weight to lose we'll go 4, 5 and sometimes 6 weeks. I generally don’t go over 6 weeks with anyone, as T3 tends to stop working in most people after that amount of time. I’d rather they run 4 weeks cycles with 2 weeks off where they use an ECA stack or Clen during the break to continue to lose fat, then run another 4 week cycle. So the 1st 3 days in this cycle would be 25mcg/day, then the 2nd 3-day period is 50mcg/day, etc. The typical 21-day cycle will look like this:

Days 1-3.................. 25mcg/day
Days 4-6...................50mcg/day
Days 7-9...................75mcg/day
Days 10-12................100mcg/day
Days 13-15................75mcg/day
Days 16-18................50mcg/day
Days 19-21................25mcg/day

As you can see the dosage is increased by 25mcg/day every 4th day until the maximum dosage is reached for the subject, in this case 100mcg/day, then lowered the by the same 25mcg/day increments every 4th day until the end of the cycle. Given that most of the people I've worked with have tried everything else and are still considerably overweight when they start, the full 4-week cycle is often used instead of the 21-day cycle. The one I've used lately with the most success is as follow, remember the jumps are still 25mcg/day but this time you increase/decrease the dosage every 4 days:

Days 1-4...................25mcg/day
Days 5-8...................50 "
Days 9-12.................75 "
Days 13-16...............100 "
Days 17-20...............75 "
Days 21-24...............50 "
Days 25-28...............25 "

Note: You could also do the 3-day increase/decrease and hold the maximum dosage of 100mcg/day for days 10-19, but some find 100mcg/day makes them too uncomfortably warm and they sweat too much, especially during the warmer months.

There you have it, simple yet effective. If you remember to supplement your diet with plenty of protein (which every lifter should anyhow), eat a clean calorie controlled diet, drink 1-2 gallons of water per day and to take a mild steroid cycle to minimize muscle loss you should be able to see rapid fat loss with this cycle. I should also mention that some people like to stack T3 with Clenbuterol for even better results. Good luck and may you all reach your cutting goals!!!

Winter Bulk Cycle with Oral Anabolic Steroid for Added Mass Gains.

Bulking is an art. An art that takes a ton of effort to be successful at. Especially when you are a seasoned juicer who has already put on some mass. If you have not gained at least 20 pounds over the weight you were at before coming over to the dark side, you just have not been juicing effectively and you will be very happy with the information that follows. If you have put on a good deal of size, you will still find useful information in the following paragraphs, but for now, we will not discuss usage of other non-anbolic steroid bulking drugs such as insulin. We will get to that soon though. Keep reading!

The catch with bulking drugs is that you have to accept not being so pretty if you are to really put on some size. Water and a little fat weight have to come with adding considerable size unless you are a genetic abnormality. The most potent drugs for bulking involve the heavy androgenic drugs which also cause large amounts of water retention. All the testosterone esters, anadrol, dianabol, and deca or equipoise when combined with any of the former make for a good bulking team.

One thing you want to take into consideration with here is the mechanism by which each drugs works. Anabolic steroids are either known to have a high affinity for the androgen receptor, and thereby cause growth through this mechanism, or they have effects on growth outside the receptor. For max benefit you want to combine drugs that work by different mechanisms. All orals will work by different mechanism purely on the fact that they are ingested and not injected. The way you get a drug into your body is called the route of administration. When an oral drug is taken it must eventually pass its way through the liver. The first time it does this a few hours after you ingest the oral is the popular term, "first pass". This is just code for the first time the liver has a chance to break down the oral drug. This site of metabolism is also where the functionality of oral anabolic steroids come into play.

The 17 alkylation of oral anabolics is what makes the drug able to pass the liver and not be fully degraded. Otherwise you would be able to drink testosterone and it would work fine. We all know this is not the case. The hydrochloric acid in the stomach would destroy the testosterone molecule way before the liver even gets a chance to metabilize it. This is why the oral test "methyltestosterone" came into existence. Although it is not a very effective drug, it is highly toxic. Methyltestosterone is a prototype oral. It has the most basic of structures added to testosterone to enable its hepatic(liver) survival. They simply added a CH3 or "methyl" group to the 17th postiion on th molecule (you've most likely seen it, it is the thatched roof part of the steroid structure). The reason why I mention this is that the toxicity of orals due to their chemical make-up is not all bad. When a 17 orally alkylated drug passes by the liver, it forces the liver to kick out a little extra IGF-I each time. IGF-I is the most potent anabolic substance in the body. It is through IGF-I modulation that the use of growth hormone exerts its muscle building effects.

The moral of the story:
USING AN ORAL DRUG WILL GREATLY IMPROVE THE RESULTS OF YOUR BULKING CYCLE.
Regular old testosterone is one of the best bulking drugs there is. As long as you are not super sensitive to estrogenic side effects, this should be your staple for mass building. Novices usually use around 500mg a week of a long acting ester. More advanced bodybuilders use upwards of 1000mg a week. The best way to do this is to find yourself some cheap multi-dose vials of a long acting test like enanthate. But I'm not "telling you to do this", ummm...this is for information purposes only...ok...hypothetically...If you use a shorter acting ester like propionate, it will be much more painful to administer and you will definitley not administer this amount. Prop at 100mg eod is more the norm for novices, 100-200mg daily for advanced. Prop usually comes 100mg/cc, two cc's in one shot of prop hurts!! You will definitely experience some welting if you try this. I do not recommend it. You will either be limping or rubbing your shoulder almost daily. This is miserable. Long acting esters like sustanon, enanthate, cypionate, etc. do not cause this extrem discomfort. Please keep this in mind.

Okay, so we have an oral, either Dianabol or Anadrol, with an injectible testosterone, and now you need a even blood level anabolic like deca or equipoise. Either one will suffice. Remember though, as we've said before, combining aromatizing drugs such as anadrol testosterone esters with progestagenic drugs such as anadrol is very risky for all but those who are not susceptible to gyno. So be careful. Even if you have used androgenic drugs such as test before with no chest soreness, be careful. If you decide to do this, you will want at least one estrogen on hand for precautionary reasons.

Assuming all is well, and you choose to take this aggressive technique, you will need at least a 2mg/lb of bodyweight per week of the injectible anabolic. You could technically use primo or winstrol as well for a little less overall bloat. The dosage patterns will be different with these drugs if used for this purpose and we will talk about this in the future. For now lets assume either Deca Durabolin or Equipose. Deca Durabolin at 300-400mg/week is often used by novices, 600-800mg for advanced. In all the athletes I have known, I have not seen a reason to go above 500mg when combining Deca Durabolin or Equipose with both an oral and a testosterone ester. This dose should be more than enough to get you gaining and keep your joints from aching while you push all that heavy iron (we will get into joint/ligament/tendon properties of anabolics soon).

Enanthat 250 by Dragon Pharma

Enanthat 250 by Dragon Pharma is an injectable steroid which contains 250mg per ML of the hormone Testosterone Enanthate.

The Enathate ester of this drug makes its release into slow and therefore is requires injections to be less frequent than they would be if a bodybuilder using Propionate.

Testosterone is the most common anabolic hormone that there is and is also considered the most basic. Due to this, bodybuilders often consider it the base steroid to most all cycles. Testosterone is both anabolic and androgenic in nature. Users of this steroid will notice a dramatic gain in muscle size and strength, as well as an overall sense of well being and increases libido and sex drive.

Testosterone aromatizes very easily and therefore estrogen buildup and side effects can become an issue for users sensitive to these problems or those choosing to use a high dose of this compound. Therefore, when using Testosterone, bodybuilders often choose in incorporate an anti-estrogen such as Anastrozole, Proviron, Tamoxifen to help keep estrogen related side effects to a minimum. Extremely sensitive users, or users using very high doses (800-1200mgs) might find that stronger anti-estrogens such as Letrozole or Exemestane are more suitable. Androgenic side effects such as oily skin are also possible while taking Testosterone.

Bodybuilders looking to bulk up, often stack Testosterone Enanthate with other steroids such as Nandrolone Decanoate and/or Boldenone, along with an oral compound such as Dianabol or Oxymetholone. Those Bodybuilders looking to use testosterone during cutting phase, might wish to stack it with compounds such as Trenbolone, along with an oral like Stanozolole or Oxandrolone.

Testosterone use will quickly shut down the body's natural production of the hormone, thus making a proper PCT plan essential for restoring the body's natural function and maintaining gains as best as possible after use of the steroid has been discontinued. At cycle's end, bodybuilders often choose to use a combination of Clomid, Tamoxifen, and HCG for a period of 3-4wks in order to restore pituitary gland and testes operation quickly and effectively.

Woman bodybuilders often use testosterone to build mass, although of course the dosage is significantly less than what males would use due to the possibility of masculizing side effects.

The male bodybuilder's dosage of this steroid would typically be in 500-1250mg per week range and cycle duration would be from 8-20 weeks, depending of course on the goals of the athlete. Women typically see desirable results from doses of 50-100mgs per week.

Exemestane makes you slimmer and more muscular

Exemestane, the active ingredient in Pfizer’s Aromasin,  truly is a body recompositioning drug. At least it is if you’re prepared to accept the results of an Italian study in which 33 women used exemestane for a period of 2 years.

Exemestane is an aromatase inhibitor with a steroid skeleton. Apart from the ethyl group on C6, the compound bears a striking resemblance to Boldenone. If the enzyme aromatase – which converts androstenedione and testosterone into estradiol – tries to provide exemestane with an aromatic ring, it gets so stuck that it breaks down. This is how exemestane lowers oestrogen levels.

Once women with an estradiol-sensitive form of cancer have undergone chemotherapy, an operation and radiation therapy, they usually take anti-oestrogens for five years after that. Most take nolvadex for a couple of years and then go over to an anti-oestrogen like anastrazole or exemestane. Little is known about the long-term effects of exemestane, hence the Italian research.

The researchers monitored 68 older women for 2 years. All the women had already been taking 20 mg nolvadex daily for 2-3 years. Half of them continued with this and the other half started taking 25 mg exemestane per day instead.

The exemestane group built up lean body mass. In the two years that the trial lasted the women in that group gained an average of 2.2 kg lean body mass. And the same group lost an average of 0.7 kg fat.

The triglyceride levels in the blood of the women in the exemestane group went down – a positive development. At the same time exemestane increased the levels of LDL [bad cholesterol] and reduced the concentration of HDL [good cholesterol] – a negative development.

American cancer researchers have offered an explanation of how exemestane might cause these effects. Exemestane itself has almost no androgenic effect, but the researchers announced in 2007 that an exemestane metabolite – the 17beta-hydroxy analogue – is capable of interacting with the androgen receptor.

This means that women should consider carefully whether to use exemestane or not. It also means that exemestane is now of interest to chemical athletes with modest aims.

If men take 25 mg exemestane daily their testosterone level rises by a third, researchers at Farmitalia discovered in the 1980s.

So what would happen if you got men to take 25 mg or 50 mg exemestane daily for a year? And if those men were to do weight training as well?

Women and Trenbolone Use

Trenbolone is one of the most por drugs used by bodybuilders today and, when you look at the stats, it is not hard to see why. A very potent androgen with strong anabolic activity, Trenbolone is an extremely effective hardening and cutting agent. In fact, it is considered indispensable when it comes to pre contest preparation. However, it is also extremely valuable in the off-season as it creates a rapid build up of strength and muscle mass. In fact, the anabolic effect is often compared to testosterone or Dianabol with one very important difference - it does not convert to estrogen. This is what truly sets it apart, as most mass building drugs readily aromatize, leading to many estrogen related problems (e.g. water retention gynecomastia).

Due to the lack of water retention, the gains when using this drug are more easily maintained on discontinuing its use. In addition to this, a very hard and defined appearance can be achieved. Also, since gynecomastia is not an issue, there should not be any need to add an anti-estrogen as long as Trenbolone is the only steroid being used. Due to the highly androgenic nature of this drug an increase in the burning of body fat is observed and a much tighter physique can be achieved without having to resort to extreme dieting.

Trenbolone is more potent than testosterone with an effect being gauged as three times as strong on a milligram for milligram basis. It is also four times as anabolic as Deca-Durabolin - nandrolone decanoate - Durabolin and ten times as androgenic. This makes the majority of the weight gained on this drug lean, quality muscle. Trenbolone also creates an increase in the levels of the hormone IGF-1 (Insulin like Growth Factor-1) which is highly anabolic within muscle tissue. Trenbolone has a stronger binding affinity to the androgen receptor than testosterone. This feature is a major contributing factor to the process of anabolism and fat loss. By promoting nitrogen retention and protein synthesis within the muscle Trenbolone allows the food you eat and the nutritional supplements you take to be used more effectively. It also reduces levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol. Trenbolone is also involved in the production of red blood cells and increases the rate of glycogen replenishment (both of which contribute not only to stamina but also to recovery from workouts)

A reduction in aerobic capacity is the most common complaint with Trenbolone. This is thought to be caused by bronchial dilation resulting from an increase in prostaglandin production. The condition known as "trenbolone Cough" is often a complaint registered with users of the Acetate version (Trenbolone is available in Acetate and Enanthate forms). Androgenic side effects may also be experienced which include oily skin, aggressive behavior, and acne and hair loss. For this reason women are usually advised to stay away from this drug.

It seems that although women are generally told to avoid using this drug, Trenbolone is being used more and more by women in controlled doses. The fact that it adds primarily lean mass whilst reducing body fat is obviously a key factor in its attractiveness. When women were asked for their feedback on Trenbolone use a variety of favored dosages came up. Anything from a very conservative 10mg every other day to a more adventurous 100mg/week split into two doses.

Stacking Trenbolone with Testosterone Propionate was also something favored by those engaging in high level competition. Another use of Trenbolone involved taking it 3-4 days before a show in order to add hardness and definition to the physique. It has to be said that side effects were experienced by all - usually increased hair growth and acne - and the severity of the side effects seemed to be worse in younger women. The theory expressed here being that ovarian function may be the reason for this, with a younger woman still having stronger ovarian function than an older women who may be entering peri-menopause. This is all speculation of course but seems like a plausible explanation in my opinion. Either way, if you are considering using Trenbolone it is advised to use it on its own and at extremely low doses (such as the aforementioned 10mg every other day) in order to test your own unique sensitivity.

Trenbolone is a potent androgen that is primarily used in cattle, so there is even less information at our disposal on this compound or its effects on the female endocrine system than any other drug. It is the one drug that seems to produce results as significant as the side effects that are associated with it. Women are generally advised to stay clear of Trenbolone considering the strong androgenic component which eradicates any possibility of running Trenbolone without sides. The more seasoned female athlete will run it in the off season in order to reap the muscle building benefits of the drug whilst maintaining a relatively low body fat. On the other hand running it during contest preparation will preserve the newly added muscle mass while on a calorie restricted diet. The less daring athlete will run Trenbolone during the last few weeks of contest preparation or even limit their use to the week before the show - with a more frequent injection schedule.

Women who have experienced less favorable side effects on Trenbolone report experiencing tachycardia from a single pin, accompanied by profuse night sweats and insomnia bad enough to bail on the cycle. Others experience rapid hair growth with more frequent shaving (side effects that are far from unmanageable).

Quite honestly, Trenbolone dosing is dependent on how much a woman is willing to deal with in terms of sides. There is no conservative dose for a first timer with Trenbolone being far better suited for the educated, experienced and seasoned athlete who has paid her dues.

It is also important to note that Trenbolone lowers TSH levels so running T3 in conjunction with it is highly advisable, as well as an anti-prolactin such as Dostinex at 0.5mg every third day or 5mg of Bromocriptine daily to keep prolactin levels in check.

GP Oxan (Anavar) by Geneza Pharmaceuticals

GP Oxan by Geneza Pharmaceuticals is an oral steroid which contains 10mg of the hormone Oxandrolone. This steroid is commonly called Anavar, or "Var" for short.

Anavar is considered one of the mildest steroids that there is. It is mildly anabolic and mildly androgenic. Even though it is a C-17 oral, it still has minimal effect on liver values even at higher doses. Var also isn’t known by bodybuilders as the steroid for big mass gains. Rather, the mass that is gained by GP Oxan will be quality gains, and gains that likely to be kept after the steroid is no longer being used. Users of Anavar often note a very good increase in strength. Some bodybuilders compare the strength increases seen by its use to be similar to GP Oxy on a mg for mg basis, but without the extra side effects! Because of this, and the fact that users won’t gain a lot of weight because of the drug, Var is a very popular drug for powerlifters and sports related athletes.

Due to its extremely mild nature, Var is also one of the most popular steroids amongst women bodybuilders. Anavar has also been shown in studies to actually decrease bodyfat during use, making it a great choice for bodybuilders who are in the cutting phase of their training.

GP Oxan is also very mild when it comes to shutting down the body’s ability to produce testosterone, making it a great choice for those looking to "bridge" between cycles while allowing the body to recover. Those looking to stack Anavar with something may chose a low dose of a testosterone to do with it. Also, the classic Anavar / Primo cycle is one of the most popular cutting cycles ever. This cycle provides one with quality muscle gain and minimal side effects and risk.

Clearly, GP Oxan is a great all around steroid. Male bodybuilders will typically use Anavar in doses of 50-100mg a day for 6-12wks. Var has a relatively short half life of about 8 hours. So one may chose to split dosages throughout the day in order to keep blood levels as stable as possible. Women bodybuilders typically find a dosage of 2.5-10mgs to be effective for promoting muscle gains and strength without the great risk of side effects.

Testosterone for Women

A women in her late twenties, came to see me complaining about her difficulty in losing weight. After taking a medical history, it was very difficult to tell what the basis of her problem was. She was working out daily, with a balance of aerobic exercise and weight training under the guidance of a qualified personal trainer. Her diet was a basic low carbohydrate/ high protein diet. Even more perplexing, she had been taking a caffeine/ephedrine thermogenic stack and had previously experimented with some diet drugs as well. Something was obviously wrong. I did blood tests to check all of her hormone levels. When the results came back, all of her hormones were in the normal range except for, you guessed it, testosterone! She had very low free testosterone level. It was equal to that seen in a postmenopausal women. This was an obvious source of her fat loss problem .

While the role of testosterone in maintaining muscle mass and losing body fat may be obvious to bodybuilders and athletes, it is a basic hormonal fact that is often absent in the medical community. It is known that many women begin to gain fat rapidly about ten to fifteen years before the menopause and also after. The connection between low to absent testosterone production and the deterioration of a healthy body composition is rarely made. Most women are often only given estrogens and progestins as hormone replacement therapy, but not testosterone. I have found in my medical practice that giving women estrogen and progesterone and not testosterone makes it almost impossible for them to lose weight/fat. With the scourge of increasing obesity in the USA, one would expect the medical community to pay closer attention to these issues. Yet the connection between sex hormones, and body composition is highly controversial.

Why is there such a controversy? Why is a hormone commonly used by farmers to fatten up livestock given to postmenopausal women at risk for obesity? Many doctors point to a recent study showing that when postmenopausal women given estrogen actually gained less weight than those not given estrogen. In this study 875 women were either put on .625 mg of oral estrogen a day or a placebo for three years. So does this mean that estrogen is actually a good fat-loss agent? Hardly! In this study, in spite of the publicity it was given, the authors note that when you control for lifestyle factors such as physical activity the effects of estrogen replacement therapy were insignificant.

From my clinical experience I have found that on the average when a young woman goes on birth control pills a 3-5 pound gain in fat mass can be expected, and at menopause with oral estrogens 4-8 pounds of fat mass gain can be anticipated - especially when oral estrogens are used. A recent controlled study showed that oral estrogens caused a gain in fat mass and loss in muscle, with a decrease in IGF-1 levels. This study is more consistent with my clinical observations.

So why isn’t testosterone more commonly given for weight loss in women? The medical community actually commonly believes testosterone causes obesity. This is due to a number of studies linking upper body obesity /abdominal obesity in women to elevated testosterone levels. Once again, this is a case of blaming one hormone as a "villain". In these women, they do in fact have higher than normal testosterone levels but their whole hormonal system is out of balance. Not only do they have high testosterone levels, but they also have poor insulin sensitivity as well as high insulin levels. Often these women have a metabolic problem of insulin resistance—which is associated with obesity. There is no serious evidence that testosterone replacement therapy for women will result in greater body fat – in fact the opposite is true.

With the social stigma against testosterone and anabolic steroids in general, and it is difficult enough to get a study approved on testosterone in men. Imagine how difficult it is to get a human use committee to approve a study on testosterone in women! However, there is one study that helped to illuminate the potential for androgens to help women lose fat. Lovejoy et al, in 1996, compared the effects of nandrolone decanoate and the anti-androgen drug spironolactone on body composition in obese, postmenopausal women. The dose given the nandrolone group was low – 30 mg every other week. All women in the study were put on a calorie restricted diet (500 calories below lean mass maintenance), and were told not to change their exercise habits. After nine months, the women receiving nandrolone lost an average of 3.6 percent of their bodyfat while the placebo group lost only 1.8 percent and the spirolactone (an anti-androgen) only .5 percent. Nandrolone doubled the rate of fat loss over the placebo and the anti-androgen group barely lost any fat at all – the role of androgens in fat loss is clearly demonstrated. Even more impressive, the nandrolone group actually gained an average of roughly four pounds of lean mass in spite of the calorie restriction while the placebo and anti-androgen groups lost over two pounds of lean mass. Nandrolone also did not produce insulin resistance as androgens have been previously believed to do.

Lovejoy’s group were impressed by the ability of nandrolone to produce increased muscle mass in spite of overall weight loss. Keep in mind that dose was fairly small and only given every other week, and that these women were put only somewhat extreme calorie restricted diets without being put on a weight training program. Imagine the improvement in body composition had these women been put on a balanced exercise program and were given a high protein diet in addition to their nandrolone!

Despite the positive result, the authors cautioned against using nandrolone decanoate as a weight loss therapy. There was a mild abnormality of blood lipids and a slight increase in abdominal fat in the nandrolone group. While these side effects were minor, I believe that if testosterone was used in this study instead of nandrolone, these effects would be smaller or non-existent. I also think that daily use of a testosterone gel would be more effective than a bi-monthly shot, since the gel would keep testosterone at a more physiological and consistent level whereas injections lead to huge up and down fluctuations.

It is clear to me, both from my clinical practice and from research, that testosterone is vital for women to preserve their lean mass and to prevent obesity. Not only will testosterone help mobilize body fat and negate some of the fat storing effects of estrogen, it is also extremely effective in building lean mass in women - even at small doses. Hormone replacement therapy that only includes estrogen and progesterone but leaves out testosterone is a curse of many a women’s fat loss program. This is not only a concern for postmenopausal women. Young women should think twice about using birth control pills. Birth control pills elevate estrogen and progesterone levels while drastically lowering testosterone levels. This is reason why many women experience large gains in fat as well as a decreased libido when using birth control pills.

Proviron (mesterolone)

Proviron is an oral DHT steroid compound similar to Masteron. Although it is not an ideal compound for building muscle (actually it is not good at all for this purpose), Proviron is helpful in stacks because of its unique ability to keep the body from turning testosterone into estrogen, thus giving the testosterone a better anabolic effect. This aids the bodybuilder in many ways. First, it helps reduce estrogenic side effects of other steroids water-retention, lowered sex drive, gynocomastia, etc. Also, Proviron can help boost the potency of testosterone in the body by freeing testosterone from its binding to sex hormone-binding globulin.

Proviron is therefore best stacked with testosterone, which makes taking anti-estrogen compounds unnecessary. However, Proviron can cause high blood pressure so blood pressure medication may be required for those prone to hypertension.

Proviron is the Schering brand name for the oral androgen mesterolone (1 methyl-dihydrotestosterone). Just as with DHT, the activity of this steroid is that of a strong androgen which does not aromatize into estrogen. In clinical situations Proviron is generally used to treat various types of sexual dysfunction, which often result from a low endogenous testosterone level. It can usually reverse problems of sexual disinterest and impotency, and is sometimes used to increase the sperm count. Proviron does not stimulate the body to produce testosterone, but is simply an oral androgen substitute that is used to compensate for a lack of the natural male androgen.

Although Proviron is strongly androgenic, the anabolic effect of it is considered too weak for muscle building purposes. This is due to the fact that Proviron is rapidly reduced to inactive metabolites in muscle tissue, a trait also characteristic of dihydrotestosterone. The belief that the weak anabolic nature of this compound indicated a tendency to block the androgen receptor in muscle tissue, thereby reducing the gains of other more potent muscle building steroids, should likewise not be taken seriously. In fact due to its extremely high affinity for plasma binding proteins such as sex hormone-binding globulin, Proviron may actually work to increase the activity of other steroids by displacing a higher percentage into a free, unbound state. Among athletes Proviron is primarily used as an anti-estrogen. It is believed to act as an anti-aromatase in the body, preventing or slowing the conversion of steroids into estrogen. The result is somewhat comparable to Arimidex (though less profound), the drug acting to prevent the buildup of estrogen in the body. This is in direct contrast to Nolvadex, which only blocks the ability of estrogen to bind and activate receptors in certain tissues. The anti-aromatization effect is preferred, as it is a more direct and efficient means of dealing with the problem of estrogenic side effects. Another disadvantage of Nolvadex is that if discontinued too early, a rebound effect may occur as high serum estrogen levels are again free to take action. This of course could mean a rapid onset of side effects such as gynecomastia. Most actually prefer to use both Proviron and Nolvadex, especially during strongly estrogenic cycles. With each item attacking estrogen at a different angle, side effects are often greatly reduced.

The anti-estrogenic properties of Proviron are not unique to this compound. A number of steroids have in fact demonstrated similar activity. Dihydrotestosterone and Masteron (2methyl-dihydrotestosterone) for example have been successfully used as therapies for gynecomastia and breast cancer due to their strong anti-estrogenic effect. It has been suggested that nandrolone may even lower aromatase activity in peripheral tissues where it is more resistant to estrogen conversion (the most active site of nandrolone aromatization seems to be the liver). The anti-estrogenic effect of all of these compounds is presumably caused by their ability to compete with other substrates for binding to the aromatase enzyme. With the aromatase enzyme bound to the steroid, yet being unable to alter it, and inhibiting effect is achieved as it is temporarily blocked from interacting with other hormones.

Proviron is also favored by many during contest preparations, when a lower estrogen/high androgen level is particularly sought after. This is especially beneficial when anabolics like Winstrol, oxandrolone and Primobolan are being used alone, as the androgenic content of these drugs is relatively low. Proviron can supplement a well needed androgen, and bring about an increase in the hardness and density of the muscles. Women in particular find a single 25mg tablet will efficiently shift the androgen/estrogen ratio, and can have a great impact on the physique. Since this is such a strong androgen however, extreme caution should be taken with administration. Higher dosages clearly have the potential to cause virilization symptoms quite readily. For this reason females will rarely take more than one tablet per day, and limit the length of intake to no longer than four or five weeks. One tablet used in conjunction with 10 or 20mg of Nolvadex can be even more efficient for muscle hardening, creating an environment where the body is much more inclined to burn off extra body fat (especially in female trouble areas like the hips and thighs).

The typical dosage for men is one to four 25 mg per tablets per day. This is a sufficient amount to prevent gynecomastia, Proviron is often used throughout the entire cycle. As mentioned earlier, it is often combined with Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate) or Clomid (clomiphene citrate) when heavily estrogenic steroids are being taken (Dianabol, testosterone etc.). Administering 50mg of Proviron and 20mg Nolvadex daily has proven extremely effective in such instances, and it is quite uncommon for higher dosages to be required. And just as we discussed for women, the androgenic nature of this compound is greatly welcome during contest preparation. Here again Proviron should noticeably benefit the hardness and density of the muscle, while at the same time increasing the tendency to burn off a greater amount of body fat. Proviron is usually well tolerated and side effects (men) are rare with dosages under 100 mg per day. Above this, one may develop an excessively high androgen level and encounter some problems. Typical androgenic side effects include oily skin, acne, body/facial hair growth and exacerbation of a male pattern baldness condition, and may occur even with the use of a moderate dosage. With the strong effect DHT has on the reproductive system, androgenic actions may also include an extreme heightening of male libido. And as discussed earlier, Women should be careful around Proviron. It is an androgen, and as such has the potential to produce virilization symptoms quite readily. This includes, of course, a deepening of the voice, menstrual irregularities, changes in skin texture and clitoral enlargement.

Proviron is also not a c17 alpha alkylated compound, an alteration commonly used with oral anabolic steroids. Not using this structure in the case of Proviron removes the notable risk of liver toxicity we normally associate with oral drugs. It is therefore considered a “safe” oral, the user having no need to worry about serious complications with use. This steroid in fact utilizes the same 1-methylation we see present on Primobolan (methenolone), another well tolerated orally active compound. Alkylation at the one position also slows metabolism of the steroid during the first pass, although much less profoundly than 17 alpha alkylation. Likewise Proviron and Primobolan are resistant enough to breakdown to allow therapeutically beneficial blood levels to be achieved, although the overall bioavailability of these compounds is still much lower than methylated oral steroids.

The popularity of Proviron amongst bodybuilders has been increasing in recent years. Many experienced bodybuilders have in fact come to swear by it, incorporating it effectively in most markedly estrogenic cycles. Due to high demand Proviron is now very easy to obtain on the black market. Most versions will be manufactured by Schering, and should cost about $1-$2 per 25 mg tab. This drug is packaged in both push-through strips and small glass vials, so do not let this alarm you. There is currently no need to worry about authenticity with this drug, as no counterfeits are known to exist. If money and availability does not prevent it, Arimidex, Femara, or Aromasin ares actually a much better choice than Proviron though. These drugs were designed specifically as an anti-aromatase, and works much more effectively than anything else we have available.

How Anabolic Steroids Work in your body

Most people who are close-minded only think of the negative effects of anabolic steroids. Many despise body builders or athletes who take anabolic steroids just to get faster results or becoming bigger and stronger. What’s interesting is that our body naturally produces anabolic steroids through the male hormone, testosterone. And if you actually have natural steroids in you, then why should people condemn those who are taking them for their own purposes?

The fact is anabolic steroids are actually very helpful especially to patients in hospitals who have lost amounts of body tissues due to chronic wasting. These supplements can help build not only muscles for bodybuilders or endurance for athletes, but they can also help build tissues for medical patients who need to have faster recovery for the tissues lost.

Steroids are lipids from cholesterol in the body, which is secreted by various glands. The anabolic steroids that are typically used in bodybuilding are actually synthetic derivatives of the male hormone, testosterone, which promotes the growth of bones and muscles.

Since anabolic steroids come from testosterone, it has the same effects as this male hormone. Like the testosterone, which is produced in a man’s testicles, steroids have also anabolic and androgenic effects. The former is the primary target of both athletes and bodybuilders.

Anabolic steroids have been a huge part in bodybuilding and used mostly for their advantages such as anabolic benefits including the increase of muscle strength and size, increase of energy levels during activities, for faster recovery time and to increase the oxidation rise of fat. What anabolic steroids do is that they increase the testosterone levels in the body without passing through the usual pathway for the synthesis of the hormone by directly adding testosterone into the bloodstream. Generally, anabolic steroids are used for increase in muscle mass. However, the anabolic and androgenic benefits of these supplements actually still depend on the steroid type used. Increasing the male hormone in one’s body does not exactly cause chemical reactions. However, this just basically amplifies the reactions that already exist between your body and the male hormone.

Anabolic steroids are basically “man-made” testosterone chemically altered to optimize the anabolic effects with the minimum androgenic consequences as possible. We ourselves produce steroids inside our body so what you will only be doing if you take in some more steroids is to increase its effects. However, even the best anabolic steroids have certain side effects especially when taken in at huge doses. In the end, it always goes down to discipline and how you take anabolic steroids moderately. If you abuse anabolic steroids, you might get the side effects that all people are afraid of. But if you follow directions and control your urge to want some more steroids for more benefits, then steroids may not be so bad for you. As long as discipline is integrated in your anabolic steroids intake, then not only can you finally get the body as well as the energy that you desire, you can also have a positive change in your mood and sleep patterns, prevent depression and symptoms of arthritis as well as have your bones strengthened.

Because of these benefits, steroids have become a very significant part in athletics as well as in bodybuilding. In fact, it almost seemed like bodybuilding is synonymous to anabolic steroids. But other than these two pursuits, anabolic steroids can also be used with other strenuous hobbies such as dancing, wall climbing, etc., so that you can have a better endurance and an increased level of energy during these activities. Because of this, people are able to train more, and thus improve more on what they are best at.

Anadrol - “The Classic Mass-Builder”

“Mass”…the defining attribute of a bodybuilder. It is the term on which bodybuilding itself is built and the quality that sets us apart from all other athletes. We all seek it and we can never have too much of it. There are many steroids which can help us in our acquisition of muscular size, but few steroids which are optimally suited for this purpose. Welcome to Anadrol - the anabolic steroid that for decades stood as the #1 mass-builder in all of bodybuilding.

Anadrol is the brand name for the anabolic steroid Oxymetholone, which was originally developed in 1960 by the drug company Syntex. It’s original and primary purpose was for the treatment of anemia, due to Anadrol’s ability to significantly stimulate the production of red blood cells in the body. Anadrol was also indicated for those suffering from osteoporosis and less frequently, for the growth of malnourished or undeveloped patients.

Anadrol is one of many drugs included in the category of compounds known as oral anabolic steroids. Oral steroids are anabolic-androgenic hormones which are most often molecularly altered at the 17th carbon position by the attachment of a methyl group, which allows the drug to maintain structural integrity as it passes through the digestive tract and eventually into the blood stream. In the absence of this molecular modification, the anabolic steroid would be subsequently destroyed in the liver and rendered useless prior to reaching its target tissues. However, the resultant effects of methylation are not limited solely to that of a protective mechanism, as it also plays a role in determining the effects of the drug itself through the alteration its chemical make-up. Therefore, the process of methylation results in a completely new steroid with its own unique set of characteristics. In the case of Anadrol, we are left with a compound that demonstrates potent anabolic activity, while maintaining a unique and somewhat intriguing metabolism in the world of anabolic steroids.

According to Vida - Anadrol maintains an anabolic/androgenic ratio of 320:45, making it 3.2X more anabolic than testosterone, yet less than half as androgenic per mg. This gives Anadrol a higher anabolic rating than many other steroids in its class, such as Dianabol and T-bol. Now, while Anadrol’s A:A ratio is relatively straightforward, it’s metabolism and mechanisms of action are a bit more of a mystery. When evaluating a steroid such as testosterone, its metabolism is clearly understood, but with Anadrol we are looking at a steroid which does not result any progestagenic activity, does not convert to DHT, nor does it aromatize to any degree, yet it is notorious for exhibiting a slew of side effects associated with all of these metabolites.

In an attempt to reconcile Anadrol’s estrogen-like activity with its inability to aromatize, a few theories have been put forward in recent years as an explanation for this discrepancy, yet to my knowledge, no one has yet put the final nail in the coffin with supporting scientific research. The first of these theories suggests that the Anadrol molecule itself demonstrates estrogenic activity by directly attaching to and interacting with the estrogen receptor. This explanation would suffice if it was true, but the problem is that there has not been any scientific research supporting this theory, let alone confirming it. Some others have speculated that Anadrol may act as a progestin, although a medical study examining this theory found there was no such progestagenic activity present. A 3rd theory proposes that Anadrol may elicit this effect through its ability to lower serum levels of SHBG, which would consequently displace previously bound estrogen and release it into free circulation where it could then exert its effects. With Anadrol having been shown to lower serum levels of SHBG in the literature, this theory is certainly plausible.

Regardless of the working mechanism(s) responsible, there is no doubt that Anadrol is capable of inducing all of the typical estrogen-related side effects, and when administered in conjunction with an aromatizable drug, it often does so in pronounced fashion. Without instituting preventative measures, users may experience side effects such as: gynecomastia, subcutaneous water retention, elevations in blood pressure, and bloat, to name a few.

The standard treatment option for managing estrogen levels when using aromatizable drugs is through the concomitant use of an AI, but with Anadrol being unaffected by the aromatase enzyme, the question arises as to what treatment option is the most effective. While on the surface it may appear that AI treatment is not a viable alternative, user experience has repeatedly shown that this class of drugs is efficacious in circumventing the estrogen-like effects of Anadrol. Whether this occurs through a reduction in previously circulating estrogen, a different mechanism(s) altogether, or a combination of the two, it is unclear. Regardless, AIs are effective in minimizing/preventing Anadrol’s estrogen-like activity. In cases where the estrogen-like effects of Anadrol have acutely manifested (example: gyno), a serm such as Nolvadex remains the preferred course of action.

As mentioned above, Anadrol is not capable of converting to DHT, but like all steroids, it maintains the ability to increase the rate at which male pattern hair loss occurs in those who are prone. While it is impossible to give an accurate estimate regarding the percentage of users who might encounter this side effect, I will reluctantly state that this drug probably falls somewhere between Winstrol and Testosterone, in terms of its potential to hasten hair loss. For those anabolic steroids users who place a higher premium on keeping a full head of hair over sheer muscular size, they might do well to remain cognizant of this possibility when deciding whether or not Anadrol should be a part of their future cycles.

Another area where Anadrol distinguishes itself from many of its chemical cousins is in the realm of receptor binding relative to myotropic potency. Oxymetholone binds very weakly to the AR, so weakly in fact that its binding affinity is barely measurable, yet it remains one of the most potent oral steroids on the market for the acquisition of muscle mass. This is in direct contrast to a drug such as Trenbolone, which is also very proficient at muscle-building, but which exerts the majority of its effects through the signaling of the AR (androgen receptor). With Anadrol being incapable of activating the AR to any meaningful degree, there has been speculation of Anadrol relying predominantly on non-genomic mechanisms in order to effectuate muscle growth. There is some science available to support this claim, but we still have a long way to go in this area of steroid research before we have anywhere close to a complete understanding.

Whenever discussions of oral anabolic steroids come up, one area of interest frequently mentioned is that of liver toxicity. Being a methylated steroid, Anadrol is no exception to this and with good cause. Perhaps more than any other anabolic steroid, Anadrol has a long history of causing a variety of medically documented health problems when abused. Some of these noted health problems include: Cholestatic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), Peliosis hepatis (blood-filled liver cysts), liver tumors, jaundice, Hepatic necrosis, and death. While these side effects are rare when Anadrol is properly administered, the potential for harm exists when abused for long periods of time and/or when utilizing excessive dosages.

Fortunately, most bodybuilders today understand the need for proper cycling and with the inclusion of various liver and other health aides playing a role in the programs of today’s bodybuilders, we are less likely than ever to experience these health problems. In reality, many of the toxicity claims are grossly over-exaggerated. While I certainly do not want to portray myself as one with a reckless attitude, it is important to see things as they really are. Caving in to over-blown fears (or maintaining a vigilante attitude) doesn’t do anyone good. While oral anabolic steroids are capable of causing toxicity issues, when utilized responsibly, they are a relatively safe category of drugs.

In years past, it was common to see bodybuilders running cycles of Anadrol or Dianabol for 8-10 weeks in length (or more), but in recent times it seems many bodybuilders are afraid to run any oral anabolic steroids for longer than 4-6 weeks. This mentality began to pervade the online bodybuilding community at around the mid-point of the current PH/Designer marketplace boom. Due to most OTC manufacturers recommending that their products be run for no more than 3-6 weeks, bodybuilders began to follow suit and apply these guidelines to other oral anabolic steroids. While prudence can be a virtue, the truth is that many oral anabolic steroids can be run for a significantly longer period of time with a relatively high degree of safety.

Even Anadrol itself, which was long considered one of the most toxic oral anabolic steroid, underwent considerable university research before being approved for human use. After becoming a legitimate prescription drug, patients were regularly prescribed treatment plans involving several months of usage at dosages between 50-150 mg/day. Despite Anadrol’s repeated toxicity claims, physicians persisted in recommending these treatment plans for decades with very few serious problems.

The half-life of Anadrol is around 8.5-9 hours, necessitating 2-3X daily dosing if blood levels are to be kept relatively stable. The most common dosing scheme employed today ranges from 50-100 mg per day, which is more than capable of supplying impressive increases in size & strength. Few users will ever need to exceed this dosing amount. Some more adventurous users have been known to go up to 150-200 mg per day and a small percentage of individuals (who apparently have a grudge against their liver), have gone as high as 500+ mg per day. I see little reason to exceed 100-150 mg per day, as further benefits will be minimal and the likelihood of experiencing side effects rises. Some of these side effects may include: appetite suppression, lethargy, general malaise, headaches, acne, aggression, increased and/or decreased sex drive, among others.

The standard cycle length for Anadrol ranges between 2-10 weeks in length. Some users choose to use it for short blasts at the onset of their cycle in order to get gains moving along quickly, while others will choose to run it for a longer period of time. In terms of real-world effects, Anadrol is one of the very best mass & strength builders around. It is beloved in both the bodybuilding and strength communities and is used in both off-season mass-building cycles, as well as pre-contest cycles in order to assist the bodybuilder in maintaining size and fullness while in a caloric deficit. Weight gains ranging between 15-25 pounds in 4-6 weeks are not uncommon, but these gains in mass tend to fall off as rapidly as they were acquired after cessation of the drug. This is definitely not a compound one would use for long-term mass retention. Anadrol will make you massive and strong while you’re taking it, but that is where it ends. The user should also expect a fair degree of their weight gain to come in the form of water retention, both intramuscular and subcutaneous. This effect, while typically not visually appealing, contributes to pain-free lifting for many users. Anadrol has also acquired a reputation for delivering huge pumps during workouts, even to the point where some users claim they are debilitating to the point of stopping their training session. At any rate, there is no doubt that Anadrol excels in this area.

In conclusion, Anadrol is powerful, all-out mass & strength drug which when respected, can safely be used to deliver some of the quickest gains of any anabolic steroids in the world. While you may not look pretty when using this drug, you will certainly come to understand the meaning on the word “ON”.

Vitamin C and E protect testes during steroids cycle

A small group of doping users combine antioxidants such as vitamin C and E with their anabolic steroids. The idea behind this supplementation is that the antioxidants protect the testes while steroids are being taken, helping the body’s own testosterone to kick in faster at the end of the course. Not such a crazy idea, according to the results of an animal study that researchers at the Comenius University in the Slovak Republic.

When athletes put anabolic steroids into their body, they reduce their natural Testosterone production. When done in an intelligent way, the effect is temporary. Long-term use of high doses without breaks is another matter… and not intelligent.

Endocrinologists regularly see older men who have become infertile after years of using steroids, or whose testosterone production has become exceedingly low, despite the improved post-cycle therapy forms now popular in the steroids scene.

The researchers at Comenius University performed experiments with rats to try and better understand what happens in the testes during a course of androgen supplementation. They gave a group of rats an injection containing 5 mg testosterone isobutyrate per kg bodyweight every other day.

Other groups of rats were given injections containing the anti-androgen cyproterone or injections containing both testosterone isobutyrate and cyproterone, or injections containing no active ingredients at all.

After two weeks the researchers analysed the rats’ testes. As you’d expect, the rats that had been given testosterone isobutyrate produced less of their own testosterone.

Administering testosterone, with or without cyproterone, boosted the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the testes. These are released when aggressive molecules attack unsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes.

At the same time, the total amount of antioxidants in the testes of the rats that had been given testosterone had decreased, and the amount of advanced glycation end products had increased.

Advanced glycation end products are created when glucose attaches itself to amino acids, forming inactive complexes. The tissues are often incapable of clearing up the AGEs, and as a result the AGEs impede the tissues’ functioning. This effect may have something to do with the lasting negative long-term effects of steroids use we mentioned above. We’re just hazarding a guess here.

The notion of consuming vitamin C and E antioxidants or super foods with a high ORAC value during a course of steroids isn’t such a strange idea at all after reading the Slovakian study. What’s more, you wonder to what extent a low-carb diet might also protect anabolic steroids users’ testes.

Trenbolone use in bodybuilding

These days, there probably isn’t a bodybuilder alive that hasn’t heard of Trenbolone. In today’s drug circles, it has attained nearly super-hero status as an anabolic agent. “Nectar of the gods”…“A steroid on steroids”…and “indispensable” are just some of the terms which have been used to describe this highly desirable drug. There is no single characteristic responsible for Trenbolone’s unique effects on the musculature. Rather, it is a precise combination of attributes which provide such amazing results.

There are few non-methylated drugs capable of functioning as both a mass builder and cutter, while excelling at both. In fact, if pressed to name another non-methylated drug capable of duplicating trenbolone’s performance. Typically, Trenbolone is known for its ability to generate substantial gains in dense, dry muscle tissue; a trait which has no doubt earned it a top spot in both contest prep and off-season programs alike. Likewise, its strength building and psyche altering capabilities have made it popular among strength-power athletes, but rather than re-hash these well known traits, I want to spend a bit of time talking about some of the less publicized qualities of Trenbolone.

One often debated topic in the steroid world is the role of estrogen in the muscle growth process. Up until the last decade, many bodybulders were taught to avoid the use of anti-estrogenic drugs when in the off-season, as it was commonly believed that the elevated estrogen level achieved with aromatizable drugs was necessary for maximizing muscle growth. This belief was born out of real-world experience, with many bodybulders noting a reduction in overall weight gain when administering these drugs. Were these old-school bodybulders simply confusing estrogen induced water retention with genuine muscle growth, or was there more to the story? In recent years, the phobia surrounding anti-estrogenic drugs has greatly diminished. While science has confirmed the importance of estrogen in the growth process, most steroid users now believe that keeping levels within the low-normal range is more than sufficient to obtain all its growth benefits. To this end, aromatase inhibitors such as Aromasin and Arimidex are freely employed in the programs of today’s steroid using bodybulders. So, how does this apply to trenbolone, a non-aromatizing steroid, you might ask?

In recent years, the phobia surrounding anti-estrogenic drugs has greatly diminished. While science has confirmed the importance of estrogen in the growth process, most steroid users now believe that keeping levels within the low-normal range is more than sufficient to obtain all its growth benefits. To this end, aromatase inhibitors such as Aromasin and Arimidex are freely employed in the programs of today’s steroid using bodybuilders. So, how does this apply to trenbolone, a non-aromatizing steroid, you might ask?

Trenbolone may also stimulate growth through enhanced proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells, which may be mediated through an increase in IGF-1 sensitivity. In order to understand why this is important, let’s first look at the role of satellite cells in the muscle growth process. After a hard training session, the muscle cell proteins within muscle fibers sustain damage, which activates a special type of stem cell known as satellite cells. These cells, which are located between the basal lamina and plasma membrane (an area directly outside the muscle fibers), are quickly shuttled to the site of injury, initiating the muscle regeneration process. They then begin to multiple (proliferate) by fusing to other satellite cells and to existing muscle fibers. A portion of these satellite cells will remain as organelles, but the majority will differentiate (the process of turning immature stem cells into mature muscle cells) and fuse to muscle fibers, either creating new muscle protein stands (myofibrils) or helping to repair previously damaged muscle fiber. The formation of these myofibrils (muscle fibers) directly leads to an overall increase in the size of the muscle.

This muscle repair process is aided by numerous growth factors, such as testosterone, growth hormone, insulin, IGF-1, HGF, and FGF. These hormones influence the rate and amount of protein that is deposited in the muscle during the repair process, with higher levels speeding up the muscle growth process and lower levels slowing down the process. In particular, IGF-1 and FGF have a direct influence on the proliferative response of satellite cells. In multiple studies, trenbolone has been shown to enhance this proliferative response, which the researchers suggest is due to trenbolone’s ability to increase satellite cell sensitivity to IGF-1.

Effects of Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone and it belongs from the group of androgen. It is the hormone found in birds, mammals and vertebrates. In mammals, ovaries of females and testicles of males secrete testosterone. Testosterone is the sex hormone in male and a basic anabolic steroid as well. Testosterone has its significance in the male reproductive tissues in which testis and prostate are included and it deals with the growth of the hair of the body. It is an essential component for health and well-being of a person.

Normally concentration of testosterone is greater in adult males as compared to females and it is nearly believed to be 7-8 times greater. Normally, the female body is more receptive and sensitive to hormones. It is the hormone, which is present in most vertebrates including the fish. That is the reason why Testosterone is an essential part of the body of human as well as other mammals and vertebrates.

Testosterone provides both the virilizing as well as the anabolic effects and some effects are considered both, as it is very difficult to make a distinction between them. When you talk about the anabolic effects, you see the strengthening of body and muscle mass and linear growth stimulation as well as the bone maturation. The virilizing or androgenic effects deals with the enhancement as well as the maturation of the organs related to sex in which the fetus scrotum and penis is of utmost importance. It also deals with the deepening of the voice, growth of different kinds of hair of the body. Other than these male secondary sex characteristics, they also deal with the postnatal effects in the case of both males as well as females and in that case, they are dependent on the duration of the circulation of the testosterone.

Normally the effects of testosterone are more in male adults as compared to the female adults but they are equally important for both the sexes at the same time. However, it is a fact that testosterone level may decrease in the adult life in the later part.

Among other uses of testosterone, it is the highly important and necessary ingredient for the sperm development in males. This hormone helps in activating the genes in the cells for the differentiation of Spermatogonia. Testosterone provides the physical energy and it maintains the trophism for the muscles. If high androgen levels are found in females, then it makes the menstrual cycle irregular and abnormal and that can happen in the healthy women as well.

Testosterone plays an important role in the maintenance of cardiovascular health. If testosterone level in controlled in the elderly men, then it can decrease the total cholesterol level and decrease fat body mass. It is not known to cause any kind of deleterious effects on the cancer of prostrate. It can play a role in the fight responding time as well. Normally the men who have high level of testosterone are likely to have the high blood pressure and in that way their chances of getting heart attack decreases. However, they are more receptive towards injuries, infections transmitted sexually and other bad habits like smoking.

Along with many other uses, testosterone has its significance in medical use as well. Main use of testosterone is for the treatment of males who have the problem of endogenous testosterone production. This type of disease is known as hypogonadism. In this case, normally the treatment is done through the testosterone therapy in which the replacement is done and then the testosterone levels are maintained in the normal range. However, the replacement therapy may work well for some people, and in other cases, it may cause some problems. It can help in reducing the infertility, it can correct the erectile dysfunction and it can reverse the effects of anemia as well.

Testosterone is effective in giving treatment for the low libido level during the women post-menopausal. Sometimes, the strategies of testosterone are done to prevent loss of bone mass and to deal with any kind of depression. However, some women may face the side effects like increase in their weight and in that case their body fat is not increased but they may face some changes in muscle density. Another risk is that if a woman goes through testosterone therapy then they might face risk of getting breast or any other kind of gynecological cancers up to some extent.

There are many benefits and some adverse effects of testosterone therapy. It can really help in managing the diabetes of type 2. Sometimes, low testosterone level may increase the risk of diseases of high intensity, so therapy is necessary and advised in that case. However, it must important to note that some health risks are also involved with the testosterone therapy and prostate cancer may come apparent after few months of the testosterone therapy treatment.

Testosterone can also be very useful for athletes as well in order to improve their performance drastically. However, it is commonly considered as the doping case in many sports of players use the testosterone. Many other anabolic steroids including the testosterone can be used to strengthen the muscle development. If testosterone is used properly then it makes the fastening repair of the of the muscles fiber.

There are many methods that have been deployed for the detection of testosterone in the athletes and the most common one is the urine test. Among many administration routes for the testosterone the ones that are being used mostly commonly are injectables, buccals, transdermal creams, and some kinds of gels along with few others as well. It is believed that some other methods and nasal sprays will come soon for this purpose.

Trenbolone for Androgen Replacement Therapy

The use of the anabolic steroid trenbolone has a long history in the bodybuilding but it has never really been considered a steroid suitable for therapeutic use in medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved tren for use in humans. The media has often demonized it as a dangerous veterinarian steroid never intended for human use.

Joshua Yarrow and his colleagues at the University of Florida feel that trenbolone may be a viable alternative to testosterone for androgen replacement therapy.  The researchers report that trenbolone enanthate may have certain advantages over testosterone that may make it an appealing treatment option for some individuals. Bodybuilders may be familiar with many of these findings.

Trenbolone is not adversely affected by the aromatase or 5-alpha reductase enzymes that metabolize testosterone into estradiol and dihydrotestosterone, respectively. Bodybuilders have enjoyed tren for years precisely because they are able to avoid steroid side effects related to estrogen and DHT.
Yarrow reports that low-dose trenbolone enanthate effectively produces anabolic effects in muscle size and partially maintains bone mineral density without causing prostate enlargement or polycythemia in castrated laboratory rats.

Supraphysiological dosages of testosterone enanthate were required to produce anabolic effects similar to low-dose trenbolone administration. However, negative side effects of prostate enlargement and elevated hemoglobin became problematic at this dose of testosterone.

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) may be the current darlings of scientific research into alternative options for androgen replacement therapy, but University of Florida researchers are excited by the “SARM-like potential” of trenbolone.

They suggest that the actions of trenbolone are similar to selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). Low-dose trenbolone is called “SARM-like” because of the positive anabolic effects in muscle and bone without negative side androgenic side effects of prostate enlargement or polycythemia.
Trenbolone may have benefits over testosterone in terms of androgen receptor activation, the upregulation of growth factors such as IGF-1 and fibroblast growth factor, and anticatabolic mechanisms.

Competitive bodybuilders have often preferred using trenbolone in the weeks prior to a bodybuilding competition due to its purported effects at accelerating fat loss.
The current study confirmed that trenbolone has more potent lipolytic effects on visceral adipose tissue than testosterone milligram per milligram. Furthermore, visceral fat loss increased in a dose-dependent manner with trenbolone. In other words, the more tren used, the greater the fat loss. Trenbolone’s lack of aromatization, while generally desirable, has often been problematic for bodybuilders who have used trenbolone as the only steroid in a cycle. Therefore, most bodybuilders include an aromatizable steroid such as testosterone or Dianabol in their trenbolone steroid stacks.

Researchers also recognize that the lack of aromatization could be a potential problem if trenbolone is used alone in androgen replacement therapy. In their study, trenbolone only provided a partial bone protective effect when administered to castrated rats. The authors attribute this to the non-aromatizable nature of trenbolone.

They conclude that low-dose trenbolone enanthate treatment has SARM-like effects on muscle/fat body composition. Androgen replacement therapy with low-dose trenbolone could potentially produce anabolic gains comparable to supraphysiological testosterone treatment without the associated side effects. The therapeutic risk-benefit profile of low-dose trenbolone appears superior to supraphysiological testosterone treatment; however, additional research into this treatment option is necessary.

The researchers should be applauded for dispassionately and objectively researching the potential of trenbolone in androgen replacement therapy. Trenbolone is an anabolic steroid that has been demonized more than others due to its limited use (in pellet implants used by veterinarians to increase muscle growth in livestock). Fortunately, they looked past the political stigma associated with trenbolone to revisit a therapeutic use for an old steroid.

HCG benefits for bodybuilding and fitness

If you are looking for an extremely potent weight loss drug that does not lead to loss of muscle definition, which is a common issue with other drugs for weight loss, Human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG is the best performance enhancing drug for you.

One of the biggest benefits associated with use of HCG is that it can easily trigger metabolism by burning fatty substances into calories to improve the process of digestion that helps in melting bulges and chubbiness of the body. In addition to this, the performance enhancing drug is also used to suppress appetite by stimulating the hypothalamus, which further controls cravings for junks and deeply fried foods to prevent obesity.

HCG has the chemical formula of C11H19N3O6S and its chemical name is (2S)-2-amino-6-[[(2R)-1-(carboxymethylamino)-1-oxo-3-sulfanylpropan-2-yl] amino]-6-oxohexanoic acid. It includes 244 amino acids and has an active life of nearly 64 hours. Available in oral as well as injectable forms, human chorionic gonadotropin is also effective for improving circulation of blood in the body besides promoting immunity and stamina. When used for a period of three to six weeks, the drug can promote weight loss (around 20 to 40 lbs) besides treating men who are low on sperm count and young men with undescended testicles. Use of HCG in doses of 1500-3000 I.U. every fourth or fifth day is commonly associated with muscle mass, strength, stamina, performance, blood circulation, protein synthesis, and nitrogen retention improvements.

HCG should be used with great care as overdosing or abuse of it can lead to side effects like shortness of breath, erythema, urticaria, dyspnea, headache, and fatigue.