When first considering what steroid(s) to use, one will notice there are many different medications that fall under the category of anabolic/androgenic steroids. This has been the result of many years of development, where specific patients and needs are addressed with drugs that have specific characteristics. For example, some drugs are considered milder (less androgenic), and produce fewer side effects in women and children. Others are more androgenic, which makes them better at supporting sexual functioning in men. Some are injectable medications, and others made for oral administration. There are limits to this diversity, however. All AAS drugs activate the same cellular receptor, and as such share similar protein anabolizing properties. In other words. while different AAS drugs may have some differing properties, if your objective is to gain muscle mass and strength, this could be accomplished with virtually any one of the commercially available agents.
While all AAS drugs may be capable of improving muscle mass strength, and performance, it would not be correct to say there are no advantages to choosing one agent over another for a particular purpose Most fundamentally, the quantity and quality of muscle gained may be different from one agent to another in a general sense, AAS that are also estrogenic tend to be more effective at promoting increases in total muscle size. These steroids also tend to produce visible water tand sometimes fati retention, however, and are generally favored when raw size is more important than muscle
definition Drugs with low or no significant estrogenicity tend to produce less dramatic size gains in comparison, but the quality is higher, with greater visible muscularity and definition. In reviewing the most popular AAS drugs we can separate them into these two main categories as follows.
Mass (Bulking):
- Methandrostenolone – Oral
- Oxymetholone Oral
- Testosterone (cypionate, enanthate) – Injectable
Lean Mass:
- Boldenone undecylenate-Injectable Methenolone enanthate-Injectable
- Nandrolone decanoate-Injectable
- Oxandrolone – Oral
- Stanozolol – Oral
The early stages of AAS use usually involve cycles with a single anabolic/androgenic steroid. Building muscle mass is the most common goal, and usually entails the use of one of the more androgenic substances such as testosterone, methandrostenolone, or oxymetholone Those looking for lean mass often find favor in such anabolic staples as nandrolone decanoate, oxandrolone or stanozolol. First time users rarely welcome injecting anabolic/androgenic steroids, and will usually choose an oral compound for the sake of convenience Methandrostenolone is the most common choice for mass building and is almost universally regarded as highly effective and only moderately problematic (in terms of estrogenic or androgenic side effects). Stanozolol is the oral anabolic steroid most often preferred for improving lean mass or athletic performance
The potential for adverse reactions should also be considered when choosing a steroid to use, especially if AAS use is to be regularly repeated. For example, the listed oral medications present greater strain on the canfiovascular system, and are also liver toxic. For these reasons, the injectable medications listed are actually preferred for safety testosterone most of all Potential cosmetic side effects may also be taken into account. For example, men with a strong sensitivity to ginecomastia sometimes prefer non estrogenic drugs such as methenolone stanarolot, or oxandrofone. Individuals worried about hair loss on the other hand, may isolate their uie to predominantly anabolic drugs, such as nandrolone methenolone, and oxandrolone. A detailed review of personal goals, health status, and potential side effects of each drug is advised before committing to any AAS regiment
Dosage
The dosage used is important in determining the level of benefit received Anabolic/androgenic steroids tend to be most efficient at promoting muscle gains when taken at a moderately supratherapeutic dosage level. Below this (therapeutic potential anabolic benefits are often counterbalanced, at least to some extent, by the suppression of endogenous testosterone. At very high doses lexcessive supratherapeutici, smaller incremental gains are noticed (diminishing returns. In the case of testosterone enanthate or cypionate, for example, a dosage of 100 mg per week is considered therapeutic, and is generally insufficient for noticing strong anabolic benefits When the dosage is in the 200-600 mg per week range, however, the drug is highly efficient at supporting muscle growth (moderate supratherapeutic). Above this range, a greater level of muscle gain may be noticed, butthe amount will be small in comparison to the dosaje increase. Below are some commonly recommended dosages for the steroids listed earlier.
- Boldenone undecylenate: 200-400 mg/wk
- Methenolone enanthate: 200-400 mg/k
- Methandrostenolone: 10-30 mg/day
- Nandrolone decanoate: 200-400 mg/wk
- Oxandrolone: 10-30 mg/day
- Oxymetholone 50-100 mg/day
- Stanozolol: 10-30 mg/day
- Testosterone (cypionate. enanthate): 200-600 mg/wk
There are additional considerations other than the cost effectiveness of a particular dosage. To begin with, high doses of anabolic/androgenic steroids tend to produce stronger negative cosmetic, psychological, and physical side effects. In light of diminishing returns, the tradeoff between results and adverse reactions becomes less and less favorable. Gains made on lower doses also tend to be better retained after steroid discontinuance than those resulting from excessive intake. It is generally not realistic to expect that rapid double-digit weight gains induced by massive dosing will remain long after a cycle is over Slower steadier gains are advised. It is also very important to remember that higher doses aren’t always what are needed to achieve greater gains. An individual more focused on his or her training and diet will often make better gains on lower dosages of AAS than a les dedicated individual taking higher doses. With this understanding, AAS should only. considered when all other variables of training and diet have been addressed and always limited to the minimum dosage necessary to achieve the next realistic training/performance goal.