All you should know about steroids to get the desired effect

After long and exhausting surfing the Internet trying to find some really useful information about steroids we were shocked about the almost complete absence of detailed information about useful moments of steroids taking for beginners. Together with the quite strange questions from beginners who even don’t have an idea of how does it work and whether anabolics designed for intravenous or intramuscular use, we found answers from the same dummies who have already taken the course or are going to do it but even don’t understand what they put into their bodies and how does this process work. So, we have a very ridiculous situation- with the great variety of websites where you can find all steroids that you need, there are no normal websites or articles about how to use them properly or where to start, which types of steroids are available nowadays and which of them to choose better.

What do we have? Some guy who has always dreamt about a cool body after some “advice from the professionals” – his friends in the majority of situations, buy something he doesn’t have an idea what it is and put it into his body. Time is going but the desired effect doesn’t come. Why? Because for serious changes and getting the desired result you need to prepare carefully for this. To read about different kinds of steroids, their influence on your organism, their way of work, correct dosage (not the dosage your friend told you but the really correct one!), possible side effects and other important peculiarities of the drugs taking.

A little recovered from the shock we decided to create a guide for beginners where each of them will be able to find the information which is necessary and useful and get the answers to all questions. If you decided to start taking steroids and are ready for great positive changes- welcome. You came to the right address. Let’s start our guide and discuss here all the most important stages of steroids taking and the most popular drugs available nowadays. Let’s go!

Steroid drugs: what is it and how did they appear?

Almost each of us nowadays knows what are the steroid drugs and what is their main effect on a human body but only some people know how did these drugs appear and for what purposes. In a far 1930, a group of scientists realized that the derivatives of Testosterone somehow increase the muscle growth in the lab animals. Initially, the main purpose of using these drugs was the treatment of debilitative disease among humans. Only twenty years later, with the help of professor John Ziegler humanity got a chance to look better with the appearance of the first steroid in the world, which name was Dianabol. It was an oral anabolic steroid which almost immediately began to be used among athletes in order to increase the strength of the muscles and their mass. After Dianabol, a lot of different steroids appeared which effect was similar to the initial drug.

All steroids have the similar chemical structure which consists of four carbon rings. With the different chemical alteration, the one thing that changes at the end is the androgenic and anabolic activity. The androgenic activity consists in the power of a drug influence on such male sexual characteristic as the appearance of hair on face, change of the voice and others. At the same time, the anabolic activity of the drugs consists in the noticeable increase of the mass and muscle growth.

The mechanism of the steroids action. Ok, now we have an idea what the steroid drugs are and how did they appear, now it’s time to clarify the way of their action. Most of the people know that “steroids somehow increase muscle mass” and for lots of them, it’s more than enough to know about these drugs. But if you want to sort out the way of the anabolics’ work and understand what does exactly happen with your body while steroids taking, we will explain you.

Actually, nowadays there is no special scheme of the steroids’ work, there are two most popular ways to explain the way of anabolics’ action. First of all, there are two different classes of steroids. Steroids of the “Class 1” binds the androgen receptors in the human body, thereby activating the protein synthesis. Due to this synthesis in the comparably short time period, you can achieve the significant increase of the muscle mass. Steroids of the “Class 2” also bind the androgen receptors in the human body but do this not at or slightly. The way of work of these drugs consists in the inhibiting of the glucocorticoids effect on the muscle tissue. Glucocorticoids synthesize the glutamine which causes the breakdown of the muscle tissue. Thus, taking the steroids prevent glutamine synthesis, thereby providing the anti-catabolic effect on our organism. Due to such effect, steroids of the “Class 2” are used for the treatment of diseases caused by glucocorticoids, such as osteoporosis. It isn’t proved officially but many specialists claim that the steroids of the “Class 2” are more effective in comparison with the steroids of the “Class 1” as they increase the muscle tissue to a greater degree.

These are two the most common explanation of the steroids work. However, there are still types of drugs which work isn’t based on the mechanism of binding the androgen receptors or inhibiting the glucocorticoids effect. Such steroids provide you with the desired effect by increasing the retention of sodium, chloride, nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium.

How to choose the correct ‘roid? Differences between steroids flavors. In this paragraph, we are going to consider some different anabolic steroids which are the most common to date. One of the most confusing things about steroids for the beginner is their name. As a rule, besides the long, unpronounceable in many cases, chemical name of the active substance of the drug, each steroid has its brand name and slang name. Most likely you have already heard some street and brand names of these steroids but didn’t get that these are the same drugs. You shouldn’t worry, there is nothing super difficult or incomprehensible in the steroids terminology, you will get used to it when immerse in this world. But now, when you are only on the way to start, we will simplify your life and write both chemical and brand names for the steroids discussed. Let’s go!

Steroid #1: Fluoxymesterone (same as Halotestin and Stenox)

This drug refers to the class of 17-AA steroids or 17-alpha-alkylated steroids. Of course, you don’t have a clue what it means. In plain language, the chemical substance of this drug was specially altered to withstand the metabolism of the liver thereby preventing the inactivation of a substances prior they can exert its effects. In case of absence of such alkylation much higher dosage will be needed to reach the desired effects. Fluoxymesterone is quite popular in the world of steroids due to its ability to increase the strength to a very high degree. But despite the strength increase, the muscle mass gaining is comparably low.

The half-life of this steroid is equal to ten hours. We will discuss later why this characteristic is important and need to be taken into account each time when you are going to use a certain drug. Another not less important characteristic of this drug is that Fluoxymesterone doesn’t aromatize. You should always check whether the drug aromatizes or not when reading the description of the steroid, otherwise, you may be unpleasantly surprised about breast tissue growth because of the increase of the estrogen (the female hormone) level in your body.

The dosage of this preparation, as a rule, vary from 2.5 mg to 40 mg per day. However, there are some cases when bodybuilders or other athletes who need to get the effect of the drug as soon as its possible use the dosage of 30 to 80 mg of this preparation per day.

Steroid #2: Methandrostenolone (same as Dianabol, Reforvit and Anabol)

This is also a 17-AA steroid which is famous as the first steroid which was used by athletes in a far 1950. In contrast to the previous drug, this steroid is aromatizable, which means that it can cause an increase in the estrogen level in your organism in case of overdose or incorrectly chosen course duration. The recommended dosage of this steroid is equal to 25-100 mg per day depending on whether you are going to use this preparation alone or in combination with some other steroids.

This preparation doesn’t bind with the androgens receptors very well, so it refers to the steroids of the “Class 2” which way of work is aimed on antagonizing of the catabolic glucocorticoids effects. As it was mentioned above, steroids of the “Class 2” are more effective, so Dianabol is popular among athletes and has a good reputation because of increasing of both strength and size of the muscles. The half-life of this steroid may vary from four to seven hours.

Steroid #3: Stanozolol (same as Winstrol)

The third steroid in our list also refers to the 17-AA steroids and can’t boast of a good binding with the androgen receptors in the human body. Thus, the mechanism of its work is similar to the Methandrostenolone and is aimed on the inhibiting the glucocorticoids effects.

The recommended dosage of this drug is from 2 to 6 mg per day, however as well as the previous drug, Stanozolol can be taken by bodybuilders in a dosage of 25-100 mg per day. The half-life of this steroid is longer than the previously described drugs have and is equal to 7-15 hours.

The great advantage of this steroid is that it doesn’t aromatize unlike the previously described drug. Another advantage of this anabolic is that it prevents the water retention in the organism by blocking the progesterone from binding with its receptors. Progesterone is the main reason why many of modern steroids cause the water retention in the athletes’ organisms. Stanozolol causes the moderate muscle mass gaining while the increase of the strength caused by its reception is impressively high.

Steroid #4: Methenolone Acetate and Enanthate (same as Primobolan)

With this steroid you shouldn’t worry about the estrogen level in your organism as it doesn’t aromatize. The clinical dosage of Methenolone is from 10 to 20 mg per day. Professional bodybuilders take from 60 to 140 mg per day or from 400 to 1000 mg per week.

This drug doesn’t bind well with the androgen receptors, so with it you can get the mild muscle mass gaining. However, such mild mass gaining is a good result because this steroid doesn’t cause a water retention. Many people (including bodybuilders) think that some steroids act much better than others because they cause a good mass gaining. However, in many cases a great part of this mass gained is water and after finishing the course, bodybuilders lose the water retained in muscles and claim that they lose a lot of their muscle weight. Thus, with almost total absence of the water retention, mild muscle mass gaining is more than just a good result.

Steroid #5: Oxandrolone (steroid is sold as Oxandrolona or same as oxandrolone powder)

As well as all previously mention steroids, this one also refers to 17-AA steroids. Oxandrolone binds well with the androgenic receptors but the necessary condition is its high doses. This is not an aromatizing steroid. This drug is well known among athletes not only because of its ability to increase strength but also because its “hardening” effect which consists in reducing of the subcutaneous fat. Many professional bodybuilders claim that it is the unique effect of the Oxandrolone and it reduced fat even better than Testosterone.

The half-life of this drug is around ten hours. The dosage of this steroid is equal to 1.25-80 mg per day. As well as other steroids, this drug can also be used among bodybuilders in a higher dosage. They may take this preparation in a dosage of 25-170 mg per day.

The anabolic abilities of this steroid are similar (and maybe even higher) than Testosterone’s, while androgenic side effects of this drug are minimal. The anabolic effect of the Oxandrolone is around seven times higher than methyltestosterone has.

Steroid #6: Oxymetholone (same as Anadrol)

The next steroid in our list of the most popular anabolics is Oxymetholone which most of the people know as Anadrol. This drug is in a quite high demand because of its high effectiveness. This preparation can significantly increase the strength of the muscles and their mass. Among other advantages of this steroid is that it doesn’t aromatize which is a very positive fact. However, this drug has some disadvantages also- Oxymetholone can cause the retention of water in the organisms of athletes. It occurs because of its progestogenic properties.

Today it is quite difficult to find a proven information about the half-life of this drug in the literature, so we just say that approximately this term can vary from seven to fifteen hours.

 What about the dosage of this preparation, you gonna ask? In the most cases, this steroid is taken in the dosage from one to six mg of preparation per one kilo of the mass of the athlete. So, according to this scheme, each bodybuilder can easily calculate the necessary dosage of the steroid which will not cause any side effects and bring the desired result.

Steroid #7: Nandrolone Decanoate and Laurate (is well known as Deca)

The seventh steroid in our list of guys which can help you to achieve the desired changes of your physical form is Nandrolone or as most of the athletes know it- Deca.

So, what do we have:

Good facts- this steroid doesn’t aromatize and bind with the androgenic receptors very well. Also, it helps you to get the high increase in strength and the muscle mass growth.

Bad facts-  this steroid has more advantages than disadvantages but some drawbacks still present. Among them is increased probability of the progestogenic effect when the higher dosages are used. It means that it can cause a water retention in your organism. To prevent this, it is highly recommended to use the correct dosage of this preparation.

First of all, note that this steroid should be taken once in three weeks or in a month (it depends on the course chosen). To prevent possible side effects and the water retention you should take from fifty to one hundred mg of this preparation. Professional bodybuilders take up to eight hundred mg of this steroid per week but if you are just a beginner, such dosage will not bring you anything except problems.

The duration of the half-life of this steroid varies from five to eight days.

Steroid #8: Testosterone Enanthate, Cypionate, Propionate, Suspension (many people call it "T")

Of course, how can we get without the world famous Testosterone and its varieties. We will start with the bad news- this steroid does aromatize. So, this means that the estrogen level in your organism may increase in case of incorrect dosage or duration of the course. Also, note that this drug causes a water retention but in comparison with other steroids, the level of this retention is not so high.

Among good news about this steroid is that it binds with the androgenic receptors in our bodies very well, thereby causing the good increase of muscles mass and their strength. However, many bodybuilders claim that to achieve the desired effect and get the high muscle growth comparably high dosages of the steroids are needed.

The half-life duration of this steroid is short and is equal to only ten-ninety minutes. Also, when you are going to take this anabolic, note that it may cause some side effects when is taken with other anabolics. Always check the compatibility of this drug with other steroids to avoid possible harm to your health.

The dosage of Testosterone varies depending on its type. For example, the Propionate Testosterone is taken in a quantity of five hundred-one kilo per week (by bodybuilders), while the Testosterone Cypionate is taken once in two or three weeks (depending on your course) in a quantity of two hundred- three hundred mg. For many years already, this steroid has occupied one of the TOP places in the list of the most popular steroids. This popularity is fully justified by its high effectiveness.

Vet and Human steroids. Quality and effects of each type

Now it’s time to speak where can you get the desired preparations. It isn’t so simple as it may seem from the first sight. Of course, you can’t just choose the largest guy in your favorite gym and just ask him “Hey dude, where do you buy your steroids?” In the best case, you will hear that you are totally crazy, in the worst…don’t forget that it’s the LARGEST guy in your gym. So here you have two ways to solve this problem- either ask friends (or even that large guy) but in a very discreet manner or check the veterinary version of the desired drugs.

Yeah, it may seem quite strange but actually, the majority of steroids nowadays are produced in a vet from and are much more available for purchasing. The great fact is that they work exactly as well as the “human” steroids. Many people say that it’s ridiculous to buy anabolics which initially were created for vet purposes but note that the active substance is the same in both the vet and human versions and it doesn’t matter whether it is written on a pack that it is a “vet” preparation or not. Ask any professional bodybuilder or expert who has used steroids for years and he will explain to you that nandrolone decanoate (or any other steroid) in a veterinary form will provide with the same effects as the human version.

There are two things that have to be noted when you take the “vet” steroids:

1. Dosage. However most of the modern companies who create such drugs for animals try to avoid under-dosage (because they know that the great part of their products is used by humans), you ALWAYS should check the dosage and be stick to the prescribed doses in your course.
2. Sterility. For the same reason as the previous fact, all companies try to do their best and to provide users with the sterile product. But an extra check does not hurt anyone, especially if you really care about your health and want to get the desired results without any side effects.

So, some simple facts that you should know when deciding which version of steroids to choose:

• Steroids for animals can be used by people;
• The effectiveness of the steroids remains the same even if you see that these steroids were designed as the veterinary products;
• There are no additional side effects in the vet version of steroids because the active substance remains the same;
• You should always check the dosage and sterility of the vet steroids when purchasing;
• It is much simpler to purchase the vet version of steroids nowadays.

Probably the most important issue - side effects of steroids. One of the most popular question of all beginners is about the possible side effects which may occur during or after the course of steroids taking. In this paragraph, we are going to reveal the truth and to break that terrible stories that you most probably have heard from your friends or guys at the gym. So, we will not hide the truth- side effects occur when taking steroids. However, their number and the influence on your health depends on many factors. Let’s firstly consider the most widespread side effects and how to cope with them.

Among the side effects which occur most often are: hair loss (or alopecia); gynecomastia; acne; water retention; edema.

Let’s consider each of these side effects separately.

Most often among the previously mentioned side effects acne occurs. Why? The main reason of acne occurring is the use of androgenic steroids. Here you have to memorize the main rule – if you don’t want this side effect to occur, try to take the steroids with the low androgenic activity. The more androgenic steroid is, the higher is the probability of acne occurring. What if you can’t avoid taking the anabolics which have a comparably high level of androgenic activity? In such case, you can use skin care products which include salicylic acid. Try to always keep your skin clean and use such products, and acne will not disturb you.

Another side effect which disturbs all athletes-beginners and doesn’t let them sleep at night is gynecomastia or in simple words – enlargement of a men’s breast. Why does it occur? In the most cases, the main reason for occurring such unpleasant side effect is taking steroids which do aromatize. Always check this characteristic when choosing the certain drug. There are two ways to cope with this problem – either stop taking the aromatizable steroids or, if you can’t avoid taking such drugs, use of Nolvadex (or Clomiphene).

Alopecia or in simple words – hair loss. You can overcome this problem by taking the special drug- Propecia. Usually, this drug is compatible with the steroids and can be taken together with them during the course without side effects.

The problem of water retention will disappear if you use the steroids which don’t aromatize. Also, check the sodium intake when taking steroids because its excessive level may lead to the increase of a water retention.

To sum up all mentioned above, we want to conclude that ninety or maybe even ninety-five percent of that terrible stories which you have heard about side effects when taking steroids are fictional or too exaggerated. If you plan your course paying a great attention to all steroids you are going to take and check their characteristics carefully, you will significantly minimize the probability of side effects occurring.

Safe and effective – is it real? How to choose the best cycle?

So, is it a myth that you can choose the safe course with the high effectiveness? Actually, no. Generally, there are two main components of the safe steroids course which will not cause harm to your health or which gives you the minimal risk of the side effects. These components are: safe steroids + short duration of the course.

However, if you want to find the steroids which will not cause any harm to your health or don’t have any negative influence on your organism, we will disappoint you – there are no such steroids. You can find anabolics with the minimal negative effects but completely safe steroids it’s a myth. This is the nature of these preparations and should remember that the higher is the steroids’ effectiveness, the higher is their negative influence on your health. When we say “safe” steroids we mean steroids with the minimal probability of the side effects occurring. The one rule which is well known among all professional bodybuilders and experienced athletes is that you can’t avoid risk when taking steroids. Just put up with this and try to minimize it. That’s all you can do.

Nevertheless, you still can combine steroids and choose the cycle which will have a high effectiveness and at the same time be comparably safe. To help you sort out which steroids are “safe” (let call them safe but you know what we mean) and effective, thus they can be used in your cycle to achieve the most successful results and not to cause serious harm to your health, we will consider representatives of the most popular steroids and evaluate them by two categories: side effects and effectiveness (which means the strength and muscle mass growth). Let’s go!

When checked this table you may evaluate the ratio of effectiveness level and possible side effects of each of the most popular steroids. The one thing that should be also mentioned is that the effectiveness level shown in this table belongs to the recommended dosage of the drugs. You can increase it by increasing the dose of anabolics taken but in such case, you have to take into account that with the dose increase the probability of side effects and risk of the negative influence on your health will rise also.

How to construct an optimal course of steroids? Examples. Prior choosing the dosage you are going to take you should clearly think through two main things: what results you are aimed at and what steroids you want to take. We hope that the first thing doesn’t need an explanation, while the second one should be carefully considered because of the side effects and results provided by each type of steroids.

When you finally checked all pros and cons and decided which steroids suit your requirements you should combine them correctly. If you want to achieve the high level of effectiveness, you should combine two steroids which have an absolutely different way of action. Thus, complementing each other they will provide you with the more noticeable results.

For example, the combination of a nandrolone + stanozolol will be better and more effective than nandrolone + oxandrolone. Why? Because of both oxandrolone and nandrolone act by binding with the androgenic receptors of your body, while the nandrolone and stanozolol act differently. Below there are some examples of a successful combination of different steroids and their recommended dosage, so you may choose the one among these “recipes” and be sure that it will work.

Now it’s time to explain you about the duration of half-life period of the drug and why it is so important when taking steroids. Let’s see: on the first day you injected for example 450 mg of the drug, then on the seventh day in your organism approximately 225 mg of this drug will remain in the active condition. After that, you again inject 450 mg of the drug and now you have already 675 mg of the active substance in your bloodstream.

When you know the approximate duration of the half-life of the drug you can evaluate how much active substance is still in your organism. As a rule, there isn’t a clearly defined duration of this period because it depends on human’s weight and some other parameters.

How much? The question “how much” as a rule follows the list of questions about the side effects of steroids and possible ways to avoid or limit them. Actually, there is no clear answer on this question because it depends on many things. First of all, it depends on the manufacturer of the steroids. Also, it can vary depending on the place you bought it or maybe you bring the drug from other country by yourself? In such case, it will cost you much cheaper in comparison with the price offered by the dealer.

It’s up to you where and what steroids to buy, the one thing that is important here is that you shouldn’t economize on quality. If someone offers you suspiciously cheap steroids, think twice prior purchasing them and evaluate all possible consequences of such deal.

Your “new friends” or the necessary toolbox

So, one more thing that you have to get used to is that when starting your steroids course you will need some additional tools which will become your “new friends” up until the end of the course. What should you have in your “toolbox”?

First of all, syringes. If you are going to take only oral steroids you can skip this paragraph but if you gonna use injectable steroids you can’t do without them. Where to buy them? In the most cases, you will be able to buy syringes with all other necessary stuff (like cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol) in the local pharmacy. However, this scheme will not work if you live in a place where you can purchase such things only with the prescription from the doctor. In such case we advise you to look around well, you will definitely find what you need. As a rule, in a pharmacy, no one will ask you about the purpose of such purchase but if you meet up too curious pharmacist you can always say him that you need this stuff for your replacement therapy. Ok, hope the answer to the question “where” you got. Next question- “which type” of syringes do I need? You will need a syringe in a range from one to one and a half inch with 22-25 gauge. Some of the bodybuilders also use special insulin needles. In case of using such syringes, you need to note that because of their narrow size, you should inject the drug very slowly, it will take you around the minute.

Next thing in your toolbox will be a kit of a special additional drugs without which your steroids course will not be effective and harmless enough. Among these drugs are: Tamoxifen (same as Nolvadex), Clomiphene and, possibly, Anastrozole. You can choose between Tamoxifen and Clomiphene, their way of action is similar, so it’s up to you which one to purchase. Why should you use them? First of all, if you take the steroids which do aromatize, you will not get without these guys unless you want to look like Pamela Anderson. You know what we mean, right? Either Clomiphene or Tamoxifen prevent increasing the estrogen level when taking the aromatizable steroids, thereby saving you from the increased breast. Instead of these drugs you can also use Anastrozole which will provide you with the same result. Here you should note that its price comparably expensive. However, it can be a good alternative to both Clomiphene and Tamoxifen. In case if you use the steroids which don’t aromatize you still need some additional preparations to recover the natural level of Testosterone in your organism. To do this you need to take Clomiphene. Also, you can use the Tamoxifen but note that you will need higher doses. So, two guys without which you shouldn’t start your steroids course are Tamoxifen and Clomiphene. With them, you will get the desired result without unpleasant surprises from your organism and harm to your health.

Conclusion words. Ok, guys, we are close to finish of our review. Here we tried to discuss all important information which is necessary to start a safe and effective course of steroids. The one thing which we think is the most important for each beginner is information. If you just going to start your steroids cycle and don’t know enough about these guys, try to read as much information about this, as it’s possible. The more you know, the less harm you can cause to your health and the more significant results you will get at the end. Advice from your friends, guys at the gym or other “specialists” is valuable but don’t forget that this is your health and the one person who responsible for it is you, no one else. Carefully evaluate all pros and cons of each steroid, try to read about the mechanism of its action and compatibility with other preparations. Don’t forget to check all possible side effects and try to sort out what to do to prevent their appearance. Don’t purchase cheap drugs from the unproven dealers. Be stick do dosage and all other recommendations about the steroids taking. The desired goal is real and you can achieve it without any problems if you will take all this with full responsibility. Good luck to you! Try, improve and don’t stop!