Types of Steroids: Testosterone Derivatives

It is extremely important to understand that Testosterone is utilized as the measuring stick (or the measuring bar) whereby all other anabolic steroids are measured against, referenced with, and compared to (much like the celsius scale of temperature measurement where the freezing point and boiling points of water are used as the baseline measurements for temperature). Upon understanding this, any individual can easily observe how a particular given anabolic steroid possesses an anabolic strength that might be several times s

Testosterone Analogues Or Testosterone Derivatives

As previously mentioned in the latter part of the introduction, all anabolic steroids in existence could ultimately be considered derivatives/analogues of Testosterone, but there are several direct derivatives of Testosterone that exist. Derivatives of Testosterone will of course possess and exhibit some or many of the same properties of Testosterone, and this can present both advantages and disadvantages which will be explained and covered in detail here. The very first officially created Testosterone analogue is Methandrostenolone (Dbol), followed by Boldenone (Equipoise). These two analogues will be utilized here as examples.

The general characteristics of Testosterone derivatives are very similar to that of Testosterone: they all exhibit the ability to aromatize into Estrogen (a characteristic shared with Testosterone itself), and they all exhibit the ability to interact with the 5-alpha reductase (5AR) enzyme to become reduced to a stronger androgen. Although they do not reduce into Dihydrotestosterone like Testosterone does, they still interact with the 5AR enzyme and reduce to their own respective individual stronger androgens (Dianabol will reduce into Dihydromethandrostenolone and Boldenone will reduce into Dihydroboldenone). However, the reduction of these analogues into their respective stronger androgenic metabolites differs from Testosterone in that they are reduced into very small trace amounts (usually the result of the structural modifications allowing these anabolic steroid analogues to possess a lesser affinity to bind to the 5AR enzyme).

In terms of the actual structural modifications, we will first examine Dianabol (Methandrostenolone). Dianabol is basically Testosterone that has been methylated at carbon 17-alpha on its structure (this is simply the addition of a methyl group at the 17th carbon). This process, known as C17-Alpha Alkylation, allows the anabolic steroid to be administered orally and still have a measurably strong effect on the body. Without this modification, it is impossible for any anabolic steroid to survive liver metabolism in significant enough quantities to promote any measurable effects in the body – the result is that extremely miniscule amounts of the anabolic steroid reaches the bloodstream to perform its job. Dianabol also possesses a double-bond between carbons 1 and 2. All of these modifications are what grant Dianabol with its increases in anabolic strength and reduced androgenic strength in comparison to Testosterone.

Equipoise (Boldenone) is very easy to describe after understanding Dianabol. Equipoise is simply Dianabol without the methyl group attached to carbon 17-alpha. EQ possesses the double-bond between carbons 1 and 2. The fact that these two hormones operate very differently in the body is quite evident that is a very strong indication that the addition of a methyl group (C17-alpha alkylation) to the 17th carbon does more than just affect the hormone’s resistance to breakdown in the liver – it actually changes the effects and properties of the anabolic steroid. Dianabol itself possesses moderate Estrogenic activity in the body, while Equipoise possesses low Estrogenic activity in the body. It is very evident that the structural modifications to Testosterone that result in both Dianabol and Equipoise grant one of them lower Estrogenic activity than Testosterone itself, but does not eliminate it. This is an example of what has been mentioned earlier about various properties and traits passed down from the parent/progenitor hormone to the analogue/derivative hormone, and that sometimes it will not always be expressed exactly the same.

Testosterone analogues, because of their ability to still exhibit Estrogenic activity at some level, will commonly be preferred by users as anabolic steroids that are utilized in bulking or mass-gaining cycles due to the fact that the water retention associated with it is typically undesirable during periods of cutting or fat loss. This is because the water retention can cause the physique to take on a bloated and soft look. Therefore, the use of compounds such as Dianabol is generally limited as such. But this is not to say that Dianabol cannot be utilized for fat loss or cutting. Any anabolic steroid can be utilized for any purpose. There is no such thing as the commonly claimed myth of ‘cutting steroids’, ‘fat loss steroids’, ‘bulking steroids’, or ‘lean mass steroids’. There exist no such possible things except for anabolic steroids that may be preferred for cutting, bulking, or lean mass depending on their attributes and properties that are associated with side effects that may be undesirable for the goal of cutting or bulking. This will be further explained in greater detail in the final section of this article, but it is important to touch upon this topic and leave this idea in the reader’s mind for the time being.

tronger (or weaker) than Testosterone (Testosterone’s anabolic and androgenic ratings are both respectively 100). The importance of the anabolic and androgenic strength ratings of 100 respectively is paramount to understanding the different strengths of the various types of steroids.

The Five Basic Stipulations of Proper Steroid Cycles and Responsible Steroid Use

1. No individuals under the age of 24 should engage in any anabolic steroid cycles what so ever.
2. Testosterone must be the very first and the ONLY anabolic steroid used in the very first beginner anabolic steroid cycle, and Testosterone must also be included in all cycles, no exceptions.
3. Cycle lengths should be kept as short as possible.
4. The lowest effective dose in order to provide gains should always be utilized before increasing doses.
5. An absolute minimum of stacked compounds (no more than 2 at any given time unless absolutely necessary) should be used in any given anabolic steroid cycle.

Detailed explanations of the five stipulations:

1. There is no specific age for each and every human that has been determined to be the age by which the human body and its subsystems (especially the endocrine system, which is our primary concern here) have fully matured and developed. The ultimate final age by which we all reach full growth and maturation is determined by our genetics and to a lesser extent, our lifestyle habits. Every individual’s genetic ‘programming’ is different, and therefore some individuals will fully mature at a younger age while others may reach full maturation at approximately 24 years of age, and others will perhaps mature at an even older age. It is general knowledge concerning the endocrine system that Testosterone levels in males are continually rising until the median average age of approximately 24 – 25 years old, at which point these levels reach their peak and begin to decline. The Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis (HPTA) which controls endogenous natural Testosterone production is a very sensitive network. Furthermore, there is no specific ‘test’ that one might be able to undergo in order to determine if he/she has reached full maturation of the human body’s subsystems. Therefore, the average median age by which almost all human beings reach maturity has been determined to be 24 – 25 years of age. Some may mature earlier (as mentioned earlier) and some later than this. By engaging in anabolic steroid cycles and introducing anabolic steroids to the body prior to the age of 24, the risks of severely and permanently disrupting and damaging the endocrine system is extremely high. Only after the age of 24 – 25 do the risks of considerable and permanent HPTA damage drop drastically.

2. Testosterone is literally the original anabolic steroid, produced naturally within all humans and most animal species. It is considered the safest anabolic steroid one could use for this reason, due to the fact that it is the hormone that each individual’s body already produces, already uses, and is already accustomed to. Therefore, the use of Testosterone for the purpose of performance and physique enhancement is simply the equivalent of introducing more of a hormone into the human body that it already manufactures and uses.

Furthermore, all first cycles for bare beginners to the world of anabolic steroids should always use some form of Testosterone-only as their very first anabolic steroid cycle. Solitarily run Testosterone cycles provide the user with a safe compound (Testosterone) that the human body is already accustomed to naturally, as all humans already produce Testosterone endogenously. This will allow the user to gauge their response to the most basic anabolic steroid, Testosterone. It is from this gauging process that individuals can assess their potential responses to other anabolic steroids, as the chances are that if an individual responds horridly to a basic Testosterone cycle, then there will likely be a higher chance of the individual responding even worse to most other compounds which are essentially modified analogues of Testosterone.

As explained above, solitary Testosterone-only cycles are the ideal beginner first-time anabolic steroid cycles. The problem with stacking multiple compounds in a beginner first-time cycle lies in the fact that it is quite a potentially dangerous practice. A hypothetical beginner who has never used anabolic steroids or whom has never run a cycle before would not know what to expect upon use. It stands to reason that if a stack of several different compounds are run for a first cycle and the individual reacts in a very negative manner (or experiences a particular very undesirable side effect), there will be no possible means for this individual to figure out which anabolic steroid is responsible for the bad reaction if a cocktail of several anabolic steroids have been stacked in one cycle. This would become possibly life-threatening if said reaction were to be a very serious mortal reaction (such as an allergic reaction, for example).

3. Duration of use is an extremely very influential factor but very easily understood, as it need not be explained that the longer a particular anabolic steroid cycle is run, the increased incidence of side effects will also present themselves as the duration of use becomes longer and longer. The recovery of natural endogenous Testosterone production also becomes increasingly difficult following the termination of an anabolic steroid cycle if a cycle is run for longer and longer lengths of time. Various anabolic steroids may exhibit higher degrees of HPTA suppression and shut-down than other compounds, but all anabolic steroids exhibit this effect of HPTA suppression and eventual shutdown as duration of use continues. Severely atrophied Leydig cells in the testes following extremely long cycles will have far greater difficulty re-engaging endogenous Testosterone production again due to desensitization to gonadotropins resultant of long-term suppression/shutdown. Ideal cycle lengths for short-estered anabolic steroids should be in the range of 8 – 10 weeks, and for long-estered anabolic steroids, 10 – 12 weeks. Any longer than this and the individual runs high risk of increasingly difficult HPTA recovery.

4. The issue of utilizing the lowest effective dose is simple: make progress with the lowest possible dose first, grow into this dose, and then increase the dose as required (which is on average, several cycles into beginner use). Many individuals (mostly beginners) tend to engage in extremely ludicrous activity whereby a brand-new first-timer will run 500mg/week on their first cycle, then proceed to 700mg/week on their second cycle, and then 1,000mg/week on their third, and so on and so forth. This is absolutely unnecessary, and, not to mention not very healthy at all. As mentioned earlier, many anabolic steroid users (both beginners and experienced users) severely underestimate the power of these hormones and most usually when individuals do things like that, it is because they claim their gains and progress has stopped. The culprit is usually a flaw in their nutrition or training (or both), not in how many mg per week of total steroid they are using. These details and concerns must be kept in mind. A very important detail for all individuals to understand in relation to anabolic steroid doses is that the human body only manufactures approximately 50 – 70mg weekly of Testosterone (depending on various factors such as age, lifestyle habits, genetics, etc.). Considering this, we can use logic to conclude that: 500mg is approximately 7 – 10 times the amount that the human body produces. Suffice to say, 300mg weekly should then be perfect for any first-time beginner cycle.

5. Quite simply put: the use of more than two compounds stacked in any given anabolic steroid cycle is completely unnecessary for the average casual recreational anabolic steroid user. The stacking of three or more compounds in a single anabolic steroid cycle is only necessary for competitive bodybuilders and professional athletes. Increasing the number of anabolic steroids utilized in a single cycle increases the weekly dose of total steroid, which thereby increases the risk and intensity for side effects tenfold, and presents increasingly harsh stressors on the human body

Things to Consider Before Starting a First Steroid Cycle

Discipline and dedication are principles that you are going to have to master if you are serious about bodybuilding, being consistent with your diet and training will help you succeed in achieving your goals. Don't have tunnel vision in thinking you will only build muscle if your taking Steroids, below are some of the main principles you need to consider before taking any anabolic steroids.

AGE
In humans endocrine system is not fully functional until an average age of 25yrs, although the main development is up to around 21yrs it still fluctuates a little bit up to its fully functional age. There is a risk of permanently damaging HPTA if you take steroids too young and you could end up with symptoms of andropause and HRT for life. Symptoms could be Limp dick, low libido, depression, low energy, low endurance, erection problems and many more but.......are these the types of symptoms you want to have in your 20's?. Believe me its hard to cope with these in your 40's yet alone in your prime of your life.

Around this age your Testosterone levels are the highest they going to be in your life naturally, so use what you have and don't take the risk of damage, I am passionate about this because I've seen it many times with young kids wanting to looking like their heroes and they think the answer is in an injection/tablet.

Taking steroids too young can also cause problems with development, one other main problem is premature sealing of your epiphyeal bone and the consequences mean that you wont grow as big as your genetics could allow you to, there is a test which can be done to see if your growth plates have sealed yet but the average age is around 21yrs old.

TRAINING
You need a few years of hard training under your belt before even considering taking any kind of anabolic support, people who jump on a steroid cycle to soon without having some quality years under their belt usually results in injuries, it takes time to develop your connective tissue, tendons and nervous system to heavy overload training. Slowly getting your own system use to these kinds of extreme's will only help in muscle growth later on when you do decide to start taking anabolic steroids.

Build a solid foundation for muscle tissue to grow and maintaining and development will be far greater than without it. Many younger guys will start cycling before they have reached their genetic potential which is crazy when a good solid diet and training program will be far beneficial and productive to muscle building.

Workouts should be mainly focused on basic movements with a priority of over loading the muscle each and ever time you train, increasing your strength and ability to lift in proper form will help with building the foundation for future development.

DIET
A lot of younger bodybuilders don't know how to eat. Researching and understanding how your own body responds will help you get to your natural limit, the right food at the right time and a full understanding of proteins, carbs, and fats will only help you succeed in achieving your natural goals. Keeping a diet diary will also help you understand the importance of macro, nutrients, calories and should help you see in which areas you could be going wrong in adding lean muscle tissue.

No matter how much anabolic support you have it will be worthless without proper nutrition, food will help build and maintain your valued muscle weather its natural, cycling or in PCT. Adjusting your food intake and consuming muscle building foods coupled with a solid training program will help you achieve your natural limit and foundation before you start Steroid use.

This area is a huge problem with the younger guys and I can't express enough how important diet/food is when first starting out, post and pre training nutrition are very important and understanding how to load and feed the body will help push growth and create a very natural anabolic environment.