Test E, Deca and DBol: The Bulking Stack

The purpose of this article is to educate the amateur bodybuilder on the correct set up of a powerful traditional bulking cycle; Test e, Deca, and Dbol. The use of Deca and Dbol has been long hailed as the mighty bulking cycle. Traditionally used as an off season cycle, the stack will do a wonderful job of adding muscle mass and letting the user come in at a heavier weight when reaching their goal body fat when cutting.

TESTOSTERONE ENANTHATE:

I have said it a million times before and I will say it again, testosterone is king. It is the foundation in which all cycles are built upon. Running any compound without the use of testosterone will leave you with hormone levels that are similar to a females. Testosterone Enanthate is a slower acting ester. With a 7 to 10 day half-life, it requires a less frequent dosing schedule to reach and maintain stable blood levels making it the better choice for beginner steroid users who may not be too fond of needles and do not want to do every day or every other day injections. Properly used, the injection schedule should be every 3.5 days on Monday and Thursday of the week. Dosages for testosterone enanthate range from a minimum of 400mg a week to 800mg a week for the average steroid user and cycles should be a minimum of 10 weeks due to the amount of time it takes to reach peak levels. More advanced users have been known to go over 1000mg a week, but one should be aware that it takes a lot of cycle experience to get to those levels. Longer estered testosterones like testosterone enanthate are known to cause more estrogen/aromatization side effects due to higher peak values over the course of the cycle. Proper AI/SERM precautions should be taken.

DECA DURABOLIN:

Deca has been the go to compound for bulking in bodybuilding amongst steroid users for years. Deca is a 19-nor compound. Its made from the same cloth as trenbolone. Consequently, it also shares many of the same issues as Tren. Being a 19-nor, deca is liver toxic. It also does not aromatize very well, but will cause a rise in progestin levels. Due to its ability to rise progestin levels, deca is known for causing libido issues or “deca dick.” Proper progestin/anti-estrogen drugs should be used to make sure you keep you from experiencing libido issues. It also will shut down natural testotsterone almost immediately with the first dose. Deca has as strong affinity to the androgen receptor and does great as an anabolic; it will raise both nitrogen retention and igf levels. Water retention does become an issue on deca, but the proper progestin drugs should keep it at bay. Deca is also known to help joint issues by storing water in the connective tissues and inproving collagen synthesis/mineral content. Some use the drug in low dosages such therapeutic effects. The recommended proper dosage for Deca is between 400-600mg a week. Though the ester connected to deca has a longer half life, its safe to inject deca on the same schedule as test e and c. In theory, deca can be injected once a week, but twice a week is the gold standard. Due to the highly suppressive nature of deca, its recommended that hcg be ran with the cycle.

DIANABOL:

Dbol is traditionally found in pill form. Like winstrol, Dbol is a 17aa oral steroid. 17aa orals are made the way they are to survive the first pass at the liver. Unfortunately, this makes dbol highly liver toxic (almost as toxic as winny). Dbol will also cause hypertension (a raise in blood pressure) so proper monitoring of your blood pressure should be maintained. Dbol is not the best at binding with the androgen receptor and most its effects are secondary. Dbol will suppress natural testosterone production. Many who are new to steroid use will try to do a Dbol only cycle. When dbol suppresses your natural production your levels start looking more like a females. Therefore, it should always be ran in a cycle with testosterone as a base. Dbol is said to be as strong as anadrol, though most will not see the same effects due to unequal dosages. Dbol is known as a kick start compound in cycles. Its ability to add weight comes on quickly and many people use it in the first 6 weeks of their cycle. Dosages range from 20-100mg a day, though an amateur user should stick to under 50mg to start.

The Cycle:

OK, lets set up a cycle for a first time user of these compounds combined. Keep in mind this isn’t a beginners cycle and stacking multiple compounds that you haven’t used in the same cycle may cause side effect and leave you wondering what the source of the issue was.

    Testosterone Enanthate 300mg twice a week   Week 1-12steroid muscle stack
    Deca 200mg twice a week Week 1-12
    Dbol 30-50mg a day Week 1-6
    HCG 500iu a week (250iu twice a week) Week 1-12

Post Cycle Therapy

    Clomid 100/50/50/50
    Nolva 40/40/20/20

Look Your Best with Deca

Deca-Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate), more affectionately known as Deca in bodybuilding and athletic circles, is another 19-nortestosterone drug, which means that it is a testosterone altered at the 19th carbon atom (nandrolone). It thus shares many of the characteristics of nandrolones, such as good binding with the Androgen Receptor (AR) making it a class I, fat-burning steroid and minimal androgenic effects. Next to the pioneering steroid Dianabol, Deca-Durabolin is considered the most popular drug for bodybuilders, as it has been used in bulking and cutting cycles.

The removal of the 19th carbon atom notwithstanding, nandrolones are much like testosterone in its anabolic and androgenic effects. Aside from being a strong AR agonist, nandrolones stimulate decanon-AR mediated responses such as increased protein synthesis which is responsible for the anabolic (muscle building) properties of the drug. New muscle is produced when the tube-like fibers in the muscle are broken (during training) which protein synthesis heals quickly and effectively by attaching protein molecules to the torn fibers. When compounds like nandrolone are present in the system, the stimulated fibers seek out every stray protein molecule, causing muscle mass buildup.

Deca also doesn't aromatize (convert to estrogen through the aromatase enzymes) like other nandrolones. Non-aromatization results in poor androgenic properties, which means there are minimal virilizing effects which are common from pure testosterone, like deepening of voice, oily skin, hair loss, acne and facial/body hair growth. In the human body, nandrolones convert to dihydronandrolone (DHN), a substance that has merely 20% potency compared to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the compound that results from aromatization of testosterone. It is for this reason that nandrolones are well-favored by bodybuilders, as the risk of gynecomastia for men and musculinization for women is minimal. However, when taking Deca alone, men run the risk of testicular atrophy, as the drug lowers luteinizing hormones secreted in the pituitary gland and may thus suppress or halt production of natural testosterone in the body.

Another characteristic in favor of Deca is its low toxicity to the liver. Being an injectable, it doesn't affect the liver as much as altered 17-carbon drugs like Dianabol do. Besides, it has been shown that Deca increases bone mineral content and collagen [1] [2], and some reports indicate increase in the water content of connective tissues, all of which help in alleviating joint pains, particularly after training. Nandrolones are also one of the few drugs that won't negatively affect the body's lipid profile (cholesterol) and is therefore safe to use for extended periods.

Deca is normally used with testosterone or its derivatives to add high-quality muscle mass in bulking cycles or to develop well-defined muscles in cutting cycles. The addition of testosterone is necessary to prevent erectile and sexual dysfunction associated with the suppression of luteinizing hormones. Current recommended dosage of Deca for a bulking cycle is up to 600mgs/week for a 12-16 weeks extended duration, together with 400mgs/week of testosterone and an anti-progestorenic drug such as Cabergoline. For a cutting cycle anabolic steroids like 400mgs/week of Deca and 400mgs/week of testosterone are ideal for 12-16 weeks. Of course, one must use ancillaries such as anti-progestorenic. For best results, stacking Deca with Masteron (drostanolone propionate) is well-advised for cutting cycles, as these drugs complement each other well in their anabolic effects and Masteron eliminates the need for anti-estrogen ancillaries.