I claim NO responsibility for any of these posts. I have just took the best from the newbie thread and other sources and posted them in here. If you cannot find out how to grow muscle naturally, you should not even be considering steroids. Be at least 21, preferably around 23-25, and have trained for 4-5 years consistently and seriously.
You should have added at least 30 lbs of LBM naturally before you even consider trying to put it on with steroids. These drugs are not magic, they will not make your fat\lazy or skinny\lazy ass big and strong. For the love of God, read this forum or at least pick up a damn book if you are seriously interested in steroids. Sorry for the long post, I will break it up into 5 parts.
Source: http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=354419
- “What are the potential side effects of AAS use by teenagers?”
Teenagers have a very unstable endocrine system; the slightest amount of steroids will affect it greatly. The use of steroids during puberty will definitely stunt your growth. Steroids will close the epiphysials (growth plates) in your bones, causing them to stop growing.
So the height you are at when you start juicing will be the height you are at for the rest of your life. Also, steroid use during adolescence can potentially cause impotence and infertility, so if you want to be able to have kids, or even just plain old have sex when you get older you better think twice before injecting that needle or popping that tab!
- “I found an online pharmacy that says it is legal to order anabolic steroids from there, is this true?”
Definitely not! If you live in the United States, it is illegal to use, buy, sell, or possess steroids. Do not believe any “internet pharmacy” that says it is legal. Most of these pharmacies are run by feds who are looking for some stupid newbie to come along and order something with their home address using their credit card.
- “If I use steroids, I can slack off in the gym and still get huge.”
This is a common misconception with uneducated lifters who are looking to juice. Steroids are not a shortcut! Steroids simply increase the rate of protein synthesis in the body, which is useless unless you are forcing your muscles to use protein for repair. Also, by increasing protein synthesis you obviously need to take in more protein to be synthesized!
Amateur lifters should not use steroids, experienced lifters who have a very solid foundation of muscle and cannot achieve much more naturally should only use steroids.
- “I’ll start my cycle now, and in a few weeks when I need my other package, it would have already came in.”
Never start a cycle until you have all the gear needed to complete the cycle. I always recommend people to order a little extra of whatever they are using, just incase a vial breaks or some other mishap occurs. These are your hormones, and by stopping abruptly in the middle of a cycle can severely damage your endocrine system!
Also, you should have all necessary anti-estrogens and post cycle recovery. If gyno starts to appear, and you do not have any anti-estrogen, it’s going to be too late before you get some.
- “I do not want to inject, is it ok if I run Dianabol at 40mg/day for 10 weeks?”
No, oral cycles are not the way to go for a number of reasons. For one, they are very hard on the liver. Any type of 17aa steroid, Dianabol, Anadrol, Winstrol, etc. should not be run for any longer than 6 weeks. Another reason for needing injectibles is due to the half-life of orals, which is very short.
The half-life for Dianabol is 4-6 hours; this means that after coming off of a high dosage one day, the next day you are at next to nothing. This is very hard on the endocrine system, and you will not be able to retain much of the gains after the cycle is over.
Ohh and notice how I said oral CYCLES… not just ORAL 
because we all know ORAL is always good!
- “What is a good beginner’s cycle?”
The following cycle is what I like to recommend to any newbie asking for a sample bulking cycle. It will allow for great gains in mass and strength, along with letting the user learn how well his body reacts to juice.
Weeks 1-8: 500mg Test/week
Weeks 1-8: 400mg Equipoise/week
Weeks 1-4: 30mg Dianabol Every Day
Make sure you have arimidex or proviron on hand during the cycle, and nolvadex and/or clomid for post-cycle.
==========================
Here is a list of Slang that is commonly used:
ALA= Alpha Lipoic Acid
AS = Anabolic Steroids
AR = Androgen Receptor
BA = benzyl alcohol
BB = BodyBuilder/BodyBuilding/Benzyl Benzoate
BRO = You and I
CASE = The body part of a syringe
CC = cubic centimeter (one thousandth of a liter)
CLEN = Clenbuterol
CNS = Central Nervous System
CYP = Testosterone Cypionate
DART =Syringe/Needle
DBOL = Dianabol (Methandrostenolone)
DECA = Nandrolone Decanoate
DHT = Dihydrotestosterone
DNP = Dinitrophenol
DRINK WINNY = Yes you can drink Winny
ECA = Ephedrine/Caffeine/Aspirin
ED = Every Day
ENTH = Testosterone Enanthate
EOD = Every other day
E3D = Every third day
EQ = Equipoise (Boldenone Undecylenate)
FINA = Finaplix (Trenbolone Acetate)
GEAR= steroids
GH = Growth Hormone
GHB = GAMMA HYDROXYBUTYRATE
GYNO = Gynomastica (Bitch tits)
HGH = Human Growth Hormone
HPTA = Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis
IGF = Insulin Growth Factor
INJ = Inject, Injection
LH = Leutenizing Hormone
MCG = Micrograms
MG = Milligrams
ML = Milliliters
NYC = Norephedrine Yohimbe Caffiene
NOLVA = Nolvaldex
OTC = Over the counter
PIN = Needle
PRIMO = Primobolan, Primobolan Depot
PROP = Testosterone Propionate
SLIN = Insulin
SUST = Sustanon
T3 = Thyroid Hormone
TEST = Testosterone
TREN = Trenbolone
WINNY = Winstrol-V (Stanozolol)
17 AA = 17 Alpha Alkylated
1cc = 1ml
CRS = Can’t remember Shit
ot = off topic
O/T = off topic
LOL = Laugh out loud
LMAO = Laughing my ass off
LMFAO = laughing my fucking ass off
ROFLMAO = Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off
ROFLMFAO = Rolling on the floor laughing my fu(king ass off
ROFLMGDMFAO = rolling on the floor laughing my god damn mother fucking ass off
BTW = By the way
IMO = In my opinion
IMHO = In my humble opinion
IMHO = In my honest opinion
WTF = What the fuck
stfu = shut the fuck up
An important consideration when planning a steroid cycle, in particular the timing of dosing to be administered, is the active half-life of the drug being employed.
The half-life may be defined as the time (t) the level is half of the starting level of a given compound; at time 2t, the level is a quarter of the starting level, and at time 3t, the level is an eighth of the starting level, and so on.
This information is vital in the timing of the dosing when attempting to achieve a more stable blood concentration, which leads to greater overall results and maintenance of gains. Some fluctuations of concentration levels are acceptable, and are also mostly unavoidable, but should be kept to a minimum.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some of these half-lives were declared to be inaccurate, assume them as general estimates.
Oral steroids
Anadrol / Anapolan50 (oxymetholone) 8 to 9 hours
Anavar (oxandrolone) 9 hours
Dianabol (methandrostenolone, methandienone) 4.5 to 6 hours
Methyltestosterone 4 days
Winstrol (stanozolol)
(tablets or depot taken orally) 9 hours
Depot steroids
Deca-durabolin (Nandrolone decanate) 15 days
Equipoise 14 days
Finaject (trenbolone acetate) 3 days
Primobolan (methenolone enanthate) 10.5 days
Sustanon or Omnadren 15 to 18 days
Testosterone Cypionate 12 days
Testosterone Enanthate 10.5 days
Testosterone Propionate 4.5 days
Testosterone Suspension 1 day
- Winstrol (stanozolol) 1 day
*Winstrol depot does not actually possess a classical half-life because it is un-esterified. Instead, the microcrystals dissolve slowly. Once they have all dissolved levels of the drug fall very rapidly. It is still an important consideration.
Steroid esters
Formate 1.5 days
Acetate 3 days
Propionate 4.5 days
Phenylpropionate 4.5 days
Butyrate 6 days
Valerate 7.5 days
Hexanoate 9 days
Caproate 9 days
Isocaproate 9 days
Heptanoate 10.5 days
Enanthate 10.5 days
Octanoate 12 days
Cypionate 12 days
Nonanoate 13.5 days
Decanoate 15 days
Undecanoate 16.5 days
Ancillaries
Arimidex 3 days
Clenbuterol 1.5 days
Clomid 5 days
Cytadren 6 hours
Ephedrine 6 hours
T3 10 hours
A practical example is if one was to inject 100mg of testosterone propionate and allow blood levels to peak. In 4.5 days time (half-life duration from the above tables) and providing no other injections had taken place, the level would be reduced to 50mg. Again, a further 4.5 days down the line and levels would have dropped to 25mg, and the value keeps halving every 4.5 days.
===========================
As well as the ester chain having an effect on the half-life of the AAS it also effects the concentration.
100mg of Testosterone Propionate contains more Testosterone (84mg) than 100mg of Testosterone Enanthate (72mg). So if you were taking a total of 1000mg of a Test ester a week, then it would be 840mg if Test.Prop was used but only 720mg if Test.Enanthate which is an extra 17%.
The following shows how much testosterone is in 100mg and the figure in parenthesis is the ester chain molecular weight (MW) in case you which to apply this to nandralone, trenbolone e.t.c. All you need is the MW of that steroid.
Testosterone (suspension) 100mg
Test. Prop 84mg (56.1)
Test. Isocaproate 75mg (98.2)
Test. Enanthate 72mg (112.2)
Test. Cypionate 70mg (124.2)
Test. Phenylpropionate 69mg (132.2)
Test. Decanoate 65mg (154.3)
Test. Undecanoate 63mg (168.3)
By: William Llewellyn
O.K. You have been on an awesome 4-month cycle of Sustanon and Dianabol. You?ve gained a massive 20 lbs, and are extremely pleased with your results. You can?t stop looking in the mirror. But there is a problem now starting to eat away at you. You are going to run out of steroids very soon (you know you need a break anyway), and your testicles are the size of raisins.
Your body is producing less testosterone than a 9-year-old girl, and you are scrambling to figure out what to do to avoid a nasty post-cycle crash that could potentially strip away some of your hard-earned muscle. The opinions on how to restore endogenous testosterone production post-cycle seem to be different everywhere you look.
What option is best? Without an understanding of exactly what is going on in your body, and why certain compounds help to correct the situation, choosing the right post-cycle program can be quite confusing. In this article I would therefore like to discuss the role of anti-estrogens and HCG during this delicate window of time, while detailing an effective strategy for their use.
The Axis
The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis, or HPTA for short, is the thermostat for your body?s natural production of testosterone. Too much testosterone and the furnace will shut off. Not enough, and the heat is turned up, to put it very simply. For the purposes of our discussion here we can look at this regulating process as having three levels.
At the top is the hypothalamic region of the brain, which releases the hormone GnRH (Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone) when it senses a need for more testosterone. GnRH sends a signal to the second level of the axis, the pituitary, which releases Luteinizing Hormone in response.
LH for short, this hormone stimulates the testes (level three) to secrete testosterone.
The same sex steroids (testosterone, estrogen) that are produced serve to counter-balance things, by providing negative feedback signals (primarily to the hypothalamus and pituitary) to lower the secretion of testosterone when too much of this hormone is sensed.
Synthetic steroids, of course, suppress testosterone the same way. This quick background of the testosterone-regulating axis is necessary to furthering our discussion, as we need to first look at the underlying mechanisms involved before we can understand why natural recovery of the HPTA post-cycle is a slow process. Only then can we implement an ancillary drug program to effectively deal with it.
Testicular Desensitization
Although steroids suppress testosterone production primarily by lowering the level of gonadotropic hormones discussed above, the big roadblock to a restored HPTA after we come off the drugs is surprisingly not the level of LH itself.
This problem is made clearly evident in a study published in Acta Endocrinologica back in 1975(1). Here blood parameters, including testosterone and LH levels, were monitored in male subjects whom were given testosterone enanthate injections of 250mg weekly for 21 weeks.
Subjects remained under investigation for an additional 18 weeks after the drug was discontinued. At the start of the study, LH levels became suppressed in direct relation to the rise in testosterone, which is to be expected. Things looked very different, however, once the steroids had been withdrawn (see Figure I).
LH levels went on the rise quickly (by the 3rd week), while testosterone barely budged for quite some time. In fact, on average it was more than 10 weeks before any noticeable movement started.
This lack of correlation makes clear that the problem in getting androgen levels restored is not the level of LH, but in fact testicular atrophy and desensitization to this hormone. After a period of inactivation the testes have apparently lost mass (atrophied), making them unable to perform the workload required by heightened levels of LH.
Post-Cycle LH Levels
Post Cycle Testosterone Levels
Figure I. LH and Testosterone measurements starting 1 week after the last injection of 250mg of testosterone enanthate (pretreated measures were 5 mU/ml and 4.5 ng/ml respectively).
Note that between weeks 1 and 5, as testosterone levels are declining due to the cessation of exogenous androgen administration, LH levels are already rebounding. From weeks 5 to 10 testosterone levels are at or very near baseline, to spite the substantial LH levels by this point. No significant increase in testosterone is noted until after the 10-week mark.
The Role Of Anti-Estrogens
It is important to understand that anti-estrogens alone do not do much to restore endogenous testosterone release after a cycle. Normally they only foster LH by blocking the negative feedback of estrogens, and we now see that LH rebounds quickly without help anyway.
Plus, post cycle there is not an elevated level of estrogen for anti-estrogens to block, as testosterone (now suppressed) is a major substrate used for the synthesis of estrogens in men. Serum estrogen levels will actually be lower here as a result, not higher.
Any estrogen rebound that occurs post-cycle likewise happens concurrently with a rebound in testosterone levels, not prior to it (note there is an imbalance in the ratio post cycle, but this is another topic altogether). We are seeing no mechanism in which anti-estrogenic drugs can really help here.
We can see why this fact would not be difficult to overlook, however. The medical literature is filled with references showing anti-estrogenic drugs like Clomid and Nolvadex to increase LH and testosterone levels, and in normal situations these drugs do indeed increase endogenous androgen production by blocking the negative feedback of estrogens.
Combine this with the fact that just as many studies can be found to show that steroid use lowers LH levels when suppressing testosterone, and we can see how easy it would be to jump to the conclusion that post-cycle we need to focus on restoring LH.
We would miss the true problem of testicular desensitization unless we were really looking into the actual recovery rates of the hormones involved. When we do, we immediately see little value in using anti-estrogenic drugs.
HCG
So we now see, contrary to the dominating opinion of the times, that anti-estrogens alone will do little to raise testosterone levels in the early weeks of the post-cycle window. This leaves us to focus on a very different level of the HPTA in order to hasten recovery: the testes. For this we will need the injectable drug HCG.
If you are not familiar with it, HCG, or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, is a prescription fertility agent that mimics the bodies own natural LH.
Although the testes are equally desensitized to this drug as LH (they both work through the same mechanism), we are administering it as a measured drug and are therefore not constrained by the limits of our own LH production. We similarly can use HCG to provide a bolus dose of LH (of our choosing), which works only to augment the recovering LH levels we already have in the body.
In essence we are looking to shock them with an overwhelmingly high level of LH activity, coming from both endogenous and exogenous sources.
We want it to reach a level far above what our body, even when supported by anti-estrogens, could possibly do on its own. The result can be a rapid restoration of original testicular mass and functioning, which would allow normal levels of testosterone to be output much sooner than without such an ancillary program.
What we are looking at now is HCG actually being the pivotal post-cycle drug, while anti-estrogens are relegated to a supportive role at best.
Finalizing The Program
An ideal post-cycle recovery program will focus on two things really. The first is hitting the testes hard with HCG. It is important, however, not to overuse this drug. Taken for too long, or at too high a dosage, the LH receptor will actually become desensitized to LH(2), which may further exacerbate our post-cycle problem instead of helping it (this is why I am not in favor of regular HCG use on-cycle).
My experience with HCG has led me to feel comfortable using it for a course of three weeks, at a dosage of maybe 5000-7500IU weekly.
Often the last week I limit the dose to 2,500IU, unless the cycle has been particularly long or potent. This is timed so at least half of the total administered drug dosage will be given when there is still exogenous steroid in the body. On our graph above this would be at about the 3-week mark after the last injection of testosterone.
This will give the testes some time to get back into shape before the baseline is actually hit with T levels. Secondly, Anti-estrogens are used to play a supportive role at the same time, so 20mg of Nolvadex or 50-100mg of Clomid would typically be added (my last article for Mind and Muscle discusses the comparative differences with these two agents).
This is to combat the suppressive effects of estrogen as testosterone levels start to go back up, as well as potential side effects (HCG has been shown to increase testicular aromatase activity as well (3)).
Although in the first couple of weeks the anti-estrogen does little, it may indeed be helpful when testosterone levels actually start to get back up near normal.
To further stimulate the HPTA, and support continuingly high LH levels, the anti-estrogen remains to be used for 2 to 3 weeks after the HCG therapy has been stopped. A sample program, as it would be instituted in our sample post-cycle window, is provided below.
Sample Post-cycle Plan:
Week Amount
Week 3: 5000IU HCG total + 20mg Nolvadex daily
Week 4: 5000IU HCG total + 20mg Nolvadex daily
Week 5: 2500IU HCG total + 20mg Nolvadex daily
Week 6: 20mg Nolvadex daily
Week 7: 20mg Nolvadex daily
Week 8: 20mg Nolvadex daily
In Closing
I hope this article provided a well-needed new look at the mechanisms involved in post-cycle testosterone recovery. Indeed I believe it should debunk a commonly held belief these days, as we seen now that those advocating the sole use of Clomid post cycle are sorely missing the mark. The problem goes much deeper than just getting LH levels back.
In fact, we see that LH doesn?t even need much help kicking back into gear, and a drug like Clomid will do very little to help this anyway in the absence of significant estrogen levels anyway. HCG is a drug with undeniable usefulness during the post-cycle window, and many bodybuilders have been much too quick to abandon it.
It is truly fundamental to an effective recovery program, and would not consider any dose or combination of anti-estrogens or aromatase inhibitors capable of doing the job without it.
Measurements:
cc = cubic centimeter
ml = milliliter
mg = milligram
g = gram
IU = international unit
Notes:
-
“cc” and “ml” measure the VOLUME of a chemical.
-
“mg” and “g” measure the WEIGHT of a chemical.
-
a “cc” and a “ml” are EQUAL in volume.
-
100 IU and 1cc/ml are EQUAL in volume.
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Steroid References and Resources: -
William Llewellyn books: Anabolics 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 (soon)
-
The Steroid Bible
-
The World Anabolic Review (WAR)…an oldie but a goodie.
-
Legal Muscle
-
Chemical Muscle
==========================
In response to site-injection questions:
I have read that you can inject into the biceps, triceps peak, top of triceps horse shoe, lateral delts, rear delts, glutes, thighs, and on some occassions, I have even heard of injecting in the lats and calves.
According to Chemical Muscle Enhancement, “any muscle could have been untilized for targeted site injection protocols.” The Author also notes that smaller muscles respond best to this technique, so he recommends delts, bi’s, and tri’s.
Also, never train a muscle that received an injection that day or the day before. IE, if you are going to train bi’s, wait until after your workout to inject the bi’s.
“It is important to do site-injections after the workout so as not to disturb the newly expanded muscle fiber area.” You will often be sore, but much, much larger.
According to the same author, “once had seen biceps that had been site injected a few hours before an arm workout, the bruising that developed looked like snake bites.”
The author recommends the following site injection protocol (remember to inject after the workout):
Day 1 Train legs, inject Tricep belly
Day 2 Train Chest, inject Triceps horse shoe
Day 3 Train Back, inject Biceps Peak
Day 4 Rest, Inject Lateral delts
Day 5 Train Arms, Inject Biceps Peak
Day 6 Train Shoulders/Traps, Inject Lateral Delt
Day 7 Rest, Inject Biceps Peak
Notice that he only injects in the bi’s, tri’s, and delts. Again, this is because he feels that smaller muscle groups get better results during site injections than larger muscle groups. But you can easily modify this protocol to meet your training schedule and if you want to rotate to the glutes and thighs.
Just remember to always aspirate.
Injection Technique example:
- Take a shower with soap
- Run vial under hot water till it feels luke warm
- Swab top of vial with alcoholic pad
- Swab injection site
- Take syringe/needle out of wrapper w/ 23g needle
- Draw 2 ccs of air into it
- Inject the 2 ccs of air into vial
- Turn vial upside down
- Draw out 1 mL
- Tap side of case to get air bubbles to come to the top
- Inject excess greater than 3/4 mL back into syringe
- Hold syringe needle side up and keep tapping it till all air bubbles come up
- Unscrew 23g needle
- Screw on 25g needle
- Swab the injection site again
- Push stopper on syringe till a bead of oil comes down the needle
- Hold needle like dart
- Stretch skin with other hand where you are going to inject
- Inject needle deep into muscle
- Once needle is in pull back on syringe for a few seconds to make sure no blood comes in.
- If no blood comes in, inject press on stopper slower taking 2-3 minutes to inject.
- Pull out needle quick
- Take another alcoholic pad and press firmly on injection spot to stop bleeding
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Misc Links:
Injection site link: http://www.siteinjections.com/index3.htm
Another Injection site link : http://myphlip.pearsoncmg.com/altproducts/drugguide/ab2page.cfm?vbcid=6645&vid=1110
Injection site link: http://www.breastcancerprofessional.com/contents/public/onc/nursing.pdf
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INTRO:
So you want to create the perfect cycle for yourself. So how do you go about this? Well there?s a lot of things you need to know before you can sit down and create yourself a perfect cycle.
The most important thing you need to know is what your EXACT goals are for THIS cycle. From here you can figure out exactly what steroids are right for you and at what dosages.
BASICS:
So what about steroids, ancillaries, and other drugs do you need to know? You need to know the basics of the most popular drugs available:
Steroids
-Testosterone (Enan, Cyp, Prop, Suspension, Sust, Omna)
-Deca-Durabolin/Deca
-Equipose/EQ
-Dianabol/Dbol
-Winstrol/Winny
-Anadrol/Drol
-Halotestin/Halo
-Anavar/Var
-Tren/Fina
-Primobolan/Primo
Ancilliries:
-Nolvadex/Nolva (Tamoxifen)
-Arimidex/Arim (Anastrozole)
-Femera/Fem (Letrozole)
-Aromasin (Exemestane)
-Clomid
-HCG
-Provirion (technically a steroid, but oft considered an ancillary)
-Finasteride/Propecia/Proscar
-Bromocriptine/Bromo
Other BBing/Performance Enhancing Drugs:
-Clenbuterol/Clen
-Cytomel/Cynomel/T3
-DNP
-Insulin/Slin
-Human Growth Hormone/hGH/GH
-EPO
There are of course many other types of steroids, acilliries and sports enhancing drugs, but they are extremely rare. I won?t go into a full discussion about each of the drugs above, but will just list properties of the drugs and state which steroids have those properties:
-Large Mass Steroids: Test, Deca, Drol, Dbol and to a lesser extent: EQ, Primo
-Strength Steroids: Test, Drol, Dbol, Tren and to a lesser extent: Halo, Var
-Steroids that have low/no aromatization: Drol, EQ, Primo, Halo, Var, Tren, Winny
-Steroids that raise red blood cell count: EQ, Drol and to a lesser extent: most others
-Low-Lean Mass Steroids: Winny, Halo, Var, Tren
-Steroid with direct fat-burning properties: Test, Tren, Var
-Mostly Androgenic Steroids: EQ, Halo, Primo, Winny
-Mostly Anabolic Steroids: Deca, Dbol, Drol, Var
-Mostly even Androgenic/Anabolic Steroids: Test, Tren
-Liver Toxic Steroids: Dbol, Winny, Drol, Halo, Var
-Short Acting Steroids: Test Suspension, Test Prop, Dbol, Winny, Drol, Halo, Var, Tren
-Long Acting Steroids: Test Enan, Test Cyp, Deca, EQ, Primo, Sust, Omna
-Progestins: Deca, Anadrol
-Prolactins: Tren
-Acts like an estrogen: Anadrol
-Anti-Progestin: Winny* (anecdotal evidence)
-Drugs for Mass: Slin
-Drugs for Strength: Slin, GH
-Anti-Aromatases: Arimidex, Femera, Aromasin, Provirion
-Anti-Estrogens: Nolvadex, Clomid
-Anti-Androgens: Finasteride
-Fat Burners: Clen, T3, DNP, GH
-Anti-Prolactin: Bromo
-Stimulates LH release: HCG
-Aids HPTA recovery: Clomid, Nolva, GH
-Drugs that increase red-blood cell count: EPO, GH
-Drugs that raise IGF-1: Slin, GH
THEORY:
Ok so now that you know what drugs do what, we can begin to discuss what properties a cycle should have. From there we can begin to see how these drugs can be combined to form a ?stack.? The idea behind the stack is to create a synergy between the drugs involved to give an effect that?s greater than the sum of the parts.
Mass Cycles:
These are cycles were all out mass is required. Here we give no consideration to fat gain, water gain or any of that stuff. We are just looking to pack on as much muscle as possible (don?t forget, water and fat are GOOD for muscle gains).
To get all out mass, we need to attack our system from all angles. We need steroids that are highly androgenic and highly anabolic. We need steroids that are known to pack on a lot of mass. In general, steroids that do not aromatize, do not activate the ER and do not pack on a lot of mass aren?t needed.
For injectables we would rather have long acting esters than short ones, as the long acting esters tend to pool up in your blood and generally leave you with more hormone at any given point. For orals we prefer those that either aromatize heavily, or cause an explosion of mass by similar estrogenic properties.
The use of orals is mainly to kick off the mass cycle, gives you near instant results and puts your body in a good anabolic state when the long acting esters kick in.
With all that said the best steroids for mass are: Test Enan, Test Cyp, Deca, Dbol and Drol. Advanced users can also use things like Insulin and GH.
Cutting Cycles:
Realize that with the exception of Test, Tren and Anavar, no steroid has a direct impact on fat burning. Even Test, Tren and Var have limited effects on fat burning. You shouldn?t go into a cutting cycle with the mind set of ?These steroids are gonna help me loose fat.?
Instead you should think of the steroids as muscle sparring. Basically you?re using them to preserve the muscle that you have, while diet, cardio and your true fat burners (like Clen, DNP and T3) work on the fat.
All steroids listed above meet the first requirement; they will all help you retain muscle in a calorie deficient diet. However, if you are cutting you certainly do not want your steroids to be in the way either. Some steroids (drol) actually make it harder to loose fat. Others can bloat you up so bad that even with a low body fat percentage, most of your definition can be lost.
So what we need here is steroids are more androgenic than anabolic. We need steroids that have direct fat burning properties and steroids that do not aromatize heavily.
If we do use a long acting ester, we would prefer to use one that doesn?t aromatize heavily, if the injectable does aromatize significantly, we would prefer to use a short acting ester as short acting esters don?t pool up, and an anti-aromatase would be a good idea.
Best fat burners: Clen and T3. Advanced users may also use DNP and GH
Best steroids for cutting: Test Prop, Test Suspension, EQ, Primo, Tren, Winny, Halo, Provirion and Var.
Sports/Performance Enhancing Cycles:
Now I can?t claim that I know what?s really best for a non-bodybuilding athlete. But I can take a guess and you guys that do participate in sports can probably figure it out given my explanations.
First lets looks at sports that require strength without increased mass. Obviously any ?mass builder? is out the door. Any steroid that aromatizes heavily is not desirable here, as the extra water will certainly make you put on weight.
Your best drugs for this purpose would be: Halo, Winny, Var and GH. If you can afford a few extra pounds (like in the offseason or what not), Tren would also be a good steroid.
Now let?s looks at cycles for sports that require endurance. As we?ve discussed before, some steroids increase red blood cell count significantly; this equals better endurance performance. The best drugs to use for this purpose are EQ, GH and EPO. Because EPO can have such a drastic effect on red blood cell count, it is NOT recommended that you use it along with steroids.
POST-CYCLE THERAPY:
When you use any steroid, your HPTA will be suppressed. What this means is that your system is not producing and endogenous testosterone which means you won?t have any hormone to help maintain your gains. What good is cycle if you can?t keep your gains? So the key to cycling is to get your endogenous test back on track ASAP.
One thing that will hinder HPTA activation is excess estrogen, whether it be from aromatizable steroids used in your cycle or whether it be endogenous estrogen. Using anti-estrogens like Clomid and Nolva will help prevent this negative feedback
When your body sends out LH (leutinizing hormone), it signals your testicles to begin producing test again. During your cycle, LH release will be suppressed and will remain suppressed for a few weeks after your cycle. HCG mimics LH and helps your testicles start producing testosterone.
For our purposes we should view HCG as a ?bridge? between your cycle and the time your LH returns to normal function. However, HCG when used to heavily or for too long will actually suppress natural test production so it can be counter productive.
Different cycles will suppress your HPTA to different degrees. Cycles including Deca and Fina will be more suppressive than cycles including Var and Primo. I don?t have the energy to design a post cycle therapy for each cycle, so I will post here a post cycle therapy program that should help you recover from any sane and sensible cycle.
Before we outline the universal post-cycle therapy, we need to define when a cycle officially ends. If you are using long acting esters, your cycle ends 2-3 weeks after you take your last shot of the long ester (I wont explain why, just accept it Smile ). If you are using ONLY short acting steroids OR your last shot of long acting steroids was over 3 ago, and the only thing you?ve been running since then is short acting steroids, then your cycle officially ends the last day of administration of your steroids.
So given that, here is the universal post-cycle recovery program:
HCG
2 Weeks Before End of Cycle: HCG @ 1500IUs 3 times a week
1 Week Before End of Cycle: HCG @ 1500IUs 3 times a week
First Week Post-Cycle: HCG @ 1500IUs 2 times a week
Clomid
Day 1 Post Cycle: Clomid @ 300mg
Days 2-14: Clomid @ 100mg ED
Days 15-28: Clomid @ 50mg ED
Nolva
Days 1-28: Nolva @ 20mg ED
More advanced users can also experiment with GH, Slin and DNP.
SAMPLE CYCLES:
Now that we have all the theory of cycling down, lets look at how what cycles might actually look like. For all first cycles you want to limit your use to 1-2 injectables and 1 oral. All cycle should be followed by the standard post cycle therapy.
Beginner Mass Cycle:
Weeks 1-10: Test Enanthate @ 250mg per week
Weeks 1-10: Deca-Durabolin @ 200mg per week
Week 11: Start HCG therapy here
Week 13: Start the remainder of Post-Cycle therapy here.
Beginner Cutting Cycle:
Weeks 1-10: Test Prop @ 50mg ED
Weeks 1-10: Tren @ 75mg ED
Week 9: Start HCG therapy here
Week 11: Start the remainder of Post-Cycle therapy here.
My Favorite Mass Cycle (This is VERY advanced, don?t use this)
Weeks 1-10: Test Enan @ 1000mg per week
Weeks 1-10: Deca @ 600mg per week
Weeks 1-10: EQ @ 600mg per week
Weeks 1-4: Drol @ 75mg ED
Weeks 8-12: Dbol @ 40mg ED
Weeks 5-8: Slin @ 20IUs a day, 4 times a week
Weeks 1-16: GH @ 4IUs a day, 5 days a week
Normal Post Cycle Therapy (Cycle ends at Week 12) PLUS Slin @ 20IUs 4 times a week.
My Favorite Cutting Cycle (This is VERY advanced, don?t use this)
Weeks 1-12: Test Prop @ 100mg ED
Weeks 1-12: Tren @ 100mg ED
Weeks 1-12: Provirion @ 50mg ED
Weeks 1-10: EQ @ 600mg per week
Weeks 1-5: Var @ 40mg ED
Weeks 8-12: Winny @ 75mg-100mg ED
Weeks 1-12: Full-Blown T3 cycle
Weeks 1-16: GH @ 4IUs a day, 5 days a week
Normal Post Cycle Therapy (Cycle ends at Week 12) PLUS EPO and Clen alternated with ECA/NYC
A lot of cycling is about trail and error. There is no one perfect cycle, but steroids and other drugs do have distinct properties that are better suited for some goals. The guide should provide you with all that you need to know about cycling, and how to create your own cycles.
As you can see from my examples, cycles can go from very simple, to very complex. But even my most complex cycles are still built on the same basic principles as the beginner cycles.
HOW TO INJECT YOURSELF AND NOT LOSE YOUR LUNCH
By Dr. David T. Ryan
for elitfts
We decided to print this article for the safety of all athletes that choose to use anabolics. We do not condone the use of AAS, especially with young athletes and teenagers. But we do realize that there are people that do use them and wish to give them some information on how to inject properly.
If you have any moral or any other objections of the use of AAS, the please do not read the article. This is your choice as is the choice of those that use AAS. We have also decided to print this article as Dr. Ryan has had numerous obstacles in getting this published. We felt that this subject needed to be addressed.]
This whole article started with a shocking conversation I was having with a twenty year friend of mine and lifter. He was explaining about the procedure he would use to inject himself. The process of using an old/used needle to remove the solution from the bottle then applying a new ?fresh? needle to his syringe was rather shocking to me.
He smiled and indicated that boastfully that he had done this for over twenty years. All I could think about were the large fibrotic lesions in his glutes that prevented him from further injection in those sites.
All too commonly the issues that are important are often never discussed by professionals until it is too late. This problem with that type of injection protocol is that you are taking a needle out of your dirty body (do you eat off of your ass?) and apply that needle, for the sake of keeping a sharp point, into a solution, just happy to grow the bacteria that is lodged in the needle and on it?s surface.
Consider this, would you stick that needle into a bucket of paint then later shove that needle into your fresh bottle of EQ 200? Please consider that over the years of working medical research; I have seen bacteria grow in acid so strong you would have to open the chemical under a hood or burn your eyes and nose off ? it just takes time! NEVER STICK A NEEDLE FROM YOUR BODY BACK INTO ANYTHING THAT IS STERILE.
THESE ARE THE BASIC SAFE STEPS IN INJECTION:
- Wash your hands and anyone else involved should wash their hands. 2. Use only clean needles to remove and inject any solution. 3. Prepare the area with a prep solution (i.e. rubbing alcohol or other sterilizer) 4. LEARN TO Z TRACK (listed below) 5. Never inject more than 5 cc?s / ml. into any one injection site. 6. Keep all items clean and dry after the injection. 7. Store all items properly.
Washing your hands may seem simple, but it is a very effective way to prevent the spread of germs and viruses.
Using a contaminated needle to remove solution from a bottle is playing Russian roulette with your health. Only use clean needles to puncture your skin or that of bottle. A single injection doesn?t dull the needle tip to any degree worth complaining about. It only helps in your head, maybe!
Various prep solutions are necessary to clean the injection site; this prevents the normal bacteria that are present on the surface of the skin from being pushed into the body.
Z Tracking
This is a simple process of pulling the skin to one side to allow for a hole to be made in the skin and then displacing that same hole after the injection has been made. This displacement stops the leakage of the injected solution to the skin surface.
Wash your hands and make sure that everyone else does too.
Prepare the area with alcohol.
Prepare the injection needle and solution
Firmly displace the skin to one side.
Inject the needle and aspirate to make sure you have no blood and then inject contents appropriately.
Release the skin pressure.
Remove the needle from the injection point.
Clean and dispose of all materials appropriately.
Taken from the nurses hand book (referenced below), notice how the displaced skin will stop the backflow of the injected solution.
For those of you who would like a diagram: Click Here
Follow these easy steps to providing a safer more effective injection. Common sense goes a long way in medicine and yes, this is still a form of medicine.
Anadrol 50 ? (oxymetholome)
Quick overview:
Active Life: Less than 16 hours
Drug Class: Highly Anabolic/Androgenic Steroid (Oral)
Average Dose: Men 50-150 mg/day
Acne: Yes
Water Retention: Yes, high
High Blood Pressure: Yes
Liver Toxic: Yes, very high
Aromatization: Debatable
DHT Conversion: It is a derivative of DHT
Decrease HPTA function: Yes, extreme
Anadrol 50? is the U.S. brand name for oxymetholone, a very potent oral androgen. This compound was first made available in 1960, by the international drug firm Syntex. Since oxymetholone is quite reliable in its ability to increase red blood cell production (and effect characteristic of most anabolic/androgenic steroids), it showed great promise in treating cases of severe anemia. It turned out to be well suited for this purpose, and was popular for quite some time.
But recent years have brought fourth a number of new treatments, most notably the non-steroidal hormone Epogen (erythropoietin). This drug is shown to have a much more direct effect on the red blood cell count, without the side effects of a strong androgen. Syntex stopped in the U.S. in 1993, which was around the same time they decided to drop this item in a number of foreign countries as well.
Plenastril from Switzerland and Austria was dropped; following soon was Oxitosona from Spain. Many Athletes feared Anadrol 50 might be on the way out for good. But new HIV/AIDS studies have shown a new light on oxymetholone. These studies are finding (big surprise) exceptional anti-wasting properties to the compound and believe it can be used safely in many such cases.
Interest has been peaked, and as of 1998 Anadrol 50 is again being sold in the United States. This time we see the same Anadrol 50 brand name, but the manufacturer is the drug firm Unimed. Syntex continues to market & license this drug in a number of countries however (under a few different brand names).
Anadrol 50 is considered by many to be the most powerful steroid available, with results of this compound being extremely dramatic. A steroid novice experimenting with oxymetholone is likely to gain 20 to 30 pounds of massive bulk, and it can often be accomplished in less than 6 weeks, with only 50-100mg a day.
This steroid produces a lot of trouble with water retention, so let there be little doubt that much of this gain is simply bloat. But for the user this is often little consequence, feeling bigger and stronger on Anadrol 50 than any steroid they are likely to cross. Although the smooth look that results from water retention is often not attractive, it can aid quite a bit to the level of size and strength gained.
The muscle is fuller, will contract better and is provided a level of protection in the form of “lubrication” to the joints as some of this extra water is held into and around connective tissues. This will allow for more elasticity, and will hopefully decrease the chance for injury when lifting heavy. It should be noted however, that on the other hand the very rapid gain in mass might place too much stress on your connective tissues for this to compensate.
The tearing of pectoral and biceps tissue is commonly associated with heavy lifting while massing up on heavy androgens. There is such a thing as gaining too fast. Pronounced estrogen trouble also puts the user at risk for developing gynecomastia. Individuals sensitive to the effects of estrogen, or looking to retain a more quality look, will therefore often add Nolvadex to each cycle.
It is important to note however, that this drug does not directly convert to estrogen in the body. Oxymetholone is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone, which gives it a structure that cannot be aromatized. As such, many have speculated as to what makes this hormone so troublesome in terms of estrogenic side effects.
Some have suggested that it has progestational activity, similar to nandrolone, and is not actually estrogenic at all. Since the obvious side effects of both estrogens and progestins are very similar, this explanation might be a plausible one. However we do find medical studies looking at this possibility.
One such tested the progestational activity of various steroids including nandrolone, norethandrolone, methandrostenolone, testosterone and oxymetholone. It reported no significant progestational effect inherent in oxymetholone or methandrostenolone, slight activity with testosterone and strong progestational effect inherent in nandrolone and norethandrolone.
With such findings it starts to seem much more likely that oxymetholone can intrinsically activate the estrogen receptor itself, similar to but more profoundly than the estrogenic androgen methAndriol.
If this is the case we can only combat the estrogenic side effects of oxymetholone with estrogen receptor antagonists such as Nolvadex or Clomid, and not with an aromatase inhibitor. The strong anti-aromatase compounds such as Arimidex, Femara, or Aromasin would prove to be totally useless with this steroid, as aromatase is not involved.
Anadrol 50 is also a very potent androgen. This factor tends to produce many pronounced, unwanted androgenic side effects. Oily skin, acne and body/facial hair growth can be seen very quickly with this drug. Many individuals respond with severe acne, often requiring medication to keep it under control.
Some of these individuals find that Accutaine works well, which is a strong prescription drug that acts on the sebaceous glands to reduce the release of oils. Those with a predisposition for male pattern baldness may want to stay away from Anadrol 50 completely, as this is certainly a possible side effect during therapy.
And while some very adventurous female athletes do experiment with this compound, it is much too androgenic to recommend. Irreversible virilization symptoms can be the result and may occur very quickly, possibly before you have a chance to take action.
It is interesting to note that Anadrol 50 does exhibit some tendency to convert to dihydrotestosterone, although this does not occur via the 5-alpha reductase enzyme (responsible for altering testosterone to form DHT) as it is already a dihydrotestosterone based steroid.
Aside from the added c-17 alpha alkylation, oxymetholone differs from DHT only by the addition of a 2-hydroxymethylene group. This grouping can be removed metabolically however, reducing oxymetholone to the potent androgen l7alpha-methyl dihydrotestosterone (mesterolone; methyldihydrotestosterone). There is little doubt that this biotransformation contributes at least at some level to the androgenic nature of this steroid, especially when we note that in its initial state Anadrol 50 has a notably low binding affinity for the androgen receptor.
So although we have the option of using the reductase inhibitor finasteride (Proscar) to reduce the androgenic nature of testosterone, it would be of no benefit with Anadrol 50 as this enzyme is not involved.
The principle drawback to Anadrol 50 is that it is a 17alpha alkylated compound. Although this design gives it the ability to withstand oral administration, it can be very stressful to the liver. Anadrol 50 is particularly dubious because we require such a high milligram amount per dosage.
The difference is great when comparing it to other oral steroids like Dianabol or Winstrol, which have the same chemical alteration. Since they have a slightly higher affinity for the androgen receptor, they are effective in much smaller doses. Anadrol 50 has a lower affinity, which may be why we have a 50mg tablet dosage.
When looking at the medical requirements, the recommended dosage for all ages has been 1 - 5 mg/kg of body weight. This would give a 220lb person a dosage as high as 10 Anadrol 50 tablets (500mg) per day. There should be little wonder why when liver cancer has been linked to steroid use, Anadrol 50 is generally the culprit.
Athletes actually never need such a high dosage and will take in the range of only 1-3 tablets per day. Many happily find that one tablet is all they need for exceptional results, and avoid higher amounts. Cautious users will also limit the intake of this compound to no longer than 4-6 weeks and have their liver enzymes checked regularly with a doctor.
Kidney functions may also need to be looked after during longer use, as water retention/high blood pressure can take a toll on the body. Before starting a cycle, one should know to give Anadrol 50 the respect it is due. It is a very powerful drug, but not always a friendly one.
When discontinuing Anadrol 50, the crash can be equally powerful. To begin with, the level of water retention will quickly diminish, dropping the user’s body weight dramatically. This should be expected, and not of much concern. What is of great concern is restoring endogenous testosterone production.
Anadrol 50 will quickly and effectively lower natural levels during a cycle, so HCG and Clomid/Nolvadex are a must when discontinuing a cycle.
The old practice of slowly tapering off your dosage is totally ineffective at raising testosterone levels. Without ancillary drugs, run away cortisol levels will likely strip much of the muscle that was gained during the cycle. If HCG and Clomid/Nolvadex are used properly, the person should be able to maintain a considerable amount of new muscle mass.
Before going off, some alternately choose to first switch over to a milder injectable like Deca-Durabolin. This is in an effort to harden up the new mass, and can prove to be an effective practice. Although a drop of weight due to water loss is likely when making the switch, the end result should be the retention of more (quality) muscle mass with a less pronounced crash.
Remember ancillaries though, as testosterone production will not be rebounding during Deca therapy.
Anavar
Active Life: 8-12 hours
Drug Class: Anabolic/Androgenic Steroid (Oral)
Average Dose: Men 20-50 mg/day…Women 5-15 mg/day
Acne: Only in higher doses
Water Retention: Rare
High Blood Pressure: Rare
Liver Toxic: Yes, c17-alfa-alkylated steroid. Due to low doses, toxicity is low to medium
Aromatization: None
DHT Conversion: Low
Decrease HPTA function: Dose depandant
Anavar was the old U.S. brand name for the oral steroid oxandrolone, first produced in 1964 by the drug manufacturer Searle. It was designed as an extremely mild anabolic, one that could even be safely used as a growth stimulant in children. One immediately thinks of the standard worry, “steroids will stunt growth”.
But it is actually the excess estrogen produced by most steroids that is the culprit, just as it is the reason why women stop growing sooner and have a shorter average stature than men. Oxandrolone will not aromatize, and therefore the anabolic effect of the compound can actually promote linear growth.
Women usually tolerate this drug well at low doses, and at one time it was prescribed for the treatment of osteoporosis. As the opinions surrounding steroids began to change in the 1980’s, prescriptions for oxandrolone began to drop. Lagging sales probably led Searle to discontinue manufacture in 1989, and it had vanished from U.S. pharmacies until recently. Oxandrolone tablets are again available inside the U.S. by BTG, bearing the new brand name Oxandrin.
BTG purchased rights to the drug from Searle and it is now manufactured for the new purpose of treating HIV/AIDS related wasting syndrome.
Anavar is a mild anabolic with low androgenic activity. Its reduced androgenic activity is due to the fact that it is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Although one might think that this would make it a more androgenic steroid, it in fact creates a steroid that is less androgenic because it is already “5-alpha reduced”.
In other words, it lacks the capacity to interact with the 5-alpha reductase enzyme and convert to a more potent "dihydro° form. It is a simple matter of where a steroid is capable of being potentiated in the body, and with oxandrolone we do not have the same potential as testosterone, which is several times more active in androgen responsive tissues compared to muscle tissue due to its conversion to DHT.
It essence oxandrolone has a balanced level of potency in both muscle and androgenic target tissues such as the scalp, skin and prostate. This is a similar situation as is noted with Primobolan and Winstrol, which are also derived from dihydrotestosterone yet not known to be very androgenic substances.
This steroid works well for the promotion of strength and duality muscle mass gains, although it’s mild nature makes it less than ideal for bulking purposes. Among bodybuilders it is most commonly used during cutting phases of training when water retention is a concern.
The standard dosage for men is in the range of 20-50mg per day, a level that should produce noticeable results. It can be further combined with anabolics like Primobolan and Winstrol to elicit a harder, more defined look without added water retention.
Such combinations are very popular and can dramatically enhance the show physique. One can also add strong non-aromatizing androgens like Halotestin, Proviron or trenbolone. In this case the androgen really helps to harden up the muscles, while at the same time making conditions more favorable for fat reduction. Some athletes do choose to incorporate oxandrolone into bulking stacks, but usually with standard bulking drugs like testosterone or Dianabol.
The usual goal in this instance is an additional gain of strength, as well as more quality look to the androgen bulk. Women who fear the masculinizing effects of many steroids would be quite comfortable using this drug, as this is very rarely seen with low doses. Here a daily dosage of 5mg should illicit considerable growth without the noticeable androgenic side effects of other drugs.
Eager females may wish to addition mild anabolics like Winstrol, Primobolan or Durabolin. When combined with such anabolics, the user should notice faster, more pronounced muscle-building effects, but may also increase the likelihood of androgenic buildup.
Studies using low dosages of this compound note minimal interferences with natural testosterone production. Likewise when it is used alone in small amounts there is typically no need for ancillary drugs like Clomid/Nolvadex or HCG.
This has a lot to do with the fact that it does not convert to estrogen, which we know has an extremely profound effect on endogenous hormone production. Without estrogen to trigger negative feedback, we seem to note a higher threshold before inhibition is noted.
But at higher dosages of course, a suppression of natural testosterone levels will still occur with this drug as with any anabolic/androgenic steroid and therefore require post cycle therapy to restore the HPTA.
Anavar is also a 17alpha alkylated oral steroid, carrying an alteration that will put stress on the liver. It is important to point out however that dispite this alteration oxandrolone is generally very well tolerated. While liver enzyme tests will occasionally show elevated values, actual damage due to this steroid is not usually a problem.
Bio-Technology General states that oxandrolone is not as extensively metabolized by the liver as other l7aa orals are; evidenced by the fact that nearly a third of the compound is still intact when excreted in the urine. This may have to do with the understood milder nature of this agent (compared to other l7aa orals) in terms of hepatotoxicity.
One study comparing the effects of oxandrolone to other agents including as methyltestosterone, norethandrolone, fluoxymesterone and methAndriol clearly supports this notion.
Here it was demonstrated that oxandrolone causes the lowest sulfobromophthalein (BSP; a marker of liver stress) retention among all the alkylated orals tested. 20mg of oxandrolone in fact produced 72% less BSP retention than an equal dosage of fluoxyrnesterone, which is a considerable difference being that they possess the same liver-toxic alteration.
With such findings, combined with the fact that athletes rarely report trouble with this drug, most feel comfortable believing it to be much safer to use during longer cycles than most of other orals with this distinction. Although this may very well be true, the chance of liver damage still cannot be excluded, especially with hogher dosages.
At one time oxandrolone was also looked at as a possible drug for those suffering from disorders of high cholesterol or triglycerides. Early studies showed it to be capable of lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride values in certain types of hyperlipidemic patients, which initially this was thought to signify potential for this drug as a hypo-lipid (lipid lowering) agent.
With further investigation we find however that while use of this drug can be linked to a lowering of total cholesterol values, it is such that a redistribution in the ratio of good (HDL) to bad (LDL) cholesterol occurs, usually moving values in an unfavorable direction.
This would of course negate any positive effect that the drug might have on triglycerides or total cholesterol, and in fact make it a danger in terms of cardiac risk when taken for prolonged periods of time. Today we understand that as a group anabolic/androgenic steroids produce very unfavorable changes in lipid profiles, and are really not useful in disorders of lipid metabolism.