What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas that controls the metabolism and cellular uptake of sugars, proteins, and fats. As a drug, it is used principally to control diabetes. Insulin is not a steroid.
What type of insulin should I use for bodybuilding?
Humulin R and Humulog are the only insulins I recommend because they act fast and are out of the body fastest(this makes them the safest). I have never used Humalog but understand that aside from quicker onset and half-life it is essentially the same.
Why do I want to use insulin?
Insulin has been called "Anabolicus Maximus" by some gurus of the bodybuilding world. Insulin can give you greater gains than you have ever had using anabolics alone. Insulin, in combination with androgens and resistance exercise, may trigger maturation of satellite muscle cells (small, more or less useless cells that are held in reserve, which do not contribute to muscular strength) into mature muscle cells that do contribute to muscular size and strength. How freakin cool is that. Hyperinsulinemia has been shown to stimulate protein synthesis in isolated limb infusion experiments , these anabolic properties seem to be the result of insulin binding to IGF-1 receptors.
How much insulin should I take?
I recommend never using over 10IU. 10IU is enough to make you grow.
In general Dosages used are usually 1 IU per 20 pounds of lean bodyweight. So a 220lb bodybuilder with 9% body-fat would use 10iu of insulin(aprox200lb lean mass/20 = 10iu). But even experienced insulin users shouldn't use max dosage at the beginning of an insulin cycle. First-time users should start at a low dosage and gradually work up. For example, first begin with 2 IU and then increase the dosage by 1 IU every consecutive workout until you reach your calculated dose or determine a maximum personal dose(some people are more sensitive to insulin sides like hypoglycemia). This will allow the athlete to determine a dosage he can safely use. Insulin dosages can vary significantly among athletes and are dependent upon insulin sensitivity and the use of other drugs. Athletes using growth hormone and thyroid might have higher insulin requirements.
When do I take insulin?
It is my opinion that you should only take insulin after a work out, never before or when not working out, because before a work out you could crash and die during the workout and when your not working out it makes you fat. Some people disagree with this. IF you want, get some info from them and try it. But remember I told ya so.
when do i eat after using insulin? Immediately!!! DO NOT TRY TO TIME YOUR CONSUMPTION OF CARBS!! You should immediately take a carbohydrate AND protein drink after taking you're insulin. I've stated this twice because it is very important. Even experienced insulin users can get a surprise now and then.
Eat a meal at about an hour after using insulin. Consume another small high protein medium carb low fat meal at 2.5 hours after the injection. keep some gatoraid on hand just to make sure. Remember that insulin can still work much later so be careful and eat if you feel hypoglycemia symptoms.
what do I eat after using insulin?
Some people recommend a zero fat intake for 4 hours after taking insulin. I do not disagree with this. But if your bulking you can be a little relaxed on this. But high fat intake after taking insulin can lead to high body fat.
The carb/protein drink taken after the insulin shot should contain AT LEAST 10 grams of carbs and 5 grams of quality protein per IU of insulin injected with little or no fat(creatine taken in this drink is optional but works great). Before an hour passes you should eat a normal balanced meal(high protein low fat with carbs). At 2.5 hours after the injection you should Consume a small meal. keep some gatoraid on hand just to make sure. Remember that insulin can still work much later so be careful and eat if you feel hypoglycemia symptoms. Once again i've stated this twice because it is important.
***Some insulin users recommend far less carbs than I have stated above. This is a personal decision you will have to make since it could be very dangerous...Even deadly! My opinion is to take the carbs and learn to diet after bulking if you gain too much fat.***
How long should/can I take insulin?
Short cycles please because you could have side effects. It is suspected that you could become an insulin dependant diabetic but I have never seen proof, but is it worth the risk? I would only use it a few times a week(maximum 4 on 3 off) for no more than 3/4 weeks.
what should I avoid while using insulin?
Do not use alcohol. It lowers blood sugar, and you may experience dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Do not change your workout in the middle of a cycle of insulin. Changes in how much you exercise can change the amount of insulin you can tolerate and maintain blood sugar levels.
Do not take any recreational drugs at the same time as insulin since they could mask symptoms of hypoglycemia.
Do not change the brand of insulin or syringe that you are using without first talking to a doctor or pharmacist. Some brands of insulin and syringes are interchangeable, while others are not.
Do not use insulin if you are sick with a cold, flu, or fever. These illnesses may change your insulin requirements..
Do not use any insulin that is discolored, looks thick, has particles in it, or looks different from the way it looked when you bought it.
Do not use OTC drugs that will cause drowsiness within 6 hours of using insulin.
Do not go to sleep within 4/6 hours of using insulin since you can develop hypoglycemia while asleep and not have warning signs.
what are the possible side effects of insulin besides hypoglycemia?
Rarely, people have allergic reactions to insulin. Seek emergency medical attention if you experience an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives).
Hypothetically, one could become an insulin dependent diabetic if insulin is used too long.
IGF + Insulin
If you plan on doing IGF1 with Insulin, listen closely IGF1 is not that expensive, sure you can get away with using less by including insulin in the stack, but IGF1 and Insulin together have a pro-insulin effect on your blood sugar balance. It can enhance the chances of a hypoglycemic episode ten fold. I would recommend against it for any one not ABSOLUTLY comfortable with insulin or IGF1.
Here is how insulin and IGF1 work together. Igfbp3 is the binding protein, which allows IGF1 to remain active in the system for a long enough period of time to really work its magic. IGF1 by nature has a half-life of less than 10 minutes by its self. The molecule was so small it would escape the blood stream very rapidly. This was the reason IGF1 was so "underground". It took very frequent injections at high dosages to achieve even minimal results. Aside from this reconstituting the compound required a degree in biochemistry. This short acting version was the only IGF1 known until recently IGF1 would have been administered in 100 mcg dosages 4-6 times a day. That is a hell of a lot of IGF1. That explains a lot of the distended bellies. Now with R3 long chain IGF1 and the Binding protein IGFBP3 IGF1 will last up to 6 hours in the system. By binding IGF to the IGFBP3 you make the molecule larger and it gets trapped in the blood stream until the protein is broken down and the IGF molecule escapes. You can further its life by combining Insulin with it, although I here its very risky. Insulin prevents the breakdown of IGFBP3 and leaves the IGF1 molecule roaming free in the blood stream for longer periods of time up to 12 hours as insulin levels return to normal IGFBP3 will begin to break down and the IGF1 will escape from its bound protein IGFBP3 again having a half life of less than 10 minutes.
Insulin should be taken at the normal dosage it is usually administered at minus 10% about 45 minutes prior to the IGF1 infusion. Again let me remind you this can be deadly if you don't know what you are doing. And of course do not use Insulin for the nighttime injection of IGF1 by taking it in the morning you prolong the IGF1's half life to 12 hours and then take a 6 hour injection, you should be fine. Hell if you want to eat a big bowl of rice and drink another 100g of simple carbs 45 minutes before the bed time IGF1 infusion you could spike insulin for at least a few hours of extended IGF1 activity. If your not going to be using insulin in the stack then go ahead and do the same in the morning.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Spot injections.
Check this out for all your pin related queries..
http://www.spotinjections.com/index3.htm
http://www.spotinjections.com/index3.htm
Saturday, September 6, 2008
General Recommendations when starting a steroid cycle
Following are simply recommendations of what works well, not of what to do without physician’s advice. Enough said.
The best cycle plans are either brief two week cycles with short acting drugs, which allow a very fast recovery (less than one week) or cycle of approximately 6-10 weeks, which usually allow reasonable recovery and allow quite a bit of time to make gains. Cycles in the 3-5 week range are less efficient because they combine the disadvantage of relatively little time gaining with the disadvantage of slower recovery.
If a cycle lasts 8 weeks or longer, I think it is best to use HCG during the cycle if possible,it should not be used during the recovery itself since it will increase androgen and estrogen levels,. Clomid use should begin, if it was not used during the cycle, as soon as androgen levels drop enough that recovery becomes possible. This would be about two weeks after the last injection of long acting steroid esters, assuming reasonable doses such as 500 mg/week. Clomid use should start with 300 mg on the first day (50 mg six times) to quickly get blood levels as high as needed, and then maintained with 50 mg/day. This is needed because of the half-life of the drug. It should be continued until one is sure that natural testosterone production is back and testicle size is returned to normal, with the exception that if use has been more than about 6 weeks, one might try dropping it for a few weeks to see what happens. If no further improvement occurs, then Clomid would be resumed. It has been studied medically for long-term use and found safe for periods of at least a year. However, a small percentage of users develop vision problems from Clomid, which are generally reversible upon discontinuing the drug. So if you have this problem, certainly the drug should be discontinued.
If aromatizable injectables were used, an antiaromatase would be useful for 3 weeks or so after the last injection, or 4 weeks if dosage was high (a gram per week or more.)
Lastly, ephedrine seems to be of some help. The same dose as used for dieting (e.g. 25 mg three times per day) seems quite sufficient.
Long term inhibition can potentially be a serious side-effect of AAS use, and this risk should be minimized by avoiding excessively long cycles. This really does not compromise gains greatly, since the body cannot grow rapidly week in, week out, 52 weeks per year anyway. And even moderate post-cycle inhibition is something we wish to minimize, since it is frustrating to lose much of one’s gains in the first few weeks after a cycle as a result of low natural testosterone and no AAS being used. The advice given above is generally successful in minimizing such losses, and I hope you will find it useful
The best cycle plans are either brief two week cycles with short acting drugs, which allow a very fast recovery (less than one week) or cycle of approximately 6-10 weeks, which usually allow reasonable recovery and allow quite a bit of time to make gains. Cycles in the 3-5 week range are less efficient because they combine the disadvantage of relatively little time gaining with the disadvantage of slower recovery.
If a cycle lasts 8 weeks or longer, I think it is best to use HCG during the cycle if possible,it should not be used during the recovery itself since it will increase androgen and estrogen levels,. Clomid use should begin, if it was not used during the cycle, as soon as androgen levels drop enough that recovery becomes possible. This would be about two weeks after the last injection of long acting steroid esters, assuming reasonable doses such as 500 mg/week. Clomid use should start with 300 mg on the first day (50 mg six times) to quickly get blood levels as high as needed, and then maintained with 50 mg/day. This is needed because of the half-life of the drug. It should be continued until one is sure that natural testosterone production is back and testicle size is returned to normal, with the exception that if use has been more than about 6 weeks, one might try dropping it for a few weeks to see what happens. If no further improvement occurs, then Clomid would be resumed. It has been studied medically for long-term use and found safe for periods of at least a year. However, a small percentage of users develop vision problems from Clomid, which are generally reversible upon discontinuing the drug. So if you have this problem, certainly the drug should be discontinued.
If aromatizable injectables were used, an antiaromatase would be useful for 3 weeks or so after the last injection, or 4 weeks if dosage was high (a gram per week or more.)
Lastly, ephedrine seems to be of some help. The same dose as used for dieting (e.g. 25 mg three times per day) seems quite sufficient.
Long term inhibition can potentially be a serious side-effect of AAS use, and this risk should be minimized by avoiding excessively long cycles. This really does not compromise gains greatly, since the body cannot grow rapidly week in, week out, 52 weeks per year anyway. And even moderate post-cycle inhibition is something we wish to minimize, since it is frustrating to lose much of one’s gains in the first few weeks after a cycle as a result of low natural testosterone and no AAS being used. The advice given above is generally successful in minimizing such losses, and I hope you will find it useful
Optimum Nutrition sold out
The company that has bought Optimum Nutrition is called “Glanbia” which is headquartered in Ireland but has divisions around the world including Canada, U.S., Europe, U.K. and Nigeria to name a few. Glanbia employs 4.900 people and just last year their revenues totaled $2.2 billion which gives you an indication of just how large they are! Optimum is easily the top-5 largest sports nutrition companies in the U.S. and Canada right now with brands ‘Optimum Nutrition’ , ‘Gold Standard 100% Whey’ and ‘AMERICAN BODY BUILDNG’ leading the pack. The total consideration for the acquisition is $315 million dollars.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The anabolic properties of asthma drugs (clenbuterol,albuterol)
Clenbuterol has acquired a near-legendary status among some power athletes. Clenbuterol has a half-life of 27 hours, taking about five days to clear from the body. In contrast the longest-acting beta-2 agonist sold in the United States, salmeterol lasts only about 12 hours.
However, most researchers believe that the longer a drug takes to clear from the body, the higher the risk of side effects.
THE MYSTERY OF Clenbuterol:
It's uncertain how Clenbuterol and similar long-acting beta-2 agonists work to provide anabolic effects.
However, the beta-cell receptors that Clenbuterol interacts with are exquisitely sensitive and are known to "down-regulate" or close up if exposed to concentrated doses of beta-agonist drugs. Athletes often attempt to circumvent this biological limitation by using a "two-days-on, two-days-off" dosing schedule. Even so, the drug usually stops exerting thermogenic effects in as little as two weeks.
It is similar in structure to epinephrine, and like epinephrine, Clenbuterol can excessively stimulate the heart, resulting in a rapid heartbeat, or tachycardia. Other possible side effects include muscle tremors, heart-rhythm disturbances, headaches and muscle cramps. The latter problem is thought to occur because beta-2 agonist drugs affect potassium distribution in the body.
ARE ASTHMA INHALERS ANABOLIC?
Many athletes familiar with Clenbuterol might wonder if using commonly available metered-dose asthma-drug inhalers would produce similar responses. It's not unreasonable to assume that such drugs would offer some ergogenic benefits, since they fall into the same beta-2 agonist category as Clenbuterol.
The first thing to consider about asthma inhalers is their highly selective distribution. In essence, most of the drug is delivered to the lungs, with some slight spillover into the general blood circulation. Also, the dosage used in such sprays is usually in micrograms — not enough to promote any type of true ergogenic activity.
Any type of beta-2 agonist drug is capable of raising muscle strength by stimulating an influx of calcium into a portion of the muscle called the sarcoplasm. This in turn, leads to an increase in the binding of muscle contractile proteins (actin and myosin), resulting in more potent muscular contraction.
anabolic
The main problem with asthma drugs is the same as that typically occurring with Clenbuterol — cell-receptor downgrade. Some doctors fear that with continual usage, some asthma inhalers may not work at all thus endangering asthmatics who depend on them. Salmeterol, unlike albuterol, isn't for emergency use anyway; it takes 20-180 minutes to begin opening up the lungs, while albuterol works immediately.
__________________
However, most researchers believe that the longer a drug takes to clear from the body, the higher the risk of side effects.
THE MYSTERY OF Clenbuterol:
It's uncertain how Clenbuterol and similar long-acting beta-2 agonists work to provide anabolic effects.
However, the beta-cell receptors that Clenbuterol interacts with are exquisitely sensitive and are known to "down-regulate" or close up if exposed to concentrated doses of beta-agonist drugs. Athletes often attempt to circumvent this biological limitation by using a "two-days-on, two-days-off" dosing schedule. Even so, the drug usually stops exerting thermogenic effects in as little as two weeks.
It is similar in structure to epinephrine, and like epinephrine, Clenbuterol can excessively stimulate the heart, resulting in a rapid heartbeat, or tachycardia. Other possible side effects include muscle tremors, heart-rhythm disturbances, headaches and muscle cramps. The latter problem is thought to occur because beta-2 agonist drugs affect potassium distribution in the body.
ARE ASTHMA INHALERS ANABOLIC?
Many athletes familiar with Clenbuterol might wonder if using commonly available metered-dose asthma-drug inhalers would produce similar responses. It's not unreasonable to assume that such drugs would offer some ergogenic benefits, since they fall into the same beta-2 agonist category as Clenbuterol.
The first thing to consider about asthma inhalers is their highly selective distribution. In essence, most of the drug is delivered to the lungs, with some slight spillover into the general blood circulation. Also, the dosage used in such sprays is usually in micrograms — not enough to promote any type of true ergogenic activity.
Any type of beta-2 agonist drug is capable of raising muscle strength by stimulating an influx of calcium into a portion of the muscle called the sarcoplasm. This in turn, leads to an increase in the binding of muscle contractile proteins (actin and myosin), resulting in more potent muscular contraction.
anabolic
The main problem with asthma drugs is the same as that typically occurring with Clenbuterol — cell-receptor downgrade. Some doctors fear that with continual usage, some asthma inhalers may not work at all thus endangering asthmatics who depend on them. Salmeterol, unlike albuterol, isn't for emergency use anyway; it takes 20-180 minutes to begin opening up the lungs, while albuterol works immediately.
__________________
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Bringing the science of steroid use into the 21st century
I have some news for you that should change the way you look at and subsequently use and cycle anabolic steroids.
The "data" we’ve used comes from anecdotal reports overheard in the gym and on internet message boards. This isn’t exactly the most reliable data either, considering some people have hidden agendas (e.g. they’re selling a particular steroid) or they aren’t entirely forthcoming regarding what they used, when they used, and how much. And I haven’t even mentioned the "fudge factor" and imaginary gains claimed by some so they won’t appear to be slackers in the gym.
Because of this, perhaps more so than in any other therapeutic area in medicine, we don’t know a whole lot about steroids and how they interact with the human body. I’m going to change all that. I’ve located a mind-expanding study conducted on humans using two anabolic steroids, nandrolone phenylpropionate(Neurabol Injectible) and nandrolone decanoate(Deca Durabolin). My article here, based entirely on this study, is going to shatter some misconceptions regarding anabolic steroids. Sit back and prepare to be educated.
HPTA Suppression Is Imminent
Anyone who’s used anabolic steroids for any length of time will easily observe that when they discontinue using, they invariably "crash." Of course, drugs like HCG, HMG, clomiphene and similar gonadotrophics can help to ameliorate such symptoms, but these aren’t 100% cure-alls. The success or failure of such secondary drug use varies considerably between individuals.
In a quest to minimize HPTA insult,the so called "Steroid Gurus"came up with an innovative speculation: If you limit your use of anabolic steroids to short-acting compounds and don’t exceed two weeks of continual usage with a four week period of no usage, you might not depress endogenous androgen levels too much, if at all. This is the now famous "two on/four off" protocol.
The study I just reviewed utilized ten healthy male volunteers who were randomized to receive either the phenylpropionate or decanoate ester of nandrolone via intramuscular, oily depo injection. A single injection of only 100 mg of nandrolone phenylpropionate caused almost complete suppression of endogenous Testosterone by day three and lasted until around day eight.
Endogenous levels of Testosterone didn’t return to baseline levels for almost fifteen days, while the same type of injection with nandrolone decanoate caused almost complete inhibition of endogenous by day four. Endogenous levels of Testosterone didn’t return to baseline levels for greater than twenty days! All this from a single, 100-mg injection of nandrolone!
This tells me that no matter what you do, whether it’s a short lasting ester or a long lasting ester, you’ll end up totally shutting down your body’s ability to make androgens for at least two to three weeks. Since nobody (well, at least nobody male) uses only 100 mg of nandrolone per week, it’s reasonable to conclude that the suppression caused by 500mg of an esterified anabolic per week (an average dose) would be much greater than two to three weeks. This study didn’t deal with fast acting orals like stanozolol and oxandrolone, but there’s no reason to think that these won’t cause HPTA insult as well.
So what does this mean? To me, it means that HPTA insult is inevitable and should be planned for accordingly in your cycle. That is to say, you should plan on crashing for a few weeks post-cycle no matter what. Because of this, you’re going to want to extend and "beef up" your cycle so that you overshoot your final goal.
Remember, you’re going to crash and lose some of your gains. So if you want to gain "X" pounds of muscle, shoot for "X+Y" pounds of muscle and accept that within two to six weeks after the cycle, you’ll end up losing most of the "Y" portion.
Volume and Concentration
Steroids come in all shapes and sizes. In other words, you can find nandrolone (or Testosterone or boldenone) esters in 25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, 100 mg/ml, 200 mg/ml and so forth. Is a 400 mg injection using two milliliters of a 200 mg/ml oily solution the same as using four milliliters of a 100 mg/ml solution? After all, the net amount is still 400 mg, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
Steroid concentration in the solution greatly affects the dynamics and kinetics. In this study, some of the men received a 100 mg/ml injection of nandrolone decanoate and other men received a 100 mg injection using a 25 mg/ml solution (which means they received four milliliters, of course). Those that received the 100 mg/ml injection reached significantly higher (between 30% and 50%) plasma levels of nandrolone than those who got 100 mg via the 25 mg/ml solution. To top it off, the 100 mg/ml group’s plasma nandrolone level stayed elevated for a little bit longer; however, the length of suppression of endogenous Testosterone was almost identical.
What does this tell us? It tells us that if we want to maximize plasma levels of hormone (and thereby, maximize gains in lean muscle) we want to opt for the most concentrated version of whatever steroid(s) we decide we’re going to use. If we’re using Testosterone, we surely want to use a 200mg/ml enanthate over something like 100mg enanthate. If we’re using nandrolone, we want to use Ttokkyo’s 300mg/ml stuff over 50mg/ml or 100mg/ml nandrolone decanoate made by others.
Injections Sites
Another thing that superficially seems trivial but makes a huge difference in plasma steroid concentrations is where you inject. That’s right, this seems utterly trivial but this study concluded that gluteal injections yielded far superior plasma levels as opposed to injections in the deltoid.
Of all the locations that nandrolone injections were given in this study (100 mg/ml x 1 ml in the glutes, 25 mg/ml x 4 ml in the glutes and 100 mg/ml x 1 ml in the deltoid), the deltoid injections yielded the lowest plasma levels of nandrolone by a huge factor, with peak concentrations being 50% lower than the 100 mg/ml gluteal injection and around 10% lower than the 100 mg/ml x 4ml gluteal injection. Lesson learned here: Only inject in the glutes for maximal steroidal efficacy.
Short Esters Are Better Esters
Perhaps the most important thing I learned in reviewing this study is that short-chain esters (steroids of shorter half life) yield a much higher plasma concentration of steroid than steroids of longer side chain esters. In this study, a single 100 mg/ml x 1 ml intragluteal injection of nandrolone phenylpropionate caused a peak plasma concentration of almost double that of the 100 mg/ml x 1 ml intragluteal injection of nandrolone decanoate. This level remained increased for almost seven days, too. By fourteen days, even though the nandrolone decanoate ester demonstrated a much higher plasma level than the nandrolone phenylpropionate level, the net amount of both was so low as to be ineffective.
This tells me that the effects I can see from using 500 mg of Testosterone enanthate per week probably won’t be the same as using 500 mg of Testosterone propionate or even Testosterone suspension per week. I’m going to see better results with the propionate and even better results with the suspension. Sure, I may need to inject the propionate and suspension more often, but in the long run it’ll pay off for me. (Not that I’d use steroids, of course. No sir, not me. They’re illegal!)
Conclusions
To recap everything mentioned here in this article, remember the following:
1) HPTA suppression is virtually inevitable. Even a single 100mg injection of nandrolone will cause full suppression for almost a week and you won’t return to a normal HPTA for at least two weeks. Plan your cycle accordingly and overshoot your goals knowing you’ll lose something.
2) Injection volume and concentration are important. When available, opt for the highest concentration on a mg/ml basis.
3) Injection site is important. The best place for maximal plasma levels seems to be the glutes.
4) Side chain ester length is probably the single most important factor in influencing plasma levels. The shorter the ester (and the half life) the better. You may have to inject more often, but in the long run it’ll be worth it.
There you go, the new "rules" of steroid use. Put them to use wisely!
The "data" we’ve used comes from anecdotal reports overheard in the gym and on internet message boards. This isn’t exactly the most reliable data either, considering some people have hidden agendas (e.g. they’re selling a particular steroid) or they aren’t entirely forthcoming regarding what they used, when they used, and how much. And I haven’t even mentioned the "fudge factor" and imaginary gains claimed by some so they won’t appear to be slackers in the gym.
Because of this, perhaps more so than in any other therapeutic area in medicine, we don’t know a whole lot about steroids and how they interact with the human body. I’m going to change all that. I’ve located a mind-expanding study conducted on humans using two anabolic steroids, nandrolone phenylpropionate(Neurabol Injectible) and nandrolone decanoate(Deca Durabolin). My article here, based entirely on this study, is going to shatter some misconceptions regarding anabolic steroids. Sit back and prepare to be educated.
HPTA Suppression Is Imminent
Anyone who’s used anabolic steroids for any length of time will easily observe that when they discontinue using, they invariably "crash." Of course, drugs like HCG, HMG, clomiphene and similar gonadotrophics can help to ameliorate such symptoms, but these aren’t 100% cure-alls. The success or failure of such secondary drug use varies considerably between individuals.
In a quest to minimize HPTA insult,the so called "Steroid Gurus"came up with an innovative speculation: If you limit your use of anabolic steroids to short-acting compounds and don’t exceed two weeks of continual usage with a four week period of no usage, you might not depress endogenous androgen levels too much, if at all. This is the now famous "two on/four off" protocol.
The study I just reviewed utilized ten healthy male volunteers who were randomized to receive either the phenylpropionate or decanoate ester of nandrolone via intramuscular, oily depo injection. A single injection of only 100 mg of nandrolone phenylpropionate caused almost complete suppression of endogenous Testosterone by day three and lasted until around day eight.
Endogenous levels of Testosterone didn’t return to baseline levels for almost fifteen days, while the same type of injection with nandrolone decanoate caused almost complete inhibition of endogenous by day four. Endogenous levels of Testosterone didn’t return to baseline levels for greater than twenty days! All this from a single, 100-mg injection of nandrolone!
This tells me that no matter what you do, whether it’s a short lasting ester or a long lasting ester, you’ll end up totally shutting down your body’s ability to make androgens for at least two to three weeks. Since nobody (well, at least nobody male) uses only 100 mg of nandrolone per week, it’s reasonable to conclude that the suppression caused by 500mg of an esterified anabolic per week (an average dose) would be much greater than two to three weeks. This study didn’t deal with fast acting orals like stanozolol and oxandrolone, but there’s no reason to think that these won’t cause HPTA insult as well.
So what does this mean? To me, it means that HPTA insult is inevitable and should be planned for accordingly in your cycle. That is to say, you should plan on crashing for a few weeks post-cycle no matter what. Because of this, you’re going to want to extend and "beef up" your cycle so that you overshoot your final goal.
Remember, you’re going to crash and lose some of your gains. So if you want to gain "X" pounds of muscle, shoot for "X+Y" pounds of muscle and accept that within two to six weeks after the cycle, you’ll end up losing most of the "Y" portion.
Volume and Concentration
Steroids come in all shapes and sizes. In other words, you can find nandrolone (or Testosterone or boldenone) esters in 25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, 100 mg/ml, 200 mg/ml and so forth. Is a 400 mg injection using two milliliters of a 200 mg/ml oily solution the same as using four milliliters of a 100 mg/ml solution? After all, the net amount is still 400 mg, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
Steroid concentration in the solution greatly affects the dynamics and kinetics. In this study, some of the men received a 100 mg/ml injection of nandrolone decanoate and other men received a 100 mg injection using a 25 mg/ml solution (which means they received four milliliters, of course). Those that received the 100 mg/ml injection reached significantly higher (between 30% and 50%) plasma levels of nandrolone than those who got 100 mg via the 25 mg/ml solution. To top it off, the 100 mg/ml group’s plasma nandrolone level stayed elevated for a little bit longer; however, the length of suppression of endogenous Testosterone was almost identical.
What does this tell us? It tells us that if we want to maximize plasma levels of hormone (and thereby, maximize gains in lean muscle) we want to opt for the most concentrated version of whatever steroid(s) we decide we’re going to use. If we’re using Testosterone, we surely want to use a 200mg/ml enanthate over something like 100mg enanthate. If we’re using nandrolone, we want to use Ttokkyo’s 300mg/ml stuff over 50mg/ml or 100mg/ml nandrolone decanoate made by others.
Injections Sites
Another thing that superficially seems trivial but makes a huge difference in plasma steroid concentrations is where you inject. That’s right, this seems utterly trivial but this study concluded that gluteal injections yielded far superior plasma levels as opposed to injections in the deltoid.
Of all the locations that nandrolone injections were given in this study (100 mg/ml x 1 ml in the glutes, 25 mg/ml x 4 ml in the glutes and 100 mg/ml x 1 ml in the deltoid), the deltoid injections yielded the lowest plasma levels of nandrolone by a huge factor, with peak concentrations being 50% lower than the 100 mg/ml gluteal injection and around 10% lower than the 100 mg/ml x 4ml gluteal injection. Lesson learned here: Only inject in the glutes for maximal steroidal efficacy.
Short Esters Are Better Esters
Perhaps the most important thing I learned in reviewing this study is that short-chain esters (steroids of shorter half life) yield a much higher plasma concentration of steroid than steroids of longer side chain esters. In this study, a single 100 mg/ml x 1 ml intragluteal injection of nandrolone phenylpropionate caused a peak plasma concentration of almost double that of the 100 mg/ml x 1 ml intragluteal injection of nandrolone decanoate. This level remained increased for almost seven days, too. By fourteen days, even though the nandrolone decanoate ester demonstrated a much higher plasma level than the nandrolone phenylpropionate level, the net amount of both was so low as to be ineffective.
This tells me that the effects I can see from using 500 mg of Testosterone enanthate per week probably won’t be the same as using 500 mg of Testosterone propionate or even Testosterone suspension per week. I’m going to see better results with the propionate and even better results with the suspension. Sure, I may need to inject the propionate and suspension more often, but in the long run it’ll pay off for me. (Not that I’d use steroids, of course. No sir, not me. They’re illegal!)
Conclusions
To recap everything mentioned here in this article, remember the following:
1) HPTA suppression is virtually inevitable. Even a single 100mg injection of nandrolone will cause full suppression for almost a week and you won’t return to a normal HPTA for at least two weeks. Plan your cycle accordingly and overshoot your goals knowing you’ll lose something.
2) Injection volume and concentration are important. When available, opt for the highest concentration on a mg/ml basis.
3) Injection site is important. The best place for maximal plasma levels seems to be the glutes.
4) Side chain ester length is probably the single most important factor in influencing plasma levels. The shorter the ester (and the half life) the better. You may have to inject more often, but in the long run it’ll be worth it.
There you go, the new "rules" of steroid use. Put them to use wisely!
Sustanon and why you should'nt use it ...
Not all testosterones were created equal.A Test is Test is Test. As much as this is true we are speaking about raw test or de esterified test. We are not talking about ester bound test.
The purpose when injecting is to do so to keep blood plasma levels as stable and at peak for as long as possible, now we cannot do this with sustanon unless it is injected every other day. If I were to draw a graph on the time release of sustanon it would have Highs & Lows (Ups & Downs).
Now the average newbie does not wish to inject on an every other day basis and he certainly does'nt wish to be using that much test for a first or second cycle either. In order to keep blood plasma levels stable and reach a peak as quickly as possible you would have to go about front loading. Again something that should not really be done with sustanon.
I have read sustanon causes less water retention, sustanon causes less chance of getting gyno and less sides overall. This is not true one bit.
250mgs of sust or 250mgs of enanthate?
Enanthate contains more raw test than the mixture in sust.
Did I forget to mention the sust flu? The long build up of this? The long duration it takes to leave the body due to the decanoate ester?
The purpose when injecting is to do so to keep blood plasma levels as stable and at peak for as long as possible, now we cannot do this with sustanon unless it is injected every other day. If I were to draw a graph on the time release of sustanon it would have Highs & Lows (Ups & Downs).
Now the average newbie does not wish to inject on an every other day basis and he certainly does'nt wish to be using that much test for a first or second cycle either. In order to keep blood plasma levels stable and reach a peak as quickly as possible you would have to go about front loading. Again something that should not really be done with sustanon.
I have read sustanon causes less water retention, sustanon causes less chance of getting gyno and less sides overall. This is not true one bit.
250mgs of sust or 250mgs of enanthate?
Enanthate contains more raw test than the mixture in sust.
Did I forget to mention the sust flu? The long build up of this? The long duration it takes to leave the body due to the decanoate ester?
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