Primobolan Injectable.

Primobolan is an anabolic steroid which became very popular once it was claimed that it was one of Arnold’s favorites. I’m not really sure why this is, or how likely it is that Arnold went around telling everyone’s favorite steroid- but nonetheless, this rumor has persisted through the years.

When we take a critical look at it, in terms of its anabolic and androgenic rating, it appears to be a pretty weak steroid but is rated as stronger than Masteron (Drostanolone)! I’ve used both steroids and can tell you that not too many people would claim that those ratings provide an accurate idea of those two steroids compare to each other. In truth, I used Primobolan at 400mgs/week and wasn’t very impressed with it, and honestly, for the money, that’s really disappointing, since Primobolan is not inexpensive. I also would speculate that the reason many (male) Primobolan users have been less than thrilled with results from it is that they failed to use high enough doses. If I were to use it again (which I won’t), I would probably use 100mgs/ED (Every Day).

Interestingly, Primobolan has a relatively high affinity for binding to the Androgen Receptor, and surprisingly it actually binds with more affinity than testosterone (1). This ability to strongly bind to the AR may be why Primobolan is considered a good fat burner- although most Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) derivations are very potent fat burners (the notable exception being Anadrol).

Primobolan has been used medically to reduce breast tumors, with a success rate of about a third (2), so we can safely assume that no Anti-Estrogen products would be necessary. The use of Finasteride, Dutesteride, or another anti-hair-loss product may be useful, however, as Primobolan has a bad reputation for causing Alopecia.

Primobolan is very useful as both an anabolic as well as anti-catabolic agent, and the probable cause for this property is its ability to aid in nitrogen retention (3), which is a useful trait on both a bulking or cutting cycle…once again, I have to reiterate that the expense of this drug probably makes it a poor choice on a bulking cycle because of the reasonably high doses that it would require.

One of the other very interesting facts about Primobolan is that it’s one of the very few compounds available as both an oral as well as an injectable. Unlike Winstrol and Dianabol (both alkylated and non-estrified steroids) however, which are also available in both forms, Primobolan is available with an Acetate ester for use as an oral, and with an Enanthate ester as an injectable. Unfortunately, in this case, making Primobolan a non-17-alpha-alkylated steroid greatly reduces its potency. However, it must be noted that this alkylation is what makes oral steroids survive their first pass through the liver; it also makes them hepatoxic (liver –toxic). Oral Primobolan doesn’t actually have this drawback, and thus it is very mild on liver function and doesn’t elevate liver enzymes too much. Instead of the more toxic 17a-alkylation, Primobolan (Oral) uses 17 beta estrification and 1 alkylation to make it orally available. For both men as well as women, daily dosing of the oral is necessary, although men would probably want to take 100mgs per day and women would need to take at least 10mgs every day.

Although it is typically considered to be a very mild drug when inhibition of the natural hormonal profile is considered, this isn’t totally true. Men were given a 30-45mg dose of the oral version of Primobolan, experienced between a 15% and 65% decrease in their Gonadatropin levels (4). Since we’re probably looking at double or triple that dose, for men to get any kind of results, it’s also probable that gonadal inhibition will also be increased.

My history with Primobolan Enanthate (the injectable version) has been less than impressive. I used it at 200mgs/week about a decade ago, and wasn’t impressed at all. A couple of years ago I went back to it and used 350mgs/week (100mgs/Every other Day), and got much better results, but still wasn’t overly impressed with it. Add to that the fact that it is an expensive chemical, and I really wasn’t impressed.

On the Black Market, Primobolan tabs are only being produced by British Dragon currently, although PaperPrimo is being produced as well. Both are high quality products, although I would speculate that their use is going to be reserved for women. With regards to the injectable version, many underground labs produce it, and quality tends to vary, due to powder quality at the moment. Expect to pay around $100 for a 10ml bottle dosed at 100mgs/ml, if not more. Finally, ampules are available at a cost of roughly $7-12 per amp, but since this is the most widely counterfeited steroid on the black market, I’d stick to the underground lab variety.

Anavar.

Partly this is due to its apparent lack of non-AR-mediated activity. This can be corrected of course by stacking with a Class II steroid such as Dianabol, Anadrol®, 4-AD, or nor-4-AD: the latter two steroids require high blood levels which are not obtained by oral use of the powders.

The other part of the reason for this is that bodybuilders make unfortunate and unreasonable comparisons when judging anabolic steroids. If say 8 tablets per day does little, then the drug is pronounced useless or weak by the user. But that is only 20 mg/day, or 140 mg/week. Does 140 mg/week testosterone give much results?  No. Few anabolic steroids give dramatic results at that dose. Per milligram the potency is reasonable, but each individual tablet is weak because the dosage is small.

Because of its high price, very few bodybuilders have taken large doses of oxandrolone. There is a single case in the medical literature (Forbes et al.) where it is reported that a competitive athlete self-administered 150 mg oxandrolone per day with remarkable gains. This is of uncertain credibility because unless urinalysis was done to verify that no other steroids were taken, there is no way to be certain that the athlete did not actually take more drugs than he reported. In any case, at current prices, only the quite wealthy could afford such a dose. I personally have tried 150 mg/day and considered it somewhat effective, but not dramatically so, and not a preferred regimen.

Oxandrolone does not aromatize or convert to DHT, and has a longer half life than Dianabol – 8 hours vs. 4 hours. Thus, a moderate dose taken in the morning is largely out of the system by night, yet supplies reasonable levels of androgen during the day and early evening.

Oxandrolone shares the liver toxicity problems common to 17-alkylated steroids. At one time it was thought that it did not, but both clinical and practical experience with Oxandrin has shown that at doses of  40 mg/day and higher, liver toxicity is indeed an issue with prolonged use.

Primobolan, I believe, should be considered a superior compound, offering the same activity at (usually) a lower price and without the alkylated-toxicity issue.

Oxandrolone is the chemical name of active ingredient in Oxandrin and Anavar. Oxandrin is a registered trademark of Bio-Technology General Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Anavar was originally the registered trademark of Searle Laboratories.

Intermediate Steroid Cyle

Week Testosterone
(Propionate)
Trenbolone Acetate Anavar or Winstrol
(Oxandrolone or Stanozolol)
Arimidex*
(Anastrozole)
1 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
2 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
3 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
4 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
5 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
6 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
7 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
8 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD   .5mgs/day
9 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD 50mgs/day .5mgs/day
10 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD 50mgs/day .5mgs/day
11 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD 50mgs/day .5mgs/day
12 100mgs/EOD 75mgs/EOD 50mgs/day .5mgs/day

 

Ok, so what we have here is a cutting cycle that uses low(ish) amounts of anabolics. A cycle like this, which makes use of short estered products like Testosterone Propionate and Trenbolone Acetate will produce noticeable results almost immediately. Since this is a cutting cycle, I´ll assume some kind of calorie deficit. This is important because the body is a lot more sensitive to androgens when there´s a hypocaloric state & this is why bodybuilders who are dieting for contests seem to be able to do astonishing things with their bodies on relatively small amounts of anabolic steroids.

The testosterone in this cycle has a very short ester, meaning it is released into the body very rapidly after it is injected – and is therefore usually injected every day or every other day. Testosterone stacks well with anything, and produces a nice anabolic (muscle building) effect, in addition to a distinct androgenic effect. Naturally, both of these effects will work together to help you achieve a significant increase in weight-load capacity, and a gain in Body weight.

Since you´re going to have to inject the testosterone propionate every other day anyway, you may as well include another product that has a similar ester length. For a cutting cycle, that would probably mean using Trenbolone Acetate. It´s often used by bodybuilders before contests for its hardening abilities and fat metabolizing qualities. It is highly androgenic and does not aromatize, it makes a great cutting drug. It stacks well with anything, including Anavar, which is our final compound in this cycle.

Anavar is Oxandrolone does not convert to estrogen at all, so water retention is quite low with this steroid (if there´s any) and gynocomastia is never reported. It is very popular for addition into a cutting cycle and provides a nice ending for this cycle, over the last four weeks, where the user may have reached a plateau in body fat loss. It´s also very good at helping users retain or even gain strength when calories are low or at just maintenance level. Its principal drawback is its price, which is why many users may opt to include Winstrol in a cycle in its place. Although Winstrol shares many of the properties that Anavar boasts, it just (anecdotally) doesn´t seem to provide as much muscle gain or strength increases. It is, however, very cheap in comparison to Anavar.

A cycle like this will give the user a lot of muscularity and loss of body fat, if a proper diet accompanies it. If your nipples get tender (a beginning sign of Gynocomastia), add in some Arimidex (Anastrozole) at half a milligram every day. Clenbuterol or Ephedrine can be added into a cycle like this also, if more fat loss is needed. Clenbuterol is typically used at a dose of 20-120mcgs/day in divided doses, and Ephedrine is typically used at a dose of 20mgs 3x a day.

Importance of Sleep/Rest during Training

As bodybuilders we are constantly on the lookout for new and effective ways to gain muscle. The latest supplement, a sophisticated training routine, a new diet. Granted, all of these things are crucially important but what is possibly most important of all is sleep.

The best training routine, diet and supplement program will not compensate for insufficient rest, and sleep is the best, and only (in some instances), way of getting this rest. Professor Michael Colgan went as far as to say: €œeven if your training and nutrition program can straight for the mouth of God almighty, without adequate rest your body will fail to adapt.€?

During sleep, growth hormone is produced and protein synthesis (provided protein is consumed prior to sleep) occurs. These are only two beneficial aspects of sleep. Energy consumption reduction and brain cell restoration are two other aspects equally important for bodybuilders.
Throughout this article I will explain the various stages of sleep and their implications for bodybuilders. Outlined also will be the benefits sleep has in terms of muscle recovery and growth.

As bodybuilders we are constantly on the lookout for new and effective ways to gain muscle. The latest supplement, a sophisticated training routine, a new diet. Granted, all of these things are crucially important but what is possibly most important of all is sleep.

The best training routine, diet and supplement program will not compensate for insufficient rest, and sleep is the best, and only (in some instances), way of getting this rest. Professor Michael Colgan went as far as to say: €œeven if your training and nutrition program can straight for the mouth of God almighty, without adequate rest your body will fail to adapt.€?

During sleep, growth hormone is produced and protein synthesis (provided protein is consumed prior to sleep) occurs. These are only two beneficial aspects of sleep. Energy consumption reduction and brain cell restoration are two other aspects equally important for bodybuilders.

Throughout this article I will explain the various stages of sleep and their implications for bodybuilders. Outlined also will be the benefits sleep has in terms of muscle recovery and growth.

Why Do We Sleep?

Sleep serves many vital functions. For bodybuilders the main functions are growth and mental alertness. Sleep provides these effects directly. Without adequate sleep, time in the gym could be, to a large degree, wasted. The following are important functions of sleep.

The repairing of muscle and other tissues, and replace aging or dead cells:

*
1. Never Oversleep: Oversleeping may set the bodies clock to a different cycle. This will make trying to fall asleep much harder.
2. Take A Warm Bath: A warm bath will sooth and relax. However, a shower will have the opposite effect so these should be avoided.
Lowered energy consumption is a biological mechanism for resource conservation. We would need many meals per day (rather than the normal 4-6 for bodybuilders) if we did not get enough sleep.With bodybuilders, the name of the game is increased size, so energy conservation out of the gym is paramount. Several meals throughout the day also assists growth, and sleep helps to ensure that food is used to replace energy and rebuild muscle (pre-sleep meals and nocturnal eating help to intensify this effect).
Adenosine (a neurotransmitter that produces ATP, the energy-storage molecule that powers most of the biochemical reactions inside cells) is used as a signal to tell the brain that it needs to rest. Rising and declining concentrations of adenosine suggest that the brain is actually resting during sleep given that adenosine secretion reflects brain activity.During sleep, levels of adenosine decline. Blocking adenosine in the brain has been shown to increase alertness, so this suggests that during sleep the brain is recharging. During the day heightened levels of adenosine, particularly toward the end of the day, suggest that the brain is getting tired.Resting the brain has obvious implications for bodybuilders given that mental alertness is desired during the day, especially during training. Motivation levels are highest when mental alertness is highest. Studies suggest that it is during REM sleep that proper functioning of the brain and alertness is assisted.
Stage One:
Considered the transition stage between sleepfulness and wakefulness, stage one non-REM sleep is the shortest period (2-5%) of sleep in the sleep/wake cycle.Stage Two:
Considered the baseline of sleep, non-REM sleep stage two accounts for 45-60% of sleep.Stages Three & Four:
Termed delta sleep, non-REM sleep stages three and four account for up to 40% of sleep time. These are the deepest stages of sleep and the most restorative for the brain.REM Sleep:
The most active stage of sleep REM accounts for 20-25% of a normal nights sleep. Breathing, heart rate and brain activity quicken during this stage.

Sleeping for 8-10 hours per night is similar to fasting and this is catabolic to muscle growth. However, eating just prior to sleeping, can help to reverse this process and increase protein synthesis. Protein synthesis does occur under conditions of sleep but it occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, not the muscles.Muscle is actually broken down under these conditions to provide our stomach with amino acids during this time of €œstarvation€?. Eating before bed is crucial in offsetting this. Some reports suggest waking up in the middle of the night to eat (nocturnal eating).

Human growth hormone is also released under conditions of sleep. In men, 60% to 70% of daily human growth hormone secretion occurs during early sleep which is typically when the deepest sleep cycles occur. Poor quality sleep can negatively impact human growth hormone levels.Research suggests that it€™s during REM (Rapid Eye Movement: explained later) sleep that the body is able to: restore organs, bones, and tissue; replenish immune cells; and circulate human growth hormone. Sleep has a profound effect on muscle growth and physical well being.

During sleep energy consumption is lowered:

Sleep to recharge the brain:

The Stages Of Sleep & The Sleep/Wake Cycle

The brain follows cycles during sleep, which last between 90 and 100 minutes each. The two different types of sleep are REM and non-REM sleep. A sleep cycle begins with 4 stages of non-REM sleep before they reverse and REM sleep commences. Most people experience around 5 of these cycles per night.

Knowing about sleeps stages are important for bodybuilders as the stages typically follow a set pattern and to adequately recover (get a good night of sleep, and grow) ones brain must experience all of these stages.

A lack of REM and stage three and four sleep is particularly problematic because it is during these periods that the body and brain are complete rest (stages three and four) and memory consolidation occurs (REM). During stages three and four the body and brain are completely at rest due to the slowing of brain activity that occurs.

Due to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine€™s activation in the pons, which in turn activates the medulla, during REM sleep, the body becomes paralysed. This is because the medulla inhibits motor neurons and gives rise to atonia (complete immobility). Newborn babies undergo about 50% of REM sleep per night.

This level decreases as one ages, until, by adulthood, REM will account for 20-25% of sleep per night. The phenomenal growth that occurs as the baby makes the transition to childhood, then to adulthood, suggests that REM is beneficial for growth. Sleep research is not conclusive on this point but many bodybuilders will attest to the benefits of a complete night of uninterrupted sleep (8-10 hours).

The Stages

Getting Adequate Sleep

Often it is hard to get a good night of sleep. Even when we do fall asleep the quality of the sleep may not be sufficient. The following ways can assist in getting that good night sleep and subsequently the benefits thereof.
* Exercise: Exercising, particularly aerobic, during the day will sufficiently tire one out and sleep will come faster at night. Intense training sessions during the late evening will have the opposite effect.
* Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine & Tyrosine-Rich Foods At Night: Caffeine causes hyperactivity and wakefulness. Tyrosine- rich foods are brain stimulating and may keep one awake. Alcohol significantly disrupts sleep by interfering with the stages of sleep.
* Avoid Sleeping Pills: These may work temporarily but in the long term will cause disturbed sleep patterns.
* Correct Sleeping Environment: Keep your room reasonably cool (about 60 degrees). Humidity may cause disrupted sleep. A fan running or soft background music may help to relax and encourage sleep.
* Make evenings relaxed, not stressful affairs.
* Do not watch television in bed. This may also increase alertness. The brain may also decide that bedtime is for television watching and refuse to sleep.

Conclusion

As research has shown, sleep is important for any reasons. For bodybuilders, sleep is particularly important as it restores brain function and alertness in preparation for intense training sessions.

Sleep also enhances muscular recovery through protein synthesis and human growth hormone release. Getting eight to ten hours of quality sleep every night will promote these factors as well as general well being. Recovery will take a backward step if one does not prioritize sleep, so get to sleep if you want to grow.

Lou Ferigno.

When I was a teenager just getting started in bodybuilding, I used to marvel at the biceps of Larry Scott. They were the best I’d ever seen, and to me they still rank as the best ever.

Scott’s biceps heads were incredibly long, reaching past his elbows, and they were very thick and full, too. In studying my own biceps early on, I realized that Scott would be a good role model for me because I also had long muscle bellies. As much as I was amazed by the high peaks of Freddy Ortiz (Mr. America short-class champion in 1963 and ’64), I knew that there was no way I could ever attain arms that looked like his because our basic structures were too different.

In time, my upper arms stretched the tape at 22 3/4″ cold–no pump at all. This was when I was at my biggest, 325 pounds, for the 1994 Masters Olympia, in which I finished second. For that contest, I used the same biceps routine that I had applied in preparation for the 1975 Mr. Olympia [in which he placed third in the heavyweight division]. In fact, I’ve been so pleased with the results that I still use pretty much the same workout to this day.

PYRAMID PRINCIPLE There’s a general misconception about biceps training that more is better. For more than 30 years, I’ve been doing three or four exercises, two to four sets apiece and with a strict rep range of eight to 10. That’s usually a total of about 14 sets, give or take, which takes me less than a half-hour to perform.

I pyramid up in weight for each exercise, although I don’t necessarily lower my reps to accommodate the increase. No matter how hard it may be to bump up your poundage from set to set, it is important that you do so. I firmly believe that you get the most growth activation and strength improvement out of the last set or two of an exercise, when your muscles are pushed to their limits.

For example, let’s say I’m doing barbell curls, which is usually my first biceps exercise. I’ll start with a light weight and do 10 quick reps (still using good form) just to get the biceps warmed up. My next set will again be 10 reps, with a weight that gets difficult to lift on the seventh or eighth rep. For my third set, I’ll add another 20 pounds and shoot for eight reps. Then, for my final set, I’ll add another 20 pounds and go for eight again. I struggle to get eight on the third set, so when the fourth set comes around, it’s a real test of will, after having increased the weight, to try to equal the same number of reps.

When I move on to incline dumbbell curls, I stick with eight reps for all four sets, but I keep increasing the weight for each set, from 50s to 60s to 70s to 80s. A lot of people assume that pyramiding means increasing weight while dropping reps. If you set a goal of keeping the reps the same set after set while increasing weight, you bring a whole new level of intensity and mind over matter to the equation.

INCLINED TO CURL Incline dumbbell curls are my favorite biceps exercise. I like the full range of motion and the stress in the biceps from the bottom of the movement all the way to the top. I get a really good stretch at the bottom, although I never let my elbows lock out. I believe you can do damage to your elbow joint if you let it lock each time you lower the weight. I also like to lift with my arms in unison, as opposed to alternating them, as there’s too much opportunity to cheat when doing them one arm at a time.

In the movie Pumping Iron, I do incline dumbbell curls with a pair of 100s. I don’t go quite that heavy anymore, but I can still get 80s up for reps. This exercise is a great overall biceps builder.

Barbell curls and incline dumbbell curls are basic mass movements. I try to go as heavy as I can for these, while maintaining strict form. My third exercise, however, will be an isolation movement, such as standard preacher curls or spider curls, which are done hanging over the end of a high bench. I lighten the weight and return to an eight- to 10-rep range, concentrating on slow, steady motion and really contracting my biceps at the very top of the movement.

For my last exercise, I like either 21s or concentration curls, both of which give me a great burn to end my workout. If you’ve never heard of 21s, they’re an old standby. Not many people do them anymore, but I’ve always liked them.

To perform 21s, choose a barbell that’s about half the heaviest weight you normally use for your final set of regular barbell curls. For the first seven reps, curl the weight as you would a barbell curl, but instead of going all the way up, stop when your forearms are parallel with the floor (i.e., the bottom half of the full range of motion). When you’ve finished the seventh rep, perform another seven reps beginning with your forearms parallel to the floor and curling to the apex (i.e., the top half of the full range of motion). Finally, after you’ve completed those seven reps, do seven more, this time going all the way down and all the way up. It’s a killer. By the time you’ve finished a set, your arms feel like Jell-O.

If I choose one-arm dumbbell concentration curls instead, I like to do them leaning on a bench or holding on to a dumbbell rack. I’ll only do two sets of the final exercise, which makes a total of 14 sets. The biceps aren’t a big muscle group–they don’t require the same number of sets as for chest, back or thighs. For me, 14 sets or so does the trick for biceps.

TUNING UP Although I have a few favorites I stick with time after time, I do inject variety from workout to workout by changing up the order. The sample workout I just outlined is the default order for my biceps training. If I were to do the same routine every workout, my biceps would eventually adapt to the exact kind of stresses I’m putting on them and not respond. To combat that, I’ll reverse the order, swap out different exercises for my usual ones or just mix up the entire workout on occasion. Joe Weider calls it the Muscle Confusion Training Principle, and I’m a strong believer in it.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to use good form. It’s just not worth the risk of injury to compromise form to try moving a weight that’s too heavy. For example, when doing barbell curls, you want to take a shoulder-width grip, keep your chest high, your shoulders back and, as with seated inclines, never completely straighten your elbows at the bottom of the movement. You also want to keep the motion steady throughout. A mental trick I’ve used is thinking of the motion as if I were playing a violin, keeping the same pace both in the positive and negative portions of each rep. You should also make sure that you are squeezing the biceps throughout; there should never be a point during a set when your muscles relax.

Some people pair biceps with back because the two groups work synergistically. Others put tris and bis together in an arm day. I prefer the latter, because I find that back training incorporates the biceps so much that they’re burned out by the time I get to them. When I train arms as a whole, however, I get a great pump and the biceps workout actually prepares my triceps for their training by pushing blood into the entire upper arm.

Train your biceps twice a week following my suggested routine (see the sidebar), keep the intensity high and the form solid, and I’m confident you’ll maximize your arms’ growth potential just as I have my own.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS LUND

FERRIGNO'S
BICEPS WORKOUT

EXERCISE                        SETS  REPS

Standing barbell curls          1 *    10

                                 1     10

                                 2     8

Incline dumbbell curls           4     8

Preacher-bench or spider curls   4    8-10

Concentration curls or           2    8-10

  Barbell-curl 21s               2     21

* Warm-up set

Tamoxifen Nolvadex

Nolvadex is very comparable to Clomid, behaves in the same manner in all tissues, and is a mixed estrogen agonist/antagonist of the same type as Clomid. The two molecules are also very similar in structure.

It is not correct that Nolvadex reduces levels of estrogen: rather, it blocks estrogen from estrogen receptors and, in those tissues where it is an antagonist, causes the receptor to do nothing.

The claim that Nolvadex reduces gains should not be taken too seriously. The fact is that any number of bodybuilders have made excellent gains while using Nolvadex. The belief that it reduces gains seems to stem from the fact that the scientific literature reports a slight reduction in IGF-1 (individuals using anabolic steroids were not studied though) from use of Nolvadex. Thus, Dan Duchaine reported that it reduces IGF-1 and therefore reduces gains. However, if this effect exists at all, it must be very minor, due to the excellent gains that many have made, and from the fact that no one has noticed any such thing from Clomid, which has the same activity profile.

However, I would not be surprised if one were to tell a steroid user that Clomid reduced his gains, he would immediately become afraid that Clomid reduced his gains (please note that no one I have ever heard of has noticed this.) Not having been so misled, however, he would not conclude this from his results. But if an authority publishes that such an effect occurs, whether it does or not it can become self-fulfilling by biasing the user.

The fact that Nolvadex will reduce water retention may result in the user agreeing that gains are less, since weight gain is less, thus reinforcing the bias.

Tamoxifen citrate is the chemical name of active ingredient in Nolvadex. Nolvadex is a registered trademark of AstraZeneca UK Limited in the United States and/or other countries.

Deca Durabolin

This drug is unique (so far as I know) in that 5a -reductase, the enzyme which converts testosterone to the more-potent DHT, actually converts nandrolone to a less-potent compound. Therefore this AAS is somewhat deactivated in the skin, scalp, and prostate, and these tissues experience an effectively-lower androgen level than the rest of the body. Therefore, for the same amount of activity as another drug at the androgen receptors (ARs) in muscle tissue, Deca gives less activity in the scalp, skin, and prostate. Thus, it is the best choice for those particularly concerned with these things.

Its effectiveness at the androgen receptor of muscle tissue is superior to that of testosterone: it binds better. Yet, it gives only about half the muscle-building results per milligram. This I think is a result of its being less effective or entirely ineffective in non-AR-mediated mechanisms for muscle growth.

It also appears less effective or entirely ineffective in activity on nerve cells, certainly on the nerve cells responsible for erectile function. Use of Deca as the sole AAS often results in complete inability to perform sexually.

These problems can be solved by combining with a drug that does supply the missing activity: e.g. testosterone.

Nandrolone is proven to be a progestin. This fact is of clear importance in bodybuilding, because while moderate Deca-only use actually lowers estrogen levels as a consequence of reducing natural testosterone levels and thus allowing the aromatase enzyme less substrate to work with, Deca nonetheless can cause gyno in some individuals. Furthermore, just as progesterone will to a point increase sex drive in women, and then often decrease it as levels get too high, high levels of progestogenic steroids can kill sex drive in male bodybuilders, though there is a great deal of individual variability as to what is too much.

Incidentally, this progestogenic activity also inhibits LH production, and contrary to common belief, even small amounts of Deca are quite inhibitory, approximately as much so as the same amount of testosterone.

To some extent, nandrolone aromatizes to estrogen, and it does not appear that this can be entirely blocked by use of aromatase inhibitors –  indeed, aromatase may not be involved at all in this process (there is no evidence in humans that such occurs) with the enzyme CYP 2C11 being in my opinion the more likely candidate for this activity. In any case, Cytadren, an aromatase inhibitor, has not been found effective in avoiding aromatization of nandrolone.

The drug is moderately effective at doses of 400 mg/week. The long half-life of nandrolone decanoate makes it unsuited to short alternating cycles, but suitable for more traditional cycles, with a built-in self-tapering effect in the weeks following the last injection.

Nandrolone decanoate is the chemical name of active ingredient in Deca Durabolin. Deca Durabolin is a registered trademark of Organon Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Equipose.

Equipoise was actually created while attempting to make a product which would be be a long acting injectable d-bol (Methandrostenolone). What was actually created was a product which, in the real world acts nothing like D-bol, despite it´s similarity to it chemically. A simple way to think of Equipoise, chemically at least, is simply as Dianabol without the 17-alpha-methyl group (that´s the thing which makes D-bol able to be ingested orally and not be destroyed by your liver). However, having had first hand experience with both Equipoise as well as D-bol, I can tell you that the results from each are vastly different.

To make Equipoise, a double bond was added between carbon atoms 1 and 2 of the Steran Nucleus of Testosterone. What does this mean? Well, first of all, since Equipoise was created by one simple modification in the testosterone molecule, you could rightly suspect that it shares many similarities with it. Equipoise is just as anabolic as testosterone (as you can tell by its anabolic rating above), but only half as androgenic. Those ratings can be quite deceiving though, as I don´t know anyone who would claim that you can gain as much weight on Equipoise as you can gain on an equal amount of testosterone (even though strength gains from the two compounds are very similar).

It´s not very common to compare Equipoise to testosterone; however& a far more common comparison is between Equipoise and Deca. I suspect this is because when Dan Duchaine introduced this compound to the steroid using community, he made an immediate comparison to Deca, speculating that it would act similarly to Deca but like a much stronger version of it. Equipoise doesn´t actually act much like deca at all; Deca is actually a progestin and a 19-nor derived steroid whereas Equipoise is more closely related to testosterone (being only one double bond differ rent). Duchaine later rescinded his original statement on Equipoise and said that it was disappointing as a mass builder when compared with deca, but a far better drug than for both strength gains and vascularity. Unfortunately, the myth that Equipoise´s action is similar to Deca´s has persisted for nearly 2 decades after he revised his opinion; this is most evident on internet message boards today, where many will advise against including both of them in a cycle because “they act the same way.”

The 1-2 double bond that Equipoise has is responsible for many of its characteristics. First of all, it acts to slow aromatization (conversion into estrogen). The best estimate is that it does so at roughly half the rate of testosterone (1). This is the best number I´ve found in studies. Athletes almost never report estrogenic side effects with Equipoise, even when the dose is up to a gram per week. Side effects caused by estrogen include oily skin, acne, and gynocomastia, and as I said, those are usually not found from Equipoise. Virilization (development of male sexual characteristics in women) is almost never seen with this compound, when reasonable doses are used by female athletes. This is one of the few injectable compounds which could be successfully be used by female athletes and bodybuilders, and isn´t often faked.

Clinical Equipoise and Athletes

That double bond is also responsible for Equipoise´s resistance for being changed by the 5- 5-Alpha-reductase enzyme (2)(3). This enzyme converts a small amount of Boldenone into Dihydroboldenone, which is a very potent androgen (7x as anabolic as testosterone)(4). As I said though, such a small amount of it is converted that it´s really of no concern to most athletes taking Equipoise. This factor, plus its low aromatization rate mean athletes don´t need to consider using ancillaries with Equipoise.

Athletes taking Equipoise often report a slow and constant buildup of quality muscle, and certainly this has been my experience with the drug. I would speculate that this slow buildup of muscle is due to the very long ester attached to the Boldenone; Undeclynate is a longer ester than the decanoate ester by one carbon. Thus, we could expect the accumulation of muscle from Equipoise to actually occur at a slightly slower rate than that found with Deca (nandrolone decanoate). This leads me to advise that if you are considering the use of Equipoise, you should consider using it for no less than 12 weeks. Equipoise, like deca, is also detectable in your system for a long time (although it is substantially less than deca´s detection time).

Strangely, shorter estered versions of Boldenone are available as well. Anecdotally, many people (and manufacturers) claim that this produces less water retention…but water retention from Equipoise is virtually unheard of, so I consider this to be a silly idea.

An informal poll I took on Steroid.com (as well as with my friends) seems to put the ideal dose of Equipoise at 600mgs/week. Most people I asked about their Equipoise experience with Equipoise seemed to think that using over 600mgs/week produced no additional results, but the jump from 400mgs/week to 600mgs/week produced noticeable additional gains, and thus was warranted. I have personally found very nice results from 400mgs-600mgs/week myself.

Equipoise Side Effects

One of the most pronounced effects in Equipoise is its ability to raise your RBC´s (red blood cells). This is very typical of anabolic steroids; however, Equipoise would appear to do it to a slightly greater degree than most. One of the other effects most Equipoise users report is an increased appetite. I can say that this is true of me, also; this factor makes it impossible for me to diet on it. It´s because of this ability to increase appetite that many will include Equipoise in a mass cycle, and it´s for the quality of muscle gained on it that many will include it in a cutting cycle. It´s probably the most versatile injectable compound, next to testosterone. People even use a low dosed version of Equipoise to blend with irritating injectable drugs suck as testosterone suspension or Propionate. I´m thinking of the old Ganabol version which was dosed at 50mgs/ml, here… it´s not that Equipoise is especially good to cut other steroids with, but the low dose and cost of Ganabol made it ideal to do this with, when sterile oil wasn´t available or desirable. This low dosed version was also very popular with women, who were comfortable shooting 1cc of this stuff every few days or every week.

Equipoise will cause a suppression of your hormones, such as endogenous testosterone, so I would also recommend using injectable testosterone in any cycle containing it. Failure to do so could result in possible sexual dysfunction and other sides.

Buy Equipoise

Finally, when you buy equipoise, one of the best parts of Equipoise is it´s low price and high availability. Equipoise is produced by most Underground Labs at very reasonable prices. You shouldn´t be paying more than $50 for a 10cc bottle dosed at 200mgs/ml, and that price is true of Mexican veterinary products and underground labs alike.

I´d have to say that due to its incredible versatility, availability, and low price, Equipoise is going to be a staple in many cycles for a long time.

Intermediate Bulk Cycle.

If you´re anything like me, you took a look at the title of this article and wondered what an intermediate is. It´s relatively easy to figure out what a beginner is, because chances are if you haven´t done steroids, you already know that you´re a beginner. And if you´ve been using steroids for nearly a decade (as I have), you would probably have assumed you would need an advanced cycle. But if you fall in this grey area in the middle, then you´re probably wondering what kind of cycles you need.

Well, I´m going to set up some guidelines to figure out whether you´re an intermediate, ok? You´re an intermediate if you´ve been lifting for at least 3 years and have done at least 3 cycles. And I think, to make my definition of intermediate a little easier to understand, I´ll also suggest that you need to have done at least 3 different anabolic steroids, and stacked them in at least one of your cycles. You with me, so far? What I´m saying is that in order to be an intermediate, you have:

  • Done 3 cycles or more
  • Used three different Anabolic steroids
  • Stacked 2 steroids in at least one cycle

If you´ve done all of the above then you are (at least) an intermediate steroid user, and the cycle I´m going to outline here is for you. SO let´s take a look at a sample intermediate bulking cycle, and then I´ll give you the reasoning behind it.

Week
Testosterone
(Cypionate or Enanthate)
Deca-Durabolin
(Nandrolone Decanoate)
Dianabol
(Methandrostenolone)
Arimidex*
(Anastrozole)
1
500 mgs
400 mgs
25-50 mgs/day
0.5 mgs/day
2
500 mgs
400 mgs
25-50 mgs/day
0.5 mgs/day
3
500 mgs
400 mgs
25-50 mgs/day
0.5 mgs/day
3
500 mgs
400 mgs
25-50 mgs/day
0.5 mgs/day
4
500 mgs
400 mgs
25-50 mgs/day
0.5 mgs/day
5
500 mgs
400 mgs
25-50 mgs/day
0.5 mgs/day
6
500 mgs
400 mgs
 
0.5 mgs/day
7
500 mgs
400 mgs
 
0.5 mgs/day
8
500 mgs
400 mgs
 
0.5 mgs/day
9
500 mgs
400 mgs
 
0.5 mgs/day
10
500 mgs
400 mgs
 
0.5 mgs/day
11
500 mgs
400 mgs
 
0.5 mgs/day
12
500 mgs
 
 
0.5 mgs/day

*If necessary.

Ok, so what we have here is a nice bulking cycle that uses about a gram per week of anabolics, on average, and makes use of orals in the beginning to help you see results more quickly. In the beginning, you´re going to be running between 25 and 50mgs per day of Dianabol, which will allow you to see results very quickly while blood plasma levels of the long estered Testosterone and Nandrolone products to build up to their peak levels. I´m a firm believer that when you run a bulking cycle, you want to maximize the amount of weight you gain for the time that you´re on steroids. Typically, people don´t “feel” the long estered products effects until a quite a few weeks into the cycle. That´s why I like to kickstart a bulking cycle with an oral like Dianabol. I look at it as a numbers game& if you can manage to keep 50% of the weight you gain on a bulking cycle, and you gain 25lbs, you´ll end up with more muscle in the end then if you gain 20lbs, even if you lose half. On a bulking cycle, you need to bulk. This is a bit “old school” of me, but to be totally honest, I could never hold 200 very lean pounds until I went to 225 and cut back down (I´m 5´7″).

I think Dianabol is a nice bulking drug, and with the recent emergence of so many quality UG Labs, it´s relatively cheap. It gives the user an increase in strength and size almost immediately, and usually a heightened sense of well being. Of course, some users prefer Anadrol, because it can be a bit cheaper on a mg for mg basis, but really this isn´t enough of a difference to matter, in my opinion. I get headaches on Anadrol, but if you like it, then by all means, substitute it for the Dianabol.

The suggested testosterones in this cycle are long estered testosterone products, and are usually injected every 3.5-7th day. Testosterone stacks well with anything, and produces a nice anabolic (muscle building) effect, in addition to a distinct androgenic effect. Naturally, both of these effects will work together to help you achieve a significant increase in weight-load capacity, and a gain in Body weight.

Nandrolone Decanoate is a good choice for inclusion into a bulking cycle because it is very anabolic and slightly androgenic. It has two primary benefits on a bulking cycle, and the first is of course its ability to help you retain nitrogen, and thus build more muscle. The other very beneficial effect you will experience with the use of Nandrolone is a joint soothing/healing effect. Conversion to estrogen with this product is low, and combined with its other effects, it´s a natural choice for adding into a bulking cycle.

A cycle like this will give the user a good twenty plus pounds of new body weight, as well as the strength that accompanies it. If water retention becomes a problem, or your nipples get tender (a beginning sign of Gynocomastia), add in some Arimidex (Anastrozole) at half a milligram every day.

Arnolds Scwarzenegger’s workout Routine.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Old School Bodybuilding Workout

Arnold is probably the most famous bodybuilder of all time, he won Mr. Olympia
seven times (1970-1975, 1980) and brought bodybuilding into the national spotlight
in the movie “Pumpin Iron”. 

Arnold’s Top Form Measurements

Arms 22 inches
Chest 57 inches
Waist 34 inches
Thighes 28.5 inches
Calves 20 inches
Weight 235 pounds
Height 6’2″

Arnold was from the old “No Pain No Gain” school of bodybuilding and his
routines consisted of high sets and reps, mostly not to failure. He trained
each muscle group three times each week (except calves, forearms & abs
which he trained every day), using a six day split routine.

There was very little rest between sets, and he usually increased weight each
and every set. Although he experimented with high reps at times, he usually
preferred a rep range of about 6 to 10.

The following is a typical Arnold routine, but be aware that Arnold’s routine
changed constantly. At times he trained twice a day, while at other times
once a day was enough. There were periods when he did lots supersets
and giant sets. Arnold tried every thing, and picked what worked best for
him at that particular time. By mixing things up he challenged his strength
and endurance and the training variety helped keep him fresh and motivated!

Remember this is a very advanced bodybuilding routine and should not be used
by beginners or intermediates, and even advanced bodybuilder’s should only
take what they think will work best for them and adapt it to their own
bodybuilding philosophy.

Arnold’s Routine

Mon, Wed, Fri

Chest:
Bench press 5 x 6-10
Flat bench flyes 5 x 6-10
Incline bench press 6 x 6-10
Cable crossovers 6 x 10-12
Dips (body weight) 5 x failure
Dumbell pullovers 5 x 10-12. 

Back:
Wide-grip chins (to front) 6 x failure
T-bar rows 5 x 6-10
Seated pulley rows 6 x 6-10
One-arm dumbell rows 5 x 6-10
Straight-leg deadlifts 6 x 15

Legs:
Squats 6 x 8-12
Leg press 6 x 8-12
Leg extensions 6 x 12-15
Leg curls 6 x 10-12
Barbell lunges 5 x 15

Calves:
Standing calf raises 10 x 10
Seated calf raises 8 x 15
Oneplegged calf raises (holding dumbells) 6×12

Forearms:
Wrist curls (forearms on knees) – 4 sets, 10 reps
Reverse barbell curls – 4 sets, 8 reps
Wright roller machine – to failure

Abs:
½ hour of a variety of nonspecific abdominal exercises, done virtually nonstop.

Tues, Thurs, Sat

Biceps:
Barbell curls 6 x 6-10
Seated dumbell curls 6 x 6-10
Dumbell concentration curls 6 x 6-10 

Triceps:
Close-grip bench presses 6 x 6-10
Pushdowns 6 x 6-10
French press (barbell) 6 x 6-10
One-arm triceps extensions (dumbell) 6 x 6-10

Shoulders:
Seated barbell presses 6 x 6-10
Lateral raises (standing) 6 x 6-10
Rear-delt lateral raises 5 x 6-10
Cable lateral raises 5 x 10-12

Calves , Forearms & Abs:
Same as Monday, Wednesday, Friday workout

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