Testosterone 101

Ok, now here we have the most basic and well know of all Anabolic steroids known to man, and that is basic testosterone. Now all Anabolic steroids are either Testosterone or Testosterone derivatives with slight variances between compounds. But overall Testosterone is the most basic and easiest to understand from a performance and physiology perspective.

Testosterone has an Anabolic and Androgenic rating of 100:100 meaning that for every Anabolic affect there will be an Androgenic affect. All steroids, in regards to strength and side effects, is usually measured along side Testosterone as a reference guide. Trenbolone for example has an Anabolic and Androgenic rating of 500:500 meaning it is 5 times more potent mg per mg than Testosterone. And that my friends is one of the many reasons that Trenbolone is such a popular steroid, part in due to the fact that it bangs a punch at a low amount, but that does not come without a vast array of side effects that I will go into in a future article.

Now speaking of side effects, I will say that the side effects of Testosterone are fairly mild and much of this will be dictated by the dosage used. Lower doses, generally under 500 mg/week, carries a much lower side effect profile that say 1000 mg/week, which is not at all uncommon. The most common side effects are a shut down of your own natural Testosterone production, potential prostate enlargement, possible acne, estrogen elevation, potential elevation in blood pressure, a little elevation in hematocrit, and a little elevation in cholesterol. Now again, as I mentioned before, this is all dose dependent, and will also be largely individualistic in regards to what side effects you may experience. For me, the biggest side effects were a little bit of acne, some blood pressure elevation (which I control with the use of Cialis), and a little estrogen elevation (again which I often control using an AI such as Arimidex). Now this is just me, and the results can vary greatly from person to person, with a lot of this being due to the dosage used.

Now lets talk about dosing for the beginning bodybuilder or anyone new to performance enhancement. I would recommend a starting dose of 250-300 mg a week for anyone who is a first time user. You will often read on forums that 500 mg/week is a beginner dose and I say bullshit to that. The goal of performance enhancement is and always will be getting the most from the least amount of compound used. For someone who has never used anything before a 8-10 week cycle of just a single CC (MG) a week of either a Testosterone Cypionate or Enanthate ester will yield some pretty great results, without leading you down a road of side effects. Now for a second or third cycle I would say that 500 mg/week is a great dose, but only after your body has experienced what the extra levels of Testosterone can do for you and you have a chance to see what side effects, if any, that you are prone to.

As you get more an more advanced you will usually see guys (myself included I will not lie) taking their test up to 750-1000 mg/ week and stacking it with other compounds. This is because it takes a larger amount and a vaster array of compounds to produce results the longer down the cycle road that you go. But in order to keep you in this game for the long haul, always start with the lowest and most simple amount of any compound to see how your body reacts. The thing about Anabolics is no single individual is the same. Where one individual can feel great on a certain amount or a certain compound, another can feel like downright shit. For me, Trenbolone is a compound I can no longer use. As great as the results are, I feel like a psychopath on it. My anxiety is sky high, I have night sweats and can’t sleep, my aggression is absolutely insane, I get paranoia and I just feel so out of my head that I struggle to function the way I want. Body looks great, feel like shit. Dbol jacks my blood sugar up and I feel run down and lethargic most of the day. High levels of Testosterone I feel great, EQ also works with my body pretty well.

Now before I wrap this up I want to talk about the different types of Testosterone that you often times see. There really is only 1 type of Testosterone and that is Testosterone lol. What you see is are different ester types that control the rate of release of the hormone into the blood stream. First we have Test Proprionate or Prop for short. This has a half life of 2-3 days and is something we usually want to inject Mon/Wed/Fri or every other day. Next we have Test Enanthate and Cypionate, which are essentially the exact same. Some will argue that one holds more water than the other, but I have never experienced this. Both have a half life of around 7-8 days and can be injected once or twice a week depending on dosage. When taking your dosage up to 750-1000 mg we usually want to inject 3-4 times a week, but for a first time user in the 250-300 range a once a week inject will do just fine. Lastly we have what is called Sustanon 250 or Sust for short. This is a blend of 4 different esters that helps control the rate of release into your blood stream. Usually a Sustanon blend contains 30 mg of Test Prop, 60 mg of Phenylproprionate, 60 mg of Isocaproate and 100 mg of Decanoate. Essentially this is a blend of some fast, moderate and long acting esters that allow for a lower injection frequency. I personally do not really like the Sustanon blends, but again that is just me and everyone has different opinions.

There you have it, a cliff notes guide to the most basic and popular Anabolic on earth. Don’t forget to pick up my Ebook, Underground Steroid Handbook for a real life guide on everything performance enhancement based on real life experience. Cycle hard!!!!

BEYOND JUST BODYBUILDING!!!!!!