The one question most novice bodybuilders ask during a regular gym session is; ‘is steroid safe to use?‘ Now, this question is often asked in a hush-tone and in truth, most people that ask the question are more or less wetting the ground (so to speak) for the real question on their mind.
Without wanting to appear forward, people often start by asking if they can trust the person being asked the question before laying it all out on what they really want. And what they often want is to know if, how, where, when and what steroids they can use to improve their physique and performance.
But the truth of the matter is, no one can give you an honest answer when faced with such a question because it really all depends on a host of factors.
In this post, we will attempt to put your mind at ease if you are one of those wanting to really know if steroids are safe to use.
We’ll also provide you with information on expected steroid cycle results and potential benefits. And we’ll round up this post by discussing the importance of Post-cycle Therapy or PCT to any steroid cycle.
But first, we begin by answering the question of:
What Are Androgenic-anabolic Steroids (AAS) Used For?
Androgenic-anabolic steroids or AAS are used for the following purposes:
- Medicinal: For the treatment of medically diagnosed ailments, such as; testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), cancer, HIV/AIDS, and so on.
- Therapeutic: AAS can also be used for therapeutic reasons to help combat insomnia, mental health issues like depression, stress, and anxiety, and to aid relaxation.
- Performance: AAS is used to enhance performance by increasing energy, endurance, power, stamina and strength.
- Muscle Building (Bulking): By binding to the androgen receptors of skeletal muscle tissue, steroids can promote nitrogen retention and increase protein synthesis for improved muscle growth.
- Body fat reduction (Cutting): Certain steroids are known to boost the body metabolism and in effect promote body fat reduction.
- Recovery: Injuries are part and parcel of bodybuilding, but your ability to recovery quickly from a setback can be enhanced with the use of AAS.
- Maintenance of Gains: Your muscle development, fat reduction and performance gains can be maintained with steroids even when you are not training as usual due to injury or in an off-season.
There are well over 30 different types of anabolic steroids with different modes of administration including oral, injection (intramuscular or subcutaneous administration), pellet (implanted in the skin), gel, and topical cream. Popular oral steroids include:
- Methandienone otherwise known as Dianabol (Dbol)
- Oxymetholone or Anadrol (Drol)
- Oxandrolone or Anavar (Var)
- Stanozolol or Winstrol (Winny)
- Mesterolone or Proviron
- Fluoxymesterone or Halotestin (Halo)
There are also popular injectable steroids, such as:
- Nandrolone phenpropionate (NPP) or Durabolin
- Nandrolone decanoate or Deca Durabolin (Deca)
- Trenbolone acetate (Tren)
- Boldenone undecylenate or Equipoise (EQ)
- Methenolone enanthate or Primobolan (Primo)
What Is the Best Anabolic Steroids for Bodybuilding?
This is a question that boils down to objectives. What exactly do you want to achieve from using steroids for bodybuilding? You start by defining your goals which essentially could be bulking, cutting, performance enhancing and/or recovery.
You then need to decide on whether to stack steroids or run a cycle with a standalone steroid. But this is not enough to determine which steroid is the best for bodybuilding, as other factors come into play, such as; your genetics, age, current health status, gender, diet, training methods and lifestyle choices.
All these factors are important in determining the potency or otherwise of any steroid. In addition to this, your cycle duration and dosage play a key role in how effective a steroid may be. What’s more, a steroid that is best for your needs, may not necessarily be ideal to the needs of others.
Tren and Deca are strong bulking steroids, but may not be well tolerated by everyone and because they both convert to estrogen, these two steroids may cause harsh feminization side effects in some users.
So ultimately, the best steroids for bodybuilders are those that are well tolerated, with little or no side effects while offering optimal bodybuilding gains to users.
Your physician and personal trainer can help you in deciding on which anabolic steroid would be best for your bodybuilding goals.
The Expected Steroid Cycle Results
Some of the most highly anticipated steroid cycle results include:
Increased Skeletal Muscles
Steroids like a Deca, Tren, and Test E are capable of supplying your body with high-levels of exogenous testosterone which replaces your body’s natural production of testosterone. Increased testosterone levels will trigger a string of anabolic effects including a boost in IGF-1, nitrogen retention, and protein synthesis which then promotes skeletal muscle growth.
Increased Stamina
Steroids can boost your red blood cell count which means that your entire body system will be supplied with oxygen-rich blood which will enhance your stamina. High levels of oxygenated blood in muscle tissue during workouts will reduce lactic acid build up which then improves your endurance levels.
Quick Recovery
Injuries are a fact of life for any bodybuilder and steroids like Primo can help you recover quickly from bone and muscle-related injuries.
Maintaining Lean Muscles Mass Gains
Your muscle mass gains achieved before an off-season or before you nurse an injury can be maintained with the right steroids. Primobolan can also help with this regard.
Body fat Reduction
A steroid like Anavar can play a great role in reducing both body and visceral fat by increasing your rate of metabolism.
Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT) to Regulate Endogenous Hormones
It must be said that before you even begin running a steroid cycle, you need to first of all plan for post-cycle therapy or PCT for short. PCT is an after-steroid cycle protocol to help restore normalcy to your endogenous hormone levels.
Remember that steroids tend to stop your natural production of hormones particularly testosterone hormone. However, with a PCT plan, you can commence with taking anti-estrogen medication like Clomid (Clomiphene) and/or Nolvadex (Tamoxifen) at a certain time after a steroid cycle.
PCT will kickstart the natural production of testosterone hormone while preventing the occurrence of feminization side effects like gynecomastia (male boobs).
Final Thoughts
The safety or otherwise of steroids is a subjective question, as it all depends on the genetics, age, health and well-being, gender, lifestyle choices, diet, workout routine, cycle, and dosage of the steroid used amongst many other tangible and intangible factors.
The type of steroid used is also a factor in determining its safety, as some steroids offer a much higher health risk than others. It is therefore important to always seek proper counsel before even thinking of using steroids for bodybuilding.
You should take your health very seriously and avoid misusing or abusing steroids. Equally important is the need to have a PCT plan on ground before your start running a AAS cycle.
PCT will help to restore normalcy to your endogenous hormones which stopped due to the presence of high levels of exogenous testosterone in your system.
You should note that what works best for you, may not for others, so always consult with your doctor and an experienced, qualified coach before running any steroid cycle.
If you need someone to chat with on bodybuilding, dietary plans, workout routines, steroids, and PCT, you can do so with an IFBB PRO coach here today.
