Anabolic Handbook PDF - 1st Edition

Sold to [email protected] None of the content provided within this e-book is to be deemed legal or medical advice in any way, shape or form. All decisions are yours alone and I am not responsible for your actions. This e-book is for educational purposes only. Do not take supplements or drugs wit...

Sold to [email protected] None of the content provided within this e-book is to be deemed legal or medical advice in any way, shape or form. All decisions are yours alone and I am not responsible for your actions. This e-book is for educational purposes only. Do not take supplements or drugs without the supervision or direction of a qualified medical professional. Before deciding to take Anabolic Steroids, we suggest you do your own research regarding the legality and dangers of using them alongside reading these opinions (not to be deemed medical advice). DISTRIBUTION Use, distribution or disclosure by others is prohibited. This product is not to be re-sold at any time. RIGHTS RESERVED The materials contained in this product are protected by applicable copyright and trademark law. ENHANCEDINFO is the author and owner of this product. DO NOT TAKE STEROIDS OR ANY OTHER SUPPLEMENT WITHOUT THE APPROVAL AND SUPERVISION OF YOUR DOCTOR. INTRODUCTION................................................................................. 4 TESTOSTERONE & ITS DERIVATIVES..................................................... 14 TESTOSTERONE........................................................................... 16 DIANABOL (METHANDIENONE).................................................... 39 TURINABOL (CHLORODEHYDROMETHYLTESTOSTERONE)........ 53 HALOTESTIN (FLUOXYMESTERONE)............................................ 64 EQUIPOISE (BOLDENONE)........................................................... 77 DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE & ITS DERIVATIVES..................................... 90 DHT (DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE).................................................. 92 PROVIRON (MESTEROLONE)...................................................... 100 MASTERON (DROSTANOLONE)................................................. 113 WINSTROL (STANOZOLOL)........................................................ 125 ANAVAR (OXANDROLONE)......................................................... 135 PRIMOBOLAN (METHENOLONE)................................................ 146 ANADROL (OXYMETHOLONE).................................................... 157 SUPERDROL (METHASTERONE)................................................. 168 NANDROLONE & ITS DERIVATIVES................................................... 178 NANDROLONE (DECA DURABOLIN / NPP).................................. 180 TRENBOLONE............................................................................. 194 TRESTOLONE (MENT)................................................................. 212 GETTING BLOODWORK DONE.......................................................... 223 HOW TO GET BLOODWORK DONE............................................. 224 HORMONAL PANEL.................................................................... 225 LIPID PANEL................................................................................ 226 METABOLIC PANEL..................................................................... 227 COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT........................................................ 228 OTHER MARKERS....................................................................... 229 2 ON-CYCLE THERAPY – SIDE-EFFECT MITIGATION.............................. 230 CARDIOVASCULAR SIDE-EFFECTS............................................ 233 ORGAN SIDE-EFFECTS............................................................... 242 ESTROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS...................................................... 250 ANDROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS..................................................... 265 PROGESTOGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS.............................................. 276 CONNECTIVE & MUSCLE TISSUE SIDE-EFFECTS........................ 282 DRUG-SPECIFIC SIDE-EFFECTS.................................................. 286 OTHER SIDE-EFFECTS................................................................ 294 TESTOSTERONE BASE.................................................................... 297 WHAT IS A TESTOSTERONE BASE?............................................ 298 ALTERNATIVE TESTOSTERONE BASES...................................... 300 POST-CYCLE THERAPY.................................................................. 310 PCT EXPLAINED.......................................................................... 311 BLASTING & CRUISING............................................................... 314 SERMS........................................................................................ 316 HCG FOR FERTILITY & PCT......................................................... 331 TRANSITIONING FROM THE CYCLE TO PCT............................... 333 IDEAL PCT PROTOCOL............................................................... 336 HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS DURING PCT........................................ 339 AAS FOR FEMALES........................................................................ 340 HOW TO INJECT AAS..................................................................... 348 CYCLE EXAMPLES.......................................................................... 363 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.................................................... 385 FINAL NOTES & SOURCES.............................................................. 398 3 Thank you for buying this e-book. I hope that the information within these pages will provide you with a better understanding of the pros & cons of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids so that you can be better prepared if you decide to use them. WHAT ARE ANABOLIC ANDROGENIC STEROIDS? w rit te n To understand what Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) are, by @ we must first understand what Testosterone is. en ha Testosterone is the main sex hormone and androgen in nc males. From a developmental point of view, Testosterone is ed in necessary for the development of healthy male reproductive fo organs, the growtg body hair, the promotion of muscle mass and strengthening of bones. Testosterone also regulates behavior, mood and well-being, as well as sex drive, sexual function, voice tone and other masculine features. Testosterone converts (aromatizes) into Estrogen through the aromatase enzyme and converts (reduces) into Dihydrotestosterone through the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme. Both Estrogen and DHT are necessary for optimal sexual function and mood, but they are different in that Estrogen plays a key role in protecting the heart, the brain and bones, whereas Dihydrotestosterone is crucial for the development of 4 male reproductive tissues, the growth of body hair, and optimal mood thanks to its antidepressant, anxiolytic effects. In other words, Testosterone (and by extension, DHT and Estrogen) is extremely important for us men to function optimally, which explains why Testosterone was the first AAS hormone to be synthesized and used as a drug for therapeutic purposes, starting in the 1930s. Over the decades, scientists modified the Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone and Nandrolone (another Testosterone derivative) molecules with the goal of developing new AAS that would be more effective and safer than Testosterone at treating hypogonadism, muscle loss, osteoporosis and other w rit conditions. te n by This relentless pursuit of perfection gave birth to a wide @ variety of AAS with the same overall function, but significant en differences between each other. Unsurprisingly, AAS were ha nc also adopted for veterinary use, mainly to maximize the lean ed tissue of cattle. in fo Despite being developed for medical and veterinary use, AAS were rapidly adopted by the Olympic Committees of many different countries, who put their athletes on these drugs with hopes of improving their performance and giving their country an advantage in the Olympics. The use of AAS in sports eventually led to the development of new, performance- focused compounds that never found their way into the medical and veterinary fields. Shortly thereafter, the advent of professional bodybuilding further popularized AAS as performance-enhancing drugs 5 due to their muscle-building properties and their dramatic effect on strength and performance. Bodybuilding proved that AAS could be used to take the human physique to the next level, allowing athletes to reach a shape, size and conditioning that had been unimaginable up until that point. It was after the surge in popularity of bodybuilding that AAS became widely used by the public, and the rest is history. Now that we understand the origin and general history of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, we can easily define these drugs as synthetic analogues and derivatives of Testosterone that support muscle and bone mass, improve performance, w rit and promote sexual & mental well-being. te n by @ en DIFFERENT TYPES OF STEROIDS ha nc ed The term “steroid” refers to the molecular structure of both in fo classes of drugs, which always has four rings in the following configuration: This structure is referred to as “steroidal”, so any molecule that has it can be described as a “steroid”. In other words, Anabolic Androgenic Steroids are only one of many classes of steroids: Estradiol is a steroid, cholesterol is a steroid, vitamin D3 is a steroid, etc… 6 Making a distinction between AAS and other types of steroids is important, because a lot of medical information websites use the term “steroid” to describe hundreds of drugs that have almost nothing in common. Besides AAS, the most commonly used steroids are Corticosteroids. These are steroidal hormones that regulate the stress response, inflammation, immunity and other physiological processes. Unlike AAS, Corticosteroids are catabolic, meaning that cause muscle loss rather than muscle growth. Keep this in mind when researching AAS online, since many scientific papers will use the term “steroids” to describe Corticosteroids, often leading to confusion. w rit te n by THE HPG AXIS @ en ha Before you read this e-book and do AAS, you need to nc ed understand what the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Gonad Axis in (HPG Axis) is and how using AAS affects it. fo The hypothalamus is a part of the brain that controls the endogenous production of multiple hormones, including Testosterone. The hypothalamus secretes a hormone known as GnRH (Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone), which tells the pituitary gland (also found in the brain) to release LH (Luteinizing Hormone) and FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone). These two hormones, “travel” to the testicles (gonads) where they stimulate the production of sperm (in the case of FSH) and the production of Testosterone (in the case of LH). 7 When exogenous androgens such as AAS or SARMs are introduced, the brain realizes that it does not need to keep producing endogenous androgens (Testosterone), so it shuts down the HPG Axis to stop the entire process. This process can be reversed by doing what is known as a Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT). INJECTABLE VS ORAL AAS For the most part, AAS are either injectable or oral. Injectable AAS are administered intramuscularly (although they can be w rit administered subcutaneously as well) and they tend to be less te n toxic to the organs than oral AAS. Injectables are less by convenient than orals, they are painful and they require more @ en preparation, but they are essential to any serious bodybuilder ha who wants to enhance his physique with AAS. nc ed Oral AAS tend to be very liver toxic because they are in fo methylated. In their basic form, AAS are not sufficiently bioavailable when used orally because the liver breaks them down and prevents them from being absorbed. Methylation (also known as C17-alpha-alkylation) is the process by which an AAS is made suitable for oral use, and it consists in adding an alkyl group at the C17-alpha position of its chemical structure. In simple terms, one could say that methylation “forces” the liver to absorb orally administered AAS. Methylation simplifies the process of using certain AAS, but it results in liver toxicity, which can be dangerous. 8  ANABOLIC : ANDROGENIC RATIO As the name indicates, Anabolic Androgenic Steroids have Anabolic (muscle-building) and Androgenic (masculinizing) properties. The anabolic : androgenic ratio is used to assess how anabolic and androgenic an AAS is compared to Testosterone, which has a ratio of 100:100. This ratio is calculated by comparing the effects of an AAS on the ventral prostate (VP) and the levator ani muscle (LA). The greater the weight of the VP, the more androgenic an AAS is, w and the greater the weight of the LA, the more anabolic it is. rit te n These are the anabolic : androgenic ratios of the AAS I cover by in this e-book: @ en TESTOSTERONE = 100:100 ha nc DIANABOL = 90-120:40-60 ed in fo TURINABOL = 100: - (androgenic ratio unknown) HALOTESTIN = 1900:850 EQUIPOISE = 100:50 DHT = 60-220:30-260 PROVIRON = 150:40 MASTERON = 60-130:25-40 WINSTROL = 320 : 30 ANAVAR = 320-630 : 24 9 PRIMOBOLAN = 88:44-57 ANADROL = 320:45 NANDROLONE = 125:37 TRENBOLONE = 500:500 TRESTOLONE = 2300:650 You should never rely on these ratios to assess how anabolic and androgenic an AAS truly is, because they were calculated by using castrated rats as reference, and they rarely reflect the true effects of an AAS in the real world. For example, Mesterolone (Proviron) has a ratio of 150:40. w This means that, on paper, Proviron is 50% more anabolic rit te than Testosterone, and only 40% as androgenic. However, n by everyone knows that Proviron is way more androgenic and @ less anabolic than an equivalent dose of Testosterone in the en ha real world, so Proviron’s ratio is not representative of reality nc whatsoever. ed in fo This discrepancy between theory and reality applies to the majority of AAS and their anabolic : androgenic ratios, so worry about the real-world applications of AAS instead of worrying about their effects “on paper”. 10  ABOUT THIS E-BOOK This e-book was written with one goal in mind: To provide you with all the information you need to know to have good results without destroying your health and your quality of life if you decide to hop on Steroids. I could go on and on about the evolution and history of AAS throughout the second half of the 20th Century and the first two decades of the 21st Century, as well as go deep into the biochemistry behind these drugs, but as the name indicates the purpose of this e-book is to be a Handbook, not an Encyclopaedia. w rit te After all, you are reading this book because you want specific n by information on how to use AAS in a bodybuilding / @ performance-enhancing context, so I will not beat around the en bush with information that won’t help you reach your goals. ha nc This book is divided into 3 main blocks, in which I cover ed in Testosterone & its direct derivatives, Dihydrotestosterone & fo its derivatives and Nandrolone & its derivatives. These sections of the book will give you detailed information about the pros and cons of each AAS, as well as guidance as to what the optimal dose, timing and cycle length for each compound are. After these 3 blocks, you will find the sections on On-Cycle Therapy and Post-Cycle Therapy. In these blocks I will teach you everything you need to know (what to take & how) in order to mitigate the side-effects of all AAS during a cycle, 11 and in order to restore your baseline hormone levels after a cycle. The other sections of this e-book will provide you with general information worth knowing, scientific references, instructions on how to use AAS as a female & multiple cycle examples that you can copy. --- There is no need to read this book from cover to cover. As long as you understand what AAS are, you can simply go to the Table of Contents and access the specific information you are looking for right away. If you are a complete newbie or you w are simply interested in learning as much as possible, reading rit te this book in its entirety is a good idea. n by I also want to make it clear that the information in this e-book @ is not set in stone. Different enhanced bodybuilding experts en ha have slightly different opinions when it comes to what the best nc protocols for each AAS are. The protocols in this e-book err ed in on the side of caution and are meant to help the average AAS fo user have great results with the least amount of side-effects possible. With this being said, it is high time for you to delve into this e- book and learn everything you need to know about using AAS in the safest and most effective way possible! 12  fo in ed nc ha en 13 @ by n te rit w Testosterone & its derivatives w rit te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 14  fo in ed nc ha en 15 @ by n te rit w  Testosterone 17B-Hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one w rit te n by @ Testosterone is the foundation of everything you will learn en ha about in this book. As you know, it is the main androgen and nc sex hormone in males of many different species, and the most ed in important AAS in the human body. fo This hormone is necessary for the development of male reproductive organs, and it is responsible for male secondary sexual characteristics like increased muscle mass and bone strength, facial hair, a deep voice, high sex drive, body hair, Adam’s apple, broad shoulders and increased sebum production. Despite being a “male hormone”, Testosterone is also found in females, where it plays an important role in vaginal arousal and sexual desire. Exogenous Testosterone has been used for therapeutic and performance-enhancing purposes for close to 8 decades. It is sold in both injectable and topical formulations, but the latter 16 are almost never used because they are less effective and can be accidentally rubbed onto kids and women, who would be negatively affected by it. Oral Testosterone exists as well, but its hefty price, low potency, low oral bioavailability, and short half-life make it a terrible alternative to injections. In the next few pages, you will learn all the benefits and side- effects of using Testosterone in a performance-enhancing context, as well as instructions on how to use it depending on your goals. But first, you need to understand what “esters” are and what esters Testosterone is available in. TESTOSTERONE ESTERS w rit te n by In simple terms, we could define esters as molecules that are @ attached to AAS to modulate their bioavailability and half-life. en ha ENANTHATE: Testosterone Enanthate (also known as Test E) nc ed is perhaps the most common ester of injectable Testosterone. in It has a half-life of 4 to 5 days, so injecting it every 5 days or fo even once a week to keep blood levels stable is possible. CYPIONATE: Testosterone Cypionate (also known as Test C) is the second most used ester of injectable Testosterone. It has a half-life of 7 to 8 days, so it can also be injected once a week for stable blood levels. PROPIONATE: Testosterone Propionate (also known as Test P or Test Prop) is a short-acting injectable Testosterone ester. There is a lot of contradictory information regarding its exact half-life, with some papers citing 21 hours and others claiming 2-3 days. As such, it is usually administered on an every- 17 other-day (EOD) basis, so only experienced users and competitors who want to have absolute control of their levels opt for it. UNDECANOATE: Testosterone Undecanoate is the longest- acting ester of injectable Testosterone in the market today. It has a half-life of 3 to 5 weeks, so it’s mainly used for therapeutic purposes and rarely for performance- enhancement since it is harder for one to quickly adjust the dose as desired. Oral Testosterone also has an Undecanoate ester, but it needs to be taken 3 times a day with fatty meals for optimal results, so it has little to do with its injectable counterpart. w rit SUSTANON: This form of Testosterone is a combination of 4 te n esters: Propionate, Phenylpropionate, Isocaproate and by Decanoate. Each ester has a different half-life, so they hit and @ en peak at different points. Sustanon tends to be injected weekly ha as a PED, and every 3-4 weeks for therapeutic purposes. nc ed TESTOSTERONE SUSPENSION: Unlike the other forms of in fo Testosterone, Test Suspension is water-based (as opposed to being oil-based) and it does not even have an ester, meaning that it hits right away and has a half-life of just a few hours. This, coupled with the fact that injecting it is extremely painful, makes Test Suspension the least practical form of injectable Testosterone one can use. Some experienced users employ Test Suspension as a pre-workout PED. 18 MUSCLE GROWTH Testosterone is an excellent muscle-builder. Whether you are using a low dose to put your levels at the top of the reference range, or you are blasting a dose that puts your levels at 3-4x the upper limit of said range, you will build a lot more muscle than if you were relying on your natural Testosterone levels. In fact, if you were to measure your natural Testosterone w rit levels and you used just enough exogenous Testosterone to te replace them, you would still build more muscle than if you n by were natural (even though your levels would be the same on @ paper) because your natural Testosterone levels fluctuate en ha during the day whereas exogenous Testosterone keeps your nc levels stable, thus providing the same anabolic activity 24/7. ed in fo It is impossible to calculate how much muscle you will build on a cycle of Testosterone because that is dose and user- dependent, but you can expect anything beyond 250mg/week to build increasingly ridiculous amounts of muscle mass, with diminishing returns past 500-600mg/week. All in all, we could argue that Testosterone is perfect for bulking up and gaining serious amount of muscle in relatively short periods of time (3-4 months), and good enough to retain muscle mass during a cutting cycle with doses as low as 200mg/week. 19 STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE Testosterone will improve physical performance and strength to a very noticeable extent regardless of what dose is being used. While it’s not the best steroid when it comes to doing so, you can expect a high dose Testosterone cycle to shoot your strength through the roof in a matter of weeks. Lower doses of Testosterone are good enough for one to experience a slow and steady increase in strength over time. w FAT LOSS rit te n by There is a lot of scientific data to suggest that there is a clear @ en link between high Testosterone and weight loss / reduced fat ha accumulation. It makes sense since more muscle mass nc means faster metabolism. ed in fo According to some papers, Testosterone can actually “increase lipid oxidation” and “normalize glucose utilization”. In my opinion, Testosterone is not a fat-burner. Having low Testosterone makes it hard for one to lose fat and having healthy Testosterone levels makes it easy for one to lose fat (which should be the normal state of being). There is no evidence that supraphysiological Testosterone levels can directly burn more fat than normal, healthy levels. You will only find that Testosterone helps you lose more fat if you have always had low Testosterone levels. 20 Regardless, Testosterone can and should be used during cutting cycles not only because it’s essential for one to function properly during a cycle, but also because it contributes to muscle retention. BONES AND JOINTS Testosterone can indirectly improve the health and strength of your bones and joints by converting into Estradiol (Estrogen). Estradiol supports bone density and lubricates the joints, while also promoting cartilage repair and collagen production. w rit te n RECOVERY by @ en Like any anabolic that increases protein synthesis, ha nc Testosterone will accelerate muscle recovery after a workout ed and it will reduce muscle soreness. in fo COSMETIC BENEFITS Due to the conversion of Testosterone into Estradiol, you will experience some degree of water retention, which can hinder the aesthetic appeal of your muscles. This can be controlled with an AI (more on that later), but Testosterone will never be one of the best AAS when it comes to improving the look of your muscles. 21 Despite this, it will improve vascularity and like all AAS, it will increase nitrogen retention, so you can expect better pumps and muscle fullness if you are bulking up. MOOD ENHANCEMEnt Testosterone will have a positive effect on mood at any dose, as long as Estradiol levels are kept within the reference range (high Estradiol is linked to moodiness). Testosterone is also a precursor to Dihydrotestosterone, which has an incredibly positive effect on mood, depression w and confidence. Men on Testosterone almost always report rit te increased confidence and a better, more positive outlook on n by life. @ en Society has told men that high Testosterone is linked to ha aggression and irritability, but both scientific and anecdotal nc ed data shows us that said behaviour is actually more common in among men with low Testosterone levels and/or high estrogen fo levels. “Roid rage” doesn’t actually occur on Testosterone. SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT Testosterone is essential for sexual desire and sexual function, so using exogenous Testosterone will increase both metrics, as long as Estradiol levels are kept under control (high Estradiol is linked to sexual dysfunction). 22 Men on Testosterone report increased libido and better sexual performance at low doses, and increasingly wilder sexual desire as the dose is increased. Interestingly, the wild sex drive that men on Testosterone report tends to normalize after a while. This is a good thing, since having an uncontrollable libido can be counterproductive and distracting. OTHER BENEFITS Having healthy Testosterone levels is essential for our well- being and health. Even though we are discussing the benefits of side-effects of using Testosterone as a PED (which implies w rit having supraphysiological levels), it is worth noting that having te n healthy levels is also crucial for heart health and brain health by (since estradiol is cardio and neuroprotective). @ en ha Other benefits of having healthy Testosterone levels include nc improved sleep, greater stress tolerance, increased ed in motivation to work hard and achieve one’s goals, more fo assertiveness and all the other positive traits commonly associated with being “alpha”. 23 HPG AXIS SHUTDOWN When you introduce exogenous Testosterone into your body, your brain realizes that it doesn’t need to keep producing it endogenously, so it shuts down the Hypothalamus-Pituitary- Gonadal/Testicular Axis. In other words, when you come off exogenous Testosterone (or any other AAS), your body will not be producing enough w rit Testosterone for you to feel well or sustain your muscle mass. te The body can recover from this suppression on its own, but n by we do a Post-Cycle Therapy to accelerate this process and @ help restart the HPG Axis (more on that in the PCT section of en ha this e-book). nc ed HPG Axis shutdown is not a big issue while we are on in fo exogenous Testosterone because it replaces our endogenous levels, provides enough estradiol conversion, and takes care of all the functions that endogenous Testosterone is responsible for. The only symptoms of HPG axis shutdown you will notice are testicular atrophy (shrinking) and reduced fertility, meaning that the quality and volume of your sperm will decrease (this can be solved with HCG, more on that in the OCT section of this e-book). 24 CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH We could argue that Testosterone is good for the heart because it aromatizes into estradiol, which is cardioprotective. In fact, having healthy Testosterone levels will decrease your cholesterol. Unfortunately, high doses of Testosterone can be bad for your heart for multiple reasons: Low HDL & High LDL cholesterol resulting from Testosterone abuse (data on this is a somewhat contradictory though). Testosterone will increase RBC. This is known as w rit erythrocytosis, which thickens blood and can lead to te n heart disease. by @ High blood pressure resulting from high RBC and water en retention. ha nc Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, which results not only from ed AAS abuse, but also from being unnaturally big and in fo muscular, forcing the heart to grow to keep up. This can lead to heart disease. ORGAN HEALTH Exogenous Testosterone is not as bad for your organs as other AAS (mainly the orals) tend to be. It will not cause liver toxicity, and it will not directly affect your kidneys (although it can indirectly worsen renal health due to high blood pressure). 25 The one organ you must keep an eye on if you use exogenous Testosterone is the prostate, which can enlarge if you have high DHT levels. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia is manageable, but it can cause urinary issues. Using Testosterone and having high DHT levels is terrible for someone who has prostate cancer, since it would cause the tumour to grow faster. ESTROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS The aromatization of Testosterone into Estradiol is important w and necessary, but using suprapysiological doses of rit te exogenous Testosterone will result in excessively high n by estradiol levels, which can cause: @ en Gynecomastia (Gyno), the growth of breast tissue in ha males. Gyno tends to manifest itself as nipple sensitivity, nc ed followed by the slow growth of breast tissue under the in nipple. fo Water retention, which leads to high blood pressure, stiff joints and puffiness. Moodiness. Low sex drive and sexual dysfunction. Acne. As you will learn in the OTC chapter, these symptoms can be prevented with an Aromatase Inhibitor. 26 ANDROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS Testosterone also converts into Dihydrotestosterone, which can cause serious side-effects if it gets out of hand: Hair Loss (only affects those who are prone to androgenic alopecia). Acne. Prostate enlargement (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). As you will learn in the OTC chapter, these symptoms can be prevented with multiple ancillaries. w rit te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 27 Testosterone can be used for multiple purposes, including TRT, Testosterone-only cycles and as a base for any AAS cycle. TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY The safest, healthiest way to use Testosterone is for HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) / TRT (Testosterone w Replacement Therapy). rit te n As you know, natural Testosterone production declines over by time, leading to what is known as “andropause” or @ en “hypogonadism”. Having low Testosterone levels affects one’s ha mood, energy levels, sex drive, sexual function and motivation nc ed negatively. Besides that, low Testosterone levels will also in cause low estradiol levels. Estradiol is necessary for fo cardiovascular health, neuroprotection and optimal bone density, so having low Testosterone levels will indirectly increase one’s chances of developing cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases and osteoporosis later on in life. HRT/TRT consists in replacing one’s low endogenous (natural) Testosterone production with a healthy amount of exogenous Testosterone with the goal of putting one in the upper limit of the reference range. 28 The reference range varies depending on the country and the units of measurement that are being used, but it is always somewhere around 300 to 1100ng/dl. Most HRT/TRT experts will recommend that you use as much exogenous Testosterone as you need to get your levels in the 900 to 1100ng/dl range. Everyone is different, so while someone may just need 125mg of Testosterone a week to put their levels in that range, someone else may have to use 200mg per week to reach the same levels. That is why doctors who specialize in TRT often get their patients to start with a low dose of 75 to 100mg a week for 2-3 months and then they increase or decrease the w rit dose (if necessary) after seeing their patient’s bloodwork te n results. by @ Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a clinic/doctor that en will prescribe them TRT and guide them through it, so many ha nc men opt for “self-prescribing” TRT and sourcing Testosterone ed from underground sources. in fo Men who find themselves in that boat tend to do the following: 1. Start using 100 to 125mg a week. Either Testosterone Enanthate or Testosterone Cypionate, injected intramuscularly every 5 days. NOTE: You will find administration/injection guidelines in the “How to Administer AAS” section of this e-book. 2. After 2 months, they get comprehensive bloodwork done to see where their levels are at. 29  3. If their levels are below 900 to 1100ng/dl, they increase their weekly Testosterone dose by 25 to 50mg depending on how far they are from that range. If their levels are too high, they decrease it by 25 to 50mg. 4. After 1 month on the new dosage, they get tested again to see their new levels. At this point, most men find that their levels are well within the 900 to 1100ng/dl range, and that their estradiol and DHT are well within the reference ranges as well. Now, even if their Testosterone levels are optimal, there is a w rit chance that their Free Testosterone levels, Estradiol levels, te n Prolactin levels and DHT levels will be too high. This can by cause undesired side-effects like gynecomastia, sexual @ en dysfunction, acne and hair loss, so these markers need to be ha tested for and optimized if need be. nc ed in fo FREE TESTOSTERONE Free Testosterone is the Testosterone that is not bound to SHBG and can be used by the body. The lower SHBG levels are, the higher free Testosterone levels will be relative to total Testosterone. TRT always lowers SHBG and leads to high free Testosterone. This is not a bad thing per se, but the higher free Testosterone is, the more conversion to estradiol and DHT one will have. Free Testosterone levels should be as close to the upper limit of the reference range as possible. If free Testosterone levels 30 are too high, the easiest way to lower them while on TRT is to lower the weekly Testosterone dose by 25mg as many times as necessary until free Testosterone levels are in the aforementioned range. This may cause total Testosterone levels to be below the ideal 900 to 1100ng/dl, but if free Testosterone levels are where they should be, total levels are not that important. ESTRADIOL As you know, Testosterone (specifically free Testosterone) aromatizes (converts) into estradiol through the aromatase w rit enzyme. Estradiol levels should be well within the centre of the te n reference range. by @ Estradiol can be too close to the upper limit or above the en reference range even if total Testosterone and free ha nc Testosterone are dialed in, which can cause nipple sensitivity, ed gynecomastia, water retention, moodiness and sexual in fo dysfunction. There are three ways to keep estradiol where it should be: The first way to fix this is to decrease the weekly Testosterone dose by 25mg a week until estradiol levels are where they should be. This works well, but in some cases may require decreasing one’s total Testosterone and free Testosterone levels until they are below the desired range. The second way to fix high estradiol consists in losing fat. The aromatase enzyme is found in fat tissue, so the 31  fatter one is, the more Testosterone they will convert into estradiol. Losing fat is the healthiest and most sustainable way to decrease estradiol levels without having to decrease total and free Testosterone levels. The third way to fix high estradiol consists in using an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI). AIs are drugs that inhibit the aromatase enzyme and decrease the conversion rate of Testosterone into estradiol. These drugs are very effective, but they are too powerful and can nuke one’s estradiol levels if used improperly. Besides that, they will cause dyslipidemia, making them unsuitable for long- term use. The most commonly used AIs are Anastrozole w rit (Arimidex) dosed with TRT at 0.125 to 0.25mg twice a te n week, and Exemestane (Aromasin) dosed at 3.125 to by 6.25mg every other day. @ en In my opinion, losing fat is the best way to optimize estradiol ha nc levels on TRT. However, it can take months for one to lose ed enough fat to prevent excess estradiol conversion, so in fo resorting to options 1 or 3 until enough fat has been lost is a reasonable course of action. PROLACTIN TRT rarely causes high prolactin, but high estradiol can increase prolactin, so there is a chance that it will happen. If that is the case, the easiest solution is to decrease estradiol levels through the aforementioned processes. Until then, once can use Vitamin B6 (P-5-P) at 100mg a day to keep prolactin levels under control. 32  DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE (DHT) As you know, Testosterone (specifically free Testosterone) reduces (converts) into DHT through the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme. High DHT is not as dangerous as high estradiol, but it can cause benign prostatic hyperplasia in the long run. It can also accelerate androgenic alopecia (hair loss) and cause acne by increasing sebum production in those who are prone to these side-effects. The easiest way to decrease DHT levels without affecting total and free Testosterone levels negatively is using a 5-alpha- reductase Inhibitor (5ar-I) like Finasteride at 0.25 to 1mg a day. In my opinion, only men who suffer from hair loss or w rit severe androgenic acne should resort to this drug. te n by Men who are not prone to these side-effects will not notice @ any adverse effects as a result of having high DHT until they en are older and their prostate has enlarged. Men who find ha nc themselves in this boat tend to use a natural supplement like ed Saw Palmetto at 500mg a day. in fo --- This is not an ebook about HRT/TRT, but these general guidelines can help most men dial in their TRT protocols and improve their quality of life without suffering from unnecessary adverse effects. This is not medical advice either, so consult with a qualified medical professional who specializes in men’s health if you are interested in HRT/TRT. Finally, click HERE to check out TestYourLevel’s extensive ebook on TRT. It covers everything one should know. 33  TESTOSTERONE-oNLY CYCLE A Testosterone-Only cycle is one of the safest and most effective cycles any beginner can do because it provides incredible gains in muscle mass and strength with very little short-term side-effects if done properly. The typical dose is somewhere between 300 and 500mg per week, usually for 16 to 20 weeks. These cycles tend to be that long for two reasons: Testosterone is not organ toxic, and the esters used by beginners (Enanthate and Cypionate) make it so it takes 4-6 weeks for Testosterone to truly kick and exert its effects, so keeping the cycle at 8 to 12 would mean that w rit one would be getting shut-down for 4-6 weeks of actual gains. te n by I will not be explaining how to inject Testosterone here (check @ out the “How To Administer AAS” section of this e-book), but en let’s assume that one wants to do 350mg of Testosterone a ha nc week for 16 weeks. Here is what they would have to do: ed in Pick between Enanthate and Cypionate. Both have fo similar half-lives and are injected every 5 days. Sustanon is also an option, and can be injected once a week. Find out the exact dose they need to inject every 5 days to bring their weekly dose to 350mg. How? Take 350mg and divide it by 7 to get the weekly dose, then multiply that number by 5 to find out how much they should inject every 5 days. 34  In the case of 350mg/week, that number is 250mg. In other words, injecting 250mg of Test E or Test C every 5 days would bring the weekly dose to 350mg. About 3 to 4 weeks in, they would have to add an aromatase inhibitor to prevent excess estradiol and its consequences. At 350mg per week, using 0.25mg of Anastrozole (Arimidex) every 3 days, or 6.25mg of Aromasin every other day would be enough. At 450- 500mg per week, twice that amount of AI would probably be necessary. OPTIONAL: If hair loss is a concern, they would have to w rit use at least 1mg of Finasteride a day to keep their DHT te n from skyrocketing (I cover alternatives to Finasteride in by the “On-Cycle Therapy” section of this e-book). @ en ha OPTIONAL: HCG can be used during the cycle to nc ed maintain testicular function and size, as well as sperm in production and fertility. HCG also makes it easier to fo come off Testosterone and transition into PCT. It can be dosed at 1000iu a week by taking 500iu twice a week. This will increase aromatization rates, so the AI dose may have to be increased if HCG is used. OPTIONAL: These cycles can be kickstarted by using an oral from weeks 1 to 4. Some users do this because the Testosterone does not kick in until week 4, so using a fast-acting oral will provide gains and results right away without interfering with Testosterone. This would no 35  longer be a “Testosterone-Only Cycle”, but it is a common practice worth mentioning. POST-CYCLE THERAPY: After the last Testosterone injection, they would have to inject 500iu of HCG every other day for 2 weeks, followed by 6 weeks of Clomiphene (or Enclomiphene) and Tamoxifen. These SERMs are usually dosed at 50mg for 4 weeks and 25mg for 2 weeks in the case of Clomiphene (half of those doses if using Enclomiphene) and at 20mg for 4 weeks and 10mg for 2 weeks in the case of Tamoxifen. (More information on SERMs and their doses in the “Post-Cycle Therapy” section of this e-book). w rit te n by Other ancillaries may be necessary during a cycle like this if @ en blood pressure increases, acne develops, sleep quality ha decreases and/or other side-effects occur. You will find nc ed information on how to mitigate or prevent all these side-effects in and more in the “On-Cycle Therapy” section of this e-book. fo 36  tESTOSTERONE BASE FOR OTHER AAS As you will learn in this e-book, the vast majority of AAS require the use of a Testosterone base (“test base”) to prevent symptoms of low estradiol such as depression, dry joints, sexual dysfunction, a lack of energy and others. There are many types of test bases, but exogenous Testosterone is the most effective one. Unfortunately, the right dose of Testosterone that is necessary as a base depends on what AAS it is being used for. My rules for figuring out the ideal dose of Testosterone are as follows: w ORAL AAS and SARMs: When using Testosterone as a rit te base for an oral AAS like Turinabol, Anavar, Halotestin or n by even a SARM like Ostarine, RAD-140 or LGD-4033, the @ Testosterone dose should be between 100 and 250mg en per week. Using more than 250mg would cause ha nc unnecessary hassles with estradiol and DHT, so always ed have an AI and a 5ar-I on hand. in fo INJECTABLE AAS: The same rule applies with most injectable AAS. There is no need to use an extremely high dose of Testosterone if we want the other AAS to be the protagonist(s). However, in the case of Equipoise and Masteron using a higher dose of 250 to 350mg Testosterone per week is often necessary to offset their anti-estrogenic properties. Something similar occurs when using Testosterone as a base for Nandrolone. Testosterone must be used at a dose of 1:1 with Nandrolone to prevent the dreaded “deca dick” (More information about this in the “Nandrolone” profile). 37 When using Testosterone as a base, keeping an eye out for side-effects is still necessary. One should always be ready to deal with estrogenic, androgenic and other side-effects by having all potentially necessary ancillaries on hand. w rit te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 38  DIANABOL 17a-Methylandrost-1,4-dien-17b-ol-3-one w rit te n by @ Dianabol (also known as DBol, Methandienone and en ha Methandrostenolone) is perhaps the most popular oral AAS nc ever developed. ed in It was first synthesized in the mid-1950s and prescribed for fo the treatment of muscle loss and osteoporosis, but it was quickly adopted as a PED by bodybuilders and athletes of all disciplines, who saw the drastic changes in body composition and physical performance it could provide. The original goal was to create a safe, orally bioavailable, and less androgenic alternative to Testosterone, but doctors realized that the liver toxicity it caused made it unsuitable for long-term therapeutic use. As a result, Dianabol was withdrawn from the market just a couple of decades after its initial introduction. 39 However, athletes kept using Dianabol to improve their physical performance, and as professional bodybuilding became more prevalent, so did the use this drug. Dianabol is a very estrogenic compound that tends to cause a lot of water retention, leading to rapid increases in bodyweight and strength. In other words, this is a pure bulking compound that people use when they want to gain a lot of mass in short periods of time. This feature, coupled with the fact that it does not need to be injected, has turned Dianabol into the drug of choice for young, naïve men who abuse it in hopes of putting on some muscle. Unfortunately, this trend has resulted in thousands of horror stories, and is to blame for the bad reputation that AAS have. w rit te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 40 MUSCLE GROWTH Dianabol is extremely anabolic, and it will grow a significant amount of muscle mass by increasing protein synthesis through the androgen receptor (AR), and through the estrogen receptor-beta to some extent too. A huge misconception about Dianabol is that one always loses their gains after a cycle, but that is not necessarily the w rit case. Due to its estrogenic nature, Dianabol causes a serious te amount of subcutaneous water retention and intramuscular n by glycogen retention, which fills the muscles and increases @ weight significantly. A lot of newbies think that all their new en ha size is actual muscle, so when they come off the cycle and the nc water retention disappears, they think they lost their gains. ed in fo If you accept that you will lose a lot of weight and volume when you come off, and that only a part of what you will gain will be actual muscle, you will not be disappointed. STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE Dianabol is very effective at increasing strength and physical performance at the gym. This is due to the direct effect it has on muscle strength and the CNS, but also due to the liquid retention and joint lubrication effect it has due to converting into estradiol. 41 FAT LOSS Dianabol does not directly burn fat, and the water retention it causes is counterproductive when one is trying to achieve a dry and hard look. Despite this, low doses of Dianabol can offset muscle loss during a cutting cycle without causing a serious amount of water retention, so it can theoretically be used to cut. BONES AND JOINTS w rit Dianabol has a positive effect on both bone density and joint te n strength. It achieves this not only by acting directly on the by androgen receptors in bone mass, but also by aromatizing @ en into estradiol, which promotes bone density, repairs joints and ha improves collagen synthesis. nc ed It is worth noting, however, that excessive water retention can in fo cause stiff joints and completely ruin the positive impact of Dianabol on your joints. RECOVERY Like any anabolic that increases protein synthesis, Dianabol will accelerate muscle recovery after a workout, and it will reduce muscle soreness. 42 COSMETIC BENEFITS Due to the tendency of Dianabol to cause water retention, this compound will not bring out your veins and striations. It will not improve the aesthetic appeal of your muscles, and it will in fact make you somewhat puffy and bloated. Like all AAS, Dianabol will increase nitrogen retention, so you can expect better pumps and muscle fullness if you are bulking up. Dianabol will be right up your alley if you are looking to fill out t-shirts and look massive 24/7. w MOOD ENHANCEMEnt rit te n by Dianabol has an incredibly positive effect on mood. This drug @ makes one feel happier, more outgoing and more sociable. en ha The absolute opposite of “roid rage”. nc ed At a normal dose, its antidepressant properties are in fo undeniable, but high doses may cause some moodiness and emotional instability if estradiol is not controlled. SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT Dianabol tends to have a very positive impact on sexual desire and sexual performance, but as is the case with all aromatizing AAS, using high doses and letting estradiol shoot through the roof can have the opposite effect. 43 HPG AXIS SHUTDOWN Dianabol will interfere with the HPG Axis and it will shut down Testosterone production at a testicular level. In other words, when you come off Dianabol (or any other AAS), your body will not be producing enough Testosterone for you to feel well or sustain your muscle mass. The body can recover from this suppression on its own, but we do a Post- w rit Cycle Therapy to accelerate this process and help restart the te HPG Axis (more on that in the PCT section of this e-book). n by @ HPG Axis shutdown is not a big issue while we are on en Dianabol because it provides enough estradiol conversion, ha nc and takes care of all the functions that endogenous ed Testosterone is responsible for. in fo The only symptoms of HPG axis shutdown you will notice are testicular atrophy (shrinking) and reduced fertility, meaning that the quality and volume of your sperm will decrease (this can be solved with HCG, more on that in the OCT section of this e-book). 44 CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH Despite the cardioprotective properties of estradiol, Dianabol is not a good drug for our heart because it will cause the following: Dianabol will cause dyslipidemia (low HDL, high LDL). In the long run, this can cause atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart disease. Dianabol will increase RBC. This is known as erythrocytosis, which thickens blood and can lead to heart disease. High blood pressure resulting from high RBC and water w rit retention. te Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, which results not only from n by AAS abuse, but also from being unnaturally big and @ muscular, forcing the heart to grow to keep up. This can en ha lead to heart disease. nc ed in fo ORGAN HEALTH Dianabol is a methylated oral AAS, meaning that it will cause liver toxicity. If used responsibly, this side-effect will only manifest itself through the transient elevation of liver enzymes but abusing Dianabol for extended periods of time can result in liver cysts, fatty liver, cirrhosis, jaundice and even liver cancer. Dianabol can also put a strain on the kidneys by causing water retention and increasing blood pressure. 45 ESTROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS Dianabol aromatizes into estradiol, but not the type of estradiol we are familiar with. It converts into methylestradiol, which despite having less affinity for the estrogen receptor (ER) than regular estradiol, can still cause all kinds of estrogenic side-effects like: Gynecomastia (Gyno), the growth of breast tissue in males. Gyno tends to manifest itself as nipple sensitivity, followed by the slow growth of breast tissue under the nipple. Water retention, which leads to high blood pressure, stiff w rit joints and puffiness. te Moodiness. n by Low sex drive and sexual dysfunction. @ Acne. en ha nc As you will learn in the OTC chapter, these symptoms can be ed prevented with an Aromatase Inhibitor. in fo ANDROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS Dianabol has less affinity for the 5-alpha-reducatse enzyme than Testosterone, but it will still convert to a dehydro- metabolite in small amounts, meaning that the following side- effects are highly unlikely but still possible: Hair Loss. Acne. Prostate enlargement (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). 46 As you will learn in the OTC chapter, these symptoms can be prevented with multiple ancillaries. SLEEP QUALITY Most users report good sleep on Dianabol but the high blood pressure it can potentially cause will have a negative impact on sleep quality. It is also possible for Dianabol to cause or exacerbate sleep apnea by increasing bodyweight. LOWER BACK PUMPS w rit te n by It is very common for oral AAS to cause lower back pumps, @ and Dianabol is no exception. These usually happen en during/after intense exercise, and they can be managed by ha nc balancing electrolytes and supplementing with certain ed minerals (more on that in the OCT section of this e-book). in fo 47 Dianabol is one of the most popular and commonly used oral AAS on the market. Unfortunately, very few people know how to actually use it properly, so it has gained a bad reputation among those who do not understand it. It can be used by beginners, but I personally think only users with a few cycles under their belt and a good understanding of how to manage estradiol should consider using it. Dianabol can be used as a standalone agent in “DBol-Only Cycles” or together with other AAS, and in the following pages w rit you will learn how to run it in every possible way. te n by @ en DIANABOL-ONLY CYCLE ha nc ed Oral only cycles are often frowned upon because the vast in fo majority of SARMs and oral AAS are very suppressive of natural Testosterone and do not aromatize. This means that when one is using them estradiol (estrogen) levels tend to crash, resulting in low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, depression and other symptoms commonly associated with suppression. Dianabol is an exception because it does aromatize (into methylestradiol, which is slightly weaker than regular estradiol but still good enough), so people who run Dianabol only cycles don’t necessarily have to use Testosterone or any other test base with it. 48 The key to running a successful DBol only cycle is finding the perfect balance between the DBol dose and the AI dose. 10mg DBol / day: At this dose, there is enough methylestradiol conversion for one to feel good without needing a test base, but this dose is not strong enough to provide solid gains. 20mg DBol / day: At this dose, most people will experience a noticeable increase in muscle mass and strength, and the methylestradiol conversion will be strong enough to the boost in confidence and sex drive that DBol is known for. The water retention will be there w if one is bulking up, but it will not be excessive. A rit te minority of users may need AI at this dose if their nipples n by get sensitive, so running 0.125mg Arimidex twice a week @ should be enough to keep methylestradiol under control. en ha In my opinion, 20mg/day is the perfect dose for DBol- nc Only Cycles. ed in fo 30mg DBol / day: This is where the serious increases in weight and strength due to water retention truly start to occur. The risk of estrogenic side-effects is also greater, so running 0.125 to 0.25mg of Arimidex twice a week depending on how sensitive one is to methylestradiol is necessary (most people start with 0.125mg twice a week and double that dose if they still experience excess water retention, low sex drive, gyno or other high estradiol symptoms). 49  40mg DBol / day or more: At 40mg/day or more, using at least 0.25mg Arimidex twice a week is necessary (even 0.5mg twice a week if you are sensitive to methylestradiol). Not using an AI at this dose will turn one into a bloated mess with a dysfunctional penis, extreme moodiness and probably gyno as well. Serious gains in muscle mass and strength occur at this dose. CYCLE LENGTH: In terms of cycle length, it should be kept at 6 weeks max if running 10 to 20mg / day, and 4 weeks max if taking more than that. ON-CYCLE THERAPY: Dianabol is very liver toxic and it w rit will cause dyslipidemia, so one has to use NAC to te n protect the liver (1g a day) and Fish or Krill Oil (6 or 3 by grams a day) to mitigate the negative impact of Dianabol @ en on the lipid panel. Other side-effects are possible, so use ha the information in the “On-Cycle Therapy” chapter to nc ed detect and manage the unpredictable side-effects. in fo POST-CYCLE THERAPY: I would suggest using HCG at 500iu twice a week during the cycle (this will increase chances of high estrogen symptoms at doses over 30mg DBol / day, hence the AI dosing recommendations), and then running Enclomiphene (or Clomiphene) and Tamoxifen for 4 weeks starting the day after the last Dianabol dose. These SERMs are usually dosed at 25mg for 3 weeks and 12.5mg for 1 week in the case of Enclomiphene (twice these doses if using Clomiphene) and at 20mg for 50  3 weeks and 10mg for 1 week in the case of Tamoxifen. (More information on SERMs and their doses in the “Post-Cycle Therapy” section of this e-book). DIANABOL WITH OTHER AAS Dianabol is rarely combined with AAS other than Testosterone. Here are some guidelines on the viability of Dianabol use with other AAS: DBOL WITH TESTOSTERONE: Even though Dianabol w rit can be used on its own, some people still run it with te n Testosterone because they are either on TRT/cruising by already, or because they are using Dianabol to kickstart @ en a Testosterone cycle. If one is on TRT or cruising on ha Testosterone and looking to blast Dianabol, the best nc ed course of action is to lower the Testosterone dose down in to 100 or 125mg per week and using 30 to 40mg of fo Dianabol a day for up to 4 weeks, with 0.25 to 0.5mg of Arimidex every other day. Using liver-protecting and cholesterol-lowering supplements like NAC and Fish Oil will be necessary. DBOL WITH OTHER ORAL AAS: In my opinion, using Dianabol with other oral AAS is a bad idea because the combined liver toxicity can quickly become a threat. The only exceptions to this rule would be Proviron (which can be used to mitigate excess estradiol conversion from Dianabol), Oral Primobolan and Anavar (both are barely 51  liver toxic). But I still don’t think these combinations make a lot of sense since these compounds serve completely different purposes. DBOL WITH INJECTABLE AAS: In theory, Dianabol can also be used as a test base for cycles of injectable AAS because it provides enough estradiol conversion, but in practice that is not a good idea because Dianabol should never be used for more than 6 weeks at a time, and most injectables are not worth running for less than 6 weeks at a time. Besides that, the injectables that are suitable for short cycles are either very liver toxic (Trenbolone) or very estrogenic already (Trestolone). w rit te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 52  TURINABOL 4-Chloro-17A-methylandrosta-1,4-dien-17B-ol-3-one w rit te n by @ Turinabol (also known as TBol, Oral-Turinabol, CDMT and en Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone) is an oral AAS derived ha nc from Dianabol. ed in It was developed in the early 60s by East German fo pharmacists, who saw the effectiveness of Dianabol as a PED and decided to tweak it by getting rid of the water retention and further improving its positive impact on the physical performance of their Olympic Athletes. Turinabol was never used for therapeutic purposes. In order to get rid of the water retention caused by Dianabol, East German scientists had to get rid of its estrogenic properties. They achieved this by adding a Chlorine group to the 4th position of its chemical structure, which completely inhibited the affinity of this AAS for the aromatase enzyme. This modification resulted in the oral AAS we know as Turinabol. 53 The lack of estrogenic properties meant that East German athletes were able to improve their physical performance without being hindered by water retention or the advent of side-effects like moodiness and gynecomastia. Unfortunately, the fact that it was only produced by the East Germans for their athletes meant that bodybuilders and other athletes from around the world did not have access to it until the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was not until the 90s that Turinabol hit the underground AAS market, so it never really got a chance to become as popular as most of its counterparts became during the second half of the 20th century. Despite this, Turinabol has become more well-known in the last two decades, and it will continue to grow in popularity as more people realize that it is one of the safest oral AAS on the w rit market. te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 54 MUSCLE GROWTH Turinabol is fairly powerful and comparable to Dianabol in terms of real lean mass accrual. However, Dianabol probably builds more muscle because estradiol can also contribute to muscle growth, and Turinabol works exclusively through the androgen receptors. This compound will not add 15lbs to the scale in a matter of w rit weeks, but it will provide slow and steady gains throughout te the cycle, and you won’t be disappointed by the loss of water n by weight when you come off. @ en ha nc STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE ed in fo Even though it will not increase strength as much as Dianabol or most other bulking AAS, Turinabol will still have a noticeable impact on your physical performance, primarily on aerobic performance and endurance. FAT LOSS Turinabol will not burn fat directly, but it can still be used in cutting cycles to retain muscle mass and provide a dry, hard and vascular look. 55 BONES AND JOINTS Turinabol will increase the density and strength of your bones by acting on the AR, but there is no evidence to suggest that it will strengthen joints or tendons. Fortunately, it will not have a negative impact on them either. RECOVERY Like any anabolic that increases protein synthesis, Turinabol will accelerate muscle recovery after a workout, and it will w reduce muscle soreness. rit te n by @ COSMETIC BENEFITS en ha nc Due to the lack of water retention, Turinabol will allow your ed in muscle definition to shine through, and it will give your fo muscles a dry and hard look while also improving vascularity. It does not provide the same hardness and vascularity as something like Anavar or Winstrol though. Like all AAS, Turinabol will increase nitrogen retention, so you can expect better pumps and muscle fullness if you are bulking up. 56 HPG AXIS SHUTDOWN Turinabol will interfere with the HPG Axis and it will shut down Testosterone production at a testicular level. In other words, when you come off Turinabol (or any other AAS), your body will not be producing enough Testosterone for you to feel well or sustain your muscle mass. The body can recover from this suppression on its own, but we do a Post- w rit Cycle Therapy to accelerate this process and help restart the te HPG Axis (more on that in the PCT section of this e-book). n by @ Given that Turinabol does not aromatize into estradiol, it will en cause symptoms like low sex drive, depression, low energy, a ha nc lack of motivation and sexual dysfunction during a cycle, ed unless a Testosterone base is used. in fo It will also cause testicular atrophy and reduced fertility, meaning that the quality and volume of your sperm will decrease (this can be solved with HCG, more on that in the OCT section of this e-book). CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH Even though Turinabol will not cause water retention, it will still have a negative impact on your cardiovascular health: 57  Turinabol will cause dyslipidemia (low HDL, high LDL). In the long run, this can cause atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart disease. Turinabol will increase RBC. This is known as erythrocytosis, which thickens blood and can lead to heart disease. High blood pressure resulting from high RBC (rare but possible) Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, which results not only from AAS abuse, but also from being unnaturally big and muscular, forcing the heart to grow to keep up. This can lead to heart disease. w rit te n ORGAN HEALTH by @ en Turinabol is a methylated oral AAS, meaning that it will cause ha nc liver toxicity. If used responsibly, this side-effect will only ed manifest itself through the transient elevation of liver enzymes in fo but abusing Turinabol for extended periods of time can result in liver cysts, fatty liver, cirrhosis, jaundice and even liver cancer. Turinabol does not have a direct negative impact on renal health. ANDROGENIC SIDE-EFFECTS Turinabol is less androgenic than Testosterone, but it will still convert to a dehydro-metabolite in small amounts, meaning 58 that the following side-effects are highly unlikely but still possible: Hair Loss. Acne. Prostate enlargement (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). As you will learn in the OTC chapter, these symptoms can be prevented with multiple ancillaries. LOWER BACK PUMPS It is very common for oral AAS to cause lower back pumps, w rit and Turinabol is infamous for causing some of the most te n painful ones. This tends to occur during or after exercise, and by it can be mitigated by balancing electrolytes and @ en supplementing with certain supplements (more on that in the ha OCT section of this e-book). nc ed in fo HIGH AFFINITY FOR SHBG Turinabol has a high binding affinity for SHBG, meaning that it will increase Free Testosterone levels if stacked with Testosterone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can cause unexpected increases in estradiol and DHT levels. 59 Turinabol is a mild and easy-to-use AAS that is often recommended to first-time AAS users. It is not the strongest muscle-builder one can use, but it rarely causes serious side- effects if some basic precautions are taken. Experienced users rarely pick it because they are able to achieve better results with other compounds that they know how to manage. It does not aromatize into estradiol, so it should always be used with a Testosterone base. In the next few pages, you will learn how to do that, and you will learn how to use it in w advanced cycles with other AAS. rit te n by @ TURINABOL WITH A TESTOSTERONE BASE en ha nc ed As you will learn in the “On-Cycle Therapy” section of this e- in book, injectable Testosterone is not the only Testosterone fo base one can employ. In this section, however, I will only go into detail on how to use Turinabol with injectable Testosterone. If you wish to use a different test base, simply take the instructions here and replace the injectable Testosterone with your test base of choice (at the doses indicated in the “On-Cycle Therapy” section). If the intention is to run Turinabol as the protagonist and main anabolic of a cycle, it must be used with a low, TRT-dose of Testosterone. Here is an example of what it would look like: 60  Turinabol dosed at 20 to 100mg/day: The more experienced one is, the higher the dose can be. 50mg/day is the best dose in terms of benefits and side- effects, and is a dose that even beginners can handle, so I will be using as the dose for this example. Since the half-life is 16 hours, it can be taken once a day in the morning but splitting the dose into two servings of 25mg (25mg in the morning and 25mg in the evening) is ideal. Testosterone at 100 to 250mg/week: The weekly Testosterone dose should be kept under 250mg for Turinabol to be the main anabolic in the cycle as well as to avoid excess estrogen and DHT conversion due to w rit Turinabol crushing SHBG and increasing Free te n Testosterone. Some people experience high estrogen on by 250mg, so those users would be better off using a lower @ en dose (in this cycle example there is no need to use an AI ha to justify running a high dose of Testosterone). The ideal nc ed esters in this cycle example would be Enanthate or in Cypionate, but others would work too. fo CYCLE LENGTH: In terms of cycle length, it should be kept at 6 weeks max if running up to 50mg/day of Turinabol, and at 4-5 weeks if using a higher dose. ON-CYCLE THERAPY: Turinabol is very liver toxic and it will cause dyslipidemia, so one has to use NAC to protect the liver (1g a day) and Fish or Krill Oil (6 or 3 grams a day) to mitigate the impact of Turinabol on the lipid panel. Other side-effects are possible, so use the 61  information in the “On-Cycle Therapy” chapter to detect and manage the unpredictable side-effects. POST-CYCLE THERAPY: If one wants to run Turinabol for 6 weeks with a low dose of Testosterone, they should not be using Testosterone for just 6 weeks. This kind of cycle is more appropriate for people who are on TRT or cruising on Testosterone, so someone who is not already on Testosterone or planning to stay on Testosterone would be better off using a different test base like Enclomiphene, HCG or 4-Andro. These test bases would require a PCT of Enclomiphene (or Clomiphene) plus Tamoxifen for 4 weeks, starting the day after the last w rit Turinabol dose. te n by These SERMs are usually dosed at 25mg for 3 weeks @ en and 12.5mg for 1 week in the case of Enclomiphene ha (twice these doses if using Clomiphene) and at 20mg for nc ed 3 weeks and 10mg for 1 week in the case of Tamoxifen. in (More information on SERMs and their doses in the fo “Post-Cycle Therapy” section of this e-book). TURINABOL WITH OTHER AAS The previous example is all about using Turinabol as the protagonist of a cycle while on Testosterone or a different test base, but the reality is that such cycles are rare because Turinabol is seldom used as the main anabolic. 62 Most users opt for using Turinabol as part of big, advanced cycles, where it is used to provide additional gains and/or as a kickstart: TBOL WITH TESTOSTERONE: Turinabol is often used to kickstart a Testosterone cycle. When one starts using a medium or long-acting ester of Testosterone for a Testosterone blast, it can take 4 to 6 weeks for it to truly kick in and start providing significant results. Therefore, many users opt for adding an oral such as Turinabol from day one to kickstart the cycle and start experiencing gains in muscle mass and strength from the get-go. In this scenario, Turinabol tends to be used w at 50mg/day for the first 4 to 6 weeks, along with all the rit te health supps and ancillaries needed to manage its side- n by effects. It can also be used towards the middle or the @ end of a Testosterone cycle to break through a plateau en or simply to maximize gains. ha nc ed TBOL WITH OTHER ORAL AAS: In my opinion, using in fo Turinabol with other oral AAS or even SARMs is a bad idea because the combined liver toxicity can quickly become a threat while causing unnecessary competition for the AR since most orals work through the same pathway. Proviron would be an exception because it is not anabolic and simply provides androgenic effects. TBOL WITH INJECTABLE AAS: Turinabol can be used with injectables like Equipoise, Nandrolone Decanoate, Primobolan, Masteron and others to kickstart a cycle or to maximize results for 4-6 weeks at any point during a cycle. 63  HALOTESTIN 9A-Fluoro-11B-hydroxy-17A-methyltestosterone w rit te n by @ Halotestin (also known as Halo and Fluoxymesterone) is an en ha oral AAS derived from Testosterone. nc ed This drug was developed in the mid-1950s, and it was in originally intended to be used as hormone replacement fo therapy, but also for the treatment of delayed puberty in teenagers and metastatic breast cancer in women. Halotestin was also adopted by athletes who wanted to improve their performance, but it never became a popular drug among bodybuilders because it builds very little muscle. It was mainly used (and is still used) by fighters and powerlifters because it increases strength and aggression. It differs from Testosterone in that it is orally bioavailable, non- aromatizing and way more androgenic. It is also special in that it can inhibit the formation of cortisol from cortisone, plus it has some affinity for the glucocorticoid receptor. 64 This is an incredibly unique and interesting AAS that will never be popular in a muscle-building context, but which will continue to be used by fighters and those who seek major increases in strength and aggression. w rit te n by @ en ha nc ed in fo 65 MUSCLE GROWTH Even though Halotestin is anabolic and can increase protein synthesis by acting on the AR, it does not build enough muscle mass to be worth using in a bulking context. It will provide some minor lean muscle mass gains, but the scale will barely move unless one is eating ridiculous amounts of food while taking it. w rit te n by STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE @ en ha Despite barely putting on muscle or weight, the effect of nc ed Halotestin on the CNS is such that it will improve strength in drastically almost overnight. fo This is the go-to AAS for powerlifters when they are getting ready for a meet, as well as for fighters who want to increase their explosive strength and aggression leading into a fight. FAT LOSS Halotestin could theoretically help with fat loss by inhibiting cortisol production. Cortisol is linked to the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area, so lowering it would make it easier for one to lose weight. 66 Halotestin is also a very dry compound that will retain muscle mass on a calorie deficit, so it makes sense to use for cutting purposes. BONES AND JOINTS Fluoxymesterone will increase bone density through the AR, but it will not have a positive effect on joint or tendon strength. Fortunately, it does not seem to compromise the joints either, otherwise it would not be a viable compound for athletes looking to increase their strength. w rit te n RECOVERY by @ en Like any anabolic that increases protein synthesis, Halotestin ha nc will accelerate muscle recovery after a workout, and it will ed reduce muscle soreness. in fo COSMETIC BENEFITS Given the highly androgenic and non-estrogenic nature of Halotestin, it will cause no water retention whatsoever and a serious increase in muscle hardness, dryness and vascularity. Like all AAS, Halotestin will increase nitrogen retention, so you can expect better pumps and muscle fullness if you are bulking up. 67 In fact, Halotestin is a viable candidate for use during the last few weeks of contest or photoshoot prep, because its cosmetic effects are comparable to those of Proviron, Winstrol or A