Introduction to the 10 steroids commonly used in bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is regarded by many as a “Taboo” sport because of the prevalence of illegal steroid use in bodybuilding.
Bodybuilders have been taking Anabolic steroid since the 1970s, when greats including Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to taking them.
Fifty years ago, the risks of taking steroids were not well documented, so bodybuilders could easily get prescriptions from their doctors for cosmetic purposes.
Studies show that 54 percent of men in some American cities who take part in bodybuilding shows regularly take steroids. Ten percent of female bodybuilders followed suit.
However, it is not just competitive bodybuilders who take steroids, but the general public as well. There are more than one million steroid users in the United States, or 0.5 percent of the adult population. 2.3% of 12th graders (ages 17-19) were also thought to be taking steroids.
Why do bodybuilders use steroids?
Anabolic steroid can take bodybuilders to a whole new level. We’ve seen patients gain 40 to 50 pounds on steroids and lose body fat.
It is understandable that bodybuilders feel under pressure from referees to become bigger and thinner, and that is why they are under pressure to take steroids.
Social pressure may also be behind the use of steroids by many non-bodybuilders, with influencers on social media and reality shows gaining a large following for their chiseled physique.
For some bodybuilders, their dream of competition may come to an end if they stick to natural bodybuilding.
However, other bodybuilders who do not want to join the IFBB, Mr. Olympia or other federations may be more satisfied with their bodies, with different steroids exercising muscles and burning fat to different degrees, so some steroids are more popular than others.
Ten steroids commonly used in bodybuilding
Here are the top 10 steroids used in bodybuilding, with pros and cons for each.
Testosterone
Dianabol
Anadrol
Trenbolone
Turinabol
Stanozolol
Oxandrolone
Deca
Boldenone
Dromostanolone
Testosterone
Testosterone is the first ever Anabolic steroid, and it remains one of the most popular compounds today.
Test produces a lot of muscle mass and strength. It will also promote the loss of fat, leading to dramatic changes in body composition.
We found that it is commonly used in muscle-building cycles in an attempt to increase muscle size. It’s popular because it’s affordable, relatively mild (compared to other muscle-boosting steroids) , and its side effects aren’t overly onerous.
This is why many novice steroid users cycle testosterone alone during the first cycle.
Testosterone is primarily an injectable steroid, and the most popular esters are testosterone heptanoate, testosterone cyclovalproate, testosterone propionate, and testosterone undecanoate. The latter is the only oral version of testosterone.
However, testosterone does cause side effects, including any or all of the following:
Endogenous testosterone levels are low
Blood pressure is elevated
Acne
Hair loss
Thymic development in men
Water retention
Dianabol
Dianabol was designed to be more anabolic than testosterone, but with less androgen action.
Our patients have often demonstrated that this is the case with Dianabol, which has a more pronounced increase in muscle and strength compared to testosterone.
However, the difference is not great and testosterone is still a powerful steroid.
Dianabol is one of the most effective steroids for building and strengthening muscles. It is usually given orally and therefore does not require an injection.
Dianabol was considered Arnold Schwarzenegger’s favorite steroid, and it’s still highly coveted today. It is best used in the off-season, leading to rapid weight gain.
Because of its reduced androgens, Dianabol is not one of the most demanding steroids on the market, making it popular even among beginners (in small to moderate doses) .
However, we have seen the following side effects of Dianabol:
Endogenous testosterone levels are low
Hepatotoxicity
High blood pressure
Water retention
Thymic development in men
Anadrol
Anadrol is a steroid similar to Dianabol that results in a huge increase in size and strength. It is arguably more powerful than Dianabol, which can be attributed to taking it in larger doses (mg/mg) .
Ana is an oral steroid, usually in the form of a 50-milligram pill.
In our liver function tests and blood lipid tests, we found that Anandro is highly toxic and therefore not suitable for beginners. Blood pressure rises sharply when Anadrol is taken; therefore, users with heart problems may wish to avoid taking the steroid.
Anadrol also causes all the usual steroid-related side effects, but to a greater extent. Hepatotoxicity is also a concern because it is processed by the liver (a 17α-alkylation Anabolic steroid) upon entry.
Trenbolone
In our experience, Trenbolone, like rehab dragon, is a very strict steroid. However, it is still popular among bodybuilders because of its absolute strength in building lean muscle.
Tren does this without any water retention because of the lack of aromatization and conversion to oestrogen.
As a result, bodybuilders can look good and stay slim while taking Trenbolone instead of holding in water and bloating. Users often notice an increase in blood vessels and stripes due to low levels of extracellular fluid in the muscle.
Trenbolone is primarily an injectable steroid, usually superimposed with testosterone and rehab dragon, to increase muscle mass.
Trenb can also be used in cutting cycles to minimize fat while retaining or building new muscle tissue.
While it’s unlikely to cause significant stress to the liver, we often see the following side effects:
Low-density lipoprotein levels are rising
Blood pressure is elevated
Hair loss
Acne
Turinabol
Turinabol, also known as TBOL, is a powerful oral steroid.
Some bodybuilders also call it”Baby DBOL”(DBOL stands for Dianabol) .
The moniker was implemented because TBOL is a derivative of Dianabol, although it’s not that powerful.
Turinabol doesn’t hold water, so almost all of the weight gain will come in the form of muscle. We found this to be particularly beneficial for athletes who want to improve performance without carrying extra water weight.
Turinabol is not the most powerful steroid to increase; however, it still produces significant changes in size and strength. Because of its”Dry” nature, it is also used in cutting cycles to help users maintain muscle size while dieting.
We found that TBOL was better at muscle building than Anavar, but weaker than Winstrol.
Turinabol usually has no serious side effects, compared with other Anabolic steroid, and is relatively mild. However, we still see elevated cholesterol levels, decreased testosterone levels, and some liver toxicity.
Stanozolol
Winstrol (Stanozolol) produces significant muscle gain while stripping fat. This makes it an effective oral steroid and can be used when bulging or cutting.
We found that Winstrol’s muscle growth was less pronounced than that of the powerful swelling steroids Anadrol, Dianabol, testosterone, or trenbolone. Therefore, it is usually added to the stack to enhance muscle growth rather than being used as the primary compound.
Winstrol is another”Dry” steroid that drains water from the body, increasing muscle definition and making bodybuilders look slimmer.
Therefore, because there is less water around the joint, Winstrol may be a burden on the joint, thus acting as a buffer. The side effects of Winstrol were also severe, with significant increases in ALT/AST liver values and blood pressure in our tests.
Androgen side effects (oily skin or hair loss) are common, and testosterone inhibition may be significant after the cycle.
Oxandrolone
Anavar（Oxandrolone） is arguably the safest steroid on the market. It helps bodybuilders build moderate muscle while burning fat.
Therefore, it is usually used during the cutting phase.
ANAVAR is a”Dry” steroid, like Winstrol; as a result, bodybuilders appear to be particularly torn when cycling.
In our experience, side effects are usually mild, which explains why ANAVAR is still FDA-approved for medical purposes and is often used in women or children.
Beginners often take ANAVAR because of its safety and ease of administration (it is an oral steroid) . On the black market, however, ANAVAR can be very expensive because oxandrolone is scarcer and harder to produce.
Many women also take ANAVAR because it is less likely to cause masculine side effects, such as:
Hair grows
Deep Voice
Enlarge
Masculine facial features
Although an oral steroid, we did not find Anavar to be excessively hepatotoxic because it is also metabolized by the kidneys.
Deca Durablin（Nandrolone）
Deca Durablin (Nandrolone) is an injectable steroid that is typically stacked with other filling compounds to reap substantial benefits during the off-season.
DECA is a slow-acting steroid that does not have a dramatic effect on its own. However, when used in combination with Dianabol or Anadrol, for example, it can speed up muscle building.
DECA also increases muscle fullness, provides extra thickness to the muscles, and strengthens the pump (in and out of the gym) .
Our patients often find that the side effects of DECA are more tolerable and less severe than those of other inflatable steroids. However, due to increased prolactin and decreased DHT (and testosterone) , impotence may occur when taking Deca Durabolin.
Arnold is believed to have taken Deca Durablin with Dianabol in the 1970s.
Boldenone
Equipoise (Boldenone Undecylenate) is an injectable steroid commonly used in horse veterinarians. Equipoise is similar to Deca Durabolin, although Equipoise is a stronger and more androgenic compound than Deca. Therefore, we found that Equipoise has some serious side effects.
However, the benefits of Equipoise may be similar to those of Deca; therefore, bodybuilders typically stack Equipoise with more powerful muscle-building steroids to substantially increase size and quality.
Equipoise alone (such as Deca Durabolin) results in slow but steady gains, usually lasting 12 to 20 weeks.
