drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
Equipoise
Equipoise or “EQ” is an injectable steroid with minimal aromatization. It isseen as a nice cycle that produces good gains with minimal water retention.
Typical Use:
For an experienced cycler, as an off-season bulker without water retention, orat the beginning of a contest prep, again without water retention. Anecdotally,some people experience an increase in hunger on EQ, so it might fit well with a bulker phase. EQ also promotes connective tissue repair, which can be useful in protecting the joints and ligaments while a cycle is increasing your strength (i.e.the joints become the weak link).
Typical Cycle
osage: 50-150 mg / week. Duration: 6-10 weeks Tends to take about 5 weeks to “show” itself
Potential Sides: Acne (face orshoulders) Oily skin Hairloss Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity Sorethroat / cracky or deepening voice Facial hair growth Interrupted period –would typically return the first full month after the duration of the EQ detection time following the last injection. May cause vaginosis / yeastinfection (most any AAS has this potential)
Nandrolone Phenyl Propionate (NPP)
There are several different forms (esters) of Nandrolone available. NPP is the shorter-acting “Deca” (nandrolone decanoate) that would be more likely recommended for women. The longer acting Deca will produce more water retention and more aggressive sides due to the longer ester (clearing time). This is a more aggressive cycle for women with some water retention and longer detectiontime than the more commonly used injectables such as primo.
Typical Use:
For women, NPP falls into the scope of really only for those experienced who are looking for significant growth and are prepared to deal with the full scope of potential sides. It might be considered an off-season cycle for a female bodybuilder or used at the beginning of a 16 week prep, to be later dropped and replaced with a non-aromatizing compound.
Typical Cycle: Dose:15- 25 mg E3D Duration: 8-10 weeks As we get into the much more aggressive cycles, it becomes more of a personal preference on dosing based on goals and any other stacked compounds.
Potential Sides: Water retention, Acne (face or shoulders), Oily skin, Hairloss, Sore throat / cracky or deepening voice, Facial hair growth, Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity, Interrupted period – would typically return the first full month after the duration of the EQ detection timefollowing the last injection
Testosterone Propionate
There are several esters of testosterone, but only the Propionate ester, also known as “Test Prop”, would be recommended for women. The other variations commonly used by men, Test Cypionate, Test Enanthate, or Sustenon, are considerably longer-acting esters, producing much more water retention and more aggressive sides, taking a much longer to clear the system.
Typical Use:
For women, Test Prop falls into the scope of really only for those experiencedwho are looking for significant growth and are prepared to deal with the fullscope of potential sides. It might be considered an off-season cycle for afemale bodybuilder or used at the beginning of a 16 week prep, to be later dropped and replaced with a non-aromatizing compound. It is reasonably short-acting so will begin to produce results (and sides) fairly quickly. This compound does aromatize, but due to its short ester, it reasonably limited.There is no real need for an aromatase inhibitor with this compound, but beaware that it does still produce some water retention.
Typical Cycle: Dose:15- 25 mg E4D Duration: 4-6 weeks As we get into themuch more aggressive cycles, it becomes more of a personal preference on dosing based on goals and any other stacked compounds
Potential Sides: Water retention, Acne(face or shoulders), Oily skin, Hairloss, Sore throat / cracky or deepening voice, Facial hair growth, Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity, Interrupted period – would typically return the first full month after the duration of theEQ detection time following the last injection
Trenbolone (Finaplex)
Trenbolone acetate, or “tren ace” or “tren a” is more recently, being mentioned more frequently with women. It is a favorite among men because it promotes strength while allowing great cutting results with no aromatization. The issue is that this compound is extremely androgenic and also very harsh on the liver. Very experienced female cyclers may use trenbolone acetate as part of a cutting cycle, but should be very careful and diligent with their bloodwork afterwards.I hesitate to include cycle information here because you should already havean idea of the cycle details if you are at a point where you are considering running a tren cycle.
Post Cycle Notes
Generally women don't run aggressive cycles and can just end the AAS cycle. The compound(s) will attenuate over time as their individual half-lives. (Ref:compound detection time for longest point after last dose that the compound canbe detected in the system). During that time, just as at the beginning of the cycle, there is a big flux in the hormone profile. Drawing a comparison to "that time of the month", the sides can seem more pronounced and inparticular, some moodiness may result. The range of this is something that isvery unique to each person, and even unique to each compound + each person'sunique body chemistry.
Anticipating this, pay attention to your general state of mind post-cycle. If you find yourself getting depressed or moody, step back and acknowledge that it is the effect of the hormones, and not something else happening in your daily life. If you happened to be using prescription anti-depressants, I would suggest you be particularly aware of your state of mind. One OTC option to help even out your moods is Inositol. This is essentially just a B-vitamin, ideally in powder form. For more information about inositol and depression treatment, here is an article, or you can just google "inositol, depression" for a bunch of information. Powder inositol is recommended over inositol tabs/capsor anything that might be mixed into the tab/cap w/ inositol.
Another obvious effect of coming off a cycle is the reduction (or back to"normal") in recovery ability and strength and maybe some of the increased sense of well-being that comes w/ AAS. The loss of these can be both humbling and frustrating, however it's important to keep things in perspectiveas you can't stay on a cycle forever without hitting a point of negative returns. It is supposed to be a "cycle" - a phase w/ a specific goal,and then letting your body adapt to the change and retain as much as possible. Generally a longer cycle (ideally w/ lower doses) will allow the body a longertime to adapt to the changes. Again, monitor yourself as the compound(s) clearout of your system in terms of strength and recovery - adjust your training andyour expectations to match this phase of your progress to avoid burnout orinjury. If appropriate, also adjust your diet if you won't be training as heavily.
Things to Remember
In summary, some basic things to keep in mind if you want to play on the darkside: Make sure your goals and expectations are appropriate. Justbecause someone suggested a particular drug or it is available, doesn't mean its the right thing to get to your goal More is NOT better. It’s about finding a workable balance for YOUR hormone levels, your goals and your experience. Never forget that you are self-medicating with hormones- it is always your own personal experiment. Slow & low is your best approach. Don't stack a pile of stuff you've never run each individually before - you have no idea how these compounds affect your body so you can't make judgments on what to cut / what is bad / what is good for your bodychemistry. Also there is an accumulated effect when you are throwing all sorts of stuff in the pile. Fundamentally you are jacking up the amount of DHT in your system. Know the half life of each compound you are interested in - some are much longer than others so if you don't like the sides, on longer esters, tough shit. Now you gotta wait for the compound to clear your system before the sides go away. Know the potential sides - anything is possible in any degree – there is no such thing as “no sides”- only those that you don’t experience - it is very individual so you are still running your own personal experiment. You don't need to be "scared" of the sides - you either accept them or you don't. You can't pick which ones you want & which you don't and you can't predict what you will experience until you try it. It’s more about managing risk by educating yourself, staying at conservative doses and watching how your body responds. If you are “scared” of the sides, you have no business cycling. Don't listen to other people - especially guys.They will have a completely different experience w/ different doses & different compounds. A tiny little amount of anything will have dramatic effects on women compared to men. YOU are responsible for YOUR cycle.
Women, generally, do not need to worry about post-cycle therapy (PCT) like guys do. (This changes if your cycles are much more aggressive, longer and more of them. If you are at this level, you probably don’t need to be reading this.) Women can generally just end a cycle. There is no need to taper. The compound will clear at the rate specified by its half-life.
Think in the long term - don't cycle just"for my next show" - just like a bulker or cutter diet - it has a place in the ongoing cycle of change that happens over time. You can't maintain the state of being "on" so you have to also come off, expect to lose a little of what you gained, but you will have made a change to your overall body composition.
Watch your diet - if you are going to bother putting this stuff in your body, you should respect your body enough to not think you can get away w/ eating shit - generally unless you are already lean & eating a good diet already targeted to what you are trying to do, any AAS will get you 'big' in terms of 'thick', 'bigger' etc. IF the diet is tight, then you will also get the leaned out effect that everyone wants - but sloppy diet will get you more big than lean.
Time off = Time on. The general rule of thumb is to allow at least as long as your cycle, to clear your system and let your body re-establish its own homeostasis. People tend to want to “try more” but it is important to remember that there are impacts to your body not immediately apparent, that you need to pay attention to, e.g. kidneys, liver, bloodpressure, etc. If you want to get more aggressive with your cycles, plan way ahead and get regular blood work done to monitor things after each cycle completes and clears.
AAS and Birth Control do not interact. However the effects theye ach promote are opposing – birth control works to regulate estrogen (including estrogen-pattern bodyfat depositing) while AAS promotes lean muscle mass.
AAS can promote yeast infections / vaginosis. Any AAS or sex hormone manipulator (including AIs) can promote yeast infections. It is always recommended to supplement with acidophilus to help prevent these.
Equipoise or “EQ” is an injectable steroid with minimal aromatization. It isseen as a nice cycle that produces good gains with minimal water retention.
Typical Use:
For an experienced cycler, as an off-season bulker without water retention, orat the beginning of a contest prep, again without water retention. Anecdotally,some people experience an increase in hunger on EQ, so it might fit well with a bulker phase. EQ also promotes connective tissue repair, which can be useful in protecting the joints and ligaments while a cycle is increasing your strength (i.e.the joints become the weak link).
Typical Cycle
osage: 50-150 mg / week. Duration: 6-10 weeks Tends to take about 5 weeks to “show” itselfPotential Sides: Acne (face orshoulders) Oily skin Hairloss Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity Sorethroat / cracky or deepening voice Facial hair growth Interrupted period –would typically return the first full month after the duration of the EQ detection time following the last injection. May cause vaginosis / yeastinfection (most any AAS has this potential)
Nandrolone Phenyl Propionate (NPP)
There are several different forms (esters) of Nandrolone available. NPP is the shorter-acting “Deca” (nandrolone decanoate) that would be more likely recommended for women. The longer acting Deca will produce more water retention and more aggressive sides due to the longer ester (clearing time). This is a more aggressive cycle for women with some water retention and longer detectiontime than the more commonly used injectables such as primo.
Typical Use:
For women, NPP falls into the scope of really only for those experienced who are looking for significant growth and are prepared to deal with the full scope of potential sides. It might be considered an off-season cycle for a female bodybuilder or used at the beginning of a 16 week prep, to be later dropped and replaced with a non-aromatizing compound.
Typical Cycle: Dose:15- 25 mg E3D Duration: 8-10 weeks As we get into the much more aggressive cycles, it becomes more of a personal preference on dosing based on goals and any other stacked compounds.
Potential Sides: Water retention, Acne (face or shoulders), Oily skin, Hairloss, Sore throat / cracky or deepening voice, Facial hair growth, Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity, Interrupted period – would typically return the first full month after the duration of the EQ detection timefollowing the last injection
Testosterone Propionate
There are several esters of testosterone, but only the Propionate ester, also known as “Test Prop”, would be recommended for women. The other variations commonly used by men, Test Cypionate, Test Enanthate, or Sustenon, are considerably longer-acting esters, producing much more water retention and more aggressive sides, taking a much longer to clear the system.
Typical Use:
For women, Test Prop falls into the scope of really only for those experiencedwho are looking for significant growth and are prepared to deal with the fullscope of potential sides. It might be considered an off-season cycle for afemale bodybuilder or used at the beginning of a 16 week prep, to be later dropped and replaced with a non-aromatizing compound. It is reasonably short-acting so will begin to produce results (and sides) fairly quickly. This compound does aromatize, but due to its short ester, it reasonably limited.There is no real need for an aromatase inhibitor with this compound, but beaware that it does still produce some water retention.
Typical Cycle: Dose:15- 25 mg E4D Duration: 4-6 weeks As we get into themuch more aggressive cycles, it becomes more of a personal preference on dosing based on goals and any other stacked compounds
Potential Sides: Water retention, Acne(face or shoulders), Oily skin, Hairloss, Sore throat / cracky or deepening voice, Facial hair growth, Clitoral enlargement and increased sensitivity, Interrupted period – would typically return the first full month after the duration of theEQ detection time following the last injection
Trenbolone (Finaplex)
Trenbolone acetate, or “tren ace” or “tren a” is more recently, being mentioned more frequently with women. It is a favorite among men because it promotes strength while allowing great cutting results with no aromatization. The issue is that this compound is extremely androgenic and also very harsh on the liver. Very experienced female cyclers may use trenbolone acetate as part of a cutting cycle, but should be very careful and diligent with their bloodwork afterwards.I hesitate to include cycle information here because you should already havean idea of the cycle details if you are at a point where you are considering running a tren cycle.
Post Cycle Notes
Generally women don't run aggressive cycles and can just end the AAS cycle. The compound(s) will attenuate over time as their individual half-lives. (Ref:compound detection time for longest point after last dose that the compound canbe detected in the system). During that time, just as at the beginning of the cycle, there is a big flux in the hormone profile. Drawing a comparison to "that time of the month", the sides can seem more pronounced and inparticular, some moodiness may result. The range of this is something that isvery unique to each person, and even unique to each compound + each person'sunique body chemistry.
Anticipating this, pay attention to your general state of mind post-cycle. If you find yourself getting depressed or moody, step back and acknowledge that it is the effect of the hormones, and not something else happening in your daily life. If you happened to be using prescription anti-depressants, I would suggest you be particularly aware of your state of mind. One OTC option to help even out your moods is Inositol. This is essentially just a B-vitamin, ideally in powder form. For more information about inositol and depression treatment, here is an article, or you can just google "inositol, depression" for a bunch of information. Powder inositol is recommended over inositol tabs/capsor anything that might be mixed into the tab/cap w/ inositol.
Another obvious effect of coming off a cycle is the reduction (or back to"normal") in recovery ability and strength and maybe some of the increased sense of well-being that comes w/ AAS. The loss of these can be both humbling and frustrating, however it's important to keep things in perspectiveas you can't stay on a cycle forever without hitting a point of negative returns. It is supposed to be a "cycle" - a phase w/ a specific goal,and then letting your body adapt to the change and retain as much as possible. Generally a longer cycle (ideally w/ lower doses) will allow the body a longertime to adapt to the changes. Again, monitor yourself as the compound(s) clearout of your system in terms of strength and recovery - adjust your training andyour expectations to match this phase of your progress to avoid burnout orinjury. If appropriate, also adjust your diet if you won't be training as heavily.
Things to Remember
In summary, some basic things to keep in mind if you want to play on the darkside: Make sure your goals and expectations are appropriate. Justbecause someone suggested a particular drug or it is available, doesn't mean its the right thing to get to your goal More is NOT better. It’s about finding a workable balance for YOUR hormone levels, your goals and your experience. Never forget that you are self-medicating with hormones- it is always your own personal experiment. Slow & low is your best approach. Don't stack a pile of stuff you've never run each individually before - you have no idea how these compounds affect your body so you can't make judgments on what to cut / what is bad / what is good for your bodychemistry. Also there is an accumulated effect when you are throwing all sorts of stuff in the pile. Fundamentally you are jacking up the amount of DHT in your system. Know the half life of each compound you are interested in - some are much longer than others so if you don't like the sides, on longer esters, tough shit. Now you gotta wait for the compound to clear your system before the sides go away. Know the potential sides - anything is possible in any degree – there is no such thing as “no sides”- only those that you don’t experience - it is very individual so you are still running your own personal experiment. You don't need to be "scared" of the sides - you either accept them or you don't. You can't pick which ones you want & which you don't and you can't predict what you will experience until you try it. It’s more about managing risk by educating yourself, staying at conservative doses and watching how your body responds. If you are “scared” of the sides, you have no business cycling. Don't listen to other people - especially guys.They will have a completely different experience w/ different doses & different compounds. A tiny little amount of anything will have dramatic effects on women compared to men. YOU are responsible for YOUR cycle.
Women, generally, do not need to worry about post-cycle therapy (PCT) like guys do. (This changes if your cycles are much more aggressive, longer and more of them. If you are at this level, you probably don’t need to be reading this.) Women can generally just end a cycle. There is no need to taper. The compound will clear at the rate specified by its half-life.
Think in the long term - don't cycle just"for my next show" - just like a bulker or cutter diet - it has a place in the ongoing cycle of change that happens over time. You can't maintain the state of being "on" so you have to also come off, expect to lose a little of what you gained, but you will have made a change to your overall body composition.
Watch your diet - if you are going to bother putting this stuff in your body, you should respect your body enough to not think you can get away w/ eating shit - generally unless you are already lean & eating a good diet already targeted to what you are trying to do, any AAS will get you 'big' in terms of 'thick', 'bigger' etc. IF the diet is tight, then you will also get the leaned out effect that everyone wants - but sloppy diet will get you more big than lean.
Time off = Time on. The general rule of thumb is to allow at least as long as your cycle, to clear your system and let your body re-establish its own homeostasis. People tend to want to “try more” but it is important to remember that there are impacts to your body not immediately apparent, that you need to pay attention to, e.g. kidneys, liver, bloodpressure, etc. If you want to get more aggressive with your cycles, plan way ahead and get regular blood work done to monitor things after each cycle completes and clears.
AAS and Birth Control do not interact. However the effects theye ach promote are opposing – birth control works to regulate estrogen (including estrogen-pattern bodyfat depositing) while AAS promotes lean muscle mass.
AAS can promote yeast infections / vaginosis. Any AAS or sex hormone manipulator (including AIs) can promote yeast infections. It is always recommended to supplement with acidophilus to help prevent these.
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