Iron Game
Veteran
by Mike Arnold
In recent years, there has been a considerable debate regarding the optimal application of oral AAS. One recent trend which has become quite popular lately is the pre-workout method, in which the individual administers the entire day’s dose of oral AAS immediately before training a bodypart. While this method can be of benefit for specific purposes when using the correct steroids, we are now seeing BB’rs indiscriminately use just about every oral steroid in this fashion and in doing so they are unknowingly shortchanging themselves out of the results they could be getting from these drugs. In this article we will take a look at the legitimate reasons for pre-workout use, which steroids are able to serve effectively in this capacity, and learn how the majority of oral steroids should be administered in order to reap maximum gains in size & strength.
When administering an oral steroid pre-training, the individual is usually seeking one or more of the following benefits.
These include:
1.) Increased protein synthesis during the training window
2.) Increased strength gains via enhanced nervous system stimulation
3.) Improved workout performance via increased aggression/alpha-male mind-set
4.) Improved muscle pumps
While these are all valid motivations, there are serious flaws which present themselves with the pre-workout only approach, especially as it applies to the majority of oral AAS. Unfortunately, not only does this method fail to deliver superior results when compared to traditional methods of administration, but in most cases these benefits are actually reduced. A far better alternative is to administer oral AAS according to their half-lives. This method has been in use for over 50 years and has a solid history of success in the real-world. Using Dianabol as an example, we will compare these methods against each other in order to demonstrate the superiority of traditional dosing protocols.
By far, the #1 benefit associated with AAS use is the ability to accelerate protein synthesis. It is this process which is directly responsible for the growth of muscle tissue. Therefore, the more efficient this process becomes, the more quickly we can achieve our BB’ing goals. Despite being around almost 60 years, D-bol still does a comparatively excellent job at this, helping us to build muscle tissue much faster than would be possible in our natural state. Some people believe that by flooding the body with an entire day’s dose of D-bol right before their workout, that they will achieve a superior growth response in comparison to traditional dosing. While it is true that a large, single dose of D-bol will increase protein synthesis to a greater degree than a smaller dose will, of much greater importance is the total amount of protein which is synthesized over the course of a day. It is this fact that we should keep in mind when determining the best way to administer our orals. You see, the body can only build muscle tissue so quickly due to limitations in our physiology and with Dianabol possessing a very short half-life (only 4 hours) the body has a very short window of opportunity to capitalize on the growth signal being transmitted. The body has no problem taking full advantage of this growth signal when administering 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, but when using upwards of 50 mg in a single dose, the body is not able to make full use of the drug. In essence, the body’s muscle building machinery becomes overwhelmed. The signal may be present, but there are too many weak links in the chain working to stifle the muscle building process. In the end, excessive, single doses results in a portion of the drug being wasted.
This is why BB’rs have consistently reported experiencing better results when taking multiple, smaller doses throughout the day in comparison to a single large dose. For those of you who don’t find much comfort in anecdotal evidence, I don’t blame you, especially if you have little to no previous experience to help guide you. However, in the absence of clinical studies, we must look to anecdotal evidence for the answers. Fortunately, there is an abundance of real-world experience available for reference. Ask yourself the following question. Would anyone here expect to build as much muscle by taking a full gram of Dianabol in one day, as they would by taking 50 mg per day for 20 consecutive days? The total dose administered would be the same, so that means we should expect to build an equal amount of muscle either way, right? Of course not…because the body would simply be overwhelmed with the former dosing method; there is no way in hell it could build as much muscle in one day as it could over a 20 day period, regardless of how much D-bol someone shoves down their throat in a single day. This is an easily understood concept, which is why we never see anyone using D-bol in this fashion.
Well, the same principle is at work with the pre-workout method. While 50 mg is not anywhere close to a gram, the point is still valid in that the body’s growth rate is limited and no amount of drugs is going to speed it up beyond what it is capable of. By administering 10 mg every 4 hours for a total of 50 mg per day, the body is allotted a full 20 hours of recovery time, as well as the nutrients from 4-6 meals, with which to grow muscle tissue. I should also note that a portion of this time would be spent sleeping, which is when the majority of our recovery & growth occurs. On the other hand, in order to achieve an equivalent result with the pre-workout only approach, the body would be forced to synthesize new muscle tissue at 5X the rate of the former method, due to the drug’s short 4 hour half-life…not to mention that nutrient availability would be limited to a single meal–maybe two. Why should we expect our bodies to do more in less time? How probable is it that the body will build muscle tissue 5X more quickly under those circumstances, just because the steroid was taken before a workout? If muscle growth is your primary goal, you should always administer oral steroids according to their half-life, which obviously, will vary depending on the steroid being used. In doing so, you will maintain blood levels of the drug 24/7 (or close to it), turning your body into a non-stop muscle building machine. This will provide improved results over slamming your body with a monster dose for only 4 hours.
Another reason the pre-workout only method is has become popular is the belief that it will improve workout performance by imparting short-term strength gains via increased aggression. This makes complete sense, as increased strength translates into heavier weights, which impart greater muscle stimulation, thereby enhancing muscle growth. Sounds like a great reason to use the pre-workout only method, right? Wrong. Although there is no denying that certain steroids are capable of increasing aggression, it is foolish to assume that a single dose will yield a maximum response in this area. In reality, this method delivers inferior results, as it fails to take into consideration one of the two most critical factors in determining emotional response–length of exposure. Anecdotal evidence has shown time and time again that length of exposure is critical to maximizing the aggression affect.
Allow me to illustrate my point by using testosterone as an example. I have chosen testosterone because of its familiarity, as well as its ability to provoke an aggressive response at higher dosages in those who are prone. Think back to the first time you used testosterone. Remember the excitement and anticipation? You could not wait to do your first injection, as it meant you were moving one step closer to your BB’ing goals. Still, your lack of experience left you not knowing exactly what to expect. You may have read all you could about the drug and its effects on the body, but without a reference point for comparison, you were in new territory. You wouldn’t truly understand how it felt to use testosterone until you used it. After your first injection, you waited for it to “kick-in”. Hoping to feel something the first day, you likely continued to take inventory of how you felt, hoping to pick up on even the most subtle changes in your disposition. While placebo may have gotten the best of some of us initially, we all finally came to realize that it took at least a couple of weeks for the drug to take maximum effect. Whether we are talking about aggression, libido, increased sexual performance, or an improvement in energy, none of these benefits fully manifested within a few hours of taking the first dose. Rather, they seemed to build in intensity over time, peaking a couple of weeks into the cycle and remaining there throughout the duration of our use.
We see this same story being repeated over and over. How many times have we gone into online message boards and witnessed beginners only 1-2 weeks into their 1st cycle complaining of not feeling the effects of their testosterone? After reading about all the wonderful things testosterone is suppose to do to them and then not feeling much of anything after the first few days, they start to wonder if they have received bunk gear. It takes the assurance of a vet to calm them down and let them know that this is normal; that they should give it at least a few weeks before making any sort of judgment call regarding the product’s quality. With experienced users knowing that it takes time for testosterone to exhibit its full effects, regardless of dose, I am continually baffled by the number of people who persist in believing that an oral steroid will do so within just a few hours of exposure. Why are orals and injectables viewed so differently?
One reason is because of what they read or hear from others. They see other people advocating the pre-workout only method and assume there must be some validity to it. This is an example of monkey see, monkey do. Still, there are some who attempt to vindicate the pre-workout only approach by citing the difference in release rates between injectables and orals. They claim that orals enter the bloodstream within 30-45 minutes of ingestion, while injectables, when esterfied, can take weeks to fully enter into circulation. While this is true, the explanation is far from sufficient and does not hold up under scrutiny.
In reality, even a long ester, such as cypionate, has been clinically proven to elevate blood levels of the attached hormone to near maximal concentration within just 24 hours, while peak levels are obtained within 48 hours post-injection. With short esters, peak levels are obtained in less than a day, but let’s stick with longer estered compounds for a minute. When using longer esters most individuals choose to administer at least 200 mg per injection (and often much more). At this dosage, the accompanying rise in blood hormone levels is very substantial. After a full week of injections, the increase is massive. Using the logic presented by the pre-workout advocates, a single injection of testosterone, even longer esters, should elicit a significant emotional response the day of the injection and by a week in, the effect should be profound. However, we know this is not the case. As mentioned above, and as all experienced users know, it takes a minimum of a week (and almost always longer) before the effects of testosterone fully manifest. Even when administering very large dosages, such as 500 mg right up front, it still takes roughly the same length of time.
Up to this point I have presented some common sense reasons and real-world experience in support of the claim that traditional dosing produces superior results in the areas of both protein synthesis and aggression. In order to seal the deal we will now turn to the available clinical evidence. In short, multiple studies have confirmed that length of exposure plays a critical role in the ability of AAS to affect both our mind and body. In particular, research has shown that the chronic administration of AAS interferes with and induces long-term changes in the amygdala; a region of the brain associated with aggressive behavior (note: aggression is one of many emotions regulated by the amygdala). The amygdala is part of a larger system known as the limbic system and located in the temporal lobe. These changes, some of which are permanent, do not occur instantaneously, but take time to fully develop. All long-term steroids users will experience these changes to one degree or another, although the outward expression of these changes can vary drastically from one person to the next. This is why it is not uncommon to witness long-term behavioral changes in those who engage in frequent AAS use. A single dose of oral AAS does not result in the same short or long-term changes in emotion/aggression.
Moving on, the pre-workout only method is also used to generate immediate increases in strength through improved neural firing. There is no denying that AAS have this capability, but it is also true that improvements in neural firing, just like aggression, are largely dependent on length of exposure. No steroid will deliver maximum improvements in contractile ability after a single dose. I will use Halotestin as an example, as it is well known to be one of, if not the single most effective steroid for the acquisition of pure muscle strength via nervous system adaptation. We know this because Halotestin causes little to no increase in muscle size, regardless of dose. Being almost a pure strength drug, it is the ideal candidate for revealing the rate at which a steroid improves contractile ability, sparing us the difficult job of differentiating neural from hypertrophic strength gains.
With that said, anyone who has used Halotestin will tell you that it takes weeks to provide maximum strength gains, which is why experienced strength athletes will usually begin using the drug a minimum of 3 weeks prior to competition…and preferably 6 weeks. If a single dose was sufficient to elicit maximal stimulation of the nervous system, there would be absolutely no need to use this drug at any time other than the day of competition.
Some users claim to experience improved pumps with the pre-workout only method. I don’t doubt this, as AAS do an excellent job at increasing red blood cell count and intramuscular fluid retention, which are primarily responsible for the enhanced pump associated with their use. However, just as with all the other benefits listed above, length of exposure has a significant influence on the degree of pump attained. This is because AAS are only effective at increasing RBC count and I.M. fluid retention when active. By taking a steroid such as D-bol only 4-5X per week pre-workout, the drug is only active about 16-20 hour per week…not even a single day. This is a lot of down time and hardly sufficient to increase RBC or I.M. fluid retention to maximum capacity. Much better results will be achieved in terms of a pump by maintaining even blood levels of the drug all week long.
Basically, there is pretty much never a good reason, from a results perspective, to use steroids in the pre-workout only fashion. It reduces results in every category. Now, there are a few valid reasons why someone might choose to administer them in this way, such as financial limitations. For guys who do not have the cash to use oral AAS according to half-life, pre-workout only is a great alternative, as it is probably the single best time to use an oral, along with pre-bed use. Some other guys find it useful to take a larger than normal dose immediately before a strength competition, in order to maximize aggression/contractile ability. This recommendation may appear to be in conflict with the above argument, in which I state that aggression/contractile ability is increased to a greater degree with traditional dosing. This is true; traditional dosing will provide a more pronounced effect in comparison to the pre-workout “only” method, due to the drug’s continual influence on the brain. However, when used in tandem with traditional dosing, it may provide a slight additional boost in the aggression/contractile ability department.
There is one exception in the pre-workout only camp…Cheque drops (mibolerone). There is a single reason for this…toxicity. The toxicity of Mibolerone disqualifies it as a suitable candidate for long-term use. For this reason, pre-workout only use remains a viable alternative. Truthfully, this drug could be used for a few weeks as long as you don’t get crazy with the dosage, but conventional length cycles are not recommended, especially when there are better drugs for multi-week use.
Up until this point we have discussed the pros & cons of the different methods of administration, but we have not spoken much about which steroids are best suited to achieving the various goals mentioned above (aside from Cheque drops). Although I have made it abundantly clear that traditional dosing is superior to the pre-workout only method for increasing aggression/enhancing contractile ability, I want to address a mistake I have seen time and time again. I can’t tell you how many guys I have spoken with who have told me that their primary reason for using the pre-workout method is to promote a superior training experience by enhancing aggression/contractile ability, yet the steroids they have selected for this purpose are far from ideal. Dianabol seems to be a popular choice (likely because it is cheap), but the problem with d-bol is that…well…it doesn’t do a very good job at accomplishing either goal. If the BB’r wants to notice any type of a discernible, immediate effect in these areas, steroid selection is crucial.
Some of the best steroids for this are those with a very strong androgenic component, as it is this aspect of a steroid’s character which is largely responsible for enhancing strength and promoting an aggressive response. For example, two common steroids which are well known to function extremely well in this capacity are Halotestin and Trenbolone base. If we compare these drugs against most other steroids, we will see a stark contrast in their androgenic potency. For example, testosterone, itself known to be a strongly androgenic steroid, possesses an androgenic rating of 100, while Halotestin comes in at a whopping 1900! By comparison, Dianabol checks in at a measly 50. That makes Halotestin a full 38X as androgenic as Dianabol, which is no doubt a big part of the reason why it works so much better than D-bol for this purpose. Trenbolone base (ester-less Trenbolone), which is well known for providing both of these effects, is 5X as androgenic as testosterone and 10X as androgenic as Dianabol. The bottom line is that if you are going to use a steroid specifically for increasing aggression/neural firing (especially if it is for pre-workout only use), then you need to choose your AAS carefully. As a general rule, the most potent androgens are the most effective.
With nearly this entire article centered on the ideal application of oral AAS, it would not be complete if I did not provide a list of orals, accompanied by their half-lives. For those of you who have not yet memorized the half-lives of some common orals, the following can be used as a reference guide. Note: There is some discrepancy as to the exact half-life of some orals, so these are rough estimates.
Dianabol: 4 hours
Anadrol: 9 hours
Winstrol: 9 hours
Anavar: 11 hours
Turinabol: 16 hours
Methyltestosterone: 8 hours
Halotestin: 9 hours
Epistane: 8 hours
SD: 6 hours
Dimethazine: 12 hours
Methylstenbolone: 9 hours
By adhering to the numbers above when putting together your dosing schedule, you will derive the best possible results from your orals. However, most people will not want to wake up in the middle of the night to take their next dose of AAS (Note: disturbed sleep will likely impair gains more than waiting a few extra hours). In this case, you would still dose the drug according to its half-life, but you would cram your entire day’s dose into your waking hours. In the case of D-bol, if you were going to take 50 mg per day based on a 16 hour day (8 hours sleep), it would look like this:
16 Hour Day
7:00 am: 10 mg
11:00 am: 10 mg
3:00 pm: 10 mg
7:00 pm: 10 mg
11:00 pm: 10 mg
Other drugs, such as Anadrol, would be simpler, with 1/3 of your daily dose taken every 8 hours. Of course, this may change if you sleep longer than 8 hours, but you get the point. Hopefully, this rather lengthy explanation on the optimal application of oral AAS was at least slightly helpful for those who are still new to the world of AAS, as well as those who have been misled into thinking that pre-workout only use is always the best way to go. Happy training.
