When it comes to anabolic cycles, steroids, and medications (in this case, very potent hormonal medications), it’s important to make one thing clear: there’s no such thing as a sure thing! There are steroids that are more or less potent, and there are anabolic agents with or without significant side effects, but no medication that alters our hormone levels—which is, in fact, unnatural—can be considered safe. If in doubt, always consult an expert or, even better, a sports endocrinologist before making decisions that could be harmful to your body.
That said, let's begin the article itself by dispelling a few myths:
Are oral steroids better than injectable ones?
People often tend to think that an oral steroid is much milder than an injectable one: for some strange reason, they believe that taking a pill or drinking a liquid suspension is better than sticking a needle in their buttock to inject something. This is a myth that must be COMPLETELY DEBUNKED!
First of all, every steroid has its own potential toxicity, which mainly depends on the active ingredient regardless of how it is taken. That said, given the same level of harmfulness, an oral steroid will ALWAYS be more toxic than its injectable counterpart because the liver processes the drug twice, while an injectable product is processed by the liver only once.
If you want to use ONLY oral steroids and avoid injectable steroids at all costs for whatever reason, you should know that this sport might not be for you.
First steroid cycle
When you decide to cross the line and enter the “dark side” of sports, it’s important to understand a few things about your first steroid cycle:
- The dosage and type of steroids depend on your goals.
- The dosage and type of steroids depend on age and genetics.
- Steroids alone change little or nothing (except for the worse): diet and training must now be the focus of attention more than ever.
For convenience, let's assume that most readers of this article are aspiring bodybuilders and therefore their goal is to improve their performance in the gym and build muscle mass.
First of all, we do not recommend starting steroid cycles if you have not first reached your maximum potential naturally. This does not apply if you want to pursue a competitive bodybuilding career, where steroids are, in fact, essential.
When you start your first steroid cycle, your receptors are completely fresh, so there’s no need for extreme cycles. Starting with a cycle of ONLY testosterone enanthate is ideal at very low doses (200–250 mg per week, for example). There’s no need to add anything else precisely because your receptors will be highly responsive to this small amount of testosterone, and adding more would only cause side effects and make subsequent cycles less effective. MORE IS NEVER BETTER!
After 4–8 weeks of Test E, along with an excellent, balanced diet, increased calorie intake, and a highly targeted workout routine, you’ll already see great results. And these improvements will be almost daily. If your progress starts to plateau, slowly increase your calorie intake and workout intensity, and ONLY THEN can you slightly increase your testosterone dose by 50–100 mg.
We recommend limiting this first cycle to a maximum of 12 weeks and then stopping completely, followed by a proper PCT (Post-Cycle Therapy) to restore receptor sensitivity.
When it’s time for your second cycle, you can either increase the testosterone enanthate base a bit, or you can simply add another compound—such as Deca Durabolin or Boldenone if you’re bulking, or perhaps Masteron if you’re cutting. If you really want to use an oral steroid, you might want to replace the Deca or Boldenone with a mild yet potent oral suspension, such as LiquidAnavar, for example.
To conclude
In conclusion, it is always best to start with the lowest possible doses and then increase gradually. Bodybuilding is a long marathon, not a sprint, so be patient and protect your health.
