Many men who actively train in gyms, sooner or later start using steroids. But the problem is that most of these men absolutely do not understand what it is and what it is eaten with. And in the end, instead of beautiful and large muscles get health problems. Therefore, I decided to address this topic in more detail, namely, to answer questions such as: Anabolic steroids – what is it? What are steroids for? And what are the species?
Anabolic steroids (anabolic, AS, chemistry, pharmacology) are unique drugs that are artificial analogs of such male hormones as: testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.
These drugs are very natural for the male body. They cause the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men, are responsible for sexuality and increase efficiency. Also, accelerate the hypertrophy of muscle tissue, due to the acceleration of protein synthesis in muscles. Scientifically, this process is called – anabolism (by the way, it is because of the scientific name, these drugs began to be called: anabolic steroids or anabolics).
What are steroids for?
The main task is to increase the physical qualities of a person. That is, they make you: faster, stronger, more massive, more enduring, etc. That’s why, they are very popular in such a sport as professional bodybuilding (and in general they are used in any sports where you need to show the maximum result). In bodybuilding, the most important criterion is a set of muscle mass (qualitative set), and with the help of anabolic, you can accelerate the growth of muscle mass on average by 2 times (that is, the set will occur 2 times faster than usual).
The effect of anabolic steroids on the growth of muscle mass is due to the following mechanisms:
- increased protein synthesis
- Reduces the recovery time (faster recovery)
- suppressed the activity of catabolic hormones (cortisol and other)
- shifting the differentiation of cells toward the muscle, reducing the formation of fat cells
- metabolic processes are accelerated
- increases strength
- increases endurance
- there is strengthening of bone tissue
It turns out that because of the increased level of male hormones, all of the above processes occur, and accordingly you start to progress much faster.
What are the types of steroids?
There are two main groups on which anabolic drugs are divided: oral and injectable. Oral – this is what they drink and swallow, and injections are what they inject (they usually inject intramuscularly into the buttocks, thighs, or deltas).
Oral anabolic steroids – what is it?
These are steroids that start to act faster than injections, but they have a shorter life span. As a rule, they live no more than 24 hours. For this reason, this type of medication is used in equal parts throughout the day to maintain the proper level of hormones in the blood (that would not be a sharp decline and rise). All oral steroids are constructed at the molecular level so that they do not destroy in the intestine as a whole, but are absorbed into the blood. In this case, the blood passes through a purification cycle through the liver, which is the main filter of the body, where a large proportion of the drug is activated (so if you abuse oral medications, your liver will suffer very badly).
Examples of popular oral steroids:
Methane (methandrostenalon, danabol, naposim) is an ancient oral drug that enjoys very high popularity among athletes. From methane intake there is a significant fluid retention (for the most part the fluid is retained in the muscles). Anabolic activity is 200% of testosterone. There is aromatization and it is toxic to the liver. Duration of action in the body: about 7 hours. Detection time: from 60 to 90 days.
Turinabol (tourist, tourist) – an exotic oral drug, which is in good demand. From taking turinobol, there is no fluid retention in the body (which is very good for fans of dry muscle mass and drying). Anabolic activity – 180% of testosterone. There is no aromatization and it is toxic to the liver (but to a lesser extent than methane). Duration of action in the body: about 15 hours. Detection time: from 230 to 260 days.
Stanozolol (strombofort, stavel, stromba) – a popular oral steroid, which is not in bad demand among athletes. Stanozolol does not retain fluid in the body (which is very good for fans of dry muscle mass and drying) and is a progesterone antagonist. Anabolic activity – 320% of testosterone. There is no aromatization and it is toxic to the liver (but to a lesser extent than methane and turinabol). Duration of action in the body: about 50 hours. Detection time: 30 to 40 days.
Anavar (oxandrolone, oxandrin, anatrophil) is a well-known drug with high anabolic activity. It is because of the high anabolic activity (which is 400% of testosterone) and low androgenic activity (only 25% of testosterone) that it is so popular in the world. But because of the high price, not everyone can afford it. Anavar does not retain fluid in the body. What is an anavar steroid for? Most often it is used on drying, than for a set of muscle mass. There is no aromatization. Toxicity to the liver is weak. Duration of action in the body: about 13 hours. Detection time: from 40 to 50 days.
Injectable anabolic steroids – what is it?
These are steroids, which begin to act later than oral, but their life span is much longer. As a rule, they can live an active life from 2 to 10 days (but after that, some drugs can be found in the blood for a very long time, up to 3 – 6 months). The degree of resorption and use of the drug depends on the clinging ether. The longer the etheric side chain, the longer the drug holds in the fat depot. Such a drug dissolved in the fat depot gradually enters the blood. The main plus of injections is minimal toxicity for the liver (even in high doses).
Examples of popular injection steroids:
Testosterone propionate (propylene) – is one of the esters of testosterone, which is in great demand among athletes. Although this type of testosterone can be used for both muscle mass and drying (most often propionate is used during the drying period). Anabolic and androgenic activity – 100% of testosterone. Aromatization – is present (moreover, a high level of aromatization). Testosterone propionate is not toxic to the liver. Duration of action in the body: from 48 to 72 hours (because of this, you have to do frequent injections). Detection time: from 33 to 45 days.
Testosterone enanthate (enka) – just like propionate is a very popular drug. But unlike propionate, enanthate is a testosterone ester (that is, it is a long-acting, and propionate is a short one). Typically, this steroid is primarily used to gain muscle mass and strength. But also, there are athletes who use enanthate during drying. Anabolic and androgenic activity – 100% of testosterone. Aromatization – is present (moreover, a high level of aromatization). Testosterone enanthate is not toxic to the liver. Duration of action in the body: about 14 to 16 days (because of this, you do not have to do frequent injections, usually make one injection every week). Detection time: 85 to 95 days.
