A Beginners Guide To Using Steroids Safely

....Or as safe as you can. I should say.

Okay this is a little off the normal topic of things. But i was suggested to post about it by one of the mods. and let's face it lifting is such a main focus on this sub that it's stupid not to think some guys aren't going to want to try gear or at least be curious. I'm not condoning the use of steroids especially if it is not legal where you live or without doctor supervision, natty is always the better and safer way to go. This is strictly for education purposes and my personal experience. I have used gear and also couch others on it. You wouldn't believe the lack of knowledge and research people have on the topic. Especially guys who jump right in and do everything wrong without any research. If run properly you can have great benefits especially at an older age and run as TRT (testosterone replacement therapy). I'm going to get really basic with this just to inform people who are curious but have little to no knowledge.

Word of knowledge

Everyone's body is different. One compound may give me great results while another may give you all side effects.

With that being said, this is mostly a trial and error of what works best for YOU in particular. The reason I say this is because when I first started I wanted the perfect cycle. The problem is everyone's "perfect cycle" is different. And if you search the Internet on this stuff. Your head will explode because 100 people will tell you a 100 different ways to run something. And the way you're doing it is wrong and their way is right. But you don't know shit about these people or what they look like. So listen to your body. And know that more isn't always better.

Basic as it gets

Although this is a very broad topic I'm going to try to educate you as best as I can without bombarding you with every little detail. Pretty much an ELI5 without giving my personal opinion too much.

Injecting. make sure you learn proper and safe sterile techniques. But injecting is the way to go. If you are planning on just taking orals. I would say don't waste your money. Because you will lose everything almost as soon as you stop. And it is very hard on the liver to run for long periods of time.

Although I said everyone's perfect cycle is different. The best and safest first cycle IMO. Is just taking a low dose of testosterone. A low dose would be about 250-300mg a week. Most guys run 500-600mg their first cycle. The right way is to try to maximize off the lowest amount possible.

Testosterones have different esters. This means how long they take to leave the body once absorbed. Short esters hold less water, long esters hold more but allow you to inject a lot less. A longer ester is a better choice for your first cycle. Longer esters include test Cypionate and test enanthate. They take about 4 weeks til you really start to notice what you're working with. But you will gain weight with in the first couple weeks. Mostly water weight

Labs and A.I.s

You should always get bloodwork done. Before your cycle to see what your normal levels are. 6 weeks in to see how you're reacting to the drugs. And after you stop to see how long it takes for your levels to return to normal.

A.I.s are aromatase inhibitors they are used to keep your estrogen levels at bay. When you put synthetic test into your body your test levels will obviously rise. The testosterone then converts into estrogen. So you will have high estrogen. Because of this you should always run a mild A.I. Like arimadex about 2 weeks into your cycle to keep your estrogen at bay. This will prevent estrogen sides and bloating. And Just because you don't experience high estrogen sides (gyno aka man boobs) doesn't mean you don't have high estrogen.

Aromasin and letrozole (strongest) are stronger A.I.s they actually kill estrogen in the body. You need some estrogen but you don't want it too high or at 0. That is why arimadex is usually used first. If you start to get high estrogen sides. Like sensitive nipples. It's smart to try a stronger A.I.

HCG

Human chorionic gonadotropin

Should be taken during you cycle also. This prevents your body from shutting down its natural test production. The old school way was to run it in your post cycle. But it's better to run it during and after. It's more of preventing your balls from shutting down (especially if you want kids) then Recovery from them being shut down and running it just post cycle.

PCT

Post cycle therapy

The name of the game is time on = time off. The amount of time you spend on cycle is the same amount of time you should spend off to allow your body to recover. Most cycles last 12-16 weeks. Sometimes longer. Sometimes sorter. It's all preference.

A good post cycle therapy is running nolvdex. Clomid. And hcg.

These drugs allow the body to recover. By kick starting your balls to produce test naturally again and preventing estrogen sides.

They also allow your body to help maintain what you have worked so hard for.

Some guys especially over the age of 40 never come off test and do a pct. they do what is called "blasting and cruising" blasting would be upping their test dose and/or adding other compounds. Cruising would be considered as their "time off" but instead of coming off they just lower their test dose to about a 250mg a week dose (varies). As you get older your testosterone naturally declines so men use this as a test replacement therapy for their natural test (where the term TRT comes from). This is also known to have many good health benefits.

other compounds

After you have ran a cycle of just test one or two times and you have no adverse effects you can add in other compounds. There are a variety of them that all do different things. Have different benefits and sides. It's smart to only add one in at a time so if you have an adverse effect you know exactly what is causing it.

Orals are usually used to kick start a cycle or end one, because of how fast they are in and out of the body. Most of them are hard on the liver but are very effective.

Steroids although most of them speed up your metabolism. They do not directly burn fat like most people thing. You may lose fat but it isn't their main purpose. Diet is still very very important when taking steroids. I know guys who run all types of Shit and look worst than most natty guys. Genes, diet, and training play a major major role in how good your results are. They allow you to recover fast and better utilize the food you put in your body. But they are no super magic pill like society programs us to believe. You still need to put in the work and diet. You can get away with more than someone who doesn't use. But you can still look like Shit if you don't bust your ass.

Fat burners are compounds such as DNP, clen, t3 and t4. These compounds are used to burn fat and have no direct effect on muscle growth really.

wait as long as you can to go this route

It's very bad for your body to start running roids at 18 years old. Allow your body to fully develop and reach your natural potential before thinking about trying this stuff. If you are looking to compete this is eventually a route you're probably going to have to take but wait as long as you can to do it.

I hope this gives you some idea of what is involved in a cycle. Like I said there's a lot of information out there in it. This is the very very basic. Do your research and consult your doctor before taking anything.

Edit:

It is also good to note that just taking orals alone is probably a waste of your money you are likely to lose almost everything once you have stopped taking them.