Steroid Myths

[GearHeaded]

some common myths and misconceptions regarding AAS use . some of them have some bearing in truth while others are totally misguided.


- the higher the dosage you take the more negative side effects you get -

this is not necessarily always the case. in fact most guys that have genetic pre-dispositions to certain negative side effects will get those side effects at a low minimum effective dose and taking higher doses does not cause more sides.
eg.
if your prone to Maile pattern baldness.. just 200mg of test is going to cause you to lose hair. going up to 800mg is not going to cause you any more hair loss (but it may build more muscle)..
if your prone to prostate issues ,, just 200mg of test can cause issues. you don't have to be at a high dose to get this side effect..
if your estrogen sensitive and aromatize a ton , 90% of your estrogen issues come from the initial low dosing of test. it doesn't necessarily ramp up with the dose. if your taking 200mg of test and your estrogen is at X range, then taking 400mg doesn't double that range at all. it doesn't scale upward like that.

more examples could be given . but often times your negative side effects coming from the initial dosage and increasing your dosage is not necessarily going to make more negative side effects and may actually give you more benefits.
like if you get bloated at 400mg of test. you may actually find your less bloated at 1200mg of test because your androgen load is so much higher at that dosage. again the negative side of the bloat and water retention comes in at the initial low dosage to begin with.



- staying on gear for too long will 'fry your receptors' and gear will stop working -

no it doesn't work that way. if receptor transcription of dna to a cell stopped working due to continual use then testosterone would of stopped working when we were in our teens and our test levels were elevated 24/7 for years. the receptors didn't "down regulate" at all.
same reason how TRT works for men year round for decades. you don't get on TRT and then have to come off and take breaks all the time because receptors magically stop working one day..
same with other medications. you may be on the same blood pressure meds at the same dose daily for 30 years and it always works.

the drugs always work. they don't stop working. your physiological capacity is what slows down.

if your on a heavy cycle for 12 weeks and you put on 25 pounds, and then your gains slow down its not cause the drugs are no longer working. if they suddenly stopped working you would lose all that 25 pounds and your strength in the gym would go to shit. . but the fact your still strong and still holding onto that 25 pounds is proof that the drugs are still working and receptors are still "up regulated"..

things simply slowed down because as a biological creature you have physiological limitations. you can't just keep growing without fail.
people talk about progressive overload in training. how you need to keep putting weight on the bar every week. add 5 pounds to your bench press every week. well if things really scaled linear like this then we would all be bench pressing 2000 pounds by now.

same with drugs .. they didn't stop working. your receptors are not fried. you simply have physiological limitations.



- taking high dosages early on in your career will take away from later potential for growth -

guys think that your best gains come off your first couple of cycles and you should use the lowest dose possible because that will give you the capacity to ramp up the dosage slowly over time and keep getting more gains later on.
not true. its actually the opposite. pushing higher doses earlier on (within reason) is going to cause accelerated satellite cell proliferation and androgen receptor density and thus more 'raw material' for growth later on. the earlier on you can get these 'raw materials' beginning construction the more potential you have later on.

starting your first cycle with only 200mg of test may give you a boost and some cosmetic effects. but its not loading any 'structural dna' per se and building these growth factors to grow later on..
starting your very first cycle with 600mg of test, 400mg primo, 6iu of GH.. is going to give you more for later on.
no at the time of the cycle itself you may not get that much more, but you've got more under the hood sort of speak and built more structure that can be built upon later.
the sooner in your career that you start running things to build more satellite cells and receptor density etc.. the more potential you have for growth later on.
(of course there is a risk to reward here you have to weigh out for yourself)


- Steroid use causes you to age faster -

Then why the heck would they be used in anti aging clinics, rejuvenation clinics, and used in regenerative medicine. they actually do the opposite. they help reverse aging, not speed it up.
Look at Dexter Jackson at 50 , he looks 30 and has been on steroids for 3 decades straight.



thats enough for now. I'll keep adding to the list. feel free to share different misconceptions you've come across over the years

[SampsonandDelilah]

I think Obs IS bench pressing 2000 pounds

Great write up as always GH...

First thing that comes to mind is “steroids will make your dick shrink”. Obviously some confusion with testes shrinkage and a common misnomer/myth I hear all the time. Pure ignorance.

We all know even testicle shrinkage is easily remedied

[GearHeaded]

First thing that comes to mind is “steroids will make your dick shrink”. Obviously some confusion with testes shrinkage and a common misnomer/myth I hear all the time. Pure ignorance.

We all know even testicle shrinkage is easily remedied

its funny about that . its actually the opposite. in fact in some of the written pharmacokinetics on certain androgens developed by drug companies 'penis growth' is listed as potential side effect.
if you got prescribed Halotestin for example, and you went to the pharmacy to pick it up and they gave you the drug companies pharmacology on the drug when you picked it up (like they often do at pharmacies),, you'll see it listed right there as a possible side effect "enlargement of the penis"..

yet modern media and cultural myth don't know the facts and will state the opposite.



note - now before you guys all go asking me how steroids can make your dick bigger . let me just say that thats a potential side effect only for guys that were androgen deficient through puberty.

[Gallowmere]

its funny about that . its actually the opposite. in fact in some of the written pharmacokinetics on certain androgens developed by drug companies 'penis growth' is listed as potential side effect.
if you got prescribed Halotestin for example, and you went to the pharmacy to pick it up and they gave you the drug companies pharmacology on the drug when you picked it up (like they often do at pharmacies),, you'll see it listed right there as a possible side effect "enlargement of the penis"..

yet modern media and cultural myth don't know the facts and will state the opposite.



note - now before you guys all go asking me how steroids can make your dick bigger . let me just say that thats a potential side effect only for guys that were androgen deficient through puberty.

Oh god. Considering that I had mumps as a kid, and was a whiney, moody fuck until starting TRT, and was diagnosed primary hypo as soon as I decided to get bloodwork in my 30s, I may end up encountering this side effect.
I may have some explaining to do to the girlfriend.

[GearHeaded]

for some guys , doing their first cycle is simply finishing their puberty . some guys are androgen deficient and don't fully develop though puberty . they generally have a round baby face, feminine or little boy features, no facial hair , etc..
then later in life they start hitting the gym and jump on cycles , then you see them a year or so later and they look like a totally different person. they finally have a jaw line, a 5 a clock shadow, broad shoulders , etc.. I'm also guessing their junk is a bit bigger and works better as well .


its just like a women when taking androgens. she can respond extremely fast and get masculaization and a larger clit. well same thing for guy that never had a full exposure to androgens during puberty. he gets on cycle and its going to be all 'new' for him and complete his puberty

[Cuz]

for some guys , doing their first cycle is simply finishing their puberty . some guys are androgen deficient and don't fully develop though puberty . they generally have a round baby face, feminine or little boy features, no facial hair , etc..
then later in life they start hitting the gym and jump on cycles , then you see them a year or so later and they look like a totally different person. they finally have a jaw line, a 5 a clock shadow, broad shoulders , etc.. I'm also guessing their junk is a bit bigger and works better as well .


its just like a women when taking androgens. she can respond extremely fast and get masculaization and a larger clit. well same thing for guy that never had a full exposure to androgens during puberty. he gets on cycle and its going to be all 'new' for him and complete his puberty

I am living proof this actually happens and i believe it 100% whether its theory or not

[< <Samson> >]

Great thread, awesome info man - glad someone wants to lay it all down in real words

[kelkel]

if your prone to prostate issues ,, just 200mg of test can cause issues. you don't have to be at a high dose to get this side effect..

Absolutely true. Most guys on TRT (doc's too) don't check DHT levels. If they did they'd find that the overwhelming majority of guys on TRT have a DHT level that is over range or at the top of it. It doesn't take much injected test to elevate it, even when Test levels are maintained in range. I've reviewed a ton of BW that backs this up.

[GearHeaded]

heres another misconception . I've tried correcting this one for years when I talk about how HGH works, but it goes over many peoples heads I guess.

- HGH causes insulin resistance and may lead to pre diabetes -

now this one has some validity in that people have come to this determination from blood work and a doctors diagnosis.
guys run 4iu HGH for a year straight and get quarterly blood work and they see the trend of their fasted blood sugar going up each time.. then the doc is concerned and A1C is pulled on blood work as well and that is also showing elevated blood glucose chronically over time.
the conclusion .. well you have insulin resistance. this is a mis diagnosis.

your blood sugars are not running high because your insulin resistant or pre diabetic, they are running high because HGH causes glucose to dump into the blood stream. its just the opposite of insulin resistance, instead of glucose have a hard time getting stored in the liver and muscle cells (which is insulin resistance) your body is releasing stored blood sugar into the blood stream .


heres how HGH works and you'll see what I'm saying.

when HGH is injected and in the blood stream it causes your pancreas to release glucagon . this is the first thing HGH does cause its the first thing needed for HGH to do anything. Glucagon is released , and what glucagon does is 'release' stored glucose into the blood stream.
now why would HGH need or want stored blood sugar to be released into the blood stream?
because HGH is an energy requiring hormone. its a 'growing hormone'.. building and repairing cells requires energy. you don't just build something out of nothing.
and what is the body's most efficient form of energy ? glucose.

so HGH causing the release of glucagon to cause a release of blood sugar into the blood is needed and its NOT insulin resistance at all . just the opposite actually.

this is why you run high blood sugars when taking exogenous HGH . not because you suddenly became insulin resistant and pre diabetic

hopefully that also helps ease some of your guys fear about using HGH thinking it could cause you pre diabetes .

[< <Samson> >]

Absolutely true. Most guys on TRT (doc's too) don't check DHT levels. If they did they'd find that the overwhelming majority of guys on TRT have a DHT level that is over range or at the top of it. It doesn't take much injected test to elevate it, even when Test levels are maintained in range. I've reviewed a ton of BW that backs this up.

I believe it, yet I never get mine checked


Prob is, the more I drop my test - the more flabby I become


Riding now at 300mg per week of “quality” test. . . I dropped it to 200 for a bit & the flab crept up slowly but surely


#1 prob to me is that it is UGL test - It varies from UGL to UGL & batch to batch by as much as a solid 100mg

[Windex]

Myth:

First cycle has to be a bulk. Continuing off that - you should use more gear to bulk than cut.

Another Myth: Cutting and Bulking drugs (ie Tren should be used only to Cut and Deca to bulk). Completely false. Reason Tren is used so much in cutting is because people have no idea how to bulk on tren and fail.

[Gallowmere]

Myth:

First cycle has to be a bulk. Continuing off that - you should use more gear to bulk than cut.

Another Myth: Cutting and Bulking drugs (ie Tren should be used only to Cut and Deca to bulk). Completely false. Reason Tren is used so much in cutting is because people have no idea how to bulk on tren and fail.

I got this one a bit when people found out I was using dbol on a cut. So long as your deficit is dialed in, the water retention means fuck all in the long term.

[SampsonandDelilah]

Myth:

First cycle has to be a bulk. Continuing off that - you should use more gear to bulk than cut.

Another Myth: Cutting and Bulking drugs (ie Tren should be used only to Cut and Deca to bulk). Completely false. Reason Tren is used so much in cutting is because people have no idea how to bulk on tren and fail.

My best bulks have come on tren ...had to fight through some heartburn while eating but it’s served me better in that regard than deca ever did

[GearHeaded]

Myth
- Prolactin/progesterone issues happen because of estrogen .. if you control your estrogen then negative progestin effects won't happen -

ugh, man where do I start with this one . so much bro science over the years with this.

how about some biology .. hormones are designed to bind to receptors that are meant for that specific hormone. well, at least in a 'perfect world' . guess what, biology is not exactly perfect and things like genetic mutantions and childhood cancer exists.
so theres a lot of genetic factors at play here. if your 'progestin sensitive' its cause of your genetics.

its NOT estrogen thats causing your issues. and no using an AI and controlling estrogen is not going to solve your progestin problem at all.

its fucking testoereone. lol . your genetically pre disposed to testosterone being able to act on your progestin receptors. perhaps 2 out of 10 testosterone molecules are binding to actual progestin receptors instead of androgen receptors.
and guess what . when you take something like tren or deca (19 nors that are progestin based) . you probably now have 5 out of 10 of those molecules binding to progestin receptors.
lowering and cotrolling estrogen will not do shit in this case. heck tren and deca don't even convert to estrogen anyhow.

you have progestin issues because testosterone itself and test derived steroids are binding to your progestin receptors instead of only your androgen receptors.. and communicating progestin activity . and THUS that downstream effect is making you also overly sensitive to estrogen (even if your estrogen is low or normal) .

like most myths on AAS . its often times ass backwards.
you don't have progestin issues because your estrogen is not controlled .. you have estrogen issues cause your progestin receptors are being activated by the AAS your taking.

[Obs]

its funny about that . its actually the opposite. in fact in some of the written pharmacokinetics on certain androgens developed by drug companies 'penis growth' is listed as potential side effect.
if you got prescribed Halotestin for example, and you went to the pharmacy to pick it up and they gave you the drug companies pharmacology on the drug when you picked it up (like they often do at pharmacies),, you'll see it listed right there as a possible side effect "enlargement of the penis"..

yet modern media and cultural myth don't know the facts and will state the opposite.



note - now before you guys all go asking me how steroids can make your dick bigger . let me just say that thats a potential side effect only for guys that were androgen deficient through puberty.

Anadrol can cause phallus enlargement too.

Good write up.
I dont have any balls left until they get hit.

Staying on and keeping on plowig held all my stuff and made it much more permanent.
I came of recently and sat on my ass not lifting.
Lost nothing really and part of a paralyzed tricep.
Even though I was drinking a 30 pack a day and eating once a day with high stims.

High doses do just fine in me but I wasted a lot of stuff.
Feel good only gets so good and you get tgat at liw dosed.
I see no need to ever exceed 3 g's per week.
I have said that before and gone much higher.

[Fiskevatten]

PLEASE write a book GH on AAS - I would buy it immediately!

[charger69]

Myth:

Reason Tren is used so much in cutting is because people have no idea how to bulk on tren and fail.

Not disagreeing with the intent, but disagreeing with the statement. Tren is used in cutting because it also works great in cutting. It raises body temp.
All AAS can be used in cutting or bulk. Your diet determines if you cut or bulk. Granted some are known more for bulking or cutting but can be used either way.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Arcânn]

First thing that comes to mind is “steroids will make your dick shrink”. Obviously some confusion with testes shrinkage and a common misnomer/myth I hear all the time. Pure ignorance.

We all know even testicle shrinkage is easily remedied

I always wanna smack people when I hear them say this "your dick's gonna shrink". You don't even need to know shit to know that's not true. You just have to do about 1.5 seconds of semi-critical thinking. "Well....if steroids shrink your dick.....NO ONE would EVER use them....unless they had 13" or more to start with and desperately need reduction".

[charger69]

I always wanna smack people when I hear them say this "your dick's gonna shrink". You don't even need to know shit to know that's not true. You just have to do about 1.5 seconds of semi-critical thinking. "Well....if steroids shrink your dick.....NO ONE would EVER use them....unless they had 13" or more to start with and desperately need reduction".

Mine will now fit in my pants. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Obs]

Mine will now fit in my pants. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now you have no excuse for walking around with it hangin out

[kelkel]

Mine will now fit in my panties. LOL


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What?

[Quester]

- Steroid use causes you to age faster -

Then why the heck would they be used in anti aging clinics, rejuvenation clinics, and used in regenerative medicine. they actually do the opposite. they help reverse aging, not speed it up.
Look at Dexter Jackson at 50 , he looks 30 and has been on steroids for 3 decades straight.

Because steroids push the body toward anabolism, they do age one faster. Anything that pushes toward catabolism or anabolism is aging. However, true anti-agers are fanaticist that starve themselves and can't carry their own luggage. Steroids are used at antiaging clinics because many of those clinics are actually into optimization. Optimization is living long and having some way to enjoy it.

[GearHeaded]

Because steroids push the body toward anabolism, they do age one faster. Anything that pushes toward catabolism or anabolism is aging. However, true anti-agers are fanaticist that starve themselves and can't carry their own luggage. Steroids are used at antiaging clinics because many of those clinics are actually into optimization. Optimization is living long and having some way to enjoy it.

yes true . but we have to define our terms I suppose. when a 6 month old baby is filled with all sorts of fatty acids, glucose, and growth hormone , that is providing a tremendous amount of 'anabolism' , we don't see that as a negative thing or negative aging.
aging and anbolism in this context are a positive thing.

so when I said "aging" I meant it as a negative degradation of life.. people says steroids promote 'aging' in that context. and my point was no it doesn't , it promotes regeneration and anabolic growth in a positive way.


but at the end of the day your right biologically speaking .. anything that promotes anabolism ultimately leads to death. growth is death.

[Quester]

I agree with you, so do most people and so do the clinics. But the anti-agers, as far as I can tell, look at anything which increases metabolism as "aging." They're fanatics so I wasn't interested in any of their concepts regarding ageing and the youth, completely clueless regarding that, it didn't seem to have much relevance to me.

[GearHeaded]

I agree with you, so do most people and so do the clinics. But the anti-agers, as far as I can tell, look at anything which increases metabolism as "aging." They're fanatics so I wasn't interested in any of their concepts regarding ageing and the youth, completely clueless regarding that, it didn't seem to have much relevance to me.

YES.. they are more focused on Autophogy and fasting as a way of preventing 'aging'.. whereas anabolics are a whole different angle to anti aging then that.

subject one wants to fast 3x per week to keep blood sugar low to prevent aging and prevent cancer growth and help with "autophogy" .. where as subject two takes a totally different approach and wants to eat 5x per day to keep energy systems high so that cells can consitnue to regenerate and promote activity and life.

totally different angles

[Quester]

Cool. Most stuff I read from them is not that adaptable to the type of lifestyle, better and longer, in which I am interested.

[Getsomehate]

This reminded me of an old saying , <if you are late , take your time , you can’t be late twice >.
Just joking , Great post as always Gh

[Ephemeral]

YES.. they are more focused on Autophogy and fasting as a way of preventing 'aging'.. whereas anabolics are a whole different angle to anti aging then that.

subject one wants to fast 3x per week to keep blood sugar low to prevent aging and prevent cancer growth and help with "autophogy" .. where as subject two takes a totally different approach and wants to eat 5x per day to keep energy systems high so that cells can consitnue to regenerate and promote activity and life.

totally different angles

The fasting /autophagy / anti aging / biohacker etc. people have one thing in common, they have very little scientific or even strong anecdotal evidence for what they're doing, it's mostly just animal studies, meanwhile AAS has a proven track record when it comes to medical and quality of life benefits (doing responsibly of course). So for me it's pretty clear where I want to put my time, energy and money.