Originally Posted by
Deen54
Androgens and Anabolics
One of the key fundamentals you need to understand about steroids is the Androgenic and Anabolic components that all steroids have. The ration between these or the relative strength of each of the components is where most of the steroid engineering takes place.
All steroids are derivatives of the male hormone testosterone. This hormone is responsible for the male characteristics as well as muscle growth, protein synthesis and recovery and it is this component that is of interest to athletes. Furthermore, all steroids have two principal components, Androgenic and Anabolic and all steroids have an Androgenic component in varying degrees. The Androgenic component of steroids is responsible for the “male” characteristics. The Anabolic component is responsible of muscle growth, recovery and protein synthesis.
There are some problems surrounding the Androgenic component of steroids because this part of the steroid is primarily responsible for steroid side effects. The reason for this is that the body has androgenic receptor sites all over the place and depending on their relative function, they trigger a host of side effects form aggression to hair loss. The elimination of the Androgen component has been the primary focus of steroid engineering. If you eliminate the Androgen component while keeping the anabolic component you basically have a side effct free steroid. Sounds to good to be true, mostly because it is to good to be true.
The Androgenic component has a direct correlation to the Anabolic component. The lower the Androgenic component, the lower the Anabolic effct. This is why highly Androgenic steroids are typically highly Anabolic as well. The typical highly Anabolic steroids are less effective because of the reduced Androgenic component. This is where the cutting steroids got their classification from, typically they don’t yield the unwanted Androgenic side effects like water retention, but they are also less suited and less effective at building muscle mass.
The reduced Androgenic component and the differences in Androgenic profiles common to the different steroids also adds another dimension to the mix that is exploited by athletes that have been experimenting with combinations. Typically, some combinations of steroids in effect create their own hybrid engineer steroid with some unique characteristics. Sight differences in the testosterone molecules means that the receptor binding patterns are affected, sometimes with beneficial results and sometimes with negative results. This is, for the most part the reason why certain combinations of steroids work better together than by themselves.
Because it is difficult to always gauge the androgenic strength of a steroid, other than high, moderate or low, it is sometimes hard to choose combinations of steroids that will yield good results. Add to this the individual body chemistry and receptor mapping and the problem can become pretty complex. It makes predicting how combination will work for a specific person almost impossible. This is where the experimentation comes in. there really is no way around finding out what will work well for you other than to experiment.
I have listed the steroids in two ways, one alphabetically for quick reference and the other based on androgenic properties, High and moderate to low. The key is to chose simple combinations that will provide a highly Anabolic effect with a less pronounced Androgenic effect, bearing in mind that you need the Androgenic component. This sounds a little contradictory but basically what you are looking for a Androgenic steroid that does not affect you adversely, and then to combine this with and Anabolic steroid that will benefit from the other steroids Androgenic profile, yielding a combination that has less Androgenic side effects but rates higher in the Anabolic component in combination that as individual components.
Think about that for a while as we move on to another consideration.
The Androgenic component binds to Androgenic receptors all over the body including in the muscle cells where you want to trigger growth. This means that receptors in the central nervous system also gets stimulated so aggression may be the result, some with acne and so on. You also have to take anther little knack Androgens have into consideration, this is the process of testosterone conversion, both into estrogen, known as aromatising and into DHT or dehydrotestosterone. DHT is responsible for side effect like hair loss and enlarged prostate, while aromatizing cause water and fat retention, mood swings and so on.
This is another area of focus for steroid engineering. The lower the rate or “desire” the steroid has to aromatise or convert, the less potential side effct can be expected. The explanation as to why the conversion into estrogen can be beneficial to the bulking phase will be dealt with later, but it is important to note that some steroids like Deca can be adversely affected by an estrogen blocker used to reduce estrogen related symptoms, mostly due to the reduced androgen component. Typically there is a strong correlation between strength and size gains and the steroids conversion into estrogen. As a rule, the higher the Androgenic component, the more likely conversion into estrogen will take place.
The duality of size and strength compared to quality.
Most athletes want a steroid that will give them increase in size and strength as well as leaving them with quality muscle. By definition, steroids that yield huge increases in size and strength also means side effects and aromatising so considerable water retention plays a role in the weight gain. That water retention reduces the muscle “quality” because the athlete ands up looking smooth and not ripped. Being ripped is often the criteria most athletes use to define quality muscle and being ripped is a direct result of low subcutaneous body fat and low water retention in the skin. On both these count High Androgens work counter productively so the cutting steroids are used during the diet or ripping-up phase.
By using anti-estrogens and steroids like Proviron that stops the aromatising process, you can get a ripped quality look using high androgens, but at the same time you sacrifice size and strength do a large degree. The options are basically to bulk up and then cut down or to gradually add muscle from a position of low body fat. The route chosen is often determined by individual goals and expectations.
There are many factors that need to be balanced when it comes to choosing combinations of steroids but there is also much to be said for experimenting to see what works for you.
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