Testosterone

Testosterone cycle needs no introduction.

The Primary androgen, it is responsible for a wide range of physiological functions in the human body including development of male characteristics during puberty, development of muscle tissue, bone density, strength and prostate development among others.

In a normal healthy male, the body produces testosterone to perform all these vital functions.

But not enough to produce the thick, slabs of muscle that we all yearn for.

That’s where synthetic testosterone comes into the picture.

Synthetic test increases your testosterone to supraphysiological levels allowing more of it to be used for building lean muscle tissue.

In any performance enhancement setting, it is used the foundational steroid around which, other compounds are added to a stack depending on the individual’s goals.

Ideally, there should be no steroid stack without exogenous testosterone and we’ll explain shortly the reason for it.

Irrespective of whether you are a natty fitness buff consideringusing anabolic steroids, or someone who’s used SARMS but looking to use real gear, this FAQ will explain the basics of Testosterone and also show you how to use it safely for a cycle.

What are the different forms of Testosterone?

First timers are often confused at the different names that are attached to the Testosterone hormone, like Testosterone Propionate and Test Cyp.

In essence, all of these are the same testosterone hormone. It’s just that they have different esters attached to it to control the release time.

The testosterone hormone without any ester attached to it would have an incredibly short half-life.

It would be absorbed instantly into the bloodstream following administration and it would be excreted from the system in just hours after this.

By adding an ester, this half-life is prolonged and the release is controlled.

There are three esters of testosterone that are primarily used in performance enhancement.

Testosterone Propionate:

Also called Test Prop in short, this is a short acting ester that has a fast release time. The advantage is that the therapeutic or anabolic effects can be felt much faster, typically in 7-days or so. The caveat is that it must be injected every two days to maintain stable levels of the hormone in the system.

Testosterone Cypionate:

Also called Test Cyp, this is the most commonly used Testosterone ester for TRT in the United States. In a performance enhancement setting, it is a medium-acting ester that peaks and stabilizes over an 8-10-day period.

Test Enanthate:

This is the longest acting ester of Testosterone with an active half-life of 14-days. If you hate pinning frequently, then this is the ester that you should be choosing for TRT use. However, both enanthate and Cypionate are considered interchangeable when using in a performance enhancement setting.

Irrespective of which ester of Test you choose, there will be no difference in the physical effects or results that you can achieve with it.

What are the effects of Testosterone?

Testosterone increases both strength and lean muscle tissue via different biological mechanisms.

Firstly, it increases Nitrogen retention, which allows the cells to hold more nitrogen, amplifying the rate of recovery and growth. It also increases glycogen synthesis which increases the supply of vital fuel for muscles during your workouts, increasing your muscle endurance and strength.

Secondly, it binds to androgen receptors triggering a cascade of positive effects including lipolysis and growth of lean muscle tissue. At the same time, it stimulates the production of more receptor cells in your muscles, thereby priming them for growth.

Lastly, it suppresses the release of glucocorticoid hormones which can otherwise cannibalize on your hard earned muscle tissue.

The resultant environment created due to all these effects is loosely called Anabolism, during which your body will constantly be in a state of recovery, repair and growth.

What is the right Testosterone dosage?

The right testosterone dosage for you will depend largely on your experience with the hormone and your personal goals from the cycle.

For TRT, a dosage of 200-300mg/week of Testosterone is prescribed. This is just a feather above the normal testosterone levels of a healthy, young male and it more than suffices to provide relief from the symptoms of low T.

In a steroid cycle, the recommended minimum dose is 500mg/week of Testosterone for beginners. This will put your testosterone to supraphysiological levels and if it is your first cycle, you will undergo a dramatic transformation.

More experienced users will increase or reduce the dose of Testosterone depending on the other compounds that they are stacking it with. For example, some users prefer a low dose of Testosterone while increasing their dose of 19-Nor compounds, because the risk of aromatization is lower with it.

Others will maintain a steady dose of testosterone for all their cycles.

That brings us to the most important point.

Is it necessary to use Testosterone in all steroid cycles?

When you introduce an exogenous androgenic hormone into your body, it will automatically signal to your endocrine system to shut off the production of testosterone.

This results in what’s commonly called a ‘Shut down’. Your body will no longer produce testosterone, even for vital functions.

However, not all exogenous hormones are an apt replacement for Test.

Anavar for example, is a poor substitute for test.

When the initial effects of these hormones start to fade, you will begin to feel the negative side effects of a shutdown, or a severe suppressed testosterone level.

Your energy will dissipate, you will feel lethargic, depressed and your cortisol levels will spike. This can negate all the gains that you make during the cycle.

Hence, it is always better to use Testosterone in every steroid cycle. This ensures that your body continues to get enough testosterone to keep your libido up, your mood elevated and your strength and energy levels high.

Not only this, having a bare minimum level of test will allow you to retain the gains that you make during the cycle.

What side effects can Testosterone cause?

Testosterone can cause both androgenic and estrogenic side effects.

Androgenic side effects include but are not limited to, acne, oily skin, hair loss, baldness, deepening voice, body hair growth and virilization in females3.

Estrogenic side effects are water retention, gynecomastia and high blood pressure4. The estrogenic side effects can be prevented by using an aromatase inhibitor during the cycle. Some people avoid using an AI and use a SERM instead.

Testosterone can also skew your cholesterol numbers. But it’s not as severe on your cholesterol as some other oral anabolic steroids are.

It will also cause Testicular atrophy as your endogenous testosterone production shuts down and a full PCT will be needed to restore your body’s natural hormonal production.

Detailed Information:

Testosterone Enanthate

Overview and History of Testosterone Enanthate

Testosterone Enanthate is one of the many esterified variants of Testosterone available. It is an injectable compound with a slow rate of release due to the larger Enanthate ester attached to the Testosterone molecule. This augments the release rate and half-life of Testosterone to that of a slower release. The majority of Testosterone products that have been designed are single products that contain a single esterified form, as opposed to Testosterone products which consist of a blend of several different esterified variants in the liquid (such as Sustanon, for example). Testosterone that is un-esterified holds a very short half-life, making its use very inconvenient and impractical (Testosterone suspension is one such Testosterone product that consists of pure un-esterified Testosterone, and does not have an ester bonded to its structure). The Enanthate ester expands Testosterone’s half-life to that of 10 days, and blood plasma levels of the hormone remain elevated for a total period of approximately 2 – 3 weeks. Testosterone itself is considered the most natural and safest anabolic steroid any individual can use, and it is easily the most versatile and flexible anabolic steroid in terms of how it can be utilized in cycles and for different purposes and goals.

The Enanthate variant of Testosterone had first been described in the early 1950s when it had landed on the market and experienced increasingly extensive use shortly thereafter. This was the very first injectable Testosterone ester preparation that provided slower release rates. Prior to the development of Testosterone Enanthate, the most widely utilized forms were either un-esterified Testosterone (Testosterone suspension) or the faster acting Testosterone Propionate, which holds a half-life of approximately 4.5 days, necessitating more frequent injections which can be inconvenient for many. As such, Testosterone Enanthate promptly replaced Testosterone Propionate as the Testosterone of choice by the medical establishment in the West, as well as athletes and bodybuilders utilizing it for performance and physique enhancement. In the United States, Delatestryl manufactured by Squibb was the very first Testosterone Enanthate product to be marketed, and it is still manufactured and marketed today only under different pharmaceutical manufacturers that have purchased the rights to market that name brand. Most recently 2005, for example, Indevus was the latest pharmaceutical company to manufacture and market the drug. Internationally (outside of North America, mostly) the brand name for Testosterone Enanthate is known as Testoviron, which unlike Delatestryl, has been manufactured by Schering ever since its original inception well over 50 years ago. Ultimately it is the Testoviron brand name that is the most popular and widely utilized Testosterone Enanthate product in the world.

Within the medical realm, Testosterone Enanthate is almost exclusively used for the purpose of treating hypogonadism and andropause (two conditions in which adult males produce inadequate levels Testosterone endogenously). In some lesser cases it is also used as a treatment for delayed puberty male teenagers and for pubertal stimulation. More rare treatments that Testosterone Enanthate is used in include the breast cancer treatment in females. Testosterone Enanthate has also been studied thoroughly in its proposed use as a male birth control treatment. In such cases, it has been determined that a weekly dosage of 200mg had effectively reduced the production of sperm in the majority of men, although 3 months of consistent use was required before significant changes in sperm production and motility were seen. This suppression of spermatogenesis was shown to remain for as long as Testosterone Enanthate was administered, and slowly returned to normal following termination of use. It is highly unlikely however, that Testosterone Enanthate will ever be released and marketed as such due to the immense amount of irrational stigma and hysteria associated with anabolic steroid use in the current Western social climate, which is very unfortunate. Various nations and cultures in Eastern Europe and in the far East, however, have displayed a much more accepting attitude towards its use than in the West.

Chemical Characteristics of Testosterone Enanthate

As previously mentioned, Testosterone Enanthate is simply Testosterone with the Enanthate ester bound to the Testosterone chemical structure. Specifically ‘Enanthate’ is Enanthoic acid, but once bound to Testosterone it is properly referred to in chemistry as an ester bond (or ester linkage). Enanthoic acid is bonded to the 17-beta hydroxyl group on the Testosterone structure. Esterified anabolic steroids are more fat soluble, and release slowly from the injection site – however, this is not the main reason as to why esters extend the release rate of the anabolic steroid. The primary reason for the augmentation of its half-life and release rate is because once Testosterone Enanthate enters the bloodstream, enzymes work to break the bond between the ester and the hormone, which takes a varying amount of time. The end result is that the ester is removed from the hormone by enzymes, and what is left is pure Testosterone that is free to do its work in the body. This process of enzymes cleaving off the ester from the Testosterone molecule is what is responsible for the slower release rates. Testosterone alone with no ester bonded to it possesses a half-life of approximately 2 – 4 hours. When the Enanthate ester is attached to it, creating Testosterone Enanthate, the half-life of Testosterone is now extended to 10 days, providing a slower release and activity of the hormone.

Properties of Testosterone Enanthate

The properties of Testosterone Enanthate is what any individual would expect from any other type of Testosterone preparation, with the exception of the differing release rates and half-life. Testosterone is what could be considered quite literally the original anabolic steroid, which is manufactured endogenously naturally in all humans and in the vast majority of animal species. Because of this, Testosterone is considered the safest anabolic steroid for use, as every individual’s body is already accustomed to the effects of Testosterone only to a lesser degree. Essentially, the use of Testosterone for the purpose of physique and performance enhancement is simply the supplementation of additional hormones – the act of inserting more of a hormone into the body that it already manufactures and uses.

Testosterone Enanthate Side Effects

Testosterone Enanthate is an anabolic steroid with a very moderate side effect profile. When considering its benefits in terms of potential gains and strength versus its side effect potential and profile, it can be considered a very reasonable anabolic steroid in this regard. Testosterone Enanthate’s side effect distribution is generally pretty varied, but what one must understand is that Testosterone Enanthate being a Testosterone compound, is the body’s most natural anabolic hormone. After all, Testosterone is what the body endogenously manufactures naturally and it is therefore what the body is most accustomed to first and foremost. As with any side effects of any sort, individual body reaction, sensitivity, and genetics play a large factor in whether or not an individual may experience more or less of a certain side effect (or experience none at all).

Testosterone Enanthate side effects include that of estrogenic side effects, which are the most prominent side effects that users and potential users are most concerned about. This results from the fact that Testosterone is a moderately aromatizable anabolic steroid (meaning Testosterone undergoes conversion into Estrogen at a moderate rate in the body), and this is of course proportional to the dose of Testosterone Enanthate used as well. The greater the dosage, the greater the degree of aromatization into Estrogen. The resultant side effects of Estrogen conversion can include: water retention and bloating, increases in blood pressure (resultant from water retention), increased fat gain/retention, and potential development of gynecomastia.

Androgenic side effects are also a potential experience with the use of Testosterone Enanthate. Being that Testosterone is an androgen in and of itself, it does interact with androgen receptors throughout the body and will exhibit androgenic side effects. However, the real bulk of the androgenic side effects are the result of Testosterone’s reduction into a much stronger androgen, Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This occurs in a few key tissues in the body as Testosterone passes through them, such as the scalp, prostate, and skin. Androgenic side effects can include: increased oily skin (sebum secretion), increased acne formation (linked to sebum secretion), bodily and facial hair growth, and the increased risk of experiencing male pattern baldness (MPB) if the individual possesses the genetic predisposition for it.

Studies have not found Testosterone Enanthate to be liver toxic (hepatotoxic) at any dosage, even at extreme dosages administered orally. There is no risk for liver issues with Testosterone Enanthate.

Being that it is an anabolic steroid, Testosterone Enanthate does exhibit side effects in regards to impairment and/or suppression of the HPTA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis) – in other words, natural endogenous Testosterone production suppression. Testosterone Enanthate side effects also include cardiovascular alterations and side effects, such as temporary alteration of blood cholesterol levels.

Testosterone Enanthate Cycles and Uses

Testosterone Enanthate cycles are usually that of a bulking or mass gaining nature, though it can also be utilized in a very specific manner in cutting or fat loss cycles. For mass gaining or bulking, Testosterone Enanthate is usually employed in a higher dosage (usually a minimum of 500mg per week), and because it is an anabolic steroid with a long ester affixed to it, it will exhibit a longer half-life of around 7 – 10 days, and therefore Testosterone Enanthate cycles are usually run for periods of 10 – 12 weeks or longer.

In both bulking and cutting cycles, Testosterone Enanthate is commonly stacked with other compounds of a nature that will facilitate the user’s end goal (bulking, mass gaining, or fat loss). For example, Testosterone Enanthate cycles for the purpose of bulking usually include the use of Deca-Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate) and/or Dianabol (Methandrostenolone), where Dianabol is usually run for the first 6 weeks as a kick-starting compound.

In the event that Testosterone Enanthate cycles are cutting or fat loss cycles, Testosterone Enanthate is usually run at a very low TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) dosage of around 100mg per week whilst other compounds more preferable for cutting and fat loss are emphasized during the cycle. The use of Testosterone Enanthate at this dosage is merely to maintain normal bodily function rather than to emphasize gains and performance enhancement.

Testosterone Enanthate Dosing and Administration

Medically, Testosterone Enanthate is usually utilized at a prescription dosage of around 250mg administered once every 2 – 4 weeks, depending on the discretion of the physician and the patient’s progress in his TRT therapy.

For the purpose of bodybuilding and performance and physique enhancement, Testosterone Enanthate is usually dosed at around 300 – 500mg per week as a beginner dosage. Intermediate Testosterone Enanthate dosages can run from 500 – 750mg per week, and advanced users are known to utilize upwards of 1,000mg or more per week of Testosterone Enanthate.

Because of its half-life of 7 – 10 days, it is recommended that Testosterone Enanthate’s administration occur at a minimum of once per week, but ideally for optimal performance and results (and minimization of unwanted side effects due to spiking blood plasma levels), it should be administered twice per week with the weekly dosage split evenly between administrations. For example, a 500mg per week dosage of Testosterone Enanthate should be administered as 250mg on Monday and 250mg on Thursday every week.

Testosterone

Chemical Name: 4-androsten-3-one-17beta-ol, 17beta-hydroxy-androst-4-en-3-one

Molecular Weight: 288.42 g/mol

Formula: C19H28O2

Original Manufacturer: Squibb

Half Life: 10 days

Detection Time: 3 months

Anabolic Rating: 100 Androgenic Rating: 100