Basics of stacking steroids by William Llewellyn
Basics of stacking steroids by William Llewellyn.
I think that this time can also be a daunting one though, as you sit and realize the endless possibilities for a steroid stack. Which combinations work best, which are wasteful? It can be very confusing, particularly if you do not understand the underlying advantages or disadvantages to mixing certain drugs. In this article I would therefore like to take a look at the basics of stacking steroids, and hopefully help the reader focus on picking among the more productive drug combinations.
Estrogenic and androgenic potency
All steroids work primarily by activating a single type of androgen receptor (AR), found in many tissues in the body, including of course skeletal muscle. Activation of this receptor in muscle tissue increases the rate of protein synthesis, which promotes growth. This mechanism is universal for all anabolic/androgenic steroids, making clear that stacking is not a necessity. All steroids do roughly the same thing in this regard and only differ in potency. However that is not to say that other factors do not play an important role in determining the overall effectiveness of a steroid cycle. When looking to assemble the appropriate stack, there are a couple of important variables to consider before combining steroids: Namely the estrogenic and androgenic potency of the cycle. Many steroids can convert to estrogen in the body, which occurs by a natural process termed aromatization. On the negative side, heightened estrogen levels in men can promote side effects such as water retention, fat deposition and gynecomastia (female breast tissue development). For this reason athletes often use estrogen maintenance drugs during higher dosed cycles with easily aromatized compounds. However estrogen also helps to support muscle growth and recovery by enhancing glucose utilization in muscle tissue(1), as well as fostering the release of growth hormone and its anabolic end product IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor I) (2). Although not key mediators of growth, both effects are certainly beneficial when looking to increase muscle mass. It is therefore may be important to include an estrogenic steroid during cycles in which bulk muscle growth is the goal. Androgenic potency is a second key factor. Although both anabolic and androgenic activity are mediated via the same receptor, certain steroids are notably more potent androgens than others. This is due to the ability of certain steroids to be converted to more potent ones in specific androgen sensitive body tissues such as the skin, scalp, liver, CNS and prostate. This occurs via the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, and is the same process in which testosterone is converted to the more potent steroid dihydrotestosterone in humans. Methyltestosterone, fluoxymesterone (Halotestin®), methandrostenolone (Dianabol) and boldenone (Equipoise®) all undergo this same process to heighten their activity. On the other hand nandrolone (and its derivatives Nilevar and Orabolin) undergo reduction to weaker form in the presence of 5-alpha reductase, making them much weaker androgens. Increased androgenic activity can bring about side effects such as oily skin/acne and male pattern hair loss during steroid therapy, which are often important concerns for athletes. However the increased androgenic activity in the CNS may also support neuromuscular system functioning and development, potentially aiding strength and tissue gains (3). In addition, it also seems to help support mood, energy, motivation and sexual functioning. Likewise highly androgenic steroids can be an important addition to a cycle when strength and mass are important. Furthermore if we use mild anabolics exclusively such as nandrolone, Nilevar and Orabolin, their low level of androgenic potency and tendency to lower endogenous testosterone (androgen) levels may cause problems in these crucial areas. Most often when decreased libido, lack of motivation or even depression is noticed during steroid use, the exclusive use of anabolics like Deca is to blame.
The three types of steroid cycles:
Bulking:
During a bulking stack sheer mass is the ultimate goal. The athlete is looking to gain as much muscle as possible, and a little extra fat or water retention is to be ignored. It can certainly be dealt with later. With this in mind a mixture of estrogenic and androgenic compounds are favored. Testosterone is really considered the basic, all-purpose and often indispensable androgen to base a bulking cycle around. If used in low to moderate doses, typically 200-400 mg weekly, the estrogenic activity of this compound may not trigger gynecomastia. Some people are more sensitive than others, so if this side effect is not becoming noticeable (pain and sensitivity to the nipple is the first sign) antiestrogens are often withheld to foster a more anabolic environment. Of course with such stacks it would be a good idea to keep some Nolvadex® close by. From here we look for something to compliment the testosterone. To do this best, the no-holds barred bulking cycle should include some form of oral steroid to balance it out. This is because oral steroids have an unbalanced effect on liver tissues because they become heavily concentrated in the organ after being administered. Since androgens are active in the liver, their relative actions may be very heightened during steroid use of this type. One important action of anabolic/androgenic steroids in the liver is to interfere with the release of the serum binding protein sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (4). SHBG and other proteins work to bind and restrict steroids from exerting activity in the body, and bind approximately 98% of the testosterone found in the male body. At any given time only about 2% is available to interact with androgen receptors in cells. What we find with oral androgen use is that the drop in SHBG levels is much more pronounced than seen with injectable steroid therapy. Orals are likewise notably more potent at increasing the level of free (unbound) steroid hormone in the body than injectable preparations. For this reason combining an oral with an injectable, particular testosterone, can produce a very synergistic effect toward promoting muscle growth with the oral working to free up more available testosterone. For the steroid novice, a very formidable bulking cycle might consist of 400mg weekly of a long acting testosterone ester such as cypionate or enanthate, combined with 50mg of Anadrol or 25 mg of Dianabol per day. Here the results can be extremely dramatic, and in most cases the side effects within a tolerable range.
Lean muscle gain:
When looking to gain lean muscle mass estrogen becomes an important concern (5). We therefore usually omit testosterone and other highly estrogenic steroids such as Anadrol and methyltestosterone, or at least keep their dosages low and balance them with less estrogenic compounds to stop extra fat from accumulating. Good base injectable steroids include the poorly aromatized nandrolone and boldenone, as well as the non-aromatizable steroid Primobolan-Depot® (methenolone enanthate). Of the list boldenone and Dianabol are the most androgenic, however both are still much less androgenic then testosterone due to lower affinity to interact with 5-alpha reductase. Still, any added androgenic potency may be welcome in the cycle to support strength, energy, motivation and even sex drive.
Orals that mix well into such stacks include stanozolol (Winstrol®), oral Primobolan® (methenolone acetate) or Dianabol (in moderate doses). Popular combinations for lean mass gain include: nandrolone (200-400mg weekly) and Dianabol (10-20mg daily), Primobolan® 200-300mg weekly) and Dianabol (10-20mg daily), boldenone (150-300mg weekly) and Winstrol (10-20mg daily) and 300-500mg combined of nandrolone and boldenone (for the oral sensitive). In all cases a slightly stronger androgen is being balanced out by a milder anabolic. All also include some level of estrogenic activity, however not so much that we would expect noticeable fat or water weight gains.
Cutting stack:
During a cutting stack the ultimate goal is the rapid loss of body fat and the preservation of muscle tissue mass. Here we are usually not thinking about gaining, as diet and activity are more geared toward calorie restriction and increased aerobic exercise. For the extremely diligent a cutting stack will exclude all aromatizable and estrogenic steroids. The combination of Primobolan (200-300mg weekly) and Winstrol (10-20mg daily) works exceptionally well for the purpose of cutting up, as both are reliable anabolics with no estrogenic activity. We can alternately replace Winstrol with Halotestin® (10-25mg daily) or Proviron® (25-50mg daily), two potent androgens that can also not be aromatized in the body. Trenbolone is additionally sometimes used for this purpose, which is a synthetic non-aromatizable derivative of nandrolone.
The goal with all possible combinations is to shift the androgen/estrogen ratio far in favor of the former, which greatly fosters the removal of body fat. Although in some instances athletes will utilize milder estrogenic drugs like nandrolone and boldenone during a cutting cycle, or even low doses of testosterone, we should remember that estrogen works against fat loss. The lower the level of estrogen in the body, presumably the easier it is going to be to force off the unwanted subcutaneous fat. While some may still respond well to such a stack, often the sticking point to fat loss during steroid therapy is the level of estrogen. If you are having trouble, this should be one of the first things to look at. Another effective but expensive option for those who insist on using aromatizable compounds is to take a powerful anti-aromatase like Arimidex (the cost can be $10 per pill, with a single table daily for the dosage) with a androgen such as testosterone. If we block its ability to convert to estradiol in such a way, testosterone joins the list of potent fat loss agents.
In conclusion:
The subject of stacking can be a very confusing one. When you take such a large selection of drugs, and think of various ways to combine them, you end with quite the list of possibilities. We really cannot say that any one way is the most correct or effective, as there are so many variables to consider and so many productive methods to using these drugs. But clearly some drugs are more appropriately suited for certain uses than others. It was not my intention to provide you with the ultimate bulking or cutting stack in this article, but rather to convey some general advice to use when picking you next cycle. Knowing the basic principles of combining steroids can certainly save a lot of time and guesswork, particularly for the beginner who is looking to keep things simple with moderate doses and avoid the more sophisticate and side effect intensive intake regimens.
Bibliography:
1-Aromatization of androgens to estrogens mediates increased activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in rat levator ani muscle. Endocrinol 106(2):440-43 1980
2-Activation of the somatotropic axis by testosterone in adult males: Evidence for the role of aromatization. J Clin. Endocrinol Metab 76:1407-12 1993
3- Neural androgen receptor regulation: effects of androgen and antiandrogen. Lu S, Simon NG, Wang Y, Hu S. J Neurobiol 1999 Dec;41(4):505-12
4- Effects of Anabolic Steroids on Hormone-Binding proteins, Serum Cortisol and Serum Nonprotein-Bound Cortisol. J Clin Endocrinol 32: 232,1971.
5- Androgen and estrogen metabolism: relationship to obesity. Longcope C, Baker R, Johnston CC Jr. Metabolism 1986 Mar;35(3):235-7
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