Steroid Cycles for Beginners
1.Difficulty
Beginner steroid cycles can be some of the most difficult cycles to understand; not because they’re complicated but because the individual more than likely has very little understanding of the hormones. So often so many beginner steroid cycles fall short of their full potential simply because the individual doesn’t know what they’re doing. Often the individual gets anxious and randomly chooses a particular steroid that is fairly useless on its own. Another common problem is dosing and duration; often the individual doesn’t understand how long he should run the product or how much he should take and by the time his use is through what’s staring back in the mirror isn’t any different than what stared back a few weeks ago.
2.Preparation
Someone new to steroid use will have zero knowledge on how they will react to such substances. It is therefore very important to have a good understanding of the compounds you are using, common side effects, and ideally use compounds with a short active life in the body.
Ensure all appropriate drugs, ancillary drugs/compounds (such as SERMS, AIs, etc.), support supplements and all necessary components required for the cycle are within possession prior to beginning. The internet, gyms, and the whole world is full of individuals who were too impatient to begin anabolic steroid use prior to making sure that all components were in possession prior to starting. Without all components (including the full amount of anabolic steroid(s) required for a full cycle), individuals will generate a high risk of encountering side effects that cannot be dealt with due to the lack of components as a result of rushing into a cycle. Many individuals have developed full gynecomastia (breast tissue) as a result of beginning a cycle prior to holding any SERMS or AIs in possession in the event that gynecomastia becomes an issue.
3.Nutrition and Exercise
Ensure that nutrition and training methods are properly structured and as perfect as possible so as to ensure proper progress (for example, if bulking, caloric intake must be high enough in a surplus so as to allow new muscle growth, and training must also be properly tweaked and perfected prior to engaging in any stacks. Failure to meet these requirements will result in less than desirable progress, gains, and often times will result in absolutely zero progress (often leaving the beginner wondering why their anabolic “steroids didn’t work” when the reality is that the problem is not with the anabolic steroids but with the individual’s inadequate/improper nutritional habits and training methods).
4.Best beginner steroids
Testosterone (Enanthate / Cypionate / Propionate): The three words in the brackets refer to the ester. In simple terms, the ester is used to delay the release of the testosterone into the system and therefore you can use testosterone enanthate/cypionate if you wish to obtain a more slow release of testosterone (an active life of ~2 weeks) or testosterone propionate if you desire a faster acting effect (active life ~2-3 days). It is worth noting the fast acting propionate variation tends to be a sorer injection, and therefore undesirable for beginners who have never injected before.
Testosterone is extremely effective at causing rapid strength and muscle gains. We would expect to notice androgenic related side effects such as possible aggressiveness, oily skin and acne. Testosterone has a high tendency to convert to oestrogen, therefore side effects such fluid retention and Gynecomstia (breast tissue formation) should be considered possible (and therefore drugs such as Nolvedex and Proviron should be to hand).
For these standard beginner steroid cycles in most cases Testosterone-Enanthate and Testosterone-Cypionate will be our primary choices; simply pick one or the other. Most all men will find 250mg per week of either form to give them a pretty good boost with 500mg per week being far more performance noteworthy. Keep in mind these are large ester testosterones and the effects will not be very noticeable for a few weeks in most cases and to truly gain any advantage use must far extend past a mere few weeks. In most cases a good 12 week course is a good place to start followed of course by Post Cycle Therapy (PCT.) For the beginner steroid cycles PCT will merely consist of the Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) Tamoxifen Citrate (Nolvadex) for a course of 3-4 weeks.
5.Other Options
Dianabol: Dianabol is very popular among beginners due to it being a highly effective oral steroid for developing muscle mass. If you are thinking of running a Dianabol only cycle then take a look FU's article Dianabol Cycle - The Guide. As with testosterone, Dianabol can bring about both androgenic and oestrogenic related side effects. Being hepatotoxic (toxic to the liver), it can only be ran for a limited time like most orals.
Winstrol: Winstrol is an oral steroid which often brings about much more steadier gains in muscle mass compared to the likes of Dianabol. Winstrol does not convert to oestrogen and therefore oestrogenic side effects should be of no concern to the user. Users often have a more defined look when running Winstrol compared to other steroids due to the absence of any water retention from the drug. If you're interested in running a Winstrol cycle, take a look at FU's great article: Winstrol Cycle - The Guide.
Nandrolone (a.k.a. "Deca"): Nandrolone decanoate is structurally very similar to testosterone, yet possess reduced androgenic properties and converts to oestrogen at a much lower rate. Whilst oestrogenic side effects tend to be limited, progestin related side effects are of concern to users and these side effects make some users confused as they are similar to oestrogenic side effects. It is paramount such side effects are treated with a competitive aromatase inhibitor, such as Arimidex, to minimise oestrogen levels which avoids activation of the progesterone (progesterone needs oestrogen for activation). Be careful of this steroid if you compete in drug tested sports as it can stay traceable in the body for many months.
6.Injectable or Oral
One very important detail to be made clear to any and all beginners is the fact that not only should oral anabolic steroids not be used in a cycle, but that absolutely no cycle should ever consist of only oral anabolic steroids under any circumstances. The decision to run a cycle consisting of only a single anabolic steroid and no injectable compounds is most usually the very first decision of any beginner or individual looking to begin anabolic steroid use. This is usually the result of a fear of needles, but this must be overcome, and once overcome it becomes much easier afterwards. Oral anabolic steroids are not designed to be run solitarily (on their own), and instead serve to act as supplementary compounds to a solid base cycle that should always include injectable compounds, of which an essentially required injectable being Testosterone (for every single cycle). Injectable compounds are the base compounds of any cycle, and all orals are meant to be supplementary or ‘kickstarting’ compounds (this will be explained later).
6.Example
The Best Beginner Steroid Cycles:
Week 1-12 Testosterone-Enanthate or Testosterone-Cypionate: 250mg-500mg per week
Week 13-15 you will take nothing and let the testosterone begin to clear out
Week 16-17 Nolvadex 40mg per day
Week 18-19 Nolvadex 20mg per day
Dianabol Addition:
Week 1-6 Dianabol 20mg-30mg every day
Week 1-12 Testosterone-Enanthate or Testosterone-Cypionate: 250mg-500mg per week
Week 13-15 you will take nothing and let the testosterone begin to clear out
Week 16-17 Nolvadex 40mg per day
Week 18-19 Nolvadex 20mg per day
Beginner Cycle Example (14 weeks total cycle time)
Weeks 1 - 14:
Testosterone Enanthate at 300 - 500mg/week
Equipoise at 400mg/week
Winstrol Addition:
Week 1-12 Testosterone-Enanthate or Testosterone-Cypionate: 250mg-500mg per week
Week 7-12 Winstrol 50mg every other day
Week 13-15 you will take nothing and let the testosterone begin to clear out
Week 16-17 Nolvadex 40mg per day
Week 18-19 Nolvadex 20mg per day
