Anabolic steroids have long been a favored choice with many bodybuilders and athletes looking for quick improvements in muscle size and strength. These powerful pharmaceutical compounds mimic the effects of testosterone or certain other anabolic hormones resulting in enhanced protein synthesis within the cells. This results in the rapid growth of muscle tissue.
Some anabolic androgenic steroids are better for use during bulking cycles, while others work best for cutting (fat loss). This guide provides information about the best anabolic steroids for strength and muscle muscle size (bulking). We will explore the science behind their muscle-building properties, examine the benefits and side effects, and discuss proper dosage and cycling.
Best Steroids for Strength Gains
Here are the top steroids that can help you achieve significant increases in muscle size and power:
Dianabol - best steroid for fast muscle growth
Trenbolone - best for muscle strength and size
Testosterone - best for muscle mass and power
Anavar - best for fat burning on cutting cycles
For maximum strength gain combining one or more anabolic steroids into a “steroid strength stack“ can greatly enhance the effects, speed, and muscle gain results.
The Top 4 Steroids for Strength and Power Gains Compared
Here are the most effective steroids for strength, size and muscle growth. All brands listed are legal to buy and use in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia.
#1 - Dianabol - Best for Fast Muscle Growth
Methandrostenolone, known as Dianabol, is one of the most widely used oral steroids. Basically, structurally altered testosterone cypionate, it allows for increased anabolic effects and reduced androgenic effects, making it highly effective for muscle building. Dianabol dramatically increases protein synthesis, glycogenolysis, and nitrogen retention. This results in rapid gains in muscle size and strength.
Dianabol Benefits
Dianabol users often experience significant muscle gains, with many of them reporting 20-pound increases in just a few weeks. It’s also associated with improvements in recovery time, endurance, and the ability to retain muscle while on a calorie-restricted diet.
Recommended Dianabol Doses and Cycles
For beginners, a 4-6 week cycle of 20-30mg per day is common. Intermediate users might increase the dose to 30-50mg per day. It is not recommended to exceed a cycle length of 6 weeks due to the liver toxicity associated with oral ingestion. Post-cycle therapy (PCT) is crucial after a Dianabol cycle to help the body recover its natural hormone balance.
It is important to be aware of the potential for anabolic steroid misuse. Misuse, such as cycling, stacking, pyramiding, and plateauing, can lead to serious side effects, addiction, and legal issues. Following recommended doses and cycles is essential to avoid these adverse effects.
#2 - Trenbolone - Best for Muscle Strength and Size
One of the most potent injectable steroids, Trenbolone has a high affinity for androgen receptors, leading to significant increases in muscle strength and size. It excels at promoting lean muscle growth without water retention, resulting in harder muscles and better muscle definition.
Trenbolone Benefits
Anabolic steroids increase muscle strength and size, and Trenbolone users report profound advancements in raw power and muscle mass. Its ability to improve nutrient efficiency makes every gram of protein and carbohydrate more valuable in the muscle-building process. Furthermore, it has a strong lipolytic effect, aiding in fat loss alongside muscle size and strength enhancement.
Recommended Trenbolone Doses and Cycles
A common dose ranges from 50 to 100 mg every other day for beginners. Advanced users might increase the frequency to 100 mg per day. Cycles typically last 8-12 weeks. Due to its potency, Trenbolone should always be followed by a comprehensive PCT.
#3 - Testosterone - Best for Muscle Mass and Power
Testosterone is the benchmark steroid to which all others are compared. As a naturally occurring hormone, it can significantly enhance muscle size and strength. It boosts protein synthesis, red blood cell count, and nitrogen retention, leading to increased muscle tissue and strength.
An FDA-approved treatment for hypogonadism (low testosterone in men), the exogenous (synthetic) hormone used for testosterone injections works in the same way. However, bodybuilders who obtain it illegally inject it in higher doses than those recommended for legitimate medical uses. This forces circulating testosterone levels to become unnaturally high.
Testosterone Benefits
Bodybuilders who use testosterone injections can achieve substantial gains in muscle size and strength, along with improvements in recovery time, drive, and overall sense of well-being. It’s often used as a base in steroid cycles due to its well-known effects and compatibility with other steroids.
Testosterone Propionate
Testosterone propionate is a specific form of testosterone that is commonly stacked with other anabolic steroids for its muscle-building and hardening effects. It is known for its fast-acting properties and is often used by bodybuilders to enhance muscle mass and power. However, it is classified as a DEA schedule III drug and is banned in professional sports. Despite its potential benefits, it should be used with caution and under medical supervision.
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Recommended Doses and Cycles
Beginners may start with doses of 200-500mg per week, while users with more experience might use 500-1000mg per week. Cycles typically range from 10-12 weeks. As with Dianabol and Trenbolone, testosterone usage necessitates a PCT.
#4 - Anavar - Best for Fat Burning on Cutting Cycles
CLICK to view legal Var (Anvarol) price and availability
Anavar (Oxandrolone) is a mild oral steroid that’s well-tolerated, and known for its ability to facilitate rapid fat loss, making it one of the safest steroids to use on fat loss cycles. It increases anabolism, which helps preserve and increase lean muscle mass during the calorie deficit periods that are necessary for fat loss.
Anavar Benefits
Anavar gets a lot of praise for its ability to enhance strength and lean muscle mass without significant water retention. Due to its lower androgenic effects, Anavar is also one of the few steroids that women can use (relatively) safely. Additionally, Anavar can improve muscle endurance and recovery.
Recommended Anavar Doses and Cycles:
For men, a daily dose of 20-30 mg can provide noticeable fat loss and strength increases without excessive side effects. Women typically use a lower dose — around 5-10mg per day. Cycle lengths for both genders should remain short, usually 6-8 weeks, to prevent liver damage. PCT is essential to restore natural hormone production.
Steroid Stacking for Extra Benefits
Stacking is combining different anabolic steroids to get more benefits and achieve bodybuilding goals. By stacking you get to potentiate the effects of individual steroids and get more muscle and strength gains than you would with one steroid alone and therefore more muscle mass.
For example a bodybuilder might stack Dianabol for rapid muscle growth with Testosterone. The synergy can give you more muscle size gains while using Testosterone to keep things in balance.
Adding Trenbolone for its muscle building and fat burning properties can give you more overall composition gains and a harder more defined look. Trenbolone’s ability to increase nutrient efficiency will further amplify the muscle building potential of the stack.
Anavar used for fat burning and muscle preservation during cutting cycles can be stacked to help preserve lean tissue and strength while losing body fat. When combined with the mass building effects of Dianabol and Testosterone and the raw power of Trenbolone Anavar can help you get a well rounded cut body.
But stacking can get you more benefits, it also adds more complexity in managing dosages and cycle lengths of multiple steroids and therefore more risk of side effects. So be careful with steroid stacking.
Steroids and Muscle Growth and Strength
Muscle growth, or hypertrophy, is a complex process triggered by resistance training and enough nutrition. It’s the repair and strengthening of muscle fibres that are damaged during exercise. Anabolic steroid users, athletes and bodybuilders use steroids to boost performance and speed up this muscle building process, despite the legal and moral implications.
When we lift we create micro tears in the muscle fibres. The body then starts a repair process where cells called myofibrils repair the damage and we end up with bigger and stronger muscles. This natural growth process relies heavily on the presence of hormones like testosterone which facilitates protein synthesis and muscle repair.
How Steroids Boost Muscle Growth
Anabolic steroids (performance enhancing drugs) come into play by artificially elevating the body’s testosterone levels, so protein synthesis is higher than it would be naturally. This means more rapid and greater muscle size and strength gains.
Steroids also increase nitrogen retention in the muscles. This is important too because a positive nitrogen balance is required for muscle growth.
And steroids can reduce the time the body needs to recover between workouts, so you can do more frequent and intense sessions. No brainer, this helps with muscle growth.
Steroids vs Natural Muscle Growth
The difference between steroid enhanced and natural muscle growth is the speed and size of growth. Natural muscle bulk is a slower process of incremental gains through consistent training and nutrition.
On the other hand anabolic steroids can accelerate this process, allowing users to gain muscle at supraphysiological rates. But such rapid growth can come with hormonal imbalances and other health problems.
And the gains from steroids may not be sustainable in the long term without continued use, which can lead to a cycle of dependency and more health problems.
In contrast, muscle built naturally, though more gradually, is typically more sustainable with correct nutrition and ongoing training.
Steroid Cycle Management and Post Cycle Therapy (PCT)
Steroid cycling is a practice that involves taking anabolic steroids intermittently. There is always an active phase (cycle) of steroid use followed by a rest period. This method enhances the body’s anabolic response to steroids, while also attempting to reduce the hormonal and physiological stress that results from prolonged steroid use. Proper cycle management is crucial to avoid the misuse of anabolic steroids, which can lead to severe health issues and legal consequences.
One of the big problems with anabolic steroids is most of them suppress the body’s natural testosterone production in the body. That means you cannot just use them and then stop. Any attempt to do this would leave the body with long-term issues, such as lethargy and low libido, due to low testosterone levels.
Low testosterone can also cause rapid decreases in muscle mass and strength.
Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) is a crucial phase that commences once a steroid cycle ends. The purpose of PCT is to help the body recover and produce hormones naturally again, especially testosterone.
PCT is extremely important as it aids in maintaining the muscle and strength gains made during the cycle and ensures that the body’s endocrine system resumes its normal function.
Standard PCT Protocols
A standard PCT protocol often includes the following:
Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid): Used to stimulate the pituitary gland to increase the secretion of gonadotropins, which boosts natural testosterone production. Typical PCT involves 50-100 mg of Clomid daily for 4-6 weeks.
Tamoxifen Citrate (Nolvadex): This medication works by blocking estrogen receptors in the pituitary gland, which helps increase the release of gonadotropins and encourages normal hormone production. Usual doses are 20-40 mg per day for 4-6 weeks.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG): Sometimes administered before PCT to prompt the testes to return to their normal function, hCG is taken in short cycles before starting on Clomid or Nolvadex.
Such PCT regimens can help avert the sudden drop in androgen levels that can occur at the end of an anabolic steroid cycle, which might otherwise lead to a loss of muscle size and strength.
Steroid Risks and Dangers
Using steroids is a hot topic, debated and overshadowed by the risks. Most people know the health risks but there are other considerations that get overlooked. This includes the short term vs long term, psychological, legal and ethical in sports and personal life.
Short vs Long
Steroids are known for the quick performance gains, muscle growth, faster recovery, better athletic ability. But those short term gains come with a whole host of long term effects that are not so good.
Side effects can range from severe acne, fluid retention, body hair growth at one end to high blood pressure, organ damage at the other. And on top of that the hormonal imbalance we’ve been talking about recently.
Long term the body can develop chronic conditions some of which can be irreversible even after you stop using.
Also acute side effects like acne, mood swings, sleep disturbances seem manageable in the short term but can escalate into bigger problems. Mood swings can turn into psychological disorders and steroid use can lead to substance abuse.
Legal and Sports Ethics
An often overlooked aspect of steroid use is the legal implications. In many countries possession, distribution and use of anabolic steroids without a prescription is illegal. The legal consequences can be fines to imprisonment depending on the country and the severity of the offense.
In sports the use of an anabolic steroid for performance enhancement is considered doping – a breach of the rules of fair play. WADA banned them.
Athletes caught using steroids can get suspended to lifetime ban, not to mention loss of sponsorships, reputation and career opportunities.
The ethical breach goes beyond the individual, it undermines the sport as a whole and the principle of natural talent and hard work.
Extra Tips for Building Muscle
In addition to structured exercise and maybe supplementation, there are several extra tips to help optimize muscle growth and overall health. These tips support the body’s natural processes and can enhance the effectiveness of your muscle building.
Getting Enough Sleep: Sleep is a key part of muscle recovery and growth. During sleep the body releases growth hormones and repairs tissue. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night so your body has time to recover from workouts and build muscle.
Not Overdoing Alcohol: Alcohol can interfere with muscle cell creation by disrupting sleep patterns, hormone levels and recovery. It also adds empty calories and can lead to poor food choices. Moderation is key and limiting alcohol intake can help with better muscle building results.
Hydration: Staying hydrated is key to overall health and optimal muscle function. Water plays a big role in nutrient transport, temperature regulation and joint lubrication. Dehydration can lead to decreased performance and increased risk of injury. As a general rule of thumb aim to drink at least 8 glasses (about 2 liters) of water per day and adjust based on activity level and environment.
Eating the Right Food: The right food provides the building blocks for muscle protein synthesis and energy for workouts. A diet rich in lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals supports muscle repair and energy needs. Tailor your macronutrient intake to your training and recovery needs and eat your meals around your workout schedule to enhance nutrient uptake and muscle recovery.
Incorporating these complementary strategies into your muscle-building regimen will not only help in achieving your physical goals but also contribute to overall wellness.
FAQs
Are steroids guaranteed to increase muscle strength and size?
Although anabolic steroids can enhance muscle strength and size via their anabolic effects, results can vary. The efficacy of steroids in muscle building also depends on the quality of individual training regimen, diet, genetic predispositions, lifestyle, and overall health.
Are the effects of steroids on muscle size and strength permanent?
The muscle gains made while using steroids may not be permanent. After steroid use ceases, muscle mass and strength can decrease unless actively maintained through consistent training and proper nutrition.
Is it legal to use steroids for muscle building?
In many countries, anabolic steroids and HGH (human growth hormone) are controlled substances. Where this is so, it's illegal to use, possess, or distribute them without a prescription or legitimate medical reason.
Can natural methods of building muscle be as effective as using steroids?
Natural muscle building through strength training, proper nutrition, and recovery can yield significant results. Although it may take longer to achieve the same level of muscle growth as with steroid use, natural methods are sustainable and carry fewer health risks. Certain supplements can make the process considerably faster by providing steroid-like benefits without breaking any laws or providing grounds for sporting sanctions.
Best Steroid for Strength Conclusion
Although these days there are plenty of steroid alternatives, real anabolic steroids continue to be popular within the bodybuilding and sporting communities due to their ability to significantly influence muscle hypertrophy and physical performance.
However, anabolic steroid use can result in several legal, sporting, or health ramifications. Using them has both positive aspects and pitfalls.
When considering the use of substances to augment physical capabilities, personal responsibility cannot be overstated. People considering using steroids need to engage in diligent research, critical thinking, and self-reflection.
The decision to use, or abstain from, performance-enhancing substances should be informed by a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks, side effects, and long-term implications for health and well-being. We hope that this article will have provided you with a good initial grounding. However, we encourage you to conduct further research where necessary.
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Disclaimer: The above is a contributor post, the views expressed are those of the contributor and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial
