Duncan Pharma - Europe Domestic

[GiantMuscle]

The Effects of Steroid Use on Thyroid Function

The impact of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) on thyroid function is a topic seldom discussed in bodybuilding circles. Does AAS use benefit or harm the thyroid?

This article reviews the relationship between AAS and thyroid hormones, suggesting that low doses of exogenous thyroid hormones during AAS cycles might be advantageous.

How AAS Affects Thyroid Hormone Production

AAS have a complex influence on thyroid hormones, causing various physiological changes. AAS can suppress the secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland, which is crucial for producing and releasing thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. Suppression of TSH leads to lower levels of T3 and T4 in the bloodstream, potentially causing hypothyroidism.

Furthermore, AAS can alter the conversion of T4 to T3. T4, produced by the thyroid gland, is not as biologically active as T3. The conversion to T3, which regulates metabolism, can be disrupted by AAS, resulting in decreased active T3 levels and a slower metabolic rate.

The extent of AAS's impact on thyroid hormones can vary based on dosage, duration, individual genetics, and the specific type of steroid used. For instance, Stanozolol (Winstrol) notably affects thyroid hormones more than others.

These effects can result in hypothyroidism and a lower metabolic rate, making fat loss more difficult for the user.

Suggested Approach

Given that AAS can impair thyroid function, it may be wise for AAS users to include T3 in their cutting cycles. While many bodybuilders use high doses of T3 to enhance fat loss, this poses significant health risks. A lower dose of T3 could mitigate AAS's negative impact on thyroid hormone production without causing severe side effects like elevated heart rate and blood pressure.

Experienced bodybuilders likely already use high doses of T3 during cutting cycles and may not need additional measures. However, for those not ready for high T3 doses but still seeking to optimize thyroid function during AAS cycles, a daily intake of 12.5 to 25 mcg of T3 could be considered.

Note that any T3 dosage will suppress endogenous thyroid production by reducing TSH. However, thyroid hormone levels generally recover within a few weeks after stopping T3, so no post-cycle therapy (PCT) is needed, although it’s advisable to avoid overeating during this recovery phase.

 

[GiantMuscle]

FAQs about Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)

When am I ready to start a cycle?
Before starting an AAS cycle, it is crucial to check certain points. Firstly, get a comprehensive blood work panel to know your natural baseline levels. If your health is not optimal, fix that before starting. Also, ensure your mental health is stable since hormone fluctuations and PCT can exacerbate existing issues. Do not start a cycle if you cannot afford all the necessary supplements and products. If your finances are not in order, it is better to postpone starting the cycle.

How should I train and eat on cycle?
Radically changing your training and nutrition approach is not necessary. However, consider the following points:

1. Protein: Increase your protein intake to benefit from the enhanced protein synthesis.
2. Healthy fats: Do not neglect healthy fats, essential for well-being and hormonal recovery post-cycle.
3. Training: Push yourself in every session without necessarily changing your routine. Be cautious of your joints, tendons, and ligaments, which may be under strain.
4. Cardio: Maintain cardio activity to mitigate the negative impacts of AAS on your lipid profile.
5. Post-cycle: After the cycle, your strength and intensity may drop. Do whatever it takes to maintain them and preserve as much muscle as possible.

What supplements should I take post-cycle?
Hormonal recovery is not the only priority post-cycle. Your lipid profile, liver enzymes, and other health markers will not return to normal in two days. Continue taking the supplements used during the cycle to protect your organs for at least four weeks after the cycle to ensure complete recovery.

What is the shelf-life of AAS?
The exact shelf-life of injectable AAS is difficult to determine, especially for those made by underground labs (UGLs). Pharmaceutical companies estimate their testosterone has a shelf-life of 36 months. Expired injectable AAS should be discarded as they lose potency. The shelf-life of oral AAS is usually stated on the packaging.

Will I fail a drug test if on AAS?
You will only be detected if tested for doping agents by a sports organization following WADA’s anti-doping policies. Regular job drug tests only screen for recreational drugs like cannabis or cocaine. However, AAS tests may be conducted if you are in the military, fire department, or police, but only if steroid use is suspected.

 

[GiantMuscle]

Heavy-Duty Method: Extreme Muscle Growth with Lots of Rest

The Heavy-Duty training method, developed by Mike Mentzer, revolutionizes muscle building with short, intense workouts followed by extended recovery periods. Here are the key points:

Principles:

• High Intensity: Reach muscle failure quickly.
• Low Volume: 1 or 2 sets per exercise, but at high intensity.
• Progressive Overload: Gradually increase weights.
• Extended Recovery: Rest 4 to 7 days between sessions.

Benefits:

• Efficiency: Less gym time, about 3 hours/week.
• Muscle Growth: Intense stimulation for significant gains.
• Improved Recovery: Lower risk of overtraining.
• Mental Toughness: Develops focus and resilience.

How to Incorporate:

• Warm up properly.
• Choose compound exercises like squats and bench presses.
• Perform 1 or 2 sets to failure.
• Do reps slowly and with control.
• Track your progress.
• Allow adequate rest.

Sample Routine:

• Warm-up: Dynamic stretches and light sets.
• Workout: Squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull-ups, overhead press, barbell rows – 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure for each exercise.
• Cooldown: Light stretching.

Adopt the Heavy-Duty method for impressive muscle gains while spending less time in the gym.

 

[GiantMuscle]

FAQs about Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)

What is the safest AAS?
Testosterone at a replacement dose is the safest AAS one can use. Even at higher doses, Testosterone remains one of the safest AAS for long-term use. Other AAS that are often described as “safe” (even though they are not entirely safe and can cause serious side-effects if misused) are Primobolan, Anavar, Turinabol, Proviron, Nandrolone and Masteron.

Do all AAS cause hair loss?
Only Testosterone, Trenbolone and (most) DHT-derived AAS are likely to accelerate hair loss in men who are prone to losing hair in the first place. Hair loss on other AAS is technically possible but very rare. Thankfully, hair loss can almost always be mitigated by using Finasteride (in the case of Testosterone) or topical antiandrogens like RU-58841 in all other cases.

Can AAS cause rage/aggression?
Only Trenbolone and Halotestin are known for causing aggression or “roid rage”. Could it happen on other AAS? Yes, but that is very unlikely as long as they are not misused.

Will AAS cause infertility?
Becoming infertile due to AAS use is very difficult. There are countless stories of men knocking up their girlfriends by accident during heavily suppressive cycles and/or after years of blasting and cruising. Still, all AAS besides Proviron will have a negative impact on sperm production and sperm quality if HCG is not used. The AAS that are most likely to cause fertility issues are Nandrolone, Trenbolone and Trestolone.

Can men over 40 use AAS?
Yes, in fact TRT can help men over 40 a lot by increasing their energy, delaying neurodegenerative disease, strengthening their bones and muscle mass, improving their sexual function and their overall quality of life. TRT can even provide all these benefits to the elderly if done properly under the guidance of a doctor who knows how to detect and manage prostate cancer (let’s face it, prostate cancer affects all men if they live long enough to get it). Now, when it comes to doing cycles/blasts, men over 40 should be very careful and only use the “safer” AAS at lower doses and for shorter periods of time, all while going out of their way to mitigate side-effects and to monitor their health through bloodwork and scans. I do not think men over 60 should use any AAS other than Testosterone at TRT doses, because both their organ and cardiovascular health could be seriously compromised by traditional cycles.

 

[TyLu17]

Orders only via the website or also per email

 

[GiantMuscle]

Orders only via the website or also per email

Directly on the website

 

[TyLu17]

Directly on the website

Thank you.
I‘ll try it

 

[TyLu17]

Order placed.
The ordering process and payment on the website is easy.
I will report how long is the delivery eu domestic.

 

[GiantMuscle]

Order placed.
The ordering process and payment on the website is easy.
I will report how long is the delivery eu domestic.

Thank you very much for your return! I hope you will be satisfied.

I will do everything

 

[GiantMuscle]

Frequently Asked Questions about Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)

1. Maintaining gains after a cycle:

One of the major concerns for bodybuilders using AAS is the potential loss of muscle mass after a cycle. While this risk exists, it can be significantly reduced by following three fundamental rules:

• Calorie management: It's crucial to maintain a balanced or slightly surplus calorie intake after a cycle. A drastic reduction in calories can compromise muscle gains and disrupt hormonal balance. It is strongly advised against starting a cutting phase immediately after a cycle.
  
• Maintaining training intensity: Many relax their efforts after a cycle, mistakenly thinking that intense training is less important when not on AAS. It's essential to maintain the same training intensity to preserve as much muscle mass as possible.
  
• Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) or maintaining a low dose of testosterone: Proper PCT is crucial for quickly restoring natural testosterone production and preserving muscle gains. Alternatively, some opt for a "cruise" with a replacement dose of testosterone, which facilitates maintaining gains but implies long-term use.

Note: Post-cycle weight loss is common, especially if the cycle included AAS that cause water retention. This loss is primarily due to the elimination of water and glycogen, not actual muscle loss.

2. Predicting muscle gains:

It's practically impossible to accurately predict muscle gains or weight gain resulting from a specific AAS cycle. Many factors come into play:

• Starting weight
• Dose and type of AAS used
• Cycle duration
• Diet
• Training intensity and frequency
• Sleep quality
• Individual genetics
• Other physiological and environmental factors

3. Use in sports:

The vast majority of sports organizations and competitions classify AAS as doping agents, prohibiting their use. The main exceptions are certain bodybuilding, weightlifting, or powerlifting competitions that are not labeled as "natural".

For athletes subject to anti-doping controls, it is imperative to consult the list of prohibited substances before considering the use of AAS.

4. Traveling with AAS:

Although this practice is not recommended due to its illegality, some users travel with AAS. For those who must travel during a cycle, there are alternatives:

• "Front-loading": increasing doses before departure
• Switching to long-acting esters

For oral AAS, there is no safe solution, requiring temporary interruption of their use.

It is strongly advised not to start a cycle if travel is planned during its duration.

5. AAS considered the safest:

Testosterone at replacement dose is generally considered the safest AAS. Even at higher doses, it remains one of the least risky options for long-term use.

Other AAS often described as relatively "safe" (although none are completely risk-free) include:

• Primobolan
• Anavar
• Turinabol
• Proviron
• Nandrolone
• Masteron

6. What to do if you get sick during a cycle:

If illness occurs at the beginning or mid-way through a cycle and significantly disrupts daily life, it is recommended to:

• Reduce the testosterone dose to a TRT level (150-200mg per week)
• Stop all other products until full recovery

If the illness occurs towards the end of the cycle, it's preferable to stop it completely and start a PCT or switch to a "cruise" with a replacement dose of testosterone.

This overview of frequently asked questions regarding the use of AAS highlights the precautions and risks associated with their use.

 

[lukiss96]

Interesting stuff you write, it's not some filler posts like most sources post to bump their threads. So it's good for newbies to read and maybe learn something in the process too.

 

[GiantMuscle]

Will AAS shorten my life?

The answer is: MAYBE.
Doing a sensible cycle will not affect your lifespan. Doing three sensible cycles over the next decade probably won’t either. But if you do cycles regularly for years, chances are you will miss out on some years of life.
It is impossible to predict exactly how many years you might lose depending on what you take and how often you take it. No one (natural or enhanced) knows their exact life expectancy, so don’t waste your time on pointless calculations.
Accept the fact that your lifespan will probably be cut short by a few years, or maybe up to a decade, if you plan to do multiple cycles and want to live the enhanced lifestyle intensely.

Can I do one cycle and be done?

You can, but you probably won’t. Most people who say they just want to do one cycle end up doing multiple cycles because they love the results.
If you are committed to only doing one cycle and your willpower is strong, you will be able to do one cycle, recover from it, and stay off-cycle for the rest of your life, but you will never be completely natural again.

Can AAS kill me?

Can AAS kill someone if misused for years on end, especially if the user has a genetic predisposition to certain diseases? Absolutely.
However, short-term death from AAS use is nearly impossible. You could overdose on most AAS and not die. In the worst-case scenario, you would end up in the emergency room with very high blood pressure. But even that is extremely unlikely after overdosing on steroids once.

Can a single cycle transform me?

Certainly. A single well-planned and well-executed cycle can radically transform your physique in a few months. However, it will not turn the average bodybuilder into a professional bodybuilder.
The body that most bodybuilders dream of would take many cycles to even get close.