There is no such thing as the best steroid in bodybuilding or in any sport for that matter. You can only talk about the optimal choice and this decision is entirely based on your individual needs.
For example, some people find they do better with fast acting drugs like Sustanon 250 while others do better with slow but more powerful compounds like Testosterone Enanthate.
Before starting a cycle, a detailed assessment of your physique and goals should be made so that you have a good understanding of how much muscle mass you want to put on and whether your goal is to maximize strength gains or size gains. This will help determine how long you should run a cycle and which drugs to use.
Steroids that are commonly used for bulking: Testosterone, Sustanon 250, Dianabol, Anadrol 50, Equipoise.
These are just a few examples from the wide range of steroids available and it is not recommended to start with all these compounds at once. You will either end up wasting money or getting nothing out of your investment because your body simply couldn't handle the load.
A safer way would be to limit yourself to one steroid at a time and make sure you have enough time between cycles so that your hormonal system can recover completely before another prolonged exposure. The longer you take no hormones at all, the better will be the result after the cycle.
This is an important point because it will determine whether you get away with a mild cycle of low dosage drugs or if it makes more sense to use some of the heavier compounds that provide a much better return on your investment.
Choosing a safe and effective bulking steroid cycle requires a lot of knowledge, mostly acquired by doing research and talking to people who have already run heavy cycles. It doesn't make any sense going into this blind even though some newbie mistakes are easily fixable when caught early enough.
If you want to talk about the best bulking steroid cycle options, there is no one answer for everyone but hopefully this article describes the most popular choices among both beginner and experienced users so that they have something to use as a reference point.
The only safe way to run a cycle is to start with low dosage of the most potent drug you can find. Only after you know how your body reacts and what side effects occur, it makes sense to go for stronger compounds and increase the overall dosage and potency of your cycle.
Bulking cycles should be kept short for this purpose because there isn't any point in putting on massive amounts of weight if it all comes from water retention and not actual muscle mass. You want to retain as much lean tissue as possible while keeping fat gains at a minimum (or close to zero).
Since bulking is merely about putting on weight with minimal fat gain, those who tend to gain body fat easily will do better with more frequent dosing. For example, every 3 hours instead of once daily at the same time each day.
This will make sure that blood plasma levels are kept high enough during the entire cycle to promote optimal anabolic activity but at the same time, it won't keep hormone levels elevated for too long which is important to avoid negative side effects like gyno and acne.
Heavy training should be performed while on a bulking cycle because it drives nutrients into muscle cells and provides them with enough stimulus to grow bigger and stronger over time.
There is no point in putting on 10 kg if all that weight comes from water retention because you won't see any difference in lean mass but rather feel bloated and lethargic.
12 Weeks Testosterone Enanthate: 500mg every 2-3 days
The most popular bulking cycle among experienced users probably includes testosterone enanthate and it is not difficult to see why this drug provides such good results. It has an extremely long half life and stays active in the body for up to 3 weeks at a time, providing consistent gains even during periods of low calorie intake.
The dosage that should be used while on a bulking cycle is around 500 mg per week which can easily be divided into smaller doses by taking injections every other day (eod) instead of once daily. This will make sure that there are no peaks or troughs in blood plasma hormone but rather keep them elevated for most of the time.
That being said, it is not recommended to run an entire cycle with testosterone because this will make it much harder to keep estrogen levels under control since dihydrotestosterone (DHT) cannot be produced without testosterone converting into estrogen first.
Since there are side effects associated with using testosterone, other compounds should be used to take care of them before they become a real issue for your health. This can be done by adding in aromatase inhibitors like arimidex or letrozole which help limit fat gain and also reduce blood pressure/increase HDL cholesterol levels.
The best way to go about planning out your bulking cycle is to stack 4 different drugs together so that you get optimal results while keeping side effects to a minimum. You can start this cycle with any of the drugs mentioned below (500mg/week each) and increase dosages as you go along based on how your body reacts to the compounds:
12 Weeks Deca Durabolin: 400-600mg every 3 days
This drug is known for promoting massive amounts of strength and lean muscle mass but it doesn't stay active in the body for too long (around 8 weeks).
Deca is known for its anti-estrogenic properties which also helps against water retention but user feedback suggests that they still feel bloated after adding deca into their cycle. It's most effective when used during periods of low calorie intake since it easily cause elevated blood pressure if water retention occurs.
The half life of this drug makes it ideal for eod dosing, allowing users to maintain elevated blood plasma levels every other day while avoiding peaks and troughs in hormone levels.
12 Weeks Testosterone Cypionate: 400mg every week
Cypionate is very similar to enanthate when it comes to how long it stays active in the body but one major difference is that cypionate has a shorter half life which makes it more anabolic/androgenic within the first few days compared to enanthate. It's effective at promoting gains even during calorie restricted periods since testosterone converts into estrogen only very slowly.
The downside of running this compound over longer periods of time is that estrogen side effects will become even more pronounced in comparison to other drugs. This means that aromatase inhibitors like letrozole (aromasin) should be used at all times when running testosterone cypionate or you might end up with gyno or an enlarged prostate.
12 Weeks Trenbolone Acetate: 100mg every day
Tren is one of the most potent muscle building compounds which can easily stack on 10-15 kg lean mass in just 12 weeks time frame.
It's extremely versatile since it doesn't convert into estrogen and can either be run solo or stacked, depending on how your tolerance reacts to the drug after adding it into your cycle. The downside of this compound is users often report joint pain which can become severe when running it alone.
Add in Nolvadex at 20mg/day to lower estrogen levels once tolerance starts becoming an issue or even adding in letrozole (aromasin) which is a bit more potent.
12 Weeks Testosterone Enanthate: 500mg every week
Enanthate is the most popular testosterone compound and it's used by many users since it stays active in the body for around 12-14 weeks, making it ideal for bulking cycles where other drugs need to be introduced later on (like trenbolone). Since enanthate stays active for such a long time, there is no need for eod dosing but instead you should divide your dosages into smaller injections (every 2 days).
Lower dosages like 250mg every 3-4 weeks will also be enough for gaining mass if you want to keep side effects to a minimum. There's no need to run high dosage test prop cycles since it won't give any additional results compared to running enanthate at half the dose, provided everything else is equal.
These are just some of the most popular bulking steroid stacks but there can easily be created endless numbers of different combinations where many drugs are combined together in order to maximize the benefits while minimizing side effects.
What works best for both strength and size gains might not work out so well when it comes to fat loss but that all depends on your diet/training regime since someone who eats clean and trains intensely will get better results from a lean gains stack where someone who eats junk food and trains with low intensity gets good results running a bulking steroid cycle.
These are all valid approaches but you should be aware of the potential side effects before starting out on your first cycle and getting some experience is also important in order to learn how certain drugs react in your system.
It's always best to consult with experienced users if you want feedback regarding specific drug stacks and their long term effects since they might not always give the same advice as when discussing short term gains. However, most people can benefit from these 3 common stacks:
12 Weeks Masteron Enanthate: 600mg every week (40mg/day)
This one is mostly for lean gains since it comes with less side effects when compared to testosterone but you should add in letrozole (aromasin) if you're sensitive to estrogen conversion or even take a milder aromatase inhibitor like anastrozole.
12 Weeks Testosterone Cypionate: 500mg every week
The most common testosterone compound which works well in terms of strength/mass gains so it's a good foundation for bulking stacks. Enanthate is similar but that one needs to be split into smaller weekly injections while the half life makes cypionate more suitable for smooth eod dosing. The downside would be increased estrogen levels due to the high dosage but aromatase inhibitors taken at 20-40mg/day will negate this side effect.
12 Week Trenbolone Acetate: 100mg every day
This is one of the most powerful steroid compounds available and it's frequently used in cutting stacks but it works well for bulking as well because of the lowered water retention levels caused by trenbolone.
That covers some of the most popular bulking steroid cycles with minimal estrogen conversion which is often why they are preferred among competitive bodybuilders, but most drugs can be run for longer timeframes without causing any problems provided there are no underlying health issues.
A good daily multi vitamin should be taken if you're looking to bulk since most supplements will not compensate for all the nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis and some steroids can cause deficiencies on their own.
The only exception here would be the use of growth hormone since this is an expensive compound which might not be worth investing in if you're on a budget, but insulin users will also need to stick closer to the higher end of dosing recommendations due to increased glucose levels in your body.
A general rule of thumb is that quality compounds should always be taken at desired doses while cheaper drugs like trenbolone acetate can be run at lower dosages even though some people claim they still experience side effects at 125mg/week or less.
It's difficult to give advice regarding how long steroid cycles should last since this depends on many different factors like your training/diet regime, what drugs you use, how your body reacts to the drugs etc. A good general guide is to run the cycle for 4-12 weeks unless otherwise noted on the drug description but some cycles are longer/shorter than this depending on the purpose so it's always best to consult with experienced users beforehand.
For example, some people find they do better with fast acting drugs like Sustanon 250 while others do better with slow but more powerful compounds like Testosterone Enanthate.
Before starting a cycle, a detailed assessment of your physique and goals should be made so that you have a good understanding of how much muscle mass you want to put on and whether your goal is to maximize strength gains or size gains. This will help determine how long you should run a cycle and which drugs to use.
Steroids that are commonly used for bulking: Testosterone, Sustanon 250, Dianabol, Anadrol 50, Equipoise.
These are just a few examples from the wide range of steroids available and it is not recommended to start with all these compounds at once. You will either end up wasting money or getting nothing out of your investment because your body simply couldn't handle the load.
A safer way would be to limit yourself to one steroid at a time and make sure you have enough time between cycles so that your hormonal system can recover completely before another prolonged exposure. The longer you take no hormones at all, the better will be the result after the cycle.
This is an important point because it will determine whether you get away with a mild cycle of low dosage drugs or if it makes more sense to use some of the heavier compounds that provide a much better return on your investment.
Choosing a safe and effective bulking steroid cycle requires a lot of knowledge, mostly acquired by doing research and talking to people who have already run heavy cycles. It doesn't make any sense going into this blind even though some newbie mistakes are easily fixable when caught early enough.
If you want to talk about the best bulking steroid cycle options, there is no one answer for everyone but hopefully this article describes the most popular choices among both beginner and experienced users so that they have something to use as a reference point.
The only safe way to run a cycle is to start with low dosage of the most potent drug you can find. Only after you know how your body reacts and what side effects occur, it makes sense to go for stronger compounds and increase the overall dosage and potency of your cycle.
Bulking cycles should be kept short for this purpose because there isn't any point in putting on massive amounts of weight if it all comes from water retention and not actual muscle mass. You want to retain as much lean tissue as possible while keeping fat gains at a minimum (or close to zero).
Since bulking is merely about putting on weight with minimal fat gain, those who tend to gain body fat easily will do better with more frequent dosing. For example, every 3 hours instead of once daily at the same time each day.
This will make sure that blood plasma levels are kept high enough during the entire cycle to promote optimal anabolic activity but at the same time, it won't keep hormone levels elevated for too long which is important to avoid negative side effects like gyno and acne.
Heavy training should be performed while on a bulking cycle because it drives nutrients into muscle cells and provides them with enough stimulus to grow bigger and stronger over time.
There is no point in putting on 10 kg if all that weight comes from water retention because you won't see any difference in lean mass but rather feel bloated and lethargic.
12 Weeks Testosterone Enanthate: 500mg every 2-3 days
The most popular bulking cycle among experienced users probably includes testosterone enanthate and it is not difficult to see why this drug provides such good results. It has an extremely long half life and stays active in the body for up to 3 weeks at a time, providing consistent gains even during periods of low calorie intake.
The dosage that should be used while on a bulking cycle is around 500 mg per week which can easily be divided into smaller doses by taking injections every other day (eod) instead of once daily. This will make sure that there are no peaks or troughs in blood plasma hormone but rather keep them elevated for most of the time.
That being said, it is not recommended to run an entire cycle with testosterone because this will make it much harder to keep estrogen levels under control since dihydrotestosterone (DHT) cannot be produced without testosterone converting into estrogen first.
Since there are side effects associated with using testosterone, other compounds should be used to take care of them before they become a real issue for your health. This can be done by adding in aromatase inhibitors like arimidex or letrozole which help limit fat gain and also reduce blood pressure/increase HDL cholesterol levels.
The best way to go about planning out your bulking cycle is to stack 4 different drugs together so that you get optimal results while keeping side effects to a minimum. You can start this cycle with any of the drugs mentioned below (500mg/week each) and increase dosages as you go along based on how your body reacts to the compounds:
12 Weeks Deca Durabolin: 400-600mg every 3 days
This drug is known for promoting massive amounts of strength and lean muscle mass but it doesn't stay active in the body for too long (around 8 weeks).
Deca is known for its anti-estrogenic properties which also helps against water retention but user feedback suggests that they still feel bloated after adding deca into their cycle. It's most effective when used during periods of low calorie intake since it easily cause elevated blood pressure if water retention occurs.
The half life of this drug makes it ideal for eod dosing, allowing users to maintain elevated blood plasma levels every other day while avoiding peaks and troughs in hormone levels.
12 Weeks Testosterone Cypionate: 400mg every week
Cypionate is very similar to enanthate when it comes to how long it stays active in the body but one major difference is that cypionate has a shorter half life which makes it more anabolic/androgenic within the first few days compared to enanthate. It's effective at promoting gains even during calorie restricted periods since testosterone converts into estrogen only very slowly.
The downside of running this compound over longer periods of time is that estrogen side effects will become even more pronounced in comparison to other drugs. This means that aromatase inhibitors like letrozole (aromasin) should be used at all times when running testosterone cypionate or you might end up with gyno or an enlarged prostate.
12 Weeks Trenbolone Acetate: 100mg every day
Tren is one of the most potent muscle building compounds which can easily stack on 10-15 kg lean mass in just 12 weeks time frame.
It's extremely versatile since it doesn't convert into estrogen and can either be run solo or stacked, depending on how your tolerance reacts to the drug after adding it into your cycle. The downside of this compound is users often report joint pain which can become severe when running it alone.
Add in Nolvadex at 20mg/day to lower estrogen levels once tolerance starts becoming an issue or even adding in letrozole (aromasin) which is a bit more potent.
12 Weeks Testosterone Enanthate: 500mg every week
Enanthate is the most popular testosterone compound and it's used by many users since it stays active in the body for around 12-14 weeks, making it ideal for bulking cycles where other drugs need to be introduced later on (like trenbolone). Since enanthate stays active for such a long time, there is no need for eod dosing but instead you should divide your dosages into smaller injections (every 2 days).
Lower dosages like 250mg every 3-4 weeks will also be enough for gaining mass if you want to keep side effects to a minimum. There's no need to run high dosage test prop cycles since it won't give any additional results compared to running enanthate at half the dose, provided everything else is equal.
These are just some of the most popular bulking steroid stacks but there can easily be created endless numbers of different combinations where many drugs are combined together in order to maximize the benefits while minimizing side effects.
What works best for both strength and size gains might not work out so well when it comes to fat loss but that all depends on your diet/training regime since someone who eats clean and trains intensely will get better results from a lean gains stack where someone who eats junk food and trains with low intensity gets good results running a bulking steroid cycle.
These are all valid approaches but you should be aware of the potential side effects before starting out on your first cycle and getting some experience is also important in order to learn how certain drugs react in your system.
It's always best to consult with experienced users if you want feedback regarding specific drug stacks and their long term effects since they might not always give the same advice as when discussing short term gains. However, most people can benefit from these 3 common stacks:
12 Weeks Masteron Enanthate: 600mg every week (40mg/day)
This one is mostly for lean gains since it comes with less side effects when compared to testosterone but you should add in letrozole (aromasin) if you're sensitive to estrogen conversion or even take a milder aromatase inhibitor like anastrozole.
12 Weeks Testosterone Cypionate: 500mg every week
The most common testosterone compound which works well in terms of strength/mass gains so it's a good foundation for bulking stacks. Enanthate is similar but that one needs to be split into smaller weekly injections while the half life makes cypionate more suitable for smooth eod dosing. The downside would be increased estrogen levels due to the high dosage but aromatase inhibitors taken at 20-40mg/day will negate this side effect.
12 Week Trenbolone Acetate: 100mg every day
This is one of the most powerful steroid compounds available and it's frequently used in cutting stacks but it works well for bulking as well because of the lowered water retention levels caused by trenbolone.
That covers some of the most popular bulking steroid cycles with minimal estrogen conversion which is often why they are preferred among competitive bodybuilders, but most drugs can be run for longer timeframes without causing any problems provided there are no underlying health issues.
A good daily multi vitamin should be taken if you're looking to bulk since most supplements will not compensate for all the nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis and some steroids can cause deficiencies on their own.
The only exception here would be the use of growth hormone since this is an expensive compound which might not be worth investing in if you're on a budget, but insulin users will also need to stick closer to the higher end of dosing recommendations due to increased glucose levels in your body.
A general rule of thumb is that quality compounds should always be taken at desired doses while cheaper drugs like trenbolone acetate can be run at lower dosages even though some people claim they still experience side effects at 125mg/week or less.
It's difficult to give advice regarding how long steroid cycles should last since this depends on many different factors like your training/diet regime, what drugs you use, how your body reacts to the drugs etc. A good general guide is to run the cycle for 4-12 weeks unless otherwise noted on the drug description but some cycles are longer/shorter than this depending on the purpose so it's always best to consult with experienced users beforehand.