Testosterone

What role does Testosterone play? Sperm production, increases libido (sex drive) in both men and women, the development of the penis / testes, secondary male sexual characteristics such as facial and bodily hair and deepening of the voice, however it’s most important role for bodybuilders is its muscle building attributes in which androgens promote protein synthesis.

Low levels of testosterone can cause a number of nasty effects on our bodies, like heart disease, erectile dysfunction (ED), decreased energy levels, depression/anxiety, anemia, infertility, polyuria, dry skin, poor sleep, increased abdominal fat, high cholesterol and gynecomastia to name a few. As you can see testosterone is a very powerful hormone that has many different attributes associated to it. Testosterone is produced in the testes of males and in females it is produced in the ovaries; males have naturally around 10 times the amount of testosterone than females. If you do suspect you suffer from low testosterone levels then it would be advised to seek medical assistance and possibly be put on TRT (Testosterone replacement therapy).

There are a few things that affect our body’s natural testosterone levels, such as aging, psychological changes that make a man a man such as loss of dominance or statue. Foods such as meat, fats and supplements like zinc play a role in promoting testosterone whereas other foods actually lower the production of testosterone. Sleep (REM) also plays a very effective role in the production of testosterone.

Now let’s talk about the anabolic steroid testosterone. Testosterone as I have pointed out above is a natural occurring hormone in the body and all other anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of testosterone. So in saying that you will see why it is important to have testosterone as your ground work for every steroid cycle or stack. Many people speculate that it might be better to put steroid novices on other milder and less androgenic compounds like Primobolan or Anavar. This is not a good idea as all anabolic/androgenic steroids affect our hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPTA) and in saying that, luteinizing hormone (LH) is the hormone which stimulates the testes interstitial cells to produce testosterone. And while on a steroid cycle, the effects on your HPTA axis as mentioned above will prevent your body from creating it's own testosterone production until you finish your cycle and your androgen levels are low enough for an affective PCT to be carried out. So if you do not add testosterone as your basis to every cycle you will lower your natural supply of testosterone and you could start to develop the above mentioned side effects associated to low testosterone levels.

The anabolic steroid testosterone has an anabolic to endergonic ratio of 100/100. As you can see by this ratio it is a very powerful steroid in the production of muscle and strength. However due to the high androgenic properties of testosterone many unwanted side effects associated to steroids can be expected when using testosterone. Testosterone also acts as a very powerful anti-catabolic steroid in which it protect your from the catabolic hormone glucocorticoid and help sustain muscle mass by not shifting into a catabolic state. Average doses of a testosterone range from around 500 (for beginners) right up to a few grams a week. Now as many would say testosterone is testosterone is testosterone, let us point out some of the highlighted characteristics of each testosterone profile:

• Testosterone Cypionate (Test Cyp, Depotrone)
• Testosterone Enanthate (Test En, Testoviron)
• Testosterone Propionate (Prop)
• Testosterone Suspension (Suspension)
• Testosterone Blend (Sustanon)

Testosterone Cypionate:

Testosterone Cypionate also known as Depo Testosterone (Depetrone) is suspended in cottonseed oil and has an 8-carbon ester chain, the more carbons the ester has the slower the release and the longer the active life. Testosterone Cypionate also has a very powerful affirmation to nitrogen retention in ones muscles and in doing this provides a higher protein store in the muscle. You can experience extreme strength and mass gains while on a testosterone cycle. Due to long ester you are also only required to do weekly shots.

Testosterone Enanthate:

Testosterone Enanthate also known as Test E / Test En / Testoviron is suspended in sesame oil and has a 7-carbon ester chain. Testosterone Enanthate is also readily available throughout the world. And based on this ester chain you should be able to see a slightly higher dose from Enanthate compared to Cypionate on an mg to mg basis and due to it being 1 atom lighter Enanthate slightly higher mg to mg ratio than Cypionate. As like Testosterone Cypionate one would only have to administer weekly dosages to maintain stable blood hormone levels.

Testosterone Propionate:

Testosterone Propionate is comparatively much faster-acting than other testosterone esters such as cypionate and enanthate. This allows for a much more frequent dosing schedule. Normally propionate is injected at least every second day and some athletes even prefer daily injections. Propionate is often regarded as a very painful injection. This is due to the short carbon chain of the ester, which can be irritating to tissues.

Propionate is useful during pre-contest cycles, because the quick clearing times will allow you to use it up until 2 weeks before the show. For the last 2 weeks you will then switch to the even faster acting testosterone suspension.

Testosterone Suspension:

Testosterone suspension is an injectable form of free testosterone, so there is no ester attached to the molecule. It’s usually suspended in a water base, however oils can also be used as a carriers. Since there is no ester attached, it’s extremely fast acting and peak testosterone levels are reached in hours. Since there is no ester taking up weight it’s also the testosterone that contains the highest concentration of the active hormone. A very important thing to take into account with suspension is that it will clear your system very quickly and daily injections are required.

Injection sites are usually painful and red after injections. This is due to the testosterone particles causing local irritation. Some suspensions have large particles and require 21G needles for injections.

Results are noticed very quickly after taking suspension and therefore are a favorite amongst power and weight lifters. Bodybuilders can also use suspension up to the day of the competition, because water-retention can very easily be eliminated with the correct usage of anti-estrogens.

Testosterone Blend:

Different testosterone esters are often blended into one injectable preparation. In some cases up to seven esters are used, but the most popular formulation is that of Sustanon 250 where four esters are mixed together. This is done to take advantage of the faster acting esters while still only requiring weekly or bi-weekly injections. It is often believed to be a superior form of testosterone, but in reality it’s nothing more than just testosterone. One drawback of testosterone blends are that they incorporate esters with long carbon chains and those chains occupy allot of molecular weight, so the actual dosage of hormone is less than one would obtain from shorter esters like propionate. Testosterone blends are most useful during bulking phases where frequent injections are not possible.