Major Anabolic Steroids for Bodybuilding: Types, Uses & Risks

Types of Steroids for Bodybuilding

There are over 30 types of steroids for bodybuilding. The performance enhancing steroid drugs that are available to bodybuilders can be administered in different ways. When it comes to steroid use, the general misconception particularly amongst the uninitiated (non-bodybuilders) is that needle use is an absolute necessity. This cannot be any farther from the truth. While admittedly there are several steroids that are administered by injections, there are also those whose administration is totally different.

The most common anabolic steroids types that require oral administration include:

• Anadrol (Oxymetholone) also known as “Drol”,
• Anavar or Oxandrin (Oxandrolone) often called “Var”,
• Dianabol (Methandienone) usually referred to as “Dbol” by bodybuilders,
• Halotestin (Fluoxymesterone) with a street name of “Halo”,
• Proviron (Mesterolone),
• Virilon (Methyltestosterone), and
• Winstrol (Stanozolol) is also called by its gym name of “Winny”.

For those injectable types of steroids for bodybuilding you have;

• Andro-Estro (Testosterone enanthate),
• Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone decanoate) also called “Deca”,
• Durabolin (Nandrolone phenylpropionate) also referred to as “NPP”,
• Depotest (Testosterone cypionate),
• Equipoise (Boldenone undecylenate) often called by the gun name of “EQ”,
• Finajet (Trenbolone acetate) commonly known as “Tren”,
• Primobolan (Methenolone enanthate) also known amongst bodybuilders as “Primo”, and
• Testex (Testosterone propionate).

Apart from oral and injectable steroids, bodybuilders can also use steroids that come as creams or gels and also as pellets that can be implanted just beneath the skin.

The Use of Anabolic Steroids by Bodybuilders

Typically, the various anabolic steroids types mentioned above are useful for either bulking or cutting cycles. With the bulking cycle, bodybuilders use the steroids to bulk up their muscle mass while with a cutting cycle, the anabolic steroids are used primarily to shed weight.

The shedding of weight may be an outright drop in body mass or a repartitioning of body fat into lean muscle mass. Cycling is not just for either cutting or bulking, but also for improving strength, aggression, stamina, recovery and endurance.

Risks Associated with the various Types of Steroids for Bodybuilding

Whether you are using steroids for bulking or cutting, there are risks associated with their use. Some of these risks are mild while others can be really serious in nature. When male bodybuilders use any of the different anabolic steroids types mentioned in this post, they stand the risk of;

• increased acne on the body,
• an enlarged prostate,
• erectile dysfunction,
• low sperm count,
• loss of hair,
• shrunken testicles, and
• Gynecomastia,

In female bodybuilders, some of the risks include;

• shrunken breasts,
• a deepened voice,
• enlarged or lengthened clitoris,
• excessive body and facial hair,
• a loss of hair,
• body acne, and
• irregular menstrual cycles.

Some of the risks and side effects of the misuse, overuse or even abuse of the anabolic steroids types above can be very severe and can affect the mental as well as physical health of the bodybuilders involved in their use.

These physical and mental risks include:

• Cancer,
• Tumors,
• Liver disease,
• Cardiovascular problems,
• Anxiety,
• Depression,
• Increased aggression and an increasingly erratic behaviour

To avoid these risks of steroid use, it is always advisable that bodybuilders use steroids in moderation and in consideration of their peculiar body weight, gender, age, stature and body type. The dosage, frequency and period of steroid use are also important considerations as well.

Many oral steroids can be hepatotoxic and cause liver toxicity and damage. Bodybuilders should therefore make use of liver protection supplements while running a steroid cycle. This way they can protect their liver and safeguard their overall health while they use steroids and enjoy the performance enhancing benefits that they offer.

In conclusion, post cycle therapy (PCT) is an essential part of steroid use for bodybuilders as the therapy helps to regulate the body system of bodybuilders after prolonged steroid use. Providing hormonal balance and ensuring the natural production of testosterone in the body is a key objective of the post cycle therapy (PCT).