Introduction
Anadrol is a steroid that is widely regarded as one of the most potent muscle building aids available on the planet. It is as powerful or nearly as powerful as the highly popular Dianabol and may have fewer side effects in some senses.
Anadrol is technically called ‘oxymetholone’ and was initially developed to treat osteoporosis and anemia. Unlike other substances such as Dianabol, Anadrol has low binding affinity with the androgen receptor. It’s main mechanism of action is to increase protein synthesis which increases the body’s ability to utilize protein.
Mechanisms of Action
Anadrol crosses into kidney cells first and from there encourages the production of erythropoietin. This erythropoietin is the released into the blood and circulates around the body, stimulating the bone marrow to produce new blood cells.
By increasing red blood cells, oxymetholone thus allows the muscles to absorb more oxygen and more nutrients. This then means that the body can regenerate faster following a workout, resulting in increased hypertrophy (muscle growth).
This is quite different from a number of steroids that work by binding to androgen receptors and increasing protein. As such, it can theoretically be stacked together with androgenic steroids. It isn’t recommended that you use Anadrol with Dianabol as this places too much strain on the liver and runs a high risk of gyno. Steroids that can stack fairly well with Anadrol include Trenbolone acetate and Anavar. These injectable steroids will raise testosterone via the androgen receptors, while the Anadrol will increase muscle mass through delivery of more oxygen and nutrients.
Benefits and How to Get the Most From Anadrol
Anadrol works by increase the ability of the muscles to take up protein and convert it into more mass. This then leads to a rapid increase in muscle mass, strength and recover. Users will see their muscles gain size and strength quickly following workouts, resulting in a very even coverage of new, thick muscle mass and a better recovery from workouts.
When using any steroid, it is very important to ensure that you still work hard at your routine in order to see results. No matter what steroid you use, simply taking the steroid and otherwise relaxing is not going to result in very pronounced effects.
With Anadrol this is even more true, as the mechanism of action means that you very much need to stimulate the muscles and swell them with blood. What’s more, you need to ensure that you are consuming vast amounts of protein to encourage synthesis. Remember: Anadrol increases protein synthesis as its primary mechanism. If you aren’t giving yourself the protein to use, then you will be neutering its effects!
When training with Anadrol, you also want to slightly alter your approach to lifting weights in order to capitalize on the biological changes caused. For starters, you can increase your training frequency thanks to your increased recovery speed. Training the same muscle groups multiple times a week is much more likely to be effective when on an Anadrol cycle.
What’s more, you may also want to increase the volume of your training while specifically focusing on time under tension. Use long sets with no rest periods to flood the muscles with blood and to really make the most of that enhanced red blood cell count.
Side Effects
Because Anadrol has a different mechanism to other steroids like Dianabol and doesn’t bind to androgen receptors, you might think that the risk of gynecomastia (female breast development) and other symptoms of elevated estrogen wouldn’t be an issue.
However, the reality is quite different and it appears that Anadrol does indeed increase estrogen. The only difference is that in this case, we don’t really fully understand why. Oxymetholone does not aromatize or have estrogenic activity itself but it appears that it may interfere with the normal estrogen metabolism in other ways. Thus gynecomastia can still occur. When Anadrol is used in conjunction with other steroids that do elevate the sex hormones, this can further exacerbate the issue. Stacking with aromatase inhibitors may be one potential solution.
The other big danger of Anadrol is liver toxicity. Like Dianabol, Anadrol is an oral steroid, which means it has to pass through the liver to be effective. What’s more, it works specifically by stimulating the liver. This is a very serious concern and in the worst cases, liver damage can be fatal. Damage to the liver may also result in other side effects including discoloration of the skin, frequent urination, stomach pain and vomiting.
On the plus side, the side effects associated with high testosterone such as male pattern baldness, acne and roid rage are not generally associated with Anadrol use.
Cycles and Dosages
Anadrol typically comes in tablets that contain 50mg (in this form it is often known as Anadrol-50). Typically, usage will be around 50-150mg, though some users have been known to reach amounts as high as 300mg and above. This is not recommended however; for as you increase the dosage so too do you increase your chances of developing side effects and in this case liver damage in particular.
What’s recommended is that you cycle your Anadrol usage in order to prevent placing too much strain on the liver. Normally it will be used for around 6-8 months before taking a break.
Remember, Anadrol can also be used alongside other injectable steroids such as Trenbolone and may benefit from aromatase inhibitors to combat gynecomastia.
Safe Alternatives
While Anadrol cycles are highly potent and bring pronounced benefits, it’s worth noting that they also place a significant strain on the liver which can potential be fatal. Don’t sacrifice your health – look for safer alternatives.
Fortunately, safe alternatives do exist. These are the natural supplements produced by Crazy Mass such as A-Anolone
A-anolone is a supplement that works by increasing the red blood cell count and circulation through means other than steroid use. The supplement contains a number of different nutrients, amino acids, minerals and vitamins all of which have been shown in studies to increase protein synthesis. Combined, they can be just as effective as Anadrol but with zero strain on the liver and no risk of gyno.
