What is Trenbolone, where to get it and how to use it for bodybuilding?
What is Trenbolone?
An androgen and anabolic steroid, Trenbolone is part of the nandrolone group. Some of the Trenbolone ester prodrugs are marked for clinical and veterinary usage aiming muscle growth and appetite. Trenbolone enanthate is also offered on the black market to bodybuilders and athletes, even if not being approved for clinical usage. There it goes under the name Trenabol.
Trenbolone has androgenic and anabolic effects – it increases the ammonium ion uptake by muscles and increases the protein synthesis rate. Trenbolone increases the male secondary sex characteristics, while the studies on metabolism are mixed. The substance is five times more potent compared to the testosterone. In order to prolong the elimination half-life, trenbolone is administered as a prodrug. It is excreted in urine.
Many athletes and body builders use trenbolone esters in order to build muscles and enjoy better performance. In some countries however, such as the United States, this usage is illegal. The usage and possession of trenbolone is allowed in the United Kingdom and in Australia, if with a prescription.
The history of sports knows doping cases with trenbolone esters taken by professional athletes. The drug is among the most used injectable steroids. It comes in various modifications, aiming to improve the androgenic strength. Being injected in the body, it increases the metabolic breakdown resistance.
Trenbolone Forms
- Trenbolone comes in three esterified forms
- Trenbolone hexahydrobenzylcarbonate
- Trenbolone enanthate
- Trenbolone acetate
The most popular ones is the trenbolone acetate. Nowadays Trenbolone is legal to be used only in the veterinary industry and is banned to be used in human beings. Some underground laboratories however do produce it for human usage.
Trenbolone Properties
Due to different modifications, Trenbolone is a very strong and potent anabolic steroid, which is even stronger than the testosterone. How is that possible? Trenbolone is an anabolic and androgenic rating of 500 mg each, compared to testosterone which has 100 mg. Thus, an athlete should be very careful when administering trenbolone and take a small dosage at a time in order to experience the changes in the body. If taken in doses like testosterone, it could be dangerous for the health.
Trenbolone has a strong resistance to aromatase enzymes which convert the androgens into estrogen, and this makes it difficult to be converted into estrogen and then into testosterone. Thanks to these properties, the trenbolone offers a lot of strength while at the same time ensure lean mass, cutting phases and fat loss. Trenbolone should be taken in small doses and even so it achieves great results.
There are two types of Trenbolone and the main difference between them are the esters – the organic compounds which react with water and form inorganic acids. TA or the Trenbolone acetate has short esters that peak blood levels fast. The effects here do not last long and thus injections should be more frequent. The anabolic ratio is five times stronger than the testosterone one. Trenbolone acetate has a strong binding affinity to androgen receptors. This performance-enhancing drug is used by athletes and bodybuilders during their cutting cycles. The shorter ester from the Trenbolone acetate means more frequent injections, faster results, lack of harsh side effects.
TE or the Trenbolone enanthate is slower, yet it stays in the blood for a longer period. It is often used by athletes and by men that want to increase their low testosterone levels. The longer Trenbolone enanthate esters mean slower visible gains, no so many injections and longer lasting effects including side effects. The esters do not change the chemicals of the drug, but just how fast it is released and cleared out of the body. Thus the choice of ester should be based on one’s ability to tolerate the side effects of Trenbolone.
Trenbolone side effects
Trenbolone is a very strong and powerful substance and that is why it is very important for each athlete to know one’s body capacity in order to determine the dosage that it can handle. Trenbolone’s strength is both negative and positive and this is something that scares many users. Being androgenic in nature, Trenbolone’s side effects include abnormal growth of facial hair, increase of the oil production in body, baldness in male, aggressiveness and risk of developing benign prostate hyperplasia. Other side effects also include sweating and insomnia, as well as erectile dysfunctions and cardiovascular diseases.
The side effects could be controlled by using aromatase inhibitors and anti-estrogens. By taking 400 mg of vitamin B6 each day or by usage of anti-prolactin drugs such as cabergoline and bromocriptine, one can reduce the prolactin side effects. So, which are the Trenbolone side effects?
- Tren Cough – this is the most common side effect of Trenbolone as Tren is quite irritant and spicy. That is why the result is often a harsh sounding cough. When at higher doses, the situation gets worse and more violent. If taken with Cardarine, the symptoms are more easily manageable.
- Man boobs effects - since Trenbolone does not aromatize like testosterone, the body does not accumulate estrogen like other anabolic drugs. Since Tren elevates the prolactin production and is also attracted to progesterone receptors the result is drop in natural testosterone production, and growth of stimulatory breast tissue.
- High blood pressure – even the low-dose cycle of Trenbolone can bring higher blood pressure, vision problems, headaches, vision problems, and chest pain. There is also risk of heart failure, kidney disease and stroke
- Insomnia – bodybuilders know how important sleep is as it helps muscle building and restoration. However, the steroid cycles disrupt sleep. With Trenbolone, the insomnia can be even worse.
- Acne – after a few weeks of taking Trenbolone, the face and back are possible to result in severe acne and excess development of sebum.
- No sex drive – Trenbolone brings low sex drive and low libido, as well as bad performance.
- Anger – like the other steroids, Trenbolone boosts anger and aggressiveness that are impossible to be controlled.
Trenbolone cycle
Trenbolone builds the muscle mass at a faster rate than the other anabolic steroids and it also results in fat loss, as it is burned as a source of energy. Trenbolone is used during the cutting phases and promotes the bulking and the nitrogen retention. Even a small dose of the substance of 50 mg a day can bring very good results. The doses can go up to 75 mg or 100 mg, however the higher the dose is, the more the side effects are.
The so called Trenbolone cycle is used by athletes that want to build muscle mass and at the same time stay lean. The ‘cycle’ includes taking of steroids on a regular basis for a certain period of time. The Trenbolone dose during the cycle depends on the aim and the experience of the user. The recommendation is that the athlete starts with TA as it is acting faster and clears from the blood much faster than TE. Tren should never be used as first cycle. Before trying it, the athlete should have cycled a steroid such as testosterone.
Trenbolone dosage
Tren is 3-5 times stronger than testosterone, which means that Tren is definitely not for beginners. The test dose needs to be not lower than the one of the testosterone or 400 mg per week. TE requires fewer injections that have longer-lasting side effects.
During a basic Tren cycle, the athlete should go with 50 mg every other day and increasing that dosage to 75 mg. The length of that cycle is 8 weeks long and the longer cycles are for more experienced athletes.
Basic Trenbolone cycle:
- Test prop 400 mg per week
- Tren A should be no higher than 300 mg per week
- Cycle length – 1-8 weeks
Intermediate cycle: adding in additional rugs to ramp up results such as Anadrol or Dianabol (both around 50 mg per day) to accelerate the muscle growth and lay down some serious slabs of muscle mass.
For a cutting cycle, Winstrol is a popular drug to run with Test and Tren. Winstrol binds to androgen receptors and the lowers SHBG levels, thus allowing testosterone and Tren to stimulate their anabolic effects.
Intermediate Trenbolone cycle:
- Test prop 100 mg per week
- Tren A – no higher than 400 mg per week
- Cycle length – 8 weeks
- Dianabol 25-50 mg per day or Winstrol 50 mg per day
Advanced cycle – this is applied for more aggressive results
During an advanced Tren cycle, a switch from TA to TE esters is possible as a way of adding variety for this longer cycle and as a way to reduce the number of times to inject each week. The dosage can go up to 800 mg per week. During this advanced cycle, the athlete can use the steroid Drostanolone, which is a modified version of the testosterone derivative DHT which adds hard, lean muscle but also improves the athletic performance too.
Advanced Trenbolone cycle:
- Test E – 100 mg per week
- Tren E – 800 mg per week
- Cycle length – 12 weeks
- Drostanolone – 400 mg per week
Bodybuilding and Trenbolone
Many bodybuilders rely on Trenbolone to achieve great results in boosting muscle mass without fat gain. However, the only way for a person to buy Trenbolone is through the black market. FDA has banned the substance from human usage.