Description
Deca Durabolin is an extremely popular anabolic steroid comprised of the steroidal hormone Nandrolone and is attached to the large Decanoate ester. The Nandrolone hormone first appeared in 1960 and developed for commercial use in 1962 by Organon under the trade name Deca Durabolin. Since that time numerous Nandrolone Decanoate versions have hit the market, but Deca Durabolin remains the most recognized. This was not the first Nandrolone compound ever created, that would belong to Organon’s Durabolin, which is specifically Nandrolone Phenylpropionate. The Phenylpropionate version is much faster acting with a less active duration, and while Phenylpropionate forms are popular, Deca Durabolin has largely dominated the Nandrolone marketplace.
Deca Durabolin is one of the most commonly used anabolic steroids among performance enhancing athletes. It is well known for being a tremendously beneficial off-season mass steroid, but it’s also a favorite in many athletic circles for its therapeutic benefits. Due to its tremendous therapeutic benefits, the Nandrolone hormone is one of the most beneficial anabolic steroids in medical practice. However, due to years of anabolic steroid controversy such use has been quite limited in the U.S. for many years. Outside the U.S. Deca Durabolin remains a bit more popular in therapeutic treatment plans that can cover a host of areas.
Deca Durabolin Functions & Traits:
Deca Durabolin is officially classified as a 19-nortestosterone (19-nor) anabolic androgenic steroid. The 19-nor classification refers to its direct structural nature, which is the testosterone hormone lacking a carbon atom at the 19th position. While this is only a slight change in structure from the testosterone hormone, this slight change gives us a unique anabolic steroid. As a Nandrolone base, Deca Durabolin is attached to the large Decanoate ester, which controls the hormone’s releasing activity slowing it down tremendously. This allows the individual to make use of the Nandrolone hormone without the need for frequent injections. Once injected, as the Decanoate ester begins to detach there will be a sharp spike in Nandrolone released within the body during the first 24-48 hours. From this point, the hormone will continue to release into the body for approximately 2-3 weeks.
Deca Durabolin carries a relatively potent anabolic rating, slightly greater than testosterone. However, its total androgenic activity is much lower than testosterone, carrying an androgenic rating of only 37 compared to testosterone’s 100. The lessened androgenic activity of Deca Durabolin is due to the hormone’s ability to reduce to dihydronandrolone (DHN) rather than dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This makes Deca Durabolin a much milder steroid than testosterone, and one of the most well-tolerated anabolic steroids for healthy adult men. This tolerable nature is also evident by its low estrogenic activity. Deca Durabolin does aromatize, but only at approximately 20% the rate of testosterone. However, it does carry a strong progestin nature, and this will play into the side effects as we will see later on.
Like many anabolic steroids, Deca Durabolin has the ability to enhance protein synthesis, inhibit glucocorticoid hormones, and promote enhanced IGF-1 output. Like many anabolic steroids, Deca Durabolin also has the ability to increase nitrogen retention in the muscles, but it appears to have a stronger affect than many steroids in this regard. In fact, studies have shown that even low doses of Nandrolone can greatly enhance nitrogen retention. This is an important factor, as all muscle tissue is comprised of approximately 16% nitrogen. While that may sound like a small amount, the more we retain the more anabolic we remain. When nitrogen levels are not maintained, this can cause us to enter a catabolic (muscle wasting) state.
Deca Durabolin is also well known for carrying two traits that are extremely important and largely separate it from many anabolic steroids. Again, many other steroids will carry these traits, but Deca Durabolin does so to a higher level. The traits in question are increasing bone mineral content and enhancing collagen synthesis. Due to these traits, Deca Durabolin is well known for promoting joint relief, and for many athletes that’s the only reason they’ll use it. Due to these traits, as well as its ability to increase red blood cell count, we can begin to see what types of therapeutic advantages this steroid can hold.
Deca Durabolin has been well noted for being an excellent steroid for those suffering from muscle wasting diseases, for improving geriatric weakness and fatigue, as well as anemia. Deca Durabolin has also been used to treat certain forms of breast cancer, has been life changing for severe burn victims, and even has the ability to treat ulcers. It has also been shown effective for treating pituitary deficient dwarfism, as well as development retardation in children. While Deca Durabolin has proven beneficial in all these areas, it has truly shined is in its ability to treat osteoporosis. This isn’t surprising when we consider the bone mineral content and collagen synthesis improvements. However, in the U.S. the compound is only used to treat those suffering from HIV and anemia, but some physicians are beginning to recognize the potential for therapeutic rejuvenation plans. Undoubtedly, at a low dose this steroid could provide a positive anti-aging benefit.
Effects of Deca Durabolin:
While the therapeutic benefits of Deca Durabolin are easy to see simply by understanding its basic nature, what most are concerned with is off-label use. Deca Durabolin is a long standing favorite among performance enhancing athletes, and while it is tremendously beneficial it is often grossly misunderstood. The misunderstanding is that this is only a bulking steroid, and while that is a fantastic point of use it is far from the only one. In fact, some competitive bodybuilders will use Deca Durabolin during their cutting phase, and during such a phase there’s no bulking going on. However, in order to understand the effects of Deca Durabolin and the varying beneficial points of use, you must remove a flawed way of thinking held by many anabolic steroid users. This type of thinking assumes all steroid progress is based on the enhancement of lean muscle tissue; specifically building more lean muscle tissue. Undoubtedly, this is the primary purpose of anabolic steroid use, but it is not the only one. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the varying positive effects of Deca Durabolin.
As an off-season bulking steroid, Deca Durabolin will provide significant gains in lean mass, but the increase in muscle mass will come slowly. This is a large ester based steroid, and it will not be fast acting. However, the mass built with this steroid will often be higher quality mass than compared to many anabolic steroids. Water retention is possible, but it should be fairly easy to control. Most should also find their strength increases to a degree, but Deca Durabolin is not what we’d call one of the stronger strength increasing steroids. During this off-season phase, the individual will also enjoy the therapeutic relief this steroid provides, which will be more than welcomed when off-season periods of growth are normally accompanied by the heaviest periods of weight training. This individual should also be able to acquire this new growth with less body fat accumulation that would normally otherwise occur. The use of anabolic steroids is well noted for enhancing the metabolic rate. This is nothing unique to Deca Durabolin, and while it will not directly burn body fat it will aid in the maintenance of a proper level. As off-season mass gains require excess calories, consider the metabolic enhancement an added bonus.
Many athletes, ball players, fighters, and any athlete who could benefit from the therapeutic relief often supplement with Deca Durabolin. Such individuals commonly have no desire to build any new lean muscle mass, but the relief alone is invaluable. Further, such relief can be obtained by a very low dose. A slightly higher dose will provide relief, greatly enhance overall recovery, and enhance muscular endurance. When it comes to performance enhancement, most athletes will find this steroid is hard to beat. More importantly, the relief effects of Deca Durabolin are not masking or false; this anabolic steroid shares nothing in common with over the counter painkillers or prescription painkillers like opiates. Such painkillers only mask the pain, whereas Deca Durabolin can actually heal the body.
Then we’re left with the cutting phase, and some athletes and bodybuilders will use Deca Durabolin during this phase of steroid use. Such use will be similar to direct athletic enhancement. The individual will supplement with a rather low dose for the relief and muscular endurance it can provide. This can be very welcomed during hard diets, as a true hardcore bodybuilding cutting diet is brutal on the human body. As an added bonus, Deca Durabolin will greatly preserve the individual’s lean muscle mass that would otherwise be lost during a necessary caloric deficit. While this steroid will not provide hardening or conditioning effects like many steroids, it can serve a purpose is some cutting plans.
