Bodybuilding Anabol Cycle, Side Effects & Results

There probably isn’t a bodybuilder around that doesn’t dream of building muscle mass fast. Sure, you might enjoy the pull on your muscles as you try to complete another set. But if you were given the chance to build these gains faster, then you’d be there in a heartbeat.

That is the pull surrounding such steroids as Anabol. The possibility that all your hard work will come to completion faster (although in the sack, fast is not always best if you get what I mean). But in the bodybuilding world, you want results TODAY – and who can blame you?

In this post, our aim is to help you get around all the confusion surrounding Anabol tablets and Dianabol (aren’t they the same thing?), and explain a typical Anabol cycle.

What is Anabol?

Dianabol vs Anabol tablets

Stacks, cycles and Anabol dosages

Anabol results

Anabol risks

What is Anabol?

Anabol is just another brand name for the hormone methandrostenolone, one of the oldest anabolic steroids around. And let us tell you, there are a lot of brand names out there for just this one steroid. Another one you might recognise – if you like to stack – is Dianabol.

Now, the funny thing about these two methandrostenolone brands is the fact that the only difference between them is their appearance and their tablet dosages. That’s it!

At a chemical level they are basically the same thing: an oral testosterone that bears many similarities to the testosterone already circulating your body. Yet, there are some subtle differences, the two biggest being between Anabol’s chemical profile and that of testosterones.

1) It is a 17 (aa) alpha-alkylated steroid, and 2) it has got an additional double carbon bond.

Now, point one is an important one, as it is its 17-aa profile that eliminates the need for you to take it as an injection. Instead, 17-aa enables this steroid to pass straight through your liver without it ever being destroyed. Which is perfect if the idea of injecting yourself in the arm or butt horrifies you.

But this is not all you need to know about Anabol tablets…

No. This oral anabolic steroid has also got an anabolic rating of 210. This is twice the amount of normal testosterone, meaning introduce it to your body and you can potentially benefit from bolstered protein synthesis, increased nitrogen retention, and more impressively fast muscle gains.

The Science

Let us get technical for a moment – especially if you’re seriously considering adding this Anabol steroid to your bodybuilding cycle.

Anabol contains a combination of active ingredients whose powerful anabolic effects can help to build muscle mass, as well as boost your strength and increase your energy, focus, endurance and stamina levels.

By creating an anabolic pathway, this can help to boost protein synthesis, stimulate muscle growth, and enable you to pack on 2-4lbs of muscle per week within your first six weeks. Impressive.

Next, add on its ability to increase your nitrogen supply and breakdown glycogen, and on the surface Anabol is every bodybuilder’s wet dream. As these traits can help you to benefit from improved muscle development and recovery; increased testosterone and sexual drives, but more importantly, better circulation. And the better your circulation, the more oxygen that will be delivered to your muscles – making them bigger, better and stronger.

Dianabol vs Anabol tablets

Remember how these two brands are basically the same product, except from their appearance and dosage sizes. Well, despite this, these two steroids are often at the centre of debate.

Part of the problem is, everyone naturally assumes they are different – because yeah, their names are different. But the reality is: Anabol steroids are EXACTLY the same (chemically anyway) as Dianabol AS WELL AS Granabol, Dbol, Danabol, Averbol and Methanaol. Yep – all of them.

What is even funnier, is all the accounts you get from different users who will swear blind Anabol stack gave them better results than Dianabol – and vice versa. Ridiculous.

So what are the actual differences between these two hormones?

• Anabol tablets are generally pink in color and come in 5mg tablets. Anabol 10mg tablets do exist, but the smaller 5mg is more common.
• Dianabol tablets are referred to as ‘blue hearts’ and are available in 10mg tablets.

Stacks, cycles and Anabol dosages

Okay, you know the basics. You know what it does. But how do Anabol stack and cycles work?

If you really want to bulk up and pile on the muscle, then here are a few things you need to know first:

Anabol is extremely bad for your liver, so it cannot be used for a regular cycle of 12 weeks. To protect your liver you should limit an Anabol cycle to no more than 6 weeks. Any longer and all you are really doing is damaging your liver. Think about it… It takes years of continuous alcohol abuse to harm your liver. Use Anabol for more than 6 weeks a cycle and you are risking serious damage straight away. Talk about crazy!

So what can you do with Anabol?

As this Anabol steroid works rapidly and can produce noticeable results quickly – 2lb-4lbs per week during this 6 week cycle – it is good for gaining muscle at the beginning of a mass gaining phase. This means it comes in pretty handy if you are using a lower paced steroid, as it will boost your results whilst you are waiting for slower one to kick in.

Similarly, if you are in the midst of a cycle and your gains are slowing down, then Anabol could potentially be used to give your body a jumpstart and get it moving again.

What about Anabol dosage?

Now you need to be careful here, as Anabol has already got a rep for causing liver damage if it’s used for too long. Too much and it could increase your risk of side effects – yeah, no thanks.

Most bodybuilders suggesting taking 15 to 25mg of Anabol tablets per day. This is the perfect amount to pile on the muscle and keep you safe. Some though suggest 30 to 35mg to give you a bigger, more rapid boost.

Personally… I would keep your dosages as low as possible – probably 15mg – and listen to your body. Saying that, there are much safer alternatives you can use that are 100% legal, so I would stick to those safer options instead.

What about Anabol cycles?

You can either choose to use Anabol alone or opt to Anabol stack with another steroid like testosterone.

On its own, be prepared to experience a lot of water retention – and we mean a lot. This means when the cycle ends, there is a strong possibility that a chunk of this gain will disappear – literally – down the drain. It’s unavoidable. It will happen. Be prepared.

Because of this, a lot of bodybuilders recommend taking 40mg of Anabol a day for 5 weeks, then 3 days after your cycle ends, taking 50mg of Clomid a day for a further 3 weeks. This can help to restore natural testosterone production in your body and potentially lower this water retention.

Now, supposedly combining your Anabol cycle with testosterone can help you to get lean and strong fast. One suggestion is to take 500mg of Testosterone Cypionate a week for 2 weeks, with 40mg of Anabol a day. After 2 weeks, you should stop the Testosterone Cypionate and take 250mg of Clomid and 60mg of Nolvadex on day 1; 100mg of Clomid and 40mg of Nolvadex from day 2 to day 11, and then 50mg of Clomid and 20mg of Nolvadex from days 12 to 21.

Like with Clomid, the use of Nolvadex during your cycle can to help restore natural testosterone production.

Similarly, taking liver support supplements (milk thistle) and N2Guard can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of liver damage, although post cycle therapy is also advised.

Now we’ve got to say at this point – is all that measuring and switching between tablets really worth it? Especially when all you’re gaining is 10-15lbs – not that special really when you compare it to some steroid products – plus water retention? We don’t think so, but we’ll let you decide.

Anabol results

There is no disputing that Anabol is no simple steroid. It takes careful measuring and dosages to minimize its side effects and keep the results positive.

Yet the results it does promise do appear to be dramatic.

With the right training, diet and dosage you can expect gains of 10 to 15lbs in just 4 weeks. In fact, you will start to feel and look thicker within just a few days.

Impressive? Yeah. But remember – Anabol is limited to 6 week cycles (less if you really want to stay safe). So by the end you’ll probably have only gained 15-20lbs, 20-30% of which is water retention. That’s 4lb to 6lbs that don’t really exist!

Other gains you can expect is increased strength and endurance, which are pretty useful benefits to receive when you’re trying to bulk, as they will make your workouts even more intense.

Anabol risks

We’ve mentioned already a few of the nasty side effects – the worse being liver damage, but there are other risks you should be aware of. Anabol can be:

• Aromatizing – whilst some studies suggest it is less aromatizing (conversion to estrogen) than testosterone, it is still quite estrogenic. And this is not a good thing, as excess estrogen in the body can lead to headaches, bloating and yep you guessed it ‘man boobs’.
• Toxic – it is not just your liver that Anabol can damage. It can also affect your other major organs if you use it for too long.
• High blood pressure
• Water retention and bloating
• Increased bad cholesterol (plus lower food cholesterol)

These fellas are part of the ‘big five’ that are pretty much guaranteed to happen.

Sadly, they are not the only ones you need to watch out for. Now, whilst Anabol is not as androgenic as some steroids, it can also trigger: acne, oily skin, hair loss, excessive hair growth (talk about contradictory) and masculinization in women (facial hair and deeper voices).

And this STILL is not the worst of it. It has also got links to testosterone suppression – which is never a good thing because if your natural testosterone levels are low, you will begin to suffer from shrunken balls, a reduced sex drive, impotence, erectile dysfunction, muscle loss, increased muscle fat, mood swings and fatigue. Ouch!

Again, like many of its fellow steroids, Anabol tablets can sometimes cause the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve: bigger muscles, less fat and more energy. And what is the point of that?

Yes there are things you can do to minimize these side effects, but like we mentioned earlier – you’ve got to add a lot to your Anabol cycle to make this happen: Liver support supplements, Clomid, N2Guard, PCT drugs… the list goes on.

Similarly, the longer you take Anabol for and the higher its dosage; the greater the risk and possibility that these side effects will happen.

Our thoughts on Anabol

What can we say about Anabol? On the one hand it seems to offer all the answers – rapid and potentially massive muscle gains in a matter of weeks. Add to the plate increased strength, energy and performance, and it is every bodybuilder’s version of paradise – a speedy route to the results they want.

But what about the cost? With such a short cycle of 6 weeks required to prevent liver damage – plus the water retention, acne, cholesterol problems, hair loss, impotence and risks of erectile dysfunction and man boobs – you’ve got to do a lot to really experience the benefits.

Hell, 20-30% of the gains you could achieve are just water.

Take all of that away and Anabol really isn’t that different to any of the other steroids on the market. Especially as there are safer and more legal ways to achieve these same gains with none of the added hassle, such as CrazyBulk.

So what should you do? The truth is: the decision is yours. But we strongly advise that before you try anything please do your research; listen to your body and always think: is there is a safer way to get the results you want?

Want to learn more? Read our guide: How do anabolic steroids work >>