In the past few years, Trenbolone’s popularity has surged manifold.
It has gone from an anabolic that was rarely used, to one that’s now being used by first-time gear users in their maiden cycles.
The primary reasons for the popularity is the sheer strength of the compound. It enjoys an unprecedented 500 rating on the Anabolic scale.
That’s five times as anabolic as testosterone.
To add to this, it does not aromatize. This means that you’ll spend less time fussing over AI and E2 management.
Water retention is unheard of. Muscle hardness, vascularity, dryness, Trenbolone ticks all the right boxes for a ripped, aesthetic physique.
Yet, most seasoned bodybuilders will only run Tren during their competition prep. They won’t touch it with a barge pole off season.
That’s because it is a serious compound that can cause some long term damage, if you aren’t careful with it.
As they say, there’s a method to the madness.
Here’s a brief guide for first timers looking to delve into Trenbolone.
Chemical structure
Trenbolone or Parabolan is a structurally altered form of Testosterone where the carbon atom at the 19th position is removed. (1)
This makes it a 19-nor compound, one of the three primary families of anabolic steroids. (2)
19-nors are a different beast as compared to both Testosterone derived steroids and DHT derived ones.
When it comes to Tren, it has all the classic traits of 19-nors, along with a few unique ones that make it so powerful.
For those who were unaware, the hormone was never intended for human use. It is a veterinary drug that was formulated as a means to add muscle mass to aging cattle.
Dosage and Administration
Being a 19-nor steroid, Trenbolone should always be a secondary compound in the cycle, not the base steroid.
That’s because it will shut down your endogenous testosterone production in just days.
So a Trenbolone-only cycle should never be attempted.
Dosage will vary greatly depending on your goals and the other steroids in your stack. If it is just Testosterone and Trenbolone, then you can start with 250mg/week for your maiden cycle.
Most athletes will consider this to be a low dose of Tren. But it is extremely important to start low to know how your body reacts to the compound.
While Tren does not increase or mess with your E2, it can cause prolactin side effects, which are worse than high E2 sides. Your nipples will be an itchy mess and you will also gain a shit ton of water.
If you do not feel the sides at 250mg/week, you can up it to 400mg/week in your next run.
That’s the sweet spot for most people and will produce considerable gains while minimizing side effects.
If you can handle 400 well, you might consider upping it to 600mg/week in your next run.
Be mindful that it is post 500mg/week that the mental side effects start to kick in. That’s a turf that you don’t want to tread on unless it’s absolutely necessary (competition). (3)
Your cycle duration can last 8-12 weeks depending on which stage of the injectable cycle you decide to add Tren. Some athletes add it after they get off an oral kick starter drug like Dianabol.
Others will run it from the first day. These rules are not set in stone. They are more individual than anything else.
Brand Names
As a veterinary drug, Trenbolone is available under the brand name Finaplex. Both injectable and capsules can be found. But a lot of bodybuilders will buy raw powder and home brew Tren.
That’s not recommended unless you have prior experience with it.
RX-grade Injectable versions are available for purchase under the brand name Trenbol by Genesis, Parabolan by Swiss Remedies, Parabolin by Alpha Pharma, Pharma Tren by Pharmacom Labs and Tren by Thaiger pharma.
Trenbolone Esters
There are three esters of Trenbolone. However, only two of these are used in a performance enhancement setting, of which, one is the most commonly available form.
That’s Trenbolone Acetate. The Acetate short acting ester not only makes it easier to control the dosage, it also acts sooner, and hence is preferred more. The caveat is that it will be three injections a week.
The Trenbolone Enanthate ester is available in some underground labs and allows the athlete to get away with bi-weekly injections as opposed to three pins.
Effects of Trenbolone
Trenbolone is the quintessential 19-nor steroid.
It increases protein synthesis, nitrogen retention and RBC production, which are the fundamentals of anabolism. This allows the user to gain lean muscle mass. But this is not the primary trait that makes it wildly popular among bodybuilders.
- Fat Burn: Trenbolone, along with Anavar is one of the few compounds that directly promotes lipolysis. While you gain dry, fibrous muscle tissue, you will continue to burn fat, which allows an athlete to do a complete body recomposition with Tren. You don’t even need to add multiple compounds to achieve this. Just Test and Tren can do wonders.
- Improved feed efficiency: Trenbolone will improve your feed efficiency, essentially allowing your body to utilize every macro nutrient that you consume to better effect. Every gram of protein that you consume will be used to build muscle tissue. This is an amazing trait that’s unique to Trenbolone. You can eat in a surplus without gaining even a wee bit of fat. You can drop just 100 calories and watch your body transform completely.
- Increased IGF-1: All anabolic steroids will increase IGF-1 production, which boosts the anabolic environment in your body. But Trenbolone does it more effectively than any other compound does. Your IGF-1 levels clubbed with reduced glucocorticoid hormones and
increased protein synthesis will let you build extremely lean muscle tissue. (6)
These traits make Trenbolone a very versatile compound that can be added to cuts, bulks, recomps, the whole 9-yards
Safety and side effects
The more powerful the compound, the more severe the sides. That’s the rule.
When it comes to Trenbolone, the side effects can be categorized into four primary ones.
- Cardiovascular sides: Trenbolone is extremely cardio toxic. Period. There’s no two ways around this. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in multiple clinical studies. (4,5)
- Mental sides: Apart from long term cognitive decline, Trenbolone can cause some serious mental side effects. This is largely subjective. Some people find an uptick in their aggression, while others just get paranoid, anxious and depressed. Insomnia is common too.
- Androgenic sides: Tren will cause a shit ton of acne and will supercharge your hair shedding. If you are prone to hair loss, this will be the final nail in the coffin folks.
Ref:
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Trenbolone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_androgens/anabolic_steroids_(alternate)#19-Nortestosterone_derivatives
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458166/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4614617/
https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/157/1/368/2251856
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23146028_Effects_of_implants_of_trenbolone_acetate_estradiol_or_both_on_muscle_insulin-like_growth_factor-I_insulin-like_growth_factor-I_receptor_estrogen_receptor-_and_androgen_receptor_messenger_ribonucleic_