Deca Durabolin Profile:
(Nandrolone Base + Decanoate Ester)
[19-nor-androst-4-en-3-one-17beta-ol]
Molecular Weight(base): 274.4022
Molecular Weight (ester): 172.2668
Release Date (in USA): 1962
Effective Dose (Men): 200-600mgs/week (2mg/lb of Bodyweight)
Effective Dose (Women): 50-100mgs/week
Active life: 15 days
Detection Time: Up to 18 months
Anabolic/Androgenic ratio: 125:37
What is Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate)?
Nandrolone Decanoate Structure
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 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(NPP) 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.
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 also greatly increases 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Side Effects of Deca Durabolin:
Deca Durabolin is one of the more side effect friendly anabolic steroids for men and can prove useful for women, but normally only in therapeutic level doses. However, side effects of Deca Durabolin most certainly exist, but as we will see they largely fall into the realm of possible rather than guaranteed. With responsible use, most men will be able to use this steroid without the first negative effect. In order to achieve this level of safe supplementation, your first step is to recognize the possible side effects of Deca Durabolin, as well as what you can do about them. For an ease of understanding, we have broken down the side effects into separate categories along with the related information you’ll need.
[1]Estrogenic:
The Nandrolone hormone is not very estrogenic, but it does carry a slight aromatizing nature. Aromatization refers to testosterone’s ability to convert to estrogen, a process that occurs due to the hormone’s interaction with the aromatase enzyme. As estrogen levels rise, this can promote gynecomastia, excess water retention and promote high blood pressure due to severe levels of water retention. Fortunately, the aromatase level of Deca Durabolin is low, but there is another factor to consider, which is its progestin nature. Nandrolone has a strong affinity for the progesterone receptor, as well as the ability to significantly stimulate the estrogenic mechanism in the mammary tissue enhancing the risk of gynecomastia.
In order to protect from the possible estrogenic and progesterone related side effects of Deca Durabolin, an anti-estrogen medication is often recommended, such as Arimidex and Aromasin.
[2]Androgenic:
Deca Durabolin can produce androgenic side effects; however, the threshold tends to be rather high for most men. Possible androgenic side effects of Deca Durabolin include acne, accelerated hair loss in those predisposed to male pattern baldness, and body hair growth. Such side effects are strongly dependent on genetic predispositions, but most men should find no problems exist. Unlike testosterone, Nandrolone is reduced to DHN rather than DHT, and while this takes place due to interaction with the 5-alpha reductase enzyme it greatly reduces the androgenicity of Nandrolone.
The androgenic nature of Deca Durabolin may lead to virilization symptoms in women. Virilization symptoms can include body hair growth, a deepening of the vocal chords, and clitoral enlargement. Women can use this steroid without virilizing effects, but it will require very low doses, and there are often better steroids for females to choose. If Nandrolone is desired, faster acting Phenylpropionate may be the way to go as it’s easier to control, but the odds of beating virilization symptoms are not as great as they are with steroids like Anavar or Primobolan.
[3]Cardiovascular:
Deca Durabolin can have a negative impact on cholesterol by skewing the HDL and LDL ratios. Studies have shown that the Nandrolone hormone will actually have a stronger, negative impact on HDL cholesterol than testosterone. However, the total cardiovascular strain should be much less than most oral steroids.
Due to the potential cholesterol issues caused by Deca Durabolin, maintaining a cholesterol friendly lifestyle during use will be extremely important. This should not only include a cholesterol friendly diet, but one that is rich in omega fatty acids and that ensures you implement plenty of cardiovascular activity into your routine.
[4]Testosterone:
Deca Durabolin like all anabolic steroids is suppressive to natural testosterone production. The rate of suppression varies from one steroid to the next, but with Deca Durabolin, and all Nandrolone based compounds, it will be extreme. For this reason, all men who supplement with Deca Durabolin should include exogenous testosterone. The form of testosterone you choose is of no consequence, all that matters is that your body is provided with the testosterone it needs. Failure to supplement with exogenous testosterone will result in a low testosterone condition. Such a condition can be quite bothersome; it comes with numerous possible symptoms but, more importantly, is unhealthy.
Once the use of Deca Durabolin has come to an end and all the exogenous steroidal hormones have cleared your system, natural testosterone production will begin again. It will not occur overnight, and for this reason a Post Cycle Therapy (PCT) plan is often recommended. This will speed up the recovery process as well as improve the overall efficiency. No, contrary to popular myth, there is no PCT plan that will return your natural testosterone levels back to normal all on its own. Total recovery will take several months. However, a PCT plan will ensure you have enough testosterone in order for proper function while your levels continue to naturally rise.
[5]Hepatotoxicity:
Deca Durabolin is not toxic to the liver and will present no stress or damage to the vital organ.
Deca Durabolin Administration:
Deca Durabolin is a very slow acting steroid that does not have to be injected all that frequently. For any performance related pursuit, a single injection per week will be more than suitable. However, some will choose to split this up into two small injections per week in order to cut down on the total injection volume.
For the athlete looking for rejuvenation and relief, most will be much happier with 200mg per week results. Such a dosing will ensure recovery, relief, and endurance are all enhanced as well as provide a slight anabolic boost. For true anabolic gains, many will find 400-450mg per week to be the perfect dosing level, and more importantly, well within a controllable level. Many men may be able to tolerate doses as high as 600mg per week.
Deca Durabolin should not be used for less than 8 weeks when used as a performance enhancing tool. As 8 weeks is our minimum, 10-12 weeks will be very acceptable for most men. Use can stretch past this point but is rarely recommended; most will not implement cycles much longer than 12-16 weeks outside hardcore performance circles, and in those cases, a rotation of steroidal hormones is highly advised.
For female athletes, 50mg per week for no more than 4-6 weeks is normally all that can be tolerated. There will be some who may be able to handle a 100mg per week dosing, but such a dose will normally produce virilization symptoms in most women.
Popular Deca-Durabolin Cycles
You can expect to see impressive growth and muscle during a Deca cycle regardless of what level you’re at. The differences in cycles between beginners and advanced users comes down to two main factors: the dosage of Deca, and which other compounds you will stack this steroid with.
Overall, expect a cycle length of at least 12 weeks for a beginner, stretching to 16 weeks for advanced users. As a slow acting compound, Deca needs a longer cycle for you to reach its full potential in the body.
Beginner Deca Cycle
Beginners to Deca will want to pair this steroid with testosterone in a basic stack to ensure your test levels are not shut down. Testosterone Enanthate and Deca is a common combination with a cycle length of 12 to 14 weeks. Deca at 300mg per week will prove highly effective for any beginner, with Testosterone Enanthate at up to 500mg weekly is a necessary addition to ensure testosterone levels are maintained.
With a 14 week cycle, Deca would usually be stopped at week 12, so PCT can begin soon after the effects of the long lasting Deca are near their end point. Arimidex PCT at a dose of 0.5mg daily will greatly assist in reducing side effects.
Intermediate Deca Cycle
Intermediate users will look at using Deca-Durabolin with at least two other compounds, with Dianabol and Testosterone Cypionate being popular choices.
This 12-week cycle consists of 500mg per week of testosterone running for the entire 12 weeks, with 400-500mg weekly of Deca for the first 10 weeks only. Dianabol should be used only for the first 6 weeks at a daily dose of about 50mg. Throughout the entire cycle Arimidex should be taken to combat estrogen side effects at a dose of 0.5mg/day.
Advanced Deca Cycle
The most experienced users might increase the dosage of Deca up to 600mg weekly, although at 400mg most guys will find they are getting excellent results and not crossing the threshold into more severe side effects.
An advanced Deca cycle then consists of a weekly dose in the range of 400-600mg for 14 weeks, and if the goal is serious bulking, combining this with several other compounds: Testosterone Cypionate at the desired dosage ran for the entire 16 weeks, Dianabol for the first 6-8 weeks at 50mg daily, and an addition of HGH also taken for 16 weeks as it is known to work extremely well in a bulking cycle with Deca.
Buy It Online
The steroid laws of the U.S. are some of the harshest the world over. There are countries that carry laws that are similarly strict but there are numerous that are far more lenient. China and some other countries are heavens for anabolic steroids and other performence-enhancing products. It is imperative you understand the law as it pertains to where you live before you buy any anabolic steroids. Due to the steroid laws of the U.S. and other parts of the world, if you are looking for high quality anabolics or SARMs you are encouraged to visit www.ultrapandaroids.com, which has 3 warehouses located in USA, Hong Kong, and Italy. Ultrapandaroids.com can legally provide you high quality anabolics without a prescription.
Deca Durabolin Reviews:
Deca Durabolin is one of the most effective and beneficial anabolic steroids of all time. Most men will tolerate this steroid quite well, and while it benefits the most advanced steroid user, it will be a great steroid for someone relatively new to supplementation. For many anabolic steroid users, it is considered essential to off-season mass gaining plans. In fact, there may be no stack as popular as a simple testosterone, Dianabol and Deca Durabolin.
Common Q&A Related to Deca-Durabolin>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How long does Deca-Durabolin take to work?
Deca isn’t a fast acting steroid but when it kicks in, mass gains are high quality over time. The slow acting nature of Deca means it is best used in longer cycles. It is usual to run this steroid for 12-16 weeks and during this time you will see steady, sustained and clean gains that don’t come on suddenly nor disappear suddenly. For best results Deca should be used for at least 8 weeks where you give the steroid enough time to deliver what it’s capable of.
Does Deca-Durabolin cause water retention?
Deca can cause some rise in estrogen levels and this can lead to some water retention and associated raise in blood pressure. Using a moderate dose of Deca and keeping a quality diet will help you control water retention and bloating, as well using a good anti-estrogen medication, with SERMs such as Nolvadex being an ideal choice because of its more cholesterol friendly impact compared with aromatase inhibitor drugs.
Is Nandrolone Decanoate the same as Deca-Durabolin?
Yes. Nandrolone decanoate is a Nandrolone compound and is the chemical name of Deca-Durabolin. There are other Nandrolone compounds, like Nandrolone Phenylpropionate (NPP) which is much faster acting but shorter lived than Nandrolone decanoate. While the phenylpropionate is used by some people, the most widely used form of Nandrolone is still Nandrolone Decanoate (Deca-Durabolin).
Where do you inject Nandrolone Decanoate?
Deca-Durabolin is an intramuscular injection and the most common sites for injecting at the large muscles in the buttock, upper thigh or upper arm.
The good news for those of us who are not enthusiastic about regular injections is that you can get away with a once weekly injection of Deca, although if you’re taking a higher dosage some people prefer to split it into two injections per week to reduce the amount in each injection.
How long should you cycle Deca?
This depends what your purpose is. Most people use it for bulking, but some also for cutting. A common moderate bulking Deca-Durabolin cycle stacked with other compounds like Testosterone Enanthate and Dianabol would see Deca used for the first 10 weeks of a 12 week cycle. This allows you to start PCT soon after the end of the entire cycle, while the effects of Deca are still running their course in conjunction with testosterone and other compounds.
Can you drink alcohol when on Deca?
Drinking alcohol when you’re using any steroids – and even when you’re not – is never recommended. Not only is it a great way to have your gains go backwards, but will also cause more stress to the liver. Even though Nandrolone decanoate is not known to be liver toxic, many other steroids are and since you’ll likely be using other steroids in your cycle it’s simply safer to avoid alcohol completely.
Can you stack Deca?
Deca can be stacked with other steroids as long as you’re educated about the effects on natural hormone function. When done properly, Deca works well when stacked with other compounds such as the fast acting Anadrol, and is very commonly stacked with Dianabol. Above all, a basic stack of Testosterone and Deca is considered almost essential if you want to mitigate the suppression of natural testosterone that occurs. Any form of testosterone stacks well with Deca including the most common esters and Sustanon 250.
My Conclusion and Recommendation
Deca is well known for its power in stimulating massive gains in lean muscle mass. This is the most common use of this steroid for bodybuilders, and even more so because the gains with Deca are known to be of high quality without the severe water retention that is so often seen with other steroids. Experienced users also use Deca for cutting because of its ability to retain muscle tissue.