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Equipoise is the popular brand
name for the veterinary injectable steroid boldenone undecylenate.
It is a derivative of testosterone, which exhibits strong anabolic
and moderately androgenic properties. The undecylenate ester
greatly extends the activity of the drug (the undecylenate ester
is only one carbon atom longer than decanoate), so that clinically
injections would need to be repeated every three or four weeks. In
the veterinary feild Equipoise is most commonly used on horses,
exhibiting a pronounced effect on lean bodyweight, appetite and
general disposition of the animal. As with all steroids, this
compound shows a marked ability for increasing red blood cell
production. In recent years this compound has become a favorite
among athletes. Many consider it an ideal replacement to
Deca Durabolin.
The side effects of Equipoise are generally mild. The structure of
boldenone does allow it to convert into estrogen, but it does not
have an extremely high affinity to do so. If we look at
aromatization studies, they suggest that its rate of estrogen
conversion should be about half that of testosterone's. Water
retention with this drug would therefore be slightly higher than
that with
Deca Durabolin
(with an estimated 20% conversion), but much less than we would
find with a stronger compound as Testosterone. While there is
still a chance of encountering an estrogen related side effect as
such when using Equipoise, problems are usually not encountered at
a moderate dosage level. Gynecomastia might become a problem, but
usually only with very sensitive individuals or (again) with those
using higher dosages. If estrogenic effects become a problem, the
addition of Nolvadex should of
course make the cycle more tolerable. An anti-aromatase such as
Arimidex would be a stronger
option, however probably not necessary with such a mild drug.
Although typically dosage related, Equipoise can also produce
distinct androgenic side effects. Oily skin, acne, increased
aggression and hair loss are all possible with this compound.
Women find this drug quite comfortable, virilization symptoms
usually unheard of when taken at low doses. Boldenone does reduce
to a more potent androgen (dihydroboldenone) via the 5alpha
reductase enzyme (which produces DHT from testosterone), however
its affinity for this interaction in the human body is low to
nonexistent. Therefore the reductase inhibitor
Proscar would not be of much use
with Equipoise, as it would be blocking what is at best an
insignificant path of metabolism for the steroid. Although this
drug is relatively mild, it still has a depressive effect on
endogenous testosterone levels, therefore a proper post cycle
therapy HCG and
Clomid/Nolvadex
is needed at the conclusion of each cycle to avoid a "crash". A
waiting time of around 3 weeks is required before starting PCT,
enabling enough of the drug to clear one's system to make PCT
effective.
In order to maintain stable blood levels, Equipoise should be
injected at least once per week. It is most commonly used at a
dosage of 400-600mg per week for men, 50-150 mg per week for
women.
Equipoise is not a rapid mass builder, but will provide a slow but
steady gain of strength and quality muscle mass. The most positive
effects of this drug are seen when it is used for longer cycles,
usually lasting at least 10 weeks in length. The muscle gained
should not be the smooth bulk seen with androgens, but instead a
very defined and solid look. Since water bloat is not contributing
greatly to the diameter of the muscle, much of the size gained on
a cycle of Equipoise can be retained after the drug has been
discontinued. It is interesting to note that structurally
Equipoise and the classic bulking drug
Dianabol are almost identical. In the case of Equipoise
the compound uses a l7beta ester (undecylenate), while Dianabol is
17 alpha alkylated. Aside from that difference, the drugs are
basically the same. Of course they act quite differently in the
body, which goes to show the 17-methylation effects more than just
the oral efficancy of a steroid.
As discussed earlier, Equipoise is a very versatile compound. We
can create a number of drug combinations with it depending on the
desired result. For mass, one may want to stack it with
Anadrol or an injectable
testosterone. The result should be an incredible gain of muscle
size and strength, without the same intensity of side effects if
using the androgen (at a higher dose) alone. When used in a
cutting cycle, muscle hardness and density can be greatly improved
when combining Equipoise with a non-aromatizable steroid such as
trenbolone acetate,
Halotestin, or
Winstrol. For some however, even
the low buildup of estrogen associated with this compound is
enough to relegate its use to bulking cycles only.
Equipoise is not an ideal steroid for the drug tested athlete
however. This drug has the tendency to produce detectable
metabolites in the urine months after use, a worry most commonly
associated with
Deca Durabolin.
This is of course due to the high oil solubility of long chain
esterified injectable steroids, a property which enables the drug
to remain deposited in fatty tissues for extended periods of time.
While this will reliably slow the release of steroid into the
blood stream, it also allows small residual amounts to remain
present in the body far after the initial injection. The release
of stubborn stores of hormone would no doubt also be enhanced
around contest time, a period when the athlete drastically
attempts to mobilize unwanted body fat. If enough were used in the
off-season, the athlete may actually fail a drug screen for
boldenone although many months may have past since the drug was
last injected
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