What Are Steroids? How Steroids Work In Your Body?

Bodybuilding and fitness activities are a good mix of pleasure and health. If you’re having such hobby, I can boldly say you are a confident and motivated person. Sometimes your hobby can inspire you so much that you will feel a desire to reach greater results.

What are steroids?

Steroids are playing an important part in bodybuilding. This theme should be taken seriously and it requires prudent approach. The results for male and female bodybuilders should meet their expectations. And at the same time, everyone wants to remain healthy. In this article, I am going to provide you with a strong basic knowledge so that you could begin taking the first steps in choosing the steroids for yourself.

AAS stands for "Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids". They are pharmacological compounds that imitate the male sex hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. High level of natural or synthetic anabolic steroids in the body stimulates protein synthesis and muscle cells growth. Androgens or steroid hormones are responsible for the development and maintenance of male characteristics in the body.

The secondary sex characteristics in men and women are developing by testosterone androgen. Usually, women have smaller amounts of androgens in the body.

Testosterone has two main effects on a body: Anabolic and Androgenic effects

Anabolic effects increase protein synthesis and promote the growth of muscle fibers. Androgenic effects are responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men. Exactly due to androgenic steroids activity our body experiences the side effects. Relationship of anabolic and androgenic activity is the main indicator of anabolic steroid ability in increasing muscle mass.

With this purpose were made some testosterone experiments on animals. Researchers were comparing the effect of different steroids. As a result, they formed a concept of the steroid Anabolic and Androgenic index (the ratio of anabolic and androgenic activity). Testosterone serves as a key element for determining of anabolic steroid and androgen relationship.

What is anabolic and androgenic index?

It is tempting to conclude if you want to achieve maximum results in muscle building, than you need to use the steroid with the lowest androgen activity. But that is not true. There is a direct connection between the anabolic and androgenic activity. And the higher index of androgenic steroid, the higher its anabolic activity.

Based on that, we can conclude that the more effective anabolic steroid, the larger number of side effects it has. You can use Anabolic steroids in injectable and oral forms. Injectable steroids are more effective and devoid of side effects on the liver unlike the oral form of anabolic steroids. That is why even such effective steroid as Dianabol, which has been used for a long time only orally in pills/tablets, now is produced in injection compounds.

Effects of steroids

All anabolic steroids have a different structure and affecting the body differently. Some of them make muscles drier. Other steroids cause the opposite result and retain water in the body. If you are properly selecting the right doses of an anabolic steroid, then you will minimize the number of side effects. When a bodybuilder is taking a larger amount of steroids, it can cause an overdose. It works this way: the surplus hormone will transfer to women sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. But it can be avoided by using certain products which are blocking that process.

When anabolic steroid has high androgenic activity, then it is mainly containing a synthetic form of dihydrotestosterone. In a case of consuming excessive doses of the dihydrotestosterone, it will be converted to progesterone. When anabolic steroid having high anabolic activity, then it’s containing mostly a synthetic form of testosterone. And it will be converted to estrogen, it happens in the case of excessive doses.

Anabolic steroids in cycles

The time frame of the cycle is determined by:

• your experience as an athlete;
• the impact of the steroids on your body;
• proper products you are using for blocking the side effects.

I have offered the information in this article for general guidance only. I'll be fleshing out in other articles:

• classification of anabolic steroids;
• the correct construction and combination of cycles to be implemented effectively.

You need to remember!

Anabolic steroids have high power to affect your body. And the results are depending on your genetics, nutrition, workouts, and a lifestyle.