Anabolic steroids are substances used to improve athletes’ physical performance and bodybuilders’ appearance. We must know their operation, effects, and contraindications to use them correctly. You have to assess whether it is worth putting your health at stake concerning the benefits you will obtain.
Therefore, in this article, the doses, forms of consumption, effects on performance, and side effects are analyzed in detail. We also mention where you can buy steroids in South Africa.
Androgens
Androgens are a group of hormones that affect various body parts: sexual organs, bone, hair, skin, liver, and kidneys, among others. The most abundant and well-known androgen is testosterone. The androgenic effects of these hormones in the youth or adults define masculine aspects: distribution of hair and fat, deep voice, and, in the nervous system, libido and general masculine behavior. The anabolic aspects have an effect on muscle and bone growth.
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The glands that secrete androgens are the testicles, ovaries, and adrenal glands. Each organ produces different androgens in different amounts but is equally active in both men and women. The testicles secrete 95% of the body’s testosterone. The ovaries and adrenals produce little testosterone but secrete other weaker androgens, such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione. In the female, these hormones are converted in the receptor tissue to more potent androgens.
All androgens are derivatives of steroids and cholesterol-based lipids. Testosterone and the other molecules we will study are anabolic steroids with small variations. As a curiosity, vitamin D, bile salts, cortisol and cortisone, and estrogens (female hormones) are steroids.
Metabolic effect of anabolic steroids
Anabolic steroids cross the cell membrane easily because they are both lipids. Once inside, the effects of androgens are produced by binding to special receptors inside target (sensitive) cells. The binding occurs within the cytoplasm, the fluid between the membrane and the cell’s nucleus. Once the steroid is bound to its receptor, it goes to the nucleus, regulating gene expression.
If testosterone, for example, reaches the muscle fibers, it binds to its receptor and changes the expression of the genes so that more proteins of the contractile apparatus are produced. Muscle anabolism is being favored, and more actins and myosins are manufactured.
Enzymes adjust this effect within the cells. Testosterone, in the sexual organs, by the effect of 5alpha-reductase, is converted into 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, which is a much more potent androgen. In muscle, however, the growth action is produced directly by testosterone.
In adipose tissue and due to the effect of aromatase, testosterone is converted into Oestradiol, an estrogen that causes feminization. In short, the effect of androgens is regulated by different hormones.
- Testosterone + 5alpha-reductase -> 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (greater effect)
- Testosterone + aromatase -> oestradiol (less effect)
Use of anabolics to improve sports performance
According to recent studies, the short-term improvement in physical performance is 5 to 20% of strength and 2 to 5 kilos of body weight, almost entirely lean mass. No performance improvements have been detected in endurance activities.
Studies that analyze the results of athletes who have taken steroids for years are few. The increase in the median area of type-I and type-II fibers and the increase in myonuclei are the most well-proven.
The myonuclei are satellite muscle fiber cells integrated into the fiber when it increases in size, which is why they are necessary for hypertrophy. An increase in the excitation frequency of the fibers has also been detected, demonstrating that there is an increase in the myosin-heavy chain.
Steroid-assisted athletes have greater lean mass and a 15% increase in mean fiber size. This has been shown in both type-I and type-II fibers. The highest number of myonuclei was detected in type-I fibers.
No differences were detected when a relationship was made between the increase in the number of myonuclei and the increase in the diameter of the muscle fiber (normal data due to the function of the myonuclei). The same can be said of the number of nuclei within the fiber (remember that muscle fibers are polynucleated). Testosterone administration improves lean mass, strength, and power but not endurance or fatigability.
Anabolic steroids and training
Everything said about steroids depends on the training and diet being carried out perfectly. An athlete who does not train will not achieve the effects of steroids we are discussing. The anabolic effect is a muscle-building effect. This construction is made with base materials that are amino acids and energy. This process is recovery and overcompensation, known as General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), and the anabolic helps that process.
If there is no training, there is no muscle breakdown, and there is no recovery, and anabolics are useless. In other words, the pejorative aspect that athletes who dope take the easy route must have a nuance: The athlete who takes anabolics does so to train with more intensity and to recover better. The bodybuilder has a developed body because he trains more than anyone else. The cyclist who supports a race like the Tour is the one who has worked the most during the season, with help, it is true, but with a lot of work. We must at least acknowledge this.
Conclusion
As discussed in the article, there are various use and effect of anabolic steroids. Thus, a challenge users face with this drug is where and how to acquire the injectables. However, in order to curb this challenge, we have researched a store where you can buy steroids in South Africa. In addition, you can find SARMs for sale here in every form you wish to purchase.
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