Winstrol (Stanozolol)

It’s not too difficult to see the appeal behind Winstrol.

It’s one hell of a compound. Gives you fast results. Makes you look shredded as a bone.

And it’s an oral. At least most of the people that we know veer towards oral Winny rather than opting for the depot version.

It was a large part of our early day steroid experiments. We don’t use it anymore. That’s because it gives us unbearable muscle cramps and yes, it’s not forgiving on our hairline either.

But that doesn’t mean that you cannot use Winstrol.

In fact, Winstrol can be used for a terrific body recomposition steroid cycle. It also has its place in a cutting and a bulking stack provided that you know the effects and some of the sides that it can cause.

If you were always intrigued by the ‘Winny’ fascination that a lot of competitive bodybuilders share, then here’s the lowdown on one of the most popular oral steroids of all times.

What is Winstrol?

Winstrol is a DHT-derived anabolic steroid that has gained popularity as a finishing compound due to the drying effect that it has on your muscles.

Bodybuilders typically add it to the end of a cycle for contest prep as it makes the muscle appear hard and striated as opposed to wet and full.

Winstrol is also quite popular in the athletic community due to its ability to promote remarkable strength gains without causing a dramatic increase in weight.

Apart from Ben Johnson, who undoubtedly earns the distinction of being the most infamous athlete to be caught doping with Winny, it has also been used more recently by MMA fighters who seek more strength and a bit of muscle hardness than size.

That’s actually surprising considering that Winny can mess with your joints and ligaments pretty bad no matter how many supps you pop.

We’ll touch on that in a bit.

Maybe it’s the added aggression that makes Winny a favorite with MMA fighters. They looked ripped, swole and absolutely bad ass with the aggression to boot.

What are the results that you can get with Winstrol?

Winstrol has all the properties of a typical DHT derived anabolic steroid. It has a rating of 200 on the anabolic scale and just 20 on the androgenic one.

The Anabolic rating is just about perfect when you compare the achievable results. The androgenic rating can be quite misleading.

Winny can be severe on anyone who’s predisposed to those sides and even on people who aren’t.

For now, here are the results that you can get with Winstrol.

Lean muscle:

Winstrol increases nitrogen retention, boosts protein synthesis and suppresses corticosteroid hormones. A combination that should allow you to gain a reasonable amount of lean muscle in a bulking cycle. But it is not a steroid that is renowned for promoting muscle growth. Instead, it is often used in a cutting cycle to prevent muscle loss.

SHBG:

Winstrol is one of the most potent compounds that you can use to increase the levels of SHBG. An increase in SHBG not only increases the amount of free testosterone in your body, it may also amplify the effects of other anabolic steroids.

Strength:

One of the most remarkable properties of Winstrol is to increase strength and this has made it a favorite with non-competitive athletes. It can make you stronger and faster in just about anything that you do. Having said that, it has one of the longest detection times among steroids. So you can test positive for Winny even 6 months after your last dose.

What are the side effects of Winstrol?

Winstrol is one of the easiest anabolic steroids to understand. Which means that the side effects that it can cause are easily manageable.

But it also depends on the dosage and the duration of the cycle. Run it at higher than recommended doses and it will cause some serious side effects.

Ditto with the duration.

Shut Down:

Winstrol will shut your natural testosterone production down. That’s why, just like other orals, it is highly recommended that you use it with a test base.

Hepatotoxicity:

Winstrol is a 17C-AA anabolic steroid, which means that it is a methylated oral steroid that needs to bypass the liver to be available for absorption. This makes it liver toxic. That’s irrespective of whether you use the oral or the injectable. Both are 17C-AA and both are liver toxic.

Winstrol is a 17C-AA anabolic steroid, which means that it is a methylated oral steroid that needs to bypass the liver to be available for absorption. This makes it liver toxic. That’s irrespective of whether you use the oral or the injectable. Both are 17C-AA and both are liver toxic.

Lipids:

Winstrol reduces HDL (good cholesterol) levels and increases LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. If you have poor cardiovascular health, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t even be touching this steroid. But if you are healthy enough, you can use this with a decent amount of supplementation with Omega fatty acids and by including cardiovascular exercises. This brings us to the next side effect.

Joint aches:

Winstrol is great for the bones and it also has a positive effect on tendons. But surprisingly, it triggers joint pains in a lot of athletes (including us) which contradicts its properties as a steroid. A lot of experts believe that it is the diuretic effect of the drug that causes the joint pain and as a result, many athletes stack Winstrol with a low dose of Deca Durabolin. Gives you all the positives of Winny and keeps your joints buttery smooth.

Androgenic & Estrogenic:

Winstrol does not aromatize and the chances of it causing bitch tits are close to none. It has a very low androgenic rating as well and we know people who can use it at obscenely high doses with zero problems. But if you are genetically predisposed to androgenic side effects, then it can cause the worst of them.

Winstrol vs. Anavar

That depends on what you are trying to achieve and your tolerance level to the side effects.

If you are looking at minimal sides, some muscle hardening and some vascularity, then Anavar with Test will be a good stack for you.

But if you are looking for huge strength gains, a lot of aggression and competition-grade muscle hardness, then there’s no substitute for Winny.

Just ensure that you are aware of the sides and how to mitigate them.                                                                                                                                          

Oral vs. Injectable Winstrol

Winstrol is available in a water-based milky white injection as well as an oil based one.

The water-based ones are painful as hell and are prone to cause infections at the injection sites. Not recommended unless you have a mysterious fascination towards painful injections.

Oil based ones are okay. But there’s very little difference in the results achievable with an injectable and an oral version of Winstrol.