When we stay “steroid,” what we really mean is “anabolic steroid,” which is a man-made substance that has similar effects to testosterone in the body, including increased muscle growth and recovery, strength, and leanness.

Steroids accomplish this through various different mechanisms, but the net result is the same:protein synthesis rates are greatly increased or protein degradation rates are greatly reduced or both, which results in rapid muscle growth. The mechanisms whereby body fat levels are reduced or suppressed vary from drug to drug and aren’t worth diving into here, but just know that’s part of the “package” that steroids deliver.

While testosterone itself is the best known steroid, there are many others that are quite popular among athletes and bodybuilders, like…

• Nandrolone
• Stanozolol
• Trenbolone
• Oxandrolone
• Deca Durabolin
• Dianabol
• Methandrostenolone
• Boldenone
• Oxymetholone
• Drostanolone

Why so many different types of drugs, you wonder?

Because each have unique profiles in terms of potency, toxicity, side effects, and synergism. They, and others, are combined in various ways to create different types of steroid “cycles” for different purposes and goals.

For example, if you were a competitive bodybuilder and wanted to add 20 pounds of muscle in your off season, your steroid cycle is going to be very different than when you’re cutting for a show and need to reduce body fat while preserving muscle and increasing muscle fullness, dryness, hardness, and separation.