Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in humans and other vertebrates. In humans and other mammals, testosterone is secreted primarily by the testicles of males and, to a lesser extent, the ovaries of females. Small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.
In men, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as the testis and prostate as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle, bone mass, and the growth of body hair.
In addition, testosterone is essential for health and well-being
as well as the prevention of osteoporosis.
On average, in adult males, levels of testosterone are about 7–8 times as great as in adult females,
but, as the metabolic consumption of testosterone in males is greater, the daily production is about 20 times greater in men.
Females are also more sensitive to the hormone.
Testosterone is observed in most vertebrates. Fish make a slightly different form called 11-ketotestosterone.
Its counterpart in insects is ecdysone.
These ubiquitous steroids suggest that sex hormones have an ancient evolutionary history
Testosterone Injection
As it pertains to a testosterone injection a common question often revolves around the dosage. If you’re new to anabolic steroids
this can be a little confusing, after all, there are multiple forms of
testosterone each dosed in its own unique way. Even for the seasoned
individual who is accustomed to a regular injection of testosterone is
often misguided in his methods especially when it comes to dosing; we
can largely thank the multitude of bad information floating around the
web for this problem. To be frank, there isn’t a set one size-fits-all
dose that will meet everyone’s needs but we can establish guidelines and
parameters to follow.
Testosterone Injection for HRT:
For the individual who has been prescribed hormone replacement
therapy (HRT) if he receives a regular testosterone injection as part of
this treatment, generally 250mg will be the max dose given, although a
dose of 100mg-200mg every 7-14 days is a far more common testosterone
injection for the HRT patient. In the U.S. users will generally be
prescribed testosterone-cypionate or testosterone-propionate and the
total injection dose will be based on the milligrams provided by the
particular testosterone being used taking into account the half-life and
then determining total dosing levels to meet this person’s needs. For
example, if an individual is prescribed a dose of 200mg every two weeks
one testosterone injection of Cypionate every two weeks is all that is
needed. If the individual is prescribed testosterone-propionate at the
same dosing level, 200mg every two weeks, he would need to inject
approximately 50mg every 3-4 days.
You and your physician will determine what is best for you. Although
one bi-weekly injection is far more appealing some individuals will be
able to maintain a more stable level with frequent doses of testosterone
at a lower level making more frequent injections needed.
Testosterone Injection for the Performance Enhancer:
For the performance enhancer a testosterone injection will need to
far surpass HRT levels if we are to reach performance enhancing levels.
The idea behind HRT is to simply increase testosterone levels in a
manner that returns them to normal. For the performance enhancer the
idea is to go beyond normal, to give our body an amount of testosterone
it is incapable of producing beyond natural levels. This type of
testosterone dosing is commonly referred to as a Supraphysiological dose
and for most this will fall in the 400mg-500mg per week range at a
minimum. Much less and you won’t see any true gains or benefit.
For the novice or first time anabolic steroid
user, a weekly testosterone injection of 400mg-500mg per week is a fine
starting point. If you’re using testosterone-cypionate you will find
the drug to be dosed at 200mg/ml meaning 2cc or 2ml of the testosterone
will give you 400mg; you can inject all 400mg once per week or split it
into two even 200mg doses approximately every 3-4 days. If you’re using
testosterone-enanthate you will find the drug to be dosed at 250mg/ml
meaning 2cc or 2ml of the testosterone will give you 500mg; you can
inject all 500mg once per week or split it into two even 250mg doses
approximately every 3-4 days.
Many performance enhancers eventually far surpass this 400mg-500mg
per week level but just as many find this to be a very comfortable and
relatively safe dose and never find a reason to increase the dosing
levels. Keep in mind, the higher the dose is the greater the risk. The
reward of a higher dosed testosterone injection may indeed be very great
but the odds of unwanted side-effects have also increased; there is a
risk to reward ratio and only you can weigh and judge if the risk is
worth it. It is important to note, if other anabolic steroids
are being stacked with your regular testosterone injection, again, the
risk to reward ratio increases yet even more. If you are a performance
enhancer be certain you keep an eye on your health; have blood work done
regularly as well a regular scheduled physicals. If you do reach the
point where you wish to try very high doses, your eye on your health
will need to be even more prevalent.
Testosterone injections are the most common of all
performance enhancing drug (PED) administrations. In many cases,
testosterone is the only PED used by many performance athletes, as it is
not only highly effective but one of the most well-tolerated PED’s in
healthy adult men.
Testosterone injections are very
easy to perform, virtually painless and take all of about 30 seconds at
most. Of course, depending on the type of testosterone you use will
determine how frequently you need to inject, but this will not affect
the ease of use. Of course, many are petrified of
testosterone injections simply because they’re administering a PED. Let’s be clear, if you are a healthy adult male you have nothing to fear.
Types of Testosterone Injections
There are six common forms of testosterone used by performance
enhancers. Each one is comprised of the same active testosterone
hormone, but is unique based on the ester(s) attached, or in one case,
the lack thereof. We have listed the six common forms, the recommended
injection frequency for performance as well as a brief description:
-Common
Testosterone Injections:
| Form |
Administration Frequency |
Notes |
| Omnadren |
3x per week |
4 Ester Mixture:
Testosterone-Propionate (Small Ester)
Testosterone-Phenylpropionate (Small Ester)
Testosterone-Isocaproate (Moderate Ester)
Testosterone-Caproate (Large Ester) |
| Sustanon-250 |
3x per week |
4 Ester Mixture:
Testosterone-Propionate (Small Ester)
Testosterone-Phenylpropionate (Small Ester)
Testosterone-Isocaproate (Moderate Ester)
Testosterone-Decanoate (Very Large Ester) |
| Testosterone-Cypionate |
2x per week |
1 single Large Cypionate Ester |
| Testosterone-Enanthate |
2x per week |
1 single Large Enanthate Ester |
| Testosterone-Propionate |
Every Other Day |
1 single Small Propionate Ester |
| Testosterone-Suspension |
Every Day |
No Ester Attached – Pure Testosterone |
The Fear of Testosterone Injections
The fear is simple; testosterone is an anabolic steroid, it is the
primary anabolic steroid, and for your entire life you’ve been told to
fear anabolic steroids. It has been beaten into your head repeatedly in a
sense that almost compares anabolic steroids to tools of pure evil.
With this in mind, let’s be clear, let’s be very straightforward.
Testosterone is a hormone your body naturally produces. Of all the
hormones your body produces, testosterone is one of the most important;
many medical professionals have listed it as one of the most important
hormones in the human body. It is essential not only to our development,
especially men, but essential to our physical, mental and sexual
health, and this includes both men and women. For the healthy adult
male, the use of exogenous testosterone, even in supraphysiological
doses is often very well-tolerated. If you doubt this, please see the
NEJM study titled “The Effects of Supraphysiologic Doses of Testosterone
on Muscle Size and Strength in Normal Men.”
The point is simple, you have no need to fear
testosterone injections,
as this is a hormone your body is quite accustomed to; in-fact, it
craves it. Granted, while supraphysiological doses can be tolerated
there will be a cutoff point in each man. The higher the dose goes the
greater potential for adverse reactions, and while this is true,
unfortunately there is not a one size fits all answer as to where this
cutoff will occur. In the end, you must be responsible, listen to your
body, pay attention to your body and supplement with caution.
Where to Inject
Testosterone injections can be administered into
almost any major muscle in the body. Within each muscle group, often
there are multiple points that can be injected. For example, each
deltoid holds 3 spots where you may perform
testosterone injections.
We have provided a chart with each muscle that may be injected, the
number of spots in the muscle and where in the muscle to inject
regarding location:
| Muscle |
Injection Points |
Location |
| Biceps |
2 |
Center of each head |
| Triceps |
3 |
Center of each head |
| Deltoids |
3 |
Center of each head |
| Pectorals |
3 |
Inner-upper, Inner-lower, Outer-lower |
| Quads |
2 |
Center of teardrop or sweep |
| Glutes |
1 |
Upper outer area |
| Lats |
1 |
Center of each head |
| Traps |
1 |
Center of each head |
| Calves |
2 |
Center of each head |
Notes on Injection Locations
- These same sites used for testosterone injections can be used for any steroid.
· Traps and Calves should never be injected, they can be and that is
why we listed them, they can handle the injection but there are a lot of
nerves in those areas and you can really do damage if you’re not
careful.
· Glutes and Deltoids will be all most ever have to use.
