Stanozolol is by far one of the most popular anabolic steroids of all time; in fact, it is one of the few steroids a non-steroid user might be able to name. This is an anabolic steroid that has gained worldwide media attention numerous times. It was the Stanozolol hormone that made headlines during the 1988 Olympics when Ben Johnson was stripped of his medal, and has been linked to the MLB more times than can be counted. Stanozolol is one of the oldest anabolic steroids we have in existence. While far from the oldest it does date back to the 1950’s. The Stanozolol hormone was first developed by Winthrop Laboratories under the trade name Winstrol. The Stanozolol hormone has since been found under numerous brand names across the globe, but the Winstrol name has remained the most popular and well recognized. A long standing favorite among athletes and bodybuilders, Stanozolol has also held a significant amount of success in the medical community and is still used fairly regularly today. As with many anabolic steroids Stanozolol is used to treat muscle wasting diseases, burn victims, over exposure to corticosteroids and osteoporosis. It has also been used to aid in healing bone fractures and has even been successfully used in obesity treatment when hormone imbalances exist. Specific forms of breast cancer, treating angioedema and even certain forms of delayed growth treatment in children have all proven successful. And unlike many anabolic steroids in the U.S. Stanozolol has never lost its FDA approval.
Stanozolol is a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) based anabolic steroid. Specifically, Stanozolol is a structurally altered form of the DHT hormone, two specific changes to DHT that give us Stanozolol. The first modification is the addition of an attached pyrazol group at the A-ring in place of the 3-keto group. This makes Stanozolol a heterocyclic steroid. The second change is the addition of a methyl group. This change takes places at the 17th carbon position and puts Stanozolol into the 17-alpha alkylated (C17-aa) category. The structural changes made to DHT that give us Stanozolol reduce the hormone’s androgenicity dramatically and greatly increase its anabolic activity. Stanozolol carries an Anabolic Rating of 320 and an Androgenic Rating of 20 and real life use will match up to these structural ratings very well.
The functions and traits of Stanozolol are numerous and can be best understood by looking at each one individually:
[1] Reduction of SHBG: Stanozolol has the ability to significantly reduce Sex-Hormone-Binding-Globulin (SHGB). In fact, data has shown Stanozolol can reduce SHBG by as much as 50% making it one of the most effective medications available for such a function. SHBG is one of the primary factors that determine how much testosterone in the body is free or bound; higher SHBG means less free testosterone, which represents our active and usable testosterone. When SHBG is lowered more testosterone is available for use. Equally important for the steroid user is that other steroids that may be used are more effective when SHBG is lower. [2] Protein Synthesis: Protein synthesis refers to the rate in which cells build proteins, the building block of muscle tissue. With Stanozolol the rate of protein synthesis is increased. [3] Nitrogen Retention: All muscle tissue is comprised of 16% nitrogen and when adequate amounts are not retained we enter into a catabolic (muscle wasting) state. Higher rates of nitrogen retention results in a greater anabolic (muscle building) state. [4] Red Blood Cells: Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen through the blood. Stanozolol will increase red blood cell count resulting in greater oxygen flow and thereby enhanced muscular endurance. [5] Glucocorticoids: Glucocorticoids (stress hormones) often referred to as muscle wasting hormones (cortisol is the most well known) promote fat gain and muscle loss. Stanozolol inhibits glucocorticoids. It will not remove all from your body and you do need some for health reasons, but too much can be problematic. The reduction in glucocorticoids by Stanozolol is not as significant as many other anabolic steroids, but it’s still a trait the steroid possesses. Effects of Stanozolol Stanozolol is not an anabolic steroid most would label as a “bulking steroid” despite it being used to combat muscle wasting diseases. For the athlete that’s looking to bulk this isn’t a great choice. Some athletes will use it in an off-season bulking phase for the strong reduction in SHBG it can bring so that other hormones are more effective, but this isn’t a very smart practice. Stanozolol isn’t what we’d call the most dangerous steroid by any means, but it’s not the most side effect friendly either. Use is best saved for when the hormone will provide the most advantages. Important Note: Female off-season use can be more effective than male off-season use as women are more sensitive to the hormone and can get more out of it. However, there are better off-season options for most women and they too will find it better saved for other periods of use. It’s hard to say if cutting or athletic use is the best use for Stanozolol as it can be very effective for both. This is a steroid that has the ability to significantly increase strength and without a lot of weight gain. This makes it an excellent steroid for many athletes. Strength doesn’t just mean power but can mean both power and speed, and power and speed is the name of the game for many athletes. Stanozolol has also been shown to have a positive impact on tendon strength as well as bone strength (remember it’s used to treat osteoporosis). There are those who complain about achy joints when using Stanozolol and some say those in explosive sports shouldn’t use it for that reason, but proper training, a proper diet and supplementation plan and proper use make this a very easy issue to avoid. If it were such a severe issue this wouldn’t be a steroid that has been and is continually found in nearly every sport across the globe. Important Note: The joint pain sometimes associated with Stanozolol is most commonly by those who use it in a cutting cycle, particularly bodybuilders and hardcore gym rats. The steroid will most often show up in a cutting cycle at the end of the cycle when the individual is already lean and dryer than normal. When we’re extremely lean and dry it’s not uncommon for our joints to ache, especially when we’re training vigorously. Some bodybuilders and some athletes will use a low dose of Nandrolone to help combat the achy joints during this phase. We’re then left with cutting use itself. Stanozolol is one of the best choices for a cutting cycle as it will produce a harder and more defined look. This look will not appear if you’re not already lean but will make a lean physique look even better. It’s also a great item for preserving strength that’s often lost when hard dieting is at hand. Hard dieting that is necessarily accompanied by low caloric intake will often result in strength loss and Stanozolol can help reduce this loss. It’s also a great steroid for preserving lean mass that is often lost for the same reasons strength is diminished. We cannot say Stanozolol is the best steroid for this purpose, but it plays a part and is a welcomed addition to an overall cutting plan.