Equipoise
(boldenone undecylenate)
Equipoise Steroid Profile
Boldenone Undeclynate
(1,4-androstadiene-3-one,1 7b-ol)
Molecular Weight(base): 286.4132
Molecular Weight (ester): 186.2936
Formula (base): C19H26O2
Manufacturer: Various
Effective Dose (Men): 200-600mgs/week
Effective Dose (Women): 50-100mgs/week
Active life: 15 days
Detection Time: Up to 5 months
Anabolic/ Androgenic ratio: 100:50
Equipoise was actually created while
attempting to make a product which would be be a long acting injectable d-bol (Methandrostenolone).
What was actually created was a product which, in the real world acts nothing
like D-bol, despite its similarity to it chemically. A simple way to think of Equipoise, chemically
at least, is simply as Dianabol without the 17-alpha-methyl group (thats the thing
which makes D-bol able to be ingested orally and not be destroyed by your
liver). However, having had first hand experience with both Equipoise as well
as D-bol, I can tell you that the results from each are vastly different.
To make Equipoise, a double bond was added
between carbon atoms 1 and 2 of the Steran Nucleus of Testosterone.
What does this mean? Well, first of all, since Equipoise was created by one
simple modification in the testosterone molecule, you could rightly suspect
that it shares many similarities with it. Equipoise is just as anabolic as
testosterone (as you can tell by its anabolic rating above), but only half as
androgenic. Those ratings can be quite deceiving though, as I dont know anyone
who would claim that you can gain as much weight on Equipoise as you can gain
on an equal amount of testosterone (even though strength gains from the two
compounds are very similar).
Its not very common to compare Equipoise to
testosterone; however& a far more common comparison is between Equipoise
and Deca. I
suspect this is because when Dan Duchaine introduced this compound to the
steroid using community, he made an immediate comparison to Deca, speculating
that it would act similarly to Deca but like a much stronger version of it.
Equipoise doesnt actually act much like deca at all; Deca is actually a
progestin and a 19-nor derived steroid whereas Equipoise is more closely
related to testosterone (being only one double bond differ rent). Duchaine
later rescinded his original statement on Equipoise and said that it was
disappointing as a mass builder when compared with deca, but a far better drug
than for both strength gains and vascularity. Unfortunately, the myth that
Equipoises action is similar to Decas has persisted for nearly 2 decades after
he revised his opinion; this is most evident on internet message boards today,
where many will advise against including both of them in a cycle because "they
act the same way."
The 1-2 double bond that Equipoise has is
responsible for many of its characteristics. First of all, it acts to slow
aromatization (conversion into estrogen). The best estimate is that it does so
at roughly half the rate of testosterone (1). This is the best number Ive found
in studies. Athletes almost never report estrogenic side effects with
Equipoise, even when the dose is up to a gram per week. Side effects caused by
estrogen include oily skin, acne, and gynocomastia, and as I said, those are
usually not found from Equipoise. Virilization (development of male sexual
characteristics in women) is almost never seen with this compound, when
reasonable doses are used by female athletes. This is one of the few injectable
compounds which could be successfully be used by female athletes and
bodybuilders, and isnt often faked.
Clinical Equipoise and Athletes
That double bond is also responsible for
Equipoises resistance for being changed by the 5- 5-Alpha-reductase enzyme
(2)(3). This enzyme converts a small amount of Boldenone into Dihydroboldenone,
which is a very potent androgen (7x as anabolic as testosterone)(4). As I said
though, such a small amount of it is converted that its really of no concern to
most athletes taking Equipoise. This factor, plus its low aromatization rate
mean athletes dont need to consider using ancillaries with Equipoise.
Athletes taking Equipoise often report a slow and
constant buildup of quality muscle, and certainly this has been my experience
with the drug. I would speculate that this slow buildup of muscle is due to the
very long ester attached to the Boldenone; Undeclynate is a longer ester than
the decanoate ester by one carbon. Thus, we could expect the accumulation of
muscle from Equipoise to actually occur at a slightly slower rate than that
found with Deca (nandrolone decanoate). This leads me to advise that if you are
considering the use of Equipoise, you should consider using it for no less than
12 weeks. Equipoise, like deca, is also detectable in your system for a long
time (although it is substantially less than decas detection time).
Strangely, shorter estered versions of Boldenone
are available as well. Anecdotally, many people (and manufacturers) claim that
this produces less water retention...but water retention from Equipoise is
virtually unheard of, so I consider this to be a silly idea.
An informal poll I took on Steroid.com (as well
as with my friends) seems to put the ideal dose of Equipoise at 600mgs/week.
Most people I asked about their Equipoise experience with Equipoise seemed to
think that using over 600mgs/week produced no additional results, but the jump
from 400mgs/week to 600mgs/week produced noticeable additional gains, and thus
was warranted. I have personally found very nice results from
400mgs-600mgs/week myself.
Equipoise Side Effects
One of the most pronounced effects in Equipoise
is its ability to raise your RBCs (red blood cells). This is very typical of
anabolic steroids; however, Equipoise would appear to do it to a slightly
greater degree than most. One of the other effects most Equipoise users report
is an increased appetite. I can say that this is true of me, also; this factor
makes it impossible for me to diet on it. Its because of this ability to
increase appetite that many will include Equipoise in a mass cycle, and its for
the quality of muscle gained on it that many will include it in a cutting
cycle. Its probably the most versatile injectable compound, next to
testosterone. People even use a low dosed version of Equipoise to blend with
irritating injectable drugs suck as testosterone suspension or Propionate.
Im thinking of the old Ganabol version which was dosed at 50mgs/ml, here... its
not that Equipoise is especially good to cut other steroids with, but the low
dose and cost of Ganabol made it ideal to do this with, when sterile oil wasnt
available or desirable. This low dosed version was also very popular with
women, who were comfortable shooting 1cc of this stuff every few days or every
week.
Equipoise will cause a suppression of your
hormones, such as endogenous testosterone, so I would also recommend using
injectable testosterone in any cycle containing it. Failure to do so could
result in possible sexual dysfunction and other sides.
Buy Equipoise
Finally, when you buy equipoise, one of the best
parts of Equipoise is its low price and high availability. Equipoise is
produced by most Underground Labs at very reasonable prices. You shouldnt be
paying more than $50 for a 10cc bottle dosed at 200mgs/ml, and that price is
true of Mexican veterinary products and underground labs alike.
Id have to say that due to its incredible
versatility, availability, and low price, Equipoise is going to be a staple in
many cycles for a long time.
References:
- Endocrinology 71 (1962) 920-25
- Metabolism of boldenone in man: gas chromatographic/mass
spectrometric identification of urinary excreted metabolites and
determination of excretion rates. Biol Mass Spectrom. 1992 Jan;21(1):3-16.
- Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of boldenone
urinary metabolites in man. Yao Xue Xue Bao. 1991;26(5):362-6. Chinese.
Erratum in: Yao Hsueh Hsueh Pao 1991;26(9):687.
- Counsel et al., "Anabolic Agents. Derivatives of
5alpha-Androst-1-ene", J. Org. Chem., 27 (1962), 248-251
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