It never fails to amuse us when natties decide to switch over to steroids and the first compound that they can think of using is an oral.

Despite all the literature in the world that advises otherwise, they find lame ass reasons to somehow convince themselves that orals are the way to go about it.

Anavar is the most likely candidate that their research throws up.

It’s supposedly safer than most other steroids. It’s perfect for women, which means it doesn’t cause androgenic side effects.

Or at least doesn’t cause it to an extent that it can affect your normal life.

And it gives you dry, vascular gains. Something that even testosterone cannot provide you with.

Sounds like just the compound that you need to wet your toes in steroids.

Wouldn’t it be just amazing if you can do an Anavar cycle and end up with 10 lbs. of lean muscle?

The question that you need to ask yourself, is will you really gain 10 lbs. on Anavar?

Milligram by Milligram, Anavar is one of the weakest anabolic steroids in the world for any kind of performance enhancement.

That’s probably why it’s earned itself the ‘safe’ moniker. But weak doesn’t necessarily mean safe.

Today, we decode Anavar for you.

What is Anavar?

Anavar or Oxandrolone is an oral anabolic steroid that is derived from dihydrotestosterone.

It was one of the most widely used anabolic compounds in therapeutic settings because of its mild side effects and positive track record.

Anavar is extremely beneficial in increasing muscle mass in patients after a surgery or after prolonged exposure to corticosteroids. It has also been used for increasing bone density in osteoporosis patients.

However, since the US FDA ban, its use has been limited and a monopoly by one of the early manufacturers has driven the prices of the compound through the roof.

Today, despite there being a hundred different manufacturers offering generic Oxandrolone, the prices continue to be higher than that of any other anabolic steroid.

To give you some perspective, a single 5 mg pill of legitimate Anavar can cost as much as $2. Considering that the average dose for men is at least 40-50 mg/day, that’s $20 for the daily dose.

If you do an 8-12-week cycle, run the math.

What results can you get with Anavar?

Two structural modifications to the DHT hormone makes it more anabolic than testosterone with only 24% of the androgenicity.

Therein lies the appeal of the steroid with females. It can give you all the positives of an anabolic steroid with very little risk of the androgenic side effects like virilization.  

Here are some of the results that you can achieve with Anavar.

Lean Muscle:

Anavar prevents nitrogen depletion caused due to exercise and it improves protein synthesis. The combination of these two effects results in lean muscle gain. While its muscle building properties are nowhere as pronounced as those of other steroids, it still is an effective mass gaining steroid. Just that you need to have realistic expectations from it. If you were to run Anavar for 12-weeks, don’t expect to gain even half of what you’d gain from a testosterone cycle run for an equal duration.

Vascularity:

Anavar is one of the most underrated finishing compounds, a reputation that’s enjoyed by Winstrol and Masteron. It can increase your vascularity and provide a nice dry look to the wet gains that you’d make with Test or Deca. In fact, it’s popularity as a finishing compound has been steadily on the rise because it causes fewer sides as compared to Winstrol. Your veins will be more visible and it gives a nice pump to the muscles as well.

Fat Loss:

Anavar is not a fat burning compound. But the increased muscle mass automatically causes the body to burn fat. This clubbed with the vascularity result in a more defined physique. Eat in a calorie deficit and you can achieve phenomenal results with Anavar. This makes it one of the best steroids to use in a cutting cycle. Zero water retention, prevention of muscle loss and the icing on the cake, a little fat burning effect.

Strength:

Anavar increases myofibrillar hypertrophy which means that the density of the muscle fiber is enhanced without a notable increase in size. This makes it a very appealing compound for athletes who seek an increase in strength while staying under the radar.

What are the side effects of Anavar?

Don’t get fooled by the whole ‘safe steroid’ bit. Safe and anabolic steroids are two polar opposite concepts that shouldn’t even be used in one sentence together.

There are no freebies and there WILL be side effects.

Here’s what you can expect with Anavar.

Shutdown:

Anavar will shut down your body’s natural test production.

Hepatotoxicity:

It can be hepatotoxic. The extent of toxicity depends on your existing liver health, the dosage, your social habits (alcohol) among other things.

Lipids:

Anavar will reduce the levels of good cholesterol and increase bad cholesterol

Androgenic:

It is mild on the androgenic scale. But there’s always the risk of androgenic side effects like oily skin and acne.

On a positive note, the possibility of Anavar causing estrogenic side effects are close to zilch.

Anavar vs. Ostarine

A lot of athletes these days are opting for SARMS in place of Anavar.

One possible alternative compound is Ostarine.

Ostarine is a mild SARM. It does not cause a lot of weight gain. It does tend to increase lipolysis mildly and there’s a notable increase in strength.

But, the biggest draw here is that Osta won’t shut you down, the changes to your lipid levels will be negligible, it is not hepatotoxic nor does it cause any androgenic side effects.

The results achievable with 20mg/day of Ostarine is comparable with what you can achieve with a mild dose of Anavar.

So if you are a woman and are contemplating hopping on to Anabolic steroids like Anavar for body conditioning, you might want to check out Ostarine instead. It’s safer and cheaper too.

How To Use Anavar

Despite what your research throws up or what you read on the internet, use Anavar with as much caution as you’d use any strong steroidal drug.

If possible, use it with Testosterone. This will allow you to retain the gains that you make on cycle and will prevent the nasty sides of shutdown.

If you are going to use it in a standalone cycle anyway, then be aware of the risks. Use supplements and on cycle support to limit the extent of damage that it can cause.

Do not drink during the cycle. Use Tudca.

Enjoy the ride, learn, rinse and repeat.