The Five Most Common Errors Made with Anabolic Steroids and Performance Enhancement Drugs

       Any bodybuilder who is considering the use of steroids should make certain to obtain as much information as possible. It is crucial to avoid the most dangerous brands of steroids and equally important to be familiar with the safe steroid brands that cut, define, and tone and those better used to increase muscle mass. One should also learn how to properly dose anabolics and the various advantages and disadvantages of oral steroids versus injectable steroids. Finally, it is important to understand how to stack and cycle multiple anabolics for short time periods in order to reduce dangerous side effects and to promote permanent gains in lean muscle tissue.

Of the many mistakes athletes often make with anabolic steroids, W. N. Philips cites the following as the ten most common.

       1. EXCESSIVE DOSAGES: 
       When it comes to steroids, using exceedingly high dosages has become a major problem amongst users. Not only is this dangerous, but steroids in high dosages have been proven to be ineffective. Mega dosages put undue stress on the liver and kidneys that can lead to damage or even disease of those organs. Aromatizing effects, or the conversion of steroids to estrogen, and the suppression of the body's own testosterone production are also greatest when high dosages are used. The body can only use a certain amount of a synthetic steroid. It will not recognize any excessive dosage, and will most often convert it to estrogen. Once a steroid receptor site, i.e., a skeletal muscle or secondary sexual characteristic receptor such as facial hair is "full," any corresponding increase in the dose of the steroid will have no further positive benefit. This amount where the receptor site is fully activated occurs at a surprisingly low dosage. Reports that many successful bodybuilders, strength athletes, and top-models had to take up to 50 tabs of D-Bol a day, and 2000 mg of Testosterone a week to develop their superior physique are blatantly untrue 
          2. USING INSUFFICIENT DOSAGES:
         The converse of the excessive dosage concern is the insufficient dosage problem. If a sufficient dose of a steroid is not used for a precise period of time then the effects of the drug will likely be negligible. Often, this is why many bodybuilders "stack" several different brands of steroids at once. By using multiple brands of steroids at the same time, athletes can use lower dosages of each brand and consequently prevent receptor downgrading and harmful side effects. The other important consideration when using steroids is the "cycle." This is the period of time that the athlete takes a steroid. Most cycles usually last for about eight to twelve weeks and then the athlete begins an "off-cycle" for usually around six months. Cycling in this pattern allows athletes to take relatively high dosages of steroids safely and then end the drug use before any damage to the body is done.
         3. THE NEVER ENDING CYCLE:
         In many cases, an athlete will simply ignore warnings that steroids should not be utilized for more than 8 to 12 weeks without an off-cycle period. Numerous athletes will use steroids for up to 6 months, a year, or even longer. This practice is dangerous and ineffective as well. The prolonged use of steroids puts stress on the liver and kidneys. This damage often shows no symptoms, until substantial impairment has taken place. Health problems such as cholestatic hepatitis, jaundice, hepatic neoplasms, and kidney failure have arisen in patients who took anabolic and androgenic steroids for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, steroids often fail to exhibit any anabolic effects after as little as 6 weeks. The positive nitrogen balance that is a primary benefit of using steroids, diminishes after 6 to 8 weeks. The continued use of the steroids is therefore ineffective.                                                                  
         4. CYCLING THE STEROIDS IMPROPERLY: 
        Steroids are most effective and are safest when used in a proper cycle and stack. Research shows that for the initial positive nitrogen balance that steroids induce to continue, increasing the dosage is necessary. This positive nitrogen balance begins to return to normal after 6 to 8 weeks of a particular steroid's use. These facts indicate that a cycle should involve using steroids on an incline dose pattern and that switching to different steroids should occur at no more than 8 weeks. Research also demonstrates that side effects, strength losses, and weight losses suffered when steroid therapy is abandoned, can be minimized through a proper decline cycle. This involves gradual tapering off the drugs at the end of a cycle in order to permit the body's natural testosterone production to resume. A diamond pattern cycle best fits the facts presented here. Elite Fitness Research maintains a database providing examples of popular, safe and effective steroid stacks and cycles. A lengthy off cycle
should always follow an on cycle. Many steroid users take only a few weeks off the steroids before recommencing the program. Evidence supports a much longer off cycle period that allows the body to return to normal and recover from any stress suffered during the cycle. Steroid receptor sites are much more active when the user has been off the drugs for an extended time period. Most report that the longer they remain off the drugs, the more effective they are when they go back to them.