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 don't 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 doesn't 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 Duchaine later rescinded his original statement on Equipoise and said that it was disappointing as a mass builder when compared with deca, but a far better drug than for both strength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 Deca's 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 isn't often faked.
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 don't 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 Deca's 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.
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 wasn't 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.
Finally, when you buy equipoise, one of the best parts of Equipoise is its low price and high availability. Equipoise is produced by most Under-ground Labs at very reasonable prices. You shouldn't be paying more than $50 for a 10cc bottle dosed at 200mgs/ml, and that price is true of Mexican veterinary products and under-ground 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.
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