Winstrol (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 steroids 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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