Deca Durabolin is one of the most commonly used anabolic among performance enhancing athletes. It is well known for being a tremendously beneficial off-season mass, but it’s also very popular in many athletic circles for its therapeutic benefits. Due to its tremendous therapeutic benefits, the Nandrolone hormone is often used in medical practice. However, due to years of anabolic steroid controversy such use has been quite limited in the U.S. for many years. Outside the U.S. Deca Durabolin remains a bit more popular in therapeutic treatment plans that can cover a host of areas. Deca Durabolin is officially classified as a 19-nortestosterone. While this is only a slight change in structure from the testosterone hormone, this slight change gives us a unique anabolic steroid. Once injected, as the Decanoate ester begins to detach there will be a sharp spike in Nandrolone released within the body during the first 24-48 hours. From this point, the hormone will continue to release into the body for approximately 2-3 weeks.

Deca Durabolin does aromatize, but only at approximately 20% the rate of testosterone. However, it does carry a strong progestin nature, and this will play into the side effects as we will see later on. Like many anabolic steroids, Deca Durabolin has the ability to enhance protein synthesis, inhibit glucocorticoid hormones, and promote enhanced output. Deca Durabolin also has the ability to increase nitrogen retention in the muscles, but it appears to have a stronger affect than many steroids in this regard. In fact, studies have shown that even low doses of Nandrolone can greatly enhance nitrogen retention. This is an important factor, as all muscle tissue is comprised of approximately 16% nitrogen. While that may sound like a small amount, the more we retain the more anabolic we remain. When nitrogen levels are not maintained, this can cause us to enter a catabolic (muscle wasting) state. Deca Durabolin is also well known for carrying two traits that are extremely important and largely separate it from many anabolic steroids. Again, many other steroids will carry these traits, but Deca Durabolin does so to a higher level. The traits in question are increasing bone mineral content and enhancing collagen synthesis. Due to these traits, Deca Durabolin is well known for promoting joint relief, and for many athletes that’s the only reason they’ll use it.

As an off-season bulking steroid, Deca Durabolin will provide significant gains in lean mass, but the increase in muscle mass will come slowly. This is a large ester based steroid, and it will not be fast acting. However, the mass built with this steroid will often be higher quality mass than compared to many anabolic steroids. Water retention is possible, but it should be fairly easy to control. During this off-season phase, the individual will also enjoy the therapeutic relief this steroid provides, which will be more than welcomed when off-season periods of growth are normally accompanied by the heaviest periods of weight training. Individual should also be able to acquire this new growth with less body fat accumulation that would normally otherwise occur. The use of anabolic steroids is well noted for enhancing the metabolic rate. This is nothing unique to Deca Durabolin, and while it will not directly burn body fat it will aid in the maintenance of a proper level. As off-season mass gains require excess calories, consider the metabolic enhancement an added bonus.