Fast and slow acting steroids: What’s the difference?

There are many bodybuilders who wonder about the steroids half-life, and how this is related to the time one or another steroid get into the system. To make this question clear for everybody who is a novice in steroids usage, or have some experience but missed this answer till now, I write down everything you need to know about fast and slow steroids.

First of all, the categorisation of fast/slow steroids comes from the half-lives of each anabolic. This is a term commonly used among steroids users, but not all of them know the right meaning of it. The half-life of each steroid means the time needed for a drug to be  reduced to the half of it dosage. This process continue until the steroid is out of the system totally. Depending on amount of time on steroid needs to reach half-life are called fast or slow. Thus, those steroids who are faster absorbed are named fast steroids, while those who require more time for this are known as slow acting steroids.

Anabolic steroids are mainly used in two forms injected or orals. Each bodybuilder prefer one of this ways for vary reasons. People who fear needles find oral steroids the most appropriate for them. Namely this people can praise with noticeable results in muscle growth and strength even within few days. The idea is that orals steroids are fast acting anabolics, that work much rapidly and make the muscle grow several days after ingesting them. The downside is that after coming off steroids a big part of this gains are lost.

Contrary to this, injectable steroids stay for longer time in our system and the help you to preserve the most of gains made over the cycling. Thereby, if usually after steroid cycle is considered normal to lose 5%-10% of weight gained during the cycle, than in case of oral based steroid cycle the losses would be quite high.

Mixing fast and slow acting steroids is what every steroid user should do. In all steroid cycle recommended on the internet, either for bulking or cutting, taking injectable steroids is accompanied by one oral steroid. This is required because oral give a kick start while injectable continue the growth and makes the gains able to be conserved. For example, if you take testosterone only steroid, than you will have to wait for minimum ten days to begin see the results. Adding to this cycle an oral steroid like Dianabol for first 4-6 weeks will offer a good start for the body and when you cease it muscle continue to grow with testosterone. The advantage is that testosterone help you to keep the muscle gains of dianabol, having also a great synergetic effect.

In case of esterified compounds like testosterone cypionate, the half-life of drug depends on the active life of attached esters. So, test propionate is a short life/fast acting steroids, and have to be injected each day or each other day. Test cypionate need much more time to be break down by the system.

In general, fast steroids have to be administered more frequently,  on a daily or each other day basis. They are pretty fast assimilated and body needs another dose to continue building muscle process. Also, fast steroids are mostly used for cutting purposes, but this is not a rule.

All orals are considered good for a kick start steroid cycle, in the top of them are Dbol, Anadrol, testosterone propionate, testosterone suspension.  These are the most recommended orals to include in your cycle, either for bulking, cutting or for increasing strength. Among injectable steroids with fast acting activity can be mentioned test propionate, equipoise, nandrolone phenylpropionate and others.

If you are about choosing the best of them than it is testosterone suspension. With no esters attached to it, and administered through injections, this steroid makes your muscle growth even in few hours. Despite it sound unbelievable, the truth is that this is a very potent anabolic, providing with amazing strength gains. Especially powerlifters love it for this effect. It has to be injected daily, before the meal. The downside is that injections are very painful, being suspended in a water vehicle and not oil as in other cases. Adding to this that you have to inject them daily, and even better would be to split the dose throughout the day to keep the blood hormone level stable, than it becomes quite unattractive. Also, test suspension do not fit persons who look to increase muscle mass, as it especially elevates strength body characteristics.

The half-lives of steroids also determine the time they are detect in the blood. Fast acting AAS can be detectable within few days to several weeks. Long acting steroids can remain in the body for up to one year. This aspect is has an big importance for bodybuilders or other athletes who compete and do not want to be caught on steroids on drug tests. Those who are out any competition look for steroids that provide with gains that can be kept after ending cycling.

A steroid is not active in the body only the time there occur some obvious side effects. Even in case of no side effects, if you used a long acting steroids, it continue to be in your body for long time ahead. Keep this in mind every time you are about running a new steroid cycle, to avoid unwanted side effects.

Summarizing the above, can be said that the difference between fast and slow acting steroids is the amount of time they require for being breaking down by system. Fast steroids give results few days from administration, while long acting need much more time for this. Oral steroids in proportions of 99% are fast acting steroids, and are used as kickstarters in a steroid cycle. They are followed by long acting steroids, which help to preserve the gains made over the cycle. For tremendous increase in body strength indicators can be used test suspension. The main disadvantage is painful injections each day. Other fast acting steroids are Dbol, testosterone propionate, Anadrol.