Testosterone Enanthate

Testosterone Enanthate is probably the most commonly used form of testosterone by both athletes and bodybuilders alike. Although I don't have any hard statistics on this, Id be willing to bet that this form of testosterone is the most commonly used form of testosterone on the black market today. Its very effective for building muscle and strength, losing fat, and is cheap & readily available.

To understand exactly how Testosterone Enanthate (a.k.a. "test enth" or just "enth") builds muscle and burns fat, first well take a look at androgens and what they do in the body. You see, hormones are substances secreted by one cell, that has an effect on the functions of another cell. Testosterone is manufactured in the Leydigs cells of the testes (in men). The adult male produces between 2.5 and 11mgs of Test per day.

Testosterone induces changes in shape, size and also can change the appearance and the number of muscle fibres(7). Androgens like testosterone can protect your hard earned muscle from the catabolic (muscle wasting) glucocorticoid hormones(8), thus inhibiting their ability to send a message to muscle cells to release stored protein. Remember, Testosterone sends a message to muscle cells to store more contractile protein (called actin and myosin); glucocorticoid hormones send the opposite message. In addition, Testosterone has the ability to increase erythropoiesis (red blood cell production) in your kidneys(9), and a higher Red Blood Cell (RBC) count may improve endurance via better oxygenated blood. More RBCs can also improve recovery from strenuous physical activity. Aggression levels often rise dramatically with the use of exogenous testosterone (15).

All of these great benefits are to be had with the use of Testosterone Enanthate alone, but realistically, it will be part of a cycle containing one or more other drugs. People who are bulking will probably choose Deca or Eq (possibly with Dbol as well) and those who are cutting will probably steer towards Eq and perhaps Trenbolone. Very often users will shoot Testosterone Enanthate once or twice a week, but blood levels are still above baseline with this drug at around day eight (16).Common wisdom holds that the testosterone portion of any such cycle should be equal to or greater than any other injectable drug(s) portion (on a mg basis)... I believe that you can get away with less, but in general, this is a good guideline.

As you may have suspected, Testosterones anabolic/androgenic effects are dose dependent, the higher the dose the higher the muscle building effect(10). Lets take a look at exactly what kind of results we can expect from administration of Testosterone Enanthate:

Effects of 20 wk of GnRH agonist plus TE administration on relative changes (mean SEM) in total LBM (A), appendicular LBM (B), and trunk LBM (C) (percent change from baseline) measured by DEXA. P values are results for ANOVA: *, P < 0.05 vs. all other dose groups for the multiple comparison tests using Student-Newman-Keuls; a, P < 0.05 vs. zero change.(11)

This chart shows that the subjects in this test made a roughly 15% gain in Lean Body Mass from 20 weeks of 600mgs/week of testosterone Enanthate. That's pretty impressive, but I feel that the following set of charts is even more so:

Change in fat-free mass (A), fat mass (B), leg press strength (C), thigh muscle volume (D), quadriceps muscle volume (E), sexual function (F), insulin-like growth factor I (G), and prostate-specific antigen (H). Data are means SE. *Significant differences from all other groups (P < 0.05); significant difference from 25-, 50-, and 125-mg doses (P < 0.05); +significant difference from 25- and 50-mg doses (P < 0.05); and significant difference from 25-mg dose (P < 0.05). (14)

Now this is very interesting. You'll note that the most fat was lost by the group in this study who used the highest dose of Testosterone Enanthate (600mgs/week), and the most Fat Free mass, Strength and Muscle Volume was gained, when compared to any of the lower doses studied (14). Basically, the more testosterone you use (and this holds true for almost all steroids), the more gains you'll get! I know that the previous statement will ruffle some feathers in the "less is more" club, but that's simply too bad... more test = more muscle, more strength, more size, and less fat.

Did the men in this study experience side effects at the 600mg dose? Well... HDL cholesterol was lowered (but not total cholesterol or triglyceride levels), and two guys got Acne. Not exactly cause for a Senate Investigation, huh? (14)

Of course, the usual nasty side effects you can get from any form of injectable testosterone are possible with Testosterone Enanthate (acne, hair-loss, prostate enlargement, and shutting down your body's own natural hormonal system, etc...) but they are very overstated or controllable in many instances.

A large percentage of those side effects occur from the body's ability to turn testosterone into estrogen via a metabolic pathway mediated by the aromatase enzyme. This process, known as aromatization causes a portion of testosterone to be converted to estrogen. Aromatase Inhibitors (Arimidex and Letroaole, for example) can combat this very effectively, and are usually necessary with doses over a gram per week.

Now that Ive told you all about this drug, lets talk about cost you should be paying no more than $75 for a 10cc bottle of Testosterone Enanthate, dosed at 200-250mgs/ml. Of course, as usual, prices fluctuate, but Id recommend sticking with a reputable underground lab, rather then Organon, UpJohn, or one of the many other expensive (and often counterfeited) companies. Testosterone Enanthate is relatively cheap to produce, as the raw materials are very inexpensive, and as such, should be reasonably cheap and especially since this drug should be a consideration for inclusion in any cycle.

Testosterone Enanthate Steroid Profile

   17b-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one
    Testosterone base + Enanthate ester
    Molecular Weight: 412.6112
    Molecular Weight (base): 288.429
    Molecular Weight (ester): 130.1864
    Formula (base): C19 H28 O2
    Formula (ester):C7 H12 O
    Melting Point (base): 155
    Manufacturer: Various
    Effective Dose (Men): 300-2000mg+ week
    Effective Dose (Women): Not recommended
    Active life: 15 days
    Detection Time: 3 months
    Anabolic/Androgenic ratio:100/100.

Testosterone Enanthate References:

1. Am J Physiol. 1998 Nov;275(5 Pt 1):E864-712
2. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997 Feb;82(2):407-13
3. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Mar;282(3):E601-7.
4. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004 May;7(3):271-7.
5. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2004 Oct;5(5):459-70.
6. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Oct;89(10):5245-55.
7. Anat Histol Embryol. 2003 Apr;32(2):70-9.
8. J Lab Clin Med. 1995 Mar;125(3):326-33.
9. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2003;9(4):248-51
10. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Apr;88(4):1478-85
11. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Feb;89(2):718-26.
12. Am J Physiol. 1998 Jun;274(6 Pt 1):C1645-52.
13. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1995 May 11;1244(1):117-20.
14. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Dec;281(6):E1172-81.
15. Health Psychol. 1990;9(6):774-91.
16. Fertility and Sterility 33.