Almost from the beginning, bodybuilders and powerlifters began using these drugs to enhance performance, but it should be understood that steroid research was only conducted for the purpose of treating various diagnosable medical conditions. Other than Dianabol, none of the steroids used by athletes for performance enhancement were specifically designed for the purpose of maximizing muscle growth or increasing strength. In many cases, the anabolic effects of these prescription drugs were completely unnecessary-even harmful. Being nonspecific in their effects, steroids simultaneously affected many systems of the body, and very often it was the non-muscle-enhancing effects that made them useful in the treatment of various diseases.

For example, Anadrol, recognized today as one of the most powerful oral steroids for building mass, was originally developed to treat anemia, not to build muscle mass. For those who were anemic, its ability to build muscle was completely unnecessary. What these people really needed was increased production of red blood cells, and with Anadrol doing an exceptionally good job of increasing red blood cell counts, the decision to produce this drug as a treatment for anemia was as logical as could be. It just happened to be so fortunate for bodybuilders that it was also suitable for increasing size and strength at the same time.

Other initial medical applications included: increasing growth in children with stunted growth, accelerating puberty in men with stunted puberty, treating breast cancer, preventing osteoporosis, and, in some cases, increasing/maintaining muscle mass. In all but one of these cases, the strength of the increase in muscle mass was completely irrelevant, and even in those cases where myotropic strength did matter, it was never the deciding factor. It was more important to make sure that the drug chosen was 1) effective enough for its primary use and 2) devoid of side effects considered unacceptable for the target group. The ability of a steroid to build muscle mass was never the main priority and often not considered at all.

Anavar is a good example of a drug that was originally produced because of its ability to build/maintain lean muscle mass, but it begs the question "why was Anavar chosen because of its anabolic effects when many other steroids are much more effective in this regard?" The reason is simple. Anavar has low androgenic characteristics that allow it to be used for men, women and children without exposing them to significant risk of androgenic side effects, which is a major factor for a huge percentage of the population (women and children). The strength of building muscle mass is gladly sacrificed if it means that patients will not suffer side effects as would be the case with stronger androgens. Testosterone would definitely be more effective in this regard, and even safer from a lipid and cardiovascular standpoint, but its ability to provoke masculinizing side effects would immediately disqualify it, which is why it, and other stronger agents, have never been selected for this purpose.

Regardless of the criteria involved in the selection process, which varied from drug to drug depending on their potential uses, the fact remains that myotropic potency was never the primary reason a particular steroid became a prescription drug. While many of our traditional prescription AAS are actually potent mass builders, they were never designed to meet the needs of bodybuilders/strength athletes. Knowing that this is true, one has to wonder why there are so many brainwashed bodybuilders on earth who think our current list of AAS is as good as it can be for bodybuilding purposes.

You can bet your own ass that if the goal of pharmaceutical researchers in the 50s and 70s had been to maximize muscle growth and increase strength for athletic needs, our current list of AAS would be completely different from what we have now. Knowing this, why are so many bodybuilders completely shut out of the idea that there might be some other steroids that might be of value to bodybuilders/strength athletes? After all, of the hundreds of AAS that were synthesized and studied for activity during the golden era of AAS, only a few dozen became prescription drugs. What about the rest? Certainly, of those hundreds, there are at least a few that could be appreciated among bodybuilders and powerlifters.

Fortunately, in the last decade, there have been a few sensible people who have realized this and have taken steps to bring them to market. Many of these drugs were originally released as legal supplements (M1T, SD, Pheraplex, and others), but since then they have all been added to the ever growing list of controlled substances. While many of these products were less effective for growth and strength than traditional AAS, some were more potent, and for that reason became quite popular in both bodybuilding and various strength sports.

While there is no doubt that some of these "over-the-counter" products had their rightful place in our community, for the most part they were all oral steroids. Since conventional companies could not sell products designed for injection, they were limited to those that could be consumed orally. This forced them to be limited to methylated products. While methylated steroids can be highly effective, they cannot be taken long-term because of their hepatotoxicity, and negative effects on the cardiovascular system. This means that unmethylated, or injectable drugs, are absolutely essential to a bodybuilder's long-term success.

Looking at the courses of today's bodybuilders, we see that the bulk of them stick to traditional AAS, such as testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone, trenbolone, oxymetholone, methandrostenolone, etc. Although these are excellent drugs, it is a mistake to limit yourself to them. With that said, what non-traditional AAS can bodybuilders use today? Since most are familiar with non-traditional oral drugs (often referred to as prohormones - "PH" or "designer" steroids), I want to take a minute to talk about some unmethylated injectable drugs that can be used instead of traditional injectable steroids.

Trestolone has been gathering fans for the past few years, and for good reason; it is a strong unmethylated injectable that can easily be used in place of nandrolone or boldenone during the off-season weight cycle. In fact, Tristolone is much stronger than both of these drugs, and at this point, it does not seem to be more harmful to the body than most traditional injectable steroids. When trying to describe the effects of this drug, many people use the term "super-testosterone," which in my experience is quite accurate.

A typical mood enhancing steroid, Trestolone is the only AAS capable of replacing testosterone in terms of physiological function. This steroid is aromatic, so water retention is a reality. There is quite a bit of information about this drug and with the increasing number of legal products on the market, it has become a possible option to include in one's cycle. Most of those who have used this drug state that it is superior to nandrolone and boldenone in building muscle mass - a statement I would agree with. I find Tristolone ideal for weight gain in the off-season or for use in the first half of training for competition when fluid retention and estrogenic side effects are not as important. Having had considerable personal experience with this substance, I consider it one of the best, if not the best unmethylated steroid to pair with testosterone to build pure muscle. The fact that its use is pleasant only adds to its allure. Some might say that this title belongs to trenbolone, and while I also put trenbolone at the top of the list, I would put trestolone on the fringe of this list for the reason that it builds at least the same amount of muscle tissue, but without the side effects that usually accompany trenbolone.

Dihydroboldenone, also known as 1-testosterone (not to be confused with M1T, which is a completely different drug), is an EQ derivative and another excellent unmethylated AAS that can find good use both in the off-season and before competition. Unlike Trestolone, DHB is a dry steroid, but still more than capable of adding impressive amounts of dry tissue. Some call DHB "trenbolone without the side effects" or "super primo." Having had personal experience with this drug, I can see how these comparisons have arisen. However, I would call DHB more of a super primo than a trend without side effects, simply because it does look like a super primo. In terms of side effects and appearance, it is almost identical to Primobolan, but a much more effective muscle builder.

If anyone is looking for trend-like effects without side effects, this is the closest thing to what you want. While not as strong as the muscle-building trend if you compare milligrams to milligrams, it has very similar cosmetic effects. In my experience, a dose of 600-800 mg per week is comparable to 300-400 mg of Tren in terms of both muscle growth and hardness, with its main advantage being the lack of noticeable side effects. Compared to EQ, as far as I can see, DHB is superior in almost every way. I see no reason to use EQ when a good quality DHB product is available, unless personal preference dictates otherwise.

Unfortunately, tristolone and dihydroboldenone are only occasionally sold by underground manufacturers. While the availability of tristolone is steadily increasing, the availability of DHB leaves much to be desired. I have no doubt that if well-made versions of these drugs were widely available, their popularity would be enormous. Knowing how impressive these drugs work in reality, I see no reason why they wouldn't be popular. Drugs like nandrolone and boldenone have been standard testosterone bundles for generations, and few people wonder why we keep using the same old crap decade after decade with little concern for innovation or improvement. So the underground keeps selling the same old stuff because in their mind that's what everyone wants.

If people don't start speaking out and demanding a wider range of products, you'll still see the same AACs on the lists for the next 20 years. I don't know about you, but I'm not content with mediocrity. I want newer and better, and I want it to happen faster. I've only touched on this issue superficially, as there are many great steroids - both methylated and unmethylated - that can be used with great success by bodybuilders and powerlifters alike. Tell your underground manufacturer - let them know you want access to a broader list of AAS and tell them which ones you're interested in. If you want Bolasterone to be available, tell them that. If you want to be able to buy methyltrienolone, let them know. After doing a little research, you'll start to realize how many killer steroids have been invented, but which the underground can't offer just because of a lack of demand.