Testosterone steroids are the most commonly used and most important anabolic androgenic steroids of all. In many ways we can label all anabolic steroids as testosterone steroids as it is the testosterone hormone from which they are all derived but for our purposes here when speaking of testosterone steroids we are referring to the direct hormone itself and the numerous forms and types. Testosterone steroids are defined by their ester or even the lack thereof and as we will see there are many options and forms from which an individual has to choose.
In the end regardless of the form the individual chooses the hormone itself is the same within each; testosterone is simply testosterone and it does not change for better or worse regardless of the ester attached. Due to a particular ester being attached or not the nature of the hormone does not change, the direct mode of action does not change and the benefits and potential side-effects remain the same. However, depending on the ester the mode of action in-terms of delivery and total duration of activity can vary greatly and by these differences we must understand them if we are to maintain a stable hormonal level as well as a peaked level if and when performance enhancement is concerned.
There are four common types of testosterone steroids and in most cases if any individual supplements with the hormone they will be doing so from one of these direct four forms. The most common types of testosterone steroids include:
Within each form listed above each form is defined by two important factors. First and foremost by the half-life that it carries which is determined by the ester and secondly the total mass of the compound again determined by the ester. The smaller the ester the less mass it takes up in the compound, meaning more of the total mass is the active hormone. For example, as a small ester form Testosterone-Propionate will hold more active testosterone on a per milligram basis than a larger ester based form such as Enanthate or Cypionate. This does not mean smaller ester forms are better than larger ones as total dosing of a compound can easily be adjusted if need be to reach the same level of dosing. Perhaps an obvious note Testosterone-Suspension as it holds no ester will hold a total 100% mass comprised purely of testosterone.
The most important factor regarding the various testosterone steroids lies within the half-life of the compound as this will determine how often it must be administered, how long activity remains after each administration as well as how quickly in-part initial activity will take place. The smaller the ester the shorter the half-life and the shorter the half-life the more frequently the particular testosterone must be applied if stability is to be maintained. Ester free forms of testosterone must be administered each and every day as the half-life is less than 24 hours; in-fact, many Testosterone-Suspension users find twice daily administration to be very efficient. The total half-life of each of the common testosterone steroids is as follows:
While the four previously discussed are the most common there are other testosterone steroids that are used but they are rarely used alone. Generally speaking these forms will be used as part of a total testosterone mixture such as in Sustanon-250 or Omnadren. The idea behind testosterone steroids that are of a mixed nature is rather simple, to provide a steady release of testosterone initially after the injection and to continue the flow of the hormone for an extended period of time after the same injection. The manner in-which this is achieved is in the mixture itself as most mixtures will be comprised of small, moderate and very large esters. While some of the same esters we discussed above may comprise in part of a testosterone mixture it is the other esters we are concerned with here and they include:
Of course we would be remise if we did not provide the half-life of each of these testosterone steroids as well and they are as follows:
