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Identifying the correct Testosterone Propionate dosage can be tricky for bodybuilders.
This is because dosages need to exceed what is medically recommended if the performance user is to have any hope of getting the strength and bulk they are after.
For patients suffering from hypogonadism, they need only follow their doctor’s guidance to get the dosage right.
But this is a luxury weight trainers and athletes don’t have.
In the US and other nations, non-prescription use of testosterone is illegal.
Medical ethics has made it difficult to acquire credible data on correct performance dosages of anabolics like testosterone, which means users have to rely on anecdotal information found on unofficial sources like bodybuilding forums and websites.
Testosterone Propionate dosages are further complicated by the drug’s short half-life, which can require 3 or more injections per week before it will have any effect in terms of added muscle mass.
We will review common dosage and administration recommendations from experienced performance users, but we don’t recommend cycling these powerful hormones for the sake of physique building.
Abusing Testosterone can lead to long-term health complications and severe legal penalties. Buy Testo-Max online here.
Table of Contents
Testosterone Propionate Dosage
For enhancement of physique and performance, the doses in terms of milligrams per week of Testosterone Prop are close to the weekly dosages of other testosterone preparations.
The only difference is that Test P doses are administered more often.
Starter testosterone prop doses range from 300-500mg/week (75-125mg every other day), particularly for a first anabolic cycle.
300mg doses of testosterone prop are reported to bring excellent physique and strength enhancements, but only on the condition that the user is on properly prepared with a strict nutrition and training routine.
Medium testosterone prop doses can range from 500-700mg (125-175mg EOD) without exceeding 500mg most times.
A number of users slightly exceed 500mg, but it is not deemed to be necessary for an intermediate cycle.
Expert-level testosterone prop doses are usually not higher than the medium doses, but sometimes these doses can reach as high as 700-1000mg (175-250mg/week).
Regardless of the dose, most bodybuilder agree that proper nutrition and training is required to achieve any results.
Additionally, being an expert anabolic steroid user does not automatically mean higher doses. As the doses of testosterone prop increases, aromatization and the risk of the side effects increases.
Testosterone prop will normally be stacked with other anabolic steroids in a cycle. Since the user will be using other anabolic steroids concurrently, running doses of 300mg or more of testosterone is felt to be excessive when it is not the sole steroid in the cycle.
Testosterone can be used for Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), while other anabolic steroids can take the role of the primary anabolic for muscle building.
This is the rationale behind cycling Testosterone Replacement Therapy doses. Testosterone is used in order to maintain baseline levels of testosterone that would normally be produced endogenously and naturally in the body.
Natural endogenous testosterone is suppressed or stopped in the user’s body because of the anabolic steroids used in a cycle. Cycling TRT dosages helps to maintain normal physiological functions that are controlled and regulated by testosterone while endogenous testosterone is in decline.
For this reason, Testosterone is included in virtually all steroid cycles on some level. Even when testosterone is not cycled at performance doses, it is cycled at TRT doses at minimum.
The doses of testosterone prop for TRT are normally about 100mg/week (25mg every other day). TRT dosages normally do not exceed 100mg because they are meant to match up with normal endogenous testosterone production, which normally falls around 50-70mg per week depending on factors like lifestyle, age, and genetics.
Furthermore, smaller dosages are thought to reduce the rate at which testosterone is aromatized into estrogen.
Test Propionate Results
Testosterone is dominantly held to be the base compound of any and all performance anabolic steroid cycles.
It is perhaps the only anabolic steroid that bodybuilders routinely use alone without combining other steroids.
Testosterone also has a reputation for being a versatile compound with respect to its dosing regimens and how it is used in cycles.
Testosterone believed to be at home in strength gaining and all-out bulking cycles.
Testosterone can be used as a mass building compound and a strength agent to help athletes reach new levels of performance and power.
It can be used during cutting phases, but usually in a supplementary role that maintains muscle mass while excess fat is being shredded. At the right dosage, Testosterone has been known to provide lean muscle mass gains when it is stacked with a cutting and hardening compound that is used to burn fat.
Over the course of an anabolic steroid cycle, endogenous natural testosterone production becomes suppressed or even shuts down because of the exogenous androgens that are used.
Exogenous testosterone is required to maintain normal physiological levels in the body during the steroid cycle.
For this reason, performance users will not use any anabolic without stacking it with testosterone.
Testosterone Propionate, also known as testosterone prop, is an anabolic steroid that is known to be less popular than other esterified testosterone variants.
Beginner anabolic steroids users rarely use testosterone propionate as a first-time anabolic steroid.
The reason for this is that testosterone propionate has a short half-life. Thus, it is necessary to use it frequently, every other day (EOD) at least for performance purposes.
Most novice steroid users are intimidated by the frequent dose administration schedules. Consequently, beginners usually prefer using Testosterone Cypionate or Testosterone Enanthate, which are administered twice per week.
Testosterone carries a moderate estrogenic activity level owing to the moderate level of interaction testosterone always has with the aromatase enzyme.
The amounts of testosterone prop required to enhance physique and performance will be enough promote significant levels of aromatization.
As the dose of an aromatisable androgen (e.g. testosterone) incrementally increases, the rates of aromatization can also increase.
Often bodybuilders use an aromatase inhibitor at moderate levels during their anabolic cycle with performance-level testosterone propionate doses.
Testosterone Propionate Half-Life
Compared to long ester variations of testosterone, Testosterone Propionate has a short half-life of 4.5 days.
In order to have balanced blood levels, the doses of testosterone prop are administered via injections every other day regardless of cycle length.
For instance, if a user intends to administer a testosterone dose of 400mg/week, such a user will be advised by experienced bodybuilding peers to inject 100mg of testosterone every other day.
How long does it take for Testosterone Propionate to kick in?
Most say they begin to see changes in their pumps and overall muscle mass after 2 to 3 weeks. Some have reported yielding gains upwards of 25 lbs in a 12 week cycle.
The use of testosterone propionate for performance purposes is uncommon because of the frequency of injections, leading to increased levels of pain at the site of injection.
This increased pain largely results from the short length propionate ester chain, which causes irritation of the injection site.
Co-solvents like benzyl benzoate and benzyl alcohol also cause irritation of the injection site, and these are in higher volumes in concentrated steroid injectables.
Users who are very sensitive to these irritations will usually avoid Testosterone Prop because it can cause intense pain at the injection site. It has even been known to precipitate a slight fever that can last for 3-4 days after the first injection.
Unpleasant irritation and soreness at the injection site do to the frequent administration of Testosterone Propionate are the main downsides cited by bodybuilders who discourage performance users from cycling with this testosterone variant.
Testosterone Dosage for Females
Testosterone prop is seldom used among female users of anabolic steroids.
While not as androgenic as other anabolic steroids, testosterone prop does have a strong androgenic rating (100). Women tend to cycle anabolic steroids with weaker androgenic ratings.
Testosterone prop is medically utilized in the treatment of breast cancer. It is also used for female to male hormone replacement therapy in transgender individuals.
In bodybuilding circles, females are strongly recommended against using testosterone propionate to enhance physique and performance because it has a high propensity to show virilization effects.
These become quickly manifested when strong androgens like testosterone are used.
Reportedly, some female users have cycled testosterone prop successfully because the levels of testosterone prop in the blood plasma was carefully controlled.
Because it is short-estered, stoppage of the compound is said to cause the testosterone prop to be removed from the body within a few days.
Female users are recommended to cease using Test P immediately when symptoms of virilization are encountered.
For the small population of female performance users of Test Prop, doses fall in the range of 25 mg per 5-7 days. Cycles rarely exceed 6 weeks.
What is Testosterone Propionate Used For?
Testosterone propionate is one of the older types of steroids, commonly used up until about the 1960s when other forms of (Cypionate and Enanthate) compounds were developed.
It is still used in medical circles today, as well as by many bodybuilders and athletes to enhance muscle growth and athletic performance (this is not recommended).
It is synthetically developed but is identical to naturally produced testosterone.
An ester in it helps control the hormone’s release times. (Without that ester, hormone injections tend to disperse and dissolve quickly).
The half-life of propionate lasts roughly 4.5 days, and is most commonly used in the treatment of low T.
It’s important to follow instructions for testosterone propionate dosage.
Below we’ll review what the best dosage is depending on your needs.
Following instructions when it comes to any drug is important to ensure safety, reduced risk of side effects and adverse reactions, as well as to reap the greatest benefit from the medication offered.
The same applies to any testosterone replacement therapy injections.
It should be stated early on that injections of this steroid are prescription-only in most countries, and taking injections illegally can lead to severe and adverse reactions.
It’s also known by the name Virormone and is classified as a derivative of the same type used in the United States for testosterone replacement therapy treatment plans.
Virormone comes in a ready-to-inject solution in a small vial. These solutions come in 100 mg in a 2 mL of liquid solution. The bottle will state 100 mg/2 mL injection solution.
Other products will come dosed in 100mg/ml injections, often sold in 10 ml vials.
It’s important to always talk to your doctor about usage and importance of following dosage recommendations.
Also take the time to read any inserts and follow guidelines provided by the manufacturer of the testosterone.
Testosterone is more than just sex hormone that affects libido and sexual performance.
As a hormone it also has an impact and interacts with the functions and secretions of other glands and hormones in the body. For this reason, dosage is essential for safety and effectiveness.
The doctor may suggest starting you off at a lower dosage to see how you react to it.
Commonly, testosterone propionate dosage for a man diagnosed with hypogonadism (low T level or low sperm production) typically averages 50 mg at a frequency of two, but sometimes three, times weekly.
Dosage will also depend on the condition being treated, age, and current health status. Individuals diagnosed with other medical conditions like diabetes or obesity will be watched carefully in regard to dosage.
When given a specific steroid cycle, and after your doctor has shown you how to draw the appropriate dosage into the injection syringe, it’s important to follow those instructions to the letter.
Injecting too much into the body can lead to adverse reactions.
Testosterone Propionate Side Effects
Steroids are classified as Schedule III controlled substance in the United States.
It is carefully monitored in other countries too because of its potential for misuse and abuse as well as potential side effects.
Side effects can be associated with any form or dosage of testosterone. The same applies to any dosage, although side effects and their severity will differ, again depending on an individualized and case-by-case basis.
A reasonable level of estrogenic activity occurs with testosterone because it has a modest affinity to chemically bind to the aromatase enzyme, which converts testosterone to estrogen.
Consequently, the use of testosterone leads to aromatization at a moderate level. Testosterone aromatization can result in a rise in estrogen levels as testosterone is converted to estrogen.
The risk of this is greater when Testosterone Propionate is used at doses required for enhancing physique and performance.
The estrogenic side effects of testosterone propionate can be unpleasant. The aromatization rate is believed to be directly related to the level of dosage.
Physique builders report that increasing the doses of testosterone usually results in a rise in the aromatization or conversion of testosterone to estrogen.
Bodybuilding doses usually lead to the production of substantial levels of aromatized testosterone that can be difficult to handle.
Aromatase inhibitors are used to render the aromatase enzyme inactive, halting the conversion of testosterone into estrogen and addressing excess estrogen levels in the body.
Performance users of Test Prop also attend to rising levels of aromatization by using a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) like Nolvadex to block estrogen from attaching itself to receptor sites in breast tissues.
Nolvadex is used as a remedy for gynecomastia, a condition caused by excess estrogen that is characterized by the enlargement of male breast tissue resembling female breasts.
However, Nolvadex is not used to reduce the amount of serum estrogen. Bodybuilders use an an aromatase inhibitor to reduce serum estrogen.
Estrogenic side effects include:
- Gynecomastia
- Increased fat gain or retention
- Bloating
- Water retention
- High blood pressure due to water retention
Some of the side effects of testosterone propionate are negative cholesterol changes and cardiovascular strain.
Cardiovascular side effects are common among all anabolic steroids.
These side effects can lead to a decrease in the good cholesterol (HDL) and an increase in the bad cholesterol (LDL). The resulting effect is an increased risk of arteriosclerosis.
The doses of testosterone propionate are said to determine the severity of the side effect caused by cholesterol changes.
Experienced steroid users view higher doses to be correlated with greater negative effects or changes.
A study in 2001 identified this relationship.
After administering 300mg of testosterone enanthate per week for 20 weeks excluding an aromatase inhibitor, HDL cholesterol was shown to decline reduced by 13% in test subjects. When the doses of testosterone were increased to 600mg/week, the HDL cholesterol showed a 21% reduction.
The route of administration and duration of use are also believed to have an effect on negative cholesterol changes.
Because of the ability of the liver to metabolize testosterone, testosterone is held to have a smaller effect on the values of cholesterol than other anabolic steroids.
Testosterone is mildly resistant to being broken down and metabolized by the liver. Other anabolic steroids can be extremely resistant to hepatic metabolism.
Oral anabolic steroids tend to be hepatotoxic in differing degrees. The C17-alpha alkylation process makes the anabolic steroid more resistant to hepatic break down.
The effect of an anabolic steroid on the liver provides a picture of the degree to which that steroid will negatively influence cholesterol management, since the functions between the liver and the cholesterol are linked.
According to the result of a 1990 clinical study, testosterone can mildly affect HDL cholesterol after using 280mg of testosterone enanthate per week for 12 weeks.
Interestingly, cholesterol profiles in the subjects significantly worsened after including an aromatase inhibitor, leading the HDL cholesterol to drop to 25%.
The research data suggested that an increase in estrogen level through liver metabolism and aromatization contributed to the balancing of negative cholesterol changes exhibited after using very high doses of anabolic steroids.
Estrogen is held to to promote positive effects on the levels of cholesterol in the body.
Users who plan to use an aromatase inhibitor in their cycle are cautioned by physique builders that this can exacerbate the risk to their cholesterol profiles.
Anabolic steroid users are advised by experienced PED users to use minimal aromatase inhibitor doses while they are on a cycle.
The challenge is to maintain normal estrogen levels while preventing the estrogen levels from increasing due to aromatization or from falling to zero due to overdosing aromatase inhibitors.
A number of other common side effects normally associated with any form of testosterone injection have been reported. For example:
- Painful or undesired erections
- Changes in skin condition such as acne, itching, blisters, rash, etc.)
- Reduction of sperm production
- Excessive body hair growth
- Male pattern baldness
- Alteration in libido (enhanced or decreased)
- Nausea
- Changes in mood – increased sense of anxiety, nervousness, and irritability are just a few
- Muscle cramps
- Injection site pain
- Depression or general sense of dissatisfaction or displeasure, often coupled with a lack of interest to engage in formerly pleasurable activities
When talking to your doctor about steroids and dosages, also ask about other side effects or reactions that may occur to other hormone levels in your body.
The metabolic system, coupled with hormonal changes, can increase fluid retention and initiate erratic metabolic component levels that increase swelling or water retention, which in turn increases weight gain.
In most cases, when taking testosterone propionate dosage correctly, risk of side effects or adverse reactions are minimal, but talk to your doctor to be sure.
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