What Is Testosterone Propionate? – Cycle, Dosage And Side Effects

Ever noticed how some guys seemingly need to just look at a dumbbell and they can gain 10 pounds of muscle, while you’re stuck chugging protein shake after protein shake, busting your ass in the gym for months on end and barely seeing any noticeable gains at all?

It’s not really fair but then again, life isn’t fair is it?

You can either sit back and complain about the bigger and stronger guys at the gym, or you can focus on yourself and do what’s needed to get big and jacked.

Like it or not, but steroids could potentially offer a solution to your lack of gains in the gym, and what’s more they could offer this solution in a relatively short space of time.

Steroids are considered by a lot of people to be synonymous with the bodybuilding world, but that doesn’t mean that they offer an easy way out.

In many respects, steroids make your transformation even tougher.

Today we’re going to be looking at the possibility of running a testosterone propionate cycle as we aim to uncover more info about what this steroid is, what effects it has on the body, side effects, which testosterone propionate would be best for you, and whether PCT is needed.

So, put down your chicken and broccoli, get the protein shake on ice, and let’s help get you big and jacked with the help of test propionate.

We would, therefore, much rather educate people on what steroids are and how to use them correctly.

What Is Testosterone Propionate?

Testosterone propionate, or test prop as the gym bros may call it, is currently the shortest-ester testosterone steroid available on the black market.

This anabolic steroid is therefore very slow releasing and has a much shorter half-life than other testosterone-based steroids, such as testosterone suspension, testosterone cypionate, Equipoise, or testosterone sustanon.

Because of this unique characteristic, users can run a much shorter cycle than other testosterone steroids.

This steroid is an Ester of testosterone with a propionate substitution at its 17-beta position.

This steroid is short-acting and is an oil-based injectable that inhibits the secretion of gonadotropin from the pituitary gland.

It assists with the activation of androgen receptors and promotes male sexual health characteristics such as hair growth, deepening of the voice, and of course, increased muscle mass.

Interestingly enough is the fact that once upon a time, Testosterone Propionate was actually FDA-approved and was developed by Watson Labs.

Now, like virtually all other anabolic androgenic steroids, it is banned for human consumption, though it is still used to treat animals in veterinary clinics.

As it has such a short half-life, this has caused the steroid to fall out of favor with some users, as it means it needs to be injected every other day.

Some people don’t enjoy the injections, to begin with, plus frequent pinning can also put you at risk of an infection or other complications.

The good news is that because of its chemical structure, it does present less-severe side effects than other anabolic steroids such as Trenbolone for example.

Testosterone Propionate Effects:

There are a number of positive effects on the human body which are associated with the use of this anabolic steroid.

These include, but are not limited to the following:

Increased Muscle Mass

First and foremost, as we’re talking about anabolic androgenic steroids, it should come as no surprise to learn that test prop can help individuals to significantly increase their muscle mass.

Testosterone is the dominant male sex hormone that is extremely anabolic and androgenic.

It is therefore perfect for the growth and repair of muscle tissue.

While there is a lot of science involved, the main way in which these steroid works is that, once injected, it makes its way into the cytoplasm of your muscle cells.

Here, it binds to the androgen receptors via a cytoplasmic enzyme.

It then basically rewrites the gene and tells the receptors that they need to speed up and work harder to build more muscle.

It’s almost like a form of computer coding for the muscle cells.

The androgen receptors, now rewritten, know that they have to work harder and generate more muscle tissue following a strenuous workout.

This, in turn, leads to an increased rate of protein synthesis – allowing the user to build more muscle.

Better Athletic Performance

Another great advantage associated with using test prop is the fact that it can help to ramp up the metabolism and provide more energy for the body and the muscles.

The more energy you have while working out, the more effective your training sessions will become.

Test Prop helps to suppress lactic acid build-ups which means that it can help to prevent fatigue, or at least, slow it down so that you can work harder and for longer.

As an added bonus, it also means that your recovery rates will increase, so you recover more effectively after a workout.

Great For Cutting

Many male bodybuilders such as Bradley Martyn and Calum Von Moger and some females for that matter tend to use testosterone propionate when they are cutting and dieting down for a contest.

Test prop helps to speed up the metabolism so that you can burn off more calories, even in a rested state.

The more calories you burn, the more fat you lose.

Test Prop is especially beneficial for cutting because not only does it strip away body fat, it also helps to promote the growth of lean muscle tissue, so you can build more muscle as you lose weight.

It also presents milder side-effects than other steroids, so issues like bloating and water retention are not present, so you can achieve a crisp and dry physique ready to step on stage.

Great Muscle Pumps

Another great benefit of using this steroid, especially for motivational purposes, is the fact that it helps to promote awesome muscle pumps.

A muscle pump is achieved when blood and water are forced into the muscles, causing them to expand and look and feel much bigger and fuller.

This makes you look bigger and more jacked than ever, and when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror with an awesome pump and some vascularity going on, it motivates you to train harder.

Arnold himself said that a muscle pump to him was the equivalent of having sex with a woman and climaxing.

Now, whether he was being dramatic for the cameras (it was during the Pumping Iron movie/documentary) or whether he was being serious is another matter, but if a muscle pump is good enough for the Austrian Oak, it’s certainly good enough for we mere mortals.

Testosterone Propionate Cycle:

As we’ve now covered the basics when it comes to test prop and what it can do for you, we need to now look at a few cycles that can be done with Superdrol, Dianabol or halodrol, HGH for men and Anadrol, to give you a rough idea of how to use this steroid to its max potential.

Take a look at the following and see what you think.

Beginner cycle

Bulking Cycle

Testosterone Propionate Side Effects:

So far, it’s all been pretty plain sailing, right?

After all, we’ve looked at the benefits of running a cycle, but we’ve yet to learn about the negatives.

Now we’ll take a look at the darker side of steroid use, as we look at some of the more common side effects associated with Test Prop use.

These include the following:

Androgenic Side Effects

Although the test prop doesn’t present overly strong Estrogenic side effects, it does provide some very potent androgenic side effects because it is converted into a bigger and much stronger DHT androgen.

Hair Loss

If you are not genetically predisposed to hair loss, you needn’t worry about losing your hair on this cycle.

If however, baldness runs in your family and you have already started to lose your hair, using this steroid COULD speed up the rates in which your hair starts to fall out.

To cut a long story short, steroids don’t cause baldness, but they can speed up hair loss if your hair is already falling out.

Acne

Another common side effect associated with Test Prop use, and other similar steroids for that matter, is Acne.

Acne is often caused by oily skin (another side effect we’re going to look at) as oils in the skin can clog the pores and cause spots and blemishes to break out.

Some people use special skin solutions to help combat acne, though in some cases it can be severe.

Commonly affected areas are the face, back, and shoulders.

In fact, some people call spots on the back ‘backne’.

Oily skin

As mentioned, oily skin is another common side effect associated with Test Prop usage so if you aren’t keen on a greasy skin, this is something you will need to bear in mind.

Heightened Emotions

Testosterone is a hormone that can promote feelings of aggression in males.

If a mild-mannered man was to use test prop, it wouldn’t suddenly transform him into an overly aggressive psychopath.

In fact, it would barely have any effect at all.

If however, an already fairly aggressive male was to use testosterone, he may find his aggression levels increased slightly.

Suppressed Libido

When using testosterone, your sex drive will be through the roof.

After you stop, however, your libido may go the opposite direction as your natural testosterone production levels may have been suppressed as well.

This is why PCT is so important.

Testosterone Propionate Dosage:

We’ve looked at a couple of testosterone propionate cycle samples, but to refresh your memory and talk about the types of dosages you can expect to be taking, we’ll now look at how much of this steroid you should be using.

Typical dosages range from between 100mg to 200mg every other day.

PCT Required:

Post Cycle Therapy is something that you should always utilize after finishing a steroid cycle.

There should be no exceptions to this rule.

Like most forms of PCT, you should utilize Clomid and Nolvadex around 4 days after your final injection.

With Clomid at 50/50/25/25 and Nolva at 40/40/20/20.