Deca Durabolin – Cycle Results, Dosage And Benefits of The Golden Classic

Even though Deca has given its name to one of the most notorious side effects in bodybuilding, the so-called «Deca dick», it's a gear of choice for thousands of athletes around the globe. How to get the best of it and avoid any unpleasant consequences? Read in this guide.

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Deca Durabolin is one of the most popular anabolic steroids of all time. It’s a perfect bulking compound with some additional benefits, like joints healing effect and endurance boost. Brought to the market in the 1960s, it was the most wildly marketed steroid back then, and it still has a massive – in all possible meanings – fanbase among all sorts of athletes. Of course, it works only in case you run it properly and understand, how it works.

What Is Deca Durabolin


«Deca» is short for Decanoate – the ester form of the compound that defines its half-life.

«Durabolin» is nothing but the brand name, there is no hidden meaning behind it.

The classic Deca Durabolin contains some benzyl alcohol to preserve and keep the substance sterile, some peanut oil (the real, liquid oil, not that Nutella sugar-filled paste crap), and the active compound itself – Nandrolone Decanoate. Some generic analogs may contain sunflower oil instead of the peanut one, but it doesn’t really matter. The thing that gives you all the effects is Nandrolone.

What Is Nandrolone


In scientific terms, it is 19-nortestosterone, which means that it is almost identical to the testosterone itself, but lacks a tiny carbon in the 19th position. Just a little change gives you all the difference. Nandrolone is 150% more anabolic than testosterone and 30% as androgenic. It’s also resistant to aromatization, which means that it does not turn into estrogen in your body.

Nandrolone is the active compound, Deca is an ester. So far, it’s easy, right?

Nandrolone Esters


And that’s where it gets weird. We have a whole bucket of other Nandrolone esters with quirky names that vary mostly in terms of the half-life:

  • Nandrolone Cypionate – a faster form of Deca;
  • Nandrolone Adamantoate – aka Bolmantalate, also an anabolic steroid by nature, not so popular;
  • Nandrolone Furylpropionate – aka NFP (has nothing to do with furries);
  • Nandrolone Cyclohexanecarboxylate – in more than 50 years from its creation, no one ever tried to run it because «cyclo… cyclohe… fuck it, I’ll take Deca» is just easier to spell;
  • Nandrolone Phenylpropionate – aka NPP, just as popular as Deca. It gives you results about a month earlier, but you have to inject it more frequently.

These are just 5 of them. We have about 10 more, but I’m pretty sure you will never even see any of them again. Why? Because Deca Durabolin and NPP are the two most popular, powerful, and effective Nandrolone esters. And you can buy Nandrolone Phenylpropionate as well as other esters in our shop for quite a reasonable price. Trust me, every single gym maniac would memorize the Cyclohexanecarboxylate by syllables if it could give more benefits than other options. Luckily, we are here with just NPP and Deca.

Many beginners believe that Deca and NPP are the same compounds. it’s just wrong. Think of it as of testosterone enanthate and testosterone propionate – different solutions that slow down the release speed.

Deca Durabolin VS NPP


Here are the key differences between them:

  1. Half-life – Deca is a long-chain ester, NPP is a short-chain one. In general, it means that Deca acts slower than NPP, but bears fewer risks for your health;
  2. Results speed – With NPP you will need approximately 2 months to see the gains, with Deca – about 3 or 4 months;
  3. Injections frequency – Deca should be taken once a week, some athletes split the dose and take it in 2 injections a week. NPP requires about 3 or 4 injections every week, since it wears off faster.

It’s not necessary to choose just one Nandrolone ester – running two 19-nor’s at a time is a common thing, even though it’s highly debatable nowadays. We recommend to buy Durabolin (NPP) by NovoPharm and start with it, just to see how it goes.

Where to Buy Deca?

Deca is popular as hell so every source you come across will almost certainly have it. Not all of them will have legit Deca, though. For a lab-tested, top-quality compound — feel free to heck out our shop. You can buy Apoxar Deca Durabolin (under the Decabolin brandname, even though it’s the same nandrolone Decanoate) in 300 mg/ml concentration and get it delivered to you in no time anywhere in Canada.

Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone) Benefits


We’ll stick with Deca by now, just because it’s the most popular option. You get the same list of benefits from Nandrolone anyway, regardless of the ester and release speed. Here are just some of them:

Muscle Growth

This is why you are here in the first place, right? Deca is a classic bulking compound that can easily give you extra 6-18 Lbs of dry muscle by the end of the cycle. The range is so wide here because the effect is individual and depends on your workout routine and many other pre-existing stats. In case you will sit on your ass all day and skip on the gym, gains will not come at all. However, the effect is not that closely related to your activity. Deca works in your body in several independent ways:

  1. Improves the protein synthesis ( i.e., gives you more material for your body to build muscle with);
  2. Boosts nitrogen retention (your muscle will appreciate the positive nitrogen balance and will reward you with extreme growth).

Joints and Tendons Improvement

When you experience Deca lubrication of the joints, you understand that the whole previous life it felt like dry-humping a crusty loaf of garlic bread, and only NOW you know how your joints should work. Well-lubricated joints work with no screeching, no discomfort, no pain, and zero resistance.

Why does it happen? We have no definitive answer yet, just many versions. The primary one is a combination of two effects: better synovial liquid accumulation in the joints (the healthy kind of liquid retention, not the edema-like one) and boosted glycogen synthesis. Whatever the reason is, decades of anecdotal experience prove that the effect is there.

The effect on joints is NOT here to stay, so we can’t call it healing. That’s a pretty common misconception. Healing suggests long-term effects, and Deca lubrication wears off by the end of the cycle.

Not entirely, it definitely leaves a sweet aftertaste, but does not work the same way for everyone and occurs mainly in an uncontrolled manner, so technically it’s not a treatment — more of temporary ease on the problem.

Low Androgenicity

Not the first time in bodybuilding history that the lack of some effects becomes a benefit, but one of the most notable for sure. Deca Durabolin is weak on the androgenic side and boosted on the anabolic one. It’s just 20-30% as androgenic as the testosterone. Balding, acne, moobs – chances that you will get it are significantly lower (in comparison to testosterone and other AAS). However, Estradiol is not the only thing that can lead to it, and you still need PCT after the Deca cycle.

Other Benefits

Deca Durabolin has several additional minor benefits that some people don’t expect. Shops rarely mention them, medical studies take them for granted, but they still occur during the cycle:

  • Immunity boost – even HIV-positive kids were prescribed Deca for muscle deficiency treatment;
  • Bones strengthening – Deca has initially been a treatment for osteoporosis;
  • Amino-acids administration improvement – direct effect on your intestines;
  • Endurance boost – Deca promotes red blood cell production, so you have more cells to transport oxygen around your body and better endurance as a result.
deca durabolin cycle and dosage

Deca Durabolin Dosage


The healthy rate is just 300-400mg a week, cut in halves, and taken in 2 injections of 150-200mg every week. Different purposes require different dosage:

  • For blasting, take 300-800mg Deca a week. 500mg mark is where the Deca dick is waiting for you, but let’s be realistic – many desperate athletes go for it and add supportive compounds to counter the side effects. For starters, on 500-800mg a week, you will need Cabergoline to combat progesterone and AI’s to counter aromatization in the liver.
  • For cruising, 200mg will do the thing. Nothing special about this one, it keeps you bulk off-cycle and can be well tolerated in the long run. Yes, you can run Deca for a full year. No, it’s not healthy – just like blasting and cruising in general. And no, it’s not that dangerous as many argue, regular control is just a pain in the ass in this case, and you may start to skip meals to save money for supportive compounds.
  • On TRT, 100-200mg a week in a single injection will be enough. In case you’re on an officially prescribed testosterone replacement therapy, Deca can spice it up a bit and give you some additional 3-5 lbs of muscle in 8-12 weeks. Don’t expect wonders from it, though. You’re not going to get massive from this dose but will notice the joints pain relief effect.

In case you need results faster, you can go for the NPP cycle. NPP is more potent than Deca, so you will have to adjust your dosage. 150mg of NPP will give you the same effect as 200mg of Deca.

How To Take Deca Durabolin


Inject it right in your butt, just to tease haters. Best done in high noon in public on the central square of your city.

Aside from the public thing, I’m deadly serious. Deca Durabolin should be injected in the muscle tissue, and your buttocks are the perfect injection sites. Just split one of them into 4 quadrants (visualize it, please, don’t use a pen) and inject right in the upper quadrant on the outer side. In case you’re not comfortable with the whole stereotypical butt thing, here is a list of other common – and just as effective – places for intramuscular injections:

  • Upper thigh;
  • Quads;
  • Deltoids;
  • Upper arm;
  • Literally, any other place where you can reach muscle easily.

It’s important not to hit any major blood vessels. There’s plenty of guides on intramuscular injections on the Web. Just google the thing and follow the instructions, like in this guide from the University of Michigan.

Deca Before and After

The Internet is full of insane transformations that are attributed to Deca Durabolin. Most of the time you see athletes turning their bodies from mildly-toned to extremely massive and shredded ones. There’s just one problem with it: real Deca before and after would look WET AF. You won’t look like lean in any way after a Deca cycle. Especially since you also need Testosterone with it.

This is what you can expect from a full-scale, high dosage Deca cycle with Testosterone:

deca durabolin before and after example 1

The guy just LOOKS like Jason Statham, it’s not him actually. While we can’t be sure that this is exactly a Deca before and after — it could take place in the course of the 9 months mentioned. Two simple reasons for it:

  1. The gains are crazy. It would take several years of hard work naturally to achieve this result;
  2. The gains are wet and water retention is visible — look at the puffiness, even in the face, and at the ABS.

We’re not trying to claim that this is exactly what YOU will look like in a Deca before ad after picture comparison (since pretty much everything is individual), but this is what wet gains look like in general.

Deca Durabolin Side Effects


There is no free lunch, and Deca has never been famous for being a side effects-free compound. Even though most athletes note that the sides are mild, they have a chance to occur, and you should know how to counter them.

Deca Dick

So common, that it has become a self-sufficient term by now. You probably learn about Deca dick before you know what Deca is. In medical terms, it’s a synonym to a decreased libido and troubled erections. Basically, a limp dick during the peak of the cycle. This is why it occurs:

  1. Deca affects your natural (aka endogenous) testosterone production and suppresses it, but it is NOT androgenic enough to fill the gap. It does not work as an external (aka exogenous) injectable testosterone. Right, the compound, that, in basic terms, IS testosterone with slight changes, does not work like one. To my mind, that’s a dick move, and the pun is totally intended.
  2. In your body, Deca is partly transformed by the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme to 5-alpha-dihydro Nandrolone (DHN), which is EVEN LESS androgenic, so the remaining 20% of androgenic capabilities get hit as well.
  3. Deca Durabolin is a potent progestational compound. Progestins are comparable to estrogens, and they can give some fancy girlish vibes to your hormonal system without proper external support. Girls don’t have erections; neither will you on high doses of Deca.

Luckily, Deca dick is a dose-dependent thing, and it occurs only on a high dosage, about 6-8 weeks into the cycle. You can avoid it by running Deca in reasonable dosage (the one I mentioned above) and just following a simple rule:

Never, never run Deca Durabolin solo. Even if some mobs catch you in a dark alley, beat you to near-death, put a gun to your head, and say, «Run Deca without testosterone now, or we will shoot you», spit in their faces and opt for the latter. You seriously need some external testosterone source to balance the whole thing.

You’re most likely to be OK if you follow this rule. However, some other options can counter the side effect directly in case you’ve lost the point of no return:

Aromatase Inhibitors vs. Deca dick

Yeah, the low conversion rate does not mean any conversion at all, it still happens in the liver. AI’s like Aromasin or Arimidex can help you to lower the estradiol levels. Just remember that aromatization is heavily limited with Nandrolone and take smaller doses than usual.

Medicine to Counter Deca dick

Counter injectable with orals. A 5mg dose of Bromocriptine (Parlodel) a day, a pill in the morning and a pill before sleep, can solve your issue. Cabergoline or Wellbutrin would work as well. You are about to counter anabolic steroids side effects with anti-depressants through dopamine administration mechanism, and that’s one messed up stack for your mental health. Pay extra attention to your emotional state during the cycle and especially – when you take these counter-measures.

HCG vs. Deca dick

HCG is a nuclear option that can make even the softest, most sluggish dick rock-hard and ready to shine again. Just make sure that you’ve tried all other options before going for this one. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a complicated compound itself, don’t turn your bulking cycle into a vicious circle of side effects.

Heart-related Deca Side Effects

It’s not all about your penis, buddy. Your heart is proven to take some damage as well. Luckily, it’s mild and dose-dependent, too, so you’re OK while you take Deca in moderation. However, some extra attention to the heart and some tests would be a great thing to do.

Other Side Effects

Your heart and your dick get hit the most. You also can get a ton of discomfort from testosterone shutdown, but it’s not directly a Deca side effect – that’s what you get for abusing any anabolic steroid or skipping on the PCT phase. Other Deca side effects are usually well-tolerated, among them are:

  • Headaches;
  • Backache;
  • Acne;
  • Rhinitis;
  • Dizziness.

PCT after Deca Durabolin


Seriously, don’t skip the PCT. Nolvadex or Clomid can help you with the Deca dick thing and get you back on track in the bedroom. PCT is vital after a Deca + Testosterone cycle anyway, so it’s not like you will have to do something extra here.

In case something goes wrong, you can always drop the cycle. Here it’s been proven that even if you drop it after a single injection, you won’t lose any muscle.

Bloodworks on Deca Durabolin


Deca is a powerful gear, and it’s totally capable of fucking up your whole hormonal system if you tolerate it poorly or just take it in a wrong protocol. You don’t need to be an overdosing gym freak to mess things up, even extremely disciplined and careful athletes make mistakes. Shit happens. It’s not a reason to avoid all possible risks of bodybuilding, just an excellent reason to put extra effort into control of the process. Nothing gives you more awareness of your cycle effectiveness than regular blood works. Here is what you need to know about it on Deca cycle:

Deca Durabolin Cycle Mistakes


Here are a few common mistakes that you should be aware of before your first Deca cycle:

Avoid Solo Deca Cycle

Yes, I’ve already told you about it, but beginners – somehow – manage to make this mistake over and over for about 50 years now. It’s just dangerous to run Deca solo. It can shut you down in about 3-4 weeks. As a suppressive compound, it lowers your natural testosterone production but does NOT work as an exogenous compound to replace all the lost testosterone. The low androgenic side is exactly why Deca is so popular, but it makes stacking Deca Durabolin with other (more androgenic) compounds absolutely vital.

Don’t Frontload Deca

Frontloading means that you start on a higher dose and then go down to a usual dose in a week or two. Some athletes advocate for it and argue that this way, Deca «builds up» in your body faster. However, it has no sense. It takes about 3 weeks for the first effects to occur and 2 weeks for the first changes in your body to happen. A 2-doses-long frontloading? You will just confuse your receptors and will have to lower your usual dose when the Deca dick will haunt you in the middle of the cycle. Dianabol kickstart would give you the quick effect you need, keep your Deca doses stable.

You Don’t Need 2x Testosterone Base for Deca

The man who invented this thing is the favorite customer in his local insurance companies. The logic behind this is simple – if Deca is just 20% androgenic and 100% suppressive, you need 180% of testosterone to fill the gap, and we will add 20% on top just to be sure. Luckily, it just doesn’t work like that. You NEED a base compound, but a 2x dosage is not necessary. 1:1 ratio will do the thing, since your natural testosterone production doesn’t just stop in a moment, and Deca acts slowly. By the way, most athletes run 300-400mg doses of Deca for the best effect, and 600-800mg of testosterone from the very beginning would shut you down and ensure you one hell of a PCT.

Deca Durabolin Cycles


Deca Durabolin and Testosterone – a classic stack, to say the least.



Test E (EW)Deca
Durabolin (EW)
AI (Arimidex) EODNolvadex PCT
Weeks 1-3300-400300-400
Weeks 4-7300-400300-4000,5mg
Week 8-11300-400300-4000,5mg
Week 13-16300-400300-4000,5mg
Weeks 16-17
Weeks 18-21





20mg

Deca + Test E + Trenbolone Cycle



TrenboloneDeca
Durabolin (EW)
Testosterone
Enanthate
Nolvadex PCT
Weeks 1-2250mg250-350mg

Weeks 2-8150-200mg250mg250-350mg

Weeks 8-9250mg250-350mg

Weeks 9-10

Weeks 10-1220mg

Deca + Test E + Dianabol Kickstart Cycle



DianabolTest E (EW)Deca
Durabolin EW
AI (Arimidex) EODPCT (Nolvadex/Clomid/Femara
Weeks 1-340-50mg250-350mg500mg0,5mg
Weeks 4-7500mg500mg0,5mg
Week 8-11600-750mg500mg0,5mg
Week 13-16600-750mg500mg0,5mg
Weeks 16-17
Weeks 18-21







20mg

Personal Opinion on Deca Durabolin


I’ve always thought of Deca as one of the most flexible compounds out there. It gives you all the control, and it’s all about proportions. The effects you get are in direct proportion with the dosage, and your level of comfort is in reverse proportion. Imagine it as a crossroads:

You want to get massive in a short period of time, so you take high doses and a ton of supportive compounds to combat the sides.

OR

You want to take a small dose of it on a mild cruise, so you won’t get much bigger, but you also won’t really need Caber or AI’s.

Deca is very well-researched, so it’s a straight-forward compound that tells you: «I will make you big, buddy! In exchange, I will try to fuck you up here, here and here. Keep an eye on these areas!». It’s so popular, affordable, and old that it just has nothing to hide – athletes of all kinds will take it anyway. An easily understandable powerful compound that gives you all the control is kind of predestined for extreme popularity. If you made up your mind to try it but don’t know where to get high quality gear, we are here to help. Buy Deca Durabolin in our shop and you’ll definetely won’t regret it. Just make sure that you know how to ride the thing before you put your hands on the wheel.