As an oral anabolic steroid, the nature of Dianabol tends to limit the ways in which it can be used, and the flexibility of using Dianabol (Dbol) is limited by the Dbol dosage and the cycle in which it is used.
Oral anabolic steroids typically serve as a secondary compound and/or 'kickstart' compound in a cycle that uses other compounds as a base.
'Kickstarting' is the practice of including an oral anabolic steroid in a cycle for the first few weeks of the user's cycle
(usually in conjunction with a long acting injectable anabolic steroid due to the long kick-in period).
The kick-in period for most injectables (especially long esters) is several weeks in a cycle, so you typically won't experience any positive effects until then.
Using oral anabolic steroids for the first few weeks will allow you to experience the positive anabolic effects of oral while the effects of injectable compounds slowly increase.
By the time you discontinue the oral compound (or near the end of its use), the anabolic effects of the injectable compound will be in full swing and the transition will be nearly seamless.
Anavar is one of the anabolic steroids commonly used as a kickstart compound for this effect due to its significant anabolic strength.
Other compounds used in this manner include strong mass building compounds such as Anadrol-50 and other compounds that favor bulking and significant mass gains.
Because of these somewhat restrictive properties, Dianabol is most commonly used in cycles where pure bulking and mass gain is the primary goal, and is a compound that is rarely used in fat loss or pre-contest cycles.
Essentially all anabolic steroids can be used for both purposes, but due to the estrogenic nature of Dianabol, it almost exclusively falls into the bulking category, while users tend to shy away from using it in cutting cycles.
Overall, regardless of the type of cycle involved, Dbol doses are generally unchanged regardless of whether bulking or cutting, and this is mostly due to its great strength and potency.
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Dianabol Doses
When using this compound for specific goals, high doses of Dianabol (Dbol) are generally not necessary given its potency and strength as an anabolic steroid.
Due to its considerable potency and strength, Dianabol (Divol) is considered one of the best anabolic steroids in terms of cost/benefit ratio, which takes into account the potential gains versus the effective dosage required to bring about positive changes.
Another important factor to remember is the liver toxicity of the compound, which increases with increasing dosage.
Due to its powerful anabolic properties, it is not necessary to run high doses (and thus risk increased toxicity) to see dramatic physique changes.
With this in mind, the original dosage guidelines outlined by Dr. Ziegler and his medical team in 1955 were to take 5mg per day for a period of no more than 6 weeks.
A Dianabol dosage of 5mg is generally considered low, but don't get me wrong
- 5mg is still enough to improve athletic performance.
However, it is not a sufficient amount of Dianabol for dramatic physique changes or the level of physique changes that most users are looking for.
Therefore, a more suitable Dianabol dosage for these types of goals is 15-30mg per day for beginners,
30-50mg per day range for intermediate and advanced users.
Some users who typically use higher doses (mainly in the advanced user realm) will take as high as 80-100mg per day, but this is highly unnecessary and increases the risk of harmful effects and side effects on the body.
While advanced users are generally known to use higher doses of Dianabol than beginners or intermediate users, it is very important to understand that the definition of an advanced user is not about using higher doses of the compound.
Due to the relatively inflexible nature of Dianabol, the dosage is quite limited by its hepatotoxicity and potency which in itself negates the need for high doses.
While this inflexible dosage of Dianabol is not necessarily a bad thing, there are some very important points to remember.
Dianabol Dosage for Women
The use of Dianabol among female anabolic steroid users is very rare.
Female athletes rarely use Dianabol for physique and performance enhancement, and this is due to its androgenic side effects that cause masculinization issues.
We mentioned earlier that Dianabol's androgenic strength is significantly lower than its parent hormone testosterone, but that doesn't negate the fact that Dianabol still has moderate androgenic activity in the body.
Masculinization symptoms can still be a major issue among female users.
For the small percentage of female users who do take Dianabol, they often take doses ranging from 2.5-5mg per day.
10mg per day is considered the highest dose for women, and many female users who have taken this dose have reported increased acne breakouts and other masculinizing symptoms.
However, it is not necessary to use very high doses.
This is due to the strong anabolic properties of Dbol, and it is not necessary for female athletes to take doses higher than 5mg daily.
Proper Dosage of Dianabol and When to Take It
Dianabol has a half-life of approximately 4.5-6 hours, which can vary depending on the individual and their metabolism, but it is generally considered an anabolic steroid with a fairly short half-life (especially compared to other compounds).
Because of this relatively short half-life, users are advised to take it in split doses throughout the day.
A once daily dose of Dianabol will undoubtedly result in unstable plasma levels that will fluctuate between highs and lows.
Doses greater than 5mg per day should be taken in at least two evenly divided doses throughout the day.
For example, a user taking 40 mg per day would take 20 mg first thing in the morning and the remaining 20 mg approximately 5-6 hours later in the day.
There are a variety of opinions and practices regarding dosing protocols.
For example, many users prefer to take the full 20mg dose at one time instead of splitting the 20mg dose in half and taking it 6 hours apart.
Administering the dose once a day in this manner results in much higher plasma levels and a faster plasma peak at one point in time.
In contrast, a split dosing protocol results in lower, more stable, and longer-lasting plasma levels. The single dosing protocol offers users an advantage in certain areas where the entire Dianabol dose is taken at a time when nutrient intake is critical.
The nutrient partitioning effect that Dianabol provides is very beneficial during these short but critical periods.
A favorable situation to perform a single dose protocol is in a post-workout scenario, for example.
When administered immediately after a training session, the plasma concentration of the anabolic hormone rises quickly and sharply, which can greatly facilitate the nutrient partitioning effect when the user consumes protein and carbohydrates after the training session.
Therefore, for those who want to experience the best of both worlds, a split dose protocol on non-workout days and a single dose protocol immediately following a workout would be a good mix.
Expectations and Results from Taking Dianabol
The gains from using Dianabol do not vary significantly from user to user.
On average, most users will experience the same type of muscle mass gains from this compound.
As mentioned earlier, Dianabol is an anabolic steroid that is best utilized mostly for muscle mass, strength, and bulking purposes.
The average user should expect to see a significant amount of weight gain in a very short period of time after the first dose, usually within two weeks.
At a dose of 20mg per day, a weight gain of 3 to 6 kilograms in a matter of weeks is not uncommon, especially for beginners.
However, as you would expect from such a compound, not all of this mass is typically lean muscle.
Dianabol is well known for its estrogenic effects that promote water gain and fat retention, which can make up a solid portion of any given amount of mass gain.
When stacked with an aromatase inhibitor, the estrogen-induced water retention can be effectively eliminated.
In this case, a more desirable and realistic lean mass gain can be experienced, and a more realistic expectation can be in the range of 2-4 kg within the first few weeks
