Trenbolone – What You Need to Know: Usage, Cycle & Side Effects

The pressure to get jacked, ripped and shredded can be huge. And for some bros that means turning down the alley to a dark place called steroids. But is Trenbolone really the answer you’re looking for? Do the side effects outweigh the riches?

If you’re at a point where you think you’ve maxed out your genetic potential, you might be thinking of opening the assisted door and dipping your toe in the world of steroids.

And if you’ve done your research you find that Trenbolone keeps popping up on the list of possibilities.

You ever hear the saying “just Tren hard bro”?

As a powerful steroid not to be used by noobs, Trenbolone is a beast of two faces – it’s one of the most powerful steroids out there and will get you jacked plain and simple… but can also f*ck up your sh*t too.

Will this steroid transform your aesthetic for the better? Will it make the girls ‘trenble’ at the sight of your mass? Or are you on the path to ruin and a downward spiral of serious side effects?

In this detailed guide, we pulled in our clinical physiologist, lifting and physique coaching experts to give you the lowdown on all things Tren…

This is what we’ll cover:

• What is Tren?
• Usage and cycles
• Are there any benefits to steroids such as Trenbolone?
• Which side effects do you need to be concerned about?

What Is Trenbolone?

Trenbolone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) that falls under the 19-nor (short for norandrostenedione) or nandrolone family.

Originally designed as a pellet to help cattle bulk up and keep them lean before slaughter, Tren became a popular bodybuilding drug in the 1980s once it had been synthesized into injectable ‘juice’ form.

However, the FDA have never approved it’s use in humans, which has forced manufacturers to synthesize it in underground labs and sell on the black market. The way that the drug is converted to an injectable form can be crude, unsafe and unsanitary.

You’re never guaranteed a safe product, no matter how much the manufacturer says it’s clean.

As one of the more popular steroids on the market, Trenbolone is used by both athletes and physique enthusiasts who’re wanting to shortcut their way to gains or develop monster mass that surpasses their measly genetics.

It has a number of street and slang names including tren, fina and para. 

Anabolic and androgenic properties

Tren is a compound with 3-5 times the strength of testosterone.

It’s highly androgenic and doesn’t have estrogenic properties, meaning you don’t get the spike in estrogen associated with other forms of testosterone, or the fluid retention and fat mass associated with AAS drugs in general.

It’s pretty much the strongest injectable steroid out there.

On the anabolic-androgenic rating scale, Trenbolone scores 500. Testosterone comes in at only 100. This gives you an idea of just how powerful it is as a steroid.

If you cycle this steroid you can expect both androgenic and anabolic changes to your body. Not only do Trenbolone esters help to increase protein synthesis and muscle mass, the drug also boosts appetite and reduces catabolism at a cellular level.

Tren is used by bros to develop huge slabs of lean muscle or build respectable amounts of muscle during a weight cut. And because it binds directly to androgen receptors, the steroid may also help with fat loss too.

The two types of Trenbolone

There are different types of Trenbolone. The main difference between the two main derivatives is down to esters – organic compounds that react with water to form inorganic acids.

• Trenbolone acetate (TA) has short esters that peak blood levels fast. For that reason, the effects don’t last long and frequent injections are needed to keep ‘topped up’. It has an anabolic ratio 5 times stronger than testosterone (500:500) and is derived from nandrolone. TA has a strong binding affinity to androgen receptors and isn’t metabolized by aromatase enzymes into estrogen. It’s a performance-enhancing drug used by athletes and bodybuilders during cutting cycles.
• Trenbolone enanthate (TE) peaks much slower, however, remains in the blood for longer. It’s highly versatile and used not only by athletes wanting to cheat their way to success, but many guys wanting to correct low testosterone issues. Because of its long half-life, you don’t need to take it as often.

Related: Safe Steroids Alternatives

Does it matter which ester you go with?

There are both advantages and disadvantages to using either TA or TE.

A shorter ester from TA means:

• Fast gains and results
• Clears from your body quickly so harsh side effects don’t last as long
• More frequent injections
• Can work out expensive

But longer TE esters provide:

• Slower visible gains
• Longer lasting effects (and side effects)
• You don’t need to inject as often
• Might work out cheaper

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Bro Note:

• Esters don’t change the chemical make-up of a drug, just how fast it’s released into and cleared out of the body.
• Your choice of ester should largely be based on your ability to tolerate the side effects of Trenbolone.

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Some lifters suggest that weight for weight, TA provides better results because of the fast spike. But others say TE is better because it remains in your body for longer.

TE is probably the most popular all in all and is used in larger doses.

Trenbolone Usage: What Effects Does Tren Have On The Body?

As a strong and potent AAS, Tren has the ability to transform your body. And while there are a huge number of risks (more on that later) we’d not be doing our job properly if we didn’t acknowledge some of the potential benefits this ‘roid provides:

• Increased muscle protein synthesis, size, and density, as well as strength and power
• Keeps you looking hard and dry – minimal water retention
• Effective nutrient partitioning – drives calories to muscle and not fat
• Boosts red cell count, vascularity, and pump
• Raises testosterone levels
• Elevates aggression and assertiveness
• Higher levels of endurance and stamina

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Where are we so far?

• Tren is a potent steroid from the nandrolone family.
• It’s used for both anabolic and androgenic benefits such as enhanced muscle mass, and strength while shredding excess body fat.
• Tren doesn’t increase estrogen levels in the blood.

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Trenbolone Usage and Cycle

A Trenbolone cycle is used by those wanting to build muscle mass while staying lean. A ‘cycle’ is when you take steroids on a regular basis for a set period of time.

The dose you get for a cycle on Trenbolone largely depends on which type you opt for and how experienced you are as a user. If you’re new to this steroid, it’s often recommended you go with TA as it’s faster acting and clears from your blood much faster than TE.

You should never use Tren as your first cycle. Before you try it you should have cycled AAS such as testosterone. It’d be like buying a supercharged sports car for your very first ride.

Basic Trenbolone cycle information – stacking Tren and Test

We’ve already mentioned that Tren is 3-5 times stronger than testosterone  For that reason, few people go straight from natty to Tren use without arriving at a testosterone pit-stop on the way.

Tren is not for beginners!

Let’s say that again just in case you missed it… if you start a cycle of Tren and it’s your first steroid, you sir are a douche. That’s why we call this a ‘basic’ cycle and not a beginner’s one.

Practically all Tren cycles will see you adding some testosterone into the cycle too. It helps to gauge how much tren you can ‘handle’ rather than hitting it too hard. It gives you an opportunity to get used to the effects of the drug and work out if the side effects will be too harsh.

Your test dose should be no lower than that of TRT – around 400 mg per week in total. Using a short ester testosterone such as propionate means ease of injection timings. TE use means fewer injections but potentially longer-lasting side effects.

Another reason you should run test alongside Trenbolone is that it suppresses your natural testosterone production. Throwing a bit of test in helps to keep things leveled and stable rather than going in HAM like a rogue renegade with a sawn-off shotgun.

During a basic cycle, you’ll more than likely go with 50 mg every other day (eod), increasing that to 75 mg if you can tolerate it. The basic cycle length is around 8 weeks long. Longer cycles are for more experienced bros who can foresee issues as they happen.

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Basic Trenbolone cycle: 

• Test prop 400 mg per week
• Tren A – no higher than 300 mg per week
• Cycle length – 1-8 weeks

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Intermediate cycle: adding in additional rugs to ramp up results

At this stage you’ve played around with the Test:Tren ratio and worked out what doses you can tolerate, and what works for you.

During an intermediate cycle, you’re running less test than before (just as a supporting steroid), but with slightly more Tren. You’re also adding additional drugs into the mix dependent on whether you’re bulking or cutting.

The specific steroids you use are up to you, but it’s common to use something like Anadrol or Dianabol (both around 50 mg per day) to accelerate muscle growth and lay down some serious slabs of muscle mass.

For a cutting cycle, Winstrol (known as Winny in the iron game) is a popular drug to run with Test and Tren.

Winstrol binds to androgen receptors and lowers SHBG levels, allowing testosterone and Tren to stimulate their anabolic effects more powerfully.

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Intermediate Trenbolone cycle: 

• Test prop 100 mg per week
• Tren A – no higher than 400 mg per week
• Cycle length – 8 weeks
• Dianabol 25-50 mg per day or Winstrol 50 mg per day

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Advanced cycle – aggressive, brutal results

If you’re still here at this stage, you’ll have experienced a good few weeks running your cycle. Hopefully, you’ll not have experienced too many serious side effects (although chances are you will have).

During an advanced Tren cycle, you might switch from TA to TE esters as a way of adding variety for this longer cycle and reducing the number of times you need to inject each week.

The dose flies up to 800 mg per week, and again, Test is there in the background to stop your testosterone levels from tanking. Your testosterone also comes from an enanthate ester too, making injection timings much easier.

During an advanced cycle, you might use a steroid called Drostanolone (although your body fat would have to be fairly low at this stage to get the full effects).

Drostanolone (known as Masteron) is a modified version of the testosterone derivative DHT that adds hard, lean muscle but also bumps up athletic performance too.

Note: this is only an example cycle and at this stage you’ll know enough about your body to adapt so chances are the exact dose will vary.

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Advanced Trenbolone cycle: 

• Test E – 100 mg per week
• Tren E – 800 mg per week
• Cycle length – 12 weeks
• Drostanolone – 400 mg per week

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Trenbolone Side Effects – What You REALLY Need to Know

At this stage you might be salivating at the thought of Tren-induced lean gains and off-the-chart athletic performance. But unfortunately, these benefits can come at a cost.

Here’s the deal bros…

#1. Tren Cough

The side effect most commonly associated with Trenbolone is the infamous ‘Tren cough’.

Tren is pretty irritant. Touch your tongue with it on your hands and it tastes spicy as f*ck. Rub your balls and you’ll know about it because those man globes will be on fire.

Trenbolone is also irritant to lung tissue. And injecting the oil into your body can cause some of it to leak into your veins or capillaries during injection, pushing it towards your lungs where it becomes irritant.

The result is a harsh sounding cough.

It’s worse at higher doses and more regular injections (from TA) will make symptoms more violent.

Some serious drug users even stack another drug called Cardarine with their Trenbolone to help manage the symptoms. But even then you’re not guaranteed to escape it.

In some dudes, Tren cough a minor inconvenience. In others, it’s a horrible and persistent hacking cough.

#2. Gyno effects (man boobs)

You might look great for a few weeks with your rock hard, solid muscle…. but how are you gonna feel when you’re swinging around a giant pair of womanly fun bags from your pecs?

We mentioned earlier in this guide that Trenbolone doesn’t aromatize like testosterone, meaning you don’t accumulate estrogen like you would on other AAS.

That doesn’t mean you escape the side effects. If you’re prone to gynecomastia (b*tch tits) from testosterone you’re pretty much guaranteed to get in while cycling Tren.

Tren elevates prolactin production – a hormone that stimulates milk production. It’s also attracted to progesterone receptors as much as were attracted to gym honies in hot pants.

The result is not only a drop in natural testosterone production, but stimulatory breast tissue growth too.

#3. High blood pressure that’ll turn your head red

Even with a basic, low-dose cycle of Trenbolone, your blood pressure can spike dramatically.

You’ll HAVE to monitor your blood pressure on a daily basis or you run the risk of developing hypertension – clinically and unsafe pressure in your blood vessels.

The problem is that not only will high blood pressure give you headaches, vision problems, and chest pain, it also significantly increases your risk of:

• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Kidney disease
• Long-term vision problems

If you have high blood pressure already and are considering jumping on the Tren to gainzville you’re a douche. This drug will pretty much be the end of you bro. 

#4. Acne, bacne and full on pizza face

For the first few weeks on cycle, your physique might look fire. But after a while, the only things on fire will be those volcanoes on your face and back.

It can even affect your chest and other areas of your body too, depending on how susceptible you are to acne.

AAS use, in general, can cause excess development of sebum – an oily secretion that lubricates the skin. As you produce more, your skin becomes inflamed, leading to infection and zits.

We’re not talking about the odd pimple you got before prom during your teens. We’re talking about full-on purple cysts that look disgusting and angry in equal measure.

Good luck getting laid with those, bro.

Do you want your skin to blow up with the same ferocity as an explosion in a cheese factory?

#5. Insomnia please release me

Part of being a successful bodybuilder is knowing the importance of sleep – a hugely anabolic process that helps restore and build muscle tissue.

Most steroid cycles disrupt sleep in one way or another. But Trembolone takes things to a whole new level.

And if you do manage to escape the lack of sleep, chances are you’ll be hit by the night sweats, waking up moister than an oyster.

Insomnia can be so bad that bros often refer to the lack of sleep-related side effects as Trensomnia. 

#6. You’re an angry muthaf*cker

Part and parcel of being a lean, mean alpha is having a personality that’s assertive and strong. But there’s a fine line bro between being unf*ckwithable and a straight up always-angry asshole.

Most steroids boost aggressiveness and anger. But Tren can raise the game to unbearable levels.

If you’re a placid beta male you might get away with it. But if you’re already a pretty angry dude then God help you. You’ll just not be able to control the aggression.

Trenbolone causes a huge surge in anger and aggression that’s near impossible to control. 

#7. Goodbye sex drive

As a healthy bro with a great physique, you’ll already be fending off pussy in a similar way to that Sokovia Age of Ultron battle scene where Hulk is literally fighting off sentries with his fists.

Most times you’d be racking up notches on the bedpost and leaving woman after woman in a quivering state of orgasm as you give them the time of their life.

No more bro.

Say goodbye to your A game.

One of the Trenbolone side effects is low libido, sex drive, and performance. Gone is the relentless Lothario with porn star endurance… and in ushers a dude with the skills of a virgin and libido of a librarian on Xanax.

Trenbolone will destroy your libido and severely affect your sexual prowess. What’s the point in being jacked if you can’t put that muscle to good use?

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Bro Point: From vascular issues and acne to a non-existent libido and man boobs, Trenbolone side effects are varied and severe. And that’s without mentioning the Tren Cough.

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Summary – Trenbolone Side Effects and Cycle

Trenbolone is a steroid from the nandrolone family. It’s used by dudes that want to boost muscle mass without fat gain.

While the benefits make it the most potent steroid on the market, the side effects are serious. It isn’t for the faint-of-heart and will essentially f*ck up your shit.

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Disclaimer: SpotMeBro Do Not Advocate Trenbolone Use

As we’ve already discussed, abusing Tren can come with crazy side effects. Not only are you at risk of ruining your physical health but your mental wellbeing too. When it comes down to it, the repercussions just aren’t worth the potential gains, bro.

We wrote this article to raise awareness around the severity of tren abuse, without leaving out any of the facts. While it’s true anabolic steroids have helped bodybuilders build muscle for generations, they’ve also destroyed lives too. For every famous athlete there are thousands of broken, unhealthy men left in the shadows.

If you want to safely accelerate your anabolism, we suggest taking a natty approach. There’s a lot to be said about the bro who can build a stellar physique with nothing but education, willpower, and a natural process. No cheating – just hard work!

The first step to becoming this man is by boosting your testosterone.

Here are a few select articles for skyrocketing your test:

• Best Testosterone Boosters to Build Muscle & Lose Fat 2019

• Top 8 Secrets to Boost Your Testosterone Levels Naturally & Fast

• What Is Testosterone & What Does It Do? All You Need to Know

 

[Updated: February 2019]