Primobolan or Primo is a popular anabolic steroid from the Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) family. It was first manufactured by Organon in 1962 and it has enjoyed a longtime history as one of the most classic anabolic steroids on earth.
Of course, other forms have been made over the years but Primo remains a favorite to many. We can attribute this to its mild nature, ability to provide quality lean tissue growth, increase red blood cell count and sex drive while also not causing water retention or cholesterol issues that so often plague those who supplement with certain other choices. In fact, as high as 50% of all users find they don't have any side effects at all from it meaning it's safe for nearly all adult men who use it.
It should be noted, however, Primobolan is not without its downsides; the most notable of which is that it will cause your natural testosterone production to drop significantly upon cessation of use, but this goes for all DHT based steroids. Overall, Primobolan is a fantastic steroid for quality lean mass gains with a nice bonus of enhancing athletic performance and it's one of the most safe steroids you can use.
The History of Primo:
As we mentioned above, Primobolan was first manufactured by Organon in 1962 under the trade name Metaprim. It would be another decade before it gained popularity when in 1972 its results in treating men with hypogonadism were made public.
However, these early years saw little if any anabolic applications despite possessing strong traits that could produce such benefits; mainly due to the chemical makeup at the time wasn't up to par so positive results were rather weak. The 1990's brought forth great improvement when modified forms were released with the most notable being Methenolone-Enanthate.
This was further improved in 2004 when its current form, Primobolan Depot, was released. However, as we'll see below, due to this improvement it has largely remained a commercial failure.
The Benefits of Primo:
Equally relevant is what can be derived from Primo (Methenolone) and the benefits are nothing short of phenomenal for any steroid user who needs or prefers mild steroids that promote lean tissue growth without water retention or cholesterol issues.
For the performance enhancer looking to bulk up recomposition is always an option but it isn't often easy; after all there are very few quality bulking steroids out there and if they do exist they're usually not great for health reasons. However, with Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) bulking is made easy; many will find it's very hard to put on excess body fat while using this steroid, especially if you're already in good shape when you begin your cycle.
Additionally, its blood-building properties are strong so red blood cell count is enhanced without water retention and estrogenic effects so no one will get gyno or bloat from it even in higher doses.
Side Effects of Primo:
As effective as Primo can be also comes the side effects which are few but still worth noting for anyone who plans to supplement with it. As we've already discussed suppression will be strong when it comes to natural testosterone production so if you do need exogenous testosterone your doctor will likely not be able to write a prescription.
However, the good news is Primo does not aromatize in any way and cannot lead to gynecomastia due to this fact. It's also very mild in its progesterone effects; however, it can build up heat in the body when enough is present and even cause acne breakouts for some users, but these effects are much less common than with steroids like Masteron (Drostanolone).
Primobolan Cycle:
We've already briefly discussed how effective Primo (Methenolone) can be but that begs one question: what makes an optimal cycle? If we're talking about bulking we can simply say it's an integral part of any mass building plan and would be best served as a kick-start to more powerful compounds like Dianabol (Methandrostenolone), Anadrol (Oxymetholone) and even Anavar (Oxandrolone). However, this doesn't mean those other options cannot also be used; in fact some might find Primo works well with or without another steroid like Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone) for such plans.
Further, as we've seen above it stacks well with all major steroids while using Testosterone will not only enhance your overall gains but also serve to protect your joints from the strain that can occur. In the end there is no true "Primo only" plan but only if users use something stronger earlier on, with a solid Primobolan cycle lasting a total of 8 weeks at a minimum.
As for dosages most men will find 100mg per day to be sufficient and often 50-100mg can easily produce noticeable results in as little as 3 weeks. In fact, most men using this steroid will never go above 200mg per week due to its mild nature; however, those more sensitive may even hold steady at 100mg per day from the start.
For cutting purposes many will indeed see it best served early on with some stacks saying it's very beneficial during the dieting process. However, others believe its benefits are more suited for the off-season and include it with other steroids during this time.
Of course, if you do plan to use Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) for cutting purposes only 100mg per day should be more than sufficient but some will find 200mg per day can lead to enhanced fat loss while preserving lean tissue.
Primobolan Dosages:
100mg-200mg/day is normally recommended by most physicians for female patients no matter how long they supplement due to its mild nature. For male patients, 100mg-200mg or even 150mg per day could be used for 4-6 weeks although many would never actually need more than 100mg per day itself; however, in many cases it's not advised to go higher than this for an extended period of time.
Many men will find 200mg per day to be perfect for offseason needs or any purpose where enhanced strength and less body fat is desired, but 100mg should suffice every time you supplement with it. For bulking purposes most men will find 500mg-700mg per week to be the best dose to use but many will never need more than 500mg itself.
Of course, if you are stacking Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) with stronger compounds you can easily run up towards 1,000mg-1,200mg per week without issue but even then users should not come close to exceeding 700mg per week in total.
Primobolan Reviews:
Primobolan is well-regarded for its ability to raise LBM (Lean Body Mass) while there may indeed be some who claim it cannot. However, the truth is this steroid has never shown us any substantial muscle building potential but instead presents itself as a steroid that can offer enhanced recovery and improve cardiovascular endurance; in fact, many will find that the harder they push themselves during training on Primo (Methenolone), the better their strength levels become over time which could lead to improved muscular development.
Thus if you're looking for something mild yet clearly effective in terms of performance enhancement you'll find few steroids can compete with Primobolan.
What's interesting about Methenolone is how little it seems to affect other hormones like testosterone. In fact, most studies suggest it can reduce LH (Luteinizing Hormone) levels by as much as 50% which is actually one of the reasons this steroid produces such dramatic reductions in body fat; without testosterone present to promote muscle growth, the body simply does not have the signal necessary to build new lean tissue.
Yet this same reduction seems to cause little if any reduction in natural testosterone production which means users are able to supplement with it during bulking phases without concern of reducing their gains or halting them altogether.
Primobolan Cycles & Stacks:
While using Primobolan alone may be just fine for some athletes who want a milder anabolic steroid option with less risk, generally speaking most men will need to stack this steroid with another similar compound if they intend to maximize their potential.
This is not due to lacking potency of Primobolan Depot (Methenolone); in fact, most studies suggest that it's only slightly weaker than Testosterone itself and possesses anabolic/androgenic ratings of 62:37; however, like all anabolic steroids there are always stacks that can be used with it for greater results.
Primobolan Side Effects:
The side effects associated with Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) will generally revolve around androgenic activity as the androgenic rating is 93:150 making it relatively mild yet still able to promote such related issues as oily skin or acne breakouts.
For some men who are naturally sensitive to androgenic activity, this steroid may bring about such issues with little to no warning. But acne breakouts are the least of your concern during a Primobolan cycle as Methenolone is known for one thing above all else; water retention.
Water retention can become an issue even at low doses which means this steroid should never be used by any man who suffers from high blood pressure or who has kidney problems.
By its nature, Primo Depot (Methenolone) will cause the body to retain more fluids than it normally would due to estrogen increases yet alone due to inhibition of testosterone production; however, the bodybuilder looking for rapid gains in muscle tissue will not care about how dry his skin stays or how much water is retained in the body. In fact, most who use Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) do so for the enhanced recovery and cardiovascular conditioning it can provide.
Excessive water retention can cause a slew of problems for men who supplement with Primobolan including severe bloat but they have several options to help combat this issue.
The first option is to simply run an aromatase inhibitor such as Arimidex during a cycle; however, many will find a better solution may be to stack their Trenbolone with their Primo as most all forms of Trenbolone have been shown to help directly lower excess estrogen levels before they become problematic due to its progesten inhibiting activity.
Primobolan (Methenolone) Dosage & Administration:
For the most part, Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) is rather low in its dosage requirement; 50-150mg per day is most commonly used by most men but doses of up to 500mg per day have also been seen in clinical studies with little difference in side effects when compared to lower dose ranges.
Most will find this anabolic steroid can be taken every other day or every third day without issue with proper injectable forms providing fewer injection frequency issues than oral forms due to their extremely long active half-lives which allows for better control over blood levels and less frequent injections needed throughout cycle.
For users who do not compete in a sport where they are tested, you can easily supplement with this steroid for six weeks on and six weeks off without worry of any negative consequences. But for those who do compete in a tested federation, most will find 8-10 week courses to be far more beneficial as the total duration is shorter but the individual dosages are at their highest point during week five or six.
In either case, it's important to note that Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) doses greater than 100mg per day should not be used if side effects become intolerable. For male athletes over 150lbs body weight daily dosages should not surpass 200mg per day; however, this should offer little relief for men who are smaller in stature.
With this in mind, most men who supplement with Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) will find the standard 50mg per day to be enough for male bodybuilders but competitive athletes may want to push it up to 100mg per day. While, in most cases, 200mg per week is all that is needed for performance purposes; many will find 250-400mg per week to be far more beneficial.
For any man looking for enhanced recovery without the use of anabolic steroids this dose can be cut in half and used 2-3 times per week if desired; however, keep in mind you don't need even the low end of this dosage range to see great benefit from its use.
Primo Conversion:
Due to the short half-life of Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) it's necessary for most who supplement with this anabolic steroid to split their daily dosage up into two equal administrations per day.
While a single 50mg dose is all that's needed for athletes looking for performance enhancement, if one were going by feel they may find 100mg per day to be perfect; either way, splitting it in half and administering two equal doses throughout the day provides better results than using a single large dose at any given time.
In order for this steroid to work properly, protein synthesis must be increased which requires high level blood plasma levels of the hormone over a relatively long period of time.
In addition to enhanced protein synthesis there are other benefits to be had when using
Primobolan Depot (Methenolone) for any purpose. One benefit is enhanced nutrient transport, not only are metabolisms increased but the ability of nutrients to permeate cells has been enhanced.
This means you can recover faster between training sessions and it will also enhance muscular endurance meaning you'll have more stamina in the gym. The metabolic boost can also lead to an increase in blood plasma volume due to better nutrient transport into red blood cells; although this is pretty minimal most people see enough benefit from its use that they choose to supplement with it during contest preparation when every little bit helps.