Equipoise is the trade name of the anabolic steroid boldenone undecylenate, called in the fitness community just “EQ” for short, and it is known as a very long acting and steady compound with great benefits that are underrated in the steroid world. Interestingly, due to the fact that some people call it ‘the horse steroid’ (especially those who are not well versed with steroid lingo) many internet guru’s will tell you that equipoise is not for humans and is only a veterinarian drug. However, they would be very wrong by saying that, and in this article we will find out why.
Few individuals know this, but equipoise’s original trade name was actually Parenabol, and it was first brought to the human grade pharmaceutical market by Ciba in the 1950’s because this steroid was used in medicine until the end of the 70’s. Therefore, for over 20 years it was a human grade compound.
Nevertheless, since then it has only existed as a veterinarian medicine, and it is also sold by underground labs (UG labs). As a matter of fact, it is famous for being used in horse racing, as there have been trainers fined for using it with their horses; hence, the popular association of this steroid with horses. Furthermore, in human sports there have been many well known incidents of its use in pro baseball (MLB), mixed martial arts (UFC), Australian football, and major league soccer. For instance, Jenrry Mejia was banned for life from major league baseball for failing a steroid test in which he had used equipoise. This is a curious fact, since he was the first person ever to receive a lifetime ban for such an act.
On paper equipoise is very weak, having only a 100 anabolic rating (the same as testosterone), and only a 50 androgenic rating (half that of testosterone). Consequently, one would wonder why not just use testosterone instead? Well, as it was stated many times before, just paying attention to these numbers can be a mistake, as equipoise has benefits that are not seen with other steroids.
Although it is best known as an injectable steroid, oral equipoise was produced in the past, but it did not catch on because it was not very effective. What’s more, there is an acetate version of boldenone, but it has failed to gain popularity due to the severe pain involved with the injections. Thus, the bread and butter boldenone that is by far the most popular is the one with the very long acting undecylenate ester, which allows to do a minimum amount of injections.
For many years equipoise has been compared by internet guru’s to other steroids like deca durabolin and dianabol. However, they likely have never tried any of them to make such an observation. In spite of the fact that it works like those anabolic steroids, it is nothing like them, and calling these compounds the same is like comparing apples to oranges.
First off, equipoise does not aromatize like dianabol nor does it work as fast. Hence, if you are looking to put on 10 pounds of water in a couple weeks, then EQ will not help you. Next, it has no progestin properties at all, so it is different compared to deca durabolin in that way too. Though, you could argue that they have similar mild and slow acting properties.
Nevertheless, things are much simpler when it comes to comparisons. All you need to do is look at the stats on paper, and you will see that the closest thing to EQ is straight testosterone. The only exception is an added double bond at the carbon 1 and 2 positions, which is why equipoise is less androgenic and less estrogenic than testosterone. In fact, users will not notice severe estrogen type side effects on equipoise because it aromatizes very slowly (in theory, it converts into estrogen at half the rate of testosterone), making water retention and gynecomastia much less likely to occur.
Like all anabolic steroids, equipoise will increase nitrogen retention in muscles, enhance protein synthesis, raise IGF-1(insulin like growth factor 1), and inhibit muscle wasting hormones. Additionally, equipoise has gotten a reputation for increasing red blood cell count (RBC), but other anabolic steroids do the same, and I haven’t seen any blood work evidence to say that using equipoise at a moderate dosage increases RBC any more than using testosterone for example. Nonetheless, the forum chatter you will read claims that it does raise RBC more than other steroids, so it is hard to argue with bro-science. Most probably, the main reason for such a reputation comes from the fact that users will run it for a longer period of time, which gives red blood cells more time to build up at higher amounts. Therefore, it would actually be a good idea to donate blood in order to alleviate this issue.
Being a mild steroid, equipoise tends to be over-abused with dosages due to a lack of understanding of the compound. Besides, it is a slow acting steroid, so users will tend to frontload at high dosages or be impatient and ramp up the dosage. Luckily, since it is mild, running a high dosage of EQ does not cause as much problems as other steroids would do at the same dosages. All in all, new users should start at 400-500 milligrams (mg) per week, while the experienced ones and those who like to abuse steroids will run 800 mgs a week or even more. In fact, I’ve seen bodybuilders with 1000mgs-1500mgs per week dosages, which is way too much.
The half life of the undecylenate ester is very long – 15 days. This means that once you stop taking EQ, it will take many weeks to completely clear out of your system. The good news is that thanks to such a long half life of this ester, you can inject equipoise every 5-10 days with no problems.
It is surprising why countless athletes wanted to use equipoise, since the undecylenate version of boldenone has a very hefty 5 month detection time. In some cases, I’ve seen up to 8 months detection.
As it has been mentioned above, equipoise is very mild. The secret is that it not only aromatizes half has much as testosterone does, but it does so at a much slower rate. Thus, estrogenic side effects are very low with EQ. Consequently, an aromatase inhibitor may not be necessary here at high dosages, and its use will depend mostly on the compounds stacked with equipoise.
Just like with all anabolic steroids, there is a good chance of cholesterol levels becoming unbalanced while on, as well as other side effects pertaining to the heart (like higher blood pressure or heart strain).
Some users complain about getting anxiety on equipoise. However, this seems to be more forum bro-science rather than actual experiences. Perhaps some guru’s with already existing anxiety issues used it, and then started telling others that EQ causes anxiety. Whatever it is, all steroids can make anxiety worse in some cases, but only if you already have these sort of problems.
Another popular trend on forums is to say that equipoise increases appetite. Yet, again, many anabolic steroids increase appetite, so I am not sure why equipoise is so special in this regard. Most probably this happens because it is so mild on the body and the stomach, so it can cause you to feel hungrier for you aren’t experiencing lethargy or a ‘blah’ type feeling. Personally, I have never noticed an issue with any unusual appetite while using equipoise, but slightly more than half of users will see a marked increase in appetite.
Finally, Equipoise is suppressive (this is backed by many studies), so it is a wise idea to run a post cycle therapy (PCT) after your cycle, so you can ensure proper recovery of the HPTA functions.
If you put all of the EQ’s properties together, you will see that the major advantage of this steroid is that it is a mild compound with few side effects. Therefore, it doesn’t cause water retention, all while giving you a pretty standard steroid experience. This is why it is one of the only steroids I recommend to be used by those who are endurance athletes, as it will increase RBC and recovery, while not causing water retention or horrible pumps to slow your times down.
Moreover, those looking for strength and mass without a lot of side effects, will also benefit from equipoise. It is a good choice for those who just want to maintain their mass or stay fit, rather than for someone looking to hit PR’s in their strength or weight in a short period of time.
Since equipoise is so mild, it should probably be stacked with something more androgenic (such as trenbolone, testosterone, or dianabol) in order to give it a kick. Besides, due to the slow action of this steroid, it is recommended to use something fast acting to make things work sooner.
The key to get the most out of equipoise is to run it for at least 10 or 12 weeks, with many guys going 14-16 weeks. If you do this, you must remember to run a very long PCT of 8 weeks or more, followed by an 8 week bridge.
This is a sample 16 week Equipoise cycle:
Week 1-6
Week 7-16
Equipoise is not expensive, and it is very easy to acquire via the underground market. What’s more, in some countries like Mexico, athletes will get a hold of it via the veterinarian markets. A hypothetical 10 week cycle, at 400 mg per week, would only cost $120-200 on average through an online source.
Due to its low androgenic nature, equipoise can be used by females with a starting dosage of 25-50 mgs per week. However, keep in mind that there are better options out there for females that have less androgenic properties, such as Turinabol or Anavar. I wouldn’t suggest any injectables to women because orals are much easier to control.
