Turinabol (chlorodehydromethyltestosterone) and Anavar (oxandrolone) are oral anabolic steroids widely used by bodybuilders and athletes to enhance competitiveness.
Despite the obvious differences in chemical structure, Anavar and Turinabol are relatively similar in their effects on the physique.
Turinabol is a derivative of methandrostenolone (Dianabol), hence its nickname "baby dbol". Anavar, on the other hand, is a derivative of DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
Increase in muscle and strength mass
Anavar and Turinabol are considered relatively mild compounds in the anabolic steroid family. However, their benefits in terms of muscle hypertrophy and strength are far from weak.
Turinabol is a more effective steroid for mass building, it is generally considered a steroid for gaining muscle mass. Anavar, however, is taken predominantly in drying cycles, and it builds less mass compared to Turinabol.
We have seen that beginners usually gain more than 7kg of lean muscle mass on Turinabol in a 6-week cycle. On Anavar, beginners can expect to gain up to 4-6kg.
Anavar and Turinabol are both powerful strength-boosting drugs, which comes as a surprise to some because both are non-aromatising, meaning weight gain is not excessive.
Fat loss
Neither drug causes a reduction in body weight due to simultaneous muscle growth.
However, both drugs cause a reduction in subcutaneous fat mass by limiting water retention.
Turinabol directly burns moderate amounts of fat by simply being a form of exogenous testosterone (a fat-burning hormone). Turinabol is a suitable weight loss steroid for some athletes due to its ability to inhibit extracellular water retention and thus increase muscle definition.
Anavar is a unique anabolic steroid for fat loss because of its stimulatory effect on triiodothyronine (T3) levels. T3 is an active thyroid hormone that significantly increases lipolysis (fat loss).
Anavar increases T3 levels by inhibiting TBG (thyroid-binding globulin) and increasing TBP (thyroxine-binding prealbumin). This process effectively increases the conversion of T4 to T3. This is good news for bodybuilders because T4 (thyroxine) is an inactive thyroid hormone and T3 is a hormone that stimulates fat loss.
Anabolic steroids, including Turinabol, reduce subcutaneous fat but increase visceral fat. This is why bodybuilders, despite being thin, can have a bloated belly.
Anavar is an exception to this rule, as athletes experience a reduction in subcutaneous and visceral fat mass due to improved insulin sensitivity.
Thus, bodybuilders report a greater overall fat loss on Anavar (compared to Turinabol), especially in the mid-body due to a decrease in WF.
However, it should be noted that the anabolic properties of Turinabol and Anavar are superior to their ability to induce fat loss.
Turinabol and Anavar for women
Very few anabolic steroids are taken by women for fear of virilization effects and consequences such as:
- deepening of the voice;
- enlargement of the clitoris;
- hair growth (on the body);
- androgen-induced alopecia;
- jaw hypertrophy;
- enlargement of the laryngeal protrusion (Adam's apple).
However, women have great success in preventing the above side effects of Turinabol and Anavar if taken in conservative doses.
This is not surprising when you consider the original motives for creating each of these anabolic steroids. In the case of Anavar, scientists were trying to create a drug that would promote anabolism in patients suffering from cachexia (muscle wasting) and stunted growth, including men, women, and children. Thus, according to their design, Anavar was not supposed to have a masculinizing effect.
German scientists created Turinabol to help their country become an Olympic superpower. Female gymnasts and swimmers were known to use Turinabol, so to eliminate any suspicion of foul play, it was in the doctors' interests to synthesize a compound that would allow women to retain their feminine qualities.
Abuse of Turinabol through the use of high doses or long cycles (more than 5-6 weeks) increases the risk of masculinization.
Side effects
Turinabol and Anavar are some of the best steroids in terms of safety according to test results. While all anabolic steroids have negative effects on the overall health of the athlete, these two drugs are the least destructive.
Liver
Hepatotoxicity is observed with Anavar and Turinabol, which is normal because both drugs are c-17-alpha-alkylated compounds. Thus, ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) values increase moderately.
This is rarely a problem for most bodybuilders as the liver is resilient and self-repairing. However, bodybuilders who have or have previously had liver problems (and those taking hepatotoxic drugs) should refrain from taking all oral anabolic steroids.
Heart
All anabolic steroids negatively affect the cardiovascular system, but Turinabol and Anavar appear to be among the least cardiotoxic based on blood tests.
This is unique to oral steroids, which typically have a stronger effect on cholesterol levels because they stimulate hepatic lipase, a liver enzyme that negatively affects HDL cholesterol levels.
Anadrol, Dianabol, Superdrol, and Winstrol, are particularly cardiotoxic oral steroids. However, the mild nature of the action of Turinabol and Anavar reduces the risk of hypertension.
Note: We advise avoiding all anabolic steroids for those who have high blood pressure or cardiomyopathy in their family.
Testosterone suppression
When taking any anabolic steroid, there is bound to be a temporary suppression of endogenous testosterone.
The extent of this suppression can be either moderate or a complete shutdown of the HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis).
In the case of Anavar and Turinabol, there is a moderate decrease in testosterone, with levels often recovering to natural peak levels a few weeks after the end of the cycle.
If effective SCT (post-course therapy) is used, this recovery process may take no more than 30 days.
Excessive use of anabolic steroids without a sufficient break between cycles results in delayed recovery of endogenous testosterone.
Hair loss
Some people claim that Anavar does not cause hair loss because it lacks the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, resulting in Anavar having a low androgenic rating of 25.
However, Anavar is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone responsible for miniaturizing hair follicles on the scalp.
This is why some athletes (men and women) often complain of thinning hair during cycles. This can often change after a cycle when DHT levels return to normal, but it has been observed how regular cycles and individual predisposition to baldness accelerated hair loss when taking Anavar for long periods.
Turinabol, on the other hand, is a derivative of Methandrostenolone (Dianabol) which has very low androgenicity and is not a DHT-derived steroid. Thus, it can be concluded that Turinabol is a safer steroid in terms of maintaining hair thickness and preventing recession.
Conclusion
Some bodybuilders may consider Turinabol as the best steroid if their priority is to build lean muscle mass, as Turinabol will add a few more kilograms of lean muscle compared to Anavar.
However, Anavar is a better steroid for drying as its lipolytic (fat-burning) effect is more pronounced.
In terms of safety and side effects, both steroids are very similar and mild, unlike other anabolic steroids.
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