Equipoise was created while trying to develop an injectable Dianabol (Methandrostenolone) with a long active life in the body. The new substance was chemically close to D-Bol, but behaved very differently.
Equipoise is chemically similar to Dianabol except that it’s not part of the 17-alpha-methyl group (which means that D-bol can be ingested orally without being destroyed by the liver). However the results from an injection of Equipoise and oral intake of D-bol are very different.
To design Equipoise, a double bond was added between carbon atoms 1 and 2 in testosterone’s nuclei. What does this mean? Well first, since Equipoise was created with a simple modification of the testosterone molecule, it has many similarities to testosterone.
Equipoise is just as anabolic as testosterone, but half as androgenic. Nonetheless, these statistics may be misleading because few people can gain as much weight with with Equipoise as they can with an equal amount of testosterone (although the strength gains from both compounds are very similar). It’s unusual to compare Equipoise to testosterone, but much more common to compare Equipoise and Deca.
This is surely because Dan Duchaine introduced this steroid to consumers by immediately comparing it to Deca. He speculated that it would act similarly to Deca-Durabolin but with much more power.
In fact, Equipoise does not really act like Deca. Deca is actually an progestogen and a 19-nor derivation, so Equipoise is more closely related to testosterone.
Duchaine later returned to his initial declaration about Equipoise and clarified that it’s slightly disappointing in terms of bulking compared to Deca, but it’s a good product for strength gains. Unfortunately, the myth that Equipoise acts like Deca has persisted for almost 20 years after Duchaine changed his opinion.
Sometimes bad Internet comparisons cause confusion with poor quality content, where many users advise against including both Equipoise and Deca in their cycles, saying that they act in the same way…
Equipoise’s double bond is responsible for several of its characteristics.
First of all, it slows aromatization (estrogen conversion). The best estimate reports aromatization equal to half the testosterone level. Athletes will almost never experience estrogen-related side effects with Equipoise, even at doses up to one gram per week. Estrogen causes side effects including oily skin (acne) and gynecomastia.
Equipoise does not generally produce these effects. Virilization (development of male sex traits in women) is almost never observed with this compound when female athletes use reasonable doses. It’s one of the rare injectable compounds that can be used successfully by female athletes and bodybuilders. Additionally, Equipoise is almost never faked by underground labs.
Equipoise Injection
This double binding is also why Equipoise resists transformation by the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme.
This enzyme converts a small quantity of Boldenone into Dihydroboldenone, which is a very powerful androgen (7 times more powerful than testosterone).
But the converted amount is so small as to be insignificant to most athletes using Equipoise.
This factor, as well as the lower aromatization level, means that athletes don’t need to use additional protection with Equipoise.
Athletes taking Equipoise often report the slow but steady creation of quality muscle tissue. This slow muscle build-up is due to the very long ester attached to Boldenone. The Undeclynate ester is longer than the Decanoate ester of a carbon atom. Therefore you can expect to build muscle at a slightly slower rate with Equipoise than with Deca (nandrolone).
So if you plan to use Equipoise, you should take it for at least 12 weeks.
Equipoise, like Deca, is also detectable in your body for a long time (though Equipoise’s detection time is shorter than Deca’s). Oddly, shorter versions of Boldenone esters also exist.
Many people (and manufacturers) confirm that this product causes less water retention…but Equipoise’s water retention is negligible anyway, so this means little.
The ideal Equipoise doses is between 400mg and 600mg per week. It’s often observed that using more than 600mg per week does not produce additional results.
On the other hand, going from 400mg to 600mg per week brings substantial additional gains, so taking 600mg is perfectly justified.
Side Effects of Equipoise
One of Equipoise’s most pronounced side effects is its ability to increase your red blood cells.
This is very typical of anabolic steroids, but Equipoise seems to be even more effective.
Users report a large increase in appetite. This makes it hard to use during a diet! Due to its tendency to increase appetite, many people add Equipoise to their bulking cycle. However many others include Equipoise in a cutting cycle for its ability to bring long-lasting, quality lean muscle.
It’s probably the most versatile injectable compound, with testosterone. Some users even mix a low dose of Equipoise with other stimulating injectable products like testosterone suspension or Propionate.
Equipoise suppresses hormones like endogenous testosterone, so it’s also advisable to use injectable testosterone to complement Equipoise. Don’t let it lead to sexual dysfunction and other related side effects.
Buying Equipoise
The greatest advantages of buying Equipoise are its low price and availability. Equipoise is produced by most laboratories at very reasonable prices. You should not pay more than $50 for a 10cc bottle dosed at 200mg/ml.
Due to its incredible versatility, availability and low price, Equipoise will remain a base compound in many anabolic steroid cycles for a long time.
Equipoise Chemical Profile
- Boldenone Undeclynate
- Basic formula: C19H26O2
- Effective dose (men): 200-600mg/week
- Effective dose (women): 50-100mg/week
- Active life: 15 days
- Detection time: up to 5 months
- Ratio of anabolic/androgenic effects: 100/50