The harm of anabolics lies in loosening the hormonal system, lowering immunity, wear and tear of internal organs, overloading the cardiovascular system, as well as in violation of homeostasis in every sense. The idea is that amateurs sit on the “course” irregularly, while the goal of the course of anabolic steroids is to improve the quality of appearance not only during steroid use, but also after, which is difficult or even impossible. If you have not stepped over the genetic maximum, then it is simply difficult to keep the form, but if you have stepped beyond the limit, then you will not be able to maintain the form without steroids. But, in any case, when you are not on the “course” and your goal is to preserve the muscles, and not just recover before the new course, the problem is that it is very difficult for you to find an adequate training volume. That is why amateurs, getting off the “course” of anabolic steroids, often lose so much muscle that they become less than they were before the “course”.
Can this be avoided? It is possible, but for this it is necessary to meaningfully approach both the “course” of steroids itself, and the PCT, and the training program after the “course”. First of all, you need to take tests to determine what type of steroids you need, then take tests again to select drugs for post-cycle therapy, then you significantly reduce the training volume, as well as reduce the working weights, so that, if possible, avoid the production of cortisol and, as a result, catabolism. But, as noted above, it will be possible to save muscles only if you have not stepped over the genetic maximum, and you would have reached this maximum anyway, it would just take more time, but the consequences of taking anabolic steroids will not disappear without a trace.

Harm of anabolics: myths and reality

Failure of the hormonal system: these are disturbances in the pituitary-hypothalamus-testes chain, that is, when for some reason your own testosterone ceases to be produced, or it is produced in an insufficient, underestimated amount. As a rule, a healthy man produces from 2 to 5 mg of testosterone per day, and during the “course” athletes take many times more, so their own testosterone is not produced, which is the reason for the decrease in testicles. After the “course”, on the PCT, athletes restore their own secretion testosterone, so problems with libido and health due to low testosterone levels can only be if you did something wrong. For example, if you use anabolics too long or too often, then yes, there may be problems.

Hormonal disruptions from anabolics can also be expressed in the form of gynecomastia, when excessive “aromatization” of testosterone occurs, as a result of which breasts begin to grow, or fat is deposited according to the female type, which also happens due to errors. For example, if you selected anabolics at random, and not based on analyzes, then gynecomastia is quite likely, because it is not known whether you need aromatizing drugs or not. In general, anabolics can harm the hormonal system, but only if you make certain mistakes in taking steroids. This does not mean that we urge you to take these drugs, on the contrary, as you have already understood, it is absolutely meaningless for an amateur, since a “rollback” is definitely waiting for him in the future!
Decreased immunity: this is a real “side effect”, moreover, this consequence of taking anabolic steroids comes unambiguously with a 100% guarantee, it just may not be expressed so clearly. Anabolic steroids, at their core, are drugs, their action is similar to the action of antibiotics, that is, they are very active, so the immune system fights them, because your body could not even think that you are voluntarily introducing something into yourself. As a result, anabolic drugs, of course, defeat your immunity, and it weakens, and regular “courses” lead to the fact that immunity is destroyed, and you often start to get sick. If professional bodybuilders at the end of their careers can afford to eat right, take care of their health and all that, then amateurs can afford all this far from always!

Cardiovascular system: the harm of anabolics is unambiguous here, since the athlete dramatically and significantly increases his functional abilities, due to which he begins to train much more intensely and more voluminously, and the heart is simply not ready for this. The same, by the way, applies to the central nervous system and ligaments, since neither system has time to recover, so “steroid users” often have injuries to ligaments, joints, as well as mental problems. Besides, taking androgenic drugs leads to an increase in low-density lipoproteins, that is, to the formation of “bad” cholesterol, as a result of which blood clots form, blood circulation worsens, the condition of the vessels, and, in the end, this can lead to strokes and even a heart attack.

Wear of internal organs: here we are talking, first of all, about the liver, which is subjected to excessive load, which is why, in fact, the number of low density lipoproteins increases. Anabolics also have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract, as the athlete begins to consume significantly more carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as a result of which you simply overload the digestive system. Nevertheless, I would like to note that alcohol, trans fats and many other “sweets” that ordinary people indulge in are much more harmful and dangerous than any androgenic drugs, provided that you regularly indulge in both!