Stanozolol, or Winstrol in tablets, ranks third in popularity and fourth in strength among oral steroids in terms of their impact on an athlete's body.
Stanozolol is one of the most sought-after steroids not only in bodybuilding but also in cyclic sports where increasing strength and endurance without significant weight gain is required.
When comparing the popularity of tablet steroids, the price of Stanozolol and positive reviews make Winstrol solo courses popular among beginners.
In this article, we will review both positive and negative reviews from athletes who have taken Stanozolol in tablets or injections. We will also examine the side effects associated with Stanozolol use.
All the information below applies to both tablet and injectable forms of Stanozolol.
Positive Reviews of Stanozolol (Pros)
By studying reviews on the use of Stanozolol from bodybuilding enthusiasts and professional athletes on popular steroid forums, feedback from sports doctors, and customer reviews from our store, the following conclusions can be drawn about the effects of Stanozolol:
Muscle Mass Gain
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Stanozolol has minimal impact on muscle mass gain.
Expert Comment:
Although Stanozolol has anabolic activity three times higher than testosterone, it does not significantly influence muscle mass growth. Athletes who have taken Stanozolol report gaining "dry" muscle mass of about 2-3 kg, in exceptional cases 5 kg, over a 4-6 week course of "Stanozolol."
Typically, athletes aiming for mass gain take 50 to 100 mg of Winstrol in tablets.
Increase in Strength and Endurance
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Stanozolol significantly increases strength and cardiorespiratory endurance—the body's ability to endure prolonged physical exertion.
Expert Comment:
Since Stanozolol is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), it can significantly increase the strength of athletes taking it. This manifests in both power and speed. It is noted that a Stanozolol cycle can increase strength indicators by 15-30%. Endurance increases due to Stanozolol raising the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes), a component of the oxygen transport system to muscles and organs. The increased number of erythrocytes allows more oxygen to be delivered to muscles, enabling longer and more intense training.
Enhancing Muscle Definition and Firmness, Fat Burning
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Stanozolol significantly improves muscle vascularity and definition.
Expert Comment:
Stanozolol acts as a mild diuretic, effectively removing excess fluid from the body. Athletes who take Stanozolol note that within a week of starting, their weight decreases by 1 to 3 kg, and their muscles become harder and more defined. Experienced users of this steroid report that the maximum muscle definition is achieved with moderate body fat levels. The dosage used to achieve muscle definition is 30-50 mg per day.
In addition to enhancing muscle definition by removing excess fluid, Stanozolol can directly influence fat burning by binding to androgen receptors in adipose tissue, accelerating fat-burning processes.
Enhancing Testosterone Effectiveness
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Combined Stanozolol and testosterone courses can double the effectiveness of a steroid cycle.
Expert Comment:
Most of the testosterone used in a steroid cycle remains in an inactive (bound) state in the body. A special protein—globulin or SHBG—blocks testosterone, reducing its bioavailability. Sports doctors conducting research on Stanozolol's impact claim that using Winstrol at a dose of 0.2 mg per kilogram of body weight reduces SHBG levels by 50%. This means the effectiveness of other steroids taken with Winstrol increases significantly.
Protecting Muscles from Breakdown During Cutting Diets
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Stanozolol "protects" against muscle loss during a cutting diet.
Expert Comment:
Muscles are among the most "resource-intensive" systems in the body. By "resources," we mean energy (carbohydrates) and building material (proteins) needed for muscle renewal and growth. During cutting, we manipulate nutrition by reducing carbohydrate intake (energy) to create an energy deficit, forcing the body to use fat stores. However, due to a lack of calories, our body breaks down both fat and muscle tissue. Obviously, losing muscle we worked hard to gain is not desirable!
Using Stanozolol during cutting protects muscles from being broken down and used as "fuel." Athletes who did not use steroids during cutting report losing about 1.5 kg of muscle out of 5 kg of total weight loss. Meanwhile, those who used Stanozolol on a low-calorie diet noted that their muscle mass either remained unchanged or showed a slight increase.
Negative Reviews of Stanozolol (Cons)
In this section, we will review negative feedback on the use of Stanozolol, which can be considered as side effects.
Joint and Ligament Pain
Expert Comment:
Since Stanozolol removes excess fluid from the body, this process affects not only excess cellular hydration but also the ligamentous apparatus and joint capsules.
In the context of a low-calorie diet, increased training load, and heavy weights, joint and ligament damage is possible. Therefore, some athletes on solo Stanozolol courses report pulling pain in joints and ligaments. This side effect often occurs during Stanozolol courses longer than 6 weeks and with high dosages of the drug.
Experts' opinions on whether Stanozolol use was the cause of this side effect are mixed. It is likely that Stanozolol only exacerbates pre-existing joint and ligament issues. Nevertheless, we recommend being cautious, especially when working with heavy weights during a Stanozolol cycle.
Decreased Libido During Stanozolol Cycle
Stanozolol significantly suppresses the body's natural testosterone production. Therefore, complaints about decreased libido during a solo Stanozolol cycle are not uncommon. At least a few of our clients have reported weak erections during a course of "Stanozolol" at high doses—over 50 mg. Because of this, we always recommend using Winstrol-Stanozolol in combination with testosterone. Specifically, an ideal cutting cycle would involve taking testosterone propionate along with Winstrol in tablets or injections. This way, we "kill two birds with one stone": maintaining high libido and protecting joints and ligaments (testosterone propionate retains water, but not significantly).
Accelerated Hair Loss
Some athletes who used Stanozolol noted accelerated hair loss on their heads. They also mentioned that they had already observed these problems, though to a lesser extent, before using Stanozolol.
Expert Comment:
Indeed, using Stanozolol can have negative consequences regarding hair loss (alopecia). However, this side effect affects those whose potential baldness is genetically predisposed. That is, they have male relatives who have this cosmetic problem. Using Stanozolol can exacerbate alopecia and accelerate hair loss.
Men without this problem in their family history should not worry about hair loss.
Complaints of Pain in the Right Hypochondrium
About 10-15% of people taking Stanozolol complain of pulling pain in the right hypochondrium. This usually occurs at dosages over 50 mg. Since Winstrol in tablets and injections has a toxic effect on the liver, this side effect is thought to be related to liver toxicity, and they assume it is liver pain.
However, this is not entirely true. The liver, by definition, cannot hurt because it has no pain receptors.
Pain in the right hypochondrium is associated with bile stagnation and difficult bile flow from the gallbladder. This situation may indicate that athletes already had problems before the cycle but did not pay attention and did not test their liver function. If health was fine before the cycle, such situations generally do not occur. If such problems arise, it is recommended to take choleretic agents (Tyqveol, Holosas), switch to a special diet, and get liver function tests. Complete cessation of the cycle is also an option. Alternatively, you can switch to using injectable steroids (excluding injectable Winstrol).
Reviews on the Severe Painfulness of Winstrol, Frequent Abscesses at the Injection Site
As you understand, these reviews concern only injectable Stanozolol. Many people who injected Winstrol complain of severe pain at the injection site and frequent abscesses.
Expert Comment:
There is no fundamental difference between the forms of Winstrol in injections and tablets. It is the same substance. When making Winstrol in injections, the powdered (crystallized) form of Stanozolol is dissolved in water, resulting in a water suspension. You may notice that if you leave a vial of Winstrol suspension undisturbed, a sediment of white crystals will form over time. If you do not thoroughly mix the contents of the vial before injection, there is a risk of Stanozolol crystallizing and forming an infiltrate in the tissue, which can lead to an inflammatory process and abscess formation. Incorrect injection technique or using a short needle, causing the injection content to enter the fat layer rather than deep into the muscle, can also lead to abscesses.
Therefore, injectable "Winstrol" should be used by professionals who understand all the "pros" and "cons." I do not recommend using Winstrol depot in amateur bodybuilding.
Reviews from
Women
Most women who have used Stanozolol report positive experiences. They note that at a dose of 5 mg per day, practically none of the women experienced virilization effects. The steroid was well tolerated and, when combined with a low-carb diet, achieved significant muscle definition, hardness, and reduced body fat percentage.
At an increased dose of 10 mg per day, some women found it easy to tolerate, while others reported signs of virilization at this dosage. However, these symptoms quickly disappeared after discontinuing the drug.
