How to Properly Inject Steroids

Steroid injection for bodybuilding can depend on the goals that you have and the risk you are willing to take, especially with regards to the possible side effects. Based on these criteria, you can choose the most suitable steroid type, including the method of administration, dosage, and the side effects that your body can tolerate.

For those who are new on the block, oral steroids seem to appear more attractive due to the fact that they can be modified structurally, especially to survive passage through the liver. As this can create a lot of stress on the body, most tend to be hepatotoxic.

Steroids injected in excess can cause injury to the kidneys and the liver.

On the other hand, injectable steroids are generally administered less frequently, as they are normally esterified oil based, which are active in the blood for long periods, while water-based injectable steroids must be administered daily for optimal plasma concentration.

As a rule, we can say that visible and lasting results are obtained using injectable steroids; while oral steroids can be used to supplement a cycle. It is also important to note that the use of oral steroids is more common, due to a lower average period.

Sites for intramuscular injections

Although there are more than 8 sites where steroid injections are possible, only four muscles are commonly used for intramuscular injections:

Buttocks

An injection at the hip is preferable for injection into the buttocks. In practice, the gluteus medius (medium gluteal muscle) is preferred to the gluteus maximus (large gluteal muscle) to prevent arterial injury, and to decrease the risk of injection subcutaneously.

For this site, it is recommended to use needles that are 30 mm to 40 mm long. However, for those who are overweight, even a 50 mm needle is sometimes insufficient to achieve results.

Hips

The gluteal muscle, addressed by pricking the quarter supero-external of the buttock, is not a recommended injection site as this risks lesions of the sciatic or upper gluteal artery.

Delimit the injection site by drawing a horizontal line from the top of the diaperinter fold toward the external side of the buttock and then draw a vertical line that goes through the middle of this line. Your injection point will now be located in the middle and upper quadrant supero-external parties. For this site, we recommend that you use needles from 30 mm to 40 mm.

Thighs

The Vastus lateralis is a safer site to inject, as it is at a sage distance from blood vessels and important nerves (rare cases of injury to the femoral nerve or the femoral artery were reported, linked to a tracking error). Moreover, it is easily accessible for those who practice self-injection. This muscle can be approached by pricking at the external side of the middle of the thigh.

Delimit the injection site by dividing the space between the greater trochanter of the femur and the top of the knee into 3 portions, then draw a horizontal median line dividing the outer portion of the thigh. Your injection site will be located in the middle third portion, just above the horizontal line.

Shoulders

The deltoid muscle is located on the outer surface of the shoulder, at the center of an inverted triangle, whose base is located 2.5 cm to 3 cm under the acromion, to the level of a horizontal line passing through the angle of the armpit. It is usually advisable to not inject more than 2 ml of liquid. For this site, we recommend that you use needles from 25 mm to 40 mm depending on the weight of the person.

Delimit the injection site by drawing a triangle whose base lies at the bottom of the acromion and the summit, above the insertion of the deltoid muscle, which corresponds to an area of approximately 5 cm x 5 cm (2 “x 2”) under the acromion through in the external part of the arm.

Side effects of Steroid Injections

There are many steroid injection side effects, and some of them are even clinically proven. When you abuse steroids, the normal production of your hormones can be severely affected. In some cases, these changes may be reversible, for example the reduction in the amount of sperm, and the size of the gonads, can always revert back. But there are also some dreadful irreversible changes like hair loss and the development of breasts in men.

In women, the consumption of steroids is known to produce some masculinization since it decreases the level of body fat and breast. The skin becomes dry and rough coupled with hair loss among others. Many of these effects over time may be impossible to change.

Side effects on the liver

It has been found that steroid use plays an active role in the formation of liver tumors and also in the incubation of a rare disease that turns blood into liver cysts. A combination of both these effects can cause a breakdown and create serious internal bleeding.

Side effects on a cardiovascular level

The use of steroids has much to do with heart attacks, as they alter the levels of lipoproteins. There is also a risk of formation of clots in the bloodstream, which might stop the flow of efficient blood supply.

Other side effects

Other common side effects of steroid use are: acne, cysts, and oily hair. There are also other consequences related to the use of contaminated needles or even with illegal steroids that are less reliable. There is serious risk of AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections in the case of the former. There is also the possibility of developing infective endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart). One needs to be very careful about these side effects of using steroids for bodybuilding purposes.

Precautions that you need to take

If you decide to use steroid injections for bodybuilding, it is important to count on the experience or guidance necessary to know how to train properly. Note that your caloric intake should be large during the period of the cycle to prevent catabolism. Be sure to leave a few weeks to stabilize gains when your body is loaded with steroids.

Now, you can read more about the Top 10 Steroids of all time.