If you’ve ever considered using anabolic steroids and you’ve been scared off by the side effects, then you may have heard that prohormones are the next best thing. A prohormone is a type of supplement that focuses on promoting anabolic gains during a bulking season and getting shredded during a cutting season. In other words, prohormones are said to provide the same benefits as androgenic steroids without the side effects.

Are these claims true? Can prohormones deliver size, strength, and shred without side effects such as gyno and aggression? Let’s explore what are prohormones, the best prohormone for each category, and the dark truth about using these supplements.

What are Prohormones?

A prohormone is a type of dietary supplement that is usually taken as a capsule or tablet. Some prohormones are taken in liquid form. Prohormones are used to increase strength, boost muscle growth, and accelerate fat burning for aesthetic purposes. They are extremely popular with amateur bodybuilders and weightlifters, but not so much with powerlifters or Strongman lifters because while strength gains are an added bonus, the increases aren’t noteworthy.

How Prohormones Work

A prohormone is a precursor to steroid hormones inside of your body. Unlike anabolic steroids, prohormones must pass through the liver to receive the enzyme needed to turn it into a steroidal compound.

Anabolic steroids, on the other hand, directly increase the anabolic environment in your body by raising levels of growth hormone and testosterone. They don’t need to link up with a specific enzyme in order to take effect.

Think of it like this: A prohormone is half complete when you take it. Once ingested, the prohormone goes through the liver, collecting its other half and only then does it become activated as an anabolic compound, promoting the supposed benefits that we’ll discuss below.

One of the issues with how prohormones work is that the conversion process is limited by what your body predetermines. Even if you manage to get your hands on a top-notch, high-quality prohormone, you may not be able to fully tap into its full potential because your body will only convert so much of the prohormone.

The Best Prohormones for Muscle Building

As we discussed above, prohormones are typically used in a traditional bodybuilding schedule of bulking and cutting. This involves putting on as much size as possible followed by trying to drop your body fat percentage down to single digits and getting as cut as possible. The catch is that you want to try your best to maintain as much muscle mass as you can. This is where prohormones claim to be able to help: by protecting hard-earned muscle mass as you get as shredded as you can.

Let’s take a look at the best prohormone for mass followed by the best prohormone for cutting. As of the time this article was completed, these prohormones for sale are still not legal to purchase despite being available online.

PROHORMONES FOR MASS

1-Androsterone (1-DHEA): One of the most popular prohormones on the market, 1-Androsterone has been a long-time favorite for those with muscle on the brain. Studies show that when it’s combined with a comprehensive weight training program, this prohormone can increase muscle mass while decreasing body fat. What’s more, 1-DHEA can also improve exercise performance, especially with power-based movements such as the back squat. However, despite the benefits, even researchers conclude that the side effects are extreme, which we’ll elaborate on more below.

Epiandrosterone (Epi-Andro): This prohormone is a derivative of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). No, it’s not nearly as strong as the anabolic steroid, DHEA, but it does provide similar benefits. Epi-Andro is converted into dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which is a metabolite of testosterone. Studies show that DHT is far more anabolic and androgenic than testosterone, which is a double-edged sword that can promote muscle growth while increasing the risk of some serious side effects.

PROHORMONES FOR CUTTING

Arimistane (Androst-3,5-dien-7,17-dione): This prohormone is also considered a suicide aromatase inhibitor, which means that it can significantly decrease your estrogen levels. This is going to be beneficial for anyone who wants to skyrocket testosterone without the worries of estrogen dominance and the gyno side effects that it brings. Don’t take our word for it; studies show that arimistane is one of the most effective anti-estrogen compounds. It’s also excellent for getting cut while preserving muscle tissue and protecting it from breakdown due to a drop in calories or intense training.

Trenavar (Estra-4,9,11-triene-3,17-dione): Reported as being 10 times more androgenic than testosterone – again, this is both a good and bad thing – Trenavar is a popular prohormone for those who want to blast the hell out of their body fat while holding on to that solid lean muscle. Unfortunately, there are no studies about trenavar; however, we can review studies on its steroidal counterpart, trenbolone, to get an idea of what it is capable of. Studies show that trenbolone is insanely effective at promoting muscle growth – far more than testosterone – while decreasing body fat.