Drostanolone Propionate, or Masteron as it’s commonly known, is a popular cutting compound particularly favored by those who compete in bodybuilding contests because its maximum potential is seen in people who are already lean, cut and are carrying low fat levels.

Masteron is especially good at helping you burn off the most stubborn final ounces of fat that can be hard to shift with other compounds while helping you get the most hard and dry look possible because this steroid comes without the issue of fluid retention.

Masteron isn’t a compound to throw into a steroid cycle without understanding what its exact purpose and function is, as this is a compound that suits quite a specific goal and most of the time is going to be most ideal for competitive bodybuilders or just those who have the most discipline to undertake the best possible cutting cycle for maximum results.

Masteron is a steroid that’s derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with a slight chemical alteration that gives Masteron a higher anabolic rating than DHT itself.

There are two different versions of Masteron:

• Masteron Propionate (Drostanolone Propionate)
• Masteron Enanthate (Drostanolone Enanthate)

These are simple the Drostanolone compound with a different ester attached to control the release rate and the half life of the steroid once its in the body. The ester itself has no affect at all on the activity of Masteron as it becomes attached over time once you’ve administered the steroid, leaving Masteron to take full effect.

Propionate is the most common form of Masteron, with Enanthate being harder to find even though it comes with a benefit of less regular injections because of its longer half life. Both forms are relatively difficult to find as they are no longer manufactured in US pharmaceutical labs, so purchasing needs to be done on the black market and underground and this leaves you open to counterfeits and low quality products.

The cost of Masteron in both forms has reduced in recent times so once you locate a trusted supplier this can become one of the more affordable steroids to include in your cycles.

Masteron Propionate (Drostanolone Propionate)
Propionate is the more widely used variety and allows Masteron to have a longer half life and a slower rate of release than if the ester were not attached to the hormone.

The resulting half life is about 2.5 days, which is much shorter than the enanthate variety. Propionate is the most popular variant of Masteron. Being a shorter ester, this version of Masteron is mostly used in shorter cycles than what you would use the enanthate variant for.

Normally the cycle length is 8 to 10 weeks and it should be combined at least with a testosterone steroid (ideally Testosterone Propionate for compatibility), while it also delivers excellent results when used with more powerful steroids like Winstrol or Trenbolone.

Masteron is put to best use in a cutting cycle. It is often considered to be a weaker steroid because of its lack of mass building capabilities, but not all steroids are meant for bulking and this is one that has a very niche and specific purpose which will suit anyone who wants the most extreme possible results from a cutting cycle.

Here are the main benefits and effects you can expect from Masteron:

Fat Loss
Masteron can enhance the loss of fat but is not a specific fat loss compound. It can build upon your already lean body and also works well when combined with powerful fat burning steroids like Winstrol. Additionally Masteron isn’t a muscle mass gainer but can help with overall muscle hardening.

Hard and Dry Look
With no water retention to bloat you and stand in the way of that much desired dry and hard look you want to obtain, Masteron is the ultimate late stage cutting steroid for physique enhancement whether it be as a serious personal goals or for competition purposes. If your body fat is already at a low level you stand to gain the most from Masteron as it helps to bring out your tone. Therefore this is a steroid that will be valued by those who have already put in a heap of work with other compounds previously, and with a well planned restricted calorie diet and suitable workout program.

Strength
Masteron can provide some moderate boosts to strength which helps enhance workouts and is a benefit to those users wanting some strength gains without the associated large mass gains that come with many other stronger anabolic steroids.

Increases Effect of Other Steroids
Most people will be stacking other steroid compounds with Masteron and one of the additional benefits of doing is is not only to gain the positive effects of Masteron itself as part of the stacked cycle, but also in the way Masteron can help the other steroids to work more effectively for multiple reasons. One is thanks to Masteron’s good anti-aromatase and anti-estrogen properties.

But lesser known is the way Masteron can prevent the binding of some Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) to other steroids in the cycle, which can reduce their effectiveness. By limiting this binding activity, other steroids you are taking alongside Masteron will be able to operate more fully at their maximum potential. These properties make Masteron an ideal steroid for stacking with many other types of anabolic steroids.

Another great benefit of Masteron is that not only does it not aromatize and therefore not cause any estrogen related side effects, but it’s also known to have some anti-estrogen properties. This is what’s made it powerful as a breast cancer treatment drug. Depending on what other steroids you combine with Masteron in a cycle, those with less potent aromatizing effect but with some estrogenic activity may be able to be offset by the anti-estrogen activity of Masteron itself.

Getting the best possible results from Masteron will not only depend on how good your training and diet is while you’re using the steroid, and what other compounds you might stack it with, but just as important is your dosage and cycle length. With a bit of planning you can create the perfect cycle for your experience level and your personal goals.

Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Masteron Dosage
For the vast majority of users the dosage of Masteron will be kept at a low level. This is not a mass building steroid and increasing the dose in an attempt to gain muscle will be futile, with other compounds being much more suitable for that purpose. For physique enhancement Masteron has no need to be taken any higher than 400mg per week.

Beginners are unlikely to want to go any lower than a 200mg weekly dose of Masteron for physique enhancement so this is considered a good starting point if its your first time using this compound. Unlike most other steroids though, increasing up to or near the maximum recommended dosage for any experience level is possible and even encouraged for beginners with Masteron. That means beginners can confidently use 400mg weekly as it is at that level where Masteron’s hardening and other physique enhancing effects really kick in, and this is the case no matter what level user you are making this one of the very few steroids where beginners are able to confidently use the same amount of the compound as even the most advanced users.

Just as with beginners, intermediate level users will do very well at the 400mg weekly dose as there are no benefits to going any higher, nor can maximum possible results be yielded with a much lower dose. 400mg is considered the sweet spot of Masteron use in any cycle regardless of what an intermediate user will be stacking it with.

Advanced users generally also stick with a 400mg dose with the full knowledge that Masteron does not and can not act as a primary anabolic steroid in any cycle, with that role going to other compounds which much stronger anabolic effects.

Proper Masteron Administration and Timing
The timing of your Masteron doses is going to fully depend on which variant you are using. If you’ve been able to obtain the Enanthate variant it’s possible to inject just twice weekly where your weekly dosage will be split into the two injections. If your weekly dosage is set to 400mg, split it to 200mg per injection twice each week.

It can be tempting to take the entire dose in just one injection per week, to cut down on the overall number of injections you need to administer, but you run the risk of blood levels not staying optimized for the entire week. Splitting the dose ensures a stable and optimal level of Masteron throughout your entire cycle.

If Drostanolone Propionate is your selected variety then you will need much more frequent injections because of its shorter elimination half life where the effects will quickly decline if you are not administering the hormone regularly. This variant of Masteron should ideally be injected every single day of the cycle, although you might be able to get by with one injection every two days although it is not considered ideal. For best results, Propionate should really be taken once daily so you are certain your levels are being maintained at the most stable level.

Female Dosage
Both the dosage and length of time Masteron is used are critical factors for females when avoiding virilization symptoms. Short term use of no longer than 6 weeks should be considered the maximum, although as little as 4 weeks can still provide good results and further reduce the risk of masculine side effects occurring.

A dosage of 50mg to no more than 100mg weekly is more than adequate for female steroid users and doses should not exceed this level in order to minimize virilization effects. It has been well proven through the medical use of Masteron in women that doses higher than this have a very high risk of virilization side effects where the compound would then need to be halted.

Whatever your experience level with anabolic steroids might be, if you’re using Masteron as part of a cutting cycle then almost everyone will want to add a testosterone steroid to the cycle to maintain functional testosterone levels. This means that a Masteron only cycle for men is never recommended as severe testosterone suppression is almost certain to occur.

Beginner Masteron Cycle
This basic beginner cycle makes use of two enanthate steroids in Masteron and Testosterone. By combining the steroids with the same ester, their release rates will be similar and therefore it’s easier and more convenient for the administration timing with both requiring infrequent injections.

The dosage of testosterone used in this cycle will depend if you want to gain some mass and additional strength or just want to use it as a testosterone maintenance compound. Higher doses of testosterone can put you at higher risk of aromatizing induced side effects like gyno which Masteron’s natural aromatase inhibiting activity might not be strong enough to combat, requiring use of an external aromatase inhibitor drug. Low level testosterone doses of 100mg to 200mg per week is unlikely to present this problem.

For best results, combine testosterone at your chosen dose with 400mg of Masteron weekly, split into two doses per week where both steroids can be combined and administered together. This 12 week beginner cycle gives new users the opportunity to evaluate the effects and results of Masteron without interference from or interaction with other more powerful steroids.

Intermediate Masteron Cycle
Users who are already aware of what Masteron can do are ready to combine it with other powerful compounds for additional cutting and physique enhancement benefits. The use of Anavar in this cycle is a common addition with its excellent fat burning and physique sculpting ability. In this cycle testosterone is used only for support and not as an anabolic agent. 100mg weekly of testosterone will provide sufficient support during this cycle.

Anavar is an oral steroid which is excellent for enhancing the metabolic rate and lipolysis. Adding an oral steroid to this cycle raises the question of potential liver stress, however Anavar at lower doses is not considered such a high risk in this regard. This 10 week cycle makes use of the propionate variant of Masteron at 400mg weekly and Anavar at up to 70mg daily, but 50mg is often enough for great results.

Advanced Masteron Cycle
Advanced users will be aiming for maximum possible physique hardening with some moderate mass gains through the use of an additional compound in the cycle that has higher anabolic properties and this can come in the form of Trenbolone Acetate.

Adding a testosterone ester to the cycle at a maintenance dose will also prove of great benefit. 100mg weekly of Testosterone Propionate will cover your needs in this area. This cycle provides more scope for bulking with Trenbolone which when combined with Masteron provides some serious physique changing opportunities when your training and nutrition are in line with these goals.

This is one of the most potent pre contest combinations that will harden the physique with two compounds that do not aromatize, however keep in mind that Trenbolone can bind with a high affinity to the progesterone receptor which may result in some gyno, so keeping anti-estrogen drugs on hand is ideal during this cycle. For best results in this 10 week cycle take Testosterone Propionate at 100mg weekly, Masteron Propionate at 400mg weekly and Trenbolone Acetate at 400mg weekly.

Stacking Masteron
Masteron stacks well with a range of other steroid compounds. At a minimum testosterone should always be used in a Masteron cycle to retain your testosterone functionality while Masteron suppresses or even shuts down natural testosterone production. In a cutting cycle users will benefit enormously by stacking Masteron with other powerful cutting compounds like Anavar or Winstrol which are also derived from DHT.

Masteron is an excellent inclusion in a cutting cycle so the results you can expect relate strongly to physique enhancement and overall fat loss. The lack of aromatization is what makes Masteron such a powerful cutting compound as you will not suffer the bloating effects of water retention.

Not only that, but the anti-estrogen activity of Masteron can also help remove any existing subcutaneous fluid retention which will greatly contribute to physique hardening effect, ultimately giving you that sought after chiselled and dry appearance.

It’s important to know that these effects are only achievable at the maximum level if you’ve already achieved an exceptionally low body fat ratio where Masteron is then used for the final most extreme physique enhancement; often before a contest.

Post cycle therapy is required following your Masteron cycle so your natural testosterone production can be stimulated and testosterone levels normalized as soon as possible after the suppression of the hormone caused by the use of this steroid. Your exact PCT protocol is going to depend a lot on what other steroids you’ve used in your cycle and how suppressive they are.

The timing of the start of your post cycle therapy will also be determined not just by these other compounds in the cycle, but also which variant of Masteron you’ve used and its respective half life.

In any case you will most likely turn to the tried and tested PCT drugs in Nolvadex and Clomid which both help stimulate testosterone production. If you’ve taken some stronger steroids alongside Masteron then its worth considering the use of hCG in PCT and this can be started the day after your last Masteron injection for a two week period at a dose of 2500iu weekly which should be split into two doses each week.

HCG itself can actually cause side effects like gyno so it should be taken with an aromatase inhibitor to prevent this.

What is Masteron used for?
Masteron was originally developed to treat breast cancer in women because of its anti-estrogen properties. These days it has been mostly replaced for medical use by newer drugs, but remains popular with bodybuilders and physique athletes for its physique enhancing properties that are especially ideal for pre-contest preparation in a cutting cycle where you have very low body fat already and want to trim down even more with a much harder dryer look.

What are the benefits of Masteron?
Masteron’s benefits are some of the most specific you will find among any anabolic steroid. People who want to use Masteron will already have a target goal in mind and for most of us that will be to get as trimmed, toned and ripped as possible and for the purpose of contest preparation where fat needs to be at a minimum and the physique must be as hard and dry as possible. Masteron comes without water retention so provides a powerful addition to a cutting cycle where not only fat loss is desired, but an overall physique enhancement suiting the most serious of users.

Where do you inject Masteron?
Like any other injectable steroid, Masteron is used as an intramuscular injection with the goal of injecting the solution deep into the muscle tissue where it then enters the bloodstream. The larger, stronger muscles are chosen to avoid nerve damage in smaller muscles. The injection site should be rotated regularly to avoid irritation or injury. Buttocks, thigh and deltoid (upper arm/shoulder) muscles are the most common sites chosen for injecting Masteron and other anabolic steroids.

Can you stack Masteron?
Yes, not only can you stack Masteron with almost any other steroid, but it’s of great benefit to do that. Masteron’s beneficial properties not only contribute to your results directly but also assist in the effectiveness of the way other steroids work in the body thanks to its anti-estrogen activity plus its ability to help prevent binding of SHBG, a process that can have a detrimental impact on the function of some steroids.

Can women use Masteron?
Females can use Masteron but must be aware of the high risk of virilization side effects. The only method for females to use Masteron is at low doses and for short cycles of no longer than 6 weeks, but even then there is a risk of side effects like body hair growth and voice deepening – if these start occurring then women are advised to either reduce the dosage further or stop use of Masteron completely and these side effects will disappear.

Do I need PCT with Masteron?
Yes, just about all anabolic steroids require a post cycle therapy period afterwards and Masteron is no exception because it will suppress your testosterone greatly during the cycle. Most people will make use of other steroids combined with Masteron which also come with their own testosterone suppressing effects – sometimes resulting in a complete shutdown of natural testosterone production. PCT making use of drugs like Clomid and Nolvadex as well as hCG is always advised following a Masteron cycle.