Turinabol vs Anavar: Which is the Better Steroid?

For a competitive edge, bodybuilders and athletes frequently use oral anabolic steroids, including Turinabol (chlorodehydromethyltestosterone) and Anavar (oxandrolone).

Anavar and Turinabol are relatively similar in relation to how they affect body composition, despite obvious differences in chemical structure.

Turinabol is a derivative of methandrostenolone (Dianabol), hence its nickname ‘baby dbol’. Meanwhile, Anavar is a DHT (dihydrotestosterone) derivative.

Muscle and Strength Gains

Anavar and Turinabol are considered relatively mild compounds in the anabolic steroid family tree. However, their benefits in terms of muscular hypertrophy and strength are far from mild.

Turinabol is the superior steroid for building mass and is generally considered a lean bulking steroid. Anavar, however, is predominantly taken during cutting cycles, with it building less mass than Turinabol.

We have seen beginners typically gain >15 pounds of lean muscle on Turinabol via a 6-week cycle. On Anavar, novices can expect to build up to 10–12 pounds.

Anavar and Turinabol are both potent strength-enhancing compounds, which is surprising to some considering both of these compounds do not aromatize, and thus weight gain is not excessive.

Disclosure: We do not accept any form of advertising on Inside Bodybuilding. We monetize our practice via doctor consultations and carefully chosen pharmaceutical recommendations, which have given our patients excellent results.

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Fat Loss

Neither compound will cause any weight loss due to simultaneous muscle growth.

However, both compounds will cause reductions in subcutaneous fat mass while limiting water retention.

Turinabol burns moderate amounts of fat directly, simply by being a form of exogenous testosterone (a fat-burning hormone). Tbol makes for a suitable cutting steroid for some users due to its ability to inhibit extracellular water retention and thus maximize muscle definition.

Anavar is a unique anabolic steroid for fat loss because it increases triiodothyronine (T3) levels (1). T3 is the active thyroid hormone that significantly increases lipolysis (fat loss).

Anavar raises T3 by making TBG (thyroid-binding globulin) less effective and TBP (thyroxine-binding prealbumin) more effective. This process effectively increases the conversion of T4 to T3. This is good news for bodybuilders, as T4 (thyroxine) is the inactive thyroid hormone, and T3 is the hormone that stimulates fat loss.

Anabolic steroids, including Turinabol, decrease subcutaneous fat but increase visceral fat. This is why bodybuilders, despite being lean, can have bloated-looking midsections.

Anavar is the exception to this rule, as we have seen it reduce both subcutaneous and visceral fat mass in patients via the improvement of insulin sensitivity (2).

Thus, bodybuilders under our care report greater overall fat loss on Anavar (vs. Turinabol), especially in the midsection, due to a decrease in VF.

However, it should be noted that Turinabol and Anavar’s anabolic attributes outweigh their ability to induce fat loss.

Turinabol and Anavar for women

Women take very few anabolic steroids because they are concerned about the possibility of virilization effects (3). We have observed the following masculinizing effects at our clinic:

• Deepened voice
• Clitoral enlargement
• Hair growth (body)
• Androgen-induced alopecia
• Jaw hypertrophy
• Laryngeal prominence (Adam’s Apple) enlargement

However, we have seen females experience great success preventing the above side effects on Turinabol and Anavar when taken in conservative dosages.

This may not come as a surprise when considering the initial motivations for creating each of these anabolic steroids. With Anavar, scientists attempted to formulate a compound that promoted anabolism in patients suffering from cachexia (muscle wasting) and delayed growth, including men, women, and children (4). Thus, it was their intention for Anavar to be free from masculinizing effects.

German scientists created Turinabol with the intention of helping their nation become an Olympic superpower. Female gymnasts and swimmers were known to have utilized Tbol; thus, to reduce any suspicions of foul play, it was in the doctor’s interests to synthesize a compound that would allow women to retain their feminine attributes.

A typical Anavar cycle for beginner female bodybuilders can look like this:

Going above 10 mg/day or extending cycles beyond 5–6 weeks will increase the chances of masculinization.

A typical Turinabol cycle for beginner female bodybuilders can look as follows:

In our experience, low dosages are unlikely to cause secondary sex characteristics in women. However, they are high enough to cause notable increases in muscle hypertrophy, strength, and fat loss.

Abuse of Turinabol, in terms of high dosages or extended cycles (past 5–6 weeks), will increase the risk of masculinization.

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Side Effects

Turinabol and Anavar are among the best steroids in regards to safety, based on our patients’ labs. Although all anabolic steroids cause a negative impact on a user’s overall health, these two compounds are the least destructive.

Liver

We often see mild hepatotoxicity with Anavar and Turinabol, which is normal since they are both c-17 alpha-alkylated compounds. Thus, ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) scores will rise moderately.

For most of our patients, this is rarely problematic due to the resilience of the liver and its self-rejuvenating properties. However, bodybuilders with existing or previous liver issues (and individuals taking hepatotoxic medications) should avoid all oral anabolic steroids.

Heart

All anabolic steroids have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, but Turinabol and Anavar are among the least cardiotoxic, according to our patients’ blood work results.

This is quite unique for oral steroids, which typically have harsher effects on cholesterol due to their stimulation of hepatic lipase, a liver enzyme that negatively affects HDL cholesterol.

Anadrol, Dianabol, Superdrol, and Winstrol, in our experience, are particularly cardiotoxic oral steroids. However, Turinabol and Anavar’s mild nature reduces the risk of hypertension.

Note: We advise those with elevated blood pressure or cardiomyopathy in their family to avoid all anabolic steroids.

Testosterone Suppression

Temporary endogenous testosterone suppression is certain when taking any anabolic steroid.

The extent of which can be moderate or a complete shutdown of the HPTA (hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular axis).

With Anavar and Turinabol, we typically see a moderate drop in testosterone, with levels often recovering to natural peak levels several weeks post-cycle.

This recovery process is likely to take place in 30 days or less when using an effective PCT (post-cycle therapy).

Excessive use of anabolic steroid substances without taking ample time off in between cycles will delay endogenous testosterone recovery (5).

Hair Loss

Some claim that Anavar does not cause hair loss, as the 5-alpha reductase enzyme is not present, causing Anavar to possess a low androgenic rating of 25.

However, Anavar is a derivative of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone responsible for hair follicle miniaturization on the scalp.

Thus, it is common for some of our patients (men and women) to complain of thinning of the hair during cycles. This can often reverse post-cycle when DHT levels return to normal; however, we have seen regular cycles and a personal predisposition to male pattern baldness accelerate hair loss in the long term on Anavar.

Turinabol, however, is a derivative of methandrostenolone (Dianabol), which has very low androgenicity and is not a DHT-derived steroid. Thus, we conclude that Turinabol is the safer steroid to take in regards to preserving hair thickness and preventing recession.

Conclusion

Some bodybuilders may consider Turinabol the better steroid if their priority is to build lean muscle mass, as Tbol will add a few more pounds of lean muscle vs. Anavar.

However, Anavar is the more optimal steroid for cutting due to its lipolytic (fat-burning) effects being more prominent.

In terms of safety and side effects, both steroids are very similar, having a mild nature in contrast to other anabolic steroids.

Note: Our readers should be wary of buying underground lab Anavar (above) or Turinabol due to mass counterfeiting via the black market.

Co Authors :

Dr. Thomas O'Connor, MD, PA

For TRT inquiries, please contact Dr. O’Connor via the Anabolic Doc App.

Over the last 20 years, Dr. O’Connor has successfully treated thousands of men who have taken anabolic steroids, SARMs, and other PEDs, giving him first-hand experience of their effects. Board-certified MD since 2005.

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