Winstrol vs. Anavar: Which One Is Better?

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• Winstrol (stanozolol) and Anavar (oxandrolone) are two anabolic steroids, predominantly used by bodybuilders for cutting purposes, enabling them to burn fat and gain lean muscle tissue.
• Beginners may wonder about the differences between these two compounds and specifically question which one is better.

Below is everything you need to know regarding the pros and cons of these two compounds, how they compare, and which may be more optimal based on your goals.

How Do Anavar’s and Winstrol’s Chemical Structures Differ?​

The chemical structures of Winstrol and Anavar are similar, with both compounds being modified forms of dihydrotestosterone. They also possess a methyl group at the carbon 17-alpha position, helping to preserve biological availability upon administration.

A distinct structural difference between the two is how they are effectively anabolic, causing significant muscle-building while maintaining low androgenicity.

Winstrol’s notable anabolism is due to a pyrazole attachment group to the A-ring, whereas Anavar’s is due to a substitution in the A-ring—specifically, carbon-2 being replaced by an oxygen atom.

In terms of administration, Anavar comes as an oral tablet, like Winstrol. However, Winstrol is sometimes used as an injectable.

Which Is the More Powerful Steroid?​

When it comes to the Winstrol vs. Anavar debate, some bodybuilders opt for Anavar, and others choose Winstrol for various reasons that we will cover. However, when it comes to the benefits of each compound, most of our patients report Winstrol as being more potent.

• We have found that Winstrol builds more lean muscle and burns more fat than Anavar simply because it is a more powerful compound.
• In theory, Anavar should produce greater changes in body composition due to its 630 anabolic rating vs. 320 for Winstrol. However, in real-life terms, we have found Winstrol to be superior. The difference is not dramatic; however, such improvements are noticeable for most bodybuilders.

Which Compound Stimulates the Most Fat Loss?​

• Users taking Winstrol or Anavar commonly notice a reduction in subcutaneous and visceral fat, which is a unique characteristic compared to other anabolic steroids.
• Most anabolic steroids cause a reduction in subcutaneous fat, resulting in more visible six-pack abs, but simultaneously increase visceral fat. This produces a bloated-looking midsection, often referred to as a steroid gut in the bodybuilding community.

However, Anavar and Winstrol do not cause such a protruding effect, maintaining a user’s standard waist size. This makes both compounds advantageous for bodybuilders who prioritize aesthetics over mass.

How Are Anavar and Winstrol Able to Reduce Visceral Fat?​

• The reason why Anavar and Winstrol do not increase visceral fat can be attributed to their weak estrogenic effects and lack of aromatization.
• This lack of conversion into estrogen can also cause a drying effect on the muscles, as high estrogen levels cause water retention, and low levels produce a diuretic effect.

Thus, Winstrol and Anavar will maximize muscle definition and vascularity, unlike other anabolic steroids, due to less extracellular fluid volume.

Measuring fat loss via scales may not be wise due to simultaneous muscle gain. Thus, although users may observe a notable reduction in body fat in the mirror, the scales can still increase instead of decrease on both of these steroids.

Which Compound Causes Greater Increases in Fat-Free Mass?​

• In our experience, Anavar users typically gain 10 pounds of lean muscle from a conservatively dosed first cycle.
• However, Winstrol users are likely to gain a few pounds more in comparison, being closer to 15 lbs.

We do not find Winstrol and Anavar’s muscle-building power rivaling powerful bulking steroids, such as Dianabol or Anadrol; however, their effects are still visually significant, particularly due to their synchronous muscle-building and fat-burning properties.

The lean muscle gains associated with Anavar and Winstrol are why competitive bodybuilders run them in cutting cycles close to a competition, as they know water and fat retention won’t be an issue.

We have also found these two steroids commonly taken by athletes who want to level the playing field in their drug-rife sports via increases in muscular strength, power, and endurance, without their weight fluctuating dramatically.

Is Muscle Fullness More Prominent on Anavar?​

Muscle fullness is possibly the only area where Anavar outperforms Winstrol regarding the benefits of each steroid.

• One disadvantage we find with Winstrol is that it can cause excessive intracellular water depletion, causing the muscles to appear flat.
• However, fluid distribution with Anavar is dissimilar, with extracellular fluid being flushed out and intracellular fluid increasing.

This effect creates a defined and full look on Anavar, whereas on Winstrol, a toned appearance is common, but with less of a pump to the muscles.

Full muscles can help you appear bigger than you are in and out of the gym while also encouraging further growth due to stretching of the muscle fascia.

Fuller muscles are also advantageous in competitions where size is rewarded. Muscle pumps on Anavar can be prominent, particularly in the lower back, with some of our patients describing this sensation as painful when performing deadlifts. This can disrupt workouts, in which case we have seen taurine supplementation prove effective. This is due to its diuretic attributes, reducing muscle fullness and ATP levels in the muscle cell.

However, it is worth noting that the muscles won’t significantly deflate on Winstrol, despite a reduction in water volume, due to it simultaneously adding muscle hypertrophy (size) during a cycle.

After someone comes off Winstrol, their muscles may look slightly bigger due to normal levels of muscle fullness returning and an increase in overall water retention.


Although we observe Winstrol being more powerful in terms of results, Anavar is the more suitable choice when it comes to harm reduction.

Generally, with anabolic steroids, the better the results, the worse the side effects. This is also true with Winstrol and Anavar, with Winstrol having more devastating effects on:

1. Cholesterol values
2. Liver toxicity
3. Testosterone suppression

Anavar has milder side effects; hence, it has been used successfully in medicine to treat men, women, and children.

However, with high doses or excessively long cycles, we have experienced Anavar causing extensive damage to the:

1. Liver
2. Heart
3. Kidneys

How Does Anavar Affect the Liver?​

Anavar’s weak hepatotoxicity regarding the liver is unique, with it being an oral C-17 alpha-alkylated steroid. Such oral compounds are typically notorious for causing jaundice, peliosis hepatis, or liver failure. However, Anavar’s reduced toxicity is due to the liver only partly metabolizing the drug.

Instead, we see the kidneys sharing the workload, with researchers reporting over one-third of oxandrolone still being present in urine (1).

Thus, we have not found ALT and AST markers, indicating potential liver stress or damage, to rise excessively high on Anavar. However, such levels should be checked regularly on Winstrol due to stronger hepatotoxicity.

• Research has also shown that Anavar does not worsen liver values at a dose of 20 mg/day for 8 weeks (2).
• However, the same research concluded that high dosages of 40 mg and 80 mg/day cause liver stress.

If we detect ALT/AST levels rising notably, bodybuilders at our clinic have had success taking TUDCA, a bile acid that has been shown to minimize hepatic stress in studies (3). It is advised not to stack Winstrol with any other oral steroids to prevent excessive hepatotoxicity.

Is Winstrol Hepatotoxic?​

In contrast to Anavar, less research has been conducted on Winstrol with regard to the liver. However, we do know that very modest dosages, such as 12.5 mg/day, have little effect on ALT and AST enzymes in research (4). Whereas we see high dosages of Winstrol having the power to cause severe hepatotoxicity, even in healthy bodybuilders (5).

It is important to note that such adverse hepatic effects also occur with injectable Winstrol.

Anavar on the Heart​

In the previous reference cited (2), Anavar’s effects on LDL and HDL cholesterol levels are seen to be moderate, causing approximately a 30% reduction in HDL and a 30% rise in LDL when taken at 20 mg/day for 12 weeks.

Thus, Anavar will cause a notable increase in blood pressure when taking a moderate dose.

• According to this same study, the difference in cardiovascular strain on Anavar when taking 20 mg/day and 40 mg/day is slight, with only 3% further deterioration in cholesterol for double the dose.
• However, on a megadose of 80 mg/day, HDL cholesterol levels can decline by 50%.

Winstrol on the Heart​

• We have found Winstrol’s effects on the heart to be significantly worse than Anavar’s, with research showing that a tiny dose of Winstrol at 6 mg/day for 6 weeks can cause a 33% drop in HDL cholesterol (6).
• This substantial fluctuation in blood pressure is the equivalent of taking 20 mg/day of Anavar.

However, bodybuilders typically take 25 mg/day of Winstrol; thus, we conclude that a moderate dose of Winstrol has a more devastating effect than a moderate dose of Anavar.

To combat the spike in blood pressure, bodybuilders on Winstrol can:

1. Increase the frequency of cardiovascular workouts.
2. Supplement with 4 g/day of fish oil.

Both of these methodologies have improved cholesterol ratios in research (7).

Furthermore, eating a diet high in unsaturated fat while restricting saturated fat can help reduce cardiovascular strain from Winstrol.

Anavar and Testosterone Suppression​

In clinical trials, Anavar dosed at 20 mg/day and 40 mg/day has provoked a 45% decline in testosterone levels in HIV patients. This is a relatively mild effect compared to other anabolic-androgenic steroids that completely shut down the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis (HPTA).

It is also important to note that this daily dosage was administered for 12 weeks, which we find to be excessive for an Anavar cycle, which only typically lasts 6–8 weeks for men and 4–5 weeks for women.

Thus, when Anavar is taken in moderate dosages, we record a mild reduction in testosterone. Therefore, some bodybuilders do not experience a severe crash, causing decreased energy, motivation, and libido, and can consequently recover their endogenous testosterone levels in a matter of weeks, without utilizing PCT.

Winstrol and Testosterone Suppression​

Research has shown that just 10 mg/day of Winstrol, when taken for 14 days, can suppress endogenous testosterone levels by 55% (8).

Thus, typical cycles, such as 25 mg/day of Winstrol for 6 weeks, can shut down the HPTA. It can take several weeks or months for testosterone levels to recover to normal levels, depending on the person’s PCT protocol.

• We find Winstrol and Anavar are unlikely to cause gynecomastia, as they do not aromatize or directly stimulate the estrogen receptors in the mammary glands.
• In terms of hair loss and oily skin, these are possible side effects of Anavar and Winstrol, albeit less severe in our experience compared to highly androgenic compounds such as testosterone or trenbolone.

Studies have shown that Winstrol is destructive to the heart and liver (9, 10); therefore, its side effects can be exacerbated when stacking Winstrol with other anabolic steroids, thus making Anavar a less toxic choice when running multiple compounds together.

What Is the Difference in Price?​

Anavar is significantly more expensive than Winstrol due to it previously being monopolized by Bio-Technology General Corp., which led to a 1,200% increase in market price.

• 100 x 20 mg Anavar tablets cost around $230 on the black market.
• 100 x 25 mg tablets of Winstrol can cost just $90.

There is a risk when purchasing any anabolic steroid on the black market; however, it could be argued that Anavar is particularly precarious due to its high market price. Consequently, a common scam we have seen is for sellers to dilute or substitute oxandrolone for methandrostenolone (Dianabol), which can be manufactured at a fraction of the price.

Thus, bodybuilders should be wary of cheap Anavar vendors. while also testing the products to see if the active substance is oxandrolone.

Which Compound Is More Suitable for Women?​

We have found that many anabolic steroids cause virilization-related side effects in women, with Winstrol also falling into this category.

Some female bodybuilders utilize Winstrol for greater muscle definition, fat loss, and muscle retention while cutting; however, they often experience the following side effects:

1. Deeper voice
2. Breast reduction
3. Enlarged clitoris
4. Hair loss on the scalp
5. Hair growth on the body
6. Laryngeal prominence (Adam’s apple) growth

Thus, Winstrol is not a suitable choice for women wanting to avoid masculinization.

However, Anavar is a more common choice among women, hence its nickname, “the girl steroid.” That is not to say men don’t take it, as we have treated elite bodybuilders and powerlifters on Anavar.

Anavar has a relatively low risk of causing virilization in women when taken in therapeutic dosages.

According to existing research, 10 mg/day of Anavar, in cycles lasting 4–5 weeks, is unlikely to cause any issues with regard to masculinization (11).

A more common side effect in our experience when taking Anavar is menstrual irregularities or amenorrhea (cessation of the monthly period).

If a woman is intent on using Winstrol but does not want to experience virilization, we have seen cautious doses of 5 mg/day for up to 8 weeks, leaving female patients unscathed.

Summary​

Winstrol vs. Anavar: Which one is better? The answer depends on a user’s objectives.

• If an individual only has $100 and is willing to risk their health to get in the best shape possible, Winstrol may be more appealing and the only affordable option.
• Whereas if users are concerned about liver values shooting up and want to make gains in the least damaging way possible, Anavar is the superior steroid.
• Equally, if a person is preparing for a contest and is prone to losing muscle fullness onstage, Anavar may be more optimal, with it producing bigger pumps and fuller muscles.