Pharmaceutical Name: Norma / Nor-testosterone (as undecanoate) 
Chemical structure: "19-Nor-4-androstene-3-one,17b-ol" or "4-Estren-17beta-ol-3-one"
Effective dose: 200-800 mg / week
The decanoate ester of norma is generally referred to as Deca, stemming from the brand name Deca-Durabolin under which norma was marketed by the Organon company. But as the reference list up above suggests there are many generic forms of this compound available. Norma is perhaps the best marketed and easy to get steroid out there and it has always enjoyed an immense popularity. Its fairly accurate to state that safe for Dianabol, Deca is by far the most used steroid. The deca/d-bol stack, it is often suggested, is where the practice of stacking comes from. But what does it owe its popularity too ? Well, norma has some unique qualities that make it unlike any other steroid known to man.
Norma is more commonly known as the base steroid 19Nor-testosterone. As this structure would indicate its like testosterone in appearance but for one small change : the absence of a carbon atom in the 19th position. This gives it a number of very distinct features. First of all it makes norma a notably weaker agonist of the androgen receptor. That alone causes quite a reduction in the risk of androgenic side-effects. This is because it is the only steroid that is affected by the 5-alpha-reductase (5AR) enzyme in a way that makes it even less androgenic. Unlike testosterone which forms DHT (dihydrotestosterone) at the 5AR enzyme, a hormone 3-4 times as potent as an androgen receptor stimulator, norma forms DHN (dihydronorma) a hormone that is even less suited than the already mild parent hormone for agonizing the androgen receptor. Those two features combined make norma a very safe bet for people at risk for prostate hypertrophy, acne and aggravated male pattern hair loss. At the same time its estimated that norma is 2.4 times as anabolic as testosterone1, on a gram for gram basis.
Due to the many different ways that testosterone mediates anabolism, one has to take that statement with a serious grain of salt, but it does establish norma as a potent muscle builder and performance enhancer with a comparatively safe character, at least androgenically speaking. This androgenic mildness is perhaps the greatest reason for its popularity. But due to the lack of immediate anabolic activity norma is rarely used alone. Its the most known and sought after product for use as a base steroid, to use in conjunction with a more androgenic specimen to enhance the results without increasing androgenic side-effects to a serious degree.
The ways in which norma exerts its anabolic effects are two-fold. First of all it's a good mediator for nitrogen retention. When nitrogen retention is high, in essence it means that the cells are taking up more nitrogen than they are releasing. Why is this a good thing though? Well every amino acid has what is known as an amino-group, which contains nitrogen. When nitrogen is retained it means there is a high concentration of amino acids in a cell, which in turn positively affects the rate of protein synthesis. Since every tissue in the body is made from protein, including muscle, this means that muscle hypertrophy is facilitated. A second factor is through estrogen. While norma's rate of aromatization is considerably smaller than that of testosterone, it does convert to a particularly powerful form of estrogen±. This has been noted to increase glycogen storage, growth hormone release and upgrade the androgen receptor in some tissues. In this case it also entails agonizing of aldosterone, but more on that later.
It makes sense then that those particularly prone to the effects and side-effects of estrogen would take extra precaution. Blocking aromatase, considering the previous paragraph, would be a poor choice, but competitively inhibiting the estrogen receptor itself with clomiphene citrate (Clomid) or tamoxifen citrate (Nolvadex) might bring some relief since a large portion of progestagenic action is nullified if there is no circulating estrogen around, or if it is kept from being activated by the estrogen receptor. It is generally assumed that 1 mg of either every day for every 20 mg of norma injected weekly is sufficient. Slightly higher doses, or the use of an aromatase inhibitor like cytadren can be stacked if norma is used in conjunction with another aromatizing steroid. It has also been noted that the steroid stanabol (Winstrol) may provide relief as it too binds to the progesterone receptor but remains unaltered by it. How strong of a competitor it is in such a case and what sort of doses would be needed are as much your guess as they are mine, so this may be non-issue. But it does bode well for the stacking of norma with stanabol in that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Another benefit of norma use often reported is the pain-free workouts because norma lubricates the joints. It stores a lot of water (as synovial fluid) in the joints, which eases the impact of the heavy weights handled by bodybuilders and weight lifters. One may wonder how norma can do a better job at it than a steroid that aromatizes much stronger such as a testosterone ester, but its quite easily explained. One study at least goes to show that norma metabolites are also aldosterone agonists6. Although we aren't entirely sure of the mechanism by which this occurs. But, while sparing you the details of this complex hormone, aldosterone has a strong function in the retention of sodium in the body. High sodium levels correlate with a high storage of water and that would explain the aforementioned effect. Of course one needs to note the implication of this of course: a bulkier frame and a certain loss of definition are not uncommon with norma, perhaps more so than with testosterone.
Norma with a decanoate ester is fairly long acting (10 carbons) to begin with and if on top of that a lot of the drug can be de- and re-esterified that means the substance stays active in the body for quite a long time. This has resulted in positive drug tests for the hormone norma and many of its metabolites, most notably 19-Norandrosterone up to 18 months after last use of the drug. While this is a fairly known fact, the recent number of athletes (including well known soccer stars) that have tested positive for norma would indicate a lot of misinformation or plain lack of information in some circles. Positive tests, with reprimands, that could have easily been avoided. So anyone subject to any form of athletic drug test should refrain from using 19-Nortestosterone (norma) or any of its metabolites, that includes nor-prohormones.
Norma stacks well with virtually anything. Due to its mildly aromatizing and its progestagenic activity its mostly used as a mass building compound by all but the monstrously huge. Because some water retention is a fact, one would not desire to include it in a cutting phase, especially if its one of your first cycles. Norma is used in doses of 200-600 mg per week. 400 mg is the common recommendation for a somewhat experienced user, when used in conjunction with another product. Norma as decanoate, as found in deca-durabolin, is a long acting ester of 10 carbons. That means 1 injection weekly will more than suffice as it has quite a long span of activity
To this effect its preferably stacked with another aromatizing compound. In the first place a long acting testosterone like cypionate, enanthate or sustanon 250. For a beginner cycle, we want to note that the testosterone compound is the most active compound and its therefore more desirable to lower the dose of norma rather than the dose of testosterone. Often beginners look to start at 400 mg of norma and 250 mg of testosterone. A better suggestion would be 200 mg of norma and 500 mg of testosterone. Then bump the norma to 400 mg.
It also makes a good match for doses of Anadrol or Dianabol, although neither compound can be used for the time-span of norma decanoate due to liver toxicity. This isn't the case for a long-acting testosterone ester. Often norma and test are stacked in conjunction with Anadrol or Dianabol for the first few weeks of a stack to boost gains and strength.
A norma stack accompanied by stanazolol (Winstrol/Stromba) makes sense as well, especially for those who are highly prone to gyno. It's commonly accepted that stanazolol can compete for the progesterone receptor, and since norma can act as a progestin, this is a wise precaution. Progesterone agonizes estrogen and while norma only aromatizes slightly and cases of gyno with moderate norma use is rare, when stacking it with another aromatizable compound like Dianabol or testosterone, you may not want to take the chance. For secondary products one needn't consider an anti-aromatase like Cytadren since one cannot fully block all aromatase conversion and due to the enhanced estrogen activity as a result of progestagenic influence, it would serve little purpose. Using an estrogen-receptor antagonist, while not fool-proof obviously, may serve some benefit. Agonized or not, without binding to the receptor estrogen loses most of its influence. Using stanazolol and either clomid or Nolvadex during a stack with norma is usually the best prescription. Post-cycle use of such substances to help HPTA recover faster and retain gains also comes highly recommended, and preferably for longer than you would with most stacks, since norma stays active for a very long time.
Common misspellings of Deca-Durabolin: dwca-durabolin drca-durabolin deca-dueabolin deca-dutabolin deca-dyrabolin deca-dirabolin deca-durabolun deca-durabolon deca-durabilin deca-durabplin decq-durabolin decs-durabolin deca-durqbolin deca-dursbolin seca-durabolin feca-durabolin deca-surabolin deca-furabolin deca-durabokin dexa-durabolin deva-durabolin deca-duravolin deca-duranolin deca-durabolib deca-durabolim deca-udrabolin deca-duraoblin deca-druabolin dica-durabolin deca-durabolen deco-durabolin deca-durobolin deca-durabalin dca-durabolin dea-durabolin dec-durabolin decadurabolin deca-urabolin deca-drabolin deca-duabolin deca-durbolin deca-duraolin deca-durablin deca-duraboin deca-duraboln deca-duraboli
