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Episode
I Reduced My Steroids By 3x (The Results Shocked Me)
~40 min
Episode Brief·YouTube

I Reduced My Steroids By 3x (The Results Shocked Me)

Mike Israetel
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TL;DR

The four things you'd lose by not watching

4 items

TL;DR

The four things you'd lose by not watching

4 items
1

Mike Israetel cut his total weekly steroid dose from ~2,000 mg to ~750 mg (1/3) and lost only 10 lbs of lean mass, nearly all of which was water, while maintaining or slightly improving upper-body strength.

2

He developed a detailed slow-escalation steroid protocol: start at 150 mg total androgens, increase by 100 mg every 3 months only if blood work is good, using testosterone and Primobolan with estrogen management, and cycle back to TRT for washout.

3

Tirzepatide and retatrutide virtually eliminated visceral fat and improved health markers, leading him to recommend these GLP-1/GIP/glucagon agonists as powerful adjuncts.

4

He predicts that non-androgenic anabolics (muscle-building drugs with few side effects) are 2-3 years away and will replace high-dose steroids, making current heavy use a costly trade-off.

Protocols

Concrete recipes — what, when, how much, and why

4 items

Slow-escalation steroid cycling protocol

WhatStart at 150 mg total androgens per week (e.g., 100 mg testosterone + 50 mg Primobolan). Every 3 months, if blood work (including estrogen) is in normal range, increase dose by 100 mg, adding Primo preferentially. After 9 months (350 mg peak), drop to 150 mg TRT for 3 months. Then do a 3-month cut at 250 mg, then resume bulking at 250 mg, escalating to 350, 450, etc. in subsequent cycles. Always return to TRT for washout.
WhenFor anyone using anabolic steroids who wants to maximize muscle while minimizing harm. The 9-month gain phase followed by 3-month TRT washout and 3-month cut is a sample cycle.
Dose150 mg start; increase by 100 mg every 3 months. Peak dose depended on blood work and side effects. Washout at 150 mg for at least 3 months. Cut phase at slightly higher dose than TRT (e.g., 250 mg). Subsequent cycles start at the previous cut dose.
For whomExperienced steroid users or those who would use regardless; not for steroid-naïve individuals (he recommends never starting). Meant for people willing to do regular blood work and be patient.
WhySustained exposure at moderate doses builds real contractile tissue over months, while rapid escalation adds mostly water weight and health risk. The slow titration allows health monitoring and individual response assessment at each dosage level.
CaveatsBlood work must be clean every 3 months; if markers go bad or side effects become intolerable, do not increase dose further—stay at previous safe level. Estrogen management via test/Primo ratio is crucial. This protocol adds hundreds of milligrams over years, not months, and still carries all long-term risks of anabolic steroids.

Mike stresses that the bodybuilding myth of 'more gear equals more muscle' ignores the curvilinear dose-response curve. Beyond ~1,000 mg/week for most advanced lifters, the additional muscle gain is small relative to the toxicity increase. His own experience: at 2,000 mg peak he was bloated, anxious, and gained mostly water; at 750 mg he was nearly as big, healthier, and stronger. The protocol's design deliberately stretches the low-dose period so that users can 'milk' as much growth from each dosage tier as possible before moving up. He emphasizes that this is not a recommendation to start steroids but a harm-reduction framework for those who will use anyway.

Mechanism

Androgens stimulate muscle protein synthesis and satellite cell activation, but their full hypertrophic effect requires chronic exposure—months of consistent elevated levels—to remodel tissue. Acute high doses disproportionately increase mineralocorticoid receptor activation and estrogen conversion, leading to water retention, hypertension, and bloating without proportionally more muscle gain. By escalating slowly, the body adapts gradually, and the water-weight spike is blunted, allowing a more accurate gauge of true muscle gain. Primobolan (metenolone) is used because it aromatizes minimally, adding anabolic signaling without estrogenic side effects, which can be titrated against testosterone to keep estrogen normal.

Personal experience

Mike previously climbed to 2,000 mg quickly and ended up with psychological burnout and excessive water. Now he follows this slow-escalation approach and reports feeling dramatically better and still achieving elite physique stats. He plans to never exceed 1,000 mg again.

I highly recommend that you start super low and take lots of time in each dosage range because here's the thing. If you increase your steroids quickly... you're going to get a shitload of weight. Almost all of it will be body water.

Also said
“Make sure your estrogen is in the normal range. If your estrogen is too low, of that bump, take more testosterone and less Primobolan. And if your estrogen is too high, take more Primobolan and less testosterone.”— Details the estrogen balancing method.
“After this 9-month phase, take at least 3 months, go back to 150 mg TRT levels to maintain your muscle size, still eating well, still training, improve your health.”— Emphasizes the structured washout period.

TRT-based maintenance and health washout

WhatAfter a blast phase, drop to replacement-level testosterone (150 mg/week) for at least 3 months, continuing to train and eat well to preserve muscle while allowing health markers to recover.
WhenBetween cycles, or anytime side effects or blood work warrant a break.
Dose150 mg total androgens per week for at least 3 months.
For whomSteroid users who cycle; applicable to anyone using supraphysiological doses.
WhyMaintains muscle mass while drastically reducing androgenic load, allowing organ systems to recover from high-dose exposure.
CaveatsNot a guarantee of health recovery; some damage may be permanent. Requires discipline to not blast again prematurely.

Mike used this approach during his year off, staying mostly at 150-250 mg. He notes that many bodybuilders skip proper health phases and end up with cumulative organ stress. By making washout mandatory, you 'bank' health and extend your bodybuilding career.

Mechanism

At TRT doses, androgen receptor activation in skeletal muscle is sufficient to offset catabolic signals, preserving nitrogen balance and muscle mass. Meanwhile, the absence of supraphysiologic androgens reverses water retention, improves lipid profiles, reduces cardiac strain, and normalizes hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis feedback loops.

Personal experience

Mike personally spent a year at 150-500 mg, felt fantastic, saw his visceral fat drop to undetectable, and maintained or improved upper-body strength, proving that TRT-level doses can sustain almost all muscle.

Go back to 150 mg TRT levels to maintain your muscle size, still eating well, still training, improve your health. Your health is going to go up like crazy during this phase.

Also said
“During that entire year of reduction, my total androgen load... was somewhere between 150 mg and 500 mg. So, we're talking about a teeny tiny fraction... And 150 mg to 250 is very well within TRT territory.”— Maps his personal washout range.

Leg detraining for aesthetic rebalancing

WhatPerform only minimal leg work—one set of 10 stiff-legged deadlifts (light), one set of 10 bodyweight squats, one set of 10 unloaded lunges—every 5-7 days, totaling about 2 minutes per session, for months to shrink overdeveloped legs.
WhenWhen legs are disproportionately large for a desired aesthetic, during a phase where upper body is prioritized.
Dose2 minutes of light leg work every 5-7 days for a year (or longer).
For whomCompetitive bodybuilders with genetically large legs that outpace the upper body, or anyone wanting a more balanced X-frame.
WhyTo purposefully reduce leg muscle size while maintaining basic mobility and preventing complete atrophy, allowing the upper body to catch up visually.
CaveatsExpect strength loss in legs; regain will take consistent training over months. Overdoing atrophy could lead to joint instability. Not for general health or performance.

Mike notes that many bodybuilders are reluctant to let any muscle shrink, but deliberate detraining can be a strategic tool. He tracked his leg strength through the RP Hypertrophy app and used DEXA to confirm a 2-5 lb leg muscle loss. He then began regaining size once his upper body had advanced, confirming the plan worked.

Mechanism

Muscle atrophy results from a dramatic reduction in mechanical tension and volume, downregulating mTOR signaling and upregulating proteolytic pathways. The extremely low set volume (3 sets per week) is insufficient to maintain size but enough to retain neuromuscular coordination, so when training resumes, strength returns rapidly via muscle memory (myonuclear retention and neural adaptation).

Personal experience

Mike personally did this for a full year and now plans to regain his previous leg size over the next year or two as his physique goals change.

My whole leg workout... took a literal sum total of approximately 2 minutes. ... My legs shrunk substantially, which was exactly what I want.

Also said
“My strength... I have all those numbers in my RP Hypertrophy app... My strength in a peak of 2024... was almost identical for my upper body as it was in 2025... My legs are still substantially... weaker.”— Data-driven tracking of the outcome.

GLP-1/GIP/glucagon agonists for visceral fat reduction

WhatUse tirzepatide and/or retatrutide (prescription weight-loss drugs) to drastically reduce visceral adipose tissue and improve metabolic health, particularly during lower-androgen phases.
WhenWhile on TRT or moderate steroid doses, especially if visceral fat is a concern.
DoseNot specified; presumably standard clinical dosing, used over months.
For whomBodybuilders or steroid users with elevated visceral fat; those wanting to offset the metabolic downsides of androgens.
WhyThese drugs reduce appetite, improve insulin sensitivity, and directly promote fat oxidation, making them highly effective at eliminating dangerous visceral fat that steroids can exacerbate.
CaveatsPrescription required; may cause gastrointestinal side effects; not a replacement for diet and training. Long-term safety data still emerging.

Mike used tirzepatide and retatrutide during his low-androgen period and saw his visceral fat drop from 0.4 lbs (already low) to undetectable. He believes these drugs are 'amazing' and will become a staple for health-conscious bodybuilders. He recommends them alongside TRT to maintain low visceral adiposity without requiring extreme caloric deficits.

Mechanism

Tirzepatide is a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist; retatrutide adds glucagon receptor agonism. These incretin mimetics delay gastric emptying, suppress glucagon secretion, increase satiety, and enhance adipocyte lipid metabolism. In combination with reduced caloric intake, they preferentially deplete visceral fat, which is highly sensitive to GLP-1 agonism. Mike hypothesizes they also mitigate the lipolytic resistance induced by high androgens.

Personal experience

Mike personally took both drugs and says they 'zapped almost all of my visceral adipose tissue away,' contributing to his best-ever health metrics.

I was on tirzepatide and retatrutide, which both made me way healthier and zapped almost all of my visceral adipose tissue away. So huge shout out for those two drugs.

What's new

Personal practice updates, fresh positions, predictions

4 items

Personal experiment: 3x steroid reduction with minimal muscle loss

After peaking at ~2,000 mg/week, Mike spent a year at 150-500 mg, then climbed to ~750 mg for a recent physique peak. DEXA comparison showed only 10 lb lean mass loss, mostly water, with upper-body strength identical or improved and bone density higher.

Why this matters: A first-person case study contradicting the myth that more gear directly equals more muscle; the water-weight illusion accounts for most of the LBM difference.

Background

In 2024, Mike's competition peak involved 2,000 mg total androgens per week (test, Primo, oxandrolone, 100 mg tren). He then took a year off bodybuilding to do podcasts and recover from surgery, keeping androgens very low (150-500 mg). When he ramped back up to 750 mg for a fall 2025 peak, he was 11 lbs lighter, 0.3% leaner, had undetectable visceral fat and denser bones. The lean mass difference was 10 lbs, but detailed analysis—identical upper-body strength, some leg muscle loss from detraining—indicated about 5-7 lbs of that was transient water, not muscle.

Mike explains that high-dose steroids cause massive water retention inside and outside muscles, inflating LBM readings on DEXA. When dose is reduced, that water disappears quickly, creating the illusion of catastrophic muscle loss. He saw this in himself: the 10 lb difference virtually vanished except for legs he purposely let atrophy. Strength data from the RP Hypertrophy app confirmed that upper-body rep strength was the same or better on 1/3 the dose, meaning actual contractile tissue in the upper body was unchanged. The remaining few pounds of muscle loss was attributable to a full year of near-zero leg training, not the androgen reduction. This suggests that for someone with his training age, the additional muscle-building benefit of tripling androgens above ~750 mg is negligible over short periods, and the big number on the scale is a water artifact.

Personal experience

Mike personally experienced the bloated state at 2,000 mg, noting he felt psychologically worse, and after cutting to 750 mg he felt 'incomparably better' while still achieving a contest-ready look. He directly saw his body weight drop but his strength remain, which triggered the investigation.

If you increase your steroids quickly, you're going to get a shitload of weight. Almost all of it will be body water.

Also said
“Big myth in bodybuilding is just the more gear you take, the better things go. And it is not true. You will add muscle. Most of it is going to be just water weight.”— Highlights the pervasive misconception he is debunking.
“My strength in a peak of 2024... was almost identical for my upper body as it was in 2025 at a third of the gear. In fact, recently my upper body has set a couple of PRs, which I couldn't set in 2024.”— Provides concrete evidence that contractile tissue was unaffected by the 3x dose difference.

Slow-and-low steroid cycling as the new standard

Instead of rapid escalations, Mike now advocates and is practicing a protocol of starting at 150 mg total androgens, increasing by 100 mg every 3 months only after clean blood work, cycling back to TRT for washout, and using testosterone-Primobolan ratios to manage estrogen.

Why this matters: A structured, harm-reduction approach that maximizes muscle gain per unit of toxicity, directly addressing the current reckless culture of 'yolo' dosing.

Background

Mike previously followed the common bodybuilder pattern of climbing to very high doses (2,000 mg) over a few weeks to peak for a show, experiencing water bloat and psychological side effects. After the reduction experiment, he realized that the muscle-building effect of androgens requires months of exposure, not just high peaks, and that slow tapering up allows body water to stabilize, muscle to accrue meaningfully, and health monitoring.

The protocol details: start at 150 mg total androgens (e.g., 100 mg testosterone + 50 mg Primobolan). Every 3 months, check blood work (including estrogen), and if within normal range, add 100 mg, favoring Primobolan to minimize side effects. The testosterone-to-Primobolan ratio is adjusted based on estrogen levels: if estrogen too low, more test; if too high, more Primo. After 9 months (350 mg peak), drop to 150 mg TRT for 3 months to recover health, then do a cut at 250 mg for 3 months to assess muscle gains. Following cycles can start at 250 mg and escalate to 350, 450, etc., taking years to exceed 500 mg. This method exploits the fact that each dosage increment yields near-maximum muscle growth for that level when sustained for months, while avoiding the diminishing returns and health harms of rapid high doses.

Personal experience

Mike is now implementing this exact template for his own future cycles, having previously made the mistake of rushing to 2 grams and paying the price in health and psychology.

The way steroids help you gain actual muscle mass is months and months and months of exposure while training really hard, eating really well, and gaining very slowly.

Also said
“Start super low and take lots of time in each dosage range because here's the thing. If you increase your steroids quickly, like you take a month to go from 500 mg to 1,000 mg, you're going to get a shitload of weight. Almost all of it will be body water.”— Explains the core rationale for slow escalation—avoiding transient water weight that doesn't become real muscle.
“Once the side effects, psychological, not having a good time, health side effects are really impinging you, stop raising that first cycle androgen number. ... You don't always have to go up.”— A critical caveat: stop escalation when side effects emerge, not after.

Future of bodybuilding: non-androgenic anabolics within 2-3 years

Mike predicts that drugs that grow muscle without the androgenic side effects (e.g., not activating androgen receptors in organs) will be available soon, making high-dose steroids obsolete and radically safer.

Why this matters: A forward-looking claim from an insider that changes the risk-benefit calculus for anyone considering starting steroids today.

Background

Current anabolic steroids are derived from testosterone and activate androgen receptors throughout the body, causing cardiovascular, hepatic, and psychiatric harms. Research into selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) and gene-therapy approaches is advancing. Mike mentions companies like BioViva and others, though no names given here; he simply states the timeline.

Mike argues that if someone is thinking about beginning steroids now, they should wait because in 2-3 years there will be non-androgenic anabolics that provide equal or greater muscle growth with dramatically lower toxicity. He frames this as a 'second renaissance of muscle gain' and says he himself plans to drop all anabolic steroids except TRT and replace his Primo stacks with these future drugs. The implication is that the decades-long tradition of high-dose steroid cycles will become a historical footnote, and that those who start now will have incurred all the lifelong damage for gains they could have achieved later with much less risk.

Personal experience

Mike states he will be 'on them shits like white on rice' and probably never take anything other than 100 mg TRT again, layering non-androgenic anabolics on top.

Non-androgenic anabolic drugs, drugs that grow muscle and do not much else, are just a few years away from today.

Also said
“When the non-androgenic anabolics come out, which could be like 2 years from now, you kind of feel silly having cranked 2 years of high gear and be like, 'Bah, I could have just gotten here with these magic pills and paid almost none of the downsides.'”— Makes the personal cost argument tangible.

Leg atrophy by deliberate detraining for aesthetic balance

Mike purposely stopped intensive leg training for a year, doing only 2 minutes of bodyweight/light exercises every 5-7 days, to shrink his disproportionately large legs and rebalance his physique for competition.

Why this matters: An unconventional, planned application of detraining as a bodybuilding strategy, supported by strength and DEXA data showing 2-5 lbs of actual muscle loss from legs.

Background

After his 2024 show, Mike realized his legs were ahead of his upper body aesthetically and that continued leg training would make it impossible to achieve his ideal X-frame. He decided to dedicate a year to growing arms/delts while letting legs atrophy.

His leg 'workout' consisted of one set of 10 stiff-legged deadlifts with 135 lbs (his usual was 300s-400s), one set of 10 bodyweight squats on toes, and one set of 10 unloaded lunges, performed every 5-7 days, taking about 2 minutes. He tracked strength and DEXA changes, confirming that a few pounds of leg lean mass vanished. Now he is regaining leg size through progressive training and expects to recover to his previous leg muscle in about a year. This case demonstrates that detraining can be a precise tool for sculpting proportions when one muscle group is overdeveloped relative to the desired look.

Personal experience

Mike personally executed this detraining protocol and reports it worked exactly as intended: leg size shrank, upper body grew stronger, and now he feels his physique is better balanced.

My legs have always responded well to training. I love training legs. ... I realized like, ah, this is not like my maximum aesthetic physique. ... So I purposefully for a year stopped training my legs other than body weight kind of mobility movements.

Also said
“My whole leg workout... took a literal sum total of approximately 2 minutes.”— Quantifies the extreme reduction.
“So leg size is probably two to five pounds smaller. Upper body is the same.”— Confirms the measured outcome.

Recommendations

Products, supplements, and tools mentioned in the episode

2 items

Tirzepatide

Supplement

A prescription GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist that Mike used alongside retatrutide during his low-androgen phase to eliminate visceral fat and improve health.

Mike used tirzepatide as part of his health optimization protocol after surgery, and it contributed to his undetectable visceral fat and better blood work (though lab results forthcoming). He describes it as making him 'way healthier' and recommends it for bodybuilders concerned about visceral adiposity. He does not disclose any ties to the drug's manufacturer.

vs alternatives

Compared to other fat loss agents, tirzepatide offers larger, more consistent visceral fat loss with metabolic benefits, unlike stimulant-based fat burners that don't target intra-abdominal fat specifically.

Personal experience

Mike explicitly states he was on tirzepatide and retatrutide and that they 'zapped almost all of my visceral adipose tissue away.'

I was on tirzepatide and retatrutide, which both made me way healthier and zapped almost all of my visceral adipose tissue away.

Find Tirzepatide

Retatrutide

Supplement

An investigational triple agonist (GIP/GLP-1/glucagon) that Mike believes is even more effective than tirzepatide for visceral fat loss and health; he took it concurrently.

Retatrutide is not yet FDA approved but is in clinical trials. Mike used it off-label and credits it, along with tirzepatide, for his undetectable visceral fat at his 2025 DEXA. He touts it as part of a new era of pharmacology that can offset steroid-related metabolic harm.

vs alternatives

More potent than semaglutide or tirzepatide alone due to triple receptor activation, potentially yielding better fat loss and glucose control.

Personal experience

Mike personally used retatrutide and saw a drop from 0.4 lb of visceral fat to undetectable levels while on low androgens.

I was on tirzepatide and retatrutide, which both made me way healthier and zapped almost all of my visceral adipose tissue away.

Find Retatrutide
Disclosed sponsorships2speaker disclosed

RP Hypertrophy App

Product Sponsored · disclosed

An app that logs strength PRs with exact dates, sets, and reps, allowing users to track progress over years. Mike used it to compare his 2024 and 2025 strength data for this video.

DisclosureMike Israetel is the founder of RP Strength, the company that makes the app.

Mike describes how the app preserved his entire training history, making it possible to see that his upper-body strength was the same or better despite lower steroids. He mentions using it daily, even on rest days when he previews the next workout. He states he is 'inseparable' from the app and uses it to plan his hypertrophy mesocycles. The app also guides volume and progression based on RP's training principles.

vs alternatives

Unlike a generic notebook or other lifting apps, it remembers every PR with context and is designed specifically for periodized hypertrophy training.

Personal experience

Mike says he logs into the app every single day, including off days to look at tomorrow's workout, and relies on it to track all his numbers.

My strength in my 2024 peak, and I have all those numbers in my RP Hypertrophy app, which remembers all of the strength PRs you've ever hit in just one click of a button on any exercise.

Also said
“I use my Hypertrophy app every single day. ... I love it. I'm inseparable from those apps.”— Shows his personal dependence on the tool.
Find RP

RP Diet Coach App

Product Sponsored · disclosed

A nutrition coaching app that helps users dial in their diet for bodybuilding goals. Mike uses it for every meal.

DisclosureMike Israetel is the founder of RP Strength, the company that makes the app.

Mike mentions the app briefly alongside the Hypertrophy app, emphasizing that he uses it every single day for every single meal. It presumably adjusts macros based on goals like recomp, cutting, or maintenance. He states he will never tell people they have to buy anything, but if the app can be useful, they should consider it. Links and discount codes are available in the video description.

vs alternatives

Compared to manual tracking or generic calorie counters, this app integrates RP's evidence-based diet periodization philosophy, automatically adjusting intake based on weight trends and goals.

Personal experience

Mike says, 'I use my Diet Coach app every single day for every single meal. I love it.'

I use my Diet Coach app every single day for every single meal. I love it. I'm inseparable from those apps.

Find RP

Notable quotes

Lines worth pulling out — contrarian, specific, or perfectly phrased

6 items
Big myth in bodybuilding is just the more gear you take, the better things go. And it is not true.
Directly challenges the foundational belief of most steroid users.
If you increase your steroids quickly, you're going to get a shitload of weight. Almost all of it will be body water.
A brutally clear explanation of the water-weight illusion that drives dose escalation.
95% of the results I would have received with triple the steroids.
Quantifies the diminishing returns—almost all the physique with far less drug.
Non-androgenic anabolic drugs, drugs that grow muscle and do not much else, are just a few years away from today.
A bold prediction that could change the entire landscape of bodybuilding pharmacology.
Steroids have absolutely shortened my predictive lifespan. No debate.
An unambiguous admission of long-term harm from an elite user.
Actually, your organs are like the floor of a party with gum and beer and cigarette butts and people stepping on it.
Colorful, visceral metaphor for organ damage from extreme steroid abuse.

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Topics covered

steroid-cyclingdiminishing-returnsbody-waterleg-atrophytrtprimobolanestrogen-managementtirzepatideretatrutidenon-androgenic-anabolicsbody-compositiondexascanblood-workmuscle-growthpsychological-effects
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