Teach Me How to Inject

Q: Hey Anabolic Sensei, how is it going brother? I am so happy that I found your page. I am a natty but I won’t be for long if you can help me out..wink wink! Anyways I have to say the articles on your page are classic man. It’s like nothing else I have read online.

I am planning to do a phone consultation with you very soon. Are you still offering the 15 minute phone consultations free of charge for Canadians? Either way even if you want to charge me I am willing to pay for it. Your reviews are stellar, So I know I will get nothing but the best advice from you.

Ok I have a question for you and it might be a little long winded. Can you teach me how to inject myself? I am a bit of a little bitch as I am not a big fan of needles. Do you think you could do an article about how to do it properly? Like I am talking about all the steps, what to watch out for, what I need to avoid, and any other tips you recommend? 

This would really help me because I am about to pull the trigger on starting my anabolic journey as you like to say…lol. This would really put my heart at ease as I am cool with every part of being enhanced, its just the pinning part that has me uneasy.

A: Hey man its great to hear from you. Thank you for all the kind words about my articles. I do spend a lot of time on each and every one of them simply because I want to bring you the best information available.  Feel free to set up a phone consultation with me. Currently for my fellow Canadians on my page I am still offering 15 phone consultations free of charge. I want to give back to the enhanced community in Canada and by sharing my knowledge with others I feel happy to do so. 

Ok, so on to your injection question. Yes you are correct. You are asking an in depth question but for you my friend it will be my pleasure. I know that you are not the only one thinking and feeling the same way about doing their very first injection of anabolics. I was in the exact spot many years back and I had no one to help guide me either. 

For most looking to go from natty to enhanced, the aspect of injections is the one that holds many back and creates the most fear, but in reality it shouldn’t. Once you get the proper technique down it will be quite easy to do and you will see that it’s really not that painful when done properly.

Intramuscular Pinning 101

Now as a beginner we are going to cover some of the most basic aspects of intramuscular injection. The first thing we have to look at is where are we going to pin? For a newbie I like to stick to three main areas. That is the side deltoid, glutes, and lateral thigh. Now when it comes to site injection protocols and advanced pinning, many other body parts will be utilized. This is advanced information and not the scope of this article so we will start with the basics and go from there in a future article.

Now I like to use three spots for different reasons. First off you should inject each area a maximum of once per week. You need time for the oil to dissipate before your next shot is done in the same spot. So if you pin your left side delt, you should not hit it again for a minimum of one week. The first reason why is because if you hit the same area too soon and the oil hasn’t fully dissipated, then you risk getting an abscess and that is one thing you do not want believe me.

The next reason to have several areas is for the fact that you want to minimize scar tissue formation. If you pin the same spot over and over without a proper protocol to break down scar tissue you can run into problems years down the road. That is why I have all my athletes follow my scar tissue minimization protocol after each injection to make sure scar tissue doesn’t become an issue. 

So for one example, most beginner cycles will be based around long estered compounds. Such anabolics include Testosterone Cypionate, Deca Durabolin, and Equipoise among others. This means that injecting twice a week is good enough. Now I know some of the veterans will debate with me about stable blood hormone levels with more frequent injection application but I don’t want to get into that here as that is another article in itself. Plus this article is geared towards newbies and asking them to pin more often is also something that might turn away those who are a little scared to get started.

Supplies You Will Need for Proper Steroid Injections

• Oil or Water Based Steroid Vial or Ampoule
• Alcohol Swabs
• 3 cc or 5cc Syringe Body 
• 20 Gauge Drawing Needle Tip (to draw anabolic solution)
• 23 Gauge Needle Tip (to inject with)
• SHARPS Container 
• Band Aids (If you are a Puss)

Basic Tips Before You Start

Have all required supplies ready to go before starting to inject. This includes your steroids, syringes, swabs, and band aids if you are a puss. I always use disposable sterile gloves for each athlete to ensure proper hygiene as well.

Don’t share needles. I know this sounds like something no one would do but believe me it happens more than you can imagine. Its a great way to spread HIV, Hep C, and other communicable diseases. 

This happens a lot in different US states where even possessing a syringe is a felony and can land you some serious jail time. In these same spots getting your hands on clean syringes can be very difficult. This is why we have it so good here in Canada where we have the freedom to get clean syringes without worrying about being incarcerated.

Always dispose of syringes properly in a SHARPS container. Don’t be a douchebag and throw it in your garbage so an unsuspecting garbage collector can stab himself with your dirty needle. 

Even worse don’t leave it on the floor in the gym washroom (I hate these clowns), or throw it outside somewhere that a kid can pick it up. Be responsible, don’t be a fucktard!

Never ever reuse a syringe, needle tip, or any other piece of medical equipment. Everything is a one time use. No matter what anyone tells you never break this rule as I guarantee you will regret it. 

I have personally witnessed one National level competitor who was going to be the next phenom totally make this mistake. He was one of the cover models for a big supplement company, was featured in the magazines monthly, had the pretty boy look that was very marketable. He was the hottest amateur sensation and well on his way to earning his pro card at that upcoming Nationals. 

Well he fucked up huge and decided to reuse a syringe just a few weeks before Nationals. Yea instead of running out to get more syringes or asking a buddy for some, he opted out and did something that he knew was not a good idea. 

Well long story short he pinned his quad with the used syringe that he used earlier in the week. Within a few days his leg swelled up and puss started oozing from the injection site. By the end of the week he was getting crazy fevers and had to go to the hospital to deal with the enormous abscess on his quad. They cut a huge hole in his quad leaving a golf ball sized gaping hole to help drain the pus. 

 So not only did he not win his pro card that year because he couldn’t compete which he would have, but after this ordeal with a now ruined looking quad, he stopped competing and his career was now over. He basically ruined his pro career, endorsements, magazine covers, and much more because of one fuck up. Don’t be like this guy!

Ensure all items are sealed and brand new. Don’t use any that are opened. This shouldn’t be an issue when buying from a reputable company and medical facility like the one I mentioned in a past article.

Buy alcohol swabs that are individually sealed. I see guys all the time just take a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some toilet paper or paper towel and use that. No don’t do this as its totally ghetto and its not as hygienic as what the swabs offer. Don’t be a cheap fuck, buy the swabs. They cost a few cents each and are highly worth it. 

Only load the syringe when you’re ready to inject. Make sure you have the proper time to do the injection and will not be disturbed by your girlfriends bratty kids or some other annoying creatures.

Very important one here so listen up. Always avoid breathing on the needle tip as well as the location you just swabbed with alcohol.

I have had athletes that I am pinning blow on the area I just swabbed and I just about lose it. I just sanitized the area and you just blew bacteria and who knows what other lovely gook that is in your mouth on the area we are going to inject. Nothing like drawing in that mouth bacteria into an open injection site. Can you say INFECTION!

Once you take off the needle tip protector be very careful with it. Do not touch it with your hands and make sure to avoid it touching any surfaces. If it touches anything like your arm, the table you are sitting at etc, cap it and change the tip. If you don’t you will get an infection.

Do not pre-load injections in an attempt to save time. This is very important for many reasons. Once you load your syringe with steroids it will start to build up bacteria. The same goes with your syringe tip once you take off the cap. I have seen guys load up their pins in the morning only so they can jab themselves after work prior to the gym.

Leaving your pin in a dirty gym bag for ten hours is not a good idea. It will build up bacteria and a resulting abscess will occur. Plus most don’t know this but the solvents in your steroids will start to eat away at the plastic coating of the syringe. You will actually inject small amounts of plastic as well with your steroids so don’t do this!

Proper Intramuscular Injection Protocol

Here is a check list that you should follow each and every time you decide to do an injection. It doesn’t matter if this is your very first time or if you have been pinning for two decades, make it a habit. Hygiene and proper injection technique is crucial for staying safe. I have been giving injections for more than 25 years and have yet had any one of my clients ever get an abscess. I know my source is bang on legit with clean product so now the rest all comes down to you doing your job.

• Always take a shower before you pin. Now you might think this is a pain in the ass to do every time but I highly recommend it. The last thing that you want to do is perform an injection right after a workout where you sweated your stinky ass off, rubbed your skin on numerous pieces of equipment with other dirty ass gym goers leaving their sweat and bacteria on it. Then you proceed to do your injection in that filthy state. Not a good idea buddy so jump into the shower before you jab!

• Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water. Make sure it takes at least 30 seconds minimum. Scrub your nails which should be kept short anyways to prevent bacterial growth. Your hands carry enough bacteria and other goodies so always wash them prior to injecting.

• Make sure all your injection equipment is brand new and sealed. Double check that none of the packaging is torn or open. Discard any suspect items as its much better to lose ten cents on  one pin then deal with an issue later because you were trying to be a cheap ass when you had a feeling it might not be sterile.

• Making sure the top of your steroid vial is clean is critical. Use one alcohol swab to clean the top of the vial from where you will be extracting the steroid solution. 

• This includes the rubber stopper where you will be pushing your needle tip through as well as the metal cap that holds the stopper in place.

• Sanitize the rubber stopper and metal cap by rubbing the alcohol swab in a circular motion

• Remember if the rubber stopper is dirty and contaminated you will take that bacteria and draw it directly into your bottle. So now you have taken a clean sterile bottle of anabolics and contaminated the entire thing. This is a great way to get multiple abscesses.

• Remove the syringe from its packaging.

• Take off the protective plastic tip.

• Ensure the syringe needle tip is not touched, breathed on or otherwise contaminated. This includes things like touching it on the desk you are sitting at, or dropping it in a pile of dog shit you forgot to clean up.

• Remove the larger gauge (18-20 gauge) extracting needle from its packaging and tightly attach it to the syringe. If you buy your syringe bodies and tips separately then this can be avoided and will save you a syringe body in the process as well.

• Keep the cap on the needle and draw in the equivalent amount of air to the amount of solution you’re going to extract. So if you plan on doing a 3cc shot, then fill it with 3cc worth of air.

• Take off the needle’s cap, plunge at a 90 degree angle into the rubber stopper while the vial is turned upside down. 

• You then push the air into the vial to make extraction easier. This creates a vacuum effect where thicker oils like those compounds with longer esters can be drawn out with less issues.

• Then slowly pull out your desired quantity of the anabolic oil solution into the syringe. Yea baby look at that “Nectar of Growth” just fill into that syringe with a look of awe on your face. The facial expressions are a must for maximum growth.

• Take the needle out of the vial and remove air bubbles from the syringe by tapping it gently. Think back to the scene in Pulp Fiction where John Travolta has to inject his bosses wife with an injection of adrenalin to the heart because she overdosed on heroin. 

• Small bubbles can be pushed out, then the cap replaced. 

• Now don’t freak out if you inject a small air bubble. You will not die. Its more of an urban myth than reality, where you inject someone with air and they die in seconds. It really doesn’t work like that plus a little air bubble won’t do anything.

• One technique that I like is to pull on the plunger gently to draw out any oil that can be trapped in the needle tip. It may be only a few drops but why waste any of that anabolic nuggety goodness right?

• Use an alcohol swab to thoroughly swab the area of skin where you’re going to inject. If it comes off black or dark brown then you are one dirty ass bitch. 

• Its time for you to shower more often. Use the swabs repeatedly until it comes off very light in the amount of dirt that is on the alcohol swab.

• I have swabbed a couple people where it took six swabs to come clean. If this is you then you didn’t follow rule number one of taking a shower before the injection. Do you want to take all that grime and dirt into an injection site? Yea not a good idea folks.

• Wait 20-30 seconds before proceeding with injection so the alcohol has time to dry. If you jab too fast and the alcohol is still wet you will feel a burning sensation when injecting so take note.

• Now place the plastic protective cap on the drawing tip and unscrew it from the syringe body.

• Remove your new injecting needle tip from its packaging and screw it onto the syringe body. Then remove the cap from this needle.

• Remember do not inject yourself with the very large gauge needle tip that you just used to draw your steroids from.

• This will be very painful for two reasons. One the gauge is too big so it will feel like you just got hit with a whale harpoon.

• Second you just ran it through a rubber stopper, dulling it out so this will cause extra pain to break through the skin.

• One tip that I like to do is to push out any remaining air from the top of the syringe body and allow a very small drop of the oil based anabolic solution to drip down the syringe tip.

• The reason for this is to help lubricate the needle tip making it easier when you are jabbing yourself.

• Use a steady hand to insert the needle into your muscle injection site, pushing it in all the way at an angle of 90 degrees. 

• Now one other thing to mention is how to perform the injection. Should it be inserted slowly or jabbed in fast like you are shanking someone who stole your jello during your stay in Collins Bay Penitentiary? For those of you who don’t know its one of Canada’s hardest penitentiaries thats nick named “Gladiator School”.

• This is a personal choice as some guys like it fast like throwing a dart. Others like it slower in a more controlled manner. There are positives and negatives to both ways so you will have to experiment with what you like best.

• I personally like to use a controlled technique for several reasons and I can go into that another time why I prefer this method.

• At this point you must pull back the plunger then aspirate to confirm that you haven’t hit a vein with the needle.

• If blood is seen, abort the injection. You should throw away the needle and re-start the procedure with a new syringe.

• Steadily and slowly inject the steroid solution into the muscle.

• Do not go too fast. Slower is better even though it can be tempting to get it over with quickly.

• Take the syringe out, and  put pressure on the site with an alcohol swab to minimize any bleeding. Then when everything is good, clean the area once again with an alcohol swab. 

• Cover your injection site with a band-aid if you are a pussy.

Conclusion

This above protocol is what I do with all my athletes while wearing disposable latex gloves each and every time a shot is performed. If you follow this properly and your gear is legit and clean you really should never run into any problems with infections or abscesses. I have seen with my own eyes many stupid practises over the years of what some people do during their injection procedure. 

Now you might think that they are beginners, but in reality many of them are advanced users. As with most things in life people become complacent especially when they do certain things that they shouldn’t over and over  with no impunity. That is until their luck runs out.

So here you have it, the best way to perform intramuscular injections which is the way I do them. I have personally performed thousands upon thousands of injections in my coaching career for my athletes with not one problem. If you follow my advice then you shouldn’t  deal with any issues either. Happy pinning brother you got this!