thorsky
New member
I had posted this on another board a while back and since I've seen some injection questions, thought it might help someone out. 
Injection Technique
By Thorsky
Only a little more than two months ago I crossed over to the dark-side and since then I've learned so much as far as injection technique goes. My first attempts created some very sore spots; hey, it still worked, but boy did I have a few uncomfortable days. Anyway, here's some info that may help someone new to the wonderful world of injectable AAS.
When I first got my supplies, the size of the needles had me worried. They looked WAY bigger than anything I remember my doctor using. I use 18/20g 1.5" for drawing, 23g 1.5' for glutes, 25g 1" for quads/pecs and 25g 5/8" for delts/tris. The 23g looked HUGE when I first saw it! I figured it would hurt like hell! WRONG! When I actually stuck myself for the first time, there was very little pain. In fact, there was so little pain, it threw me off and I forgot to aspirate! My very first shot, which I had prepared for diligently, and I already f'd it up! I got lucky and it turned out fine anyway.
So the time for the first shot had arrived! Over the last few weeks, I have found that preparation has been the key to getting a nice comfortable inject. Having everything you need laid out in a nice organized manner will not only make the injection easier, it will decrease the likelihood of contamination. You can be more relaxed and take more time with it. Spend some time on spotinjections.com to get a feel for the where, what and how.
First, wash your hands! I'm not sure if I'm over-cautious or under-cautious, but I take great pains to clean the area I set everything up on. For me, my home office works the best as I have a nice big desk I can use. I take a paper towel with some rubbing alcohol and wipe down the whole surface, just in case. I then lay out a 4x4 square of paper towels. I use that as my set up surface. I like to warm my gear prior to drawing, so I can draw and shoot right away. A shallow wide bowl (Tupperware works great as it insulates a little) with an inch or so of hot tap water works great for this task. I set my gear in a Ziploc sitting in the water to let it start warming while I get my other stuff ready. Only reason for the Ziploc is to help the labels stay on a bit longer. If you have new bottles, I would highly recommend venting them even for this. A used bottle will have holes in the rubber from drawing that will let air seep out. A new bottle could potentially pop its cork if enough pressure were to build up. Next, I get all the syringes, needles & alcohol swabs I will need. Don't unwrap any of the syringes or needles at this point. You can however tear the edges of your alco-swabs to make it easier to get at them. Now you should have everything you need ready, so you won't have to touch anything contaminated during the process. At this point, I wash my hands again. OK, now we're ready to stab!
For the first try, I was planning on using a glute. Everything I read seemed to point to glutes being the best for newbies. Definitely NOT FOR ME! Did some dry runs just getting my hands into position. It was obvious right away, trying a glute, which I really couldn't reach too well, was a bad idea for a first shot. I would not be able to see the aspiration very well and my flexibility (or lack of) kept me from getting into a comfortable position. So instead, I opted for a quad shot. Picked a spot, cleaned it real nice with an alcohol swab, then started getting my inject ready. First mistake...clean the spot last, just before your gonna stick. I won't go into too much detail about how to draw, as there is plenty out there already. Basically, clean the top of your vials (or amps) with an alcohol swab, and let the alcohol evaporate. Don't blow on them or touch the tops in any way. I got my syringes with 20g 1.5" already attached for drawing, so I just unwrap a syringe. If you need to switch needles or put a needle on, be very careful nothing contacts the mating surface of the syringe or the needle. Anything you get on there could end up deep inside your muscle! In fact, if I pull a needle off of a syringe, it goes in the sharps disposal. I will not remove and then reconnect a needle; just makes me nervous. Besides, they're too cheap to risk it.
The first thing I noticed was I shake a lot. The harder I tried to steady myself, the worse it got. This problem has completely disappeared now as I have become more comfortable with the process. Getting yourself into position and planning exactly how you will perform the injection helps a great deal. I find it best to setup in such a way that I will be able to rest my arms and/or hands against something while doing the actual inject. The process can not be rushed, so you will have to hold steady in whatever position you end up in. Once you stab, you do not want to (read CAN'T!) move around! A small amount of "shaky" movement doesn't seem to cause any trouble, but you DO NOT want to have to move your body around. And you especially can't move the muscle you are injecting in! The contraction could cause the needle to break or bend, not to mention the small muscle tears it would bring. Before stabbing, make sure the graduations on the syringe will be visible in your resting position. I still forget this half the time! It's not a big deal, but I find it easier to gauge my injection speed if I can see the marks against the plunger.
Once you're all set and have yourself in the right position, push the needle in firmly but gently. Some people say to stab it in real fast, but that's not for me. Don't go extra slow either; just push it in nice and gentle. You can also stretch the skin slightly to one side before injecting. That way when you pull out, the subcutaneous hole is sealed off. I usually push the needle in all the way, so the plastic holding the needle is resting against my skin. If you ever manage to snap a needle, this will make it tough to get out - I'm hoping that never happens. Be aware you may hit a nerve on the way in. For me it has only been painful on one occasion. The other times the muscle just started to twitch. I go by feel and decide if I need to try a different spot. Once you're in, it's time to aspirate. DON'T FORGET! Gently pull the plunger out until you see a little air bubble come into the syringe. Don't pull too hard, just a little reverse pressure is all that's required. If you see blood, stop, pull the needle out, and switch it for a new one. Try again. If you are successful and see an air bubble, when you release pressure, in all likely hood it will disappear again, which is perfect. Means you're in a muscle and have not landed smack dab in the middle of a vein. Once you're good to go, try to relax and apply gentle pressure to the plunger. I shoot for about 1 minute per cc just to make sure I don't cause a fluid embolus or abscess. This also minimizes post injection pain. Quite often, I feel a pressure sensation in the muscle - sometimes it's a bit uncomfortable, so I stop for a moment and just let the syringe rest on my fingers. Then I go a little more, and then rest, then a little more. Go by feel. Bigger muscles are much easier in my opinion and I seldom feel any pressure. Smaller muscles like delts and tris, I take a lot longer to inject.
When the plunger has "bottomed out" in the syringe, you can get ready to pull out. I always pause for 10 seconds or so, just to make sure there is no pressure built up in the spot I am injecting. A couple times, I had oil come back out quite rapidly when I just pulled the needle out right away. So now I wait a bit, get my alco-swab ready, then pull out nice and straight. Immediately place the swab over the pin hole and massage the spot gently. I wait 30 seconds or so and then really have at it on the muscle. The more you can massage it, the less soreness you will experience later on. You may want to throw a band-aid on if you continue to bleed for a long time. I usually just keep massaging with the alcho-swab under my hand until all bleeding stops.
Clean up is pretty self explanatory. Sharps go in a sharps container. The rest can go in anything you wish. I'm paranoid so I put all my syringe wrappers and assorted non sharp stuff in old 5lb protein jugs. You should be aware that disposing of bio-hazard material such as syringes and needles in an improper manner is illegal.
(All info above is provided for entertainment purposes only. I have neither experience nor qualifications in the field of medicine.)
Injection Technique
By Thorsky
Only a little more than two months ago I crossed over to the dark-side and since then I've learned so much as far as injection technique goes. My first attempts created some very sore spots; hey, it still worked, but boy did I have a few uncomfortable days. Anyway, here's some info that may help someone new to the wonderful world of injectable AAS.
When I first got my supplies, the size of the needles had me worried. They looked WAY bigger than anything I remember my doctor using. I use 18/20g 1.5" for drawing, 23g 1.5' for glutes, 25g 1" for quads/pecs and 25g 5/8" for delts/tris. The 23g looked HUGE when I first saw it! I figured it would hurt like hell! WRONG! When I actually stuck myself for the first time, there was very little pain. In fact, there was so little pain, it threw me off and I forgot to aspirate! My very first shot, which I had prepared for diligently, and I already f'd it up! I got lucky and it turned out fine anyway.
So the time for the first shot had arrived! Over the last few weeks, I have found that preparation has been the key to getting a nice comfortable inject. Having everything you need laid out in a nice organized manner will not only make the injection easier, it will decrease the likelihood of contamination. You can be more relaxed and take more time with it. Spend some time on spotinjections.com to get a feel for the where, what and how.
First, wash your hands! I'm not sure if I'm over-cautious or under-cautious, but I take great pains to clean the area I set everything up on. For me, my home office works the best as I have a nice big desk I can use. I take a paper towel with some rubbing alcohol and wipe down the whole surface, just in case. I then lay out a 4x4 square of paper towels. I use that as my set up surface. I like to warm my gear prior to drawing, so I can draw and shoot right away. A shallow wide bowl (Tupperware works great as it insulates a little) with an inch or so of hot tap water works great for this task. I set my gear in a Ziploc sitting in the water to let it start warming while I get my other stuff ready. Only reason for the Ziploc is to help the labels stay on a bit longer. If you have new bottles, I would highly recommend venting them even for this. A used bottle will have holes in the rubber from drawing that will let air seep out. A new bottle could potentially pop its cork if enough pressure were to build up. Next, I get all the syringes, needles & alcohol swabs I will need. Don't unwrap any of the syringes or needles at this point. You can however tear the edges of your alco-swabs to make it easier to get at them. Now you should have everything you need ready, so you won't have to touch anything contaminated during the process. At this point, I wash my hands again. OK, now we're ready to stab!
For the first try, I was planning on using a glute. Everything I read seemed to point to glutes being the best for newbies. Definitely NOT FOR ME! Did some dry runs just getting my hands into position. It was obvious right away, trying a glute, which I really couldn't reach too well, was a bad idea for a first shot. I would not be able to see the aspiration very well and my flexibility (or lack of) kept me from getting into a comfortable position. So instead, I opted for a quad shot. Picked a spot, cleaned it real nice with an alcohol swab, then started getting my inject ready. First mistake...clean the spot last, just before your gonna stick. I won't go into too much detail about how to draw, as there is plenty out there already. Basically, clean the top of your vials (or amps) with an alcohol swab, and let the alcohol evaporate. Don't blow on them or touch the tops in any way. I got my syringes with 20g 1.5" already attached for drawing, so I just unwrap a syringe. If you need to switch needles or put a needle on, be very careful nothing contacts the mating surface of the syringe or the needle. Anything you get on there could end up deep inside your muscle! In fact, if I pull a needle off of a syringe, it goes in the sharps disposal. I will not remove and then reconnect a needle; just makes me nervous. Besides, they're too cheap to risk it.
The first thing I noticed was I shake a lot. The harder I tried to steady myself, the worse it got. This problem has completely disappeared now as I have become more comfortable with the process. Getting yourself into position and planning exactly how you will perform the injection helps a great deal. I find it best to setup in such a way that I will be able to rest my arms and/or hands against something while doing the actual inject. The process can not be rushed, so you will have to hold steady in whatever position you end up in. Once you stab, you do not want to (read CAN'T!) move around! A small amount of "shaky" movement doesn't seem to cause any trouble, but you DO NOT want to have to move your body around. And you especially can't move the muscle you are injecting in! The contraction could cause the needle to break or bend, not to mention the small muscle tears it would bring. Before stabbing, make sure the graduations on the syringe will be visible in your resting position. I still forget this half the time! It's not a big deal, but I find it easier to gauge my injection speed if I can see the marks against the plunger.
Once you're all set and have yourself in the right position, push the needle in firmly but gently. Some people say to stab it in real fast, but that's not for me. Don't go extra slow either; just push it in nice and gentle. You can also stretch the skin slightly to one side before injecting. That way when you pull out, the subcutaneous hole is sealed off. I usually push the needle in all the way, so the plastic holding the needle is resting against my skin. If you ever manage to snap a needle, this will make it tough to get out - I'm hoping that never happens. Be aware you may hit a nerve on the way in. For me it has only been painful on one occasion. The other times the muscle just started to twitch. I go by feel and decide if I need to try a different spot. Once you're in, it's time to aspirate. DON'T FORGET! Gently pull the plunger out until you see a little air bubble come into the syringe. Don't pull too hard, just a little reverse pressure is all that's required. If you see blood, stop, pull the needle out, and switch it for a new one. Try again. If you are successful and see an air bubble, when you release pressure, in all likely hood it will disappear again, which is perfect. Means you're in a muscle and have not landed smack dab in the middle of a vein. Once you're good to go, try to relax and apply gentle pressure to the plunger. I shoot for about 1 minute per cc just to make sure I don't cause a fluid embolus or abscess. This also minimizes post injection pain. Quite often, I feel a pressure sensation in the muscle - sometimes it's a bit uncomfortable, so I stop for a moment and just let the syringe rest on my fingers. Then I go a little more, and then rest, then a little more. Go by feel. Bigger muscles are much easier in my opinion and I seldom feel any pressure. Smaller muscles like delts and tris, I take a lot longer to inject.
When the plunger has "bottomed out" in the syringe, you can get ready to pull out. I always pause for 10 seconds or so, just to make sure there is no pressure built up in the spot I am injecting. A couple times, I had oil come back out quite rapidly when I just pulled the needle out right away. So now I wait a bit, get my alco-swab ready, then pull out nice and straight. Immediately place the swab over the pin hole and massage the spot gently. I wait 30 seconds or so and then really have at it on the muscle. The more you can massage it, the less soreness you will experience later on. You may want to throw a band-aid on if you continue to bleed for a long time. I usually just keep massaging with the alcho-swab under my hand until all bleeding stops.
Clean up is pretty self explanatory. Sharps go in a sharps container. The rest can go in anything you wish. I'm paranoid so I put all my syringe wrappers and assorted non sharp stuff in old 5lb protein jugs. You should be aware that disposing of bio-hazard material such as syringes and needles in an improper manner is illegal.
(All info above is provided for entertainment purposes only. I have neither experience nor qualifications in the field of medicine.)
