Summing Up The Last Month

It's been a while since I've posted on here. A lot has happened in the last month. I went to the NPC Iowa Open competition. Dexter Jackson was the guest poser. It was one of the best guest posing routines I've ever been privy to. And the first time I've ever seen a current Mr. Olympia. He looked phenomenal. 5'6" and 264 lbs. If I had to guess, he was probably around 9%. He said he hadn't even started prepping fr the 2009 Olympia in September of this year. Here's some pics I took of him....

I also met Mel Chancey who is probably one of my favorite bodybuilders that's out there right now. He's the former President of the Chicago Hell's Angels who did some time in prison and after getting out and getting out of the Hell's Angels he made bodybuilding his main focus in life to keep him on the straight and narrow. Here's a link for an interview he did on No Bull Radio. I'll warn you, it's pretty long and it doesn't start until about a third of the way into the 2 hour talk show, but it's good stuff. He talks about his time in the Hell's Angel's, how he got in, some of the beatings and stuff he dished out and so on. http://www.musculardevelopment.com/content/view/1287/140/

Other than the Iowa Open, I've been laying low. I've been doing a lot of research on oral testosterone for those of you who aren't real big on injections. Once my research is complete, I'll post on here about my finding, but I'll let you know right now, it's not looking to be very comparable to injectable testosterone.

Tapering

Here's the 411 on tapering: don't do it unless it's absolutely necessary. The only reason it should be absolutely necessary is if something happens in your cycle where you are short of a substance and you need to drag out the dosage to keep an androgen content up until you are done with the anabolics. If you've read all the posts in this blog, you should know that testosterone is about the only thing you would ever need to taper. If for some reason you come up short on an oral or an additive like Deca or Tren you should just stop it when you are out. It won't be a big deal. The androgen content in your body is another story. If you are running a cycle that requires the administration of an androgen, you must keep that elevated until the discontinuance of whatever you are taking that's creating an anabolic state in you body.

A good idea might be to keep some Proviron laying around just in case something like this happens. That way, you could maintain the dosage fairly easily should you run out of your main androgen. Proviron is an easy and mild way of doing this.

The main reason for not tapering a cycle is because it screws up you body chemistry. If you recall from a previous posting, our bodies are always trying to achieve a state of homeostasis. And in a way they can do this if we keep our dosages at a constant and steady rate. But when we start increasing them and decreasing them back and forth, our bodies don't know what to do and start reacting to try to stabilize everything. This constant attempt at re-stabilizing creates many of the short term , but aggravating side effects of steroids.

Blood Work & Checkups

Blood work and checkups should be a vital part of anyone wanting to be safe while using steroids. It's an easy, fast and fairly cheap process to undergo to ensure ones health. The recommendation is to have blood work and a checkup done before starting steroids or after a long off period so you know what "normal" is for your body when the results come back. Then you would get labs and a checkup done again before you were getting ready to start your next cycle. As long as everything came back okay, you would have the green light to start your next cycle.

The best way to go about this is to contact you regular doctor and tell him you want a checkup. When you go in, let him know what's going on and tell him you wold like some lab work done as well. Most of the time they won't have a problem with this because it's showing that you are being as safe as you can with everything.

Nothing out of the ordinary needs to be done for the checkup, just a standard one. As for the lab work/blood work there are two different options. One is more extensive than the other, but if money is an issue, the more basic one is fine.
Basic Lab Work:
1. Liver Function Test
2. Kidney Function Test
3. Lipid Profile (all cholesterol and triglycerides)
4. Total and Free Testosterone

Full Lab Work:
All tests listed above and...
1. Full blood count (RBC count & differential white cell count)
2. Electrolytes
3. Muscle Enzyme (Creatine)
4. Minerals
5. Iron Status Profile

Side Effects

The action of testosterone can be both beneficial and detrimental to the body. On the plus side, this hormone has the direct impact on the growth of muscle tissues, the production of red blood cells and the overall well being of the organism. But it may also negatively effect (among other things) the production of skin oils, growth of body, facial and scalp hair, and the level of both “good” and “bad” cholesterol in the body.

You could make a case that periodic steroid use might even be a healthy practice. Clearly a person’s physical shape can relate closely to their overall health and well being. Provided some common sense is paid to health checkups, drug choice, dosage and off-time, how can we say for certain that the user is worse off for doing so? This position is, of course, very difficult to publicly justify with steroid use being so deeply stigmatized.

I will discuss all side effects that are or have been related to steroids either by doctors, steroid users, or the media so there is a clear understanding of each and its relativity.

Acne
Acne comes about as a result of steroid use because the sebaceous glands, which secrete oils in the skin, are stimulated by androgens. Increasing such the level of androgens may make acne occur when it normally wouldn’t. On the flip side of this, if you are prone to acne, using substances that have low androgenic activity would elicit less acne occurrence. To treat acne, you have a number of options. The most obvious is to be very diligent with washing and topical treatments. If this proves insufficient, the prescription drug Accutane might be a good option. You could also take an ancillary such as Proscar/Propecia (finasteride) during steroid use, which reduces the conversion of testosterone into DHT, lowering the tendency for androgenic side effects.

Aggression
Aggressive behavior can be one of scarier sides to steroid use. But I’m a firm believer in the "Asshole Analogy" which is that steroids don't make people assholes, they make little assholes bigger assholes. And when someone has an extra 20 or 30 pounds to throw around, they will get noticed more when being an asshole. A steroid user who displays an uncontrollable rage is clearly a danger to himself and those around him. If an athlete is finding himself getting agitated at minor things during a steroid cycle, he should certainly find a means to keep this from getting out of hand. Xanax is on form of suppressing this and tends to be an avenue of choice for steroid users who suffer from aggression.

Blood Clotting Changes
The use of AAS is shown to increase prothrombin time, or the duration it will take for a blood clot to form. This basically means that while an individual is taking steroids, he may notice it takes slightly longer than normal for a small cut or nosebleed to stop bleeding. During everyday activity this is really of no concern, but could be if a sever accident were to occur or an unexpected surgery was needed. The clotting changes brought about by steroids are amplified with the use of medications such as Aspirin and Tylenol. Your doctor should be informed of your steroid use if undergoing any type of treatment with these drugs or in the event of a surgery.

Cancer
Although it is a popular belief that steroids can cause cancer, there is no medical evidence that supports this statement. You will hear on the news about this as well as other things that just aren’t true. They have tried over and over to link steroids to cancer and have been unable to do so. However I have recently seen a study in which high doses of Anadrol were used and severe liver damage was noted over a long period of time. The number of people who have use and continue to use Anadrol have had no such effects which leads me to believe that even if a few people had suffered from liver damage that may have led to cancer, it’s a very small amount compared to the millions who have used Anadrol throughout the years.

Cardiovascular Disease
As mentioned earlier, the use of AAS may have an impact on HDL, LDL and total cholesterol values. As you probably know, HDL is considered the “good” cholesterol and can aid in the removal of cholesterol deposits in the arteries. LDL has the opposite effect, aiding in the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. The general pattern seen with steroid use is a lowering of HDL concentrations, while total and LDL numbers increase. The ratio of HDL to LDL seems to be more important than the total count, as these two substances seem to balance each other out. If these changes are exacerbated by long-term use of steroidal compounds, it can clearly be detrimental to the cardiovascular system. This may be additionally heightened by a rise in blood pressure, which is common with the use of strongly aromatizable compounds.

It is also important to remember that due to their structure and form of administration, most 17alpha alkylated oral steroids have a much stronger negative impact on these levels compared to injectables.

Since heart disease is one of the top killers worldwide, steroid using athletes (particularly older individuals) should not ignore the risks. If nothing else it is a very good idea to have your blood pressure and cholesterol values measuered during each heavy cycle, making sure to discontinue the drugs should a probem become evident. It would also be advised to limit the intake of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Since blood pressure and cholesterol levels will usually revert back to their pre-treated norms soon after steroids are withdrawn, long-term damage is not a common worry.

Depression
Obviously steroid use will have an impact on hormone levels in the body, which in turn may result in a change in someone’s general disposition or mood. On the one hand, we might see very aggressive behavior as I have mentioned before. But for some people there is also, at times, the other extreme side, depression. Neither of these occurs in everyone, but only in some people. Depression is most evident when coming off a cycle. Given a deeply suppressed endogenous testosterone level, it may take some time for your normal hormonal balance to return. During this period, estrogen levels may be more stable than testosterone, as our bodies can produce it as well. The result may be a window of time where estrogen seems to be the dominant sex hormone. For some, this windo can be filled with feelings of emotional sensitivity, sadness, and lack of motivation (symptoms of depression).

Just because you may suffer from a lack of motivation after ending a cycle, doesn’t mean you are automatically suffer from depression. Most people see this lack of motivation post cycle due to the fact of feeling like you don’t have the help of steroids to be strong and big. It is for this reason that I noted this. You must push through this time period and understand that at some point you will most likely go back on cycle and be bigger and stronger than you are or were when on your last cycle. That if you don’t continue to work hard in the gym, you will lose what you have gained and be back to square one when starting your next cycle.

Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is the medical term for development of female breast tissue in the male body, more commonly known as bitch tits. This happens when a male is presented with an unusually high level of estrogen, particularly with the use of strong aromatizing androgens such as testosterone and Dianabol. The excess estrogen can act upon receptors in the breast and stimulate the growth of mammary tissue. To fight this side effect during steroid therapy, many find it necessary to use some form of estrogen maintenance medication. This includes an estrogen antagonist such as Clomid or Noladex, which block estrogen from attaching to and activating receptors in the breast and other tissues, or an aromatase inhibitor such as Femara or Arimidex, which blocks the enzyme responsible for the conversion of androgens to estrogen.

Hair Loss
The use of highly androgenic steroids can negatively impact the growth of scalp hair. In fact, the most common form of male pattern hair loss is directly linked to the androgens I such tissues, most specifically the stronger DHT metabolite to testosterone. Since there is a genetic factor involved, many individuals won’t ever see signs of this side effect, even with heavy steroid use. People who suffer from this type of hair loss should be very cautious when using the stronger drugs like testosterone, Anadrol, Halotestin and Dianabol.

In many instances, the renewal of lost hair can be very difficult, so avoiding this side-effect before it occurs is the best advice. For those who need to worry, the decision should probably be made to wither stick with milder substances, like Deca-Durabolin, or use the ancillary drug Propecia/Proscar (finasteride) when taking testosterone, methyltestosterone or Halotestin.

High Blood Pressure/Hypertension
People using anabolic/androgenic steroids will commonly notice a rise in blood pressure during treatment. High blood pressure is most commonly linked to steroids that have a high affinity for estrogen conversion, such as testosterone and Dianabol. As estrogen builds in the body, the level of water and salt retention will typically elevate and lead to increased blood pressure. This may be further amplified by the added stress of intense weight training and rapid weight gain. Since hypertension can place a great deal of stress on the body, this side effect should not be ignored. If it’s left untreated, high blood pressure can increase the likelihood for heart disease, stroke or kidney failure. Warning signs of hypertension include an increased tendency to develop headaches, insomnia, and breathing difficulties. Steroid users should certainly be monitoring BP values during stronger cycles to avoid potential problems.

If an individual’s BP values are becoming notably elevated, some action should be taken to control it. You can either discontinue the se of the offending steroids, or at least substitute them with milder, non-aromatizing compounds. You also have the option of seeking the benefit of high blood pressure medications such as diuretics, which can dramatically lower water and salt retention. Catapres is also a popular medication among athletes, because in addition to its BP lowering ability, it has also been documented to raise the body’s output of growth hormone.

Immune System Changes
The use of AAS has been shown to produce changes in the body that may impact your immune system. These changes can be both good and bad for the user. For instance, during steroid treatment, many athlete’s find they are less susceptible to viral illness. New studies involving the use of compounds like oxandrolone and Deca-Durabolin with HIV patients seems to support this claim. But just as a person may be less apt to notice illness during a cycle, the discontinuance of steroid can produce a rebound effect in which the immune system is less able to fight off pathogens. This most likely coincides with the rebound activity/production of cortisol. During the period of imbalance due to the withdrawal of steroids, cortisol will not only be stripping the body of muscle mass, but may also cause the person to be more susceptible to colds, flu, etc. The proper use of ancillary drugs (anti-estrogens, testosterone stimulating drugs) is the most common suggestion for helping to avoid this problem.

Kidney Stress/Damage
Since your kidneys are involved in the filtration and removal of byproducts from the body, the administration of steroidal compounds (which are largely excreted in the urine) may cause some strain. Actual kidney damage is most likely to occur when the steroid user is suffering from severe high blood pressure.

Since kidney stress/damage is generally associated with the use of stronger aromatizing compounds such as testosterone and Dianabol, individuals sensitive to high blood pressure/kidney stress should avoid such compounds until health concerns are safely addressed. If steroid use is still necessitated by the individual, it may be a good idea to avoid the stronger compounds and opt for one of the milder anabolics. Primobolan, Anavar and Winstrol, for example, do not convert to estrogen at all, and may be acceptable options. Also favorable drugs in this regard are Deca-Durabolin and Equipoise, which have a low tendency to convert to estrogen.

Liver Stress/Damage
Liver stress/damage is not a side-effect of steroid use in general, but is specifically associated with the use of c17 alpha alkylated compounds. These structures contain chemical alterations that enable them to be administered orally. In surviving a first pass by the liver, these compounds place some level of stress on the organ. In some instances, this has led to severe damage, even fatal liver cancer. Keep in mind, most oral compounds are altered like this, to include, Tylenol, Aspirin, and most oral medication you will receive from you doctor to combat sickness. Most of the liver cancer cases have in fact been in clinical situations, particularly with the use of the powerful oral androgen Anadrol (oxymethalone). This may be directly related to the high dosage of this preparation, as Anadrol contains a whopping 50mg of active steroid per tablet. This is a considerable jump from other preparations, most of which contain 5-10mg of a substance. With one Anadrol 50 tablet, the liver will therefore have to process (roughly) the equivalent of 10 Dianabol tablets. This obvious stress is further amplified when we look at the usually high dosage schedule for ill patients receiving this medication. With Anadrol 50, the manufacturer’s recommendations may call for the use of as many as 8 or 10 tablets daily. This is a far greater amount the most athletes would ever think of consuming, with 3 or 4 tablets per day being considered extreme.

Prostate Enlargement
Prostate cancer is currently one of the most common forms of cancer in males. Prostate complications are believed to be primarily dependant on androgenic hormones; particularly the strong testosterone metabolite DHT in normal situations, much in the way estrogen is linked to breast canner in women. Because steroids can raise the level of androgens in the body, there is an argument that theoretically steroids could lead to prostate cancer. It is, therefore, a good idea for older men to limit/avoid the intake of strong 5-alpha reducible androgens like testosterone, methyltestosterone and Halotestin, or otherwise use Proscar, which was specifically designed to reduce 5-alpha reductase enzyme in scalp and prostate tissue. This may be a preventative measure for older men insisting on the use of these compounds. However, drugs like Dianabol, Anadrol, and Proviron, which do not convert to DHT yet are still potent androgens, are not affected by its use.

Sexual Dysfunction
The functioning of the male reproductive system depends greatly on the level of androgenic hormones in the body. Therefore, the use of synthetic male hormones may have a dramatic impact on an individual’s sexual wellness. On one extreme, we may see a man’s libido and erection frequency become significantly heightened. This is most commonly seen with the use of strongly androgenic steroids, which seem to have the most dramatic stimulating impact on the system. In some instances, this can reach the point of becoming problematic, although more often than not, the athlete is much more active and sexually aggressive during the intake of steroids.

On the other extreme, we may see a lack of sexual interest, possibly to the point of impotency. This occurs when androgenic hormones are very low. This will often happen after a steroid cycle is discontinued, as the endogenous production of testosterone is commonly suppressed during the cycle. Removing the androgen (from an outside source) leaves the body with little natural testosterone until this imbalance s corrected. The loss of it’s’ metabolite DHT is particularly troubling, as this hormone may have a strong effect on the reproductive system that may not be apparent with other less androgenic hormones. Therefore, it is a very good idea to use testosterone-stimulating drugs like HCG and/or Clomid/Nolvadex when coming off a strong cycle, so as to reduce the impact of steroid withdrawal. Impotency/ sexual apathy may also occur during the course of a steroid cycle, particularly when it is strictly on anabolic compounds. Since all “anabolics” can suppress the manufacture of testosterone in the body, the administered drugs may not be androgenic enough to properly compensate for the testosterone loss. In such a case, the user might opt to include a small androgen dosage (perhaps a weekly testosterone injection), or again reverse/prevent the androgen suppression with the use of a medication like HCG.

I think it’s also interesting to note that it’s always simply an androgen vs. anabolic issue. People will often respond very differently to an equal dose of the same drug. When one individual may notice sexual disinterest or impotency, another may become extremely aggressive. It is, therefore, difficult to predict how someone will react to a particular drug before having used it.

Testicular Atrophy
The human body prefers to remain in a very balanced hormonal state, a tendency known as homeostasis. When the administration of androgens from an outside source causes a surplus of hormone, it will cause the body to stop manufacturing its own testosterone. Specifically, this happens via a feedback mechanism where the hypothalamus detects a high level of sex steroids (including androgens, progestins and estrogens) and shits off the release of GnRH (Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone, also referred to as luteinizing hormone releasing hormone). This, in turn, causes the pituitary to stop releasing luteinizing hormone and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), the two hormones (primarily LH) that stimulate the Leydig’s cells in the testes to release testosterone (negative feedback inhibition has been demonstrated at the pituitary level as well). Without stimulation by LH and FSH, the testes will be in a state of production limbo, and may shrink from inactivity. In extreme cases the steroid user can notice testicles that are unusually and frighteningly small. However, this effect is temporary, and once the drugs are removed (and hormone levels rebalanced) the testicles should return to their original size.

Water and Salt Retention
Many AAS can increase the amount of water and sodium stored in body tissues. In some instances, steroid induced water retention can bring about a very bloated appearance to the body (hands, arms, face, etc.), which will also reduce the visibility of muscle features (loss of definition). Most people will often ignore this side effect, particularly during bulking cycles when the excess water stored in the muscles, joints and connective tissues will help to improve an individual’s overall strength.

Although water retention may not be the most unwelcome side effect during a bulking cycle, it can lead to dangerous problems such as high blood pressure and kidney damage. The body is clearly under more of a strain when dealing with an unusually high level of water, so athletes should not simply ignore this. Water retention is most specifically associated with estrogen in the body, and is therefore common with the use of aromatizing compounds. If water retention becomes an obvious problem during a cycle, the use of an anti-estrogen such as Nolvadex or Proviron may help to minimize it. An antiaromatase like Arimidex is the most effective option, a drug that inhibits the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.

The Side Effects I Have Endured
One of the sides I suffered from was my bones and ligaments not growing in strength at the same rate my muscles were. As a result of this I broke my back while doing routine dead lifts. It put me out of the gym for nearly 6 months. For 6 months I could even enter a gym as I was going through physical therapy to get back to where I could work out again. It killed me. I mean absolutely killed me. And the worst part about someone like myself, who is used to working out all the time and seeing my gym rat buddies is being bored out of my mind while I sit at home when I would normally be working out. And because I am used to eating a diet that's designed for someone who weighed as much as I did and worked out as often as I did I kept eating that diet because it's what filled me up. In doing so I became horribly fat and out of shape. I had tons of muscle atrophy and couldn't do anything about it. I am still, to this day, working to get back to my pre-back injury physique. The sad part is, I lost in about 1 year, what will probably take me 2-3 years to get back to.

I have also developed a heart murmur. I don't know if this is directly related to steroid use and there is no way to prove it. But the science behind it makes sense. If steroids make all muscles grow, and the heart is a muscle, then it would grow bigger because of steroid use. However, the valves of the heart are not made of muscle and would therefore not grow with the heart. This would in turn create a situation in which the valves would not be big enough to make a complete seal when the blood circulates throughout your heart, thus circling back to the notion that I may have this condition because of steroids.

After all this, I ask myself, would I do it all again. Without hesitation my answer is yes. There is no cost big enough to make me forget, and not want, the compliments and reactions I have received from people when I was at my biggest. The admiration I received from fellow gym goers. The looks and comments from little kids as I walked past. And the recognition I was given on stage when I competed. It's not very often you see a 24 year old kid on stage in a bodybuilding competition that's bigger than everyone there; young and old. At my biggest, I competed at 233 lbs. In the off season I weighed 257 lbs. Not too shabby for someone who stands only 5'10" and had 4 years of steroid experience under his belt.

One last thing I would like to add id the fact that most of the serious side effects (heart disease, liver stress/damage, prostate enlargement, kidney stress/damage, cancer, etc.) have never been proven to be a direct result of steroid use in any study. They are all theoretical assumptions. There have been no deaths as a result of steroid use or anything else you hear on the news or ESPN every night when they talk about steroid use. I would also like to add that periodic use of steroids at a safe level in an adult male has proven to have little to no side effects at all. But steroid use in adolescent males has proven to have many more side effects that can be long-lasting and irreversible. I believe a lot of what the media puts out there is to try and steer high school kids clear of hormones such as these and therefore groups everyone who uses them into the categories they talk about.

All of the sides listed above could potentially be a reality though, so be warned that any steroid use is at your own risk.

Dosing, Megadosing & Front Loading

There are many different opinions as to exactly what the dosage an individual should use of any particular drug in order to elicit optimal results. Some seem to find they make exceptional gains on relatively low dosages of most steroids, while others insist they need to administer very large amounts of androgens for the proper level of bulk. I think it's safe to say that most steroids seem to work best in a particular range of dosage, and usually fall short of expectations as we go higher or lower. On the one hand we may find that going below what is considered to be a normal dosage for a specific drug will result in very poor gains being achieved, the hormone level perhaps not rising enough above normal to stimulate a considerable response. For example, 200-800mg of Testosterone Enanthate per week is typically sufficient for a man to receive very formidable gains, while 50-100mg may not provide very noticeable results at all (this is all common sense). On the other extreme, athletes usually find that unusually large doses (let's say 1000-2000mg per week) will provide a relatively low quality increase over that of the normal dosage range. Yes, the amount of muscle mass may be considerably more than expected with a typical dose, but this will probably not be proportionate with the gain of new body fat and water weight. The user will typically be stuck with a much more noticeable level of side effects, while receiving a poor return (as in solid muscle mass) on his money. When steroids were abundant and cheap in the 1980's, megadosing among recreational users was not all that uncommon. No doubt paying $20 per week as apposed to $5 was not a very difficult decision to make. But today, high prices will usually prevent the widespread practice of such excessive dosing, as such a cycle could cost hundreds of dollars each week. The side note to this is that one can reach an extreme level of development where year round high dosage steroid use is a necessity to maintain an anabolic state.

As for front loading, this is still a common practice among all types of users today if cycling on and off. Front end loading is a simple instrument used to increase hormone level very quickly when starting a cycle instead of waiting for the long acting steroids to become active and begin producing results. Some like to megadose for the first week, where you may inject 2 times the amount you intend to run through the cycle on a weekly basis. So in a cycle where you are going to run 500mg of Testosterone Enanthate, you would inject 1,000mg in the first week and then start the 500mg per week on the second week of the cycle. Others like to use orals because they are fast acting so the results will come much quicker. The most common is Dianabol (Dbol) and Anadrol (Drol). Personally, I love to start Drol at the same time I start Test Enan. I run the Drol at 150mg per day for 3 weeks. By the time I am done with the Drol, the Test Enan has kicked in and I already have a running start. However, if you have a fast acting component already figured into your cycle, front loading may not be needed. For example if you were using Trenbolone Acetate or Winstrol or Test Suspension or Test Propionate or something to that effect, front loading would most likely not be necessary.

Injection Protocol

I have had a number of questions about injection protocol so I thought I'd give you everything you need to know to stab yourself.

1. Clean vial stopper with alcohol swab.

2. Fill syringe with equal amount of air in comparison to the intended dose.

3. Once alcohol is dry, insert 20 g needle into vial.

4. Inject the air into the vial. This keeps a balance of internal/external pressure within the vial.

5. Draw desired amount of solution into syringe and remove syringe from vial.

6. Holding the needle end of syringe upright, tap the side of the syringe, and expel any extra air bubbles (tiny bubbles ARE NOT a danger to health, but this is still a correct practice).

7. Clean the injection site with an alcohol swab with a circular motion starting at the injection site and moving outward to create a 2 inch diameter sterile area on skin.

8. Switch from 20 g needle to 25 g injection needle.

9. Stretch the skin over the site of the injection with the thumb and forefinger of your free hand, and penetrate the muscle with the needle. If you hit a nerve, and you’ll know if you do, extract needle and penetrate in another position.

10. Pull back on the stopper a tiny bit until you see either an air bubble or blood enter the syringe. If you see a bubble, you have a green light for injection. If you see blood, extract the needle and start back at step 9 (this is to avoid injecting into a blood vessel).

11. Press the stopper down firmly and steadily until all of the solution has been injected. Wait 5 seconds and remove the needle. Then press down on the injection site with a paper towel or toilet paper. While pressing down start to slowly massage the site for a minute or so. If area is still bleeding, continue to keep pressure until the bleeding stops.

12. Dispose of the needles and syringe properly.

Below are diagrams of the 3 main injection sites used. You can also use your biceps, triceps, and chest, although they are more difficult, especially the chest, so I wouldn't recommend using these sites unless you absolutely have to.

My Past Cycles

Here are the cycles I have ran from 2006 up to now. I am not recommending that anyone run these exact cycles because my goals are or were probably different than yours. But they were, for the most part, very good cycles with great gains. You will notice I only ran one 4 month cycle in 2007 and this was because of the huge steroid busts that occurred. The supply went down to almost zero and I had not stocked up on anything so when I was out, I was completely out until I got a new source in early 2008.

Something I always do with my cycles is try to split up the dosages evenly throughout the day, week, etc. So if I am taking an oral, I will split up the daily dosage no less than 2 times a day. If I can split it up more I do. The same goes with liquids. Anything I shoot that is a weekly substance, I shoot twice a week in equal amounts. This all allows for more stable levels of the chemicals in the blood which helps keep side effects down.

The first cycle is a 1 year cycle I plan to do for my next one. When you start to run longer cycles like this one, it's usually 3-4 cycles all wrapped up into one. Since I am trying to get back up to the 250-260 pound range I was in back in 2006-2007, the first two periods in this cycle are for bulking purposes only and the third period is a cutting phase. I always run some type of anti-estrogen with every cycle I do as well as have a very well planned out PCT after I come off. This cycle, no matter how you look at it, is a very long, fairly heavy, very complex, and very dangerous cycle.


The following cycle was the last cycle I ran in 2008. I have mentioned this one before in the section "The Cycle That Didn't Work." I was experimenting on myself with this one trying to see how I responded to lower doses. I found out only about a month and a half in that I don't respond well at all. So much so, that this was supposed to be a 17 week cycle and I cut it short at 9 weeks because I felt like I was wasting my time and money. You will also notice on this one the use of Anadrol and Dbol together. I had a bunch of stuff left over that I put together for this one. It was somewhat of a Frankenstein Cycle, and probably would have worked fine if I had upped the dosage of Test and Deca.


The next cycle is one I ran in the first part of 2008. Again supply was low and the source I had only had a few things on hand as everyone was still recovering from the huge raids that had been going on towards the middle and end of the previous year on the East coast. I decided to run a simple and effective bulker of Test Enanthate and Anadrol. This was an easy one to run and keep track of as I only had to inject myself twice a week and take pills three times a day when I was running the Drol.


This was the only cycle I ran in 2007 due to the steroid busts I mentioned earlier. I got some excellent results from this one and it has been one of my favorites since the time I ran it. The doses are high but that's how I like them. I had some extra Dbol laying around that I decided to throw in instead of buying more Drol, which is normally always my preference, and the addition of insulin just compounded the results. Again you will notice this is a 4 month cycle designed to have a 2 month period off. I kept my diet in check and fairly strict with this one. This was actually the first cycle I ran after breaking my back and having to take about 8 months off from working out all together. I had a lot to gain back after the injury and this put me well on my way.


This last cycle is the one I talked about earlier and said was the best cycle I have ever ran. This is when I first realized how much better I respond to long heavy cycles. This was an 8 month cycle I put together that everyone on every forum I was on said I was nuts for trying and would kill myself on and how much I was wasting my money. Contrary to what they had said, I made some insane gains on this. The muscle was extremely dense and solid and I was down around 3% body fat at 244 lbs when I competed in the last week of this cycle. This was the biggest I have ever been and strive to get back to this point. After the show I put a lot of the body fat back on to around 8% and was walking around at about 255-260 lbs. I don't think I will run this exact cycle again, but will run ones similar to this. Through my years, I have learned a lot about all this stuff and now understand how I could amplify results like this even more. A perfect example of this would be the 1 year cycle I have planned to run next, which I will hopefully be starting later this year.

Beginner Cycles

Below are 7 Beginner stacks. I think the best first cycle to run is a Test Enan only cycle at 500mg per week for about 10 weeks and see what the results are like. After that you can start playing around with stacks and dosages and what not. The biggest thing to keep in mind when starting out and planning any stack is to only make one change per cycle so you know what works and what doesn't. If you make a number of different changes from one cycle to the next, you won't know what works and what doesn't.

These cycles were designed with a few different things in mind. The first thing was to make them as simple as possible. You will notice they are fairly short cycles and usually don't require more than 1 injectable at a time. The doses are lower as there is no need to use high doses if you are just a beginner.

The first cycle is a 10 week Dbol/Deca mass builder. The Deca only needs to be administered once a week and there requires a lower frequency of injections because the Test and Deca could me mixed into one shot. This would be a nice and mild second cycle. If you were unable to find Deca at this dosage, which is usually a Vet Grade dosage, I would split the injections into two per week.


The second cycle is a 7 week oral only cycle. This would be for someone afraid of needles and nor liver toxic orals. Quite frankly, if you are afraid of either of these, I don't think you should even be considering using steroids, but some people like to do an oral only for their first time around and then blossom from there. This is by far the most costly cycle of this group. More Primo could be used, to a dosage of 100-150 mg, if available.


The third is an 11 week Cutting/Lean Mass cycle. This is an extremely effective lean mass building/cutting cycle. The Proviron adds good androgen content to the nandrolone base, which is often too anabolic to use on it's own. The winni, added later, greatly enhances the fat burning and anabolic nature of the combination.


The fourth is a 7 week Cutting cycle. This is a basic but very efficient cutting stack. This combo provides zero estrogen, and is only moderately androgenic in nature. These should elicit low sides and solid results.

The fifth is an 8 week Cutting cycle. This is a potent cutting/hardening cycle. Don't let the low doses fool you. These are three very active steroids, and the combination is sure to provide quite a pronounced effect.

The sixth is probably the most advanced cycle of the group. It's a 14 week Mass Builder comprised of three different injectables. This is an excellent bulking cycle based on Vet Grade and/or UGL steroids. The Tren helps to harden up the gains, and the use of only 250mg of Testosterone and 200mg of Deca should keep estrogen levels from getting too far out of hand.

The seventh and final stack of the beginner group is an 11 week Mass Builder. This is a basic Test/Equipoise stack. The Equipoise allows for an overall lower dosage of testosterone, without sacrificing much in terms of expected gains. Estrogen buildup should be controllable with this stack, yet still should reach a point where it is aiding in the promotion of an anabolic state. This is a great muscle-building beginners stack.

Intermediate Cycles

These stacks were designed with the intent of keeping a cycle within a 4 month time period, using no more than 2 injectables and keeping dosages moderate enough to keep the cost reasonable.

The first cycle is an 8 week Mass Building stack. This is the classic Andro/Test stack. If you are looking for sheer mass, you are not going to find a better mix with only 1 injectable and 1 oral. Estrogenic side effects are likely to be intense with this so it would be a good idea to have Nolvadex or Arimidex close by. This would be good as a second cycle for someone. It's simple and short which is perfect for someone who isn't very experienced with steroids.


The second is a 9 week Mass Builder. This cycle is designed to maximize the level of free testosterone in the body. Proviron competitively inhibits both estrogen aromatization and testosterone to SHBG binding, and Winni adds the androgen-induced lowering of binding protein levels. Gains with this stack should be leaner than the Test/Andro cycle, as there is less of an estrogenic component.


The third is an Equipoise/Suspension cycle. This is an excellent rapid lean mass building stack. An aromatase inhibitor may be needed during the first 6 weeks, otherwise the remaining 6 (unless you are very sensitive to estrogen) should entail low enough estrogen levels to dramatically increase hardness and definition. This is a combination building/cutting cycle. I ran this as my 3rd cycle I think. It was a long time ago but I remember getting very dense and hard off this one. This would be good before a contest with a continuance of Suspension after the administration of Winni. I would also probably take a few weeks off of orals after the Winni and then throw in some Halo for an even more dramatic vascular look right before a contest.


The fourth is a 15 week Mass Builder. This is an excellent lean bulking cycle, with only periodic use of orals. The Deca will serve as a bridge between both treatment periods, giving the liver time to detoxify. This cycle pushes the limits of growth, but does so without pushing the limits of safety. I have run this cycle myself and loved it. It was an easy one to keep track of and the gains were steady and constant. The Drol in the beginning helps jump start everything as the Deca and Test Cyp both take a while to get going.

Advanced Cycles

Below are some cycles I have come up with or seen that have been designed for the Advanced user. I would direct that an advanced user would be someone who has 6-8 well planned and disciplined cycles under their belt.

The first is a 24 week Lean Mass cycle. I have run this one before and kept a good majority of the muscle I added. The biggest downside was the price. With the amount of substances and the dosages and durations, it is a very expensive cycle. This is an excellent half-year lean mass building stack. It was designed with a focus on the periodic use of orals, bridged with injectable compounds, to minimize the chance for liver toxicity.

The second cycle is a 15 Week Cutting cycle. This is an extremely potent cutting stack. You may find a need to add in small doses of T3. However, most will find the low GH dose and thermogenic adjunct of Clenbuterol to work excellent for cutting alone. EQ is the only aromatizable steroid used, and adds little estrogen when accompanied by Proviron to inhibit aromatase.

Cycling Like a Pro

Obviously, the bigger you are, the more stuff you can put in your body. It's not always necessary, but that tends to be the trend. I have seen the numbers on some cycles that different pro's have ran. Most had some insane numbers and extremely complex stacks, but a few appeared to be fairly low dosed and somewhat normal to what you would see among experienced amateur bodybuilder's.

I will list four of the pro cycles I have read about and seen. All of these cycles were pre-contest cycles. I would imagine cycles these guys would have run in the off season would be a little different but not by much.

The biggest point I would like to make here is that in no way shape or form should anyone run a cycle like these unless you are VERY serious about wanting to compete or are currently competing. If your body hasn't been primed to handle loads like this, it could very easily shut down on you.

The first cycle is a 10 week cycle that was ran by Andreas Munzer right before he died. I would like to make it very clear that most of the pro's don't even use dosages this high. These are, by far, the highest dosages, and most complex stacks I have ever seen. This, combined with extreme dieting and fluid restrictions, can be very dangerous. None of the substances used, were directly linked to his death, however, I would be willing to put some money on it that they would have been, had there been an autopsy.

Weeks 1-10:

Ephedrine

Aspirin

Clenbuterol

Valium

Captagon

Cytomel

Weeks 1-5:

Test Enan - 500mg daily

Parabolan - 152mg daily

Dianabol - 150mg daily

Halotestin - 150mg daily

HGH - 20iu daily

Insulin - 20iu daily

Weeks 6-8:

Masteron - 300mg daily

Parabolan - 152mg daily

Winni Tab - 250mg daily

Halotestin - 150mg daily

Winni Depot - 50mg daily

HGH - 24iu daily

Weeks 9-10:

Masteron - 200mg daily

Winni Depot - 100mg daily

Halotestin - 200mg daily

Winni Tab - 400mg daily

HGH - 24iu daily

Insulin - daily

IGF-1 - daily

Days 1-3 leading up to show:

Aldactone, Lasix to cut water

The second cycle is a 12 week pro-level bulking cycle. The doses in this cycle are of normal expectations. I have personally used dosages in this range and tend to benefit the most from dosages such as these.

The third cycle is a 12 week pro-level cutting cycle. This cycle has the same characteristics as the one above but is designed for cutting.

The fourth cycle is a two-phase pre-contest cycle. The first phase being eight weeks of bulking and the second phase being 9 weeks of cutting. The stacks are fairly complex, but the dosages are fairly low when consider this was an IFBB pro. This just goes to show that you don't necessarily need high doses to get the job done.

Phase I/Bulking:

Phase II/Cutting:

Laws, Legalities & Customs

So I'm sure by now, everyone and their mother knows Anabolic Steroids are illegal. This includes most everything that goes along with a steroid cycle such as HGH, anti-estrogens, etc. Anabolic steroids are classified as a Schedule III controlled substance. The funny thing about it is that they were legal until 1991 when the government decided to create another thing to make money off of by making arrests and charging fines. The Anabolic Steroids Control Act was enacted in 1991 which made steroids illegal even though the American Medical Association, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Drug Enforcement Agency all apposed the move. So what was their reasoning behind this? No one really knows or can give a concrete answer.

This all came about after the 1988 Olympics when Canada's Ben Johnson beat America's Carl Lewis in the 100 meters and later tested positive for steroids. Until then, no one had any issues with steroids in the legal sense. They were banned in the Olympics and in other various sports organizations such as the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, etc but there were no restrictions for the average Joe who lived in BFE Montana who wanted to put on a little size. But times have changed and laws are laws so there's no point in sulking about it. The only thing to do is figure out how to get around the laws and find the loop holes.

Most steroids are brought into the country via Mexico or Europe. There used to be a ton of Under Ground Labs all throughout the US until the government set up a couple of major stings that pretty much ended that entire industry. And because of this, it's a lot harder to get a hold of steroids now days.

One of the loop holes has come in the form of research laboratories. These are companies that make different chemicals, mostly anti-estrogens, fertility drugs, weight loss drugs, etc., that are illegal but because they are produced for research purposes only, they are legal to buy and posses. They usually come in the form of liquid sub-lingual drops, meaning you take it orally and let it absorb through your mouth, and are effective and legit.

The only other loop hole to obtain a steroid legally without a prescription would be Trenbolone Acetate in the form of cattle implants. You can buy these cattle implants from online veterinary stores, or livestock businesses if you live in a rural area. The two most common brands are Finaplix-H and Component-T. They are legal to purchase and posses but illegal to use in any manner other than the implantation of cattle. What steroid users do is break down the pellets into a liquid and let it separate from the solids (glue and binders) and then extract the liquid which is the Trenbolone Acetate and filter it and then inject it. The down side to all of this is that once you start tampering with the Finaplix or Component-T its considering manufacturing of a controlled substance and you will be looking at substantial jail time and fines if caught.

I have also seen "Paper Anabolics" which are different types of oral steroids that are absorbed into blotter paper. These are Customs worst nightmare. The way in which they are manufactured is very innovative. The raw steroid is mixed with alcohol and put in a tub. the blotter paper is then soaked in the tub and hung to dry. Once all the alcohol evaporates you are left with paper containing 100% of the pure steroid it was soaked in. The only down side to paper anabolics is that it's very hard to get a good consistency. But it's next to impossible fr customs to detect. The price for paper steroids is about the same as it wold be to purchase the pills. However, there aren't a lot of places out there that carry them.

Another method of packaging I have see that was pretty slick was to put the liquids in small 5ml satchels that look like big ketchup packets. This makes them easy to get through Customs as they don't have a defined shape with metal and glass like a vial would. They are the same price as normal liquids but the one downside is that the company that makes them tends to mix their products with a fairly high Benzyl Alcohol (BA) content so it can make for a painful injection a couple days after shooting it.

Lastly, make sure anyone who lives with you doesn't know that you have steroids there or make sure they know to tell law enforcement they knew nothing about it to keep them out of trouble should you get busted. Steroids are fairly easy to conceal, considering they come in small packages and they don't put off any kind of odor that a drug dog could pick up on and law enforcement does have some limitations physically that hinder them from looking in certain spots. If you are creative enough and don't have a lot to conceal, you should have no problem coming away from a raid unscathed.

Dieting For Cycles

There are a few simple rules I follow when dieting whether I'm on cycle or off. The first rule is to eat every few hours and make sure I get an ample amount of protein in each of those meals. The second is to eat as little fat as possible. Unsaturated fat isn't so much of a big deal as saturated fat is. But if you keep your overall fat intake as low as possible, your saturated intake will be low as well. Third is to moderate my carb intake and eat the majority of my carbs for breakfast and pre-workout. I once saw an interview with Ronnie Coleman. He was 6 weeks out from the Olympia and was only consuming about 200 grams of carbs per day! You don't need to go to that extreme, but it just goes to show that you don't need to eat some of these insane amounts I hear people say to eat pre-workout and what not.

Some of the basic foods to keep in mind while trying to build lean mass and drop fat weight at the same time are, fish and chicken. They contain a good amount of protein, have little to no carbs and little to no fat.

I don't necessarily keep a super strict diet unless I'm prepping for a show, but a lean mass diet for me would consist of baked chicken and fish, goulash, spaghetti with meat and sauce, chicken and pasta, Tuna Helper, lasagna, cottage cheese, enchilada's, chicken and dumplings, Mac and cheese w/ tuna and long grain wild rice. I won't eat anything that's fried or anything with a lot of cheese on it. I eat little to no sweets or deserts and won't drink any pop or fruit juices. These are just some examples showing that you can eat "normal" foods while on a cycle and cutting fat at the same time your are building lean mass.

If you were to be running Insulin, you would obviously need to make some adjustments as to when you are eating certain foods while the slin is active in your body, but I will still eat the items listed above while including slin in my cycle.

One major change that needs to occur when on a mass cycle is an increase in daily caloric intake. For example, when I'm off cycle I will usually eat about 2300 cal's a day. Of which, most of that is protein followed closely by carbs and then a very small amount of fat. When I am on a bulking cycle, I am usually consuming around 5000 cal's a day. Again this is high in protein, moderate in carbs and almost no fat. It's not an easy thing to do physically, because there are times when I feel full, yet I know I need to get in another meal. So it takes a lot of dedication and will power to keep pushing through the tough times. I think that's the difference between those of us who compete, and those just trying to improve their appearance. We who compete, view it as our lifestyle and a mission and will do whatever we need to do to be the best.

Lastly is weight gainer and protein shakes. These two items have their place in a diet, but shouldn't comprise the majority of the protein or calories taken in on the diet. I try to get as much of my protein and cal's though actual food. I do, always, include these two things in my diet in one way or another though.

Workout Adjustments For Being On/Off Cycle

Keeping in mind that steroids help your body recover faster from intense training, you can obviously workout harder and more often when on cycle as apposed to when your off. There is a point where you can go overboard though. This point varies from person to person and is also influenced by the substances you are using in your cycle as well as the dosages you are running.

If your diet is in check, the sky is pretty much the limit of how quickly and to what extent you can grow. Depending on what kind of workout scheme I am following at the time, I usually will fit in one more workout per week, per body part than when off cycle and I will go 100% on every workout. That's a general rule of thumb for me, and a very broken down way of explaining it. The way in which I set up my workouts is very complex and takes a long time to do as well as requires a lot of experience so you know your body's limits and thresholds.

There are some good workouts on the Internet you can find if you know what to look for. I used to be a personal trainer, so I use a lot of what I learned from back then and apply it to the workouts I design now. You don't necessarily need all that knowledge to design a good workout, but it helps a great deal. I've seen people that don't know their head from their ass in terms of building workouts that can follow some simple guidelines and make great gains from a cycle.
The first rule is heavy weight and low reps (2-4) will build strength and explosiveness. Medium weight and medium reps (8-12) will build mass. And low weight with high reps (14-18) will build muscular endurance. Keeping those three main rep ranges in mind, you can make a simple yet effective workout regimen with little effort spent.

HGH & Insulin

Insulin and HGH are some of the most powerful and sought after drugs out there in terms of bodybuilding. Their characteristics are very different but their results can be incredible. These two compounds are not meant for the novice or even intermediate user. These should only be used by those with extensive experience in supplementation, diet, steroid use and working out. Without the knowledge of all 4 of these elements, you will either be wasting a lot of money or risking your life.

I will start with HGH. Growth Hormone is a very complex and expensive compound. It's comprised of 191 amino acids and is very expensive to make, which is why you see such high prices for it on the black market. The average price for HGH is around $400-500 per 100iu. And considering you need to use it for long periods at about 4iu-6iu per day, the price adds up very quickly. However, if used purely for fat reduction, you can use a much lower dose and run it for a much shorter period of time. In this usage, it can be made fairly cost effective in comparison to the results. To get the most effective results from HGH you will want to combine it with some kind of steroid cycle, T3 and Insulin. With all of these compounds built into one cycle, and at the correct dosages, the results could be incredible. HGH also has the ability to create new muscle cells. Nothing else can compare in this aspect. When you work out, all you do is make the muscle cells you were born with, bigger. The muscle cells you are born with will be the only ones you have throughout you entire life, unless HGH is used. This is how the pro's get to 300+ lbs. If it weren't for growth, none of them would be nearly as big as they are. There is no need for anyone who doesn’t compete to use HGH in my opinion.

As for insulin, this is one drug I would not recommend to anyone, even an advanced steroid user. It is however, very easy to obtain and very cheap in relativity. Insulin is a naturally occurring substance in the body, much like HGH, but in the bodybuilding world, insulin has the ability to do something no other compound can do in such a short amount of time. Insulin will force all the nutrients in your blood into the cells of the body. Carbs, fats and proteins, if in the blood stream, will be forced into all the correlating cells in your body. Because of this, fat consumption while using insulin is kept to almost zero, carb consumption is kept as low as it can be without risking hypoglycemic shock, and protein is eaten in high quantities so it will be forced into the muscle cells and help the muscles recover much quicker. The downside to insulin, if you don't consume enough carbs after injecting it, you can go into hypoglycemic shock and die. That is why even some of the most seasoned of bodybuilders and steroid users won't touch this drug. But it's results are like something straight out of a comic book. Gains in size and shape can be seen after only days of use. Insulin is highly anabolic, but elicits little to no androgenic properties.

Insulin is available from any pharmacy in the Unites States without a prescription. This is so that an insulin-dependant diabetic will have easy access to medication when traveling about. Arguing over forms or having to call a doctor could mean life or death so this is the reason it's over the counter. Insulin comes from one of two origins, animal or synthetic. For bodybuilding intents and purposes I will discuss the from that is created synthetically.

There are a number of different insulin preparations, separated by variable factors such as speed of onset, peak and duration of activity. Regular synthetic insulin is generally faster acting than animal source insulin, with a shorter duration of activity in the body.

The first type of insulin I will talk about is Humalog. This is the most sought after and the only kind of insulin I will use. It is also the only insulin that requires a prescription. Humalog is very fast acting and has a very short activity life in the body. I reaches it's peak effect in less than two hours, and by the four hour mark is almost out of the body completely.

Humalin-R or "regular" insulin also has a short duration effect, approximately 6-8 hours. This is the insulin of choice among athletes, as it is fast acting and easier to control than other forms (except Humalog). This is also available over the counter.

Humalin-N lasts up to 24 hours and Humalin-U can remain active for over 24 hours.

Cycle Durations & Time Off

Let me start off by saying that time off usually equals time on plus 4 weeks at a minimum. So if you do a 12 week cycle, you will take 16 weeks off before starting your next cycle. That's the most widely used method out there for recreational users. Another method for determining time off is to get blood work done before and after your cycle. Once your blood levels are back to where they were before the cycle, it's safe to go back on. Others, like myself, throw some caution to the wind and don't even take an equal amount of time off for the amount of time we have been on. And some never come off. It all has to do with your goals and aspirations and how cautious you want or don't want to be.

There are many arguments as to how long you should stay on a steroid cycle before taking a break. Opinions range from cautious individuals, who are adamant about short cycles and long off-periods, to the seriously hard-core user, who suggests year round use for optimal results. It is very important to watch your intake duration when on stronger or more toxic substances. This includes all c17 alpha alkylated orals, or high-dose cycles of easily aromatized steroids. These compounds place the most stress on your organs, and should be utilized for only limited intervals (preferably less than 8 weeks). Afterwords a break of at least as much time (preferably more) should be taken to give the body ample time to rest/recover. For those who refuse to follow this advice, blood work and regular health checkups should be an absolute necessity.

If taking milder anabolics like Deca-Durabolin, Primobolan or Equipoise, you can take them for longer periods of time. This is due to the fact that these compounds do not act in an extremely dramatic manner.

I have been doing 17 weeks on, 8 weeks off for a while and it has worked great for me. My blood levels don't get exactly back to where they should be at the end of the 8 week off cycle, but they are close. I don't know why I have picked those exact numbers, but I did and it works great. The biggest thing to remember if running cycle durations like this is to get blood work and exams done on a regular basis. I have the equipment to do the exams myself, and my girlfriend happens to be a nurse so she can do most of it for me anyways. Refer to the Blood Work & Exams section for more details.

There are a few substances, even I wont run for long durations though. And most people I know have told me I'm nuts for doing the things I do and using the dosages I do, so if I figure I won't do it, and you are reading this to pick up some knowledge, you sure as hell shouldn't do it. I will run Anadrol at 150mg daily for 3 weeks at a time. If I go into the 4th week, my stomach area gets so jacked up I can hardly function (most likely due to liver toxicity). I won't run Tren Ace for any longer than 12 weeks and I won't run it any higher than 150mg per day as I still get the same results no matter how much higher I go. These may vary from person to person, but only by marginal amounts.

Any steroid forum or info site out there will have recommendations, and for the most part they are accurate, due to the fact they usually tend to have a more cautious approach. There is some leeway depending on the user and his experience. So don't feel nailed down to these guideline. They are guidelines, and nothing more.

Effectiveness

This is always an opinionated subject and varies from person to person. One way to think about it is to view the more damaging steroids and the steroids with more and worse sides, as the more powerful ones. The ones you will gain the most from. Another way to look at it is to assess how different compounds can act as catalysts for other ones and make them more effective. Some will just go by how well certain substances have worked for them and/or their friends in the past. One thing is for certain, everyone will agree that Testosterone is the grandaddy of them all. It may not be the most potent or have the most gains, but it's in damn near every cycle in one way or another. It's the staple of steroids. So much so that the anabolic/androgenic rating system is based off Test. I personally think Test, Drol, Deca and EQ are by far the best mass builders for me; and I feel adding Winni, Anavar, Tren or Halo are the best cutters for me if combined with Test. I have found that Dbol is junk for me, but others swear by it. Winni pills and Winni Depot work the same for me whereas other wont even touch the pills because they think they are a waste. A lot of people won't touch Var, but I love the stuff at the end of a cycle to tighten everything up.

People will always do what works. Refer back to my cycle that didn't work. There is no way in hell I will ever run low doses like that again. But other people make amazing gains off low dosed cycles like that.

So if you want to get on some steroid website and pick your gear according to their effectiveness chart, go ahead, but you are probably wasting your time.

Net Gains vs. Gross Gains

This will be short and sweet. Net gains are how much lean mass you gained after a cycle has ended and you are done with your PCT. Gross gains are how much weight you gained, during your cycle. That includes, water, fat and everything else. I usually tend to keep about 80% of the lean mass I gain after I'm done with PCT. I would be willing to venture and guess most other people are somewhere around there as well, permitting they have done a proper PCT.

Cutting vs. Bulking

I, personally, don't really see that much of a difference between cutting and bulking. I have cut up while on many bulking cycles and put on a lot of mass while on cutting cycles. I believe it's all in the diet and training regimen. I do think there is a distinction in some substances on how vascular or dense they make you look when you are at a lower body fat percentage, but not so much in the view that they make you lose weight or gain weight. One of the biggest problems I have seen is people's ability to not eat enough, which boils down to not having enough determination and discipline.

The most common bulking steroids out there will always be your Testosterones, Dbol, Anadrol, Deca and Equipoise. These have been staples of bulking cycles for as long as I can remember. I have also put massive amounts of size on with Trenbolone as well, which is what makes Tren, by far, my most favored steroid out there. Not only does it have the amazing ability to accelerate the reduction of fat, but it makes you as strong as an ox and lean as hell, all while piling on tons of size for me. I combine that with some Test and some Drol and maybe a little Eq, and I have my dream cycle. I couldn't as for anymore.

I also like to keep my BF around 10% when bulking. No more. I see all these guys talking about their bulking cycles and how they are around 15% or 16% BF and consider that to be fine and this and that. Lets think about it here for a second. If you are 220 lbs and 15% BF, that means you are carrying around 33 lbs of fat. I can assure you at that BF% you will look like shit. You will have no definition at all, and won't look much like you workout as you want everyone to know when they first see you otherwise you wouldn't be on steroids. Get down to 10% and now you have some definition and separation between muscle groups. Maybe a little bit of your abs will pop through if you flex them, and you will still have more than enough BF to help maintain a calorie balance and be able to put on a considerable amount of mass. And at 10% you are only sporting 22 lbs of fat as apposed to 33 lbs, which may not sound like a lot, but it is.

As for cutting cycles, I would be willing to venture and say the majority of people you will meet will be doing bulking as apposed to cutting. No one wants to cut if they don't have any mass to show once they have shed all their fat. I think cutting cycles are geared more towards those who either have been in the steroid game for some time or those who compete. Most people would rather be bigger than denser. But nothing looks more put together than someone who is both. The more dense you look, the more solid and stronger you will look. Combine that with a decent amount of size, and you are now a tank. I think everyone goes through a phase of just wanting to be huge. But when you get a few good bulking cycles under your belt, you want the vascular look. And not just because you are a lot bigger than in the past, but after seeing people who bulk all the time out on the lake with you, you know that even if you aren't as big if comparing measurements, you will blow them away in appearance if you are dense and solid. And the women will notice as well.

All of this is relative to most recreational users. There is a point you reach if doing this correctly and for long enough, when you have gone overboard. And then a decision needs to be made. Do you want to just be a big guy in great shape with a somewhat normal looking physique, or do you want to take it to the next level? If you want to go to the next level, you might as well compete. Because you will be making a commitment to dieting and working out and supplementing anyways, why not take it one step further and try your hand at bodybuilding and put yourself up against other guys who have the same mindset as you.

On a side note, one of my biggest pet peeves is people who say they are bodybuilders, but in fact just like to workout. There is a HUGE distinction between these two kinds of people. Bodybuilders have exercise down to a science. They aren't in it just to look big in public. They are in it to compete and be the best. Just because you go to the gym 3 or 4 or even every day of the week doesn't mean you are a bodybuilder. It means you work out a lot. In now way does that mean you have any clue about bodybuilding. And any bodybuilder out there will call your bluff because you will mention the term and anyone who is anyone will automatically assume you have an advanced knowledge of all things bodybuilding. Then when you start talking about those things and you don't have a clue, you will look like an idiot. You don't have to be big to be a bodybuilder, you just have to have competed and plan on competing again or be an active competitor. Not someone who competed 2 years ago. That would make you a former bodybuilder. Save yourself the embarrassment and know the difference.

Human Grade, Vet Grade & UGL's

Over the years I have tried both human grade chemicals and veterinary grade chemicals. I couldn't tell a difference, except in the pocket book. All the vet grade gear I ordered came from Mexico. It was either QV, Denkal or Pet's Pharma. It was quality stuff at a cheap price so I loved it. Then, about 2 years ago, there was a huge steroid bust that was conducted in Mexico where they shut down all the labs for selling to people all over the world. Because of this, the only vet grade gear that was left was what was in stock at the places you could buy from. Although some of them had quite a bit in stock, the majority ran out after about 6 months. Now, it's next to impossible to get vet grade chemicals. And if you can find them, they are about the same price, if not more, than human grade chemicals.

As for human grade chemicals, I love them. They are easy to get a hold of, for me anyways, they are usually cleaner, meaning they have been filtered more, and they can all be traced back to the labs where they were made in case you want to check whether they are fake or not. Although human grade brands are usually very expensive, I still like them because you know exactly what you are getting. The most common human grade brand names are Shering, Organon, and Britsh Dispensery. However, British Dispensery, has so many counterfeits out there, I wouldn't recommend using it even if you get the chance.

Lastly, there are underground labs, also known as UGL's. UGL's are good stuff. They are located all over the place, have very reasonable prices, and are very good at getting stuff through customs and to you in usually just a couple weeks. Some even carry HGH.

The hard part about finding a source is that once most people have a good one, they wont tell you. In part because the less people know of a source, they less chance there is of the source getting busted, and also because some of them can make a little money off of you every time you order. Either way, it's not easy to find solid sources so when you have one, keep it, and don't go around telling people about it when they ask.

The most difficult thing about obtaining steroids is that they are a Schedule III controlled substance in the U.S. So every time you order from out of the country, which is most of the time, everything has to go through customs. And once customs seizes a package sent to an address, it's hard as hell to get anything else through to that address again. I had a $4500 order from Mexico get seized in late 2007. I don't care who you are, a $4500 loss hits hard. In most cases you will just receive a letter saying that everything was seized and that they will be sending another letter at a later date with more details on everything and that you can contest the seizure if you want, but no one ever does as it's just asking to go to jail. The best thing to do if something you ordered gets seized is to forget about it. Most legit places will resend the order for free. So it's not worth the hassle of dealing with the federal government and getting in trouble.

It used to be very easy to obtain gear as there were tons of domestic UGL's. Then the BALCO bust happened and in 2007 they had another bust similar to the BALCO incident on the East coast and that was the one that really shut down the business for a while. It was the largest steroid bust in U.S. history. It was labelled Operation Raw Deal. It involved 9 countries other than the U.S. and involved 56 raids on UGL's within the states. If you want more info, do a search and read to your hearts content. Because of this bust, it was next to impossible to get gear for about a year or so. Everyone's sources had been shut down. Not to mention that sources from outside the states had been shut down as well. Even though most were from China and involved wholesalers, it still affected everyone.