Players’ Union and Commissioner’s Office Reach Agreement

Now that the obvious has been admitted, will it mean that baseball’s home run king will return to the game? It was blatant that collusion took place last summer as offenses struggled and Barry Bonds was sitting home. No team had the guts to sign him or go against their brethren by doing so, even if the addition of his lefthanded power would have made a difference for a postseason berth.

If his case is proven, will that open the door for someone to give Bonds a look next spring? It will be difficult to admit a conscious group effort to keep a person out of the game and then have it happen again.

Recently, the Baseball Players’ Union has proven through evidence that teams acted in concert to leave Bonds without a job. They then reached an agreement with the commissioner’s office in delaying the filing of an official grievance, no specific date being set. One has to surmise that nothing will be done until after the World Series is completed. Continue Reading »

By Leigh Penman

Just as the ups and, mainly, downs of Wall Street seem to be forever in the news so does the use of anabolic steroids in various sports. This week saw the spotlight turning once again on the world of horse racing. On Tuesday (October 14) the New York Racing and Wagering Board let it be known that it is implementing new rules as regards the administration of anabolic steroids in the world of horse racing.

This is a follow up to the earlier revelation that the recently retired racehorse, Big Brown, was juiced on Winstrol whilst competing in the Kentucky Derby. Even though this was in fact entirely legal in terms of horseracing protocol, board chairman John D. Sabini stated in an article in the ‘Daily News’ that by imposing limits on four steroids currently used in horse racing New York would be leading the pack when it came to preserving integrity within the sport. He also made it clear that the intended message to owners and trainers was, “If you flaunt our steroid rules, you will be held accountable.” Continue Reading »

Former Slugger and Current Author Practices What He Preaches

Although he hasn’t played a major league baseball game since 2001, Jose Canseco is still taking care of his body, at least in the way he has spoken about in his two ‘tell-all’ books. Perhaps even the once-rich and famous are having issues obtaining performance-enhancing drugs in this day and age of mass hysteria.

Attempting to smuggle in a supply of human chorionic gonadotrophin, commonly known as HCG, through the Mexico/San Diego border, Canseco was held by immigration authorities for 10 hours after the substance was found in his vehicle.

Although a fertility drug, HCG is used in combination with anabolic steroids, either during or after a cycle to return testosterone production and size in the testes. So, in reality, Canseco had his balls busted as a result of trying to limit the shrinkage.

It appears that the 44 year-old is still using performance-enhancing drugs and would have no other reason to take a trip to Mexico and bring back HCG. A commonly-used post-cycle therapy substance, it is popular amongst bodybuilders and used either separately or in conjunction with Clomid or Nolvadex.

Perhaps Canseco wanted to take the bull by the horns, or so to speak, and get his hands on his own stuff. Paying the middle man can jack the price up, but the alternative is what happened to him.

By Leigh Penman

The recent announcement by Lance Armstrong that he will be returning to professional cycling has once again opened the door to speculation that he cheated his way to seven Tour De France victories. Having previously sued journalists for publishing circumstantial evidence regarding his use of performance enhancing substances, Armstrong has now surrendered himself to an aggressive new screening program under the direction of renowned anti-doping scientist Don Catlin.

However, Catlin (who assisted in exposing the BALCO doping ring in 2003) admits that the tests offer no guarantees in terms of tracking an athletes drug use and, of course, will do little to remove the suspicion of Armstrong’s past use of performance enhancing substances. The tests themselves will be as accurate as technologically possible though and Catlin feels they will be very hard to beat and any athlete trying to do so will be very foolish indeed. The results of Armstrong’s blood and urine tests will be posted on line and the urine will be frozen and stored for future re-testing. Continue Reading »

‘EPO on Steroids’ Hung on Third Tour de France Participant

A super version of the blood booster EPO has become the latest rage in the cycling world, with a third person that participated in July’s Tour de France testing positive for the banned substance CERA. The latest is Italy’s Leonardo Piepoli, who had two positive tests.

Stefan Schumacher (Germany) and Riccardo Ricco (Italy) were previously suspended for using the new and stronger version of EPO, which has a longer lasting effect without repeated dosing.

Having to only use the drug on a monthly basis, CERA has a much larger window than EPO, which needs to be injected days and sometimes hours before the activity that is to be enhanced.

Low Results on Sustanon-250 Cycle Raises Questions to Steroid User

This is Part Two in a series of Q & A interviews by the staff of MuscleSport Mag with an anonymous anabolic steroid user. M.T., a 37 year-old male, recently completed a 10-week cycle of Sustanon-250 and decided to sit down with us and share his results. This is by no means a recommendation to use performance-enhancing drugs, merely for informational purposes.

MSM: So, you followed up the 12-week Deca cycle with 10 weeks of Sustanon-250. How much did you inject weekly?

MT: I was using 1-cc (250 mgs) twice a week, on Monday and Thursday. I know that a lot of guys recommend doing it every other day, but I could only get my hands on a 20-cc bottle and it would have ran out too quick then.

MSM: What did you start out with bodyweight wise?

MT: I was just over 205 and the weight fluctuated throughout the cycle. I was up to 210 at one point and finished right around there. The disappointing part for me was that I had a good four or five weeks left when I hit that number and couldn’t push past it.

MSM: How was the diet?

MT: The diet was excellent. I can’t hang any blame on the type of food I was eating or the amount of meals and calories. I ate tons of protein and spread the meals out well. I trained like an animal five days a week. I feel that I got enough sleep. So that is why I have doubts of the quality of the stuff I was using.

MSM: Wasn’t this from the same source that you had good results with the Deca?

MT: That’s the thing. Yes, it was the same guy. The stuff was from the same lab and looked legit. No crappy labels and bad ink on the expiration date. Not your normal signs of bunk gear. Continue Reading »

By Leigh Penman

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag giving information on a variety of performance-enhancing drugs for educational purposes. While it is apparent that people are going to use these substances regardless of the health and legal risks involved, quality information is necessary and learning as much about them as possible can only assist an adult making a decision either way.

(Testosterone blend: 30mg Testosterone Propionate, 60mg Testosterone Phenylpropionate, 60mg Testosterone Isocaproate, 100mg Testosterone Decanoate)

Sustanon 250 is an oil based injectable testosterone blend. Its popularity lies in the fact that it presents the user with a blend of four different testosterone esters: Propionate, Phenylpropionate, Isocaproate and Decanoate. This allows for a fast yet sustained release of testosterone which stays active in the system for around three weeks.

The Propionate and Phenylpropionate esters are the first to be released in the system and take effect within the first four days, whilst the Isocaproate and Decanoate remain active for two to three weeks respectively. This supplies the user with the obvious advantage of more sustained testosterone levels throughout its active life – unlike the shorter activity of other testosterone products. However, despite this fact, some athletes choose to inject Sustenon at a dose of 250mg every seven to ten days. As with all drugs, higher doses have been reported with some using 750-1000mg/week but this is not advisable since side effects are likely to increase hand in hand with dosage. Continue Reading »

By Leigh Penman

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag giving information on a variety of performance-enhancing drugs for educational purposes. While it is apparent that people are going to use these substances regardless of the health and legal risks involved, quality information is necessary and learning as much about them as possible can only assist an adult making a decision either way.

Primobolan Depot is the injectable version of the steroid methenolone and, although it produces a weaker effect than Deca-Durabolin it is a very good basic steroid whose effects are predominantly anabolic. The fact that an enanthate ester is added to this steroid enables a slow and gradual release from the injection site. This addition allows for a longer half-life of approx 14 days (similar to Testosterone Enanthate) although most athletes prefer to administer it on a weekly basis.

Primobolan’s popularity stems from the fact that it is the only steroid that seems to work well on a low calorie diet (making it a pre-contest drug of choice) and side effects are rarely a problem since it is relatively non toxic, low in androgens and it does not convert to estrogen (aromatize) therefore estrogen related side effects are not an issue. In addition to this it seems to have a positive effect on the immune system (thus its popular use in Aids patients) and the fact that it adds primarily lean mass leads to a strengthening of the whole body system. When you consider these facts it is hard to believe that Primobolan Depot is not legally approved by the FDA in the United States…but that’s politics for you! Continue Reading »

By Leigh Penman

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag giving information on a variety of performance-enhancing drugs for educational purposes. While it is apparent that people are going to use these substances regardless of the health and legal risks involved, quality information is necessary and learning as much about them as possible can only assist an adult making a decision either way.

Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate) is probably the most popular ancillary drug for male steroid users who wish to avoid the estrogen like effects caused by the use of anabolic steroids (e.g. gynecomastia). Nolvadex binds to estrogen receptors thus blocking the hormones action on target tissues and achieving an anti-estrogenic effect.

Also worth noting is the fact that Nolvadex is an estrogen agonist in the liver and is capable of mimicking estrogen in this organ. At first glance you may wonder why this could be considered a good thing, however, when you realize that estrogen positively effects HDL (good) cholesterol values in the liver its value in this instance becomes obvious. As you know, steroid use tends to suppress HDL levels and raise LDL levels significantly leading to increased cholesterol levels and cardiac risk. Adding Nolvadex may therefore form a protective function in this case, although it certainly does not save the liver from all the other hazards involved with the use of c-17 alpha alkylated orals. Continue Reading »

The Ramblin’ Freak Speaks his Mind About Steroids in Sports

The following article will appear in the October 2008 issue of New York Sportscene magazine. (www.nysportscene.com)

At Arm’s Length

Gregg Valentino Flexes his Opinion About Steroids

The old saying “Don’t throw stones in a glass house,” doesn’t apply to Gregg Valentino. When he talks about anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, people listen. It’s sort of like that old Payne Webber television commercial. You see, Valentino has no problem admitting to steroid use that would probably eclipse every baseball clubhouse in the late 1990s.

“I was up to 4,000 milligrams of testosterone a week, and that’s not even counting the equipoise,” he said, not bragging but just being truthful. When you inject such high quantities of juice in your body, it should come as no surprise that Valentino laid claim to having the largest biceps in the world. At one point during the height of his usage, his arms were an astronomical 28 inches. Continue Reading »