Seeing the scale go down is a nice feeling when you’re “dieting” but if the weight you are losing is lean muscle it will only pose huge problems for you in the future! Muscle weighs twice as much as fat, so if you are dropping weight quite rapidly and not consuming enough protein in your daily diet you are losing valuable muscle! I have been saying this for years – do not just do cardio exercise, but lift weights too! Stimulating and “tearing” your muscle fibers down during resistance training is only part of the equation. You must ingest amino acids (which are in your proteins) to rebuild and recover from those intense workouts!

Lots of cardio exercise without proper protein intake will only result in one thing – weight loss. That weight loss will be some fat of course, some water weight as well but most importantly lean muscle loss. The goal is to lose as much body fat as possible while retaining lean tissue (muscle). I don’t care who you are, nobody wants to purposely lose muscle from their body. The more muscle you have, the more fat you lose. Having more muscle on your frame allows us to eat more food as well because it takes more energy to sustain that muscle.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the “yo-yo dieting” phenomenon? Losing a lot of weight (muscle included) and then finishing your diet only to start eating like you did before your diet will lead to a rebound of rapid weight gain! The difference is this time it will be ALL fat gain and lots more where that came from. Remember I said losing muscle will only pose huge problems in the future? Losing the muscle during your “weight loss” catches up to you because now you have less muscle to combat the fat you had. Fat cells merely shrink when you “lose” so when they begin to get bigger from eating more, you are not packing around the muscle mass you once had to burn more calories. This in turn will make you even fatter than before you started to lose your weight!

How can you stop this from happening? First thing is to change your thinking. Concentrate on losing “fat” NOT just “weight.” Muscle weight is the most important thing you can try and maintain while dropping down on the scale. Psychologically this will be harder because when you do look at the scale it may not go down much. This is why taking measurements is more important than a weigh scale.

Along with taking measurements and using your mirror image to chart your progress it is crucial to maintain a high protein diet everyday to hold on to muscle. Even if the majority of your exercise is of the cardio type, you must remember to not let your body go too long without protein. You want to stay in what is called an “Anabolic state.” (muscle building/muscle sparing). This will enhance your chances of success. Allowing your body to go into a “Catabolic state” (muscle wasting) is a huge mistake that many make.

This is a rather easy thing to avoid. Simply make sure you are ingesting a protein source every 3-4 hours max throughout the day – everyday. Do not forget about the night time either!  You want to remain in that same anabolic state while you sleep as that is when you recover and/or grow. Drinking a slow release protein containing Casein before bed helps this state to be in effect for up to 8 hours. High protein and very low to no carbohydrates is the key. Breakfast needs a high protein source a well. The word Breakfast means to “break the fast” which makes sense, but what I am saying is DO NOT fast over night!

Any questions regarding this or anything else fitness related please email Darren at askgymjunky@gmail.com Good luck with your training!

About my writing: My writing style is my own and to let my reader’s know ahead of time – I say it like it is! My intention is not to offend, but inform. I welcome any questions or even comments YOU the reader has. If for some reason, I do not know the answer, I will find it for you! Please email your questions to:

askgymjunky@gmail.com

I look forward to working with MuscleSport Online Magazine as it is the best online magazine! – Darren Sorensen

My personalized training programs are: $45 US. Personalized eating plans are: $250 US (for 3 months support, included).

Depot Testosterone is the first long-acting testosterone to be introduced to the market. It’s primary objective is the treatment of male hypogonadism. This is a condition where there is a reduced or absent secretion of testosterone from the testes. Decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction, muscle loss and weakness and depression are all associated with hypogonadism. There is also an increased risk of developing osteoporosis.

Depot Testosterone is currently available under the brand name NEBIDO. It is designed to be injected every three months. Nebido contains Testosterone Undecanoate as its active ingredient. You may be familiar with this compound as it is also used in the oral steroid Andriol.

Nebido is injected slowly into the gluteal muscle, where it forms a reservoir of the drug. The compound then gradually releases from the injection site and is cleaved by serum esterases into testosterone and undecanoic acid.
On administration of Nebido serum concentrations of testosterone rapidly increase with notable elevations observed the very next day after injection.

This form of testosterone is also well-tolerated, local irritation being moderate and lasting for no more than three days. Another bonus with this form of testosterone is the fact that – unlike short acting esters- fluctuations in androgen levels are unlikely to be a problem. Hemoglobin and Hematocrit levels – although elevated – remain within the normal range and bone density shows a marked improvement.

THE BENEFITS

So, now you know the (condensed) science behind the product, what are its possible applications in the bodybuilding world?

Well, for a start there is the benefit of less frequent injections. There is also the convenience of steady serum testosterone levels. Depot testosterone (Nebido) also appears to have less influence on blood pressure and a lower tendency towards estrogen conversion. It also seems to have a favorable influence on cholesterol levels with studies reporting a slight decline in total cholesterol in patients who were given this substance.

DOSAGES

In medical trials, hypogonadal men were given an initial injection of 750mg Nebido, followed 4 weeks later by an additional 750mg ‘loading’ injection and then 750mg every 10 weeks thereafter. For bodybuilding purposes, there have been reports of competitors injecting anything from 1000 – 3000mg. This would lead to a sustained level of testosterone in the body lasting 10-12 weeks. On top of the testosterone they may add anabolic agents like Deca Durabolin, Equipoise or Trenbolone Acetate.

Nebido is distributed in multi-use vials, each containing 1000mg testosterone Undecanoate in a 4-ml solution for injection (250mg testosterone Undecanoate/ml).

N.B. Nebido is still relatively hard to find in comparison to the other testosterone esters. However, it is currently available from Maxi Medicine and you can find it at www.maximedicine.com

Leigh Penman, in addition to be a staff writer at MuscleSport Mag, has been writing for bodybuilding magazines, websites and nutritional supplement companies since 1985. Whilst residing in the UK, she earned the reputation of being one of the top female writers in bodybuilding-related media. Her credits included being a contributing editor on all the magazines in production as well as filling the shoes of Ladies Editor and Showbiz Editor on two publications (the later being on Arnold’s sanctioned magazine, ‘Bodypower’). During this time she also competed successfully on four occasions (placing in the top four in all contests).

Relocating to New York in the late 1990s she focused her writing attention to crystal healing techniques and metaphysics – however, she still maintained a five day workout schedule during this time and gained her personal training certificate.

Having also studied pharmacology in relation to sports performance, her writing began taking her in that direction until the present day which sees her embarking on a return to the magazine world, as well as extending her web-related work in the bodybuilding and fitness field.

Leigh has been working out for close to thirty years so she is clearly a writer who ‘walks her talk.’
She can be contacted personally at zeal2heal@yahoo.com.

TIRATRICOL (T3)
Manufacturer: Genesis Meds

Although not technically an ‘anabolic steroid’, Tiratricol (T3) is one of the many forms of thyroid medication used by bodybuilders during the pre-contest phase of their training regime.
A naturally occurring metabolite of the endogenous (produced inside the body) hormone triodothyronine (T3), when used properly this drug has very significant fat burning properties. It is also one of the most effective and safe fat burning drugs available.

Tiratricol has proven to be exceptional for burning off excess body fat without the need to turn to extreme dieting methods – which can lead to long-term metabolic harm.

T3 IN THE BODY

In order to utilize any thyroid medication to its fullest potential we need to first understand the way natural T3 functions in the body.

Thyroid hormones are the metabolic regulators in the body. When the level of T3 is high the metabolism is speeded up. This allows calories to be burned faster and the uptake of nutrients by the body to be increased. Supplemental T3 increases your body’s energy demands and allows you to burn fat at a greatly accelerated rate. However, it should also be noted that when it comes to obtaining fuel for this increase in metabolism your body might begin to turn to muscle tissue for fuel. With this in mind, it is usually recommended that when taking thyroid medication it is best to include an anti-catabolic substance to prevent muscle loss. For competitive bodybuilders this would mean that T3 use be accompanied by the use of non-aromatizing steroids such as stanozolol (Winstrol), Trenbolone and Primobolan. Using T3 along with Clenbuterol is also a popular pre-contest stack since Clenbuterol is reputed to have a muscle sparing effect.

Another popular way of effectively using T3 supplementation is to alternate its use with Clenbuterol. This usually takes the form of a cycle involving three weeks of Clen alternated with three weeks of T3. This form of cycle takes into account the fact that Clen often loses most of its benefits after a short period of time and alternating with T3 will maintain the fat burning process at a steady rate.

WHY TIRATRICOL?

With so many synthetic thyroid preparations on the market you may be asking, “Why choose Tiratricol?”

The answer is that Tiratricol is by far the safest thyroid medication currently available. A relatively mild product, Tiratricol reaches maximum effectiveness at a daily dosage of about 1mg per 50lbs of bodyweight. It exhibits a half- life of approximately 6 hours; therefore daily dosage is best divided evenly throughout the day in order to maintain steady blood levels. In addition to this it is extremely important to point out that administration of Tiratricol will not lead to an uncontrollable increase in metabolic rate like other thyroid hormones. It will only create an increase reflecting the upper range considered normal and acceptable throughout administration. This increase is not only significant but also highly effective without creating the discomfort sometimes experienced when one uses other thyroid medications.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

As is the case with any administration of exogenous (outside the body) thyroid hormone, it is strongly advised not to quit T3 use cold turkey. Daily intake should be reduced gradually in order to allow the body to resume natural hormone production as smoothly and swiftly as possible.

Although recommendations on the length of time you can safely remain on thyroid hormone vary widely (I have seen some reports of ‘safe use’ being 9-10 months a year!). It is usually considered safe to use for 15-20 weeks as long as low doses are utilized. However, an even safer option would be to keep use to 4-6 weeks in order to avoid any negative effects on natural thyroid function.

N.B. Tiratricol is manufactured by Genesis Meds and is currently available on special offer from Maxi Medicine (www.maximedicine.com)

Leigh Penman, in addition to be a staff writer at MuscleSport Mag, has been writing for bodybuilding magazines, websites and nutritional supplement companies since 1985. Whilst residing in the UK, she earned the reputation of being one of the top female writers in bodybuilding-related media. Her credits included being a contributing editor on all the magazines in production as well as filling the shoes of Ladies Editor and Showbiz Editor on two publications (the later being on Arnold’s sanctioned magazine, ‘Bodypower’). During this time she also competed successfully on four occasions (placing in the top four in all contests).

Leigh has been working out for close to thirty years so she is clearly a writer who ‘walks her talk.’
She can be contacted personally at zeal2heal@yahoo.com or you can also check her out at New York’s favorite metaphysical store www.stickstoneandbone.com.