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 Cypionate is a testosterone which has undergone 17 beta-estrification. Due to the length of its ester (8 carbons) it is stored mostly in adipose (fat) tissue upon intra-muscular injection from where it is released at a slow and steady rate. It peaks at 24-48 hours and then exhibits a slow and steady release over the course of 12 days. Although the compound stays in your system for up to three weeks, most athletes choose to inject it on a weekly basis.

Testosterone itself is a highly anabolic and androgenic hormone (rating 100 on each index). Its primary mode of action is to increase nitrogen retention in the muscle. It is also known to increase levels of growth factor IGF-1 in both muscle tissue and in the liver.
In addition to this, testosterone increases the activity of ’satellite cells’. These are cells which surround the muscle tissue and play an active role in repairing damaged muscle tissue and contribute to the growth of new muscle. 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 Enanthate is an oil based injectable steroid, which is designed to slowly release testosterone from the injection site. This slow release delivery leads to an elevation in testosterone levels lasting for approximately two weeks (it may even take as long as three weeks for the drug levels to fully diminish). Due to its relatively long activity level, Testosterone Enanthate is favored by the medical profession and is primarily used to treat cases of hypogonadism and similar disorders where low androgen levels are at fault.
As with all testosterone products it has strong anabolic and androgenic activity. Gains in strength and muscle mass are notable, along with an increase in libido. It has also been noted that a relief in tendon pain and an increase in stamina are direct effects of testosterone administration. This is probably due to increased water retention coupled with an increase in red blood cells – leading to a greater oxygen uptake in the blood. 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.

Parabolan is a strong androgenic steroid which has no estrogenic activity at all and is reputed to be five times stronger than testosterone in terms of anabolic and androgenic activity. Also in its favor is its ability to bind fairly well to the androgen receptors which promotes the growth of muscle cells and the subsequent burning of fat cells. In addition, Parabolan also binds to the glucocorticoid receptors which leads to a reduction in catabolism. As if this weren’t enough, it is also considered to be a ‘nutrient partitioning agent’ which, put simply, means that it has the ability to convert more food into muscle and less into fat. This can lead to a visible increase in muscle hardness over the entire body in the course of several weeks. This makes it an excellent pre-contest steroid since it speeds up the metabolism and accelerates the fat burning process.

Another interesting observation about Parabolan is that bodybuilders who have used steroids for some time and who have reached a road block in their development suddenly make new progress whilst using this substance. 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.

Psychoneuro-Immunology is the term given to explain the minds capacity to overcome disease by directly influencing the immune system. If you imagine your body as a hospital, then your immune system is a resident doctor, assisted by a team of nurses, pharmacists and security guards who patrol each and every corner of the body day and night, preventing any unwelcome visitors (e.g. viruses) from gaining access to its inner sanctum.

The brain, the immune system and our hormones are known to communicate with each other, and every cell can receive brain and hormonal messages. This interchange of information is the explanation for the fact that certain thoughts or sad experiences can reduce the number of lymphocytes (immune cells), in the same way that positive thoughts and happy experiences can increase immunological activity. If the immune system is unhappy it ceases to function properly and, in the case of cancer, it eventually becomes paralyzed and completely unable to destroy foreign cells. The high rate of illness amongst those who have lost a spouse, whether through death, separation or divorce, demonstrates that feelings of abandonment and depression directly affect the immune system. This negative effect can continue for up to a year after the event. Fear is also destructive for the recuperative system, as is anger. However, once we realize that we are responsible for our own lives and can influence every part of our bodies with our minds, the sense of inner strength we gain can replace those negative emotions with enthusiasm, excitement, positive thoughts and happiness. Continue Reading »

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 »

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.

In recent years, the use of growth hormone has become increasingly popular both inside the athletic community and outside (where it is frequently referred to as a ‘quality of life’ drug). Produced in the human body by the pituitary gland, normal levels are at their highest during adolescence when it promotes tissue growth, protein synthesis and the breakdown of subcutaneous fat stores. Given these physiological functions, its ‘growing’ popularity becomes less of a mystery!

Add to this the fact that it is not liver toxic, does not produce water retention, is ‘skin friendly’ (i.e. does not cause acne), does not aromatize (convert to estrogen) and is highly anabolic with no androgenic side effects, and you have a pretty impressive therapeutic/performance enhancing package. Indeed, it has been hailed as the best drug for muscle gains and probably the only drug that can compensate for bad genetics. Continue Reading »