Written by Ron Harris
01 December 2018

16NN160 DRUGS

"My Drug Stack" - Top Competitor Reveals All

 

 

A few years ago, Muscular Development published a two-part interview in the print edition with living legends of the sport Dorian Yates, Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone, titled “The Real Dope on Bodybuilding.” The interview was all about drugs in the sport and even about their own past use. Reception was mixed. Some were certain the retired champs were lying, and claiming to have used far less than their actual stacks. Others didn’t go as far as to make such accusations, but they did feel that the drug scene at the highest levels of bodybuilding has changed dramatically since their heyday 20 years ago. That got me thinking that maybe I needed to track down a current competitor who is more in touch with the pharma game of 2015. Who is he? The only way I was able to convince him to speak candidly was if I agreed to preserve his anonymity. All I will say is that he is a high-level amateur, a very large man and he has won his class at least once at a national show. “Bodybuilder X” was willing to answer all the questions I had for him.

 

RH: I know you are close with a few other top national men and even a few pros. Would you say that you use more or less on average than they do? Or do you guys share that info with each other?

 BX: I’d say I probably use less than most top national-level guys that I know. The scene has changed quite a bit since the early 2000s. It’s a lot more extreme as far as what people are willing to take. I think the introduction of anti-estrogens like Arimidex has played a role in how much test guys will use, especially in the off-season. In the past, it was rare to see anyone using more than a gram of test per week. The risk of developing gyno was just too high. We had things like Nolvadex, Proviron and Teslac around, but they weren’t nearly as effective as Arimidex. So now you will see guys using two or even three grams of test every week plus other things. From the pros that I know and speak to, I would say that as a whole, they actually use less than most national-level guys. I know plenty of guys who only compete at the regional level who use more stuff than the pros I know. The reason the pros don’t use crazy amounts is because they don’t have to. They are genetically gifted, and usually they are also being coached. The better coaches out there don’t have their clients using any more than is needed to produce the desired results.

 

RH: Was it a hard decision for you to start using in the first place? What made you realize you had to if you wanted to achieve your goals in the sport?

 BX: It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. Not only did I have concerns about my health, but the legal ramifications worried me too. I’m a straight-edge guy and I don’t do anything illegal. I will drink on occasion, but I have never used recreational drugs and never wanted to. I’ve seen people around me get arrested and have all kinds of trouble. I’ve also seen plenty of guys who burn out from using drugs. Either they quit bodybuilding for whatever reason, or they are so dependent on them that they can’t even train at all unless they’re on a cycle. I love training hard and heavy, and it actually disgusts me to think that I would be like that. But in the end, I knew I had taken my physique as far as I could naturally. I had already been training well over 10 years and had gotten pretty big and very strong. For me to add the size I wanted to, I knew gear was the only way.

 

RH: What steps do you take to minimize the risk of health problems, now and down the road?

 BX: Like I said before, I take a lot of time off to let my system recover between cycles. I get blood work done twice a year, usually after I have been off for at least two months and again immediately after a long cycle. I also get an EKG once a year to make sure my heart is functioning properly.

 

RH: Can you run down first for me a typical off-season cycle?

 BX: It’s very simple. I will run 800-1,000 milligrams of test per week, along with 600 milligrams of Deca or EQ. If you can’t grow from that, you’re not doing everything else right. If your training and nutrition are on point, that should be plenty of gear to make gains on.

 

RH: What was your most recent contest cycle?

 BX: Here are the three phases:

 

Weeks 20-12

 800-1,000 mg Test (Sustanon or Cypionate)

 600 mg Deca or EQ

 

Weeks 12-4

 600 mg Test

 400 mg Trenbolone Acetate

 400 mg Masteron

 50 mg/day Winstrol (tablet)

 Clenbuterol cycle – 2 days on, 1 day off, 100 mcg daily

 T-3 – 50-75 mcg daily

 GH – 6 iu’s daily, all in one dose

 

Weeks 4-1

 400 mg Test

 500 mg Trenbolone Acetate

 500 mg Masteron

 50 mg/day Winstrol (tablet)

 30 mg/day Halotestin

 Clenbuterol cycle – 2 days on, 1 day off, 100 mcg daily

 T-3 – 50-75 mcg daily

 GH – 6 iu’s daily, all in one dose

 

As I said, I know I am on the moderate end of the spectrum. There are plenty of guys out there who use more. Are they really seeing better results? I tend to think not.

 

 RH: You’re not as old as me, but we have both seen this recent phenomenon of young kids getting into the sport who think “it’s all drugs.” Obviously drugs are part of it, but what would you say to these kids if you had the chance to sit down and explain what you’ve learned on the subject?

 BX: I try to steer kids away from drugs until they are older and have built a good natural base first. You should at least know how to train properly and hard enough, and have a good sense of how your body responds to different foods and so on, before you go and add drugs into the equation. Because of the way I look and because a lot of people in my area know I have done well at the national level many times now, young kids do come up to me all the time. I won’t even answer questions about gear unless they are 21. Why? Kids are stupid. I know because I was one. They will do crazy things like use way too much or get caught. I have coached a good amount of competitors, and I have turned down many kids. One was a genetic freak whose dad was onboard with him hopping on gear and everything. But he was 18 years old. I want no part of that.

 

RH: Tied into that mentality is the belief that genetics don’t matter, and that they can be overcome if only one is willing to use very large amounts of drugs. We’ve both seen our share of genetic freaks as well as genetic fails, so again, how would you respond to that assertion?

BX: There are two types of genetics. First you have the structural genetics. That’s your bone structure, your muscle shape and attachments, all that. Then you have the genetics for how well you respond to gear. The top national guys and all the pros have both of those types of genetics. Most of the people I have known who used excessive amounts of drugs were guys who lacked one or both of those types of genetics and were trying to make up for it. I have never seen one of them make it to the highest levels of even the amateur level. Most of them will be lucky to win a regional show or two. After that, they get destroyed at the national level by the guys with superior genetics. All the drugs in the world won’t give you better shape and structure.

 

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