I've heard that HGH suppresses your body's natural T3 production. I have also heard that low doses of Cytomel can increase protein synthesis in the body. Two questions. If HGH suppresses T3 production, how does it act as such a great fat burner? Would you recommend supplementing low doses of T3 in the off-season to counteract the effects of the HGH?

            First off, growth hormone (GH) does not suppress thyroid hormone (thyroxin) release. More likely, it inhibits the conversion of thyroxin (also known as T4) into its active metabolite, T3. Since T3 is the hormone responsible for regulating metabolic rate, a decrease in T3 conversion will, theoretically, lead to a slowing down of bodily functions (protein synthesis, fat mobilization and carbohydrate utilization).

            GH exerts its fat-burning effect by directly mobilizing long chain fatty acids from the fat cells and thus, does not require another hormone such as T3 to accomplish this. Growth hormone's fat mobilizing ability is much stronger than its T3-suppressing side effect; therefore, when an individual injects GH, the cumulative effect is to lose body fat.

            Cytomel, a synthetic form of T3, can aid in increasing the rate of fat burning during a very intense contest diet. A dose of 25-75 micrograms per day will usually increase the fat-burning effect of GH by about five to seven percent. Ingestion of low-dose Cytomel on a regular basis to increase protein synthesis, however, will generally result in loss of muscle and thyroid suppression. Cytomel should only be utilized for short periods of time- usually six to eight weeks prior to a contest.

I've heard you can get gynecomastia from trenbolone. Is it true that you need to use bromocryptine to treat trenbolone-induced gynecomastia instead of Arimidex? Isn't all gynecomastia the same? If I'm taking both testosterone and trenbolone and I get gynecomastia, should I take both Arimidex and bromocryptine?

            Most gynecomastia (increased development of mammary gland tissue in men) is caused by the aromatization of testosterone and some of its synthetic derivatives (such as Anadrol, Dianabol and Equipoise) into estrogen.  Once estrogen levels are allowed to rise beyond a certain point, glandular tissue under the nipples hypertrophies and leads to an embarrassing condition known as gynecomastia or "bitch tits."

            Drugs like Arimidex, Aromasin and Teslac are aromatase inhibitors- they block the conversion of testosterone into estrogen. Usually, these drugs are sufficient to prevent any occurrences of gynecomastia; however, on occasion, 19-nortestosterone-based anabolic steroids can lead to progesterone-induced gynecomastia. Drugs like Deca Durabolin or trenbolone acetate, from a biochemical standpoint, cannot aromatize into estrogen; however, they can result in elevated progesterone levels. Extremely high progesterone levels, in certain sensitive individuals, can result in nipple sensitivity and gynecomastia flare-ups. 

Some experts in the industry have suggested that by taking the drug, bromocryptine, progesterone levels can be kept in check and progesterone-induced gynecomastia can be avoided. I have yet to see any convincing evidence that proves this to be the case. Instead, in my opinion, a wiser course of action would be to minimize the use of compounds such as Deca and trenbolone (especially when taken together), if you happen to be sensitive to elevated progesterone levels.

I've heard HGH can cause severe water retention in some people and none in others. What makes some people more susceptible to water retention? Is there any way to combat it? I know a lot of competitors who use GH while dieting; however, isn't water retention bad news when you get closer to a contest? Would you cut it out? How long does it take for the water retention to subside?

            One of the common side effects of taking exogenous GH injections is edema- subcutaneous water retention. This phenomenon is dose-dependent and is most commonly observed in users who are injecting over four international units (IU) of GH per day. When dosages are kept in the recommended range of two to four IU per day, very little edema is noticed.  However, as dosages exceed five IU per day, fluid retention becomes rather significant.

            My advice to pre-contest GH users is to keep the dosage under four IU per day for the two weeks prior to a contest. This will keep water retention to a minimum and enable the user to get rid of any extra fluid with a mild diuretic.  For users who experience severe bloating from even two IU per day, I recommend stopping GH usage altogether two weeks out and then resuming it two days prior to the contest to help fill out the muscles.

            One final note: I've been talking to several competitive bodybuilders and I realized that most competitors have no clue as to how to rid the body of excess water. The first person I spoke to told me he was stopping his fluid intake on the Tuesday prior to a Saturday morning prejudging. The second misguided individual actually posted on a message board that he was cutting his fluids two weeks prior to his contest to ensure that he comes into the contest in a dryer state. 

Since the human body cannot live without fluids for more than 48 hours, and in reality, it only takes 12-18 hours to properly deplete the body of any excess subcutaneous water, diuretic usage for any longer than two days and water restriction for any longer than 24 hours will, ultimately, lead to disaster! 

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It's during this month that Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours from 5 a.m. (sunrise) to 5 p.m. (sunset). Dave, there are a lot of Muslim bodybuilders out there. Will you devise an eating strategy so we can maintain our hard-earned muscle during this holy month?

            The way I see it, the only times you are able to consume food is from 5 p.m. in the evening until 5 a.m. in the morning. During that 12-hour time period, it's absolutely necessary for you to eat at least six quality meals. Likewise, I would suggest weight training only after consuming at least one solid food meal.

            My strategy would be to start with a protein shake as soon as the sun sets at 5 p.m. Follow that up with a high-protein food meal at 6 p.m. Hit the gym for your weight-training session at 7 p.m. and make sure you get home to eat your third sold food meal by 8:30 p.m. At 10:30 p.m., for meal number four, I would suggest another high-protein shake and prior to bed at 12:30 a.m., I would eat meal number five- another solid food meal (possibly six whole eggs with a half cup of oatmeal). Finally, for meal number six, I would set my alarm for 4:30 a.m. and I would awaken and have another high-quality protein shake (at least 50 grams) and then go back to bed until it is absolutely necessary to awaken. (The longer you sleep, the easier it will be to make it to 5 p.m. without eating).

            If you can follow this meal plan for the entire month of Ramadan, you should have no problem maintaining all your muscle mass. Interestingly, you might even find that you gain muscle during this month due to the shock of the unorthodox eating plan!