I was told by a top national level bodybuilder that the only way to truly put on pro bodybuilder-quality size is by taking 5,000 milligrams of testosterone a week. I tried injecting that quantity for three consecutive weeks, and I developed extreme pain at every injection site, I had flu-like symptoms 24 hours a day, and I found myself profusely sweating 24 hours a day. Is that what I must endure to be huge? First off, if you are in constant pain, feel like you have the flu, and you can’t stop sweating, how do you suppose you’re going to train and eat enough to get huge? With that said, it becomes pretty obvious that the 5,000-milligram per week system is not all it’s cracked up to be. Whenever any anabolic steroid is consumed, there’s only a minimal amount of the compound that can be utilized by the body. All the unused, extra substance will have to be detoxified by the liver and kidneys and ultimately, eliminated from the body. Whenever an individual chooses to start injecting astronomically high amounts of any hormone into the body, there will be repercussions. Specifically, in this case, extremely high amounts of estrogen production (from all the aromatizing testosterone) will result in tremendous edema (water retention). And in all probability, it’s this fact that is causing your profuse sweating. Secondly, whenever you overload your body with a highly androgenic hormone like testosterone, you risk over-stimulating your immune system and getting a condition known as serum sickness which has, as one of its side effects, flu-like symptoms (nausea, elevated body temperatures and achy joints).Try tapering your dosages of testosterone back to a safe 1,000-1,200 milligrams per week and I know you will see most of your side effects subside. And you will once again be able to start packing on some new, lean muscle tissue.
Could you give a hypothetical demonstration of the last seven days (pre-contest) describing things such as sodium and water depletion and carbohydrate loading? I've read in the past that you have a unique approach. With your educational background, I'd find your opinion enlightening. Do you recommend cessation of GH in the last two weeks prior to competition to prevent abdominal distention and bloating?
My approach to the last seven days, pre-contest, is only unique in that I do not believe in making drastic changes like many other contest-prep guys do. My philosophy is “If it’s not broken, why try to fix it?” In other words, if the competitor looks good seven days out, why start making all kinds of drastic changes in his diet, electrolytes and water balance? Truthfully, for a Saturday morning contest, I usually keep a person’s dietary intake exactly the same until the Friday night before the contest. At that time, I will determine whether or not the individual requires any increase in carbohydrate consumption (I do not automatically add in carbohydrates). Next, I will have the individual stop drinking at 12 midnight. (That’s the night before the contest. Up until that point, I will have him consume exactly the same quantities he would normally be drinking during the diet. Coinciding with the stoppage of fluid intake, I will have the individual take half of a 25-milligram Dyazide (diuretic) at about 11p.m. Friday night. I will have him follow that up with another half 25-milligram Dyazide on Saturday morning about 6a.m. Unlike most pre-contest prep guys, I do not completely remove sodium from the diet— I have the competitor maintain a moderate amount of sodium intake so he does not get too “flat.” Nor does he get so sodium depleted that he starts to cramp. The Friday night cessation of fluid intake combined with the two halves of Dyazide, the maintenance of some sodium in the diet, and very minimal changes to the diet (only small amounts of added carbohydrates) will result in a very dry, hard, grainy, predictable outcome. I have been reading about Myostatin and was wondering what you thought. I am 33 years old and I have done a cycle or two. I have already purchased a myostatin inhibition product, but I have not seen any articles on its effectiveness. What’s up? Myostatin inhibition in humans has not proven to be the simple, ”block-one-hormone-and-grow-tons-of-muscle” phenomenon that it has proven to be in mice. Actually, there is no evidence that the myostatin gene functions in humans like it does in mice. In humans, the myostatin gene is proving to be what we call a multiple allele gene system. This means many different variables (genes) contribute to the expression of the one particular trait (i.e., inhibition of muscle growth). Therefore, to theoretically inhibit myostatin gene expression, you would have to block every single variable (gene) contributing to its ultimate expression. Pure logic would tell you that the chances of accomplishing this monumental task (blocking myostatin expression in humans) is a very unlikely scenario.
I am a woman figure contestant who wants to turn pro this year. I used to compete in local bodybuilding shows and I currently have a respectable (although not overbearing) amount of muscle on my frame. What supplements/drugs should I be taking to get the figure look that the national-level judges are seeking?
No one truly knows what lies in the minds of the national-level figure judges; however, we can assume that they are seeking a semi-muscular look with a high level of conditioning. Therefore, I would suggest that you not be overly concerned with packing on tremendous amounts of muscle. Instead, concentrate on refining the muscle you have and trying to get your physique into the best condition possible. As far as supplements are concerned, I would suggest sticking to mostly fat-burning compounds like clenbuterol (two to five pills per day) and cytomel (25-50 micrograms per day). There is really no reason to risk taking muscle-building anabolic steroids that will only serve to make you appear “too big” or “too ugly” on stage. Keep your femininity and strip the fat off your body. Remember, anabolic steroids do not burn fat— they only build muscle!
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