Now that the 2003 Olympia has come to a close, let's get back to the business of answering the questions that you, the readers, have submitted to me. This month, I'm covering a wide variety of topics including chemicals, supplementation and Gunter's workouts. 

Q. Chad, I was just wondering if you ever assisted Gunter with his workout program prior to his working with Charles Glass? I know you specialize in supplementation and nutrition, but do you also assist the athletes with their workouts? When I was at the Pittsburgh show in May, 2002, I was able to speak with Gunter and he mentioned that you had pretty much changed his entire workout program. I wondered if you could give more detail on this. And if you don't mind me asking, don't you think you were a little hard on Gunter with your comments about him leading up to the Mr. Olympia competition this year?

A: These are two very good questions. First, let me discuss the part where you asked about being "too critical" of Gunter this year. Yes, I was extremely harsh on Gunter this year leading up to the show; however, there is a method to my madness. All the hype surrounding this years' Olympia was among three guys: Ronnie, Jay and Gunter. The two guys I worked with for the Olympia this year are Ronnie and Dennis James.  Dennis didn't have nearly as much momentum as the other three men going into the show, so I had to change that. Somehow, I had to put doubt in people's minds about athletes I'm not working with, while at the same time plant the seed that DJ was going to do some serious damage this year. Look at it this way; do you think when Vince Lombardi was preparing for a football game he was praising and making over the team he was getting ready to battle with? Absolutely not! He exploited their weaknesses, while at the same time being the great motivator to his team, convincing them they were invincible! That is what a great coach, or in my case contest prep advisor, does. 

Unfortunately, I did come off very harsh with regard to Gunter. Now, however, that the Olympia is over (meaning that by the time this goes to print the O will be over; it's currently two weeks away), I will say that it was all a game of mental warfare with absolutely no ill will toward Gunter. In all honesty, there is a part of me that hopes Gunter does very well. As you remember, I worked with Gunter for a year and a half and became very close with him. You can't just throw things away and it was very hard for me to be that critical of him, while at the same time I had to protect my vested interests this year- Ronnie and DJ. In the end, we will see what happens. Hopefully, Dennis will immediately be looked at and shock everyone- that is my intention. Also, I am sure Gunter is going to be right up there battling it out. No matter what I said about the weaknesses in his physique, when you are 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, you are going to demand attention just from your sheer presence alone. 

So, hopefully, this answers your question. There are a lot of aspects the fans don't understand and a lot of games that have to be played. I feel I am very good at playing the game- which helps my athletes to just concentrate on their training. This year I have a different team, but last year Gunter benefited from the same type of tactics. And next year, depending on what my team looks like, I'll have a new game plan and more mental warfare tactics.

With regard to your question about training, yes, I do work with athletes concerning workout programs. Most of the time, I usually just go over their existing program and revamp everything to suit their needs so they can make improvements, as I don't have the time to be a "personal trainer" to my clients. However, I have recently taken on the task of becoming Mike Tyson's strength and conditioning coach, in addition to working with his diet and nutrition. Toward the end of November, I will be in his training camp until his fight, which is currently scheduled for sometime at the beginning of 2004. 

I began helping Gunter around 12 weeks out of the 2001 Mr. Olympia and focused primarily on his nutrition and supplementation. After that Olympia, I knew we had many areas to improve upon. So I studied everything Gunter did, from supplementation, to nutrition, to training and I revamped everything, including his workout program. At the beginning of 2002, I sent him an entirely new workout program that basically changed everything he did; reps, sets, exercises- everything!  He followed this new program, along with the supplementation and nutritional program I developed for him until, upon my suggestion, he should begin working with Charles Glass. 

I respect Charles very much and feel he is absolutely the best at what he does (training). I felt Charles would be able to contribute greatly to the team and help Gunter maintain the muscle we were able to put on throughout the year. Charles came into the picture around late June, early July, of 2002. I thought this was crucial for Gunter because during the diet phase of a contest preparation, it is extremely important to be able to maintain your focus and continue to push yourself in the gym, even when you feel you can't go on. And I feel this is one of Charles' strong points- pushing an athlete and supplying motivation during the workout. I am sure once Gunter began working with Charles, his workout was revamped once again, and that is what he has continued on with. I hope this explains where Charles and I fit into the workout plan.

Q:  I have been a user of ephedrine and ephedrine-based products for years. Now, with all the media coverage of how bad ephedrine is and the health risks associated with it, I'm wondering if I'm going to end up with problems. I've received great benefits from the use of this product and have never had any ill effects, but do you think something could happen down the road? What are your general feelings on ephedrine? Do you feel it is a safe product?

A. Ah, another question regarding the great ephedrine debate. I am obviously going to be a bit biased on this subject, as I created an ephedrine-based product that has had a great success rate. I do feel there are a lot of potential problems with the product- however, as a whole, ephedrine is a great product that can give you amazing results, but it must be used correctly and in a "smart" way. 

The majority of problems with ephedrine-based products have happened in generally two different ways. The first is the fault of the individual using the product. Athletes and everyday people, as well, use this product correctly in the beginning- following the directions. However, just about everyone, to an extent, thinks "if one is good, 10 is better!" Maybe not that extreme- but I think you get the point. You must carefully follow the directions with this type of a product. If the recommended dosage is 100 milligrams daily and you decide to take three to four times that much, of course, you are going to run into problems. I feel this is where a lot of the health problems come from. You have to be smart in other ways, too. If you have health conditions that would make this product hazardous to you, you should stay away from it. The majority of people who died from this product, or developed serious health problems, are those who took too much of the product, or were overweight, out-of-shape individuals who were already at risk for health problems.

  Lack of quality control is the second culprit and a major problem with ephedrine-based products. Unfortunately, the majority of manufacturers of these products in our industry work the same way. The capsulation machines are all very similar and because of this, you will find a large variance in the actual amount of ephedrine in each individual capsule. Some capsules could test out at 40 milligrams and others I have seen actually test out at 400 milligrams! So, obviously you can see the dangers in manufacturing this type of product and why the government is trying to come in and shut down production, as well as sales, of this product. 

I feel that ephedrine, when used correctly and manufactured correctly, can give an individual great benefits and results when losing weight. However, you must stay smart. I feel the main thing that went wrong with the creation of the ECA stack products was in the aspect of formulation. There are certain steps that should have been followed to ensure the creation of a safer product. There should have been buffers put in the product to make it easier on the stomach. And there needed to be additional buffers and "vehicles" provided to take the product into the system and keep it in the system for a longer time. This way, an individual wouldn't have to continue taking more and more of the product. This type of a transport system would allow more of the product to go directly to the system, thus giving a better benefit from the product, while ensuring it will work longer within the body.  A transport system would also lessen the feeling of a "crash" off the product, meaning when most ephedrine products run their course in the system, they start out hard and fast giving you tremendous energy, but then fizzle out quickly, leaving you feeling tired and lethargic.  In return, most people end up taking more of the product, putting more ephedrine into the system and increasing the chance of running into the health problems we've been discussing.

In terms of future health problems you could encounter, it's hard for me to say yes or no, as I don't know your health history. However, if you have taken this product and followed the recommended dosage without any problems to date and you do not have a history of health problems that would be aggravated by use of an ephedrine product, you are probably pretty safe. So, remember, the key to safely using ephedrine is finding a quality product, following the dosage directions and only taking the product if you do not have health conditions that would be compromised by using this product.  Remember, the use of common sense in this situation goes a long way.

Q:  I'm a 29-year-old bodybuilder and I'm six feet tall and 260 pounds. I recently finished my third cycle. After three weeks, I had a full blood workup done and the doctor told me my liver levels were a little high. I asked him if there was anything I could take to fix and prevent this problem and all he told me was to quit doing what I was doing (supps). He told me there was nothing I could take to protect or cleanse the liver, but he urged me to drink lots of water. I found this not only very unhelpful, but disturbing, in that the doctor seemed not to know anything about this. I don't know if he just wanted me to stop the supps so he wouldn't tell me what to do, or if he just didn't know. Can you help?

A. First of all, I believe your doctor is just being safe and trying to cover himself. With the increasing number of malpractice lawsuits and the cost of malpractice insurance, he is just being overly cautious. Or, maybe you are correct; he may not know of any actual products to assist you. However, I do want to commend you for caring enough about your health and body to have your blood work run. This is something I have all my athletes do, usually twice a year (every six months). Unfortunately, many people are of the thinking that nothing will ever happen to them, so why have it done? Then there is the high cost of blood testing. However, this cost is small in comparison to the expense you could run into if you fail to keep on top of your health. Also, if you have good insurance, usually the policy will cover blood work.

In terms of your question about whether there are any products, or anything else to help with elevated liver levels, yes there are a couple of products that work great. My first choice- and what I recommend to all my athletes- is a product called Legalon. This is a liver detoxifier and its results are amazing. Many rehabilitation clinics use this drug for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts; it's also used for patients suffering from hepatitis. People suffering from hepatitis have a tendency to have extremely high liver levels- even higher than those of an alcoholic or drug addict. Legalon is very effective in drastically lowering your liver levels. There are several different ways to take Legalon. 

Many will take Legalon after they are finished with their cycle for about four to five weeks. I believe they are most commonly available in 70-milligram tablets. Most people will take two daily- one in the morning and one in the evening every day for the four or five weeks. Another method would be to take this product throughout the entire cycle, which would actually be the smartest way to go. If you go this route, I would recommend one tablet before bed if you weigh less than 200 pounds. If you are over 200 pounds, I would recommend taking one tablet in the morning and another in the evening. However, most individuals are more interested in spending their money on anabolic steroids (AS) than on a precautionary medicine. If you are going to play this game, however, you need to take as many precautions as possible. I would spend the money to take it throughout the cycle, but at a minimum, take it after the cycle.

Another product you could take is Essentiale forte. This is also a great product for liver protection and works very similarly to Legalon. The dosages are basically the same and you can take it either way I have listed (with your cycle or for four or five weeks after the cycle). The only other thing I would recommend is that if you take it throughout your entire cycle, continue to take it for a couple of more weeks after you have finished your cycle. 

Remember, nothing replaces the importance of having your blood work run and please make certain to do this a minimum of every six months. If you are going to use AS or any type of enhancing product, please use every precaution possible to keep your system and your health intact.

Q:  I am a college student basically just starting out in the world of bodybuilding.  My training partner is in his forties and competed on the national level back in the ‘80s. He has told me that back in "his day," rather than injecting themselves with the dangerous product Synthol, he used a product called Isycline(?) Have you ever heard of this product and if so, could you give me some info on it? Do they still make it and does it work like Synthol?   

A: Yes! The product you are speaking of is Esicline and it was an amazing product.  Esicline is a steroid, but it is used in a completely different way than what we typically think of regarding steroids. Bodybuilders use this in the final days before a contest to enhance the size of a particular muscle group. It works best in small muscle groups such as biceps, triceps, delts and calves. 

The technical name of this product is actually formebolone. It was available in a 2cc ampoule. This product worked by injecting it into one of the aforementioned body parts. Shortly after, the injection caused an irritation and "swelling" of the muscle, giving the muscle a larger appearance. Usually, you could increase your biceps and triceps area by one to two inches. The amazing thing about this product is that it would swell the muscle itself, without making the area hold subcutaneous water, thus giving the muscle a tighter, harder appearance. The effects were temporary, lasting approximately 24-36 hours, which was great. After this point, the swelling of the muscle and temporary size gains subsided. As well, the muscle would take on a generally softer look, as the fluid from the swelling would spill out subcutaneously.  Esicline also contained a small amount of the drug Lidocaine in the attempt to make the shot less painful. However, a shot is a shot, so some discomfort was to be expected.

As I mentioned, many athletes would use this a day or so before a show. However, many athletes would use this product a couple of weeks prior to a competition. For instance, if training biceps, a couple of cc's were injected into the muscle a couple of hours prior to the workout, increasing the pump one would receive in that area during the workout. The thinking behind this is that if you could double the pump you received during your workouts the last couple of weeks prior to a show, once the show came around, you could keep that volume once on stage. 

In comparison to Synthol, Esicline is a hell of a lot safer with virtually no side effects. And Esicline gives the muscle a fuller, larger and harder appearance, where Synthol has a tendency to make the muscle look lumpy and smooth. The health repercussions of Synthol are still unknown, but when you think about it, shooting Synthol into your body is basically just like shooting cholesterol into your bloodstream- so I think Esicline is a better alternative.

Unfortunately, the better alternative is unavailable, as the production of Esicline subsided around 1995. The product came in a 2cc ampoule and one box contained six of these amps. Back in the late ‘90s, the product cost somewhere around $75 per box. However, when production ended, numerous individuals evidently stockpiled tons of this and I have heard stories of individuals paying upwards of $75 per ampoule! I had even heard a crazy story of people wanting $150 per ampoule! The product is amazing, but not that amazing! 

Here's an interesting story about Esicline. In its heyday of the late ‘90s, numerous top pro bodybuilders loved Esicline. As I mentioned, the product was made to be used in smaller muscle groups and it contained the drug Lidocaine. Keeping this in mind, a couple of pros decided to use this product everywhere! The shot would swell an area the size of a silver dollar, so they would overlap injections in muscle groups like the quads, back, chest and abdominals. These athletes would use 75-100 injections of Esicline before a show! That is just insane, but even more chilling is the fact that because each injection contained Lidocaine, using that many injections would basically relegate the athlete to basically a comatose state until he stepped onto the stage! Pretty scary stuff and not what I would recommend if you get your hands on some!

As I write this, we are two weeks away from what could possibly be the most exciting and interesting Mr. Olympia in years. I will be covering the Mr. Olympia this year for the Mayhem site. Next month's column will be filled with all the juicy details and behind-the-scenes stories of not only the competition itself, but all the interesting details and gossip that go along with the weekend, as well as what went on at the expo and what goes on backstage. See you here next month!