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DEPARTMENTS
No Holds Barred
Publisher
Executive Editor
Muscle Media 2000, Inc.
Bill Phillips
A letter from the editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Letters
Editor-In-Chief
Associate Editor
T.C. Luoma
Susan Daniel Readers speak out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Art Director Craig Korn News & Tidbits
Graphic Production Fred Lord
Chris Monck
22
The latest goings on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rant
Contributing Editors Anthony Almada,
Dr. José Antonio, Size isn’t everything, or is it?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By Dan Duchaine
110
Dan Duchaine,
Blast from the Past
Keith Klein, Bruce Kneller,
Michael Mooney, Shawn Phillips,
Charles Poliquin, Bill Starr
Training intensity—learn & practice this vital skill. . .
By Bill Phillips
138
MM2K Champions
Celestial Editor
Contributing
Dr. Michael Dullnig
Jim Amentler, Alex Ardenti,
Three Muscle Media 2000 readers who are winners. . . 160
Photographers Kevin Carasco, Irvin Gelb,
Brian Leatart, Mitsuru Okabe,
Rick Schaff, Art Zeller
Cover Photograph Jim Amentler
Contributing Illustrators
Newsstand Consultant
Distributor
Karla Burds
Mike Gerardo
ICD/Hearst
12
Advertising Mike Sitzman
303-384-0080
Fax: 303-384-0088
409 Corporate Circle Dr.
Golden, CO 80401
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Muscle Media 2000 (ISSN 1079-2465) (formerly Anabolic Reference

Update) is published 9 times annually by Muscle Media 2000, Inc., 400
Corporate Circle Dr., Ste. J, Golden, CO 80401. Application to mail at sec-
ond-class postage rates is pending at Golden, CO, and additional mailing
offices. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: MUSCLE
104
MEDIA 2000, PO BOX 277, GOLDEN, CO 80402-0277.
Subscription Rates: U.S. and its possessions, 12 issues $59.40 (U.S.
funds). Canadian Subscribers, 12 issues $86.40 (U.S. funds). Subscribers
outside the U.S. and Canada, 12 issues $101.40 (U.S. funds only). Colorado
residents add 7.3% sales tax. Payment must accompany all orders.
Foreign orders must be in U.S. dollars/international money order. Send QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS
subscriptions to: Muscle Media 2000, Inc., PO Box 277, Golden, CO 80402-
0277. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of first issue.
We reserve the right to reject any advertising at our discretion with-
out explanation. All manuscripts, art, or other submissions must be
accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. We are not respon-
sible for unsolicited material. Writers and photographers should send for
Uncensored Q&A
specifications for submissions.
No liability is assumed by Muscle Media 2000, Inc., or the authors for
any information contained herein. This text does not provide medical
Bill Phillips gives you straightforward answers .. . . . . . . . 30
advice. Specific medical advice should be obtained from a licensed
Ask the Guru
health-care practitioner. Neither Muscle Media 2000, Inc., nor the authors
advocate, promote, or encourage the use of anabolic steroids or other ille-
gal drugs. The information contained in this publication is not intended to
Dan Duchaine answers questions on any and all topics.. 40
induce or persuade anyone to use or possess anabolic steroids or any
T.C. Talks
other illegal drugs. Any references made directly about the effects of ana-
bolic steroids or any other substances are for informational purposes only
and are an expression of the authors’ opinions. Muscle Media 2000 is a
T.C. Luoma answers readers’ questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
trademark of Muscle Media 2000, Inc. All material is copyright protected Medibolics
by Muscle Media 2000, Inc. Reproduction or reuse of any part of this pub-
lication is strictly forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Michael Mooney on the health benefits of steroid use. . . 50
Copyright © 1996 by Muscle Media 2000, Inc., Golden, CO USA 80402-0277.
Scientific lnquiries
All rights reserved. (Issue No. 50.)
Anthony Almada answers questions on supplements. . . . . 56
Covers Home

MAY 1996
FEATURES 76
Hang On! Flavone X:
62

contents
The next frontier in drug-free muscle building! . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By Dan Duchaine
Built Like A Brick House
Building the foundation to a strong body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By Bill Starr
70
Time To Grow
Working with the body’s “clock” to maximize growth. . . . . . . .
By T.C. Luoma
76
Drugs Across The Pond
84
An in-depth interview on steroids in Europe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By T.C. Luoma
Science Of Rest lntervals
New concepts on varying between-set rest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By Charles Poliquin
92

10 Big Bodybuilding Lies

98
The truth is revealed! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By T.C. Luoma & Bill Phillips
The Right Way
Training, nutrition, and supplementation for women. . .
By Bill Phillips
104
Why lGF-1 Doesn’t Work
(But I can fix it)—A complete look at the use of IGF-1. .
By Michael Mooney
114
The Arms Race, Part III
122
Training for major guns! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By Charles Poliquin

SCIENCE, HEALTH
& NUTRITION
Barry Sears:
25 years too soon—
Does the Zone diet work?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By Dan Duchaine
130
Nutri-Facts
Hazardous Waist—
Causes of abdominal distention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
By Keith Klein
Body-Tech
Scientific information on
nutrition, steroids & training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
By Dr. José Antonio,
Keith Klein, and

98 Bruce Kneller

62
Covers Home

A
Letter
NOBarred
NO HOLDS
From b y T C L u o m a

the DThee aSports

r R eader,
Illustrated swimsuit issue
attracts more hype every year than all the
ture from your parents: “You’ll go blind!
You’ll grow hair on your palms!”

Editor other features in all the other magazines com-

bined. Why do you think that is? The women
are undeniably beautiful, but as far as sexual
stimulation, an average issue of Playboy or
Penthouse has far more horsepower. Could it
be that SI carries with it an air of respectabil-
ity? When women appear semi-naked in its
pages, it’s not sexual; it’s wholesome. It’s
Norman Rockwell in a lycra-spandex thong,
by God, and if the pictures give you a little bit
of a woody, good goin’—you’re a man, an
AMERICAN man.
It’s true that buying a Playboy or
These are not Penthouse has a certain deviant stigma
the next six attached. You don’t want to stand in the
Muscle Media checkout line with either unless they’re sand-
2000 covers! wiched between copies of Time and Car and
Believe me, Driver. Besides, that fresh-faced girl behind
we know
the counter might think you’re some sort of
there’s a differ-
ence between prevert or somethin’ when she rings them up.
“spicing things But the SI swimsuit issue? That’s different.
up” a bit and You can buy it without fear of recrimination,
going over- and you can bring it home without getting the
board! evil eye from your wife or, worse yet, a lec-
Let’s face it, Americans have had some-
what weird ideas about sex from the very
beginning. Look at our movie industry: kiss a
breast and the movie gets an “R” rating; lop it
off with an ax and you get a “PG” rating.
Something’s very, very wrong here. The
movie Showgirls was mercilessly panned by
critics, professional and armchair alike. Yet it
was the talk of the town. Men watched it,
eyes agog, muttering about decency and
American values while one hand was playing
pocket pool. Dan Duchaine is the only person
I know who had the balls to say he liked the
movie. Of course, he may be one of them-
there preverts.
Yes, I’m defending girlie pictures and sex
in general. Why do I feel the need to, and
more importantly, why am I using Muscle
Media 2000 as a forum for my beliefs? Well,
lately, we’ve gotten some flak from a few
readers because the word “sex” appeared on
one of our covers. These same readers have
also pointed out that we’ve been running the
occasional gratuitous sexy-girl-in-a-bikini

Babes! Babes! Babes!

SEX! SEX!
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PLEASE DISPLAY UNTIL 4/16/96 PLEASE DISPLAY UNTIL 4/16/96 PLEASE DISPLAY UNTIL 4/16/96
Covers Home
shot. For a while there, it even got to the point
where we were plagued by doubt every time we put
a picture of a woman in a layout. “Gosh, is she too
sexy?” we asked ourselves. “Don’t we have any
pictures of Bev Francis from her powerlifting days
or something?” (No offense to Ms. Francis; she
looks nice now that her proportions are, shall I say,
not so “man-like.”)
Somehow, this smacks of the worst kind of
irony. Think about it, here we are, in an industry
that revolves around pictures of shaved, tanned
men in posing suits so tiny they’d cause a fit of sex-
ual apoplexy in the average gray-haired grand-
mother, yet when we print pictures of women in
equal states of dis-dress, we’re harpooned like
salmon swimming through the river that runs by an
Eskimo village.
Despite the protests of this minority of readers,
sex sells. It’s a lesson the other bodybuilding mags
have learned very well. It’s a formula Muscle &
Fitness has used successfully for quite some time.
It’s the rare issue that doesn’t feature a cover with
the hottest vixen imaginable panting over some pro
bodybuilder. MuscleMag has made Marla
Duncan’s butt as recognizable as Bill Clinton’s
face. Flex’s monthly nude or semi-nude pictorials
are wildly popular, but truth be told, it’s made me
wonder about some of the fans of these pictorials.
If I look at some of those photographs and blur my
eyes just a little bit, I could swear I’m looking at a
picture of Roger Stewart or some equally long-
haired male bodybuilder. But, hey, whatever does
it for you. Perhaps the best example of the “sex
sells” adage is Muscular Development. A year or
two ago, they were “hangin’ in there,” trying the
best they could to publish an informative maga-
zine. Trouble was, their sales were only “so-so.”
and
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Then, they began running swimsuit pictorials in
what seemed like every issue. Lo and behold, their
sales jumped considerably. The content didn’t
change too much, but when sex raised its head, “…just
sales were...well, erected.
The issue we struggle with is that we have tried because
to make Muscle Media 2000 a very credible,
straightforward, information-based publication,
they have
and if we run too many “T&A” photos, it seems
like it would take away from the serious nature of
an annual
many of the articles in the magazine. Then again, swimsuit
Sports Illustrated, which pioneered the swimsuit
issue phenomenon, is unquestionably a very credi- issue, does
ble sports magazine. I mean, just because they
have an annual swimsuit issue, does that mean that mean
their coverage of Olympic sports, the NFL, NBA,
etc. is not as factual and hard hitting as ever? their
Likewise, if we run photos of girls in bikinis, does
that mean Dan Duchaine’s or Bill Phillips’ Q&A coverage…
columns and all of our other features and columns
aren’t as good as always? is not as
From time to time, we’ve been known to take a
“jab” at the other muscle mags, but in this instance,
factual and
I find myself defending them. Just because
Muscular Development runs numerous pictures of
hard hitting
beautiful, sexy, and fit ladies, does that mean their as ever?“
information on training and nutrition should be
taken less seriously? I don’t think so.
If putting pictures of beautiful, sexy ladies on the
cover of muscle magazines gets guys to pick them
up and read them, it probably, in the long run,
helps introduce more folks to weight training,
proper nutrition, and supplementation.
Even though Muscle Media 2000 is in competi-
tion with publications like MuscleMag, Muscular
Development, Ironman, etc., we all have one thing
in common—we all believe weight training is a
MAY 1996
more Babes! SEX!
SEX! SEX!
SEX! SEX!
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PLEASE DISPLAY UNTIL 4/16/96 PLEASE DISPLAY UNTIL 4/16/96
 Covers Home
NOBarred
NO HOLDS fantastic form of exercise that can benefit virtually
everyone, and we believe proper nutrition and sup-
plementation can help us all become healthier and
C O N T I N U E D
more satisfied with our physical appearance.
As we mentioned in our last issue, it makes perfect
“…I urge sense that magazines which are all about building bet-
ter bodies have breathtaking and “stimulating” pic-
the ’silent tures of awesome physiques—both male and female.
And even though some people believe the muscle
majority‘ of magazines’ swimsuit issues “sexually exploit”
women, a relatively sound argument could be made
bodybuilding that they “celebrate” the female form. And, I know
for a fact that ever since the muscle magazines have
mag readers been publishing numerous photos of fit, feminine
(who love females (who train with weights but don’t use
steroids), more and more women are getting
all those involved in fitness/bodybuilding. And what on
earth could possibly be wrong with that?
‘hot shots’) The way we feel at MM2K is that if some “sexy”
photos can increase our magazine’s circulation or
to judge make our readers “pay attention,” it just means
a book more people are going to have access to the best,
straightforward, accurate information on fitness
by more and physique development in the business today.
And greater newsstand sales equal more revenue
than its which we can use to hire more talented writers (the
best writers don’t work for peanuts!) and put out
cover…“ even more valuable bodybuilding information.
Although sex is a great selling tool, it shouldn’t
be the only thing you have going for you.
Information is the name of the game, and no matter
how many “hot” photos you might find in future
issues of MM2K, we’ll still give you the “no holds
barred” scoop on training, nutrition, supplements,
steroids, and more!
So, all of you self-righteous Puritans out there
who have been knocking the bodybuilding maga-
zines’ new “sexy” look, take a chill pill! If you
don’t like the photos, just turn the page. Finally, I
urge the “silent majority” of bodybuilding mag
readers (who love all those “hot shots”) to judge
a book by more than its cover—that is, once
you’ve “sneaked a peak” at all of those pictures
of beautiful bodies, evaluate what’s left. Is the
rest of the magazine filled with honest, cutting-
edge information on how you can build a better
body? Or, is it just filled with superficial “fluff”
that leaves you “high and dry” and craving useful
bodybuilding facts?
Think about it...
Sincerely,
T.C. Luoma
Editor-In-Chief
Covers Home

Titus Gets the

Last Word...

“New Look” Gets

Rave Reviews
R e a d e r s
Letters
’ F e e d b a c k

Less “Freaks”... MUSCLE Fortunately, it looks like you’ve turned a nega-

tive into something very positive for you. You’ve
More “Average MEDIA 2000 gotten more publicity/exposure and have become
a much more well-known, and even respected,
Joes.” EXTENDS OLIVE bodybuilder because of T.C.’s article. It’s unusual
BRANCH— how these things work themselves out.
TITUS I try not to “censor” anything my writers want
EATS IT to run in Muscle Media 2000. Guys like T.C. and
Duchaine and others often insist that their mater-
A few months ago, we ran an article about Craig
A Workout and Titus’ drug bust. He was not happy. He used other ial not be “touched up.” However, I’ll make sure
that after you run your rebuttal, if you choose to
magazines as a forum to express his anger, and in a
Posedown in recent MuscleMag International interview, Craig submit one, we’ll just leave it at that. There are a
Hawaii made some disparaging remarks about Bill Phillips. lot of other things our writers can focus on
The following is the letter that Bill sent to Craig in besides this type of silliness.
response to his MuscleMag interview: Because of how ferocious my schedule is, I
really don’t take phone calls—not even from
Dear Craig: friends. Faxing is much more efficient for me.
I enjoyed reading your interview in the latest However, if you’d like to call, or even if you’d like
issue of MuscleMag International. I understand to come talk to me “man-to-man” as you
your frustration and would like to give you the expressed in your MMI interview, I’d be delighted
opportunity to submit a rebuttal to the things T.C. to meet with you anytime. I’d even pay for your
alleged in his article(s). Even if you just want to travel to Colorado if you feel such a meeting is
write a letter, I’ll run it in the “Letters” column in necessary.
Muscle Media 2000. And, because I empathize with you on this situ-
ation and fully understand how frustrated you are,
I’ll accept your call, if I’m in the office, of course.
Bill Phillips
Sincerely,
Bill Phillips

The following is Craig’s response:

Dear Bill,
I am glad you enjoyed my interview in the latest
“MuscleMag.” I thought it was really good if I say
so myself. I was honest in my opinion of your mag-
azine and stated only facts (statements that are
true). This seems to be something that Dan
Duchaine has a problem with (you know, the con-
vict that just got out of prison who works for your
mag). I guess what I want to tell you is that your
[sic] letting some really low life individuals
destroy the creditability [sic] of your publication.
By letting Dan Duchaine print that article about
the internet proves what I’ve been saying about
your trash mag. I’ts [sic] great because everyone
“Are you angry because is finally realizing that the only thing your mag is
you have the good for is maybe starting a fire, or maybe toilet
paper. I’m going to have to decline at this point in
body of a time on your invite to fly to Colorado to meet you.
When we meet you’ll be the first one to know it.
10 year Would you please tell Dan Duchaine to call me or
old girl?” leave a message where I can find him. Also wuold
[sic] you please answer these questions.
1. Are you angry because you have the body of
a 10 year old girl?
Covers Home
2. Is your magazine a tool to destroy athletes [sic]
careers because you never made it?
3. Is it true you and Stoney Grimes are lovers, or do
your prefer Dan?
4. Why do you constantly put those pictures of your-
self in your mag, are you a fitness model?
Would you please answer these questions as soon as
you can because I want to include your answers in a
new column I’m writing. It will be coming out next
month.
Sincerely,
Craig Titus
Oh well, we tried. It’s obvious Craig misinterpreted Bill’s
letter somehow; either that or he’s just being plain silly.
Anyhow, this is the last time we’ll mention anything to do
with the Titus “incident.” Craig has milked all the public-
ity humanly possible from this event, and we refuse to be a
party to it anymore. We wish him well in the future. One
last thing, though: if Craig thinks Bill has the “body of a
10-year-old girl,” what must he think of his average body-
building fan?
READERS BIG ON
MM2K’S NEW
BOLD LOOK
Goodness gracious! The latest
MM2K: issue is really a quantum leap.
Pretty amazing. The graphics are great...very appealing.
Best regards,
David A. Jenkins
President, Next Nutrition
Carlsbad, CA
I received the April issue of
MM2K: MM2000 last night. I used to date
a woman who was a consultant to several BIG maga-
zines, and she taught me a lot about the finer points of
magazine production (and helped foster a critical eye for
what I had previously overlooked). While a lot of the
other bodybuilding mags are visually pleasing, most of
them are still stuck in the ’80’s, graphically speaking.
With this current issue, you’re right up there with some
of the wildest, hippest, most innovative mags. MM2000
is almost as cool as Ray Gun, Bikini, and Wired (but it’s
easier to read).
Congratulations on being bold, progressive, and col-
orful, not only in text, but in design, too!
Karl Gabrielson
San Francisco, CA
Thanks to all the readers who have responded so posi-
tively to our new look. We want to let you know that this
is only the beginning. Muscle Media 2000 is developing a
look that will be the envy of everyone in the graphics busi-
ness. Don’t worry, though, giving you ways to increase
muscle while burning fat is still our number one priority—
that will never change.
AVERAGE ANDY
ANGRY AT
GIMPY GENES
This is my first letter to you at
MM2K: MM2K, and I hope you’ll see fit to
print it in your “Letters” section for all to see. You strike
me as a mag that sincerely appreciates reader input.
“...Muscle
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am 38 and
have been working out since July of 1993 at a local
Gold’s. I tend to work out at different times on different
Media 2000
days, so I believe I have seen nearly all the members at
one point or another during my membership at this gym. features
Guess what? Of the hundreds of men and women who
belong, I haven’t seen ten that resemble a magazine
cover! Sure, they all use good form and good nutrition, more
as do the rest of us. Why then, do the majority of us look
so ordinary and plain and just unbuffed?
I believe it’s the “G” word and that means genetics!!
‘realistic
It seems to me that no magazine, including yours, wants
to tackle this idea in a significant way. Could it be that
millions of us out in America might come to realize that
physique
most of us have genetic “garbage” rather than genetic
“goodies.” It should be common knowledge, too, but role models’
most are uninformed, that those vein-busting biceps
came about with steroids, stuff we ordinary folks simply
can’t get. than any
Why not print articles about muscle fiber biopsies
that tell in advance the number of fibers in a given mus- other
cle so the person will know his genetic limitations in
advance? Why can’t your publication do a series of arti-
cles on genetics and thereby provide a realistic goal for bodybuilding
the many of us who struggle so hard without steroids?
Why not pick an average Andy and follow-up his
progress to show us what he can accomplish? Must you magazine..”
always use those Flawless Freds, Peter Perfects, and
Glamorous Glens in your illustrations? Can’t you use
Average Andys, Regular Ralphs, and Ordinary Ottos in
your pictures?
I’m just a guy in Jersey who’s crying for the truth to be
told in your industry. Why can’t MM2K lead the way in
this regard?
Anthony Nardiello
Roselle Park, NJ
We don’t mean to be a Patty Party-Pooper, but we called
in Danny Discussion and Darcy Debate to offer our point
of view (we’re kinda gettin’ into this alliteration thing). We
feel that Muscle Media 2000 features more “realistic
physique role models” than any other bodybuilding maga-
zine. We have fewer “freaky” steroid-built bodies than any
other bodybuilding magazine. No other bodybuilding
magazine makes it more clear that steroids play an enor-
mous role in the development of today’s top physique stars.
If you can find any evidence to support the contrary, we’ll
put your picture on the cover of the magazine!
As far as muscle biopsies, it’s just not realistic for average
weight trainers to get muscle fiber biopsies, so they’ll know
in advance what their genetic potential is for gaining mus-
cle size and strength. Besides, a lot of research shows that
this number can actually increase through the right kind of
training. We’ve seen some of the most pathetic-looking
folks, young and old, men and women, make such incred-
ible physique transformations after they start bodybuild-
ing—without drugs—that it would amaze you. Some sup-
 Covers Home

plements do indeed work, as evidenced by scores of double-

C
Letters
O N T I N U E D
blind, placebo-controlled, peer-reviewed research studies.
We’ve actually featured a number of these Average
Andys in Muscle Media 2000. However, you’ve got to
admit, a steady diet of pictures of regular, average people
wouldn’t inspire people to nearly the degree that some of
the Glamorous Glendas or Flawless Freds do. This is some-
thing the fashion mag business learned a long time ago;
after all, you don’t see Roseanne modeling Oleg Cassini
clothes or swimsuits.
“It really We’ll definitely keep your suggestions in mind and pass
them on to Butthead Bill (Uh-oh, we’re in trouble now!),
but we feel we already address the topics of steroids, genet-
does my heart ics, and muscle-building potential in Muscle Media 2000
more thoroughly than any other bodybuilding magazine
ever has!
and mind good
to know that IF YOU THINK HE’S
NICE, YOU SHOULD
there are MEET THE
people around REST OF US.
I recently had the opportunity to
MM2K:
whose Waikoloa
spend a week in Hawaii at the
Hilton Resort with my friend and training
partner Carol Elwyn. Our last morning there, while train- Virtually
all successful
perspective ing the resort’s general manager, Dieter Segar, we also

Photo: Jim Amentler

had the good fortune to bump into Shawn Phillips and
Laurie Donnelly. Talk about positive energy and good
on the vibes! Between the four of us, we had that little gym
buzzing! After a quick workout and a spontaneous mock
pose down (Damn, Shawn looked good!), we continued
bodybuilding ourItantics over breakfast.
really does my heart and mind good to know that
scene is there are people around whose perspective on the
bodybuilding scene is similar to my own. Shawn’s an
excellent representative of both your magazine and a
similar to healthy lifestyle. Our sport needs people like him, who
are in a position to not only increase awareness but
who also intend to raise the collective consciousness
my own.” ofit with
the masses. Let’s inspire! Let’s motivate! And let’s do
integrity! You guys there at MM2K are doing a
good thing by cutting out the BS so prevalent in this
sport. Bodybuilding is coming into a new age, and it can
be a true sport through people like us and a publication
like yours. MM2K is for real!
Keep it real,
Deric Stocton
Santa Cruz, CA
SANDPAPER
WORKS WELL,
TOO.
I’ve been reading your magazine
MM2K: for the past year. As well, I’ve just
finished reading the 1996 Supplement Review. Both are
terrific publications for which I wish to thank you. I
have been weightlifting for a few years, and the infor-
mation in your magazine (and now in the Supplement
Review) has helped me immensely to improve the way I
bodybuilders like
Danny Hester
have good genetics.
eat and work out. As a result, I’ve made great gains in
my physique.
One thing I am curious to know is how the
weightlifters in your magazine seem to be without any
body hair and are always tanned. It definitely looks bet-
ter and shows off the muscles better. Is there a chemi-
cal that can be taken to get rid of body hair? Or is it all
genetics?
Name withheld by us, as not to embarrass
Back during World War II, Hitler’s scientists began a
research project with far-reaching implications. Their goal
was to develop a race of hairless super-babies. By injecting
estrogen into a fetus at a particular time during gestation,
hairless babies were born. Hitler envisioned an army of
hairless soldiers who could take a shower and dry off very
quickly and thus be able to get to the front lines much
more rapidly than enemy soldiers who were still blow-dry-
ing their hair and shaving their backs. Obviously, the war
ended before his plan came to fruition. Today’s hairless
bodybuilders are the result of those early experiments.
Other bodybuilders, the product of normal births, are
cursed with body hair and thus do rather poorly in body-
building competitions. Unbeknownst to most people,
actor Ed Asner used to be a bodybuilder but was forced to
become an actor because of his extremely hairy back.
All right, all right, enough fun at your expense. Yes,
there is a chemical that removes body hair—it’s called Nair.
Of course, shaving works fine, too. Oh, and thanks for the
compliments!
Covers Home

H O T T a l k

NEWS
NEWS &
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

TIDBITS
Body- New Sex
builder Pill from
X’s Twin
Identity Twin Laboratories has just
Still a released a new product called
Mystery “Male Fuel.” The supplement
allegedly increases potency and
The entire bodybuilding helps protect a man’s “goods”
world is still trying to from common health-related
figure out the identity woes. The product contains things
of Bodybuilder X like yohimbe bark, L-arginine,
(“I Confess,” January ginkgo, Vitamin E, Vitamin B-6,
1996). For those of you
L-tyrosine, saw palmetto, and a
who didn’t read the inter-
number of other compounds.
view (What happened?
Male Fuel was developed by
Were you in a coma?), we
paid a pro bodybuilder Steve Blechman, Vice President of
$3,000 for a completely Product Development and
candid interview. His confessions were, well, a little unsavory. In other words, Marketing for Twin Laboratories.
this guy’s personality most resembles the stuff you’d scrape off your shoe after If the reputation of the designer of
you’ve come home from the Westminster Dog Show. Anyhow, we’ve been told that Male Fuel is any indication of
the pros are all scratching their heads trying to figure out who Bodybuilder X is. what kind of product this will be,
They’ve guessed that it might be Dorian, Achim, Paul, or Sonny—but it ain’t it should be a doosey—Blechman
none of them guys. The identity of Bodybuilder X is still a mystery (to the public, is widely recognized as a world-
not us!). And, the fun isn’t limited to within U.S. borders. The Australians are class dick! (Just kidding, Steve.)
buzzing over it, as are the English, as evidenced by the short article reprinted
Male Fuel is available at
above from a British bodybuilding magazine.
General Nutrition Centers and
We will, however, give you a hint: someone correctly guessed the identity of
health-food stores everywhere.
Bodybuilder X on Internet exchanges last December 27.
Covers Home

H O T T a l k

W H A T ’ S H A P P E N I N G

That’s How Much Muscle I Want…

A couple issues back, we asked readers how much muscle they
would like to have—would they want to be super-huge and freaky,
How 22% like Paul DeMayo; lean and muscular, like a GQ model; or some-
where in between.
Much To date, we’ve received 1,645 answers to this question—definitely enough
Muscle to be “statistically relevant.”
After analyzing the results, here’s what we found—72% of the people who
Do You Paul DeMayo
responded said they would prefer to look like our “in-between” example—
Shawn Phillips; 22% said they wanted to get as big as a house, and 6% said
Want? they wanted to be “athletically muscular,” like a lean, defined GQ model.

O
kay, now it’s my turn to ask you a ques-
tion—I need your input on something
One of the main reasons given for wanting to look muscular but not
I’ve been trying to figure out for a
“freaky” was that many believe after a certain point, you surpass an
while. I know we all want to have more
muscle and less fat. I also know most of
you aren’t necessarily interested in com-
72% aesthetic, attractive look—one that’s pleasing to the self and others.
peting in bodybuilding contests, but you would-
n’t mind looking like you could enter a contest. One thing that was clear is that those who responded are trying very hard
Shawn Phillips
Now, I’m trying to figure something else out. If
you could have as much muscle as you wanted, to improve their bodies. They all remarked that they wanted more muscle than
how much would you want? Would you want to
be freaky big/huge like Paul DeMayo? Or lean,
they had!
but muscular, like a GQ model? Or, would you
rather be somewhere in between?
If you get a chance, drop me a note or send me
6% Most readers felt it was possible to build a physique like Shawn’s
a fax and tell me what your ideal physique would (who is 5’10” tall and weighs 208 lbs with 6%-7% bodyfat), whereas
look like, and in one or two sentences, tell me
why you want to look that way. I don’t need this they realized it probably would not be possible to build a physique like Paul’s
information for any particular reason; I’m just
curious.
(who is 5’8” tall, weighs 270 lbs, and probably has 3% bodyfat). Obviously,
You can fax your feedback to Bill Phillips at 303-
384-0088 or mail it to Bill Phillips, P.O. Box 277,
they’re right, and it’s good to see more people are shooting for a realistic goal.
Brad Minns
Golden, CO 80402.
One last observation—the younger guys (between 18 and 24) wanted to
look more like Paul, whereas the guys who were 24 and older either wanted
to look like Brad Minns or Shawn. Interesting…

Membership Does Sylvester Stallone and Shawn Phillips

Have Its
Privileges
National fitness star Laurie Donnelly and Muscle Media
2000 contributing editor Shawn Phillips were recently seen
making the rounds at a very exclusive Hollywood insiders‘
“surprise party” for Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg.
The exclusive surprise party was attended by big names
like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Goldblum,
Richard Pryor, James Woods, Linda Evangelista, Ron Meyer, Tom
Selleck, and many more.
Phillips and Donnelly shared a table with bodybuilder/model
Fabio and his pal, ex-IFBB/WBF star, Tony Pearson. (It seems birds of a feather do flock together!)
When asked how he and Laurie got the special “invite,” Shawn was tight-lipped, but he
does design weight-training programs for a number of Hollywood’s “elite,” including a guy
they call “Sly.” Perhaps his inside contacts for this latest “gig” are the same that landed
Shawn and his brother Bill (Executive Editor of Muscle Media 2000) VIP passes to the recent
grand opening of Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills. Or, perhaps it’s the “contact” that landed
Bill four front row seats at the Academy Awards!
When asked if the two might be “going Hollywood” to work more closely with their VIP
clientele, Shawn said, “Hell no! Bill and I are as out of place in Hollywood as Jed Clampett! We
fit in much better here, where we belong, in Golden, Colorado…”
Covers Home

H O T T a l k

CONTINUED
NEWS
NEWS & T HE D ENVER B USINESS J OURNAL

TIDBITS
MM2K
on the Move!
Bill Phillips, the founder and owner of Muscle Media 2000, and
his “Fitness Companies” (MM2K, NSA, EAS, Mile High
Publishing, Power Systems Technologies, etc.) are on the move!
For the past two years, Phillips and his lead Project Coordinator,
Brevan Adams, have been designing what they describe as the ulti-
mate “fitness wonderland.” They took their ideas to Colorado’s best
construction firm, the Neenan Company (which recently com-
pleted the Denver Broncos’ new headquarters).
After months of preparation, builders broke ground on the $4.4
million project in early October. Construction will be completed in
May of this year.
Phillips’ 80 employees presently occupy 3 separate office and
warehouse locations in the Golden, Colorado, area. The new
company headquarters will be located just a block from its
current leased operation at the foot of the breathtaking Rocky
Mountains—12 minutes from downtown Denver and just a short
drive from world-famous resorts like Vail and Aspen.
The 60,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art office/warehouse complex will
have extraordinary amenities, including a 3,000 sq ft gym, fully
equipped with the highest-quality weight-training and aerobic
equipment available; a cafe with a spa chef; a salon (Bill can’t stand
leaving work to get his hair cut); tanning booths; showers; and a
massage room. And, if all that’s not enough, the building will also
have a theater that will comfortably seat 50. The theater will have a
146 sq ft screen, THX surround-sound, satellite, a laser disk player,
rope lighting—the works! And, there will also be a 1,500 sq ft
break/game room, complete with multiple television monitors
A scale model shows what the new MM2K HQ will look like just a couple of months from now!
(hooked up to satellite TV, of course), pool tables, and a wet bar. The
only things missing are a hospital and a cemetery, but Bill contends,
“We’re working on that!”
Phillips claims, “This building is completely out of the ordinary
because I want our companies to be completely out of the ordinary!”
He emphasizes that, “It’s my goal to have people want to be at
work—I want them to be extremely comfortable—I want them to
feel like kings and queens. For Muscle Media 2000 and my other
companies to be the best they can be, we need quality personnel.
And today, more than ever, employees are looking for much more
than just a paycheck—they want to work in an environment that
makes them comfortable—one that’s
conducive to a good quality of life.”
Phillips’ companies also offer an
incredible health insurance plan, a
401K program, generous paid vacations
and holidays, and significant supple-
ment discounts to all employees!
Wouldn’t it be nice to work for such
a company? Well, maybe you can!
Phillips states, “We’re always looking for
new talent—writers, photographers,
customer-care representatives, sales reps,
research assistants, editors, etc.”
If you think you’ve got what it takes
to be a part of the Muscle Media 2000
team, send your resume to Rick
Anderson, c/o MM2K, P.O. Box 277,
Golden, CO 80402, or fax your
resume to 303-279-6465.
Covers Home

H O T T a l k

Mentzer
Packs It On
A story in a recent issue of Muscular Development (MD)
Mike Mentzer
described how bodybuilding legend Mike Mentzer packed on
30 pounds using a new Twin Lab supplement. The important
question they didn’t answer was, “Where did he pack those
30 pounds?”
At Muscle Media 2000’s recent “No Holds Barred” seminar
in Las Vegas, Mentzer gave a fantastic presentation on
high-intensity training, but Mike himself admitted his con-
dition was “less than optimal” and that he was going to
Photo: Alex Ardenti

start “getting back into it” in hopes of losing some weight,

not gaining it!
That’s alright Mike, we like you no matter how much you
weigh!

Just a Lovers’ Quarrel?!?!?! Reports of

By now, “We hope that, his Death are
you’ve all heard
about Chris Chris Cormier
like many
domestic dis-
Premature
Who knows how rumors get started? In
Cormier’s putes, this bodybuilding, like all subcultures, rumors run
alleged assault proves to be rampant. Of course, the latest one came as sort
on his 110-lb nothing more of a shock to the friends and family of Boyer
girlfriend Ahmo than a storm in a Coe. Somehow, rumor decided that Boyer Coe’s
Hight. According teacup and that ticker had stopped, probably from years of
to a police Chris and Ahmo dietary extremes, outrageous amounts of exotic
report published get back drugs, and the accumulated toll of brutal work-
in another body- together again.” outs. And rumor singled out Dan Duchaine as
building maga- That seems its emissary. Dan got a phone call, from what
zine, Cormier like a “nice” had always been a reliable source in the past,
became comment, but reporting Boyer’s death. Dan comes into contact
“enraged,” it’s not. Police with a lot of people each day, so like a virus, the
after which he reports indicate rumor spread until everyone, probably Boyer
grabbed the this wasn’t your included, thought he was dead. Dan even
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb

diminutive ordinary “domes- announced Boyer’s death at the First Annual

fitness model,
“slapped and
finally choked
her until she
could not breathe and actually lost
consciousness.” The charge against
Cormier is corporal spousal assault,
which is the most serious criminal
charge that can be made in a domes-
tic/spousal situation outside of
attempted murder. All of this is old
news to fans of pro bodybuilding, but
what makes the incident even more
serious is the magazine’s short-
sighted and insensitive attempt to
gloss over the incident:
tic dispute” and
that the 250-lb
Cormier almost
killed this young
lady! To categorize this near-murder
as “a storm in a teacup” is the height
of insensitivity. You’d think the whole
continent would have taken pause to
consider the ramifications of domes-
tic violence after the whole O.J. and
Nicole Simpson saga came to light.
But things haven’t changed and prob-
ably never will. Cormier needs help,
plenty of it. If he “loses it” again, he
could end up in prison for life. And
nobody wants that!
Muscle Media 2000 “No Holds Barred” seminar
in Las Vegas, which sent Muscle Media Editor-
in-Chief, T.C. Luoma, scurrying off to the
phones for verification. No one answered
Boyer’s phone, least of all Boyer. Makes sense;
dead guys don’t pick up the phone, do they?
Still, an unanswered phone call doesn’t equate
to a death certificate. Twenty minutes later, T.C.
was able to contact MM2K contributor Laura
Dayton who had just spoken to Boyer 20 min-
utes earlier. Apparently, after a heated debate,
Boyer convinced Laura that he wasn’t dead—
perhaps a bit sleepy from watching several Urkel
episodes back to back but not dead. Boyer lives,
but according to recent reports, Don Ross’ con-
dition remains unchanged—he’s still dead.
Covers Home
H O
NEWS
NEWS &
TIDBITS
The Champ’s
New Boy!
Lee and Robin Labrada are happy
to announce the birth of their second
child, Blade Cameron Labrada.
Blade was born on January 18, 1996
at 7:31 a.m. in Houston, Texas. Blade
weighed in at 8 lbs, 7 ounces, and
measured 20”. He joins his brother
Hunter, 3, whose first question upon
seeing the new baby was, “This is e-
n-o-rmously exciting! Can I take him
home and play Ninja Turtles with
him?”
Proud papa Lee said, “Not before
he’s done with his workout...he still
has another set of overhead boob
pulls to finish. Training for the 2020
Mr. Olympia must start early!” Lee
continues, “All jesting aside, we’re
extremely happy and thank God for
this greatest of blessings.”
T T a l k
CONTINUED
Muscle Publishers’
Highs and Lows
Ever wonder about bodybuilding magazine covers? Which ones sell and which
ones don’t? Well, probably not, but believe us, it’s a fascinating “science.” Of course,
it doesn’t take a Mensa-level IQ to figure out that sex sells, and the numbers cer-
tainly support that. In the publishing business, we pay an awful lot of attention to
percentages, more specifically, the percentage of magazines bought off the news-
stand. For instance, if there are 10 copies of Muscle Media 2000 at your local Piggly
Wiggly grocery store and 6 get purchased, the sales percentage for that issue is 60%
(let’s see, divide the hypotenuse by the denominator, carry the 6, multiply by the
square root of pi, yeah, 60%). If you hit at least 50%, that’s the magic number; it’s
like rushing for a hundred yards in a football game or going 4 for 4 in a baseball
game.
The cover plays a big part in the final sales numbers. If the cover sucks, your sales
suck. Conversely, if the cover is dynamite, sales are often dynamite. However, stick
some cleavage or rear end on the cover, and you’ve almost guaranteed yourself big
sales percentages (see this month’s “No Holds Barred” column).
The trouble is, these percentages are closely guarded secrets. Each magazine pro-
tects their “numbers” like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Still, it’s not that hard
to get indicators of how the various mags are doing. The good news is, all in all,
people are buying more bodybuilding mags than ever. However, each magazine has
had its ups and downs.
A couple years ago, Muscular Development was sputtering along, rarely making a
dent in the bodybuilding publishing world. Then along came the May 1995 issue
which featured Kim Paul, a sexually provocative, bikini-clad “fitness model,” on the
cover. That issue was MD’s best-selling issue ever! Now, practically every other cover
features a fitness “bunny” on it. Hey, when you’ve touched on a winning formula,
why change it? Still, they have their “slow movers.” The December 1995 cover fea-
tured Craig Titus, clad in only a palm leaf. Sales of that issue were very low, compar-
atively.
Ironman has hit on a similar winning formula. When they put Debee Halo on the
cover in a wet T-shirt back in April of ’95, the sales jumped. Flex and MuscleMag
have experienced the same kind of success when they went the girlie route. Flex’s
biggest seller in ’95 featured Sharon Bruneau, Debbie Muggli, and Lenda Murray in
hooker-style vinyl miniskirts. MuscleMag’s biggest seller was their swimsuit issue.
Conversely, Flex’s poorest selling cover of the year had Shawn Ray, Dennis Newman,
and a kind of veiny and non-sexual shot of Michelle Andrea, whereas MuscleMag’s
weakest cover featured Frank Sepe and the face of Monica Brant (her cleavage was
obscured by Sepe’s head).
Muscle & Fitness almost always features a lascivious babe on the cover, so the only
big change occurs when they don’t put a woman on the cover. Their recent Tony
Little cover was their worst selling issue in recent memory.
Oh, and what has Muscle Media 2000 found? Well, we haven’t really experi-
mented with the sex route. Our sales have been growing quite nicely, but we have
highs and lows, too. Our best cover in ’95 featured Joe Lazzaro and Laurie
Donnelly in a decidedly non-sexual pose. Our bomb of the year featured
Mike O’Hearn.
Covers Home

H O T T a l k

HIGH LOW
HIGH LOW

Good cover— We can’t figure out

Good sales why this one Bold but bad
didn’t move T&A wins again!

HIGH LOW HIGH LOW

Cool cover! Little cover pulls

little sales Good wholesome Concept confused
muscle potential buyers

HIGH LOW
HIGH LOW

T&A: a simple NO COMMENT

formula for
big sales Swimsuit issue Not enough muscle
(or boobs) showing
Covers Home

Muscle-Tech Claims Lack

Credibility.

Hold Off on Arginine

Aspartate for Now.
UN CENSORED
Q&A
B y B i l l P h i l l i p s
Cycling Vanadyl Sulfate.

Why Bodybuilders Use

Insulin.

RU 486 for Muscle Growth?

Q I read about this new company
called “Muscle-Tech” in an article
in MuscleMag recently. How do
you rate this company’s products?
versity and presented to scientists at the
International Sports Nutrition Conference last
September and is now peer reviewed, that show the
Experimental and Applied Sciences’ (EAS) product
Phosphagain™produces an average gain in lean
mass of 5.35 lbs in just 28 days (which is a BIG

A
There’s not much information
available on Muscle-Tech. But what
I’ve seen so far lacks credibility.
Watch Out for Fake HMB! Take this claim which appeared in that recent
article for example, “...Muscle-Tech’s products are
over 500% more effective than any supplement
Optimal Supplement
currently available.” I’d sure like to see the sub-
Dosages. stantiation for that! Five-hundred percent more
effective, huh? (Ridiculous claims like this make it
hard to believe any of the claims made about
Muscle-Tech products.) If Muscle-Tech can prove
that claim, I’ll personally cut them a check for
$10,000!
I have the results of a double-blind, placebo-con-
trolled study, which was done at a legitimate uni-
“...if they can prove their
supplements are 500%
more effective...than any
other supplements
available, I’ll Federal
Express them a check
for $10,000 immediately.”
gain!).
Okay...if Muscle-Tech’s new supplements are
500% more effective than Phosphagain, then
they’d produce an average gain of 26.75 lbs (5.35 x
500%) of lean mass in 28 days. That, my friends,
ain’t the case! There’s no F-in’ way any supplement
has been shown to produce gains like that.
The article constantly mentions Muscle-Tech’s
research, although it never mentions where this
research is being done, where it’ll be presented,
who’s doing it, etc. I repeatedly attempted to con-
tact this Muscle-Tech company to ask for more
information on their research but made no
progress. One of our MM2K researchers contacted
Greg Zulak (who wrote the Muscle-Tech article),
but Zulak couldn’t provide any information that
could back the “unbelievable” claims made in his
article.
Nowadays, you see supplement companies
throwing around the word “research” all the time.
For many supplement companies, “research”
means flipping through muscle magazines and try-
ing to figure out what products are selling well and
then attempting to imitate these products—that’s
basically what most “research” in the bodybuilding
business consists of.
In the last issue of Muscle Media 2000, I said
EAS was going to conduct more research to find
out what the optimal doses of creatine monohy-
drate are for bodybuilders. What I meant by
“research” was that double-blind, placebo-con-
trolled university studies are going to be con-
ducted, and scientific, analytical methods such as
muscle biopsies, body-composition tests, perfor-
mance evaluations, etc. will be made before and
after giving the subjects various doses of creatine
monohydrate. Then, the statistics will be compiled
by experts, and the data will be presented at a sci-
entific conference. That’s research!
One of the products mentioned in that
MuscleMag article, that I’ve been getting a lot of
questions on, is something called acetyl-L-carnitine
(ALC). ALC hasn’t been proven to do anything pos-
Covers Home

itive for bodybuilders—there’s some research that shows it

may help mitigate chronic stress-related reductions in
testosterone levels, but I looked everywhere and couldn’t
find any studies showing ALC has ever been shown to
stimulate testosterone, much less promote muscle size
and strength in healthy weight-training humans. When
Zulak describes ALC, he says, “ALC is the only product I
know of that has steroid-like effects—but without the
Q I recently read that using the amino
acid arginine can cause a significant
increase in IGF-1 levels. I’ve read a lot
about IGF-1, and it sounds like this is an important hor-
mone for muscle growth. Do you know how much argi-
nine I should take?
negative side effects. The great feature about ALC is that, “It’s
unlike steroids, it doesn’t cause you to lose muscle when
you stop taking it. There’s no depression, increase of
estrogen, zits...” Blah, blah, blah! Where’s the substantia-
tion for such claims?
Before you’d be able to legally make claims like these,
A What you read about arginine increas-
ing IGF-1 levels originated with a study
presented last year in the Journal of
Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. In that study, 45 sub-
jects who used 30 grams of arginine aspartate a day for
extremely
possible that
you’d have to do double-blind, placebo-controlled uni-
versity studies in weight-training athletes. You’d have to
14 days experienced a significant increase in blood arginine does
IGF-1 levels.
measure their testosterone levels, their body composition, Unfortunately, I don’t think this study really has all not increase
and all kinds of things. You’d have to compare ALC users that much application for bodybuilders—you see, the
to test subjects who consumed a placebo, and if you subjects in this recent arginine study were between the IGF-1 levels
wanted to say that ALC doesn’t cause you to lose muscle ages of 67 and 82. Typically, by that age, a number of our
when you stop taking it, you’d have to continue to study bodies’ key hormones will be well below what they are in young,
the test subjects after they quit using the compound. when we’re in our 20’s and 30’s. It’s extremely possible
What they are claiming is that the gains in muscle size that arginine does not increase IGF-1 levels in young, healthy
you get from taking ALC are permanent, and not only is healthy bodybuilders. But, hopefully, someone will study
there no proof that ALC produces any gains in size and the effects 30 grams of arginine aspartate have on body- body-
strength to begin with, making a claim that the gains are builders, and hopefully, they’ll measure not only IGF-1
permanent is really, really going out on a limb. I know of levels but body composition and strength as well—these
builders.”
no compound in the world that produces permanent are the most important factors to me and most other sup-
gains in muscle size and strength... Steroids don’t even do plement users. For now, I’d say hold off on arginine—
this! Using supplements or drugs that may accelerate lean there are better supplements to spend your hard-earned
mass and strength gains is similar to weight training itself money on.
in that if you stop doing it, eventually you’ll lose what
you’ve gained. The body always tries to go back to “nor-
mal.” For example, would you expect to go out in the sun
for two weeks and get a nice tan and then stay tan for the
rest of your life? Of course not! It just doesn’t work like
that.
In Zulak’s defense, he’s really not a supplement expert
and maybe he’s being fed information that he just
Q I’ve been using 70 mg of vanadyl sulfate a
day, and I’ve been getting really good
results. I just wonder, since I’m using
more than the “recommended dose,” should I be cycling
this stuff?
assumed was correct—he might not have the knowledge
to understand the difference between what’s real and
what’s not. When I first started writing ten years ago, I
made the same mistake myself a few times—I didn’t
know any better. But I now have a lot more experi-
ence and knowledge in the field of bodybuilding
A I’d say yes. A lot of
bodybuilders have
been using 70 to 100
mg of vanadyl sulfate a day, but I
don’t recommend this much. I’ve
supplements, and I also know the difference been getting great results with 45
between proof, evidence, and total bullshit! mg a day, and I think that’s all
most lifters need. But if you want
I’m certain you’ll start to see ads for Muscle-Tech
to use more, I’d definitely “cycle”
supplements showing up in MuscleMag, and if the
it. For example, you might use it
same claims show up in their ads that were made in
for six weeks, stay off it for four
this recent article, I hope they’ve got a great lawyer
weeks, then use it for six more
who can help them explain all of this to the Federal
weeks and so on.
Trade Commission.
And, finally, I want to reiterate my proposal to
Muscle-Tech—if they can prove their supplements
are 500% more effective (I assume they mean for
gaining lean mass) than any other supplements avail-
able, I’ll Federal Express them a check for $10,000
immediately. (Am I nice or what?!)
 Covers Home
UN
UN CENSORED
C
Q&A
O N T I N U E D
Q I’ve heard a lot about top bodybuilders
using insulin to help them gain muscle,
and I’ve read some things about this in
the various magazines, but I can’t quite understand it.
Why use insulin? I thought high insulin levels made you
fat. You have a knack for explaining things (sometimes
complicated things) in a way I can understand. What’s
this whole insulin thing about?
“There’s no
doubt that
insulin use is
A Here’s your insulin crash course: as you
most likely know, insulin is a protein
hormone that’s secreted by an organ
right in the middle of your gut called the pancreas. You
might think of insulin as a “nutrient storage” hormone.
Simply put, what insulin does is escort protein (amino
having a major acids) and carbohydrates (glucose or blood sugar) into
various cells of the body.
impact on pro For example, let’s say you just drank a glass of orange
juice. That orange juice is processed by your digestive sys-
bodybuild- tem into the simplest form of carbohydrate (glucose),
and it’s shuttled into your bloodstream. Then, insulin
ing...” comes along and takes that glucose into various cells
where it’s used for energy or stored.
Insulin also helps glucose and amino acids get into
muscle cells which facilitates anabolism. And, it
can help prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue
which makes it anti-catabolic.
But as you mentioned, insulin can be a “double-
edged sword.” That is, it can also prevent the
breakdown of bodyfat and increase bodyfat
storage.
However, a lot of bodybuilders are using
insulin, and they’re not getting fat— they’re
getting bigger and more cut than ever. Why is
this? Well, it seems insulin, when given to a
lean, muscular bodybuilder, increases defini-
tion and muscle fullness. But insulin, when
given to obese persons, can make them even
fatter.
Remember how I told you insulin was a
“nutrient storage” hormone? Well, it’s also a
nutrient storage hormone with bias. If you’re
placing extreme physical demands on your
body by doing intense weight training and you’re not
taking in an excess amount of calories, the insulin in your
body wants to take nutrients to muscle cells preferentially
over fat cells.
On the other hand, if you’re a sedentary person who
consumes an excess number of calories, day in and day
out, insulin will increase your bodyfat levels.
Now, a lot of top bodybuilders are using insulin, along
with growth hormone, steroids, clenbuterol, thyroid
drugs, and/or IGF-1. In that environment, it appears
insulin’s even more effective, and it may cause growth
hormone (GH) and IGF-1 to become potent muscle
builders and fat burners. (I’m not convinced IGF-1 or
GH are all that great on their own.)
There’s no doubt that insulin use is having a major
impact on pro bodybuilding—I have firsthand informa-
tion that a bodybuilder who came out of nowhere last
year and almost won the Olympia is a master with
insulin—he really knows what he’s doing!
Injectable insulin is something that has been used for
many years by diabetics—these are people who have a
disease which prevents their bodies from making enough
insulin (Type I diabetes), or they have a defect that causes
their cells not to recognize insulin (Type II diabetes).
Usually, Type I diabetics have to take insulin shots a
few times each day to help their bodies transport glucose
out of their blood and into cells. Now, you might be
wondering if insulin is such a great bodybuilding drug,
how come all diabetics aren’t muscular and lean? Well,
remember what I said earlier—how insulin works
depends a lot on who’s using it. Bodybuilders who are
already lean and have a lot of muscle can get even bigger
and leaner with insulin use, but for people who aren’t
working out hard with weights, aren’t already quite mus-
cular, and aren’t using other bodybuilding drugs, insulin
would probably have virtually no positive effects on body
composition.
Anyway, the bodybuilders I’ve been talking with use
anywhere from 20 to 40 international units (IU’s) of
insulin a day. There are two main types of insulin—long-
acting and short-acting. Short-acting insulin stays
in the body for about six hours after injection.
(Insulin shouldn’t be injected into a vein or intra-
muscularly—it goes under the skin or “subcuta-
neously.”) This type of insulin usually kicks in
about an hour or two after you take it.
All types of insulin should be stored in a cool
place like a refrigerator but not a freezer.
There are different sources of insulin—stan-
dard and purified animal insulins as well as
human insulins are available. Standard and
purified insulins differ in their degree of
purification and content of non-insulin
material. Standard and purified insulins also
come from different sources—they may be
from beef, pork, or a mixture of the two.
Human insulin is identical in structure to
the insulin produced by the human pancreas,
and it differs slightly from animal insulin.
One thing some bodybuilders have pointed out is if
they switch from animal to human insulin (or vice versa),
they often notice a different reaction from the same
dosage—this is just one of several complicated hurdles
that insulin-using bodybuilders have to deal with.
Keep this in mind—your pancreas naturally releases
insulin (if you’re not a Type I diabetic) after your blood
sugar levels rise. Thus, it’s insulin’s job to keep things as
“steady” as possible. But when you take an insulin injec-
tion, you’re causing your blood sugar levels to go down—
this is called hypoglycemia.
If bodybuilders take a shot of insulin first thing in the
morning and then just eat complex carbohydrates, they
probably won’t create a high enough blood sugar level by
the time their insulin shot “kicks in,” and they can go
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into a very deep hypoglycemic episode and experience
things like shortness of breath, shaking, and extreme
sweating. These symptoms can cause quite a panic!
Now, wiser insulin-using bodybuilders apparently get
good results by consuming 10 grams of glucose (simple
carbs) per IU of insulin about 20 to 30 minutes after
they take a shot. For example, if someone took 10 IU’s of
insulin first thing in the morning, he would consume
about 100 grams of simple carbs 20 to 30 minutes later.
If they don’t take an insulin shot first thing in the
morning and have a meal with only complex carbs, they
can get away with not eating any extra simple carbs. The
top bodybuilders I know typically take two or three shots
a day, with at least six hours between injections. Some
bodybuilders take a combination of the long and short-
acting forms of insulin, but if they do this, they have to
pay very close attention to their diets and eat exactly
every three hours. They also need to make sure they have
a good-sized serving of protein and carbohydrates with
every meal.
The longer-acting insulin stays in the system for about
24 hours and peaks several times a day. Reportedly, it’s
much harder to predict and manage. However, assuming
that the competitive (serious) bodybuilder eats the way
he should, he can make sure he has a sufficient amount
of carbs throughout the day, so the risk of hypoglycemia
is minimal. The advantage of the long-acting form of
insulin is that it stays in your body throughout the day,
and every time your blood glucose levels are increased,
that extra insulin goes to work and pushes glucose (and
available amino acids) into muscle cells.
An example of how one top bodybuilder uses insulin
is as follows: 15 IU’s of the long-acting insulin plus 5 IU’s
of the short-acting insulin first thing in the morning,
then 10 IU’s of the short-acting insulin 6 hours later and
another 10 IU’s of the short-acting insulin after another
6 hours. This is a total of 40 IU’s of insulin a day. (Using
insulin before going to sleep is not a good idea! You can’t
tell if you’re having symptoms of hypoglycemia, so you
could have some big problems!) Most bodybuilders are
cycling (going on and off) insulin even though many do
not go off steroids. For example, a bodybuilder might use
insulin for eight weeks, then take eight weeks off. Their
thinking is that this might minimize long-term side
effects of insulin use, which might include a disruption
in the body’s ability to produce certain neurotransmitters
in response to low blood sugar levels.
Insulin use for precontest preparation is extremely
popular with the pros and top amateurs. It seems that
when the body is glycogen depleted, using insulin while
carbing up can produce such dramatic effects, you can
literally stand in front of the mirror and watch your mus-
cles swell.
One of the most complicated things for a competitive
bodybuilder is to carb up “just right.” You see, if you
deplete your muscles of glycogen (your body’s stored
form of carbohydrate) by eating a low-carb diet (100
grams or less a day) for 3 to 5 days and working out really
hard, your muscles will be small and “flat.” But when
“...insulin
is a drug
that really
belongs in
the hands of
a physician—
you start feeding your body with high amounts of carbo-
hydrates again, your muscles “super compensate” and self-adminis-
suck in even more carbs than they would normally
hold—this is called “carbing up” by competitive body- tering it is
builders.
The tricky thing about this is if you don’t consume
just so
enough carbs, you’ll be flat, and if you take in too many
carbs, glucose will “spill over,” and you’ll start holding
risky!”
water under your skin—you’ll look bigger but still “flat.”
The bodybuilders I’ve talked to say that carb loading
while you’re using insulin produces incredibly dramatic
results and makes it more likely that you will “peak” with
maximum muscle fullness and definition.
A good thing about insulin is that it isn’t toxic to your
liver (like steroids), and it doesn’t cause abnormal bone or
cartilage growth (like growth hormone). But, it really
wouldn’t be accurate to call the use of injectable insulin
by bodybuilders “safe.”
In fact, there is a very ugly side to this issue. You see, if
you misuse insulin, you can kill yourself—not 40 years
from now—today! If you take too much insulin and don’t
consume enough carbohydrates, you can go into deep
hypoglycemia and even a coma. (Remember Claus Von
Bulow and that whole deal with his wife? If not, don’t
worry about it—it’s not worth explaining...) Many body-
builders constantly monitor their blood sugar levels with
a tool called a glucometer. This may help lower the risks
somewhat, but insulin is a drug that really belongs in the
hands of a physician—self-administering it is just so
risky!
I personally wouldn’t mess with insulin—I just don’t
like taking those kinds of chances with my body—to me,
it’s not worth it. I’m not a pro bodybuilder, and to be suc-
cessful at what I do, I don’t have to weigh 275 lbs and
have 3% bodyfat. But those who elect to make a career
out of competitive bodybuilding sometimes feel they
must do “whatever it takes.” I feel bad for them, but no
one is forcing them to do the things they’re doing—
they’re “risk takers”; there’s no doubt about it.
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I certainly wouldn’t recommend insulin injections to
Q&A the typical Muscle Media 2000 reader who’s trying to
build a more muscular, better-looking physique. If you’re
C O N T I N U E D
not heavily involved in competitive bodybuilding, I defi-
nitely don’t think it’s worth the risk! However, since it’s
my job to tell you the truth about what’s going on—I
have to address questions like this one.
Now, how can “non-kamikaze” bodybuilders “mimic”
the results pros are getting from using injectable insulin?
Well, that’s something some pretty smart “bodybuilding
“...a number scientists” are aggressively studying at this very moment.
You see, taking insulin injections is not the only way to
of “enhance” the anabolic and anti-catabolic effects of
supplement
companies
are working
insulin. Vanadyl sulfate, an “insulin mimicker” that is
extremely popular with bodybuilders, is one possible
“drug-free” way to gain an advantage, but new research
has led to even more exciting discoveries in this area.
Within the next year, I think you’ll have access to a
legal, safe “insulin mimicker” which could significantly
enhance your body’s ability to shuttle carbohydrates and
on fake proteins from your bloodstream into muscle cells. The
versions of
HMB and plan
compound that may do this is called IPF™ (insulin poten-
tiating factor™), and it’s been “on the drawing board” for
a couple of years now. The guys behind this product are
the same folks who introduced bodybuilders to creatine
monohydrate (probably the most popular supplement in
to release bodybuilding history!). They claim their new IPF com-
them to the pound will work very similar to insulin injections for
bodybuilders (but it’s not something diabetics should use
market any instead of injectable insulin!). The product is being
designed to assist with muscle building, but it won’t be so
day now.” powerful that it can cause severe hypoglycemia and other
dangers associated with injectable insulin use. (Of course,
MM2K will be the first mag to bring you the whole story
on IPF.)
One last note—if you’re thinking about using insulin,
think twice—it’s really risky!
Q Do you think RU 486 is a good bodybuild-
ing drug?
A I originally wrote about RU 486 (specif-
ically, RU 38486) almost five years ago
in my Anabolic Reference Update. At that
time, I reported that bodybuilders in Europe had been
experimenting with it in hopes of accelerating muscle
gains.
RU 486 is that controversial abortion pill you some-
times hear about on the news. As it turns out, in addition
to causing a hormonal environment that induces abor-
tions in pregnant women, RU 486 also happens to be
very “anti-catabolic.”
A recent study showed that a 600-mg dose of RU 486
(the same dose used to induce abortions) helped protect
muscle tissue from the catabolic effects of cortisol.
The downside is that RU 486 may also block androgen
muscle receptors which would prevent testosterone from
working its magic on muscle cells.
RU 486 is interesting—I’ll admit that. But if you’re
going to take the drug route, I’m virtually positive RU
486 won’t produce better results than even a low dose of
anabolic steroids, and if you’re going to take the drug-free
route (which is what I do), I think you can get better
“anti-catabolic” effects with something like HMB than
you could with RU 486.
To date, no studies have shown that RU 486 helps
weight trainers gain more size and strength. And I’ve
heard from quite a few bodybuilders who tried RU 486
(mostly bodybuilders from Europe), and none of them
reported anything spectacular.
Q The guy who runs my gym told me he’s
going to start carrying a form of HMB put
out by American Strength and Fitness or
something like that. Do you know if their HMB is any
good?
A It’s a scam! I’ve learned that a number of
supplement companies are working on
fake versions of HMB and plan to
release them to the market any day now. One company
that’s calling their supplement “HMB” is actually
putting in three ingredients: histidine, methionine, and
some B-vitamins. What a rip-off!
Don’t be fooled—HMB stands for BETA-HYDROXY
BETA-METHYLBUTYRATE!
The only legitimate supplier of this supplement is
Metabolic Technologies, Inc. (MTI) of Ames, Iowa. This
company has licensed the HMB patents from the Iowa
State University Research Foundation (ISURF).
Not only does MTI own the patent rights, to my
knowledge, they’re also the only ones who know how to
make this stuff in bulk quantities. It took them years to
figure out how to produce HMB.
Literally tens of thousands of
bodybuilders are looking for HMB,
and unfortunately, over the past few
months, it’s been in extremely
short supply. (Hopefully by the
time this magazine gets to the
newsstands, the supply situation
will be better.) Other supplement
companies are aware of the
demand for HMB, but they’re
pulling their hair out because they
can’t find anybody to make it for
them. (It took MTI over four
years to get their manufacturer up
and running.) So it’s not
surprising to me,
knowing how
Metabolic
many scum- Technologies
bags there are Incorporated
Manufactured Exclusively For:
in this busi- Metabolic Technologies, Inc.
Iowa State University
ness, to learn Research Park
Ames, Iowa 50010
that some compa-
nies are going to be
Covers Home
putting an HMB label on a product
that’s just totally and completely
fake! These folks are absolute crimi-
nals; they’re as bad as those dirtbags
who sell counterfeit steroids.
There’s no shortage of people out
there who are willing to pour
Wesson oil in a vial, put a fake
label on it, sell it to you for $20
per milliliter, and tell you it’s
Deca-Durabolin. What makes
you think there would be any
shortage of people who’d take
some cheap amino acid, encapsu-
late it, put it in a bottle, and tell
you it’s HMB?
You’ve got to be
careful! At this time,
Nutritional uses of Calcium β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate
Monohydrate (HMB) are licensed to Metabolic
Technologies, Inc. under U.S. Patent #5,348,979.
the only brand of
HMB capsules on
the market which I
know to be legit is the
one put out by MTI. In the
future, MTI does plan to allow other supplement com-
panies to buy HMB from them and sell it under other
brand names. For example, EAS hopes to buy HMB
from MTI and sell it under the EAS brand name some-
time in the future. But right now, all the details haven’t
been worked out. I’ll stay in contact with MTI and let
you know who they’re selling HMB to—then I’ll tell you
which companies have the real stuff.
If I were you, I would make sure that before you buy
any type of HMB, you check the label to see if it lists
MTI as the source, and you should also watch for the
U.S. Patent Number 5,348,979. That’s a sign the stuff is
legit.
Q I saw an ad for a total-nutrition product
in Ironman magazine that’s supposed to
have HMB in it. Is that real?
A One company that makes a very popu-
lar meal replacement—a company I
can’t mention because of an unusual
legal matter (see last issue’s “Q&A”), has advertised a
new total-nutrition product containing HMB. At the
time I’m writing this column, MTI has not supplied
any HMB to this company, but I understand the two
companies are in negotiations. I think this new form of
“Product X” is supposed to have 1.5 grams of HMB per
serving. They are recommending you use two servings
a day (clinical studies have shown an effective dose is 3
grams a day).
Using this product twice a day may produce good
results, but Dan Duchaine tipped me off to something
recently. He pointed out that HMB has an extremely
short “half-life” in the blood—it’s in and out of your sys-
tem in just a few hours. Dan does not recommend only
taking HMB twice a day; in fact, he thinks instead of tak-
ing one gram (four capsules) three times daily, that taking
two capsules six times daily might be best. Thus, what I
just started doing is taking two capsules of HMB every
three hours while I’m awake. This way, the HMB levels in
my blood stay more consistent.
My problem with using a meal-replacement powder
that contains 1.5 grams of HMB per serving is that you
would lose the versatility you have with capsules.
Capsules are extremely convenient—you can keep a small
packet of them in your pocket, your briefcase, whatever.
It’s very easy to take two capsules six times a day.
According to the doctors who have extensively studied
HMB, they say you can take it on an empty or full stom-
“This was
ach—it shouldn’t make any difference.
In the most recent HMB clinical study, the test sub-
the second
jects used HMB in capsules and got great results! This
was the second study to offer strong evidence that weight
study to
trainers who use HMB gain significantly more size and offer strong
strength than nonusers! Also, test subjects who used
HMB in this recent study showed a strong trend for fat evidence
loss! The test subjects took one gram of HMB three times
daily. So, we have strong evidence to suggest that that that weight
dosage schedule is effective. But, it’s possible that chang-
ing the dosage pattern to two capsules six times daily, trainers who
instead of four capsules three times daily, may produce
even better results! Perhaps this is something researchers use HMB gain
might look at sometime in the future.
significantly
Q I was wondering if the recommended
dosage of supplements like creatine
monohydrate, HMB, CLA, and vanadyl
sulfate should be adjusted according to bodyweight. Do
you have any information on this?
more size and
strength than
nonusers!”
A It seems to make sense that a 125-lb
woman would not need to take the same
amount of HMB as a 220-lb guy.
Unfortunately, no studies have been done to answer this
particular question.
Logic would seem to dictate that if a 220-lb guy
gets good results using 3 grams of HMB a day, a 125-
lb woman should get good results by using 2 grams
a day.
It also seems to make sense that if a 220-lb body-
builder gets good results using a mainte-
nance dose of 10 grams a day of creatine
monohydrate, then a woman who
weighs 125 lbs might only need 5 grams
per day. I would think the same
would be true for other supple-
ments.
By the same token, guys who
weigh over 220 lbs (and there are
quite a few of them who read
Muscle Media 2000) might need
to take more of these supple-
ments to get optimal results. For
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UN
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example, I know some big bodybuilders (275 pounders)
Q&A use a maintenance dose of 30 grams of creatine monohy-
C O N T I N U E D
drate a day!
You can assume that the dosages we talk about most
often in Muscle Media 2000 are basically for guys who
weigh between 150 and 220 pounds. If you’re in that
range (which at least 80% of my readers are), you proba-
bly don’t need to make any adjustments. If you’re not in
that weight range, you might think about slightly
decreasing or increasing your supplement intake in an
attempt to “tailor” the dosage to fit your particular phys-
iological needs. Hopefully, future research will provide us
“...most pro with more “exact” info.
bodybuilders
can’t exactly
tell you what
they do to get
Q Why doesn’t Muscle Media 2000 have
any bodybuilding contest coverage in it?
How come there aren’t any articles about
the bodybuilding champions?
‘the look’
they have. A The majority of my readers don’t want
that kind of information from MM2K.
A few months ago, we ran a photo essay
and simply put down a listing of the top ten finishers at
the Mr. Olympia contest, and you would’ve thought I’d
They’re caught sent a personal letter to tens of thousands of Muscle
Media 2000 readers telling them their mothers were les-
between a rock bians! I got more nasty letters about that Mr. Olympia
“photo essay” than you would believe!
and a hard You see, the guy or gal who picks up Muscle Media
2000 expects something different from us. If they want
place.” contest coverage, they know to buy Flex. That magazine
will tell you everything you want to know about the
major bodybuilding contests—who came in first, second,
third, tenth, etc.
Flex magazine is also filled with fantastic photos of pro
bodybuilders working out, and it has some articles that have
apparently been writ-
ten by pro body-
builders where they
tell you how many sets they do, what weight they use, etc.
Basically, coverage of top bodybuilding contests is not
something our industry is lacking, neither are fantastic
photos of well-built bodybuilding superstars and infor-
mation on how they work out.
Muscle Media 2000 is not going to get into that—ever!
It was not my intention when I started this magazine to
come out with a publication that was like the others—
I’ve always strived to make this magazine different—I’ve
been trying to make it useful, and I think we’ve accom-
plished that.
The sales of Muscle Media 2000 are booming! And
people certainly don’t read my magazine to find out who
won this or that bodybuilding contest nor do they buy
MM2K to read how this or that pro claims to have built
his or her muscularity.
The guys and gals who read this magazine do so
because they want to find out the real deal. You read
MM2K to find out how you can build a better body—
this publication is kind of like a guide for “do-it-your-
selfers.” Muscle Media 2000 isn’t a magazine for people
who “sit on the sidelines”—it’s a fitness and physique
development magazine for people who specifically want
to learn how it’s done and how they can do it!
Unfortunately, most pro bodybuilders can’t exactly tell
you what they do to get “the look” they have. They’re
caught between a rock and a hard place. Because virtually
all of them use steroids (and a bunch of other body-
building drugs), many of which are illegal, they can’t
openly talk about the use of these compounds. They talk
with me about the drugs they use, but such conversations
have to be kept confidential for obvious reasons. It’s not
that I don’t like pro bodybuilders—it’s not that at all. I
have a number of good friends who are pros. It’s just that
my readers want the whole truth.
I think the other magazines are good at what they
do—like I said, Flex has great bodybuilding contest cov-
erage and incredible photos; MuscleMag has great gossip
and some really funny advertisements which I enjoy read-
ing; Muscular Development is the “sexiest” bodybuilding
magazine, etc. Each magazine has its own “specialty.”
“Muscle Media 2000
unquestionably
has the most
accurate, honest,
straightforward
information on
‘what to use.’”
Covers Home
Muscle Media 2000 unquestionably has the most accu-
rate, honest, straightforward information on “what to
use.” That is, we have the best information on new
bodybuilding supplements and the most honest infor-
mation on bodybuilding pharmaceuticals.
We also have some pretty good training articles and
some good information on nutrition, and I think, over-
all, Muscle Media 2000 has a pretty good sense of humor.
But, the main reason people read this magazine is
because they want to find out what to use and how to use
it. That’s what we’re good at, so it makes sense that we
should focus on that the most.
Q I’ve been trying to get my girlfriend to
work out with weights, use supplements,
and so on, but for a long time, she has
resisted—she told me she didn’t want to end up looking
like one of those “grotesque” female bodybuilders. But,
more recently, she’s taken an interest in training with
weights. I finally convinced her that free-weight exer-
cise isn’t going to make her look like a freak. Anyway, I
wanted to know what type of nutrition, exercise, and
Just A
Few More
Things...
I’d like to say thanks to all the people who take the time
to write in with their questions, positive comments, and
feedback. I really appreciate it!
I want to let you know I do everything I can to provide
each and every one of you with the answers you’re look-
ing for—I personally answered 847 letters last month! (I’ll
bet I answer more letters each month than any publisher
in this business ever has!)
Unfortunately, I cannot provide a detailed response to
every single question (I provide an answer to at least 90%
of the letters I get).
And, there are some subjects I just can’t give you a per-
sonal reply on—one of those subjects that is strictly “off
limits” is the use of bodybuilding drugs. For obvious legal
reasons, I can’t give people “one-on-one” advice that per-
tains to the use of steroids, insulin, IGF-1, etc. All the
information I have about those kinds of topics is
addressed in Muscle Media 2000 or in my Anabolic
Reference Guide (the most comprehensive book ever writ-
ten on bodybuilding drugs. That book is advertised on
page 91 of this issue).
For those who have detailed questions about supple-
ment use (a topic I can address in a one-on-one letter), I
request that before you send me your questions, you thor-
oughly read my new 1996 Supplement Review. That book
has the answers to almost every supplement question you
can think of. There is an announcement on page 19 that
tells you how to get that book FREE!
supplement program you’d recommend for a relatively fit
(my girlfriend only needs to lose a few pounds of fat, and
she wants to put on some muscle) 28-year-old woman. I
think she has the potential to look like one of those fit- “...the main
ness models like Monica Brant or Laurie Donnelly.
reason people
A I’ve been getting more and more ques-
tions like this over the past few months.
It’s an obvious sign that more ladies are
taking an interest in “bodybuilding.” I’m certain the
reason more women than ever are interested in weight
read this
magazine is
because they
training is because the muscle magazines have stopped
running so many “freakish” pictures of female body- want to find
builders and have been featuring drug-free lifters like
Monica Brant, Mia Finnegan, Laurie Donnelly, etc.
Now, gals like your girlfriend can see that weight-train-
ing exercise and proper nutrition can help them build a
beautiful body.
If you’d like to help your girlfriend out, I’d suggest you
read an article I wrote in this issue of Muscle Media 2000
out what to
use and how
to use it.”
called “The Right Way.” It’s on page 104.
This is a great article for guys who act as “personal
trainers” for the women in their lives. It will help answer
a lot of questions.
I’m dedicated to providing you with specific, prac-
tical, “how-to” bodybuilding information, but unfor-
tunately, I can’t do this for every single person who
reads the magazine. Believe me...if I could, I would!
(Since I know the answers to 98% of the questions I
receive off the top of my head, it
really frustrates me that I just don’t Bill Phillips
have the time.) The good news is I’ll
be writing more and more articles
for Muscle Media 2000 that address
the “frequently asked questions” of
readers, and it won’t be long before
Muscle Media 2000 will be a
monthly magazine!
One last thing—we now have
our own “Home Page” on the
Internet. Muscle Media 2000 is the
first bodybuilding magazine to go
“on line.” One of the things we’ll
feature regularly on our Internet site
is a list of frequently asked ques-
tions (FAQ’s) along with my answers. I’ll be updating
these FAQ’s every single week, so in between issues of
Muscle Media 2000, you might want to check out the
FAQ’s section—I think you’ll find a lot of the ques-
tions you have about bodybuilding will be answered
there.
If you’d like to check out our Muscle Media 2000 Home
Page, the URL (address) is http://www.mm2k.com.
Thanks again!
Covers Home

That D-Bol is Fake! A

ASSK
K
Stacking Clenbuterol and
Zaditen.
B y D a
The
n
GURU
D u c h a i n e

Amino Acids and Insulin

Response.

Guru I was steroid shop-

ping in Tijuana and
found some small
blue bottles of methandrostenolone made by
Ludwig Heun in West Germany. (At least, that’s
what the bottle said.) Is this stuff real?
company would find a source of it and usually
charge between 10% to 15% over wholesale cost.
When brand-name Dianabol and generic
methandrostenolone were removed from the
American market, several companies began making
counterfeit versions, but all of them had problems.
Some of the pills were so poorly made and so

A No. It’s counterfeit. I happen to

know the entire history of this
counterfeit because I designed the
bottle, label, and tablets.
Starting in 1985, I worked closely with a Tijuana
pharmaceutical manufacturing company called
Laboratory Milano. For many years, Laboratory
Milano produced generic medications, primarily
antibiotics, for Mexican drugstores. The laboratory
was named Milano because the owner, Juan
Machlis, purchased all of the raw materials through
a procurement company based in Milano, Italy.
Whenever a drug was needed, the procurement
“...if you see
any
European
steroid being sold
in a Mexican
pharmacy, it’s a
counterfeit with
no active steroid
Photo: Jim Amentler
ingredients.”
loosely held together that you could use them as
blackboard writing chalk. Others were good but
elusive, i.e., hard to find.
About the same time, an Indian crime family
based in England began repackaging the Indian
Pronabol 5 (methandrostenolone) tablets into
small white bottles and labeled them as if they were
from Ludwig Heun GmbH KG, West Germany.
This was a very nice product, and I remember
going to various hotel rooms near the Los Angeles
airport to buy thousands of bottles from a bearded,
turbaned old gentleman who looked like a diplo-
mat. But as nice as the product was, I could never
depend on consistent shipments.
So I persuaded Laboratory Milano to manufac-
ture methandrostenolone to my specifications. I
designed a tiny light blue bottle with a white metal
cap. I supplied the Indian/English Ludwig Heun
bottle label so Milano could copy it. I picked this
label for two reasons: 1) on the black market, the
brand had established itself as a good, reliable
product, and 2) I wanted to avoid any ties or refer-
ences to Mexican manufacture simply because, at
the time, most steroid users distrusted any Mexican
steroid product. The unfounded assertion was that
the Mexican drugs were not as potent as the
European versions. Besides, calling it “Duchain-
abol” was out of the question.
Methandrostenolone was the first steroid pro-
duced by Laboratory Milano, and we made sure
each tablet always contained at least six milligrams
of the steroid. The cost for the raw materials and
packaging was only $0.50 per unit, but we sold it
for $4.50. After that, we made counterfeit versions
(always with real steroids in them) of Lemmon
testosterone cypionate and Lemmon nandrolone
decanoate. This was a screw up on my part because
testosterone cypionate and nandrolone decanoate
were never made by Lemmon. I unknowingly had
bought counterfeit steroids to duplicate!
Covers Home
The original source of our meth-
androstenolone was from Germany.
We also purchased oxandrolone
from Searle in England.
This was ironic
because Labora-
tory Milano and I
duplicated the Searle
Anavar exactly (the tablet
mold cost us $10,000) and sold
it for half the cost of what Searle sold
it for wholesale to pharmacies. Searle
became so frustrated over this (we sold the counterfeit
Anavar to American pharmacies) that the Anavar bottle
size was doubled to differentiate between ours and
theirs.
All the steroid tablets were smuggled in bulk across the
border and dropped off at various motel rooms around
San Diego. The bottles and labels were made in Tijuana
and legally exported to America. Mexican women would
count tablets, load them into the bottles, and box them in
packages of 100.
I stopped working with Laboratory Milano in the fall
of 1986. From that point on, the company cranked up
production and flooded the American black market. Just
before the arrest of the major “players” (myself included),
Laboratory Milano produced some unusual products
which I had designed. One was a methandrostenolone
with a diuretic and liver antitoxin added. Others included
very powerful injectable versions of oxandrolone and
oxymetholone. I can honestly say that these two exotic
injectables are the most potent steroids I have ever used.
Since the breakup and prosecution of the Laboratory
Milano conspiracy, the company has ceased all opera-
tions. Nevertheless, some of the former employees still
have the ability to produce the various bottles, labels, and
tablets of the various steroids. However, none of these
current counterfeits have any steroid in them, the Ludwig
Heun version included. So if you see any European
steroid being sold in a Mexican pharmacy, it’s a counter-
feit with no active steroid ingredients.
Guru Whenever
I use clen-
buterol, it
works great for about two weeks. After
that, I can use ten tabs a day and my tem-
perature will hardly rise. What can I do
“I happen
to know the
entire
about this?
history of
A Clenbuterol is a beta-2
agonist. It attaches to the
same receptor as your nat-
ural adrenaline and noradrenaline do. It
has a very high bonding capacity to the
this
counterfeit
adrenergic receptor. Whenever a drug fits
because
well onto a cell receptor, the receptor I designed
becomes resistant to that drug. For exam-
ple, the thermogenic effect of ephedrine the
seems to have a longer duration (though it’s not as
potent) for two reasons: 1) ephedrine doesn’t have a bottle,
high receptor affinity, and 2) ephedrine is not beta-2
specific. label, and
You might have heard about the newly discovered
beta-3 receptors. The receptor is primarily a thermogenic tablets.”
messenger, and over half the thermogenic effect from
ephedrine is from beta-3 stimulation. Although the ther-
mogenic message is not as intense as the beta-2 message,
beta-3 receptors are very resistant to down-regulation.
Clenbuterol, however, has very little beta-3 stimulation.
Until some new synthetic beta-3 agonist is commer-
cially available, the beta agonist of choice is still clen-
buterol (although the stronger cimaterol is available as a
research chemical in the U.S.). The rapid receptor sensi-
tivity attenuation happens to all users, and the various
dosage schemes (i.e., two days on, two days off ) just
aren’t successful.
This attenuation and the lowering of above-normal
body temperature are governed by two different mecha-
nisms. I’ve written
about one of
them before: the
shunting of T4
thyroid away from
the active T3 form
into the ineffective
reverse-T3. Most of
the thyroid in the
body is the inac-
tive T4 type.
The active thy-
roid that actually fits onto thy-
roid receptors is a reduced T4, and reduced T4 occurs
when one of the iodine atoms is cleaved off the molecule
by a specific enzyme (deiodinase). Since we have no way
of stopping the T4 from being transformed into ineffec-
tive reverse-T3 instead of the active T3, and there’s no
such thing as injectable deiodinase (which would prevent
the reduction), the best approach is to supplement the
missing T3 with Cytomel, a synthetic T3.
 Covers Home

A
ASK The trouble is, it’s likely a daily amount of Cytomel Between the small intestine and the
The
GURU higher than 25 mcg would eventually stop the produc-
tion of natural thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and
liver, all proteins are reduced to individ-
ual amino acids. And each amino has
C O N T I N U E D
the up-regulation will take about 8 weeks. Then, when the ability to cause both insulin and glucagon secretion
you go off Cytomel, your body’s still lagging in produc- from the pancreas. Glucagon is insulin’s evil twin: it’s
“...large tion of TSH. So now you know why almost everybody considered a catabolic hormone. However, glucagon
who stops taking thyroid (with the exception of the drug secretion doesn’t happen in large amounts until blood
dosages of Triacana) gets fat. For eight weeks, the body doesn’t need glucose falls to about 50 mg per decaliter (one tenth of
as many calories. a liter). Unlike insulin, which circulates in the blood,
the Up to this point, the Cytomel trick was only a partial the small amount of glucagon secreted from amino
solution. The second and major decrease of body tem- acids stays mostly in the liver. Glucagon’s job in the liver
antihistamine perature is caused by the down-regulation of the beta-2 is to speed the release of glycogen. Glycogen is a com-
receptor. The receptor actually is still in the cell but not plex starch. The same type of glycogen stored
ketotifen in its usual place. The receptor must be at the outside of in the liver is also
(trade name the cell surface to be available to the beta agonist. There stored in skeletal mus-
is research showing that large dosages of the antihista- cle. Glucagon sends the
Zaditen by mine ketotifen (trade name Zaditen by Sandoz) will up- message to the liver
regulate the beta-2 receptors. This is similar to the to reconvert
Sandoz) American Periactin (cyproheptadine). This class of anti- glycogen
histamine will cause drowsiness, hunger, and irritability,
will but you may think the negative symptoms are a small
price to pay.
up-regulate Here are the particulars. Zaditen is only available in
France in 1-mg capsules, 60 capsules to a box. It sells for
the beta-2 65.10 francs (about $12.25). Because of its appetite- back to
stimulating and muscle-building properties, Zaditen is glucose,
receptors.” sold through some of the American AIDS buying clubs. which
The average price for it in America is $40 a box. The dose is then
needed for the up-regulation of the beta-2 receptors is released into
about 10 capsules (10 mg)—assuming you’ve been using 3 the bloodstream.
clenbuterol tablets (60 The reason why eat-
mcg) each day. Sigma ing protein along with
Chemicals, the company carbohydrates causes
that has all the bodybuild- more muscle glycogen
ing goodies we like but deposition is because
can’t buy (including ste- the additional insulin
roids), does sell ketotifen (although insulin secre-
(the fumarate version is tion caused by amino
water soluble) in raw acids is small compared
bulk form. Keep in mind to a glucose response) is
that even when used with clenbuterol, available in the blood-
which both reduces appetite and is more of a stream, and the glu-
stimulant than caffeine, Zaditen will still cause sleepi- cagon pushes glucose out of the liver into the blood-
ness and hunger. Those aren’t nice effects, especially if stream.
you’re dieting. It might be more efficient to use an isolated amino acid
Your final solution to sustain clenbuterol’s action is to with a carbohydrate meal to “push” blood glucose into
use both Cytomel (25 mcg) and Zaditen (10 mg) each muscle cells. Not all amino acids have the same ability to
day after using clenbuterol by itself for 2 weeks. You’ll generate insulin and glucagon. In looking over the scien-
need only 60 mcg of clenbuterol for a very pronounced tific research, you’ll find that the amino acid glycine elic-
thermogenic effect, hypothetically speaking, of course. its the highest secretion of both insulin and glucagon.
The branched-chain amino acids elicit very little glu-

Guru A few months back, I read

that I should eat protein
with each carb meal when
I carb up for my contest. Why is this? Is there a particu-
lar protein that would be better to use than others?
cagon secretion, although the BCAA’s (especially leucine)
are good for boosting insulin.
Now that we know about the nice glucagon pulse
caused by glycine, you might see some nutrition com-
pany make an alpha-ketoglutarate variant with glycine
(rather than ornithine).

BODYOPUS, Dan Duchaine’s new book, is coming soon! (Seriously...it is! Dan swears on the Holy Bible it won’t be
much longer!) Watch for details on how to get a copy of this fantastic new book in future issues of Muscle Media 2000.
Covers Home

TC
Gyno Surgery is Ugly!

Nubian is for Pussies!

T A L K S B y T C L u o m a
Buying Supplements
on a Budget.

Okay—So Maybe DHEA

Isn’t Illegal!
Q I did a couple of steroid cycles a
few years back. Although I eventu-
ally lost most of the muscle I had
gained, I was left with a fairly mild case of gyno.
Mild as it is, it still bugs me, and I rarely take my
shirt off in public if I can avoid it. Recently, I heard
about a new method where gyno is treated by suc-
tioning off the excess tissue. Does this method
Calming those work, or is the usual surgical method still my best
bet?
Ephedrine/Caffeine
Jitters. A I’m familiar with the suction
method, and it might have its
place in treating very mild cases of
naturally occurring gynecomastia. However, I
doubt it would be of any use at all in steroid-
induced gyno. Let me explain. In naturally occur-
What’s Iprivalone? ring gyno, the male breast tissue is almost identi-
cal to female breast tissue. In other words, it’s soft
with very little fibrous material to complicate
things. Although I’ve never seen it performed, the
YUCK!
This is what a
“mild”
case
of “gyno” looks like
after surgery.
suction method might be able to remove very
small amounts of this type of gyno, but if the
gyno is more severe or steroid-induced, then con-
ventional surgery is definitely the only way to go.
I recently had the “pleasure” of watching Dr.
Bruce Nadler, the “bodybuilder’s plastic surgeon,”
perform one of these surgeries. Although some sur-
gical research groups have published papers docu-
menting just a little over 100 gyno operations, Dr.
Nadler has performed over 500 on his own—by far
the world’s record. If anybody can treat this condi-
tion and, at the same time, take into consideration
the special needs of the bodybuilder, it’s Dr. Nadler.
Anyhow, here’s how the surgery goes (remember, I
watched one): after the patient is anaesthetized, Dr.
Nadler makes a tiny incision—about an inch
long—exactly where the edge of the nipple meets
the skin. (That way, no scar will ever be visible.)
The skin is then retracted to reveal the top portion
of the tissue mass. Dr. Nadler then literally starts
snipping away at the fibrous and tough connective
tissue that is pervasive in steroid-induced gyno,
carefully freeing the mass of tissue as he goes along.
Although the case I witnessed was considered mild,
the patient had what I considered a phenomenal
amount of excess breast tissue (see the accompany-
ing photo). Nadler referred to this as the “iceberg
effect” where, like an iceberg, nine-tenths of the
mass was below the surface (so it’s not visible).
There’s absolutely no way this tissue could be
removed by suction, unless of course, you used an
atomic-powered vacuum cleaner that might also
suck out your liver in the process.
Nadler continued to expertly cut out the tissue
mass, which looked, for all the world, like a huge
piece of gristle. Simultaneously, he cauterized the
blood vessels so undue bleeding wouldn’t occur.
Nadler explained that he’s actually seen some sur-
geons excise some pectoral muscle along with the
gyno mass, in effect treating the condition as if it
were some malignant tumor. Nadler also takes
extra precautions to remove every bit of the gyno,
as many cases often develop a distal end that grows
towards the shoulder where the insertion point of
the pec is. If this isn’t removed, the gyno can grow
back rapidly. After about 25 minutes, Nadler had
snipped and teased the entire mass out in one
Covers Home

piece—hard to believe that this huge section of

ugly tissue could have been coerced out of an
incision that was only an inch-long! The
process is then repeated on the other side if
necessary. (Unilateral gyno isn’t common, but
it happens.)
After the surgery, the patient has to wear a
compression vest for about a month to six
weeks. Soon after, the chest area heals perfectly,
and no one is ever the wiser. Believe me, if you
have a problem with gyno, Dr. Nadler’s the one
to see. You can reach him at 1-516-724-6005.

Q The bodybuilders at my gym

seem to be hooked on Nubain.
What exactly is this drug, and
more importantly, is it something I should be
taking?
“I’d use
creatine
mono-

A “Hooked on” is a good choice

of words. Although Nubain is
clinically regarded as having
low abuse potential, the Physician’s Desk
Reference (PDR) warns physicians against prescribing it
for “emotionally unstable patients or for patients with a
history of narcotic abuse.” …hey, they’re talking about
bodybuilders!
Nubain is a good drug but only when it’s used as
intended. It’s a synthetic narcotic—in many ways similar
to morphine—used for the relief of severe or moderate
pain. The effects kick in about 15 minutes after one gets
a subcutaneous or intramuscular injection of Nubain, and
the pain-killing effects last about 3 to 6 hours. Why do
bodybuilders use it, you ask? Well, it kills the pain
induced by brutally intense workouts, and some mis-
guided bodybuilders think it has some sort of anti-cata-
bolic effect. Ironically, the drug’s main side effect is seda-
tion, and unless it’s used concurrently with some sort of
central nervous system stimulant, your first impulse may
be to curl up with your grandma’s comforter rather than
to work out. In fact, users are warned against operating
machinery while under its effects. It also causes some res-
piratory depression, which, logic dictates, would nega-
tively affect your workouts.
Taken regularly, Nubain is addictive, both psychologi-
cally and physiologically, and drug tolerance rapidly
develops, necessitating bigger and more frequent doses.
Rapid withdrawal results in the same sort of symptoms
usually attributed to crack addicts in detox programs.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? In fact, one bodybuilder who has
publicly threatened to get me is allegedly a Nubain addict,
which might well explain his behavior.
Of all the drugs bodybuilders use, this one seems the
most frivolous and useless to me. Maybe it sounds a tad
macho, but to me, workout-induced pain is a badge of
honor. It makes bodybuilding a very unique activity, one
that requires some level of courage that distinguishes it
from Ping Pong or stamp collecting.
hydrate
for six
weeks.
Q Although bodybuilding means everything
to me, and I’d do anything to succeed, I
just don’t have the money to shell out
for many of the supplements currently available.
Considering that I’m on a limited budget, what can’t I do
Then, I’d
move on
to HMB
for six
without? I can only spare about 60 or 70 dollars a month
for supplements. weeks,
A I fully understand your problem.
Supplements are expensive, especially
the good ones. And nothing is more
frustrating than buying a couple of weeks’ worth of an
effective supplement and then, just when it’s starting to
after which
I’d finish
the ‘cycle’
work, running out of money, so you can’t buy any more.
I remember buying every new supplement that came on with CLA.”
the market but having to take less than the recommended
dosage to make them last longer because I didn’t have
enough money to use them properly. And even if any of
the things I purchased were worthwhile, I never gave
them a chance to work.
Anyhow, after a lot of serious thought, here’s what I
came up with. If I were you, I’d use three supplements,
but I’d steal a trick from the steroid boys and cycle the
supplements. I’d use creatine monohydrate for six weeks.
Then, I’d move on to HMB for six weeks, after which I’d
finish the “cycle” with CLA. You could then start the
whole cycle over again. There are other good supple-
ments out there, but these are the ones I’d feel most com-
fortable with if I had to limit myself. And, there might
even be some evidence to suggest that this sort of cycling
is a good thing, anyway. Obviously, any supplement—
any drug—won’t be quite as effective as it was in the
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TC
TALKS
C O N T I N U E D
beginning after taking it for a long time, so it might not
be a bad idea to cycle anyhow. That way, you’re maxi-
mizing your dollar power and your supplement power.
Theoretically, at least, you’d always be trying a “new” sup-
plement, and your body may continue to respond favor-
ably to it.
Obviously, if money weren’t an issue, I’d use all three
of them together, but in your case, this is a viable alter-
“One native that should help you put on muscle while not hav-
ing to declare bankruptcy.
widely
reported
study
involving
old people
Q I’m a 30-year-old bodybuilder who’s
interested in using DHEA. I recently got
some through the mail, but the only trou-
ble is, I have no idea what dosage to take! I read your
article on fat burners a couple of months ago, and you
cited a study where men who had used 1,600 mg a day
found that experienced significant fat loss while retaining lean
body mass. Taking 1,600 mg sounds like a lot, and it sure
a modest would be expensive. Do smaller dosages have any
effect?
amount of
DHEA—
50 mg—
A I’ve searched the literature on this stuff,
and as far as I can tell, only 2 dosages
have been used in all of the studies I
found: 50 mg per day and 1,600 mg per day. Quite a
difference, isn’t it? What’s more, there doesn’t seem to be
had any rhyme or reason behind the dosages. When you’re
in your 20’s, your body makes tons of DHEA, between could possibly be anabolic in some respects. Whether it
positive 7 mg and 15 mg a day (in addition to the amounts acts like testosterone or some weaker cousin is unknown,
already in the body). After your 20’s, natural amounts or it could be that restoring DHEA levels to normal
effects...” start dropping off progressively, so by the time you’re an amounts or, in fact, higher-than-normal amounts
old geezer, your body is nearly devoid of all DHEA. through supplementation might allow your body to
Of course, even though natural levels of secretion are build muscle according to your physiological potential.
between 7 and 15 mg a day, that doesn’t mean simply In other words, high DHEA levels might, in some way,
taking that same amount would bring you to “normal” potentiate levels of GH, IGF-1, or testosterone.
levels. Too many things happen to the chemicals in a pill I’m gonna tell you right now, DHEA science is so
before they reach the bloodstream, and 100 grams of a young that the proper dosages for weight loss, increasing
substance might only equate to 10 mg in serum. Besides, muscle mass, or keeping the grim reaper away are more
I’m not sure anyone knows the half-life of DHEA, so the or less unknown. I can, however, come up with some
daily secretion of an additional 7 to 15 mg of DHEA semi-educated guesses. For simply “staying young,” I’d
might only replenish that portion of serum levels that recommend a dosage of between 50 and 100 mg a day.
have deactivated normally. For bodybuilding purposes, I’d cautiously recommend
One widely reported study involving old people found between 200 and 250 mg a day, and for obese people, I’d
that a modest amount of DHEA—50 mg—had positive recommend up to 500 mg a day—if you can afford it.
effects in reversing some of the markers of aging (increas- There’s no way I’m going to advise that anyone take
ing IGF-1 levels, for one), in addition to giving the peo- 1,600 mg or anywhere near that amount unless you’re
ple in the study an overall feeling of well-being. Other under a doctor’s supervision—just too little is known
studies, mostly involving obese men in their 20’s, used about the stuff to start eating it like candied peanuts.
1,600 mg of DHEA for periods up to 6 weeks. Most of Besides, smaller doses might be just as effective.
the men in these studies ended up losing considerable Incidentally, there’s been a lot of confusion over
amounts of bodyfat without actually losing any weight! DHEA’s legal status, with some declaring loudly that the
That means they must have put on a significant amount drug is a controlled Schedule III drug (similar to steroids)
of muscle. No studies have shown any ill effects of and others saying it’s as legal as mother’s milk. As of now,
DHEA supplementation. it seems DHEA is a legal over-the-counter drug, but
Now, old people and fat people aside, what can DHEA make no mistake about it, the DEA is looking at the drug
do for the average person or average bodybuilder, and very closely and gathering information on it just in case
what dosage is needed to create those effects? DHEA the FDA decides to take it off the shelves. Of course, that
Covers Home
may never happen. The FDA initially wanted to make
DHEA a prescription-only drug, and that’s what hap-
pened about ten years ago. Trouble was, rules and regu-
lations required that the FDA have a public hearing
where people opposing the new DHEA determination
could voice their complaints. The FDA kept postponing
this hearing, and when the new supplement laws went
into effect last year, the burden of proof fell on the FDA.
In other words, they had to show if and why DHEA
could be harmful. This is a costly and time-consuming
process, so it may never happen.
Q I’ve had fairly good success using the
ephedrine/caffeine/aspirin stack, but I
don’t like how jumpy it makes me. I work
on computer circuit boards for a living, and I can’t have
my hands shaking, even a little. Besides, all of the neg-
ative publicity about ephedrine has my fiancèe a little
worried. She wants me to get off the stuff. Is there any
way, short of going off the combo, to make it less stim-
ulating (and more safe)?
A There are a couple of things you can do.
For one, you can deep-six the aspirin.
Many peo-
ple find that just 20 mg of
ephedrine and 200 mg of
caffeine before each meal
work almost as well, and
dropping the aspirin reduces
a little bit of the stimulatory
effect. Another thing you
can do is add a gram of the
amino acid L-tyrosine to the stack.
In animal studies, L-tyrosine increased
the effectiveness of ephedrine by about 50%, so logi-
cally, you could take half the dosage of ephedrine and
still experience good results.
Adding the L-tyrosine could also make the stack safer
in general. When ingested, L-tyrosine is converted to
noradrenaline, a stimulatory hormone that increases the
blood pressure, but it’s first converted to dopamine,
which has a blood-pressure lowering effect. You can buy
L-tyrosine at almost any health-food store.
Q I recently ordered a product called
DHEA-Plus™ from Nutraceutics Corpor-
ation. Does this stuff really have any
DHEA in it?
“...L-
A The product known as DHEA-Plus
doesn’t contain any DHEA—not a lick.
Nowhere in their literature does Nutra-
ceutics claim their product contains DHEA, but the
word DHEA is sprinkled liberally throughout their
tyrosine
increased
brochures. I think what they’re trying to say is that their
product somehow enhances natural DHEA production,
the
but I’m not sure—I got a headache just reading the
brochures. However, in the process of putting one of
the previous issues of Muscle Media 2000 to bed,
bleary-eyed and all, we inadvertently used a pic-
ture of the DHEA-Plus product to illustrate an
effectiveness
of
ephedrine
article containing information about real DHEA.
Understandably, people assumed the DHEA-Plus by about
product was the real thing. We apologize
if this caused anyone to buy the wrong 50%...”
product.
Incidentally, the Nutraceutics Company
also called us, and I was surprised to hear
that they were mildly miffed at our blun-
der. They didn’t want peo-
ple to think there was any
real DHEA in their prod-
uct. I commend them on
that stand, but ironi-
cally, their literature, either
intentionally or not, in
addition to the name of
the product, seems to sug-
gest that the product does contain
DHEA. And if indeed the product
does somehow stimulate natural
DHEA production, I’d urge them
to explain the process in their liter-
ature.
One more thing. You can buy
real DHEA (we had it tested—it’s
good) by calling So-Cal Supple-
ments. Their phone number is
1-800-667-6020 (ext. 101).
Covers Home
TC
TALKS
C O N T I N U E D
Q I’m going to Europe this spring. Are there
any compounds or drugs I should be on
the lookout for, I mean, aside from the
“...a U.S. usual steroids I hear about?
A
patent for It just so happens that I recently heard
about a compound that’s sold in
Iprivalone Hungary and possibly Italy that may
have profound anabolic effects with very little or no neg-
as an ative side effects. The drug is called Iprivalone, and it
belongs to a class of chemicals called isoflavones. (See
‘anabolic Dan Duchaine’s article, “Flavone X—The Next Frontier
in Drug-Free Muscle Building” in this
weight- issue.) These chemicals are found in a
number of plant species, and their
gain effects are varied. Iprivalone, in animal
studies, has shown amazing nutrient-
promoting partitioning effects in a number of ani-
mal species (cattle, rabbits, poultry, and
chemical’ guinea pigs, to name a few). Animals
receiving normal amounts of food put
was on large amounts of muscle mass—up
to 20% more in some cases—without
granted in any detectable changes in hormone lev-
els. In addition, they had more energy and more
1976...” endurance. The question is, though, will it work in
humans? Well, at least one study was reportedly done,
using 20 chronically ill patients. Within weeks of start-
ing Iprivalone therapy, the patients had gained between
four and seven pounds of lean body mass, without the
benefit of resistance training or increased caloric intake.
Interestingly, a U.S. patent for Iprivalone as an “ana-
bolic weight-gain promoting chemical” was granted in
1976, but for reasons unknown to me, its widespread
manufacture and use was never pursued. It isn’t currently
available in the U.S., but on the other hand, it’s not a
controlled substance, either. However, somewhere along
the line, Hungarians decided Iprivalone would be a valu-
able drug in combating osteoporosis, and that’s what it’s
used for today in Hungary (200 mg, 3 times a day).
If indeed Iprivalone is as anabolic as some of the stud-
ies show it is, how in the wide, wide world of drugs does
it work? Based on animal studies, the compound some-
how seems to increase nitrogen retention, but you prob-
ably could have guessed that on your own. Dan
Duchaine and one of his inscrutable assistants, Patrick
Arnold, initially worried that Iprivalone might have weak
estrogen-agonist properties, but subsequent research by
Arnold showed that the Iprivalone metabolite circulates
in the bloodstream bound to another chemical that ren-
ders it estrogenically inert.
Although I have no idea what the safest and most
effective dosage is, I’d probably double the female osteo-
porosis dose—2 times 200 mg, 3 times a day equals 400
mg 3 times a day—and work up from there. Of course,
Hungary is a long way away for the rest of us, but if you
stumble on some and decide to give it a try, let us know
what happens.
Covers Home

Finding a
"Cooperative"
Doctor
M E D I BOLICS
B y M I C H A E L M O O N E Y
Designing a
Steroid Cycle

Testosterone and
the Immune System
Q I have multiple sclerosis, an
autoimmune disease, and have
discovered that using anabolic
steroids has totally changed my life. When I first
started using steroids, I could only bench press 40
the MS symptoms increase, so I know he’s wrong,
and they’re good for me. Because of your article
on steroids and the immune system, I think you
probably understand. The problem is my supply is
about to dry up, and my doctor won’t prescribe
lbs. Five years later, I now bench 270, squat 275 for steroids, so I’m forced to be a felon. Do you have
5 reps, and deadlift 525 lbs with wrist straps any tips on getting a doctor to help me? I can’t
because the MS limits my grip strength [WOW 525 identify myself, but thanks for publishing your
lbs!!!]. I use one Sustanon 250 and 200 mg of Deca work. Please keep spreading the word.
every 10 days. My doctor thinks I’m nuts, but when
I go off the steroids, I get weaker and weaker, and

A If your doctor won’t work with

you after you’ve done your best to
educate him, GET ANOTHER
DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!! This is what I tell the AIDS
patients I work with all the time. For your doctor
to not know enough about using anabolic steroids
is one thing, and that’s why you have to educate
him. Doctors don’t have time to learn everything
about every medicine, especially ones as complex
as anabolic steroids.
It’s also understandable that he may be afraid of
the legal implications of prescribing steroids for an
“off-label use,” and as this is a very touchy subject,
“...steroids I wouldn’t blame any doctor who was afraid for this
may reason, as he or she may have to be extra careful,
knowing he’s subject to the scrutiny of the DEA for
help some reason.
I do, however, know of doctors who prescribe
improve steroids to patients for off-label reasons. If your
doctor doesn’t have any reason to be afraid, he does
immune have a perfectly legal right to prescribe medicines
metabolism for off-label reasons. And some doctors are just
willing to go all the way to help a patient with a
as well as critical medical condition.
However, if your doctor doesn’t seem to care
decrease the enough to want to help you, or if he tries to act like
the “god” who knows all the answers about a criti-
progression of cal illness that modern medical science has no good
autoimmune answer for, hire a better, more compassionate doc-
tor. Here’s how to do that:
diseases.” Call the prospective new doctor, and tell him or
her you have whatever illness and you want to
“interview” the doctor to see if he’s open to investi-
gating your views on potential therapies. During
the interview, tell the doctor everything you’re con-
sidering about anabolic steroids or whatever, but
get all your information together, especially med-
Covers Home

ical journal articles, before you meet with him, so you can
prove you know what you’re talking about. If the doctor
disagrees with what you say entirely, tell him you don’t
want to pay for the meeting, as it isn’t yielding anything
for you. Be assertive about this; you shouldn’t have to pay
for his services if there’s no benefit to you. Then keep
shopping. If you have to interview ten doctors to find one
who will work with you, you don’t want to have paid a fee
all ten times. You will find a good doctor who under-
stands that no one knows how to fix your disease, so every
doctor should be open to researching and experimenting.
Just keep looking! Don’t buy the status quo, “There’s no
good remedy for your
disease” bullshit.
W h e r e t h e r e ’s a
(strong) will, there’s a
way. I see it all the
time. And there are
plenty of compassion-
ate doctors out there,
too.
You should also
know that I know a
doctor in Mexico who
is having great success
using growth hor-
mone (GH) with
multiple sclerosis
patients. This seems
to be, at least in part, because GH increases IGF-1, and
IGF-1 is known to be involved in supporting the health
and growth of nerve tissue. MS is a degeneration of the
nervous system, so this makes sense. Check it out, and
ask whatever doctor you end up working with to consider
giving you the latitude to experiment with GH, perhaps
in combination with steroids like Deca Durabolin. The
GH may help reduce the nerve damage, and the steroids
may help improve immune metabolism as well as
decrease the progression of autoimmune diseases.
Good luck!
autoimmune—can give this list to his or her doctor. “...I’m sure my
That way, the doctor may deem there’s good reason to
consider anabolic steroids like Deca Durabolin, which friend Dan
may decrease progression of the disease and help
improve the condition. Just send a self-addressed, Duchaine will
stamped envelope to me here at MM2K to request it.
commit to
Q I’m an HIV+ 40-year-old competitive
bodybuilder who weighs 205 lbs at 5’10’’
tall. I came back from an HIV-related ill-
ness where my weight plummeted to 145 lbs (skinny
me!), so I’m proud of the 9-month, 60-pound bounce-
being our
‘special
senior
back I’ve made with proper nutrition and intelligent advisor’ and
training. People who see me are amazed and ask me if
I’m using anabolic steroids, but I haven’t ever used
contribute
them; I just have good genetics and a lot of determina-
tion. I am anxious to get back to the competition circuit
some of his
this spring (I came in second at the Northern California
Championships before I became HIV+ several years
‘secret Mr.
ago—as I said, all natural). I’m writing to ask if maybe Olympia
you can help me design an optimum steroid cycle, so I
can maximize my lean muscle mass and actually win a steroid
contest sometime soon. Besides the fact that I believe
using steroids might help to stop the HIV from progress- tips’...”
ing, because I’ve seen it do that for friends of mine, I
would like to achieve champion status and let everyone
know that an HIV diagnosis doesn’t mean you can’t live
life to the fullest.

P.S. If you can’t find a doctor who’ll work with you in

your city, and you’re willing to go to Mexico, write me at:
MM2K, P.O. Box 277, Golden, CO 80402, and I’ll call
you with the name of the doctor down there who’s work-
ing with GH for MS patients.

Q I’ve been reading your articles for sev-

eral issues now, not so much because I
enjoy them (I do, though), but because I
have a particular condition which I believe may be
helped by steroids. The trouble is, I have to convince my
A Although the preceding letter was sent
to me but addressed to Dr. X, let me
quickly point out that I am not Dr. X.
Even though T.C. Luoma and Nelson Vergel, who
inherited Dr. X’s research projects, both tell me I sound
like and remind them of the late Michael Dullnig, a.k.a.
You can live life to the
fullest even after an HIV
diagnosis.

doctor that it’s a valid course of action. Any chance you Dr. X (I talk 300 miles a minute and sputter unusual
have a list of references I can pass his way? approaches to nutrition and anabolic steroid chemistry
like a popcorn popper spits out midnight snacks), I am

A I’ve written a nice, tidy list of references not a doctor, much less the ersatz “Celestial Editor” of
with comments included. Anyone who MM2K (see the contents page in the front of the maga-
has an immune disease—especially zine), who is probably having a great time in Heaven
 Covers Home

with Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, and other immunosuppressive. Have you stumbled on to any
M E D I BOLICS interesting deceased people.
As to your request, with your doctor’s approval, I
research lately that supports this conclusion?

A
C O N T I N U E D
would welcome the challenge of helping you figure out I’ve had too many
the best methods to maximize your lean body mass for readers who have
“...testosterone the best immune health and, secondarily, helping you get been using testos-
contest ready. Based on our meeting here in Los Angeles terone therapy for AIDS who read
is not last week, I feel that it’s entirely possible for you to rock my “Anabolic Steroids and the
the boat at one of the bodybuilding shows. It’s especially Immune System” article in the
necessarily impressive that you came in second in a contest that is November 1995 issue of MM2K and
universally filled with chemically enhanced competitors, so I wonder got all freaked out and wrote me let-
how well you’ll do when you’re on the same playing field ters saying something like “now that
bad for (but legally, for medical reasons!). And I’m sure my friend we know testosterone is immunosup-
Dan Duchaine will commit to being our “special senior pressive...” as if I said that like it’s
immunity, advisor” and contribute some of his “secret Mr. Olympia some kind of scientific dogma.
steroid tips” to our project. I will report what happens Please don’t misunderstand the article. In the article, I
but the with Doug as the year progresses, so keep reading... showed that testosterone has the potential for immuno-
scientific suppression and that other steroids may be more desir-

literature
infers that
other
steroids, like
Q I am a Northern California physician who
is considering using anabolic steroids to
treat my AIDS patients. Recently, how-
ever, I read in one of your columns that testosterone is
able because of this. I also stated that some doctors are
getting good results with testosterone, and we need more
studies on this, so we can find out what’s really best. To
sum it up, testosterone is not necessarily universally bad
for immunity, but the scientific literature infers that other
steroids, like Deca, are better. So don’t freak out.

Deca, are Michael Mooney publishes a quarterly newsletter called Medibolics that focuses on medical and scientific research regarding therapeutic
applications of nutrients, anabolic hormones, nontoxic pharmaceuticals, and exercise. Medibolics’ featured and guest columnists include
better.” Nelson Vergel, the man who inherited Dr. Michael Dullnig’s research materials; Dr. Walter Jekot, the discoverer of anabolic steroid therapy
for AIDS; and Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, an expert on anabolic steroids and athletes. For a one-year subscription, send $15.00 to Medibolics,
P.O. Box #333, 836 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069. Fax (310) 659-1597.
Covers Home
Scientific
Avoid Fructose and
You May Feel Better!
Inquiries
B y A n t h
HMB is Nothing
Like GHB
Q When I use weight-gainer/“opti-
mizer” powders, I often get gas and
sometimes diarrhea. I’ve tried
using digestive enzymes or even mixing them with
water instead of milk, but nothing seems to help.
What do you suggest?
“Up to 33% of
the population
may be unable to
A First of all, forget the weight-
gainer powders. I recommend
that you use Phosphagain™ or
Phosphagain II™ instead. It’s likely that typical
weight-gainer powders promote fat storage equal
completely to any amount of lean mass gains, and the lean
mass these weight gainers do promote is no
absorb greater than what you would get from taking a
carbohydrate (glucose polymer) supplement.
fructose, and when Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) has
funded two well-controlled university studies
you don’t which support this.
Mega-calorie weight-gainer products are sup-
absorb it, your posed to work like David Copperfield on stage
in Las Vegas—like magic—but none of these
lower intestine types of products have been shown in indepen-
dent, controlled university
becomes a tests to support the manufac-
turer’s claims. (Yes, I said
natural NONE.)
If you examine a lot
gas of the protein/carb
combo powders on
refinery...” the market and a lot of
the “muscle drinks” found
in the fridge in your gym,
you’ll find that fructose is
one of the first ingredients.
Some products use NutraSweet
(aspartame), Acesulfame-K, or
both instead of fructose. A lot of
my gym pals used to mix their
powders with apple juice or
some other juice, but a few
hours later, they developed
antisocial intestinal symp-
toms which led to them
being kicked out of the
house by their girlfriends.
Even after using the prod-
o n y A l m a d a
ucts that have digestive enzymes “built in,”
they still got gas. Why?
It may have to do with the fructose content
and the ratio of fructose to the other carbohy-
drates present in the drink. Up to 33% of the
population may be unable to completely absorb
fructose, and when you don’t absorb it, your
lower intestine becomes a natural gas refinery
that would make any public utility company
jealous. Unabsorbed fructose (or almost any
other carbohydrate) is used by the billions of
bacteria in your gut as a fuel, and when you eat
this sugar, the bacteria produce hydrogen (mea-
surable in the breath), methane (measurable, if
desired, at the end opposite from the mouth),
loose stools, and even diarrhea. A recent study
found that honey (1.5-3 Tbs), which is both
rich in fructose (30%-40%) and has more fruc-
tose by weight than other sugars, made the sub-
jects expel hydrogen gas in the breath…and
loose stools from you know where. One subject
from each group (1.5 Tbs or 3 Tbs) experienced
the natural gas phenomena also. Who knows
how many would have responded this way if
proteins were mixed in?
I mention the amount of fructose relative to
other sugars (especially glucose) since glucose
boosts the absorption of fructose but only
when the amount of glucose consumed is
greater than the amount of fructose consumed.
You won’t find this favorable ratio in a lot of
weight-gainer/optimizer/muscle drink prod-
ucts unless you add a couple of BIG scoops of
pure glucose. And very few products use pure
glucose in their formulations.
When EAS formulated Phosphagain and
Myoplex Plus™, we took all of this into consid-
eration. There is no free fructose in these prod-
ucts, and we even substituted some pure glu-
cose for maltodextrin in Phosphagain II. I can’t
guarantee that no one will experience gas. (I
personally prefer using 6-12 ounces of fresh
orange or tangerine juice in my blender with
Phosphagain II and Myoplex Plus, and if I have
2 or more of these drinks a day, I get a little
antisocial—I guess that’s why I don’t have a
girlfriend…) As for juices, try to avoid apple
juice (especially the filtered, clear kind), and
lean more towards grape, orange, or tangerine
juices. Apple juice, in addition to having a
Covers Home
higher fructose to glucose ratio, also contains a sugar
alcohol called sorbitol (used as a sweetener for many
chewing gum products), which is totally non-
absorbable and is a high-risk diarrhea/gas producer
when more than minimal amounts are consumed.
works. I’ve never heard about HMB inducing sleep, and
Bottom Line: I know it’s biased, but I recommend I’ve never experienced increased strength and mass
that you use Phosphagain/Phosphagain II if you’re when I used GHB. Are they really similar in how they
trying to pack on lean (nonfat) mass. If you’re looking work?
for a great protein supplement to complement
Phosphagain (or one that’s good by itself ), try
Myoplex Plus. Both are formulated without fructose
(and taste good enough so you actually look forward
to your next serving). If you’re loyal to your favorite
brand, select a product that doesn’t contain added
fructose. If you mix any of your powders with any
juices, try a no-fructose beverage or a juice with a
higher glucose to fructose ratio (like orange or grape).
Try a small amount of juice
to begin with, say four
ounces, and slowly experi-
ment to find your toler-
ance—you’ll know when
you’ve reached it when
you scare away your girl-
friend or training partners.
“...GHB and
Q I just read an article that claimed HMB™
(hydroxy methylbutyrate) was similar to
GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) in how it
HMB, both
designed by
nature...
appear to
work in
A The last name of each molecule is
butyrate, and the H in each refers to a
hydroxy chemical group included in the
structure. However, they come from totally different
metabolic origins and, based on the research that has
different
compart-
ments—GHB
been done to date, share nothing besides structural sim-
ilarities.
The design of new drugs often utilizes a “tech-
in the
nique” called Quantitative Structure Activity brain and
Relationship (QSAR) analysis. Let’s say a drug com-
pany was attempting to design a better form of oxan- HMB likely
drolone (formerly called Anavar, now called
Oxandrin). They would examine the molecular in skeletal
structure of this “liver safe” anabolic and then make
slight “tweaks” to the structure of the parent mole- muscle.”
cule (oxandrolone) and hopefully, abracadabra, come
up with oxandrolyne, which is very similar to the first
generation. But for GHB and HMB, both designed
by nature, they appear to work in different compart-
ments—GHB in the brain and HMB likely in skele-
tal muscle.
Some researchers claim GHB works as an ana-
bolic/lipid-oxidizing agent, primarily through the
release of growth hormone. Bear in mind that no
studies have ever shown this to occur when GHB was
taken orally. Only one study, using 2.5 grams intra-
venously, indicated a GH-releasing effect. Because
GHB can be a whole-body anesthetic (and knock
you out for several hours with a sufficient dose), it
produces the onset of sleep. This is likely the mecha-
nism behind its GH-releasing effect, simply through
inducing a state of sleep. The GHB study I mentioned
above resulted in nap time for the subjects shortly
after they got the GHB injection. GHB is kind of
familiar to me, as I was heavily involved (behind the
scenes) in the scientific side of GHB
during the first several months it was
aggressively sold in the U.S. in 1989
and 1990.
Assuming that HMB and GHB
work similarly through “similar
chemistry” would also lead someone
to say that BHB (beta hydroxy
butyrate, a common metabolite with
both a hydroxy and butyrate finger-
print that accumulates in the blood
during ketogenic/low-carb diets)
should also have potent anabolic
effects and influence the release of
 Covers Home
Scientific
C O
Inquiries
N T I N U E D
“Despite HMB
and GHB
sharing
chemical
finger-
prints, GHB
does not
appear to
hormones from the brain. This is another unsup-
share the ported assumption. As I wrote in an article in Muscle
Media 2000 about IGF-1 as the Ultimate Anabolic
lean mass [February 1996], ketogenic/low-carb diets have been
shown to actually reduce IGF-1 concentrations in
and
humans.
ergogenic It’s still unknown how HMB exerts its anabolic
and ergogenic (strength-increasing) effects in
effects seen humans. (What’s equally, if not more, intriguing is
how it may decrease fat mass.) The available evidence
with HMB points to a possible “shielding” effect of muscle cells
following resistance training. Resistance training,
supplements especially negative/eccentric contractions and/or
unaccustomed work (as for a beginner weight trainer
in both or someone who has taken a couple months off ) can
cause fluid retention and contribute to activating
untrained muscle proteolysis and muscle soreness. Since HMB
concentrations in muscle itself are very small, it
and trained could work through altering signals between muscle
cells and the hormones communicating with muscle.
individuals.” Alternatively, since it’s a “downstream” metabolite of
L-leucine and KIC (both shown to influence muscle-
protein turnover but never shown to influence lean
mass and strength), it could alter the disposal of its
two biochemical parents in ways much more power-
ful than they do themselves. My guess, with no data
to prove it, is that HMB influences a certain aspect
of muscle-protein breakdown called ubiquitin tag-
ging. I’m still staying up late at night wondering how
and why HMB affects bodyfat.
The excitement (and criticism) over HMB is con-
tinuing to mount like a tidal wave. One facet of the
HMB story that has been picked apart concerns the
studies that have shown increases in lean mass. The
guys getting placebos also gained lean mass.
Remember, researchers, who are into statistics, only
look at certain kinds of statistics—significant ones. In
the studies on HMB and in the studies we’ve done on
Phosphagain, the placebo or control groups also
“gained” lean mass, but when the mathematically
inclined researchers opened up their laptop comput-
ers and started calculating the truly significant versus
insignificant increases in lean mass, we find they told
the control groups to come back after they’ve grown
and the HMB (or Phosphagain) groups to get bigger
clothing. In other words, the gains experienced by
the control group were insignificant. Although statis-
tics can be used to support many untrue and invalid
“facts” and data, they are also absolutely necessary
when you do scientific research—to tease out the real
from the unreal. If the changes in lean mass (or any
other measure) are not statistically significant (as seen
in the placebo/control groups in these studies), then
there are no changes at all. Let it rest.
Bottom Line: Despite HMB and GHB sharing
chemical fingerprints, GHB does not appear to share
the lean mass and ergogenic effects seen with HMB
supplements in both untrained and trained individu-
als. (Since nobody has done a study with GHB look-
ing at its effects on lean mass and strength, no one
can really make a comparison.) Side note: one obser-
vation study reported that people lost weight after
long-term consumption of GHB once or twice
nightly for a sleep disorder called narcolepsy. Similar
chemistry does not usually mean similar action in the
world of human biochemicals and metabolites. What
would the world be like if estrogens (with similar
chemistry to testosterone) were muscle anabolic and
ergogenic? If creatinine had creatine-like effects?
However, similar chemistry in the world of synthetic
agents/drugs often does mean similar action, giving
birth to the exciting, fast-paced, and potentially
lucrative life of the designer drug chemist…
Covers Home
Covers Home

It
would be
every body-
builder’s dream
come true
(mine included) if
we could make
“steroid-like”
gains in muscle
size and strength
by using com-
pounds that were
legal, safe, and
economical.
Years ago, this might
have seemed impossible,
but recent discoveries in nutri-
tional and biochemical science
have forced even our beloved
“Steroid Guru” Dan Duchaine to
believe otherwise.
New scientific breakthroughs in
supplementation have led to phe-
nomenal new supplements like
creatine monohydrate (the most
awesome bodybuilding supple-
ment I’ve ever used) and HMB (a
new supplement that preliminary data from two
separate double-blind, placebo-controlled studies
show increases size and muscle strength) and
CLA (a new growth factor which is catching on
like wildfire). These new discoveries, that may
allow bodybuilders to get significantly better
results, faster, from their weight-training work-
outs, could be just the “tip of the iceberg.” That
is, it’s very likely that numerous other com-
pounds exist in nature that can be taken in the
form of “dietary supplements” to produce a pro-
found impact on the body’s ability to gain new
muscle tissue and/or burn fat.
Since we started Muscle Media 2000, we’ve
been on the forefront of this area of “bodybuild-
ing science,” and we’ll be the leaders and trend-
setters in this area for a long time to come.
In this exciting article, Dan Duchaine explains
how a new “supplement” (which is coming soon)
may take us even closer to our dream of making
“drug-like” gains, drug-free!
—Bill Phillips
Covers Home

By Dan Duchaine

The Next Frontier in Drug-Free

Muscle Building!

T he following information may be some of the most important writing I’ve

ever done. Its applications will profoundly influence a man’s body from
puberty until death. By manipulating naturally occurring estrogen in the
male metabolism, an individual will allow greater height gains during adoles-
cence, raise testosterone production to 30% over normal, and postpone the
read it again. Photocopy it, and pass
it on to your friends. It’s that impor-
tant!

Estrogen In
declining testosterone secretion that occurs from middle age onward. This can
all be done without drugs or doctor’s visits. Once a steroid user masters this Men
information, the choice of ideal steroids along Estrogen is the so-called “female” hor-
with a new method of tapering off will mone, and it’s essential for a woman’s sex-
be blindingly clear, so the body’s ual development. Men do produce estrogen,
but obviously, not as much, even if some do
own testosterone secretion will
look damn fine in a dress. Half of the
rapidly resume. Don’t skip small amount of estrogen in the
this article. And after male body is produced
you’ve read it, in the testicles.
The other half
is produced in
other parts of
the body,
mostly in
muscle
Covers Home
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis (HPGA)
Hypothalamus
LHRH
Pituitary
LH Leydig
Cells
C T
FSH
Tubules
(up to 30%) and fat (up to 15%). The percentage of
fat from estrogen climbs from middle age onward.
Virtually all estrogen in men is made from testosterone
converted with enzymes generically named “aromatases.”
(And no, they don’t have a bewitching aroma.) Even the
estrogen in the testicles is formed from testosterone in the
Leydig cells that is converted in the nearby Sertoli (sperm-pro-
ducing) cells. Other tissues also have aromatase: the most impor-
tant is the hypothalamus area in the brain.
Most men don’t worry about estrogen in their bodies simply
because of ignorance of the estrogenic hormonal state. However, up to
50% of all adolescent boys experience transitory swelling of the breast
area (studs with buds) from the sudden spurt of testosterone (and sub-
sequent conversion). Being a boy with fun bags and flashing them in
the high-school gym locker room is not a macho nor fun thing to have
happen. Later in life, some men might recognize that something is
amiss, when in old age the chest area becomes female-like (oh no, not
again). And elevated estrogen in old age will cause an increase of
androgen steroid receptors in the prostate, causing hypertrophy and
urine leakage, which is why some old men never wear light-colored
pants.
Steroid-using athletes will recite a litany of estrogenic evils:
gynecomastia (swelling of the male breast tissue), water retention,
fat accumulation, and an inclination to buy high-heeled cowboy
boots and French thong underwear. In this case, avoiding or min-
imizing estrogen buildup from an abundance of exogenous
steroids which convert (with aromatase) to estrogen is thought to
be mostly a (damn embarrassing) cosmetic side effect issue—
unless you like being one of those chix with stix. But now we’re
at the key concept of this article: estrogen in the male body reg-
ulates natural testosterone production. It’s always there in your
body, even if you’ve never thrown a hissy fit. If a man can inter-
fere with the aromatase by impairing the enzyme, natural
testosterone is elevated, and you can ditch the ice cube on the
nipple trick when you take your shirt off.
T
Inhibin
Sperm
Testis
The Hypothalamus-
Pituitary-Gonadal
Axis (HPGA)
To illustrate how testosterone is produced in the
male body, let’s work from the bottom (well, techni-
cally, the middle) to the top. The gonads have two
major types of cells. The Leydig cells produce
testosterone, and the Sertoli cells produce
sperm, estrogen (by converting testosterone),
and the androgen-binding proteins (also called
“globules”) that latch onto testosterone and
keep it in a neutral state in the blood.
The production of these substances is con-
trolled by two hormones further upstream—
luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulat-
ing hormone (FSH). Both hormones are produced
by the pituitary gland, the pea-sized dynamo at
the base of the brain that spews forth a variety of
regulatory hormones. The pituitary gland also
needs some kind of stimulus that will modulate
both the LH and FSH levels. This action is
achieved by yet another hormone: gonadotropin-
releasing hormone (GnRH, also called LHRH).
This GnRH is produced by neurons (nerve cells) in
the part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which
is situated just above the pituitary. So the real com-
mand center, the final area that controls testosterone
production, is the hypothalamus.
There must also be some hormone that causes the
hypothalamus to sense the amount of testosterone in
the body. This mechanism not only maintains natural
testosterone production, it also down-regulates the
Covers Home
production of GnRH, LH, and FSH
(and ultimately natural testosterone)
when anabolic steroids are intro-
duced into the body. When a steroid user complains that his
gonads are the size of grapes and that his testosterone level has
a minus sign on the blood test, the reason is that the stimulat-
ing hormones (LH and FSH) aren’t being secreted by the pitu-
itary.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), one of the female
hormones secreted during pregnancy, mimics the actions of
LH and FSH and can be used to jump start the gonads’ Ley-
dig cells into producing testosterone. The use of HCG is only
a short-term solution, as this hormone does nothing to
increase the secretion of natural LH and FSH nor GnRH. As
a matter of fact, the better the response of the Leydig cells
to HCG, the more the hypothalamus will down-regulate
GnRH, LH, and FSH because of the increased estrogen. For
years, virtually all steroid-using athletes realized that extra
testosterone (and its derivatives) “shut down” the natural
testosterone production in the body.
Some individuals in the steroid field recognized that
GnRH from the hypothalamus was the instigator of the
testosterone regulation. Many of us just assumed it was
the actual testosterone that was sensed in the brain. But I
recently learned something (from my brilliant chemist
friend Patrick Arnold) that felt like a bomb going off in
my head: the hypothalamus does not “sense” testos-
terone in modulating GnRH secretion! It senses estro-
gen, and this estrogen is produced in the hypothalamus
with aromatase! Are you beginning to see the overall
picture? Estrogen levels in the body control GnRH,
LH, FSH, and finally testosterone. When testosterone
levels climb, more estrogen is produced from the
enzyme conversion. The higher estrogen will make
the hypothalamus attenuate GnRH. Eventually, when
testosterone levels decline, estrogen will also; hence,
all the stimulating hormones will rise in response.
This whole process is
called a feedback
loop of the
HPGA.
tol-Meyers. This is considered to be an anabolic steroid (and hence a
This one fact, that estrogen levels influence natural
testosterone, has very broad practical applications. If I
could have minimized estrogen during puberty, I would
be a vastly different-looking person, not to mention that
I could have avoided all the “Nice jugs, bro” comments
I got in junior high.
What This Means
Let’s begin with puberty. During the teen years, girls
reach their full heights faster than boys but usually end up
being shorter in stature. The culprit is estrogen since this
is the hormone that closes the epiphyses [the “growth
plates” of bones] of the long bones, ceasing height growth.
Boys reach their full heights much later simply because the
amount of systemic estrogen is vastly lessened, and it takes
more years to accumulate the estrogen for total bone clo-
sure. Remember, the cause of estrogen in males, unlike
females, is the aromatase enzyme. So if aromatase is inhib-
ited, less estrogen will be in the metabolism, and long bone
closure will be delayed. On another front, estrogen blockage
in adolescent women (by a combination of enzyme-blocking
and anti-estrogens) would also cause greater height, but this
more-moral-than-medical discussion is not the subject at
hand.
Keep in mind that even though the initial high testosterone
levels of puberty eventually lessen, the conversion of testos-
terone into estrogen from aromatase is always happening. The
amount and activity of the various aromatases will determine
where the natural testosterone level is. By interfering with the
aromatases in the body with exogenous compounds, natural
testosterone (as measured in the blood) can be increased by up
to 30%! And since this testosterone boost is done within the
body and doesn’t upset the circadian rhythms (which are tied to
cortisol levels), the usual androgen receptor down-regulation
won’t occur. And the testicles won’t shrink—just the opposite in
fact! You get the full course: meat and potatoes. So now that I’ve
tantalized you with the possibility of increasing your size and
strength naturally with no side effects, I know what you’re think-
ing: “How are you gonna deliver the goods, so I can do it?”
The Options
Teslac (testolactone) is a prescription oral medication made by Bris-
Schedule III DEA classification) even though testolactone is
derived from fermented progesterone and has no direct ana-
bolic action at the androgen receptor. The minimum
dosage (for women) is 250 mg a day. This makes
it pricey as the 50-mg tablets retail at about $5
each. Teslac’s action is to block the aro-
matase at the androgen receptor.
The research has reported that
use of Teslac causes a
testosterone eleva-
tion. So now
Covers Home

you know why this is, as, obviously, the reduction of estrogen “fools” the hypo- shrinkage, is a very real problem that’s been
thalamus into secreting more GnRH. Between the cost and the hard-to-get pre- frustrating to rectify. Use of HCG will briefly
scription, Teslac is not a practical solution. elevate testosterone, but it does nothing to
Cytadren (aminoglutethimide) is a prescription oral medication made combat the accompanying estrogen. In scien-
by Ciba. This drug broadly blocks the various enzymes (including aro- tific literature, some individuals were shown to
matase) that convert cholesterol to pregnenolone, which is needed for be unresponsive to HCG, but they did resume
synthesis of aldosterone, cortisol, and estrogen. This is the anti-cortisol testosterone secretion with the oral fertility drug
indicated for Cushing’s Syndrome, but it’s been troublesome in the Clomid (clomiphene). The reason is obvious: Clo-
performance-enhancement area. In its favor, Cytadren is not con- mid has the dual function of mimicking LH and act-
trolled by the DEA, so elaborate paperwork is not needed for a pre- ing as an anti-estrogen.
scription from a doctor. But, good luck in finding a doctor who will If a steroid user wishes to completely avoid the
uncap his pen and write a ’script for this seemingly frivolous use gonadal shrinkage and lowered testosterone, the only
of a prescription drug. Cytadren is still viable because the drug solution is to pick anabolic steroids that will not con-
isn’t terribly expensive. It costs about $50 for a bottle of one vert to estrogen. Accompany this with use of Flavone X
hundred 250-mg tablets. And the anti-aromatase effects happen and the new breed of steroid user will maintain full
at a very low dosage, 250 mg, which is much less than the rec- gonadal function during and after steroid use. For those
ommended 2-gram daily dosage for cortisol reduction. So who insist on using the “big gun” anabolics for maximal
Cytadren is cost-effective. But why use a prescription drug effect, a combination of Flavone X and Nolvadex will
when there’s something just as effective which may soon be vastly reduce withdrawal symptoms when steroid use has
available over the counter in health-food stores? ceased. One of the permanent side effects of chronic steroid
Flavone X (because of a nondisclosure contract, I can’t use is end-organ failure. The testicles have remained inactive
tell you the exact name of this naturally occurring com- and shrunken for so long that even after ceasing steroid use,
pound) may be the answer. Flavones are trace com- normal testosterone function is never reestablished, and
pounds in plants. Many of them have drug-like activity. gonadal size isn’t either. Minimizing estrogen will completely
Some act like antibiotics or antioxidants. One particu- eliminate this problem.
lar isoflavone is patented as an anabolic drug! Flavone I’ve mentioned before that I thought there was no ideal way of
X, in amounts of 3 grams a day, will inhibit aro- tapering off steroids in any logical manner. I even conjectured that
matases, and most men will experience an increase the whole concept of tapering was suspect. It’s now apparent that if
of at least 20% over normal testosterone levels. the steroid user is using numerous types of anabolics, the estrogen-
You’ll see this flavone on the market within a converting ones should be stopped first (and rapidly). In this manner,
year, introduced by two companies. I have a feel- systemic estrogen is lowered, and testicular function is restored, so
ing, although I haven’t done the analysis, that when the final nonaromatizing steroids (most are orals) are tapered,
this flavone, or one of its variants, is the active natural testosterone goes back to near normal.
ingredient in the various herbal libido-boosters I should point out that all estrogen in the male body cannot be con-
like Endo-Pro and Tribestan. (Oh swell, now trolled with anti-aromatases. Many environmental estrogenic-like com-
we’re gonna see Twin Lab’s Dick Fuel.) pounds (mostly from pesticides) make it into the body from water and
Remember, many times scientists simply food and can only be eliminated with estrogen antagonists (like
report an effect and rarely speculate as to why Nolvadex), which block the estrogen receptor. This just-as-
the effect happens. Teslac is a perfect example of important issue will be addressed at another time.
this. I estimate that only a handful of researchers have Flavone X, HMB, and CLA: all in all, 1996 is becom-
figured out how Teslac causes testosterone elevation. ing an extraordinary year in legal performance
enhancement!
Other Applications
The control of natural testosterone from the hypothalamic sensing
of estrogen will, in the future, influence the choice of anabolic steroids
that athletes use. Simply put, the greater the ability of the steroid to
convert to estrogen, the greater the down-regulation of natural
testosterone. Unfortunately, the most potent anabolic
steroids (testosterone, nandrolone, oxymesterone)
also have a high ability to convert to estrogen.
That’s no great loss to the athlete who is
continually on the drugs, but for the
occasional steroid user, the lack
of testosterone during
(and after) steroid
use, along with
testicular
Covers Home
BUilt
LiKE a
BRicK
hOUse
—Developing a
Solid Strength
Foundation
W
hile it may seem a bit strange to the
modern bodybuilder, old-time body-
builders competed in Olympic weight-
lifting meets—they had to. The AAU
(Amateur Athletic Union) controlled
bodybuilding, and they awarded com-
petitive bodybuilders five athletic
By Bill Starr, points for participating in some outside
sport. Since the bodybuilders, in the
Strength and course of their training, did many of the
exercises the Olympic lifters did any-
Conditioning way, it was only logical that they com-
pete in the Olympic meets held in con-
Coach at junction with the bodybuilding shows.
It also served the purpose of letting the
Johns Hopkins judges, who were also the lifting judges,
see them on stage nine different times.
University And lifting heavy weights in competi-
tion allowed competitors to show some
muscles that couldn’t be highlighted as
well during a simple posing routine.
This concept was very fundamental
to the old-time greats in bodybuild-
ing. Many also became world-caliber
Olympic weightlifters as a result of
their strength work. All took pride in
being brutally strong in one or more
strength feats—their muscles were
functional, not just facades. If they
looked powerful, they wanted to be able
to back it up in the gym. Greats like
John Grimek, Bill Pearl, Val Vasilef,
Vern Weaver, Sergio Oliva, Joe Abbenda,
and Bob Gajda were very competitive
in the Olympic lifts. Grimek was an
Olympian, and Sergio had a good shot
at the ’68 team, but he decided to put his
full efforts into bodybuilding. Vern
Weaver power cleaned and jerked 370
lbs during one afternoon competition
and walked away with the physique title
that night.
When the Weiders took control of
bodybuilding, the athletic points were
dropped. It was probably a good idea,
though, because it stopped the ridicu-
lous dog and pony show the physique
men had to go through. Unfortunately,
something was lost in the process. Over
time, many stopped doing heavy pulls
or squats, substituting machines or
exercises done with lighter weights.
Covers Home

JorGe BeNtaCourt

Photo: Irvin J. Gelb

Covers Home
BUilt
LiKE a About the same time, specialized
machines nudged the barbells
BRicK to the back room, and steroids
became as available as Gatorade.
hOUse The steroids allowed young body-
builders to get huge without doing
much hard work, and the machines were much more fun
to use than barbells. But like a house built on sand, the
final product was not actually sturdy, and eventually, it
collapsed.
In fact, building an impressive physique is much like
building a house. The very first step is to establish a
solid foundation. Once that’s accomplished, the rest of
the structure—the bricks—can be made firm. Con-
versely, a weak foundation will always result in a shaky
house, which simply means that any aspiring body-
builder must do some strength training. Getting 40%-
50% stronger in the major muscle groups will not only
greatly enhance overall size, it will also build the basis
for later work directed at definition and the smaller mus-
cle groups.
When I suggest to a young bodybuilder that he should
do some heavy squats or heavy pulls to get bigger arms,
he invariably looks at me as if I’m totally nuts. But it’s
a fact. The best way to increase upper-arm size is to
pound out several sets of heavy squats over a period of
time. Why? Because the squats will enable the body-
builder to pack on overall bodyweight much easier, and
not all the additional weight will go to the legs; it will go
to all the other exercised body parts as well.
The opposite is also true. If you spend countless hours
doing upper-arm exercises while neglecting the larger
groups, the arms might become more toned and vascu-
lar, but they definitely won’t become larger—there just
isn’t enough mass involved in arm work, no matter how
intense the workout, to influence gains in overall body-
weight. And, as mentioned earlier, an often-overlooked
basic truism is that if a person doesn’t add lean body
WaDe BRowN
mass, none of his body parts are going to get any larger.
The bodybuilder who really seeks improvement has
no choice but to spend some time during the year trying
to elevate the poundages and amount of work done on
several of the strength lifts. Otherwise, he’ll fall into a
rut and become stagnant. The change to a program with
the emphasis on pure strength offers a nice respite from
the usual routine. The change will also inspire more
gains since it generates renewed enthusiasm.
After doing two or three months of strength training,
the bodybuilder is much better prepared for a more con-
ventional program. He generally has a great deal more
power and stamina to apply to his program. For exam-
ple, if a person’s best squat was 315 x 5 before he started
on the strength cycle and then he moved up to 365 x 5,
he’s going to be able to knock out a great many more
reps with 225 than he could before. He is also going to
be able to train much longer and with more intensity.
Although many top bodybuilders still include strength
work in their routines at some time during the training
year, many young bodybuilders don’t. The primary rea-
son the younger bodybuilders don’t include a strength
phase in their yearly schedule is probably because it’s
hard work. They prefer to stay in the comfortable range,
using lots of machines whenever possible, doing lots of
reps with light weights and convincing themselves they
don’t need to squat or pull heavy. After all, they aren’t
powerlifters, right? Well, maybe they should lift like
powerlifters for at least a couple of months a year.
Another reason is probably because many young
bodybuilders prefer to focus on the vanity muscles like
the arms and chest and neglect all-important muscles of
the back, hips, and legs. Most do two or three times more
work on their upper bodies than the rest of their muscle
groups combined, which explains why a visit to any gym
in this country will reveal an accumulation of pitifully
proportioned physiques—legs that would embarrass a
chicken and backs flatter than road kill. It’s no mystery
“…building
an impressive
physique is
much like
building a
house. The
very first step
is to establish
a solid
foundation.”
Photo: Alex Ardenti
Covers Home

SaMPLe STRenGth TrAIniNG CYcLE for BeGINnErs

Monday: Heavy Day
Squats: 5 x 5 to limit
Deadlifts or bent-over rows: 5 x 5 to limit
Bench press: 5 x 5 to limit
Incline dumbbell press: 2 x 20
Chins: 4 sets of as many as you can do

Wednesday: Light Day

Squats: 5 x 5, using 60 pounds less than you used on Monday
or Lunges: 4 x 8 (4 reps per leg)
Overhead presses: seated or standing: 5 x 5
or Dips: 4 sets of as many as you can do.
Once you’re able to do 20, start adding weight and drop the reps to 8.
Stiff-legged deadlifts: 4 x 8
or good mornings: 4 x 8
or back hyperextensions: 4 x 20
E-Z curls: 2 x 20
Triceps pushdowns on the lat machine: 2 x 20

Friday: Medium Day

Squats: 3 x 5 followed by 2 heavier sets of 3. The top-end 3 should be with 10 pounds more than you used on Monday.
Then, the following Monday, you should do 5 reps with the weight you used for your final triple on Friday.
Shrugs or clean-grip high-pulls: 5 x 5
Incline bench press: 5 x 5
Straight-arm pullovers: 2 x 20
Dumbbell curls: 2 x 20
Calf raises: 3 x 30
Ab work could be done before or after a workout. Warm up thoroughly, then stretch during and after the session.
Pay special attention to the hamstrings—they have a tendency to tighten with heavy work.

why those baggy training pants are so popular. As soon
as I see someone strutting around in a pair, I know for
sure that I’m not going to see the wearer of said clown
pants in the squat rack. And they all seem to share that
identical humpbacked posture, which tells me they
haven’t pulled anything heavier than another attachment
for the lat machine off the floor since joining the gym!
It’s been my experience that once a person really puts
his full effort into a pure strength routine, he enjoys it.
Nothing is more addictive to the male animal than gain-
ing strength. It’s basic to his ego. I’ve also found that
whenever a person tries some heavy training for the first
time, much to his delight, he discovers that he has a nat-
ural talent for at least one of the lifts. I worked with sev-
eral tall, lean bodybuilders one summer, and they all had
difficulty squatting and benching. But when I taught
them how to deadlift, they were amazed. They were out-
lifting everyone in the gym within three weeks. Sud-
denly, they no longer thought of themselves as weak,
and their success in the deadlift inspired them to work
much harder on the other two movements. Once they
packed on 20 pounds, everything improved remarkably.
Their motivation came from their unexpected accom-
plishments in the deadlift.
Often, when I suggest to people that they could bene-
fit from a strength cycle, they reply that they just don’t
have that much time to train. Actually, strength training
takes less time because it’s condensed training. The
intensity is higher, and the weights are heavier, but the
time spent in the gym is shorter. The emphasis is on the
larger muscles. Once they’ve been worked, little more
can be accomplished by doing more exercises, so any
auxiliary work should be limited to the smaller groups
for a few sets of higher reps.
The best program for a strength cycle utilizes a three-
day-a-week routine. This allows more rest time which
translates to easier growth. The heavy, light, and
medium concept should be employed so the body can
recover better. Most discover that the three-day-a-week
schedule works nicely for a change, especially during
those hectic times of the year. The energy conserved
from dropping a training day from the conventional
every-other-day workout also allows the bodybuilder to
gain strength.
Each workout will find the bodybuilder doing one
core exercise for each of the three major muscle groups:
shoulder girdle (shoulders and chest), back, and legs.
The established set and rep rule for gaining strength is
four to six sets of four to six reps. For the sake of sim-
plicity, I use five sets of five reps. After the core exer-
cises have been completed, additional time can be spent
working smaller groups such as the biceps, triceps, and
calves, but these routines should be scaled down. Two
sets of 20 reps is sufficient because these muscles have
already been stimulated with the heavy movements.
Variety can be built into the program quite easily
because there are many excellent exercises to choose
from. For the legs, nothing beats full squats, but the
lunge and leg press can be used for your light days.
When selecting exercises for the back, be sure to include
Covers Home

BUilt exercises for the upper, middle,
LiKE a and lower portions of the back.
This will ensure proportionate
BRicK development. The all-important
tines on the flat bench that require lots of sets with heavy
weights. Then they proceed to do the same thing on the
incline. They never make any gains because they’re over-
working their shoulder girdles. But they could do heavy

hOUse lower back can be strengthened

with good mornings, back hyper-
extensions, and stiff-legged dead-
lifts. The middle back can be worked effectively with
conventional deadlifts and bent-over rows. The traps can
be attacked nicely with shrugs and high-pulls.
As for the shoulder girdle, movements such as flat
benches, incline benches, dips, overhead presses, and
push presses work great.
Whenever a person goes about setting up a strength
program, he invariably includes far too many exercises.
They may all be great exercises, but not all of them can
be used because it would simply entail far too much
work. It’s fine to alternate exercises on successive
weeks, such as doing stiff-legged deadlifts one week,
then back hyperextensions the next, or overhead presses
one week and dips the next. However, if too many core
exercises are stacked in one workout, the purpose of the
routine will be defeated.
You need to keep in mind that once the muscles, ten-
dons, and ligaments of any muscle group have been
worked thoroughly, it’s not at all beneficial to work them
in a strength fashion again. In fact, it’s detrimental to
development. I see numerous young trainees doing rou-
JoE
LaZzaRo
Photo: Jim Amentler
benches and follow them up with a couple of high-rep
sets on the incline because the higher reps don’t fatigue
the attachments, only the muscle bellies.
Most overtraining occurs in the shoulder girdle and
upper arms. Seldom do I see anyone overworking their
backs or legs—the movements that work these muscles
are difficult. However, biceps and triceps exercises are
fun. It is, however, a mistake to do too much curling
after doing heavy deadlifts or shrugs. Why? Because the
muscles involved in the act of curling have already been
overloaded with the pulling movements. To do more will
not encourage growth. Less is more on the auxiliary
work.
Many people really hate the idea of doing less sets for
their biceps, but over the long haul, their upper arms are
going to grow. Some of the weight being added during
the strength cycle is going to “settle” on the arms. The
heavy pulling exercises like the shrugs, bent-over rows,
and deadlifts attack the prime movers of the upper arms,
the brachialis and brachioradialis in a much more
dynamic fashion than curls. When the prime movers get
considerably stronger, this allows the bodybuilder to use
much heavier weights on all his upper-arm movements
once he rotates back to his regular routine. He’ll also be
able to do several more work sets on his biceps and tri-
ceps because of the new strength.
Rest is another critical variable in the weight-gaining
process. On non-training days, try to avoid vigorous
activities. This is remarkably easy for most people any-
way. Some ab work and a stretching routine are useful,
but nothing strenuous. Try to get to bed a bit earlier than
usual during the strength cycle, and if possible, slip in a
nap during the day.
Finally, the three-day-a-week program is based on
consistency. When a day is missed, even a light day, the
rhythm is broken, and progress will be halted.
Take some time to select the core exercises you want
to concentrate on for the next two or three months. Then,
during the first week of the cycle, test yourself on these
movements. It really doesn’t matter how much you can
lift on each of the primary exercises since the test is just
to help you establish realistic goals and plan your pro-
gram better. On exercises such as the squat and deadlift,
you can expect to add ten pounds each week during the
cycle, but on shoulder girdle movements such as the
bench press and incline, five pounds a week is consider-

able. So if you test out on the bench with 225 x 5, you

can expect to move this up to 265 x 5 or 275 x 3 but not
much higher. In other words, don’t expect to be able to
do 300 for reps: it just isn’t going to happen in the first
cycle.
Try to improve all the core lifts. Aim for a personal
“...if too many core exercises are record every workout. Trust me, it can be done. Some
lifts will be easier to improve than others, but that’s just
stacked in one workout, the the way it is. Many people discover that they’ve never
really improved on a large muscle lift simply because
purpose of the routine they’ve never worked it in a strength fashion before. Eat,
rest, form a picture of yourself getting stronger, and
will be defeated.” enjoy the strength cycle. ▲
Covers Home

Shawn Phillips

In
Bodybuilding,
Timing Is
Everything
By T.C. Luoma

“To everything there is a season and

\a time to every purpose under the
heaven...”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Photos: David Haskell
 Gr
Covers Home
T icktock, ticktock, ticktock...hear that?
ow
It’s the sound of a clock ticking off sec-
onds. Whether or not there’s actually a clock
nearby is irrelevant. Time slips away whether we notice
it or not, and despite the protests of some philosophers,
time is not simply an invention of man. Every living thing
has its own internal clock, humans included. Barring the
interruption of a man-made alarm clock, we sleep until our
internal clocks tell us to rise. Barring illness or injury, our life
spans are programmed. Many cells divide a preordained number
A
of times. Some, like red blood cells, live almost exactly 120
days. Glands release hormones in a pulsatile fashion throughout
the day for very specific amounts of time. Every function is care-
fully orchestrated, and under normal circumstances, the body func-
tions—if you’ll excuse the expression—like a Swiss watch.
Time To Gr
The trouble is, bodybuilders aren’t content to let their “watches”
function as nature intended. They tinker here, and they tinker there in
an effort to speed up the watch or even slow it down. But, when we
try to add muscle to our frames, the carefully orchestrated calendar of
the body shatters and splinters, and unless you know what “watch”
springs to tighten, knobs to twirl, or screws to turn, your efforts to add
muscle disappear in a quick minute.
It’s All in the Timing
Muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein degradation exist in a
delicate balance. If you can swing the pendulum of muscle protein syn-
thesis to the plus side, you add more muscle and win. If, however, mus-
cle protein degradation ends up ahead of muscle protein synthesis, your
amount of muscle tissue stays the same or, worse yet, decreases, and
you lose.
To a large extent, whether you win or lose depends on levels of hor-
mones like cortisol and growth hormone. These chemicals determine
which way your protein ball bounces. However, all factors can be
influenced by what and when you eat. That’s what this article is about.
What Happens to Muscle at Night
Let’s assume that you don’t workout—you’re just a regular Joe.
You eat your last meal at about 6 p.m., watch Seinfeld, and then hit
the sack. By the time you, our test subject, have gone to bed,
you’re still experiencing an influx of amino acids into your body
from the digestion of your last meal, and this results in a surge of
liver and muscle protein synthesis (just enough to make up for
the amount that’s degraded naturally throughout the day).
Most of this increase in blood amino acids consists of
branched-chain amino acids and not lone amino acids as you
might believe. In fact, branched-chain amino acids account
for about 70% of the amino acids released from the liver
into the bloodstream. This is because the liver doesn’t
contain nearly the amount of enzymes necessary to
process branched-chain amino acids. Consequently,
the job of processing them is left to skeletal muscle.
A
Branched chains are responsible for between
50% and 90% of the muscle amino-acid uptake
in the 3 hours following a protein meal. As
more and more branched chains enter the
T
muscle, they finally reach a point of satu- tive side during sleep are even more grim.
ration in the muscle tissue, and a sur- Muscle growth occurs because of net protein synthesis, i.e.,
plus of them floats around the blood- the difference between protein synthesis and degradation. For
i
stream like Haitian boat refugees
m the average nonathlete, net protein synthesis, under optimal con-
in the ocean. Even so, these ditions, is zero: he’s not causing himself any muscular damage
e
surplus branched chains don’t go to waste—they end
up acting as carriers of nitrogen to the muscles and
in this way may serve to form nonessential amino
acids needed for additional protein synthesis.
Furthermore, these surplus branched chains
might inhibit glutamine from leeching out of
the muscle cells, and this high level of intra-
cellular glutamine might then stimulate
even more muscle protein synthesis.
All of this muscle protein synthesis is
mediated by insulin, and insulin is ini-
tially secreted in response to the influx
of amino acids (and/or glucose) taken
in with the last meal. The branched
chains, along with the amino acid argi-
nine, are the most effective in elicit-
ing this response. Conversely, the
released insulin enhances the trans-
port of branched chains, along with
glutamine, into the cell. Branched
chains are, in effect, the customers
that call the cab, insulin, to carry
them to their destination, the mus-
cle cells.
Sounds good so far, right? If
only the body were able to keep up
that positive balance of amino-acid
influx! Unfortunately, this anabolic
state is only temporary. Three or
four hours after your last protein
meal, your body enters what is
known as the post-absorptive
state—insulin levels decline; the net
influx of amino acids into muscle is
reversed; and glycogen reserves are
drawn upon to make sure blood
sugar levels remain constant. As this
post-absorptive state continues, the
body slips into a catabolic state, and
the skeletal muscle, instead of taking
in amino acids, starts to output them,
the largest portion coming from the
release of glutamine. In fact, muscle pro-
tein represents the largest reserve from
o
which amino acids are drawn during this
mid-sleep fasting state.
It seems cruel for our physiology to spend
w
half the night building up muscle and the
other half tearing it down, but that’s a fact of
life. It’s definitely true that many amino acids
are recycled by the body, but without the insulin
response elicited by a meal, very few are going to
find their way back into the muscles.
Remember, the preceding scenario involves the
average guy who doesn’t work out. When you’re a
grunting-by-day, iron-thrusting bodybuilder, the prospects
for swinging the protein synthesis pendulum to the posi-
 w A Time
Covers Home
through work, and consequently, the amino acids that flow
into his muscle cells, provided he’s eaten properly, will
just replace those that were degraded or lost through nor-
mal, everyday living. In the bodybuilder, however, muscle
T
degradation through the mechanical damage induced by lift-
oG
ing weights is a normal occurrence. In one study, myofibrillar
(muscle cell) disruption was seen in as many as 80% of the
r
fibers examined with electron microscopy.
ow
A We all know (or suspect) that an additional amount of protein is
T needed to repair all of this muscle cell degradation. However, more
important than the amount of protein (although that’s certainly impor-
tant) is the timing of the protein intake. Protein ingestion must coincide
with maximal stimulation of muscle protein synthesis, like after insulin
secretion. In other words, after an insulin response is elicited, there must
be protein present so that it can be ferried to the muscle cells, so growth
can occur.
Okay, let’s recap what’s going on: we’ve established that sleep is in
one regard a mixed blessing; the first half is usually anabolic, but the
second half is catabolic. This is compounded in the case of bodybuilders
because they’ve caused themselves a lot of cellular damage that needs
extra protein to repair itself. Clearly, we need to do something to pro-
long the anabolic phase of sleep, along with providing the body with
adequate protein to repair itself. Unfortunately, there are other factors
involved.
The Hormonal Equation
Under normal circumstances, sleep is characterized by specific pat-
terns of hormonal secretion. Shortly after falling asleep, the pituitary
release of GH (growth hormone) increases dramatically. Conversely,
levels of cortisol, the bad ol’ catabolic hormone, decrease at the same
time GH levels go up. The GH response to growth-hormone-releasing
hormone (GnRH) is increased by sleep while the cortisol response to
cortisol-releasing hormones is suppressed by sleep. This is in stark con-
trast to daytime conditions when GH and cortisol levels rise together in
response to external stressors—each, in effect, checking each other.
All of this seems to change when heavy workouts are thrown into the
picture. Many studies have shown that exercise has no effect on night-
time GH and cortisol release, but most of these studies are flawed. Most
used a mix of trained and untrained athletes, female versus male, dif-
ferent training protocols, and varying exercise intensity. None used
bodybuilders, but one recent study used triathletes.1 Although triathletes
Figure 1
Nighttime Production of GH and
Cortisol After Intense Exercise
Levels
Of
GH
And
Cortisol
GH
Cortisol
0 1 2 3 4
Hours Of Sleep
don’t have the same type of training routines as
bodybuilders, they certainly push themselves to
the limit and, in the course of training, damage a
lot of muscle cells. They also have higher-than-
average protein needs.
The aforementioned study involved 10 ath-
letes, all between 20 and 26 years of age. I don’t
think the exact specifics of the study are impor-
tant to this article; suffice it to say that they were
separated into two groups, and one group trained
with low intensity while the other group pretty
much busted their asses. What they found was a
significantly altered hormonal profile. The
higher-intensity group showed lower levels of
GH, higher levels of cortisol, and to make matters
worse, a reduced anabolic response to the small
amount of GH that was released (see Figure 1).
(Curiously, testosterone levels were unaffected.)
The researchers concluded that the reduced ratio
of GH to cortisol secretion during early sleep
“hints at [italics mine] reduced anabolic function
during sleep after intense exhausting exercise.”
Hints at, my ass. That’s exactly what it showed.
What’s more, the excess of cortisol experi-
enced by the test subjects (and bodybuilders, I’ll
bet) raises blood sugar and decreases sensitivity
to insulin. This will lead to reduced utilization of
amino acids for the formation of protein (except
in the liver, where amino acids will be processed
as usual). The liver will kick out amino acids into
the bloodstream, but because insulin sensitivity is
reduced by cortisol, the amino acids won’t be
transported into muscle cells; thus, protein syn-
thesis will be further reduced.
To recap things once more, intense exercise cre-
ates an almost no-win situation in the body. With
added protein needs and hormone levels that have
gone haywire, drastic measures are needed to
make sleep as regenerative as nature intended.
Of course, what you do when you’re awake is
crucial, too.
Oh, And Let’s Not Forget
Recovery Time, Either
Past studies have shown that muscle protein
synthesis is elevated in humans by 50% four
hours after a bout of heavy resistance training. A
full 24 hours later, the percentage can rise to
109%. These numbers were arrived at by using
experienced lifters and weightlifting protocols
that were realistic (4 sets of single-arm biceps
curls, concentration curls, and preacher curls at
80% of 1-rep maximums for a total of 12 sets;
each set was done to muscular failure with a 3 or
4-minute rest period in between).2
Subsequent research, using the same weight-
training protocol, found that muscle protein syn-
thesis returned to 14% of normal 36 hours after
training, which, in the eyes of a scientist, is an
insignificant difference.2 In other words, 14% of
normal is as good or nearly as good as normal.
Covers Home

Now, this elevated muscle protein synthesis doesn’t necessarily mean cle protein you need for growth and repair.
that growth took place for more than 30 hours—the damage done to the This compounds itself if your last meal was at
muscle fibers has to be taken into consideration. Although synthesis 6 p.m.
was well above normal, a good portion was directed at repair and not
just growth. Otherwise, every workout would probably result in an 2. Strenuous workouts compound the prob-
addition of a quarter-inch of muscle. lem. Damaged muscles need more protein and
The researchers thought this information was important because log- more insulin to “carry” that protein to the
ically, a strength athlete would get the most bang for his buck if he muscle cells.
waited until the muscle protein synthesis, stimulated by the previous
workout, had returned to the pre-training rate. If what they found stands 3. Strenuous workouts also cause a decrease
up to the tests of time, muscle groups shouldn’t in GH levels and increase in cortisol levels,
be worked again until at least 36 hours making it even harder to build muscle.
after the previous workout.
By now, you may be asking 4. Muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a
yourself what this information relatively long time after a workout, prov-
on muscle recovery rates has ing that additional protein is imperative.
to do with sleep and hor-
mone levels. All of this has A Solution?
to do with timing. Here are
the problems faced by the It all comes down to timing. By look-
bodybuilder: ing at the “problems,” a pattern starts to
emerge. We need more protein after a
1. Going to sleep means workout because muscle protein syn-
not eating, and not eating thesis accelerates dramatically, begin-
means that the body “runs ning right after a workout and for
out” of protein and insulin roughly 24 to 30 hours after a workout
about halfway through (when it appears to start to go back to “nor-
the night, so you, in mal”). Therefore, it’s crucial to keep protein
levels high during this time—eat some pro-
effect, stop synthe-
tein every two or three hours—particularly
sizing the mus-
during this recovery phase. If you’re a
bodybuilder who works out on a two-
day-on, one-day-off or even a one-
day-on, one-day-off schedule, your
protein intake should be strict
and regimented.
The sleep of a body-
builder is plagued by
opposing hormones
and the eventual
depletion of protein
“...studies have and insulin. Eating a
shown that meal at 6 p.m. and
not eating again until breakfast is a mistake.
muscle protein Therefore, the last thing you should do at night,
synthesis is before you say your prayers, is slug down a pro-
tein drink. This will help keep (notice I didn’t
elevated in say “fix”) protein levels high for at least the first
humans by 50% half of nighttime sleep. If your drink has a mix-
ture of simple and complex carbs in it, all the
four hours after better. (It would probably be ideal if you got up
a bout of heavy in the middle of the night for another protein
meal, but this has to fall into the category of
resistance fanaticism or plain pushing it too far.) Adding a
little flax oil or borage oil would be a good idea,
training. A full too, to slow the absorption of the nutrients into
24 hours later, the bloodstream and ensure an even more regu-
lated flow of amino acids into the bloodstream.
the percentage Eating some protein before bedtime can stim-
can rise to ulate hypothalamic growth-hormone releasing
factors—perhaps mediated by insulin release—
109%.” leading to increased GH release. This practice
will also help keep cortisol levels down.
 w A Time
Covers Home

Although you may be worried that this practice will 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates, and a tea-
add bodyfat, there’s little chance of that, as long as you spoon of borage or flax oil. (This step is partic-
don’t use your protein drink to wash down a couple of ularly important.)
chocolate donuts.
T
Another possible safety measure would be to take any of 3. Have another similar protein drink upon
oG

the anti-catabolic supplements that are now available that rising.

may put a chink in cortisol’s muscle-munching plans.
row

Lastly, the first thing you should do upon waking is eat pro-
A tein. Remember, under normal circumstances, your last meal was
Ti quite some time ago, and your body is probably digesting your
excess muscle tissue to sustain itself.
Again, here’s what I recommend:
4. Make sure you get at least 30 grams of pro-
tein every 2 or 3 waking hours, especially dur-
ing the 0 to 30 hours after a workout (or per-
petually if you work out every day or every
other day).

1. Take an anti-catabolic supplement at night (per- Perhaps the main message here is to copy the
haps CLA, HMB, or maybe even mela- body’s machine-like consistency. By feeding
tonin). the body at the most crucial times,
like clockwork, you can increase
2. Wash it down with a pro-
your chances of building
tein drink along with
some simple and com- muscle over the long
plex carbs immedi- run. And as the days
ately before going turn into months,
to bed—30 to 45 growth will fol-
grams of protein, low, right on
schedule.

“By feeding the

body at the most
crucial times, like
clockwork, you can
increase your
chances of building
muscle over the
long run.”

References Cited
1 Kern, Werner, et al, “Hormonal Secretion During
Nighttime Sleep Indicating Stress of Daytime Exercise,”
Journal of Applied Physiology 79.5 (1995) :1461-1468.

2 J. MacDougall, Duncan, et al,

“The Time Course for Elevated Muscle
Protein Synthesis Following Heavy
Resistance Exercise,” Canadian Journal of
Applied Physiology 20.4 (1995) : 480-486.
Covers Home
Anabolic Steroids in Europe
An Interview by T.C. Luoma
s a whole, Americans are rather provincial—we
A think we’re the best at everything, know every-
thing, and set the pace for the rest of the world while
other countries, bless their hearts, are, well, kind of
primitive. This is particularly true of bodybuilding.
Most of us assume the rest of the world still lifts con-
crete-filled paint buckets and car axles. And the Euro-
peans? Well, they’ve evolved past the paint-bucket
stage, but not by much. I mean, aside from a few body-
builders with funny names who had to come to the U.S.
to get really big, who have they got with any notoriety?
Well, let me tell you, nothing could be further from
the truth. Several European countries take training
INTERVIEW
PART
2
seriously, even investing considerable amounts of
money into bona-fide weight-training research. And,
since drugs are much more readily available in many
European countries, their knowledge of drugs sur-
passes ours, too.
To find out more about the European scene—particu-
larly the drug scene—we made a few calls, checked a
few contacts, and found Lazlo Hortobagyi, a former
competitive bodybuilder from Budapest, Hungary. After
the fall of the Berlin Wall, Hortobagyi moved to Inns-
bruck, Austria, where he works as a personal trainer. It
was there that we contacted him. What ensued was a
fascinating and eye-opening interview.
Covers Home

buy his very convenient supply of regards to steroid use. Is my assumption

The following is Part II of a two-
part interview:
Muscle Media 2000:
Without regard to cost, what’s the most-
asked-for steroid on the black market?
Lazlo Hortobagyi: I
would say Parabolan is probably the
most-asked-for injectable steroid. News
of it being remade in France by a new
company has been the source of many
wet dreams for European bodybuilders.
The most-sought oral steroid is the
bootleg form of the East-German Turin-
abol. It has a very strong cult following
with German-speaking bodybuilders,
particularly the ones who are closet
powerlifters. This drug is unequaled for
strength gains, espe-
cially when stacked
with the Italian oxan-
drolone. At dosages
as low as 10 mg a
day of Turinabol,
users report over-
coming plateaus in
strength and hyper-
trophy development.
The normal dosage is
about 0.5 mg per kg
of bodyweight, but that dosage is often
doubled and even quadrupled.
Parabolan. Another guy may claim he is
Mr. America’s Italian cousin and says,
‘‘He took a bottle of Anavar [oxan-
drolone] a day and 800 mg of Deca a
week when he was at his best,” and
BOOM, he gets rid of 10,000 tabs of
oxandrolone and 2,000 vials of Deca.
Are veterinary steroids popular
MM in Europe?
The only veterinary steroid
LH that has been used on a signif-
icant basis is the French equivalent to
Canadian Equipoise. However, the
dosage per cc is very weak; therefore,
it’s seldom used except by bodybuilders
in rural areas.
From what you’ve told me, it
MM seems as if the Europeans are
much more advanced
than Americans in
correct?
Yes, and this holds true regard-
LH ing training, too. Without a
doubt, the Northern Europeans—the
Finns, Swedes, Germans, Austrians,
and Norwegians—probably train the
most scientifically. Sports science is
highly developed in these countries,
and unlike the North Americans, they
like to study top-level bodybuilders and
pass on the information. For example,
the Muscle Meets Magnet book, which
answers many questions on the muscle-
recruitment effect of a variety of exer-
cises, was written by Swedish exercise
physiologist P.A. Tesch.
The Americans, however, seem to get
their act together better with nutrition
and supplementation. In fact, European
top pro bodybuilders will stock up on
American supplements when compet-
ing in the U.S. But of course, there are
exceptions to the rule. Creatine was
used by British track and field athletes

Do the Europeans use much clen-

MM buterol?

Not as much as they used to.

LH During the clenbuterol craze,
most of the clenbuterol used came from
veterinary sources. Vet clenbuterol is
about a tenth of the price of human
clenbuterol.
Earlier, you said rumors influ-
MM ence steroid use. What did
you mean by that?

Rumors influence the

LH makeup of steroid cycles to
a terrible degree, particularly when
steroid pushers want to unload large
quantities of a given steroid. You
will hear statements like, “My
cousin sells the ‘gear’ to ‘Mr. O,’
and he says that he takes two
Parabolans a day, and this and
that...” Then, everybody rushes to
Covers Home

as well as Norwegian speed skaters curling—in very strict culinity. To be big is

years before American bodybuilders fashion— the bench- looked down upon in
started using it. press poundages they those countries. The way
That brings up a point. If one wants were using for their they train is the antithesis
to get ahead in the drug scene, he touch-and-go sets. I of what a guy like your
should talk to cyclists, track athletes, or thought their eyeballs Shawn Phillips would
tennis players. These guys are more on were going to fall out of advocate. They train with
the cutting edge of ergogens than any their sockets. After completing endless sets of low effort and
bodybuilders. his set of curls, he looked at spend more time chitchatting,
them and said in a low Teutonic grabbing their crotches, and
If European bodybuilders, partic- voice, “Geh raus Spargeltarzans” [Get staring down female members than
MM ularly Italian and Spanish ones,
have such easy access to such efficient
lost, asparagus Tarzans]. Needless to
say, they did not show up again at our
applying effort. Their diet is also terri-
ble. You cannot make bodybuilding
drugs, why aren’t they bigger? gym. They are now probably very avid gains on a breakfast of sweetened
Ping-Pong players... bread, butter, marmalade, and espresso
First and foremost, genetics are the coffee.
I guess you could say the
LH same about Mexican body-
builders. There are a lot of steroids
key to bodybuilding success. Countries
where people tend to have naturally
Austrian and German bodybuilders
who train in Italy scare the shit out of
the clientele at the gym. The Germanic
there, but looking at the average Mexi- high levels of muscle mass, like Hol- bodybuilders have a lot more intensity
can trainee, you would think Darwin’s land and Germany, produce large body- in their bodybuilding efforts and will
evolutionary theory was in reverse builders à la DeMey and Albrecht. out load and ridicule the wimpy
gear—they are smaller, not larger, than Even though Italians and Spaniards poundages of their Italian counterparts.
most American or European trainees. are very macho in their attitudes, they They still have the Deutschland über
Variations of cultures and laziness in don’t associate muscle mass with mas- alles! attitude.
training have a lot to do with why they
What kind of cycling patterns do the Europeans typically use? You gave us an
are not bigger. Steroid availability does
not necessarily equate to bodybuilding MM example of what I presumed to be a contest cycle in Part I, but what about off-
season cycles?
success. If steroids were the most
important key to bodybuilding success,
then France, Spain, Greece, and Italy Steroids are taken for a very long time in Europe. Here is an actual Aus-
would produce the best bodybuilders.
In the countries mentioned above, using
LH trian national title winner’s off-season cycle [Lazlo then pulled out the
following lists from his briefcase]. The bodybuilder was 89 kg [196 lbs] at the start
minimal ingenuity, one can buy truck- of this cycle.
loads of high-quality anabolics like Pri-
mobolan and Stromba. Week Nerobol* Plenastril Sustanon 250 Dynabolon
Again, steroids alone are obviously per day per day per week per week
no guarantee of success. Two French
bodybuilders came here [Austria] for a 1 120 mg 150 mg 3 amps 3 amps
ski vacation. The ski conditions were 2 110 mg 150 mg 3 amps 3 amps
not very good, so they decided to come 3 100 mg 150 mg 3 amps 3 amps
and train at our gym. They were strut-
ting around like peacocks and started 4 90 mg 125 mg 3 amps 3 amps
discussing dosages with everybody— 5 90 mg 125 mg 3 amps 3 amps
even some customs officers—and 6 90 mg 125 mg 3 amps 3 amps
everyone was snickering at these, how
do you say it in American? Dweebs? 7 90 mg 100 mg 3 amps 3 amps
One guy was on 8 Parabolans a week 8 90 mg 100 mg 3 amps 3 amps
and 60 mg of Dianabol, yet he looked 9 80 mg 75 mg 3 amps 3 amps
like a muscular swimmer. The other
guy was using over 200 mg a day of 10 70 mg 75 mg 2 amps 3 amps
various anabolics, plus 4 IU of GH 11 60 mg 75 mg 1 amp 3 amps
[growth hormone] a day, and he again 12 50 mg 50 mg 1 amp 2 amps
had a physique that most people can
achieve naturally on a three-day-a- 13 40 mg 50 mg 1 amp 2 amps
week program. Once I saw them train, I 14 30 mg 50 mg — 1 amp
understood everything. They were so 15 25 mg 25 mg — 1 amp
very, very weak for guys using so many
drugs. One of our local boys came in, 16 20 mg 25 mg — 1 amp
and the gym was very busy, and he 17 15 mg 25 mg — 1 amp
wanted the Olympic bar the dweebs 18 10 mg — — 1 amp
were using for bench press. He walked
over to the bench-press unit and started *[European Dianabol]
Covers Home

The bodybuilder would then follow with a six to eight-week course of HCG and
Clomid to boost his testosterone back up and would follow the sample pre-contest
cycle below. The 89-kg [196-lb] bodybuilder now, in fact, is a 97-kg [213-lb]
bodybuilder: he would compete at week number 12 of his cycle and would take
the next 8 weeks to come down:

Week Oxandrolone Masteron Primobolan Stromba

per day per week per week per week
1 90 mg 100 mg 300 mg 350 mg
2 90 mg 100 mg 300 mg 350 mg
3 90 mg 200 mg 300 mg 350 mg
4 90 mg 200 mg 300 mg 350 mg
5 85 mg 200 mg 300 mg 350 mg
6 80 mg 300 mg 300 mg 300 mg
7 80 mg 300 mg 300 mg 300 mg Wow. Those steroid dosages are
8 80 mg 300 mg 300 mg 300 mg MM pretty high, aren’t they?
9 80 mg 300 mg 200 mg 300 mg
They are fairly typical, yet
10
11
75 mg
70 mg
400 mg
400 mg
200 mg
200 mg
250 mg
250 mg
LH
dosages.
I have seen much higher

12 60 mg 500 mg 200 mg 250 mg

13 55 mg 400 mg 100 mg 200 mg Really?
14 50 mg 300 mg 100 mg 150 mg MM For instance...
15 45 mg 200 mg 100 mg 100 mg
Well, a 20-year-old Junior
16
17
40 mg
35 mg
100 mg
—
—
—
50 mg
50 mg
LH World Bodybuilding Champi-
onships finalist was using the follow-
18 30 mg — — — ing: injectables—a weekly dosage of
19 25 mg — — — 1,000 mg of testosterone heptylate,
1,000 mg of Dynabolon, and 532 mg of
20 20 mg — — — Parabolan; and orals—8 tablets of 50-
mg oral Primobolan on a daily basis. If
Following this 20-week steroid cycle, he would do a 6-8 week course of HCG you calculate it, he was using 1,143 mg
and Clomid to try to restore his endocrine system. Then a three-month steroid-free of various anabolics a day!!! He weighs
period would be observed. 95 kg [209 lbs] at a height of 160 cm
By week 15, Deprenyl, piracetam, and Hydergine would be added. Supplemen- [5’21⁄2”].
tal acetyl-l-carnitine, orotic acid, and AKG would be used to prevent muscle One of the bouncers here at the local
catabolism.
disco uses 30 vials of 50 mg of
Orciprenaline—a beta-agonist—is also used to maintain the lean body mass
stanozolol a week, 2,000 mg of enan-
after the cycle. Albuterol is also used for the same purpose. A dose before a work-
thate, 1,000 mg of propionate, and
out has been shown to increase
strength between two and four per- 1,000 mg of suspension, and of course,
cent only one hour after adminis- one Plenastril per meal [he eats 6 times
tering it. a day]. He is 180 cm [6’] tall and
weighs 134 kg [295 lbs] at probably
10% bodyfat. It works out to be 1,085
mg a day!

Tell me more about the use

MM of Deprenyl, piracetam, and
Hydergine. These are all parts of the life-
extension drug family, aren’t they?

Deprenyl, also known as sele-

LH giline hydrochloride, is a
monoamine oxidase [MAO] inhibitor
normally used as a minor adjunctive
treatment to the administration of
Covers Home
L-Dopa for the treatment of Parkin-
son’s disease. The MAO activity per-
mits the increase of active dopamine
levels. It is used by athletes for its pos-
itive effects on the central nervous sys-
tem.
Bodybuilders using this dopamine
agonist alone report a boost of libido
during or after steroid cycles and
increased muscle mass and a decrease
in bodyfat. These ergogenic effects
come from the fact that selegiline
boosts the body’s output of the
gonadotropins. Other positive effects of
Deprenyl are improved memory and
cognition, but bodybuilders probably
don’t care about that.
One problem with it is this drug is
converted to methamphetamine and
amphetamine in humans through nor-
mal metabolic pathways. An athlete
using this product may therefore test
positive for methamphetamine/amphet-
amine use.
What’s the typical dosage for
MM Deprenyl?
Athletes under the age of 60
LH report ergogenic effects on a
dose as low as a 1.5-mg tablet every 3
to 4 days. Higher dosages will give you
the libido of 20 adult rabbits.
What does Hydergine do?
MM
Hydergine was originally
LH developed in Switzerland for
the treatment of high blood pressure; it
worked poorly for this purpose. How-
ever, it is known to have various other
beneficial effects such as increasing the
supply of blood and oxygen to the
brain, increasing brain-cell metabolism,
accelerating the dismantling of lypo-
fusin—an aging pigment—in the brain,
and improving intelligence.
Athletes use Hydergine to boost
learning and concentration and to
increase growth-hormone output. I have
seen athletes drop significant amounts
of bodyfat while using nine
milligrams a day of this
substance. Although not
documented in scientific
circles, bodybuilders report
that it also potentiates the
use of pre-workout stimu-
lants such as ephedrine.
What about pirace-
MM tam? I sometimes
use this before I write to
improve my concentration.
Yes, piracetam is
LH used by life exten-
sionists to boost memory
and cognitive function. It
was one of the first noo-
tropics developed. It was
formulated in the ’60’s by
the Belgian pharmaceutical
company UCB. It is a close
relative of the amino acid
pyroglutamate. In medical
circles, it has been used to
treat a variety of ailments ranging from
alcoholism to dementia to dyslexia.
Piracetam potentiates the effect of
Hydergine, psychotropics, and amphet-
amines—hence, its popularity in com-
petitive strongmen circles.
Even though it was first used by box-
ers and martial artists to boost learning
of their sport skills, bodybuilders,
strength athletes, and track athletes use
it nowadays for its central-nervous-sys-
tem-boosting properties. It was used as
early as 1986 by athletes of the former
East Germany. It was administered in
that country to weightlifters and boxers
for its enhanced noradrenaline releasing
properties. After 11 weeks of treatment,
one can experience better growth-hor-
mone release and increased levels of
dopamine in the brain. Apparently, in
the aftermath of all the positive drug
tests in the Seoul Olympics, Bulgarian
weightlifters and their Romanian col-
leagues jumped on the bandwagon.
They also use it to access more of the
high-threshold fast-twitch fibers and to
improve concentration. One should
expect ergogenic effects only two to
three weeks after beginning treatment.
Incidentally, I know of a 30-year-old
sprinter who took piracetam on a con-
sistent basis of 6 tabs a day and man-
aged to improve his PB [personal best]
in the 60-meter run by a full tenth of a
second.
Second generation piracetam-like
drugs, such as oxiracetam and anirace-
tam, give the same results at half the
dosage.
In what dosages is piracetam
MM being used?
Athletes use a dosage pattern
LH similar to creatine. In other
Covers Home

words, they use large amounts, five to

six 800-mg tabs for a week or so and
then cut back to 2-3 tabs a day. When
stacked with Hydergine, absorption
increases fivefold, so a much lower
dosage can be used. Piracetam is not yet
on the banned substances list.
German and Austrian bodybuilders
normally take one 400-mg tab, along
with a 2-mg Hydergine tab, 3 times
daily.
At higher dosages, the desired effect
is reversed, and the sought-after
enhanced memory and concentration
capability turns into partial amnesia
and confusion. Therefore, be aware
that piracetam is potentiated by
choline, Hydergine, DMAE, and cen-
trophenoxine.

What about powerlifters and

MM Olympic-style lifters? Do you
know anything about their patterns of drug
use?

First of all, they use more

LH growth hormone than body-
builders. Because they have more
money than bodybuilders, they can
afford more products. They use growth
hormone for its ability to regenerate the
connective tissue.
They tend to use a lot of testos- trend is to use a glucose/amino-acid
terones: propionate, Sustanon, and of drip [IV] right after the workout to feed
course, suspension. Undoubtedly, Ple- the cells. Normal appetite comes back
nastril from Switzerland [oxymeth- within an hour or two after the drip.
olone, known as Anadrol in the U.S.] is The favorite stimulants of the strong-
the oral of choice. A minimum of three men are Nivalin and nicergoline from
tabs a day is taken, with the average Bulgaria and Sydnocarb from Estonia
dose being five tabs a day. Turinabol is and Russia.
the preferred oral if available.
Strongmen love androgens because
I think we’ve covered every topic
it’s a well-known fact that the nervous
system has receptors for androgens. MM under the sun. I’d like to thank
you for being so candid with us. I realize this
They excite the nervous system and
allow the athlete to use high loads. This interview might affect your relationship
explains why the German injectable with the various bodybuilding organizations
form of Halotestin is so popular. It’s in Europe, so I’d like to thank you on behalf
less toxic than its oral counterpart and of all of our readers.
has very strong central-nervous-system
excitation properties. However, the per-
You’re quite welcome.
sonalities of guys on it make Ted
Bundy look like Mother Theresa. It is
LH
basically bottled ’roid rage.
Close to competitions, they will use For more information on the
plenty of Halotestin and oxandrolone steroids Lazlo Hortobagyi men-
along with testosterone suspension. tioned in this interview, check
Strongmen also use a lot of stimulants
to get up for workouts. The drawback is
your Anabolic Reference Guide. If
they depress the appetite. No appetite, you don’t have an Anabolic Refer-
no eating; no eating, no gains. So the ence Guide yet, see page xx. ▲
Covers Home

THE SClENCE OF
REST lNTERVALS
The Best Ways To
Take It Easy For
Maximum
Growth!

By Charles Poliquin
Covers Home

experienced bodybuilder

AN will notice significant

gains in muscle mass by
regularly taking creatine monohydrate
and drinking a post-workout shake that
is loaded with carbs and protein.
Vanadyl sulfate and a Vitamin C supple-
ment may also make a difference, as will
studying everything Dan Duchaine has
ever written. Beginners, however, need
to first concentrate on finding a good
basic workout. They should emphasize
heavy “basic” movements like the squat
and pay special attention to sets, reps,
and speed of movement. Another train-
ing variable that must be considered, but
one that’s often neglected, is the amount
of rest to take between sets.
Why is the science of rest intervals
neglected? Because rest, by its very
nature, is a boring topic. How can there
be a science behind doing nothing?
Well, you’ll be surprised at the amount
of academic time spent studying how the
body reacts to doing nothing between
sets. And while it may not be as exciting
as looking at the erotic pictures in Mus-
cular Development, it will help you
grow in all the right places.
Rest lntervals: The Basics
The most important principle to keep
in mind about rest intervals and how
they affect bodybuilding is that there’s Grant Henderson
Photo: Alex Ardenti
an inverse relationship between reps and
rest: the more reps you perform, the
lighter weights you must use and the less Figure 1
rest you need. The relationship between Chart Data © 1995 Poliquin
reps and rest is illustrated in Figure 1 at
the right.
How much rest is enough? Most
Rest lnterval

American exercise physiologists 20 Repetitions
18
recommend a 1:5 work/rest ratio
to train the ATP-CP (adenosine
triphosphate/creatine phosphate)
Continuum

Continuum 15
The fewer the number of

system, which is the energy system
involved in high-intensity muscu-
15 reps performed, the

longer the rest period.
lar contractions. A 1:5 ratio means 12
that whatever time it took you to
complete a set, it would take you 5
times as long to adequately recover 10 9
from that set. However, not everyone
Rep Count
is in agreement with the Americans.
6
Canadian exercise physiologist Gio-
5 Rest in

net believes that a 1:5 ratio doesn’t pro-
vide sufficient recovery for the ATP-CP
5 3 Minutes
system and recommends a ratio of 1:12-
18. Charlie Francis, who coached 173-lb
Ben Johnson to a 420-lb bench press and
1 3 1
many world sprint records, is also a 0
strong believer in long rest intervals. He Neural Drive Size-Training
Endurance Training
suggests a 1:20-30 ratio! Range
Covers Home

The Relationship Between the Various Loading
conditioned bodybuilder.

Parameters in Strength & Mass Development Therefore, rest intervals
must be shortened only for
Table Data © 1995 Poliquin the advanced trainee as
Time
lactate buildup will inter-
Under
Rest
fere with proper exercise


Reps Tempo*
Sets
Tension lnterval

performance.
In fact, to prevent
1–3 4/1/1 6 6–18 240–300 excessively high lactate
buildup, I frequently alter-
4–7 3/0/2 5 20–35 180–240 nate u p p e r a n d l o w e r
body exercises in the
3–5 5/0/5 3 30–50 150–210 workouts I prescribe.
Muscle Mass And
8–10 4/0/2 4 48–60 90–180 Strength Levels
The larger and stronger
11+ 3/0/1 3 44+ 90–120 the trainee, the longer the
*Eccentric/Pause/Concentric Seconds Total rest interval should be.
Component Times In Seconds. Per Set Seconds There appears to be a
direct linear relationship
Table 1 between the length of the
rest interval and the body-
I’m in full agreement with Francis—the nervous-system
weight of the trainee. Thus, Gary Strydom would need a
cell takes five to six times longer to recover than the muscle
longer rest period than Francis Benfatto, who is lighter.
cell. This means that even though energy stores may be
nearly replenished by a 1:5-6 ratio, your nervous system Aerobic Fitness
hasn’t recovered enough to effectively activate the fast- The more aerobically fit an athlete is, the shorter the rest
twitch fibers responsible for muscle growth. And if the ner- interval should be—that’s the theory. The problem is that the
vous system can’t activate the fast-twitch fibers, what’s the aerobically fit individual is normally weaker and usually has
point of performing another set? the physique of a pre-pubescent tropical fish breeder. It’s also
been my experience that these individuals (dare we call them
Although counting repetitions is a convenient way to deter-
athletes?) tend to rush between heavy sets to maintain a high
mine work performed, it’s more precise to consider how long
heart rate. Apparently, they have a hard time grasping the con-
it takes to complete a set. The amount of time it takes to com-
cept of resting for a long time between heavy sets to bring
plete a set is referred to as “time under tension.” As
about neural adaptation. Unfortunately, a high heart
with reps, the longer a muscle is stressed, the
rate by itself doesn’t lead to maximal strength
less rest time needed. This is illustrated
and mass gains—if it did, Covert Bailey
above in Table 1. would probably be Mr. America!
Because variety is an essential
training principle, I believe it’s also Putting Theory
important to vary (i.e., periodize) into Practice
your re st intervals. Despite A weightlifter or strength ath-
the established cause-and-effect lete must emphasize complete
relationship of varying rest inter- recovery, but a bodybuilder has
vals, failure to vary rest intervals two choices when selecting the
limits adaptation to the training rest interval—nearly complete
stimulus. This concept has yet to recovery or incomplete recovery.
be validated by science, but it’s To see the benefits of each, let’s
been my experience that it posi- examine three types of training
tively favors the rate and magni- methods for an individual who can
tude of strength and size gains— barbell curl 100 lbs 10 times in a
especially with elite athletes. 4/0/2 tempo (every rep would take 6
In addition to reps and sets, there are seconds: 4 to lower the weight, no pause,
several other factors to consider when 2 to lift the weight).
determining rest intervals. The three I’d like to Method 1: Adequate Rest
address are training experience, muscle mass and and Constant Weight
strength levels, and aerobic fitness. In this method, a constant weight is used, and you’re
Training Experience given at least three minutes to recover, which allows
Tolerance to short rest intervals with loads in the almost all the energy stores to resynthesize by the end of
60%-80% range (6-20 reps) is a function of years of every set. Assuming your first set is a maximum effort,
accumulated training. The lactate buildup resulting you’ll tend to fatigue two percent—one rep per set after
from this type of training is tolerated only by the well- three minutes. Thus, a typical workout looks like this:
Photo: Jim Amentler Paula Piwarunas
Covers Home
“…longer
rest intervals
have also been
associated
with greater
testosterone
levels…”
Photo: Paula Crane
Set 1: 100 lbs x 10, rest 3 minutes
Set 2: 100 lbs x 9, rest 3 minutes
Set 3: 100 lbs x 8, rest 3 minutes
Set 4: 100 lbs x 7, rest 3 minutes
This produces the following data:
average weight lifted: 100 lbs
total reps performed: 34
time under tension: 204 seconds
(34 reps x 6 seconds)
Because the rest is more complete,
this method enables you to use heavy
weights on every set and therefore
make more tensile demands of the con-
tractile fibers. This higher tension leads
to myofibrillar growth. These longer
rest intervals have also been associated
with greater testosterone levels in expe-
rienced athletes performing large mus-
cle group exercises.
Method 2: Adequate Rest
and Decreasing Weight
In this method, the rest interval is the
same as Method 1, but the weight is
Mike O’Hearn
adjusted precisely from set to set to
account for fatigue. A typical workout
looks like this:
Set 1: 100 lbs x 10, rest 3 minutes
Set 2: 98 lbs x 10, rest 3 minutes
Set 3: 96 lbs x 10, rest 3 minutes
Set 4: 94 lbs x 10, rest 3 minutes
This produces the following data:
average weight lifted: 97 lbs
total reps performed: 40
time under tension: 240 seconds
(40 reps x 6 seconds).
As with Method 1, the longer rest
intervals increase the average amount
of weight that can be used, but the
decreasing weight increases the time
under tension. Because hypertrophy is
related to time under tension with opti-
mal loading, this would be the optimal
system to force myofibrillar growth.
On paper, this method looks great, but
how many gyms do you know of that
have training implements which can be
decreased two percent at a time? (MedX
machines can do this with double
weight stacks, but using these machines
alone would seriously limit your exer-
cise choices.) In most gyms, if you’re
lucky, you can decrease weight by five
percent. As a compromise, I recommend
decreasing the weight by 5% every 2
sets, which would result in the following
performance: 100 x 10, 100 x 9, 95 x 10,
and 95 x 9. This would change the aver-
age load to 97.5 pounds and the time
under tension to 228 seconds.
Method 3: Inadequate Rest
and Decreasing Weight
In this method, only 60 seconds’ rest
is allowed so that energy stores are not
completely resynthesized by the end of
each set; in this system, you tend to
fatigue at about 10% per set (4-5 reps).
A typical workout looks like this:
Set 1: 100 lbs x 10, rest 1 minute
Set 2: 90 lbs x 10, rest 1 minute
Set 3: 80 lbs x 10, rest 1 minute
Set 4: 70 lbs x 10, rest 1 minute
This produces the following data:
average weight lifted: 85 lbs
total reps performed: 40
time under tension: 240 seconds
(40 reps x 6 seconds).
This option is often used by body-
builders for the “pump” sensation that
comes with it, and it’s associated with
high levels of growth hormone and lac-
tic acid. It also increases the storage of
glycogen and phosphagens and the
associated enzymes for the metabolism
of these nutrients.
As with the first two methods, this
system creates hypertrophy but not for
the same reasons. While Methods 1 and
2 are great for creating hypertrophy by
favoring growth of the contractile pro-
teins, Method 3 promotes hypertrophy
through energy substrate storage. It fol-
lows that for maximum muscle mass,
all three methods should be used.
As you can see from the three exam-
ples presented, the bodybuilder should
use both types of systems for muscle
mass training—nearly complete recov-
ery and incomplete recovery. The bot-
tom line is that for optimal progress to
occur in bodybuilding, you need to
vary the rest intervals—once you’ve
achieved that, then you can pull out
those Dan Duchaine articles!
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the
S p e c i a l A d v e r t i s e m e n t

by Bill Phillips

R i g h t toW a y
Lose Fat . .and Build a Lean, Toned, Sexy Body!
f guys are generally confused about how to build muscle, lose fat, and build a

I better body, most women are “confused times ten!” But there’s no reason to be
perplexed—there’s a right way for a woman to get in awesome shape—
a way that works… It’s called bodybuilding!
Muscle Media 2000 is a “bodybuild-
ing” magazine. It’s a publication written
for those individuals who are extremely
dedicated to building the best body they
can! It’s a magazine about weight train-
ing, nutrition, supplementation, and
other “tricks” that can help you build
muscle and lose fat.
The majority of our readers are men
because the majority of those who
“bodybuild” are guys. But over the past
few months, I’ve noticed we’ve been
getting more and more questions and
feedback from women, and we’ve been
getting a lot of questions from guys
who’ve been looking to share their pas-
sion for bodybuilding with the women
in their lives (wives, girlfriends, sisters,
friends, etc.).
I think this is great—I’m glad more
women than ever before are getting
involved in weight training. I’m certain
the reason women are taking more inter-
est in “bodybuilding” is because the
major muscle magazines have been run-
ning more and more photos of gals who
have used “bodybuilder-like” exercise
and nutrition programs to build some of
the most beautiful physiques in the
world! It just goes to show that a woman
can build a gorgeous, lean, and toned
(but feminine) body by using weight-
training exercise. It looks like we might
finally be starting to break through that
awful stigma about women and weight
training that emerged along with the use
of steroids by female bodybuilders. The
truth is, if women don’t use steroids, it’s
virtually impossible for them to build
“freakish” muscularity!
About the only magazine that still
runs photos of drugged-up female com-
petitive bodybuilders is Flex—virtually
all of the other magazines primarily use
pictures of drug-free female “body-
builders.” (I mean, come on, what’s this
whole women’s fitness thing? It’s drug-
free women’s bodybuilding!)
I’m very glad things are starting to
change because I’m absolutely, posi-
tively convinced any woman who wants
to get in shape—who wants to lose fat
and build muscle tone—should be pat-
terning her fitness program after body-
builders.
There is absolutely, positively no bet-
ter form of exercise in the world than
weight training. Of course, any exercise
(walking, using a HealthRider, pedaling
on a stationary bike, etc.) is better than
nothing, but only weight training allows
you to “sculpt” your body. Unfortu-
nately, women are usually led to believe
Covers Home
Starvation Diets
and Hours of
Painful
Aerobic
Exercise
Are Out—
Bodybuilding
Is In!
that aerobics are the best overall exercise for
them, but that simply isn’t true. (The women
who do read Muscle Media 2000 and know
a thing or two about weight training
would definitely confirm this!)
By the time most women are into their
20’s (unless they have great genetics),
they start to develop a “pear-like” shape;
that is, their hips get wider than their
shoulders. Now, let’s say a woman goes
on a “typical” diet where she does hours of
aerobic exercise and starves herself—the
best possible end result would be that she
would come out looking like a smaller pear!
But, with weight training, women can firm and
tone their bodies—they can build wider shoul-
ders, strong arms, and firm legs.
And remember, when you train with weights
properly, your body gains muscle, and your
metabolic rate goes up, so you can eat more
without gaining fat! Studies also confirm that
weight training strengthens the heart,
increases bone mass (which lowers a
woman’s risk of osteoporosis), lowers cho-
lesterol (which decreases the chance of
heart disease), and improves your mood!
No kidding! Weight training does all of
this stuff and more!
Once a woman becomes con-
Monica Brant
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb
vinced that training with
weights won’t turn her into
some freakish-looking mus-
cle monster (which just does
not happen without the use of
steroids), the next step is decid-
ing exactly what type of weight-
training program to follow.
Unfortunately, this is an area
where women also get bad advice—
they’re often told if they want to build
muscle “tone,” they should just use
light weights and take it easy. That’s
completely wrong! Effective weight
training, for a man or a woman, has to be
intense—it has to “overload” the muscle
fibers being trained. After the proper
“stimulus” is given, muscles will rebuild
bigger and better than they were before (if
you feed the muscles properly and provide
adequate time for recuperation).
Not only is it true that “bodybuilding” is the
best way for women to build a firmer, more
toned body, I’m convinced it’s the best way to
lose fat, too! Building muscle (through weight
training) addresses the “core” of the problem—
energy expenditure. When your body burns
more calories than you eat, you lose fat—it’s
that simple.
Covers Home
The Importance of Nutrition
Proper weight-training exercise is
critical, but nutrition and supplementa-
tion are just as important. Literally tens
of thousands of women believe that in
order to build a better body, they have to
starve themselves, so they use these
cheap “slimming” shakes (which have a
terrible nutritional profile), and they try
to go as long as they can without eating.
This is a big mistake! You see, when
you severely restrict calorie intake, your
body becomes convinced it’s starving,
and it “fights back” by lowering your
metabolic rate, so you burn fewer calo-
ries. The body also sacrifices huge
amounts of muscle tissue if it’s not
being fed properly. This is one reason
women who do aerobic exercise and
starve themselves get such awful
results—they’re crippling their meta-
bolic rate, and much of the weight they
lose is muscle, not fat!
Fortunately, there is a better way—
there’s a precise combination of free-
weight exercise and proper nutrition that
National fitness champions
Tatiana Anderson (left)
and Laurie Donnelly (right),
and Venus Swimwear
models Ami Cusack and
LeAnne Tweedan use
Neo-Lean
to help them stay lean
and toned!
can literally force a woman’s body to
burn fat and, at the same time, build
incredible muscle tone!
I’ve been working extensively over
the past two years with women from all
walks of life, and I’ve come up with a
system that works incredibly well! It’s
not a “miracle cure,” but it may be the
next best thing! It’s a simple and easy-
to-follow exercise, nutrition, and sup-
plementation program designed espe-
cially for women who want to lose fat
and gain muscle tone. It’s called the
Neo-Lean™ program.
This program, designed just for
women, teaches you how to feed your
body, not starve it, to get results! As a
matter of fact, on this program, you can
eat up to six times a day and still lose
fat! And, the exercise program is simple
and easy—it takes as little as 19 minutes
3 times a week, and it can produce
incredible results!
The cornerstone of the Neo-Lean pro-
gram is a new meal-replacement powder
called Neo-Lean, which was also
the
R i g h t toW a y
Lose Fat
designed especially for women. You
see, one of the problems I encountered
when I designed nutrition and exercise
programs for women is that virtually all
of the meal-replacement powders on the
bodybuilding market were designed for
men—why on earth would a gal who
weighs 120 lbs need to use the same
meal-replacement powder as a guy who
weighs 225? It doesn’t make any sense!
Gals just don’t need 35-45 grams of
protein in each meal—any excess pro-
tein which is consumed that the body
doesn’t need will be converted to fat!
It’s also a fact that a female who has
roughly half the lean mass of a male
bodybuilder doesn’t need nearly as
many calories!
Here’s another problem… The “meal
replacements” that are designed for
mainstream women (the “slimming
Covers Home
Learn the Basics
First
It doesn’t matter what “fat burners”
or diet pills a woman uses, if she’s
not doing the right type of exercise
and not feeding her body properly,
she’s not going to get optimal
results. It’s especially important for
women to learn that food is good for
you—starving yourself is not! You
have to feed your body with the
proper nutrition in order for it to
respond the way you want it to.
You’ve got to work with your body,
not against it.
Once a woman is doing the right
type of exercise and feeding her
body the right way, then she may
want to try using other effective sup-
plements to build even greater mus-
cle tone—things like creatine mono-
hydrate and HMB are two supple-
ments I think could really help
women build muscle tone, but these
products should only be used after
she has mastered the fundamentals
of proper exercise and nutrition. And
that’s what the Neo-Lean program is
all about! If women follow this exer-
cise program, use Neo-Lean prop-
erly, and follow the nutrition system
I’ve developed, they will get
results—results that could border on
miraculous!
If someone wants to add a thermo-
genic fat burner or other supple-
ments on top of that, that’s up to
her—I think any woman could get
great results if all she did was the
Neo-Lean program!
shakes” you can get at the grocery store,
you know the ones) contain only a small
portion of low-quality protein and
insignificant levels of key micronutri-
ents that I believe support a woman’s
ability to lose fat and build muscle tone.
In an effort to solve this problem, I
worked with the researchers at Experi-
mental and Applied Sciences (EAS) and
explained all of this to them. Then we
met with a multi-million-dollar food-
science group in Southern California
and went to work designing the ultimate
meal-replacement powder for women.
After months of going back and forth on
different formulas and experimenting
with dozens of prototypes, we came up
Before—181 lbs After—129 lbs
with the Neo-Lean formula. And I think
it’s perfect! Each serving contains 25
grams of super-high-quality protein, 25
grams of carbohydrate, and only 1 gram
of fat, along with 50% of all the vita-
mins and minerals considered essential
under the U.S. RDA. It’s also lower in
calories and sodium than the popular
meal-replacement powders (such as Rx
Fuel, Metaform, MyoPlex Plus, the
“leading brand,” etc.), and it contains
unique micronutrients that some experts
believe support a woman’s ability to
lose fat and build muscle tone. And, it’s
delicious, easy to mix, easy to digest,
and very economical!
For the last year, I’ve been testing this
product on all kinds of women. Last
summer, we did a field test with 32
“average” women who needed to lose
around 15 to 20 lbs—women who had
never done any weight training before in
their lives—the results were incredible!
One of the women who experienced
mind-boggling results with the Neo-
Lean program happened to be my sister
Shelly. She lost 52 lbs in just a few
months and completely transformed her
body! She went from “flabby” to being
lean and toned!
Even though my brother (Shawn) and
I have been into bodybuilding since we
were in our early teens, Shelly never got
into it. She was convinced that “body-
building” was not for her. She tried aer-
Shelly lost
52 pounds
of fat
using the
Neo-Lean
Program and
completely
resculpted
her body!
obics for years and years; she tried all
kinds of stupid diets and appetite-sup-
pressing pills, and so on. But her lack of
results left her extremely frustrated.
When we started field-testing the
Neo-Lean program, I asked her to get
involved. I think she figured, “What the
heck… I’ve tried everything else… I’ll
try this too…” Well, as it turned out, she
started seeing awesome results the first
week she was on the program, and now,
she looks like a new woman! I’m very
proud of her! Now, wherever she goes,
she tells everybody how great the Neo-
Lean program is and how women
should be training with weights and
feeding their bodies to get results,
instead of doing aerobic exercise and
starving themselves! (Of course, Shelly’s
results were extraordinary—as individu-
als differ, so will results.)
We also tested the Neo-Lean program
on some women who were already in
pretty darn good shape—like National
Fitness Champion Tatiana Anderson
and Ms. Fitness America, Laurie Don-
nelly. They both love the program and
especially enjoy the new Neo-Lean
“superfood” because it’s just right for
them—it’s a smaller portion than the
other meal-replacement powders; it’s
high in nutrition, low in calories, deli-
cious, and convenient—it has virtually
everything they need!
Now, a number of top fitness com-
Covers Home
the
R i g h t toW a y
Lose Fat
The Neo-Lean
Program was
designed to help
women
lose fat and build
muscle tone!
petitors are using Neo-Lean, including
professional fitness champion Monica
Brant!
The Neo-Lean program is also being
used by some of the top swimwear
models in the world—the President of
Venus Swimwear (the best swimwear
line in the business), Daryle Scott, rec-
ommends the Neo-Lean program to his
top models! These women have to have
lean and firm bodies, or they’re out of
work!
The Neo-Lean program fits in per-
fectly with today’s fast-paced lifestyles.
It’s just so simple and easy to follow.
The workouts can take less than 20 min-
utes a day! And it can be done at home
or at a gym. I’ve even written a Fast-
Food Cheater’s Guide which shows
women how to eat fast-food meals (if
they have to) and still build a lean,
healthy body.
And, since no one wants to eat “per-
fectly” all the time, I designed the Neo-
Lean program so you can go off the sys-
tem completely, once a week, and eat
anything and everything you want.
Pizza, chocolate, cookies—all the fun
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To my knowledge, the
Neo-Lean program is
really the first complete
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strongly encourage guys out there who
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would like to get in shape, to tell them
about the Neo-Lean program. You
might even order the Neo-Lean Intro-
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really change their lives! (This program
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The Neo-Lean program will be avail-
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Remember This
Even if you don’t order the Neo-Lean
program, ladies, keep in mind what I’ve
told you in this article—don’t starve
yourself in an effort to build a better
body—it doesn’t work! And, if you
want to build a firm, lean, shapely
body, start training with weights—it’s
absolutely, positively the best way to
build an awesome body!
Covers Home

Rant

By Dan Duchaine

T hey used to
call him
Mister
Rubberdick because
he used to wear a
rubber dick in the
gym. Okay, maybe it
wasn’t rubber, but it
was some miracle
polymer. All I know
is that the thing
wasn’t real. But I’m
getting ahead of
myself.
Covers Home
I took Jessica, my book assistant, to
her first bodybuilding contest.
“Where do they hide their equip-
ment?” she asked.
“Uh, they pump up offstage in a little
room,” I answered.
“No, their penes.”
“What’s a penes?”
“It’s the plural of penis. You pay me
to proofread what you write, so I need
to know these things. Where are they?
We just saw the teenage class, and all
those boys had big bulges. So where do
the men hide them?”
“I’m not gonna ask why you needed
to use the word ‘penes.’ And they don’t
hide the equipment. Most steroid users
have small b...gonads. But they grow
back. Eventually.”
“That still doesn’t explain why most
of the men up there have no... penises.
That’s the other plural. Is there a big tub
of cold water out back that they all dunk
themselves in?”
“Well, now that you mention it, they
all look kinda underhung compared to
the teenagers. Maybe the boys have
more five-alpha reductase in their dicks
during adolescence. I think it’s the DHT
that controls how big the penis is in the
flaccid state. There was this under-
ground designer steroid that supposedly
made your limp dick hang bigger. I used
some of it, and it worked. It was the
same size when it got hard, though, but
it definitely fluffed it up during off-ver-
tical. Buttsie rubs that vet steroid
Checque Drops onto his dick every day,
and he swears it’s grown two inches,
“So where do the men hide them?”
“Is there a big tub of cold water out
back that they all dunk themselves in?”
which would make it five inches, but
that’s probably stretching it a bit.”
“Did your balls shrink when you
were on steroids?”
“Yeah, but they grew back in prison.
I’ve been off steroids for over six years
now.”
“Did you miss them?”
“I do miss being strong like I was...”
“No, no, no, not the steroids. Your
balls. Did it bother you that you were a
eunuch? I mean, didn’t any of your girl-
friends complain when they used to
grab for something that wasn’t there?”
“Can we change the subject?”
“Face it. You were in denial. Hey, the
women are on. Is it my imagination, or
do some of them have penes, too?”
“Jess, you know that steroid use in
women causes clitori enlargement.”
“Clitorides is the plural. You usually
use an ‘i’ when a word ends with ‘us,’
platypus/platypi, but this is an excep-
tion. And you use a soft ‘a’ if it ends in
an ‘um.’ For example, all the men up
there have shrunken scrota. Didn’t you
learn anything in English class?”
“If I was perfect, then you’d be out of
a job correcting my stuff.”
“‘Were’ perfect. How big does a cli-
toris get?”
“It was so big that...”
“Seriously.”
“Biggest I’ve seen is about half the
length of my little finger.”
“Lemme see your finger. You have
really long fingers. Is it true that a
man’s fingers are an indication of how
big his penis is?”
“Ah...yes, absolutely.” (Hey, never
knock free advertising.)
“Will you show me yours some-
time?”
“I’ll make a deal with you: you shave
your legs, then I’ll whip it out.”
(Jessica absolutely refuses to shave her
legs.)
“Screw off.”
“Jess, you’re not supposed to end a
sentence with a preposition.”
“Gotcha.”
“Did you read John’s piece in
Muscular Development about women
and steroids?”
“Yeah, what a jerk.”
“Why’s that?”
“The first time I met John, I went to
his house to pick up his manuscript to
edit. He’s got his Hot Skins shorty-
shorts on. He’s got that meat and no
potatoes look: looks like he has a
decent-sized penis but no balls. He’s
got acne on his back; his hair is totally
gone. Who wears a hat in his own
house? John’s a good-looking guy,
but he was Mr. Puffy-Face that
day—I’m not stupid. So when he
starts telling the world how women
shouldn’t use male hormones and that
a large clitoris is gross, how would he
feel if his girlfriend kicked him out of
bed and said, ‘That ’roid look is
gross’?”
“You know, Jessica, the ironic thing
is that I heard he likes Deca Durabolin
and HCG. Both of which are not
male hormones. Nandrolone (Deca
Durabolin) is made in the placenta dur-
Covers Home
“Do these bodybuilders really think women
ing pregnancy. And HCG is from preg-
nant women’s urine.
“Personally, I’ve never had a prob-
lem with a large clitoris on a lover.
Maybe I got used to it. There are bene-
fits... it’s easier to find—easier to give
them an orgasm. And I think John has
overblown the gynecological problems.
The way he makes it out, he almost rec-
ommends a scuba suit and a snorkel for
some sex acts. I never felt like I was
drowning. I mean, aesthetically, I’d
rather deal with something smaller, but
I’m not gonna be jumping out of bed,
running away from it. And frankly, not
every female bodybuilder gets a big
one, even when using steroids.
Sometimes just the opposite. I’ve been
with a tiny-little female bodybuilder
who never took a steroid in her life and
only weighed 115 pounds, hardly any
muscle on her, and she had the biggest
clitoris I’ve ever seen. Face it, the
whole big clit thing is more a male cul-
tural problem.
“If John doesn’t like the size of a
woman’s genitalia, he should find
another sex partner more to his liking.
Because there are plenty of men, myself
included, who don’t have a problem
with it. We don’t live in Africa, where
one society allows cutting the thing off
and stitching the vagina shut. Besides,
much of the enlargement goes away
after steroid use. And the girls could
use Proscar and avoid the problem. I
knew only one girl who had a physical
problem being large. It was so sensitive
that regular intercourse was painful.
care about big arms?”
She had to dry hump my thigh when I
flexed it to get off. I used to get this
wicked cramp flexing my leg so hard,
so I’d have her change legs. I told you
about her, the carrot girl.”
“Contract, not flex. The same girl
who got a carrot stuck up her ass?”
“The same. It could’ve been worse.
It could’ve been an eggplant.
“BaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaaaa!”
“What’s so funny?”
“See that little guy over there in the
lycra. Wait, wait, he’s about to turn
around...”
“Holy shit. That’s a big schlong! It
almost reaches his kneecap! It’s just too
big.”
“I thought women liked big d...
penes.”
“There’s nothing on me that that
would fit into. The thing is so big, I’d
have to throw it over my shoulder and
burp it like a baby.”
“Make believe it’s a harmonica. But
get this: it isn’t real. It’s a rubber dick.
The guy used to go to Gold’s in Venice.
He used to change into his Spandex
tights in the bathroom, not in the locker
room. Then he’d walk around the gym
with this plastic pecker on. On one
hand, I didn’t want to stare, but on the
other, it was unavoidable. He walked
around like it was on a leash. You
wanna get up close? The damn thing
has veins on it. I swear.”
“How did you find out it was fake?”
“His car alarm went off, and the front
desk announced the license plate num-
ber over the PA. So Mister Rubberdick
ran from the back of the gym to the front
door. I was standing at the front desk,
and Mister Rubberdick started fishing
for his car keys that are hung on the key
rack at the front desk. And from all the
running, his extension had detached
itself from his own penis, and it had
traveled down to the back of his leg.”
“Look at the posedown. The teenage
guy really is the only guy up there with
anything in his trunks. Do these body-
builders really think women care about
big arms?”
“Did you see the thing in USA Today
about the kid who got sold to the crack
house? His mom owed the crack dealer
$1,000, so she sold her son to the crack
dealer. The kid lived at the crack house
and had to sell drugs, and get this: he
had to perform sex on women in the
house. The kid’s only 11. The crack
dealer told the kid that if he didn’t per-
form sex on the girls, he would with-
hold food. Eventually, the police res-
cued him.”
“Is the kid all right?”
“Shit yes, the kid had gained ten
pounds.”
Pompous Asshole
or Genius Know-It-All?
Subjective, Objective... What’s
the Difference?
BODYOPUS, Dan Duchaine’s new
book, is coming soon! (Seriously…it is! I
swear!) Watch for details on how to get a
copy of this fantastic new book in future
issues of Muscle Media 2000.
Covers Home

IGF-1
Doesn’t
Work!
Covers Home

T
he biggest, most well-kept secret in bodybuilding is, drum roll, please, OK, consider that the studies with
IGF-1 doesn’t work! Why is it a secret? Well, everybody feels like a prize AIDS patients used five mg of IGF-1
ass after having spent so much money on it and finding out it works as well (made for real humans, not the “cell-
as Ovaltine for putting on muscle. The general bodybuilding public, though, still culture” IGF-1 many bodybuilders are
thinks it works. Rumor has it that top bodybuilders have been experimenting with getting) twice a day, with growth hor-
it for the last four years, and the rest of the world’s only just starting to catch up. mone, which is a total of ten mg a day
Make no mistake, IGF-1 has been around for a long time. In fact, I first had up- of IGF-1.1
close experience with it in 1989, and others may have started experimenting with Then, of course, you’ve got to con-
it back then, too. Back in 1989, one of the “lab-rat” bodybuilders I was keeping sider that IGF-1 should work better in a
track of used 30 mg (in one month) of IGF-1 that he received from a chemist “cocktail” with growth hormone (GH),2
friend of mine from Chiron, and absolutely nothing happened to his muscles. which is how the studies with AIDS
(Some of the IGF-1 at Chiron’s plant wasn’t “good enough,” so my chemist patients were done, using both GH and
friend pulled it off the assembly line and “threw it away.” This would have been IGF-1 together.1,3 (My chemist friend
about $300,000 worth of IGF-1 back in 1989 when the industrial cost of IGF-1 told me about the need for a ‘‘cocktail’’
was $10 a microgram!) in 1989, too.) Well, after 12 weeks, the
Look at the bottles of IGF-1 from some of the top chemical companies. There AIDS patients in the first study experi-
are 500 mcg in the 50-cc bottle. The bodybuilders who are using 2 cc’s or 20 mcg enced no net increase in lean tissue,
a day are using 1/50th as much as my lab-rat friend used, yet they think some- NONE, at 500 times the 20 mcg many
thing’s going to happen to their muscles that didn’t happen to his. bodybuilders are using—Z-E-R-O, zip.
(Note: 10 mg = .01 grams; 20 mcg =
.00002 grams. Count all the zeros.)
This is equivalent to me telling you
about some hypothetical super-pro
bodybuilder (remember we’re just
hypothesizing!) who uses 2,000 mg of
testosterone a week and then telling
you that you can use 4 mg a week and
still grow. (You can almost inhale four
milligrams of testosterone just by walk-
ing into Gold’s Gym, Venice!)
So this year, I’ve had 6 guys, average
weight about 250 lbs, come up to me at
the gym and ask the “What do you
think of IGF-1, and how should I use
it?” question. So I say, “I’m sorry you
spent two grand ’cause it won’t work,
but call me in two months, and give me
a report anyway.”
When they report back to me, they
always say, “I don’t know if it worked.
I guess it didn’t.” (Just think of all the
steak, rice, flax oil, whey, etc. you
could buy with $2,000.)
Some of the real hardcore users fig-
ure it out quickly (as everyone will
eventually), so of course, I predict that
the IGF-1 fad will die within the year,
as everyone gets the true picture.
Now don’t go blaming T.C. because
he was the first to report on the rampant
IGF-1 traffic that started last year. His
article was actually a “scoop” and very
on-target at the time. We were all curi-
ous about the commotion that was
going on, what with all kinds of body-

But I Can Fix It By Michael Mooney

Covers Home
IGF-1
builders talking about “friends who
were growing like crazy using this new,
fantastic dream anabolic.” Even I put
aside what I had learned years ago
when my Chiron friend was around,
thinking maybe bodybuilders finally
had more information about how to
make IGF-1 work. By the time the story
broke, though, I had put the pieces
together again and saw the same old
problem—the one that still hasn’t been
fully solved by the big-league medical
scientists, the one that I’ll reveal in this
article.
The Problem pounds, but it’s far too radical and com-
So what’s the problem here? Well, plicated for them to pursue for com-
doctors and bodybuilders, the problem mercial medical uses—and I think they
is that the IGF-1 binding protein know it.)
(IGFBP-3) that controls IGF-1’s activ- I know some of you are thinking,
ity and potency4,5 is very mysterious, “What about the studies that do show
and it’s very powerful. The best scien- IGF-1 doing something, like the one
tists at major-league scientific corpora- with the little old ladies?6 What about
tions don’t know how to work with that?” Well, if you check into it, you’ll
IGFBP’s, so they can’t make IGF-1 find a pretty consistent pattern of IGF-1
work the way they want it to. If they working for the first few weeks, and
knew, they’d make their company a bil- then gains cease. This is what happened
lion dollars and probably get a fat raise in the AIDS study1—some muscle gain
or a stock option worth a new house. (and some side effects) in the first, oh,
Anyway, Genentech’s research direc- maybe six weeks or so, but by the
tor told me that they had “abandoned twelfth week, no net gain because the
all work on IGF-1 for body “down-regu-
anabolism” for the lates” the anabolic
time being. As I said,
they just don’t know
“...the body effects after a while
and stops the IGF-
what to do to make
the IGFBP-3 work. (I
‘down-regulates’ 1 from working.
So what can we
think there may be a
way to make it work
the anabolic do? I mean, if
IGF-1 is so power-
using multiple com- effects ful at affecting
anabolic activity,
after a isn’t there a way to
harness it? This is
while and the bodybuilders’
dream anabolic, you
stops the know, no andro-
genic side effects,
IGF-1 from super powerful, blah,
blah, blah... Isn’t
working.” it? So can’t we
make it work some-
how? (Note: I
should tell you that
IGF-1 may, in fact, not be the “Holy
Grail” of bodybuilding. The lead inves-
tigator of one of the AIDS studies told
me that IGF-1 in potentially effective
doses does have some very unaccept-
able “toxic” side effects. And coinci-
dentally, these side effects are basically
some of the same ones I outlined in my
article on growth hormone in the last
issue of MM2K [April 1996]. So the
GH side effects are probably produced
largely by the increased IGF-1 “over-
production” that high-dose GH can
cause.)
Well, there is a way to make IGF-1
work, and I’m going to tell you how,
even though you’re not going to like
everything I have to say. But this
method will save you money, and it
will make you grow; yes, better than a
great steroid cycle alone.
And if you’re an AIDS doctor and
you’ve got patients who are extremely
Covers Home
wasted and anabolic steroids alone
aren’t helping them put on enough lean
muscle tissue, then this kind of addition
is something you might want to con-
sider, too. (I’m saying this even though
I think it’s way too far out for most of
the AIDS medical community.)
The Real Deal
Weeks ago, I opened my front door,
and there in a tank top stood one of the
handsomest, best built, shiny, clean,
all-American, blond, 30-year-old men
I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know the
truth, there would be no way I could tell
he was an AIDS patient if I saw him on
the street. God, Los Angeles is just
boiling over with buffed, healthy AIDS
patients (on steroids), isn’t it? Well,
“Sean,” who was a personal friend of
the late Dr. Michael Dullnig, had gotten
in touch with me through friends and
had requested a personal meeting
because he just had to ask me questions
about the anabolics he was using and
the “secret information” he was privy
to.
Well, Sean is about 218 pounds at
5’9”. He’s very solid at about seven
percent bodyfat, and he’s totally free
from AIDS-related infections. Sean is
currently using my favorite therapeutic
anabolic steroid, Deca Durabolin (a.k.a.
nandrolone decanoate [400 mg/week])
with some Anavar (a.k.a. oxandrolone
[30 mg/day]) that a friend brought back
from Europe.
Sean cycles and uses a variety of
steroids, mostly from Europe, but he
maintains a basic Deca prescription
from his doctor in Los Angeles, so he
can keep a foundation of Deca going
“...there is a
way to make
IGF-1 work, and
I’m going to
tell you how,
even though
you’re not
going to like
everything I
have to say.”
(unless he’s off steroids
completely). His cycles
last from 10 to about 30
weeks, with mini-cycles
within the longer cycles.
Sometimes the cycles are
rather lightweight (in the
100 mg/week range). He
actually has a very intelligent
grasp of the basics of anabolic
steroid applications, and he con-
fesses he has read everything Dan
Duchaine and I have ever written,
so he flatters me a little, too. He’s
worked as an actor (television)
and is actually a big celebrity in
several other countries, so it’s
obvious he knows how to dazzle
people.
After he showed me copies of
some of his blood tests, I congrat-
ulated him on his fantastic health
and am still a little (pleasantly)
mystified at why he just had to
meet with me. Then he springs it—the bodybuilder secret”? I mean, I don’t
big deal. His progress had plateaued talk about it myself very much because
with anabolic steroids alone, so he had I sort of have a ‘‘feeling’’ that it should
also been using growth hormone during stay in the pros’ “territory,” and I kind
the last month, along with some insulin. of think amateurs and gym body-
What do I think of this, he asks, and is builders shouldn’t have easy access to
he using the drugs correctly? it. It can be very dangerous if some
Well, he put on about 12 pounds dur- yahoo gets goofy with it, so no one
ing the month he added the GH/insulin really wants to pass this secret around.
combo (GH/I), so I knew he was really Well, Sean really knocks me out
on to something. when he tells me his doctor told him
I know this is the kind of extra “syn- about it!!!
ergism” that can come from the GH/I Now I’ve heard that this particular
stack, especially when it’s added to Los Angeles doctor was “cutting edge”
anabolic steroids (AS), so I’m fasci- and a renegade, but AIDS doctors gen-
nated: how did he learn about this “pro erally just don’t know about this wild
Covers Home
IGF-1
stuff. I mean, the head of endocrinology
research at Serono didn’t even know
anything about using insulin with GH
when I talked to him, so I was totally
blown away.
Well, Sean’s doctor gave him a pro-
gram that was basically idiot proof in
that it has virtually no potential for him
to overdose on insulin. Yet I know the
dose is sufficient to noticeably improve
the potential anabolic activity of the
GH, and if I were asked to create this
kind of stack, it’s exactly what I would
devise based on seeing people use it
over the years.
GH And Insulin-
Maximal IGF-1
Before I go any further, we should go
into my favorite part of this story, the
chemistry, which consists of the why-
fors and the guzintas. First, the growth
hormone/insulin stack works to maxi-
mize protein metabolism all by itself,7
but it universally works better with ana-
bolic steroids, and the fact is, pro body-
builders know that a carefully planned
moderately to highly androgenic steroid
cycle is potentiated by and will potenti-
ate GH/I, and they’ll see a super-pow-
erful muscle-growing effect that is
more than the “sum total of the parts.”
Anecdotal evidence over the years
supports the idea that GH may work
better in a more “androgenic” environ-
ment. I suspect that this may be in part
because the androgens, like testos-
terone (perhaps more than the anabolics
like Deca8), have a co-stimulatory
effect on IGF-1 production, which GH
stimulates, although all anabolic steroids
in general probably do this to some
extent. Remember, the AS stack that
Sean’s been using isn’t heavily andro-
genic (Deca is in what I call the
“medium” androgenic range, while
Anavar is very low), yet it’s still work-
ing very well for him. I do think it
would work a lot better with heavier
androgens like testosterone cypionate
“...insulin
appears to
have a
tremendous
effect on
improving
the anabolic
‘potency’ of
IGF-1...”
or Anadrol, but Sean’s being prudent
about the potential effect on his health
because of his AIDS. At any rate, the
net effect is a heightened production of
the body’s endogenous GH-induced
IGF-1 production when GH is used
with certain steroids. (The heck with
“real” IGF-1, right?)
Now, can this GH/AS stimulated
IGF-1 actually do its work in the body?
Or is it going to be dumped by the
breakdown of IGFBP-3? IGFBP-3 con-
trols IGF-1’s circulation in the body, so
the IGF-1 “dies” quickly in the body
and doesn’t produce a maximal anabolic
effect. Note: IGFBP-3 functions to keep
the IGF-1 doing its work in the body,9
so this is important. When IGFBP-3
breaks down, it stops ‘‘carrying’’ IGF-1
so that it can do its anabolic job.
Without IGFBP-3 carrying it, IGF-1
basically disappears from circulation in
minutes.5 Poof, no more IGF-1 induced
anabolic activity. This same considera-
tion applies to getting the most anabolic
activity from GH-induced IGF-1 pro-
duction when GH is used with anabolic
steroids or when GH is used all by itself.
Exactly how can one get IGFBP-3 to
keep carrying the increased IGF-1 that
was stimulated by GH (and steroids)?
Insulin
“Preserves” IGF-1
As it turns out, insulin appears to
have a tremendous effect on improving
the anabolic “potency” of IGF-1, in that
it inhibits the breakdown of proteins5,10
(anti-catabolic) and decreases the activ-
ity of certain proteolytic enzymes,
including the proteolytic enzymes that
destroy IGFBP-3.11 (IGFBP-3, you
remember, is needed to keep IGF-1 cir-
culating and active in the body.)
This is the important reason why the
body turns down its own insulin (and
GH) production when IGF-1 produc-
tion reaches a certain point.12,13 (Note:
GH is involved in increasing the pro-
duction of IGFBP-3.) This is the feed-
back mechanism the body uses to shut
down the activity and production of
IGFBP-3, which affects a “down-regu-
lation” of the life span and the growth-
promoting activity of IGF-1. (It seems
that IGF-1 must be a very powerful and
dangerous growth factor for the body to
put such tight “controls” on it—seem-
Covers Home
ingly much tighter than any “controls”
placed on the activity of anabolic
steroids. Does this mean that steroids
are actually less “dangerous” and rela-
tively less potent?)
If we put in exogenous insulin, we
short-circuit the “down-regulation” of
IGFBP-3 and override the body’s feed-
back mechanism, so we can keep the
IGFBP-3 and the IGF-1 it carries
working in the body. Additionally,
insulin, which is necessary during cer-
tain steps in manufacturing IGF-1, and
GH keep IGF-1 production happening
in the body.
With the life span of IGFBP-3 sup-
ported by the action of insulin so the
IGFBP-3 keeps working, we see it
“saving” the IGF-1 for circulation for a
longer period of time. This gives us
more net IGF-1 activity. Voilà!
Maximal IGF-1 activity, indirectly
enhanced by the “anti-proteolytic”
action of insulin on the proteolytic
enzymes that destroy IGFBP-3.
Insulin itself is mildly anabolic in
safe doses, but put together with GH (a
mildly anabolic hormone) and strong
androgenic steroids, the GH/I/AS stack
can radically improve muscle growth.
Well, what impressed me even more
about Sean’s doctor’s advice was that
the amount of insulin selected for Sean
to use with GH was no more than 10
units of the regular releasing insulin
called Humulin R taken at the same
time as the GH injection (4 IU) always
with a carb meal, sometimes twice a
day, after working out and/or occasion-
ally before bedtime. (Although bed-
time is not a good time if one is afraid
of gaining fat—even while using GH.)
At this rather low dosage of insulin
combined with GH, endocrinologists
agree that there should be no signifi-
cant danger that the insulin would cre-
ate a big drop in blood sugar, espe-
cially when they consider that the GH
itself is mildly hyperglycemic and will
raise blood sugar a bit to counter-
balance any insulin-induced hypo-
glycemia,14 so there’s a happy medium
that’s achieved when the two are used
together.
(And while I know bodybuilders
who use low-dose insulin for its
“vanadyl-like pump,” it’s only mildly
anabolic at low dosages, and higher
dosages can cause lots of problems, so
it’s hardly worth it to use it alone.)
There are other ways to be more pre-
cise and aggressive by using a glu-
cometer and graphing the daily blood
sugar movement to determine the pre-
cise dosages and even “staggering” the
administration of the GH and the
insulin to attempt to synchronize their
pharmacokinetics. A few of the pro
bodybuilders are trying to do it this
way, but this is way too much work
and can be very touchy and create lots
of new problems. Sean’s doctor’s
method is much better because it’s
basically idiot proof.
No Problema
Now, of course, the biggest problem
with the GH/I/AS stack is the cost.
(Unless you’re an AIDS patient with
insurance!) The cost of GH to potenti-
ate this stack is $2,000 to $4,000 a
month, depending on how well you’re
connected. Only someone who has a
huge bodybuilding contract (that nar-
rows it down to about five guys), owns
a profitable gym or business, o-r-r-r-r
has a rich sugar daddy paying his bills
(Oops, did I let a big noisy cat out of
the bag, kind of like Dan Duchaine
does once in a while?!?!?!?) can afford
this.
So you’ve gotten through the part of
the story I said you wouldn’t like: the
most powerful way to get IGF-1 to
work is by using GH, insulin, and ana-
bolic steroids to cause your body to
radically improve its own IGF-1 activ-
ity.
There is one other way to do this
that’s almost as good (but a lot less
expensive), but I’ll wait and put that
in another article sometime in the
future.
Michael Mooney publishes a quar-
terly newsletter called Medibolics
that focuses on medical and scien-
tific research regarding therapeutic
applications of nutrients, anabolic
hormones, nontoxic pharmaceuti-
cals, and exercise. Medibolics’ fea-
tured and guest columnists include
Nelson Vergel, the man who inher-
ited Dr. Michael Dullnig’s research
materials; Dr. Walter Jekot, the
discoverer of anabolic steroid
therapy for AIDS; and Dr. Mauro
DiPasquale, an expert on anabolic
steroids and athletes. For a 1-year
subscription, send $15.00 to Medi-
bolics, P.O. Box #333, 836 N. La
Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA
90069. Fax (310) 659-1597.
References Cited:
1 P. Lee, “HIV Infection: GH and IGF-1 Effects on
Wasting,” Baylor College, 1993.
2 S.R. Kupfer, et al, “Enhancement of the Anabolic
Effects of Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth
Factor-1 By Use of Both Agents Simultaneously,” J.
Clin. Invest. 91.2 (1993) : 391-396.
3 S.A. Lieberman, et al, “Anabolic Effects of
Recombinant Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in
Cachectic Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome,” JCEM 78.2 (1994) : 404-410.
4 Zapf, “Insulin-Like Growth Factors/Somatomedins:
Structure, Secretion, Biological Actions, and
Physiological Role,” Hormone Res. 24 (1994): 121-
130.
5 Froesch, et al, “Metabolic and Therapeutic Effects
of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1,” Hormone Res. 2
(1994) : 66-71.
6 J.L. Thompson, et al, “The Effects of Recombinant
Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Growth
Hormone on Body Composition in Elderly Women,”
JCEM 80.6 (1995) : 1845-1852.
7 R.F. Wolf, et al, “Growth Hormone and Insulin
Combine to Improve Whole-Body and Skeletal-
Muscle Protein Kinetics,” Surgery 112.2 (1992) :
284-292.
8 C.J. Hobbs, et al, “Testosterone Administration
Increases Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Levels in
Normal Men,” JCEM 77.3 (1993) : 776-779.
9 H.P. Guler, et al, “Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1
and 2 in Healthy Men: Estimations of Half-Lives and
Production Rates,” Acta. Endocrinol. 121 (1989) :
753-758.
10 R.A. Gelfand, et al, “Effect of Physiologic
Hyperinsulinemia on Skeletal Muscle Protein
Synthesis and Breakdown in Man,” J. Clin. Invest.
80 (1987) : 1-6.
11 A. Bereket, et al, “Insulin-Like Growth Factor
Binding Protein-3 Proteolysis in Children with
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus: A Possible
Role for Insulin in the Regulation of IGFBP-3
Protease Activity,” JCEM 80.8 (1995): 2282-2288.
12 G.P. Ceda, et al, “The Growth Hormone (GH)
Releasing Hormone (GHRH)-GH-Somatomedin
Axis: Evidence of Rapid Inhibition of GHRH-
Elicited GH Release by Insulin-Like Growth Factors
1 and 2,” Endocrinology 120 (1987) : 1658-1662.
13 P.D. Zenobi, et al, “Effects of Insulin-Like
Growth Factor-1 on Glucose Tolerance, Insulin
Levels, and Insulin Secretion,” J. Clin. Invest. 89
(1992) : 1908-1913.
14 D.R. Clemmons, “Use of Growth Hormone and
Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in Catabolism that is
Induced by Negative Energy Balance,” Hormone
Res. 40.1-3 (1993) : 62-67.
This article represents the opinions of Mr. Michael
Mooney and not of Muscle Media 2000 nor its editors.
No liability is assumed by Muscle Media 2000, Inc. nor
the authors for any information contained in this article.
This text does not provide medical advice. Specific med-
ical advice should be obtained from a licensed health-
care practitioner. Muscle Media 2000 does not advocate,
promote, nor encourage the use of anabolic steroids,
growth hormone, insulin, nor IGF-1. Use of these drugs
can have dangerous side effects. The use of insulin by
non-diabetics can lead to coma or even death. Any refer-
ences made directly about the effects of these substances
are for informational purposes only and are an expres-
sion of the author’s opinions.
Covers Home

The

PART III
By Charles Poliquin

T
his is it: a 12-week program that will make
your arms grow. It’s not uncommon for
individuals to gain anywhere from
three-fourths of an inch to one inch on their
biceps with this routine. If you’ve been
following the previous articles in this
series, then you know what makes this
routine work. For those who prefer to
skip the theories and jump right into the
reps and loads to put a permanent pump
on their arms, let me at least give you a
few applicable academic buzzwords to
dazzle your friends with as they watch
your biceps busting at the seams: repeated-
effort training, slow tempo, maximal-
weights method, and isometric stops.
What did you say? No Weider Principles?
Yes, I know. We are indebted to Joe for
many good things outside of bodybuilding
principles, such as sliced bread and stiff-
legged squats. All kidding aside, credit for
the theories in this program must go to
many of the world’s most astute athletic
scholars whom I’ve had the pleasure to work
with and learn from.
Now, hit the iron.
Pho
to:
Irv
in
J.
Ge
lb
Covers Home

Program 1: Accumulation 1

Exercise Week Sets Reps Tempo Rest Interval

(in seconds)
A1. Seated Zottman
Dumbbell Curls 1 10 10 4/0/2 90
2 10 10 4/0/2 90
3 10 10 4/0/2 90
Photos: Maurice Porlien
A2. Parallel Bar Dips 1 10 10 3/1/1 90
Andrè Bilodeau
2 10 10 3/1/1 90
3 10 10 3/1/1 90

The ten sets of ten method comes from German-speaking countries and is a
favorite of mine to induce long-term muscle mass and strength gains. It was
explained to me at length by Rolf Feser, coach of Olympic Weightlifting
Gold Medalist Rolf Milser. If you think this type of program is the
antithesis to Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Duty philosophy, then yes—you
have a firm grasp of the obvious. But the thing is, it works!
In this method, you select an intensity zone to recruit a specific
motor unit pool. By repeating the exercise for ten sets, the
selected motor unit pool gets, well...trashed...and adapts
by increasing in size. Expect some definite soreness—
in fact, when you first try this routine, forget about
combing your hair or brushing your teeth for at
least five days.
The starting weight for both of these exercises
Aaron Baker should be a weight you could lift for 20 reps.
What you’ll find is that the first five sets are
easy, and you’ll probably laugh at me. During sets six,
seven, and eight, you’ll curse me, and on sets nine and
ten, you’ll bless me and my descendants for the next
eight generations. Because of short-term neural
adaptations, these last two sets will actually be eas-
ier! Try it. Amaze your friends. If at the end of set
ten you feel you can do more, then you were def-
initely mucking around.

Seated Zottman Dumbbell Curls

Zottman curls thoroughly stress all the elbow
flexors. It may take a few workouts to become
comfortable with the movement. To begin,
grasp two dumbbells, and sit at the edge of a flat
bench. Have your palms facing forward and
fully extend your arms downward. To prevent
recruitment of the forearm flexors, curl the dumb-
bells with your palms up and your wrists extended
down. Once you reach the top, rotate your hands so your
palms face down, so in effect, you’re doing a reverse curl. Keeping
your wrists in a neutral position, slowly lower the dumbbells. Throughout the
entire exercise, keep your elbows glued to your sides.

Parallel (or V-Shaped) Bar Dips

During the eccentric portion of this exercise, lower your body until your biceps make contact
with your forearms—your triceps must get fully stretched. If you can’t do this, go back to col-
lecting stamps, or perform the decline close-grip bench press until your arm strength is sufficient.
If you have access to the better V-shaped dipping bar, use as narrow a grip as possible.
Covers Home
The

Program 2: Intensification 1

Exercise Week Sets Reps Tempo Rest Interval

(in seconds)
A1. Incline Hammer Curls 1 4-5 6-8 5/0/1 120
2 4-5 5-7 5/0/1 120
3 3-4 4-6 5/0/1 120

A2. Incline Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 1 4-5 6-8 3/2/1 120

2 4-5 5-7 3/2/1 120
3 3-4 4-6 3/2/1 120

B1. Scott 45° Close-Grip EZ-Bar Curls 1 4-5 6-8 5/0/1 120
2 4-5 5-7 5/0/1 120
3 3-4 4-6 5/0/1 120

B2. Seated EZ-Bar French Presses 1 4-5 6-8 5/0/1 120

2 4-5 5-7 5/0/1 120
3 3-4 4-6 5/0/1 120

In this workout, you perform the first exercise (A1), rest two min-
utes, perform the second exercise (A2), then rest two more minutes.
Repeat this sequence for the recommended number of sets, then
perform the second and third exercises in the same manner. In this
way, you’ll get five minutes of rest between sets for each muscle
group, which is essential to derive the full benefits from training
with heavy weights. This is because the nervous system takes
four to five times longer to recover than the energy system.
Also, alternating muscle groups ensures balanced muscular
development and prevents excessive lactate buildup that
would force you to use lighter weights.

Incline Hammer Curls

This is a great exercise for the brachialis and the long
head of the biceps. Your palms should face each other,
and your elbows must remain perpendicular to the
ground throughout the entire movement.

Incline Dumbbell Triceps

Extensions
Grasp 2 dumbbells and sit on a 45° incline
bench. Raise your arms over your head, and using
a semi-supinated grip, lower the dumbbells until
you get a full stretch on the triceps. Increase intra-
muscular tension by not using momentum to assist you.

Seated EZ-Bar French Presses

Sit on a flat bench with an EZ-bar racked on your clavicles. Press the weight
overhead until your elbows are just short of reaching the lock-out position—
this is where you’ll begin the exercise. Start by lowering the bar behind your
head until your forearms make contact with your biceps—at this point, you
should feel a good stretch on the long head of the triceps. Then press the weight
to the start.
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Program 3: Accumulation 2

Exercise Week Sets Reps Tempo Rest Interval

(in seconds)
A1. Lying EZ-Bar Triceps Extensions 7 3 8-12 3/0/2 0
8 3 8-12 3/0/2 0
9 2 8-12 3/0/2 0

A2. Low-Pulley Rope French Presses 7 3 8-12 3/0/2 0

8 3 8-12 3/0/2 0
9 2 8-12 3/0/2 0

A3. Triceps Pressdowns, Palms Down 7 3 8-12 3/0/2 180

8 3 8-12 3/0/2 180
9 2 8-12 3/0/2 180

B1. Incline Dumbbell Curls, Elbows Out 7 3 8-12 3/0/2 0

8 3 8-12 3/0/2 0
9 2 8-12 3/0/2 0

B2. Standing Close-Grip Barbell Curls 7 3 8-12 3/0/2 0

8 3 8-12 3/0/2 0
9 2 8-12 3/0/2 0

B3. Seated Low-Pulley Concentration Curls 7 3 8-12 3/0/2 180

8 3 8-12 3/0/2 180
9 2 8-12 3/0/2 180

This workout uses the “tri-set method” in that three exercises are per-
formed in sequence without rest until one set of each exercise is com-
pleted. I advocate at least three minutes rest between each tri-set to pre-
vent excessive lactate buildup that will force you to use lighter weights.
Also, it’s important to work the triceps first because the pump you’ll
experience from the biceps work will limit your range of motion during
the triceps series.

Lying EZ-Bar Triceps Extensions

During this exercise, you need to lower the bar to the top of your fore-
head on every rep. For this reason, I never advocate this exercise for
figure skaters—it messes up their bangs!

Low-Pulley Rope French Presses

For this exercise, you apply resistance with a rope attached to a low
pulley, and for the best results, point your elbows at the ceiling.

Triceps Pressdowns, Palms Down

Use a six to eight-inch grip. Throughout the movement, keep
your elbows glued to your sides and your upper arms perpendicu-
lar to the floor. During the eccentric portion, your triceps should
be stretched completely, and during the concentric portion, you
should extend your arms just short of lock out. Also, keep your
wrists in a neutral position to prevent tendonitis.

Incline Dumbbell Curls, Elbows Out

This is a favorite of Vince Comerford. Grasp 2 dumbbells, and sit on a
45° incline bench. Curl the dumbbells simultaneously and make sure you
can see the inside of the biceps and triceps throughout the movement. In
other words, the forearms will stay in the same plane as the lateral deltoids.
Standing Close-Grip Barbell Curls
Use a narrow grip, hands six to eight inches apart, and perform it while
leaning against a post to prevent swinging.
Seated Low-Pulley
Concentration Curls
This is a favorite of Samir Bannout. Sit on the
floor facing a low pulley hooked to a straight
bar with a revolving handle. Rest your elbows
on the top of your knees. Curl the bar until your
forearms come in contact with your biceps.
Covers Home
The

Program 4: Intensification 2

Exercise Week Sets Reps Tempo Rest Interval

(in seconds)
A1. Standing EZ-Bar Reverse Curls 10 6 2,2,4,4,6,6 4/2/1 120
11 6 2,2,4,4,6,6 4/2/1 120
12 4 2,4,6,6 4/2/1 120

A2. Close-Grip Bench Presses 10 6 2,2,4,4,6,6 3/4/1 120

11 6 2,2,4,4,6,6 3/4/1 120
12 4 2,4,6,6 3/4/1 120

B1. Single-Arm,
Offset-Grip Dumbbell Curls 10 3-4 5-6 4/0/4 120
11 2-3 5-6 4/0/4 120
12 1-2 3-4 4/0/4 120

B2. Single-Arm, Overhead Dumbbell

Extensions 10 3-4 5-6 4/0/4 120
11 2-3 5-6 4/0/4 120
12 1-2 3-4 4/0/4 120

You must perform at least five warm-up sets of one to three reps before
doing the first double on each set/rep prescription. For example, if you
can double with 135 lbs on the EZ-bar reverse curl and 315 lbs on the
close-grip bench press, your warm-ups should look like this:

EZ-Bar Reverse Curls:

40 x 3, 65 x 3, 85 x 3, 105 x 2, 120 x 1

Close-Grip Bench Presses:

135 x 3, 185 x 3, 225 x 3, 265 x 2, 295 x 1

Standing EZ-Bar Reverse Curls

The 2-second pause is performed at 30° of elbow flexion; that is, the
bar is stopped for 2 seconds before completing the concentric range. This
technique increases the involvement of the brachialis. Also, don’t swing
the bar or flare the elbows outwards to complete the range of motion—if
you must do this to perform the exercise, the weight is too heavy.

Close-Grip Bench Presses Single-Arm, Overhead

The bar is brought to the lower portion of the sternum, and the elbows
extend just short of lock out during the pressing movement. The four-sec-
ond pause at the bottom position negates the plyometric actions (myotatic
reflex) and increases intramuscular tension.
Single-Arm, Offset-Grip Dumbbell Curls
For this exercise, sit on a Scott bench and hold the dumbbells with an
offset grip—that is, an asymmetrical grip where the thumb side of your
hand rests against the inside plate. This will increase the involvement of
the short head of the biceps. Start the exercise with a semi-supinated grip
(hammer grip), and curl the weight to about 40°. Then turn your palms
up and complete the movement.
Dumbbell Extensions
This exercise is also known as the one-arm
French press, and it can be performed seated or
standing. Your elbows should be pointed at the
ceiling, and you must lower the dumbbells
behind your head to achieve a maximum
stretch.
Granted, this 12-week workout may seem more
complicated than anything you’ve ever attempted,
but if simple, elementary-school workouts haven’t
worked for you, try this program on for size.
Covers Home

bs
Car
3
0

40%
%
P
ro
t
e
in

Barry
SEARS
t
a
F
0%
3
Covers Home

DR. Barry Sears is the current “Diet Messiah.” Usually, sports nutrition isn’t
the most newsworthy topic, but Dr. Sears has been getting around and
annoying virtually all of the nutritionists in the United States.
You’re probably familiar with the four-part interview with Dr. Sears
published in Muscle Media 2000. But Dr. Sears also has a best-selling
book (The Zone). Playboy (of all magazines) even devoted a whole page
to him. Various triathlete and bicycling magazines have discussed his
philosophies. And he’s a hot topic on the Internet, along with having a
private, cultish e-mail club. As much as Dr. Sears has revved up his
publicity machine, you should know that most athletes haven’t read his
book, and won’t, simply because most athletes are locked into a
high-carbohydrate, low-fat, and low-protein diet and won’t consider the
concept of higher-than-traditionally accepted dietary fat. But ponder
this: the current scientific embracement of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat,
low-protein diet is based on research that was published 25 years ago! In
the early ’70’s, the high-carb advocates were greeted with just as much
skepticism as Sears is encountering today.

25 Years
TOO SOON By Dan Duchaine

SEARS VERSUS simple fuel is one of the chief reasons

THE WORLD
The hook for Sears’ nutritional basis
is that specific foods act like drugs in
the body. This has a certain moral
appeal, as many individuals recognize
metabolic deficits and would like to
change them in a drug-like manner, but
at the same time, it postures a natural
nutritional “morality.” It’s Sears’ belief
that virtually all disease is controlled by
hormone-like substances called eicos-
anoids, and if you follow his very rigid
eating regimen, most drugs (and, for
that matter, supplements) won’t be
needed. This isn’t completely earth-
shattering news for bodybuilders.
Whether you consider your meals “food
as a drug” or “edible computer chips,”
the concept of food being more than
this magazine exists.
I predict Barry Sears’ popularity
could be short-lived because people
don’t want to follow his diet. When
Sears recites his “don’t eat” list that
includes potatoes, rice, pasta, and
bread, he becomes nutrition’s party
pooper. But he is the harbinger of the
next advance in sports nutrition, namely
an embracing of dietary fats and con-
trolling insulin secretion. Sears’ eating
regimen is based on today’s cutting-
edge research. A problem in analyzing
and critiquing The Zone is that Sears
has presented his particular agenda in
very precise scientific language. So
much so, many individuals (including
his interviewers) become “blinded by
science.” To be able to deconstruct the
Zone eating plan, it’s necessary to have
a slightly higher degree of nutritional
sophistication than most athletes (or lay
people) have. Luckily for me, I’ve been
boning up on the same biochemical
areas because they’re common to my
Isometric and BODYOPUS diet plans.
Yet even with all my studying, I still
had to read Sears’ book three times to
follow his reasoning.
The whole point of the present dis-
cussion isn’t to slam the Zone Diet.
You’ll see that the Zone Diet may not
be the ideal diet for the weightlifting
athlete but may have many benefits for
sedentary or weekend athletes. It’s a
shame that the Zone’s fatal flaw is that
it’s (in a practical sense) “unfollow-
able.” But many aspects of the Zone
can be applied to other eating plans.
And along the way, I might clear up
many of the leaps of faith and logic that
Covers Home
Barry
SEARS
Dr. Sears uses to fit his plan into the
available science. Sears’ diet plan is
damn close to my Isometric Diet, only
differing in the fine tuning of the food
choices. And in all honesty, if an indi-
vidual snacks off the Isometric menu,
the end result is right at the 40-30-30
(carbs, protein, fat) calorie ratio that’s
the basis of the Zone. And we all tend to
snack on carbs, don’t we?
I should define what the Zone is. It’s
an athletic term (but not in the body-
builder’s vocabulary). To quote Dr.
Sears:
“In the Zone, the mind is relaxed yet
alert and exquisitely focused. Mean-
while, the body is fluid, strong, and
apparently indefatigable. It’s almost
euphoric.”
Poetic, yes, but does it mean any-
thing?
THE PITCH
Dr. Sears believes that by carefully
combining the macronutrients (pro-
teins, fats, and carbohydrates) in the
correct ratios, you can influence the
body’s production of the major hor-
mones (insulin, glucagon, growth hor-
mone, and cortisol) and eicosanoids (of
which the prostaglandins are the most
recognizable). He divides his nutrition
regimen into two broad categories. He
has an overall macronutrient ratio of
40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and
30% fat. Once that ratio is established,
he then dictates the exact type of carbo-
hydrate and fat choices to avoid.
IT ALL STARTS
WITH PROTEIN
The cornerstone of the Zone is figur-
ing out an individual’s protein require-
ment. This is done through a rough esti-
mation of lean body mass with height/
waist measurements. There is also an
activity adjustment. Once the recom-
mended protein amount is established,
the rest (the carb and fat portions) are
calculated. Sears has created a new
nutritional term, unique to his diet,
called a “block.” A block is seven
grams of protein, nine grams of carbo-
hydrate, and about three grams of fat.
Each meal throughout the day is sup-
posed to consist of equal blocks. The
purpose of the equal block concept is to
both balance insulin with glucagon and
slow carb absorption with fats.
BYE-BYE RICE
AND POTATOES
Sears isn’t at all choosy about protein
quality. For him, any protein source
will do. However, he is damn persnick-
ety with carb and fat choices. He uses
the glycemic index to pick his carb rec-
ommendations. I believe he’s using the
newer glycemic index which scores
white bread at 100. The older one
scores glucose at 100. In checking
Sears’ allowed/disallowed foods, he has
drawn the line at a glycemic score of
50. All carb sources above 50 (and
these are the tasty ones like breads, rice,
and potatoes) are to be avoided. Most of
you know that the glycemic index pre-
dicts how rapidly a carb source is shut-
“…THE PARTS OF
THE FISH THAT
HOLD THE HIGHEST
AMOUNTS OF OIL
ARE THE
LEAST APPEALING
(THE DARK
BELLY MEAT
AND THE SKIN).”
tled into the bloodstream. Although
about 25% of the U.S. population has
very low insulin secretion in response
to just about any carb (sugar or not),
many others will oversecrete insulin
with higher glycemic foods. Most nutri-
tional researchers don’t really care (at
this point) about hyperinsulinism, but
its avoidance is Sears’ raison d’être. I
feel that the 50-glycemic-rating thresh-
old is, in a practical sense, overly
restrictive. The recommended carb
choices rapidly become unappealing
over time. In my Isometric Diet, I tend
to agree with Dr. Ann de Wees Allen’s
finding that a glycemic point of up to 70
is acceptable. The bigger the variety of
carb choices, the longer an individual
will actually follow the eating plan.
ANYTHING
BUT…FAT!
For fats (and remember, Zonites get
30% of their calories from it), there are
three categories: the good, the bad, and
the neutral. Fats are the primary source
of eicosanoids (both good and bad
ones). Generally, the Zone Diet uses
mostly monounsaturated fats (like
olive oil) as they have no influence on
eicosanoid production. Saturated fats
are to be mostly avoided, as such fats
have a negative impact on insulin
sensitivity. The polyunsaturated fats
(PUFA’s) are in two opposing camps:
high linoleic acid sources and fish oils
are the “good guys.” And the sources
of linolenic acid (flax and soy oil and
walnuts) and arachidonic acid (egg
yolks and organ meats) are the “bad
guys,” as they are precursors to bad eicos-
anoids. Minimizing bad eicosanoids
might be important for endurance ath-
letes to improve oxygen transport. But
for bodybuilders, the conundrum is that
the so-called bad arachidonic acid is
needed for male testosterone produc-
tion.
If you follow all of Sears’ recommen-
dations, you enter the Zone, whereby
your athletic performance will improve,
and you’ll avoid most fatal diseases.
The implication is that by eating in the
Zone, you won’t need most prescription
drugs.
Covers Home
IS BARRY SEARS
RIGHT?
“It also occurred to me that since
eicosanoids are involved in virtually
everything the body does, controlling
them represents a new paradigm for
health and illness. It seemed to make
sense that many of our disease states—
heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and
cancer, to name just a few—might be
the result of imbalances among the
eicosanoid hormones.”
From the get-go, Sears makes two
leaps of faith. Eicosanoid balance influ-
encing metabolism in a major way is an
interesting premise, but we have no
indication if such a premise is true. And
you’d find more disease specialists
pooh-poohing his theory than agreeing
about it. The other great leap is the
assumption that macronutrient manipu-
lation remarkably influences eicosanoid
amount and quality. To give you an
example, over the last decade or so, the
prevailing opinion is that the consump-
tion of saturated fat correlates to heart
disease. And current advice is to
scrupulously avoid such dietary fat. But
a recent study indicated that an overall
lifetime abstinence of saturated fats
only extended life expectancy by sev-
eral months. Unfortunately, the bottom
line on Sears’ assumptions is that we
have no statistical science to back his
claims. And ultimately, acceptance of
Sears’ hypothesis is more faith than sci-
ence. He presents a long list of disal-
lowed foods to avoid over the next few
decades which I categorize as “nutri-
tional gambling” on the premise of a
longer and healthier life. How many
individuals would forego 25% of their
favorite foods for a half century just to
cheat death by less than a year? But
then again, Sears might be right, and his
monastic eating might extend life span
significantly. All I can tell you for cer-
tain is that we just don’t know.
But on many other issues, Dr. Sears is
completely correct. Dietary fat isn’t the
great nutritional Satan most nutritionists
proclaim. And the consumption of high
amounts of carbohydrates does have
drawbacks, although his case against
such high-carb diets is over blown. In a
“HOW MANY
INDIVIDUALS
WOULD FOREGO
25% OF THEIR
FAVORITE FOODS
FOR A
HALF CENTURY
JUST TO CHEAT
DEATH
BY LESS
THAN A YEAR?”
hyper-calorie situation, low-fat diets
result in less bodyfat deposited. And for
active athletes, the Zone ratios do
change. A discrepancy in Sears’ book is
that he actually has two separate eating
recommendations: a low-calorie one for
the sedentary or occasionally active
individual and another one for active
athletes. Let me illustrate by plugging in
my lean body mass and giving you some
ratios and calories.
NUMBERS BY
THE BOOK
By using the charts and guidelines in
the book, my lean body mass (LBM) is
about 150 pounds. I won’t even raise the
issue that such calculations probably
aren’t terribly precise, and I’d get a bet-
ter reading with my skin-fold calipers
and a Skyndex speed rule. Giving
myself the benefit of the doubt, I’ll call
myself “active.” Thus, my protein
requirements would be one gram per
pound of LBM. So I need 150 grams of
protein a day. Remember, Sears uses
“blocks” (each block equals 7 grams of
protein, so my daily block requirement
would be 22 blocks). Sears’ eating plan
dictates that I eat equal blocks of carbs
(a carb block is nine grams) and fat (a
Covers Home
Barry
SEARS
fat block is three grams) with my protein
blocks. So my target calorie level would
be 600 calories of protein, 800 calories
of carbs, and 600 calories of fat. Total:
2,000 calories. This isn’t my mainte-
nance calorie level, but it’s only about
10% less, so this eating plan isn’t at all
bad for a diet with regards to calorie
level and macronutrient ratios. Besides,
I could stand to lose some weight.
However, if I were a very active ath-
lete who didn’t need to lose weight, this
calorie level wouldn’t cut it. But buried
deep in the book is one phrase for such
scenarios: eat double fat blocks for each
single protein and carb block. When
this advice is followed, the ratios
change. For active athletes, it becomes:
46% fat, 30% carbs, and 24% protein.
This would add another 600 fat calories
a day, bringing the daily total to 2,600.
Here is where the flaws appear. For an
active bodybuilder, 2,600 calories and
46% fat borders on being undercarbed
for glycogen storage. And if an individ-
ual needs even more calories, the
(unvoiced) solution is to eat more fat
blocks. Such advice might work for an
endurance athlete, but going over 50%
dietary fat for a bodybuilder would put
him into a “twilight” zone of having
very low blood sugar but having none
of the benefits of the higher fat keto-
genic diets (as BODYOPUS is). Many
other Zonites have become alarmed at
these fat percentages, and in response,
the Zone Technical Support number (1-
800-346-2703) now offers a free FAQ
(frequently asked questions) booklet,
informing us that the extra fat block
isn’t a “real” fat block but a combina-
tion protein/fat block. Yes, it gets con-
fusing.
So overall, the Zone Diet is quite
good for weight loss, and the double fat
blocks work for endurance athletes. But
the Zone Diet isn’t very workable as a
maintenance diet for weightlifters.
They need more carbs (and perhaps
more protein, too, but that’s another
debate). And in a weight-gain eating
plan, extra fat has a 97% conversion
rate to bodyfat.
WHERE IS
SEARS WRONG?
I believe Sears has written his book
for a mostly semi-sedentary readership,
and many of the nutritional issues do
have gray areas in application. But to
convince the (probably) skeptical
reader, Sears has made many aspects
black-and-white. He certainly does a
diatribe on high-carb diets in general
and high-glycemic carbs in particular.
“Eating fat does not make you fat. It’s
your body’s response to excess carbohy-
drates in your diet that makes you fat.”
Ha! ANY overconsumption of any
macronutrient will make you fat. The
truth is, if you ate 1,000 calories extra
each day, the most fat deposited would
result from dietary fat, then carbs, and
the least amount of fat would come
from protein. His statement holds true
only at low and maintenance calorie
levels. Actually, using dietary fat as a
calorie source on a low-calorie diet
results in greater bodyfat loss than
using carb calories.
He’s substantially wrong about over-
consumption of protein. Yes, excess
“…OVERCONSUMPTION
OF ANY
MACRONUTRIENT
WILL MAKE
YOU FAT.”
protein is metabolized to urea and
excreted from the kidneys, but this
process isn’t damaging to the body
unless your kidneys are already dam-
aged or you’re a diabetic or a post-
menopausal woman. And his assertion
that high protein causes ketosis isn’t
(once again) really true. Ketones CAN
be used as fuel in the body, and such
ketosis doesn’t happen from high
dietary protein but rather from blood-
glucose levels of below 50 mg/dl,
regardless of what the protein level is.
HOLES
IN THE ZONE
As I mentioned before, the basic
Zone recommendations of 40% carbs,
30% protein, and 30% carbs are a good
setup for weight loss, even for body-
builders. But I’d like to point out a few
minor recommendations in the Zone
food choices which might be better if
not adhered to all that closely.
Sears has pointed out (and rightly so)
that the quality of dietary fats you con-
sume influences eicosanoid production.
These at-site hormones influence many
metabolic processes, both beneficial
(and necessary) and detrimental. Virtu-
ally all nutritionists can agree that satu-
rated fat is best avoided, if not for
health reasons, for the negative impact
such fats have on insulin sensitivity
and performance. And monounsatu-
rated fats are the darlings of the dietary
fats, as they’re neutral in terms of
eicosanoid production. The debate
begins in the area of PUFA’s. In The
Zone, fish-oil fats are the champs, fol-
lowed by one of the essential fatty
acids, linoleic. The other EFA, linolenic
acid, is to be avoided. Sears believes
the various transformations (GLA and
DGLA) from linoleic acid are the most
beneficial for good eicosanoid produc-
tion. Both EFA’s need one particular
enzyme for further fatty-acid metabo-
lism—delta 6 desaturase. Sears feels
that too much linolenic acid (found in
flax oil and walnuts) will compete with
the limited amount of delta 6 desat-
urase, not allowing the linoleic acid to
be activated into the beneficial series 1
prostaglandins. He feels that by con-
suming fish oils (EPA and DHA), the
Covers Home

consumption of linolenic acid is both

unnecessary and detrimental.
I happen to disagree with Sears on
this point. In a practical sense, many
individuals don’t (or won’t) eat oily
fish, especially when the parts of the
fish that hold the highest amounts of oil
are the least appealing (the dark belly
meat and the skin). And his tuna recom-
mendation conveniently doesn’t men-
tion that it pertains exclusively to dark
tuna meat. And although there’s com-
petition for the delta 6 desaturase
enzyme, the actual amounts of flax oil
(or walnuts) needed for such an inhibi- “…THE
tion would be unusually high. And
Sears conveniently forgets to inform the ZONE, OR
reader that if such enzyme inhibitions
happened with linolenic acid, there ONE OF
would be a similar competition with ITS VARIANTS,
another enzyme, delta 5 desaturase (a
bad enzyme in the Zone), which would MAY
be very beneficial by blocking the con- DO WONDERS.”
version of DGLA (dihomogammali-
nolenic acid) to arachidonic acid, which
is the precursor to the bad series 2
prostaglandins. But remember, male
bodybuilders need arachidonic acid for
testosterone production. worked spectacularly well for many
bodybuilders, as the top ones all have
SHOULD YOU arrived in excellent condition eating
copious amounts of carbohydrates
CONVERT? along the way. But remember, these top
If you’re concerned with long-range bodybuilders may very well be part of
health, I firmly believe Sears’ recom- that elite 25% that have insulin-proof
mendations will be validated…in about metabolisms. If you’re one of the other
25 years. But being athletes, we’re 75% who are not happy with your con-
immediately concerned with instant dition, and rice, pasta, and potatoes
gratification performance benefits: get- have not been manna-from-heaven,
ting bigger, stronger, and leaner. Obvi- then the Zone, or one of its variants,
ously, the high-carb concept has may do wonders.
Sears Says: Duchaine Says:
The source of protein isn’t that important. Quality protein is important—examples
include ion-exchange whey, egg or milk
proteins, and animal-meat proteins.

Foods with a glycemic index Foods having a GI over 70 are to be

above 50 are a no-no. avoided.

Linolenic acid and arachidonic acid The body needs linolenic acid and
are to be avoided. arachidonic acid to make testosterone.

Avoid rice, potatoes, and a long list of It’s not necessary to avoid these foods—
other foods. the evidence of a longer life span just isn’t
there.

A 150-lb man needs about 2,000 calories Two thousand calories a day is too low for
a day. a bodybuilder, unless he wants to lose
weight.

Eating fat does not make you fat. Overconsumption of any macronutrient will
make you fat.
Covers Home

B L A S T
FROM THE PAST

By Bill Phillips

David Dearth Photo: Jim Amentler

Covers Home
T
here are a multitude of roadblocks
which stand between bodybuilders
and muscle growth. Among them
are a lack of proper nutrition, insuffi-
cient recovery, and poor training inten-
sity. The latter is usually the last area
an athlete considers to be his or her
shortcoming; however, a lack of inten-
sity is a major reason why weight-
training athletes experience little or no
progress. This is not welcome news to
the average lifter, but it’s simply the
truth; nine out of ten people who take
up weightlifting don’t have what it
takes to push their bodies to the point
where they will respond and adapt with
muscle growth. This is not to say that
any individual can’t benefit from a
weight-training program. In fact,
weight training is a fantastic form of
exercise to improve overall health.
Training regularly with weights is also
a very enjoyable activity and can build
self-esteem. I don’t want to discourage
anyone from partaking in this salutary
activity. Still, I think you need to
…Chances Are,
You Haven’t Discovered Your Potential
decide whether you are truly “hard-
core” or just a “recreational” weight-
lifter. The majority of athletes who
attempt to build a massive, muscular
physique claim they’re hardcore body-
builders. Numerous other weightlifters
call themselves hardcore either because
they work out five days a week or
because they perform the “advanced”
workouts featured in the popular mus-
cle mags. The truth is, hardcore has
nothing to do with how often you work
out, how many sets you do, or if you
can do Paul Dillett’s back workout
three days a week. Hardcore is all
about intensity, and intensity is an elu-
sive quality.
BASIC OVERVIEW
Why is intensity so important? To
understand this principle, let’s examine
the theory behind muscle growth.
Training with weights is meant to put a
great enough demand on muscles that
they have no choice but to become
larger and stronger in order to survive.
Effective weight training involves
overloading and progressive resis-
tance. Overload indicates that unless
the muscle is forced to do more
than it’s used to, it won’t receive a
stimulus to grow. Progressive resis-
tance involves handling a greater level
of intensity each workout. This is often
accomplished by adding weight or
additional repetitions to an exercise.
These are the two aspects that make up
training intensity.
When an athlete trains with the same
weight and rep scheme over and over
again, this doesn’t subject the muscles
to any stress that they’re not accus-
tomed to. Even though the exercises
may result in a great pump, these work-
outs aren’t the type that induce growth
and should be regarded as maintenance
training at best. Consider the body’s
homeostatic nature. The body very
much wants to stay the same. It main-
tains a consistent temperature, meta-
bolic rate, and pH level. Virtually all
hormone and enzymatic activities are
regulated by “feedback loops,” so they
stay the same. The body also attempts
to maintain this homeostatic environ-
ment by limiting the level of skeletal
muscle in the body. This homeostatic
nature is not easily overcome; thus,
convincing the body that it needs more
muscle isn’t as easy as most training
theories would have you believe. The
fact is, giving the body the signal it
needs to increase muscle growth isn’t
pleasant. This type of weight training is
brutal and painful, but there’s no doubt
it’s rewarding.
A TOUCH
OF PhYSIOLOGY
For weight training to create muscle
growth, it must be fierce and earnest.
The intensity of the weight-training
session must be so great that the skele-
tal muscle tissue is damaged to the
point where actual microscopic tears
result. Skeletal muscle tissue is made
of microscopic, elongated, cylindrical
cells called muscle fibers or myofibers.
These fibers lie parallel to each other.
In each myofiber, there are a number of
structures that control the function of
that cell. Some of the more important
structures are called myofibrils, which
play a key role in contracting the cell.
Myofibrils are made up of two kinds of
even smaller structures called myofila-
ments. There are thin myofilaments
(actin) and thick myofilaments (myo-
sin). It’s the interaction of actin and
Covers Home
myosin that allows a muscle to contract.
These two contractile proteins slide
together as the muscle contracts, and
they separate as the muscle relaxes.
When a muscle increases in size, it’s
actually caused by an increase in the
diameter of actin and myosin, owing to
the production of more myofibrils and
nutrients (glycogen and triglycerides)
and energy-supplying molecules (ATP
and creatine phosphate). The larger the
actin and myosin fibers, the more force-
ful the contractions. There’s been some
discussion that an increase in muscle
size is partially due to longitudinal
splitting of muscle fibers, followed by
hypertrophy, but scientists still aren’t
exactly sure about this. Muscular
hypertrophy, influenced by human
growth hormone and testosterone,
occurs naturally in children.
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb
Porter Cottrell
A mature person, unlike a naturally
growing child, must apply a stimulus
for muscular hypertrophy to occur. By
mature, I mean past the age of 18 when
the body usually reaches its natural
growth potential.
There are different types of muscle
fibers that react differently to exercise.
Knowing which ones do what can aid in
designing an effective weight-training
program. Skeletal muscle fibers con-
tract with different velocities depending
on the availability of ATP. Faster con-
tracting fibers have greater ability to
split ATP. These fibers are commonly
known as Type IIb. These muscle fibers
are the “big boys.” The Type IIb fibers
are fast twitch and have a low concen-
tration of myoglobin which makes them
white. They contain large amounts of
glycogen and are geared to produce
ATP by anaerobic (without oxygen)
metabolism. They fatigue quickly but
provide very fast and forceful contrac-
tions when they’re called on. These
fibers are only given a signal to fire
if a maximum muscle contraction is
required. Type IIb fibers react to stress
(weight training) by developing larger
actin and myosin myofilaments. If you
want bigger muscles, you’re going to
have to stimulate these fibers to their
fullest.
A second kind of muscle is Type I.
These slow-twitch fibers contain large
amounts of myoglobin, a reddish pig-
ment similar to hemoglobin in the
blood. Thus, Type I fibers are a reddish
color. These fibers are very resistant to
fatigue and contract slowly. They work
aerobically (with oxygen) and perform
when a weak contraction is needed.
Generally, Type I fibers are used for
endurance exercise, and they respond to
exercise by becoming more metaboli-
cally efficient, not larger.
wh o ca n go be yo nd th at point and push that m
“The lifter
ha sn’t be en be fore is the one who’ll stimulate
where it
There’s
a third class of muscle fibers known as
Type IIa which are often called inter-
mediate fibers. Type IIa are fast twitch
but contain high amounts of myoglobin,
so they’re red. They don’t produce
strong contractions and have minimal
capacity for hypertrophy. They’re
found in small amounts in the body and
adapt by becoming more metabolically
efficient.
It’s important to have at least some
grasp of muscle physiology in order to
comprehend the importance of inten-
sity. By examining the information
above, we can already see why weight
training that is performed with moder-
ate to low intensity doesn’t result in
maximum muscle growth. The main
reason for this is that the muscle fibers
which are capable of becoming larger
aren’t even being worked in some
lifters’ programs.
Usually, skeletal muscle is made up
of about half slow-twitch and half fast-
twitch fibers. Occasionally, someone
will have an abundance of one type.
World-class marathon runners can have
up to 70% slow twitch; whereas a
world-class sprinter, i.e., Ben Johnson,
could have up to 80% fast-twitch fibers.
(Consider the strength potential of fast-
twitch fibers—Ben Johnson was known
to do full squats with 600 lbs for reps
and bench over 400 lbs for reps.) The
amount of these fibers a person has is
determined genetically and can be
revealed by a muscle biopsy. Although
the two fast-twitch fibers can transform
between a and b, slow-twitch fibers
can’t become fast-twitch and vice versa.
When the brain sends a signal for a
muscle to contract, it enacts just enough
fibers to get the job done. When a mus-
cle fiber is fired up, it contracts 100%.
This is known as the all-or-none princi-
ple. There’s no contraction less than
100%. The variance comes from the
number of muscle fibers that get called
on to work. If you’re curling a light
weight, your brain will only signal
enough fibers to complete the job. If
you’re curling a very heavy weight, all
available muscle fibers will be called on
to lift the weight. Type IIb are the last
ones to be called in; thus, it takes a max-
imum weight to bring them into action.
If the weight being lifted is moderately
uscle to
growth.”
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb
Chris Cormier
heavy, Type IIb fibers will be stimu-
lated, but they’ll take turns contracting.
This is due to an action called asynchro-
nous motor unit summation (AMS). If a
maximum weight is being lifted, all the
muscle fibers will fire simultaneously.
In this instance, muscle fatigue sets in
quickly, usually in less than five reps. In
AMS, the muscle usually gives out in
less than ten reps.
By using these basic facts of physiol-
ogy, we can understand more about the
Covers Home
José Luis Renteria
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb
dy p as t w hat it
to push the bo aining intensit
“The mind has re al weig ht- tr
creates
impor-
tance of weight-training intensity. Since
the goal of the hardcore bodybuilder is
to gain power and mass, attacking the
Type IIb fibers is indicated. We know
these fibers are used when heavy
weights are lifted quickly. The heavier
the weight, the more fibers involved.
Now think for a moment what the key
aspect of intensity—overload—truly
means. Overload means you must lift a
weight that’s heavy enough to first
stimulate Type IIb fibers. If you’re not
lifting a maximum weight or are using a
lot of machine-type exercises, there’s a
chance that Type IIb fibers aren’t even
being significantly activated.
Ron Harris
Not only must the weight be heavy
enough to stimulate these Type IIb
fibers, the weight must also be heavy
enough to activate all of them. Remem-
ber AMS as discussed previously? If
the weight is fairly heavy but not maxi-
mum, these Type IIb fibers will take
turns contracting. This isn’t overload.
This is simply physiology in action as
the muscles are performing
and this
’s capable of,
y. ”
their designated tasks and aren’t being
overloaded. A true muscle overload
will not occur while AMS is taking
place. There is a type of muscle fiber
overload that can occur towards the last
few reps if AMS is occurring and the
lifter trains until failure, yet this type of
overload only affects a small number of
muscle fibers. True overload is seen
when the muscle is hit with heavy, fast,
intense weight-resistant exercise.
It’s very unlikely that lifters who
train in a haphazard, unenthusiastic
style are even stimulating the type of
muscle fibers which have the potential
to grow. These weightlifters are, at best,
slightly stimulating the Type IIb
Photo: Jim Amentler
fibers but aren’t coming close to over-
loading them or forcing them to grow.
There is no magical number of repe-
titions that maximally stimulates Type
IIb fibers. Generally, 10 repetitions or
less is best, but there are extenuating
circumstances which may see an
intense set go up to 12 or even 15 rep-
etitions. The legs can be worked with
an occasional heavy set of 20 repeti-
tions because they’re so large. More
often than not, the Type IIb fibers will
either suffer fatigue by the eighth repe-
tition, or on occasion, only three repe-
titions will fatigue the fibers. The key
is not so much the number of repeti-
tions or sets, rather it’s the fierceness
and enthusiasm with which the repeti-
tions are performed.
Overload occurs when all Type IIb
fibers are simultaneously stimulated
over and over again with each repetition
until they’re all ready to quit. Then,
somehow, some way, the lifter pushes
those fibers beyond muscle fatigue to
the point at which these muscles
have never been before. It’s imperative
to comprehend this. Overload doesn’t
occur simultaneously with muscle
fatigue. Muscle fatigue is the failure of
the muscle to perform because it runs
out of its fuel, ATP.
Most lifters pick up a weight, count
eight or ten repetitions, and set the
weight down. This is not effective
weight training. Counting reps and fol-
lowing a certain set pattern can be a bad
habit which may lead to stagnant train-
ing. Perhaps on occasion you’ve
trained past the certain eight or ten
reps and pushed your muscles to the
point at which you could not lift
the weight another time. That’s
training to failure, and it’s not
synonymous with intensity.
Overload usually occurs after
perceived muscle failure. The
lifter who can go beyond that
point and push that muscle
to where it hasn’t been before
is the one who’ll stimulate
growth. The body will have no
choice but to adapt to survive.
As indicated earlier, the body
doesn’t want to do this. The
body wants to stay the same. The
mind has to push the body past
what it’s capable of, and this creates
real weight-training intensity. What
the popular muscle mags and training
courses don’t want you to know is that
your chances of ever achieving this
Covers Home
level aren’t good. The top muscle mags
like to portray bodybuilding as a sport
for everyone. That’s pretty much propa-
ganda: the truth is that most lifters don’t
have the discipline, drive, nor the skill
to train this intensely. Thus, most ath-
letes find themselves making no gains
in size or strength, and they continually
search for that elusive aspect that’s
holding up their progress. When you
think about it, it’s much easier to search
for some magic pill, powder, or injec-
tion than it is to accept that you haven’t
been training intensely enough to stim-
ulate muscle growth.
INTENSITY IS A SkILL
Forget everything you thought you
knew about intensity, and get ready to
learn what it really means. Intense
weight training isn’t something you just
walk into the gym and automatically
know how to do. It’s a skill and thus
requires practice, discipline, and enthu-
siasm. There are a number of methods
which you can use to develop the skills
to train intensely. By practicing these
skills, you’ll immediately notice an
Alq Gurley
increase in intensity, but to truly reach
your potential and develop your skills to
the fullest, you must continue to practice
these methods for months and months.
The first thing you need to do is
accept the fact that your lack of weight-
training intensity has limited your
progress and will continue to do so
unless you can master this skill. Sec-
ond, you must be ready to experience
pain. Intense weight training involves
pain; it’s that simple. Although some
athletes claim you get used to the pain,
physiologically, that just isn’t possible.
The body does adapt to many sensory
stimuli; that is, if you’re listening to
especially loud music, your sense of
hearing will adapt, and over a period of
minutes, the music won’t seem as loud.
Your vision adapts; when you walk out
into bright sunlight, it seems especially
blinding, but in a matter of seconds, the
light doesn’t seem as bright. Quite liter-
ally, all sensations go through some
level of adaptation with the exclusion
of one— some thin g you
t training isn ’t
“Intense weigh lly know ho w to do. It’s a skil
atica
gym and autom ing your overall training
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb
pain. Nerve receptors don’t downgrade
their perception of pain. I believe this
dispels the theory that these workouts
are only painful for a little while. The
fact is, they hurt the first time you do
them; they hurt the hundredth time you
do them! They’re supposed to. After
getting in the proper mind set for
intense weight training, it’s time to
practice some skills.
The premier exercise for developing
the skills to train intensely is the squat.
Squatting is by far the best overall
body exercise you could possibly per-
form; it’s also difficult and excruciat-
ing. Your first assignment for increas-
Ronnie Coleman
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb
the
just walk into
l…”
intensity is to take your perceived 10-
rep maximum in the squat and do it 20
times. That’s right, 20 times. For
example, if during your normal work-
out you were accustomed to complet-
ing a tough set of squats with 275 lbs
for 10 reps, your assignment is to do
275 lbs for 20 reps. Believe me, if
you’ve completed 10 reps at this
weight before, you have the ability to
complete 20. Whether you can realize
that ability or not really determines if
you can train with the type of intensity
it takes to grow.
To perform this intense set of squats,
you should first thoroughly warm up by
doing such exercises as the stationary
bike, stretching, and at least 2 sets of 10
to 15 repetitions with a light weight.
Once your heart rate is over 110 beats
per minute, you’re breathing heavily,
your muscles are warm, and your ten-
dons are loosened up, it’s time to step
under the weight. Load the bar with
your perceived ten-rep maximum, and
get ready to inflict some pain. There’s
nothing complicated about it; just take
Covers Home
Photo: Irvin J. Gelb Craig Licker
the bar off the rack, squat to a position One of the signs that you’re
where the top of your thighs are par- already training to the overload or
allel to the floor, and drive it back maximum level of intensity
up. Take it one rep at a time, includes extreme oxygen
thoroughly breathing in and debt after each set; that is,
out between repetitions as if you breathe especially
each were a one-rep maxi- heavily even after doing
mum. sets of only five or eight
Once you get to the repetitions. Other signs
tenth rep, you’ll natu- that you have hit
rally want to give up this level are fatigue-
because that’s what induced delirium and
you’ve conditioned a feeling of illness
yourself to do in all your after the set. Another
previous workouts. Once sign is that your nat-
you start your eleventh ural reaction might
repetition, you can have have been to put the
confidence that you’re weight down after 8 reps,
leaving most weightlifters and your muscles com-
behind. You’re taking a step pletely failed at 11 reps, but
in the direction you’ve wanted somehow, you managed to
to go since you began your perform the exercise for 14 reps.
weightlifting efforts. You’re condi- That’s just an example, but the
tioning yourself to train intensely idea is, you have gone beyond when
and develop your skills, so “Get you would put the weight down to a
tough! Get mean! And di
you can become a real scover true intensity as
bodybuilder. Perform the that twentieth rep and dr you bend down for
twelfth, thirteenth, four-
ive it ba ck up wi th a scream.”
teenth, and fifteenth rep one at a time,
and breathe out at least five times at the for at least three or four minutes. It’s not point when the muscles
top of each rep. uncommon to pass out, vomit, be unable have tried to give out, and your mind
If you make it to the sixteenth repeti- to walk, and/or have ringing in your wouldn’t let them quit. Another sign of
tion, you can be sure you’re on your ears. This will all subside in a matter of overload is that the muscles have gone
way to a new level of weightlifting. By minutes, at which point you’ll probably beyond burning to what can be
this point, your breathing is uncontrol- notice many people in the gym staring at described as pain. Also, you SHOULD
lably heavy; you’ll likely have tunnel you like you’re crazy. That’s what you NOT have the desire to perform
vision and may not even be able to hear want them to think; you’re crazy enough another set after completing your over-
if your training partner is encouraging to push yourself to the point where your load exercise. By no stretch of the
you to continue. By the time you go muscles will grow! imagination should you be able to per-
down and drive out that seventeenth This one intense set of squats is your form or want to perform the set again.
repetition, you realize that the first 16 only set of that exercise for this stage of Finally, the long-term indication that
reps were merely a prelude to overload. your skill development. It would be you have been training to overload is
The seventeenth, eighteenth, and nine- impossible to execute another set that that those muscles start developing at a
teenth repetitions may take up to ten was anywhere near that level of inten- noticeable and fulfilling rate.
seconds each as you clear your lungs sity, and since you’re attempting to For the next 6 weeks, your intensity
completely five to ten times before you break the habit and conditioning of per- assignment is to perform just 1 set of
can prepare yourself to bend down forming sets of less than 100% over- this 20-rep squat exercise once every 5
again and drive up the weight. By the load, don’t do any more sets of the days in place of your usual squat sets.
time you’re ready to do the twentieth squat at this point. By doing this intense (You can also do this routine with leg
repetition, you’ll probably be relying 20 repetitions of the squat, you’ll have a presses.) Each time you perform the
solely on the power of your mind as exercise, add additional weight. This
very clear idea of what we mean by
every muscle in your body has reached fulfills the progressive requirement of
overload and intensity.
fatigue several reps ago. How strong is intensity. Even if it’s only five pounds,
your mind? Get tough! Get mean! And Of the few athletes who do train in it still increases the intensity level by a
discover true intensity as you bend this manner, the majority of them take small percentage. If you don’t have
down for that twentieth rep and drive it advantage of stimulants like ephedrine, what it takes to perform this intensely,
back up with a scream. As you struggle caffeine, Ultimate Orange, etc. After accept the fact that you’re destined to
to put the squat bar back on the rack, this workout, be sure to have a protein be a recreational weightlifter. The
your sense of victory may be overshad- and carbohydrate drink. Your body will recreational weightlifter still incurs
owed by fatigue and mental exhaustion. be overwhelmed by the demand on its many advantages that bodybuilding
At this point, it’s prudent to lie down glucose and glycogen reserves once you offers; however, massive muscle devel-
on a bench and engage in deep breathing take your training to this level. opment is not one of them.
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N u t r i - F a c t s

AZARDOUSS
HHAZARDOU
W T
W AIS
AIS
AIS T
What Causes
AABDOMINA
BDOMINALL
ISTENTION
DDISTENTIO N
in Bodybuilders?
By Keith Klein
Covers Home
N u t r i - F a c t s

W
hen I first became a practicing
nutritionist at the Institute of
Specialized Medicine in Houston,
I came across an interesting problem
that continues to baffle nutritionists to
this very day. While working with over-
weight subjects, I noted that many of
them possess very large protruding
stomachs. In the beginning, I assumed
it was due to an excess accumulation of
fat around their midsections, and if
they dieted and exercised properly, it
would go away. As time passed, I
became increasingly frustrated because
no matter how much weight they lost
and regardless of how hard they exer-
cised, their midsections never seemed
to change. Keep in mind that some of
these clients had very skinny arms and
virtually no fat on their legs, yet their
midsections looked like gigantic bal-
loons inflated beneath their skin.
During that period, I used a tape
measure and the scale to monitor the
progress of these patients. That was
about 13 years ago, and as times
changed, I quit weighing clients, and
instead of using a tape measure, I
began using skin calipers. Then some-
thing strange happened. The skin-fold
“The strange thing was,
method I used required that the mea- when they dieted down to
surements be taken from three sites
around the abdominal section. I began make weight, the
to realize that many patients with large
protruding stomachs didn’t really have
protrusion remained, even
as much fat around their midsections as
it appeared. When I placed the calipers
though they had lost
on their stomachs and the sides of their significant
waists, the measurements equaled that
of much thinner people, yet their stom- amounts of bodyfat!”
achs hung so far out, it made them
appear more obese than they actually to push really hard just to make an fold measurements, one correlation
indention in their abdominal cavity. between the obese subjects and the
were.
The strange thing was, when they powerlifters began to emerge: they
Several years later, when I began dieted down to make weight, the pro- both ate large quantities of food late
working with bodybuilders and power- trusion remained, even though they at night. Usually this food was high in
lifters, this same problem surfaced. A had lost significant amounts of body- fat, and it was typically eaten right
powerlifter would come into my office, fat! It wasn’t just the powerlifters who before bedtime. The pattern seemed to
looking very muscular everywhere had this problem. I began to see more be the same in almost every instance.
except his midsection. I was shocked and more bodybuilders exhibiting this On one hand, the client either skipped
to see midsections of athletic people strange trait. meals and ingested a very large
resembling the midsections of the amount of food at dinner, or the per-
With each client I see, the first thing
obese. It wasn’t unusual to see a pow- son would ingest very large amounts of
I do is record their current eating pat-
erlifter sporting a six pack of abdomi- tern. This allows me to analyze their high-fat foods at every meal.
nals with a 38-40 inch waist. When I problem areas and gain an understand- What is commonly referred to as a
took caliper readings around their mid- ing of where they are with their current potbelly is actually abdominal disten-
sections, the numbers would be very knowledge of nutrition. The second tion. Abdominal distention is brought
low, yet their bellies stuck straight out. thing I do is record their bodyfat. After on by overloading your intestinal sys-
Furthermore, when I pushed on the several years of collecting data on each tem with large volumes of food, then
abdominal wall of these clients, their person’s eating habits and taking skin- sitting or lying down, thereby allowing
stomachs were as hard as rocks. I had
Covers Home
N u
Overeating, steroid and GH use,
and certain exercises
contribute to the “bodybuilder’s
potbelly syndrome.”
the stomach muscles to relax. This
process, when repeated often, will lead
to a permanent protrusion that is
almost impossible to reduce. (Notice I
said “almost.” I’ll explain that later).
Just think about the truck driver who
drives for long hours, then finally pulls
into a greasy spoon. He crams down a
large fatty meal like chicken-fried
steak, mashed potatoes with gravy,
butter-covered veggies, and follows it
all with a piece of apple pie. And then
off he goes, into the wild blue yonder,
driving for several hours, while his
belly relaxes on his lap.
Many powerlifters or bodybuilders
have the same problem simply because
they habitually overeat in an attempt
to gain weight. The diet histories of
bodybuilders, although different from
the truck drivers’, might look some-
thing like this: breakfast—eight egg
whites, two whole eggs, toast, and oat-
meal; mid-morning—a sandwich and a
weight-gainer drink made with milk
and fruit; lunch (in many cases eaten
out)—a chicken sandwich, milk, and
loaded baked potato; mid-afternoon—
a repeat of the mid-morning meal; din-
ner—a steak (four nights out of
seven), baked potato, milk, and veg-
etables.
These heavy late-night meals, cou-
t r i - F a c t
pled with three or four high-calorie
meals during the day, can lead to
abdominal distention. The degree to
which a person experiences this disten-
tion depends on several factors other
than diet.
In the case of weightlifters, there
seems to be another element that plays
a role in the girth of their midsections:
heavy squatting. To make matters
worse, heavy squatting following a
heavy meal seems to play an equal role
in how big the potbelly becomes.
Imagine a weightlifter eating a high-
fat lunch or dinner, then a short while
later, loading up the squat bar. The
internal force and pressure created by
the heavy meal in the intestinal tract,
coupled with the force and pressure of
the squat, shoves the abdominal cavity
outward, causing the distention. It’s
not just squats that contribute to this
condition; any heavy exercise, pre-
ceded by a large meal, can cause dis-
tention, particularly when the breath is
held.
The third component responsible for
abdominal distention is visceral fat.
This type of fat accumulates around the
organs, in this case, around the
intestines, which causes the internal
space to increase in size. As the inter-
s
nal fat deposits increase, so does the
internal space needed to house the
extra fat. Upon autopsy of obese sub-
jects, researchers often note an abnor-
mally large amount of fat accumulation
around all organs. As the fat cells
located on the external portion of a
person’s body become filled, the body
will begin storing fat internally as well.
This explains why very obese people
appear to possess an abnormally large
amount of lean body mass when mea-
sured for body composition. On the one
hand, they do have more muscle; after
all, how else would they be able to
carry all the excess weight? Their bod-
ies respond to the extra weight by
increasing muscle mass. Just look at an
obese person’s calves: they’re usually
huge! While some of the increased lean
body mass is muscle, most of it’s inter-
nal fat, which is impossible to measure
with calipers.
Another aspect that contributes to
the abdominal distention is steroids. A
frequent observation made by body-
builders that have quit using the
“juice” is how much smaller their
waists became. A steroid user will gen-
erally notice a drop in waist girth about
six months after cessation of the
steroids. Why? Steroids exert their
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N u t r i - F a c t s

effect in two different ways. First,

steroids are somewhat indiscriminate.
They don’t just make your biceps big-
ger; organs respond like muscles, too.
Steroids exert a similar growth-promot-
ing effect on your heart, stomach,
intestines, etc. And how much, what
kind, and how long a person uses them
will determine the extent of the dis-
tention they may end up with. When a
bodybuilder quits using the juice, he
notices that his muscles lose their full-
ness; his strength goes down; and the
pump he once experienced simply while
blow-drying his hair fades. Just as the
external muscles diminish in size upon
cessation of the steroids, so will the
internal organs. Second, there’s been
some suggestion that steroids may also
contribute to a greater amount of vis-
ceral fat accumulation around the
organs. To my knowledge, no study has
ever been done to prove this, yet it
does make sense.

CLEANING UP THE
HAZARDOUS WAIST
Pay attention to your posture. In
most cases, the potbelly is actually a
lazy stomach. The person has often
habitually allowed the stomach wall to
relax and never bothered to hold it in
and stand up right. Many people who
have protruding stomachs also have
weak lower back muscles and are sub-
ject to more back injuries and problems
due to their poor posture. As the stom-
ach wall pulls forward, the lower back
gets pulled inward as well. To compen-
sate, the person usually tends to roll
his or her shoulders forward. This poor
posture leads to more strain on the
lower back.
Adjusting your dietary habits can
also help eliminate abdominal disten-
tion. Try eating six evenly balanced,
smaller meals spread out through the
day. And keep each meal low in fat.
Second, avoid eating large quantities of
food late at night. If your last meal
tends to be high in fat and calories,
adjust it by lowering the fat and
restricting the carbohydrates.
Don’t eat a meal and go directly to
the gym. Give your food time to digest;
wait at least one hour before working
out. Pay attention to your breathing,
and remember to breathe during each
exercise. This is particularly important
There’s no question,
a defined,
"flat" midsection
looks best!
when squatting, doing leg presses, and
doing bent-over rows. Focus on doing
some abdominal work as well as hyper-
extensions for your lower back. By
training your abdominals, your posture
should improve. And of course, pay
closer attention to standing up straight.
You will need to reestablish your mind/
abdominal connection.
Of course, if you stop using steroids,
your waist will immediately begin
decreasing in girth. But if you’re intent
on using them, avoid using the heavy
androgens. They tend to cause more
bloating and side effects. Stick more to
the anabolic end of the spectrum.
Once you have a distended abdomi-
nal cavity, you may always have a wider
girth than everyone else. You may be
able to lose some size in your midsec-
tion, but don’t set unrealistic expecta-
tions and think you’ll get a completely
flat stomach. Perhaps the most impor-
tant thing you can do is prevent it
from happening in the first place. In
other words, avoid the mega-calorie
approach to gaining weight, and follow
the guidelines I’ve listed to prevent it
from occurring.
*Note: If you would like to have Mr.
Keith Klein personally design a dietary
program for you, call 713-621-9339 for
more information.
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B o d y - T e c h

BODY-
TECH S c iRelevant
-Te c h
Research for Hey, What’s That an obscure brand imported from Thailand
Bodybuilders called Miramonte Tongel. I picked the
By Dr. José Antonio Fly Doing in My obscure brand just to see if there
Tuna? were any differences between an
American brand and an over-
Several months ago, I was scanning seas brand. I sent
through one of the many newsletters I
receive and came across a horrifying

Bite Size statement made by a person who

worked for a prominent tuna fish
company. The trouble is, I haven’t
Bulletins
Nutrition News
been able to find that back issue
among all my stacks and piles of
the tuna to an
FDA-approved
newsletters, so I decided I’d give you lab called Silliker
By Keith Klein a rough quote pulled from my mem- Labs in Dallas,
ory: “Yes, I know our tuna fish has bugs Texas.
and rodent hairs within some cans, but
when we sterilize the cans, things like
that become inert.” I couldn’t believe
Chemical my eyes. What on earth was this guy
saying? Rodent hairs in my tuna fish?
Concepts
Better Bodies
Hey, I didn’t order that, and who cares if
they’re inert!
I was so baffled and concerned by this
Through Science statement that I immediately went out
By Bruce Kneller and bought three different brands of tuna
fish and shipped them off to the lab for
And the winner is...
testing. The lab test I requested is called an
“extraneous matter test,” and it tests for Star-Kist Tuna No insects,
everything from glass particles to bugs and no rodent hairs
can even tell you what parts of the bug the Bumble Bee Tuna No insects,
food contained. Hell, this test will even tell no rodent hairs
you if there are mandibles, legs, wings, or Miramonte Tongel BINGO—
even antennae within the food. If there insect fragments but
were even one lousy rodent hair in my tuna could not identify the
fish, that’s it, I was going to give it up. type of bug or bugs, as
(Which really wouldn’t be hard since dur- the case may be.
ing my early bodybuilding years I scarfed This just goes to show ya that when it
down two cans of tuna a day for seven comes to consumer goods, ya gotta buy
years. Yuck!) American!
All three brands were water-packed tuna —K.K.
and included Star-Kist, Bumble Bee, and
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B o d y - T e c h

M u s c l e Ad a pta t i o n s i n O l d e r Ma l e s
The structure and function of the elbow flexors (biceps brachii strength increases. Not surprisingly, there was a
and brachialis muscles) were examined in five elderly males (68 preferential hypertrophy of the fast-twitch or Type
years old) before and after 12 weeks of resistance training. Muscle II fibers. This confirms observations from other
volume increased 14%. Muscle cross-sectional area increased studies which have shown a preferential hypertro-
23%. Type I and II fiber areas increased phy of fast-twitch muscle fibers
24% and 37%, respectively. Peak torque Pax B eale in the biceps, triceps, and
increased 48%. Furthermore, the amount of quadriceps of strength/power
work a subject could perform via a 25-repe- athletes. But I thought the inter-
tition test at 240°/sec increased by 29% esting aspect of this study was
after training. The amount of nonmuscle the use of magnetic resonance
and connective tissue was 12% and did not imaging (MRI) in the determina-
change with training. These data indicate tion of muscle volume and max-
that in elderly males, 12 weeks of resistance imal muscle cross-sectional
training produces significant increases in area. Looking at muscle slices
muscle and muscle fiber cross-sectional area, from origin to insertion, they
muscle volume, and muscle strength. found that the greatest increase
(W.J. Roman, J. Fleckenstein, J. Stray- in muscle cross-sectional area
Gundersen, S.E. Alway, R. Peshock, and occurred at the point of maxi-
W.J. Gonyea, “Adaptations in the Elbow mal girth of the elbow flexors.
Flexors of Elderly Males After Heavy In other words, there were cer-
Resistance Training,” J. Appl. Physiol. 74.2 tain regions (such as near the
[1993] : 750-754.) myotendinous attachment)
Comments: which did not increase in size.

Photo: Jim Amentler

It’s pretty well established at Even within a muscle, there is
this point that older people can an adaptive response that is
weight train without injury and specific to a region.
incur significant muscle mass and —J.A.

a C-III [schedule III] drug, and Nolvadex

NEW
ANTI-
AROMATASE
Retaining water and growing breasts
are crummy potential side effects of
many steroids that aromatize into estro-
gens. And it seems that all the really
good hardcore steroids fall into this cat-
egory (e.g., oxymetholone, testos-
terone, etc.). What a conundrum this
presents to the would-be steroid user.
What male bodybuilder wants a set of 48
DD’s to go along with his 19-inch arms?
Well then, what do steroid users do?
For years, users have stuck to estro-
gen receptor site blocking via Nolvadex
or blocking the aromatization process
altogether with Teslac. But Teslac is now
is getting expensive and harder to find.
Is the conundrum back? Maybe. Maybe
not! It appears there’s another drug that
is a potent anti-aromatase.
Cytadren (aminoglutethimide, 250-mg
tablets, Ciba) is the drug I’m talking
about. Why does that drug sound famil-
iar to you? Some bodybuilders experi-
mented with Cytadren because it’s a cor-
tisol blocker. Cortisol is the body’s pri-
mary catabolic hormone, and blocking
its action or production may mean
increased muscle mass. Cortisol is also
the body’s primary anti-inflammatory.
Blocking its action or production usu-
ally means VERY sore joints after a
workout (just ask anyone who has used
Cytadren).
However, the dosage needed to sup-
press cortisol is four
to five times higher
t h a n t he do s age
required to prevent
aromatization. I’ll
let you draw your
own conclusions.
—B.K.
CL A A N D CA N CE R
P R E VE N TI O N
Although the bodybuilding world is very
much interested in the potential muscle-
building effects of conjugated linoleic acid
(CLA), this interesting compound may
have other, equally impressive, health bene-
fits. CLA, a naturally occurring fatty acid
found in beef, turkey, and dairy products,
has been found to be an extremely potent
anti-carcinogen. Since obtaining an
amount of CLA large enough to have any
health-promoting effect through the diet is
difficult, the authors of this paper recom-
mend enriching food with CLA through
either agricultural methods or food-pro-
cessing technologies.
The authors cite several studies in which
CLA has proven to be a potent weapon
against cancer. One study involved giving
rats a potent carcinogenic agent (DMBA)
which induced mammary tumors in the
rodents. Each group of rats received doses
of CLA ranging from 0.5% to 1% to 1.5%
by weight of total food calories. The total
number of mammary tumors was reduced
by 32%, 56%, and 60%, respectively.
Other similar experiments showed equally
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B o
impressive results. Another study referred
to by the authors describes giving CLA to
rodents before one of two carcinogens was
administered. Rats protected by CLA
reduced total mammary yield by 39% and
34% from that of controls.
Based on these and other studies, the
authors, through extrapolation, concluded
that a daily dosage of 3.5 grams of CLA
(based on a 70-kg [154-lb] bodyweight)
may afford human beings with a significant
measure of cancer protection: “If the cancer
protective efficacy of CLA can be further
characterized and its mechanism of action
delineated in the near future, there is a good
possibility that foods high in CLA, or pos-
sibly CLA-enhanced foods, may play a role
in cancer chemoprevention.”
(C. Ip, M. Singh, D.J. Lisk, and J.A.
Scimeca, “Potential of Food Modification
in Cancer Prevention,” Cancer Research
suppl. 54 [1994] : 1957s-1959s.)
Comments:
Although this paper isn’t new,
all of the excitement about CLA in
general caused me to go back to
my files. The authors propose
modifying the current food supply
to contain even higher amounts of
CLA in order to possibly reduce
cancer rates in the population.
Although several governmental
and private health institutions
have advocated an increased
consumption of fruits, grains, and
vegetables, along with a decreased
consumption of animal fats, these
strategies are not without their
inherent problems. For one, it’s
d y - T e c h
just plain difficult to change the
eating habits of an entire popula-
tion. Two, these recommendations
are vague: how much of what
foods constitute a proper cancer-
fighting amount?
Although the authors recom-
mend some sort of food modifica-
tion to ensure high levels of CLA,
it sure seems like taking a CLA
pill is the way to go. Taking three
or four grams of CLA a day in pill
form would certainly be much
easier than eating five or six por-
tions of fresh raw fruits and veg-
etables a day, and the dosage
would obviously be much more
precise. Of course, you may ask
yourself if the results of CLA on
rat mammary tumors are relevant
to humans. (Other studies have
shown CLA to be effective in
fighting different types of cancer,
too, including skin cancers and
cancers of the forestomach.) It
stands to reason that CLA might
have the same effect on humans,
either through its extremely
treatment produced significant gains in
potent antioxidant properties or
heart, kidney, spleen, thymus, and small
by some other yet-to-be discov-
intestine weight. In contrast, GH had no
ered mechanism.
effect on the weights of these tissues; how-
Given the high rate of cancer in ever, it did increase gastrocnemius (calf )
our population, CLA, if indeed as
muscle weight. IGF-1 had no effect on gas-
effective as it seems to be, could trocnemius muscle weight. Treatment with
be a godsend. And, if you’re a
IGF-1 or GH alone produced similar
bodybuilder, it could protect you reductions in fat, while combining both
from the inordinately large amounts
had an additive effect on fat loss. IGF-1
of free radicals generated by plus GH produced the highest levels of
intense workouts and increased total and free serum IGF-1. Serum GH lev-
dietary requirements. Plus, if the els decreased after IGF-1 and/or GH treat-
other studies are right, it might ment. Furthermore, IGF-1 with GH
even make you grow! reversed the GH-induced increase in serum
—J.A. insulin.
(H.C. Lo, P.S. Hinton, C.A. Peterson,
I G F-1: M o r e A n a bo l i c and D.M. Ney, “Simultaneous Treatment
of IGF-1 and GH Additively Increases
i n Vi s c e ra vs. Anabolism in Parenterally Fed Rats,” Am. J.
M u s c l e? Physiol. 269 [1995] [Endocrinol. Metab. 32]
: E368-E376.)
This study compared the effects of IGF-
1 (800 ug/day, co-infused with total par- Comments:
enteral nutrition [TPN] ), growth hormone Simultaneous treatment with
(GH) (800 ug/day, injected subcutaneously IGF-1 and GH is more anabolic
2 times per day plus TPN), or simultaneous than treatment with either hor-
treatment of both GH and IGF-1 (800 + mone alone. In this study, positive
800 ug/day plus TPN) in rats subjected to effects were seen in measures of
surgical stress. The length of post-surgical weight gain, nitrogen balance,
treatment was six days. Post-surgery, the and body composition.
combination of GH and IGF-1 produced Surprisingly, GH produced a
significantly greater bodyweight increases hypertrophic response in the
than either IGF-1 or GH alone. IGF-1 gastrocnemius while IGF-1 had no
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B o d y - T e c h

Russian stuff allegedly comes in through,

Keith’s Tip of course, Southern California and the
Brighton Beach area of New York. So how
If you’ve been trying to lean down a little bit faster for a contest, photo good is Russki juice? That all depends on
shoot, or Chippendale’s audition, here’s a great little secret. If you seem to be what your definition of “good” is. I’ll cite
doing everything right but can’t drop that last little bit of fat around your mid- two interesting examples and then let you
section, try omitting the starch from your last meal each day. For example, if decide for yourself.
you eat six balanced meals a day, each meal should contain a low-fat source of I’ve been asked about a steroid called
protein and a low-fat complex carbohydrate. So, if your evening meal consists Nerobolil Depot. This injectable comes in
of eight egg whites and a medium bowl of oatmeal, try dropping the oatmeal a one-milliliter clear glass ampoule, three
and replacing it with vegetables. Do this for to a box. Each ampoule is supposed to con-
two weeks. tain 50 mg of nandrolone decanoate per
This works best if you taper off the milliliter. A box of 3 will run you between
carbohydrates over the course of two $20-$60, depending on who you are, where
or three weeks instead of doing it you are, and how many you buy. The
all at once. If your body still hasn’t injectable oil is very yellow in color. At this
reached the look you’re after, then point, some of you are thinking “…useless
drop the carbs from the fifth meal of steroid, only 50 mg/ml, same as the Mexijet
the day as well. If your dinner con- preloaded crap…” Well, remember, in this
sists of six to eight ounces of lean dry market, some people will take what-
meat, a large baked potato, and ever they can get, and many of the women
some steamed vegetables, drop the who use steroids might find a 50 mg/ml
baked potato, and replace it with a dose of a nandrolone pretty good. But I
dinner salad topped with fat-free digress.
dressing. I don’t think this Nerobolil Depot con-
This generally works well for tains any nandrolone decanoate. I strongly
most people, but don’t think cut- suspect it contains some ester of testos-
ting carbs drastically is the fastest terone, as many people who have been
way to get lean. Too many people cut using it have complained of profound
carbohydrates too harshly, which results in carbohydrate sensitivity. And after water retention and acne. So is this a
eating very few carbohydrates for an extended period of time, individuals usu- counterfeit steroid? Well, there is “some-
ally notice a great deal of water retention and an increase in bodyfat when they thing” in it that’s probably a steroid, but it’s
start eating carbs again. Approach your goal slowly, omit the carbs at one meal, probably not nandrolone. Maybe we need
a new designation for misrepresented
and measure the response. Wait a couple weeks, then if needed, omit the high-
steroids. Quasi-counterfeit???
starch carbs from the fifth meal as well.
There’s also another Indian-made,
—K.K.
Russian mislabeled steroid. This one’s an
oral called Metanabol. It comes in an
effect. Also, IGF-1 seems to cause orange-colored foil-strip pack. The tablets
significant visceral growth. FROM are very white in color. I believe the real,
Perhaps if this study were carried RUSSIA… original Metanabol is from Poland, and
out for a longer time, one would that version contains five milligrams of
see both visceral and muscular WITH LOVE!!! methandrostenolone (a.k.a. “D-Bol”) per
A rather large influx of Russian steroids tablet. The Russian mislabeled version of
growth using either IGF-1 or GH.
has found its way into the United States Metanabol looks virtually identical to the
Interestingly, if you look closely at
since the dismantling of the former real Polish stuff. Both seem to
some of the elite bodybuilders
Soviet Union. I don’t speak nor read cost in the neighborhood of $60-
today, you’ll notice that some
Cyrillic very well (OK, not at all), $100 for 100 tablets. Does the
have a protruding abdominal wall.
so it’s been difficult for me to Russian stuff contain five mil-
This is apparently not due to fat, ligrams of methandrostenolone,
“authenticate” a lot of what’s been
since they’re extremely lean. I too? I don’t think so. Rumor has
imported. Thus, I decided to do a
would surmise that it’s related to it that the Russian version con-
bit of investigating to further my
the organ (spleen, kidney, small tains 5 mg of 17-α-methyltestos-
database.
intestine) hypertrophy that may terone. Sure, it’s a steroid, and
A significant amount of Russian
result from prolonged GH (and many people will take what they
steroids are not really Russian at
possibly IGF-1) use. Although can get, but…it’s not D-Bol by
all. They’re made in bulk in India
gains in visceral mass represent a any means.
and then shipped to Russian
gain in lean tissue, I personally How do you tell the Polish
Republics or other former Eastern
would not care to increase the Bloc countries (e.g., Hungary, from the Russian? Well, you
weight of these organs. Romania, Bulgaria) for repackaging. really can’t unless you have a box of
—J.A. Then they get shipped to America. From each side by side. The orange printing on
what I’ve heard via the Internet, most of the the Polish box is a bit deeper in color than
Covers Home

B o d y - T e c h

on the Russian stuff. Plus, the Russian
stuff is always missing a package insert.
You’ll get big and bloated on the Polish
stuff. On the Russian stuff, you’ll see mod-
est size gains, water retention, plus the
bitchy attitude associated with methyl-
testosterones.
One might inquire as to why somebody
would go to the trouble of putting in an
ester of testosterone instead of nan-
drolone decanoate or 17-α-methyltestos-
terone instead of methandrostenolone?
Why not just put the real thing in or put
nothing of any value in these “drugs”?
Why is this all done in India? The answer
is one of pure economics.
If I “make” steroids and don’t put any-
thing real in them, you won’t be a repeat
customer. If I put something in my stuff,
even if it’s not what I’m putting on the
label, you’ll probably see some effect, and
you’ll buy again. Testosterone esters are
MUCH cheaper and easier to make than
nandrolone decanoate. In order to make
methandrostenolone (from the chemist’s
perspective), you usually have to make 17-
α-methyltestosterone first. So why not
just stop at that point and package it as is?
Well, that’s exactly what’s being done.
Companies like to have stuff made in India
as the laws there are fairly lax, and labor
is woefully cheap and in ready supply.
India isn’t known as the sanitary capi-
tal of the world either. This isn’t a prob-
lem with an oral steroid, but it may be a
potential problem with an injectable.
Look at it this way, if the country where
something is made doesn’t even sell it in
their own pharmacies, that ought to be a
hint and a half, and Metanabol and
Nerobolil Depot are not available in
Indian pharmacies. Perestroika, com-
rade! Welcome to America.
FYI: At the prices the dealers are getting
for these Russian goodies, I’d avoid them
even if they were real. One hundred
Metanabol is maybe a 10-day supply, and
150 mg of nandrolone won’t last a male
bodybuilder 3 days.
—B.K.
S u ppl e m e n t s a n d
A n a bo l i c H o r m o n e s
The effects of dietary supplements after
weight-training exercise were examined in
nine experienced weightlifters. The subjects
received either water or an isocaloric carbo-
hydrate (1.5 grams per kilogram of body-
weight), protein (1.38 g/kg), or carbohy-
drate and protein (1.06 g/kg carbs and 0.41
g/kg protein) supplement immediately after
exercise and again 2 hours later. The exer-
cise protocol consisted of the leg press, leg
extension, leg curl, bench press, dumbbell
flyes, dumbbell rows, lat pulldowns, and
military press (2 sets of 8-10 reps [at about
75% of 1RM] with a 90-second rest inter-
val). Exercise produced a rise in blood lac-
tate, glucose, testosterone, and growth hor-
mone (GH). The carbohydrate and carbo-
hydrate/protein supplements resulted in
higher insulin concentrations than protein
alone and control. The response of GH was
greatest after the carbohydrate/protein
treatment. Supplements had no effect on
☞

A l c o h o l a n d P o s t- M e a l Fa t Sto ra g e
Five healthy male volunteers were studied Bill Comments:
(average age, 35; average weight, 157 lbs). P hi l l i ps Alcohol contains more kcals per
Using whole-body indirect calorimetry, these gram than either carbohydrate or
investigators determined energy expenditure protein foods but not as many as fat
and macronutrient balance after meals were (fat contains nine, alcohol contains
consumed (with and without alcohol). Each seven, and carbs and protein contain
subject was studied on three different occa- four). Scientists have speculated as
sions with each subject serving as his own to the possible benefits of alcohol
control. The three meal treatments, adminis- consumption concerning heart dis-
tered in random order, were control (C), alco- ease. However, commonsense would
hol substitution (AS), and alcohol addition tell you that too much of anything is
(AD). The fat to carbohydrate to protein to not good. But does alcohol consump-
ethanol composition of the test meals tion invariably lead to increased fat
expressed as a percentage of total energy were deposition? Well, the answer to that
as follows: Meal C—40:46:14:0; Meal AS— is a qualified no. Apparently, alcohol
40:23:14:23; and Meal AD—34:36:12:18. calories are only fattening when
Meal AS had 50% of the carbohydrate energy consumed in excess of daily caloric
replaced with alcohol, while both meal AS requirements. (Wow, what a revela-
and AD had the same absolute amount of tion.) However, the manner in which
alcohol. These subjects were examined up to alcohol may make you fatter is due to
20.5 hours post meal. AD and AS both caused its suppression of carbohydrate and
fat retention. They found that alcohol has a thermogenic effect fat oxidation. Obviously, if these macronutrients are
similar to carbohydrate. However, alcohol was found to suppress not oxidized, they will be stored as glycogen (for
the oxidation of carbohydrates and fat. Apparently, alcohol dom- excess carbs) or as fat (for excess carbs and fat).
inates oxidative pathways because there is no mechanism to store Interestingly, the thermogenic effect of alcohol is
excess alcohol and also because of the need for oxidative detoxifi- similar to carbohydrates. The bottom line is don’t
cation. These scientists concluded that alcohol has a fat-sparing feel too guilty about drinkin’ a Bud, but at the same
effect similar to carbohydrate. Alcohol appears to cause weight time, don’t down a six-pack each night and expect
gain only when consumed in excess of normal energy needs. to gain quality muscle mass. Also, keep in mind that
(B.J. Sonko, et al, “Effect of Alcohol on Postmeal Fat Storage,” alcoholic beverages tend to be nutrient sparse.
Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59 [1994] : 619-625.) Remember, everything in moderation.
—J.A.
Covers Home
B o
insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) but
caused a significant decrease in serum
testosterone. These authors suggest that
carbohydrate or carbohydrate/protein sup-
plements may favorably affect the anabolic
environment of skeletal muscle after exer-
cise by increasing serum GH and insulin
concentration.
(R.M. Chandler, H.K. Byrne, J.G.
Patterson, and J.L. Ivy, “Dietary Supplements
Affect the Anabolic Hormones After Weight-
Training Exercise,” J. Appl. Physiol. 76.2
[1994] : 839-845.)
Comments:
Interestingly, the carbohydrate
and carbohydrate/protein supple-
ments which produced the high-
est rise in insulin also caused the
greatest rise in GH, yet not IGF-1,
six hours after exercise. Insulin
and GH are important anabolic
hormones that stimulate protein
synthesis. Additionally, GH and, to
a lesser extent, insulin have been
shown to stimulate hepatic IGF-1
release. The lack of an increase
in IGF-1 is probably due to the
fact that the weightlifters were
examined over a short period of
time. There is approximately a
three to six-hour lag between GH
administration and the release of
d y - T e c
IGF-1. Furthermore, peak IGF-1
levels are not attained until 16-28
hours after GH-stimulated
release. The decrease in testos-
terone after the carbohydrate/pro-
tein, carbohydrate, and protein
treatments is puzzling. It wasn’t
due to decreased luteinizing hor-
mone (LH) levels since LH levels
didn’t change. There appeared to
be a diminution of testosterone
levels as long as insulin levels
remained above baseline.
However, testosterone levels
were lowest during the protein
treatment, despite the fact that
insulin levels were lower after
the protein treatment vs. the car-
bohydrate and carbohydrate/pro-
tein treatments. In fact, another
study suggests that insulin sup-
pression may produce a decrease
in testosterone levels (J. Clin.
Endo. Metab. 80.2 [1995] : 654-
658). So what does all this mean?
Well, you definitely need to eat
after a workout in order to
replace muscle glycogen and
provide the protein necessary for
repair of injured myofibers as
well as protein needed for muscle
anabolism. Should you worry
about the decrease in testos-
terone after a meal? No.
Generally, training has no impact
on resting testosterone levels.
—J.A.
G H a n d I G F-1 i n
N o r m a l l y Fe d
Humans
Normally fed humans (age 26, given
around 33 kcal/kg/day, of which approxi-
mately 1.4g/kg/day was protein) were given
recombinant human growth hormone
(rGH) (0.025 mg/kg/day) and recombi-
nant human insulin-like growth factor 1
(rIGF-1) (100 ug/kg twice a day) for 5
days. These subjects were compared with
those who received IGF-1 or GH alone.
Leucine oxidation decreased significantly
while leucine turnover increased. Whole-
body protein synthesis also increased signif-
icantly in the subjects given IGF-1 and
GH. However, there were no differences
between the combined IGF-1/GH group in
comparison to GH alone or IGF-1 alone.
☞
h
Chromium
Picolinate
I’ve never been too big on the sup-
plement chromium picolinate. I know a
lot of bodybuilders use the stuff, but
I’ve never seen any benefit from taking
it. The ads tout it can reduce bodyfat,
decrease appetite, increase strength,
increase muscle, and blah, blah, blah.
Although I don’t think it’s all the mar-
keting campaigns have cracked it up to
be, I don’t think it should be scrutinized
and taken off the market by the FDA.
The advertising companies should be
shot, but the supplement is safe as far
as I’m concerned.
In this month’s issue of the Journal of
Optimal Nutrition (JON), the publica-
tion gave out its annual “Bad Science”
award to a group of researchers that
recently published an abstract in the
FASEB Journal titled “The Dietary
Supplement Chromium Picolinate
Induces Chromosome Damage in
Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells.” Among
other problems with the abstract, the
JON cited that:
1. The abstract left out the amount of
chromium administered to the ham-
sters. (As it turns out, according to the
JON, the concentration of chromium
used in the study is almost 5,000 times
higher than one would obtain from a
200 ug per day dosage).
2. The report didn’t show the results
of chromosomal damage. (How can a
study say that chromium caused chro-
mosome damage without providing the
results?)
3. The study was based on in vitro
(test-tube) findings, not in vivo (in the
body).
The JON went on to pick apart the
study, piece by piece, explaining how
poorly the study was conducted. I’m in
total agreement with the JON when
they say the study plays into the hands
of the FDA, which can then use the
study before Congress and ask that a
ban be placed on chromium due to its
“DNA damaging potential.”
Although I don’t think chromium
picolinate is as worthwhile as the ads
tout, I don’t think it causes chromoso-
mal damage, either. And I sure as hell
don’t want the FDA using such a
flawed study for ammunition to remove
chromium from the marketplace.
—K.K.
Covers Home
B o
These data suggest that in the fed state, the
combination of IGF-1 and GH is not more
anabolic than using either compound
alone.
(N. Mauras, “Combined Recombinant
Human Growth Hormone and Recombinant
Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1:
Lack of Synergy on Whole Body Protein
Anabolism in Normally Fed Subjects,” J.
Clin. Endo. Metabol. 80.9 [1995] : 2633-
2637.)
Comments:
Combining GH and IGF-1 has
previously been shown to amelio-
rate the catabolic state seen in
calorically deprived humans. This,
of course, may be one of the
potential therapeutic roles of
these hormones. However, ath-
letes (especially bodybuilders) are
a different story. They’re hardly
calorically deprived and are
oftentimes overfed. This study
suggests that combining both hor-
mones does not have a synergis-
tic effect on whole-body protein
anabolism. Keep in mind that this
study was very short. Would the
same be true if these hormones
were administered for weeks or
months? Also, the authors point
out that prolonged elevations of
circulating IGF-1 concentrations
seen in acromegalic conditions
may have a potentially detrimen-
tal effect on cartilage and soft tis-
sue leading to decreased joint
spaces and osteoarthritis. Bottom
line? We need more studies to
determine what this stuff does. So
take it at your own risk!
—J.A.
d y - T e c
COLOSTRUM
IS NO
ORAL IGF-1
Recently, I got into a “heated debate”
with somebody (somebody who should
know better) regarding IGF-1 and
colostrum. Let me update you on this.
Colostrum contains small amounts of
IGF-1. And as many of you know, you can
buy colostrum over the counter in your
local health-food store. So the train of
thought is if you buy the colostrum and
chug down gallons of it, you’ll infuse your
body with IGF-1 and get huge.
Ahhh…sorry, incorrect thought process.
The idea sounds great on paper, but it
doesn’t work. Your digestive tract will
destroy any trace of IGF-1 you ingest,
denaturing and cleaving it into fractured
peptides and free-form amino acids. The
same is true for insulin and HGH. Any
peptide (protein) based drug that you
ingest orally will be digested and ren-
dered inert by your digestive system
99.9% of the time.
Well, some moron with
a Ph.D. (in sociology, no
less) had the audacity to
tell me I’m wrong. Hey, I
work for Dan Duchaine.
I’m never wrong. I can’t
afford to be. There are too
many other people who
would kill for my position.
Well, this “doctor” (who
will remain nameless)
enlightened me to the fact
that newborn babies who
breast-feed end up absorb-
ing the antibodies and
IGF-1 in mothers’ milk.
Antibodies are really big
proteins, and yes, the
neonates absorb the anti-
bodies and possibly the IGF-1 intact after
eating such. So this “doctor” reasons, if
neonates can absorb all this stuff, so can
the average bodybuilder. This is not
true!!! Babies are not just “little adults.”
The physiology of the neonate is pro-
foundly different from that of an adult. The
neonate does not have a fully developed
gastrointestinal system. In adults, large
peptides are subject to degradation in the
stomach by the enzyme pepsin. When the
peptides pass from the stomach into the
duodenum, they get nailed by the pancre-
atic enzymes trypsin and chylotrypsin as
well as intestinal carboxypeptidase. The
h
net result is that a large protein is
hydrolyzed into small oligopeptides (usu-
ally no larger than six amino acids long),
di- and tripeptides, and free-form amino
acids. IGF-1, insulin, HGH, and most of the
other bioactive drug-like proteins are
several hundred peptides long. There is
no way they can survive in the gut of an
adult. The key word here is “adult.” As
previously stated, newborns don’t have a
fully developed gastrointestinal tract.
They’re lacking these digestive enzymes
or have very limited quantities of them
until they’re a few months old. So, yes,
the newborn could theoretically absorb
IGF-1, HGH, insulin, and whatever else if
orally ingested. How many newborn
babies do you see pumping iron at the
gym?
The good “doctor,” after hearing my
explanation, still wasn’t satisfied. “How
come I can take Cytomel orally? When I
take Cytomel, it works just fine…” Hey,
knucklehead?!? Cytomel (liothyronine) is
NOT a protein!!! Bottom line here: don’t
be lulled into a pseudo-anabolic trance
with promises of great size gains from
colostrum. $ave your greenbacks for
something that really works, like HMB™,
vanadyl sulfate, CLA, creatine monohy-
drate, or a high-quality whey protein.
—B.K.
Now What
Am I
Going to Eat?
Bodybuilders eat tons of chicken
every year. Just for grins, I sat down and
calculated how much chicken I eat per
year. Considering that I eat 8 ounces of
chicken breast at least twice a day, 365
days a year, I end up eating 365 pounds
of chicken a year! Since the average
chicken weighs about 5 pounds, I’m eat-
ing about 73 chickens a year! I’ve been
doing that for the last 15 years. Good
God, I’ve eaten almost 1,100 chickens.
Yikes!
Unfortunately, a report from the
National Cancer Institute mentioned
that overcooked chicken is a possible
human carcinogen. They state that
when cooking chicken, be careful not to
allow the meat to get too charred or
overbrowned. This results in the forma-
tion of a carcinogen called PhIP. The
study focused on the amount of PhIP
found in chicken breasts that were pan
fried, broiled in an oven, stewed, and
Covers Home

B o d y - T e c h

whole roasted. The greatest concentra-

tions of PhIP were found in barbecued
chicken, followed by broiled and then
fried. As it turns out, the longer you
cook the chicken breast, the more car-
cinogens accumulate within the meat.
Okay, now I’m going to start eating raw
chickens. I’ll just grab them by their
scrawny necks and rip into them. Call
me Count Chicula. Alright, maybe that’s
not the best solution.
To avoid increasing PhIP levels within
chicken, don’t overcook the meat. When
cooked properly, it should be moist and
juicy, not pink. If chicken is pink, it’s
undercooked, and that could lead to sal-
monella poisoning. Boy, isn’t anything
easy anymore?
—K.K.

E l e c t r i c a l St i m u l a t i o n a n d M u s c l e H yp e r t r o ph y
Sedentary, untrained subjects were trained twice per week for
nine weeks using either electrical stimulation or voluntary effort.
Voluntary training involved three to five sets of ten full-range
isovelocity contractions with three-minute rest
intervals between sets. All training and testing
was performed on a Kin-Com isovelocity load-
ing dynamometer. Electrical stimulation “train-
ing” consisted of a 1-second train of 500 micro-
sinusoidal pulses delivered at 50 Hz. The cur-
rent was adjusted to evoke around 70% of max-
imal voluntary isometric torque. Current was
increased over the course of the training, so by
the end of training, stimulation evoked around
80% of the pre-training maximal voluntary iso-
metric torque. In both groups, only the left
quadriceps femoris was trained, while the right
served as the contralateral control. The electri-
cal-stimulation group increased quadriceps
femoris muscle cross-sectional area (as deter-
mined via magnetic resonance imaging) by 10%, while the group
that engaged in voluntary exercise increased cross-sectional area
4%; training torque increased 25% and 56% in the voluntary
exercise and electrical stimulation group, respectively. There were
no changes in any of the measured parameters for the untrained
contralateral thigh. These data indicate that in untrained subjects,
voluntary effort may limit the hypertrophic response of skeletal
muscle during the initial phases of a resistance-training program.
(C.L. Ruther, C.L. Golden, R.T. Harris, and G.A. Dudley,
“Hypertrophy, Resistance Training, and the Nature of Skeletal
Muscle Activation,” J. Strength Cond. Res. 9.3 [1995] : 155-159.)
Comments:
It’s apparent that untrained subjects may not be
working out as hard as they possibly could. It’s also
interesting that electrical stimulation produced a
ten percent increase in muscle cross-sectional
area in nine weeks! This has been supported by
earlier investigations. However, it should be noted
that the way muscle fibers are recruited differs
between voluntary contractions and electrically
evoked contractions. Voluntary muscle contrac-
tions involve an
asynchronous
activation of mus-
cle fibers. Also,
muscle fibers are
recruited first from
the smallest and
then from the
largest motor units
(size principle). On
the other hand,
electrical stimula-
tion invokes asyn-
chronous firing of
both small and
large motor units.
Further, as with voluntary exercise, electrical stim-
ulation does not uniformly activate all regions of a
muscle. You may actually get regional-specific
adaptations (i.e., some parts of the muscle grow
while others don’t). This study should not be inter-
preted to apply to well-trained bodybuilders, pow-
erlifters, or weightlifters. These athletes already
have major neural adaptations to resistance exer-
cise. It would be interesting, though, if you could
cause electrical stimulation-induced hypertrophy
of those muscles which are typically resistant to
growth (e.g., the calves for some individuals) or
stimulate regions of a muscle which may not
respond as well as other regions (e.g., the biceps
brachii muscle near its tendon insertion may not
grow as easily as the area around the mid-belly).
—J.A.
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MM2K Champions
You don’t have to have a “pro card” to be a bodybuilding champion. The majority of those who read
Muscle Media 2000 will never compete in the Mr. Olympia, the national bodybuilding championships,
nor a state or local bodybuilding contest. But, that doesn’t mean they aren’t champions in their own
right!
At Muscle Media 2000, we believe in giving credit where credit is due—we know there are thousands
of people who read Muscle Media 2000 who have their own “success stories.” Some of them compete,
and some of them don’t. But they all share one thing in common—they have a passion for building the
best body they possibly can—they have discipline, drive, and determination! In this new column called
“MM2K Champions,” we’ll acknowledge the efforts of some bodybuilders who are working hard to be
their best and who rely on Muscle Media 2000 to help them with their efforts!

“MM2K caters to ordinary people.”

Like many guys hitting their 30’s, Kurk Malwin of Venice, Florida, started
getting out of shape. His clothes didn’t fit the same anymore, and he just felt
lousy. His job as a cable installer was stressful (when someone doesn’t pay the
bills, the company sends Kurk out, and customers aren’t usually too happy to

Kurk
Malwin
see him), and when you combine chronic stress with
poor exercise and eating habits, things like your
waistline head south.
When Kurk picked up a copy of Muscle Media 2000,
things just clicked. “You use a lot of photos of guys
“Muscle
Media 2000
tells it
with achievable looks—a lot of the guys look ‘nor-
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like
drug-free route. I like the fact that MM2K caters to
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Weightlifting has given Kurk a whole new lease, or
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should we say, cable subscription, on life. Thanks to
bodybuilding, he’s now in the greatest shape of his is.”
life! “It’s a great stress reliever, and I just feel phys-
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Steven Scutti of Coconut Creek, Florida, tried other sports, but they just Bill Davey, of Fort
didn’t give him the same satisfaction bodybuilding did. Somehow, compet- Myers, Florida, has a
ing against others in team sports just wasn’t the same; too much of your healthy respect for
success depends on others. In bodybuilding, however, he was able to push those bodybuilders who
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his own. “You’re always competing against yourself, trying to get better and great sport, and it’s
better. In bodybuilding, supposed to be a
you have to work hard “Overall, it’s just a healthy sport, but the
bodybuilders who abuse

Steven quality magazine.” drugs have taken it

and smart, and no one can take that
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Hey, with ideas like that, it’s only
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2000 would eventually find each
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MM2K is always writing about what’s
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supplements and nutrition—focusing
on the important issues in bodybuild-
ing.” He also likes the fact that many
of our articles are based on scien-
tific research and include references.
Steven says the things he has learned
by reading Muscle Media 2000 have
helped him build more muscle!
beyond what it’s sup-
posed to be.” Although Bill Davey
he’s a personal trainer
and staying in shape is
part of his job, he enjoys competing against himself
and getting better and better. He also enjoys compet-
ing on stage, although he doesn’t think you have to
compete to have a great body. That’s why he likes
Muscle Media 2000: “Your magazine tells it like it is.
You get to the point and tell what works and what
doesn’t, and that info is great for the competitor and
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Would you like to be featured as a “Muscle
Media 2000 Champion”? If so, send us a photo,
a short paragraph about yourself, and tell us
why you read Muscle Media 2000. The address
is: “MM2K Champs,” Attn: Sue Daniel, P.O. Box
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