Did he say Steroids?!

Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS, are a class of steroid hormones related to the hormone testosterone. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue (anabolism), especially in muscles. Anabolic steroids also have androgenic and virilizing properties, including the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics such as the growth of the vocal cords and body hair. The word anabolic comes from the Greek: anabole, "to build up", and the word androgenic comes from the Greek: andros, "man" + genein, "to produce".

Anabolic steroids were first isolated, identified and synthesized in the 1930s, and are now used therapeutically in medicine to stimulate bone growth and appetite, induce male puberty, and treat chronic wasting conditions, such as cancer and AIDS. Anabolic steroids also produce increases in muscle mass and physical strength, and are consequently used in sport and bodybuilding to enhance strength or physique. Serious health risks can be produced by long-term use or excessive doses of anabolic steroids. These effects include harmful changes in cholesterol levels (increased Low density lipoprotein and decreased High density lipoprotein), acne, high blood pressure, liver damage, and dangerous changes in the structure of the left ventricle of the heart. Some of these effects can be mitigated by exercise, or by taking supplemental drugs.[/b]

Thanks to the people at Wikipedia for this information which I totally aggree with and yes I have read plenty of studies on the topic among other things!

Thanks to my buddy Big Cat


HGH is, unlike most hormones used by bodybuilders, not a steroid hormone, but a proteinaceous hormone made up of a chain of 191 amino acids. All animals have growth hormone, but each seems to be specific to the species. HGH was first isolated in the late 70's and early 80's as a biological form. The hormone was literally extracted from the pituitary of deceased individuals. As with anything extracted from carcasses this imposed a serious risk of contracting the Kreutzfeld-Jacob disease (since the late 90's best known as mad cow disease), a normally rare neural infliction that makes you spastic and can cause death over a period of no more than two weeks. Not exactly appealing. There also wasn't, understandably, much demand for such a compound on the black market. Late 80's early 90's geneticists succeeded in manufacturing a genetic form of HGH however, through a very complicated technique using mice genes and what have you not (I'm not a geneticist, don't ask me). This also seriously upped the price of the compound.



But around that time, mainly due to this safer form, some top-level athletes were taking an interest. With increasing drug tests making the most effective anabolics forbidden territory, a pharmaceutical race to find replacement compounds that could not be detected had begun. And since then several athletes have and are still using HGH. It's a very mythical compound, since professionals will use it in high doses and make obvious improvements, yet most recreational users seeking to try it have to settle for lower doses and get little if anything out of it in terms of lean muscle mass increases. Along with several human studies^1,2 that clearly document that HGH administration offers us no benefit in this aspect, it makes one wonder. Its terribly expensive and most people seem to get nothing out of it. So is it really worth it when extremely effective steroids can be bought for the proverbial nickel and dime? I don't think so, but I'll get back to that later.

So what is GH useful for? Well first of all its effects on reducing body-fat have been well-documented. Daily doses of 3 to 6 IU injected subcutaneous have actually been shown to spot reduce body-fat mass and have, at least for some athletes, proven invaluable in contest preparation time. This dose, for short periods of time, may be somewhat affordable to a truly dedicated athlete. But one can still wonder if it is really worth it. GH has also been shown to elicit extremely positive effects on erythropoeisis³, the manufacture of red blood cells. The administration of GH in older athletes with a strong decline in GH levels has shown a severe improvement in endurance. Since levels of GH decline by half every decade, a person of 60 has roughly 15-20% of the GH he had at age twenty. So HGH is especially beneficial to older athletes regarding the effects on endurance. But just how effective superdosing HGH in younger top athletes is, no one really knows. It would be virtually undetectable as well, so no doubt this has been experimented with.

Now in regards to muscle mass, I've yet to see anything prove the contrary of what the studies I provided claimed. I've not seen HGH increase muscle mass at all. Then again, I've never seen anyone use 10-12 IU per day the way some top level professionals do. Some claim that HGH can cause hyperplasia rather than hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is the growth of muscle cells, hyperplasia is the division and thus multiplication of cells. The theory goes that this does not increase size immediately, but in due time, due to the increase in the amount of cells, when they all do hypertrophy under the influence of steroids and insulin, the result will be much greater. Of course one side-effects of HGH is that it seems to increase the size of everything, including bones (which gives very ugly protrusions in people who have no growth left in them) and intestines (which explains the incredible increase in gut size of professional bodybuilders, despite low body-fat percentages). Now these side-effects alone would allow for several pounds increase. Stack that with 3 grams per week of testosterone and an equal dose of other steroids, some insulin, lots of rest and 8000 calorie diets, and I really don't see how much the HGH contributed in creating the muscle-weight these athletes have. I mean amateur and recreational users top 260 pounds, fairly lean using 1 gram of test and 1 gram of other drugs per week, maybe some insulin. It seems to me at least that HGH is a royal waste of money. Even if it did contribute 3 or 4 pounds, is it worth a habit of 150 dollars per day? Not in my book.

In short, HGH may provide many benefits, but will rarely be worth the money. Top-level competitors, especially those subject to drug tests may find this to be worth it to give themselves and edge, most will not. HGH is a very effective compound with a lot to offer, but currently not really worth the money you'd pay for it. It is getting cheaper (In Europe the popular thing now is the 36 IU Genetonorm, selling for 50-60 bucks) but until manufacturing becomes more cost-effective, chances of prices reaching sane levels any time soon are not that high. What has been an interesting observation is the re-appearance of the old biological form. While all commercial forms had been discontinued, underground versions of the biological form have resurfaced. Previously despised, the chants of the top competitors claiming HGH is the holy grail of performance, many amateurs will now risk using this crude version to get some of that benefit for a cheaper price. Even if it means they have a high chance of dieing one of the most terrible deaths known to man. It's a funny world, eh?

Stacking and Use:
For the best results HGH should be stacked with any number of compounds. If at all possible the use of a serious steroid cycle, cytomel (T3) and insulin should be used. Not only do these promote the best results with HGH, HGH will allow for better results with them. It promotes the release if IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor I) in the liver, which is an extremely anabolic hormone. In conjunction with insulin it will therefore promote extreme nutrient retention in the muscle cells, providing the perfect anabolic environment. Cytomel seems to give it a great deal to work with. Metabolism is increased, together they form a great fat-loss combo, but more nutrients now become available as well. Along with the nitrogen/protein retention of some strong anabolic steroids this should provide very good overall results. But one can't mistake HGH as some form of miracle cure. Its no better than these other compounds, and it won't turn the cycle into a miracle of muscle growth either. Some would think this because of the incredible cost, but nothing of the sort is true. It has equal use, it just costs a hell of a lot more. Which is my main reason in stating its simply not worth what you get out of it.

For all intents and purposes of increasing endurance and performance to some level, 3 to 6 IU will suffice. The same for most fat loss purposes. HGH has a very short half-life (30-45 minutes or so) and should be injected at least once daily, maybe twice daily if at all possible. For possibly more anabolic results due to its effects on freeing nutrients and increasing IGF-1 levels, 10-12 IU per day are needed for an extended period of time (10-15 weeks), usually in conjunction with other anabolic compounds. Its interesting to note that in your choice of anabolic, an aromatizing compound like testosterone should be given preference since estrogen has positive benefits on HGH as well.


References
1 Deyssig R, Frisch H, Blum WF, Waldhor T. Effect of growth hormone treatment on hormonal parameters, body composition and strength in athletes., Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1993 Apr;128(4):313-8
2 Growth hormone effects on metabolism, body composition, muscle mass, and strength. Yarasheski KE., Exerc Sport Sci Rev 1994;22:285-312
3 Christ ER, Cummings MH, Westwood NB, Sawyer BM, Pearson TC, Sonksen PH, Russell-Jones DL. The importance of growth hormone in the regulation of erythropoiesis, red cell mass, and plasma volume in adults with growth hormone deficiency., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997 Sep;82(9):2985-90

Chris Benoit

Is all I can say

Folks keep in mind that Steroid testing is not done on a routine bases anywhere but in the sports world. Drug testing that occurs for jobs and in the criminal environment are at most the 10 panel tests (Cocaine, Amphetamines, Methamphetamines, Marijuana, Methadone, Opiates 300ng, Phencyclidine, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, Tricyclics Anti-Depressants) since steroid testing is not cheap. As far as I know and from my research Deca stays in your system the longest aprox 9+ months.

If I were to use steroids my research shows that DIURETICS would be the way to go. Its cheap and can be taken orally.

BLOCKING AGENTS

In a never-ending quest by athletes to find a method to pass a drug test, the use of blocking agents has become a well traveled route. Blocking agents are drugs that athletes “believe” will allow them to use anabolic steroids right up to the time of competition. The word “believe” is emphasized because the effectiveness of blocking agents is more myth than reality.

To use an example, let us look at the drug, Probenecid, which was initially developed to slow the body’s rate of excretion of the antibiotic penicillin. Probenecid has also been shown to slow the rate of excretion of the class of drugs called keto-steroids. Upon hearing this, many athletes assumed that Probenecid would also slow the rate of excretion of anabolic steroids. Probenecid, however, is not very effective at doing this, and even if it was, it is on the banned substances list of most sports’ federations, and is easily detected in a drug test.



DIURETICS

Diuretics are used to dilute the urine by increasing the excretion of water. Some bodybuilders have used diuretics to speed up the excretion of all drugs in their systems. To counteract this, drug testers employ a technique known as the specific gravity test. Testers compare the weight of a substance to the weight of an equal volume of water, which has a specific gravity of one. If an athlete dilutes his/her urine, the specific gravity will be much lower than normal. There is, however, some controversy as to what range is acceptable as a normal specific gravity value for urine. As with blocking agents, most sports’ federations have added diuretics to its list of banned substances. Diuretics are a poor way to beat anabolic steroid tests.

SUBSTITUTION

Another method of trying to beat a drug test is the substitution of a non-drug user’s “clean” urine for the athlete’s own. A reported method used by some in the bodybuilding world is to conceal a condom filled with “clean” urine in the vagina. When the athlete is called upon to produce a sample, a quick jab with a fingernail breaks the condom and releases the “clean” urine sample. To prevent this slight of hand by athletes, officials now implement close monitoring.

CATHETERIZATION

This is an extreme method of substitution and trying to beat anabolic steroid tests. By using a catheter (a long thin rubber tube) that passes through the urethra to the bladder, an athlete can empty his/her own bladder and refill it with “clean” urine. If this procedure is done improperly it can result in serious infection, hemorrhage, and/or rupture of the bladder. There is an ironic aspect to this procedure. Because of the sensitivity of drug tests, the athlete may still be caught. When the athlete empties his/her bladder, there is still enough fluid adhering to the walls of the bladder to contaminate the “clean” urine. Furthermore, the athlete’s kidneys are constantly filtering the blood, and hence excreting urine into the bladder, adding another source of contamination.


CYCLING ANABOLIC STEROIDS AND RETIREMENT

Anabolic steroids are a training drug. They are not stimulants and don’t offer any advantage during or just before a competition. Most bodybuilders are careful to confine their steroid use to the off-season. This ensures that the benefits of the anabolic steroids can be exploited without the risk of being caught. One way sports federations deal with this, is to have random drug tests throughout the year. But this is very expensive, and can be easily defeated.

Some athletes avoid random anabolic steroid tests by training in other countries. Athletes who get homesick have another option, early retirement. While this means a loss of funding, the athlete can still train on drugs, and then make a comeback. An athlete can, for example, retire after one Olympiad, use drugs and train for the next three years, and then come out of retirement in time to make the team for the next Olympiad, without ever being drug tested.

Another method many bodybuilding and other sports organizations have to combat drug use in the off-season, is the testosterone to epitestosterone ratio. This drug test was considered to be very effective because it could detect the use of anabolic steroids, long after the drug was out of the athlete’s system. Athletes, however, have come up with an effective countermeasure to anabolic steroid tests of this type.

The testosterone to epitestosterone ratio has been one of the most effective drug tests available since 1982. Athletes, however, discovered a simple countermeasure that completely invalidates this test. Since anabolic steroid use raises the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, all an athlete has to do is inject pure epitestosterone, and the ratio can once again be brought back to 1:1. It is claimed that injections within an hour would result in negative anabolic steroid tests.

As mentioned earlier, there is no exact elimination time for any particular steroid. Many factors influence the rate of excretion of steroids from the user’s system. For example if an athlete is using vitamin and/or mineral preparations, sun-tanning pills, or even some forms of over-the-counter medications, the ability of the liver to process steroids may be inhibited. Thus, a longer time for clearance may be needed. Such important factors as method of administration, location of injection site, the type of steroids used, duration of use, body-fat level, amount of water in the body, and dosage used, all play important roles in determining the clearance time. There is one guaranteed method for athletes to pass anabolic steroid tests; obey the rules of the competition, and stay drug free.

Thanks to Mark Henry for this one.



Women athletes certainly do need to take a different approach to steroid use than males do. There are only a limited number of the drugs listed in this text that a woman would even want to consider. Among those are Primobolans, Proviron, Nolvadex, Nandrolones, Anavar, Winstrol, and synthetic Growth Hormone. It is important to note that even on the lowest dosages of any of these steroids, women can start to experience virilizing effects. This is because any amount of steroid introduced into the woman's endocrine system is a serious jolt. steroids are synthetic derivatives of hormones and can cause serious adverse reactions in some women.

The most prudent approach to administering anabolic steroids to the female involves the use of low dosages of very low androgenic items. Women obviously do not have to worry about the Gonadotrophic suppression that men do nor do they usually encounter much of a problem with the hepatotoxicity of anabolic steroids. This is because they most often use low dosages of very clean items.

Since the most androgenic items tend to be the most toxic to the liver, by avoiding these items women also avoid the liver stress that most men undergo. Women can however benefit from the use of estrogen antagonists. Many women favor the use of Nolvadex and/or Proviron while trying to attain muscularity.

Anabolic steroids have been extremely effective for many women athletes who use them to obtain size, strength and endurance. Since the virilizing effects women suffer from using anabolic steroids tend to be permanent, it is prudent to use caution at all times www.medpharmacare.com. One of the safer ways that I have seen women use anabolic steroids is to stack two low androgenic items for a period less than six weeks and then take several weeks off of the drugs before coming back to another four or five week cycle and then taking a good two months off of the drugs. With this pattern, women can watch for adverse reactions which usually occur in proportion to the duration of use by the female. The use of Growth Hormone by women has proven to be extremely effective in some cases. Since Growth Hormone is not an androgenic drug, it does not result in any virilizing effects for women. Growth Hormone greatly increases muscularity primarily by reducing body fat stores in the woman while leaving the muscle mass unaltered.