Q: How much of the weight that is usually gained on a steroid cycle is actually solid muscle?

A: The majority of weight gained on a steroid cycle is from retention of cellular and extra cellular fluid. This is what many lifters will call “water bloat”. This initial water weight gain is beneficial up to a certain point. It provides extra nutrients to the muscles and increases their ability to contract by simply giving them more area to work in. The average weight gain on a steroid cycle ranges anywhere from five to twenty pounds. Let's say a lifter has gone on a two month steroid cycle and gained a total body weight of twelve pounds. By monitoring body fat percentages, through body composition analysis, an athlete can keep an idea as to how much of what they gained is body fat. Although anabolic steroids can increase the body's ability to mobilize and use fat stores, many athletes find that they go through an increase in body fat while on a bulking cycle. This is simply because they take in an excess amount of calories on an effective bulking program. This is actually a benefit, not a hindrance, at this time. Let's say our subject who gained twelve pounds determined through body composition analysis that he had put on four pounds of body fat. This leaves an eight pound increase in lean body weight. Of that eight pounds, it is very likely that only two pounds are skeletal muscle. It is known that for every one pound of skeletal muscle you put on, the body brings with it three pounds of supportive cellular and extra cellular fluid. Still, an increase of two pounds of skeletal muscle mass is a substantial gain.

Q: What accounts for the incredible pump I get while I am using anabolic steroids?

A: The "steroid pump" does have an actual physiological explanation. It is primarily due to the fact that there is more blood available in the body during a steroid cycle. One of the affects of anabolic steroid use is an increased production of RBC's (red blood cells). That increases blood volume and greatly improves the oxygen carrying ability of blood. This increases the efficiency and endurance of skeletal muscle cells. A 200 pound lifter could carry an extra liter of blood during this time. This increased blood volume partially explains why some athletes feel "pumped" all the time while they are on a steroid cycle. It also explains the incredible pump you get while working out at this time.

Q: I have pondered the question whether or not to use steroids for several years. I have finally made up my mind that I am going to try them and I was just wondering what kind of results I should expect?

A: This is really a difficult question to answer. Results vary greatly from one individual to the next. In general, steroid users find that their first cycle is the most dramatic in terms of the gains that they make. Some users claim to gain a solid thirty pounds on their first cycle while others notice little if any gains at all. Obviously, the athlete that has weight trained for a number of years, and continues to train intensely during the cycle and who eats a high calorie nutrient dense diet, stands to put on a lot more muscle than the athletes who are not disciplined enough to follow through with the whole program. It has been substantiated that a steroid user taking moderate dosages of Nandrolone Decanoate and Dianabol can gain twice as much muscle mass in a two month cycle than they could in an entire year of effective training. It is felt that an individual can gain a maximum of 4 pounds of muscle per year for every 100 pounds of body weight that they possess. This would translate to a 200 pound man having a maximum potential to gain 8 pounds of muscle per year, which itself would be an enormous gain. The first time steroid user can gain as much as 8 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight in a single ten week cycle. This means that the first time steroid user could gain 16 pounds of muscle injust 2 months. Their maximum potential without drugs would be 8 pounds in an entire year. It is easy to see that the steroid gains are substantially higher. This does not mean that if a person can gain 16 pounds of muscle in two months on a steroid cycle that they could gain 96 pounds of muscle if the athlete were to stay on steroids for twelve months straight. Certain inhibiting factors prohibit that. Evidence suggests that the maximum gains of a steroid cycle are reached before the eighth week. It is rare for the first time steroid user who eats right and trains hard not to gain at least four or five pounds of solid muscle.

Q: Do most professional bodybuilders use steroids?

A: Yes they do. I would estimate that 100% of all professional bodybuilders use steroids and I would go as far to say that 90% of the athletes that compete at the national amateur level use anabolic steroids. Obviously, few of these athletes are admitting to steroid use, especially at this point in time. Anabolic steroid use has never been more of an antisocial behavior than it is right now, and the stigma is getting worse all the time. Professional bodybuilders have to stand out and say that they denounce the use of the very drugs that helped them achieve their current status or they face serious consequences. The point of being a professional bodybuilder to begin with is that they have reached a level of notoriety that is synonymous with marketability.
Through seminars, posing exhibitions and endorsements, the professional athlete turns all of his hard work into financial success. All of that is in serious jeopardy if that athlete has been branded with the stigma of using illegal and banned substances to reach their position.
Thus, you will see nauseating hypocrisy in athletes at that level, not only in bodybuilding but in many sports where the athletes are idolized by their fans and the general public. Many professional bodybuilders have sincere intentions when they condemn the use of anabolic steroids in athletics, as they recognize the enormous abuse potential for these drugs when placed in the hands of ignorant individuals. I would criticize their actions further if I could honestly say that I would not do the same thing placed in their position.

Q: My doctor informed me that using veterinarian steroids is very dangerous. He said that they are not fit for human consumption. What do you think?

A: Veterinarian steroids do not have to meet the exact same sanitary specifications that human pharmaceuticals do; however, they are generally made under sanitary conditions. Legitimate veterinarian steroids are certainly a much better choice than using any form of a counterfeit. I have never heard from an athlete that felt they were harmed by the use of a veterinarian steroid. Interestingly enough, some of the most modern anabolic steroids are for animals. However, there are numerous new veterinarian anabolic steroid preparations being developed every year. A number of these preparations look to be remarkably anabolic with minimal androgenic qualities. These agents should optimize muscle mass increases while minimizing androgenic side effects. Australia seems to be producing most of these new vet drugs.

Q: Is it possible to use Anadrol in a pre-contest cycle without retaining water?

A: The pre-contest use of Anadrol is untraditional yet several bodybuilders claim to have done it with outstanding results. Few, if any steroids, deliver the type of size and strength gains seen with Anadrol. Anadrol gives the muscles bulk and fullness that would be extremely desirable in a bodybuilding show. The problem is that Anadrol almost always causes water retention and it aromatizes quite easily resulting in high estrogen levels. Some bodybuilders have successfully managed this estrogen and water retention problem by using Nolvadex at 10 to 20 mg per day in a stack with 50 mg of Anadrol right up to the day before the bodybuilding contest. Very often, a prescription diuretic such as Dyazide, Lasix, or Aldactazide is used for three or four days before the bodybuilding contest to eliminate what subcutaneous water retention did exist. Usually, it is a good idea to supplement potassium salts such as Slow-K when using prescription diuretics. Some athletes have been able to control the water retention with over the counter diuretics.
Other effective methods have involved taking the Anadrol right up until the week before the contest and then switching to Halotestin for the last seven days. This has worked well for some who find that the Anadrol takes a good two or three days to get out of the system and then they find they still have the muscle fullness yet don't have the water retention problem. Halotestin maintains muscle hardness without the water retention.

Q: I am currently cycling the steroids Deca Durabolin at 200 mg per week and Sustanon at 250 mg every ten days. I am making great gains on this simple cycle. Unfortunately I am suffering from some acne on my face and back that seems to be aggravated by the use of these steroids.
I have a prescription for Tetracycline which I have used in the past to control acne. Would there be any problem with taking the Tetracycline while I was on these steroids?

A: Tetracycline and anabolic steroids do not go well together. Tetracycline is a broad spectrum antibiotic that has many purposes. It works primarily by inhibiting protein synthesis. Since Tetracycline does exhibit this anti-anabolic effect, it is working in the opposite direction of the anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids increase protein synthesis and can encourage bacteria growth which often aggravates acne. Tetracycline may inhibit the functions of the anabolic steroids, or the anabolic steroids may inhibit the effects of the Tetracycline. Rather than try to examine which drug would come out on top, it seems the easiest solution is to not use Tetracycline while taking anabolic steroids. Other ways that athletes have been able to control acne that is caused by the use of steroids include: showering more frequently, using prescription soaps, using tanning beds, by using Retin-A and the last course might involve using Accutane, a prescription acne medication.

Q: I have gotten in the habit of taking small amounts of Primobolan Depot or Deca off and on between cycles. For example, during an off cycle period of four months, I usually take a single SO mg shot of Deca every two weeks and occasionally take 50 mg Primobolan Depot. Is this a bad practice?

A: It is common for athletes to use a small amount of a mild anabolic steroid between cycles, but it is not a good idea. Non-stop use can inhibit the body's natural testosterone production and other endocrine system functions from returning to normal. Although such low dosages would likely not exhibit any toxicity nor promote any significant side effects, they would also not yield much in the way of positive effects. Many bodybuilders continue to use small dosages of steroids between cycles because of their insecurities with letting go of steroids completely. Many steroid users develop an attitude that if they are not taking any steroids they are simply not making any gains, and to justify even training they will use small amounts of steroids between their cycles. If I were to make a recommendation on the use of low dosages of mild steroids between cycles I would not encourage it. The off cycle period is a time to train natural and let the body fully recover from the steroid use and I believe you can only fully recover if all steroids are eliminated from the system.

Q: What is the correct way to open glass ampules?

A: Glass ampules are a real pain. The proper way to open them is to score them around the narrowest part of their neck. To score these glass ampules it is best to use a metal knife with small teeth. Occasionally, these are provided with the ampule and these knives work best. If these knives are not provided it occasionally works to use a fingernail file, grapefruit knife, or a type of kitchen knife with very small teeth. This knife should be rotated around the narrow part of the neck in a sawing motion. After a white line or "score' is clearly evident on the neck, the ampule is ready to be cracked open. Before cracking the ampule open, it should be placed inside a clean paper towel or a thin clean cotton towel one hand should firmly grasp the lower portion of the ampule, the other hand should grasp the very top. A quick snapping motion should cleanly remove the top of the ampule. A needle can then be inserted and the liquid drawn out. Do not try to crack open an ampule without scoring it or by using your fingers directly against the glass ampule. Occasionally the glass ampule can shatter and this glass can cause a serious cut.

Q: l have heard a couple of rumors that seem to indicate that the calculated use of oil based testosterones will go undetected by urinalysis. Are some athletes using testosterone for contest preparation in drug tested events?

A: The rumors you are hearing are repercussions of a research project last year in which a half of dozen males were given various dosages of oil based testosterone (I believe it was Cypionate) for a period of six weeks and tested to see if they would pass a urinalysis. All six subjects displayed an acceptable testosterone to epitestosterone level which would not have resulted in a positive test. Two of these subjects were using a dose of 300 mg per week, which is quite a bit of testosterone. More and more bodybuilders are using testosterones for contest prep. They must learn to manage the water retention that can accompany such use; this is often done with the use of unbanned diuretics. The use of injectable testosterones amongst college football players is reportedly very high. You might guess that the NFL has a high percentage of athletes using testosterones as well. One athlete informed me that he used a high dosage of the oral testosterone ester Andriol (testosterone undecanoate) at a drug tested bodybuilding contest in California and passed with an acceptable testosterone to epitestosterone ratio. This bodybuilder stated that he used eight capsules of Andriol per day for approximately four weeks prior to the contest and only stopped using the drug two days before the contest. His ratio was 4.5 to I (a positive ratio is 6 to I or higher in most cases). Low doses of testosterones are the prototype undetectable steroid. There are rumors of exotic European steroids which cannot be detected as of yet but the actual use of these products is very low. The actual use of testosterone, on the other hand, has always been popular.

Q: I am using a type of injectable oil based steroid. My problem is that I cannot get all the tiny little bubbles out of the oil after I pull it into the syringe. I have heard that if an air bubble gets in the syringe and is injected, it can kill you. What should I do to make sure I am injecting safely?

A: First of all, it would likely take a full three ccs of air injected right into a vein to cause a fatality. Small air bubbles injected intramuscularly in an oil solution do not pose a hazard, yet it is a good practice to eliminate them anyway. Small air bubbles that appear in an oil solution after it is drawn into the syringe will slowly rise to the top of the syringe if held needle-side-up. This may take as long as ten minutes with some persistent tapping on the side of the case. After the air has all risen to the top of the solution, the stopper can be slightly pressed which expels the air from the syringe.

Q: What are the best ways and what are best steroids for women to use?

A: 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. Anabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of male 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. 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 lean muscle mass unaltered.

Q: What is the difference between a cc, a ml, an I.U., a mg and a mcg?

A: A cc (cubic centimeter) is equal to a ml (milliliter). They measure volume. For example if a vial contains 10 ml of liquid, that is the same as 10 ccs. A mg (milligram) measures the dose of a drug, A mg is equal to 1/1000 of a gram. A mcg (microgram) is equal to 1/1000 of milligram. An IU (International Unit) is also used to measure the dose of a preparation.