Ornithine enhances human growth hormone (HGH) levels naturally when taken in the right dose and with the right complementary amino acids. Supplementation with ornithine leads to HGH enhancement benefits such as anti aging, bodybuilding, weight loss, sexual performance, and much more. Ornithine alpha ketoglutarate (OKG) is even better.

Role of Ornithine for Increasing Growth Hormone Levels

Ornithine is a nonessential amino acid, which means that that your body can synthesize it from other food sources. It causes the secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. A dose of ornithine, especially in combination with other amino acids, an hour before a weightlifting workout speeds muscle building and fat loss. In addition to its role in stimulating GH levels, ornithine has also been shown to regenerate liver tissue in lab animals.

Dosages

On a per gram basis, ornithine has about double the effect of arginine, a closely related amino acid. Taking 2.5 to 5 grams of ornithine causes the same amount of GH release as 5-10 grams of arginine.

Like other amino acids, the impact of ornithine is greatest in subjects with the lowest body fat and the highest aerobic capacity. Ornithine will work better as you increase your fitness. Furthermore, GH release from ornithine is even more enhanced with long term use.

Starting dosages for ornithine as a supplement are 1 to 3 grams on an empty stomach one hour before exercise and before bedtime. Side effects may include stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhea. However, these can be minimized by starting at low dosages (1 gram) and building up slowly.

Enhancing Performance with Additional Amino Acids

Bodybuilders get even better results by combining ornithine with other amino acids, such as arginine, lysine, and glutamine. This is called stacking. When taken together, these amino acids have a synergistic effect on GH release.

A beginner’s stack is 2 grams each of arginine and ornithine and 1 gram each of lysine and glutamine. An advanced stack would include 2 grams each of all four amino acids. The arginine-lysine-glutamine trio is especially important because it stimulates insulin levels, even on an empty stomach. The combination of GH and insulin in the absence of food drives the incorporation of amino acids into muscle. When taken before bedtime, this combination also stops the body from breaking down as much muscle tissue as it normally does during a night’s sleep.

OKG: Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate

OKG is a French designer nutrient mixture that consists of two molecules of ornithine for each molecule of alpha-ketoglutaric acid. Supplement companies offer some confusion and lack of clarity on what OKG actually is, so the only point of importance is that this mixture enhances the formation and uptake of glutamine. OKG boosts glutamine levels even more than does glutamine supplementation itself. Many GH secretagogues now contain OKG, sometimes instead of ornithine. OKG is not widely tested in the U.S. However, OKG in doses of 10 grams or more is more effective than ornithine or alpha-ketoglutarate for raising GH levels several-fold. U.S. patents on this mixture show how muscle-building and repair are enhanced in clinical settings, such as after surgery. So it definitely offers a muscle-building benefit.

Relationship Between L-Arginine and HGH (Human Growth Hormone)

Here is a brief video introduction to arginine as a GH secretagogue.

Old, solid research shows that you can stay lean even when your diet includes as much as 70% of your calories from fat.

The basic premise that I accept, based on excellent scientific research, is that fat is not the culprit for making people fat. Carbs are. The research and examples that I mentioned in my report, “How To Be Lean And Strong Without Exercise,” are just the tip of the iceberg in support of this view.

If you are here to provide a comment, please do so. I encourage you to cite research evidence for your view if you can. This would add more value to the discussion than personal testimonials would, although both are acceptable. This is a great topic for debate. The only things I won’t tolerate are intolerance and nastiness, which seem to be too common on other blogs.

So leave a comment and let me know what you think!

If you haven’t seen my report yet, please get your copy by submitting your name and email address. My report provides a substantial amount of information on an important topic, and I have made it available at no charge to you.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Arginine enhances human growth hormone (HGH) levels naturally when taken in the right dose and with the right complementary amino acids. Supplementation with arginine leads to HGH enhancement benefits such as anti aging, bodybuilding, weight loss, sexual performance, and much more. Here is how to achieve good results.

Role of Arginine for Increasing Growth Hormone Levels

Arginine is an essential amino acid that causes the secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. A dose of arginine an hour before a weightlifting workout speeds muscle building and fat loss. Researcher Sandy Shaw used this protocol by taking 10 grams of arginine before doing bench presses. She lost 25 pounds of fat and gained 5 pounds of muscle within 6 weeks on this regimen.

Dosages

Clinical studies have shown that various doses of arginine have a wide range of effectiveness. Based on these studies, the smallest effects can be expected at dosages of less than 3 grams. The impact of arginine also shows a diminishing response with aging. The greatest GH responses occur in subjects with the lowest body fat composition and the highest aerobic capacity.

This means that the impact of arginine on GH release increases with decreasing body fat composition and with increasing aerobic fitness. Arginine will work better as you increase your fitness.

Starting dosages for arginine as a supplement are 2 to 5 grams on an empty stomach one hour before exercise and before bedtime. Side effects may include stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhea. However, these can be minimized by starting at low dosages (1 gram) and building up slowly.

Effects of Arginine on Exercise Performance

Arginine enhances exercise performance because it is one of the main ingredients, along with glycine, that goes into the biosynthesis of creatine in the liver. Creatine is important for high-intensity, short duration exercises for muscle building.

This means that arginine provides a two-fold boost in exercise performance by stimulating GH levels and creatine synthesis.

Additional Benefits

Positive effects of arginine also include boosting the immune system, fighting cancer, protecting the liver, promoting healing of burns and wounds, enhancing male fertility, and restoring sexual function in impotent men. Most of these benefits come from stimulating GH secretion. However, arginine restores sexual function because it is a precursor to nitric oxide, which plays a key role in getting and maintaining an erection.

Enhancing Performance with Additional Amino Acids

Bodybuilders get even better results by combining arginine with other amino acids, such as ornithine, lysine, and glutamine. This is called stacking. When taken together, these amino acids have a synergistic effect on GH release.

A beginner’s stack is 2 grams each of arginine and ornithine and 1 gram each of lysine and glutamine. An advanced stack would include 2 grams each of all four amino acids. The arginine-lysine-glutamine trio is especially important because it stimulates insulin levels, even on an empty stomach. The combination of GH and insulin in the absence of food drives the incorporation of amino acids into muscle. When taken before bedtime, this combination also stops the body from breaking down as much muscle tissue as it normally does during a night’s sleep.

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Protein supplements can stop your muscle building in its tracks. They can also be important bodybuilding supplements. Or they can promote fat gain. Here is why.

Protein Supplements – Great Expectations

Protein powders and proteins shakes are a favorite subject of thousands of so-called experts in nutrition and bodybuilding. They treat this food group as if it is a miracle for muscle building. The reasoning is that muscle is made out of protein, so you have to eat protein to build more muscle.

This is only partly true.

All-Important Ingredients List

The key point that I’m going to make rests on the ingredients that protein supplements normally contain. To keep things simple, just consider the amount of each food group: protein, fat, carbohydrate (as sugars). This will be an eye opener if you have never read labels before.

Supplement Facts Labels of Three Protein Powders

Product 1: Serving size (34.6 g), Protein (20 g), Sugars (4 g), Total Fat (1 g)

Product 2: Serving size (29 g), Protein (24 g), Sugars (1 g), Total Fat (1 g)

Product 3: Serving size (30 g), Protein (22 g), Sugars (0 g), Total Fat (0 g)

These products all contain plenty of protein per serving. They also offer lots of fodder for me to write about regarding the folly of protein shakes as bodybuilding supplements or meal replacements. However, I just want to focus on one glaring item at the moment, which is:

…NOT ENOUGH FAT!

Key Missing Ingredient for Muscle Building

Fat.

Why is This So Important?

Everything you eat or drink is absorbed and used better in the presence of fat. Just today a research article appeared that showed the importance of using oil-based dressings for optimizing the antioxidant benefits of spinach salad. (By the way, we chemists classify fats and oils as the same kind of food group, the only difference being whether they are solids or liquids at room temperature.)

Here is the flip side of that comment: The low-fat craze and all of the low-fat diet plans are a plague on human health. There is no way you can be healthy without substantial amounts of fat in your diet, regardless of how much you weigh. Two hundred years of clinical and scientific research backs me up on this.

How to Make Protein Work for You

The easy advice is to get some fat or oil with your protein shake. Lots of it. Also keep in mind that carbs will undermine your effort, so keep them to a minimum. The products above are just fine in that regard. Some products will contain higher amounts of sugars, sometimes as much as 10 g per serving (!), so avoid those.

Products that are artificially sweetened pose too many threats to mention, especially if they contain aspartame. Ideally, protein supplements should contain no sugars or sweeteners or flavoring at all. These are hard to find.

Recommended Types of Fat

Of all the written nonsense about fats, you only need to follow these two rules for choosing dietary fats:

1. Eat all of the fats you want if they are made by Mother Nature.

Saturated, unsaturated, polyunsaturated, plant or animal – none of this matters. Eat them all.

2. Don’t put a single molecule in your mouth if it is synthetic or processed in any way.

Trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils are obvious no-nos. Margarine and other fake butters are awful, too. Not so obvious are the vast majority of vegetable oils on the market. The worst of the worst are corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and cottonseed oil. If an oil is not cold-pressed, it is most likely processed by heat and clarifying agents. It is probably solvent-extracted, too.

Best Fats and Oils to Take With Protein Supplements

Flax oil (cold-pressed and kept refrigerated).
Coconut oil (solidifies below 75 degrees). Best for cooking, too.
Butter.
Fish oil (preferably from sources low on the food chain, such as krill).
CLA supplements.

The Latest Story on Eggs

Egg whites are widely acknowledged as a great source of protein. Egg yolks, on the other hand, have a Jekyll and Hyde history that is rather idiotic.

Egg yolks contain cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol is not the evil danger that the brainwashed masses (including medical doctors) believe it is. It is just part of the cholesterol myth that supports the multibillion dollar cholesterol drug industry. No judgment here – drug companies have invested billions of dollars into getting you to believe that cholesterol is a problem and that it can be solved by drugs.

More importantly, egg yolks contain a high level of a particular fatty acid, called arachidonic acid, that your body uses to make certain kinds of hormones. Some of these hormones regulate blood pressure and other cardiovascular functions. Others are highly inflammatory. Too much of them will cause a lot of pain.

The bottom line is that your basic health determines how much of the arachidonic acid from egg yolks goes into the synthesis of inflammatory, pain-causing hormones. It is not the amount of arachidonic acid that you get from egg yolks.

If you want to have a steak and four eggs for breakfast, go ahead. I do so on a regular basis.

Muscle Building vs. Fat Gain

Although this article may seem a little wordy to get the main point across, the information here is important so you can understand how to best use protein supplements for bodybuilding and for just staying lean.

If you want something simple to post on your billboard as a reminder, here are the keys to success:

1. Eat fat and/or oil with your protein shakes.
2. Avoid carbs when you have your protein drinks.

That’s it!

All the best in natural health,

Dr. D

Protein supplements, bodybuilding, and fat gain: What you must know to get the most out of protein.

Ephedrine Weight Loss – How Do You Choose a Good Ephedra Diet Pill?

Technical Definition of Steroid Prohormones

Prohormones are compounds which are converted via an enzymatic process to anabolic hormones in the body. As such they will cause similar effects in the body to anabolic steroids, inducing rapid muscle and strength gains, but of a lesser magnitude than anabolic steroids, due to the rate limiting effect caused by the enzyme conversion. However, this technical definition is nowadays considered out of date due to the innovation displayed in the supplement industry since the introduction of the very first prohormone, androstenedione. Today the term prohormones is used to cover not just precursors to steroid hormones but also covers compounds which are active in their own right and which require no conversion to a different hormone to engender any anabolic effects. For the sake of simplicty, in this article the term ‘prohormone’ will cover all products which work via a hormonal mechanism to cause anabolic effects, and not just those which convert from one compound into another after ingestion.

First Base

Prohormones were introduced on to the supplement world in 1996 by reknowned US chemist Patrick Arnold who developed the supplement androstenedione and unleashed it on an unsuspecting public.

Androstenedione certainly created a buzz in the sports world and is heavily linked in the popular press with baseball greats such as Mark McGwire whose use of the supplement was brought to light as he chased the baseball home run record in 1998. In breaking the record that year McGwire brought notoriety both to that sport and captured the attention of law makers in the United States.

Androstenedione was quickly followed by a number of other supplements – androstenediol, norandrostenediol, 1-4-androstadienedione and 5 alpha androstenediol to name just a few. These all had different effects, some being converted to testosterone in the body, while others were converted in the body to anabolic hormones such as nandrolone, boldenone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). We still see precursors to some of these products on the bodybuilding market today, such as I Force Nutrition’s BOLD 200 product which is a precursor to Boldenone which is the generic term for the steroid Equipoise.

After some time, Patrick Arnold’s company Ergopharm introduced the prohormone 1-AD, which converted into a hormone called 1-testosterone. This was the first prohormone considered to be of comparable effectiveness to illegal steroids such as Winstrol or Primobolan. In fact at the time of its introduction much was made of the fact that it was qualitatively similar to the steroid Trenbolone Acetate.

With the introduction of 1-AD, prohormones had clearly progressed in leaps and bounds since the introduction of androstenedione (widely considered within bodybuilding to be pretty worthless by that time). With the introduction of 1-AD, the prohormone market changed dramatically. A number of supplement companies, aware that the process of enzymatic conversion meant that prohormones were weaker than taking an equivalent amount of the target hormone they converted into, decided to market products such as 1-testosterone (the hormone which 1-AD would convert to) and, eventually, the now notorious methyl-1-testosterone (M1T), which was a 17-alpha alkylated or methylated hormone. In simple terms, 17-Alpha Alkylation/Methylation meant that M1T was highly resistant to breakdown by the liver, making it the most powerful product on the market, causing rapid strength and muscle gains even for long-time steroid users, as well as causing a host of disastrous side effects such as high blood pressure, and dangerous elevation of liver enzymes.

The End of the Beginning

Many in the supplement industry, Arnold among them, argued that the proliferation of powerful products such as M1T would eventually result in negative publicity to attach itself to the supplement industry as a whole and considered it madness that such products had been introduced on to the supplement market. These doomsayers were proven right and eventually the US congress passed into law the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004 which effectively classed all the prohormones then on the market as illegal drugs on a par with anabolic steroids. By early 2005 they had been removed from the market in the United States.

Prohormone Characteristics

A rundown of the actions of individual prohormone products follows so this section shall only cover actions attributable to all classes of prohormone products. This in itself could be an article in its own right so here is the shortened version.

Prohormones exert their effects through several different pathways, but the ones that are most important to people considering using them are their actions via their effects on the body’s androgenic, estrogenic and progestogenic receptors. It is through these receptors that prohormone effects are largely mediated, with other pathways of secondary importance.

Prohormones, just like anabolic steroids, are androgen agonists meaning they work via their effect on the androgen receptor. A strong androgen receptor agonist will mean effects related to the male hormone testosterone will be particularly prominent – these include increased aggression, sex drive, alpha male type characteristics in general, as well as heightened risk of side effects related to high androgen levels such as an increased susceptibility to hair loss and acne, although these side effects are very much individual in nature and will depend on the person taking them. They tend to only be an issue for those already susceptible to these conditions.

Linked to these androgenic effects is the propensity for prohormones to induce sizeable increases in muscle strength, large muscle gains, and a hardening effect on the muscles, such that muscles feel denser and more solid. Prohormones that do not convert to estrogen such as Epistane or RPN’s Havoc tend to exhibit these types of muscle gains with no water retention.

Away from their effects on androgren receptors, prohormones can also cause effects via estrogen and progesterone receptors. These effects tend to be quite similar in nature – prohormones that convert to estrogen and progesterone have the baility to cause large increases in mass and strength although much of the mass is of a poor quality visually and such gains often disappear rapidly being associated with water retention more than anything else. Estrogenic side effects are feared by most bodybuilders and include increased water weight, increased susceptibility to fat gain in the presence of high estrogen and worst of all, from a cosmetic standpoint at least, the dreaded gynecomastia.

It should be stated that while there are some products which are almost exclusively androgenic in nature with little to no risk of estrogenic/progestogenic side effects (such as Epistane or Havoc), the reverse is not true, in that compounds with high affinity for estrogen and progesterone receptors will still have an impact on the androgen receptor. You will often hear of prohormones being called androgenic or estrogenic or even both, but it should be stated this is often based on their primary method of action and that all will have an androgenic effect at some level, as they all primarily work via their effect on the androgen receptor.

Separate from their effects via androgen, estrogen, and progesterone receptors, prohormones will also differ in their impact on other body systems. Typically, strong androgens are useful for promoting strength gains via the central nervous system (CNS) stimulation, independent of their anabolic or muscle building effects. A strong androgen would often be something similar in nature to Dihydrotestosterone. Furthermore, prohormones will promote enhanced red blood cell production which is why users of prohormones usually experience great pumps and vascularity. Generally speaking, liver toxicity is a concern only for methylated, oral compounds, which is most prohormones nowadays but even then, as the list below shows, they can differ by a wide degree in magnitude of effect.

Prohormones Today

Since the removal of the first generation of prohormones in 2005, various supplement companies have worked hard on creating products which can provide a sizeable anabolic effect while complying with the requirements of the 2004 law. One of the most important considerations was to ensure that not only did they manufacture a product that was effective and legal, but also safe, as the wave of methylated prohormones released in the wake of M1T were certainly of doubtful safety given their widely noted negative effects on a range of body tissues, most notably liver values.

As a result of the innovations in the industry since 2005, we now have a number of products on the market which have been around for some time and in favour with bodybuilders and athletes alike. To make things easy we will refer to the compounds by their brand names:

Halodrol- 50 (4-chloro-17a-methyl-1,4-diene-3,17 diol)

Halodrol-50 was introduced to the bodybuilding world by Gaspari Nutrition and is a prosteroid of Turinabol, the banned East German designer steroid. This means it converts to Turinabol once ingested. Although Halodrol is no longer available, there are generic equivalents today such as Competitive Edge Labs H-Drol or EST Hemadrol. The typical dose for products such as H-Drol is 50mg a day, which equates to one tablet daily.

Effects: Solid gains in muscle and strength, often taken while dieting to aid preservation of muscle mass.

Side effects: Considered stressful on the liver and can raise blood pressure somewhat in users.

Havoc/Epistane (2a-3a-epithio-17a-methyl-5a-androstan-17b-ol)

RPN’s product Havoc and IBE’s Epistane were introduced at practically the same time and considered interchangeable by many. However, it should be noted that even when two products are identical, users can experience different effects depending on the quality of the isomer, manufacturing process and so on.

With Havoc and Epistane they are listed very slightly different 2a,3a-epithio-17a-methyl-5a-androstan-17b-ol 2 (Havoc), and 2, 3a-epithio-17a-methyletioallo cholan-17b-ol (Epistane). Dosages are usually in the 20-50mg range.

Effects: Good for promoting solid, lean muscle gains with a concomitant reduction in estrogen leading to a drier physique, and significant strength gains. This will contribute to the vascularity users typically report. Havoc and Epistane are also sometimes used purely to combat gynecomastia as they act in the body as an anti-estrogen, so that endogenous testosterone levels are less suppressed by this compound than other prohormones.

Side effects: Less hepatoxic and damaging to lipid levels than other orals but the usual androgenic side effects associated with prohormones remain a possibility.

Pheraplex (17a-methyl-etioallocholan-2-ene-17b-ol)

Pheraplex was a brand name of the supplement company Anabolic Xtreme (AX). This product is also sold by Competitive Edge Labs as P-Plex as well as Phera-Vol by EST. Typically dosed at 20-30mg a day.

Effects: Gains with this product tend to be of a ‘wet’ nature, in other words, you will see some weight gain due to water retention. Given this, P-Plex is often used to gain mass quickly for users.

Side effects: It is a risk for anyone with gynecomastia based on user feedback (making the use of an estrogen blocker such as Reversitol or Novedex XT mandatory), and is considered to be both hepatoxic and damaging to lipid levels.

Methoxy-TST (17b-methoxytrienosterone)

This product was brought to the market by Bioscience Technologies and is usually dosed at 6-12mg to see results.

Effects: Not a strong bulking product unless doses are pushed high despite its androgenic profile. In this respect it is not dissimilar to AAS such as Masteron and Proviron which are not efficient for bulking.

Side effects: Androgenic side effects such as hair loss are reported quite frequently by users if this product, and many users report a damaging effect on libido.

Ergomax LMG (17-methyl-delta-2-etioallocholane & 17-methyl-delta-3-etioallocholane)

Introduced by ALRI, this is another ‘wet’ prohormone dosed at 20-40mg usually.

Effects: This compound is quite similar to Pheraplex so is useful for someone wanting to gain mass quickly even if the visual appearance of this will not be the best.

Side effects: Can cause gynecomastia making use of an estrogen blocker a wise option, and has a detrimental effect on liver and lipid values, meaning cycles should be kept short.

M-1,4ADD (17a-methyl-1,4-androstadiene-3,17diol)

M-1,4ADD has recently been reintroduced by Competitive Edge Labs among others and is from the old school of prohormones – a classic wet bulker which converts after ingestion into Methandrostenolone, better known as Dianabol.

Effects: This is a good choice for rapid mass and strength gains but the gains will tend to cause smoothness due to the water retention it causes.

Side effects: This compound can promote both androgenic and estrogenic side effects so anyone with a predisposition to hair loss or gynecomastia should probably avoid this. If taking this, an estrogen blocker such as Reversitol or Inhibit-E is a smart move.

11-Oxo (andrenosterone, 11-oxo-androstenedione)

11-Oxo was introduced by Ergopharm, whose owner Patrick Arnold first brought prohormones to the bodybuilding world. 11-Oxo is well regarded for its ability to lower cortisol levels. It is dosed at between 300-600mg a day with 450mg typical.

Effects: Used mainly as a recomposition agent and to promote fat loss, 11-OXO is also a good choice for individuals looking to stack one prohormone with another.

Side effects: Although it can cause the same side effects as other prohormones, it is considered very mild in this regard so a good choice for people looking to diet with minimal side effects.

Propadrol (12-ethyl-3-methoxy-gona-diene / 6-17 dihydroxyetiocholove-3-ol proponate)

This was developed by EST Nutrition and is usually dosed at 90mg a day.

Effects: Noted to be good for reducing body fat and for promoting rapid strength and muscle gains.

Side effects: Relatively mild with this compound, although those who worry about gyno or androgenic side effects should exercise caution. Tends to be expensive!

Methoxy-TRN (17b-Methoxy-Trienbolone)

ALRI introduced this compound and it is dosed at 3-6mg by most users.

Effects: Reviews are mixed on this product but those who do like it often claim very good muscle and strength gains allied to a reduction in body fat.

Side effects: Being both quite androgenic and estrogenic it should be used with caution and remedies to combat hair loss and gyno (Reversitol) are worth considering.

Max LMG (13-ethyl-3methoxygona-2, 5(10)-dien-17-one)

Yet another product by ALRI. This one is usually dosed at around 100mg a day.

Effects: Max LMG can cause rapid gains in bulk of a wet nature due to its progestogenic nature. Great for those needing fast weight gain and unconcerned about looking smooth or fat.

Side effects: One to avoid for anyone worried about a quality looking physique, gynecomastia, or hair loss. This is also very expensive! Reversitol is definitelty a smart move to combat estrogenic effects if using Max LMG.

3-AD (2-androstenol acetate)

Anabolic Xtreme formulated this product and brought it on to the bodybuilding market. Usually dosed at around 4-6 capsules a day, 3-AD contains various other nutrients, but the active prohormone is 2-androstenol acetate.

Effects: Effective overall mass gainer. Gains are a little wet, but not too bad for those worried about estrogen.

Side effects: It is not the worst, but estrogenic and androgenic side effects remain a possibility.

Superdrol (Methasteron)

Superdrol was introduced by Designer Supplements, the old name for Driven Sports, and earned a reputation as a very powerful product. Although it is no longer made by Driven Sports, Competitive Edge Labs currently produce a clone called M-Drol.

Effects: Good lean mass gainer with effective repartitioning effects.

Side Effects: Notably hepatoxic, and androgenic. Can aggravate hairloss if prone to male pattern baldness. Highly recommended to stack this product with a product from our Liver Support category to help support healthy liver function.

Dymethazine – (2,17-dimethyl-5-androstan-17-ol-3,3′-azine)

Dymethazine, also known as Dimethazine, is a DHT derived compound with an interesting chemical structure. It is essentially a double bonded Superdrol, with an Azine bridge. A relatively recent introduction to the prohormone world by I Force Nutrition, Dymethazine is a product that has attracted a great deal of interest given its unique chemical structure.

Effects: Users of this compound are reporting results that are qualitatively similar to dry, non-aromatizing products such as Epistane. Dymethazine users have typically reported big muscle and strength gains. Based on feedback to date Dymethazine looks to be the strongest product available on the market today.

Side Effects: Although not having any estrogenic action, Dymethazine use poses the same issue of liver toxicity and androgenic effects as other prohormones.

The One – (17a-methyl-etioallocholan-17b-ol-3-hydroxyimine)

The One was developed by Applied Nutriceuticals and is a prohormone of Dihydrotestosterone.

Effects – Being a prohormone to DHT, The One can be expected to be notably androgenic, resulting in dry, muscle gains with an absence of water retention and solid gains in strength.

Side Effects – Being that it converts into DHT, The One can be expected to be tough on the hairline as DHT is the hormone most responsible for hair loss. As it does not convert to estrogen or progesterone, side effects related to those should not be an issue. Liver toxicity would remain a concern though and it would be a good idea to take this product with something to support health liver function.

1,4 AD Bold 200 – (1, 4 Androstadiene-3, 17- Dione 200mg)

Made by I Force Nutrition, 1,4 Bold 200 is a precursor to the compound Boldenone (Equipoise) which has a very long history of use in bodybuilding circles and is highly regarded for its ability to increase muscle mass with minimal side effects.

Effects – Bold 200 has the advantage of being non-methylated making it a first choice along with Furazadrol, or Finavol for newcomers to the prohormone field who are typically concerned about liver toxicity. Users typically can expect to notice improved muscle gains which will come steadily and less dramatically than other compounds, as well as an improved appetite and increase in vascularity.

Side Effects – There is a comparatively low risk of both androgenic or estrogenic side effects and being non-methylated makes it an ideal choice for those concerned with liver health. It also makes it ideal for use in a stack with stronger, non-methylated prohormones such as dymethazine.

Finavol – ( Estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione)

Sold by a number of different brands, including Competitive Edge Labs (X-Tren), and Chaparral Labs (Trenavol) Finavol is APS Nutrition’s version of this compound. This product has Dienolone as a target hormone and is non-methylated, making it safer on the liver and an excellent choice as part of a prohormone stack.

Effects – Finavol is well suited to athletes looking for muscle gains with an increase in vascularity and strength that are compared as qualitatively similar to the compound Trenbolone. It is a noted lean mass builder.

Side Effects – Tren products can negatively impact upon libido in some people.

Furazadrol – (5a-androstano(2,3-c) furazan-17b-tetrahydropyranol ether – 50mg)

Furazadrol was developed by Axis Labs as an alternative to methylated prohormones such as Havoc or Dymethazine. As a non-methylated compound it will appeal on the grounds of being very safe and is often used by beginners new to prohormones either alone or in a stack with Bold 200.

Effects – Furazadrol has a high anabolic to androgenic ration meaning muscle gains with low risk of androgenic side effects. It does not convert to estrogen meaning gains will be lean in nature, with an absence of water retention.

Side Effects – Although the risk of side effects is low, it is usually required to be dosed in dosages of 200-400mg a day making it quite expensive. Given its otherwise favourable profile it makes an excellent choice for someone looking to stack with another prohormone.

Cynostane – (2-cyano-17a-methyl-17b-hydroxy-androst-3-one – 10mg)

Cynostane is a brand new prohormone which features an alteration of the superdrol compound, with a cyano bond instead of the 2a methyl superdrol bond.

Effects – Cynostane, developed by Anabolic Innovations, is an extremely anabolic compound with remarkably low androgenic action, making it qualitatively similar to the likes of Oxandrolone or Methenolone (Primobolan). It is non-aromatizing meaning it will not produce estrogen mediated side effects and its high degree of anabolic action makes it a favourable choice for athletes concerned with losing bodyfat while maintaining, or increasing, muscle mass. From feedback to date, Cynostane has very potent recomposition effects making it ideal for athletes and when dieting. If using to bulk up, calories would need to be increased considerably.

Side Effects – Bloodwork conducted by users shows that Cynostane has a more favourable effect on blood lipids, and liver values than superdrol itself. Although feedback to date is limited, the combination of low androgenic action, lack of aromatization to estrogen, and low level of general health effects, makes cynostane an intriguing newcomer to the prohormone world.

Protodrol

Protodrol was introduced by I Force Nutrition, designed to be a less toxic compound than some of the older prohormones on the market. Daily dosage is 50-75mg a day.

Effects – Protodrol is considered to be a potent mass builder, with a low incidence of side effects being very favourable on both liver and lipid profiles. As it does not convert to estrogen, Protodrol will impart muscle and strength gains with an absence of water retention. As such it is a very versatile compound which can be used for both bulking, recompositioning and dieting.

Side Effects – Protodrol was designed specifically to provide a bulking compound with a low risk of side effects so the only side effects you could expect to have would be those associated with all prohormone products.

What is best for me?

So here we come to the part where readers ask ‘which is the best prohormone to take and when?’ It is not possible, nor advisable, to offer specific advice on such a subject. People need to consider their own objectives and risk factors before taking any prohormone. Generally speaking, all we can say is that it is advisable to start with a mild steroid first and keep doses low, typically for 3-4 weeks. For a novice this will still lead to excellent gains. It is critical in our opinion, that an estrogen blocking product should be held ready at the start of a prohormone cycle. Users unworried about estrogen can take it for 3-4 weeks after the end of their cycle. Those concerned about estrogen, should employ it both during and after. In this respect, Havoc and Epistane make good choices as they negate the need for an anti-estrogen during the cycle, due to the fact they are inherently anti-estrogenic. Still, even with them, an estrogen blocker should be applied after all cycles with prohormones.

Dietary and Supplement Advice

Assuming a good clean diet is eaten, normally the only advice we would recommend is to increase protein intake to at least 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight. So for a 200lb individual, 400g of protein a day. Given the fact prohormones are all oral in nature, we recommend increasing water intake also and employing the use of a liver protectant such as silymarin and N-acetyl cysteine, along with fish oil dosed at 6g a day. Those who are particularly anal may want to consider taking their prohormones with grapefruit juice. In theory, this will help increase their gains via inhibition of enzymes that break down drugs leading to enhanced absorption.

Training Advice

Given the fact you are taking a powerful prohormone which will rapidly boost muscle mass, training volume should be increased but we recommend limiting the increase in weights. Instead, after your cycle has concluded, given the catabolic environment present post cycle, it is an excellent time to reduce volume and increase the weight which will help preserve your muscle and strength gains whilst keeping cortisol (a hormone indicated in the breaking down of muscle) levels low. A good rule of thumb is to double your normal training volume on cycle and then reducing it to a half of your normal training volume in the first few weeks post cycle while your body gets back to a homeostatic state (normal hormonal environment). So, if you do 10 sets a session normally, go to 20 on prohormones, and then reduce to 5 until your post cycle estrogen blocker has finished its job.

Conclusion

Prohormones are powerful compounds with the ability to impart significant gains in muscle and strength mass. We hope this article has provided some useful information for you to help understand their benefits, applications and how to structure their use within your overall training and dietary plan.

By Reggie Johal at PredatorNutrition.com

Reggie Johal is a published author on nutrition and supplements, as well as international athlete and coach to many sportsmen and women.

Further Reading:

Prohormones – Short vs Long Cycles

Post Cycle Treatment

Optimising Prohormone Cycles

Your body is supposed to be trim, lean, and full of energy all day, every day. You are supposed to wake up refreshed after a good night’s sleep, without pain or disease. Your food is supposed to be like jet fuel for a high performance race car. Now what do you do if some or all of this is not true for you?

The debate about what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat rages on, loaded with so much misinformation, fantasy, and downright lies that you, the consumer, has almost no chance to find out what is best for you. However, scientists continue to publish research on how to eat right for losing weight, being energetic, and staying healthy. If your doctor, nutritionist, trainer, or other health advisor isn’t aware of the science behind how to eat right, then this article will help you discover for yourself how to get slim, increase your lean body mass, and put your body back into optimum performance.

A major health bonus for following recommendations based on the scientific research summarized here is that you will also help yourself to avoid the number one killer of modern times: cardiovascular disease. Wouldn’t that be a great bonus for just eating right? The question is: What is right?

Latest Research on the Atkins Diet

Source: New England Journal of Medicine, 2008 (Volume 359, pp. 229-241: “Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet”)

Summary: This study compared three diets: 1) Atkins (low carb), 2) Mediterranean, and 3) low fat. Main results after 2 years were:

ATKINS DIET: average weight loss, 12.1 pounds; with greatest reduction in ratio of total cholesterol to HDL

MEDITERRANEAN DIET: average weight loss, 10.1 pounds; with most favorable changes in fasting glucose and insulin levels among diabetics

LOW FAT DIET: average weight loss, 7.3 pounds; with smallest reduction in ratio of total cholesterol to HDL

Conclusions : Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets may be effective alternatives to low-fat diets. The more favorable effects on lipids (with the low-carbohydrate diet) and on glycemic control (with the Mediterranean diet) suggest that personal preferences and metabolic considerations might inform individualized tailoring of dietary interventions.

Comment: This is the most recent research to vindicate the diet made famous by Dr. Robert Atkins more than 30 years ago. The bottom line is that carbohydrates, meaning refined sugars and flour, are the main dietary culprit behind getting fat and unhealthy. Although the results may seem mild and the conclusions timid, this is another study that confirms what scientists have known about dietary carbohydrates since before the turn of the 20th century.

Benefits of High-Protein Weight Loss Diets

Source: Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity, 2008 (Volume 15, pp. 416-421: “Benefits of high-protein weight loss diets: enough evidence for practice?”)

Summary: This is a review of several articles based on well-designed clinical trials. The most consistent result from all of these studies is that protein is the key dietary component for energy and for fullness leading to proper weight control. The most important positive effects of high-protein diets for weight loss are:

*Weight Loss
*Preservation of Lean Body Mass
*Improvement in Several Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Up to 12 Months. (Studies generally do not go longer than 12 months.)

Comment: When several well-designed studies come to the same conclusions, the best dietary strategy becomes clear.

How to Put Weight Loss Science into Your Life

The general take-home lesson is to eat more protein and less carbohydrate. However, learning the right action steps for you would require reviewing hundreds more research articles to piece together the best plan. This is where a guide, based on these same studies, would come to your rescue. Indeed, the definitive guide for how to use protein for weight loss and good health has already been written by two medical doctors, Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades . Their book at Amazon, Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health–in Just Weeks!, shows how they apply the results of scientific research in their clinic. It is a plan for every patient, and for you, to get and keep a lean and healthy body. The information in this book is a must-have for how to get the greatest benefits from your dietary protein.

General Pointers on Choosing Protein Supplements

The best balance among protein, carbohydrate, and fat in protein supplements is in products with the least amount of carbohydrate. The protein source is irrelevant (e.g., soy, whey, rice, pea, egg white, hemp). The key is to examine the supplement labels and use those products that contain the smallest amount of sugars and other digestible carbs (i.e., not fiber).

Good Dietary Fat

Okay, so you’ve gained some extra fat by eating poorly for too long, and changing to a weight-loss diet, regardless of how nutritious it might be, will not put you completely back into a lean and healthy body. Nevertheless, it is a good start, especially if it includes a currently missing ingredient that was commonly in our diets before about the mid-1960s. It is a fat (actually, a mixture of similar fats) that is called “conjugated linoleic acids,” or CLA for short.

CLA has been repeatedly shown in scientific research to reduce body fat and increase lean body mass. It is a mixture of fatty acids that occur as a natural component of the fatty portions of beef and dairy products from grass-fed cattle, so it used to be in our diet. (Actually, the normal bacteria in a cow’s digestive tract transform plant oils from grass into CLA.) Unfortunately, for the past few decades, Americans have been losing out on the benefits of this fat-reducing ingredient for several reasons: we consume less beef, we drink less whole milk, and our cows make less CLA than they used to make because they are no longer grass-fed.

Sources of CLA

For Inquiring Minds: CLA in whole milk in the U.S. was as high as 2.81% in 1963, and had dropped to less than 1% by 1992. On the other hand, grass-fed Australian cows have 3-4 times more CLA in their meat than do grain-fed American cows. One strategy, therefore, for bringing our CLA intake back up to earlier dietary levels is to consume only beef, whole milk, and cheese that comes from grass-fed cows. These products are generally available from health food stores that sell meat from free-range cows. You have to go out of your way to find them and you have to pay more for free-range beef and dairy products. A side benefit is that free-range cows are probably not pumped up with steroids, growth hormones, or antibiotics like feedlot cows are … is that NOT appetizing or what! This strategy may seem to fly in the face of conventional wisdom about the healthfulness of a high-fat diet. Nevertheless, conventional wisdom is fundamentally wrong here. Beef and dairy products with high levels of CLA are good for your health!

Barring what may be for you a radical dietary change to consume more beef and full-fat dairy products, your best bet is to simply take CLA supplements. It turns out, however, that a bit of an argument has arisen about the best source of CLA supplements. Virtually all of the CLA supplements on the market are from plant oils, mostly from sunflower and, more recently, from safflower. You should realize, however, that plant CLA and cow CLA are not identical. Remember, fat-reducing CLA is a mixture of similar fatty acids that are made by bacteria in grass-fed cows. This means that the proportions of different fatty acids in CLA are not the same in plants as it is in cows. Indeed there is some doubt as to whether CLA of any kind occurs naturally in plants. Clearly, the best CLA for fat reduction is from grass-fed cows.

The next best CLA may be from certain plant oils that are altered to become CLA. Some evidence also shows that CLA occurs in the fatty portion of turkey meat (that is, mostly in the skin), although not in other poultry.

Science Behind CLA vs. Fat

Before you get too excited and run out in search of a CLA supplement, here are some summaries of research results to evaluate for your decision-making:

Study 1: Mice showed a 60% reduction in body fat and a 14% increase in lean body mass when fed the human equivalent of 3000-4000 mg of CLA per day.

Study 2: Mice showed up to 88% loss in body fat in another study.

Study 3: CLA supplementation led to 31% loss of body fat in pigs over an 8-week period.

Study 4: Obese men lost an average of 1.4 centimeters in waist circumference after 4 weeks of CLA supplementation.

Study 5: People participating in another CLA study group lost an average of 6 pounds in less than 2 months.

Study 6: CLA-fed mice showed an increase of 74% in energy expenditure from their diet, which means that less of the food they ate went into storage (fat) in their bodies.

Based on these and other studies, overweight people can generally expect to start losing weight by lowering body fat and increasing lean body mass within 45-60 days on 3000-4000 mg of CLA per day. It should be just that simple. In the form of a supplement, the cost for a month’s supply for that much CLA should be less than 20 dollars, and any local health food store or nutritional supplement supplier should carry multiple brands of it.

Choosing a Good Product

When looking for a good, cost-effective CLA product, avoid pricey products that contain added nutrients. From what I have seen, some products have additional ingredients that apparently have the purpose of boosting the price and not necessarily the nutritional benefits of the CLA supplement. If you are already supplementing with vitamins and minerals, you do not need more beta-carotene and vitamin E from a CLA product. And, unless you have good reason, you do not need to have capsaicin in your CLA product, either. All of these are included in some products, in addition to some real junk such as titanium dioxide, caramel color or other coloring, etc. You won’t avoid all such additives, so just look for products with the fewest extras for the best cost/benefit CLA product.

Cautions: Some people report feeling slightly nauseous or have gastrointestinal upset or loose stools after taking CLA supplements. These side effects typically go away when CLA is taken with food, especially high-protein food. (Let’s hear it for a good steak from a grass-fed cow!) Such symptoms occur for only about 2 weeks, until your digestive system gets used to the CLA burst that you give it in the rather large pills that most brands offer.

How About Side Effects?

We normally think of side effects as bad. However, research on CLA points to a number of additional health benefits, which can be thought of as bonus side effects. For example, a 6000 mg daily dose can improve insulin levels, which goes to the core of problems associated with overweight by undermining the onset of diabetes.

Research with rats also shows the activities of CLA in preventing the development of breast cancer. Human studies are needed to see whether this works in people the same way. CLA is also able to prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells. Again, we don’t yet know whether this cellular-level activity will hold true at the whole-person level until it is studied in humans.

Early research suggests that CLA works like certain anti-diabetic drugs, such as Avandia and Actos, to enhance insulin sensitivity and protect against cancer. So, all in all, I think the ongoing story about the benefits of CLA is just going to get better as research continues.