Growing After Your Cycle.

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Growing After Your Cycle.


Many steroid users would like us to think that if they grow so fast while medicated, it is not so much because of the drug but rather due to their innate ability to train. This is probably why they never dare to go off steroids. Is there really any usefulness in cycling anabolics? I doubt that any pro ever goes off! Why shouldn't up-and-coming amateurs and contenders for the pros do the same?

Is it useful to cycle steroids?
After a while, steroids lose part of their muscle building properties. You then face the following dilemma: either increase the dosage at the risk of suffering more and more side effects or simply stop the drug for some time. In that case, you may lose some if not all of your gains. This is due to the lack of anabolic substitutes or strategies able to reverse the wasting period associated with steroid discontinuance.

Such has been the situation until now. I will show you not only how to prevent this wasting phase but also how to grow while off steroids. Of course, this will be a quite unorthodox method but it is highly effective. Let's first review the classic strategies employed when off steroids.

Why does muscle mass shrink when steroids are discontinued?
Anabolic steroids accelerate the muscle protein turnover. They increase both anabolism and also catabolism. As the former is boosted more than the latter, your muscle mass increases. I know that we are constantly told that steroids are anti-catabolic. This is simply not the case. Nor do they block the cortisol receptors located inside our muscles. I wish they did so that everybody would be pleased but that's not how things work.

If you don't understand how steroids work, there is no way you can prevent the loss of mass when you go off them. Whenever our muscles are exposed to too much androgen, the number of testosterone receptors rapidly diminishes. On top of this, the receptors left lose some of their ability to trigger the anabolic process. You could say that the muscles become testosterone resistant as an analogy with the insulin resistance associated with the early phase of some diabetes.

By the same token, whenever our testes are exposed to too much androgens, their own production of testosterone lessens. So at the end of a cycle, your 'nads may have shrunk a little or a lot. This depends mostly on your age. The young bodybuilders being less likely to end up with a little peanut than the more mature weightlifters.

To sum up, at the end of your cycle your muscles are resistant to the building properties of androgens and you are not producing much testosterone to stimulate those receptors anyway. It's is an ideal situation for a rapid muscle shrinkage. This will not be due to an acceleration of catabolism but rather to a strong deceleration of the protein synthesis rate. As anabolism drops below the catabolic rate, the degraded muscle proteins will not be renewed, hence the loss of mass.

A further complication is that in many people (but not all) anabolics tend to reduce the cortisol elevation associated with training stress, the secretion of this wasting hormone may tend to increase. This will further depress the anabolic drive.

Should a minimal intake of steroids be maintained?
Pros and cons

In order to counteract this great wasting period, bodybuilders taper off their steroid use. It is rare that they stop cold turkey, especially after a serious cycle. The rationale is, maintain a reduced supply of androgens so that a) the muscles have a chance to recover some of their lost sensitivity to testosterone and b) the testicles can grow back a little. This may work to some extent but it mostly just postpones the wasting rather than preventing it. A possible strategy here can be to only partially discontinue steroids in order to artificially keep a high level of androgen in the blood. The issue of the lost muscle sensitivity is not addressed but at least you do not end up with a zero androgen level in your blood and all the problems inherent to this situation (loss of libido, depression, feminization, etc.).

This may seem an unusual way of stopping steroids but it is in fact very popular. It is why someone can tell you that he is completely off steroids when he is still using 3 to 5 d-ball a day plus one or two vials of testosterone a week. He is not lying to you when he says he is off as he truly believes it himself. It is just a matter of semantics here. This is the person's minimum (zero or off) dosage. I am not going to argue on this as it is a universal strategy which has proved its efficacy.

The main advantage is that it prevents the muscle shrinkage. In fact, you can keep on making progress while "off." It also protects from the wide endocrine fluctuations associated with a classical steroid cycling. The main disadvantage is you will not recover your muscle sensitivity to testosterone completely. More importantly, your endocrine system and especially your testes do not stand a chance of recovering homeostasis.

Which nutritional strategies should be adopted?
The first thing you have to figure out once you are off steroids is your nutritional strategy. You face several alternatives, namely:

Attempt to maintain the muscle mass even if it means adding some fat.
Trim the fat added during the steroid cycle even if some lean mass is sacrificed.
Add mass and shed fat if willing to utilize some innovative strategies.
Let's explore those strategies in detail.

Attempt to maintain the muscle mass even if it means adding some fat.
This is the most popular method. One tries to hold on as much as possible to the newly acquired mass until the next cycle. In that case, steroids are replaced by extra food in order to oppose the rapid loss of strength usually associated with steroid discontinuance. The food-induced water retention and the fat gains are the main mediators of this increase in muscle strength and will partially counter the lack of androgen-mediated brute strength. Of course, by overeating, you will be more able to delay the general fatigue that is often felt during the workout once steroids are stopped. On top of this, the extra food helps to accelerate the recovery in between workouts. This will again partially counter the lower recovery speed experienced when off steroids.

The main drawback of this strategy is it will not entirely stop the mass loss, and also one is likely to rapidly pack on fat. If you are too fat already, it is not a practical strategy. On the other hand, if you're lean and do not gain fat easily, then this is certainly the way to go.

Trim the fat added during the steroid cycle even, if some lean mass is sacrificed.
If you tend to gain fat with a relative ease during a cycle, this is the time to shed those extra pounds. Some people tend to lose fat while on steroids, while others tend to gain some even if they are careful about their diet. The rationale here is to say that if you diet while on steroids, you will severely impair their anabolic potency. Steroids are not the best means to ensure retention of muscle mass during a low calorie diet. In fact many people have an easier time getting defined while off steroids than when on. Since lean mass will be lost while off anyway, why not use this "clean" period to wash out your body a bit? Once steroids are resumed this extra definition will allow you to eat more which will potentiate the effects of anabolics.

The main drawback here is the risk of losing all the lean mass added during the previous cycle. So, do not go on a super-strict diet. Drugs such as clenbuterol will come handy at this point.

Add mass and shed fat if willing to utilize some innovative strategies.
Such an attractive alternative may seem incredible. The catch here is the willingness and the mental strength required to implement such a strategy. Though the most rewarding method, it is both uncomfortable and complicated. Five years ago, I would have said it was not possible to add mass while improving definition, especially right after a cycle. But thanks to newly utilized, powerful, non-steroid anabolic drugs it is totally possible. The cost is not an issue either as those drugs are pretty cheap, not involving peptides like GH or IGF-1. More on this later.

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What about HCG?

Many bodybuilders are attracted by HCG or gonadotropin. This hormone is supposed to stimulate the shrunken testes into growing back and recovering their normal rate of testosterone production. I would seriously encourage bodybuilders to avoid this drug. It is extracted from the urine of pregnant women. Even if we are told it has been purified, how would you feel learning in 20-30 years that there was this little something that scientists haven't uncovered until now and that is killing people? Until HCG is completely synthetic, I would be careful about it. Its usefulness is questionable anyway. If your cycle was very strong, you are likely to be relatively insensitive to HCG. If your cycle was mild, you should be able to go off without it. If in this situation, you feel a need for it, it means you've messed up somewhere. Additionally, HCG is a potent gyno builder, especially when estrogen level is high because of past testosterone consumption.

The role of anti-aromatase.
A much wiser but more expensive alternative is to use anti-aromatase at this point. Such drugs inhibit the transformation of testosterone into estrogens. Estrogens are among the hormones responsible for the reduction of the testosterone output by the testes. But you should not discount the fact that the main inhibitors of androgen secretions are the administered androgens themselves even if they do not aromatize. Blocking the estrogen production constitutes therefore only a partial answer. The main drawback of anti-aromatases is the prohibitive cost. We are forced to develop strategies to reduce it to the bare minimum without compromising the drug potency too much. The ideal would be to start using them a bit before a cycle and to continue during and after the cycle. Due to high cost, this is not practical.
Teslac (Testolactone) used to be a popular anti-aromatase. Studies have shown that it was able to rapidly and effectively boost testosterone output. Strangely enough, it never gave much muscle mass. Even the scientists were proud to say that it was not a virilizing drug. The problem was discovered recently. Some of the Teslac was confused with testosterone by the measuring apparatus. So it was in fact in great part a false testosterone elevation explaining the lack of effects (Cummings1998).
Cytadren or Orimeten (Aminoglutethimide) is the most popular anti-aromatase among bodybuilders because it is relatively cheap. The problem is, it is not super effective, nor is it devoid of side effects. The most common are skin rash and drowsiness. You may feel tired all day long. This is supposed to subside after a while but in many experiencing this side effect, it does not. If you want to go with Cytadren, start with a half tablet at night. If everything goes well, add another half after training (assuming you do not train at night). You should end up using 3 half tablets per 24 hours at regular intervals if possible. Cytadren is the cheapest anti-aromatase and can be used during and after a cycle if your budget permits it.

Femara (Letrozole) is a newly developed anti-aromatase. Due to its price, I suggest to start it toward the end of your cycle. Use it for 3 to 5 days at the recommended dose of 2.5 mg. Then use one every other or every 3 days at night. If it is still too expensive, try half a pill every other day. It means that with one box you can cover 4 months. If you can afford it, take half a pill a day.
What about Arimidex (Anastrozole)? I do not have much experience with it, so allow me not to talk about it.

What about Lentaron (Formestane)?
AVOID!

Are anti-DHT medications useful?
If you are on testosterone, anti-DHT Proscar ® can reduce the side effects of this hormone a little. As DHT contributes to testicular atrophy, Proscar while on steroids can be of some use. Do not expect too much though. You can start with one pill (5 mg) a day for 3 to 5 days, then you can take one every third day. I like it best at night for maximal effects on testosterone production. Proscar may also be wise for pro-hormone users.

Saw Palmetto: Recommended as an anti-DHT, saw Palmetto can weaken the potency of your steroid cycles. While off cycle, this plant extract will reduce the effects of what is left of your own testosterone. AVOID!

Pro-hormones: is it the right moment to use them?
A common belief among "unnatural" bodybuilders is that pro-hormones are only good whenever steroids are stopped. At first, it may seems like good advice, but as you think about it it may not be. Of course, using pro hormones while on steroids is a waste of money (unless you are taking very little drug). What about pro-hormones when off cycle? It will place you in the situation described above in which you keep a minimal intake of hormones even whenever you are supposed to be completely off. On the other hand, pro-hormones may be valuable during the tapering-off period especially if you are using an anti-aromatase and possibly a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor.

Anti-cortisol: not the right answer.
Many people assume that if they are wasting away when off cycle, it is because cortisol is free to perform its harmful work. This is the rationale behind the use of an anti-cortisol. If you could somehow tame cortisol effects, you would be able to keep your newly acquired mass despite the lack of androgen. In fact -- believe it or not -- impairing cortisol effects will not do much good when off steroids. As I said above, cortisol has only a minor role in this wasting process.

Insulin: beware of the potential fat gains.
We are often told that insulin is a very powerful anabolic hormone. Is it so effective that it can replace steroids? No -- but if you want to hold on your muscle gains even at the risk of gaining fat, it may help. For those who fear injecting insulin, there are oral alternatives which are safer and may be more effective if you are new to anti-diabetic drugs. Capsules of sulfonylureas such as Glipizide (2.5 mg) taken with the morning and the post workout meals can increase both insulin and GH secretions at those key moments. Just make sure you ingest enough carbs during the following hour. You will feel that this drug increases your appetite, so just feed you body with carbs plus fast proteins like whey. Injections of insulin are more tricky. You can use a slow one before breakfast and a fast one before your post workout meal. Start with a ridiculously low dosage like 5 IU and slowly work your way up.

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GH: an expensive weak anabolic.
Using GH would be very nice to counter the potential fat gains due to insulin while optimizing the muscle building process. Unfortunately, it is not cost effective. On top of this, GH works best when androgens are abundantly available, which is not the case in the situation we are considering.

IGF-1: probably too tricky to use optimally.
IGF-1 could favorably replace both insulin and GH. Its price goes down rapidly especially if you are willing to sacrifice some purity to get a better price (i.e: animal grade). Like most vendors, there are some annual sales each year which gives you an even better price. The main trouble with IGF-1 is that it is very tricky to use due to its rapid degradation once in the blood. Furthermore, it works better with both insulin and especially GH making it an expensive stack. So I do not recommend it.

Ephedrine is welcome if not already overused.
Using ephedrine plus caffeine can be a simple but very effective alternative when off cycle. It will replace the missing drive due to a shortage of androgen during your workout. It is especially good in case you have decided to shed the excess fat accumulated during your steroid cycle. The main drawback is that the use of ephedrine while on steroids has many advantages, so you may already be on it. In that case you will not fully benefit from it as you have already built up a tolerance.

Clenbuterol: do not expect too much out of it.
Clenbuterol was promoted has a wonderful anabolic drug. In fact, it was thought to be the right stuff while off steroids to continue to pack on mass while shedding fat. Unfortunately, it turns out to be too much expectation for this beta adrenergic agonist. Clenbuterol is valuable anyway, but do not expect miracles in terms of muscle mass. If you desire to get rid of some extra fat, Clen can help you to optimize the effects of your diet while allowing you to train harder and heavier. If you feel that Clen is hampering your workout, it means you are taking too much before training. In this case, divide your intake into two equal parts, one intake being used after training as far apart from the first intake as possible (as long as it does not prevent you from sleeping!). Clen can also replace the GH while on insulin or on insulin boosters such as sulfonylureas in order to counter the fat gains and the potential hypoglycemia. If Clen is not available, ephedrine plus caffeine can replace it.
Thyroid hormones: be careful about the potential lean mass losses.
The last drug I would like to mention today are thyroid hormones. As opposed to what used to be said, thyroid medications will not help you pack on muscle mass. If anything, they will make you shrink. Their main effects are to help you lose fat, but as with Clen they can be used to counter the fat promoting actions of insulin. Insulin plus thyroid is a nice stack in that insulin can counter the catabolic effects of thyroids. We are also told to use Clen or ephedrine along with thyroid hormones. I do not share this view. Clen or ephedrine are natural stimulators of the thyroid gland, forcing it to produce more hormones, not less as frequently believed. On the other hand, thyroid medications can be used when off Clen or ephedrine in order to reinforce the fat burning effects of a diet.

To conclude, many alternatives to steroids are available when off cycle. Unfortunately, none is truly affordable and effective for muscle retention. As far as fat loss drugs are concerned, several effective ones are available but they will not do much good for our muscle size. Up to now, anyway. Next month, I will tell you more about drugs which can not only prevent the losses associated with steroid discontinuance but will also build muscle mass despite the shortage of androgen. They will also play some nasty tricks on your fat mass which will shrink as you get bigger.



Whenever steroids are discontinued, the muscles tend to shrink. It can be discouraging to see gains in strength and size, won at such a cost, dwindle away. Cycle after cycle, only a fraction of all your gains will be added while the side effects and the risks to your health continue to multiply. It is time we put an end to this vicious cycle.

Why do muscles shrink after a cycle?
Last month, we saw that when steroids are stopped, your natural testosterone level is likely to be lower than normal while your muscles are less responsive to the anabolic effects of androgens. As a result, muscle protein synthesis rate will be depressed. Since muscles are subjected to a constant basal protein degradation, anabolism will be lower than catabolism. Training can actually make this worse by increasing the degradation rate. The result will be a non-renewal of the muscle's contractile proteins. In simple terms, muscle mass will slowly shrink.

Is fighting catabolism the answer?
If muscle protein synthesis rate is depressed, one way to hold on its mass is to attempt to reduce the rate of degradation so that it is equal to or lower than anabolism. This is not an ideal solution, but we have to use all the tools available while we are waiting for a rebound of anabolism. So our task is to attack the main proteolytic (protein-destroying) pathways.

How does muscle breakdown occur?
The most up-to-date theory concerning muscle breakdown involves two distinct steps. First, calcium-dependent proteases called calpains are upregulated by the calcium leaks induced by training. Each of our muscle cells hold on calcium in small pockets called sarcoplasmic reticulum. It is the rapid entry and exit of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum which induces muscle contractions. Repeated contractions induce an impairment of this highly regulated calcium movement. Calcium accumulates inside the cell rather than in its sarcoplasmic reticulum reserve. The first consequence of this loss of homeostasis is the reduction of strength experienced as sets accumulate. The second long term consequence is the upregulation of the activity of calpain. Calpain in turn cuts out large chunks of myofibrils that are called easily releasable myofilaments. This is for the first act.

Second act: Those large pieces of muscle cells will then be attacked by another proteolytic mechanism called the ATP-dependent ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Ubiquitin is only a marker which detects abnormal, denatured or damaged muscle proteins such as the easily releasable filaments. Then, the proteasome is attracted by these marked proteins because of their association with ubiquitin. Once attacked by the proteasome, a damaged protein is digested into single amino acids ready to be recycled as raw materials for muscle rebuilding or more likely as waste products such as urea. Needless to say, an intense workout rapidly increases the activities of both ubiquitin and the proteasomes.

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I cannot stress enough the necessity of the large cuts to the myofibers for the ubiquitin and proteasome to act. If we can reduce the actions of the calpains, we can prevent the proteasome from acting. If the cleaving of muscle fiber doesn't take place, myofibers will be very resistant to the catabolic actions of the proteasome. On the other hand, a small break up of the contractile apparatus will markedly increase the likelihood of degradation by the proteasome. We should nonetheless also attempt to tame the activity of the proteasome. In this way we have two possible ways of acting to prevent catabolism. We'll combine them for maximum effect.

Dantrolene: The weapon against calpains.
We should first attempt to impair the normal functioning of muscle calpains. As calpains are activated by excessive calcium leaks, let's limit this leakage. Dantrolene is an oral drug which belongs to a class of medication called calcium channel blockers [1]. Dantrolene is the most muscle specific member of this class. This is why it is so popular among athletes. It is commonly used as a muscle relaxant. As intracellular calcium release is responsible for muscle contractions, inhibition of this release induces a relaxation of the muscles. This reduces the muscle's need for ATP, which allows a faster recovery of the training-induced diminution of the ATP "stores." By inhibiting the calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, Dantrolene will impair the normal activation of the calpains by training.

Dantrolene has two major flaws. First, it acts on every muscle and not only specifically on the trained muscles as we would wish for optimal effects. Second, as a muscle relaxant, it will reduce muscle strength if you are not extra careful about the intake timing and dosage. What you want is for Dantrolene to produce its magic right after but not during the workout. If your training lasts less than one hour, you can take Dantrolene before your workout. This way, the drug will kick in at the right time. If you train for more than an hour, it is best to take Drantrolene in the middle of your workout. Start with the 25 mg tablets and build up SLOWLY to the 200 to 300 mg per day. It is ideal if you work out at night as Dantrolene will help you to sleep (it is a relaxant). If you have to drive or to perform something which requires attention while you are supposed to be under the influence of this drug, please do not take it. However most people work out in the evening, so it should not be a problem. If you have to drive home after your workout, take Drantrolene right after your workout so that it kicks in while you are home ready to go to bed.


The Ubiquitin-Proteasome Inhibitors: The new kids on the block.
Now that we have impaired the "normal" activity of the calpains, let's act on ubiquitin. So far, the availability of the ATP-dependent ubiquitin-proteasome inhibitors is at best very limited. I am sure it will make you feel much better to learn that newer and more potent inhibitors will be available soon. But what can we do for now on? The most effective so far is a drug called Torbafylline [2]. Another good one is called Amrinone. Both are likely to be hard to get so I suggest a third one which is easier to obtain named Pentoxifylline. Though less potent than Torbafylline, Pentoxifylline will still reduce muscle protein catabolism through an impairment of the proteasome activity.

Some studies have shown that Pentoxifylline and Amrinone prevent the depression of anabolism in skeletal muscles during illness [3]. I would not count too much on this effect in the post-steroid period.

Pentoxifylline can be used in several forms. Injectable versions do exist but they are generally used as infusion. This form contains lots of water and little active ingredient, making it impractical to use. The oral versions exist in both normal and timed release forms. The latter is preferable. At 400 mg per tablet, you will need at the very least 4 to 6 per day. Although I have yet to see a side effect due to Pentoxifylline, start with only one tablet a day and build up from there.


Insulin and the proteasome.
The anti-catabolic actions of insulin are well known. Insulin acts in part by altering the normal activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We now start to uncover a sketch of a potent anti-catabolic stack as insulin will reinforce the favorable effects of Pentoxifylline.

Amrinone and fat loss.
Amrinone is not only a wonderful drug for muscles, it is also a magical molecule for fat loss. It is a specific phosphodiesterase III inhibitor. It is this very specific phosphodiesterase that insulin activates in adipose tissue to prevent fat loss. This means that by using Amrinone, you can lose bodyfat even while on insulin. Stacking Amrinone along with insulin allows you to decrease the catabolic activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway while reducing the likelihood of gaining fat.

Clenbuterol and catabolism.
Several researchers have theorized that Clenbuterol induces muscle growth in animals by reducing protein degradation. In fact, one study demonstrated that Clen was able to reduce the expression of ubiquitin [4]. However a newer study shows that Clen was unfortunately also able to increase the activity of the proteasome. Those two mixed effects are likely to more or less cancel each other. By the same token, Clen was hypothesized to reduce the activity of calpains. I doubt this is true in humans as high doses of Clen increase soreness rather than reduce it, as it would be expected with a moderation of the activity of calpains. New studies support my observations as Clen was shown to increase the basal intracellular calcium leaks explaining why it can provoke muscle soreness at proper dosage with no training at all. As a result, I strongly encourage Clenbuterol users to stack it along with Dantrolene, Amrinone/Pentoxifylline and insulin for maximal effects on muscle mass.

Is there an effective and cheap alternative to boost anabolism?
Now that we have played on catabolic side of the muscle protein turnover, let's jumpstart anabolism. One of the most potent anabolic drugs is also the most neglected and the most despised. Steroids have been around for so many years that bodybuilders do not realize that they are in fact only minor anabolic drugs for muscles. Many other growth factors produced by the muscles themselves are far more potent.

Prostaglandins!
Among the most potent growth factors produced locally in the muscles are the prostaglandins. These quasi-hormones use fats as their raw materials. Several classes of prostaglandins exist. We will mainly focus on the most potent one, namely the prostaglandin F2 alpha or PGF2 for short.

If you apply PGF2 to a muscle cell, you are going to trigger a very strong anabolic response. PGF2 has been used by veterinarians for years not only to get animals pregnant but also to make them grow. A few daredevils figured out that if it was making animals more muscular, it would make bodybuilders bigger too. This was a big leap of faith as many drugs produce wonderful effects in animals only to fail miserably in bodybuilders. Clenbuterol is a good example of this: ultra potent in animals, deceptive in humans. Amazingly enough, this time it worked wonders.

WARNING:
What I am going to reveal is true for men ONLY. Women will not get any benefit from what I will describe below. Further, no women should EVER touch this drug which will induce a very severe pain in their ovaries. As men do not have ovaries, this is something that will not happen to them.

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PGF2 and anabolism.
Many studies have demonstrated an anabolic effect of PGF2 in skeletal muscles of both humans and animals. Paradoxically, PGF2 usage is still reserved to a bodybuilding elite and no one is willing to divulge the precious secret edge. One of the most remarkable effects of PGF2 is that it mediates the major part of the anabolic effects of insulin. By using PGF2, you can use far less insulin and get a far stronger muscle building effect.

PGF2 and weak bodyparts.

The cardinal rule of PGF2 is to inject as far away as possible from the intestine. You see, PGF2 induces a very strong contraction of the intestine and the bladder (both smooth muscles). The major candidate as a site of injection was the front shoulders. But by repeating injections in the shoulders, bodybuilders soon ended up with grossly overdeveloped front delts. They looked like walking monkeys. The rest of their body was growing too, but not as fast as the muscles closest to the sites of injections.

What this means is that if you want to develop a weak muscle, just inject PGF2 locally and watch the muscle grow. We are talking about a real muscle growth and not an artificial swelling like Synthol or Esiclene would induce. Calves are a muscle of choice. In fact, even if your calves failed to grow no matter how much steroid and training you administered, PGF2 will solve your problem. After a single cycle of PGF2, unresponsive calves start to respond to both training and steroids even if they never did before.

The localized growth induced by PGF2 may appear magical, but there is a simple explanation. The life cycle of the injected PGF2 is terribly short (minutes). Most of it will be destroyed in your lungs. If you hit your right calf for example, this muscle will be exposed to a maximal concentration of PGF2. As the prostaglandin rapidly leaks out of the calf and passes into the blood, it will quickly reach the lungs where most of it will be destroyed. What is left of the PGF2 will be dispatched evenly though your whole body. It means that the other muscles will be exposed to far less of the anabolic effects of PGF2. So unless you want to make a weak point grow, you should rotate the sites of injections frequently which as we will see is not a problem.

PGF2 is not to be confused with steroids.
You've probably realized by now that PGF2 produces growth in a radically different way from steroids -- although I do not exclude that part of the anabolic actions of androgens are mediated by a local release of PGF2. The way PGF2 should be used is therefore radically different from that of androgens. Steroid use is rather comfortable. You inject or swallow them once in a while and wait for the growth to occur. This is not the case with PGF2. Their main drawback is precisely their difficulty of administration. Steroids once injected survive several days in your body. PGF2 will last only several minutes though their stimulatory actions on anabolism will be far longer lasting (hours). It means that frequent injections are compulsory. Ideally this would be five times per day, 30 minutes after meals.

You will also notice that once you have injected PGF2, the muscle which received it gets sore almost immediately. If the muscle was already sore from training, that painful sensation may become very intense. You definitely do not want to repeat injections at the very same location, hence the necessity for rotation. By the same token, you will notice that you cannot inject in a muscle and then train this muscle. PGF2 is algesic (a pain mediator). Therefore, the timing of injections is key. You should wait for at least 2 to 3 days after you have trained a muscle to inject it. Then you will have to wait for 24 hours before training this muscle. If your muscle is already sore, I advise against using it as a site of injection as long as it hurts.

You will also learn that it is more comfortable to hit the outer part of the muscle than the inner part. For example, it is less painful to hit the outer head of the triceps than the inner head that touches your lats. Some bodyparts such as the biceps, the back, etc. are especially sensitive to the pain sensation PGF2 will induce.

What about fat: PGF2 vs DNP?
We are told that DNP is the strongest thermogenic (temperature elevating) drug available. I dispute this statement. Inject PGF2, wait for ten minutes and you will sweat profusely. In fact, your body temperature will rise so much that you may feel very cold while a witness will get scared as you feel so hot. By elevating your body temperature, PGF2 will burn up your fat at an accelerated rate. Furthermore, unlike muscle cells, fat cells do not like to be exposed to PGF2. As a result, they die. Mark this well: unlike a classical diet which makes each fat cell shrink, PGF2 kills fat cells. With PGF2, you can say goodbye to your excess adipose tissue.

What about stacking steroids with PGF2?
If PGF2 is so powerful, why not stack it along with steroids for maximal effect? It looks like a neat idea until you try. PGF2 potentiates the effects of androgens on muscles most likely by increasing androgen receptor level. Steroids also increase the effects of PGF2 probably by increasing the density of muscle PGF2 receptors. You will end up with a combination that is too powerful.

Within two or three days on PGF2, you will notice that your muscles get very tight. You cannot find harder muscles than muscles from a PGF2 user. It looks and feels great until you try to train. Within three to four reps even with an empty bar, your muscles will get so pumped that you will not be able to move. In fact, your training poundage are likely to drop severely. I have witnessed someone going from 3 reps at 500 pounds in the incline bench press, to failing at 6 reps at 130 after a week of (serious) PGF2 administration plus steroids. Do not worry though, your muscles will grow and you will be able to resume heavy training once PGF2 is stopped. This pumping effect is too exaggerated if you take steroids along with PGF2. So it is best to use the prostaglandins to grow when you're off the steroids.

Is PGF2 safe?
The answer is clearly no, but neither is the use of steroids, insulin, clenbuterol, etc. By the way, PGF2 is absolutely invisible at any drug test. What kind of side effects to expect? The first ones -- if we except the elevation of temperature -- are that it will empty your guts of whatever they contain. So make sure you have unrestricted use of a bathroom. This is going to last around 20 minutes. What you do not want is to inject PGF2 into a vein! Learn to do the aspiration test. PGF2 is to be injected intramuscularly with an insulin needle if you are lean enough. This is going to hurt like hell and for a very long time (up to an hour) if you inject into a vein. You also may feel as if you had some kind of cold in your throat. It is due to the vasoconstricting effect PGF2 has in your lungs. Vomiting is a reported side effect but I have never heard of it in men.

Dosages.
You should start with a pretty low dosage (a half milligram) and see what happens. From there, build up VERY slowly. Then, the sky is the limit. You can inject what is normally needed for several cows and survive but believe me, you do not want to go through this. Do not forget to keep the vials refrigerated. If you are new to PGF2, for simplicity choose the natural form and not an analog. PGF2 analogs have several advantages over straight PGF2 in that they have a longer half life and less side effects, but some of them have no anabolic properties while others are more potent than straight PGF2. Do not take a chance on that.

To sum up, I would like to paraphrase what Dan Duchaine has said about steroid users...
PGF2 users: Healthy, who knows? Big and lean, yes!

[F.I.S.T. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close F.I.S.T.]

Read the yrs ago and although I don't agree with some of it,at east from my own personal experiences,its a great read none the less.