The First Whey Protein Isolate to Make you Lose Bodyfat

Let me just cut straight to it. I have created the perfect supplement. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give it a 20. Why you ask? Most likely, if you are reading this, you want to be or if you are already you want to be more ripped, have six pack, have striations in their triceps, look vascular, have a nicer ass, lean mid-section etc, etc. What does it take?

Let me just cut straight to it. I have created the perfect supplement. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give it a 20. Why you ask? Most likely, if you are reading this, you want to be or if you are already you want to be more ripped, have six pack, have striations in their triceps, look vascular, have a nicer ass, lean mid-section etc, etc. What does it take? Plain and simple MORE MUSCLE and LOW BODYFAT. How do you get more muscle and lower your bodyfat? You train with free weights and you eat just enough calories to trigger fat loss, but at the same time keep or even gain muscle mass. This is very, very, difficult to do. If it was easy you would see a lot more people with six packs and a lot more women running around with hot bodies. Thus, various muscle building and weight loss products are available to help you achieve this “LEAN” physique. But these products have been either made to make you gain weight and/or muscle or attempt to make you lose bodyfat. No products have been developed to do both. No products have been made to be both a muscle building product and a body fat reduction supplement combined. Well, now available from Proteinfactory.com is that supplement. A product “Lean” maker of the sorts. The product is the most advanced supplement of its kind and it’s now available to you.

Ever since whey protein has hit the market it has been the #1 choice for anyone wishing to improve their physique. Whey protein is simple to use and is excellent for adding lean muscle mass. Whey protein mixes easily and tastes great and it is the best protein powder for increasing lean muscle mass and to increase overall protein intake. But like all protein powders it does have one flaw. One flaw, you may ask? “I thought whey protein was the perfect protein”. Yes you heard what I said, whey protein powder does have one easily understandable flaw. Let me explain.

All protein powders contain calories. For every gram of protein you consume you are getting 4 calories. Thus if you take 3, 30 grams protein shakes a day you are getting an extra 360 calories, plus the other extra calories from the liquid you used. Now I know what you’re thinking now, so what, what is an extra 360 calories. Well for the muscle head it is not a problem, but for the person that wants to lose bodyfat and get lean it is a big problem. Ever since protein powders came out, companies have been trying to figure out ways for them to help you lose weight. The most common is the Meal Replacement Powders. These are probably the worst thing that you can use. Not only do they contain low quality protein powders, but they contain maltodextrin, a high glycemic carbohydrate that will put on fat like a Krispy Kreme donut does. Then the supplement companies tried to make their whey proteins with 0 carbs, thinking that an extra 2 or 4 grams of carbs will have a HUGE impact on your weight loss goals, which is obviously not true, carbohydrates contain the same amount of calories as protein. You see, every fitness guru, weight loss expert, personal trainer, supplement company owner, info marketing ab machine person knows that the ONLY way to lose bodyfat is to consume LESS calories. PERIOD!!!!. That is it, you must take in less calories than you use throughout the day to lose bodyfat. Thus the weight loss companies have pumped into your mind that by drinking protein shakes 2 or 3 times a day you will lose bodyfat. Well this is the “flaw” that I am talking about.

The “flaw” with whey protein or for that matter any weight loss powder drink is that when you use these products you STILL taking in calories. And those calories add up. So if you are trying to lose bodyfat you’re “paddling up a stream”. You think you are doing good while consuming protein shakes and MRP’s but when all along you are just replacing your regular food with powdered food. The calories are still the same. Most people cannot consume the little calories it takes to lose bodyfat. And why most people that use whey protein and MRP’s for weight loss FAIL miserably. Well, I have to tell you that I have solved this problem with protein powders.

As previously mentioned, you need to consume less calories than you use throughout the day to lose bodyfat. Not only that, but the calories you consume must be healthy foods like lean meats and low glycemic carbohydrates. Unless you are a complete moron, everyone knows how to eat healthy. After being in the supplement business for almost 10 years I rarely come across a person that does not know how to eat healthy. Protein is the most important macronutrient if you want to lose bodyfat. Protein will increase your muscle mass, increase your metabolism and help you lose the bodyfat. You must have PROTEIN in your diet if you want to lose bodyfat in a healthy manner. So what do people do to get the protein they need? They buy whey protein powder. And thus this is the mistake I am talking about. The weight loss wanna-be does right by making sure he is getting enough protein in his/her diet, but fails because it adds the calories which crushes their weight loss goals.

About 1 year ago I started to research whey protein and its relationship to weight loss and body fat composition. I discovered that by creating a whey protein that was specifically manufactured in a manner that would actually aid in weight loss it would create a new category for weight loss powders. The technology behind the manufacturing of whey protein is advancing quickly. We now have the capability to manipulate the whey protein in such a way where we can create a protein, that is “specific” to achieve a certain goal. And in this case the goal is weight loss. Well, I am here to tell you that it is now available. Yes, it is the first whey protein whose composition was altered scientifically to aid in weight loss. Now at this point you might be thinking, “if it sounds to good to be true it probably is”. Hey, I would too, but guess what. Before I decided to launch this product it was clinically tested. And guess what again, IT WORKED!!! Not only that but dramatically the volunteers taking my weight loss whey mostly loss weight in the “trunk” region, which is your ass and your stomach, awesome I know!!! More good news is that the volunteers ranged from all ages and shapes.

THIS ISNT YOUR AVERAGE JOE, RUN OF THE MILL WHEY.

Wanna know how it works? Let me explain. This new advanced form of whey protein works 3 ways: 1- Satiety, 2- controlling fat deposition and 3- acceleration of fat breakdown. With the use of high tech manufacturing techniques, we are able to create a “specific goal oriented whey protein” by accelerating certain components of the whey protein itself, truly remarkable. Hence, this is what we did.

SATIETY

Whey Light contains a high level of the protein peptide GMP (glycomacropeptide).

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a peptide that is released from intestinal cells into the blood stream following the consumption of food. CCK interacts with the stomach to slow gastric emptying and help maintain a feeling of satiety. CCK also binds to brain cell receptors indicating to the brain that the body is in a state of satiety. In humans, CCK levels in the blood normally reach a peak within 20 minutes following a meal and return to baseline within one hour (Portman, 2001). GMP stimulates secretion of CCK. Human clinical work done on a small number of volunteers (6) showed that GMP increased blood levels of CCK up to 270% within 20 minutes after consumption (Yvon, et al., 1994). This work verifies that GMP or fragment 106-169 of k-casein stimulates CCK release and thereby slows gastric emptying and creates a feeling of satiety.

CONTROLLING FAT DEPOSITION:

A special hydrolysate in Whey Light limits the production of angiotensin II

Fat deposition occurs in fat cells, adipocytes, in the human body. The regulation of Fat deposition in adipocytes has been a topic of much research with numerous studies showing that adipocytes produce a variety of proteins and hormones that help control Fat deposition (Jones, et al., 1997). Among the hormones synthesized by adipocytes is the vasoactive compound, angiotensin II. Jones et al. (1997) have shown that angiotensin II increase Fat deposition in human fat cells. They found that angiotensin II has direct feedback to the fat cell by binding to specific synthase and glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase that are involved in Fat deposition. As a result of higher levels of these two enzymes, adipocytes become larger by synthesizing and depositing more triglyceride material in the cell.

Angiotensin II is formed by angiotensin converting enzyme, therefore enzyme inhibitors effective in limiting production of angiotensin II in patients can reduce Fat deposition by limiting the production of angiotensin II. A special hydrolysate produced with activity against the production of angiotensin II is a component in Whey Light.

ACCELERATING FAT BREAKDOWN

Whey Light contains levels of minerals which accelerate fat breakdown

The third component of Whey Lightt, is minerals which include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.

Research has shown the mechanism of how dietary calcium, like the kind found in Whey Light, impacts fat deposition and breakdown in the fat cell (adipocyte). They have found that when dietary calcium is low, the body responds by increasing uptake of calcium into the adipocyte, resulting in high intracellular calcium. High intracellular calcium that occurs during low dietary calcium intake causes the adipocyte to increase expression of enzymes responsible for fat lipogenesis and it also inhibits fat breakdown (lypolysis). Thus, when people are on low calcium/dairy diets, they get fatter. Whey dietary calcium is high, the movement of calcium into the adipocyte decreases dramatically resulting in low intracellular calcium. Low calcium in the adipocyte causes accelerated lypolysis and significantly reduces lipogenesis resulting in weight loss.

Research has been recently completed with similar experiments in humans. Results of a clinical trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition are reported to show that increasing dietary calcium speeds up weight loss and fat loss. Weight loss was enhanced when the calcium was derived from low-fat milk products compared to an equivalent amount of supplemental calcium.

The 24-week study divided people into three groups. The control group took low-calcium products, a second group was given high levels of calcium in the form of calcium carbonate, and the third group was given high levels of calcium in the form of dairy products (three to four servings of low-fat milk products).

All groups were given a low-calorie diet. The control group lost 6.4% of their body weight. By comparison, the calcium carbonate group lost 8.1% of body weight, and the dairy group lost 10.9% of body weight. Relatively speaking, this means the dairy group lost 70% more weight than the control group.

As an added bonus, calcium taken in the form of dairy products has recently been linked to weight loss. Davies et al. (2000) reanalyzed five studies that had been done with a skeletal endpoint to see if there was any correlation between calcium intake and body weight. They found significant negative correlations between calcium intake and body weight for three different age groups. They estimated that a 1000 mg/day difference in calcium intake corresponded to an 8 kg reduction in weight. They showed that when dietary calcium to protein ration was higher than 15 mg Ca/g protein in 348 women in their 30’s, BMI did not exceed 27.

That calcium and dairy product consumption helps control weight at various ages of life was also shown in work done by Carruth and Skinner (2001). They found that children from 2-96 months old exhibited a negative correlation between body weight and calcium/dairy product intake. Supporting work (Lin, et al. 2000) showed that young women (age 18-31), regardless of exercise status, also exhibited a negative correlation between calcium intake and body weight.

No stimulants, no ephedra, no crazy herbs or botanicals. Completely 100% safe and natural. A whey protein compositionally altered into a weight loss product.

A little more info…..

The Name.

If you don’t know me by now, my name is Alex Rogers, owner of Proteinfactory.com. I am a down to earth guy, who doesn’t like bullshit, and scientific jargon and fancy labeling to sell product. Thus I decided to call the new weight loss protein “Whey Light”. Basic I know, but I am not trying to sell you a weight loss drug or a product made to sound like it was manufactured by a military underground lab.

A different Product

Whey Light is going to be sold in containers ONLY!!!. I know a shocker, but this is the only way that I want it sold. Why? Because #1 it’s a supplement and not common whey protein isolate or concentrate. You take it like a supplement 1 or 2 servings a day, unlike common whey protein where you can take 12 servings a day. The effects of the “Whey Lightt” are a result of just 1 serving a day.

MicroLactin and the Effect on Recovery After Exercise

Eighteen highly trained, non seasonal, distanced runners, male and female who consistently had been running for 3 or more years were recruited to participate in a double-blind placebo controlled experiment. The experiment was set up to show the benefits of supplementing with MicroLactin vs a commercially obtained (placebo) milk powder as an ergogenic aid to performance enhancement in non-seasonal, highly trained runners The Experiment:

Eighteen highly trained, non seasonal, distanced runners, male and female who consistently had been running for 3 or more years were recruited to participate in a double-blind placebo controlled experiment. The experiment was set up to show the benefits of supplementing with MicroLactin vs a commercially obtained (placebo) milk powder as an ergogenic aid to performance enhancement in non-seasonal, highly trained runners. The study was conducted on a double blind basis with neither the runners nor the investigator having knowledge of which milk was being taken. Data analysis was likewise conducted on a double blind basis using codes D and E, but without knowledge which contained the MicroLactin and which was placebo.

Study Design:

The controlled study was to last 29 weeks and was to consist of a pretreatment period of 4 weeks during which time all subjects took placebo milk. After a 4 week baseline period, all runners consumed 45 g of placebo nonfat dry milk in water twice daily, runners were then randomized into a MicroLactin milk and a control group, on a double blind basis, and followed for a period of 6 months.

Demographics:

Among them, 10 patients were in the treatment group and 8 in the control group. The mean age was 38 with ages ranging from 28-49.

Running History:

Patients who were randomized to complete the study had an average of 16 years running experience. The distribution between sexes was similar: males 16 years, females 14 years. The average number of miles runners trained per week was 35 miles for females and 32 miles for males.

Performance Criteria:

During the study, 5 out of 10 who consumed MicroLactin had an improvement in their 5k time trail from their baseline run, compared to 2 out of 8 with the non-immune milk. Of the runners who did not improve, 4 taking MicroLactin and 2 drinking non-immune milk ran in cold and windy inclement weather. The most noteworthy finding from these comparisons is the marked reduction in recovery time between training sessions.

Serum Enzymes, rate of return to baseline after exercise: Group averages for serum enzymes CK, LDH, and AP, determined before and at intervals after 5 kilometer time trials are presented in the table below. Serum enzyme return to baseline was markedly faster in the MicroLactin runners compared to placebo controls with regard to CK and LDH. AP was not found to be a very sensitive indicator of exercise or recovery. Creatine kinase (CK) perhaps the most sensitive indicator of muscle damage and recovery, showed a particularly striking response. This can also be shown in the chart below.

Regression analysis of CK recovery rates over time revealed a highly significant (p=0.0034) decrease in recovery time over the 6 month treatment period in the MicroLactin group but no change in the controls.

Significantly improved enzyme recovery rates together with marked improvement in runner perceived recovery times represents strong evidence of anti-inflammatory or tissue sparing effects in well trained athletes under the conditions of the study.

Percentage of Body Fat:

A decrease in body fat was detected in the MicroLactin group during the study. The difference between the MicroLactin and control group was most apparent at 12 weeks. Please see the chart below. Furthermore, the finding that body weight increased slightly while % fat decreased, implies the runners gained muscle mass, not fat during the experimental period.

Overall Results:

The following apparent benefits were detected in the runners consuming MicroLactin:

• Highly significant runner perceived improvement in training
• Improved 5 kilometer race times
• Faster recovery time between training sessions
• Significantly shortened creatine kinase (CK) recovery times
• Slight but significant decrease in % of body fat despite a slight increase of body weight.

At the end of the study, 7 out of 10 runners (70%) who had taken MicroLactin reported overall improvement vs. 2 of 8 with the placebo control milk.

Discussion from Study Director:

Whether an individual is a weekend athlete or an athlete striving for an Olympic gold medal, he/she sets certain performance goals. In order to achieve these goals individuals have tried various ergogenic aids both legal, such as new diets, training techniques, or state of the art equipment and illegal, such an anabolic steroids or blood doping. These athletes hope to find an aid that will give them an “edge” to excel in their sport.

No matter what technique athletes use for performance enhancement, they are unlikely to improve if training is not consistent. When athletes must take time away from training due to muscle soreness, fatigue, or injury, their performance improvement is hindered. It has been proven that after vigorous or unaccustomed exercise, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) will occur between 8-24 hours after exercise and may persist for 3 or more days. Even though DOMS is not a serious condition it may discourage beginning athletes from further participation in sports and lead to injury in trained athletes if they engage in heavy exercise during this time of soreness. It has been recognized that elevated plasma levels of intra muscular enzymes such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) correlate with increased muscle soreness and muscle injury. During the present study the runners were asked to run a 5k time trial at maximal effort in order to elevate serum enzymes and produce muscle soreness. Runners drinking MicroLactin had decreased CK recovery after intense exercise compared to runners drinking the non-immune control milk. Since increased CK levels correlate with increased muscle damage, one can assume that subjects drinking the MicroLactin had less muscular damage after strenuous exercise than subjects drinking non-MicroLactin milk.

Along with measuring serum enzymes, the runners were asked monthly to evaluate athletic performance with regard to length of recovery after a hard workout. Runners on MicroLactin had shorter recovery periods than the runners on the non-immune control milk. With quicker recovery, an athlete can train more consistently at a higher intensity resulting in performance enhancement. This improvement was seen during the study, as reflected in the runners’ 5k time trail. During the study, 5 out of 10 athletes who drank MicroLactin had an improvement in their 5k time trial from their baseline run, compared to 2 out of 8 athletes who drank non-immune milk. Of the runners who did not improve their 5k time trial, 4 of the runners drinking MicroLactin and 2 of the runners drinking non-immune milk ran in cold and windy inclement weather.

The most significant finding was the runners overall perceived improvement. This information was obtained from a monthly performance questionnaire, runner’s diaries (filled out daily), visual analog scale, and a final question which read: “Did you notice any change in performance during the study?” 70% of the runners on MicroLactin noticed a change compared to 25% percent on the non-immune milk.

Throughout the study, percent in body fat was measured. The subjects on MicroLactin showed a decrease in percent of body fat from baseline compared to subjects on non-immune milk. It is generally felt that a low body fat is desirable for successful competition in almost any sport. A strong inverse correlation is seen between percent body fat and performance in those activities in which body mass must be moved through space, either vertically, as in jumping or horizontally, as in running.

These results support the hypothesis that MicroLactin consumed at 45 g twice a day will enhance a runners performance. Even though this study was designed using highly trained, non-seasonal runners, MicroLactin milk might be expected to enhance performance in less dedicated athletes in a variety of sports. Further research would be appropriate with MicroLactin dispensed as a dietary supplement to various kinds of athletes, particularly the weekend athletes, who have high beginner exercise program drop out rates due to severe soreness or injury.

Alex's Weight Loss Stacks

Being that it is January, and everybody I’m sure has the same goal for the New Year- Get back into shape…I have come up with a few weight loss stacks that you can use. They are based on two things; the notion of increasing overall health that alerts the body into a condition of anabolism and anti-catabolism and customer feedback and personal experience.

If you are not eating healthy your chances of losing muscle mass while restricting calories is amplified. If you are not making the gain you want, stop wasting your money on, overly-hyped muscle building supplement, and start giving your body the nutrients and fuel your needs.

Stack #1 for getting ripped

Protein. Use the PF Fast Loss or Advanced Muscle Gain. Both of these proteins are incredible for weight loss and keeping out of a catabolic state.

Dietary Fat. Krill Oil. Provides the body with huge dose of anti-oxidants.

Green Muscle. A stack of green powders.

Advantra Z. Still the ONLY proven thermogenic product on the face of the earth.

Stack #2 for quality mass gains

Posigain or PF Growth Formula. Carbs and quality protein for anabolic results.

Super Plasma Protein. The ultimate protein for muscle growth. 50% IGG and yields high amounts of growth factors.

Killer QC. Use Post-workout with of course a good Post Training formula.

Stack #3. I’m going freakin’ nuts stack!

Protein. Advanced Muscle Gain

A good MRP for during the day. Big Blast

Krill Oil.

Killer QC. For post-workout.

Tetra Pump. My ultimate pre or post-workout formula.

Purple Muscle. My favorite flavor for getting my fruits and some veggies

Chemically Insane

An Interview with Anthony Roberts
by Chris Shugart

From 1981 to 2000, the underground world of performance enhancing drugs revolved around a man named Dan Duchaine. Dan was a chemical maverick: smart, creative, edgy, and perhaps a little crazy. He wrote books on the subject, he introduced American bodybuilders to clenbuterol and DNP, he helped Olympic athletes beat drug tests, and he went to prison more than once for his involvement in black market drug labs.

Since his death in 2000, many "gurus" have tried to fill Dan's shoes. None of them so far have had that spark of un-scrupled edginess that defined Duchaine. But talking to new T-Nation contributor Anthony Roberts, one begins to see a glimmer of that spark. Roberts has also written a book on steroids, has also done some time in the clink, and also seems to be a bit, well, nuts.

Sounds like just the kind of person we like to interview.

T-Nation: Anthony, you've written a book on 'roids: Anabolic Steroids: Ultimate Research Guide. What makes you such an expert?

Anthony Roberts: Well, certainly not my college education. I have a degree in English and one in Philosophy, and I did my minor in Women's Studies. So that's really not too relevant to my field. I suppose it's as relevant as Dan Duchaine's degree in Theatre Arts, though! I don't think I've actually ever said "I'm an expert" but quite a few other people have said it about me.

What makes me knowledgeable about steroids? Well, I hope I'm reasonably bright, and I've spent the entire last decade researching them. If you add it all up, I've written thousands of pages worth of articles and profiles on anabolic steroids.

Each page that I've written probably amounts to a hundred pages or more that I've read to be able to produce that one page of writing. I was joking about this to Dave Tate and told him that even though I'm known as a "writer," it would be more accurate to say that I'm a "reader" since I do about a 100 times more reading than writing!

I think that it's not just about the reading and researching, though. I've used basically all of the drugs I write about, so I have practical as well as theoretical knowledge in their use. That's the thing that I hope distances me from the pack. I've actually used steroids to compete at an elite level in athletics, do a little modeling, and get a lot bigger and stronger.

I guess, if I can make a claim to be an expert, it's because I know what works — and not just on paper, but in the real world too.

T-Nation: How did you first get into steroids and related drugs?

AR: I was about sixteen years old and I'd started reading all the muscle magazines. Just in case anyone wants to know what was going on in those magazines at the time, EAS wasn't around yet and Met-Rx came in two separate canisters, "Base" and "Plus," because the ingredients were claimed to be so powerful that they were unable to be combined in the same container.

You could buy colostrum in the back of the magazines (where it was claimed to be more anabolic than steroids) and Cybergenics was the best selling supplement/program on the market. No, really, this is the bullshit that was going on at the time.

I was reading Duchaine and Muscle Media 2000, and saw that there was a noticeable lack of bullshit in Dan's work. So I basically read everything he ever wrote, past and present, by the time I was eighteen. I was totally hooked, and my bullshit quota had been more than filled by the various other writers in the field.

I read Dan's stuff and then started branching out and doing my own research in medical journals by the time I was nineteen. That's also when I did my first cycle.

T-Nation: You've written that you pretty much stay on steroids all year long. Seriously? Is there a safe way to do that or are you just insane?

AR: Well, yeah, there's a safe way to do it. You're on Testosterone right now. It's been flowing through you since you were born, and it's been converting into dihydrotestosterone and estrogen and doing all kinds of things in your body. I'm on it too, just a lot more, and I'm putting it into me, not relying on my body to produce it.

Am I always safe about it? No, admittedly, I'm not always safe about the chemicals I put into my body, and I certainly use more than just Testosterone. Crazy? I don't know about that, but I get blood work pretty regularly, and don't usually go too nuts with my dosages and drug choices.

T-Nation: So, given your year round use of steroids, how big are you now?

AR: I'm not really too big. I'm 5' 7"and maintain about 205 pounds with single digit bodyfat. I still play a sport at a very competitive level, and can't get too big while at the same time maintaining the speed, flexibility, and agility I need to compete.

As an athlete, I've competed (and continue to compete) at a level that put me in the top 14 players for my age and position in my sport for two consecutive years. But I'm not too big. Thankfully, that's not a goal of mine.

T-Nation: Can you give us an example of what a cycle of yours might look like? Since you stay on almost all the time, I'm guessing these might be lighter dosages.

AR: For a good part of the year, I cruise on just Testosterone and maybe another mild drug. When I really go "on" it's a different ballgame.

I tend to use Testosterone, Masteron, Boldenone (no ester) and maybe some other stuff on occasion. I've done over four grams a week (4100mgs) of injectables, but now keep my cycles to a gram per week or less.

Currently, I'm using Testosterone, Masteron, and Nandrolone Phenylpropionate. I'll probably switch that up though and change some doses around because I have a photo shoot coming up.

With regards to typical bodybuilding cycles, I use low to moderate doses; for an athletic cycle, I'm on the heavier side of use. I like the stuff that doesn't bloat me and keeps my strength up.

As to the actual brands and types of products I use, I tend to like the custom and underground stuff. I mean, no major pharmaceutical house has produced Masteron or Trenbolone in years, and you can't get the cool and interesting esters on the really nice injectables anywhere but from the underground labs.

I've basically always used a particular underground lab called Stark Labs, and have experimented with most of the big underground labs on the market today: International Pharmaceuticals, M-Labs, D-Pharm, DL-Labs, Paper Anabolics, Stealth Injectables, etc. I've used them all.

T-Nation: What's the single craziest thing you've ever done involving steroids or related drugs?

AR: I've messed around with a bunch of stuff that could've killed me. DNP comes to mind, as does insulin. The DNP I actually did at a dose that was a bit higher than the lowest recorded lethal dose. I don't know if those are "crazy" drugs, but they could've definitely killed me if I fucked up.

I also got pretty dizzy from a glucose dispersal agent once (Glucophage) and that was a bit scary. I knew I was lapsing into a slight coma (which I prevented once I realized what was up). In retrospect, having done two separate drugs that could've killed me is maybe a little weird...

One really weird thing that I did awhile back was that I started getting slightly painful nipples (gyno) from a cycle where I was using some pretty high doses of steroids that aromatize to estrogen. I didn't have any aromatase inhibitors on hand, which is kind of a silly mistake on my part. This was awhile ago, and the soonest I was going to be able to get my hands on some Arimidex or whatever was a week.

Nicotine, however, is a well known inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme, and that's one of the reasons women who smoke have lowered estrogen levels. Anyway, I went to the drugstore and got some nicotine gum and used that until I could get a proper aromatase inhibitor. My gyno pain and symptoms went away in about two days. It's not perfect, and was poor planning on my part, but it worked.

T-Nation: Interesting. Okay, Anthony, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. You're an ex-con. How'd you get put in the slammer?

AR: Possession of ecstasy, first offence, with no intent to distribute. I served six months and fifteen days for that.

I guess, in retrospect, it was good because most other figures in my profession get thrown in jail well after they're established writers. It's basically something on the CV of every writer in the field. I just happened to do it before I got a degree of notoriety, so at least that's over with.

T-Nation: Dan Duchaine was a two-time convicted felon; Bruce Kneller (a.k.a. Brock Strasser) has been charged with possession with intent to distribute steroids; Patrick Arnold is taking heat for making "the Clear" for BALCO... You gurus in this field get in a whole lot of trouble, and you've already had some troubles of your own. So, um, are we going to read about you in the paper soon?

AR: Man, I hate that "guru" tag. Okay, yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if I made an appearance in the papers. I'm not distributing steroids, and I'm not making any steroids, and I'm not doing anything but using them, but Christ, it's a high-risk field, and I do see myself as a bit of a lightning rod for trouble like this.

Duchaine went to prison for making stuff and mailing stuff out. Kneller was certainly running an underground lab, and Patrick (allegedly) was producing a designer steroid. I don't do any of that stuff. I went to prison already, and I'm not eager to go back, even though I had a lot of time to read and learn about steroids.

Actually, it's only after I came out that I started writing professionally about steroids: six and a half months is a decent amount of time to be reading about steroids. Although I read up to a thousand (often more) pages a week in prison, I'm not eager to do that much research again anytime soon.

It's kind of funny, too, but I get tons of e-mail threats and stuff like that. Maybe I'll be in the paper for being stalked. You know, people who want to "find me" or whatever, and kick my ass because I said something or other in something I wrote. I have more than my share of Internet "fans" who take things a bit too seriously.

T-Nation: Speaking of that, Anthony, almost all T-Nation authors have their haters, but you seem to have more than your share. What's the deal?

AR: Actually, I'm glad you asked. I have the fortune of having haters on both the pro and anti side of the steroid fence: the anti-steroid crowd hates me for telling the truth, and ironically, that's why the pro-steroid crowd hates me! The anti-steroid crowd freaks out when someone says steroids are okay and can be used safely, then backs it up with some real facts and references.

But, there's always going to be people with vested interests, especially on the Internet, be it to promote their company, lab, book, or whatever. You need to remember, this isn't the average member of a discussion board. This is typically one guy with a vested interest, or a vocal minority who has all day to jack-ass around on the Internet, playingrecreational steroid guru under some absurd screenname. But I think the hate for me kind of stems from the same general place.

I really have a low threshold for bullshit, and I have no problem calling it like I see it. If a steroid discussion board sucks, and if the information on it is garbage, I'll say it. If a moderator or the owner of that board sucks, I'll say that too. And anyone who knows me will tell you that I say that particular line frequently.

Since I happen to have the good fortune of being a published author, I also happen to be able to say it loudly too. That doesn't sit well with a lot of people because I'm basically saying 99% of the Internet steroid discussion boards are garbage, and the average staff member/moderator (who's usually well-meaning but grossly undereducated about steroids) is usually just incorrect at least half the time. The other half of the time they're saying "bro" and shit like that.

Then there's the recreational steroid gurus and other assorted people who derive a lot of the identity and perceived status in their lives from being involved with steroid discussion boards. Like, you find people who are admins or mods on four or five different boards, and members of another three or four private boards. Losers!

There's people with, like, fifteen-fucking-thousand posts on some boards. What the fuck is going on in their lives that they have that much time to bullshit for free on the Internet about training and steroids? I get paid to do it, and I wouldn't have ten thousand posts if you added up every post I ever made!

T-Nation: That is kinda scary. Some of our worst trolls rack up 30,000-plus posts on various forums.

AR: I mean, it's one thing to bullshit about steroids on the Internet in your free time, but it's another thing to derive some kind of identity or self-worth from that. But when you think about it, if you derive that kind of self worth or identity from your time on the Internet, it really sucks when someone like me comes along and says you really don't have a clue about steroids, and that your site or message board blows. And it sucks because I'm credible in a "real world" way, meaning I literally wrote the book on steroids!

The real world, for anyone who's wondering or confused, is that thing that you live in when the power light on your laptop is not on. The guy people see when you walk down the street is who you are, not your avatar. You aren't your witty sig, or your pithy profile quotes.

Then there's, well, I've had a few indescressions with a couple of members of the opposite sex in my life, and some of them probably (still) hang out on the steroid boards. And well, that doesn't sit too well with their Internet friends, I would imagine. Oops. My mistake.

Then there's the guy who wrote the other currently selling steroid book. He doesn't like me because I'm the competition. He owns a nutritional company and writes a steroid book, and from the looks of him doesn't find much time to train anymore, if he ever did. Shit, oops, I suppose that comment won't get me back on his Christmas card list...

Would my book sell better if I catered to the people who hate me and told them what they want to hear instead of the truth? Sure, of course it would. But you know what? I'd rather tell the truth and be able to sleep at night knowing that the people who hate me do so because I put out good information about steroids and tell the truth regardless of who it pisses off.

Fuck, man, there are a lot of reasons to hate me. We may need a whole 'nother interview....

T-Nation: Glad you were able to get at least some of that off your chest! Let's move on, though. Anything new or upcoming out there in the chemical enhancement world that has you excited?

AR: Mechano Growth Factor is still pretty new, and it has a lot of people talking, but it's just an isoform of IGF-1. That's an emerging trend, and I think we're going to see various isoforms of IGF and other related areas available on the market soon.

It's kind of cutting edge I suppose, but I think we're going to see a lot of disappointment at first, and a lot of failed attempts with regards to dosing and finding particular isoforms or splices of certain genes that will give us the effects we're after. I mean, it's not that difficult to find out which isoform of which growth factor does what, and then contact GroPep or some other company, buy some, and market it as a research chem.

Secretagogues are going to be big too, if someone can bring them to the market cheaply. The big thing right now is that people are just buying the raw chemical powder, some lab supplies, and making their own injectables. I did that about four years ago when I lived in New Zealand, but I think it's a really risky thing to do now.

What happens when you get caught with not only steroids, but with a fucking machine for capping them, as well as filters, vials, and crimpers? You get charged as a dealer, that's what happens. It's the same legal difference as being caught with some meth and getting caught running a meth lab.

T-Nation: Ouch, not good. What, in your opinion, are some of the most overrated performance enhancing drugs out there?

AR: Well, I think a lot of the really expensive stuff is really just crap. I think that if you can't do it with just Testosterone, then it can't be done.

People love the stuff, but I think Oral Turinabol is really overrated. It's okay, and I'm not saying it isn't decent, but really, it's just a sexy drug because it was extensively used by the GDR state-run doping program.

Primobolan injectable has a great reputation as a cutting drug, but it's total garbage for most men, and the tabs are even worse. It's relatively expensive, even as a powder, and just isn't worth it.

Clen isn't too great for athletes, and I personally like ephedrine a lot more, to be honest.

T-Nation: Bodybuilders, if we can judge them by their enormous craniums and distended guts, seems to be shooting barrels of GH these days. Is that trend catching on in the athletic world?

AR: GH is pretty inexpensive now-a-days, as is IGF-1. I could get GH for less than a buck sixty a unit, if it was something I was interested in. Domestically, you're looking at around $500 for a kit of 100 IUs of GH, if you get it from a pharmacy.

On the black market, I can get underground GH from a lab for a quarter of that price. So I think a lot of people are able to afford more and so they're using more. And of course, just like most other chemicals, from Testosterone to alcohol, the more you use, the more results you get.

This is all because a lot of newer "brands" of GH are just basically produced by underground labs, located in parts of the world where they can legally set up shop and procure GH, rebottle it, slap a label on it, and sell it to athletes. If it isn't legally sold in a pharmacy anywhere in the world, or used anywhere in a hospital setting, then it's basically underground in my eyes, even if it's a legally operating lab.

T-Nation: What's going on out there in the world of non-muscle-building drugs used by bodybuilders? Nubain was hot a few years ago. Ecstasy was big, and probably still is. Anything new making the rounds?

AR: Well, ecstasy is still very big, as is cocaine. Another very well known steroid author is a bit of a pothead, as are the heads of quite a few nutritional companies.

Professional bodybuilding and recreational drugs are inexorably bound together, for better or for worse. Professional athletes are no saints, and cocaine, E, pot, and other drugs are just as popular with those athletes as they are with anyone. Probably even more so.

T-Nation: Why do you think so many athletes and bodybuilders also get involved with other non-performance enhancing drugs?

AR: Man, it's that type-A personality bullshit. Most of the people involved with bodybuilding or sports at a high level are total type-A kinda people. They're into all of that. They like to party, and when they do it's going to be as extreme as their training.

If you're the kind of person who takes your physical performance to the level where you're popping your ass every other day with a couple of CC's, then you're probably the kind of person who takes other things to extremes also, and that includes partying.

T-Nation: Back to steroids in sports, what should be done? Any way to stop it?

AR: Do we need to stop it? Is some NFL lineman doing a bunch of Testosterone some kind of societal issue that needs immediate attention? I really don't think so. Is the current Mr. Olympia — whoever that is — and his drug intake really affecting the average person?

T-Nation: Interesting point. Okay, on a personal note, I read that you're a vegetarian. Hold on a sec, meat is bad but steroids 365 days a year is okay? What's up with that?

AR: I just don't really see eating meat as beneficial to me. I don't like it, taste-wise, and really most of the arguments for it as some kind of great training food fall a bit flat. I was raised in an Italian household and eat a lot of seafood, but other forms of meat just didn't happen to show up in my diet. As a result, I haven't eaten meat in about a twelve or thirteen years.

T-Nation: Fair enough. What's up with this modeling gig you landed? So you're a steroid expert/model now?

AR: I did this modeling thing for Ralph Lauren awhile ago. I was at a team practice and there were some scouts hanging around, looking for some people to be in the background of a Rugby-based fashion spread for this magazine, Sport & Style. So they took some head shots of me and brought them to the photographer. The agency called me back to be involved with the shoot.

I was under the impression that I'd be in the background or something, but I actually think I appeared on a couple of pages, and one of them was a full page picture of my face. I actually did it just for fun, but the photos came out alright, and I made it into the magazine. So I got a couple of calls after that about it. It's not something I'm going to really pursue, but it was definitely a cool experience. Just luck, really.

T-Nation: What final bit of advice would you offer the T-Nation reader who's thinking about trying steroids?

AR: Do your research! Buy a book on steroids, even if it isn't mine! Read it and learn about what you're putting in your body before you make a decision. Research isn't going on steroid discussion boards and talking to the "bro" who seems the smartest; it's putting in the hard work and doing some real research.

Going on the Internet and asking some questions, and reading some posts on some bullshit steroid discussion board, wouldn't even be enough "research" to write an 8^th grade level paper, yet it's enough "information" for most people to make an informed decision on whether or not to use steroids and what to put in their body? Bullshit. Wanna do steroids? Do some fucking research!

T-Nation: Good advice. Where can our readers find your book?

AR: They can find it at www.anabolicbooks.com. Amazon.com also has it.