Cy-BORG
by Cy Willson

Cy Willson was once a normal, rosy-cheeked youth who spent his days getting the heifers ready for the county fair. Then, one day, while plowing a neighbor girl in the barn, he was bitten in the ass by a radioactive cow. The bite transformed him, giving him strange powers. Most of them, like being able to sleep standing up, were pretty much useless, but others, like being able to digest pharmaceutical texts at great speed, were pretty handy. Of course, he often read some of these pharmaceutical texts before digesting them.

He became an expert on drugs of all kinds. What's more, after experimentation with some of them, he became more than human. He became a Cy-BORG, ready to answer almost any question about androgens or any other drug, for that matter.

Remember, resistance is futile!

Virgin Cycles

Q: Is it true that the first cycle of steroids is always the best cycle?

A: I don't believe it's true. It's been demonstrated that androgen receptors up-regulate in response to androgen treatment. The reason why guys think their first cycle is the best all goes back to the simple fact that they're starting from a lower baseline.

It's funny, most of the time you'll observe things like this and think it revolves around some complicated biological occurrence, but it's simply because we as humans aren't very objective when it comes to alterations in body composition. For instance, you take a 150-pound guy and he goes on 1,000 mg/week of Testosterone enanthate. Let's say after twelve weeks he gains around 20 pounds. Now, the reason he gained 20 pounds wasn't simply because of the dosage he was using but rather a combination of increased caloric intake, increased nutrient partitioning, and increased training intensity.

So, let's say he starts yet another cycle at 170 pounds and is using the same dosage. Now, since he's 20 pounds heavier, would you expect him to gain that same amount this time around? No, if this were the case, every steroid user would weigh around 800 pounds by now!

Now, if you were to cross out the increased caloric intake and training intensity but keep the anabolic effects of the androgen, you'd expect much less than a 20 pound gain, correct? Well, this is essentially what's happening. When our sample guy began the first cycle, he introduced three new aspects:

1) Testosterone-increased nutrient partitioning.

2) Increased training intensity.

3) Increased caloric intake.

Now, if the second time around his caloric intake is the same, his training intensity is the same, and the effects of the androgen are the same, then you have to expect much less than a 20 pound gain. Those initial gains were made after introducing three new factors, whereas this time around he's really only introducing the aspect of increased nutrient partitioning.

So, how can you get another 20 pound gain? Well, this individual would have to increase one or all of the three aspects — his caloric intake, his training intensity, or the dosage — and then he'd make similar gains. The problem is that most guys usually fail to realize their metabolic rate at 150 was much lower than it is at 170 and hence they need more calories.

Does anyone make sure to consume more calories the next time around? Most don't. Instead they increase the third factor, which is the Testosterone dosage, and then keep the other two aspects the same. This is where people then start to believe that you need to continually increase the dosage to keep significant gains coming and, as you can see, this just isn't true. (1)

Albuterol vs Clenbuterol

Q: Some new info about Albuterol has surfaced lately (in one of Doug Kalman's articles at T-mag) that makes it sound better than Clen. Yet for years, Albuterol was pooh-poohed by the gurus. What's your take?

A: I think in terms of effectiveness, yes, it's better than clenbuterol. However, I still think ephedrine is the best thing to be using for a few reasons.

First, the problem with drugs like clenbuterol is that they actually agonize the beta 2 receptors too well. You see, with beta 2 receptors, they tend to downregulate when bound by a strong agonist. The stronger the beta 2 agonism, the more downregulation. This is why so many guys have discovered that clen is only good for two to three weeks and then seems to lose its effectiveness.

Albuterol is more effective than clen in terms of beta-2 agonism, but this means that it too is only good to use for a short period of time. The reason why I prefer ephedrine is because it not only agonizes beta-2 receptors moderately, thus allowing for prolonged usage, but it also agonizes beta 3 receptors as well. To make it even better, these receptors may up-regulate with continued ephedrine usage.

Not only that, but ephedrine seems to be the better anorectic when compared to clen and albuterol. So, in the long run, ephedrine is the winner, but if you're looking for more of a "quick fix," then albuterol or clenbuterol for two to three weeks prior to whatever event you're preparing for would be the best choice. (4-8)

Steroid Bootlegging 101

Q: Why is it that guys like IP and other bootleggers can sell things so cheap and still make a nice profit? I mean, I can spend $190 for a bottle of Stanazolic but at the same time I can get IP Winstrol tabs (50 mg) for $1 per tab. A price variance like this seems a bit weird to me. How is it that GAC and other guys like that are able to obtain many of these anabolic steroids while we regular guys can't?

A: First you should keep in mind that a profit can always be made provided the volume of sales is high enough to support a smaller profit margin on a per-sale basis. This isn't specific to just the anabolic steroid market but just about every market.

Essentially, once a product leaves the manufacturer, there's a huge potential for marking up the price in order to make a profit. In the real, non-bootleg world, this markup covers advertising, product insurance, packaging, general overhead, etc. Bootleggers generally just mark up stuff big time because, well, they want to make a lot of money! By the time a booteg product reaches you, it's been marked up considerably in most cases. Now, the absolute best way to go about getting the very cheapest products is to cut out all middle men and go straight to the manufacturer yourself.

For example, a bottle of Stanazolic sells for around $185 to $200 for a 20-ml bottle, which has 50 mg/ml for a total of 1,000 mg or 1 gram. Now, even if you got a deal in Mexico, it'd still cost at least $125 (bulk purchase or distributor/dealer cost).

Now, consider the fact that you can get 1 kilogram of stanozolol for $2,400 from certain overseas manufacturers. Most companies will let you buy in small quantities as well, so it's not a bulk price. So, in actuality, you only pay $2.40 for one gram, the same amount in the Stanazolic.

The same goes for every drug; take trenbolone acetate for example. With GAC's (a.k.a. Red Star of China) you pay $130 for 1,500 mg or 1.5 grams, yet you only have to pay $12 for 1,000 mg or 1 gram from overseas manufacturers. The list goes on and on:

Testosterone enanthate — $1.40 per gram

methandrostenolone (D-bol) — $2.40 per gram

Testosterone (base for suspension) as well as the propionate ester — $.60 per gram

oxymetholone (Anadrol) — $2.20 per gram

nandrolone phenylpropionate — $1.90 per gram, decanoate ester for $2.50 per gram.

Tell me, when was the last time you purchased the equivalent of 100 Anadrol-50 tabs for $12?

Oh, and don't go thinking that you need to be anyone special in order to deal with most of these companies as they really don't care who you are and don't mind dealing with people on a smaller scale. And yes, they do realize that customs may seize the products so they're always very careful about packaging (and will even do some other cool things that I won't reveal) just to make sure they continue getting through.

If you really wanted to save a bundle or start your own bootlegged line, it really isn't that hard once you find one of these sources. All you need is the raw material and a small bit of knowledge about chemistry and you're set. Then again, with those "kits" out today, I guess all you really need is the raw material. I know after seeing how ungodly cheap it is, I'd never purchase a product any other way without feeling sick that I'd spent so much in comparison.

Is Clentastic Fantastic?

Q: What the heck is GAC Clentastic? Sounds like something used to clean soap scum off the side of the bathtub.

A: It's a concentrated solution of clenbuterol. Each bottle contains 20,000 mcg., which is the equivalent of 1,000 tabs. The main draw is the price, being $114. Even if you go with the generic brand, Oxyflux, you're still paying around $20 to $100 per 100 tablets depending on whether you get it straight from Mexico or from a middleman. Clentastic is without a doubt the best deal around on clen.

That, however, doesn't matter one bit to me as I hate clen personally and feel it's inferior to ephedrine in the long run. But for those who love it, this is quite a deal. Once diluted, each milliliter you ingest will have around 20 mcg in it, which is the equivalent to one tablet.

Fort Dodge Gear

Q: What can you tell me about the Fort Dodge brand of gear? Any good?

A: Fort Dodge is a division of Wyeth, which is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and health care companies. They are very much involved in research and development as well.

Fort Dodge's quality is very high; the labs produce sterile, correctly dosed products. This is typically what you get when you deal with a large pharmaceutical company instead of a bootlegged version. That isn't to say that bootlegged versions aren't as good, but in this case, the likelihood of a great product is much higher.

Fort Dodge has been around for a very long time and is one of the leading manufacturers/distributors of healthcare products and drugs for animals and livestock. The worldwide headquarters is located in the Midwest; however, they have facilities all over the world, including Mexico. Fort Dodge's boldenone product is something I have no problem recommending in terms of quality. The only problem is that it's a rather low concentration of 50 mg/ml so you have to inject quite a bit.

Usnic Acid and DNP: The Return of the Toxic Twins

Q: It's hard to believe, but talk of usnic acid and DNP seems to be on the rise again. Are these substances dangerous or what?

A: DNP is certainly dangerous and this is the very reason why its use in medicine was discontinued in the late 1930's. There were many reports of severe toxicity and even deaths, which prompted this action. An overdose was pointed to as the initial cause of the aforementioned death, but it turns out that wasn't exactly the case since there isn't really a standard dosage where safety can be assured. In other words, even though I'm well over 200 pounds, I could drop dead after ingesting 200 mg, whereas a guy who's 170 pounds could possibly tolerate much more than that.

Usnic acid is dangerous in my opinion, but unfortunately, I know of no human toxicological data so I can't say for sure. However, there's a limited amount of animal data. Animals who ingested 1% of their body weight in usnic acid-containing lichens for five days have had lethal outcomes. A single dose of 3.6% was also fatal.

I honestly can't recommend something that's referred to as a "toxic principle," ingestion of which in animals produces systemic poisoning. The manner of death is usually ataxia, which can lead to paralysis (9). The only confirmation of an interaction in humans is the fact that it can cause dermatitis and skin eruptions from topical exposure. Think about that — would you really want to swallow something that excessively irritates your skin? I wouldn't.

The Best Test?

Q: Some say that "Testosterone is Testosterone" while other prefer certain "flavors." Does it really matter? What's the dif?

A: There are a few reasons why some people feel that various Testosterone blends or just one form of ester has different effects than others. One such thing is water retention and the other is the overall "kick" or effectiveness in terms of strength and lean body mass gains.

The reasoning behind the increased water retention is that the longer the half-life of the ester, the more water retention. The reason for a difference in terms of "strength" is thought to be that since the molecular weight of a shorter-lived ester is less than that of a longer ester, you can essentially "fit" more molecules of Testosterone in any given concentration.

Take a look at the list below and let's compare the molecular weights of each ester:

Testosterone Cypionate

Testosterone Decanoate

Testosterone Enantate

Testosterone Isocaproate

Testosterone Phenylpropionate

Testosterone Propionate

Testosterone Undecanoate

Testosterone (no ester attached)

Judging by the lowest molecular weight, Testosterone in a suspension and Testosterone propionate would be more potent than Testosterone decanoate and Testosterone undecanoate. So, do either of the theories I mentioned have any merit? Well, yes and no.

What I mean is that the likelihood of experiencing water retention with a certain ester is probably a little higher with an ester that has a longer half-life. However, this wouldn't be noticed until weeks down the line. I think the only reason why guys see a difference in water retention is simply because they're injecting a smaller amount of an ester like propionate every three days and the blood levels aren't high enough for a long enough time period to cause a significant amount of water retention via estrogen formation.

On the other hand, with something like cypionate, you'll commonly see guys use 500 to 2,000 or more milligrams per week. Since its half-life is so long, it allows for consistently high blood levels of Testosterone, which as we know, provides more raw material for the aromatase enzyme to form estradiol.

Hope that helps!

References

1) Sheffield-Moore M, et al. "Oxandrolone administration stimulates net muscle protein synthesis in young men." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999 Aug;84(8):2705-11

2) Mauras N, et al. "Testosterone deficiency in young men: marked alterations in whole body protein kinetics, strength, and adiposity." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998 Jun;83(6):1886-92

3) Sokol RZ, Palacios A, Campfield LA et al: Comparison of the kinetics of injectable testosterone in eugonadal and hypogonadal men. Fertil Steril 1982; 37:425-430

4) Lavoie JL, et al. "A farnesyltransferase inhibitor attenuated beta-adrenergic receptor downregulation in rat skeletal muscle." Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2002 Jan;282(1):R317-22

5) Huang H, et al. "Differential effects of dexamethasone and clenbuterol on rat growth and on beta2-adrenoreceptors in lung and skeletal muscle." J Anim Sci 2000 Mar;78(3):604-8

6) Newman-Tancredi A, et al. "Down-regulation of rat beta-adrenoreceptors by clenbuterol or desipramine does not require chronic treatment: [3H] CGP-12177 binding reveals rapid (24 hour) modulation." Brain Res Bull 1996;41(2):93-6

7) O'Donnell JM. "Behavioral effects of beta adrenergic agonists and antidepressant drugs after down-regulation of beta-2 adrenergic receptors by clenbuterol." J Pharmacol Exp Their 1990 Jul;254(1):147-57

8) Williams B.R, et al. "Kinetic analysis of agonist-induced down-regulation of the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor in BEAS-2B cells reveals high and low affinity components." Mol Pharmacol 2000 Aug;58(2):421-30

9) Kingsbury JM: Poisonous Plants of the United States and Canada, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1964; pp 86-87

10) Oltmanns KM, et al. "Hypoglycemia, but not insulin, acutely decreases LH and T secretion in men." J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001 Oct;86(10):4913-9

11) Kawasaki H, et al. "Vascular effects of insulin." Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi 2000 May; 115(5):287-94

12) Guyton M.D., Arthur C. Human Physiology and Mechanisms of Disease; 1992.

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