Supplement Roundup
by Chris Shugart

The year was 1999. The month was May. Testosterone had just celebrated its one-year anniversary. There was no paper version of the magazine yet and guys like John Berardi, Cy Willson, Charlie Francis, Bill Roberts, and Dave Tate had yet to join the staff.

The supplement division was just about to release chocolate Grow! and was working on a fat burner to end all fat burners, a product that would eventually become MD6. The "warehouse" was an abandoned gas station. Topical prohormones, methoxy products, specialized post-workout drinks, pro-thyroid formulas, and ribose formulations didn’t exist yet, except in the dark, creative corners of a few supplement designers’ minds.

About that same time, TC discovered a naïve, potty-mouthed country boy with a passion for iron, belly-button rings and all things bodybuilding. That boy was me. In the next two years I found myself interviewing scores of interesting people, editing strength coaches I’d admired and followed for years, and learning more about training, diet, and supplementation than I ever thought possible. Something else occurred too in those two years: I put on over twenty pounds of muscle. Not bad for someone who thought he was genetically peaked out. Just working for Testosterone, I decided, was anabolic!

In truth, the gains were the result of several factors. I learned a hell of a lot about diet during that time and took my training to a whole new level just following the programs in the magazine. The other factor came to my door in a fat FedEx box about once a month. You see, Tim Patterson is a pretty nice guy (you know, for a cutthroat, supplement company CEO tyrant), so every month he sends his regular contributors a big box of Biotest supplements.

"Now hold on right there, Chris," you may be thinking. "It sounds like you’re about to go off on a product plugging, shill-like rant about Biotest supplements. Isn’t that Tim’s job?" Okay, wiseacre, this article is about Biotest supplements. T-mag has never hid its affiliation with Biotest the way some mags do with their parent/sponsor supplement companies. In fact, producing and selling these supplements is the reason why this website is free every week, and I think you’ll agree that’s a good thing. If you don’t use supplements and are perfectly happy with your physique as it is, then go ahead and skip this article. The site is still free.

Every month we receive thousands of questions about our supplements. The information is here at the mag of course in our "previous issues" section, but with over 150 back issues it can sometimes be hard to find, especially for those new to T-mag. What I’m going to do here is provide a handy summary of all the supplements we produce. Then we’ll talk about stacks to meet your specific goals and what’s coming down the pipe in the future.

The Roundup

Advanced™ Protein

It’s no secret that one of the handiest nutritional supplements ever developed is the low-carb protein powder. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to gain or lose weight, these things are convenient and versatile. The problem has always been taste. Let’s face it, when someone used to say that a low-carb protein powder tasted good, what he meant was, "This one doesn’t make me throw up, at least not as often as the others."

One of the biggest improvements that Advanced Protein (or "AP" as aficionados have dubbed it) brings to the table is great taste. Heck, rival supplement companies tell us that this stuff tastes great! Now that’s a compliment! Tim and the gurus at Biotest spent almost a year toying with the formula and flavoring. The taste of Advanced Protein is like a thinner Grow!, and if you’ve had Grow! then you’ll know that’s a great compliment.

Here’s the breakdown: Advanced Protein is a special blend of the most important proteins to a bodybuilder — whey isolate, casein, and milk-protein isolate. It has 20 grams of protein per scoop, two grams of fat and just two grams of carbs. That means diets like the T-Dawg, Anabolic, Atkins, Zone, Protein Power, and Massive Eating just got a whole lot easier.

Take John Berardi’s Massive Eating diet, for instance. The diet calls for you to combine certain macronutrients in each meal. Eat protein with carbs (but very little fat) for some meals. With other meals you’ll eat protein with fat, but keep the carbs low. (Just never eat a lot of carbs and fat at the same time basically.) Advanced Protein can be used to fit all those variations, making this diet a snap.

To top it off, Biotest added in some really cool things to improve the body's ability to digest and utilize protein. Think you can get perks like this, as well as things like great taste and high-end ingredients in one of those cheap five pound containers of protein? No, you can’t. Sorry, but honestly, you get what you pay for with protein powder. Advanced Protein is the Bentley in the world of Hyundai protein powders.

The lowdown:

• Helps you control carbs and get adequate protein, especially when dieting

• Bumps up the protein in other products like MRPs

• Helps you get extra protein while trying to add mass

• For men and women

Androsol™

Prohormones have a long and sordid history. But since this is just a summary, so we won’t get into all of that. Here’s a quick and dirty version: First there was androstenedione, the original "andro." This stuff sucked. Along with the little rise in Testosterone, you also got a rise in estradiol, which leads to estrogen-like side effects. We know more than one plastic surgeon who made a lot of coin removing gyno from people taking androstenedione.

Experts quickly figured out that 4-androstenediol4-AD) was the better prohormone. Some of it converts to Testosterone more efficiently and the side effects, if used properly, are minimal. Problem: T levels didn’t stay elevated for very long with the pill form. To really reap the benefits of this stuff, those T levels had to stay elevated longer. The solution could be called the epitome of lateral thinking.

With the help of Bill Roberts and Brock Strasser, Biotest came up with a topical delivery system, meaning you spray it on your skin. Sounds weird, but this allows you to get a big dose of the good stuff into your body and, most importantly, keep hormone levels up in the stratosphere for sixteen hours! (While some of it does convert to Testosterone, the stuff is anabolic all on its lonesome.) That means with two daily applications you’re "on" all freakin’ day and night. That means muscle gains, even for those like me who thought they had hit the genetic ceiling. Honestly, I don’t think I could have broken the 200-pound mark without this stuff.

Just to play it safe, we recommend that you cycle it: two weeks "on", and two weeks off.

The lowdown:

• Perfect plateau buster

• Helps you build muscle

• Helps preserve LBM while dieting

• Improves strength

• For men only

Biotest Surge™

There aren’t many truths in bodybuilding, but one of them is this: post-workout nutrition is vital to your progress. If you don’t get the right stuff into your body right after training, then you might as well not go to the gym and train hard. The solution for years has been to get some liquid protein down your gullet ASAP post-workout. That was a step in the right direction, but not perfect.

The perfect post-workout drink would: 1) Maximize post-workout glycogen synthesis 2) stop protein breakdown that occurs during training 3) jack up the protein synthesis. Sorry to tell you this, but the shakes those front desk bimbos whip up for you at the juice bar don’t cut it.

Simply put, Biotest Surge is designed to switch on anabolism and halt catabolism. The drink causes a hormonal "surge" (primarily insulin) that drives the nutrients you need to grow, deep into the muscle cells. It’s also involves a very specific blend of certain specific amino acids that are crucial to its efficacy. Thus, it takes care of all three goals listed above.

Reader feedback so far has been great: it tastes good and it works. Since the raw ingredients taste like tar on a hot summer day, Biotest Surge is another victory for the flavoring geniuses over at Biotest. Many people tried to formulate their own versions of Surge and most of it ended up being poured (or regurgitated) into the sink. Many users describe Biotest Surge as tasting like angel-food cake, which is pretty accurate.

Even better than that is how quickly you’ll notice improved recovery from your workouts. You’ll be less sore and less fatigued.

The lowdown:

• Helps you build muscle

• Helps preserve LBM while dieting

• Increases recovery and reduces soreness

• For men and women

For all the nitty-gritty details, read Part I and Part II of John Berardi's "Solving the Post-Workout Puzzle" articles.

Grow!™

As the name implies, Grow! will make you grow. Yep, you’ll be as big as your favorite pro bodybuilder within a few months. Why, Greg Kovaks drinks fourteen shakes a day!

Actually, Grow! is food — concentrated, convenient muscle-building food. Unlike most plain "protein powders," Grow! is an MRP, a complete meal replacement product. What separates it from all the other MRPs that are flooding the shelves at GNC? Taste, for one. That’s subjective, of course, but we think this is the best tasting product of its kind on the market, period. Next, Grow! doesn’t contain any nutrients that interact and essentially cancel each other out. Many companies toss in a little of everything so they can make inflated label claims. Big mistake.

Grow! can be used when your primary goal is muscle gain or fat loss. For muscle gain, you need to get some extra calories and a blend of high-quality proteins. A couple of Grow! shakes a day between solid meals will pack mass on anyone, assuming you’re training right and your other meals don’t consist of Cheetos and Pepsi. Grow! is also great for fat loss because it helps you easily control calories and macronutrient ratios. Replace a few trips to McDonald’s with MRPs and you’ll drop fat without much effort.

The lowdown:

• Provides additional calories and protein when gaining size.

• Great meal replacement for fat loss diets

• Perfect emergency food for when you can’t otherwise eat healthy

• For men and women

MD6™

MD6 is our primary "fat burner" product. Now, let’s be honest here. There are thousands of thermogenics on the market and most of them contain some of the same ingredients. After all, there are only a handful of safe and effective metabolism boosters and appetite suppressants out there.

So what makes MD6 different? First, you’re assured of getting super-high-quality ingredients with super-high potency. Many companies have this philosophy of "buy the cheapest raw materials possible, just so long as we can claim the ingredient on the label." I guess that way they can afford to pay some juiced-up bodybuilder to whore for them in ads. Biotest does not cut corners. Period. For example, with our Ephedra sinica extract, you know you’re getting the extra-good stuff, not just the "floor sweepings" some companies purchase for their products.

Along with Ephedra and some caffeine (the core of most fat burning products), MD6 contains 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan). In addition to being a mood elevator, this stuff can be thought of as an appetite suppressant with a twist. You don’t necessarily want to not be hungry when losing fat. You gotta eat or you’ll lose muscle along with the fat. But, you gotta eat the right stuff in the right portions! 5-HTP curbs your appetite, but it mainly kills your cravings for carbs and junk food! And that’s where most of us have trouble when trying to drop fat. In other words, bye bye sweet craving!

MD6 also contains alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), which is very effective at increasing both insulin sensitivity and glucose utilization, not to mention being a great anti-oxidant. Sweeten that deal with some L-tyrosine, another "feel good" compound that also helps you maintain optimal thyroid output.

Lastly, MD6 contains yohimbine HCl which helps target stubborn areas of fat that you can’t seem to "reach" with dieting alone. What that means is, yohimbine will help men zap that spare tire and women target those thighs.

Oh yeah, and MD6 doesn’t contain aspirin or the herbal equivalent, white willow bark. Most of the better supplement companies are removing these things from their thermos because: 1) they don’t help much with fat loss anyway, as was once believed and 2) they have potential negative side effects like blood thinning and gut irritation. If you see a fat loss product on the shelf with white willow bark or aspirin, you can be sure you’re looking at an outdated supplement. MD6 is the future of fat burning supplementation.

The lowdown:

• Helps you lose fat — big time!

• Great pre-workout energy booster

• For men and women

Methoxy-7™

Methoxy-7 (5-methyl-7-methoxy-isoflavone) was originally designed to increase lean mass on animals and humans, without the negatives associated with steroids. Among other things, Methoxy-7 increases nitrogen retention and protein synthesis. Funny, those are some of the same reasons why steroids work.

It’s also been shown to reduce body fat (users report a "hardening effect"), lower cholesterol and improve the body's ability to utilize oxygen. This is a great supplement for men looking to put on muscle. But, since Methoxy-7 is anabolic, without being androgenic, it’s the perfect "next level" supplement for women, too. In fact, the feedback we’ve received from women is astounding. Many that were considering using a mild cycle of steroids changed their minds after trying Methoxy-7.

Although it’s great for a mass program, my favorite use of Methoxy-7 is for dieting. Not only does it seem to speed up the fat loss process (although it’s not a stimulant), it also helps me keep my lean muscle mass while shedding the fat. Good stuff, and it’s about to get better (see below and I’ll explain.)

The lowdown:

• Helps you put on muscle

• Helps you keep muscle when dieting

• Helps you lose fat

• For men and women

• For all the details on Methoxy-7, click here.

Nandrosol™

There are currently only two prohormones worth using, one is the aforementioned 4-AD that’s in Androsol. The other is 19-nor-4-androstenediol (nor-4-AD). If you think of Androsol as Testosterone, then you can think of Nandrosol as nandrolone (Deca). No, neither is as powerful as "real" steroids, but they’re about as close as you can get (for now) without taking real gear. Plus, they’re safer and, of course, legal!

Now, because nor-4-AD doesn't give you the same "jacked" feeling that Androsol does, you might think that you won’t see great gains with Nandrosol as compared to Androsol. But user feedback seems to be just as good, with a few even saying that their gains with Nandrosol were superior!

Lastly, yes, Nandrosol is expensive. The raw ingredients simply cost a lot more than the raw ingredients in Androsol. But if this is your ticket out of Punyville, then it’s worth it.

The lowdown:

• Helps you build muscle

• Helps preserve lean body mass while dieting

• Improves strength

• For men only

Power Drive™

The world of pre-workout stimulants and athletic performance boosters is about as bland and boring as big brown panties. Most of the products on the market are simple central nervous system stimulants, most of them the same ingredients you’ll find in diet products, things like caffeine and ephedra. Power Drive takes a whole different approach and the results are remarkable. How remarkable? After we sent him a couple of bottles, one famous Olympic sprinting coach said to me, "Come on, Chris, tell me what’s really in this stuff."

In a nutshell, Power Drive is brain food designed to help you recruit more motor units. That means you’ll experience an almost immediate gain in strength, endurance and athletic performance. Better workouts and bigger weights mean bigger and stronger muscles in the long haul. Power Drive also improves concentration and memory. This is one reason it’s become a favorite of college students cramming for tests and anyone who needs a mental kick in the pants for their jobs. It may even increase the pain threshold in some individuals and many also report an overall sense of well-being when using Power Drive regularly.

Keep in mind, though, that you’re not going to get an ephedrine-like buzz from Power Drive. The effects are much more subtle. For instance, if you don’t think it’s working, try taking a hit before you go to bed. You’ll not only be counting sheep as you struggle to fall asleep, you’ll be writing novels about sheep, operas, dissecting them in your head, perhaps even delving down into their genetic codes!

The lowdown:

• Great pre-workout or pre-game energy booster

• Incredible focus and concentration tool

• Can be used when on low carb diets to beat that "duh" feeling

• For men and women

• For more info, click here.

Ribose-C™

Ribose-C is a blend of ribose and creatine. Unless you’ve been living in a swamp and brushing your teeth with your finger for the last decade, then you already know about creatine. So what’s this ribose stuff? Ribose (d-ribose) is a naturally occurring, pentose monosaccharide that's used to make ATP, which is the source of energy for all living cells. Long story short, you’ll bust out a couple of extra reps in the gym and improve performance on the field or the court.

So ribose is the perfect stuff to stack with creatine. What’s more, Biotest put all this into a liquid delivery system. But wait, Bill Phillips said that it’s impossible to make a stable liquid creatine! Well, that was several years ago and the fact is that Biotest has done it. One advantage of this delivery system is that there’s no need to load creatine. Also, many people who’ve had stomach trouble or think they’re "non-responders" when using powdered creatine products are able to use Ribose-C without any problems.

Ribose-C users, particularly athletes who are very "body aware," report as much as a 10% increase in muscular power. ATP recovery rates have been known to speed up by 600%. And before you go screaming, "that sounds just like something those other scammy companies would say," let me put that in context. Under normal circumstances, your body might take X number of seconds to replenish all those just-used ATPs. Ribose might help the body remanufacture those ATPs in significantly less time, up to 6 times faster.

The lowdown:

• Great for adding muscle

• Improves athletic performance

• Boosts recovery

• For men and women

• For all the science behind this, click here.

Tribex-500™

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, gaining muscle, losing fat, experiencing a healthy sex drive, and even feeling good is directly related to your Testosterone levels. Tribex-500 is designed to boost your natural T levels into the "high normal" zone. That’s cool because you not only get the benefits of having elevated T levels, you don’t get any of the negative side effects associated with steroid use.

Tribulus terrestris, one of the main ingredients in Tribex-500, has always had a rep as an "okay" Testosterone booster. Why just "okay"? Well, most companies would buy whatever cheap crapola that was available and stick it in their products. Hey, Tribulus is Tribulus, right. Wrong!

As it turns out, there are about a million things that affect the quality and effectiveness of this super herb. What separates Tribex-500 from the other products on the market is that Biotest pays very careful attention to all these factors.

Furthermore, Tribex-500 contains a highly potent, one-of-a-kind extract of Bulgarian Tribulus terrestris that's manufactured exclusively for Biotest. In fact, studies show that Tribex-500 blows away all similar products on the market, in terms of overall effect and protodioscin content (the active ingredient).

Recently, Tribex-500 was improved again as the folks over at Biotest figured out a way to extract the "good stuff" even more efficiently from the Tribulus and Avena sativa. The result is an herbal supplement that may even surpass the effectiveness of drugs like clomiphene citrate at stimulating both free and total T levels. (Not to mention providing more "wood" than a redwood forest!)

Here’s the real skinny: You know that friend of yours with naturally high T levels? You know, the one that can put on muscle easily, drop fat with no problem, and make time with the ladies like a pro? Tribex-500, the great equalizer, can get you there, too.

The lowdown:

• Helps you build muscle

• May improve sexual performance

• For men only

• For further reading, click here.

T2™

Reality check: Pro bodybuilders and fitness models use lots of thyroid drugs to get into super ripped, contest shape. T3 (Cytomel) is the breakfast of dieting champions. There’s an itsy bitsy problem, though. Drugs like that can down-regulate thyroid production and basically "shut down" the gland. Translation: You’ll get real fat again, real quick, and could even have to live on the drug the rest of your life. Not good.

T2, on the other hand, can help you with fat loss like T3, because it's as potent and effective as T3, but without the negative side effects. In fact, according to the FDA's archives, there isn't a single case of an adverse reaction reported from its use. (Of course, T2 still needs to be cycled appropriately, i.e., fours weeks on/four weeks off.)

Diet progress often stops because of its effect on the thyroid. In essence, you stall out and your metabolism runs cold. You’re eating below maintenance levels, training hard, and nothing is happening in the way of additional fat loss! Can you say frustrating? In a nutshell, what T2 does is allow the body to break through that plateau. The fat keeps coming off, in other words. Stack this with MD6 (starting at very lose dosages!) and losing fat just got a whole lot faster and easier, making that ripped look so much more attainable.

The lowdown:

• Helps you get super lean (like in no fat, none!)

• Help you break through dieting plateaus

• Minimizes fat gain on a "bulking" diet

• For men and women

• For all the details on T2, click here.

ZMA™

ZMA can be thought of as a core supplement, almost like a multivitamin. ZMA is a special blend of zinc and magnesium. What’s so good about that? Well, studies have shown that athletes, those who train hard in the gym, and those under a lot of stress, tend to be deficient in these minerals. So what?

Well, a deficiency in these things can lead to low Testosterone levels for one thing. Studies show that by supplementing your diet with specific amounts of zinc and magnesium, you can elevate T levels by as much as 30 percent. Not too shabby.

Along with making sure your T levels are maximized and improving your recovery, most users report improved sleep while using ZMA.

The lowdown:

• Prevents low T levels caused by zinc deficiencies

• Improves T levels in those under physical or mental stress

• Promotes faster recovery

• Improves sleep

• For men and women

The Stacks

When considering stacks, it’s important to think of them in at least two categories: food and other stuff. By "food" I mean protein powders, MRPs, protein bars, and post workout drinks. Things in the food category can be used with any plan of attack, no matter what your goal. The products can add essential calories and protein to a mass diet or they can help with calorie and macronutrient control during a fat loss phase.

Other products have this versatility, too. For example, Androsol and Nandrosol are perfect for those who want to add as much muscle as legally possible. But they can also be used to preserve lean muscle while dieting, something that’s tough to do, especially if you’re trying to drop fat fast. The same is true for Methoxy-7. And while T2 is obviously a fat loss product, many people are using it during mass phases to minimize fat gain while they’re bulking up.

So you see, things could get complex here. To simplify things, here’s a list of stacks geared towards specific physique goals.

Fat-Loss Stack

MD6
T2
Methoxy-7
Plus anything from the "food" category.

Note: MD6 and T2 can both have stimulatory properties. If you choose to use them together, start with very low doses and work your way up slowly.

Muscle-Mass Stack

Androsol or Nandrosol (some even use half and half)
Tribex-500
Methoxy-7
Plus anything from the "food" category.

Testosterone-Boosting Stack

Tribex-500
ZMA
Methoxy-7

Ultimate Pre-Workout or Pre-Game Stack

Power Drive
MD6 (one or two caps)
Ribose-C

Note: Also, be sure and checkout the "Stacks" section at the Biotest store.

The Future

Whew! That’s a lot of innovation to occur in just the three years Biotest has been in existence. If they can break that much ground in three years, what will they come up with in the next three? There’s no telling really, but I do have a few inside scoops on what’s next.

There will soon be a more evolved version of Methoxy-7 which will contain a drug/supplement we’ve coined Hydroxy-7. (Basically, you’ll be able to use less and yet get better results.) For details, click here. The next wave of legal (for now) steroid alternatives is on the way, too. These aren’t prohormones, they’re pro-steroids, and they're coming soon if the FDA will play nice with us.

What else? How about a nutrition-bar version of Advanced Protein!? Sounds good to me. Other items on the drawing board are a topical fat-loss product, an estrogen blocker/antiaromatase, a real GH supplement, and a little product from the fertile mind of Brock Strasser called Euphoria, which is sort of de-stressor, "feel good" supplement.

Obviously, the innovation is just beginning. It’s hard to believe that just a couple of decades ago, the "hottest" supplements were desiccated liver tablets, amino acids, and weight gainers. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad to be living and lifting in this day and age. And the future is looking even better.

More New Information

For the latest on these upcoming supplements, keep an eye on Tim's "Behind the Scenes" column in every issue of T-mag. And if you have a question or comment for Tim, send an e-mail directly to the ol' boy himself. Just click "Tim Patterson" under "Feedback," and fire away.

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