Cung Le Steroid Cycle

Cung Le is one of those MMA fighters that has history and legend behind him. In a way, you can say that it was Cung Le who helped build Strikeforce, especially in the start. It was the talent and performance that he brought to the ring that helped drive fans to the California MMA organization. Some say there would be no Strikeforce if there was no Cung Le.

There is also a history behind the life of Cung Le. He was born in 1975, literally a few days before Saigon fell to the North Communist forces and Americans left.

Le was airlifted with his mother by helicopter. His father had to stay in Vietnam as a prisoner of war, so to speak. Imagine, the poor kid had to live with only his mother in a new world, new culture and new life. His childhood wasn’t easy at all.

Coming to the USA, he was bullied a lot, so he started learning martial arts. This lead him to learn wrestling and become a good Sanshou kick-boxer. As a result of his kickboxing career, he went on to become a great force in the MMA world, making his name in Strikeforce. However, his transition to the UFC was much harder. Until 2008, while he was in Strikeforce, he didn’t lose, but after coming to the UFC, he faced new talent. His Wanderlei Silva fight where he was knocked out really opened his eyes. The top UFC talent forced him to train harder and fight harder, which is likely why he resolved to use performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to boost his performance. In 2014, he was caught using HGH (human growth hormone) when he was tested after UFC in Macao. As a result, he received a 9 month suspension by the UFC.

It’s fact that Cung Le was caught using HGH, but what’s not fact is if he used other PEDs during his cycle. Since we aren’t too sure of his other use, we’ll try to build his steroid cycle from scratch. Due to the fact that he didn’t test positive for any immediate metabolites of steroids, we’ll assume short esters were used along with the HGH.  Before we do the cycle, you be the judge what steroids or HGH Cung Le might have used by this picture.  This is Mr. Le before and after:

Just as with any steroid cycles, there has to be reason for a particular cycle to be used. In the case of MMA fighters (or any other athletes) who are tested, it’s best to use short acting steroid compounds, so they leave your system fast. Test prop has a short half life and can be stopped a few weeks out from the testing process. Orals like anavar and winstrol, along with cardarine, are usually stopped around 2 weeks out from the actual fight. While N2Guard can be ran most of the time. Basically, we have a perfect short estered, short stack that allows for maximum gains with the least chances of being caught. But, why did he use HGH? After all, he was caught. Well, HGH is mostly used to gain lean mass, have low bodyfat and feel younger. Realistically, post-training recovery is the biggest reason HGH is used in sports.

Growth hormone in the body is released in a pulsating fashion. It has been demonstrated that this pattern promotes growth. The pituitary is capable of rather quickly synthesizing very large amounts of growth hormone which it stores in both a finished and unfinished form. Adults rarely experience growth hormone pulses that completely deplete these stores. As we get older we do not lose the ability to create and store large amounts of growth hormone, rather we experience a diminished capacity to instruct their release. The growth hormone pulse is measured in a wave with the trough being the “off” or non-secretion of growth hormone and the crest being the “on” or highest point during growth hormone secretion.

The volume of growth hormone that is released in the body cannot be properly compared to the administration of synthetic growth hormone for the reason that a set of behavioral characteristics associated with natural growth hormone differ from those of synthetic growth hormone. Therefore attempting to find a natural growth hormone to a synthetic growth hormone equivalency is not very productive because in the end what is probably most important is: The quantity and quality of intracellular signaling events and the degree to which growth hormone stimulates autocrine/paracrine (locally produced/locally used) muscle IGF-1 & post-exercise its splice variant MGF.

Once Human Growth Hormone is present it is largely responsible for cell production, as well as repair and regeneration, which can in-turn lead to growth and higher levels of efficiency within the cells of the body. By the presence of HGH, cell-division is greatly increased, as well as the size and strength in structure of the existing cells. This simply means we now have a larger supply of cells that are structurally stronger with a greater level of efficiency to perform the various tasks they are responsible for.

While there is much to understand if we understand the role HGH plays in the conversion rate of protein cells we begin to understand HGH more thoroughly as this potent peptide is an integral component regarding amino acid conversion. With the presence of Human Growth Hormone and the more that exists the greater this enhancement, we thereby increase the rate of amino acid conversion and when coupled with overall enhanced cellular structure our body’s overall performance and efficiency is increased.

By its very mode of action HGH is extremely anabolic but it is perhaps its overall metabolic properties that have made it such a fascinating hormone for many in recent years and is one of the main reasons it’s often referred to as the fountain of youth. Human Growth Hormone plays a massive role in overall metabolic efficiency and plays a key role in burning stored body-fat. When you consider this immense metabolic increasing power along with the anabolic nature with which it holds you really begin to understand this is a hormone quite unlike any other.

Human Growth Hormone also plays a vital role in-terms of our body’s healing process and for many performance enhancers this is one of the main factors one considers when HGH use is at hand. Tissue repair is essential for all individuals but even more so for the athlete as tissue repair is what brings progress; we must stimulate and tear down in order to buildup and improve. The healing power of this hormone is truly amazing, much of it surrounding both cellular structure enhancing as well as division, thereby increasing the rate in-which we heal along with improving the efficiency of the process overall. It’s actually very simple; the more HGH flowing through your body the faster you’ll heal and the more HGH in your body the greater the structure of the healing will be.

You should already have a pretty decent understanding of Human Growth Hormone from above as understanding its very nature largely shows the benefits that can be obtained. However, it is important to note many of these benefits began to falter in each human being as they age; as you grow older your natural HGH production begins to decline and declines each and every year and often at a rapid rate. This is where biosynthetic supplementation really begins to shine for we can stave off the negative effects of low HGH levels by simple supplementation but of course this does not consider true performance enhancing when we speak of age. Many performance enhancers may not actually be at a stage of rapid HGH decline, yet by supplementing with the hormone and now possessing a larger amount they simply enhance the benefits by-which the hormone already naturally provides. For the HRT patient who is seeking to simply replace lost Human Growth Hormone his or her doses will be relatively low; in most cases it will not take a large amount of this potent hormone to thrive. However, in the world of performance enhancement this is not good enough; in performance enhancement we are not trying to replace but to increase beyond what our body can do on its own, therefor the dosing levels will be much higher and such doses can range dramatically depending on the individual goal(s).

Regardless of one’s purpose and regardless of your sex, those who supplement with Human Growth Hormone can expect to see a host of benefits that will serve them in a host of ways. It is however very important to note, the extent of the benefits will vary based on several key factors including individual response, total dose and duration of use, as well if any other hormones are being exogenous introduced, such as anabolic androgenic steroids. No, you do not have to supplement with anabolic steroids to benefit from HGH use but it will enhance the effects of the Human Growth Hormone tremendously as there is a strong synergetic affect provided.

As for the benefits of supplemental HGH use themselves, attributes include muscle tissue growth, higher metabolic rates, a leaner and tighter physique, increased recovery within the body, increased bone, joint and tendon strength, healthier looking skin, as well as increased energy. Those are some pretty amazing traits but the good news is it does not end there. Human Growth Hormone not only affects our physical state in almost every way imaginable but our mental state as well; those who supplement with HGH will find they have stronger clarity of thought, they are able to focus more clearly and even enjoy an overall improved sense of well-being; individuals who suffer from low HGH levels may indeed find they suffer from depression. While depression is only one issue of low levels there are many other consequences as well and to understand them we only need to say each benefit you will receive from HGH use will suffer when levels are too low; low HGH provides the exact opposite of supplemental use. We can also apply this thinking to performance enhancement; while an HRT patient will enjoy the mentioned HGH benefits the performance enhancer will enjoy them to an even greater degree as his or her doses will be much higher.

Steroids In Hollywood Actors and Bodybuilding

In the age of superheroes and action stars, is it any surprise that a number of our favourite actors use steroids to boost their physical aesthetics for their roles.

Steroids and human growth hormones are no longer a preserve of cheating athletes and angry body-builders.

A vast number of Hollywood actors use steroids to get their body to a physical peak in order to look better in their individual roles. The pressure on stars to be in perfect physical shape in a short amount of preparation time in many cases leads to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

With Hollywood pulsing as fast as it’s actors biceps with a new wave of action stars, the debate rages about the ethics of taking steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs  in order to prepare for a role. We take a look at why these actors are taking steroids in Hollywood and ask if it is ethical to do so.

Veteran personal trainer, Happy Hill, who worked with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Phillip to chisel their impressive torsos, estimates that twenty percent of actors use PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) to bulk up as a short-cut when preparing for a role. Happy Hill discusses the abuse of human growth hormones (HGH) in Hollywood.

“HGH is on the scene now more than ever before,” says Hill, who frowns upon PED use and stresses that none of his clients use any form of muscle enhancing drugs. “It’s hard not to use. Some people, especially the older ones, are looking for that perfect gym body, and they want a shortcut.”

Happy Hill highlights how that chiseled torso and rippling abs are difficult to maintain after 40. However, these actors still have enormous expectation to look great on screen and appeal to younger audiences with their maintained aesthetics over the years. Is the ethical question here about our audience expectations or with the actors who ‘choose’ to take the PEDS?

As Hollywood swells by the year with new generations of box-office draws, the older male stars re further expected to maintain their physical peak as they remain at the top of the studio wish list. The 40-year-old star is equally expected to rip off his shirt and look spectacular just as much as the young superhero star coming through the ranks. And if he does not – people say he is out of shape! The fact is, the six-pack abs are difficult to maintain and according to Happy Hill, trainer to the stars, “unless you are extremely genetically gifted,” it is unnatural and very, very difficult to achieve the Hollywood expectation – especially with the quick turnover of movies in today’s industry. Many industry stars have been open about their usage of PEDs and HGHs. Oliver Stone, Nick Nolte and Dixie Carter all openly express the anti-aging benefits of human growth hormones. Charlie Sheen also admitted that he took steroids to boost his figure for his role in 1989′s Major League. Mickey Rourke and Arnold Schwarzenegger, two of the biggest names in the action world, have also opened up about using performance enhancing drugs. What is interesting is, does any section of the action-movie-fan-base look upon this and frown? We still revere the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger despite his obvious years of steroid use. We are not suggesting by any means that we support the use of HGHs, PEDs or steroids. Quite the opposite. But we raise the question that the debate goes further than slamming these actors and stars for using the drugs, when it is the industry and the machine that sets up the idea that they must fit a certain aesthetic standard if they are to remain at the top. Elaborating on this, Mark Twight, an elite trainer who was responsible for Henry Cavill’s Superman torso has some expressive words to say about the Hollywood steroid debate.

“The guy who uses steroids and admits to it earns more respect from me than the guy who uses but insists he doesn’t and wants his fans to believe he did things the hard way.”
Interestingly, two names right in the epicenter of the PED debate have denied the use of steroids whilst preparing for a role. Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg more recently starred in Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain. The movie glorifies physical aesthetics and makes interesting comments on the expectations of Hollywood actors. The Rock and Wahlberg are enormous in Pain & Gain, as their roles demand it. On the press tour for the film, Mark Wahlberg, aged 42, stresses he never used PEDs in preparation for the role. Todd Schroeder, a USC professor and steroid expert, says that the human body can naturally achieve incredible aesthetic results particularly in one’s early twenties. Natural testosterone production is high at this stage of development, but for older actors, especially those who are cast in a role and are required to get ripped quickly, the temptation to cheat a little may be too great when to achieve the peak naturally, the body would have to go through considerable pain and risk. However, not all people condemn the use steroids. Vlad Yudin, the director of Generation Iron, narrated by Mickey Rourke himself, is less alarmed about actors and body-builders using steroids.  “The more actors learn about it, the more they tend to use it,” Yudin says. “It comes down to how you use it and who can guide you. Without a proper guide, it can be dangerous. And again, it takes a lot of hard work regardless.”

Yudin stressed how famous actors today like Arnold Schwarzenegger used steroids when he was earning titles like Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. These enhancements and titles helped to launch his now famous movie career. Yudin comments on how the usage of steroids in the body-building community is much less of a debate. Schwarzenegger acknowledges that he was aided by steroids, arguing it was more experimental at the time. As for today, he sees ridding bodybuilding — and any other sport that trades on strength — of the rampant drug use that goes on as a significant challenge. “The drug industry is so sophisticated that there’s always a way around it,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean we should give up.” It is impossible to answer the debate finally without knowing which specific actors are using steroids to aid their development. But one thing is for sure. the use of steroids and PEDs within Hollywood is not solely down to the actors who consume them. It is the responsibility of each and every studio who manufacture a body image that is consumed and expected by their film’s audience.

Carbohydrate Supplements

Maltodextrin, also known as multidextrose or glucose polymer powder, is a synthetic polysaccharides, i.e. a complex carbohydrate. It is usually produced from corn starch and the glucose polymers modify in length. It is a fine white powder which is not sweet, and is actually relatively bland. Maltodextrin is used by a range of sports people to help meet the high-energy demands of intense exercise. Although structurally it is a 'complex' carbohydrate the chemical structure is such that it is open to quick breakdown, so it is digested and absorbed very rapidly. It is infact digested faster than sugar and has a GI of 105. Its main uses are for additional energy, to help bodybuilders gain quality weight and for refuel-ling after practice. It is commonly a prime ingredient in weight gain formulas as it's a cheap and convenient way of bumping up the calories. It is also used as a clinical supplement in patients who have a needy appetite or high dynamism requirements. Many use HGH, because HGH reduces body fat.  HGH promotes growth in children and plays an important role in adult metabolism.
Fructose:
Fructose is the mono-saccharides found in most fruits and in honey. It has a GI of 40 so, despite being a simple carbohydrate, it is infact slowly absorbed. Fructose is a coarse granular powder with a sweet taste that mixes very well in water. It has been favourite as a sweetener as gram for gram compared with sucrose (table sugar) it is a lot sweeter, therefore you need less and you consume less calories. Like dextrose, fructose also increases the mix-ability of other substrates when combined in solution. Fructose's main use as a carbohydrate supplement is that it provokes an insulin response a lot less than dextrose or maltodextrin.