How to use TB-500 for reduce pain and inflammation

TB-500 is an injectable peptide drug which can be used to promote healing, enhance range of motion in cases of injury, or reduce pain in case of injury by reducing inflammation. As yet its human use has been relatively uncommon and limited to individuals who like to experiment. Use in race horses has been more widespread, though it’s not a prescription veterinary drug.

The types of injury that are aided include tendinitis and muscle tears or strains, but may include many types of muscle and connective tissue injury, as well as skin injury. Where muscle injury results in impaired flexibility, TB-500 can provide substantial improvement. With regard to racing horses, it’s claimed to prevent the formation of adhesion's. Whether this is true in humans or even horses, but there’s substantial indication that it helps treat existing adhesions. Possible increased effect from combining TB-500 with GH or a GHRP

While TB-500 can be remarkably effective administered alone, at least some persons will experience better results with TB-500 taken together with GH than with TB-500 alone.

Alternately, compared to using TB-500 alone, healing effect can be improved by combining TB-500 with a GHRP (such as GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Ipamorelin or hexarelin), or a GHRP / Mod GRF stack. Of those two approaches, from results the TB-500 / GH stack to be the more effective.

TB-500 is typically provided as lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder in vials of 2.0 mg. A convenient amount of sterile or bacteriologic water will be added, such as 1.0 mL. In the most common dosing protocol, the entire vial is taken at one time. If taking the entire vial, the entire amount will be drawn into a syringe, typically an insulin syringe, and injected. Injection may be subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous, according to personal preference.

The most common dosing protocol is to take 2.0 or 2.5 mg of TB-500 twice per week for four to six weeks, and then reduce to a lower dosing rate such as once or twice per month for maintenance.

The body of knowledge is as yet limited with regard to TB-500 dosage. The above protocol may or may not be the most efficient, but it is the protocol with the most track record. It’s entirely possible that as knowledge is gained, method of use will change. A reasonable possibility, for example, is to increase dosing frequency to 3x/week (which I have done personally to good effect), or to increase dosing to 4 or 5 mg twice per week. Before going to such a program, however, I recommend trying the standard protocol first.

If interested in animal uses, a typical dosing protocol for horses is a course of six 10 mg injections at 7-10 day intervals. For more intensive treatment, 20 mg is used weekly. For racing dogs, a typical protocol is a course of six 5 mg injections taken weekly.

TB-500 is a short peptide segment or fragment of the naturally-occurring thymosin beta-4 hormone (TB-4.) To be clear, TB-500 most emphatically is not TB-4, although it’s often sold under that name. TB-4 itself is as yet an extremely pricey, rare research material that is not yet available to bodybuilding or to equine enhancement.

In the body, TB-4 is produced is the thymus, a gland which is at its largest in children, atrophies as adulthood progresses, and is virtually non-existent in the elderly. It is also produced locally in various cells, and is particularly found in wound fluids, as well as in fairly high concentration in the cytoplasm of some cells. In various studies, TB-4 has been found able to promote various forms of wound healing, to promote differentiation of stem cells, and to reduce inflammation. Protein hormones such as TB-4 do not bind in their entirety to a receptor site, as they are too large to fit. Instead, an active region of the protein fits into receptor sites.

The TB-500 peptide sequence is identical with the active region area of TB-4 and shares many and possibly all of the properties of TB-4, in a form which is more economical to produce.

Other activities of TB-500:
TB-500 has been known to promote at least partial regrowth of hair which has been lost to male-pattern baldness, to darken at least a portion of hair which has grayed, and is reported to enhance muscle mass in horses. The latter effect may be due to promoting differentiation of satellite cells. Bodybuilders who have used TB-500 for healing purposes have however generally not reported such an effect. However, it might be that the effect occurred, but was attributed to other causes, or that effect did not occur because TB-500 is generally used only when injured, which tends not to be a time of training for best gains.

TB-500 is a peptide which can be quite beneficial for healing of injuries, both acute and chronic, and for treatment of tendinitis. It can also improve flexibility where this has been impaired by injury and in some cases has partially regrown lost hair. The ordinary course of treatment is 2.0 or 2.5 mg taken by injection twice per week for 4-6 weeks, followed by monthly or twice-monthly injection of 2.0 or 2.5 mg as needed.

The most powerful anabolic steroid and bodybuilding

Kai Greene, full name Kai L. Greene, is a IFBB professional bodybuilder who has taken the bodybuilding world by storm the first time he won the Arnold Classic in 2009, with a follow up victory in 2010.

As a bodybuilder, Kai Greene is an amazing specimen. At 39 y/o, he’s 5 foot 8 inches and walks around at 310lbs off-season! That’s a big monster. His on-stage weight is equally as impressive, at an easy 275lbs. He’s a beast and really shows it when he’s dialed in for a bodybuilding show. What makes Kai Greene impressive is that he can go from 0 to 60 in seconds. Basically, he can show up and place 7th in a show today and 3 weeks later show up and take 1st or 2nd place. This is very unusual, but shows he still has a lot of work to do on his pre-contest preparation.

As with all professional bodybuilders, there is a question about drug use.

There are many speculations about steroid use in the IFBB world, but very few people are actually giving facts. Rich Piana talked about a few steroid cycle for the professionals and a few old-school bodybuilders like Dorian Yates admitted to high amount of steroids used. However, no real facts about IFBB pros steroid use have emerged.

    Testosterone Cypionate – a heavy testosterone base is used by most professional bodybuilders as a start to a cycle.
    Trenbolone Acetate – tren is used as a hardener and an agent to really change body composition, works perfectly with cardarine (GW).
    Dbol – a great oral bulker that works in synergy with anadrol to help you gain mass.
    HGH – helps to lean out, gain mass and get really thick.
    Cardarine (GW-501516) – works to combat trenbolone side effects and increase energy, as well as lose bodyfat.
    Aromasin – used to combat estrogen side effects from aromatizing compounds.
    N2Guard – used to combat negative side effects of steroid use. Helps with liver problems, kidney problems, heart problems and overall body health. It’s the best liver support on the market.

Trenbolone Acetate use in many cycles.
Trenbolone is literally the most powerful anabolic steroid conventionally and commercially available. Its an extremely powerful, impressive, and versatile anabolic steroid that tends to suffer from a heavy shroud of rumor, misunderstanding, and mysticism. The fear that many obtain when hearing about this potent steroid can easily be remedied by proper education and understanding, which will serve to bring greater confidence to individuals who may wish to use it, but have previously been too unsure to do so. It is ultimately the fear of the unknown that tends to influence people in a negative manner when it comes to Trenbolone. However, before venturing any further into the details of this anabolic steroid, the following important statement must be made clear: Tren is an intermediate-advanced level anabolic steroid that should never be used by first-timers, beginners, and should never be run in a first-ever anabolic steroid cycle. This steroid should only be utilized and run by intermediate and experienced level tier anabolic steroid users, and it is highly advised that its use only begin to be considered, at the very least, after several basic beginner cycles of Testosterone and other beginner level compounds have been used.
This anabolic steroid can be found in three different esterified variants: Trenbolone Acetate (the most popular and most widely used Trenbolone ester variant), Trenbolone Enanthate, and Tren Hexahydrobenzylcarbonate. The difference between these three types is simply the half-lives and release times, as determined by the ester that is attached to the parent hormone steroid structure. Esters that are bonded to any anabolic steroid in question do not change the actual properties and effects of the compound except for the half-life of the compound and the release rate. The idea here with different esterified forms of different anabolic steroids is primarily one of personal convenience and preference – some prefer faster acting anabolic steroids with a shorter half-life which necessitates frequent injections, while others prefer the longer half-lives of long estered anabolic steroids that are associated with less frequent injections. The popularity with Trenbolone Acetate lies in its fast acting ability due to the small Acetate ester attached, and also the ability for any user to quickly terminate their cycle should any undesirable effects be unbearable for the user. The elimination of administration for Tren Acetate will result in the compound quickly clearing the individual’s body (in a matter of days) leading to a quicker end to any undesirable side effects. The same cannot be said for Tren Enan, for example, as this variant would require two weeks for full clearance of the drug. Tren Acetate holds a half-life of 24 – 72 hours, Trenbolone Enanthate 7 – 10 days, and Tren Hex that of 14 days.The chemical modifications described above result in it becoming dramatically more potent of an androgen and an anabolic than its progenitor hormone Nandrolone, or even Testosterone. Testosterone is used as the baseline reference by which all other anabolic steroids are measured against and compared to (much like how the Celsius temperature scale utilizes the boiling and freezing point of water as the base reference for temperature measurement). As such, we can put Trenbolone’s anabolic and androgenic strength into perspective by comparing it to Testosterone. Testosterone possesses an anabolic and androgenic rating of 100 each, respectively. It holds an anabolic and androgenic rating of both 500 each, respectively. In comparison with Testosterone, Trenbolone is five times more anabolic and androgenic in strength than Testosterone. The modification responsible for making it five times stronger than Testosterone is its two double bonds at carbons 19 and 11. Furthermore, for better understanding and perspective, every potential Tren user must realize that in order to achieve the equivalent strength of 200mg, one would have to administer 1,000mg of Testosterone. In order for an individual to achieve the strength of 500mg of Trenbolone, the equivalent of 2,500mg of Testosterone would be required.

In terms of its metabolism, it has been previously mentioned that its totally resistant to the aromatase enzyme (which is the enzyme that is responsible for the conversion of aromatizable androgens into Estrogen). Therefore, Trenbolone holds zero Estrogenic activity as it cannot convert into Estrogen in any amount. Its also is completely resistant to the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which is the enzyme responsible for the reduction of Testosterone into the much stronger androgen Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Trenbolone here as well is immune from interaction with the 5-alpha reductase enzyme and cannot convert into DHT. However, it must be understood that in its own right is a very androgenic hormone (remember that Trenbolone holds an androgenic rating of 500 versus Testosterone’s androgenic rating of 100).

The extreme strength of the anabolic nature of Tren alongside the fact that it cannot convert into Estrogen are all factors that enable it to be such a versatile and flexible anabolic steroid – it can provide massive strength and lean mass gains in a bulk, and can also be utilized for cutting and fat loss phases as well. These features certainly crush the age-old rumor that this androgen is only useful for fat loss or cutting and/or for a pre-competition phase. These rumors have circulated from individuals within the anabolic steroid using community who are uneducated on its features. This is also very supportive of the fact that there is no reason for utilizing Tren at extremely high and unnecessary doses. This is especially true if an individual is a beginner to use.

Trenbolone Side Effects:
The final property of Trenbolone to be covered is that of its commonly labeled ‘harsh side effects’. Side effects will be covered in greater detail later on in the profile, but what must be understood in regards to Tren possessing ‘harsh’ and unique side effects is the fact that it is a 19-nor Progestational compound. Studies have shown that 19-nor anabolic steroids tend to exhibit binding affinity for the Progesterone receptors in the body. Trenbolone in particular possesses very strong binding affinity (much stronger than Nandrolone) for the Progesterone receptor. As mentioned above, this is one of the factors involved where it possesses side effects that are almost never seen in other anabolic steroids that are not Progestins. Progestogenic side effects are almost identical to Estrogenic side effects, and they include: severe endogenous Testosterone production shutdown/suppression, gynecomastia, and water retention. It has been determined that the activity of Progestins is closely correlated with the activity of Estrogen in the body.

The story of steroid Dianabol in athletics

In 1954, a physician named John Ziegler attended the World Weightlifting Championships in Vienna, Austria, as the team's doctor. The Soviets dominated the competition that year, easily breaking several world records and winning gold medals in legions of weight classes. According to anecdotal reports, Ziegler invited the Soviet´s team doctor to a bar and the doctor told him that that his lifters had used testosterone injections as part of their training programs. Whether that story is true or not, ultimately, the Americans returned from the World Championships that year and immediately began their efforts to defeat the Soviets using pharmaceutical enhancement.

As you may have expected, when they returned to the United States, the team doctor began administering straight testosterone to his weightlifters. He also got involved with Ciba, the large pharmaceutical firm, and attempted to synthesize a substance with strength enhancing effects comparable or better than testosterone's. In 1956, Methandrostenolone was created, and given the name "Dianabol".

In the following years, little pink Dianabol tablets found their way into many weightlifter´s training program, fast forward a few years, and in the early 1960s, there was a clear gap between Ziegler´s weightlifters and the rest of the country, and much less of one between them and the Soviets. It was also in the 1960´s that another anabolic steroid had been developed and used to treat short stature in children with Turner Disease syndrome.

At this time, physicians around the United States began to take notice of steroids, and numerous studies were performed on athletes taking them, in an effort to stem the tide of athletes attempting to obtain steroids for use in sports.

The early studies on steroids clearly showed that anabolic steroids offered no athletic benefit whatsoever, but in retrospect can be said to have several design flaws. The first issue with those studies, and the most glaring one was that the doses were usually very low, too low to really produce much of an effect at all. In addition, it was neither common for these studies to not be double blind nor to be randomized. A double blind study is one where neither the scientists nor the subjects of the study know if they are getting a real medication or a placebo. A randomized study is where the real medicine is randomly dispersed throughout the test group. Finally, in those early studies, nutrition and exercise was not really controlled or standardized. Not long after those flawed studies were concluded, the Physicians Desk Reference boldly (and wrongly) claimed that anabolic steroids were not useful in enhancing athletic performance. Despite this, in 1967, the International Olympic Council banned the use of anabolic steroids and by the mid 1970´s most major sporting organizations had also banned them.

Steroids in Olympics:
Just prior to the ban on steroids in the Olympics, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) began a program with the goals of synthesizing new anabolic steroids for their athletes to use in various sports. Their body of research remains the most extensive collection of information on the use of steroids in athletes ever complied. Despite the small size of their country, they managed to consistently dominate the top ranks of various sports.

By 1982, the International Olympic Council had developed a test for the detection of excess levels of testosterone in athletes, known as the "Testosterone: Epitestosterone test". In this test, levels of testosterone vs/ epitestosterone are measured, and if the testosterone level is 6x that of the epitestosterone level, it can safely be concluded that some form of testosterone has been used by the athlete. This is because testosterone is commonly no more than 6x the natural level of epitestosterone found naturally in the body. Thus, if there were more than that ratio, it was not naturally occurring, in all probability. The IOC was, as usual, one step behind the athletes. The GDR had already done a study on their athletes using a form of testosterone which would leave the body quickly, and thus they would be ready for the IOC test within three days of their last injection. They then developed a protocol to allow their athletes to continue steroid use, ceasing it only long enough to pass the drug test. In addition, the German firm Jenapharm, who had been supplying the government with steroids for their athletes, developed an epitestosterone product to administer to athletes to bring the ratio back to normal without discontinuing steroid use.

Their doping methods were so advanced, however, that they remained undetected for many years, until late 1989 when information was leaked to the western media about a government sponsored program of systematic anabolic steroid administration and concealment. Eventually, in the early 1990´s, the Germans had finally gotten caught, and the ensuing scandal was one which helped give anabolic steroids the bad reputation they have had ever since. Ironically, it was also in the early 1990´s that anabolic steroids had started to be used by the medical community to improve survival rates of AIDS and Cancer patients, when it was discovered that loss of lean body mass was associated with increased mortality rates respective to those diseases.

A similar story was being played out in the United States at about that same time. Before 1988, steroids were only prescription drugs, as classified by by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). FDA determines which drugs will be classified as over-the-counter versus those which will only be available through prescription. At this time, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, was invoked to restrict the access of steroids, making them available only by prescription. They were still not controlled substances at this time, however. Steroids remained in the media, occasionally making an appearance when an athlete tested positive, or admitted using them, but for another decade, they remained uncharacteristically out of the medias attention.

In the early part of the new millennium, steroids have again been pushed to the forefront of the news by the introduction of prohormones which were first developed and marketed by Patrick Arnold. It is at this point that the history of steroids in baseball begins to become more prominent; this is in all probability because Major League Baseball had no steroid testing program in effect during this time. During his epic quest to break Roger Maris home-run record, Mark Maguire was spotted by a reporter to have had a bottle of Androstendione in his locker. Although androstendione is not a steroid, and is simply a prohormone, the word steroid was again found circulating in the news on a nightly basis.

Not shortly after Roger Maris record was broken, another baseball player, Jason Giambi and various other athletes were either suspected of, or proven to have, taken anabolic steroids. Again, Congress convened a hearing, and just as they did the first time in 1990, they did not determine that steroids were a danger, but rather that the danger was more in protecting professional sports organizations. The updated statute has been updated to proscribe pro-hormones also The definition of an anabolic steroid as defined currently in the United States under is that "anabolic steroid" means any drug or hormonal substance, chemically and pharmacological related to testosterone (other than estrogens, progestins, corticosteroids, and dehydroepiandrosterone.

Currently, steroid use is far from declining. Among 12th graders surveyed in 2000, 2.5% reported using steroids at least once in their lives, while in 2004 the number was 3.4%. A recent internet study also concluded that anabolic steroid use among weightlifters and bodybuilders continues and by all accounts, there are no signs of it stopping in athletics any time soon.

In addition, the legitimate use of anabolic steroids for a variety of medical problems also continues, ranging from the treatment of Andropause or Menopause and ranging from speeding the recovery in burn victims to helping improve quality of life in Aids patients, to helping fight breast cancer and stave off osteoporosis.

Thus, the history of anabolic steroids is not something that has already occurred and been written, but rather it is a continuing history being written every day by scientists, lawmakers, doctors and of course, athletes.

How Much Mass Gains Can Be Expected in a Steroid Cycle?

In the two-week cycle case, the novice can typically get another 5 lb of retained muscle mass per cycle, up to at least the 25 lb net gain point. In the eight-week cycle case, a second cycle will often yield only another 5-10 lb of retained muscle mass. Once retained gains have reached typically 25-30 lb over natural best, then further gains typically will slow greatly. This really isn’t because of the number of cycles done, but because of how far one has gone past one’s natural maximum. These numbers are not hard limits. Some do much better. At some point, gains may very well slow to for example 3 lb per year. For example, that was Lee Haney’s average between his first and last Mr Olympia.

Where major losses have occurred, regains can be very fast, just as fast as beginner gains or even moreso. Slight losses from one’s peak however are often slow to be regained. During the cycle itself, body weight can be 8-10 lb or so greater than this, due to increases in water retention in the muscles.

This weight is rapidly lost at the end of the cycle, and doesn’t represent actual increase in contractile protein. But it is scale weight that is readily noticed during the cycle, and which enhances muscular appearance.

Testosterone suspension is an injectable preparation containing testosterone (no ester) in a water base. Since testosterone is not highly water soluble, the steroid will noticeably separate from the solution when the vial is left to sit. A quick shake will temporarily place the drug back into suspension, so that the withdrawn dosage should always be consistent. Many reference materials have not given this steroid the proper credit, stating it to be a very crude and ineffective product. Although it may contain testosterone without the benefit of an ester, the microcrystal design of this injectable will in fact sustain an elevated testosterone release for 2-3 days. The suspension we see today is clearly not the basic water plus testosterone design used in the 1940's. And since the drug will not leave circulation in a matter of hours, it is obviously useful. This is not news to the many Americans bodybuilders who have had a chance to experiment with this item, and regard it very highly.

Among bodybuilders, "suspension" is known to be an extremely potent mass agent. Most often it is ranked as the most powerful injectable steroid available, producing an incredibly rapid gain of muscle mass and strength. This is largely due to the very fast action of this drug, as the water-based steroid will begin to enter the blood stream almost immediately after an injection is given. When using a slow acting oil based steroid like Sustanon, it can take weeks before a peak testosterone level is reached. With suspension it is just a matter of days. This will usually result in the athlete noticing a size and strength gain by the end of the first week. By the time the athlete is 30 days into a cycle of suspension, the length it will usually take for a Sustanon cycle to really begin to work consistently, the mass gains are already (generally) very extreme. Clearly the anabolic effect of this testosterone will be realized much more quickly than we would expect with an oil based (esterified) preparation.

It is also important to remember that 100mg of a testosterone ester is not equivalent to 100mg testosterone of pure testosterone (as in suspension). When an ester is present, its weight is obviously included in the preparation's milligram total. Looking at Testosterone Enanthate, 100mg of this compound equates to only 72mg of raw testosterone. So the bodybuilder who uses 400mg of Enanthate weekly is really getting about 288mg of testosterone into his body each week. This is clearly a great increase over the endogenous testosterone level of the average male, which is in the range of 2.5 to 11 mg per day. But the general point is that during a cycle of Testosterone Suspension we will often see a much more dramatic intake of testosterone on average than is typically utilized with oils. Following common advice, the athlete will commonly inject a full 100mg of testosterone daily, a total of 700 milligrams per week. This is up to 40 times the amount produced by a normal male. Those who have attempted such a cycle are rarely disappointed with the results, as such heavy doses of this hormone will produce nothing less than a dramatic weight gain.

The most popular practice with Testosterone Suspension is to inject the drug at least every two or three days. The dosage will vary greatly depending on the needs of the individual, but is most often in the range of 50mg to 300mg per shot. Athletes looking to achieve an extremely rapid bulk gain will inject the already mentioned dose of 100mg daily. In most cases this cycle can be amazing, the user seeming to just "inflate" with bloated muscle mass in a short period of time.
As would be expected with a strong androgen, suspension can produce a number of unwelcome side effects. For starters, with a testosterone product we will expect to see a high rate of estrogen conversion. Estrogen levels in fact build very quickly with Testosterone suspension, which is actually reputed to be the worst testosterone to use when wishing to avoid water bloat. Gynecomastia can also develop very rapidly during a cycle, and in many cases this drug will be intolerable without additionally taking an anti-estrogen. A combination of Nolvadex and Proviron is an effective way to avoid experiencing such side effects, and is often taken from the onset of a cycle in order to prevent such occurrences before they become a problem. Sensitive individuals may find an investment in the antiaromatase Arimidex to be wiser. While this drug is very costly, it is also much more effective at controlling estrogen than the other agents which are currently being used by athletes. If there were ever a time to justify this expense, it would certainly be with a drug like suspension. It is also important that the athlete monitor blood pressure and kidney functions closely during a heavy cycle, a trouble area as water retention becomes more pronounced. Although testosterone puts very little strain on the liver, this drug can be harsh to the kidneys as the dosage increases. Of course if the athlete is encountering noticeably high blood pressure or trouble urinating (pain or darkening of the urine), the cycle should probably be discontinued and the doctor paid a visit. Conversion to DHT (dihydrotestosterone) will of course potentate the action of testosterone in certain tissues. One can therefore expect to endure oily skin, acne, increased aggression and body/facial hair growth during a typical cycle. Propecia/Proscar may be a requirement for those with a familial predisposition for male pattern hair loss, as suspension is known to aggravate this condition quite easily. Men with an existing hair loss problem may actually prefer stay far away from this steroid altogether, finding it to be just to strong an item to take risks with. The slower acting oil based injectables like Propionate and Sustanon would be a much better place to start experimenting if the individual still desires the power of an injectable testosterone.

Also, endogenous testosterone production will be quickly and efficiently reduced when using suspension. This can often reach the point of severe testicular shrinkage (atrophy). Some athletes will periodically take testosterone stimulating drugs like Clomid, Nolvadex, cyclofenil or HCG while on a cycle, in order to keep this effect to a minimum. Even if no such drug is used during, a combination of HCG and Clornid/Nolvadex should always be used as the cycle is discontinued. When used correctly, this procedure should be very effective at stimulating natural production, hopefully allowing the athlete to avoid a post-cycle crash. It is important to mention that in addition to stimulating the release of testosterone, HCG also acts to enhance the rate of aromatization in the testes. The risk for enhanced estrogen buildup makes concurrent anti-estrogen use very important, especially when the athlete had been taking large doses of testosterone. So as to keep potential health risks to a minimum (heavy water retention can take its toll), cautious athletes will also limit a cycle of this compound to no longer than eight weeks.

Overall, suspension is an extremely powerful drug, but also one that is prone to causing many uncomfortable side effects. Those looking for only a potent mass agent need not look for a better substitute; this product will certainly do the trick. But those athletes who want not just quantity but quality are likely to be disappointed with suspension, as the muscle mass gain is not going to be a hard, dense one. In fact the user must constantly fight fat and water bloat when building his new physique, and will often seek the benefit of cutting agents soon afterwards. The only exception to this would be cases where the drug is used for very short periods of time (pre-contest), to rapidly raise the androgen level and harden up the body. When estrogen is not given time to wreak its havoc on the physique, the rapid androgen increase can certainly be beneficial. Of course it will only take a few days for the androgen/estrogen ratio to shift back in an unfavorable direction.

Why do so many bodybuilders take Anavar (Oxandrolone)?

Steroid cycles without the steroids are somewhat ironic, but they are one of the most sought after cycles in bodybuilding. Why? Well, not all guys want to use steroids. The newer gym rats who just started lifting iron want to try a few somewhat “natural” products before they start with the hard stuff. It’s logical and makes all the sense in the world. If anything, it’s very responsible. Before you jump into a real steroid cycle, maybe you need to learn how to cycle in general.

The compound Anavar’s generic or chemical name is Oxandrolone. Oxandrolone is known for being mild, having just a minimal androgenic component to it. When used responsibly in recommended doses it has shown to cause very few if any negative side effects. Originally this steroid was developed for use in women and children. Anavar is medically prescribed for the treatment of individuals diagnosed with involuntary weight loss caused by chronic or acute injury, infection, or illness. This drug is one of the very few steroids that can even be used by sick patients as it is metabolized by the kidney and not the liver, like most anabolic compounds. It is also beneficial for treating loss of body muscle, the elderly with weight loss problems, cancer patients on chemotherapy, and HIV positive patients. This is primarily because Anavar has the unique potential of restoring and maintaining body weight, especially lean body mass, and can dramatically reduce hospital stay besides improving wound healing compared to standard nutritional therapy alone.

Using Oxandrolone will not bring about stunted growth in children because it won’t close the epiphyseal growth plates prematurely. Medically speaking, Oxandrolone is often used to enhance growth in children and to prevent the onset of osteoporosis in women. It has become very popular for female athletes due to its low risk of causing virilization symptoms to occur. The ideal and safest dosage for women seems to be a range of 10mg – 15mg a day.

Bodybuilders and those into power lifting use Oxandrolone to gain strength and this is done by stimulating the synthesis of Phosphocreatine in the cells of muscle tissue without causing water retention either in the muscles or the joints. Weightlifters and power lifters who do not want to compete in a higher weight class use Oxandrolone to help them gain strength without gaining weight.

When using Oxandrolone with 20mg – 30mg of Halotestin a day you will see a harder look to your muscles. Nice results have also been shown for bodybuilders when using Oxandrolone in combination with 120mcg – 140mcg of Clenbuterol a day.

Using Oxandrolone alone will not bring about obvious muscle growth but it certainly does improve the muscle-developing results of many other steroids when used together. Dianabol (D-Bol), Deca Durabolin and Testerone all work well in combination with Oxandrolone to develop muscle mass. Taking these outstanding substances cause tissue development while retaining fluid brings about gains in strength and leads to more muscle mass. When stacking 200mg of Deca Durabolin a week plus 500mg of Testoviron Depot (or 250mg of Testoviron Ethanate) a week with 25mg of Oxandrolone a day you will see substantial gain in muscle mass and strength in most athletes and male bodybuilders. The reasons why are:

• Deca Durabolin has a pronounced anabolic effect, stimulating protein synthesis
• Oxandrolone increases strength by providing more phosphocreatine synthesis
• Testoviron Depot helps in pumping up for working out and accelerates cell regeneration

Should Bodybuilders Use Oxandrolone?
One of the features of Oxandrolone (Oxandrovar) that makes it so popular is that it will not aromatize into estrogen, when taken in any dosage. Therefore the muscles will not have the typical puffy appearance that many other steroids cause. This makes Oxandrolone (Oxandrovar) ideal in preparing for competitions. It is always important to keep estrogen levels low in order to avoid retaining water, which can happen even if calories are reduced. When used while dieting, Oxandrolone will assist in keeping the muscles hard looking and cut.

Oxandrolone doesn’t necessarily break down fat, but it is known as an appetite suppressant. If the tablets are taken during meals, it can cause bloating which may lead to nausea and vomiting. It can also cause gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea. Even with these possible symptoms an athlete is able to eliminate fat and help their muscles become harder.

For those wanting to compete and desiring a quality gain in muscle tissue you may want to combine Oxandrolone with other steroids like Masteron, Parabolan, Primobolan Depot, Testosterone Propionate and/or Winstrol. What is recommended as being highly effective would be a stack of 50mg Testosterone propionate taken every two days, with a stack of 50mg of Winstrol every two days as well, plus 25mg of Oxandrolone every day.

Side Effects:
Anadrol (Oxandrolone) in bodybuilding is appropriate for those having high blood pressure or for those susceptible to gynecomastia of their thymus glands when using stronger androgenic steroids. For these athletes a stack containing Oxandrolone and Deca Durabolin is a good alternative. This stack is also appropriate for those having symptoms of poor health when trying to build muscle mass using Testosterone, Anadrol or Dianabol (D-Bol). It is recommended that athletes over forty years of age use Oxandrolone.

Another welcome feature of Oxandrolone is that even when taken at very high doses, it doesn’t promote the natural production of testosterone. It doesn’t seem to affect the hypothalamo-hypophysial testicular axis negatively. When taking Oxandrolone (Oxandrovar), unlike when using most other anabolic steroids, the testes send a signal to the hypothalamus to not reduce or cease the release of the Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) and the Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH).

Oxandrolone has been shown to combine well with Anadrol, which will not aromatize in dosages up to 240mg a day and will only slightly influence hormone production. If you take 25mg a day of Oxandrolone with 280mg of Anadrol you will see good results in terms of strength gains. In those new to taking steroids there should be gains in muscle mass without excessive fluid retention and no major effects on the production of testosterone.

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.

Dayana Cadeau Ms. Olympia in bodybuilding

Dayana Cadeau, Ms. Olympia 2004, is the oldest participant in the 2011 Ms. Olympia. She's switching to the Physique class next year, but taking her last shot at Ms. Olympia.  Dayana Cadeau is known as much for her good looks and feminine curves as she is for her spectacularly-shaped muscles and razor-sharp definition. The 2004 Ms. Olympia winner in the lightweight divisions fills a flawless physique, has a completeness of mass, symmetry and class few top-line pro bodybuilding champions will ever achieve.

She is always in the competitive mix, holds her own in any line-up. Despite competing as a pro for 14 years without respite she remains a guaranteed draw-card in any pro event she chooses to contest.

Dayana is always a top-tier talent and viable threat to any line-up she enters. Dayana has however, slipped in recent years in her Olympia placements. Once a top-three mainstay, she now battles for fifth, uncharacteristic considering her competition pedigree and the vast potential she showed in the past. While she has the shape and size necessary to win any pro event, her conditioning has lately proven to be her downfall.

She knows she has the look to win, but saddened over her recent run of bad luck, Dayana consulted her doctor. It was made clear that her 14-year pro career had taken its toll. She had simply burned out, with several businesses to run in conjunction with her full-time training requirements. Her physical state reflected in black and white on the judge's scorecards.

24 year old bodybuilder from Ghana

This Beast African Bodybuilder’s Backyard Gym Makes Prison Workouts Look Like Planet Fitness.

Most of us are guilty of complaining about the equipment in our gyms at one point or another. “Why does this POS gym only have 4 squat racks?!” and so on. If you have enough food to eat and a comfortable place to train, it’s easy to lose perspective. If you think having the best gyms with the best equipment is what it takes to achieve your full potential, get ready for an inspiring dose of reality that’ll hit you like 4 scoops of preworkout. After reading this interview with Kulbila Samson, a 24 year old bodybuilder from Ghana, you’ll have a new appreciation for hard work.

Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding photo

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the most important figure in the history of bodybuilding, as well as the most photographed bodybuilder of all time. We have sorted through thousands of Arnold photos and selected the best ones.

Bodybuilding With Dwayne Johnson

It’s amazing what muscles can do for you. Apart from improving your appearance, increasing your self-confidence, and lengthening your life, they can take you to a lot of places you may never go otherwise. The journey Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscles have allowed him to travel has been well documented, and countless actors, musicians, and other talents have used working out to advance their careers and enhance their lives.

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, 
one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, owes a lot to his training. And isn’t it interesting that
after everything else he’s accomplished, after all of the hit movies and conquering the WWE Universe, he found himself in a movie doing what started as a hobby decades ago? Bodybuilding. It’s only natural. Because under all the glitz and glamour, costumes and makeup, he’s got a perennially ripped physique.


On being a bodybuilder:
“I am a lot of things, but at my core, I always have been and always will be a bodybuilder. At least in terms of training, nutrition, and the love of being a gym rat. What’s funny is, I’ve had the privilege of playing foot- ball for great teams at the University of Miami, with great coaches and great players—Ray Lewis, for example. Then I was fortunate enough to have a career in wrestling. And of course there’s the movie career. But the one mainstay—the constant in my life—has been bodybuilding. I just love the feeling of being in the gym and transforming my body through good old-fashioned hard work and proper nutrition.”

10 Impressive Male Celebrity Body Transformations

The most impressive male celebrity body transformations from the worlds of movies, sport and music.

Craig David 

Craig David has been killing it on his diet and exercise regime to reach this level of fitness. The singer/ songwriter looked like he was at a very low body fat percentage in these pictures taken in January and along with the muscle definition he’s gained, his physique is striking. 

Charlie Sheen
Seen first in the 1986 film Platoon, our first celebrity is controversial actor Charlie Sheen. He features in this list as he added a noticeable amount of muscle mass for his role as Topper Harley in Hot Shots Part Deux (1993).

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s physique comes from a lifetime of sport and fitness. He is one of the most successful footballers around, worth an estimated $160million (USD). Although, he has always been lean, Ronaldo has packed on some serious muscle mass since which also seemed to correlate with improved form on the pitch.

Hugh Jackman
If you've seen Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men, you'll know he's always had the foundations of a great physique, but when Origins: Wolverine (2009) came out we saw a dramatic change in his shape and size and most of all, muscle definition. So what did Jackman do to get to this stage? Mostly big lifts. Bench press, barbell rows, heavy barbell lunges, squats, etc.

Jake Gyllenhaal
When we think of great body transformations we always think back to Jake Gyllenhaal's early days as the troubled school kid in Donnie Darko (2001) and his role as a nerd in 2004's Day After Tomorrow, Jake Gyllenhaal gained 25lbs of muscle for his role as a fearless US marine in the 2005 hit, Jarhead. He then went on to build an even more impressive physique for the 2010 hit movie, Prince of Persia.

Kenzie
So he may not be the most famous name on the list but we felt former Blazin' Squad member Kenzie deserved an honourable mention for his very impressive body transformation.

Ryan Reynolds
Ladies' man Ryan Reynolds has certainly won a lot of new fans since his transformation from his days of Van Wilder (2002) to his 2004 role in Blade Trinity. Since this transformation, his popularity has grown at a ridiculously fast rate, winning him underwear modelling campaigns with companies such as Hugo Boss. His success proves that it's not who you know, it's the abs you grow that gets you places!
 

Taylor Lautner
For those of you who have seen the Twilight films, you will know that Taylor Lautner is shirtless throughout most of the movies. The reason for this is that he is fully stacked and Hollywood know how much teenage girls enjoy this. Taylor has transformed from (lets be honest) a weed, into a heart throb, packing on some serious muscle mass along the way.
 

Will Smith
He may have always been cool but here at Predator we think that Will Smith's transformation from the skinny teenager from The Fresh Prince to the ripped physique from I Robot, Ali and I Am Legend is well worth his place in the list.

Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler’s torso in the 2006 hit 300 has been labelled as one of the most impressive male physiques on the big screen and we can see why! His lean muscle gains are apparent when looking at the before and after photos featured above. This muscle has done wonders for his career and Gerard is considered one of the most attractive men in Hollywood because of it (so we are told by the women of the office) proving once again that bulk is best.