This is a prohormone guide that was written as a way to inform you of all the things I spent years learning about prohormones. I’m going to tell you all the the things I wish someone would have told me, rather than doing countless hours of research.
The second part of this article will discuss more in depth knowledge on the subject and how to safely us prohormones. Click here for HOW TO USE PROHORMONES
What is a prohormone?
A prohormone is a precursor to active a HORMONE. Once ingested, the prohormones have to go through a conversion process in your body in order to become the hormone.
A designer steroid is converted into a STEROID once you ingest it and does not go though a conversion process. Unfortunately,these compounds were pretty toxic to your organs because they had to be methylated in order for your body to absorb them, as most steroids have to be injected in order to get into the system.
Supplement companies vs the Feds
In the early 2000’s there was a cat and mouse game that was constantly being played between supplement companies and the DEA with products labeled as prohormones but were in all actuality designer steroids.
Basically, the ‘supplement’ companies would find a compound that worked. The DEA would ban the compound and make it illegal. The ‘supplement’ companies would slightly alter the molecules in the compound in order to come up with a different product that was suddenly legal. This cycle would constantly repeat itself over and over again until the DEA got sick of the shit and dropped a nuclear warhead known as the DACA of 2014. This put a permanent stop to these companies from falsely selling these very liver toxic oral steroids as pro hormones with a $500,000 fine per violation!
I truly believe that the less big brother is involved, the better. However, I also believe that the Designer Anabolic Control Act was a good thing considering that most of the designer steroids were causing more harm than anything. What is left on the market offer modest results and are generally considered safe as long as you invest the time to research what you are putting into your body. They are a great alternative to steroids if you want to stay legal or don’t want to deal with injections.
Know the phrases, speak the language
keep in mind that prohormones are not to be taken lightly and can cause side effects just like steroids if not done properly.
IF you decide to take prohormones, there are certain guidelines that should always be followed to ensure optimum results as well as keeping your overall health and well being in tact.
First, make sure sure you understand the terminology for these protocols:
Cycle- A set amount of time that you plan on taking a compound.
Stack- Two or more compounds taken within a cycle.
Bulk- The process of being in caloric surplus in order to gain as much quality mass as possible. Heavy weight training is going to be the main focus of the workouts through this period.
Cut- The process of being in a caloric deficit in order to loss as much body fat as possible while also holding on to as much muscle tissue as possible. Burning calories through cardio and weight training as well as strict dieting will be the focus through this period.
Recomp- Body recomposition is the often difficult process of buring fat and building muscle at the same time.
Anabolic- Promotes growth of muscle tissue with little or no masculinization (deeping of voice, facial hair, etc)
Androgenic- Pertains to the development of male aging sex hormones and is responsible for things such as body hair and muscle mass.
Dry- A compound which typically results in lean gains, causes very little to no water retention/bloat, and has minimal conversion to estrogen. Typically, these are more anabolic than androgenic
Wet- A compound which has some conversion to estrogen and can cause some water retention . Typically, these are more androgenic than anabolic and usually serve as a base compound within a stack.
Shutdown- When you give your body an exogenous form of testosterone, it sends a signal to your testicals to temporarily stop production. This can result in temporary shrinkage of the gonads(usually no more than 20%). I would like to also note that there is belief that occasional shutdown does actually have some long term benefits! The theory is that giving your testis an occasional break could keep them from getting worn out from constant production where you may be able to produce higher levels of testosterone for a longer amount of time as you age.
PCT- Post cycle therapy is a protocol that is used to return your body back to homeostasis and normal hormone production after running a cycle of exogenous hormones.
Cycle Support- A combination of ingredients taken during the cycle in order to counteract negative effects of hormones and protect bodily organs.
Aromatase- Aromatase is an enzyme that converts an androgen into an estrogen. When the body has an excessive level of testosterone in the body, it can also raise its estrogen in order to balance out its high hormone levels. This can sometimes lead to the development of the dreaded gynecomastia or what is harshly referred to as ‘bitch tits’. Please note that not all pro hormones convert to estrogen(1-andro) and there are actually some that can reduce estrogen(epi-andro), so don’t let the fear of growing breast scare you away from a cycle. Just do your research and understand what would be best for you as an individual. There are also supplements known as an AI or aromatase inhibitor which will reduce the amount estrogen in your body.
Are you really ready?
Make sure that you have earned the right to take a pro hormone! That may sound like an absurd statement but I will elaborate. Have you put in the time at the gym and understand how to properly lift? Have you developed a nutrition plan and dieted in order to gain or loss weight? Have you set personal goals and accomplished them? Are you at least 21 years old?
If you answered NO to any one of these questions then your are not ready yet.
I would highly suggest that a minimum of one year has been spent in the gym in order to develop a muscular base and understanding how your body reacts to different lifting techniques and exercise regiments. You also need to have a diet that is totally on point and have the ability to loss or put on weight, depending on what your goals are.
You need to have understanding of how many calories and what amounts of cards, fats, and protein your body needs in order to accomplish your goals. I firmly believe that nutrition and exercise are always the most important part of any body composition goals and that supplements are only there to help assist with those two goals or help supplement with something you can not already get with your diet. That is why they are called supplements.
No one under 21 should ever take an exogenous hormone because your body is still developing . In my humble opinion, prohormones are not for men under 21 years of age, anyone currently trying to have children, men with cardiovascular issues or hypertension, and especially not for women.
The biggest mistakes that people make with pro hormones is that they take them before they have ‘earned the right’ to or they become reliant on them. I have known guys who hop on a cycle, get results, and then stop working out and dieting as soon as their PCT is over. In their minds, the prohormones are what gave them the results and there is no point in trying if your not on them. You know what happened to them? All their hard work and efforts went down the drain and they lost their gains.
Being fit is a lifestyle and not a quick fix to a an underlying issue of feeling like shit about yourself. So…keep it in perspective. Take the time to decide if prohormones are for you and understand that the more advanced you are in your diet and training, the more durastic results you will enjoy.
If you are fat, then diet your ass off, do a shit ton of cardio, and get to a lower body fat percentage first.
If you are skinny and can’t seem to gain weight, then first get you diet on point, start getting a shit ton of calories in every day, and start doing heavy compound movements to put on some mass. If your just out of shape and are victim to the ‘dad body’, then just start lifting, going a little bit of cardio, and tighten your diet up. If you have done those things……..you may be ready.
In the next article, we will discuss the following:
The different types of prohormones that are available.
Which ones are best for specific goals.
How to run a cycle and how to stack different compounds.
Pct and cycle support protocols.
How to avoid negative side effects.
Click here for HOW TO USE PROHORMONES
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