Steroids confiscated in the investigation were marketed to be used with animals via public web sites.
DEC 15–WASHINGTON, DC – DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy today announced the arrest of Albert Saltiel-Cohen, owner of three of the world’s largest anabolic steroid manufacturers, as part of the largest steroid enforcement operation in U.S. history. Operation Gear Grinder is a 21-month Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation that targeted eight major steroid manufacturing companies, their owners, and their trafficking associates. By reviewing the sources of all seized and analyzed steroids submitted to the DEA’s forensic laboratories, DEA intelligence analysts and diversion investigators found that 82 percent of the steroids seized and analyzed are of Mexican origin. A large majority of those 82 percent seized and analyzed steroids originate from the eight companies identified in Operation Gear Grinder. These businesses conducted their sales via the Internet, and DEA estimates their combined total U.S. steroid sales are $56 million per year.

“Steroid traffickers market their product by luring young people with promises of enhanced performance and appearance,” DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy said, “but what they don’t say is the illicit use of these harmful drugs can destroy the very bodies that they are supposed to improve. Drug traffickers prey on the belief that steroids enhance ability, but steroids only rob that ability, as we have seen so often from the affected lives of too many youth and professional athletes.”

Operation Gear Grinder is part of the Virtual Enforcement Initiative, a coordinated DEA effort to target illegal Internet drug trafficking, which was launched in April with Operation Cyber Chase and continued in September with Operation CYBERx. DEA’s cyber initiative acknowledges drug traffickers are embracing the use of 21 st century technology to further spread their virus into U.S. communities.

The steroid manufacturers involved in this investigation tried to mask the true consumers of these products by marketing them as being developed and sold for use in animals. The veterinary manufacturers (“laboratorios”) took notice of the demand for anabolic steroids and created a marketing strategy tailored to the needs of the U.S. consumer – to include high-quality products and internet websites. Communications via the Internet and parcel distributions were the core of these companies’ operations. The websites showcase the products and offer an email address to exchange prices and tracking numbers, and give ordering and payment instructions.

These eight companies used U.S.-based email addresses and listed each manufacturer utilizing a business website to place their products in the hands of American consumers. Some manufacturers provided direct referrals to distributors through the Contact Us section of the websites. The steroids were smuggled into the United States, and shipped to customers. In addition, steroids from the eight companies were also shipped to U.S. traffickers, who re-sold the products to their customers. Financial transactions were primarily done via Western Union wire transfers, as well as bank transfers and credit card payments.

These groups also supplied numerous pharmacies along the U.S./Mexico border, where U.S. customers could purchase steroids and smuggle them back across the border into the United States.

In addition to the Saltiel-Cohen arrest and indictments, DEA today arrested 4 steroid trafficking suspects in San Diego and Laredo, TX. As part of Operation Gear Grinder, DEA also identified over 2,000 U.S. customers that have received steroids from the businesses indicted today. These customers consist of individual users, street-level dealers, and organized trafficking groups in dozens of cities across the country.

The Southern District of California has issued indictments charging the companies and individual defendants with the following:Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 960 and 963 – Conspiracy to Import Anabolic Steroids; Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 846 and 841(a)(1) – Conspiracy to Distribute Anabolic Steroids; Title 18, U.S.C., Sec. 2; Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1956(h) and 1956(a)(1)(A)(I) – Conspiracy to Launder Money; Title 21, U.S.C.,Sec. 853(a), Title 18, U.S.C.,Sec. 982 and Title 21, U.S.C.,Sec. 853(p) – Criminal Forfeiture.

Manufacturing Targets

1. Companies: Quality Vet, Denkall, and Animal Power
Owners: Alberto Saltiel Cohen, Joaquin Garcia Rivas, and Javier Garcia de la Pena.
These manufacturers are significant U.S. suppliers of Nandrolone

2. Company: Laboratorios Tornel
Owner: Luis Bravo-Tornel
Manager: Mauricio Bravo-Berentsen
This manufacturer is a top U.S. supplier of Testosterone Decanoate

3. Company: Laboratorios Brovel

Owner: Arturo Bravo-Valdes
This manufacturer is a top U.S. supplier of Nandrolone Decanoate

4. Company: Pet’s Pharma
Owner: Ramon Vargas
Co-Owner-Eduardo Hernandez
This manufacturer is a top U.S. source of Testosterone Enanthate

5. Company: Syd Group
Owner: Armando Guzman-Armenta
Associate: Amalia Lara
This manufacturer is a top U.S. source of Stanozolol

6. Company: Loeffler

Officer: Jose Angel Garcia-Hinojosa
This manufacturer is a top U.S. source of Methandrostenolone

Operation Gear Grinder was coordinated by the DEA Special Operations Division. DEA offices in San Diego, Mexico City, Tijuana, New York, Houston, San Antonio, and Laredo, Texas participated in the investigation.

This investigation was a collaborative effort involving DEA, numerous U.S state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Mexican Federal Agency of Investigation (AFI).

Ma huang (Ephedra sinica)

EPHEDRACEAE, Ephedra Family

Ma huang (Ephedra sinica) is a cone-bearing shrub, 30 to 50 cm in height, which is native to China but now found also in the Mediterranean region, India, Persia, and the western portion of South America. This species grows best in sandy or rocky deserts and mountains. Warm temperate latitudes with less than 20 cm of annual rainfall are suitable for the growth of ma huang, i.e., ma huang is a xerophytic plant capable of growing under semiarid to arid conditions.

The jointed green stems of ma huang are the chief photosynthetic organs of the plant. The plant has tiny, scale-like, opposite leaves that only function briefly when first formed, after which they lose their chlorophyll and turn a faded brown. The stems are tough, relatively flexible, and lack bark for several years.

We know that ephedras have been used at least for 5000 years in China, probably elsewhere. Beverage made with the ephedra plant have been referred to under many names, e.g., yellow river, mormon tea, and whorehouse tea. Ancient Chinese physicians prescribed ephedra tea and pills for the common cold, coughs, asthma, headaches, and hay fever. Ephedra comforts asthma patients by acting as a bronchial dilator. Honey is often added to the ephedra.

Ten species of Ephedra are known to exist in North America, and many were popular in folk medicine and as a daily beverage. After the Mormons had arrived in Utah, the native tribe introduced them to a species of Ephedra, and they used the stems as a substitute for coffee and tea. However, this was considered to be a bitter-tasting tonic beverage. In the Old West, the same species used by the Mormons gained a reputation as a cure for syphilis and gonorrhea, although this cure was never actually proven to work.

The stimulants, or uppers, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, are the two widely used alkaloids of ma huang. These alkaloids are found in highest concentrations in internodes, and in thin stems with fewer nodes (i.e., long internodes), especially less fibrous stems that snap most easily, and they are absent from roots. All the alkaloids are less potent than adrenaline, yet more effective than caffeine. Caffeine–contained in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, yerba mate, and cola drinks–when combined with ma huang enhances the performance of ma huang, and the results are insomnia, irritability, and nervousness.

Seeds for ma huang are planted in the early spring. During the first year of growth, the plants must be watered and kept entirely weed free. Stems are harvested usually after four years of plant growth, and during the blooming season, when alkaloid content is the highest. Ephedra sinica is not harvested during the summer months, because alkaloid content is reduced when stems are fully hydrated from summer rains.

Stems less than 1.25 cm in diameter are cut, dried in the sun for 15 days, and then artificially dried at 120 degrees F for three more hours. Afterwards, the stems are beaten with sticks to break their great jointing, and then screened to separate unwanted joints from the internodes. Packed in bags or covered in containers, the stems must be stored in a dry atmosphere awaiting shipment.

Ephedrine can be obtained in nonprescription forms. A 24-25 mg capsule containing ma huang comes in a hydrochloride or sulfate salt form. Typically, only 5 mg of ephedrine is contained within this capsule, but ephedrine alkaloid content is not regulated due to its difficulty in being measured as a constant amount. Extreme variability in ephedrine content is associated with different ephedrine species and their places of origin.

Many herbalists agree that the intact ma huang stem is much safer to use for medicinal purposes than its alkaloid extracts. As an example, pure ephedrine raises blood pressure, whereas ephedra stems reduces it. Comparing the alkaloid pseudoephedrine with the entire plant, the entire plant causes fewer heart symptoms. When comparing alkaloid to alkaloid for commercial cold preparations, pseudoephedrine is less risky than ephedrine.

Ma huang and its alkaloids have various medicinal uses, of which only some of the more widely used purposes will be mentioned here, but especially ma huang acts as a bronchial dilator to dry up the sinuses. Pseudoephedrine HCL, an isomer of ephedrine, is claimed to have a longer bronchial dilating effect than ephedrine. This use is especially helpful in treating hay fever, allergies, and asthma. Bronchial dilation also aids in decongesting the chest from the cold and flu. Synthetic ephedrine compounds are widely used in cold and allergy remedies, such as Sudafed.

Ma huang stimulates the nervous system to enhance mood, reduce fatigue, and to make a person alert enough to smell their coffee in the morning. Ma huang also has the ability to increase energy and endurance; it does this through increase of blood flow to the muscles, resulting in an increase of oxygen and nutrient supply to the muscles. Ephedrine also increases basal metabolic rate (BMR), so that the body is spurred to burn calories faster, and so ephedrine is part of the thermogenic process that can result in substantial weight loss. In thermogenesis, white fat stores are mobilized into the bloodstream, where they are carried to the brown fat to be burned up and dissipated as heat.

Administering ma huang causes uterine contractions, thus, menstruation can be initiated. However, during pregnancy, women are not advised to try ma huang. Ma huang can help smokers to quit smoking by decreasing cigarette cravings.

Because it has some effects like adrenaline, some athletics have been known to take ephedra products to enhance physical performance. One recent rumor claimed that downing many Sudafed tablets is a common practice for professional hockey players. Diego Maradona of the Argentina World Cup soccer team tested positive for ephedrine and was removed from competition by the Argentina Football Association, and ephedra is now on the United States Olympic Committee’s list of banned substances.

Finally, ma huang and its alkaloids are marketed to produce euphoria and to increase sexual sensations, and for that reason, ma huang poses a large risk of addiction in adolescence.

The wide range of products that can be formed from ma huang make the plant and its alkaloids very marketable, and extracts of the alkaloids have been used in modern over-the-counter drugs since the 1920s. As just mentioned, ma huang is used to increase sexual sensation and to bring the user to a state of euphoria, and the plant is portrayed as a natural alternative to the street drugs “ecstasy” and “escalation.” Combination products of multiple stimulants are also quite marketable. The kola nut caffeine and green tea extract are used in combination with ephedra to produce multiple stimulants.

As with a lot of other marketable stimulants, adverse side effects are not uncommon. The alkaloids of ma huang can cause rapid or irregular heartbeat, very similar to the effects of adrenaline. Blood pressure rises. Unfortunately, there have been reported cases of liver injury and hepatitis, and users experience aggressiveness, anxiety, and tremors. This leads to poor judgment, and thus potential injuries. Complications from these side effects can result in cerebral hemorrhage, cardiac arrest, and, of course, death. Prolonged use of the drug, which is not recommended, can be the cause of weakened adrenal glands, nervousness, and insomnia. Other side effects include nausea, vomiting, fever, depression, seizures, and headaches. It should be noted, however, that the low dosage of ephedrine in many ma huang products is not large enough to produce significant cardiovascular changes in everyone.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has described ephedra as an herb of “undefined safety.” But because ephedra plants are considered nutritional supplements, products containing ma huang are not regulated for safety. Repeating from above, alkaloid content varies so greatly from plant to plant and for different ephedra species that it is very difficult to monitor the safety level of each batch. Probably as a result of no monitoring and poor warnings, at least fifteen fatalities have been linked to food products with ephedrine.

In 1993, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were put on the list of the official regulated chemicals for the state of California. One major reason for this regulation was to help identify illicit drug labs by monitoring quantities and destinations of precursor chemicals. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are used as starting compounds, or “substitute precursors,” in the illicit manufacturing of methamphetamines. Only 50% of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are lost during methamphetamine synthesis; compared with other chemicals used in drug labs for the synthesis of methamphetamine, 50% is a low amount to be lost. The Controlled Substances Act states that all sales of single entity ephedrine products are liable for full record keeping and reporting requirements under the act. If the act is not kept, a person, or a group of people, may be fined $25,000 per violation, including up to ten years in prison.

Many people have the predisposition to believe that because a product is “natural” and available without a prescription that it is healthful and not harmful to the human body. Perhaps an extension of that reasoning, when victims are delivered to hospitals for liver injury, cerebral hemorrhage, and cardiac arrest, many will not reveal their use of such “natural” medicines unless prompted. It is important to remember that anything thought by the government as being of “undefined safety”–whether it has been in use for medicinal purposes for 5000 years or for five years–should always be researched extensively before it is put into your body.

The raid on the popular bodybuilding Website followed a two-year investigation by the FDA on the dietary supplement industry. In July, the FDA sent a warning to consumers about body building products containing “steroid-like substances.” The letter followed a raid on American Cellular Labs Inc., which manufactures several popular products that the FDA says are not approved and are mislabeled as dietary supplements. An affidavit filed in the US District Court lists over 60 products sold by American Cellular Labs, which contain illegal steroids.

Bodybuilding.com spokesman Amanda Cheslock released a statement saying that the company is cooperating fully with the FDA investigation, adding that her company is not a manufacturer of the products, just an online store that carries them.

FDA special agent Robert Blenkinsop has been investigating Bodybuilding.com since February 2008 according to the affidavit that led to the search warrant to search and seize products at the Websites Idaho warehouse. According to the affidavit, Blenkinsop bought 31 products from Bodybuilding.com and 23 of them tested positive for steroids.

The timing for the raid on Bodybuilding.com is no coincidence. This week Congress will hold a meeting on crime and drugs in which the topic of steroids use will be discussed.

The following is a list from the Food and Drug Administration’s Website of products it has deemed to contain steroids and is unsafe for consumption:

TREN-Xtreme: 19-Norandrosta-4,9-diene-3,17 dione, marketed as “similar to Trenbolone”

MASS Xtreme: 17?-methyl-etioallocholan-2-ene-17b-ol, marketed as “similar to Methyl Testosterone”

ESTRO Xtreme: 4-hydroxyandrostenedione (4-OHA)

AH-89-Xtreme: 5?-androstano[3,2-c]pyrazole-3-one-17?-ol-THP-ether, marketed as “similar to Stanozolol”

HMG Xtreme: 2?,3?-epithio-17?-methyl-17?-hydroxy-5?-etioallocholane

MMA-3 Xtreme: Androsta-1,4-dien-3,17-dione, marketed as “similar to Boldenone (Equipoise)”

VNS-9 Xtreme: 17?-methyl-4-chloro-androsta-1,4-diene-3?,17?-diol, marketed as “similar to Turinabol”

TT-40-Xtreme: 1-androsterone, marketed as “very similar to 1-Testosterone” and “converts to 1-Testosterone”

Study: bodybuilders grow on 10mg dianabol per day

Way back in 1975, sports scientists at Manchester University in England made a discovery that mainstream science would only come to accept twenty years later. The researchers gave bodybuilders who worked out in fitness centres pills containing the anabolic steroid Dianabol, produced by the CIBA Laboratories. They discovered that these accelerated muscle growth. “Their improvements were significantly greater on methandienone than on placebo”, the Brits wrote.

The researchers got thirteen athletes to participate in their experiment, and gave them either a placebo or Dianabol. They had known since 1969 that bodybuilders used steroids and that there was lively clandestine trade in the substances. They also knew that women sometimes took steroids and that stories were doing the rounds of users who took over 300 mg of Dianabol per day. The scientists did their experiment to find out whether steroids really had any effect on athletes.

They gave their test subjects either 10 or 25 mg of Dianabol per day. Some of the athletes started with the steroids and ended with a placebo, and the others did it the other way round. All athletes could tell whether they were using a steroid or the fake. When they were using the blue CIBA pills they felt “prima-donna-ish”, or made, in their own words, “fantastic improvements”. The athletes’ progression is shown below. It is not clear from the article how the researchers measured progress. They did mention though that the group on 10 mg of Dianabol per day made as much progress as the group on the higher dose.

Anabolic steroids in athelics: crossover double-blind trial on weightlifters.

Judging by media attention alone, it would seem that steroid use is confined to the realms of professional athletes and high school sports. The hype of the doping scandals in Major League Baseball, Olympic track events and the National Football League have brought attention to steroids in pro sports, which has led to a growing concern about their influence on younger athletes. But are steroids only found in the lockers of students and super-stars? Who are the real users of steroids and why would they use them?

Steroid writer Lena Butler reports that recent polling among steroid users suggest that almost 80 percent of steroid users are body builders who don’t compete or play any sports whatsoever. And most are young men in their mid to late 20s, with middle-class backgrounds. Some of these steroid users include military professionals, law enforcement officers, bouncers or any other person whose job requires a good deal of strength. But an increasing majority of steroid users today are business professionals who cite weight loss, shaping up their bodies and reversing aging as reasons for taking the drugs.

The influence on high school students by professional athletes taking steroids and succeeding to become super stars who make millions of dollars has become a real concern in today’s world of Congressional hearings on doping in baseball and gold medals stripped by the Olympic committee and for good reason. Students who use steroids can cause irreparable damage to their health and their numbers are on the rise.

According to the Child Trends Data Bank, steroid use among eighth and tenth graders in the 1990s stayed at around 1 percent. For tenth graders, that number has more than doubled in this decade. The majority of high school steroid users are male athletes. Over five percent of high school seniors who competed in sports reported using steroids at least once during their years in school. A little over two percent of seniors reported using steroids and did not belong to a sports program. Much like steroid use among professional athletes, little is known about the number of collegiate athletes who use steroids because of rules banning their use. It is surveyed, however, that only about one percent of non-athletes in college use steroids during their time in school.

Although not as publicized as the scandalous professional athlete steroid user, or as mundane as the bouncer/amateur weightlifter steroid user or as scary as the student athlete steroid user, there is a sub sect of the steroid culture that has a very positive story about its use  those who take steroids for medical reasons. Steroids are often administered by doctors to patients suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, or any other disease that may cause the muscles to atrophy. Patients taking steroids report greater mobility and an easier time exercising which helps their recovery.

While the steroid using athletes who we watch nightly on ESPN may take up a lion’s share of the attention about steroid use, it is important to remember that there are many others who use steroids for a variety of reasons and to varying degrees.

Taking steroids is known to improve muscle strength and size and give a competitive edge to athletes who train with them. Users are usually impressed with the results of taking the drugs and with their slimmer, more-fit bodies. But there is a downside to taking steroids  side effects that can cause serious damage to many of the bodies functions.

Like all drugs, steroids have two types of effects on the body  therapeutic effects and non-therapeutic effects. Therapeutic effects of steroids are the desired effects of taking steroids  a leaner physic, larger and stronger muscles. Non-therapeutic effects are the unwanted side effects of steroids that can cause damage to the body. Anyone considering using steroids should learn about these side effects and their dangers because many of them can be irreversible, even fatal if the steroids are used improperly.

There are many precautions steroid users can take to minimize the side effects associated with steroid use. Proper dosage, the right physical training, a planned recovery and the use of certain supplements to counteract side effects can make steroid use safer and less harmful.

In fact, there is some debate to just how harmful steroids are when properly used. Most studies on steroids side effects were conducted at a time when users were unaware of their dangers and tended to take much larger amounts of the drugs than were needed and supplements to counteract the side effects weren’t yet developed. Also, the steroids themselves were not as advanced as ones available today. According to Jerald Bain of the University of Toronto, many of the side effects associated with steroids, like liver damage and heart problems, are related to the classical anabolic agents 17-alkylated steroids. He points out, however, that these steroids are not pure testosterone, the basis for steroids, and that increased levels of testosterone in the body show no signs of causing these harmful side effects, and may in fact be helpful to the body.

As the science of steroids improves, there may be a time when their use will be safe. But for now, their side effects should be looked upon with serious consideration before using any kind of steroid. The following are some of the known side effects of steroids:

Liver damage – Steroids contain toxins that the liver cleanses from the body, which may lead to cysts or tumors.

Kidney damage – Kidneys also help cleanse the body of toxins, and although it is rare, steroid use may lead to kidney damage.

Cardiovascular problems – Steroids affect the cardiovascular system in many ways. Steroids can raise cholesterol levels in the body, which can lead to blocked arteries around the heart or blood clots throughout the body, including the brain. Also, steroid use can lead to cardiomyopathy where the heart muscle grows larger and weaker and is unable to pump blood throughout the body. Finally, steroid use can lead to high blood pressure, which is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Problems with the reproductive system – Steroid use affect the reproductive systems of both men and women. In men, high doses of steroid lead to infertility while they are using steroids. Also, steroid use may cause men to develop female characteristics such as loss of body hair, decreased size of testicles and they may also develop larger breasts. In women, the use of steroids may lead to male characteristics like facial hair and loss of scalp hair. Steroids also alter a woman’s menstrual cycle and make them unable to become pregnant while using steroids.

Stunted skeletal growth – Testosterone is the body’s chemical messenger that slows growth of bones during puberty. Adolescents who use steroids can seriously stunt their growth and become less developed than they would be without using steroids.

Skin problems – The toxins in steroids when excreted through glands in the skin cause users to suffer from acne.

Psychological problems – Steroid use can affect peoples moods in a variety of ways. Some users report a high from taking steroids, which is often followed by a low. Long-term use without the proper recovery plan can lead to serious depression. Also, many users report heightened feelings of aggression, a state that is now coined as roid rage.

Take a good look at any bodybuilder who uses steroids and there is one certain conclusion that can be drawn about these drugs  they work. But knowing that steroids will pump you up isn’t enough to insure that using them will sculpt you into the physical specimen you see in men’s fitness magazines. Knowing the biological and pharmacological functions of how these drugs pump you up is an important step to safe and effective steroid use.

Steroids, like all drugs, act by manipulating the levels of chemicals the body already produces. It the case of steroids, the chemical is the hormone testosterone. Testosterone is found in both men and women but it is far more prevalent in men. It is the hormone that gives men facial hair, deeper voices and, of coarse, larger muscles.

When a user ingests steroids there are several processes that the body goes through. The first process, called absorption, deals with how the drug is administered. Steroids are either taken orally, in pill form, or intramuscularly by hypodermic needle. Oral steroids are ingested like food, through the stomach and small intestine. Acids in the stomach break down the pills and separate the testosterone from the carrier substances in the pill. The drugs are then carried through the small intestine and the liver before entering the blood stream. Injecting steroids bypasses the digestive tract and puts the drug directly into the bloodstream.

During the distribution process is when steroids begin their work. Distribution is just the drug moving through the body by way of the blood stream. Testosterone, like all hormones, acts as a chemical messenger to the body. As steroids move through the body, they send their message by attaching themselves to specialized protein receptors in cells that trigger the growth of new proteins. These proteins build muscle mass and strength throughout the body. This process occurs naturally in the body without the use of steroids, but the drugs increase the amount of testosterone in the body and the frequency in which they bind to the proteins in the cells. It is this increase in biological activity, called Ribonucleic Acid Activity, or RNA activity, that gives steroid users their exaggerated muscle mass.

Even as the testosterone is being picked up by the receptors to begin the process of creating new proteins, the body starts another process to get rid of the unwanted toxins associated with steroids. Metabolism occurs in the liver where these toxins are broken down and made ready to be excreted from the body. The higher the dose of steroids ingested, the higher the amount of toxins the body must metabolize. Detoxifying the body is hard on the liver and is one of the most harmful side effects of steroid use.

After the liver has metabolized the steroids, the body gets rid of the toxins and waste through excretion. Drug toxins can leave the body through urine, sweat glands and even breath from the lungs. In the case of steroids, the body uses a combination of the three, which is why acne on the skin and bad breath are often associated with use of anabolic steroids.

Cycles and stacks

The period of time that a person takes steroids is called a cycle. For safety reasons, users should carefully plan their cycles well in advance before starting them. Proper planning includes learning about and obtaining the steroids you will be using in the cycle. When more than one type of steroid is used in a cycle it is called a stack. Stacking different steroids is an effective way to maximize the muscle-building effect of steroids.

Besides learning about and obtaining the steroids you will use in a cycle, you should also learn about and acquire any supplements used to counteract their side effects, both during the cycle and during the post-cycle recovery period. The more steroids you stack into your cycle, the more side effects you will need to counteract. Along with planning what types of steroids you will use during a cycle, you must also plan what type of cycle to use. There are many ways to cycle steroids, and you may want to test them all and make adjustments until you find the ones that work best for you.

Beginner Cycles

For the steroid novice there are additional factors to consider before starting your first cycle. First, you should not take steroids unless your body has stopped growing. For most men, their bodies stop growing at about age 20. Next, you should already be in shape. You should be two to three years into a steady workout routine and you should also be able to dedicate at least another year and a half to your workout. Finally, you should be comfortable with your ability to obtain real steroids and the supplements you may need for their side effects.

Although there are many types of steroids available today, first-time users should always start with a pure testosterone. Since this is the active agent in most steroids, it is important to know how your body will react to it. A dose of 400 mgs per week should be sufficient to notice some real gains throughout a first cycle. Your first cycle should only be 12 weeks long and you should also spend just as much time to recover before starting another cycle.

After your first, you can begin slowly stacking more steroids into your cycles. You should keep the first several cycles at 12 weeks, however, and follow with a post-cycle recovery plan.

Other Popular Cycles *(charts are from pharmaeurope.com)

Once your body has become familiar with steroid intake and you’ve learned which compounds work well for you, you may want to experiment with some different types of cycles and stacks to see if you can maximize your results. Some of the most popular cycles are the three-week blitz, the double-mini cycle, the inverted-pyramid cycle and the diamond cycle.

Three-Week Blitz

In the three-week blitz, each steroid is taken for three weeks. Most blitzes will start with a dose of one steroid before moving on to a stronger dose of another. The first dose is taken for two weeks by itself and on the third week the second compound is started so that the two compounds overlap for one week. The next compound is started during the third week of the second compound and so on and so on until the cycle is complete. The cycle is followed by a two-week recovery with HCG 5000 I.U.

Double Mini Cycle

In the double mini cycle, users stack two or three steroids for six weeks. After the first mini cycle, there is a two-week recovery period with HCG 5000 I.U. before the second mini cycle. The second cycle uses the same compounds as the first. After the second mini cycle, the user recovers for two months.

Inverted Pyramid

Because the inverted pyramid cycle begins with a large amount of steroids and decreases until there are very little steroids in the body, it is the cycle choice for many athletes who undergo urine testing. This cycle is not recommended for beginners because it is unsafe for anyone to start using steroids with high doses.

Diamond Cycle

The diamond cycle is the exact opposite of the inverted pyramid cycle. In the diamond cycle, the user begins with a small amount of steroids and increases the dose over time. The dose is then decreased over time until it is back to level it started at. This is a good cycle for users who are not complete novices but are ready to begin trying new cycles.

Workouts

Although the natural bodybuilding world would like you to believe that you can obtain the same amount of muscle mass as pharmaceutically enhanced bodybuilders without using steroids, this is completely false. The gains made by using steroids are far greater than what can be made naturally. However, steroids do not magically grow muscles you must dedicate yourself to a disciplined workout routine to obtain the desired buildup of muscle mass. In fact, working out is absolutely necessary because the steroids can cause excessive bloating and other more pronounced side effects unless you workout enough to burn the body fat and water retention associated with steroid use.

When planning your workouts, there are several factors to consider. First, to kick the body into muscle-building gear and out of its state of homeostasis, you need to plan a high intensity workout. This means you should plan for a workout with few sets that work the muscle until it fails. Large muscle groups will need more sets than small ones, but no more than eight sets are necessary to get the desired results. Your sets should also be consist of a small number of reps. Ten reps should be sufficient for any workout as long as you are using heavy weights. You should increase the weights you lift as you get stronger to keep the workouts stressful on the muscles. If you can easily get through a set and you are not lifting until muscle failure, increase the weight.

While stressful workouts stimulate the muscles, they do not grow until they are at rest. You should only workout one muscle group at a time about once a week and you should always workout every other day to allow the body enough rest time to grow the muscles. Also, after a period of intense training, you should take a few days off to rest and then start a plateau training program that is intended to keep you in shape but not necessarily to gain more mass.

Because it is very likely that you will make gains of 20 pounds or more in a relatively short time, it is important to keep up a regular cardiovascular exercise workout as well to keep the heart in shape to handle the new body mass. Three to four half-hour cardio workouts a week should be sufficient to keep your heart healthy for your new body.

Diet

While it is true that Using anabolic steroids will allow the body to grow larger muscles than what your natural genetics will allow, you are still bound by the basic rules of physiology you can not grow more mass unless you intake more mass in your diet. One of the most common reasons why bodybuilders show stagnate gains in their muscle mass is poor nutrition.

Most people have bad habits when it comes to eating, which is why obesity is such a problem today. For bodybuilders, especially those using steroids, a disciplined diet can mean all the difference in the world when it comes to gains in muscle mass. Changing eating habits is hard to do but if you follow these simple guidelines, you can maximize the results of your diet.

Eat more meals per day

Most of us have become indoctrinated to the thee-meal-a-day lifestyle  a large breakfast, hearty lunch and a dinner feast. Unfortunately, this is not an ideal eating schedule for the body and can lead to more unhealthy habits, like skipping lunch because of a large breakfast, for example. By consuming five to six meals throughout the day, the body will begin to release insulin continuously. Insulin carries amino acids, an essential building block of muscles.

Eat regularly

One of the most important aspects of a proper diet is not what you eat but when. The body reacts best when it is kept of a strict schedule. By eating at the same times every day, you will optimize the nutrition of your diet. Because most of us live fairly hectic lives, eating on schedule will require a lot of pre-planning. Be sure to pack brunches, lunches and afternoon snacks ahead of time on busy days and always eat your breakfasts and dinners at the same time.

Increase your caloric intake

The average diet consists of 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. This is actually quite healthy for most people, and with a little exercise, this diet will keep a person in decent shape. But for those who are using anabolic steroids and are adhering to a strenuous workout regime, the recommended diet is around 5,000 calories per day.

Protein, protein, protein

The most essential part of any bodybuilder’s diet is protein. Because protein breaks down in the and turns into amino acids (the most essential building block for muscles), it is important to maintain a high intake of protein in order to continue growth. The best sources for protein come from meat, fish, eggs and milk. An effective diet for bodybuilders is a protein intake of one to one and a half grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. This amount should be adequate enough to maintain a positive nitrogen balance in the muscle cell meaning the cell takes in more protein than it gives out.

Carbs galore

Carbohydrates are an important factor to a proper diet for athletes because they are essential to giving the body energy, maintaining blood-sugar levels and burning fat. A recommended amount of 800 to 900 grams of carbohydrates should be consumed daily. Good sources of complex carbohydrates, which should be about 85 percent of your carbohydrate intake, are whole grains, rice, oats, noodles, pasta and vegetables. Simple carbohydrates, which should be the remaining 15 percent of your carbohydrate intake, come from fruit.

Taking steroids causes intense changes in the hormonal balance of the body. Although the desired effects can be positive for muscle building and fat-loss, there are many negative side effects that can, and will, occur. After a steroid cycle, users should prepare to combat the unwanted effects by planning what is called a Post-Cycle-Therapy.

To understand the need for and properly plan a successful PCT, we must first understand what is going on when the body takes in anabolic steroids. When the body takes in excess testosterone, it produces excess estrogen to reach a balance. When the testosterone intake is suspended, the excess estrogen will cause the user unwanted characteristics, such as breast growth. Anabolics also tend to shut down the body’s natural testosterone production for an extended period of time, so the effects of the extra estrogen in the body go to work without the body’s natural protection of increasing its own testosterone. What this means is that even though rest, a good diet and proper weight training will help the body recover from steroids, a proper post-cycle-therapy will most likely require taking ancillary drugs to bring the body’s levels of hormones back to normal.

The best defense against unwanted estrogen in the body is, ironically, by taking estrogen. The same way that the body creates estrogen when there in an increase of anabolic testosterone, the body will also boost testosterone when there is added estrogen. But how do we avoid unwanted estrogenic effects like breasts and water-retention? By taking a special form of estrogen called Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs). SERMS are designed to add estrogen to the body yet block the receptor sites in the cells that would stimulate the unwanted effects of estrogen.

The two most widely used types of SERMs on the market are Clomiphene Citrate and Temoxifen. These drugs are usually taken during the last few weeks of an anabolic steroid cycle and continued for a few weeks after in order to stimulate testosterone production in the testicles. Taking one or both of these drugs will greatly reduce the estrogenic effects of a steroid cycle.

Besides the estrogenic effect of taking testosterone, there is also another unwanted effect that needs to be addressed in PCT the catabolic effect. Anabolic steroids work by making the muscles retain nitrogen and amino acids the building blocks of muscle tissue. Unfortunately, the body likes the muscle tissue it already has and therefore maintains a balance between an anabolic, or muscle-building, state and a catabolic, or muscle-depleting, state. Anabolic steroids work by blocking the receptors in muscle tissue that take in cortisol the chemical that causes the body’s catabolic state. To combat this, the body produces more of the receptor sites that take in cortisol and when steroid use is discontinued, these extra sites wreck havoc on the gains you’ve maid during your steroid cycle. A good PCT will include cortisol suppressors, such as B-Androstenetriol, 7-Hydroxy-DHEA or similar compounds.

Along with SERMs and cortisol suppressors, there are many other natural substances to aid the body’s recovery from anabolic steroid cycles and their side effects. There are products to help with liver toxicity, erectile dysfunction, hair loss and a host of other issues that may come up during a cycle. However, by keeping a PCT plan simple, it will be easier to pinpoint which products are working and which ones are not, so keeping the list of PCT drugs short will give you a better chance of finding a successful plan that works for you.