Q & A with Mike Arnold

Mike,
First I want to say thanks for your thoroughness as I have read this thread and all but one of the questions I've been having are now answered.

A little background before I get into it..
I am now almost 21 years old. When I was 18, after 2 years of consistent weight training, nutrition, and study, I made the decision to try a SDMZ 2.0 stack. I was 175lbs at the time and naturally strong and rather muscular. I blew up and my strength went through the roof, as I grew to a solid/clean 195lbs. After two months of careful and hard work I successfully kept most of my gains and almost all of my strength, ending at 192lbs. Unfortunately, I gave up on all that I had gained and accomplished. After two years of horrible nutrition and an extremely toxic lifestyle, I dropped down to a very malnourished 145lbs.

Now, after two months of a great diet and 7 total weeks of exercise (3 weeks being introductory exercises to get my body/mind back into motion, and these last 4 weeks being consistent weight training), I am back to a very lean 160lbs. I have been seeing results like I am a beginner, and size and strength seem to increase every day. I am seeing 1-2 lbs every 4-5 days, and noticeable size increases. Thank God for muscle memory.

I am back in the fitness industry again and feel shitty about what I've let myself lose, to say the least. I want to be back to that 195 ASAP. Herein lies my question.

Is it better to try to gain as much back as possible before doing a SDMZ cycle, and without the boost? Or will it not effect me other than increasing the rate at which i return to my prime 195?
I know I can do it without a cycle, and I also know it might take a few months. But If I can just get back to 195 faster, why not? I have two viewpoints. One part of me wants to believe because my body has been there at 195lbs, using a cycle to get me back there will only reiterate to my bodies physiology that 195 is where I need to be. The other part says I might actually limit myself and make my bodies potential less if I used a cycle to get up there.

The answer might also apply to those who worry taking such a strong cycle at a young age will halt their bodies potential. I am a believer it only increases your bodies potential as it changes ones physiology. Studies actually show this, as I understand you probably know. (Pointed More towards readers)

Anyways, I appreciate your time and expertise. I look forward to hearing your response, and enjoy learning from your answers.

You know, there really isn't a right or wrong way to do it...and personal opinion will naturally play a role in the conclusion one comes to. I grew up in a day when guys would actually build a solid base of muscle tissue BEFORE adding drugs into the equation. This tended to teach guys invaluable lessons that were often missed when making the jump right to drugs.

As far a quick jump to drugs holding back long-term progress, it was at times proposed to be the case, but in reality, there is no evidence available to support that claim....and the more we learn about these drugs and the overall growth process, the less viable this claim seems.

However, for unrelated reasons, I would personally suggest waiting until you at least get back to 175 lbs. After all, that was your starting bodyweight. There is absolutely no need to use drugs to reach a bodyweight that you carried naturally, as your body can already quickly and easily regain that lost bodymass on its own.

Let me tell you a brief story. When I first began training (serious training) at age 22, I weighed 167 lbs at a height of 6'1. Within 12 weeks I reached 208 lbs with very little increase in bodyfat. At LEAST 30+ lbs of the 41 lbs I gained was lean tissue...at least. My strength increased by a massive margin, such as my bench pressing jumping from 245 for reps to 315 for reps...and deadlifts from 245 for reps to 405 for reps, etc. All my lifts went up similarly. I know many guys who don't even gain anywhere close to that amount during their 1st cycle, let alone naturally over a 12 week period, but it does go to show just what the body is capable of when you are doing everything right.

Few people are following an optimal eating & training program and their overall results suffer because of it. I would suggest learning how to eat & train optimally at this moment in time....because if you do, you could regain all that lost bodyweight back faster than many guys who use drugs. Steroids are limited by nutrition. You could take all the steroids in the world, but you will never be able to build muscle at a maximum rate without supplying the required amount of food.

You didn't mention your height, but if you are 5'10 or above, you should EASILY be able to hit 195 lbs without drugs in a just a couple months. Of course, this would require a hard & basic training program centered almost completely around the core exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, flat & incline presses, overhead presses, barbell and/or t-bar rows, chins, etc. At your level of dvelopment, you will only hold yourself back by doing a bunch of different exercises for each bodypart. Also, screw high volume at this point--you don't need it, nor will it serve you best. Train with low-moderate volume while focusing on progressive resistance in the 6-12 rep range for upper-body and 10-15 for lower body. Train to failure on your work-sets, which should not be many. Eat like a horse every day, sleep well each night, train each muscle once every 5-6 days (you don't need to rest 7 days inbetween workouts at this point, as you are not developed enough to require that much recovery time) and the muscle will come on rapidly.

Then, when you introduce Super DMZ 3.0 (the strongest oral steroid combination available), you will be able to rapidly add a bunch of muscle on top of what you already gained. By summer-time you could easily be sitting at around 215 lbs. Again, this is all dependent on your caloric intake and an effective training program. The training programs that the pros use and not the most effective for beginners-intermediates seeking to build mass. People at your level of development should be putting all their focus on getting stronger on the basic mass-builders in the rep ranges mentioned above. Throwing in a bunch of isolation exercises or using high volume will only hold you back.

Always remember, the bigger you get, the more calories your body will need. Muscle requires calories not only to build, but to maintain. Therefore, the bigger you want to get, the more you must eat...and you must continue eating that new amount of calories forever if you want to keep that muscle. You can never again go back to your old way of eating...or you will lose everything you gained. This is why most guys never get big--because they can't deal with the qauntity of food their body needs to get that big. They struggle to eat enough food just to gain 20-30 lbs, let alone 50 lbs, or 100 lbs. Diet is where the real test lies...and to a lesser degree, training. It's certainly not drugs, as drugs take no effort to use.
 
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Wow. Well said, and that was rather motivating.
To add what I left out, I am 5' 11".
Also, I will continue to focus on my core exercises, as power-lifting is what got me the biggest, fastest. Your expert opinion is one I love to follow. I now have an even bigger goal than before, and that is to get to 195 and all naturally. Then i look forward to taking a SDMZ cycle again (Sort of my reward). Sitting at 215 at the end of the summer would be rather incredible. I will keep in touch and update you on as far as I can push myself naturally. For now, I will focus imperatively on my diet. I am shooting for a caloric intake of 3300 right now, but as my weight grows so will that number. 200 grams protein, 89 grams fat, and 405 carbs. (Would like your opinion on those numbers if possible).
Once again thanks for your valuable stance on this.
195 here I come...
 
Wow. Well said, and that was rather motivating.
To add what I left out, I am 5' 11".
Also, I will continue to focus on my core exercises, as power-lifting is what got me the biggest, fastest. Your expert opinion is one I love to follow. I now have an even bigger goal than before, and that is to get to 195 and all naturally. Then i look forward to taking a SDMZ cycle again (Sort of my reward). Sitting at 215 at the end of the summer would be rather incredible. I will keep in touch and update you on as far as I can push myself naturally. For now, I will focus imperatively on my diet. I am shooting for a caloric intake of 3300 right now, but as my weight grows so will that number. 200 grams protein, 89 grams fat, and 405 carbs. (Would like your opinion on those numbers if possible).
Once again thanks for your valuable stance on this.
195 here I come...

I could not say if those numbers are ideal for you or not, as everyone's metabolism is different, which means macro intake will vary, BUT...they certainly appear to be in a normal range. As long as you are gaining weight consistently (which should not be difficult, considering that you are sugnificantly below your previous, natural bodyweight) then you are on the right track.
 
Mike,

Just wanted to know if torem would give me trouble while passing a possible drug test? I've recently completed my msten stack and now 5 days into pct. I'm my interview goes well next Saturday I will need to take a piss test.
 
I could not say if those numbers are ideal for you or not, as everyone's metabolism is different, which means macro intake will vary, BUT...they certainly appear to be in a normal range. As long as you are gaining weight consistently (which should not be difficult, considering that you are sugnificantly below your previous, natural bodyweight) then you are on the right track.

Back up to 170, so steadily gaining.
:cool: Thanks once more for all of your help. Great to have someone like you to consult...

Lmao... Mike Arnold, the Hardcore Supplement Oracle....

Looking forward to your advice in the near future.
 
hey mike
could you lay out a 3rd cycle to gain the most muscle mass as possible (w/o) using superDMZ!
i was thinking of M-sten 3ed and i was ready ur Q&A and was wonder about deca drol ? and why is it a (wet mass gainer ) what does that mean ?
can you run msten for 6 weeks?
my 1st thot was week 1-6 msten 3ed / 4-andro 4ed / halo 3-4ed / acs 2ed?? what do you think ??
on a side note i have been trying to understand your pulse method with the orals and methyls/ non methyls!
so i could run a methyl(msten ) for 4 weeks then run a non methyl (decadrol) for 4 weeks then what another 4 weeks of msten or do you do PCT? how long could you cycle the methyls / non methyls on and off ??
 
Hello Mike your a great asset to any board to place you touch and i really value your opinion. That being said I have a couple questions in regards to running a low dose insulin pre workout or post workout. Let's just say for the sake of an example 2iu.
1.Would this be more effective than nothing at all given in a pre or post workout environment and
2. if you were to run a dose that low would you lower your carbs to match that small dose or would you still consume normal amount of carbs that fit into your daily macros (or would we have to worry about fat gain because of the carb to iu ratio being higher).
3. I know it wouldn't Be top on your list but if you ever had a low dose protocol what would it be and can you share it

Thanks mike your a wealth of knowledge so any clarification I can get would be greatly appreciated. I have read a lot of your posts on a different forum and as a result have even more questions now. I also what do you think about insulin in situations other than pre and post workout and would you mind giving an example? thanks
 
Mike,

Just wanted to know if torem would give me trouble while passing a possible drug test? I've recently completed my msten stack and now 5 days into pct. I'm my interview goes well next Saturday I will need to take a piss test.

You are worried about nothing. M-sten is not a banned substance--it is a legal supplement. Not only is it completely within your rights to use such supplements until such time their legal status is altered, but very, very few companies test for AAS...and of the ones that do, they would never test for M-sten because it is a legal supplement.

The ONLY people being tested for M-sten are Olympic athletes and other world-class athletes which use IOC testing methods...and the only reason they are tested for M-sten is because these people are participating in competitive athletic events. Steroid testing is very expensive, as the tester needs to test for each idividual steroid. Not only would no employer ever pay to have every single known steroid tested for, but they wouldn't even be able to compile a list of all known AAS....and even if they did, M-sten would not be included on that list because it is a LEGAL SUPPLEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On top of that, it would be illegal for them to deny employment based on the use of legal products, which would give you valid right to sue theur ass off, but again, this would never happen because I can gaurantee you that not only are they probably not testing for AAS, but they are certaibly not testing for legal products like M-sten.

As for Torem, it is not a substance that is included in drug tests, so no, it will not cause a problem.
 
hey mike
could you lay out a 3rd cycle to gain the most muscle mass as possible (w/o) using superDMZ!
i was thinking of M-sten 3ed and i was ready ur Q&A and was wonder about deca drol ? and why is it a (wet mass gainer ) what does that mean ?
can you run msten for 6 weeks?
my 1st thot was week 1-6 msten 3ed / 4-andro 4ed / halo 3-4ed / acs 2ed?? what do you think ??
on a side note i have been trying to understand your pulse method with the orals and methyls/ non methyls!
so i could run a methyl(msten ) for 4 weeks then run a non methyl (decadrol) for 4 weeks then what another 4 weeks of msten or do you do PCT? how long could you cycle the methyls / non methyls on and off ??

First of all, why are you opposed to the use of DMZ, but not Methadrol, when both prodcts contain almost the exact same ingredient profile?
 
Hello Mike your a great asset to any board to place you touch and i really value your opinion. That being said I have a couple questions in regards to running a low dose insulin pre workout or post workout. Let's just say for the sake of an example 2iu.
1.Would this be more effective than nothing at all given in a pre or post workout environment and
2. if you were to run a dose that low would you lower your carbs to match that small dose or would you still consume normal amount of carbs that fit into your daily macros (or would we have to worry about fat gain because of the carb to iu ratio being higher).
3. I know it wouldn't Be top on your list but if you ever had a low dose protocol what would it be and can you share it

Thanks mike your a wealth of knowledge so any clarification I can get would be greatly appreciated. I have read a lot of your posts on a different forum and as a result have even more questions now. I also what do you think about insulin in situations other than pre and post workout and would you mind giving an example? thanks

Thank you. With that said, here are my thoughts.

1.) It is absolutely, completely POINTLESS to use 2 IU of insulin. The body make far more than that on its own every time you eat even a small carb meal.

2.) Insulin will not ake you gain fat when yoiu are not eating more calories than your body requires.

3.) Your slin intake should be based around the amount of carbs your body needs to grow and recover optimally. You don't reduce your carb intake below optimal levels just because you're using a tiny dose of insulin. Most people will be consuming more than enough carbs (or should be) during the wokrout window to cover an effective dose of insulin.

For example, the typical 200 lbs BB'r should be consuming at least 1/3rd of his daily carb intake during the workout window when in a mass-bulding phase...and when using the 2-3 grams if carbs per pound of bodyweight rule (guys with faster metabolisms should consume 3 grams per pound, while those who gain bodyfat more easily should consume around 2 grams per pound), that would be roughly 130-200 grams if carbs during the workout window. Even when following a ratio of 10 grams of carbs per IU of slin, that would be enough carbs to cover between 13-20 IU of humulin R. You will also be consuming (or should be) some type of fast digesting protein during this time as well, which would also use up some of the insulin.

Hell, 2 IU of insulin is so insignificant that you could inject that amount with no food at all and it would have almost no discernable effect on circulating levels of blood sugar, even in the most insulin sensitive people.

I see no point in using less than 10 IU when used around workouts...and quite frankly, if someone's body doesn't require enough carbs around workouts to cover 10 IU of insulin, they must be really small (which means they shouldn't be using insulin anyway) because even a 150 lb guy shoud be consuming between 300-450 grams of carbs daily in the off-season, which is 100-150 grams if carbs around workouts...which is enough to cover 10 IU, especially once rapidly digesting proteins (like whey) are added into the mix.

I recommend beginners start with Humulin R...not Humalog and not slower forms of insulin. Humulin R is perfect, as it does not come on too fast, but also only lasts about 4-5 hours, so it leaves the system rather quickly.
 
First of all, why are you opposed to the use of DMZ, but not Methadrol, when both prodcts contain almost the exact same ingredient profile?
mike i jst figured that super dmz would be to much for me as it will only be 3rd cycle ?
my 1st cycle was halo/4-andro 3ed
my 2nd cylce is epi-tren /4-andro which im currently on now trying to cut for a physique show !
end of summer i want a mass cycle but worried about the dmz strength and sides so thats why i wanted to do msten i know its pretty potent and minimal sides
 
Thank you. With that said, here are my thoughts.

1.) It is absolutely, completely POINTLESS to use 2 IU of insulin. The body make far more than that on its own every time you eat even a small carb meal.

2.) Insulin will not ake you gain fat when yoiu are not eating more calories than your body requires.

3.) Your slin intake should be based around the amount of carbs your body needs to grow and recover optimally. You don't reduce your carb intake below optimal levels just because you're using a tiny dose of insulin. Most people will be consuming more than enough carbs (or should be) during the wokrout window to cover an effective dose of insulin.

For example, the typical 200 lbs BB'r should be consuming at least 1/3rd of his daily carb intake during the workout window when in a mass-bulding phase...and when using the 2-3 grams if carbs per pound of bodyweight rule (guys with faster metabolisms should consume 3 grams per pound, while those who gain bodyfat more easily should consume around 2 grams per pound), that would be roughly 130-200 grams if carbs during the workout window. Even when following a ratio of 10 grams of carbs per IU of slin, that would be enough carbs to cover between 13-20 IU of humulin R. You will also be consuming (or should be) some type of fast digesting protein during this time as well, which would also use up some of the insulin.

Hell, 2 IU of insulin is so insignificant that you could inject that amount with no food at all and it would have almost no discernable effect on circulating levels of blood sugar, even in the most insulin sensitive people.

I see no point in using less than 10 IU when used around workouts...and quite frankly, if someone's body doesn't require enough carbs around workouts to cover 10 IU of insulin, they must be really small (which means they shouldn't be using insulin anyway) because even a 150 lb guy shoud be consuming between 300-450 grams of carbs daily in the off-season, which is 100-150 grams if carbs around workouts...which is enough to cover 10 IU, especially once rapidly digesting proteins (like whey) are added into the mix.

I recommend beginners start with Humulin R...not Humalog and not slower forms of insulin. Humulin R is perfect, as it does not come on too fast, but also only lasts about 4-5 hours, so it leaves the system rather quickly.

Okay a couple more questions now that all make sense. I read a quote from Gunsmith on a different forum that reads

The "rule" of needing 10g per unit of insulin is what gets people in trouble!!While that is an accurte idea to go buy you must realize that the active life of humulin-R is about 5 hrs so taking all 100g at once may get you in trouble 4 hrs later , this is also what can lead to fat gain.
Take your "needed" amount of carbs and spread them out over the life span of the slin , this will allow you to use enough carbs to keep from getting hypo but not so much your body cant use it all.

Think about it like filling a glas with water out of a 5 gallon bucket , if you are easy and gently trickle the water in its easy you can fill the cup nicely , but if you dump the bucket over to much you will fill the cup but make mess at the same time

Do you agree with the statement. To me it makes a lot of sense and i think this is the reason why we space out our shakes even more using humalin over humalog. Also what is your thoughts on insulin on non-training days or other times than around that peri-workout window? And then i remember reading a post of yours that states you could inject 4iu of insulin before bed and not even have to worry about going hypo. Do you think that the whole going hypo thing is a little exaggerated by most?
 
mike i jst figured that super dmz would be to much for me as it will only be 3rd cycle ?
my 1st cycle was halo/4-andro 3ed
my 2nd cylce is epi-tren /4-andro which im currently on now trying to cut for a physique show !
end of summer i want a mass cycle but worried about the dmz strength and sides so thats why i wanted to do msten i know its pretty potent and minimal sides

M-sten is a great product. As far as any of the products being "too strong" for you because its only your 3rd cycle, that is completely untrue. You can use anything you want for any cycle. The body doesn't adapt or prepare itself for certain steroids by running weaker steroids first. If you are going to respond well or have side effects from certain steroids, you are going to respond that way regardless of whether it is your 1st or 20th cycle. This entire mentality which says guys need to wait to use certain drugs, in my opinion, is misguided.

If you want to use M-sten, give it a shot. I am sure you will like it. It works very well. Normal dosing is 20-40 mg per day, with better results being noticed at the higher end of the dosing range.
 
Okay a couple more questions now that all make sense. I read a quote from Gunsmith on a different forum that reads



Do you agree with the statement. To me it makes a lot of sense and i think this is the reason why we space out our shakes even more using humalin over humalog. Also what is your thoughts on insulin on non-training days or other times than around that peri-workout window? And then i remember reading a post of yours that states you could inject 4iu of insulin before bed and not even have to worry about going hypo. Do you think that the whole going hypo thing is a little exaggerated by most?

Yes. How you should spread out your meals/shakes will depend on what and how much your eating. It is easily possible to cover an inject of slin with a single, large, slower digesting meal, while a dextrose (not recommded) & whey shake would probaboly leave you needing more food within 2-3 hours.

I think the risk of insulin overdose is exagerated by some people, but how is exagerated defined? I have seen some people make a big deal over just 4-5 IU, acting as if that dose could land someone in trouble if they aren't anal about their carb intake. Clearly, someone like this has never used insulin and has no idea what they are talking about. On the other hand, I have seen one person tell a beginner...a 170 lb beginner who had never used insulin in his life, to start out with 40-45 IU of Humulin R pre-workout...without supplying him with any dietary guielines whatsoever. That is extremely irresponsible and ignorant. Surprisingly, this person had been using insulin chronically for years and was also competitive at a very high level. The only explanation I have for this is that he viewed 40-45 IU as a moderate dose because that is what he himself had used and he never had any issues. This is because his insulin sensitivity was poor from years of use, and his carb intake was quite large because he weighed 300+ lbs.

So, there are people that exagerate its dangers...and also those who minimize the potential risks.

I have lots of thoughts about using insulin at times other than the training window, but that could turn into a book-length conversation. You need to narrow down your question.
 
Yes. How you should spread out your meals/shakes will depend on what and how much your eating. It is easily possible to cover an inject of slin with a single, large, slower digesting meal, while a dextrose (not recommded) & whey shake would probaboly leave you needing more food within 2-3 hours.

I think the risk of insulin overdose is exagerated by some people, but how is exagerated defined? I have seen some people make a big deal over just 4-5 IU, acting as if that dose could land someone in trouble if they aren't anal about their carb intake. Clearly, someone like this has never used insulin and has no idea what they are talking about. On the other hand, I have seen one person tell a beginner...a 170 lb beginner who had never used insulin in his life, to start out with 40-45 IU of Humulin R pre-workout...without supplying him with any dietary guielines whatsoever. That is extremely irresponsible and ignorant. Surprisingly, this person had been using insulin chronically for years and was also competitive at a very high level. The only explanation I have for this is that he viewed 40-45 IU as a moderate dose because that is what he himself had used and he never had any issues. This is because his insulin sensitivity was poor from years of use, and his carb intake was quite large because he weighed 300+ lbs.

So, there are people that exagerate its dangers...and also those who minimize the potential risks.

I have lots of thoughts about using insulin at times other than the training window, but that could turn into a book-length conversation. You need to narrow down your question.

well this is all excellent information as always mike. and i agree we need to define the term exaggerate and in which context is the drug be used. I was strictly talking about in the dose range of 2iu-10iu as this is the range that i will be sticking in and never going any higher. I would love to hear more of your thoughts and ideas about insulin and have pretty much read all of your threads on the internet in regards to using insulin...where could i find out more from you? Do you have a book or a journal that is dedicated to its use? Because i would be very interested (and im sure others would be as well).

Also circling back to the topic of a low dose, because i will only be using insulin no more than 3x a week and never going higher than 10iu i would like to ask a question regarding training at night. On days that i have off of work and am able to train earlier in the day i will tend to increase my dose from anywhere to 8iu to 10iu because i will active during the duration and window of the insulin. But for shits and giggles when i train at 8pm i am scared to take a dose higher than 3 or 4 iu because i know i will be going to bed by 12pm. Now that being said i am a big guy (~230lbs) so i know i am getting more than enough carbs in during this time but the idea still scares me. With all of this information do you that i might be over-exaggerating the potentiality of going hypo on a dose this low at night time. And what is your thoughts on this. Thanks mike!
 
well this is all excellent information as always mike. and i agree we need to define the term exaggerate and in which context is the drug be used. I was strictly talking about in the dose range of 2iu-10iu as this is the range that i will be sticking in and never going any higher. I would love to hear more of your thoughts and ideas about insulin and have pretty much read all of your threads on the internet in regards to using insulin...where could i find out more from you? Do you have a book or a journal that is dedicated to its use? Because i would be very interested (and im sure others would be as well).

Also circling back to the topic of a low dose, because i will only be using insulin no more than 3x a week and never going higher than 10iu i would like to ask a question regarding training at night. On days that i have off of work and am able to train earlier in the day i will tend to increase my dose from anywhere to 8iu to 10iu because i will active during the duration and window of the insulin. But for shits and giggles when i train at 8pm i am scared to take a dose higher than 3 or 4 iu because i know i will be going to bed by 12pm. Now that being said i am a big guy (~230lbs) so i know i am getting more than enough carbs in during this time but the idea still scares me. With all of this information do you that i might be over-exaggerating the potentiality of going hypo on a dose this low at night time. And what is your thoughts on this. Thanks mike!

3-4 IU of Humulin is nothing. You could inject that dose before bed on an empty stomach and it would never hurt you. If you take your final dose at 8 PM, it will be almost entirely used up by midnight, so you could easily inject 10 IU at 8 pm. Just eat the amount of carbs you need from 8-12 and you'll be fine. You're not going to experience some hypoglycemic attack after injecting 10 IU 4 hours prior, especially after eating a bunch of carbs for 4 hours following.
 
I'm interested in recomp/cutting supplements... What would you recommend? Dosing would be greatly appreciated... I'll be 35 in August, I'm 5'10" and about 258lbs... Trying to cut 40lbs by August 30th 2014... I've got a lot of built up muscle from my years in the gym but also a lot of fat covering those muscles... I'm going to start working out again 5-6 days week, lifting/cardio and also hiking on Sundays... Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you soon...
 
3-4 IU of Humulin is nothing. You could inject that dose before bed on an empty stomach and it would never hurt you. If you take your final dose at 8 PM, it will be almost entirely used up by midnight, so you could easily inject 10 IU at 8 pm. Just eat the amount of carbs you need from 8-12 and you'll be fine. You're not going to experience some hypoglycemic attack after injecting 10 IU 4 hours prior, especially after eating a bunch of carbs for 4 hours following.

hey mike thank you very much for the information this leads me to a couple of more question.
To be honest i am more interested in growing at a sustainable rate and not trying to take massive doses of anything (i take very low dose TRT) and that is about it. Im simply looking for a boost for my workouts and the effectiveness of my workouts. This is why insulin interests me...

a) is it possible to take insulin 2-3x a week permanently without any major side effects provided i am using a dose that is considered low - like under 5 iu.

b) also for the sake of discussion lets conside this scenario. 2 guys that are genetically the same and eat and train the same way, one that takes 2iu of insulin pre workout and the other doesnt. Will the guy who is using 2iu see more gains over the long-term than the guy not using insulin? I know this is a very very low dose considered by anybodys standards, however i do believe reading that some of the balco athletes used doses in this amount - why do you think these chose this low of a dose?! Are there any benefits to using 2iu over 0iu? And what are those benefits? It is known that your body produces insulin throughtout the day, so being that we are talking about a dose that is very low, is there ANY benefit at all?

c) what is your opinion on using insulin in times other than that workout window.

These are all questions that are very interesting to me. And i would really appreciate if you can expand on your response to question 2. As always Mike, you are AWESOME!
Thanks again and kind regards
 
I'm interested in recomp/cutting supplements... What would you recommend? Dosing would be greatly appreciated... I'll be 35 in August, I'm 5'10" and about 258lbs... Trying to cut 40lbs by August 30th 2014... I've got a lot of built up muscle from my years in the gym but also a lot of fat covering those muscles... I'm going to start working out again 5-6 days week, lifting/cardio and also hiking on Sundays... Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you soon...

First off, it is important to understand that fat loss is primarily determined by diet. No amount of drugs or cardio is going to get you lean if your diet is way of track. As far as steroids go, they can make you look leaner by causing your muscles appear drier and harder, but you need to be lean enough to notice these effects. In terms of fat loss, steroids can have a mild effect, but nowhere near that of fat loss drugs. The primary benefit of using steroids while trying to lose fat is their abiluity to help you retain lean mass while following a sub-mainetance calorie diet.

Here is what i would recommend.

1.) Get your diet in order. Althoigh I don't know you personally and therefore cannot give tailored advice, I can still provide general advise. Start out by reducing your calories by about 500 daily. In terms of macros, follow a low fat, high protein, moderate carbohydrate diet. As the weeks by by and fat loss gets more diffcult, slowly reduce your carb intake, while keeping your protein high and your fats low.

2.) Start doing cardio 4 days per week at 20-30 minutes persession. As fat loss gets more difficult, slowly increase the number of sessions you perform, while adding a few minutes to each session each week.

3.) If you want to know what supplements are best for fat loss, here they are: Clenbuterol and T3...period. The classic Ephedrine & caffeine combo can be used to replace the Clen, if you don't want to use it. Ephedrine & caffeine works very well, just about as well as Clen. By adding T3 to either Clen or Ephedrine-caffiene, you will have a very potent fat loss stack. You can also add yohimbine HCL to that for additional fat loss power.

4.) Epi-Tren is a good product for your goals. It is a low side effect steroid product without any water retention or estrogenic side effects. While I can't recommend you take this product for longer than label recommendations, my personal opinion is that this product is safe for use for up to 8 weeks when using reasonable dosages. This is because Epistane, the steroid within the product, is more mild than many other oral steroids.

Here is what your program might look like when putting all these things together:

Weeks 1-8: Epi-Tren @ 3 caps/day (1 cap in AM/ 1 cap at mid-day/ 1 cap in PM).
Weeks 1-8: Ephedrine @ 50 mg/day (take 10 mg every 3 hours, beginning with the first cap right after you wake up in the morning).
Weeks 1-8: Caffeine @ 600 mg/day (200 mg after waking/ 200 mg 5 hours later/ 200 mg 5 hours later).
Weeks 1-8: Yohimbine HCL @ 10 mg/day (split up into 3 doses, with each dose taken 5 hours part).
Weeks 1-8: T3 @ 50 mcg/day (25 mcg in AM/ 25 mcg in PM)


Note: You may need to start out at a lower dose of Ephedrine and caffiene and gradually increase the dose over a 2 week period, until you hit the doses listed above.

Superior Hardcore peptides, the sister company of IML, sells legitimate, properly dosed T3.
 
hey mike thank you very much for the information this leads me to a couple of more question.
To be honest i am more interested in growing at a sustainable rate and not trying to take massive doses of anything (i take very low dose TRT) and that is about it. Im simply looking for a boost for my workouts and the effectiveness of my workouts. This is why insulin interests me...

a) is it possible to take insulin 2-3x a week permanently without any major side effects provided i am using a dose that is considered low - like under 5 iu.

b) also for the sake of discussion lets conside this scenario. 2 guys that are genetically the same and eat and train the same way, one that takes 2iu of insulin pre workout and the other doesnt. Will the guy who is using 2iu see more gains over the long-term than the guy not using insulin? I know this is a very very low dose considered by anybodys standards, however i do believe reading that some of the balco athletes used doses in this amount - why do you think these chose this low of a dose?! Are there any benefits to using 2iu over 0iu? And what are those benefits? It is known that your body produces insulin throughtout the day, so being that we are talking about a dose that is very low, is there ANY benefit at all?

c) what is your opinion on using insulin in times other than that workout window.

These are all questions that are very interesting to me. And i would really appreciate if you can expand on your response to question 2. As always Mike, you are AWESOME!
Thanks again and kind regards

1.) You can take insulin 2-3X weekly permanently without experiencing significant insulin resistance, regardless of the dose used.

2.) 2 IU is worthless. The body produces far, far more than that every single day. It will not produce visaully noticable results. If any Balco athletss were using such a low dose, then the person advising them was not too smart when it comes to using insulin use for performance enhancement.

3.) Insulin can be used at any time, but frequency of use is determined by many factors. If you are asking me if I think it is a good idea to use insulin at other times, there is no black & white answer--too many variables can influence my decision.
 
Hey Mike, how would you recommend using PEG MGF? I understand IGF-1 LR3 works systematically throughout the body, however does it have any kind of localized site injection effect... say if I shot bi's would it have a more pronounced effect in that muscle, if so should I use it in a similar fashion as PEG MGF? I want to work on my bi's, tri's, rear delts, and pecs - I believe the pecs are 9 - 12 sites, but I don't know the proper recommended dose of PEG MGF per site, nor the number of sites in the other 3 target muscles. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Oh also, have you heard of or would you say this could be used to pronounce my lower abdominals more?


Do you happen to have any insight on synthol? I was planning to use a 27g 1.25" pin and shot at least 1" deep for my arms and delts... however I'm unsure how deep to go for a muscle such as the brachialis
 
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@Mike Arnold:

Before I get to my question, I'll mention that I'm about 72 hours into my first stack from IML and lovin' it! I'm running Epi-Tren, 4Andro and 1Andro, all at the recommended baseline dosages along with Advanced Cycle Support. I feel great. I haven't noticed any excessive aggression, it's more like a calm confidence. If anything I feel a mild lethargy, but I also just picked up a nasty cold virus yesterday so that might have something to do with it. I've already jumped from 197lbs to 204 lbs so far this week. My gains had hit a wall the last 3 weeks so I decided to ramp up my calorie intake and try some PH. I started the year at 164lbs, 5'11" and had not been working out with any consistency for almost 7 years. Anyway, I'm going to run this stack for 30 days, followed by 30 days PCT with E-Control and Ultra Male, followed by 30 days clean and natural. I'm already looking at putting together my next stack after that however, because I've been reading about Super DMZ 3.0 and am really excited to try it.

So, transitioning on to my question: I read an interesting discussion in here about 'pulsing.'

Here's how I understand it, and please correct me where I am wrong: Pulsing is a rapid cycling on and off of steroidal compounds, the purpose being to minimize endogenous hormone suppression and post-cycle recovery time, allowing for a 50/50 ratio of on/off cycle time. While gains will be slower in a given 30 day window, they should theoretically be greater over a given 6 months or so compared to a traditional 30 days on, 30 days PCT, 30 days off. Am I on the right track? If so, this seems like a great idea from a long term perspective and why don't more people do it?

Finally, if I were to plan on using such a technique, would the following stack be effective and safe:

Week 1:
SuperDMZ 3.0 - 2 caps/day
4Andro - 4 caps/day
ACS - 2 caps/day

Week 2:
Ultra Male - 2 caps/day
E-control - 3 caps/day
Osta RX - 3 caps/day
ACS - 2 caps/day

Week 3: Same as week 1

Week 4: same as week 2

1. Is this overkill?
2. How long could I keep this up, assuming I run a liver panel every couple of months?
3. Should I add/remove/replace any products on this list to improve safety or efficacy?

and finally,

4. Do you think this would really be more effective in the long run and 3-4 traditional cycles in the span of a year, or am I wasting money running them this way?
 
4. Do you think this would really be more effective in the long run and 3-4 traditional cycles in the span of a year, or am I wasting money running them this way?

...more effective in the long run *than* 3-4 traditional cycles...
 
Hi Mike. Besides coming off do you have any other tricks or recommendations for clearing out the system so that the bodies system is pretty much reset in regards to AAS response.

It seems like I get no response from AAS or ph's these days, and I still have lots of room to fill out. I've taken dosages that would blow anyone up , I think I have an extremely poor response to ph's /aas, even when I take them with grapefruit juice lol. I log and weigh all my foods and I have tried several different training programs and I know what my body responds to, I make gains just very little gains , basically the same as when I'm not on cycle, like I'm natty.
 
Mike,

I posted a thread on BSL, but just in case some ppl are curious over here...

What are your thoughts on helios? What would a good dosage be?

Thanks in advance.

Deako
 
Hey Mike, how would you recommend using PEG MGF? I understand IGF-1 LR3 works systematically throughout the body, however does it have any kind of localized site injection effect... say if I shot bi's would it have a more pronounced effect in that muscle, if so should I use it in a similar fashion as PEG MGF? I want to work on my bi's, tri's, rear delts, and pecs - I believe the pecs are 9 - 12 sites, but I don't know the proper recommended dose of PEG MGF per site, nor the number of sites in the other 3 target muscles. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Oh also, have you heard of or would you say this could be used to pronounce my lower abdominals more?


Do you happen to have any insight on synthol? I was planning to use a 27g 1.25" pin and shot at least 1" deep for my arms and delts... however I'm unsure how deep to go for a muscle such as the brachialis


LR3 does not produce a meaningful localized effect, so multi-site injections do not make sense. You may hear some people say it works for local growth, but they are wrong. There may be some slight initial swelling, but that is about it. LR3 is water-based and begins to go systematic within seconds. Within several minutes, it has already left the injection site, aside from that which attached in the immediate vicinity immediately after injection.

Stay away from synthol...and never inject into the brachialis. Synthol has been proven to destroy muscle tissue, as shown with magnetic resonance imaging...and the more synthol one uses, the worse the damage becomes. Also, there is not one shred of scientific evidence which shows that synthol stretches the fascia to allow for new growth. In fact, muscle growth does not really occur at all, as the increased size is the result of severe muscle tissue abnormalities. Basically, the muscle fibers become deformed and riddled with scar tissue, which not only hinders strength development, but interferes with legitimate muscle growth. On top of that, many SEO manufacturers add other compounds to theur products, which can cause further damage to the muscle fibers.
 
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@Mike Arnold:

Before I get to my question, I'll mention that I'm about 72 hours into my first stack from IML and lovin' it! I'm running Epi-Tren, 4Andro and 1Andro, all at the recommended baseline dosages along with Advanced Cycle Support. I feel great. I haven't noticed any excessive aggression, it's more like a calm confidence. If anything I feel a mild lethargy, but I also just picked up a nasty cold virus yesterday so that might have something to do with it. I've already jumped from 197lbs to 204 lbs so far this week. My gains had hit a wall the last 3 weeks so I decided to ramp up my calorie intake and try some PH. I started the year at 164lbs, 5'11" and had not been working out with any consistency for almost 7 years. Anyway, I'm going to run this stack for 30 days, followed by 30 days PCT with E-Control and Ultra Male, followed by 30 days clean and natural. I'm already looking at putting together my next stack after that however, because I've been reading about Super DMZ 3.0 and am really excited to try it.

So, transitioning on to my question: I read an interesting discussion in here about 'pulsing.'

Here's how I understand it, and please correct me where I am wrong: Pulsing is a rapid cycling on and off of steroidal compounds, the purpose being to minimize endogenous hormone suppression and post-cycle recovery time, allowing for a 50/50 ratio of on/off cycle time. While gains will be slower in a given 30 day window, they should theoretically be greater over a given 6 months or so compared to a traditional 30 days on, 30 days PCT, 30 days off. Am I on the right track? If so, this seems like a great idea from a long term perspective and why don't more people do it?

Finally, if I were to plan on using such a technique, would the following stack be effective and safe:

Week 1:
SuperDMZ 3.0 - 2 caps/day
4Andro - 4 caps/day
ACS - 2 caps/day

Week 2:
Ultra Male - 2 caps/day
E-control - 3 caps/day
Osta RX - 3 caps/day
ACS - 2 caps/day

Week 3: Same as week 1

Week 4: same as week 2

1. Is this overkill?
2. How long could I keep this up, assuming I run a liver panel every couple of months?
3. Should I add/remove/replace any products on this list to improve safety or efficacy?

and finally,

4. Do you think this would really be more effective in the long run and 3-4 traditional cycles in the span of a year, or am I wasting money running them this way?

ON and OFF times can be 50:50 regardless of whether you pulse or run a more traditional 4 week cycles. There is no need to take 60 days off after a 30 days cycle. You could just do a 30 days cycle followed by a 30 days PCT...then go back ON. This way, whether you pulse or not, ON/OFF time is the same.

Now, when say ON/OFF time "can" be 50:50, this is assuming you are in good health...and I am not referring solely to steroidal side effects, but your health in general. For example, of you have a very poor natural lipid profile requiring medication, you are NOT going to want to follow the 50:50 pattern. In fact, you probably wouldn't want to run methyls at all simply because they can be rough on lipids (ASC can help tremendously in this regard). However, if you are in good health and all your bloodwork is coming back fine, then theoretically you should be able to continue following a 50:50 approach indefinitely, regardless of what type of cycling format you choose to adhere to.

As far as pulse cycles being less suppressive, this is not necessarily the case. Sure, a 1 week cycle will be less suppressive than a 30 day cycle, but length of cycle is not really what matters. Your ratio of ON to OFF time is what's important. For example, someone could run 7 days ON/ 2 days OFF cycles and end up much more suppressed over the long-run than someone running 60 days ON/ 60 days OFF. Whether you are running 1 week cycles or 30 day cycles, they are both easy to recover from. Therefore, there is no need to stress out over your recovery. Of course, make sure you run PCT properly after each cycle, but all of these cycles are easy to recover from, especially with PCT drugs.

At this stage in the game I would suggest traditional 30 day cycles, followed by at least an equal amount of time off (time off includes PCT).
 
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That makes a lot of sense Mike. Thanks for clearing that up.
 
Hi Mike. Besides coming off do you have any other tricks or recommendations for clearing out the system so that the bodies system is pretty much reset in regards to AAS response.

It seems like I get no response from AAS or ph's these days, and I still have lots of room to fill out. I've taken dosages that would blow anyone up , I think I have an extremely poor response to ph's /aas, even when I take them with grapefruit juice lol. I log and weigh all my foods and I have tried several different training programs and I know what my body responds to, I make gains just very little gains , basically the same as when I'm not on cycle, like I'm natty.

bump
 

Unfortunately, there is not much which can be done to resensitize oneself to the effects if AAS other than take time off. There are all sorts of supps out there which claim to resensitize the body, but the truth is that none of them are very effective. You can't stay on ASS for very long periods of time and not begin to desensitize to one degree or another.
 

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