Sep 26, 2012

Intramuscular injection ( part 2 )

        At this point, once again swab the injection site with alcohol, then press the stopper of the syringe holding it needle-side-up, until the slight air bubbles that are at the top are pressed out. Once a bead of oil has appeared at the top of the needle, allow it run down the surface of the needle which provides lubrication. At this time, take the syringe and hold it like a dart. Use the other hand to stretch the skin at the injection site and simply push the sharp clean needle in. After inserting it deep into the muscle, pull back on the stopper for a few seconds to make sure it does not fill up with blood which would indicate that the needle had been injected into a blood vessel. Providing there is no blood present in the syringe, slowly press the stopper down until all the oil is injected. Then, quickly pull the needle out and take another alcohol swab and press firmly on the injection site.
     This will minimize bleeding, if there is any, and by firmly pressing on the injection site and slightly massaging it, some of the soreness may be eliminated. It is important that the liquid is not injected too quickly as this causes more pain at the site during the injection and in the proceeding days. After this procedure has been completed, return the plastic caps to shield the needles and make sure they are discarded properly. To avoid discomfort and excessive scar tissue at the injection site, it is not wise to inject more than 2 ccs of solution per shot.
    It is also not prudent to use the same injection site more than twice a week (once a week is preferred)

Sep 25, 2012

Intramuscular injection (first part)

       First off, before handling any needles or vials, the user should take a thorough shower. Next, an alcohol swab should be used to clean the injection site and another alcohol swab should be used to clean the rubber stopper on top of the vial which will be drawn from. Then, take a brand new syringe out of its wrapper, remove its plastic top, draw about 2 ccs of air into it and insert it into the vial. Inject this air into the vial; this creates pressure within the vial and makes it easier to draw out oil based preparations. Then, turn the vial upside-down and slowly draw out the oil until you\rquote ve overdrawn at least 1/4 cc.

     For example, if someone was going to take a shot of 1 cc, they should pull out approximately 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 ccs of liquid, then tap the side of the case to help get the air bubbles that were drawn into the syringe to come to the top. At that point, the excess 1/4 to 1/2 cc could be injected back into the vial and the needle removed. Then, hold the syringe needle-side-up and continue to tap it to encourage all the air bubbles to come to the top of the syringe. Now, take another clean syringe, remove it from its sterile package and unscrew the needle from the syringe. Exchange the brand new needle for the one that has just been injected into the stopper. By using two needles for every injection, you can take advantage of using the full sharpness of the pin. The needle does suffer some dulling when it is pushed through the firm rubber stopper on a vial. It is important not to touch this needle before the injection. It should not come into contact with a counter top, your fingers, nor should it be cleaned with alcohol. This needle is sterile and should not be touched.

Sep 21, 2012

The Five Most Common Errors Made with Anabolic Steroids and Performance Enhancement Drugs

       Any bodybuilder who is considering the use of steroids should make certain to obtain as much information as possible. It is crucial to avoid the most dangerous brands of steroids and equally important to be familiar with the safe steroid brands that cut, define, and tone and those better used to increase muscle mass. One should also learn how to properly dose anabolics and the various advantages and disadvantages of oral steroids versus injectable steroids. Finally, it is important to understand how to stack and cycle multiple anabolics for short time periods in order to reduce dangerous side effects and to promote permanent gains in lean muscle tissue.

Of the many mistakes athletes often make with anabolic steroids, W. N. Philips cites the following as the ten most common.

       1. EXCESSIVE DOSAGES: 
       When it comes to steroids, using exceedingly high dosages has become a major problem amongst users. Not only is this dangerous, but steroids in high dosages have been proven to be ineffective. Mega dosages put undue stress on the liver and kidneys that can lead to damage or even disease of those organs. Aromatizing effects, or the conversion of steroids to estrogen, and the suppression of the body's own testosterone production are also greatest when high dosages are used. The body can only use a certain amount of a synthetic steroid. It will not recognize any excessive dosage, and will most often convert it to estrogen. Once a steroid receptor site, i.e., a skeletal muscle or secondary sexual characteristic receptor such as facial hair is "full," any corresponding increase in the dose of the steroid will have no further positive benefit. This amount where the receptor site is fully activated occurs at a surprisingly low dosage. Reports that many successful bodybuilders, strength athletes, and top-models had to take up to 50 tabs of D-Bol a day, and 2000 mg of Testosterone a week to develop their superior physique are blatantly untrue 
          2. USING INSUFFICIENT DOSAGES:
         The converse of the excessive dosage concern is the insufficient dosage problem. If a sufficient dose of a steroid is not used for a precise period of time then the effects of the drug will likely be negligible. Often, this is why many bodybuilders "stack" several different brands of steroids at once. By using multiple brands of steroids at the same time, athletes can use lower dosages of each brand and consequently prevent receptor downgrading and harmful side effects. The other important consideration when using steroids is the "cycle." This is the period of time that the athlete takes a steroid. Most cycles usually last for about eight to twelve weeks and then the athlete begins an "off-cycle" for usually around six months. Cycling in this pattern allows athletes to take relatively high dosages of steroids safely and then end the drug use before any damage to the body is done.
         3. THE NEVER ENDING CYCLE:
         In many cases, an athlete will simply ignore warnings that steroids should not be utilized for more than 8 to 12 weeks without an off-cycle period. Numerous athletes will use steroids for up to 6 months, a year, or even longer. This practice is dangerous and ineffective as well. The prolonged use of steroids puts stress on the liver and kidneys. This damage often shows no symptoms, until substantial impairment has taken place. Health problems such as cholestatic hepatitis, jaundice, hepatic neoplasms, and kidney failure have arisen in patients who took anabolic and androgenic steroids for prolonged periods of time. Furthermore, steroids often fail to exhibit any anabolic effects after as little as 6 weeks. The positive nitrogen balance that is a primary benefit of using steroids, diminishes after 6 to 8 weeks. The continued use of the steroids is therefore ineffective.                                                                  
         4. CYCLING THE STEROIDS IMPROPERLY: 
        Steroids are most effective and are safest when used in a proper cycle and stack. Research shows that for the initial positive nitrogen balance that steroids induce to continue, increasing the dosage is necessary. This positive nitrogen balance begins to return to normal after 6 to 8 weeks of a particular steroid's use. These facts indicate that a cycle should involve using steroids on an incline dose pattern and that switching to different steroids should occur at no more than 8 weeks. Research also demonstrates that side effects, strength losses, and weight losses suffered when steroid therapy is abandoned, can be minimized through a proper decline cycle. This involves gradual tapering off the drugs at the end of a cycle in order to permit the body's natural testosterone production to resume. A diamond pattern cycle best fits the facts presented here. Elite Fitness Research maintains a database providing examples of popular, safe and effective steroid stacks and cycles. A lengthy off cycle
should always follow an on cycle. Many steroid users take only a few weeks off the steroids before recommencing the program. Evidence supports a much longer off cycle period that allows the body to return to normal and recover from any stress suffered during the cycle. Steroid receptor sites are much more active when the user has been off the drugs for an extended time period. Most report that the longer they remain off the drugs, the more effective they are when they go back to them.

     

Sep 20, 2012

The next five most common errors

       5. IMPROPER DIET:
      Ignoring the importance of nutrition can completely impair the positive effects of steroids, and increase the negative side effects. Anabolic steroids are most effective when used with a high calorie, high protein diet. In fact, only one steroid has exhibited any anabolic effects on a limited calorie diet. An optimum diet when on steroids involves consuming 6,000 to 9,000 calories per day. Most people regularly consume 2,500 to 3,000 calories per day. Second only to intense training, a high calorie diet is the most important factor to be in place for significant muscle gains. In other words, a thirty pound gain in lean muscle mass has to come from somewhere. Of those calories, 60% should be complex carbs, 20% complete protein, and 20 % fat. Supplements may be needed to meet this goal. Many athletes do not eat enough food for steroids to work, or if they do intake enough calories, often too much fat is consumed. Anabolic steroid themselves can increase cholesterol levels and blood pressure. This may lead to heart disease. An athlete should always attempt to keep excessive fat out of the diet to offset any additional threat of heart disease that steroids present. Concurrently, make sure protein and overall caloric consumption is high enough to fuel the full effectiveness of the steroids.

        6. POOR TRAINING TE CHNIQUE:Weight training must be intense to create a state of catabolism in the body. Steroids are most effective in this situation. An athlete can attain this state with regular, intense workouts. Remember, weight training is the stimulus that allows skeletal muscle cells to use the anabolic steroids. Without this proper catalyst, anabolic steroids will not exert the desired effect. Workouts should be progressive and involve maximum weights. The most important concept to understand, and one of the few on which almost all experts in the bodybuilding community agree, is the idea of training to muscular failure. In other words, if when performing a set, you are able to complete the ten repetitions without aid from a partner, then the set was performed with a weight that was too light. Although the experts often disagree on the most effective work-out duration, with opinions ranging from twenty minutes to three hours, almost all agree that the last two or three reps of each set should not be possible entirely by oneself. This holds true for both steroid users and non-users alike.

       7. FAILURE TO OBTAIN REGULAR BLOOD TESTS: 
      A simple blood profile can be of incredible benefit to steroid user. An initial plasma screen should be performed to establish a reference range, and to determine any existing problems that might preclude the use of steroids. If the initial test shows no contraindications, then another should be done about 6 weeks into the cycle to check for further abnormalities. During the initial weeks of a cycle, many readings often become elevated only to return to normal several weeks later. Blood screening every six weeks should bypass this normal fluctuation and give a more accurate interpretation. If this blood test shows elevated serum levels, it might justify ending the cycle to avoid serious damage. If this test checks out okay, another should be done a month after the cycle to indicate that the body is recovering from the steroid cycle. Finally, another blood test should be done before starting a new cycle. This test should confirm that all levels are back to normal before a new cycle commences. Hemoglobin testing can prevent many asymptotic side effects that do not surface until damage has been done. Unfortunately, only a fraction of steroid users ever gets a blood test.

      8. USING THE WRONG STEROIDS: 
     Many athletes increase the risk of side effects by using the wrong steroids. The use of androgenic steroids is frequently linked to serious side effects. Androgenic steroids exert their effects primarily on the secondary sexual characteristics of the body like the deepening of the voice, development of the sex organs, and male pattern baldness. If one feels he must use these items; they should never be used for more than 4 to 6 weeks at a time. Also, when stacking, it is not wise to use more than one highly androgenic product at a time. Injectable steroids are a better choice in most cases as they not only provide a steady influx of the drug to the blood stream, but they are not subject to first pass, a stage where an oral steroid goes through the liver losing a great deal of its potency, and causing a great deal of stress to the
organ. Most athletes still are not aware that they can achieve great gains on low androgenic and high anabolic or muscle development inducing steroids, while avoiding many hazards. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that a thorough knowledge of which steroids are highly anabolic versus those that are primarily androgenic is of paramount importance. The company Elite Fitness Research maintains a database of the various brands of steroids and how they exert their effects on the body.

      9. USING COUNTERFEITS: 
     This heading speaks for itself. Phony steroids are being used by thousands of unsuspecting athletes. Some of these bad steroids contain impurities that cause infections or even poisoning at the extreme. Other fake steroids, contain only inert ingredients, which will of course result in no muscle gains. Other counterfeits carry the name of one drug, but actually contain another. This can result in the athlete using a drug he or she does not desire to be using. For example, a recent test of a product called Liquid Anavar was found to contain a mixture of testosterones. Many athletes used this drug for contest preparation thinking it would help enhance definition, when in fact the drug was making them retain water and look bloated. This item was also used by several women who were told it was a very low androgenic steroid, when in fact the testosterone which the 'Anavar' contained was exactly what they wanted to avoid. Fake steroids do pose a serious threat to athletes. It is increasingly difficult to spot counterfeits; however, with a good eye and an accurate description of the real version’s packaging it is possible.

       10. FAILURE TO OBTAIN ADEQUATE INFORMATION: 
This last mistake is almost self explanatory. Information is the key to successful and safe steroid usage. One point bears additional consideration. The information should come from a reliable and knowledgeable source. Many athletes begin a cycle with only the advice of a black-market steroid drug dealer. Another source of very poor information is conventional gym wisdom. Often this information is based solely on anecdote with no regard to psychological fact. Finally, it is important to realize that the knowledge of steroids in the medical community varies widely from doctor to doctor. Some have excellent information and some have either very little knowledge of the subject or significantly outdated views. Make certain to ask anyone who has an opinion on the subject where he or she got the facts and do not be afraid to question those sources.Of the athletes that I have interviewed that tried a cycle of legitimate anabolic steroids, those that did not make good gains in lean body mass most often have not paid special consideration to points 2, 5, and 6. For anabolic steroids to be effective, they must be used in relatively high dosages, on a high calorie diet, and an athlete must train intensely.

Sep 13, 2012

Bodybuilding dimension - the drug problem

    Much of the mainstream of the training world, and the bodybuilding dimension in particular, plays down the drug problem, or pretty much pretends it doesn’t exist, and does nothing of substance to help put an end to drug abuse.
    That much of the establishment panders to the drug abusers, glorifies many of them, has made a few of them into icons, and presents them as role models, has played a major part in encouraging drug abuse and the accompanying chaos.
    The drug problem in the bodybuilding world in particular is bad beyond belief. This has brought great ignominy upon mainstream bodybuilding.
   But there’s another side to bodybuilding, and strength training in general. It has nothing to do with the drug abusers or their lackeys, or with bull, lies, fraud, or impractical and useless training routines. After pointing out what’s fundamentally wrong and squalid about the training world, this book will show you the other side of the coin—the clean, honest, truthful, productive, practical, healthy and life-enhancing side.
  
   Anyone, anywhere or anything that promotes training routines that only work well for the genetically gifted and/or drug enhanced, or offers how-to information on drug abuse (or carries ads for books on the same), or promotes absurd expectations and role models, or teaches high-risk or impractical training practices, or is a food supplement catalog in disguise, simply does not have your best interests at heart. If you follow the “instruction” found there you’re going to tread the same path of frustration and even despair that millions already have.

List of conventional training methods

Consider some of what conventional training methods promote, and see how it’s a travesty of useful instruction:
1. Conventional training methods overtrain everyone other than the genetically gifted and drug abusers, but
overtraining will not help you.
2. Conventional training methods promote some high-risk exercises that injure many people. Getting injured will not help you build the physique you want.
3. Conventional training methods often promote specific dangerous techniques for otherwise good exercises, and those specific techniques injure many people. Again, getting injured will not help build a good physique.
4. Conventional training methods promote a volume and frequency that are impractical for busy working and
family people. But even sacrificing work, family, education and a balanced life won’t make conventional
training methods work for typical people, so there’s no value in extreme measures anyway.
5. Conventional training methods place exaggerated importance on food supplements. Food supplements
can’t make lousy training programs work.
6. Conventional training methods promote exaggerated expectations, and invariably use drug-fed genetic freaks as gurus and role models, neither of which will help you to realize your potential.
7. Conventional training methods complicate training, and confuse people. Complication and confusion can’t help.
8. Conventional training methods are not personalized to meet individual needs, limitations, lifestyles and goals.
This produces overtraining, injuries, frustration and giving up—i.e., failure.
9. Conventional training methods actually encourage drug abuse, because without the drug assistance those
methods just don’t work for most people.

What is conventional bodybuilding?

Conventional bodybuilding methods are largely the training practices of elite male and female bodybuilders and strength athletes—practices which are vigorously promoted in most bodybuilding magazines and books, and even on television too. They involve weight training on 4–6 days per week, multiple exercises per muscle group, and usually at least three work sets per exercise (in addition to warmup work).

Conventional bodybuilding methods aren’t just what any specific magazine, book or publisher has to say. It’s a collective thing arising from many authors, publishers, books, magazines, organizations and gyms. It’s the
whole shebang of excessive and impractical routines, and the presentation of the competitive elite as gurus and role models.