Steroid Alternatives & Liver Protection (If you're going to do it anyway)

Its up to you. If you want to do steroids, then at least protect yourself from liver damage and at least help your body to detoxify after you are finished your cycle.

Below I will list 2 alternative supplemental approaches to steroids and then a recommendation for protection if you decide to do a steroid cycle. The first 2 alternatives I have done with good results. All of the supplements listed are (with a couple exceptions) Food Science of Vermont brand (Because their quality is assured since they are regulated by the NNFA.org. They consistently test at 100-105% of label claim with no impurities or fillers).

If you want results, either for building muscle or for health and detoxification, don't trust inferior products that are not tested. Its amazing to me that people will spend hours in the gym, spend many hundreds on steroids, and then buy some cheap crap for supplementation. By cheap crap I don't mean price. Most prices for bodybuilding supplements are inflated so that you think they are good!

I'm not going to go into great detail explaining the products from a scientific point of view. Everything recommended here has solid scientific evidence showing that these products work. Better yet, I've used them and can attest that they work. (Do a search at Google for "product name and studies" to see actual scientific research). Feel free to mix and match any way you see fit. I put together these stacks after much research. I spend valuable time working my butt off in the gym - so I'm not going to waste time and money on something that doesn't work. So I research everything - even down to reading actual results of medical studies on every product mentioned here. Enough said.

Natural Stack #1  - The "All Natural"*

Goal: Moderate muscle mass gain and strength increases.

Exercise Program Used: MuscleFast Cycle Program

Cycle Length: Can run continuously.

Supplementation: Vitamin C - 3 to 4 g (3000-4000mg) per day in divided doses as a minimum. Up to 6 g per day is perfectly fine.  Must have Bioflavonoids and trace minerals to increase absorption. Reason Included: Helps to rebuild muscle at the cellular level. Greatly aids other nutrients, including protein synthesis processes. Helps reduce illness (colds/flu) that bodybuilders are prone to due to a decreased immune system from lifting.* Food Science Unique C - 90 Tabs Price $8.58   Colostrum - 1200 mg per day in divided doses (600 mg in AM, 600 mg in PM on an empty stomach). Reason Included: Promotes muscle mass development and immunity. Joint health is also aided. Research is still a little controversial on this product.* Food Science Colostrum 60 Tabs Price $14.07  Multiple Vitamin with Men's Support- 4 Tabs per day in 2 doses of 2 tabs each. Reason Included: Provides the basic building blocks needed for improving muscle and strength. Promotes male hormonal functioning with proper ingredients.* Food Science Men's Superior 120 Tabs (4 tab formula) $18.49  Magnesium Aspartate - Supports muscle and nerve functions. Is suspected of naturally increasing testosterone production. Is better absorbed using calcium and B vitamins. Unlike "ZMA" products out there, magnesium should be taken at different times from zinc. Magnesium needs calcium to be better utilized by the body; Zinc absorption is blocked by calcium. Take magnesium with meals 3 times per day.* Food Science Magnesium Aspartate+ 90 Capsules Price $7.17 Zinc - 15mg - 30 mg per day (in addition to amount in a multi-vitamin) - taken at bed time without any calcium product (dairy or supplement) within 90 minutes. Reason Included: Enhances natural testosterone production, promotes "free testosterone increase", supports male hormonal functions. Use of Picolinate form for increased absorption.* Food Science Zinc Picolinate - 15 mg, 60 capsules Price $5.76 Diet: Follow appropriate diet on MuscleFast Cycle Program for your body type. Adequate protein intake needed daily. Avoid Soy protein (soy has been shown to increase estrogen production). Expect steady results with muscle and strength gains generally about 10%-25% improvement over time from non-stack lifting. Most ingredients in this stack (with the exception of Colostrum) are a must for any serious bodybuilder. Although this stack won't produce results that steroids will (or even Stack #2) the muscle and strength gains are real and "permanent".*      Stack #2 - "Almost Natural" - But still legal.* Goal: Moderate-high muscle mass & high strength gains in a shortened amount of time. Exercise Program Used: MuscleFast Cycle Program / or Upper Body Blast Program Cycle Length: 4-8 weeks Includes everything in Stack #1 plus the supplements listed below. ErgoPharm's 1-AD - If you are going to get pro-hormones, get the best. I have stacked this no less than 5 times with excellent results every time. Reason Taken: Increases 1-AD, a pro-hormone that is 700% more powerful than testosterone. Has low toxicity on the liver. I generally take in divided doses, with food, as follows: Week 1: 3 capsules per day, Week 2 & 3: 4 capsules per day (2 at a time), Week 4-Week 6: 6 Capsules per day (2 at a time). If going longer, say 8 weeks, build up to 6 per day more slowly and after week 6, repeat dosage for Week #2. ErgoPharm's 1-AD costs about $37.00 per bottle of 60 caps. Please note how many bottles you will need depending on cycle length.* MuscleFast/SupplementsMD does not carry 1-AD at this time Amino Acids - 1500 mg - Taken during weight training or at other times in between meals (750 mg if not lifting). Reason Taken: Amino acid reserves are rapidly depleted when lifting. Taken 10-20 minutes into a workout session, a good free form amino acid complex will rapidly rejuvenate the system. Directly supports protein synthesis into muscle. Is an excellent source in "between meal" protein support for muscle. * Food Science Amino Max 21 - 750 mg 90 capsules Price $21.78  Octacosanol - 5000mcg - once daily.- Reason Taken: Helps to support muscle endurance, strength and nerve functions. Provides a source of energy. Effect builds over time. I find it is best taken about 1 hour before lifting. * Food Science Octa-Pollen 60 tablets (Includes Bee-Pollen and other related items) Price $9.38  Diindolylmethane (DIM), Zhi Shi, Green Tea - Week 1- 2 capsules taken at one time, then 4 capsules (2 at a time) in divided doses as directed. Begin to take this product 2 weeks before ending 1-AD supplementation. Reason Taken: Supports hormonal support and balance. 1-AD will temporarily upset the hormonal balance in men. In fact, one side effect of 1-AD supplementation is the loss of sex drive while on the product. DIM, and the supporting products help to bring this balance back into place to support a normal - post cycle recovery. DIM is highly suspected to "free" bound testosterone. It is "free" testosterone that is used for Muscle growth.* Food Science Dim-Plex (With all above ingredients) 120 capsules $33.50  Diet: I mainly try to get 18-20 calories per day in me per pound of body weight. (that means a 200 pound guy X18=3600 calories). I've gained as much as 6 pounds in one week on this stack and I would say 4 lbs. of it is lean as 1-AD tends to produce a non-watery type of muscle gain. Gains of 15-30lbs are not unheard of in a 6-8 week cycle. Make sure protein is a good source and have plenty of it. I would say that 70% of the muscle gains will be kept and about 30-50% of the strength gains. Not bad for a still "natural type of stack"  *    Stack #3 - Detoxification from Steroids * I'm not going to get into steroid stacks. Just things that I know are good for liver and overall body detoxification. I will assume that if you have done steroids that some of them at least will be moderately toxic to the liver. Most of the muscle gaining steroids are liver toxic. If you are not on that type of stack then , ok, this is not for you. Product #1 - SAMe - Not only will it help you with joint function from all of that heavy lifting, but it helps aid the liver in doing its job in detoxifing  the body. Not the cheapest supplement out there but one of the best. Food Science SAMe - 60 tabs. Taken twice daily on an empty stomach until finished. You may consider another box depending on how hard core the cycle was..* Food Science SAMe -  60 tablet box $ 46.90  Aangamik Gluta DMG - Another detoxifier. This form of DMG is patented for results. Supports muscles and liver detoxification. Each dose contains 10g of whey protein that outperformed 9 other whey protein products on the market (including one of the most popular). Food Science Aangamik Gluta DMG, 30 servings (mix with water or juice) $36.11  Dim-Plex: Take as directed on the bottle for 2-3 months following the cycle and including the last week of the cycle. This product also helps the body to re-balance its normal hormone levels that will be disrupted as a result of steroids.* Food Science Dim-Plex - 120 Caps $33.50     * None of these statements have been evaluated by the food and drug administration and are not intended to diagnose , cure, or in any way treat any disease.