Low volume training has served many of the top pros very well; Dorian Yates in particular comes to mind. The 6 times Mr Olympia utilized this extremely intense form of training to build one of the best, if not the best physique professional bodybuilding has ever seen to date. You to can now learn a bit about what it involves, how it benefits you and why you should to be using it.
Low volume training obviously takes less time in the gym, generally 45 minutes as a maximum. The concept behind it reasons that by sufficiently warming up the targeted muscle groups then performing one all out set to failure and beyond that, you can achieve maximum muscle growth and spend more hours of the day resting and in turn growing. The intensity of low volume training when performed properly is renowned for its extreme levels like no other, because in order for it to work it has to be this way.
As an example a low volume training session would follow a similar pattern to this. Each exercise would be performed around 3 times, increasing the weight slightly each time with repetitions staying between 18-25 to really warm up the muscles and surrounding joints. Following the warm up sets, in which themselves are strenuous, comes an ‘all out balls to the wall’ set from hell. When you think failure it doesn’t mean not been able to move the weight on the last rep, it means getting to the stage where the weight wont budge and then having a partner get another 4-8 reps out of you. As you can see, one set per exercise like this is all you need. In fact, the greats like Dorian Yates would say if you can perform another working set on the same exercise following your all out set, then it wasn’t intense enough. The final set of each exercise is really designed to obliterate your targeted muscles. The last set needs at least 8 reps and after that 4-8 more forced reps to take the muscle over the edge of recuperation. The amount of exercises depends on which body part, although as a rule of thumb around 4 different exercises per body part, with 3 warm up sets (still quite intense) leading to the final killer set is the norm.
What low volume training does for you is let you know there isn’t a quarter rep left in you, the idea is the muscle you just trained feels numb and couldn’t possibly do anymore for another 5-7 days. The sheer intensity of low volume training really inspires muscle growth within your body, raising natural hormone production as well. So to conclude, the idea of low volume training is to perform a small handful of intense warm up sets, before embarking on an ‘all out’ set from hell where nothing is left to spare. The entire focus of low volume training is then on the 1 working set per exercise in each session.

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As a way to shock your muscles into growth once again and pack some serious thick size onto your frame, try focusing on the good old basic compound movements. Read on to learn why using the traditional movements such as the squat, bench press and the deadlift can help you achieve this when done right.
As most bodybuilders do, these three major compound movements associated with powerlifting will be used most weeks as another exercise during just another session. However, here we are talking just for one weeks worth of training time focus on these three movements and enjoy some real mass gains.
The squat is boss when it comes to adding inches around your thighs. When performing squats properly with a nice concentrated form going to around 12 inches off the floor, it stretches every muscle in your leg all over the place. Both your quadriceps and hamstrings are forced to work extremely hard in order to cope with the immense stress of squatting. However, in line with this particular routine, try doing around 45 minutes worth of squats. Yes that’s right, an entire session using the squat to build nice big legs. Pyramid the weight all the way to the climax of the workout, with each set getting a little heavier. You must however maintain perfect form and make sure your reps are at least 8. Your legs will feel like somebody is holding a flamethrower on them for next 10 days.
With the bench press, although useful there have been many more effective ways to building an impressive looking chest by focusing on sections of the pectorals. However, focus purely on the mass gaining benefits of the flat bench press and utilize is as part of this old school mass gain routine. Again similar to your leg session, focus on performing around 45 minutes on the bench press. It is vital that you build your weight up very gradually to avoid an early plateau which will bring on excessive fatigue before you have trained long enough. You must keep your repetitions at 8 and above, coming from around 20 reps at the start of the session. Perform nice deep reps right down to the middle of the chest and focus on the negative as much as the press itself. Your chest will be sure to feel this.
Finally the king of mass building, the deadlift. There is no other movement quite like the deadlift when packing on slabs of muscle to your back are concerned. There isn’t apart of the back which can escape the punishment of the conventional deadlift. Once again, use only the deadlift for a session spreading over approximately 45 minutes to bring up your back. Again, it is vital to build the weight from very little progressing all the way to a weight which stops you at around at least 8. Your back will be aching like never before for the remaining week.
So there you have a very basic powerlifting routine to pack some size on and increase you human growth hormone levels through the roof by using compound movements for a week.

MultiJoint Lift

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There are an awful lot of supplements you can take today, which will look to benefit you one way or the other. However, the majority of regular bodybuilders overlook the importance of smaller status supplements. Here you can see why it has never been a better time to add amino acids to your supplementation plan and which ones.
There are a handful of amino acids which you will be able to learn about. These include L-carnitine, L-tyrosine, L-leucine and L-histidine. All of these vital amino acids play different roles in your body which ultimately lead to three things; muscle mass, fat loss and elevated energy levels.
L-histidine is an amino acid which is not produced within the body. The core values of L-histidine are to produce other enzymes such as histamine and gastrin. By having a healthy supply of L-histidine you will benefit from a more efficient digestive system which then means your body will extract more nutrients from your food. It also plays a major part in ensuring that mineral and metal levels within the blood are stable. Without this, your zinc levels can drop off and you will notice a significant decrease in energy levels as well as a poor immune system.
L-tyrosine is another phenomenal amino acid. It is known for its fat burning capabilities as it helps control neurotransmitters. By doing this more norepinephrine (NE) is produced and thereby raising your metabolism which enhances your fat burning activity. It is also renowned for its effect on the brain to allow you to control your appetite more effectively.
L-leucine is an essential amino acid which again the body doesn’t produce naturally. The effects are great, which include the ability to preserve muscle glycogen levels, actively preserves muscle tissue and supplies your body with energy whilst under strenuous conditions such as a heavy workout. It is also the strongest of the ‘branch chain amino acids’ and is regarded as a limiting nutrient. This then outlines the importance of l-leucine as without it your body cannot make full use of the nutrients it ingests.
Last but certainly not least is L-carnitine. This is one of the most essential amino acids to any serious bodybuilder, particularly when looking to drop body fat. It aids the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria, which in turn sees more fat used as fuel and thereby decreasing your body fat levels. It also has muscle recovery qualities as well as increase the number of testosterone receptors within the muscle cell. This in turn makes you more anabolic and therefore increase muscle growth.
So there you have a brief guide as to why these amino acids are extremely important to your bodybuilding goals whatever they may be.

Train Hard!

Team Monster

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If any of you reading this possess a blender you have one of the most useful tools in bodybuilding in your possession. If you don’t own a blender I strongly recommend you go out and get one. When bodybuilding a large amount of food MUST be consumed. The problem with this is that unless you have a superhuman appetite it starts to become a serious chore eating all of the time and can be down right unpleasant at times. For example if someone told you that for breakfast you had to eat a large bowl or porridge oats, 4 scrambled eggs, a banana, a large bowl of blueberries and have a protein shake you would probably feel full just thinking about it. However if someone said you had to drink a shake that doesn’t even fill 2 pints then that would be nice and easy. This is where the blender comes in. with the use of a blender you can turn a massive array of food into a surprisingly delicious shake. I am going to tell you how to make my personally favourite shake that has been a staple breakfast of mine for some time now and is a great addition to any mass building diet. If you struggle to get enough calories in during the day, If you are naturally skinny and burn off all of the calories that you eat, If you never have an appetite and prefer to drink shakes than shovel food into you all day, this is the answer.

Ingredients:

100g porridge oats

3 egg whites

2 scoops whey protein (natural or choc mint is best)

50g maltodextrin

1 banana

70g blueberries

1 tbspn linseeds

2 tbspn light olive oil

1 pint water

Method:

It only take about 10 minutes to make, drink and clean up after this shake so is far easier than cooking. Making it is also far easier than you would imagine. The secret trick to making it is this… put all of the ingredients into the blender and turn it on. See, simple. The only ingredient that requires work is the linseeds, these will need grinding up slightly or else the seed protect the useful fats. The eggs will need warming slightly to allow the body to utilise the protein effectively. Boil them for 30 seconds in a pan before adding them to the shake. I recommend putting the water in first or else your blender may struggle unless it’s a powerful one. Leave it to blend for at least 30 seconds to make sure the oats are fine blended and then pour. It should only fill roughly 2 pint glasses and not be too thick at all.

Breakdown:

Calories: 1,379

Protein: 74.3g

Carbohydrates: 168g

Fats: 39.5

As you can see this is full of quality calories, carbs and essential fats. As well as being very high protein. The carbohydrates come from the low GI oats as well as fast acting maltodextrin. High GI carbs are essential first thing in a morning to help kick start the body into an anabolic state after the fast overnight. The fats come from the flaxseed in the linseeds. This is an important essential fat. The rest of the fat comes from the olive oil and the oats. Monounsaturated fat from olive oil has been shown to have many benefits towards the heart and circulatory system. Using light olive oil means there is no unpleasant flavour. The protein comes from the eggs which are a great source of moderate time release protein, as well as from the whey protein. Whey protein is fast acting which is also vital in a morning as your body will be craving nutrients so you need protein in the system quickly. With this combination of fruits chocolate or chocolate mint flavour protein has always tasted nicest for me. The blueberries give a huge range of anti-oxidants and have actually been shown to help increase muscle repair. If the shake is too thick more water can be added. The whole shake will cost no more than £2.00 – £3.00 depending on your choice of quality for ingredients.
So give it a go. Add a mega shake to your mass building day and reap the calorific benefits.

Designed and drank by Adam Campbell & Chris Brodie
Team Monster

The secret behind gaining those ‘brick wall’ abs always seems to hide from everyone. Although there is so much advice out there, many follow a mixture of routines and diets in their quest to have nice looking abdominal muscles, yet fail. Follow some of these simple yet effective rules and enjoy that washboard stomach you always promised yourself, once and for all.
To begin with you need to forget about all the hype and rubbish you hear about how celebrities get that 6 pack. Doing 3000 abdominal crunches every morning is what they tell you. The truth is that there is no way this would work. Would you do 3000 bicep curls everyday, and if you did, what would your arms look like? They would look flat, tired and would not grow. What you are not being told is the diet that their personal trainer has done for them and how they are always put through their paces on the cardio front.
Yes that is right; your diet and cardio sessions will determine about 95% of your abdominal definition. The fact is the majority of you have a nice 6 pack; it is just that a layer of body fat is the difference between you and a cover model. Sure by working your abs out you will enjoy better separation and a thicker look, but you won’t see them unless your body fat is stripped away. This is because your waistline is the first place body fat will gather whether male or female. Therefore you need to understand fat burning cardio and diet control.
Fat burning cardio is relatively low intensity, with your heart rate always sitting way off maximum. This is because within this threshold fat is used as an energy source and it is burned more effectively. If your intensity increases then you get into your cardiovascular threshold and much less body fat is shed. The periods of cardio every week should be around 3-4 times, starting with bursts of 10 minutes. As your progress slows increase the time, say by 5 minutes a time. In 3 months you should be doing maybe 40 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week. The best forms of fat burning cardio are power walking, using the arms to increase body temperature and slow cycling.
Regarding your diet, it should consist of protein, carbohydrates and fats. The proteins should all be lean such as turkey breast, the carbohydrates should be low G.I. such as wholemeal pasta and the fats should be high quality from a source such as Flaxseed oil. By keeping your carbohydrates to around 150g a day, with no complex carbohydrates in the evening, your body fat will fall off along with good training and cardio. Now your abs will begin to poke out and you can enjoy counting each abdominal muscle.
When it comes to training your abs, they are relatively low maintenance where the gym is concerned. This is because as a core muscle group they are continually worked during weightlifting. Nearly every exercise you do uses your abdominals. So you only need to spend around 15 minutes twice a week. The training needs to be around 20 reps per set with each set to absolute failure. The rest periods should be short, almost non existent, totally fatiguing the muscles. Do one session hitting the upper abdominals such as regular sit ups and the other workout for your lower abdominals and obliques. Use lots of leg raises and other leg movements to get that awesome V at the bottom of your abs.
You now know exactly how to get your abs looking the way you always wanted them to, the secret has been lifted.

Carbohydrates are the most misunderstood nutrient of them all. People say no to them, they make you fat, others say you need loads so consume loads of junk carbs whilst others don’t know which ones to take at what time of the day.
The truth is that there are carbohydrates in almost every food you consumer every day, apart from meat. So as a bodybuilder who needs carbs does that mean they all good for you? Of course not. They are split into two main categories, low and high Glycemic Index. Any carbohydrate’s category is determined by the G.I. content of it. So anything with a G.I. of 55 or below is classed as low, 56-69 is classed as medium and 70+ is classed as high.
Low G.I. is the best variety for about 95% of the day for you. This is because they are digested very slowly meaning that you have a steady level of energy for the entire day, and it does not get converted into body fat very quickly. The best sources for low G.I. carbohydrates are wholemeal varieties of pasta, rice and oats. During the day these are the carbohydrates you want on your plate. It has been shown that whilst working anaerobically the majority of your energy comes from these very carbs. Therefore you want plenty of them.
High G.I. carbs are mainly poor sources of energy. This is because they digest very quickly, and if your body does not have a use for them they will then be converted into energy straight away, which in turn will increase your body fat levels. However they do have their uses for 2 short periods of the day. The first being very first thing in the morning after an 8 hour fast, your body will utilize fast digesting carbohydrates to convert itself back into an anabolic state. By getting these in your body will stop using your muscle as fuel and instead scoff on these carbs right away. The same scenario occurs right after your workout. These 2 periods of the day only can you afford high G.I. carbohydrates. Common sources for high G.I. carbohydrates are white bread, white rice, white bagel, potato and certain sugars such as Maltose.
From here you are able to determine which carbohydrates you want at various times of the day. By eating the right carbohydrates at the right time of the day, you can dramatically increase muscle mass, shed body fat and have increased energy levels in the gym.

As you know supplements used along side a good clean nutrition plan are extremely beneficial, things like protein powder, nitric oxide, creatine and the list goes on. However, have you ever considered adding Beta Alanine to your nutrition plan? If not, here is a briefing as to why you should do so today.
As a quick break down, Beta Alanine is a non essential Amino Acid. What it does is elevate Carnosine levels in your working muscle groups. This then aids you in training harder for longer, due to the fact that higher Carnosine levels prevents the onset of muscle fatigue and also helps prevent Lactic Acid build up.
It is much wiser to supplement on this Amino Acid opposed to Carnosine directly as it is a lot easier for the body to ingest, and then use it coupled with L-Histidine, another non essential Amino Acid to create higher levels of Carnosine.
Obviously you want to know what else this supplement can do for you and why you should start taking it. You can expect to see a very noticeable increase in training capacity. This supplement has been shown to increase the anaerobic threshold, which makes it a necessity for any bodybuilder or power athlete. Whilst higher dosages of Carnosine are created as a result of Beta Alanine it can create extra lean muscle mass. As a result of your new levels of training capacity you will witness new strength levels also, seeing your strength in the gym go through the roof which you would never turn down. This will also lead to more amounts of muscle mass being added to your physique. Finally, by taking Beta Alanine you can expect to see your body fat levels fall which is never a bad thing.
Therefore you can see there are plenty of benefits in taking this non essential Amino Acid. From your point of view as a bodybuilder, it is essential to maximise progress. It can increase your ability to train more intensely for longer durations, increase strength, add lean muscle mass and shed body fat. What is there not to like? Get this in your plan and see the results for yourself.

Building a ‘barn door’ back is really what you need to complete that v taper look everyone strives for. However, that is easier said than done. Here you will be able to uncover what is required, where perhaps you have been going wrong and why certain things must be adhered to.
To begin with, let’s discuss some of the biggest mistakes people make when training their back. You only have to look at your back to see that it is a huge muscle group therefore surely it requires more work. So opposed to the 12 sets you should be doing for your biceps, your back wants to be getting at least 20 working sets. Unfortunately, most will spend an hour on biceps and 20 minutes on back. This is largely due to their ego, as your biceps are on show more often. However, building a big strong back doesn’t just look fantastic giving you that v taper we spoke about, it opens doors to increased strength and growth for the rest of your body. This is due to the fact your back is part of the core, and stabilises a lot of other muscle groups. So now you should be able to see why your back deserves much more time and effort spent on it, and the rewards you will soon be reaping.
Now you know why you need to put the graft in to bring up your back, you must now learn what to do. Before any back workout, the best way to begin is with 3 good sets of pull-ups. Aim for 8-12 repetitions per set, and alternate between wide grip and close grip each week. As most know, the deadlift is the king of muscle builders, particularly for the back. As a compound exercise it recruits many large muscle groups, and every part of the back. By performing this exercise, with heavy weight, it will increase natural levels of HGH (human growth hormone), which will ultimately lead to extra muscle mass gain. Using this phenomenal exercise, you should be looking at 5 working sets with reps within the 8-10 range. Be sure to warm up before hand with around 3 good warm up sets in order to ensure all of the joints and muscles are prepared for the strain. Following this, you want to use exercises such as the single arm dumbbell row, again heavy with similar reps and sets. This is great for added thickness and also brings width to your lats. Another great exercise to pack on thickness and width to your back is close reverse grip latt pull downs. Famously utilized by 6 times Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates to build what is said to be the best back bodybuilding has ever seen. Again, keeping the repetitions around 8-10, and then getting your training partner to do some forced reps to get that all important squeeze at the bottom. So there you have the three main mass builders for the back, which will bring added thickness and width to your back and overall physique.
Regarding back days, you really need to dial in your nutrition plan. If you’re planning on a heavy back workout, then common sense tells you that by using more muscle groups and larger muscle groups, you will require more energy. Therefore it goes without saying what you need to do is add in extra calories in the form of low G.I. carbohydrates and possibly some high quality fats. This will allow you to plough through your back workouts, at the same intensity as your chest workouts for example. It is also advisable to add in an energy amplifier such as a nitric oxide supplement and potentially a top quality creatine. With a great nutrition plan, these will add to your energy levels and therefore increase intensity.
Go and give this a blast. Your latts will be aching for the next week, but they will be growing too.

I’m sure 99% of people who visit this site have heard of creatine. Many of you will have used it. It is in many different protein shakes, pre-workout drinks and has a full section of supplements dedicated to creatine in its many forms. But who actually knows what it is? What it does? How it works? What is the best type of creatine? When should you take it? Everyone seems to use creatine but very few of you know the answer to every one of these questions. In this article I will try to help you better understand creatine and why it is such a popular supplement in today’s sporting world.
So what is creatine? Creatine is a compound made naturally in our bodies as an energy replenisher. It is manufactured in the liver, kidneys and pancreas and secreted into blood for transport to muscle (amongst other) tissues. Its chemical name is methylguanido-acetic acid, formed from the amino acids arginine, methionine and glycine.
Creatine has many different functions in the body and many are beneficial to athletes. The main use for creatine is in energy replenishment. The fuel for your body’s energy is a compound called adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP). Whether you are running a marathon or simply blinking, the movement of skeletal muscle is powered completely by ATP. Unfortunately ATP is only stored in small amounts in the body so must be replenished on a regular basis. Your body has 3 systems of replenishing ATP, the creatine phosphate system, the lactic acid system and the aerobic energy system. The most powerful of these systems that re-synthesises this ATP is the creatine phosphate system. It is also the one that gets exhausted the most rapidly. This is the system that would be used in a golf swing or a bench press. This system does not need oxygen, fat or carbohydrate but uses chemical energy, and so it’s called anaerobic. We use this energy system for activity at 95-100% of our maximum exertion, and it lasts only for 10 to 15 seconds. Creatine phosphate is used up within 10-15 seconds and takes roughly 3 minutes to fully replenish. Supplementing creatine means more creatine is stored in the muscle. This means that the CP energy system that is the most powerful can be used for longer than 10-15 seconds, meaning improved strength and a few extra reps on the bench press. It also means that you can recover your creatine levels faster. Another advantage of this is that it delays the second most dominant energy system, the lactic acid system, which as you may guess by the name is responsible for filling your muscles with lactic acid. Creatine has other properties and uses in the body that make it appealing to bodybuilders. Creatine actually increases intracellular water retention which fills the muscles with water and makes them look bigger and fuller. Studies have shown that creatine also increases the activity of satellite cells, which make muscle hypertrophy possible. Creatine supplementation appears to increase the number of myonuclei that satellite cells will ‘donate’ to damaged muscle fibres, which increases the potential for growth of those fibres and aids in faster recovery of muscle tissue after training.
So how should creatine be taken? There are 2 ways to take creatine. Some people believe that a loading phase and then maintenance phase should be adhered to. This consists of 1 week at 10-20g per day then 5-7 weeks at 3-5g per day. Others believe a loading phase is unnecessary and opt for 5-10g per day for 8 weeks. A break of 1-2 weeks every 8 weeks is often advised to avoid dampening response mechanisms. In other words your body will get used to the creatine supplement and it will not have the same effect as when you first took it. Whether you load and maintain or just go in at a set dosage as long as you get the correct dose for your bodyweight then you will get the same results. If you are over 80kg then I recommend 20g followed by 5g for the loading approach or 10g per day for the other. You can mix your creatine in water, protein shakes or fruit juice. Generally creatine is mild on flavour so is not unpleasant in any of these. I recommend a high GI carbohydrate drink when taking creatine close to workout. These carbs will help shuttle the creatine to the muscles faster. Phd battery or maximuscle viper are good options. I personally recommend taking creatine in a morning and pre-workout. It can be taken post-workout but ive always felt this is when nutrients like protein and carbs should take priority so a post workout shake is more important. I enjoy mine pre/during workout with a high GI carb drink.
So what are the main types of creatine you are going to come across? Well the 2 you will see more than any other are creatine monohydrate (CM) and creatine ethyl ester (CEE). These are the 2 most commonly produced and most popular forms of creatine; But which is better? Monohydrate has been around the longest and is the most extensively researched of any creatine. CEE has been around a much shorter period of time but has a large following of people swearing by its fantastic benefits over CM. However in all studies performed on CM and CEE there has only ever been one winner, and that is creatine monohydrate. Although many claim to have less water retention, no cramping and better gains with ethyl ester the science shows it is not superior to CM at all. Infact CEE has many disadvantages to CM. CEE actually converts at a high rate to creatinine in the stomach acid. Creatinine is a useless by-product of creatine and is taken out of the body through the kidneys. In a study performed in 2004 CEE and CM where put in conditions identical to the human stomach. After 30 minutes 27-38% of the CEE had converted to creatinine whereas only 1% of the CM had been converted to creatinine. This therefore shows that the marketing of CEE being more stable than CM is not true. Creatine monohydrate is the cheapest, most readily available and most effective form of creatine available. There are many other forms of creatine used other than CM and CEE. These other forms include di-creatine malate, creatine gluconate, creatine citrate, kre-alkalyn, creatine pyruvate and many more. These other forms of creatine are generally not available on their own but used in creatine based products like gaspari size on, BSN cellmass and many pre-workout drinks. These forms of creatine are marketed as being the most advanced forms of creatines and many have their benefits but although may be as good as, are not superior to monohydrate. Generally with products like these it is the added ingredients that improve the overall product and give the great gains rather then the type of creatine used. There are always going to be people who get great gains off different types of creatine and many of these will work well for you (and have worked for me in the past) so by no means am I saying CM is the only useful creatine. The creatine based products that use new creatines generally are great products.
So hopefully that has answered a few questions you may have had about creatine use. The last question I want to answer is what are my favourite creatine products? The products that I would recommend above all others are: PhD pharmaceutical micronized creatine monohydrate, reflex creapure creatine monohydrate, gaspari size on and millennium sport tec cre 02. These use different forms of creatine but have all worked extremely well for me in the past.
So whatever creatine you decide to use, when used correctly any will give great gains and make a great addition to any supplement stack.
Adam Campbell
Team Monster

Natural testosterone boosters seem to be playing a larger and larger part in peoples supplement stacks, diet plans and everyday life. Many people swear by their muscle building, recovery enhancing, well being boosting characteristics. But how many people actually know what the ingredients in their test boosters actually are, or more importantly what they do. They hear claims of massive gains in size, strength and the alpha male mentality and forget to actually check what it is that makes up the supplement. I am going to give you a breakdown of the most common ingredients in natural test boosters and the ones that I believe to be the most effective.
Tribulus: this herb increases testosterone via its active ingredient protodioscin. This saponin prompts the brain to release more leutenising hormone, which travels in the bloodstream to the testicles where it influences testosterone production. Tribulus is the most common test boosting ingredient and has been shown in many studies to be very effective.
ZMA: this combination of zinc and magnesium aspartate plus vitamin B increases anabolic hormone levels, including free testosterone and IGF-1, which could otherwise be suppressed by hard training athletes. ZMA also increases the quality of sleep. Increased hormones during sleep improves recovery and growth.
Methoxy isoflavone: 5-methyl-7-methoxy-isoflavone is not so much as a natural test booster but actually increases protein synthesis and increases lean mass. It also reduces body fat, maintains healthy cholesterol levels that are already within normal range, promotes endurance, increases state of vitality, and increases the body’s ability to use oxygen. This is a very effective ingredient in a test booster and stacks very well with just about any other natural test boosting ingredient.
Eurycoma longifolia (longjack): longjack has traditionally been used in Malaysia to increase sexual prowess and virility in men. Research in humans has shown it to significantly boost testosterone levels and lower cortisol levels, especially after exercise. This cortisol blocking effect is especially usefule for anyone wanting to use a test booster whilst dieting to retain muscle mass.
Testosterone boosters are also used nowadays as part of what is called PCT (post cycle therapy). PCT is needed after a course of steroids or prohormones. As prohormones become more popular more PCT is needed. PCT generally consists of natural test boosting ingredients and ingredients to lower heightened estrogen levels. This reduction of estrogen is extremely important after a cycle as too much estrogen can lead to many unwanted side effects. There are 2 commonly used and important anti-estrogens you should know about.
6-bromodione: There are two types of estrogen aromatase inhibitors and application of only one leaves the other pathway open for feminizing potential.
1) 6 alpha-Bromodione is a competitive inhibitor of aromatase enzymes. Basically this means it works by way of binding to the active binding site of the aromatase enzyme resulting in prevention of interaction with other steroids that aromatize like testosterone and the rest of our favorite male androgens. This is great for rapid binding and short term aromatase control, but unfortunately a competitive inhibitor will eventually let go of the enzyme and allow it to do feminizing things to manly hormones. So, only half of the job is done, but it has its important role as well.
2) 6 beta-Bromodione is a mechanism-based irreversible inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme. An irreversible aromatase inhibitor is also referred to as a suicide inhibitor. It’s pretty cool in that it acts similar to a competitive inhibitor in the way it binds, it is both highly selective and it will not let go until death do they part. Together the two analogs in 6-Bromodione make sure that estrogen is under control.
ATD: 1,4,6-Androstatrien-3,17-dione (ATD) is a potent irreversible aromatase inhibitor that inhibits estrogen biosynthesis by permanently binding and inactivating aromatase in adipose and peripheral tissue. It is used to control estrogen synthesis. ATD has many names in sports supplements including: 1,4,6 etiollochan-dione, 3, 17-keto-etiochol-triene, androst-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione and many others. It can be found in products such as gaspari novadex and black china labs superdex.
So whether using these products for muscle growth, increased recovery, PCT, or that alpha male mentality, a good combination of the above will give those great natural results you seek.
Products that contain these key ingredients are PhD methoxy 7 test, USN 19 anabol testo, reflex Bulgarian tribulus, millennium sport tec ZMK, gaspari novadex.
Adam Campbell
Team Monster