Could You Be Risking Your Health With Certain Supplements?

If a supplement truly provides steroid equivalent muscular/strength gains, and it were released tomorrow at the same cost as a steroid cycle, would you purchase and use the LEGAL product? If the answer is yes, let us reexamine why you are avoiding steroids -- is it solely due to their illegality, or does the potential for an inordinate level of medical ailments (heart enlargement, cancer, and even DEATH) prevent you from trying the product? In my case, remaining drug free is rooted in fear for my long term well being (I want to survive!), and your reasoning is likely similar (is it a coincidence that so many of today's "knowledgeable" bodybuilding trainers are dying in their 40's?) Therefore, if a steroid-like supplement were released tomorrow with the assurance of "no long term side effects", yet provided the same or even similar muscle building potential as steroids, WHY WOULD YOU BELIEVE IN ITS SAFETY? Because a supplement provider "says so"? How on earth does one know of long term health risks if a product is JUST RELEASED? And what about the current rise in all forms of cancer -- could this be related to use of artificial products (including "muscle" and "fat loss" supplements) in our diet? How do we know? We DON'T, which means if any of the supplements really did provide steroid like muscle growth or fat loss (AND NONE DO), the risks associated with the pill, powder, or liquid would also mirror that of steroids, which once again brings about questions of longevity (not knowing whether you'll enjoy your next birthday outside of a hospital). DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR LIFE -- if you avoid steroids because of the dangers, why look towards an industry that provides NOTHING BUT DECEPTION for a pill or powder that would simply create the same dangers as the drug you are avoiding? Don't feel alone -- although this reasoning has become crystal clear in recent years (after achieving natural muscle gains), I fell for the same gimmicks I am now speaking out against (it's ALL due to confusion -- those unaware of proper training/diet protocol turn to the supplement industry for an artificial answer -- and find NOTHING but disappointment). To be completely blunt -- if you visit a web site that recommends ANY form of supplementation, leave without reading a word, as ALL credibility is lost. It's deception as its worst!

The Truth About "Scientific Studies" On Muscle Mass and Fat Loss Supplements

Let's not forget those "scientific studies" posted by an "independent" board of certified chemists. Several years ago, one of those "scientific panels" wrote a report stating Dibencozide (Vitamin B-12) provides similar anabolic (muscle building) power as steroids (which convinced me to try it!). Needless to say, it was another creative way to help me waste money! Other such "scientifically compiled information" in advertisements today mirror my Dibencozide example. DON'T FALL FOR IT! My local news (remember, everybody trusts them) once promoted a positive HMB study, yet look at how popular HMB is today? Not quite the "hot" bodybuilding supplement that the advertising suggested many months ago! DON'T FALL FOR IT! I can imagine hundreds of bodybuilders running out to their local health store and picking up 5 bottles of a supplement that the NEWS claims to be effective. If you have enough money and power, a "scientific study" will say anything you darn well want. I don't know if you've ever read articles in bodybuilding magazines hyping a yet-to-be-released supplement as being the GREATEST LEGAL MUSCLE BUILDING AGENT TO EVER HIT THE SHELVES, but if you have, remember this -- if I pay you thousands to advertise in your magazine, then I can easily pass some future product information to you before it hits the public, and you'll be sure to make it sound really important BEFORE I ever start advertising the new product (hence, the magazine is advertising under the guise of being an "impartial observer"). For example, I advertise in magazine X, and I tell magazine X that supplement Z is HOT, and is currently in development stages. Magazine X writes articles hyping supplement Z before it ever hits the stores, thus, people are greatly anticipating its release (guaranteeing monster sales when the substance is finally available). We trust the magazine, because the "supplement report" is presented as if it's an impartial review from one of the "experienced" writers. Yet, it's just product hype under the "unbiased truth" umbrella. Both the magazine and the supplement company make money on us suckers. In addition, most muscle building magazines are simply a multi-page advertisement for products that the magazine company itself sells! They will have their writers speak highly of a supplement, acting as an unbiased observer, when in fact these writers are working for the company that produces the product! Trust me, this is what's happening, and it's not going to change!

Remember this important lesson -- if a "clinical study" used in an advertisement says "this supplement provided 30 pounds of new muscle mass," or "our product shed 20 pounds of body fat," and you try the product for yourself, but find it has no impact whatsoever on your body, who is correct, YOUR REAL WORLD LACK OF RESULTS, or the "clinical study" that is used as part of a supplement advertisement? The answer is obvious!

If you aren't convinced that so called "scientific studies" can actually produce the very opposite of what practical reality indicates, take this as proof -- a pamphlet distributed by a well known and respected drug store (CVS) entitled "Steroids -- No winners. Only losers" releases under the subtitle "Steroids Don't Work" the following INCORRECT discovery -- "They may make an athlete feel "big" temporarily. But look at the actual medical evidence. The 1991 Physician's Desk Reference, standard guide to prescription medicines, includes the warning: ANABOLIC STEROIDS DO NOT ENHANCE ATHLETIC ABILITY. Controlled research among male athletes given steroids has generally found little evidence of enhanced strength or performance". Do you believe the "controlled" research that indicates steroids are worthless in strength gains or performance enhancement that this pamphlet indicates? I hope not, because it's FALSE. So, why believe those supplement studies conducted by THE VERY SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY ITSELF indicating "steroid" like equivalency of the latest, greatest powdered find? If you are to believe the CVS pamphlet, all of those supplement providers claiming steroid equivalency are actually comparing themselves to a dangerous, but USELESS, illegal drug. WE ALL KNOW STEROIDS WORK AS EVIDENCED BY THE PHYSIQUES OF THOSE WHO USE THEM, YET WE CHOOSE TO AVOID THE DRUG DUE TO ITS POTENTIAL DANGERS, yet an informational brochure containing the name of a very respected pharmacy, in addition to the Physician's Desk Reference, a guide used by medical doctors to prescribe drugs, is propagating a study that OBVIOUSLY DIFFERS WITH WHAT OUR VISUAL REALITY HAS PROVEN DECADES AGO! I totally agree with CVS' goal in administering such information (as the pamphlet continues to explain the extreme dangers of the drug and tries to influence young adults to abstain from use), yet in the beginning of an otherwise worthwhile informational venture comes to light the most asinine study in existence today (though on par with similar supplement "research"), which to the young attentive teen, totally eliminates all credibility associated with the remaining paragraphs warning of side effects and dangers, since the pamphlet begins with FALSE INFORMATION. WHY, WHEN ONE CAN REJECT SUCH A FLAGRANTLY FLAWED STATEMENT DUE TO OBVIOUS VISUAL EVIDENCE PROVING THE VERY CONTRARY (steroids work), DO WE BELIEVE SUPPLEMENT PROVIDERS WHO ARE RELEASING OUTLANDISH CLAIMS WITH THE SOLE INTENTION OF SELLING THEIR NEWEST PRODUCT? It makes NO sense, yet we (this includes me) have all fallen for the heavy advertising and quoting of such blatantly FALSE "studies". Any time a supplement provider points to a "scientific study" that verifies potency, please recall the above steroid "research" which has "proven the drug ineffective in enhancing strength or performance" -- it's laughable, and is NO DIFFERENT from the supplement company "research" that "proves" the potential effects of the newest testosterone booster..THE STUDIES ARE MERELY UNETHICALLY TAINTED ADVERTISING TOOLS!

Muscle Building Confusion

If you are like most who seek to gain muscle mass, the literally dozens of diet and training theories are absolutely baffling! Have you tried programs that promise 50 pounds in 6 months, but neglect to tell you 45 of those 50 are pure FAT? Even worse, how does it feel to purchase supplements that make steroid like claims, yet deliver absolutely nothing but a lighter wallet? 95% of people will have experienced one or all of these dilemmas and, if not...I bet you've tried abdominal machines that promise a washboard mid-section, charge you $150, and end up serving as a poor excuse for a rocking chair. I've been suckered into many ineffective products, and so have millions of other confused bodybuilders. I hope that you'll learn from my MANY bodybuilding mistakes.

My name is Francesco Castano, and I'm a recreational bodybuilder currently residing in Lancaster, PA, who has spent thousands of dollars experimenting with pills, powders, and machines that promised magnificent results, yet only left me searching for answers. After many years of using countless supplements for both muscle gain and fat loss, I decided to stop them ALL. I never produced noticeable gains from any pill or powder, including a supposed very expensive "steroid replacement" stack of supplements. Even the popular Creatine Monohydrate is a supplement industry LIE -- the slight water retention (not muscle!) in SOME disappears soon after the supplement is discontinued! In other words, it will cost you $30 or more a month to MAINTAIN a 5 pound water weight gain (it is NOT a muscle builder). Is this worth it? You be the judge!

Why Do Muscle Building and Fat Loss Supplement Companies Lie About Their Products?

So, how can these supplement giants legally deceive the public? Easy. Although the supplement industry is regulated, government agencies perform no formal testing to determine whether even the most outlandish muscle building and fat loss claims are legitimate. This means that supplement companies can make numerous stimulating promises, yet are not legally obligated to produce even one iota of their potency claims. Scary, huh? Think about it -- each month you see a new "testosterone booster", "growth hormone replacement", "fat burning" or "anti-catabolic" supplement hit the market, just adding to the already overpopulated "health food store" shelf. The moment they create a clever advertising campaign aimed at ME, the bodybuilder, telling ME how I can gain 30 pounds or cut bodyfat levels by 20% simply by mixing some smelly, awful tasting powder with grape juice or pop 3 pills a day, I go out and spend $50, or more, and buy it! They say "fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me". I'd consider myself lucky to have only been fooled twice by supplement companies, yet I instead placed faith for many years in supplement advertising despite my prior failures in using such products. As a result, I purchased a wide variety of muscle building and fat burning supplements, which puts shame squarely on MY shoulders. Investigating the various supplement offerings cost me a mint, and helped me to waste plenty of precious time at health food stores.

If You Cannot Measure New Muscle Gains Or Fat Loss EVERY WEEK, Then You MUST Change Your Routine!

Some people mistakenly believe that it takes many weeks or sometimes months for a program to provide noticeable change, so they continue tinkering with the same ineffective system, just waiting for the day when their body begins to experience this dramatic surge of progress. But in reality, the only variable is food intake, and when you are consuming the proper amount for muscle gains or fat loss (I will teach you exactly how to determine this through measurements, as it differs based on individual metabolism), then you should achieve muscle gains or fat loss on a WEEKLY basis. Not every month, not even every two weeks, but rather WEEKLY. Begin using the correct training AND diet methods, and suddenly, you will begin to notice your body changes every seven days, like clockwork! When you feel the need for a break or reach a plateau on a muscle building phase (a sign that you need less volume), you reset your body with lower workload for several weeks, where you maintain new muscle and recharge your body and mind, once again achieving results on a weekly basis when you increase intensity of workouts, and this special cycling process continues until you reach your genetic potential. Fat loss is a string of weekly improvements until the day you reach your genetic limits!

Do NOT Confuse Muscle Strength With Muscle Mass!

People have told me that they gain strength using certain techniques (such as HIT, also known as "High Intensity Training"), but do not grow in muscle size, and this seeming contradiction must confuse many who aim to improve their physique. It is very important that you do NOT mistake strength gains with muscle building, as you may find yourself using a significantly higher weight in all exercises six weeks after starting a new routine, but have yet to gain any measurable muscle mass, and this will cause you to believe that waiting a few weeks longer will allow muscle size to "catch up" with strength improvements. However, it will prove to be a very long, disappointing few weeks if you take this approach, because your muscle size will not change! Do not mistakenly believe that a routine is "working" just because you are now bench pressing more than you were a few weeks ago, because the only way to determine if your routine is providing legitimate progress is to MEASURE muscle growth (I will teach you how this is done). You can gain strength AND muscle size SIMULTANEOUSLY if you eat and train correctly, but there are routines that will actually cause your strength to improve with little associated muscle size increases (such as H.I.T., as well as others), and this is a very important distinction that you must realize.