| Bodybuilding or building new lean muscles is nothing | | | | the ads you see telling you how badly you need their |
| more than an equation that needs to be balanced. | | | | products if you're going to remain a 'stallion' of a man. |
| Several areas are pivotal to becoming the champion | | | | As that might be true, how do you know WHAT it is |
| you aim to be! To become the best, you must | | | | that you need?" Dr. Sollazzo's reply, "Well, the best |
| account for every area that contributes to your | | | | way is an assay." |
| success, not just the surface stuff (i.e. tanning, | | | | An assay is an analysis of your blood that tells us |
| posing, doing the workout, stretching, etc.) You need | | | | what your body is producing and what it is not. |
| to balance the equation completely in order to realize | | | | Hormone abnormalities begin to occur with age and |
| this dream! | | | | show up as muscular weaknesses, fatigue, loss of |
| A balanced equation accounts for many different | | | | libido, and decreased ambition and productivity. In |
| things: | | | | women, there are increases in 'good' and 'bad' |
| 1.) Knowing your musculo-skeletal structure and what | | | | estrogens (16-alphahdroxyestrone and 2 |
| exercises are 'best' for your structure. | | | | -hydroxyestrone respectively for you biochem buffs). |
| 2.) Understanding your somatype | | | | In men, there are increases in estrogen or conversion |
| (endo-,meso-,etco-morph) and then, more specifically, | | | | of testosterone into estrogen. Not good if your goal |
| your dominant fiber type and training consistent with | | | | is to claim the top spot at your next bodybuilding |
| that type. | | | | endeavor. |
| 3.) Training progressively and consistently enough to | | | | During the aging process (guys listen up) the body |
| advance your size and strength. | | | | produces excess aromatase enzymes that convert |
| 4.) Utilizing the most ideal nutritional strategy to | | | | testosterone into estrogen. Additionally, cholesterol |
| promote new tissue growth and keep total bodyfat | | | | (the precursor to all of the body's steroids) increases |
| to a manageable minimum. | | | | and testosterone decreases. The supplement |
| 5.) Supplementing the diet with the proper nutrients | | | | companies brainwash you to believe that if you |
| to deal with potential deficiencies. | | | | simply supplement with DHEA and the ANDRO |
| 6.) Getting enough rest to recover. | | | | groups, your low testosterone problems will be |
| 7.) And finally, balancing your life with sound emotional | | | | solved. BUT, adding these exogenous substances |
| and extrinsic things that make you feel "happy". An | | | | may only add to the problem of INCREASING |
| omission of any of these ingredients could hamper or | | | | estrogen in the body and not increasing TEST. The |
| even destroy your opportunity to fulfill your body's | | | | problem lies in the conversion pathways between |
| athletic potential. | | | | Cholesterol and Testosterone. That is where you |
| In my continued promotional and daily work effort(s) | | | | must fix your anabolic issues. DHEA and ANDRO are |
| to guide my athletes and help them to become | | | | steps along the conversion pathway of Cholesterol |
| champions, I constantly look for new ways to help | | | | to Testosterone and have nothing to do with the |
| them to become better. Enter Dr. Richard Sollazzo. | | | | actual mechanisms of conversion. |
| Despite any of the aforementioned details that | | | | And if you even tampered with the idea that |
| outline a successful equation, Dr. Sollazzo pointed out | | | | androstenedione was going to increase your |
| to me one very important issue! We all may be | | | | testosterone, think again. In separate studies to |
| missing a key ingredient despite all our efforts. That | | | | determine if ANDRO supplementation would increase |
| one thing we all strive for in order to build massive | | | | levels of serum testosterone levels and skeletal |
| pounds of hard, dense, championship muscle: | | | | muscle fiber and strength, you're wallet will be happy |
| TESTOSTERONE! | | | | to know that strength and muscle fiber size were |
| We want it! Very simple, increased testosterone | | | | both unaffected by its use and actually were |
| means increased ability to recover and hopefully, build | | | | outperformed by the placebo group.(1) Furthermore, |
| new lean tissue. Those "other" bodybuilders put it into | | | | the additional androstenedione increased the blood's |
| their bodies and look what happens, BAM! Pounds of | | | | level of androstenedione, but had no effect on |
| Rock hard muscle! Not to mention liver damage, | | | | testosterone levels, and showed an increase of |
| kidney damage, decreased testes, compromised | | | | estradiol levels of 83%. This increase in estradiol level |
| pituitary function, potential damage to aortic valves | | | | was most likely due to the increased aromatase |
| and pulmonary arteries, and the list goes on. Not to | | | | enzymes. So, the only benefit was increased |
| mention that putting a foreign substance into the | | | | estrogen.(2) |
| body tells your body that it has one less job to do. | | | | So if your goal is to be the best natural you can be, |
| That means that if you stop, BAM! No more muscle | | | | or if you desire to compete as a natural bodybuilder, |
| and a lot less testosterone production. Why put a | | | | you better know what you need, what you don't, |
| foreign testosterone into your system that will | | | | and in what quantities you need supplements, or |
| potentially hurt you when your body can do it all on | | | | whatever else, to best support your anabolic desires. |
| its own with much less risk? (All for a $35 trophy? | | | | NOT what just any ol' muscle magazine tries to sell |
| $60 if you win the trophy on the bigger base. Drugs | | | | you. To truly solve the low testosterone issues, you |
| make you do weird things, huh? But that's not the | | | | must understand WHERE the problem is along this |
| point!) | | | | cholesterol to testosterone conversion pathway. You |
| Our bodies will produce all of these things by itself | | | | could take banned substances like DHEA and ANDRO |
| provided we give the body what it needs to produce | | | | 'til the cows come mooooing home, and still may not |
| these wondrous compounds. Now, as we age or, | | | | make your body more anabolic. If your body doesn't |
| dependent upon what we do to our bodies, our | | | | need additional DHEA or ANDRO, you're wasting your |
| body's ability to produce testosterone decreases as | | | | money. |
| well as our ability to produce IGF-1 (insulin like growth | | | | SO to wrap it up, just because a supplement |
| factors), DHEA, and (drum roll please), Growth | | | | company says to take their 'magic potion' so many |
| Hormone! Our body produces all of these things on | | | | times per day, doesn't mean YOU personally need |
| its own. What would be helpful? TO KNOW! To know | | | | that much (or that little) to bring your potential up to |
| WHAT the levels of these vital bodybuilding magic | | | | the level to be the new 'King of Natural Bodybuilding' |
| bullets are if we are going to work out in an | | | | or the next 'Italian Stallion'. An assay will delineate |
| environment that's best suited for new tissue | | | | what balances of vital compounds need to be |
| growth. | | | | brought up to a standard that will establish your |
| After 30, the body's ability to produce testosterone | | | | 'Anabolic Eden': Each athlete's profile of Eden is |
| and its related compounds begins to DECREASE. This | | | | different, as is the configuration of supplements that |
| means that the challenge to your body's ability to | | | | will bring about the ideal anabolic environment. |
| build new, lean tissue INCREASES. So in my | | | | (1)king, et al, JAMA 281:2020-2028,1999 |
| conversation with Dr. Sollazzo, I stated, "Think of all | | | | (2) ballantyne et al, Can J. Appl. Physiol. |