"After eight weeks, switch from Sustanon and Tren to Equipoise (EQ)-150 milligrams every other day, and Primo Depot, 400 milligrams once a week. Up the GH to 4 IU every day. Back your carbs down gradually to zero by the end of the first week. Switch your training to lighter weights and higher reps, but still with high intensity. Bring your cardio up to 30 minutes a day, six days a week. Start practicing mandatory poses 30 minutes every night. Work up to holding each pose for one minute.

"After four weeks, add 100 milligrams of Masterone every other day, 100 milligrams of Winstrol (Winny) every day, two Clenbuterol (Clen) every four hours, 25 micrograms of T-3 every morning, and a cap of GHB before bed. Increase posing to 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. You can stay on this for four to six additional weeks.

"Two weeks out: Stop Clen. Add 25 micrograms of T-3 before bed. Cut fat out of diet.

"One week out: Go back on Clen as before. Stop GH.

"Three days out: Cut sodium, add 50 grams of carbs to first meal, stop cardio, increase water consumption to at least two gallons a day.

"Two days out: Last training session-full body, high rep with super-high intensity. Add 50 grams of carbs to first two meals. Stop middle-of-the-night protein shake.

"One day out: Add 75 grams of carbs to last two meals. Stop drinking water at 8:00 P.M. P.M.-only little sips after that, as few as possible. Cut Clen. No shake before bed.

"There will be a few tweaks to this system during its progression, as every person will respond differently. But this should give you a good platform."

Aesthetics are one thing, therapeutics are quite another. For a glimpse of the latter, we must learn from Nelson Vergel.

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In 2001, Lee Brown, the mayor of Houston, proclaimed September 13 "Nelson Vergel Day."

Diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1987, Nelson has dedicated his life to furthering HIV research in both prevention and treatment. For two years, he was a member of the Metabolic Disorders Committee at the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) in Washington, the largest HIV/AIDS research organization in the world.

He is best known for simple interventions that have helped save many lives and improved thousands more.

He describes the results of one such approach, used personally, in his own words:

My CD8 cells, which may be one of the most important barometers for longevity for PWA's [people with AIDS], went from 900 to 2500 cells [per millimeter squared], and my symptoms disappeared! I never felt or looked better in my entire life, even when I was HIV-negative!

Jeff Taylor, who's been HIV-positive for more than 25 years, had two collapsed lungs and just two T-cells remaining when he began a similar treatment. Six weeks later he had 300 T-cells. It saved his life.

The mystery treatment wasn't a new antiviral c.o.c.ktail. In fact, it wasn't new at all.

It was anabolic steroids. Specifically, Nelson used testosterone cypionate and Deca-Durabolin (nandrolone decanoate), and Jeff used Anavar (oxandrolone).

This is confusing to most people. Aren't steroids supposed to kill you, or, at the very least, cause cancer or liver failure?

How can it be that the very same oxandrolone Jeff used "has been found to be one of the most cost-effective and least-toxic therapies to date" for treating male burn victims?

After doing an exhaustive review of the literature and interviewing scientists and actual users, Bryant Gumbel, the host of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, concluded the following on June 21, 2005:

As frequently evidenced by officials nationwide, Americans, when drugs are concerned, rarely choose logic when they can opt for hysteria. Case in point: the recent hoopla over steroids. In light of the media excess, the public p.r.o.nouncements, and the wailing in Washington, one would a.s.sume that the scientific evidence establishing the health risk of steroids is overwhelming. But it's not. On the contrary, when it comes to steroid use among adult males, the evidence reveals virtually no fire, despite all the smoke.

This summation, needless to say, ran counter to expectations.

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Did you know that birth control drugs are technically steroids?

This is also true of the cortisone shots that future baseball Hall of Famer Curt Schilling used in the 2004 World Series, the same anti-inflammatory injections Andre Aga.s.si used during his final U.S. Open.

Steroids represent an incredibly broad and important cla.s.s of hormone, and there are hundreds of variations in plants, fungi, and animals. If you eliminated steroids from your body, you would die.

The term "steroid" is most often used in the media to refer to anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), more commonly called anabolic steroids. These compounds are variations of the hormone testosterone or are intended to mimic the effects of testosterone.

Nandrolone, for example, is testosterone that has been chemically modified to minimize its conversion to estrogen or DHT, the latter change making it less androgenic androgenic-that is, it will have less of an amplifying effect on secondary male characteristics like hair growth (or loss from the scalp) or the thickening of the vocal chords.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of normal testosterone and the most commercially popular form of nandrolone, Deca-Durabolin ("Deca"), which Nelson used. Deca is also one AAS that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are alleged to have used.

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I have legally used low-dose anabolic steroids and other growth agents under medical supervision both before and after joint surgeries. Multiple MDs reviewed blood tests every two to four weeks to ensure there were no complications. These drugs are specifically designed to increase protein synthesis; in the case of my surgeries, it was moderated and a proper use of the appropriate tools.

Do I encourage recreational or cosmetic use without medical supervision or without legal prescriptions? No. Anabolic steroids are Cla.s.s III controlled substances, and you can receive up to three years' imprisonment for possession and up to 10 years' imprisonment if convicted of trafficking or intent to traffic.

Do I think that healthy children, adolescents, or women should use powerful male hormones? Absolutely not.

Do I think that athletes should be disqualified if they break the rules of their sport? Most definitely.

But the science shouldn't be distorted. These are valuable drugs with real applications.

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Here is a small sample of well-doc.u.mented side effects, provided by the National Inst.i.tutes of Health:

* Swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, or throat * Wheezing or difficulty breathing * Fast heartbeat * Fast breathing * Cold, clammy skin * Ringing in the ears * Loss of hearing * b.l.o.o.d.y vomit * Bright red blood in stools

This list should scare you.

It should scare you because these aren't side effects of anabolic steroids. These are common side effects of aspirin.

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Some drugs are safer than others, but almost anything will kill you at a high enough dose. It's the dose that makes the poison.

Never forget this, and don't confuse the effects of moderate use with those of outright abuse.

It's the difference between a single 812-week cycle of low-dose injectable testosterone for surgery, on the one hand, and uncycled megadoses of the oral steroid Anadrol-50 for elite bodybuilding, on the other. It's the difference between a baby aspirin (7585 milligrams) and half a bottle of aspirin. It's the difference between having a gla.s.s of wine before bed and drinking bottles until you wake up in the intensive care unit.

Sensationalism is more common than good science, and the two are not the same.

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TOOLS AND TRICKS.

RXMuscle with John Romano and Dave Palumbo (www.rxmuscle.com) If you have drug questions, don't ask me. I'm neither a doctor nor an expert. John Romano and Dave Palumbo, on the other hand, have been on the inside of professional bodybuilding and physique enhancement for decades. Both have seen the best and the worst outcomes in athletic chemical warfare. RXMuscle is where you can ask professionals your questions related to AAS and other performance-enhancing drugs (PED). If you have drug questions, don't ask me. I'm neither a doctor nor an expert. John Romano and Dave Palumbo, on the other hand, have been on the inside of professional bodybuilding and physique enhancement for decades. Both have seen the best and the worst outcomes in athletic chemical warfare. RXMuscle is where you can ask professionals your questions related to AAS and other performance-enhancing drugs (PED).

Bigger, Stronger, Faster DVD ( DVD (www.fourhourbody.com/bigger) From the producers of From the producers of Bowling for Columbine Bowling for Columbine and and Fahrenheit 9/11 Fahrenheit 9/11, this outstanding doc.u.mentary explores steroid use in the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world: America. The cast of characters ranges from Carl Lewis and MDs to Louis Simmons of Westside Barbell. It has an astounding 96% positive rating on rottentomatoes.com.

Medibolics (www.medibolics.com) This site, published by Michael Mooney, provides a wealth of information on the medical use of anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and unorthodox supplementation for the prevention of lean-tissue loss in persons with muscle-wasting diseases, including HIV. This site, published by Michael Mooney, provides a wealth of information on the medical use of anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and unorthodox supplementation for the prevention of lean-tissue loss in persons with muscle-wasting diseases, including HIV.

Anabolics, 9th ed. (www.fourhourbody.com/anabolics) This 800-page book is the #1 bestselling anabolic reference guide worldwide. It features: reviews of nearly 200 pharmaceutical compounds, detailed explanations of the real risks of anabolics, prevention and harm reduction strategies, steroid cycling and stacking sections to take the guesswork out of cycle construction, and approximately 3,000 color photographs of legitimate, counterfeit, and underground drug products. This 800-page book is the #1 bestselling anabolic reference guide worldwide. It features: reviews of nearly 200 pharmaceutical compounds, detailed explanations of the real risks of anabolics, prevention and harm reduction strategies, steroid cycling and stacking sections to take the guesswork out of cycle construction, and approximately 3,000 color photographs of legitimate, counterfeit, and underground drug products.

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End of Chapter Notes 29. Munzer added many other drugs that probably contributed to his organ failure and death, including EPO, Cytadren, and diuretics. Munzer added many other drugs that probably contributed to his organ failure and death, including EPO, Cytadren, and diuretics.

ADDING MUSCLE.

BUILDING.

THE PERFECT.

POSTERIOR.

(OR LOSING 100+ POUNDS).

I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.-MadonnaBacks are to lifters what biceps are to bodybuilders.-Randall J. Strossen PhD, editor of MILO MILO magazine magazine This chapter will teach both men and women how to build a superhuman posterior chain, which includes all the muscles from the base of your skull to your Achilles tendons.

In the process, it will also teach women how to build the perfect a.s.s and lose dramatic amounts of fat.

For maximum strength and s.e.x appeal in minimal time, the posterior chain is where you should focus.

The Bet "We have a bet going."

Tracy Reifkind walked into work that evening expecting a normal shift. But six of her female coworkers had reached critical ma.s.s and created a betting pool. Each had put in $100, and the $600 would go to whoever lost the highest percentage bodyfat in 12 weeks. Tracy was lucky number seven, upping the ante to $700.

It was good timing.

Tracy had been a chubby kid when kids weren't chubby. She'd continued to gain throughout life and ended up weighing 245 pounds at age 41. She had resigned herself to a dismal fate: she would never be able to enjoy certain basics, like wearing a tank top. That was just the hand she'd been dealt.

But her weight was creating health problems. She'd become a gourmet cook with the dream of visiting Italy, and that trip-almost within reach-was now jeopardized by her obesity. She was experiencing gastrointestinal problems that made it impossible to travel.

"Everything wrong with me had to do with the fact that I was fat. Every day, I felt like I was dodging a bullet. I didn't want to go to the doctor because I didn't want to find out I was prediabetic or that I had heart disease. I just liked eating and wasn't ready to stop. I, of course, knew what I had to do. But that bet, that event, gave me the reason and the timing."

Tracy responded well to challenges. She was somehow confident that she would win. The real question was: how?

The answer came, most unexpectedly, from strong men.

Mich.e.l.le Obama's Arms Tracy was dumbstruck as she looked at the fitting room mirror in San Jose. She pulled up the new pair of jeans and turned around. Then she turned around again. No matter how many times she spun, the image didn't compute.

"What? That's me?!" She saw arms she'd never seen before. She also had her tank top.

Tracy Reifkind had lost more than 100 pounds (45 pounds of fat in the first 12 weeks) and won her bet. But the numbers alone don't do her physique justice: this mom of two from a two-income family looked 10 years younger at 129.6 pounds.

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The secret wasn't marathon aerobics sessions, nor was it severe caloric restriction. It was the Russian kettlebell swing, twice a week for an average of 1520 minutes. Her peak session length was 35 minutes.

She was introduced to kettlebells by her husband, Mark Reifkind, a former national team coach in powerlifting who also competed against Kurt Thomas in Olympic gymnastics.

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"Every woman wants Mich.e.l.le Obama's arms. The truth is that you can have them, and a new body, in four weeks. The two-handed swing is the jewel. If you could only do one movement for the rest of your life, do the kettlebell swing."

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Body by design: Tracy removed the curves she didn't want and added the curves she did. Notice the kettlebells, which look like cannonb.a.l.l.s with handles, lined up against the wall.

I agree with Tracy 100%, though the path that led me to the swing was quite different.

In 1999, I made thrice-weekly pilgrimages from Princeton to Philadelphia where I trained at a gym called Maxercise. For the 45-minute workout that justified the trip, I was commuting more than two hours. Steve Maxwell, the owner of Maxercise, was a six-time Pan- American gold medalist in Brazilian jiu- jitsu (two world championships came later) and held a master's degree in exercise science. His clients ranged from the FBI and Secret Service to the Phillies and the Dodgers. His singular focus was on measurable results. If something didn't work, it didn't last long with Maxwell.

I first met kettlebells on a frigid winter evening in Maxercise's second-floor torture chamber. They were generally reserved for fighters and aspiring strong men. Most of the high-velocity kettlebell movements like "the s.n.a.t.c.h,"1 considered standard for training programs, didn't combine well with my injured shoulders. I abandoned kettlebells after two sessions. considered standard for training programs, didn't combine well with my injured shoulders. I abandoned kettlebells after two sessions.

It wasn't until six years later that I realized how simple kettlebells could be. One move: the swing.