Life after the Ban, By: Evan Waters
The dietary supplements commonly referred to steroid precursors or Prohormones were officially banned as of January 20, 2005. Since this infamous date, it is illegal to buy, sell, or use these products without a prescription. As a result of the ban, prohormone sales skyrocketed as people were stocking up for the long term. “Our sales are way up for November and December,” said Jim Vercelotti of ATF Fitness in Pennsylvania. "Customers love these products and say that they're furious about the new law." “Overnight, these Americans changed into federal drug criminals,” said United Supplement Freedom Association executive director Michael DiMaggio.
A Little History
Steroid precursors first got popular notice when former Home Run King, Mark McGwire admitted he used androstenedione, more commonly known as andro during his historic record setting season. When accused of cheating, he argued that he was not cheating the game of Baseball because anyone...ANYONE could walk into any ole’ GNC and buy a bottle. Indeed, at the time, it was not cheating. However, under new baseball steroid policies he would be cheating. Once the populous got word of McGwire’s use, these potent supplements mushroomed. Dozens of U.S. supplement companies in the $19 billion dollar industry began manufacturing and selling products similar to andro. Today, baseball as a sport in under heavy observation after all-star players like Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield often heckled by Red Sox fans as “Gary SheffROID” admitted to knowingly or not knowingly taken steroid precursors distributed by Victor Conte of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. Conte, who is under indictment by a federal grand jury for several offenses, including steroid distribution and money laundering, has appeared on 20/20, ESPN the Magazine, and other publications. He has admitted to administering illegal performance enhancing drugs to track stars Marian Jones, Tim Montgomery, and the aforementioned baseball players. The growing issue of supplement abuse has gained much press. So much so, that President Bush referenced it in his 2004 State of the Union address.[1]
So what if you do have them?
According to the new law anyone who is in possession of these banned substances is liable to face arrest and prosecution. However, there is a major hole in the bill. Under most state laws, prohormones are not classified as steroids. Thus, only federal law enforcement has jurisdiction. The Federal law enforcement personnel will undoubtedly have little interest or incentive in aggressively prosecuting. "Based on current federal sentencing guidelines, a first offender caught possessing even ten thousand prohormone tablets would likely receive a sentence of straight probation without any jail," lawyer Rick Collins, a nationally recognized legal authority on bodybuilding drugs and supplements said. Until the state legislators begin to recognize prohormones as steroids it will be very difficult for the feds to prosecute as it will take up quite a bit of government resources.[2] Nevertheless, this could all change. Just think of how quickly Ephedra was ripped from our store shelves. So, even though I am not a lawyer, my advice is not to parade around town that you use prohormones or have them in your possession. After all, you would not want everyone and their grandmother to know you have a huge stash of Marijuana in your basement. Basically, just use your head!
Damnit, I didn’t stock up!
Ok, so if you are like many people and did NOT buy 60 container of M1T before the ban date, you might be somewhat perplexed on how to get those massive gains. First, you could find someone that sells prohormones or steroids on the black market. Not into all those criminal acts? Well, there are still plenty of products that were not banned that can give you desirable effects. The following is a list of compounds that will be classified as illegal anabolic steroids as of January 20. Most if not all of these substances affect testosterone and/or hormonal levels in some way.
androstanediol--
3b,17b-dihydroxy-5a-androstane; and
3a,17b-dihydroxy-5a-androstane;
androstanedione (5a-androstan-3,17-dione);
androstenediol--
1-androstenediol (3b,17b-dihydroxy-5a-androst-1-ene);
1-androstenediol (3a,17b-dihydroxy-5a-androst-1-ene);
4-androstenediol (3b,17b-dihydroxy-androst-4-ene); and
5-androstenediol (3b,17b-dihydroxy-androst-5-ene);
androstenedione--
1-androstenedione ([5a]-androst-1-en-3,17-dione);
4-androstenedione (androst-4-en-3,17-dione); and
5-androstenedione (androst-5-en-3,17-dione);
bolasterone (7a,17a-dimethyl-17b-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
boldenone (17b-hydroxyandrost-1,4,-diene-3-one);
calusterone (7b,17a-dimethyl-17b-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
clostebol (4-chloro-17b-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (4-chloro-17b-hydroxy-17a-methyl-androst-1,4-dien-3-one);
1-dihydrotestosterone (a.k.a. `1-testosterone') (17b-hydroxy-5a-androst-1-en-3-one);
4-dihydrotestosterone (17b-hydroxy-androstan-3-one);
drostanolone (17b-hydroxy-2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3-one);
ethylestrenol (17a-ethyl-17b-hydroxyestr-4-ene);
fluoxymesterone (9-fluoro-17a-methyl-11b,17b-dihydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
formebolone (2-formyl-17a-methyl-11a,17b-dihydroxyandrost-1,4-dien-3-one);
furazabol (17a-methyl-17b-hydroxyandrostano[2,3-c]-furazan);
13a-ethyl-17a-hydroxygon-4-en-3-one;
4-hydroxytestosterone (4,17b-dihydroxy-androst-4-en-3-one);
4-hydroxy-19-nortestosterone (4,17b-dihydroxy-estr-4-en-3-one);
mestanolone (17a-methyl-17b-hydroxy-5a-androstan-3-one);
mesterolone (1a-methyl-17b-hydroxy-[5a]-androstan-3-one);
methandienone (17a-methyl-17b-hydroxyandrost-1,4-dien-3-one);
methandriol (17a-methyl-3b,17b-dihydroxyandrost-5-ene);
methenolone (1-methyl-17b-hydroxy-5a-androst-1-en-3-one);
methyltestosterone (17a-methyl-17b-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
mibolerone (7a,17a-dimethyl-17b-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one);
17a-methyl-*1-dihydrotestosterone (17b-hydroxy-17a-methyl-5a-androst-1-en-3-one) (a.k.a. `17-a-methyl-1-testosterone');
nandrolone (17b-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one);
norandrostenediol--
19-nor-4-androstenediol (3b, 17b-dihydroxyestr-4-ene);
19-nor-4-androstenediol (3a, 17b-dihydroxyestr-4-ene);
19-nor-5-androstenediol (3b, 17b-dihydroxyestr-5-ene); and
19-nor-5-androstenediol (3a, 17b-dihydroxyestr-5-ene);
norandrostenedione--
19-nor-4-androstenedione (estr-4-en-3,17-dione); and
19-nor-5-androstenedione (estr-5-en-3,17-dione;
norbolethone (13b,17a-diethyl-17b-hydroxygon-4-en-3-one);
norclostebol (4-chloro-17b-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one);
norethandrolone (17a-ethyl-17b-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one);
oxandrolone (17a-methyl-17b-hydroxy-2-oxa-[5a]-androstan-3-one);
oxymesterone (17a-methyl-4,17b-dihydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
oxymetholone (17a-methyl-2-hydroxymethylene-17b-hydroxy-[5a]-androstan-3-one);
stanozolol (17a-methyl-17b-hydroxy-[5a]-androst-2-eno[3,2-c]-pyrazole);
stenbolone (17b-hydroxy-2-methyl-[5a]-androst-1-en-3-one);
testolactone (13-hydroxy-3-oxo-13,17-secoandrosta-1,4-dien-17-oic acid lactone);
testosterone (17b-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one);
tetrahydrogestrinone (13b,17a-diethyl-17b-hydroxygon-4,9,11-trien-3-one);
trenbolone (17b-hydroxyestr-4,9,11-trien-3-one);
And any salt, ester, or ether of a drug or substance described in this paragraph.
Yes, I realize there is a ton of odd names and even odder number/word combinations. Even though this plethora of substances are now illegal, there are many legitimate testosterone-boosting alternatives. Let’s take a moment to examine some of these products.
6-OXO
Patrick Arnold, one of the most respected and heralded chemists in the industry is often referred to as the “father” or prohormones. He was the mind behind the creation of Ergopharm’s 6-OXO. 6-OXO™ contains a naturally occurring aromatase inhibitor that is devoid of any direct hormonal or prohormonal activity (androgenic or estrogenic). An aromatase inhibitor is a product that binds to the aromatase enzyme and deactivates it. This results in a significant reduction of estrogen along with the enhancement of naturally-occurring testosterone. So what does this mean for me? High levels of estrogen will make you look soft and fat, and can make you grow bitch tits. A recently completed clinical study was done by Thomas Incledon at Human Performance Specialists Inc. The study was done on 7 men with normal endocrinological profiles. 600mg of 6-OXO was administered daily over the course of 3 weeks. At the end of the three weeks, the testosterone levels of the men roughly doubled, while estradiol dropped slightly. Consequently, there was a very large rise in the testosterone / estradiol ratio, which is the most important variable. There was no evidence of liver toxicity, adverse blood lipid changes, or any other safety concerns. The full data is awaiting peer review and publication. [3] With the prohormone ban, many will turn to this great product. A reduction of estrogen with a coinciding increase of testosterone spells only success for any bodybuilder.
ZMA
ZMA contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plus Magnesium Aspartate and vitamin B-6. [4] According to a sport nutrition researcher involved in developing ZMA, ZMA was specifically designed to enhance endurance, strength, and recovery and help the body’s production of testosterone and growth hormone (Conte 2003). In a placebo-controlled clinical study published in the Journal of Exercise Physiology, Western Washington University researchers gave ZMA or a placebo pill to football players every night for eight weeks. The men who received ZMA experienced an amazing 30% surge in free and total testosterone levels, while the placebo group’s testosterone levels declined. The ZMA group also showed a slight increase in the release of IGF-1 growth factor, compared to a decrease in the placebo group. Functional power and muscular strength were also measurably better in the ZMA group (Brilla 2000). By supplementing with ZMA you may finally be able to utilize the testosterone your body was capable of producing. I have taken Optimum’s ZMA in the past and can honestly say I really felt it kick in. It took about a week for me to start feeling the effects, but once it started I felt like I was on top of the world and my lifts skyrocketed as well!
Tribulus Terrestris
Tribulus has been widely used recently and the supplement can be dated back over a thousand years ago in ancient Indian medical texts. It is often used as a remedy for sexual dysfunction and for good reason. Clinical studies in Bulgaria have shown Tribulus to increase the sex hormones LH level by 72% and the body's own free testosterone level by 41% in healthy adult males in only five days. The Lutinizing Hormone (LH) regulates the testosterone production in the testes and high levels of LH coincide with high testosterone levels.[5] In Turkey, tribulus terrestris is commonly used in folk medicine for blood pressure and cholesterol. In Europe, tribulus has been used in folk medicine throughout history, as far back as the Greeks, for wide-ranging conditions as headache, nervous disorders, constipation, and sexual dysfunction. In China and India, tribulus terrestris has been touted for use in liver, kidney, urinary, and cardiovascular remedies.[6] In a study performed by the University of Nebraska in 2000, fifteen subjects were randomly assigned to either placebo or Tribulus supplementation. After an 8-week training period, the Tribulus group showed an increase in leg press strength in comparison to the placebo group[7]. Tribulus has proved its worth time after time. Not only has it been shown to increase testosterone, it has been used for many ailments.
Conclusion
The prohormone bill passed on January 20 put many people in quite a predicament. Many stocked up on these now illicit items, however many did not. Not to worry, there are a myriad of alternatives to those steroid precursors. Although they may not provide as immense gains, these substitutes can provide a solid base for anyone--beginner to babyboomer. Not only are there great products like 6-OXO, ZMA, and TRIBULUS, there are still the many core supplements available. Along with the previous mentioned products, items like Creatine, Glutamine, and the “oh holy” Whey Protein can assist in giving you the gains that you desire and deserve!
