“Necessity is The Mother of Invention”.

Where there is a need, there will be someone that will fill that need. We All Need To Get Bigger, Stronger And Faster (at least in the world of sports nutrition we do).    However, the need gets filled now without the help of steroidal precursors.  I believe that the sports nutrition world will see more innovation come about in the next few years than at any other time in its’ short but illustrious history.  This will hold true as long as the government does not dismantle DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994).  You see my fellow Iron Warriors, DSHEA is the reason why there are so many different dietary supplement categories that exist today.  The DSHEA dilemma will be discussed at great length in a future Anabolic Blog.

I had known for a long time that prohormones would not be around forever.  At the beginning of 2007, we began to R & D viable alternatives to replace the prohormones that were on the market.  Our initial research seemed to lead us to a dead-end.  It seemed there were no legal compounds to replace the well-proven prohormones.  However, as we dug deeper, we found that there are indeed a select few phytosteroidal compounds that have anecdotal research proving their ability to increase anabolic/androgenic hormones- LEGALLY.   There were two limiting factors though.

The first is that the proper compound or botanical has to be used.  You see, what many supplement companies out there will do is they will cite a study on a given compound and then, when they launch their product, they will use a form of that compound that does nothing. Why do they do this you ask?  Typically the products that work well are extremely expensive. So to keep the manufacturing costs down, they will pull the old bait and switch on you and sell you the inferior product still citing the studies on the compounds that work.

For instance, we get calls every day from customers who tell us they tried this company or that company’s products and they didn’t feel anything.  When they tell us the list of ingredients on the label, we find most of the time the company is using an inferior form of the compound that works.

The second limiting factor is that if the proper compounds for anabolic growth are used, enough of it has to be used to evoke the desired effect in the body.  Here too the consumer has to be careful.  A lot of unscrupulous companies out there will go ahead and use the proper compound that supports anabolic activity, then they turn around and use a microscopic amount of it in their formula.

As mentioned before, some of the reasons why things like this happen has a lot to do with a company’s bottom line.  What happens to some companies is that they start off on the up and up, then as things get tough; they ultimately have to cut corners to enhance their bottom line.  This will finally trickle down to you.  For instance, did you ever try a product from a company and take it for a while and get great results, and when you buy it again a few months later, you’re don’t  feel the same results as before?  More than likely that company decided to alter their formula to make it cheaper to enhance their bottom line.

The good news is that most companies are legitimate.  However, there are some out there that can give a rat’s ass about whether or not you gain a single ounce of muscle. Here are some tips on how to protect yourself.

1) Do a little research on the ingredients.  With Google, Bing and a host of other

search engines and websites at your finger tips, it should not be difficult to

find information on just about any compound or botanical.  It may be a little

time consuming, but in the end, it will be well worth it.

2) Stick with companies that reference studies about their products or ingredients. If you have access to these studies, reading them will help you understand how and why a particular product works.

3) Don’t be fooled into believing that there are products with actual steroidal compounds out there.  Some companies purposely name their products using the street names of well-known steroids to fool you into thinking you are taking the real thing.  It amazes me how many people get sucked in by this ploy. Steroids and steroidal precursors are GONE. There are No Exceptions.  Don’t get taken for a sucker.

4) Only buy a product that has Money Back Guarantee.  If a manufacturer knows their products work, they should have no problem backing it with a guarantee by allowing you to use the entire bottle of product.  Know up front what the guarantee is.  Sometimes, once you open the bottle, you’re screwed (which really isn’t a guarantee if you think about it-you were never able to try it).  Be sure to check the terms of the guarantee before you buy.

Like I said before, the prohormones are gone, but there are plenty of legit supplement brands that will give you excellent gains that are 100% legal. Expect more new and innovative products than ever before.  Use the tips above to make an informed choice and you will forget the prohormones ever existed.