Not interested in steroids, but just curious. Could I do a decent cycle for $500?
If you really aren't interested in steroids... why not try spending the $500 on a some proper optimised training? $500 buys a lot of groceries...
-lots of calories: 20 kcal per lb of bodyweight per day (44 kcal/kg/day)
-substrate diet (focus on foods that provide substrates for anabolism)
-40% carb 30% protein 30% fat; with every meal balanced
-properly spaced meals of similar calorie content (insulin control)
-3 litres of water spaced out at 500 ml per meal
-low GI wholefood carbs (sub 50 on the glucose scale: preferably non-processed and fibre complexed)
-high quality animal proteins (lots of organ meats and fish)
-high quality lipids 2:1:1 ratio of omega3:omega6:omega9 (real butter for digestion)
-lots and lots of fresh veggies
-lots of sleep (9 hours per night, consistently)
-high quality whey protein isolate (not concentrate) shake in the middle of the night
-high quality whey protein isolate with wholefood meals to bring protein up to (300g/day or 2.7g/kg/day)
-calcium caseinate protein shake before bed
-at least 3g of vitamin C per day (for connective tissue growth)
-good multivitamin/multimineral; extra vitamin E; B vitamins; magnesium and zinc (creatine too)
-other than the whey and vitamins, don't eat any junk food or processed shit... if you couldn't buy it a hundred years ago: don't eat it
Then most important of all,
take a full week off from any kind of training while you settle in to the new diet.
When you do go back to the gym train only twice a week focusing on only the big multi-joint compound lifts:
2 sets -Bench Press (elbows out, taking stress off front delt)
2 sets -Narrow Grip Dips (elbows out, not elbows back, monster triceps)
2 sets -Bent Over Rows (torso parallel to the ground and pulling to your pubic bone, not this modified shrug bullshit)
2 sets -Close Grip Pullups (full extension on every rep)
1 all-out set of Barbell Squats (ass to grass, somewhere close to fifteen/twenty reps)
1 all-out set of Barbell Deadlifts (arched back)
Everything to failure and get out of the gym in less than 40 mins.
...hard to stick to, and expensive, but productive as hell.
The real issue here is one of determination... most guys migrate to steroids when they stop making progress; but such stagnation often occurs far short of any sort of "natural limit".
Most guys who resort to steroids likewise would be happy with just another 5 lbs; 10 lbs; 15 lbs of muscle... and in my experience, most novice first-time users are a lot more than 15 lbs short of what they could achieve with a properly structured diet and training routine alone.
Gain everything you can naturally, every last ounce, every last rep of natural base possible BEFORE you resort to steroids... there's no point in training half-assed then having to mega-dose just to look like you MIGHT be juicing.
Even sadder than test-addled weaklings, are the morons who opt to try a first cycle then diet and train productively for the first time ever in hopes of getting their moneys worth... especially considering they could make similar progress without the help.
Just my two cents...
The Luke
