My 1-AD experience . . . 4 weeks on.

[Fortes]

Started 9/22/01

Weight: 240 lbs.
Bench: 5@270 (projected max: 315)
Squat: 4@340 (projected max: 390)


Almost finished 10/22/01

Weight: 252 lbs.
Bench: 5@305 (projected max: 355)
Squat: 6@370 (projected max: 450)

I took four pills a day, accompanied by 4 500 mg pills of 4-AD, dosages spread out at least 2.5 hours apart. The first week I didn't take the 4-AD, but I had never noticed anything good from 4-AD alone in terms of strength (having had taken up to 3 grams of the stuff alone per day). Sure, 4-AD by itself made me bigger, but that's it, even at super high dosages.

So I gained 12 lbs. I'm not noticeably fatter, but I'd say a pound of fat is reasonable. THIS DOES NOT MEAN I GAINED 11 LBS OF SOLID MUSCLE. I DON'T THINK I DID. What was weird is I gained about 8 lbs. after week two, and my weight gain has slowed down. But here's what I think: Anyone who knows anything about AAS is that a lot of them increase glycogen synthesis and cell volumizing (which is not the bad "water retention" as associated with high sodium diets) in the muscles. I suspect Androst-1-ene or 1-testosterone or whatever you want to call it does this very well. This probably has something to do with the increase in strength, too. I expect to keep 8 lbs of this as muscle . . . but at the same time, I'm an 18 year old with raging hormones, so I don't expect to crash any time soon.

NUTRITION:
I usually count protein, and try to get at least 250 grams a day. I didn't count protein at all throughout the whole month. I've gained weight like this before (10 lbs. in a month) but that was right after Wrestling season, when my body was ready to blow up after cutting weight and not touching the weights for 2 months.

SIDE EFFECTS:
1. Hair loss (somewhat noticeable! Around the male pattern area)
2. Hair growth (on my arms, face and chest - I was pretty hairy to begin with, this stuff is making me into a gorrilla. Honestly!)
3. Sex drive still the same (horny!)
4. Increased vascularity and muscle hardness.
5. INCREDIBLE PUMPS EVEN AT LOW REP RANGES!
6. Pumped feeling while not working out. Goes hand in hand with the hardness.
7. Somewhat increased appetite . . . maybe. I always eat a lot, so maybe I'm just dreaming that one up.

Worth the 80 bucks for two bottles? I'd say so. Next time, though, I'll be prepared for the hairloss with something . . . ideally, something that works but doesn't block DHT or 5-alpha reduced androgens (that would defeat the whole purpose of going on a cycle of this stuff). I strongly believe that the 1-AD was responsible for 80% of my strength gains . . . I think it was synergistic with the 4-AD, but I would never suggest anyone try 4-AD alone. Didn't do jack crap for me (I tried it orally and spray-style).

So, upped my bench by 40 lbs., upped my squat by 60 lbs., upped my weight by 12 lbs. all in the space of a month. Lost some hair, gained some hair. Not a bad deal. Not a bad deal at all. Now if only MAG-10 was cheaper . . .

 

[Handsome Pete]

Congrats on the gains. Any stomach/digestion problems? Also, what would (could?) you have done to avoid the hair loss?

 

[Dillon35]

Yea the hairloss sucks, i started on 5% Rogaine.

 

[riskybizz007]

sounds like this supplement has worked very good for you. I wonder how much the 4Diol contributed to your gains... if any? Just wondering how much were gains w/ 4Diol by itself?

 

[Fortes]

For hairloss, I've heard finasteride is good . . . but I haven't researched it any so don't go out buying it right away. I'm willing to deal with the slight amount of hair I have lost for the strength! Today at the gym I worked up to a 345 lb. single on the bench (easy!) and then, ala Poliquin, used the post-tetanic facilitation to bench 315 for 2 hard sets of 4. It worked!

Also, I COMPLETELY forgot to mention what happened to my back strength . . . I didn't DL because I had been doing DL's for a month straight before, and my back was so damn tight! But, I still did romanian DL's for my hams, and I went from repping 245X10 to 275X12, or 300X6. I guess that's hamstring strength more than the back, though . . . My pullups, however, went from 7 at a bodyweight of 240 to 12 at a bodyweight of 252. Talk about the increase in relative strength. All in all, I'm happy with this supplement, and I plan on doing it again (either that or some Halotestin . . . Just kidding, although I hear it's bar none the best for strength, I don't think I could convince myself to juice just yet, especially while things are going so good without it).

1-AD USERS/BUYERS: PLEASE REMEMBER I WEIGH A LOT AND HAD GOOD SUCCESS ON 4 PILLS A DAY. I personally don't think 9 pills a day is necessary at all . . . but some people will always want to take it to the limit.

As for the 4-AD doing things for me alone, I know it didn't do much for my strength. I was taking it at 3 grams a day. My bodyweight went up 7 lbs. in two weeks, and my knees felt a lot better (I suffer from C.F.O.F.S. - Chronic Fatman on his Feet Fatigue Syndrome) as they usually hurt after my 8 hour shifts walking the damn hard sales floor at Copeland's Sports. BUT, my strength stayed the same on 4-diol . . . maybe a slight improvement. My diet was not very great at the time . . . however, my diet throughout this whole 1-AD cycle has been only slightly better (if better at all).

To mention training: I work out on a three day split, (usually MWF), working these lifts/muscles as groups.

Day 1

Back - core lift - DEADLIFT (Not for a while . . . DL's fry me easy)
Lats - pullups, barbell and dumbell rows -
Abs - nautilus crunches -
Bis - NEVER! HAHAHA!

Day 2

Chest - core lift - BENCH PRESS
tris - skullcrushers, pressdowns -
shoulders - front raises (infrequently) -
rotator cuff - cuban presses (infrequently) -

Day 3

Upper legs - core lift - ATHLETIC SQUATS - (narrow stance, low bar placement, heavy, hard, and low!)
Hamstrings - Romanian Deadlifts (reps below 10 usually)
Calves - superset donkeys/standing/seated raises

I usually take a full six days between workouts. I feel it allows me to stay in the 6, 5, 4, 3 rep ranges year round and make progress. I do take one to two weeks off every 3 months or so, and I usually come back just as strong if not stronger.

 

[Fortes]

Sorry pete!

I forgot to mention stomach/digestive problems. I had none, but I am always eating (heheheh!) and I never took the pills on an empty stomach. Sometimes, it seemed as if the pills would pop before being digested, which would give me some nasty tasting, painful heartburn. I solved this problem by drinking 16 oz. of water everytime I took the pills, and eating food before and after swallowing them.

Also, I'd like to mention that before I took the 1-AD, I had been plateued for a while. This kind of strength used to come easy, when all I did was eat and lift. . . but it was very welcomed and surprising considering my current situation (at school 20 hours a week, at work 25 to 30 hours more - it's the work that kills me!)

 

[JackOfSpades]

Side Effects

When I upped my dose to 6 pills a day I started to experience hair loss and headaches. I trimmed back to 1 pill at a time (3 a day) and the sides have subsided.

As to stomach problems, I never had any. I pop down a hard boiled egg just before and after. Don't know if that helps.

JOS

 

[Handsome Pete]

Thanks for the replies.

Fortes, working full-time SUCKS when you're going to school. It's hard enough to get in shape as it is.

I had success with 4 a day, with occasional gastrointestinal distress.

I wanted to bump it up to 6 a day for my next "cycle", but all of the hair loss testimonies have gotten me worried. Oh well, I guess there's allways going to be some trade-offs.