Shadow Pro Q&A 3.0

[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Hey Shadow, it’s been quite a long time since I’ve read this forum. Glad to see such a dedicated donation of time on the part of a busy pro. I’ve got a couple general questions for you here that might be able to help me coach some people out of making some sizable mistakes:

  1. For a short term (4-6 week) cycle aimed at really just improving 1 body part in size quickly for a specific look–as opposed to a contest prep or overall bulking goal–what do you like and why? Essentially a quick body part specialization cycle.

  2. What, in your view, is the right time to start digging into the more exotic side of contest prep (cytomel, clen, etc) for a young competitive male bodybuilder or figure/physique girl looking to make a career out of it? I have my own view on this but I’m interested to hear yours from your years of experience.

I know that quite obviously if someone wants to hit IFBB level that AAS use–as well as gH, etc–is required. No problem with that. But as opposed to someone just training hard for fun and using, where in the competitive career would you start messing with the thyroid hormones and other things?

Frankly, my personal opinion is that you should be able to get into contest condition without either cytomel or Clen–i.e. just stuff like HOT-ROX–and really nail your conditioning down hard for peaking before diving into the more exotic stuff so that you don’t rely on the gear for peaking. Unless, I suppose, you’re a young athlete in an NPC show with a pro card on the line (ala winning Nationals or something)…in which case it would probably be time to pull out most of the stops if you think you have a solid shot at taking the show and winning your IFBB card by doing so.

  1. Just out of curiosity, a) what is in your view the 2 most important supplements (regular supps) for contest prep for someone who is strapped for cash and has to budget and b) what is your personal favorite cycle you’ve ever done?[/quote]

Hi. Thanks for following and great post.

  1. I’m not a big fan of short blasts. The shortest cycle I’ll do is 8 weeks in length (only short esters) as I think less than this won’t give you all of the benefits that you could gain from a full cycle and still you may experience all of the side effects/risks that you’d have from the full cycle. I would also usually do 2-3 compounds rather than just 1. One is usually an oral and the injectables are very short acting drugs.
    A few options that I can think of:
    Test Suspension & Tren Suspension - inject 60-90min preworkout
    *its very potent, fast acting and is in/out of the body quickly
    Depending on the goal you could add an oral to this. If strength is the main goal then halotestin would be a good choice. And if strength and size are the main goal (without worry of water retention) then dbol or Anadrol can be good. Take these preworkout as well.

Another mild option that could work for this purpose is test susp OR prop AND oral/injectable winstrol. It’s a great combo for strength and size.

Dosage is obviously based on the persons experience.

In theory you can run these for 6 weeks but I do believe from my own experience that 8 weeks is a better option for maximal results. If you’re going to go with 6 weeks then definitely go with the suspension.

  1. First and foremost I would make sure that whoever wants to use these drugs is not using them to create a shortcut… They need to make sure their training, diet(meal timing & macro tracking) and supplements(things like HOT-ROX, Carbolin 19 & indigo-3G)are all on track because if not I wouldn’t even consider letting them use these drugs especially for figure or physique. I do believe that bodyfat levels of figure, physique and obviously bikini are achievable without the use of these drugs… However, bodybuilding is a different story!

Since we aren’t living in a perfect world and most athletes will ask you to use drugs from the first show they’re doing. My answer would be to make sure that they can prove that they’re working their ass off for a long period of time and prove that they can place well (top 3) in a novice level show without using drugs. If you think that they have good enough genetics to actually do something at a national level then I might start them on a very low dose of the drugs you mentioned to see how their body reacts. If they have a chance to win a pro card then you could try something a bit more aggressive but use extreme caution and make sure they taper up and down properly.

Before a national level I don’t think anyone needs to touch anything… But who listens to me anyways! Lol.

If you know how to use t3 properly and keep on top of your health by getting regular blood work done then I think it’s a drug that can be used very safely (as long as you’re not going crazy with the dosage)

Bodybuilding is a different story. If we are talking about true stage condition of an IFBB Pro I don’t think it can be done without these drugs. If trying to achieve this condition without these drugs the athlete would risk losing too much size during the process. It’s something that a bodybuilder will definitely need to use if they want to reach this level.

Before using it I would make sure all other factors are on track as I mentioned above AND make sure the bodybuilder actually has some sort of decent genetics and size to reach the final goal. Starting at the lowest dose possible is recommended. Emphasis here is on size… I would not send a bodybuilder into a contest prep if I don’t think he’ll have enough muscle to look like a true bodybuilder on stage and not a men’s physique competitor.

  1. Plazma. I’ve been hooked on this product for a long time now and it’s made huge improvements in my recovery, ability to train longer and eat more carbs without the worry of gaining fat. I am using it year round during contest prep and off season. It’s the easiest way for me to increase my food intake in the off season and when I’m dieting I’ve been able to consume a lot more carbs than usual without gaining any fat.

Indigo-3G. The best supplement for body composition. I find it literally impossible to gain fat in the off season when I combine this with the Plazma. It’s the perfect supplement for female competitors to use when trying to increase their food intake.

Favorite off season cycle:
Test-e
Tren-e
Eq
Dbol
GH
Insulin

Favorite competition cycle:
Test-p or suspension
Mast-p
Tren-a
Halo (last 6 weeks only)
T3
GH
Primo

*dosage and duration of each substance will depend on what I’m doing, my current condition and goal.

Shadow Pro,

Just a quick question in regards to the “coming off” protocol you gave me:

500iu HCG 2x/wk x3 weeks
Nolva/tamox 20mg/day x3 weeks

What’s the timing of this stuff in relation to my last Test Cyp shot? I’ve read not to start PCT until 2 weeks after for the ester to clear, and i believeI’ve also read to start HCG immediately, but don’t start SERMs until 2 weeks later. Just trying to get perfectly clear here.

Week 0- last T Cyp shot
Week 1 increase HCG to 500iu x2
Week 2 HCG 500iu x2
Week 3 HCG 500iu x2, and Tamox 20mg/day
Week 4 tamox 20mg/day
Week 5 tamox 20mg/day
Week 6 begin Alpha Male…

Is this right, or just put it all together from the start?

Thanks very much


Hi!

Thank you for your answer. My first post was short, but this one will have to be a bit longer. I attached a pic- don’t laugh, I know I have a lot a work to do, i can see and i don’t care what other people think. I’ll probably have to turn my life around even more. My height is 174 cm h, weight is 77 kg, BF well the scale says 20 but i don’t think that’s right, i don’t have a caliper at home. I used to weigh 105 kg. I went on a diet, started going to the gym, and i stayed there to this very day, not literally, you know what I mean.

I have a picture in my mind of what i would like to look like and I would like to reach that in other words finish what i started and like I said I know I have a lot a work to do. Originally I was bulking, no drugs, just diet and workout. Trying to get to 85 kg and then do a cutting cycle. The problem with that is my job. I work in warehouse it’s hard physical work, I lose more calories then I put in, it’s hard to say how much. Everything I eat is just going through me, no matter how much I raise carbs, protein the weight doesn’t go up.

The reason im thinking of a cutting cycle is like you said losing body fat and just to make things clear it’s not because summer is getting close ( at least where im from ) and everyone wants to look good, far from that, i don’t care about that. I know zero about steroids, don’t even know if they can help me either. I only know from friends who have taken them, and what I’ve read. A personal trainer told me about anavar, winstrol etc and he also gave me this diet for cutting:

Meal 1: 50g of whole wheat bread or 50g of oats, 4 egg whites, 50g of cottage cheese
Meal 2: 100g of chicken breast, 50g of whole wheat bread or a shake
Meal 3: 200g of chicken breasts or white fish, greens
Meal 4: same as meal 2
Meal 5: 200-250g of white fish or chicken, greens

  1. Would it be better to stay on a bulking diet, do drugs this time and then later do cutting?
  2. Which drugs do you recommend for someones first cycle, bulking that is?
  3. If someone is on a cutting cycle how much muscle does he lose?
  4. What do you think of the diet, does it hold anything, is it ridiculous?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you very much.

Hi Shadow

I’m in the third week of my cycle
500mg sustanon week
400mg deca week
50mg dianabol day
my appetite is zero and I’m feeling a lot of nausea,liver did the tests and everything is normal, my urine also this dark, i drink 4 liters of water a day I take 300mg silymarin day and 2000mg Vitamin C day

[quote]dez6485 wrote:
Shadow Pro,

Just a quick question in regards to the “coming off” protocol you gave me:

500iu HCG 2x/wk x3 weeks
Nolva/tamox 20mg/day x3 weeks

What’s the timing of this stuff in relation to my last Test Cyp shot? I’ve read not to start PCT until 2 weeks after for the ester to clear, and i believeI’ve also read to start HCG immediately, but don’t start SERMs until 2 weeks later. Just trying to get perfectly clear here.

Week 0- last T Cyp shot
Week 1 increase HCG to 500iu x2
Week 2 HCG 500iu x2
Week 3 HCG 500iu x2, and Tamox 20mg/day
Week 4 tamox 20mg/day
Week 5 tamox 20mg/day
Week 6 begin Alpha Male…

Is this right, or just put it all together from the start?

Thanks very much

[/quote]

Week 1-3 hcg@ 500iu 2x/week & tamoxifen @ 20mg/day (4th week is an option depending on how you feel)
Week 4 Start AlphaMale

[quote]Sparowe wrote:
Hi!

Thank you for your answer. My first post was short, but this one will have to be a bit longer. I attached a pic- don’t laugh, I know I have a lot a work to do, i can see and i don’t care what other people think. I’ll probably have to turn my life around even more. My height is 174 cm h, weight is 77 kg, BF well the scale says 20 but i don’t think that’s right, i don’t have a caliper at home. I used to weigh 105 kg. I went on a diet, started going to the gym, and i stayed there to this very day, not literally, you know what I mean.

I have a picture in my mind of what i would like to look like and I would like to reach that in other words finish what i started and like I said I know I have a lot a work to do. Originally I was bulking, no drugs, just diet and workout. Trying to get to 85 kg and then do a cutting cycle. The problem with that is my job. I work in warehouse it’s hard physical work, I lose more calories then I put in, it’s hard to say how much. Everything I eat is just going through me, no matter how much I raise carbs, protein the weight doesn’t go up.

The reason im thinking of a cutting cycle is like you said losing body fat and just to make things clear it’s not because summer is getting close ( at least where im from ) and everyone wants to look good, far from that, i don’t care about that. I know zero about steroids, don’t even know if they can help me either. I only know from friends who have taken them, and what I’ve read. A personal trainer told me about anavar, winstrol etc and he also gave me this diet for cutting:

Meal 1: 50g of whole wheat bread or 50g of oats, 4 egg whites, 50g of cottage cheese
Meal 2: 100g of chicken breast, 50g of whole wheat bread or a shake
Meal 3: 200g of chicken breasts or white fish, greens
Meal 4: same as meal 2
Meal 5: 200-250g of white fish or chicken, greens

  1. Would it be better to stay on a bulking diet, do drugs this time and then later do cutting?
  2. Which drugs do you recommend for someones first cycle, bulking that is?
  3. If someone is on a cutting cycle how much muscle does he lose?
  4. What do you think of the diet, does it hold anything, is it ridiculous?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you very much.[/quote]

  1. I don’t think you should do any kind of bulking diet or use any drugs at this point. You’ve made great progress so far and I think you can do a lot more by just concentrating on proper nutrition, supplements, cardio and training.
  2. I don’t think you need to do any drugs at this point. Not for bulking or cutting.
  3. Depends on the person
  4. It’s not a good diet and certainly not something I would recommend. You should consider hiring a professional in this area. You’re not eating enough. I would start off by adding some intraworkout nutrition to your program before anything. Macros need to be changed completely.

Keep working hard and you’ll reach your goals. Just make sure you’re taking advice from the right people.

[quote]andrewmientjez wrote:
Hi Shadow

I’m in the third week of my cycle
500mg sustanon week
400mg deca week
50mg dianabol day
my appetite is zero and I’m feeling a lot of nausea,liver did the tests and everything is normal, my urine also this dark, i drink 4 liters of water a day I take 300mg silymarin day and 2000mg Vitamin C day[/quote]

Not sure what your question is…

I’m not a doctor and I can’t really give you advice or assumptions without knowing anything about you.

Is this something new that just occurred when you started the cycle?

Have you done any cycles before? A little more background info would be helpful.

Hello Shadow Pro. Thanks a ton for doing this for everyone.

Im doing a major lifestyle change to go from 6’4 370lb FAT powerlifter to make it down to 249.9lbs for many reasons but above all else Im tired of being this big.

Along with my coaches diet that will be layed out I plan to run 500mg/wk of test with daily aromasin and t3 starting at 20mg/day, increasing to 40mg/day after probably 2 weeks. And beyond that Im unsure…

What would you suggest is the highest I should run my t3?
And would I benefit from adding clen or eca also? If, so which would you suggest?

I know this topic has been beaten to death online but Im curious of your opinion.

Thanks

Thanks once again Shadow Pro!

Shadowpro:

What do you think about adding Ibutamoren (MK-677 – the orally active growth hormone secretagogue) and Ostarine (the SARM) to a mild blast-and-cruise style test cycle to help prevent muscle loss during a fat loss phase?

I suspect there would be better choices, but I am limited to legal/quasi-legal products.

Specifically, I travel international A LOT and have a high profile job, so I cannot do much more than a really aggressive TRT dosage + HCG plus grey market products. Basically, I go 12 weeks at 200 cyp/250 test-e (plus HCG), then 12 weeks at 250 cyp (plus HCG) and have been doing this for great gains for some years with little more than mild backne and the need to give red blood cells as sides.

With the travel (and four new daughters), I managed to get a little fat, but am doing well on a high protein/paleo-style diet and back down to the 15%ish body fat, with the goal to get to the high single digits in fat. (I don’t compete against anyone but myself.) I haven’t lost much in the way of muscle, if any, but it’s that last 6-7% where I figure I’ll run into resistance.

FWIW, I’m on week 4 of 12 weeks at 450, and just got the Ibutamoren and Epistane and added it last night/this AM. Other than really, really, weird dreams, nothing to report side-wise in 12 hours.

Edited: Said “epistane” when I meant “ostarine.” No coffee post.

Hi!

I will hire a professional as far as nutrition and supplements are concerned. if I have any more questions I hope you don’t mind if I ask you. :slight_smile:

Thank you for your time.

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]andrewmientjez wrote:
Hi Shadow

I’m in the third week of my cycle
500mg sustanon week
400mg deca week
50mg dianabol day
my appetite is zero and I’m feeling a lot of nausea,liver did the tests and everything is normal, my urine also this dark, i drink 4 liters of water a day I take 300mg silymarin day and 2000mg Vitamin C day[/quote]

Not sure what your question is…

I’m not a doctor and I can’t really give you advice or assumptions without knowing anything about you.

Is this something new that just occurred when you started the cycle?

Have you done any cycles before? A little more background info would be helpful.[/quote]

I have done other cycles but i used trenbolone instead of dianabol. Trenbolone acetate used 500mg per week, but this time put the dianabol and my appetite was gone. Do not drink alcohol or as frying

[quote]wagonized wrote:
Hello Shadow Pro. Thanks a ton for doing this for everyone.

Im doing a major lifestyle change to go from 6’4 370lb FAT powerlifter to make it down to 249.9lbs for many reasons but above all else Im tired of being this big.

Along with my coaches diet that will be layed out I plan to run 500mg/wk of test with daily aromasin and t3 starting at 20mg/day, increasing to 40mg/day after probably 2 weeks. And beyond that Im unsure…

What would you suggest is the highest I should run my t3?
And would I benefit from adding clen or eca also? If, so which would you suggest?

I know this topic has been beaten to death online but Im curious of your opinion.

Thanks[/quote]

Can you post a current photo?

Is this going to be your first cycle? If not, what is your cycle history. The dosages I recommend will depend on what’s happened in the past.

From your current weight I am first off going to suggest making some major changes in your diet and then worry about the drugs later on. I usually recommend to maximize the benefits of a good diet/cardio/natural supplements/training before hopping into the world of performance enhancing drugs.

You need to learn to walk before you learn to run… Using juice at this point will be like using crutches and won’t benefit you for long term success.

Supplements like HOT-ROX and indigo can help you with fat loss.

It’s not that the dosages you listed are bad but I just don’t think it sounds like an ideal time to start.

[quote]dez6485 wrote:
Thanks once again Shadow Pro![/quote]

You’re welcome.

[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Shadowpro:

What do you think about adding Ibutamoren (MK-677 – the orally active growth hormone secretagogue) and Ostarine (the SARM) to a mild blast-and-cruise style test cycle to help prevent muscle loss during a fat loss phase?

I suspect there would be better choices, but I am limited to legal/quasi-legal products.

Specifically, I travel international A LOT and have a high profile job, so I cannot do much more than a really aggressive TRT dosage + HCG plus grey market products. Basically, I go 12 weeks at 200 cyp/250 test-e (plus HCG), then 12 weeks at 250 cyp (plus HCG) and have been doing this for great gains for some years with little more than mild backne and the need to give red blood cells as sides.

With the travel (and four new daughters), I managed to get a little fat, but am doing well on a high protein/paleo-style diet and back down to the 15%ish body fat, with the goal to get to the high single digits in fat. (I don’t compete against anyone but myself.) I haven’t lost much in the way of muscle, if any, but it’s that last 6-7% where I figure I’ll run into resistance.

FWIW, I’m on week 4 of 12 weeks at 450, and just got the Ibutamoren and Epistane and added it last night/this AM. Other than really, really, weird dreams, nothing to report side-wise in 12 hours.

Edited: Said “epistane” when I meant “ostarine.” No coffee post.[/quote]

I’m not a fan of peptides as you’ve probably read before. I don’t think the benefits are worth the cost, if you notice anything it will be very minimal. The only thing I use is GH both on and off cycle.

If you have the peptides already you might as well try them, it won’t do any harm. Let me know how it goes because I am still waiting for someone to tell me they experienced great results from peptides alone.

[quote]Sparowe wrote:
Hi!

I will hire a professional as far as nutrition and supplements are concerned. if I have any more questions I hope you don’t mind if I ask you. :slight_smile:

Thank you for your time.[/quote]

That’s a good call. Feel free to ask me more questions, I don’t mind.

[quote]andrewmientjez wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]andrewmientjez wrote:
Hi Shadow

I’m in the third week of my cycle
500mg sustanon week
400mg deca week
50mg dianabol day
my appetite is zero and I’m feeling a lot of nausea,liver did the tests and everything is normal, my urine also this dark, i drink 4 liters of water a day I take 300mg silymarin day and 2000mg Vitamin C day[/quote]

Not sure what your question is…

I’m not a doctor and I can’t really give you advice or assumptions without knowing anything about you.

Is this something new that just occurred when you started the cycle?

Have you done any cycles before? A little more background info would be helpful.[/quote]

I have done other cycles but i used trenbolone instead of dianabol. Trenbolone acetate used 500mg per week, but this time put the dianabol and my appetite was gone. Do not drink alcohol or as frying[/quote]

Could have something to do with the quality of the gear or just the way your body is responding to the compounds. Everyone is different and you will experience some side effects when you dabble with steroids. For appetite I find micro-pa makes me hungry as fuck and it helps me eat a lot more in the off season.

If the issue is continuing to get worse and you are feeling very sick then I’d suggest going back to see a doctor.

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Shadowpro:

What do you think about adding Ibutamoren (MK-677 – the orally active growth hormone secretagogue) and Ostarine (the SARM) to a mild blast-and-cruise style test cycle to help prevent muscle loss during a fat loss phase?

I suspect there would be better choices, but I am limited to legal/quasi-legal products.

Specifically, I travel international A LOT and have a high profile job, so I cannot do much more than a really aggressive TRT dosage + HCG plus grey market products. Basically, I go 12 weeks at 200 cyp/250 test-e (plus HCG), then 12 weeks at 250 cyp (plus HCG) and have been doing this for great gains for some years with little more than mild backne and the need to give red blood cells as sides.

With the travel (and four new daughters), I managed to get a little fat, but am doing well on a high protein/paleo-style diet and back down to the 15%ish body fat, with the goal to get to the high single digits in fat. (I don’t compete against anyone but myself.) I haven’t lost much in the way of muscle, if any, but it’s that last 6-7% where I figure I’ll run into resistance.

FWIW, I’m on week 4 of 12 weeks at 450, and just got the Ibutamoren and Epistane and added it last night/this AM. Other than really, really, weird dreams, nothing to report side-wise in 12 hours.

Edited: Said “epistane” when I meant “ostarine.” No coffee post.[/quote]

I’m not a fan of peptides as you’ve probably read before. I don’t think the benefits are worth the cost, if you notice anything it will be very minimal. The only thing I use is GH both on and off cycle.

If you have the peptides already you might as well try them, it won’t do any harm. Let me know how it goes because I am still waiting for someone to tell me they experienced great results from peptides alone.
[/quote]

I’ll keep you informed, thank you. Little non-scientific because I am also using test, albeit “low” dose and two very different products. I’ve also really dialed in my diet in a way I can tell I can live with as more of a lifestyle than a diet. So it’s going to be hard to separate what is working.

Mrs. (Dr.) Jewbacca (who is an OB/GYN – not exactly her area of specialty – she just likes her man muscular) read all the studies she could find and thought they may be very useful during a fat loss phase (especially with test) because they would assist in keeping a positive nitrogen balance and thus cause the body to favor fat loss when in a calorie deficit. Basically, pretty strong recomp assistance.

The Ibutamoren definitely causes some intense dreaming and good sleep, on my
“grand” study of two whole nights now. For the jetlagged among us, that is a big deal.

I’ll let you know how it works in practice.

[quote]Jewbacca wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
Shadowpro:

What do you think about adding Ibutamoren (MK-677 – the orally active growth hormone secretagogue) and Ostarine (the SARM) to a mild blast-and-cruise style test cycle to help prevent muscle loss during a fat loss phase?

I suspect there would be better choices, but I am limited to legal/quasi-legal products.

Specifically, I travel international A LOT and have a high profile job, so I cannot do much more than a really aggressive TRT dosage + HCG plus grey market products. Basically, I go 12 weeks at 200 cyp/250 test-e (plus HCG), then 12 weeks at 250 cyp (plus HCG) and have been doing this for great gains for some years with little more than mild backne and the need to give red blood cells as sides.

With the travel (and four new daughters), I managed to get a little fat, but am doing well on a high protein/paleo-style diet and back down to the 15%ish body fat, with the goal to get to the high single digits in fat. (I don’t compete against anyone but myself.) I haven’t lost much in the way of muscle, if any, but it’s that last 6-7% where I figure I’ll run into resistance.

FWIW, I’m on week 4 of 12 weeks at 450, and just got the Ibutamoren and Epistane and added it last night/this AM. Other than really, really, weird dreams, nothing to report side-wise in 12 hours.

Edited: Said “epistane” when I meant “ostarine.” No coffee post.[/quote]

I’m not a fan of peptides as you’ve probably read before. I don’t think the benefits are worth the cost, if you notice anything it will be very minimal. The only thing I use is GH both on and off cycle.

If you have the peptides already you might as well try them, it won’t do any harm. Let me know how it goes because I am still waiting for someone to tell me they experienced great results from peptides alone.
[/quote]

I’ll keep you informed, thank you. Little non-scientific because I am also using test, albeit “low” dose and two very different products. I’ve also really dialed in my diet in a way I can tell I can live with as more of a lifestyle than a diet. So it’s going to be hard to separate what is working.

Mrs. (Dr.) Jewbacca (who is an OB/GYN – not exactly her area of specialty – she just likes her man muscular) read all the studies she could find and thought they may be very useful during a fat loss phase (especially with test) because they would assist in keeping a positive nitrogen balance and thus cause the body to favor fat loss when in a calorie deficit. Basically, pretty strong recomp assistance.

The Ibutamoren definitely causes some intense dreaming and good sleep, on my
“grand” study of two whole nights now. For the jetlagged among us, that is a big deal.

I’ll let you know how it works in practice.

[/quote]

Sounds good, let me know how it all works out.