PumptheIron – Body Building Blog

In his book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern BodyBuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger describes Tribulus Terrestris as being, “derived from an herbal plant commonly known as puncture vine. Tribulus terrestris extract is considered by many to be a safe alternative to anabolic steroids. It reportedly stimulates immune response and production of several hormones. Originally, it was used for treatment of infertility and other reproduction disorders”.

According to Wikipedia, “Tribulus terrestris increases testosterone by increasing gonadotropin-releasing hormone with gonadotropic adaptogen compound containing Tribulus terrestris (GnRH) which in turn stimulates the production of LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)”.

Tribulus quality varies greatly from brand to brand. Biotest currently manufactures three test boosting products; one pure tribulus product and two other products containing a compound of tribulus & other test boosting ingredients. I have tried two of the three products (Tribex & Tribex Gold) and was very pleased with the tribulus quality in both.

Biotest’s Tribex and Tribex Gold claim to be a natural way to increase your free testosterone levels. I wouldn’t go so far as to even put them in a category even near anabolic steroids, but quality tribulus definitely raises test levels to a noticeable extent and is a safe, natural test boosting supplement alternative to pro hormones or anabolic steroids. Personally, I noticed an increase in aggression and desire to train, as well as an increase in libido.

Tribex

Tribex Gold

Biotest describes Tribulus as, “Tribulus terrestris: Tribulus serves as a Luteinizing-hormone secretagogue (LHS). In other words, it causes the release of Luteinizing hormone, which in turn signals the testes to produce more Testosterone. And of all the T-boosting compounds on the market, Tribulus is the most powerful”.

Tribex Gold is Biotest’s version of pure tribulus; two capsules contain 500 milligrams of tribulus with no other added supplements.

Tribex (also known as Tribex Blue) is a 840 milligram compound (2 capsules) of Tribulus Terrestris, Vitex Agnus Castus, Eurycoma Longifolia.

Biotest describes the other two ingredients as:

Vitex agnus castus: Vitex also works as an LHS, but it also acts as an anti-progesterone and anti-prolactin agent, lowering progesterone and prolactin. Progesterone and prolactin are particularly nasty hormones, in that they cause — much more than estrogen — storage of body fat and mental depression. Prolactin can even cause lactation in men. And, by lowering progesterone and prolactin — just like lowering estrogen — you’ll increase Testosterone through various feedback mechanisms.

Eurycoma longifolia: Eurycoma imparts its effects by selectively controlling the conversion of DHEA and other naturally occurring androgens into Testosterone. In fact, it even works when the testes are non-responsive to Luteinizing hormone. As long as the substrate hormones are present (and they’re present in everyone), Eurycoma works.

Biotest’s Tribex (Blue Tabs) is listed at BodyBuilding.com for: 74 tabs $34.89

And Tribex Gold lists at BodyBuilding.com for: 50 tabs $19.99

Ordering either of these products from an online supplement store instead of from Biotest may save you some money. Upon referencing Biotest’s website, I noticed that Tribex Gold does indeed list for $19.99 but Tribex (Blue Tabs) is not even offered. I don’t know if the product has been discontinued or not. I do know that most online supplements sites that I have checked do have Tribex (Blue Tabs) in stock. My only guess for a reason to discontinue this product is its similarity in ingredient profile to Biotest’s third, and strongest test boosting supplement, ALPHA MALE.

The third product offered in the line of Biotest’s test boosting supplements is Alpha Male. It is worth noting that a new and supposedly improved version of Alpha Male has just recently been released from Biotest, so be careful as to which version you may be purchasing.

Biotest claims that Alpha Male is the ultimate test boosting supplement in there product line.

Biotest states,

“you could call the new Alpha Male the ultimate male ‘elixir’. So, if you’re interested in maximizing T and reducing body fat and feeling like kicking ass and taking names, Alpha Male is the animal for you.”

Alpha Male is a super concentrated compound of:

• Tribulus terrestris
• Vitex agnus castus
• Eurycoma longifolia
• Carbolin 19

You may notice that the ingredients are the same as Tribex (Blue) with the addition of Carbolin 19 (which I will discuss later).

Here is a chart comparing the formulas of the new Alpha Male, the old version of Alpha Male, and Tribex Gold.

Two capsules of Alpha Male contain a 1130 milligram compound of Tribulus terrestris, Vitex agnus castus, Eurycoma longifolia, and Carbolin 19.

Carbolin 19

The actual chemical name is colforsin 1,9-ethylcarbonate. Carbolin 19 is a carbonate ester of a naturally occurring diterpene called colforsin (aka, forskolin).

“Don’t even begin to confuse this material with an herbal extract of Coleus forskohlii! We’re using a carbonate ester of pure colforsin, which means it’s a highly pure, single compound.”

Biotest describes this compound as an ‘anabolic bridge’ with results similar to the steroid Anavar. I find this to be a grandiose claim, but Anavar is a weaker steroid that is often used by women so anything is possible I guess.

Biotest lists the following expectations with the use of Carbolin 19:

Expectations

Those who’ve used Carbolin 19 say that it’s much more effective than colforsin and feels like real gear (steroids):

• Increases muscular pump
• Elevates mood
• Increases rate of muscle gains
• Increases rate of strength gains
• Decreases fat mass while gaining muscle

“Initially, users should not necessarily expect much if any gain in overall body weight. What occurs is a shift in body composition toward lean mass. In other words, if you’re losing fat while gaining muscle, you might have a net-zero increase in body weight, but a dramatic shift in favor of lean-body composition.

Remember, the goal here is to gain muscle while losing fat, not “bulking up.” In other words, you’re bridging, not bulking. Not only that, you’re able to bridge year-round”!

Carbolin 19 is included in the ingredient profile of Alpha Male and is also sold as a separate product.

Since a new version of Alpha Male has just been released, not all online supplement websites are carrying the product yet. It may prove to be just as cheap to order directly from Biotest. I have found Alpha Male being offered by BodyBuilding.com for the same price offered by Biotest ($49.99).

AXIS-HT

BSN also offers a test boosting product called Axis-HT which (I have not tried yet) appears to be a potentially top notch compound that includes a 3-fraction extract of Tribulus terrestris.

This product profile appears to be very well put together in an anabolic sense.

I think that the addition of ZMA is a great idea for boosting test during sleep.

BSN really shows their commitment to creating a quality test booster by adding a 3-fraction extract of Tribulus terrestris. By doing this, BSN is attempting to get all the test boosting power out of tribulus that is possible and also decreases the likely hood of the tribulus in Axis-HT being another product with low grade tribulus in it. “The 3 fractions of Tribulus chosen for TPS3™ provide the entire range of potentially active Tribulus constituents. These include, but are not limited to: steroidal saponins (furostanol glycocides: protodioscin and protogracilin), spirostanol glycosides and phytosterols (beta-sitosterol)”.

You may notice that some of the same ingredients in Biotest’s Alpha Male, are also included in BSN’s Axis-HT.

Click on the picture to read the Product Profile

Like Alpha Male, Axis-HT isn’t the cheapest test boosting product on the market. While BSN is selling Axis-HT for $74.99, this product can be purchased elsewhere by online supplement stores for $40-$50. BodyBuilding.com is currently listing Axis-HT for $45.50

HumanaTest

Another similar test boosting Tribulus product is IForce’s HumanaTest. On BodyBuilding.com, HumanaTest is selling for $27.99

HumanaTest’s ingredient profile reminds me a lot of Axis HT in that they both have high grade Tribulus as well as ZMA included.

Here is IForce’s information on HumanaTest:

The common recommended age for consumption of a test boosting product is age 25 and up. It is commonly viewed as pointless or even harmful to natural test production for young adults, especially teenagers, to take a test boosting supplement- including anabolic steroids and pro hormones, as the use of such products will temporarily lower your natural production of testosterone.

A classic and a must see for all bodybuilders.

Pumping Iron is a ‘docu-drama’ that provides the viewer with a picture of it what was like pumping iron during the golden age of bodybuilding with Arnold Schwarzenegger (age 28), Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno and other legendary bodybuilders as they train for competition in the up coming 1975 Mr Olympia and Universe contests.

This is a great DVD and sells for the cheap price of $8.99 on Amazon.com

Besides providing the viewer with a timeless glimpse into the hey-day of bodybuilding, it can also be a pretty good pre work out motivational film.

Natural bodybuilders’ bodies can not recover from intense work outs as quickly as those that are using anabolic steroids. So when you read about how Arnold was training two muscle groups in the morning then training two more at night in 3 our sessions 6 days a week and wonder why this is not working for you, well there is a reason. Naturally, your body can not handle this kind of work load and recover at this quick a rate. Now most of us would not consider (at least not after trying it for a week) making this our usual training routine.

Even so, a common occurrence, especially in younger bodybuilders, is overtraining. Many people do not realize they are overtraining simply because they do not know what the symptoms of overtraining are. Listed here are five common symptoms of overtraining.

Click to enlarge image

Rambod, Hany. “The Five Most Common Signs of Overtraining.” Muscular Development Nov.-Dec. 2007: 1.

Assuming you are a young, normal person of average proportion (and not a fat ass) as well as including ectomorphic body types, here is some great (motivational) advice from the fellas at Animal Pak on how to take your weak scrawny ass and begin to turn yourself into into a proper bodybuilder.

Like he says in the article, you got to build a frame first. You won’t ever have quality mass and be a big thick beast of a bodybuilder with any size if you don’t lay the foundation first. You will never get big eating tuna and asparagus on a low calorie, low carb diet. Read the article below and envision the future!

Click on the article/image below to enlarge for reading:

Take advantage of this offer to receive a free sample of Gaspari Nutrition’s SuperPump250.

Here is the actual sample (1 serving) that I received in the mail within about a week and a half:

SuperPump250 is a Nitric Oxide pre workout supplement that has been getting rave reviews and that is also comparable to BSN’s NO-Xplode. Try it for yourself and get your free sample of SuperPump250.

Simply email:

1. Your full name
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Read more about Gaspari Nutrition’s SuperPump250 here:

All to often you may hear bodybuilders and bodybulding magazines talking about protein intake. What you may hear a little less of and be somewhat unfamiliar with is the reference of achieving a “positive nitrogen balance” within the body. This mysterious phrase all too often goes without definition. So in an effort to more clearly define just what it exactly means to be (or not to be) in a positive nitrogen state, I have cited material from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Modern BodyBuilding (I have said many times before, you need this book!! See my previous post on this book for more information on pricing and how to obtain your own book).

This is straight out of the book word for word from page 706. I scanned a copy of page 707 so the charts can be utilized for referencing.

“Protein is used by the body to build, repair, and maintain muscle tissue. As we’ll see, in this area bodybuilders have been way ahead of most nutritional experts in recognizing that building muscle (in fact, hard training of all sorts) requires a lot more protein intake thatn had been formerly realized.

The body cannot use the protein you ingest for muscle-building unless all of the necessary amino acids are present. However, the body itself can produce only some of these amino acids. The other, called the essential amino acids, have to be obtained from the foods you eat.

Protein is made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (as are the other macronutrients) and one more element none of the other nutrients have—-nitrogen. If you ever hear somebody talking about being in a positive nitrogen balance or negative nitrogen balance what they are referring to is whether they are in an anabolic state–able to build muscle–or in a catabolic one–losing muscle.

Some foods contain what is called complete protein–that is, they provide all the amino acids necessary to produce usable protein. Examples of these foods are milk, eggs, meat, fish, and various vegetable products, such as soybeans. But even these foods contain differing amounts of usable protein per weight. That is, even though a food might contain, say, 10 grams of protein, your body is able to use only a certain percentage of it–for example, only 7 or 8.5 grams.

Following (image below) is a chart that shows on the left what percentage protein makes up of various foods commonly used as protein sources and on the right what percentage of that protein your body is actually able to use for building muscle.

Click on the image to enlarge content for reading:

I think it is necessary to take note of the fact that whole eggs are the the food with the highest protein absorption rating….above fish, beef, chicken and any vegetable.

Because food protein absorption rating varies from food to food, it is important to mix your protein sources in any given meal to diversify the protein profile. An example would be to eat beef with a side of beans. This would provide you with two totally different protein profiles that will in turn result in greater protein absorption through the completed combination of amino acids available from both protein sources.

In his book The BodyBulder’s Nutrition Book, Franco Columbu addresses the subject of complete and incomplete protein sources and the utilization of protein from food.

He states, “All protein foods are not equally efficient. Their value is based on the type of amino acids they contain, which combine with nitrogen and form thousands of different proteins necessary to build and repair cellular tissue. This takes place during digestion when hydrochloric acid and enzymes break down the intact protein molecule into amino acids so they can be absorbed through the intestinal wall. Of 22 known amino acids, 13 can be produced by the body, synthesized by glands like the liver. These–alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glucine, glutamic acid, glutamine, hydroxproline, proline, serine, and tyrosine– are called nonessential amino acids. They can safely be omitted when enough nitrogen and other nutrients are supplied.

Essential amino acids, used for building tissue and other functions just discussed, cannot be made by the body but must be taken directly from our daily intake of food. They are–histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Those who are vegetarians should be aware that one amino acid cannot replace another.

When food contains the essential amino acids it is considered a complete protein. With the exception of soybeans, all complete proteins are derived from animal sources: meat, fish, eggs, poultry, cheese, and milk. Although most gelatin comes from an animal source, it does not fall into this category because it lacks the necessary amino acids essential for building tissue and repairning the body. Certain plant foods, like rice, potatoes, nuts, breads, and grain cereals, contain the essential amino acids but in lesser quantities than animal foods. Many cereals and rice are low in lysine, while dry beans, peanuts, and brewer’s yeast are low in methionine. It would be necessary to eat a pound of potatoes to provide the necessary amino acids found in only an ounce of meat. Keep in mind that the amino acids found in animal proteins are absorbed efficiently, their rate ranging from 90 to 95 percent, while the digestibility of some plant proteins may be as low as 73 percent. Vegetarians also run the risk of miscombining vegetable proteins and thus failing to form complete proteins containing all the essential amino acids. The growth and reproduction of cells demand that all the essential amino acids be ingested at the same time in the same meal. A missing amino acid cannot be supplied several hours later and still find the essential ones waiting to be assembled into a complete protein before being digested. Eggs are a prime example of a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids in sufficient amounts to maintain life and support growth.

Columbu, Dr. Franco. The BodyBuilder’s Nutrition Book. Chicago, Illinois: Contemporary Books, 1985.

Schwarzenegger, Arnold. The New Encyclopeida of Modern BodyBuilding. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 1985. Rev. ed. 1998. 1-800.

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BIGGER STRONGER FASTER : A must see movie for bodybuilders both natural and ‘chemically enhanced’, that examines the American culture and our relationship to anabolic steroids. As Americans, we define ourselves by being the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world- The 1 SuperPower. Metaphorically, are we are a nation on steroids in which we as a nation demand the biggest, strongest, and fastest, ect. of everything?

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