Advanced Muscle Science offers 3 pro hormones that are of interest to the supplementing bodybuilder that are discussed in this post and are as follows:

• 1-AD:pro hormone to 1-Testosterone
  
• DecaVol:pro hormone to Nandrolone
  
• 4-AD:pro hormone to Testosterone
  

1-AD, or 1-Androsterone with a chemical profile of 1-Androstene-3b-ol, 17-one is a precursor pro hormone to the steroid 1-Testosterone (5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, 17beta-ol), which has an Anabolic value of 200 and Androgenic rating of 100 as compared to Testosterone Propionate.

1-Test is derived from dihydrotestosterone, more specifically, it is a 5-alpha reduced form of the anabolic steroid Boldenone. Structurally it is an un methylated form of Primobolan (methenonlone).

The original oral version of 1-Testosterone (5alpha-androst-1-en-3-one, 17beta-ol) was sold on the U.S. supplement market from 2002 until it was banned in 2005. Orally, it was delivered in oil-solubilized softgels to help deliver the steroid to the body via the lymphatic system and bypassing the first pass through the liver since it is a non methylated steroid.

Since the pro steroid version of 1-Test is no longer legal, Advanced Muscle Science has released a pro hormone version of the drug as 1-Androstene-3b-ol, 17-one. As a pro steroid, the hormone was dosed at 100-250 mg a day with/as oil-solubilized softgels. Since the pro hormone version has to convert and is somewhat weaker, dosage should be in the 300-600 mg a day range and will need to be taken with a softgel oil since it doesn’t already come in this form.

The problem with the need for higher dosing results in this supplement being a little more expensive to use, as it is sold in a bottle containing sixty- 100mg capsules. So with one bottle, you can squeeze out a 3 week cycle; two bottles would probably be more appropriate. However, the advantage of using this supplement is that it is non hepatotoxic, so if you can afford to buy and administer the proper dosage, you are looking at a decent and safe anabolic.

DecaVol, or 19Nor-Androsterone, with a chemical profile of Norandrostene-3b-ol,17-one, is a pro hormone to the steroid Nandrolone. It is a good stacking product with many positive benefits but is a rather costly supplement, more so than the 1-AD. The androgenic properties are as low as they get when it comes to supplements, so this product is easy on the hair line and prostate among other things while retaining a comparable anabolic ratio to testosterone. The Anabolic value is 125 and the Androgenic value being 39 as compared to Testosterone. Another benefit of using a Nandrolone based supplement is that many users notice an affinity for the supplement to encourage joint and tendon repair.

The down side to this product is that dosing needs at least at 300 mg a day to see any positive benefits. DecaVol is sold in a bottle containing 63 capsules containing 60 mg of the active pro hormone Norandrostene-3b-ol,17-one. As you can see, a bottle of this product, when dosed appropriately, will not go very far, but if you have deep pockets, you can reap the benefits of adding this product to your supplement cycle. DecaVol is also a non methylated, liver & lipid friendly hormone.

4-AD or 4-Androstene-3b-Ol, 17-One , is essentially a pro hormone to Testosterone (4-androsten-3-one-17beta-ol). This pro hormone to Testosterone is not methylated, which means it has poor bio availability as opposed to MethylTestosterone. While Testosterone is the king of hormones, orally ingesting it is not the preferred method, especially if it is not methylated to survive the first pass through the liver. Methylation is the answer to poor bio availability but also results in the hormone becoming liver toxic. Three ways to approach the poor bio availability issue are to either

1. Up the dosage to allow for more of the hormone to absorb and survive the first pass through the liver as well as adding oil softgels to aid in absorption, both of which will also add to the cost of supplementing with this product

or

2. Open the capsule up and attempt to absorb the contents under the tongue or between the gum and cheek, delivering the drug to circulation via the mucous membranes. Sublingual or buccal intake approximately doubles the bio availability of the drug and provides peak levels of the drug more rapidly.

or

3. The addition of a methylated pro/designer steroid (offered by other manufacturers) such as Halodrol (4-chloro-17a-methyl-1,4-diene-3,17 diol) or Epistane (2a-3a-epithio-17a-methyl-5a-androstan-17b-ol) would be a good complement to this prohormone stack. The methylation may help the 4-Ad as well as the other non methylated hormones 1-AD & DecaVol be absorbed better by elevating metabolism enzymes, which over time, may result in increased absorption of the non methylated hormones. Since 4-Ad, 1-Ad & DecaVol are all non methylated, stacking all of the products together, with or without the addition of a methylated hormone, will result in a more anabolic response than just using the products individually.

References

Llewellyn, William. Anabolics. 9th ed. Jupiter, FL: Molecular Nutrition, 2009.

Formerly known as 1-androstenedione and 1-androstenediol: created by Patrick Arnold of Ergopharm, known as the father of pro hormones and as the ‘Clear Chemist’ (also known for his involvement in the Balco-Barry Bonds ordeal), the original prohormone 1-AD was released in 2001 with much praise from the bodybuilding community and in 2005 1-androstenedione and 1-androstenediol (the two versions of the original 1-AD) were added to the Anabolic Steroid Control Act and made controlled substances. Possibly the most prolific prohormone of its time, 1-AD (by Ergopharm) was only around for 4 years before the production of 1-AD was forcibly discontinued.

There have been many rip offs since the ban of the origianl 1-AD claiming to be just like or better than the original by Ergopharm, but the difference in the products have been obvious. Additionally, Patrick Arnold and Ergopharm have yet to release a knew version of 1-AD since their product was banned in 2005…….Until now.

1-Androstenolone

“A naturally occurring metabolite/precursor to the original 1-AD compounds that converts with very high efficiency and this precursor is not (yet) on the list of controlled anabolic steroids”. Another plus is that the product is a non methylated hormone, basically meaning that it won’t wreak havoc on your liver and lipid profiles. Whether or not it actually converts to a anabolic hormone remains to be seen.

It is worth noting however, that some users have been reporting a problem with lethargy after about 10 days into the cycle. Classically, this occurs when a bodybuilder is taking a non aromatizable hormone that will raise testosterone but sink estrogen levels down so low that the user begins to feel lethargic. That is why many stacks are put together by using a non aromatizable hormone (like Winstrol) and a aromatizable hormone like testosterone (in any of its ester forms). To further the example, the stack would may be composed of oral dosing of Winstrol tablets and injections of testosterone.

The new 1-AD from Ergopharm has just been released for sale by Ergopharm’s online store as of June 19, 2008. 1-AD is priced at $79.95

Here is the suggested cycle directions for 1-AD

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