Q&A with Shadow Pro

Pharma
221

[quote]tyler_j_reed wrote:
Hey Shadow,

When you train you follow a body part split im guessing? Im sure you have incorporated heavy lifting in all of your years at some point. Do you enjoy lifting heavy or following a high volume set and rep scheme? Also, what’s your favorite body part to train?[/quote]

Yes, I follow a body part split. I try to hit each body part twice a week and I’m training 6days/week. I still try incorporate heavy lifting into my training, I try to squat and dead lift heavy at least once a week in a 5-8 rep range for multiple sets. I used to train heavier when I was younger but injuries and overall wear and tear on my body have taken their toll over the years so I need to be much more careful when I’m training now.

Favorite body part: LEGS… Separates the men from the boys!!

222

Couldn’t agree more!!

Thanks for the response.

223

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]ztanzanite wrote:
Shadow… Thanks too for helping my questions…!
[/quote]

You’re welcome, the reason I didn’t recommend caber is because im afraid after being shut down for so long that if you go on it might help a little bit while you’re on it but then shut you down even worse. That’s why I advise to try the more conservative route for this case.
[/quote]
You think another strong PCT is best at this point?
Also, What about my current TT levels… they look good. Is there more to recover with PCT than just TT levels and the other sex howmones ( LH, Fsh…ect)…?

224

[quote]tortellini3 wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

Can you tell me how many times a week you train? What style of training? Cardio? Have you ever tried high protein, medium carbs and medium fat? Are you natural? (If not tell me what you are taking). Any supplements?
I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff you can do with your diet and supplementation that will allow you to eat more than 50g of carbs a day. In my opinion this is very low.
[/quote]

Thanks for answering! I started at 4 days/week, then I upgraded to 5, and then to 6. Now I vary between 5 and 6. My training are pretty simple and common. I’ll train one or two muscles per day with 4 to 6 exercices per muscle group. Reps vary between 8 to 12, and I always do 3 or 4 sets per exercice. Sometimes I do 5, or do dropsets, whatever. Rest is between 45 to 120sec I guess. I’ve never really done cardio except in school this year.

Supplements are very simple also : whey, pre-workout and BCAAS since less than one year.

I’ve done two very shorts and ridiculous cycles. First was Winstrol in caps for like 4 weeks. I don’t even know if it was really winstrol actually. Second one was 500mg/week of test enanthate for like weeks 1-7 and 350mg of winstrol for weeks 5-8.

I have never really tried anything else than a low carbs approch with high fats and high proteins. Sometimes I wonder whether I should try to reduce the fats and raise my carbohydrates intake. I keep on reading on Internet but I find it pretty confusing to see a lot of opposite ideas about nutrition.

Thanks.[/quote]

I’m a big believer in carbs and I think that you can slowly build up tolerance over time and eventually you’ll be able to have more in your diet. It doesn’t happen overnight and you need to give it time. You will have to be willing to accept that you’ll have a bit of extra water retention to begin with but this will only be in the beginning. In the long run it will help you to get better gains and have a more sane lifestyle.

I’ll keep it simple: give this a try.

Lower your fat to about 40-50g daily (coming from red meat meals or mct oils)
Carbs - start daily at 125g and then every 5 days increase it by 25g/day.(2/3 of carbs intraworkout from Plazma) ingesting your carbs while you train will insure that your body is soaking them up and using them to recover and build muscle. By timing them like this, the chances of gaining fat are very little. Keep increasing the carbs every 5 days as long as you don’t see any fat gains. If you do, stop there and let your body adjust to this amount. Could be 300, could be 600… Very individual.
Protein- keep the same for now.

If you have to spend your money on 1 supplement ONLY I would say in your case to buy Plazma.
Add 2 sessions of HIIT, it will help speed your metabolism as your body is adjusting to the higher carb diet.

If you want to add a cycle to this, let me know and I’ll add something appropriate.

225

[quote]ztanzanite wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]ztanzanite wrote:
Shadow… Thanks too for helping my questions…!
[/quote]

You’re welcome, the reason I didn’t recommend caber is because im afraid after being shut down for so long that if you go on it might help a little bit while you’re on it but then shut you down even worse. That’s why I advise to try the more conservative route for this case.
[/quote]

You think another strong PCT is best at this point?
Also, What about my current TT levels… they look good. Is there more to recover with PCT than just TT levels and the other sex howmones ( LH, Fsh…ect)…?

[/quote]

Shadow, The difficult part is I’ve communicated with knowledgeable guys and several doctors ( The ones we all know.) Some of them say they havent heard of someone having trouble for this long… and others say “heck yeah” theve seen it many times 2+ years…!
Crisler stated first hand to me " it can last upwards of 18 months".
Hard for me to go any direction…
Thanks for the responses…

226

Thanks Shadow Pro! I’ll def take your advice! I’m in northeast Ohio… I’m told my area is the harshest around when it comes to sentencing. Apparently they ran out of meth labs to bust. No other drugs involved, just gear. Thanks again!

227

Hi shadow, I’m a hard worker I always work 2X harder than any body and get half the result.

My question : I read most of your post about someone who wanna start with juice.

You said that Tren-A is one of the best in this case, but witch TEST are the best with it ? Should I use just short ester or a mix of short and long?

Im 20 years old, 190 lbs, 15% Bf and been lifting since im a Kid. I have done a lot of mountaindog training style , right now im doing old school raw moove with olympic stuff and some accesory. I have done a cycle 18 month ago ( deca with test-E) folow by Var with a blend of short ester. After i done 2 hcg, during my cycle i ran anti-estro.

im searching for lean gain and a lost of BF.

So witch Test with Tren-A ?
How much Hcg after?
How many mg/week , shoot every day?
Where to shoot after shoulder and ass?

228

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]LMPCF wrote:
Also a newbie poster here, been reading and applying T-Nation knowledge since I started training however. First forum that has intrigued me to react.

To make a long story short:
I have done bodybuilding for about 3 years, gaining about 40 pounds of muscle (from 145 pounds to 185 pounds at 6’1")
At the end of my bodybuilding career is suffered a severe neck injury and kept on training for a year (sounds really stupid, but the story is more complex then that). I was in need of functional recovery and started doing crossfit, got bitten by the bug and stuck with it now. (No disrespect whatsoever to bodybuilding, see a lot of hate between the two sides but that is not me).

I finally found a magically good physical therapist so i’ll be returning to real intensity soon. My goal is to start competing at a high level as soon as possible. Competing at high level has always been a goal for me but I have been stopped my injuries multiple times. The past year I have put so goddamn much effort in becoming a perfectly functioning human being that nothing is gonna stop me now lol.

I am, and I believe the entire T-Nation community is aswell, convinced that nearly all pro crossfit athletes are on gear because of the great benefits they give towards crossfit style training. My question to you is what would you advice for a beginner cycle for crossfit?

I wont be doing it anytime soon, I’ll go clean for probably another year (i reckon it’ll take me this long before I start reaching plateus again) and then start it.

Thank you for the effort you take answering everybody’s (and hopefullly my) guestions!

[/quote]

Taking into consideration that in crossfit you need to keep your condition and endurance, I would suggest something like this.

12 WEEKS

Testosterone- if you don’t mind pinning every day I would recommend test-prop @ 75mg eod
If you don’t want to pin so often I’d say test-e @250mg/week
Masterone - mast-p @ 75mg eod OR mast-e @ 300mg/week

  • for athletes not interested in weight gain I always recommend short esters because they cause less water retention and they are in and out of your system very fast.
    Since it’s your first cycle, we don’t know how you react to drugs and what kind of side effects you’ll get. With short esters you can stop if needed and they work immediately so you’ll see results right away. Long esters take a few weeks until they are stable in your blood therefore the results would slower. Both will work great but it really depends on how often you want to inject.

Also add:
Anavar @60mg/day (much more gentle than many of the other orals out there)
OR
Winstrol @50mg/day (it will give you more strength but more aggressive than anavar)

Nolvadex 10-20mg/day (start with 10 and up it to 20 if you have any issues)
250iu HCG 2x/week
[/quote]

Sounds great, lots of thanks for your help.

Few small questions. I hear a lot of good things about growth hormone and epo. Is there any benefit to adding them (without any horrible side effects ofcourse)?

Also about the cycle. Ill do the testosterone and masterone eod (on the same day right?), take the anavar/winstrol every day and HCG twice a week. Should I do the nolvadex right from the start for the whole 12 weeks or is that something for after (thought nolvadex was something for after, but then again I only heard stuff about cycle from the most retared people on the planet so I dont believe anything they tell me).

Sorry for the noob questions, everybody has got to start learning sometime right?

P.S. Diet/sleep/recovery is all on point!

229

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]tyler_j_reed wrote:
Hey Shadow,

When you train you follow a body part split im guessing? Im sure you have incorporated heavy lifting in all of your years at some point. Do you enjoy lifting heavy or following a high volume set and rep scheme? Also, what’s your favorite body part to train?[/quote]

Yes, I follow a body part split. I try to hit each body part twice a week and I’m training 6days/week. I still try incorporate heavy lifting into my training, I try to squat and dead lift heavy at least once a week in a 5-8 rep range for multiple sets. I used to train heavier when I was younger but injuries and overall wear and tear on my body have taken their toll over the years so I need to be much more careful when I’m training now.

Favorite body part: LEGS… Separates the men from the boys!!
[/quote]

Just when I thought your advices and opinions on this forum could not have gotten any better!

230

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:
Shadow Pro - In my situation I have been on TRT for about 3 years and am currently self injecting at 200mg weekly pinning EOD. I am not a physique athlete. I am a powerlifter recovering from injury. My questions are as follows:

  • I have been considering taking Test in a performance enhancing doasage for some time now. I do not want to get complicated I want to run a simple Test cycle 500mg weekly for 12 weeks. Being that I am pretty much shut down with regards to creating my own test, would a simple B&C be beneficial (i.e. dropping back to 200mg weekly after the 12 weeks)?

  • I am recovering from Herniated Discs in my Cervical Spine. Is there any steroid that would be beneficial in the repair of same?[/quote]

It will give you a noticeable difference… Nothing major but you will see benefits from this if you are keeping your diet and training on par during these weeks. It’s still more than double your regular dose so you will feel a difference.

I have a lot of nagging injuries, including herniated discs and I’ve found that using GH helps in terms of pain management and better performance in the gym even with the Injuries. It’s not fixing the problem per say, but it does help. Something like 4iu/day (30mjn before workout)[/quote]

Thank You Sir!

231

Hey Shadow. What are your thoughts on oral Turanabol? It seems to be touted as Dianabol without the water retention, aromatization etc. But would it be as/almost as effective for gains in mass? Or would it be more appropriate precontest?

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Dear Shadow Pro,

I Have another question I really would like to have answered. A friend of mine is on his third cycle right now after a pretty shitty second cycle (about 6 weeks gear free in between the cycles). He is in his 4th year of serious training and both sleep and nutrition are not a limiting factor.

He would like to have your feedback on the cycle and have his question answered.

It is a twelve week cycle:
week 1 - 8 100 mg test-prop e/od (inject)0
week 3 - 8 40 mg winstrol (tabs stanozolol)
week 3 - 9 Clenbuterol (2 days off, days on… etc) starting with 20 mcg, ending with 60-80 mcg)
week 9 - 12 20 mg nolvadex

He is in his 4th week right now but thinks an 8 week test-prop is a little bit long so he wants to convert it to 6 weeks with 150 mg test-prop eod. Is this ok? Should he increase/decrease dosage of his other compounds? Should he add or remove any compounds?

The only side effect he notices is decreased testicle size (he TOLD me) and a little bit of joint issues (due to the winstrol he says). Libido is not extremely high or low, little bit lower as usual.

His problem is that right know he doesn’t feel or see a lot of difference.
(Brand of the gear is Genesis, dont know if that’ll help you

Thanks a lot for your help man!

233

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Drbannernyc wrote:

i never heard anyone talk about using nolvadex during a cycle, what would be the benefits?

Thank you for your effort in this forum shadow, a rare opportunity so i can’t help myself but take advantage of your knowledge

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2033×3304 502 KB

Shadow,

Thanks for the time you’ve taken so far, great information.

Background before the question:
Age :24
Training Age: 4 years
Sports: Powerlifting and Rugby
Height: 168cm Weight: 73kg BF%: 11%
Lifts: Squat: 180kg Bench(paused):117.5kg Deadlift:226kg

I train 6x P/w currently, each session has a main lift (squat/bench/dead) for 3x3 or 5x5 then an olympic lift after for 5x2 followed by a bodypart hypertrophy routine which each get done twice in the week, back and biceps, chest and triceps, shoulder and legs(3x8-12 for 5 exercises) and then abs. Looking to gain lean mass and remain in my weight category <75kg for powerlifting and maximise strength. Currently eat roughly 3200-3500kcal per day as am slowly bulking(40% Carbs 40% Protein 20% fat) and am in Rugby off season.

I have contrasting advice from various sources as to whether or not to do a mild cycle of oral winstrol and anavar (50mg per day of each) and was seeking your advice as to what you would advise as to what drugs to do (I am entirely natural to this point) or even if to do drugs at all. Aims are to reach a 205kg back squat, 145kg bench and 250kg deadlift at 77kg and dehydrate down for competitions.

Thanks in advance for your time Shadow
EDIT: Tried to put in multiple images but only 1 was allowed so gone with legs as that’s the most important body part!

235

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]pwrlifterchick wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]pwrlifterchick wrote:

[quote]Shadow Pro wrote:

[quote]Raskens wrote:
Do you know how cycles differs for a powerlifter? How much does it affect your strength? Is the sideeffects overhyped? [/quote]

I think their cycles are a little safer, they don’t need to use insulin (very little if at all) and they don’t use diuretics or get to near death bodyfat percentages. They make use of the most basic compounds(orals and injectables) the most popular ones for strength gains would be: orals: halo, cheque drops, oral tren, dbol, Anadrol,tbol injectables: tren, test(some use test susp. Pre workout) GH in lower doses(4-6iu) All of these will significantly increase strength.

Bodybuilders use all of these (most likely with higher dosages) plus EVERYTHING ELSE! (Noted on page1)

The side effects are completely individual. People like myself can handle high dosage with minimal sides while other people can get horrible sides even from a low dose like 500mg/week. You’ll never know until you try and this is why I always recommend to start at a very low dosage. Side effects can be due to genetics, diet and cleanliness of products as well.
[/quote]

What would you recommend for female powerlifters? I’ve heard Var or Winny but wanted to know your opinion. Thanks.[/quote]

I would recommend Anavar for sure. Primo can also work in a low dose. Honestly, I am going to recommend you stay away from Winstrol, it’s a lot stronger than people claim… Yes it will help you with strength (it makes me strong as a bull) but you will get male characteristics as side effects. Some females don’t care so much, and if that’s the case then anything goes but with a low dosage.

Anavar. Start with 5mg a day and slowly build it up… 30mg would be the highest I’d push it to. (Increase every 2-3weeks)[/quote]

I probably should have started my last post by telling you some history… My apologies. I have been working out (BB style workouts) for about 10 years (never competed). It really was to lose weight/fat because I was very overweight at a young age. I recently started doing powerlifting competitions the last year. Just within the last year I have taken a few cycles. (2 of Winstrol, 1 of Anavar) Obviously with time off in between.

I felt better honestly on the Winny than the Var. It makes me nervous using Var or Primo just for the fact that I know a lot of it is fake, at least around this area. Winstrol I know is legit and I felt a lot of strength out of it. I only took 10mg per day (5mg twice split up) for 6 weeks. And I really didn’t notice any major sides. Just a little more acne and no menstruation while on cycle. By the 6th week my joints would be a tiny bit sore but nothing crazy like I hear with some people… maybe because of my supplementation and diet.

If I react good to Winstrol do you suggest sticking with it for future cycles? Or would you suggest trying to find something else? I honestly don’t want to develop male characteristics and I know it’s a risk with anything but since I’ve taken it a few times, I feel more safe with it than risking fake stuff with Var or Primo that I may get.

Also, do you have any recommendations for Women for PCT? Thank you for your advice.[/quote]

If it’s working for you then by all means stick with it. I understand where you’re coming from when you talk about the fake anavar or primo, if you are able to get your hands on the real thing then this will still be my first choice. With the winstrol just be very careful with the dosage because the side effects can be under control and then suddenly you’ll notice something new…

This is very individual so you’ll just have to keep monitoring it. With the doses that we are speaking about you don’t need to worry about pct, just taper it down… It’s hard to taper down such a low dose but even going down to once every 2nd day and then once every 3rd day is better than just stopping immediately.
[/quote]

Ok thank you so much for your time and advice. I appreciate it.

236

Hi Shadow,

Thanks for doing this, all very interesting. How do you/other pro’s deal with any acne sides? I know this is very individual but guess it must be an issue for some?

Also what are your thoughts on equipoise?

237

Great Thanks.

238

In regards to synergistic effects, if someone is used to good gains at 600mg per week of test p… When adding mast into the mix is 300 test p and 300 mast p a stronger mix than just 600 test p ? I’ve heard its the total amount of mg that matters even if blended. Whats the call on the amount of mast p and test p to use if normally use 600 mg test p cycles? Thank you for the help.

239

I knew this potentially awesome thread was going to get muddied with “hi, I am 16 years old and 170 lbs, could you design a cycle.for me?”, shit. Too bad. Wish people would read the stickies first.

240

Hi Shadow,

I have been lifting for 6 years and am planning my first cycle. I have done my research online but a lot of times there’s conflicting or misleading information.

Some relevant info about myself: I have pubertal gynecomastia (big pointy nipples) and heart disease runs in my family (father had heart attack at 46). My hair has thinned out naturally (I am 30) but I don’t have male pattern baldness or receding hairline. Also, I am a hard gainer with chicken legs and I believe I’ve reached my genetic max.

My intended cycle is as follows:
Deca at 400mg/week 1-8 weeks
Test cyp at 500mg/week 1-8 weeks
Test e 100mg/week 9-14 weeks, weeks 15-20: 80mg / 60mg/ 50mg/ 40mg/ 30 mg/ 20mg
Nolvadex if needed after the taper.

Here are my questions:

  1. How should I dose Arimidex? People are saying at 500mg/week of test it is not needed.
  2. Is a Ketoconazole shampoo good enough to prevent hair loss? I am thinking twice a week.
  3. Not sure if Cabergoline is needed. Please advise.
  4. Any other helpful comments/tips you guys might have about my cycle.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!