Turning 40
Active member
This might seem an odd subject for a site dedicated to AAS but there are 2 principal reasons for why you should not use AAS.
1. Medical.
If you have any serious health issues, especially around heart, liver or kidneys. Then please don't - just walk away it's not worth taking the chance (IMO).
If you are taking any regular medication (including birth control) then you need to do additional homework to ensure that there is no interaction between them and your AAS. And by homework I would strongly recommend including a doctor's input. If you don't want it on the record, ask your GP for a word 'off the record', 'theoretically' or the classic 'a friend of mine' - alternatively find another GP.
High blood pressure. Many AAS's tend to increase BP. If your BP is very high, don't risk it. If only moderately high keep a close eye on your BP - those little machines are v good, and pretty cheap - a good investment.
2. Training & Diet.
You'll hear the vets on here banging on about the necessity to have your training program and diet sorted long before reaching for a needle. They are not just being kill-joys - they want you to get maximum benefit from your gear and you won't if T&D aren't spot on. The AAS that will add muscle to someone sitting on their ass, playing call of duty, and eating donuts does not exist (when it does I'm first in line!).
Think back to 'Bodybuilding 101' - "Tear & Repair". Once your body stops growing naturally any increases to size come from repairing damaged muscle. The way to damage muscle is to overload it, to push it beyond it's natural limits. That's why it's those last few reps, on your final set, that make the difference.
Once the muscle is torn it needs to be repaired. For this it requires Testosterone and protein. The protein comes from your diet, the more you can eat from whole foods the better, although most of us rely on shakes to 'top up'. Empty carbs will get you fat, whilst not supplying your body the necessary goodness to repair those muscles.
Finally Testosterone is key to protein synthesis, the conversion of nutrients in the blood to muscle fibres.
You should know all this already. Think about it logically:
If you ain't damaging the muscle, what's your body going to do the extra hormone? - You're going to end end up with expensive, anabolic, pee!
If you're training is 'moderate' then you will probably have sufficient natural T to do the repairs, so your back to the expensive pee!
So, Damage, Protein, & Test. Which ever one of these is the least, will be your limiting factor. Simply adding more of something, of which you already have too much, will do nothing.
Natural T production peaks around 20, and slowly declines thereafter. By the time your reach 40 it's a fraction of what it was 2 decades earlier. That's why older members have more to gain - simply because the first dose of Test allows us to return to the position of our 20's.
Some people also include sleep. This too is very important as it's the time during which your body does the repairs.
In Summary:
Don't put your health at unnecessary risk.
Only add AAS into the mix once your diet and training are so strong that body needs 'hormonal support' to continue to grow at the rate you are pushing it.
Best, T40
