The game is over, brothers. And despite some truly valiant efforts on the part of people like Rick Collins, we appear to have lost. We’re going to lose prohormones (and probably a lot of other cool, useful and safe supplements) because of the bill Senator Joe Biden is pushing in the U.S. Senate. His agenda is essentially that prohormones are the root of all things dark and evil in sports. We have perhaps 12, maybe up to 18 months, and then the supplement landscape is going to change dramatically. I didn’t want it to be that way and when it happens, you won’t want it to be that way either, but by then, when everyone finally realizes the magnitude of the loss, it will be far too late. I hope all of you who sat on your collective fat ass and did nothing to try to stop this are happy in 18 months when the only supplements available are Russian Velvet Deer Antler, Boron and Smilax. This legislation could potentially even threaten the sale of such benign substances as creatine and protein powder.

However, in the meantime, right now, today, is truly the golden age for prohormones/prosteroids. Never has there been a bigger selection of cool, legal, hormonal goodies you can easily purchase that will dramatically transform your physique in a matter of weeks. Some of the prohormones and prosteroids available are even more potent and more effective than the “illegal” stuff. The most recent and most exciting crop of legal hormones to reach our market to date would be the “methylated prohormones,” which are very avant garde and very effective.

Methylation Changes the “Flavor”

Methylation is an old-fashioned technique of making a steroid exponentially more potent and more bioavailable, meaning close to 100 percent oral bioavailability. (Technically speaking, methylation refers to alpha alkylation of a steroid at Carbon #17; strictly speaking, it doesn’t have to be a methyl functional group and occasionally an ethyl or methoxy group is used). Methylation also changes the anabolic and androgenic characteristics of the steroid being methylated. Take boldenone (Equipoise) for a moment. It’s a very popular steroid that many people would say is somewhat similar to nandrolone (Deca Durabolin) in its effects, both good and bad. However boldenone’s Carbon #17 methylated analog is methandrolstenelone (methyl boldenone, aka Dianabol) and I don’t think anyone would compare Dianabol to Deca on any level. So obviously, methylation does more than just make a steroid more potent; it changes its “flavor” quite a bit.

Methylation also increases the potential toxicity of a steroid. Adding the methyl group at Carbon #17 makes the molecule much more difficult to metabolize hepatically, so essentially, the liver has to work that much harder to process the stuff so it can be excreted in the urine. This is why people who use methylated steroids tend to have higher than normal liver enzyme levels. Most people believe this makes the steroid “toxic” or “hepatotoxic,” but most studies have shown that these rises in liver enzymes are usually transient and usually disappear and return to baseline after the user has stopped using the methylated hormones for a period of time (say, six months to be safe). 

I personally believe the risk associated with using methylated hormones is way overblown by our community and completely overstated by the medical community, which routinely uses methylated steroids in patients for short durations without batting an eye (ever hear of methylprednisone?), but freak out when the steroid is in any way, shape or form “anabolic.” Put it this way, I would rather swallow a bottle full of any commercially available methylated androgenic anabolic hormone than a bottle of Tylenol (or even six or eight Tylenol tablets), or have a few shots of Jose Cuervo tequila. Tylenol (acetominophen) and all types of booze (ethyl alcohol) are just as toxic (or more toxic) to humans than any methylated steroid ever will be, in my opinion.

Putting aside the question of toxicity for another day and debate, there’s no question that tagging a steroid, any steroid, with a methyl functional group at Carbon #17 is a relatively cheap, easy and effective way to make that steroid much more potent and much more orally useful. So it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if methylating a steroid makes it “better,” then methylating a prohormone or prosteroid will also make it “better.” And that’s just what’s happened.  The proverbial “Bigger Better Deal” has come along in the form of three new products. I am going to rank them with regard to their effectiveness, safety and net usefulness. I will also point interested people in the right direction, so they can purchase these items.

All these items are currently being sold in the USA legally— or at least quasi-legally.  It’s a gray area because these items aren’t technically illegal… yet. They absolutely do not fall into Schedule C-III and at worst, the FDA might classify them as unlicensed drugs and call for their removal from the market.  At the request of some of the manufacturers and marketers though, I won’t mention every company’s name. These guys are content to stay under the radar screen and sell 500-1,000 bottles of their goodies per month. Mentioning them by name will “only bring unwanted attention to us and might get us into trouble”, said one company spokesman. Other companies don’t see any real danger or problems and were very candid and forthright in talking about their gray market products with me. I also want to thank Christopher Bolman and “Matt the Sledgehammer” from Designer Supplements for their technical assistance with this article. Without their help, I could not be bringing you all this information at this time.

 #3: M4-AD

Shall I start at the bottom and work my way up? Coming in at number three on “Kneller’s List of Gray Market Goodies” is 17a-methyl-4-androstenediol or methyl-4-AD aka M4-AD. This stuff is to 4-androstenediol as methyltestosterone is to testosterone. And honestly, I expected this stuff to be a complete waste of time and a bust because methyltestosterone is essentially useless to bodybuilders as an anabolic steroid and is rarely, if ever, used (outside of boxing and perhaps, wrestling). But M4-AD has some very real advantages over methyltestosterone. For starters, it doesn’t aromatize into a methylestrogen like methyltestosterone does. And clinically, it seems to be the least toxic of the methylated prohormones being sold today. A rather prominent 47-year old physician (that’s right, he’s a medical doctor) who’s well known in the industry and will euphemistically be referred to here as “Dr. M,” has been taking M4-AD at 50 milligrams per day (25 milligrams twice per day) for several weeks now and these are exact quotes from him:

BK: How has M4-AD affected your libido?

Dr. M:  Not much at all either way and I’m taking two capsules per day for the most part (50 milligrams).

BK: How much weight have you gained using M4-AD?

Dr. M: I’ve gained about 12 pounds in four weeks with almost all of it being muscle. Keep in mind I am not using any other supplements, legal or otherwise, and I am 47 years old. I am quite impressed with M4-AD.

BK: Has it helped with fat loss? If so, estimate how much (percentage-wise or pound-wise) you lost.

Dr. M: I definitely believe it has helped with fat loss. I started taking it and really increased my training intensity just before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Due to my lack of willpower around the holidays, I have been on a high-protein/high-carb/high-fat diet. I have done this before around the holidays, and know that after three weeks, it catches up to me and I redeposit fat around the waist. It has not happened, even though it should have, due to my diet habits. I attribute this largely to the M4-AD. Now that I've resumed a “normal” high-protein diet, I expect I will lose some fat, rather than merely prevent redeposition.

BK: Are your lifts up?

Dr. M: All lifts are significantly up, especially heavier, compound sorts (squats, flat bench, deadlift, bent row). The beautiful thing is that I don't think I'm done with gains. I have not been pushing it to the max (because I hadn't been seriously training hard for several months), but each workout, I go up. I'd say all lifts are up 20 percent or more, and I haven't hit a plateau yet.

BK: Any visible side effects such as hair loss, acne, oily skin?

Dr. M: None at all and I am very prone to acne and oily skin, and was expecting this.

BK: How has M4-AD affected your mood?

Dr. M: It has not drastically affected my mood. (Maybe I need to take more!). I'm generally very upbeat and have stayed that way. Maybe it made me a little more energetic and hyper, but it’s not very noticeable.

Overall, the people I spoke to using M4-AD (aside from Dr. M) were pretty happy with the effect it had on them. The most common complaint was that at 25 milligrams per day, you really didn’t see much in the way of gains, but this problem seemed to correct itself in most people at 50 milligrams per day.  Again, since aromatization is not an issue, there aren’t a lot of side effects that people complained about. The most common complaints were oily skin and increased acne, especially on the back and shoulders. The company selling M4-AD has asked me not to reveal its name. (You can find them easily enough if you really look, as I did). M4-AD is available in 25-milligram capsules with 60 capsules per bottle for about $60. Since a bottle lasts about a month for most people, this is a pretty reasonable price for a supplement that truly is effective and works reasonably well. I would not use this supplement for more than a month without taking a good month break away from it (or any other methylated goodies) in order to give your body (and specifically, your liver) a break.

#2: M1T

At number two is Methyl-1-Test (M1T), which I have discussed briefly in previous columns in MD. M1T is a very potent anabolic and androgen. It is estimated that this stuff is around 44 times more potent than Primobolan when taken orally. This is a very serious compound and its use should only be undertaken by educated and serious athletes. I can honestly tell you that if sheer size and bulk is what you are after, I can’t think of anything that will pack it on faster than M1T, other than insulin. That’s right, M1T is probably quicker in building mass than any of the illegal anabolic steroids, GH and of course, any and all supplements sold today.  In a nutshell, this is some potent shit!

  I am not embellishing one iota when I tell you people are gaining eight to 10 pounds in under 10 days using this stuff. Yes, up to a pound per day. I know, I know, it’s crazy, it’s unheard of before now, and it’s totally true. Do not make the mistake of underestimating this stuff because it is currently legal.  This packs one motherfucking wallop, folks. You’d think such a compound would handily be my number one choice. And you’d be correct if M1T didn’t have as many side effects as it does. As fantastic as M1T is for packing on the mass almost magically, and certainly, instantly, it has a number of side effects  you’ll want to carefully consider before you opt to use it. 

First, because it is a “1-ene,” it makes a lot of users feel pretty lethargic and mildly depressed. Second, for some unknown reason, it causes a dangerous and I would say, pathological, increase in blood pressure in over 75 percent (guesstimate) of its users. Because of this, epistaxis (spontaneous nosebleeds) is a real problem. Prolonged use of M1T (more than three weeks) tends to cause significant gastrointestinal and flank pain. It is sold by a number of companies in five- and 10-milligram capsules and tablets. My favorite brand for M1T is sold by Legal Gear (www.legalgear.com) for $79.95 and they are the people I’d probably buy it from. I know VPX makes an M1T liquid, but I prefer the tabs and since oral bioavailability is close to 100 percent with this type of thing, putting this compound in a liquid offers zero clinical advantage over a cap or tablet. In fact, putting it in a liquid limits its portability. 

Anyhow, dosing should not exceed 10 milligrams per day in my opinion, though there are some guys using 20 and 30 milligrams (and paying a very serious price in terms of side effects). My feelings regarding M1T are that it might be the perfect goodie to jump-start a cycle in the beginning, or towards the end, when you might be lagging a little more than you may have expected. I would not suggest anyone use this stuff for more than two weeks at a time without a four-week break. In a conversation with someone using M1T, he once called it “Anadrol Heavy Duty” and because of this stuff’s effects, both positive and negative, that ain’t too far off in terms of a comparison. M1T doesn’t aromatize directly into an estrogen, so gyno and serious testicular atrophy should not be issues.

#1: Methyldienolone®

I’ve saved the best for last, folks. Coming in at the #1 spot is a little goodie called 17a-methyl-17b-hydroxyestra-4,9(10)dien-3-one. If you’re saying, “What the heck is that?” why don’t we just refer to it as Methyldienolone® which is what it will eventually be trademarked as (I applied for one). I have to give you guys full and honest disclosure here. I am involved in the sale of Methyldienolone®. I will own the trademark and I own the rights to methyldienolone.com. But it’s a moot point. If I told you that a Dodge Viper was one fast-ass car, would it be any less fast because I was trying to sell one that I owned? Of course not, and all the info about Methyldienolone® I’m going to provide here is verifiable in the literature, so feel free to check it out.

On paper, Methyldienolone® is about 1.1 times more potent than even M1T. But the reality is, Methyldienolone® is probably even more potent than that, as users are getting great gains off one to three milligrams per day.  That’s right, one to three milligrams per day and nothing more. This makes this compound the second most powerful steroid on the planet, second only to methyltrenbolone (methyltrienolone) and in fact, the only difference between the two substances is that methyltrienolone has an extra double bond at Carbon #11. Other than that, these two substances are chemically identical. I’m not pulling your leg here. This stuff is more potent on a milligram-to-milligram basis than Dianabol, Anadrol, you name it.

However, unlike M1T, this stuff doesn’t seem to have as many negative side effects. The reason is probably due to something called an anabolic to androgenic ratio or A:A. The higher the A:A, the better or safer a steroid tends to be as a rule, generally. M1T has an A:A that is very low. Steroids that have low A:As tend to have a lot of side effects (think Halotestin, Anadrol, Cheque Drops, etc.). Those steroids with a high A:A tend to have fewer side effects (think Winstrol, Primobolan, Anavar, etc.). Just as a comparison, M1T is roughly 200 percent as androgenic  as methyltesosterone, while Methyldienolone® is only 30 percent as androgenic as methyltestosterone. So, a simple calculation tells us M1T is about seven times as androgenic as Methyldienolone®.

In fact, Methyldieneolone® is only slightly more androgenic than plain old 4-androstenediol. Methyldienolone rocks, folks! The net effects are very similar to a souped-up Winstrol (stanozolol) with the similar hardening effect and better gains in lean mass. Guys using Methyldienolone® report that it’s virtually side-effect-free from a clinical standpoint (much like M4-AD) and theyre gaining four to six pounds per seven to 10 days on it with great increases in hardening, vascularity and tone. In trying to compare it to more well-known and established stuff, one user told me that “ taking three milligrams of Methyldienolone® per day is what I got (from a results perspective) off 50 milligrams of Winstrol orally per day along with 50 milligrams of trenbolone acetate injected every other day.” So yeah, this stuff is a lot like a Winstrol/Parabolan hybrid with regard to its effects.

 I know it’s hard to believe that such fantastic results can be had using only one to three milligrams per day and I do know of one guy who is using five milligrams per day. But I honestly feel that taking more than three is a waste; you won’t see much more in regard to the gains you’ll make, but you will start to really see side effects develop. Like M4-AD, I would not suggest staying on Methyldienolone® for more than four weeks at a time without a four-week break. And likewise, if you’re taking this stuff (or any of the other stuff I mentioned), make sure it’s the only oral (methylated, that is) stuff in your stack.  You can only get Methyldienolone® in tablets through Martin McDermott at www.kilosports.com, while there are a few other companies selling it as a bulk powder. But why bother? Kilosports has a one-milligram tablet with 90 in a bottle for $69.99 and this will last you at least a month, if not up to three months. Rich Gaspari’s company (Gaspari Nutrition) and Hadi Ghandour’s  company (Gennapharm) will also be licensing this and selling it in the near future, so you can get it from those folks also. Like the aforementioned other goodies, Methydienolone® doesn’t aromatize into an estrogen, so gyno and “no-nut syndrome” should not be side effects a user would expect to see.

Dark Age Coming

We really have reached a golden age with regard to prohormones/prosteroids and I will miss them when they are eventually banned. Stock up on them now while they are still legal because we are about to enter into a very dark and ominous period for freedom of choice, freedom to decide what you want to put in, or keep out of, your own body.