Scientific Analysis of Boldenone Counterfeiting: How ATD Became the Main Deception on the Black Market

As you know, I've been working as an online trainer for more than 10 years, and lately I've been increasingly encountering the same problem: guys who buy pharma independently complain about strange symptoms, and their tests after a cycle of so-called "boldenone" show a sharp drop in estradiol levels, down to zero values.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that sellers from dubious shops actively convince buyers that boldenone is supposed to lower estradiol. However, having medical education, I understand that this is biochemically impossible—real Bold cannot produce such an effect. It became obvious that we're dealing with large-scale counterfeiting. 

The problem is that under the guise of good old Boldenone, illegal manufacturers sell 1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione—a substance known as ATD. This substitution is not just replacing one steroid with another, but fundamental deception, since ATD and boldenone are compounds with radically different effects on the body. 

This problem has already become personal for me, as it constantly confuses my cycle control cards, while people themselves remain puzzled about why this happens. Therefore, I decided to conduct my own investigation to establish the real composition of these drugs and explain how they actually affect the body.  

Here with you is your personal trainer Gregory Kandiba. I'm often asked about the benefits and effectiveness of intermittent fasting. This nutrition method has become a real trend in the fitness world, and many clients are interested in whether they should try 16/8, OMAD or other popular protocols. Over the years of my practice, I've seen both enthusiastic reviews from those who achieved quick results with this approach, and disappointment from those who encountered the "rebound effect" and metabolic slowdown. In this article, I decided to summarize current scientific data so you can make an informed decision about whether intermittent fasting is right for you and what its long-term consequences are.

Recently I encountered one interesting problem. I was conducting post-cycle therapy (PCT) for my client who had been on a pharmacological cycle for almost a year. He had previous cycles and successful PCTs before. All indicators recovered without problems—LH, FSH, total testosterone and so on down the list—everything returned to wonderful reference range. But this time something went wrong...

The beginning of PCT was standard. We waited for the suppressive amount of steroids to exit the blood using the simple method of analyzing half-life of compounds on cycle. We reinforced all this with tests for reliability and proceeded to PCT.

Usually the first response of the HPG axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads) can be assessed after 7-10 days by checking LH (luteinizing hormone) levels. It should at least slightly move away from the zero value characteristic of being on cycle, since steroids completely suppress its production. LH, I remind you, directly controls testosterone production by Leydig cells in male testicles. So what did we see? The same zero!..

How we're used to thinking: "To become a pro, you need to do like pros. So I use various cool techniques in my training, like 'pre-exhaustion,' 'slow execution' for better tissue acidification, and other unusual tricks. If this made them big, then why am I any worse?"

How it really is. If you read my previous article, then you already know that the luxury of "training for pleasure, feeling the muscle" can only be afforded by pros.

Very briefly, without high strength levels—working 150kg in bench and over 200kg in squat and deadlift—any professional techniques are a waste of time.

As you already know, muscle growth is extremely dependent on strength indicators. The heavier we work in the pump range (15-20 repetitions), the bigger and better muscles grow. And at the same time, upon reaching the cherished "150/200/200," further strength growth becomes impractical and injury-prone.

How we're used to thinking: "I saw a bunch of videos with cool pros. And all of them say that muscles grow best from high reps, and that it's important to "feel" the muscle. So I don't do strength sets for 6-8 reps, since I don't feel the muscle working. The most important thing is pump, pros wouldn't lie!"

How it really is. And they really aren't lying! But you should understand one simple truth—what pros do is only suitable for pros. Serious experienced athletes have a completely different level of training than beginners. And this primarily concerns strength indicators.

How we're used to thinking: "I'm on a cut now and it's not easy, but my trainer allowed me to do cheat meals to boost metabolism when the diet stalls. It seems to work, and it lets me blow off steam too!"

How it really is. I'm quite often asked about cheat meals, but let's start with basic concepts.

Cheat meal - is an abundant food intake that goes beyond any diet framework.

Simply put, gluttony. When you "can't live like this anymore," and the body literally begs for a trip to McDonald's for a ton of additional calories.

How we're used to thinking: "I need to cut/gain lean mass, which means it's best to eat less fat. It's terribly caloric, fat goes to fat (sounds quite logical), and in general fat causes high cholesterol (everyone knows this). Better to add more protein!"

How it really is. A quite popular misconception. Moreover, not only tough bodybuilders agree with it, but everyone in general.

It seems everything is clear. Fat is caloric (9 kcal per 1 gram). Fat raises our cholesterol. And in general fat is yucky, it hangs on the sides and changes your "fit" body into "fat".

How we're used to thinking: "On a cut I lose part of my muscles along with fat. But my trainer said this is normal. And the internet writes the same thing. So I just need to accept it."

How it really is. Here the story from the 90s from the article "I'm on a bulk. No way without fat, or is it still possible?" is largely repeated.

As before, the main reason isn't some mystical sacred sacrifice. Like "there's no way around it." But the most ordinary, hastily scribbled nutrition scheme. And it's good if it's any scheme at all, and not super popular diets from the "survive or die" series.

How we're used to thinking: "I'm on a bulk, so it's perfectly normal that I'm gaining fat along with muscle. It's not for nothing that everyone cuts afterwards, right?"

How it really is. One of the most common misconceptions that's still popular across the CIS. The myth started back in the 90s. Due to total misunderstanding of physiology and dietetics principles.

It's important to understand. For muscle growth, the diet should be sufficient and balanced. Fat is the excess of our diet. Everything that the body doesn't need at the current moment.

There are many extremes and misconceptions that promise us quick weight loss results. Numerous pseudoscientific articles, and even quite real examples, tell us that in a month you can get rid of all your problems, and you just need to... and then follows a recipe for success as simple as pie. Sometimes this really works, but at what cost to health and will the obtained result be stable?

Physical strength is an incredibly useful quality that hasn't lost its significance even in the age of digital technologies. It helps both in daily life and at work, and especially in emergency situations where your own health and well-being may be at risk. Of course, to be strong you need to train, train, and train again. But have you ever thought about what actually lies behind your training, what physiological processes occur, as if behind the curtains of a theatrical stage? What subtleties, problems, and tricks exist that help solve them?

Each of us has encountered at least once the unpleasant phenomenon of muscle spasm, better known among people as "cramp." This is a powerful and painful contraction of muscle tissue that is completely independent of our desire and will. But how often do you think about what mechanisms and causes are embedded in it, and is it possible to resist them? After all, at an inappropriate moment a cramp can lead to serious injury, and athletes are well aware of this. So what is our body trying to tell us with this, and can we somehow influence this phenomenon? 

In this article, you'll learn about various types of spasms and cramps, learn to distinguish them, and discover possible ways to solve and prevent such an unpleasant phenomenon.

Now during quarantine, this question is practically urgent for many people. If the question of home muscle building is quite simple—you can build, but there's little convenience and persistence is required—then with a full cut, a number of questions arise: 

1) What equipment is needed? 

2) Is the effect worse than from gym workouts? 

3) Will muscles burn along with fat?

The "plateau" during diet is a very frequently encountered excuse designed simply to hide the incompetence of those who speak about it. There should be no "plateau" at all—this is a completely abnormal condition that results from unreasonable actions of a trainer and/or nutritionist. In this short article, we'll talk in detail about the causes of this condition's development and how to fight it.

A "plateau" can develop due to two main causes:

His villainy Acne has been tormenting more than one generation of iron-lifting enthusiasts under the pleasant but not always beneficial effects for the skin (and something else) of AAS. In this article, we'll thoroughly examine the most effective methods of fighting acne, many of which are extremely unconventional but no less effective for that.

First of all, you need to clearly understand what acne is and why it occurs against the backdrop of AAS use.

Acne is an inflammatory process in pilosebaceous structures (a complex of hair follicle and sebaceous gland), typically with subsequent formation of purulent content, commonly called simply a "pimple."

My universal respects! 

Today we'll talk about such a widespread problem as back pain. Since I'm writing for athletes, the main cause of back pain among athletes is compression of intervertebral hernias and/or protrusions. Compression can occur in different sections of the spinal column, but still the most common causes of pain syndrome are incorrect technique in various types of deadlifts, when compression occurs in the lumbar region. The difference between a hernia and protrusion is that with a hernia there's a rupture of the fibrous ring, while with protrusion there's simply its bulging. An MRI will help determine exactly what you have and at what stage.

Part One. Cortisol is Good!

 Well, friends! The need has arisen to talk about yet another old and very persistent myth, a myth that practically everyone believes in—from amateurs to professionals. We'll be talking about the famous carbohydrate window, or protein window, or, for special aesthetes, the protein-carbohydrate window, which absolutely must be "closed," otherwise some serious Hitler-kaput will happen. Getting ahead of events, I want to say that this is only partially a myth, and there is still some truth in this sacred ritual of anti-catabolism, but only partially.

 Many people ask me how to roughly calculate how many calories to eat? I'll say right away that the data I'll provide is averaged and doesn't account for possible diseases and/or hormonal disorders. 

 To begin, let's move on to general formulas for calculating basal metabolic rate and daily energy expenditure. 

 BMR (basal metabolic rate) for men is calculated as follows:

 The modern sports nutrition industry offers, and practically insists on the idea that using powders in all possible forms and manifestations is almost better than consuming natural food, since all this goodness is absorbed more efficiently, and portion dosages are selected by the caring hands of chemical technologists especially for you.

NB "The article turned out to be lengthy, so I've conditionally divided it into two chapters—an introduction and the practical essence. Those who are impatient can jump straight to the second chapter, but I would still recommend reading it in its entirety to form a more complete understanding of the topic."

I. Introduction

 Today we continue our crusade against sports nutrition, specifically targeting those representatives that may prove to be not only useless, but what's more repulsive, actually harmful to each of our health.