November 1999
Issue #4
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AE: Last issue you touched briefly on your theory of anabolic use, stating that you didn't agree with the excessive dosages advocated by Paul Borreson. You're obviously in a position to know what happens at the professional level. Realistically, what is required for a pro to compete nowadays?
IAN: I think people, I really, really honestly do, I mean Paul Borreson stated that Lee Preist took 2000 mg a day and Jean-Pierre Fux took this and that, you really cannot say what anybody takes, because only the person who's self-administering can say that. Most of the guys will not really discuss dosages, it's not really a talked about subject. We talk about how we stack things and things like that. But I think everybody is so different you can't really say what works for Nasser or what works for Ronnie Coleman will definitely work for me. I really don't think everybody is the same. I can tell you exactly how I've used gear for the last four years, it's never varied. I've always done six-week cycles, I've always androgen loaded for two weeks, and then used a fast-acting androgen for the last four weeks. Then I've got three weeks to clean out.
AE: So, do most guys cycle, or are most guys constantly on?
IAN: I think it depends what situation they're in, if they're guest posing on a regular basis and they're in the limelight and they've got to be seen by people and they've got business commitments as far as bodybuilding, guest posing, and seminars go, I would probably say they very rarely come off. If they're able to leave the limelight, if for instance, if they're the sort of guys like Nasser or some of the European guys who maybe leave America, or just go in hiding for a couple of months, I think 9 times out of 10 you can guarantee that those guys are the guys who are taking time off to recover and get their bodies right again for the next course. Like I said, you can never really say what anybody does, but just knowing personally the people in the sport…..you can tell, I mean you go to Gold's certain times of the year when people aren't competing and you can look at certain guys and they look really, really small. They're not necessarily taking a break, they're being intelligent. It doesn't get them any good press from the general public who's seen them looking small, but they don't really give a because they know once they start back on the gear and start training properly and eating properly, they're going to be back exactly where they were before, and even better. The guys who want to look good all the time end up being on gear all the time and end up burning themselves out that much quicker.
AE: We've talked about this on the site before, but you've got all of these people who claim to know what the pro bodybuilders take, and it's like, how do you know? They're not with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so how do they possibly know? The other thing is, most of those guys would never be honest about their use anyway. Why are they going to be honest with someone about what they take?
IAN: They never will. I've seen a lot of this, right. You'll get a normal guy, we'll guy him a punter, you? A normal punter will come in and ask you what you use. And some of the guys will deny using anything. Some of the other guys who've got more of a sense of humor will come out with these ridiculously huge dosages, just to shock the people. And the people really think they are being serious. You really do it as a joke. I remember being told a story years ago about John Brown. I don't know a John Brown but apparently it was set in a Cinema-Q, this guy walks up to him and says, "Do you use anabolic steroids?" So John Brown turns around and says, "Do you masturbate?" I mean, it's a personal question, mind your own business. At the end of the day it's got nothing to with anybody else. I think bodybuilders should be open about things, which they never have been. In years past when American bodybuilders would come to England to do seminars, they would actually deny using steroids at all. Well, the English people aren't stupid, English bodybuilders aren't daft. They would just get up and walk out. I just don't see any point in lying to anybody or giving anybody false truths. At the end of the day, all the guys who are going to use gear are going to use it anyway, and if you can use it without hurting yourself, it's much better for everybody. Then it comes down to the man who's willing to work hardest in the gym, and be more dedicated with his training, eating and sleeping.
AE: Yes, all steroids are doing is leveling out the playing field.
IAN: Exactly, Exactly.
AE: Everybody is doing it, everybody has to do it. The thing that bothers me about bodybuilding and the whole steroid issue is that people outside of the sport think that bodybuilders look that way totally because of steroids, they don't see what else goes into achieving that kind of cosmetic effect.
IAN: Yes, and the athletes who compete in the Olympics don't use them.
AE: Yes, (laughing) and football players in the NFL….the average weight of linemen has increased by 40 lbs in the last thirty years simply because of what reason? It's kind of ridiculous, but people don't want to accept that.
IAN: Exactly, because it's a more publicly accepted sport.
AE: What kind of total gram dosages are you using per week when you're doing your androgen loading?
IAN: During androgen loading, me maximum would be 4 sostenon a week and 4 dura's a week, so that's 8, probably about 2000 mg a week for the loading phase, then I'd be looking at 100 mg of propionate every other day. If I got close to a show, I'd probably increase that slightly to 100 mg a day to make sure I didn't lose any mass while calories are restricted. I think people assume that pro bodybuilders take more dosages than normal bodybuilders and I really don't think that's the case. From the guys who I've talked to on a personal level, they don't use huge amounts. They really don't. The one thing they do differently than other bodybuilders is they eat religiously, perfect all the time. I don't mean perfect as in clean food, I mean perfect as in amounts of food.
AE: I think food is your best anabolic.
IAN: (Very excited) Oh without a doubt, without a doubt. I've seen guys take 3-4 times the dosages I've taken, but I've put on maybe 20 lbs more muscle because I've eaten correctly. I really think training is a big thing, but I don't think it's the main thing. I think the eating and the sleeping are the two main things in bodybuilding.
AE: What is your opinion of gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - ?
IAN: I think growth hormone is fantastic, but I don't believe in the huge dosages. When I first started using gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - which was the first year I did the English Grand Prix which was….(asks wife what year he did the English Grand Prix)….I was 24 years old the first time I took gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - , which was 1993. I was using 4 iu's on training days only, which was 4 iu's four days a week. It freaked me out, I put 2 lbs a day on for 9 days.
AE: 2 lbs a day?
IAN: Yes, and this was six weeks out from my first pro show. It freaked me out.
AE: This was six weeks out so you're on caloric restriction at this point, right?
IAN: Very much so. My physique changed overnight, I couldn't believe what was happening.
AE: I personally have never used growth. I've got a prescription for it, waiting for it to get filled, but I've never tried it before.
IAN: Use it man, use it!
AE: (Laughing) Some people say it's not that great for mass, it's only good for its lipotropic properties. Your saying it's a great mass builder, huh?
IAN: I believe it's a great mass builder, but only under the right conditions. I've tried to use it in the off-season once, and it didn't do anything for me at all. It didn't work for me, I couldn't eat enough calories to Sustain the gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - . It sounds very contradictory, I was using it on a calorie restricted diet and I gained a lot of weight, but the thing is, I had been in such great condition for 4 weeks prior to using the growth, and my digestive system was so efficient because my intake of fats so low, I was hungry literally within 30-40 minutes of my last meal. I was digesting food at a rapid rate. If your fat intake is higher, you digest food much slower. I don't honestly feel that growth hormone works when you've got a high fat intake, I think it only works when your protein is very high. You know it's very effective on a pre-contest diet where your metabolism is working at a very good rate and you're digesting food very quickly.
AE: When you're taking the growth, are you using it with insulin?
IAN: I used insulin from 97-98. I don't like it, I think it's vastly overrated.
AE: How many iu's were you using a day?
IAN: 10 iu's after training. I didn't like it, I went hypo a couple of times on it, scared my wife to death. I don't think I'll be using insulin again. You've got to evaluate the Pros and cons of taking anything. If it gives you a 10% increase in your physique, is it worth the downsides to it? I've seen a lot of guys mess up on insulin, a lot of guys. I think maybe in the off-season it can be of benefit, but I certainly wouldn't use it for a show. I would probably say from my own experience that I would use gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - when I'm on sort of a pre-contest diet and in the off-season I would use insulin. gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - doesn't work for me effectively in the off-season so I would use insulin, but only in small amounts. I don't advocate the huge amounts that some people claim, and I don't think you should stay on it long-term either. I would maybe use it for 4 weeks of my 6 week cycle and then again after my three weeks clean
AE: Question of the day: IGF-1.
IAN: . I've used it once, I got no results whatsoever. I thought maybe what I used wasn't IGF-1, but I tracked it down and found out that it was. Maybe when I transported it, it didn't transport well or I don't know. But from my experience, I've used it once and it didn't do anything for me whatsoever. However, I have heard some amazing stories about it.
AE: Yes, I've never personally talked to anyone who's every gotten anything out of it, yet I always hear these stories about how so-and-so has taken it and put on all of this weight. Everyone I've talked to who's really tried it doesn't get out of it.
IAN: You know I really think the people who have taken IGF-1 and grown were not really taking IGF-1, they were taking growth hormone. We all know that gh - growth hormone (somatropin) - works, but I've never seen any proof that IGF-1 is stable enough to be used, and be used in a way that you can gain huge amounts of mass. I can't see it happening. But, I'm not a doctor and I don't know everything, this is just from my personal experience. I'd say IGF-1 is a no-go at the moment, in another 3 or 4 years they might bring out another version of IGF that can be used more readily in the body and people will gain huge amounts of muscle. But, the stuff I've been offered and the stuff I've used before definitely didn't work.
AE: Unfortunately, anecdotal reports and personal experience is all we have to go by, there's not too many doctors running around shooting bodybuilders full of IGF-1 to see what happens
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