Q&A with Zilla Part 2
Since this thread was given a sticky, what better time than to update it with some more knowledge for you guys/girls
1) Is their a relationship between low SHBG and responding to TRT?
Short answer - possibly.
Long answer...
Their are quite a few anecdotal examples that indicate a correlation between SHBG levels and TRT response. Specifically, some guys with low SHBG seem to be "non-responders" to TRT - their hormone levels are fine, but they don't feel the positive effects such as increased libido, better mood, bodyrecomp improvements, etc.
This suggests that a possible "sweet spot" may exist for SHBG where you don't want it to be too high or too low (like everything else in your body).
We don't know the exact mechanisms behind all of this, or whether any sort of causational relationship exists, but if your one of the guys who aren't responding to TRT
AND have low SHBG, then adding Nolva to your TRT protocol might be a useful experiment to undertake since it has the ability to increase SHBG due to its estrogenic behavior in the liver (same place that most SHBG production occurs):
http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jc.2010-1477
Also, thyroid production has a significant impact on SHBG levels - something to be aware of when trying to get your protocol dialled in.
2) What causes Tren cough and can we combat it?
My educated guess would be that tren increases the rate of production of prostaglandins, which decreases lung performance and may result in the cough (also explains why tren is terrible for endurance).
It may also involve the increase in synthesis of leukotrienes in cells, which can cause allergy type symptoms in the lungs & contracts the bronchial passage ways,again, resulting in a cough.
In terms of ideas to combat it, here are some guesses for what its worth:
- Don't let tren be the main aas in your cycle (it shouldn't have a higher dosing than anything else your stacking it with)
- Use enanthate rather than acetate
- Inject muscles with less blood flow e.g. delts rather than glutes
- Don't inject a muscle that has been exercised in the past 24hrs
If all else fails, injecting sub-q might be the way to go.
3) Do AAS affect your gut?
Steroid hormones do alter meta-bolic pathways of pathogenic & microbiota bacteria within the gut flora.
Whether this is a good or bad thing depends on what part of the gut flora we're talking about & what steroids (test is a immunesuppressor, estradiol activates the immune response, etc).
Feeling different in that region could be your gut bacteria simply working hard to get rid of anything that it considers to be polluting your body.
I don't think steroids damage the gut flora BUT the fillers/caps/non-sterilized equipment used by UGLs may be another issue.
If it worries you then supplementing with pre & pro biotics should help.
4) What muscle groups have the most androgen receptors and respond best to AAS?
In general, the upper body has a higher level of androgen receptors- traps, shoulders, delts, etc and these also happen to be the easiest muscles to grow on cycle.
The least amount of receptors are located in calves & forearms, which is why they are both notoriously difficult to gain mass on.
In terms of genetics, the muscles that respond best (in terms of growth) to training when your natural will also be the ones to respond best to AAS - this all depends on each individuals training experience.
This is also just another reason to gain a few years of consistent training experience BEFORE hopping on a cycle - learn how your body responds to different program variables and get your training dialed in.
5) Why do people always say that 19-nors are more suppressive?
19 nors such as nandrolone tend to be more suppressive for a few reasons.
Most of us know that to be shut down you need to inhibit LH & FSH release.
Some compounds, like var & masteron, do this only by directly binding to the androgen receptor, which inhibits LH & FSH via suppressed GnRH release from the hypothalomus.
Now, 19-nors have the added suppression coming from estrogenic & progestogenic activity, which also inhibits LH & FSH by directly downregulating GnRH receptors on the pitiuary.
Therefore, compounds like nandrolone are more suppressive because they bind to the AR & PR to become suppressive through different mechanisms.
The same level of suppression will apply to test and other aromatizing steroids since they bind to the AR & ER. However, we can counter this through AIs like arimidex.
Unfortunately, their is no way to block progestin based compounds like nandrolone from activating the PR - thats why you hear horror stories & have "harder" suppression.
