Ask Us Anything 4

“Oral” Bioavailability Q: If a female lifter (not on gear) sleeps with a guy who runs gear, is she in danger of failing a drug test? A: This is a question that probably goes through every woman’s mind the moment she decides to copulate with a gearhead. Even if she’s not an athlete, she probably can’t help but wonder if she’s going to wake up with a beard and a puzzling urge to check her NCAA bracket. As far as transmission of steroids through intercourse, it’s possible that a tiny bit of hormone catches a ride in the spermatic fluid. After all, untainted prostatic fluid normally contains trace amounts of estrogen, FSH, and testosterone anyhow, along with a good number of prostaglandins. It’s even been hypothesized that the vagina absorbs some of these prostaglandins, and since prostaglandins modulate neurotransmitters, they can possibly improve a woman’s mood (1). However, even if there were steroids in seminal fluid, it’s pretty much impossible that the 2 to 5 cc’s of seminal fluid in the average ejaculation would contain enough steroids to budge the needle on a sex partner’s drug test. And even if the fluid did contain some steroids, the contact between the juiced juice and vaginal tissues is usually brief because of plain ol’ fluid dynamics (liquid flows downhill). Much of the same is true of oral sex with a steroid user. While there was recently a report of a woman going into anaphylactic shock and almost dying because she swallowed some amoxicillin-tainted sperm (she was allergic to penicillin and its analogs), steroids are a different situation. It only takes a few molecules of something to elicit an allergic reaction, but absorbing a detectable amount of steroid through oral sex is probably impossible. For one thing, if the steroid in question is testosterone, you’d have to absorb at least 200 mg. of the hormone for it to overcome the first pass effect of the liver. That’s generally a whole cc of testosterone, which would mean that half of the volume of the hypothetical steroid user’s semen was steroid. Not very likely. Other steroids are built to survive the first pass effect, but still, there’s no way the semen would contain enough steroids for anyone to fail a drug test, or experience any steroidal effects at all. – TC Luoma No Gains, Bro! Q: My gains have stalled. What do you suggest? A: We get this (extremely vague) question often. It’s tough to answer since we don’t know your main goals, your age, or even if you’re a girl person, a boy person, or one of these people who identifies as a lesbian parakeet. But here’s some general advice: 1. Do the opposite. There are tons of great training programs here on T Nation, but the best one is probably the one that’s the most different than the one you’re doing now. Here’s an example. Back in 2005, not-yet-a-Dr. Chad Waterbury introduced a training system based around doing 10 sets of 3 reps. Not 3 x 10, but 10 x 3. And T Nation readers who adopted the program reported great gains in muscle and strength. Now, there’s more to the program than the set/rep scheme, but doing 10 x 3 was radically different than what most lifters were used to doing. It presented a new challenge, recruited motor units that had been largely dormant, ramped up force production and, in short, “shocked the system” and triggered new adaptations in size and strength. So take a look at how you’ve been training for the past few months. Now, do the opposite: Always do 12-15 reps? Then load up the plates and do 3-5. Always train super heavy for low reps? Then lighten it up and shoot for 60 seconds of time under tension for each set. (Set a timer and try not to poop out your spleen.) Always use barbells because “free weights are best?” Switch to a mostly machine-based program. Always do decline barbell presses? Do inclined dumbbell presses. Train 6 days a week? Train 3. Or vice-versa. You get the idea. Or just adopt someone else’s program. I know, I know, the internet experts often advise people to avoid “cookie cutter” programs, but they can be valuable. Any program from the T Nation archives is probably going to push you harder than you push yourself. And it’s probably going to force you to try some new things. 2. Do something that excites you. Several T Nation coaches have said it: Training very hard using a substandard program is better than lazily going through the motions on the “perfect” program. Take 6 weeks off from what you “should” be doing and train in way that gets you amped up. Maybe you’ve been training like a bodybuilder because hypertrophy is your main goal, but powerfully swinging around kettlebells looks damn fun at the moment. So do it. (We won’t tattle on you.) You’ll get better in other ways, and after a while you’ll be itching to do slow negatives, set-extending partial reps, and pump workouts again. 3. Examine your diet. Keep a food log. After a week, figure out the average number of calories you consume per day. Now add around 300 to that. Take tape
Origin: Ask Us Anything 4