Prohormones
Everyone is talking about Prohormones these days. Well, at least in the bodybuilding arena, prohormones make a hot conversation topic because they are the closest thing to steroids. Unlike anabolic steroids, prohormones do not have any real side effects if taken in low doses by healthy adults, but they must not be taken by individuals who are 18 and younger. For die hard gym fans, prohormones are the best way to build muscle mass and gain strength. If you’re just a weekend athlete and your idea of exercise is just doing 10 minutes on the stationary bike, then there is no need to take prohormones. Prohormones are relatively newcomers in the bodybuilding world, and since they are new and there is not much evidence that can be considered accurate, taking prohormones is very much like a hit and miss approach. You have to try one brand at a time until you find the one that fits your fitness and exercise goals. Prohormones must be “cycled.” This means that you take it regularly for four weeks, then take two weeks off after that. DHEA, a prohormone is recommended for men over 35 years old, and is the acronym for dehydroepiandrosterone. It is too difficult to pronounce, much less spell, so the acronym is used most frequently. As one web site reports, “DHEA levels in human being are high at birth, drop during childhood and peak at young adulthood. This hormone is available synthetically as a nutritional supplement.”
As long as DHEA is taken in correct dosages, it can be a great benefit; but when used incorrectly, it can cause health problems so consulting a physician before running to the supplements store to get a bottle is a good idea. Users could start at between 5-25mg daily. Pregnant or nursing women are not allowed to take it. In a prohormone FAQ, a message board participant by the name of Pogue discusses the administration of prohormones, wherein he says that there are three common ways of taking them. The least effective route is taking them orally since the liver and stomach lining breaks down prohormones rather efficiently. The transdermal method, on the other hand, is preferred by most users. The prohormone is applied to the skin and it will be absorbed by the body over a twelve-hour period. Putting prohormones under the tongue – or the sublingual method - is also another way. It is as effective as the transdermal method, if not more.
Drew Voight 
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