Dan Bilzerian's History With Performance Enhancing Drugs
Dan Bilzerian has never been afraid to disclose the fact that he uses performance enhancing drugs, or even what kind of performance enhancing drugs he's using.
He's already self admittedly had 2 (or it might be 3 now?) heart attacks because of drug usage.
The most notable cocktail of drugs being the combination of high doses of Viagra with Cocaine, which can send even the healthiest hearts into the danger zone.
Dan's always mentioned how he uses TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy), HGH (Human Growth Hormone), Stem Cells, among many other drugs and cutting edge treatments to improve his quality of life and improve his physique.
He has never outlined his exact steroid protocol though to the public (as far as I know), until a recent Instagram Story where he posted it for the world to see:
Dan Bilzerian's Steroid & PED Regimen
- 100 mg of Testosterone every 5 days (works out to 140 mg of Testosterone per week/7 days)
- 1 iu of HGH
- Cialis
Dan's got a pretty solid physique.
The reason why I'm outlining Bilzerian's steroid cycle (really just his long-term TRT regimen) is because he's another perfect example of what TRT dosages can achieve.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)
The reference range for Testosterone (the “healthy” amount for a man to have circulating in his blood stream) is extremely general, and ranges from 270ng/dL all the way up to 1070 ng/dL.
This means for the average idiotic doctor who knows nothing about male hormones (but will readily prescribe Estrogen to females like candy), they will tell a 21 year old male they are healthy if their total Testosterone is at 270 ng/dL.
I don't think I need to tell you that there is a huge difference between 270 ng/dL and 1000+, but if I do, then let's just put it this way.
It could be the difference between you walking around functioning with a high quality of life, and you walking around with a dysfunctional penis, a non-existent sex drive, and extreme difficulty putting on muscle and burning fat.
The true purpose of TRT is to use exogenous Testosterone to achieve a Testosterone level that is in the middle of that range, or ideally on the high end of that range.
The high end being commonly referred to as “high-normal”, as it's the high end of what a normal functioning male in their prime would endogenously produce themselves if they had top tier genetics.
How many genetic phenoms are there out there naturally pumping out 1000 ng/dL test levels courtesy of their balls and not relying on exogenous T to hit that blood serum concentration?
Not many.
After you hit 30 years old, your Testosterone levels will start to naturally decline by 1% per year.
Each year you will inevitably lose more of your natural hormone production, until eventually you are on the low end of the reference range, or have fallen out of it entirely, which would THEN at that point qualify you for TRT as far as most ignorant doctors are concerned.
Bodybuilder TRT Vs Actual TRT
Bilzerian pins 100 mg of Testosterone every 5 days, which works out to 140 mg of Testosterone per week.
Now, while this may be an amount prescribed fairly often (especially in the US), it is almost undoubtedly not representative of what true TRT is.
Dan is on what I like to call “Bodybuilder TRT”.
Basically, if you fall into the reference range, your hormonal profile will only support recovery and muscle growth up until the capacity of what that amount of hormones can achieve.
Anything beyond that ~1100 ng/dL Testosterone level, is now in the supraphyisological range, and is essentially like being on a mini-cycle year round.
According to Dr. Oz, healthy men naturally produce between 4-7 mg of Testosterone per day.
Almost nobody is actually getting their blood tested on a regular basis like they should, so putting a natural baseline in perspective with milligrams is a much easier way to illustrate what a 100+ mg weekly dosage of Testosterone will yield when it comes to total blood serum concentrations.
To put it in perspective, you would be extremely hard-pressed to find an individual who is naturally producing the equivalent of what 100 mg of Testosterone would yield in the blood every week, let alone every 5 days.
This is one of the biggest cop outs in the fitness industry right now, where bodybuilders will create and maintain absurdly supraphysiological physiques, but then claim natural, or claim they aren't getting any additional help from the drugs they are using because it is just “a replacement dose”.
No natural human is producing 200+ mg of Testosterone per week, 2+ iu's of GH, let alone any significant amounts of Nandrolone or any of the other anabolics these anti-aging clinics are prescribing patients in the US nowadays.
If I had to make an educated guess, I would probably guess that Bilzerian's total Testosterone levels are upwards of 1200-1500+ ng/dL if he's using pharma grade Testosterone (or accurately dosed UGL Testosterone).
Now, he's not on a crazy dose by any means, and my guess is that he probably chooses to not push it far beyond that on purpose due to his history of heart attacks, and the fact that he's almost 40 years old now.
With that being said, you don't need much to achieve an amazing physique, and he's proof of that.
Slightly supraphysiological Testosterone levels can be maintained long-term without a significant detriment to one's health if they stay on top of their lipids and other major health markers on a consistent basis and ensure they are always kept in the healthy range.
These same slightly supraphysiological Testosterone levels can achieve and maintain a very elite physique that someone ignorant to how well anabolic steroids actually work would commonly assume is unachievable with “TRT” dosages.
Granted, while the amount Bilzerian uses is almost undoutedbly not true TRT, his body may not process exogenous hormones well and it could very well be how much he needs just to achieve high-normal levels.
However, the scenario with the far greater likelihood is that the amount he uses puts him slightly into supraphysiological territory, essentially a very mild year round steroid cycle.
This doesn't discredit the work he puts in or the strict dieting he adheres to, let's make that clear as well.
These hormones simply put your body in a more conducive environment for recovery and muscle growth IN THE PRESENCE OF sufficient nutrients, resistance training, and rest.
Without those things, you won't get anywhere, with or without steroids.
Seriously, I've done cycles in the past where I just loaded myself to the gills but half-assed my lifting, cardio, and diet and my results were far worse than what I've achieved with what would be considered baby dosages with a perfect diet and training regimen.
The standard “newbie” cycle of 500 mg of Testosterone per week is so f*cking overkill for a beginner it's not even funny, and the misguided information young guys are getting on anabolics is just brutal nowadays.
While I don't advise combining Cocaine and other rec drugs into the equation obviously (and I'm sure he'd advise against it as well), Bilzerian's mild steroid usage for someone wanting to achieve an elite physique is a great example of what mild/more responsible steroid dosages can achieve.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
Contrary to popular belief, HGH does absolutely nothing for muscle growth.
It is not anabolic, and it does not induce any hypertrophy whatsoever.
What it does do though is Lipolysis (burns fat) as well as inhibits Hepatic De Novo Lipogenesis (inhibits fat accumulation).
It also has notable anti-aging benefits like improved complexion, skin quality, hair growth, etc.
Aside from the Lipolytic properties of GH, it is most commonly used by bodybuilders for the IGF-1 it converts to in the liver.
IGF-1 supports cellular division, making it the only hormone that can actually create brand new muscle cells via muscular cell division.
The cellular division aspect of IGF-1 is what makes it so attractive to bodybuilders and athletes, because when you hear of “genetic potential” it refers to how much hypertrophy you can cause in your current muscle cells.
You can only max these out so much, even with the addition of anabolic steroids or insulin.
After you have done this, literally the only thing that will let you break through that plateau is HGH and IGF-1, as (in layman’s terms) you will be able to create new muscle cells, and then you have those new cells that you can cause hypertrophy in and max out.
As a result, you have a seemingly unlimited amount of muscle growth potential the higher you drive your IGF-1 levels up.
The dosage Dan stated he uses though (1 iu per day) is so low that one would not be able to drive up IGF-1 levels enough to induce any notable amounts of Hyperplasia of muscle cells.
We can conclude that the dosage Dan uses is largely used anti-aging, and more likely than not the slight edge it will give in staying lean.
It is not a miracle drug, despite how much it's hyped up online, and 1 iu per day is a legitimate hormone replacement dose.
Cialis
Cialis (Tadalafil) is not anabolic but I decided to write briefly about it as it's the only other notable performance enhancing drug (if you can call it that) he's stated he uses regularly.
Cialis is a prescription drug that is typically prescribed for those with erectile dysfunction.
It inhibits phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5 inhibitor) and acts as a potent vasodilator, allowing far greater ease in achieving and sustaining an erection.
Basically, it improves circulation and blood flow to your penis.
Out of all the ED drugs, it is by far my favorite as it has a very long half-life, and its' efficacy is not inhibited by taking it on a full stomach vs an empty stomach.
Viagra has a much shorter half life and works far worse if you aren't on a totally empty stomach.
So why would you take Cialis preworkout if it's an erectile dysfunction medication?
Like I mentioned, it's a potent vasodilator, meaning it helps get a better pump in the gym too.
Not to mention it also can lower blood pressure, which is likely a welcomed side benefit for Bilzerian.
I know plenty of bodybuilders who take a small dose of Cialis every day simply for the blood pressure lowering effect.
Bascially, Cialis = better pumps in the gym, way better erections, and lowered blood pressure.
The worst side effect I've experienced from Cialis to date is an annoying stuffed nose (common side effect).
Will Cialis provide any additional muscle gain in the gym?
Likely no, at least directly, however, improved circulation means better recovery to an extent of the muscle, likely better nutrient partitioning, and the increase in pump will not only help with the mind muscle connection, but it will help stretch the fascia out.
Fascial stretching is ultimately what induces hypertrophy, and the more you can stretch that fascia the better.
How much of a difference do I think it really makes at the end of the day on overall fascial stretching and long-term hypertrophy potential?
Not much, but if you workout harder because you're getting a better pump then by all means.
I've definitely done it before.
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