In late January of 2002, while writing an article for the supplement company LifeLink, I came across a news article that mentioned a new nutritional supplement for increasing muscle size and strength. The author of that article, lamenting the fact that this supplement existed, lambasted supplement companies for selling it, and advocated that it be banned by the government. The supplement was called “1-testosterone” (1-T). Naturally, I was instantly intrigued, and so I looked into it further.
It turned out that quite a number of supplement companies were selling 1-T and (it seemed to me) were hyping it to the heavens. The principal claims were that it:
Although I was skeptical, I casually mentioned the substance to Troy and David at LifeLink, not thinking that they would take an interest in it. But to my surprise, they quickly decided that it was something LifeLink should carry. They ordered some 1-T and sent some to me to try out. By this time I’d read enough about the substance to convince me that the claims were at least plausible; I wanted to establish for myself the degree to which they were true.
So, on February 13th I began a 20-day experiment on myself, taking 100 mg of 1-T three times per day. I continued doing my usual daily workout at the gym, not varying my exercise routine from what it had been before. (By the way, I’m 60 years old, am 6 feet tall, and weighed 168 pounds prior to starting this experiment.)
Five days later, while doing a leg exercise, I suddenly noticed that my leg muscles looked a bit larger than usual, and some of my exercises seemed to have become easier. I’d also gained 2 pounds. In another three days my shoulders also looked slightly larger, many exercises were somewhat easier, and my whole body felt tighter and more muscular—a good feeling. My weight had gone up another 2 pounds.
During the next week I gained 4 more pounds, mostly muscle judging by the way it made me feel and by my appearance in the mirror. I found myself sometimes ravenously hungry, and sometimes even had food dreams six hours after having eaten a big dinner. I’d hoped for a reduction of excess bodyfat (I have only a small amount, a pound or two at most), but 1-T made no difference in that respect.
These rapid changes in my body came as quite a surprise to me—a very pleasant surprise—but now I’d overshot my target weight, and realized that if I kept this up for the rest of the intended 20-day period, I might become considerably bigger than I want to be. So, after 15 days on 1-T, I cut the experiment short. Presumably I’ll start to lose the gains I made, and before long I’ll start taking the supplement again, perhaps using a lower dose.
Incidentally, I have noticed no increase in libido or other sexual effects from 1-T—effects one typically gets from testosterone. This actually is not surprising, since these effects depend on the detailed structure of the substance and its metabolites, none of which are the same for 1-T and testosterone.
1-Testosterone, which LifeLink sells as “Special T”, seems to be the anabolic supplement I’ve always hoped for: one that is so effective and easy to use that it now be easy to keep my musculature within the limits I want.
Now for the bad news: This product may not be available for long—the U.S. government is already working on legislation to ban it and other physical enhancement supplements. In other words, 1-T may soon be available only on the black market (for those who have access to that market) and in the military (where it could become a compulsory part of basic training).
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