In February of 2003 I wrote a report about my first self-experiment with 1-testosterone (1-T) — a muscle-building supplement that is said to be 7 times as anabolic as ordinary testosterone. 1-T was overlooked by the U.S. Congress in 1990 when they took away Americans’ rights to legally obtain and use most other anabolic steroids. In that report I described the remarkable effects on my body that occurred during the two weeks of my self-experiment. I want now to report on my experiences with 1-testosterone during the ensuing nine months.

As described in my first report, at the beginning of my two-week experiment I weighed 168 lbs and was in good physical shape from working out almost daily with resistance machines at a gym. While on 1-T I quickly gained 8 pounds and some strength, but I’d overshot my target weight. So I stopped taking 1-T for eight days. I quickly lost about 4 pounds of the weight I’d gained — it was probably just water. I noticed no decline in the quality of my gym workouts.

I decided to conduct a longer experiment. This time I would use 1-testosterone that I’d obtained from LifeLink as a bulk powder instead of the capsules I’d used previously.

On March 7 I began taking 1-T again — 100 mg three times per day as before. (I measured 100 mg of the powder into a spoon and swallowed it with water, right after a meal or snack.) Two weeks later there had been no change in my weight, strength, or muscle size. On March 21 I doubled the dosage to 200 mg three times per day. After ten days there was still no noticeable change.

I began to wonder whether the powder I’d obtained was the same substance as was in the capsules. Some simple chemical tests confirmed that it was indeed the same compound.

Between April 1 and June 13 I tested doses of 1-T from 50 mg three times per day up to 100 mg six times per day. By April 12 my weight had risen to 177 lbs., but it rose no further. I saw some minor gains in strength, but no major changes in musculature or fat distribution. Furthermore, the 1-T was causing a substantial increase in the growth of body hair — something I’d hoped to avoid. By the middle of June I’d been at a plateau in weight, strength, musculature and fat distribution for two months; my weight was a bit higher than I wanted, but my muscular development didn’t reflect this weight gain. I suspected that much of the gain was due to fat and water caused by other supplements I was taking, and that the 1-T had failed to prevent. I was asking myself whether 1-T was ‘played out’ for me.

I supplied some 1-T to three friends at my gym. They used 100 mg three times per day of the bulk powder, just as I was doing. Their results were unimpressive — a modest increase in strength and a small increase in muscle size over a period of a month or so.

In June a new idea presented itself. Perhaps I needed to do something to enhance the bioavailability of the 1-T. The absorption of the substance might be improved by dissolving it instead of just swallowing the powder. And both the absorption and residency time in the body might be improved by combining it with a piperine supplement, since piperine interferes with enzymes that may break down 1-T into other substances. So, from June 14 until mid-August I dissolved my 1-T in olive oil by heating it on the stove, swallowing it with water after it cooled. And I took a piperine supplement each day. I varied the dosages of both supplements in hopes of finding a good combination. The results were disappointing. In fact, I lost some weight — but that was probably due to the fact that I went on a low-carb diet to rid myself of a few pounds of unwanted fat.

From mid-August to the beginning of October I took no 1-T at all. My weight slipped to 158 lbs., and I was not pleased with the loss of muscle mass. I restarted the regimen at 100 mg three times per day of 1-T in olive oil, plus a 10 mg piperine tablet along with each dose of 1-T. As October went by I gained 7 lbs and regained most of my strength and musculature, but seemed to be stuck at about 165 lbs. I was hoping for somewhat more from the 1-T than just this.

At the end of October I got another new idea. Suppose that 1-testosterone has its main effect during, and right after, vigorous exercise, this being the period when the muscles are sending out chemical signals that they are, or have been, under stress. And suppose that the piperine needs to be taken before, not along with, each dose of 1-T so that the piperine has time to inactivate the enzymes that would metabolize the 1-T.

On October 31 I implemented these ideas. Each morning, just before going to the gym I took 20 mg of piperine, followed 15-30 minutes later by 100 mg of 1-T dissolved in olive oil. I did the same thing as soon as I got home from the gym. That meant a total daily dose of only 200 mg instead of the 300 mg I’d been using most of the time.

This time the results were gratifying. During the next two weeks I was delighted at how quickly I gained muscle and strength. My weight rose several pounds each week and the small amount of fat around my waist became even smaller. At the gym I started adding plates to the exercise machines or adding repetitions to my sets. The changes I’ve seen in my appearance are not wishful thinking — various people have remarked favorably about them.

Stay tuned for further developments.

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Those who are interested in trying the method I’ve discussed above should email me at russmills94114@yahoo.com for more details. It might also be worthwhile to contact LifeLink — the company I bought my 1-T from — since they might be persuaded to offer 1-T in powder form if enough people ask for it. They also sell piperine at a very affordable price.