A prohormone is a precursor to a hormone (like, for instance, testosterone.) Incorporating prohormones into your supplementation regime will boost production of the relevant hormones. Basically, they will prompt your body to produce more of whichever hormone you need it to.
Obviously, this can be a great boon in the fitness world. Often, prohormones are bracketed alongside the likes of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone boosters. They can lead to some serious gains, both in terms of hypertrophy (muscle growth) and athletic performance.
In this article, I will run through some information on the best prohormones I have found on today’s market that will help you to pack on healthy, lean mass.
Prohormones: are they legal?
Yes, they are legal. However, they do inhabit some of the greyer shades of modern legislative practice and are a banned substance in many athletic competitions.
In the US, Congress banned steroids in 2014 with the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act. This act used some quite wide ranging, loose definitions. For instance, its ban covers any drugs and hormonal substances that elicit similar responses, are used for the same purpose, or are derived from anabolic steroids.
However, it is also broad enough to not cover prohormones: they are exempt from its ban. They are legal.
That being said, they do show up on drug tests. Pro athletes, government and law enforcement workers, and military personnel are all tested regularly for various drug offences, and prohormones will be a big red flag. Their use is definitely not advised for professional athletes or anyone whose occupation necessitates this kind of scrutiny.
They can get you disqualified or banned from major sporting competitions and can likely land you in serious trouble with your superiors if you have any of the above listed jobs.
To sum up: prohormones are legal, but you don’t really want to be caught taking them in some cases. For amateur lifters, or those competing in untested meets, they are fine. For anyone
Best Prohormones for Mass Reviews
Because of the grey area in which prohormones can sometimes find themselves, certain compounds have run into supply problems through bans and government restrictions. As a result, many are now unattainable on the open market.
However, there are still many prohormones that can be bought legally and safely, many of which are perfect for building mass. The following are all easy to buy from reputable sellers, and will all give you good results when you’re looking to put on some decent, lean muscle mass.
4-Androsterone
This is one of the most common, most widely used prohormones on today’s market. There is good reason for this: its efficacy in bulking phases is almost unparalleled. It is potent and will allow you to recover faster post-training, with greatly enhanced hypertrophy.
4-Andro is the go-to prohormone for any athlete looking to build mass. It will increase muscular power as well as aiding in hypertrophy to a startling degree. SteelSupplements’ is the best version of this prohormone you can buy. They will allow you to exceed your natural potential, improving vascularity, muscle mass and fullness, and recovery.
1-Androsterone
This is one that might not always find itself on mass building lists. It’s most typically used during cutting phases. However, I’ve found that it serves the purpose during mass building phases, too: it allows you to increase hypertrophy, whilst making sure that the vast majority of any weight gain is lean.
This is Steel Supplements’ best seller. It will help you to pack on lean muscle mass. Whilst not being as potent as an overall mass builder as their 4-Andro, it will ensure that all the weight you put on will be good quality muscle mass. It is an anabolic primer which will bring no water retention or toxicity, whilst delivering hard, lean muscle.
There are none of the usual side effects associated with prohormones with their 1-Andro.
Blackstone Labs AbNORmal
Blackstone Labs’ new 19-NOR DHEA, which they have called AbNORmal, is top of the line. Of course, products like 19 Nor Androst and Nadrolone have been well-known and well-received on the market for a long time. However, 19-NOR DHEA, a precursor to 19-Norandrostenediol, promises up to 95 % bio-availability: near enough every bit of goodness they pack in will be put to use by entering your bloodstream. It’s more efficient, more effective and quicker than most of its competition.
AbNORmal delivers some fantastic results. It’s a pro-anabolic muscle builder, so that lean mass gains will be the norm when you supplement with it. You will find strength and power improving at an alarming rate, and your physique should become far more ripped than you are used to. This will all be on a typical 8-week cycle, during which time your recovery rate and ability to handle higher workloads will also be much improved.
Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals’ Halodrol
High-Tech Pharmaceutical’s offering promises impressive increases in size and strength. Halodrol, one of their all-time most popular products, is an incredibly potent formula guaranteed to spike testosterone levels in a bid to maximise hypertrophy, recovery, energy levels and power output during training. It’s also well-known for delivering enhanced vascularity and a great muscle pump, delivering a swollen, cut look.
Hi-Tech Pharamaceuticals were one of the first supplement companies to sell pro-hormones, meaning that anything they come out with has an almost guaranteed, first-class pedigree. Halodrol’s formula exhibits this nicely. It works quickly and efficiently for outstanding results, delivering a proprietary blend of 1-Andro and 4-Andro which has been proven to enhance muscular endurance, hypertrophy and fat loss.
It should be noted that anything with 4-Andro in it has a chance of being suppressive, so I would always recommend running a 6-10 week cycle and then taking a good quality post cycle therapy (PCT.)
Ironmag Labs Super RX DMZ
Ironmag Lab’s Super RX DMZ is a famously potent prohormone for mass building. It began with the Super DMZ 3’s tenure in the market place, before evolving into the Super RX DMZ we know and love today. It offers 5 different compounds, including 4-Andro and 5-Andro, all designed to work together to maximise lean gains and aggression whilst speeding up fat loss.
You can be guaranteed that you will see intense strength gains, couple with lean hypertrophy, if you decide to go with the Super RX DMZ. As with other prohormones of its kind, you will see your power output noticeably improving. You will also find yourself becoming more aggressive, which can be a complete bonus inside the gym but may need watching out in the real world, and your libido should be boosted.
Ironmag Labs claim that you should see no oestrogen conversion or suppression with the Super RX DMZ. However, I would always run a decent PCT after taking prohormones this potent, just to be safe.
Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals’ Decabolin 19-NOR Andro
Hi-Tech Pharmaceutical’s Decabolin is a truly powerful anabolic stacking prohormone that will lower oestrogen levels, raise testosterone levels and allow you to maximise hypertrophy and power output gains. If you take it, you will build tons of what the manufacturers call ‘dry, lean mass and strength.’ They utilise Cyclosome Delivery Technology- in short, and to dispense with too much jargon- this means that you will see an increase in bioavailability and rates of absorption, meaning that it is incredibly efficient.
The results really are good. You will see a great improvement to hypertrophy, gaining you lean, rock hard mass very quickly. Decabolin also improves power and strength output, as well as giving you a greater ability to deal with higher workloads. You will be shifting much more iron in no time if you cycle Decabolin.
Once more, as with so many other prohormones on the market, they claim that it will not convert to DHT and will have no suppressive effect. I always like to treat these kinds of claims with a pinch of salt and use a decent PCT after completing any kind of prohormone cycle.
LG Sciences Bulking Andro Kit
The LG Sciences Bulking Andro Kit is one of the most comprehensive stacks going. If you’re looking to drastically increase muscle mass, power output and workload capabilities, whilst keeping as lean as is humanly possible, you have to look into it.
Let me list the active ingredients, as taken from the manufacturer’s website, to give you an idea of what you’re getting with the Bulking Andro Kit:
- M1D Andro, 90 Tablets
- 4-Andro, 60 Tablets
- 1-Andro, 60 Tablets
- Form-XT, 90 Tablets
This is intense! You get some of the most powerful mass builders that money can buy. It’s not for the faint hearted. The Bulking Andro Kit will give you a significantly increased appetite, so that you’ll be able to fuel the gains that are about to come your way. Testosterone levels will also leap, meaning an increase in libido, aggression and drive. You will see significant strength and mass gains, whilst bodyfat will either plateau or, most likely, drop.
19-Nor-Androsteron
Nor-Androsteron is often stacked with other prohormones as it acts on different pathways to compounds like 1-Andro. Taking it will give you an increased benefit to mass gaining and performance, speeding up the gains to be made from other prohormone use.
This is one I love when I’m on a strength building program. Powerlifters and strongmen will typically go for 19-Nor-Andro, as will any athlete wanting to sky-rocket their power and strength. It will ramp up your main lifts, allowing you to hit new PR’s every other session. Obviously, this will allow you to pull more weight, leading to greater mass building.
It will give minimal oestrogen conversion and no other side effects.
Stacking Pro Hormones
Many bodybuilders and athletes like to stack several prohormones together for better, speedier results. Do beware of doing so for too long a period, as it will put a long of strain on your body, especially your endocrine system.
I would always recommend investing in a good quality, potent post cycle therapy (PCT.) When you come off your prohormone cycle, make sure to take PCT for at least 4 weeks to ensure that your natural hormonal balance returns unimpeded.
If you’re looking to a mass building phase, any combination of the below supplements will make a good combination. Choose the one you want to take for a 4-8 week cycle, and choose a second one to put in for 2-3 weeks mid-cycle to give the whole deal a boost.
