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February
23, 2001
Issue
# 35
THE
ANDRO SPRAY EXPERIMENT
by Jason Meuller
Approximately
4 weeks ago I proposed the idea of having an objective contest that
would test the effectiveness of Ergopharm’s Andro Spray product.
Ok, ok, we’ve all seen “Physique Transformation
Contests” like this done before, right?
I mean, the before and after picture has become a virtual
standard for supplement marketer these days.
However, what I had in mind was a radical departure from the
norm.
Before
we examine why my idea was so radical, I guess we need to look at
the way most before and after pictorials are produced.
More often than not, the before picture is of a de-trained
athlete, someone who for several months has purposely not been going
to the gym or eating properly in order lose muscle tissue and add
body fat. Then, during
the course of the test period, this athlete, who formerly was
probably in great shape, returns to the dietary practices and
exercise routines that allowed them to look good in the first place.
Inevitably, the subject makes a dramatic change in body
composition during the course of the trial, not because of the
effects of any nutritional supplement, but because their body is
responding so well to eating and exercising properly again.
Cybergenics, the innovators of the before and after shots,
were notorious for having the athletes in their ads de-train for
several months prior to the photo shoot.
Still
yet another way to get a good set of before and after pictures is to
follow the plan set forth by Bill Phillips and EAS.
By utilizing a huge pool of people, you are almost guaranteed
to get a select few that are genetically gifted enough to make
radical physical transformations in a very short period of time.
Anyone who has ever seen the Body of Life video that tells
the story of the 10 contestants who entered the first Body for Life
challenge can attest to the amazing improvements those people made.
The point of the video, and the contest itself, is to make
you believe that EAS supplements played a large part in the success
those people saw during their physical transformation journey.
Perhaps they did, I’m not going to argue the efficacy (or
lack of) of EAS supplements. However,
I would imagine that the 10 contestants who made the final cut would
have seen the same dramatic transformations had they not used these
supplements, simply because they were a function of diet and
exercise, not any particular nutritional product.
Remember, over 50,000 people entered the first EAS
contest.
And
finally, we’ve got the tried and true cosmetic techniques used for
both the before and after pictures.
Like the before pictures where the guy is standing relaxed,
throwing his gut out, looking like Casper the Ghosts paler younger
brother, and the after pictures where the guy is now tanned and
flexing for all he’s worth. And
if you think that some of these companies are not above altering
their after photographs using computer software, think again.
So,
I wanted a way to conduct these Andro Spray trials that would really
test the effectiveness of the product. And to that end, I designed a series of protocols that all 5
subjects were to follow during the 4 week trial.
1.
All
potential candidates must have been natural for at least a year
prior to the test.
2.
All potential
candidates must have been actively weight training at least a year
prior to the test.
3.
All potential
candidates must not deviate from their normal weight training
routine or diet during the 4 week period of the test
4.
All potential
candidates must provide a “before” picture and an “after”
picture with proof (by holding a dated publication in their hand)
that each was taken immediately before and immediately after the 4
week test period.
After
reviewing over a hundred potential applicants, we finally decided on
5 individuals. Below
are the profiles and pictures of each of the 5 participants.
Joe
Gora
Now
Joe is actually a good friend of mine who I contacted after getting
the green light from Pat on the Andro Spray trial.
Joe currently weighs 260 lbs, and has not used any steroids
for over 30 months.
Some
of Joe’s recent lifts:
Barbell
curls- 195 lbs
Bench Press- 405 lbs
Squat- 565 lbs
Deadlifts- 655 lbs
Brian
Nassar
Many
of you who read AE are probably familiar with Brian Nassar, as
he’s had a couple of articles appear on the website.
Brian is currently weighing 220 lbs at 12% body fat.
Some
of Brian’s recent lifts:
Squat- 525 lbs
Bench- 435 lbs
Deadlift- 525 lbs
Brian is a competitive powerlifter, and will be competing again this
summer for the first time in 4 years in bodybuilding. He’s a
full-time student, graduating this summer, with a B.A. in
psychology and a minor in philosophy. He should be starting grad
school this winter to get an M.A. in counseling. He was a late
bloomer in college because he served over 4 years in Alaska, with
the 1-501st Airborne Infantry. He’s also been a certified personal
trainer for years, although now he doesn’t train people
anymore. He’s hoping to set personal records this March 10th in
his next powerlifting meet. His web site is http://www.briannassar.com
Owen
Graham
Owen
is a friend of The Blond Myth’s.
Many of you may remember that TBM was supposed to take part
in the Andro Spray challenge, but backed out as his dieting for his
natural show was going well and he didn’t want to throw any
unknown factors into the mix. Owen
is 26-years old, 5’10”, and weighs 200 lbs.
Owen’s
been lifting since he was a teenager, but started leaning towards
bodybuilding in his 20's. He didn't really start training and dieting consistently
until about 2 years ago. His
first competition was in October of last year.
He placed 5th in the Open Middles, weighing in at 168 lbs.
He’s taking 2001 off from competition to gain more size and
is looking to put on 15-20 lbs before competing again.
Scott
Dickson
Scott
Dickson is 34 years old and has been lifting since he was 15.
He is a lifetime natural and currently weighs 191 lbs.
Adam
Brasic
Adam
is a lifetime natural weighing in at 160 lbs on a 5’8” frame.
He’s 21 years old.
So
there you have them folks, our five test subjects. In about 5-6 weeks, we’ll print the results of the Andro
Spray trials, with after pictures and commentary from each of the
five subjects. This
testing is going on as I write this, and most of our testers started
using the product on Monday, February 19th.
Finally,
I’d like to thank Pat Arnold for having the courage to test one of
his products in this fashion. Pat
recently sent me a link to a website where he’s posted some pics
of himself, and all I can say is, WOW!
Clearly a man who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk
as well.
Pat
Arnold
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