Issue 7
Surfing the Boards
With Big Whammy

The snow is long gone and I'm basking in the seventy-degree sunshine. Surfing the boards a little less than last month but definitely been around. A lot of exciting things are happening here at Anabolic Extreme. We will be selling scary cool t-shirts to raise capital towards taking this baby to print. Jason has endured personal hardships of late, but has risen above it with a new level of enthusiasm for the site, and maybe life in general...you go big guy.

Hey Bros, I've been catchin' some gnarly waves on the boards - did you see my honesty thread? I revealed some not so flattering information about myself, and spoke of how body building probably saved my life. How can you reach your goals if you lie to the people from whom you want help? Yes I had a hidden agenda, I wanted to see what board was more receptive to some brutal honesty, something we don't see enough of in my opinion. I posted it on AE and got honest responses from Gynofree, MMx2, KO, Kazfan, Double G, Csel, Python (great pics), Bustinout, Timothy McCormick, Hawker330, Neil Ganson, Tyrone Siothrop, BrianRussell, Badman, Tiny Tim, Body Chem aka Dante, Murph Henderson, UGWarpig, and Killer Bee. At Anabolex I got responses from Cliff Ferrel, Speedy, bscool, and Rick Tabb. Sadly at the UG, only two real responses by C_Horse and Toe Fungus. Thanks to all the responders! Others posted but I only counted the guys who gave their stats and history with the sport. My point? Honesty will carry you far in life and on the boards.

I know I promised to talk about sources and security issues last issue, but due to this month's interview, I don't feel enough has been said about last month's topic. To review, in your dealings on the boards, whether with sources or each other, your reputation for being honest is your greatest asset. If Dorian Yates were to post today, no one would believe it was him.

On the other hand, if you are friends with known established veterans and have a reputation for being honest, your word is gold. Sources are more likely to front an order to someone who is known and respected (yes, this happens all the time, you just don't see it posted too often). A level of trust far beyond all the scammer threads you see, is commonplace for people with a good rep.

"How do I go about establishing myself?", you ask. Find a home board and put up some well thought out, entertaining, and educational threads. Funny is good, but stupid is stupid and there's a fine line. You shouldn't flame people unless there is a good reason. However, a well-timed flame can also make you a hero. On the Extreme Forum, Python and MMx2 are so polite I can't believe it. I recently posted how much I respected this, but my Anabolex training took over and I flamed some poor lost Mr. Natural to a crisp. I try to restrain myself and I usually do, but I couldn't take someone calling dedicated, hard training body builders "loser drug addicts". Your personal barriers are up to you, but it is important to be consistent unless someone genuinely changes your mind.

Being able to admit you're wrong is also important. We are all here to learn from each other. It would be the peak of arrogance to assume you're always right. You can agree to disagree in a civil manner, or you may be enlightened by a fresh perspective that leads to a new level of growth, physically and emotionally.

As you know, the board profiled this month is Anabolex.com. It's where I started out, and where most of the vets around today started as well. It has been around at least five and a half years, has seen good times and bad, but has managed to regroup into one of the best boards around today. Flex Davis has been a monitor longer than anyone else I know of, so without further ado, my interview with Mr. Flex.

BW: How long has Anabolex been around?

Flex: Roughly around 6 years or so

BW: Why is Brian so mysterious?

Flex: I just want to give thanks to Brian for running the board with no charge to the people.

BW: What shut down the board over last Christmas?

Flex: What shut the board down over last Christmas? The server said inappropriate material, blah, blah said needed it to be monitored more, someone could have complained or all this could have been a smoke screen for a fuck up by them, just never know.

BW: Will there ever be an Anabolex without monitor approval again?

Flex: Well not sure, most nights when I'm on the board I switch it off and people can post, if i'm just in and out then its on approval, but someday I hope it will be able to be turned off and not have to fool with it, but for now its on.

BW: What does the future hold for the board?

Flex: Hopefully, it will keep getting better and the members will continue to get more educated and it's a rolling over effect which will help everyone. Maybe someday a new type of login and stuff will allow us to go back the old way but its hard to say. Upgrading profiles and links and training articles and a lot of additional stuff, the credit is not only mine and Brian's but also the other monitors which at this time is Testy, Deuce, GUY, Spydie, Draco and our tech man for the site is BTM, bigtechman and he is also doing a very good job with the site and without the members and vets of the board there would be no board.

BW:So in our private emails, you have let me in on some of your rules - care to elaborate for our readers?

Flex:As far as rules go, I think everybody needs to set up, I call 'em rules, might be better to call them parameters, everybody needs to operate under on the boards I think over the years you learn them from experience. Number one thing is for anything you don't give out any personal information. I'm very shy about phone numbers, very shy about what I do. On the net, I don't care how much you trust a guy, how much you think about a guy, over time you build up trust where you at least will give pieces of it, but you never give the full ante 'cause realistically you don't know who's there until you actually meet 'em. That's just part of it. I can count on one hand, over five and a half years, guys that I've actually called on the phone and people I've actually talked to. I don't talk on phones, phones are traps 'cause they can be traced.

BW:I appreciate you trusting me.

Flex: And you're on that one hand. Used to be a finger or two even less on that hand. And that's five and a half years, I know guys that give out their phone numbers left and right. I'm saying don't be a dumbass. Now what you're doing calling and doing articles and shit like that, you can get by with it. But other people, it's really stupid. Cause all you have to do is put a backward trace on a phone number. I've been working on spoofing phone numbers and spoofing computers.

BW: I was thinking about a fake ID.

Flex: Now that's a real good idea, man if people are using a bunch of stuff and they're nervous about getting it and they have access to a fake ID then that's a real good idea. People need to take certain precautions, you know, regarding what information they give out. I mean you try to build up trust and friendships and stuff and you need to do it, but you always do it over a period of time. Over a period of time, you'll see how people truly are just by talking to 'em. I've even met a couple of folks from the board before out on vacation, and introduced them to my family. Me and Deuce are tight. It can be done, but it still has to be done within safety.

BW: Go ahead and list all your rules. You're obviously a successful and prominent member of the board who has eluded being busted for a long time. Your rules could probably save these guys years of trial and error.

Flex: First, if you're a member of the board and you're just a BB, powerlifter, or whatever you are, you're not a source, then these rules should be followed. First, I'm not a source no matter how many times I get asked it, I still tell people I'm not a source, 'cause I ain't a source. Never give out personal information on the net, never give 'em a solid real name, always use some fake part of the name.

BW: I find with faking stuff, it's always good to use a little bit of reality because it makes it easier to remember.

Flex: Initials are great. You could almost use your own initials, but use a middle initial instead of your first initial. Use initials because there are so many variances. Other rules are, if something sounds too good, it's too good. Don't worry about it, go on to something else. Another rule is this, even though I'm who I am on the boards, I still check references. Just because someone gives you an email addy, that doesn't mean it's real.

BW: It's easy to go set up 20 hotmail accounts and be your own references.

Flex: Always go to the board and find where they posted and copy their email from the board because it's so easy for them to leave a letter out and you can click on [their email addy] and later you say "I emailed you and this guy didn't send me shit". Always check for references. Check references out, and bottom line is, it still ain't no guarantee.

BW: It still could get snagged by customs...it ain't Wal-Mart, like you say.

Flex: It ain't like walking into Wal-Mart and getting it. If a guy takes two or three weeks, well it takes two or three weeks - you can't go to Wal-Mart and pick it up.

BW: The problem with that is if the guy tells you two or three days and takes two or three weeks, he's broken one of my rules.

Flex: Sources that promise two, three, four days 99% of the time, if they're legit, they don't get it to you in no three or four days.

BW: You shouldn't promise what you can't do, that's one of my rules.

Flex: Exactly right, and you shouldn't. I know too many of them that have and they're legit and everything, and they still promise it and they don't pull it off.

BW: I'm not a big fan of these re-mailer sources that basically don't have shit when you order and then they order it from their guy because if there's a problem with them getting it, then you're fucked.

Flex: They're just the middle-man,that's all they are. Another rule is for other people and I get pissed off sometimes when people ask me, but you never start a cycle until you have……..

BW and Flex in unison: EVERYTHING.

Flex: A guy called me said I'm on my last week of deca and my clomid didn't come through, I said "number one rule - you don't start something you can't finish." He said "yeah but I know a lot of things" and I said "yeah, but that don't help you a bit. But what I will do, I'll make sure you get some". That's stupid, but he had it in a week and everything was fine. What gets me though, is a lot of it is just common sense.

BW: No doubt.

Flex: Anyway, that's basically the parameters of what I go by. If somebody gives me their word and they don't follow through with their word or if they take and exaggerate a time over what they've told me, then I'm not gonna fool with 'em. That's just part of my rule, thank you, I used you yeah, he's legit, but he took four and a half weeks to get me my stuff. I tell it exactly the way it is...I'm for the guys on the board if I can't be bought.

BW: You don't even take samples, do you?

Flex: I don't take samples, the only thing I do take is fronts when I get my fronts I send them the money. And I pay whatever people pay on their list. On the boards, the only thing you got to go by is what my Dad used to tell me, "a man's only got his word to go by." You only got your rep to go on. Once it's gone, that name is through. It makes no difference if a guy's 5' 8", 240 lbs., and 8% body fat, or if the guy's 5'8", 165 lbs., and 12% body fat, you don't know it, cause he's stroking the key on the keyboard and you don't know what he is, and truthfully until you meet him eye to eye. Me and Deuce knows what each other looks like cause we faced each other and we drank beers together.

BW: What do you see as the purpose of the Anabolex messasge board?

Flex: The purpose is education. The purpose is to teach new guys. The purpose is to teach old guys. Just to have a board where everybody can sound off and learn and it's all about educating each other, even if you're a 3 or 4 year vet, it makes no difference 'cause you still can learn. Everybody can learn, I can learn, you can learn.

BW: I've been doing the same trade for 20 years and I learn new things everyday. It's all about your attitude.

Flex: Right, and the main thing of it, and where people receive the most from the boards, are the newbies. They benefit the most because they have absolutely no idea.

BW: I have more respect for someone who will go out and buy a copy of WAR and at least read that first.

Flex: When I first got on, I read the boards. I would punch in a drug name and do searches on it. Man, I'd spend hours and hours just looking up shit like that.

BW: How do you see Anabolex as different from the other boards?

Flex: Anabolex is more of a I almost call it like a free base type board, where even though monitor approval has been implemented on the board, it's still more of a free base... we don't check sources out for people. We don't board approve. It's something the Anabolex board doesn't do, I told the monitors I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

BW: Because then if somebody does get ripped-off it's your fault.

Flex: I had a guy email me that his buddy had got ripped-off, I'm talking a couple of thousand dollars. I said "did he check his references or anything?" He says "no". I say well if a guy's not smart enough to do that why don't you mail me a couple grand? I mean if they are not going to check the bases first before they send off, never send more than you're willing to lose. Don't think that the guy will be impressed if you send a couple thousand dollars, never send more than you're willing to lose.

BW: What are the usual hours that the board is monitored?

Flex: Most of it is monitored from 7:30 to 8:00 AM - that's going to be Eastern time - until at least 12:00 or 1:00 AM. That's going to be half hour or hour spurts in between there. Generally between me, Guy, Testy, and Draco, we're gonna be in and out of there. Me personally, you can just about bet I'll be in there between 9:00 to 12:00.

BW: Seems like you're always there.

Flex: Yeah, if I could ever get through all the emails...

BW: (laughing) I guess I'd better let you get back to it then. I enjoyed it.

Flex: Me too.

Copyright 2000 Jason Meuller and Anabolic Extreme. This material may not be copied, reproduced, or transmitted without the express written permission of the copyright owners.

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