Research Update

New 'Steroid Alternative' Packs on Insane Size & Strength

Novice Bodybuilders Gained 600% More Muscle; Added 9 Times More Biceps Girth; Increased Bench Press by 30 Pounds...

A new dietary supplement containing a pair of specialized fatty acid "growth factors" is the hottest thing going in amateur athletics — but not without controversy.  

Critics say the compound — a cis-9, trans-11 isomer from conjugated linioleic acids provided in the controversial, new supplement C9-T11 — gives athletes an "unfair advantage" and their use should be prohibited by athletes. 

Proponents argue research shows the compounds to be both safe and effective and that banning the natural compounds is like trying to prohibit athletes from consuming creatine, which is also isolated from natural sources.

One thing people on both sides can agree on is the controversial muscle builder works. According to a recent study published in the journal Medicine & Science & Sports and Medicine, novice weight trainers who took these compounds for seven weeks experienced a 600% increase in lean muscle growth, including a 9-fold increase in biceps girth.

Another study published in the same journal found that in weight-training athletes, these growth factors increased overall muscle strength by 202 percent within just 6 weeks — with zero side effects. 

Fair Game or Unfair Advantage?

Word-of-mouth marketing has led to C9-T11 rivaling creatine and pre-workout nitric oxide (NO2) supplements as the most popular natural performance-enhancers in amateur athletic locker rooms.

However, critics say these compounds too closely mimic the effects of anabolic steroids and that their use should be prohibited by athletes. 

To be sure, steroids, similar to these compounds, work in large part by minimizing the catabolic effects of cortisol, allowing for greater amino acid uptake, nitrogen retention, and protein synthesis.

Many sports scientists, however, say the compounds are a viable alternative to dangerous performance-enhancing drugs. They point to the fact that these compounds are isolated from natural food sources, and are therefore no different, ethically, from high-carbohydrate food mixes for aerobic athletes. Besides, they say research has shown them to be medically safe and that we should emphasize that the alternative to these natural compounds is steroids.

"Unreal Size and Strength Gains"

Whether or not using C9-T11 constitutes "cheating" doesn't concern the thousands of athletes and fitness buffs using it.

Clay Sullivan, an amateur athlete from Boston, MA, writes: "The gains in muscle size and strength I'm seeing with C9-T11 is UNREAL. 

"With other supplements I've used, I thought I could 'kinda sorta' notice a difference, but this is ridiculous. C9-T11 is the first supplement I've used where I could actually notice vivid gains in muscle size. After my first 30-day 'cycle,' I've packed on over 10 pounds of muscle, and my strength has literally gone through the roof. After 60 days, I've gained 20 pounds while actually losing bodyfat."

Another believer is Dennis Halpern, a 56-year-old construction contractor from Santa Monica, CA. "I’ve never really been much of a supplement user. But when I recently heard about how C9-T11 works and read the results from other people who have used this product, I figured I better give this stuff a try.

"To my surprise, after 3 weeks on C9-T11, I put on 10 solid pounds and when I work out, my muscles get so pumped, my shirt sleeves feel like they’re going to split open. People at the gym are asking me what I’m doing to get so make such fast gains and I tell them about C9-T11. For me, it works.”

You Be the Judge...

Does C9-T11 deliver "steroid-like" muscle-growth effects? Well, judge for yourself. While the supplement is not expected to hit national retail shelves until later this year, a limited number of bottles are available by the supplement's maker, TeamANR, from their website.

The website offers a 100% risk-free trial of the product, with each serving working out to be just 62 cents — less than what you'd spend on a sugary McDonald's soda. Is it a natural alternative to steroids? We'll let you be the judge.