Ranger School and PH/PS

[Kraker]

My roomate will be attending Ranger school and wants to know if it would be wise to get some extra weight,size and strength before he starts. He wants to do a short cycle about 4 weeks prior to school. He is 5'11" @ 161Lbs(Very Lean). I do not have much experience with hormones or roids. He is looking for mainly an oral cycle as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[dg806]

Extra weight will be harder to lug around when running, and exercise. I would think you would want to be as light as you could to help that. He can concentrate on size later IMO.

 

[Kraker]

You need all the weigth you can get for ranger school. Escpecially him. An MRE a day = suckfest all in its self haha

 

[Zero V]

well dont forget, if he runs something 4 weeks prior, he still has to have a PCT.... thats more time.

 

[Prometherion]

No, he'll lose it all. I know a handful of Rangers and they all lose a ton of weight.

 

[Kraker]

Yes he will lose it all. He just wants some added weight and strength before he leaves. Anything he can cycle for like 2 weeks and then pct for 2?

 

[Zero V]

Personally, he should just go with the flow. What say something happens after its all said and done while he is at ranger school, some small gyno, or he cant sleep right, etc, etc.....the if it something goes wrong and it becomes an issue then the military may find out about is foray with steroids.

Even though many soldiers do it, they dont when in training or school....

 

[Rugger]

If he adds weight before he leaves it will be that much more difficult for him losing all the weight. More weight equal higher caloric need. As you said yourself, 1 MRE. I'd rather have that 1 MRE working for 160# of bw as opposed to say 180#.

 

[Zero V]

If he adds weight before he leaves it will be that much more difficult for him losing all the weight. More weight equal higher caloric need. As you said yourself, 1 MRE. I'd rather have that 1 MRE working for 160# of bw as opposed to say 180#.

another very good point. When i weighed 130 i only needed...like...nothing to live. Now that i am bouncing near 145, i already eat alot more, I know once I am 155-160 I will be a calorie menace.

What good does the extra muscle do when he will lose it all, and run unneeded risks.

 

[Kraker]

Personally, he should just go with the flow. What say something happens after its all said and done while he is at ranger school, some small gyno, or he cant sleep right, etc, etc.....the if it something goes wrong and it becomes an issue then the military may find out about is foray with steroids.

Even though many soldiers do it, they dont when in training or school....

My main concern was Gyno or blood pressure. Thanks for the input.

If he adds weight before he leaves it will be that much more difficult for him losing all the weight. More weight equal higher caloric need. As you said yourself, 1 MRE. I'd rather have that 1 MRE working for 160# of bw as opposed to say 180#.

Also a very good point which I did not consider. So thank you.


I told him he would have no problem doing a cycle, but that his PCT would be messed up and that is just as important(if not more important) than his roid cycle. I will spread the word over to him. Thank you thank you thank you for the input.

 

[crazilyfter42]

I dont think its worth the risk. He will be pushed through physical limits during ranger school. Doing this with raised blood pressure and cholestorol will only put him at risk. Not to mention medical issues could force him to drop out of the school. Lets not forget about the back/calf pumps that could ruin him while training. I know sometimes it takes me a week or two after my cycle for those pumps to be fully gone.

 

[Jetta]

Dude - Are you going to actual ranger school or the RIP? Ranger school feeds you more than an MRE a day - lol. That said, it's not exactly a comfortable calorie intake either.

For the most part anyone in good shape can handle it. BUT, the million dollar question: can you handle it at a calorie deficit, without sleep, in poor weather conditions, with ridiculous physical and mental fatigue and under pressure to make critical decisions? This is where most guys wash out.

I hope it's clear that this is more mental than anything. A self inflicted hormonal imbalance right before you leave is about the worst possible thing you could do. Just rest up, get your whits about you and go get it. Don't ****-off with pH's right now.

Good luck down there. Get through that and everything else will seem easy

 

[Highlanda01602]

I agree with the post above. All hormonal talk aside, you do not want to be training at full intensity just before the beginning of a training school. You should be progressively deloading, ie cutting back on PT and getting plenty of rest. If he's busting his balls one week prior so that he can keep the weight he put on, he will be putting himself on the fasttrack to burnout at the school.

I recently graduated from USMC Officer Candidate School, so I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass. I took an entire week off, and it paid off dividends. Training schools aren't sprints, they're marathons... he needs to be at his best, and that means progressive deloading from at least 2 weeks out.

By the way, 5.11 @ 161 is not out of the ordinary. In "bodybuilding" it might be light, but that doesn't mean a thing when it comes down to performance.

 

[CopyCat]

Highlanda did I know you were a Marine Corps Officer? Congrats, I'm a Corpsman

My opinion - NO, he should not do any PH/steroids before school. I am a Navy Corpsman and am currently training for and dropping a package to go with Marine Recon. I have some experience with this kind of stuff just to let you know.

It will only hinder his chances for these reasons...

- Medical side effects combined with the kind of physical stress from school will be a very very bad thing!
- The more muscle mass you have the more oxygen it requires making running more difficult and Ranger school will be Sh*t ton of running...I promise.
- He won't be able to use his extra weight to feed off of long enough anyways.
- They are most certainly not going to allow him to take supps during school other that a multi vitamin, protien, and vitamin C. At least that's the way it is with BUD/s and recon, even creatine is banned in those schools so he may not be able to complete a PCT.

What he does want to do...
- Eat healthy, but not be so concerned about a six pack
- Crossfit like a mofo...all the the SF guys swear by it, Recon, SEALs, SF, etc. It's far more functional than "bodybuilding"
- Get a good running regimen going
- Swim, a lot
- Scale back training as school approaches, you do NOT want to over train. Does you no good to show up with stress fractures.
- Strength, Stamina, and endurance are what count not size!

The guys who make it through these kinds of schools more often than not have a triathlon type body etc. and not the bodybuilder type.

Bottom line if he is in shape then 5'11 161lbs won't matter and as long as he doesn't quit he'll be straight.

Best of luck to your buddy

 

[CopyCat]

Here's a link with a some god tips.

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/army-special-operations/weight-gain-for-ranger-school

 

[Highlanda01602]

Corpsman Copycat! Top notch info, nice posting and a solid link. Kraker, take Copycat's advice to heart, as it couldn't have come from a better source. He knows his stuff.

For the sake of clarification Copycat, I just want to say that I'm not a Marine Officer just yet. I graduated out of Quantico this past summer, but I'm currently back at school rounding out my senior college courses to get my degree... can't wait to commission this spring. How cool would it be to run into you sometime in the fleet.

Keep us tuned with your training for Recon! Motivating!