Episode

#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
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2:34:28
Published: Wed Mar 02 2016
Description

At the behest of my astute legal counsel, here is a legal disclaimer for this episode: First, I am not recommending, endorsing, or supporting any of the substances or compounds (especially illegal) discussed or described in the interview. I am interviewing Patrick Arnold as a journalist seeking additional information regarding matters of public interest and concern. Second, I have removed some of the names of athletes who are alleged to have used performance enhancing drugs. I recognize that this seems excessive, but even if athletes have been publicly banned for drug usage, unless the ban relates to the specific substance and time period referenced in the podcast, I can be sued for defamation for repeating or publicizing these stories. With all that said, here we go... If you liked my episode with Dom D'Agostino, you might love this one. Patrick Arnold, widely considered “the father of prohormones," is an organic chemist known for introducing androstenedione (remember Mark McGwire?), 1-Androstenediol (marketed as “1-AD”), and methylhexanamine into the dietary supplement market. He also created the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, best known as THG and "the clear." THG, along with two other anabolic steroids that Patrick manufactured (best known: norbolethone), were not banned at the time of their creation. They were hard-to-detect drugs at the heart of the BALCO professional sports doping scandal, which thrust Barry Bonds and others into the spotlight. BALCO distributed these worldwide to world-class athletes in a wide variety of sports, ranging from track and field to professional baseball and football. Recently, Patrick has been innovating in the legal world of ketone supplementation, including breakthroughs in performance and taste with products like KetoForce and KetoCaNa, which were highlighted during my podcast with Dominic D'Agostino, PhD. If you'd like to meet the (in)famous Patrick Arnold in person, you can find him at The Arnold Classic in Colombus, Ohio from March 3-6, 2016 at Booth 328. Otherwise, you can check out his current concoctions for athletes here and here. In this science-dense conversation, we cover a ton, mostly related to better performance through chemistry. We also discuss Patrick's biggest successes and mistakes, his path to science, ursolic acid and other clever creations, exogenous ketone supplementation for sports, as well as nonsense in the media about anabolics (e.g. current Delta-2 scandal). Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
The 5 Bullet Friday Newsletter is a weekly email that delivers five bullet points of the coolest things found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, supplements, gadgets, new self-experiments, hacks, and tricks.
00:00 - 01:48 (01:48)
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Newsletter
Summary

The 5 Bullet Friday Newsletter is a weekly email that delivers five bullet points of the coolest things found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, supplements, gadgets, new self-experiments, hacks, and tricks. The newsletter is popular among millions of subscribers and provides a short and action-packed summary.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
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Athletic Greens
Summary

Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with the first subscription purchase of their all-in-one formula in order to support immunity, gut health, and energy.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
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The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares how studying organic chemistry inspired his interest in making various substances, including recreational ones, and the learning experience that followed.
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Chemistry
Summary

The speaker shares how studying organic chemistry inspired his interest in making various substances, including recreational ones, and the learning experience that followed.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the guest talks about pro hormones and androgens that are one or two steps away from testosterone and their advantages compared to 1AD and 1 testosterone.
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Pro hormones, Androgens
Summary

In this podcast episode, the guest talks about pro hormones and androgens that are one or two steps away from testosterone and their advantages compared to 1AD and 1 testosterone. The guest also talks about the potential legislation against these compounds and their impact in the bodybuilding community.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
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26:04 - 31:11 (05:07)
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Summary

The speaker discusses some people's hesitation towards using a certain product and compares its strength to organic chemistry bonds.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast hosts discuss the risks and rewards of drugs, including prescription painkillers such as Demerol and recreational drugs.
31:11 - 36:29 (05:18)
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Drugs
Summary

The podcast hosts discuss the risks and rewards of drugs, including prescription painkillers such as Demerol and recreational drugs. They also touch on the learning experience that comes with using these substances and the risks that come with being on the cutting edge.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
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36:29 - 42:30 (06:01)
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Drug Addiction
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The speaker shares his experience of struggling with drug addiction and how it taught him to respect drugs, especially those with addictive properties. He also recounts having to use opiates under medical supervision and in a hospital setting.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
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The fat associated with metabolic syndrome is known as visceral fat and is found between the organs. Insulin taken without proper food and dosage can potentially lead to hypoglycemia, coma, and death.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The effectiveness of IGF-1 is due to its ability to bind to IGFBP3, which titrates it and delivers it to the tissues.
48:09 - 59:32 (11:22)
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IGF-1
Summary

The effectiveness of IGF-1 is due to its ability to bind to IGFBP3, which titrates it and delivers it to the tissues. However, some people believe that IGF-1 that does not bind to binding proteins is better, but the opposite is true, as the body breaks it down almost immediately.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
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59:32 - 1:05:15 (05:43)
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Supplement Marketing
Summary

Tim Caulfield recounts his experience with a supplement marketer who did a dubious study, and discusses the importance of evidence-based marketing in the wellness industry.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
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1:05:15 - 1:09:53 (04:37)
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Chemicals
Summary

The speaker talks about their ability to work with TCI, a large distributor of chemicals from China, to get you whatever chemical you want, mentioning the price difference between buying a gram through a research chemical company and getting it through TCI.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A misconception that people make is believing that a drug with a good anabolic androgenic ratio can be taken at any dose without any androgenic effects.
1:09:54 - 1:15:52 (05:57)
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Anabolic and Androgenic Drugs
Summary

A misconception that people make is believing that a drug with a good anabolic androgenic ratio can be taken at any dose without any androgenic effects. The Balco story reveals how many people were involved in illegal drug usage without being held accountable, and low androgenic drugs are only low at a minimally anabolic dose.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The transcript discusses various steroids such as nurbolatone and gestronone, their testing protocols and how they became known as THG or "the clear."
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Steroids
Summary

The transcript discusses various steroids such as nurbolatone and gestronone, their testing protocols and how they became known as THG or "the clear."

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The combination of blood thinners and steroids, especially oral steroids, can lead to excessive bleeding and other complications, although the exact reasons for this are not entirely clear.
1:21:57 - 1:28:51 (06:54)
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Summary

The combination of blood thinners and steroids, especially oral steroids, can lead to excessive bleeding and other complications, although the exact reasons for this are not entirely clear.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Using a library database of genes and MRNA expression signatures, researchers identified genes related to catabolism or anabolism in muscle, as well as the mechanisms and hormones involved in muscle growth.
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Muscle Growth
Summary

Using a library database of genes and MRNA expression signatures, researchers identified genes related to catabolism or anabolism in muscle, as well as the mechanisms and hormones involved in muscle growth.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker is unsure if they have taken basic chemistry in college, but has learned most of what they know through self experimentation.
1:36:30 - 1:46:50 (10:20)
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Chemistry
Summary

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Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The use of ketone salts in athletic performance has been on the rise, with teams at the Tour de France using them.
1:46:50 - 1:56:41 (09:50)
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Ketone Salts
Summary

The use of ketone salts in athletic performance has been on the rise, with teams at the Tour de France using them. Ketone salts can be expensive but are believed to provide a boost in athletic performance.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker suggests that those on a ketogenic diet who are also working out might benefit from taking ketone supplements before exercising to provide additional fuel and maintain blood sugar levels.
1:56:41 - 2:03:58 (07:17)
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Ketogenic Diet
Summary

The speaker suggests that those on a ketogenic diet who are also working out might benefit from taking ketone supplements before exercising to provide additional fuel and maintain blood sugar levels. The decision to use supplements should be based on research and other related publications.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The conversation involves discussing a supplement that includes essential amino acids and anti-aging drugs.
2:03:58 - 2:12:25 (08:26)
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Health and Fitness
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The conversation involves discussing a supplement that includes essential amino acids and anti-aging drugs. They also discuss their workout routines and how they combine certain workouts together.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on how they grew their reputation on the internet by belittling people, primarily athletes.
2:12:25 - 2:22:37 (10:11)
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Personal Growth
Summary

The speaker reflects on how they grew their reputation on the internet by belittling people, primarily athletes. They also mention a product they made which was later given to athletes. They plan to change their behavior in the future.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker questions the validity of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS) and whether they are just a new version of anabolic steroids with similar effects.
2:22:37 - 2:31:11 (08:34)
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SARMS
Summary

The speaker questions the validity of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS) and whether they are just a new version of anabolic steroids with similar effects. Higher dosages of SARMS can lead to androgenic effects.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss introduces Five Bullet Friday, a weekly newsletter where he shares the coolest things he's found or pondered over the week.
2:31:11 - 2:34:17 (03:05)
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Newsletters
Summary

Tim Ferriss introduces Five Bullet Friday, a weekly newsletter where he shares the coolest things he's found or pondered over the week.

Episode
#143: The World's Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show