Bodybuilding and Steroids: Is the “Juice” for You?

Today, many professional bodybuilders (e.g., Mr. Olympia), athletes, and wrestlers depend on steroids to compete. This is not a secret nor has it been for awhile now.

Steroids are quite effective at enhancing the physique to meet the standards in top level bodybuilding competition and they can dramatically improve an athletes performance to help them meet the demands in today’s athletic arena.

However, the question is whether or not steroids are for you. In this article, we’re going to take a brief look at the world of steroids so you can determine this. Read on…

What Steroids Can and Can’t Do For You

If you’re trying to compete in the upper echelon of bodybuilding and sports, steroids can do a lot for you. They will even be necessary in many, if not most cases. This is unfortunate but reality, so we’re not going to sugarcoat things here.

That being said, steroids are definitely not the ideal solution for everyone because of the risk involved, thus, this article isn’t a recommendation but an informational piece. Absolutely consult your doctor if you’re considering taking steroids.

Caution aside, steroids can help turn your bodybuilding or athletic dreams into reality. They are the reason why some people transform from being slim to super ripped in just a few months or why some athletes seemingly possess superhuman abilities. The better genetics you have, the more capable your body will respond to steroids too.

Apart from genetics, your drive and lifestyle plays a big role in the performance and muscle gains you receive. This is why it’s important to optimize the perfect environment for the growth of your muscles. Following a healthy lifestyle where you can allow yourself to eat properly and get adequate sleep is equally important as your training and cycles.

Never skip your meals and try to lead a stress free life. You may use every type of supplement available on the market and get firsthand information about training and nutrition from websites, books, or magazines, but there are things you will want to do and things you won’t want to do when it comes using steroids.

When you first introduce steroids into your life, be aware of the fact that it will make a huge difference in your overall day-to-day life, even your attitude and mood. Also, remember to keep in mind that steroids will not build your muscles on their own without proper training and diet.

Steroids are a very powerful agent no doubt and they will certainly complement your hard work and dedication but they are not the be-all-end-all for building muscle. Remember, steroids are an enhancer, hence the term, performance enhancing drugs. Hard work in the gym and dialing in your nutrition is still required.

It is unpredictable to say how much you can benefit from steroids because all of our bodies react to them in a different manner, but it is safe to say most of you will see dramatic improvements in your performance and physique, if done right that is.

Ultimately, though, it is only you who can answer this query after months of experimenting with steroids. But again, be cautious and consult a doctor or specialist, and no, we are not talking about a local gym bro.

Bulking Up on Roids: A Closer Look

The one aim that the majority of steroids users have in mind is building a huge freaking body. This will no doubt be attainable one day for many of us, but before that, it is important that you have a solid foundation of muscle and a training and nutrition program designed to match.

The best steroids for building sheer muscle mass always constitute at least one of the more highly androgenic compounds like Testosterone, Dianabol or Anadrol. With them, you can use or mix something that leans more towards the anabolic end of the spectrum.

Deca is one of the most popular steroids to combine with androgen. Lately, Trenbolone Acetate is also becoming increasingly popular to occupy the top of the list. Same is the case with Equipoise and Winstrol. Some of the effective combinations for best results are listed below:

• Test/Deca
• D-bol/Equipoise/Winstrol
• Test/tren/d-bol
• Test/tren/deca

There can be many good combinations apart from these. Choose and mix them wisely from whatever is available and affordable to you. The dosage prescribed varies from person to person. You must always start with your dosage as low as possible. Although it is quite common to increase the intake as you engage in more cycles to get good results.

Yet again, though, if you do decide to use steroids, consulting a doctor or specialist is absolutely recommended to minimize the risk involved. A specialist will help you dial-in your dosing and more. Be safe, the importance of safety can’t be stressed enough.

Notes on Training: Steroids vs Natural

When it comes to training, the advantage of steroids is that they help you make steady progress, even when you train with greater intensity, higher volume, and frequency. Steroids dramatically cut down on recovery time, thus allowing you to hit the gym with greater intensity and frequency.

It is almost illogical and impossible to believe any “drug-free” guy who claims his Jay Cutler status was natural and without drugs. We’re not saying a natural bodybuilder can’t get madly ripped, however, steroids when utilized will almost always take one to a whole new level of raw power, pain, rage, and mind blowing pumps.

As a natural bodybuilder, it may be quite frustrating to work so hard and all you get is occasional dribbles of growth every month, when your buddy on steroids blows up like a balloon in the same time frame.

Overtraining and other issues, however, are more problematic for steroids users because you have plenty of extra hormones to repair muscle tissue damage and synthesize proteins at an accelerated rate. It’s very easy to get carried away in the gym and many do so.

As a natural bodybuilder, you are less likely to overtrain and damage your body in the long run so this is an obvious plus when it comes to training natural. The overall risk level for natural folks is far less on just about every level too. This means no ball shrinking, increased overtraining risk, diminished sperm count, or an increase in heart size. The list of steroid woes is much longer so do your research and grill your specialist or doctor if you decide to transition from a natural to enhanced bodybuilder.

At the end of the day, steroids can turn you into a beast in and out of the gym and if you want to risk your body and overall health, it’s ultimately up to you. A buddy of mine, a powerlifter, introduced roids into his training and he got shredded like you wouldn’t believe, and he started killing the weights even more than before. I once asked him if it was worth it and his reply was simply, “Yes, look at me bro, I’m a beast.”

Notes on Nutrition: Steroids vs Natural

Eating is one of the most important aspects to pay attention to while you are trying to gain muscle, and whether you’re a casual gym goer or a natural or steroid enhanced bodybuilder, proper nutrition is imperative if you want to see results. There is no exception here, nutrition is one of the major keys to rapid success when it comes to muscle building, steroids or not.

There’s a reason why you see Mr. Olympia level bodybuilders consuming a shitload of food each and every day. The body needs insane amounts of fuel to fuel such insane muscle growth, and food is that primary substance. Supplements are also incorporated into their overall nutrition program to help them fulfill their increased fuel requirements.

There are two significant aspects to keep in mind. They are protein intake and total calories. It is especially true if you are a hard-gainer who wants to build your ectomorphic body. Even for a hard-gainer, making gains in muscle mass can be a great struggle without steroids, with the intake of only “clean” food as your path to growth.

In conclusion, the nutrition requirements are similar for natural and drug enhanced bodybuilders alike. For example, protein is the building block of muscle tissue and as your performance demands and muscle building goals increase, so too will your protein requirements. The same goes for the other macronutrients required to fuel your body and growth.

Getting Ripped While Maintaining Muscle Mass

You may refer to the article “Steroids for Dieting” by Cy Wilson who has given a very vivid view of the whole phenomenon of maintaining muscle mass.

Steroids have a great advantage for bodybuilders who prepare for contests. For example, by incorporating them with your regular diet one can interestingly enough lower their protein requirements. Apart from this, with steroids you can also do quite a bit of cardiovascular training without being concerned with the dangers of losing lean muscle tissue while shedding the body fat.

The requirements and dose of the steroids depends upon how lean you wish to get, except if you are on a mass gaining cycle. If you happen to get down to low, single digit body fat levels, it may be harmful on all the other systems of the body. Having six packs like the Body-for-Life ones can hardly be considered as ripped. It is all about cross-striations on your pecs, triceps, serratus, quads, and traps.

To attain such a desired condition, which is the set standard even at amateur levels of bodybuilding competitions, you need to go for a good and balanced dosage of steroids to maintain your muscle size and fullness.

Here is a list from one steroids user at one of the later weeks in his recent pre-contest cycle:

Weekly totals:

• Testosterone blend 1000mg
• Trenbolone acetate 750mg
• Winstrol 700mg
• Equipoise 400mg
• Clomid 350mg
• GAC Heat Miser*28ml

*a bootleg thermogenic drug combining T-3, clenbuterol and yohimbine in an oral solution.

As it has already been said, the dosage varies from person to person; you may not require as much dosage as him for the same gain. While some of you might need more than this. This is something which only you will be able to determine for yourself, based on your body structure, genetics and other such requirements.

Whether your aim is to get optimal mass gain or to get lean, your steroids intake must be accompanied with some good training and healthy eating habits. If you are not careful about your diet or happen to neglect your cardio, no amount of steroids is going to be effective for your body.

Health, Legal and Financial Issues

To be able to build a physique like that of an elite bodybuilder via the use of steroids, you must pay attention to the issues relating to health, legal, and financial matters.

When it comes to health, it is neither completely safe nor preferable to consume large quantities of androgens. No doubt they are the fastest means of progress for muscle growth, but they can also cause harm other parts of your body. The powerful and strong mass-builders are very toxic for the body. Orals such as Dinabol and Anadrol are also quite a threat at disturbing the function of the liver and can also lead to a rise in blood pressure.

Steroids do not kill you immediately but that does not mean they are not causing any internal damage to your body. While some people may the show the symptoms of health issues with only a minimum intake of steroids, others may be more tolerant and capable of having a large dosage. To keep your body healthy it highly recommended to go for regular checkups to a clinic. You might get a really big and beautiful body by the intake of high doses for a long period of time, but to overlook its side effects on the internal body organs is really foolish.

We are all responsible for our own well-being. So never keep on living on a high dosage of any drugs for a long period of time. Even if you are a low dose user who happens to notice some mysterious aches or pains on your body, or you continuously get a tendency of puking or dizziness, for God’s sake just stop your drugs immediately and consult your doctor.

Legally, it is no less a crime to consume steroids or any other drugs without a valid prescription from the doctor. Apart from the legal rule, it is indeed quite obvious to consult a doctor or a trainer who could study your body aesthetics, and prescribe you with the proper a dosage of any specific drugs. You can reduce your chances of being a victim of any health deterioration if you are up to date with your body’s needs by consulting an expert.

Ordering of products online is the most easy and preferred way to fulfill your requirements. But in some cases you might happen to pay the money but do not get the desired products. To avoid such consequences, it is advisable to get your drugs from a reliable and trustworthy source. In case your products are being shipped from a foreign country, your package will be seized by the concerned custom officials. All your money will be wasted, or in a worst case you could be arrested while going to pick up your drugs from the post office.

There is no solution to such problems and the local sellers who are into this business carry high percentage of bogus steroids and tend to set very high prices for them. Gym dealers also try to set the same unbelievably high prices for their drugs.

If you wish to order online, make sure that the seller ships within your country to avoid the risk of landing in any unfortunate situation. Lastly, keep in mind the fact that getting a good physique from the use of steroids is going to be a costly affair.

On a final note, it doesn’t hurt to have your products tested by a reputable lab that offers such testing to insure you’re getting what you paid for. If you get a prescription from your doctor the risk is not something you will have to worry about, but if not, the extra expense for a lab test is absolutely worth your health and certainly your life.

The Bottom Line

There is no denying that steroids can lead to huge muscular growth but some questions that arise here are, are they safe for the body or even necessary for you?

To say that all steroids are harmful would be an exaggeration. Depending upon their use and dose, steroids can definitely be really dangerous, while in contrast they sometimes can be beneficial depending on the prescribed use case.

But as far as whether or not they are necessary for you, that totally depends on you and your goals. If you simply want to get in great shape and improve your overall health, steroids are absolutely not necessary or recommended, however, if you want to be the next Mr. Olympia, forget about it without them.

At the end of the day, though, it is only advisable to use steroids after consulting with an expert to prevent your body from experiencing any major side effects or even possible death. So regardless of your goals, get some professional guidance before diving in. Be safe, guys!

About Jason Spencer

Jason Spencer has a tremendous enthusiasm for all facets of health, fitness and physical performance that stems from an athletic lifestyle from childhood. Jason was fortunate enough to compete in collegiate football and learned to love the challenges that physical activity placed on the body. As Jason progressed through his higher education and became increasingly aware of how science is applied to physical activity and how it reveals the benefits of exercise, he realized very quickly that he wanted to pursue a career that gives him the opportunity to teach others to compete, challenge, and push themselves towards something more valuable to them than anything else; health, fitness and self worth. Being a fitness professional allows Jason to do this for them and he is always incredibly grateful for that. Jason has a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Neuroscience and his acquired knowledge of the nervous system and muscle stimulation techniques has been extremely instrumental towards building a unique ability and feel for training the body for optimal form and function. As a personal trainer he is certified with ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). He's also a strength & conditioning specialist with NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association). He has additional certifications in both kettlebell principles & techniques (Equinox), and Flexibility & Corrective Exercise (Swedish Institute of Health Sciences in NY). Jason has worked as a trainer and conditioning specialist in a variety of fitness facilities over the years such as: LA Fitness in Piscataway, NJ, the YMCA in Metuchen, NJ, and Equinox Fitness Clubs in New York, NY. He also does private in-home sessions all over the Manhattan area.