Anabolic steroids have been an integral part of the bodybuilding community. Many critics associate anabolic steroids to an addictive drug. While that might be true to some extent because the instant muscle growth triggered by steroids can be addictive. However, the misuse of anabolic steroids has opened a Pandora’s box for those who are training hard for years and building an honest, professional lives as a bodybuilder.

 

There are many bodybuilders who have built their careers on natural diet and natural hard work. They invested many years of their lives to finally earn a place for themselves in the professional ring. It might look easy from the outside that all that bodybuilders do is exercise and eat lots of protein, but its rather a bit too complicated.

 

Before we get into that, let us make one thing clear that there are two types of bodybuilders, one who are aware of their body and have a coach to guide them through what they need to do to achieve certain goals. Such bodybuilders are disciplined, consistent and fully committed towards their goals. Whereas the second type of bodybuilders is the young and amateur lot who do not know what they are doing and all they try to do is follow through with other people’s advice, word-by-word, and expect exactly the same results.

When in fact every individual is different when it comes to bodybuilding. These are the type of bodybuilders who end up abusing anabolic steroids because they have no direction of their own and they start relying on them to achieve the results they want.

 

It is extremely important to have some sort of direction to follow through because in this particular community, there are many so-called experts who are going to help you or advice you on what is best for you when in fact, only you know what is best for you.

 

Bodybuilders only require a personalized plan and a direction to follow in order to progress, it is the unsolicited advice that ruins the progress and detracts the athlete. So, consider hiring a professional coach or an expert with whom you can commit full time and only deem them worthy of advice.

 

Many professionals have ruined their careers because of focusing on too many goals at once and listening to too many experts at once.

 

We got a chance to sit down with a professional bodybuilder who has given years of his life into bodybuilding and had a lot to say about how he started his career and how he got into taking anabolic steroids, HGH’s and fat burners. We cannot mention their name due to privacy concerns, however, their regrets and experiences will have a lot for you to learn from and avoid repeating the mistakes of others, especially, if your goal is to build a professional career in bodybuilding.

 

We asked him a few questions and he answer them in the simplest language so that if any beginner level bodybuilder is reading it, he/she will also be able to understand it without being confused about anything.

 

Q. How long have you been a bodybuilder and how is the journey so far?

 

I started my bodybuilding career right after high school. I wanted to go to college but somehow, I found myself going to the gym and in no time i developed a habit for strength training and bodybuilding. Going to gym was like being home for me. I have spent my days and nights there, training, socializing, learning and just finding comfort in training and observe how my body can modify and expand its limitations in regards to the strength and power. As for the journey, it has been something I am proud of and I accept all the mistakes I made for they have been great lessons for me because without them, I would not have been where I am today, you get me?  So, to say, it has been a fruitful and empowering journey.

 

Q. Have you ever been on a steroid cycle? What are your proudest achievements?

 

I would not lie, I have taken fair share of anabolic steroids, HGH’s and peptides and fat burners many times during my early training phases. It is not a secret that today all bodybuilders use anabolic steroids to improve their performance and accelerate their growth. These steroids actually work and play an important part in our routine. But there is always a proper way to start the steroid cycle. If you are not careful about how to use steroids then they can back fire and make you lose all your progress. That is why after making my fair share of mistakes, I finally managed to surround myself with the best coaches and experts in town and started my steroid cycle. During that properly administered steroid cycle, I experience significant muscle growth and overall bodily strength that helped my performance. And that is the time when I competed in a bodybuilding competition where I managed to rank at 4^th position and became a pro-level athlete. It was my first success as a professional athlete and my first professional appearance in the bodybuilding world, yet, I am only proud of that first one because at that moment I felt that my years’ worth of efforts finally bears fruit. After that, all other achievements and ranks becomes just another ladder to step up.

 

Q. What made you start your steroid cycle? How did you do it?

 

When I started my first steroid cycle, I had no direction whether how to do it and why do it. I was just doing it because everyone at the gym was doing it. I tried to follow other athlete’s strategies, took advices from people who had no experience or knowledge and many were not even pro-level bodybuilders yet they had a lot to say about how to take steroids and where I could find them on sale. I think they were only trying to sell their products to me because they were earning commission on them. They were cheap steroids and that’s what really triggered me to try steroids. I was only 4 months into my training and I started my first steroid cycle. I had no idea how to manage my training sessions and how to maintain my diet plan based on the goals. I only thought I need to grow muscles, so I did a lot of strength training, consumed a lot of proteins and on top of that I was on steroids. Later, after my steroid cycle, I ended up growing in size and I had no strength to work out for weeks. I had no idea what was happening and day by day I was falling into depression. At that point, I knew I was not doing something right but I also had no idea what must be causing it. So, I went online and looked up for my symptoms on a bodybuilding community blog and that’s where I found out about Post cycle therapy drugs. No one at the gym mentioned those drugs and I felt as if my conditions were a result of not following through with PCT drugs. At this point I had realized that I know nothing and that taking steroids is not as easy as other athletes make it sound like. So, I decided to talk to a professional and hire a coach if I am really going to continue bodybuilding.

 

Q. Have you ever thought about quitting bodybuilding?

 

No. I have never thought about quitting. I knew that my body enjoyed training and I loved seeing how my body progressed over the year so, quitting was never on the table. I have made many mistakes, we all are humans after all and we are bound to make mistakes. So, instead of making those mistakes our quitting triggers, lets embrace a habit to learn from our mistakes and if a mistake is repeated, it is no longer a mistake, it is a choice.

 

Q. Do you think the drug culture in the bodybuilding community is toxic?

 

Every athlete takes steroids, even I do, but there is always a proper way to go around it without abusing them. Abusing anabolic steroids has been something the community is still struggling with. Now, we have diuretics and insulin as well which is claiming the lives of young athletes. The reality is that, we cannot rid ourselves of the bad apples in the basket because those, who are abusing these drugs are arrogant athletes who think they know better and have zero patience. That’s why they stack themselves up with steroids to gain all the muscles and strength that their body is supposed to develop after years of training. Steroids will not accelerate the body to fast forward, rather it will try to work with what is already present and if you do not have a good lean physique and if you haven’t put yourself through years of training, your body will not give you the results you are seeking and you will end up putting your life at risk. So, if they want to ruin their lives, good for them, if they do not want to ruin their lives, again, good for them. No one in the bodybuilding community respects that athlete who abuses drugs for unrealistic expectations and expects he/she will become a pro in their early training phase. I became a pro almost after 10 years, so, he/she ends up trashing the bodybuilding community in front of the world if they end up dying because of those drugs, it badly reflects upon our years of training.

 

Q. Do you regret taking steroids?

 

Not really, I have had a coach for years who has guided me well enough and not once, except for my first steroid cycle, did I regret taking steroids. I have relied mostly on myself and my training with a custom diet plan to develop my muscles, increase my strength and achieve 10% body fat.

 

Q. How do you maintain a balance between your private and professional life?

 

When you are a bodybuilder, your personal life is your professional life. Bodybuilding is itself a whole lifestyle and that’s why I am still single. It is hard to commit to anyone else when you are committed to bodybuilding. However, I do recommend to give yourself a break every once in a while, go out with friends, meet new people because it is important to have something in life other than just bodybuilding so that when you retire at some point, you will have something of your own.

 

Q. Do you plan on taking steroids again or are you done?

 

I am still trying to compete for Mr. Olympia and just after that I might stop. I may go through a couple of cycles as a part of my preparation but my coach knows better and I rely on him to guide me properly. My coach has been great, I am so happy to be able to use steroids in the most effective way possible and I am confident that I will be achieving the results that I will be expecting. My coach does all the calculations regarding what my body needs and what I need to do as part of my training to achieve the optimum results. And as long as my coach is with me, I will be taking steroids for as long as I wish. But I know in a few years I plan to retire and that’s when I will stop thinking about steroids. I’ll take a half-year long trip to South-East Asia and might as well stay there if I like it.

 

Conclusion

 

The experiences shared by the athlete above, gives us an insight into how the bodybuilding community thinks. They believe that steroids, whether injectable or oral steroids, all can work to provide them the results they need on the condition that their body is used to of training and that they have whole lifestyle customized to their training requirements. Many have made mistakes but those who learn from them, have found their path towards success. Therefore, every bodybuilder should work with a coach or an expert to help and guide them.