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19-02-2006, 01:26 AM
| #1 (permalink) |
 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bristol Posts: 3,232 Rep Power:  |  IFBB Pro use of steroids from http://umanitoba.fitdv.com/new/artic....html?artid=75 DRUGS: the dark side of bodybuilding Ever wondered what drugs pro bodybuilders are taking - how much, how often and at what cost? Here's an uncensored glimpse into the dark side of the sport. A retired IFFB pro reveals what men will do to make their bodies the best. By a Retired IFBB Pro FitDV: What are the most commonly used drugs in male bodybuilding right now? Pro: The most common, as well as most available, is testosterone. "Test", as it is called in the bodybuilding world, can be purchased quite easily, so it is the most used. There are a few other drugs that are in almost every bodybuilder's drug box, such as Laurabolin, Primobolan Depot and Sten. These are all available in Mexico, which makes them very easy to obtain. FitDV: How available are these types of drugs? Pro: Well, for instance, in Venice Beach, California, you can get any of these drugs at your local gym. I'm not saying you can purchase the drugs at the gym, but rather, if you get to know the local bodybuilders and meet the right person, you will have a steady supply of anabolics. I think it is really important to note that these anabolics are not just used by bodybuilders. I have been with more than one pro athlete who has bought drugs right in front of me. I've also written up cycles for three celebrities who were getting ready for shirtless scenes in big movies. FitDV: How do they affect your training? Pro: To be honest with you, there is no comparison between training natural and being on a cycle. Training natural is like driving a Ford Station Wagon. On the other hand, training on a cycle of anabolic steroids is like driving a Porsche. Everything is better. You are stronger and more aggressive. Your muscle fiber is built much more rapidly and your sex drive is 10 times stronger! The best thing is the pump you get when you train. It feels like you're going to bust out of your skin and that is exactly the feeling bodybuilders are trying to achieve in the gym. FitDV: What are some of the side effects? Pro: Long-term use results in slight to extreme loss of hair. Bodybuilders who use steroids are much more aggressive in the gym, but this is an advantage. You have much better training sessions if you attack your workout and being aggressive helps tremendously. Gynecomastia is a very bad side effect, but can be fixed by minor out-patient surgery. "Gyno" or "bitch tits", is the growth of a cyst underneath your nipples from too much estrogen in your system. It comes from being on high doses of test. Most bodybuilders simply get them cut out. A much higher libido is a side effect that is quite welcome to bodybuilders. This is why doctors prescribe test to men over 40 that have trouble with a bad sex drive or depression. FitDV: What are some of the extreme measures guys will go to? Pro: The most extreme measure is the use of very strong diuretics. This is exactly why the IFBB has implemented drug testing for diuretics. A typical scenario: About 48 hours before contest time a pro bodybuilder will eat massive amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates until he is about to burst. After all the glycogen is stored in his muscle, he will then remove the excess water with a diuretic. The one most commonly used is called Demidex. It is not on the drug-testing list, so bodybuilders can use it without the stress of getting caught. This is one of the strongest and most dangerous of them all. Sometimes you will see pros on stage gasping for breath in between posing rounds, because they used the diuretic. Another extreme measure is the use of plasma expanders. These help to increase blood volume, causing more water to be pulled into the body off your skin, but at the same time thicken the blood, which is very dangerous to the heart. FitDV: How expensive are the drugs at the pro level? Pro: It is much cheaper for the same steroids when you turn pro. One of the benefits of being a professional bodybuilder is that the gentlemen supplying the drugs want to keep your business. They will usually lower the cost greatly, knowing that you will be around many years buying them. Also, you have the great opportunity to travel to other countries where steroids are not that big of a deal. There are places you can go into (pharmacies, pharmacia) and simply buy them right off the shelf. Then you mail the package back to an address that is comfortable for you. It almost always gets through customs, as opposed to narcotics, which give off a scent and are easily detected by drug-sniffing dogs. The average cost of a 12-week cycle for a pro is about 00 dollars. The average cost for 126 iu's of growth hormone is about 0 to 0 dollars. FitDV: What are some of the differences in drug use between pro and amateur levels? Pro: The main difference is the amount of growth hormone used. For example, as an amateur I used 4 to 6 iu of GH nightly. As an IFBB Pro, I use up to, and sometimes more than 12 iu's nightly. It seems like the more GH you use, the fuller your muscles stay. I'm not sure if 6 iu does the same thing as 12 iu, but as a pro you just do not want to take the chance. Steroid drug use is about the same. Twelve weeks on steroids and four weeks off. Another thing that the pros are doing is insulin after they are done training. The concept is to break the muscle down and then force glycogen into the muscle immediately after training with the use of insulin. Insulin is the most anabolic hormone known to man and it is one of the most dangerous. I've known many bodybuilders that have taken insulin after training and then not eaten enough carbohydrates to cover the insulin. This causes severe nausea and your blood sugar will drop rapidly. The result is a very sick person, until he gets some simple sugars into his s ystem. FitDV: With all of this drug use, is drug testing actually taken seriously? Pro: Absolutely, take it seriously. Quite a few pro athletes have failed the test in the past few years. Two bodybuilders failed the test at the 2001 Mr. Olympia. They were supposed to lose their placing and prize money, but for whatever reason, the IFBB gave their placing and money back. It's very simple: if you fail the test, you fail. I don't want to hear about how the test was not in an I.O.C. (International Olympic Committee) sanctioned testing facility. If it is or isn't, the fact is they failed the test, but that is a whole other story. Point is, yes, drug testing should be taken very seriously. FitDV: What happens to bodybuilders after they retire from competition (in terms of drug use)? Pro: Believe it or not, there isn't really any proven documentation of any bodybuilder having major health problems or any other long-term negative side effects from the use of steroids. There was an NFL player who said he got a heart transplant because he used steroids while he was active in the NFL. Problem is, two weeks after he said that, it came out on the news that he had a severe cocaine problem for many years. Then you have Lyle Alzado, who passed away, but before doing so went on national television to spread the word that his brain tumor was caused by steroid use. Problem is, his particular tumor was directly correlated with AIDS, HIV. I know of no man who has ever had either of these two problems. I can name dozens of men who have used steroids for many, many years and are retired now, living happy, healthy lives. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an extremely successful actor and claims no problems with his health from steroids. I can remember when the media tried to say at one time his heart problem was caused by the use of steroids. Then, a surgeon verified the heart valve condition was a birth defect. I have personally laid out cycles for quite a few big name actors, all of which love using steroids and have no problems. The American public is told and led to believe by our own government that steroids are very bad for you. Why you ask? Because then they can put a tax on them and make you purchase them by prescription through the medical field, which we all know is a multi-billion dollar industry. It's all about control. Just remember one thing; testosterone is a hormone that controls the male's sex drive and has a direct effect on his state of mind -- depressed or happy. A male with low "test" levels will be severely depressed. The drug was made for a reason. ______________________ - Obsession is what lazy people call dedication - |
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19-02-2006, 10:58 AM
| #5 (permalink) |
| Moderator Musclechat Icon  Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: west yorkshire Posts: 984 Rep Power: | we already do. Search around the american sites, bodybuilding.com i think, for an article written by mike morris since his recent retirement. appears to be a very honest admission of his own steroid use in his pro days. watch 'backstage secrets of professional bodybuilding' for a more amusing steroid confessional. Out of interest, what do you guys assume a pro's cycle to look like ? |
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20-02-2006, 09:48 PM
| #8 (permalink) |
| Making Progress Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: United States Posts: 226 Rep Power:  | Very informative, thanks Nick! Were they implying that Lyle Alzado had Aids...and that's what caused his tumor? I thought Schwarzenegger's heart surgery was due to cholesterol build up, but it's reassuring to know it was a birth defect  |
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