SSP 16. The Bodybuilding Industry's Steroids Subculture and Its Dangers - a podcast by Scott Abel, Mike Forest

Steroids. Everyone knows, on some level, that there are those who use them, and that at the highest levels of bodybuilding they’re just part and parcel of the culture. But how rampant is it? How much are people really taking, and how has that changed over the years? Scott spent years in the fitness and bodybuilding industry’s, and witnessed all of these things — indeed, it was one of the reasons he eventually left that world and turns down such clients; things were getting out of control.



We’re now at a point where Scott has read the stacks of female figure competitors who are taking more drugs than Arnold would have been!



This episode was all about giving you a truthful, inside look at what really goes on, so that you can be a more informed consumer.



?BODYBUILDING STEROIDS SUBCULTURE NOTES ?



Scott read out a huge contest prep diet with lots of sugary foods (syrup and so on) that, in Scott’s words, “I would have been happy to have in a bulking diet!”



The diet also included the injection of 10 IUs of insulin before, during and after the workout. A lot of what you read about pre- peri- and post-workout nonsense is only useful if you’re actually shooting insulin (plus other stuff, during other parts of the day) in order to affect where the sugars are going.



The litany of the huge stack or steroids cycle included:



• Test Enanthate

• Trenbolone Enanthate

• Equipose

• Anadrol (one of the more toxic androgens)

• GH, or Growth Hormone

• Tamoxifin

• Proviron



For the contest diet cycle, some of the above was adjusted, and the following was added:



• Winstrol

• Testosterone Propionate

• Testosterone Enanthate

• Trenbolone Acetate

• Primobolan

• Masteron

• T3

• Clenbuterol

• Insulin



The physiological changes going on in the above cannot be reproduced naturally.



In addition to the anabolic steroids, synthol is now used a lot. People see the pictures where it’s gone wrong and looks absurd… but it’s also used in more subtle ways.



In addition to the aging of the cells, side effects include things like enlarged hearts, which is partly why you see a lot of bodybuilders dying young of heart attacks.



Steroids are also a gateway drug, at least in the subculture that Scott saw.



There is a huge identity surrounding these. A lot of people can’t stop BECAUSE they can’t stand seeing themselves small after, because no, you can’t keep all the gains.

Scott was actually told he wouldn’t be able to let go.



As with other eating disorders, one of the big problems is when body image just is your self-image, and your self image is “reduced” to your body image.



People will often take steroids without knowing what they’re taking, yet the coaches telling them what to take are by no means doctors, and even doctors know very little about what this kind of stuff will do to the human body, at least not in the doses bodybuilders are taking.



In addition to the natural competitors who just lie about what they take, there’s a new trend of claiming one is “drug free” even when taking nolvadex, proviron, clomid, cytomel, and so on.



A similar but related kind of thing that goes on, on the flip side, is that supplement manufacturers have dosed their protein powders or creatine with steroids in their first batch in order that their early adopters get good results, testimonials, before and afters, and so on. (Of course, this is not to paint the whole industry with the same brush, but it does go on.)



Scott was given a chance to private label a well-known protein powder… but with a special “proprietary blend” they would add “no questions asked.” Hint: they were suggesting he add steroids.

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