Much like Formula One is dominated by the driver with the best engineers, so is athletics dominated by the athletes with the best trainers.
As bloomj said, steroids are just another tool in the arsenal.
From a libertarian perspective - people can consume whatever substance they want, steroids included, I could care less.
Your testosterone levels during your 20s are high, although around 24-25 they typically begin to gradually get lower. However, you probably still don’t need to take them. I wouldn’t recommend doing steroids, I think you should just eat like a slob, drink plenty of water, and focus on doing deadlifts, squats, power cleans, bench press, standing press, rows, etc. Too many people want to jump in to juicing when they are nowhere close to their maximum strength levels and aren’t even very knowledgeable about weight training in general (I am not saying you aren’'t specifically, I just mean in general).
I’d recommend you switch up your training routine instead. It all depends on your goals: absolute strength (power lifting), speed strength (olympic lifting), just looking (bodybuilding), or training for a sport (weight training). So, what are your goals?
That being said, the dangers of steroids are overblown in my opinion but they are still not very safe. People can use them responsibly if they are going to use them (though I highly recommend NOT using them). If oral steroids are taken, milk thistle can be started a week prior to the cycle, during the cycle, and a week after to prevent liver damage and alcohol can not be consumed at all. For injectable steroids, obviously, they would have to be injected safely. Either way, a person would need to use post-cycle substances to help their body produce testosterone naturally again. There is too much risk involved really - do some deadlifts and eat red meat.
Testosterone based steroids will not increase the amount of muscle fibers you have, they will just make them bigger. Other roids, like HGH, will increase the actual amount of muscle fibers. There are different types of steroids, some for bulking (deca durabolin, test enanthate, etc.) and some for cutting (winstrol). There is a lot to it - really, don’t do it. If you’d like some advice on weight training you can feel free to ask and I’ll gladly help you with a routine.
- Chris
Glad to see someone actually read the links.
What are you going to market with that slogan? Pussies?
IIRC, I remember watching some documentary with a doctor who did prescribe steroids to average people (people who didn’t have abnormally low amounts of hormones). I think these types can generally be found in Cali.
Probably stupid to take them in large quantities. Probably can take them in small quantities with negligible side effects (just guessing, don’t quote me on it). Even if it were stupid to take in small quantities, it still shouldn’t be illegal. If you want to drink arsenic, how does it matter to anyone but you? Drink away.
Clayton -
It should be up to the league or organization that the athlete competes for/in as to whether or not they can use steroids.
Steroids seem like they could be useful for frail people; physical laborers, bodyguards, or athletes who want to boost their performance; athletic entertainers (e.g. WWF); or those who simply want to modify their appearance. I see no reason why they should be illegal. If you wanted to eat cyanide pills, why is it any of my business?
But I wouldn’t be interested in watching an athletic competition involving steroid users. If steroids are allowed in a weightlifting competition, why not also allow a mechanical Aliens suit or adamantium bone implants to augment the human body? Or a remote-controlled forklift prosthesis.
“Steroids” huh
let me tell you that there are about 15 different chemical compounds bodybuilders inject themselves with. Orally they take many many more potentially harmful substances, many of which are legal.
yes its true bodybuilders suffer from heart problems later in life, largely as a result, but the truth is there is no long term damage associated with a periodized approach to HGH or insulin. Even for long term users, damage is usually reversible.
Its when you start stacking ridiculous combinations of the stuff that it becomes a serious health hazard.