That’s it that’s the post.
Oh, I need to write more?
There’s a lot of bs in the fitness industry, and often that bs is repeated by athletes themselves.
It irks me especially when new gym-goers turn towards the geared buff guys for their advice. You have to understand that the difference between you and these guys is that you’re never gonna reach their level. These guys can go to the gym twice a day every day of the week and make gains like it’s nothing. You’d be lucky to be in condition to go back the next day if you put yourself through an intense workout as a natty.
It’s an assumption that because someone looks strong, they must know what they’re doing. It doesn’t apply to people on gear solely; at my gym people go to the big guys for advice, some of whom are not loading. But the “tiny” guy whom I sometimes work out with has some great science and biomechanics advice to give out, some of which I’ve put into practice myself.
But certainly if they get results they have a good workout plan. Ask them about that first before asking about how much you should eat or how you can maximise your gains if you take creatine. (Although in my experience people are quick to praise their training routine yet never actually want to share it lol)
Though sometimes you see people like V Shred who look muscular but have no idea what they’re talking about, and it does kinda comfort me to know that if it worked for them and their terrible advice, then it can only work for me and my sound advice.
Steroids, hollywood, and social media have basically ruined what peoples idea of what the average person looks like and even what in shape people look like.
These transformations you see of actors putting on muscle in a few months are ALL the work of steroids.
My only gripe with steroids tbh is that influencers (including the celebrities you speak of) don’t openly talk about their usage.
People tell me “who cares what influencers think”, showing a lack of understanding as to how people get their information in the age of social media.
Some however are open about it. Otherwise I don’t judge people who use, and I (personally) don’t want to downplay the effort they put to achieve these body recompositions. An athlete that can squat 250 kilos is still high level and pushing the boundaries of physical strength, gear or no gear.
In a way I feel that while talking about steroid is much more accepted and open these days, there’s still taboo around them where it matters: the side effects. + all the people that are clearly on gear but make a big show out of claiming natural, as if they’re ashamed of using.
I wonder how pervasive performance enhancing drugs etc. are in high level sports especially football. I have read some theories that it is somewhat of an open secret among the people involved in the game but there hasn’t been any exposé of any kind.
It is super common, there’s no way you can play at this level and not be on PEDs when your opponents are. It happens on every elite sport, but they don’t necessarily take steroids to produce hypertrophy like bodybuilders. There’s also stuff you can take that’s borderline legal. Like Human Growth Hormone is not really detectable because it’s present naturally in your body and some people produce more than others.
They keep it under the lid because it would create controversy and sponsors would pull out if it came out. But it’s pretty evident just how widespread it is when you see records being beaten year after year. 100 years ago athletes didn’t look and perform like they do today, and part of that was the advances in training protocols and methods, but that only goes so far. The rest of the way is finding new PEDs and PEDs regimens.
To add to this great summary, there’s also – I’m unsure of the exact name and the process – oxygen doping. Do you know much about that? I’m hazy on the details.
You mean the blood transfusions to get more red blood cells which carry oxygen?
That’s the one.
Yeah so cyclists and other athletes that rely on cardio get blood transfusions done before their event so that they have more red blood cells (before they get reabsorbed by the body). As red blood cells carry oxygen, the idea is that you’ll be able to get more oxygen to your muscles than you normally would. This oxygen is used to break down glucose with a chemical reaction, which fuels your muscle cells. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they also take PEDs to help with sugar retention or breakdown (I know insulin is a big one in the bodybuilding sphere to pop out your veins and help you lose the last few kilos of mass).
It’s not in my area so I don’t know how effective it is, but there’s a lot of research on it and it’s been widely used for decades.
It also ends up “thickening” your blood the more you do it (IIRC the red cells end up not being absorbed as your body gets used to having them around) which can lead to nasty side effects down the line. Not to speak of course of the possibility of getting contaminated through the needle or the blood itself.
Also red blood cells look cute as heck. Like caramel candy.
The lengths people will go to!
Yeah it’s the influencers/celebrities who specifically market their bodies as attainable when they are not who are my main gripe. They are ruining the brains of people out there making people think these physiques are normal.
I can respect the dedication as well to sticking to a routine, but that’s something you respect regardless of PEDs. But the reality is that PEDs make it easier to achieve whatever results you’re looking for in the gym. A big squat is a big squat, and having shoulders like Dwight Howard is amazing, but if it is on youtube being sold to people or monetized then it should be stated whether or not it is natural.
Athletic use of PEDs for competition stems from a different source. I honestly don’t have an issue with it as long as it is safe. It’s an open secret, and quite frankly Id love it if I could watch LeBron or Djokovic for the rest of my life.
We love unrealistic body standards.