Comments on: Stop Lying – Steroids Make A MASSIVE Difference

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:38:45 +0000

Mark,
Thank you for your post it is very confrontational, I would like to say that i am a “steriod user” but mine is prescribed (sustanon 250). I am 40 years of age and around a year ago decided to go on an ultra fitness fad, i had been doing gym work much longer than this but really wanted to lose fat and tone up. At the time i weighed 115kg and was flat benching 140kg for 10 reps, i weighed and counted EVERYTHING that went into my mouth and pretty much stayed at 2000-2400 calories per day but could not lose weight. I thought after some research that i maybe had a thyroid problem and went to the doctor, had some blood tests and came back with a test level of 10.4. I have done one three month cycle on sus and came off to get more blood work done and both test came back at 12.4 & 12.8 respectively. I am currently on 500mg of sus per week and now weigh 108kg and incline bench 140kg for 6 reps. To me it certainly gives me more lease on life as i am not as tired, feel more alive and even sleep better. I have lost a lot of BF over the past year and certainly gained muscle but the best part of all this to me if the extra energy that i have at hand.
I in no way advocate “steriod abuse or even use” to any one that does not really require it and have spoken with young guys at my gym advising them to keep off of it because what people need to realise is when your body is supplemented with test your own natural production shuts down. I do not believe that anyone who may be contemplating taking juice should do so under the age of 30 as it will only lead to long term misery, guys who are in their teens and twenties are still growing naturally and as long as you EAT well and get plenty of rest your body will do the rest for you, there is no need to plat russian roulette with your health. Use mother nature to put yourself in an anabolic state and not synthetics

By: johnny!!

johnny!! — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:05:40 +0000

El Chavo: like like like your comments, esp the ball part!!!!!!!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:18:36 +0000

They certainly do make a massive difference, the area I’m from in Australia is renowned in the fitness/supplement industry in our country (I know this because through work I speak with many supplement company reps) for the high percentage of the young male population who are using steroids…and my area is only a relatively small region north of Sydney.

I’m no small bloke myself, I’m 6’3″ and 95kgs, but when I go to the gym, or out to clubs, or the beach, or anywhere really, I feel small in comparison to a lot of the guys around here. This is because the vast majority of them are all on steroids.

You would actually be shocked at the number of kids who are on the gear and they’re still in their final years of high school. Then the guys around my own age (23) are all massive some of them are super lean and pushing 120kg. In all the circles of friends I associate in, my immediate circle of mates is the only one where the majority aren’t on steroids.

I really do think steroid use is just silly, because in all honesty there comes a point where you are just too big, not to mention the health complications they’re going to run into later in life from abusing them.

…and yes, the ones who lie about it should stop, no 5’6″, 18 year old kid hits 100kg of ripped mass without them.

By: j kendek

j kendek — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:37:59 +0000

hey mark im a big fan of yours and this steroid talk is just how i believe it too. great post. i know this isn’t the place to ask you this, but this is the only way for me to ask you. i have a question to ask you, but if you can’t or won’t answer it, that will be fine. my brother has a problem with binging and purging. he eats alot and pukes in the bathroom right after. he doesn’t know i know. is he just wasting his time puking, i believe that the calories don’t come out. do you know if calories actually come out when you puke it up? and ways to get him to stop? thanks mark

By: El Chavo

El Chavo — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:38:01 +0000

Im my country, we drinks goat milk for gainening size and muscle. Steriods are bad. My mother has always told me that and when I started lifting at 15years old (now 24) to stay natureal. It took me 8 years to gain 55lbs from 160 to 215. But everyone says i look good. My mom and boyfriends think i look sharp! Goats milk – about a gallon a day is the trick. My balls are also the size of golf balls- how many of you steriod users have or can say that?

By: Travis

Travis — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:46:55 +0000

The thing that bothers me is exactly what Anton said; having juicers on the front of every magazine claiming they did it the “natural way”. There is nothing more I hate than a liar, especially when it gives kids false hope. Men’s Health is probably the worst for this and eventually karma will strike back.

I have considered using steroids but like someone else said, you don’t know what exactly you are getting and the risks are just too high. At least natural bodybuilding gives you a sense of accomplishment and discipline because you know you didn’t take the short cut.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:47:20 +0000

I have insight on what is possible without steroids…. please note some of this may be due to my previous fitness habits which are different for everyone and I will explain my situation.

About two years ago I was able to gain 15 lbs of muscle in approximately 8 weeks. Naturally. Only using whey protein.

I’m a tall slender guy, 6’3″ and presently 169lbs, but two years ago I went from 170lbs to 185lbs in 8 weeks by following some of the information gathered from this site. The only supplement I used was 28g whey protein mix right after my work outs and I didn’t really change my diet except for eating more protein, my diet habits were already healthily established any my body fat was already a very low 7% and was still 7% after gaining 15lbs.

This explosion of muscle growth occurred after a period of taking about 18 months off of working out for 5 days a week for about an hour, for an entire year. The end of that year was the strongest most fit I have been and was due to a HS weightlifting class in which I had a good coach who knew how to make gains. Even after I had gained that 15lbs I had not reached my previous strength levels.

This all occurred in college when after HS I no longer had time to maintain my work outs and got heavily involved in other extra curriculars. After 3 semesters of this I decided I wanted to regain my strength as I had lost it all so, after gathering some info from this website and making some of my own adaptations I went to work… and viola, I gained 15lbs over 8 weeks.

I conceit this may be unusual and unrealistic for the average person. I attribute some of the gains to my previously high strength level and think that it could be the reason for making gains so fast. Possibly because my body had been there before, it was able to more quickly adapt. I can’t know if I’d have had the same gains if I had never worked out before and followed the same plan but my assumption is that I wouldn’t have though it may be possible.

So yes, it is possible to make significant strength and weight gains in a short amount of time.

If you’re wondering, I’m presently back down to 170 and didn’t maintain my 5 days a week program. I’m in my last semester of college now and will pick my program back up, I actually started this week. My goal is to gain 20lbs of muscle over the entire semester and I think it is achievable with commitment based on my previous experience. This time though I’ll be putting more focus on my diet as well.

So yes, it can be done, 15lbs in 8 weeks with only whey protein.

By: Andrew Mast

Andrew Mast — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:44:15 +0000

@Carl – I’m not Mark and I’m not scholar but I have been told that the average person who does a decent job of following a good plan, working with intensity, eating clean and adequate calories for muscle growth, sleeping and resting, etc, should gain about five pounds of muscle a year. More advantaged might see upwards of ten pounds. So, don’t expect ten pounds in four months and you might be more motivated. Just because your scale goes up 10 pounds in 4 months doesn’t mean you gained ten pounds of lean muscle, even if your fat goes down. A gallon of water alone weighs 8 pounds and so increased water retention can give an impression of increased lean mass. I’ve read a lot and there’s so much “science” but I think a goal of “5 pounds a year” seems pretty good. Not trying to spark a war, I’m no scholar, but I have read so much on this subject, my brain hurts just typing this again. 🙂

By: Carl

Carl — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:27:45 +0000

Great article Mark. I appreciate your addressing the subject of steroids and what’s realistic for muscle building gains. What would be your recommendation for goal setting when it comes to building mass? Unless you’re a person who uses steroids, it’s difficult to predict how much mass you can put on over a certain period of time. In your TSPA program you recommended writing out your goal (i.e. “I will have 6 pack abs by this date”). How do you set similar goals for strength training? Should you say “I will add 5 pounds of muscle by this date” or would a better goal be “I will lift this amount of weight by this date”?

By: Andrew Mast

Andrew Mast — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:12:24 +0000

I would use steroids if they didn’t come with the serious side effects that have been reported. Steroids are not any more evil than stuff we muscle hackers do… ALL of us are “hacking” our natural body’s system. We are taking advantage of all the ways we can “cheat the system”, using products like concentrated whey isolates, purified and hydrolyzed protein sources, super-absorbing complex carbs found nowhere in nature, etc), abundant sources of nutrients and vitamins, all which are capable of growing more muscle than by animals that don’t have access to those things. And this is true EVEN if we don’t do any added exercise, just not to the degree of steroids. Hence the elderly being fed protein for weight control.

We know more than every before about how to time nutrients, how to boost hormones naturally, how to use stress and drugs like caffeine and music to gain even a slight more than without it. We are just rather honest about what we did to get there. Nobody in the magazine says, “Yea, I eat fast food and never lift a finger and I got this big”.

Like you said Mark, just don’t lie about steroid use and give a false sense of possible achievement for people.

Cheers Andrew

By: anton Markus

anton Markus — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:06:33 +0000

Every bodybuilding magazine you ever read features some thinish guy on the front but who has huge six pack and big legs/muscles. I did graphic design for a few such magazines and can say without a shadow of a doubt that all of these people are juicers. They appear on the front of mens health saying eat and exercise and you will look like this. You wont. Unless you have super genetics.
Agreed, Its unrealistic and gives people false ideas of what is attainable.

Mark, great article, may I ask have you ever tried or do you use them?
I would love to see some articles on their safe use and busting all the myths that go along with them as well.

Cheers

Anton Markus

By: Arjun

Arjun — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:56:30 +0000

lol mark this sounds like a bit of a rant and i understand where you are coming from.

it’s true that some of the pro bodybuilders are on a huge amount of AAS and train like shit. but their training hardly matters because with the amounts of AAS they are on, even masturbation is a forearm exercise 😀

having said that, when you enter the realm of elite weightlifting, while AAS does help undoubtedly, you still have to put in some smart training to make best use of the chemicals and also your gains will not be as profound as even an intermediate lifter.

cheers!

By: Dennis

Dennis — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:40:27 +0000

Amen Mark…and BTW thanks for the post you did on the Caffeine/AAKG stack…I’m liking the combo and have been meaning to thank you for the heads up…Happy New Year!

By: jason

jason — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:39:18 +0000

the problem is that you just dont know what you are buying and what it can do to you in the long run, i personally would stick to the natral way atleast you know its yours to keep and it was well earn’t. thanks mark. you tell them!!

By: Roy

Roy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:30:30 +0000

Precisely! and that’s why a natural bodybuilder can’t train like a steroid bodybuilder either.