Anabolic steroids: what young lifters need to know

Steroids often come up in conversation when you have only just started training and your patience is already wearing thin. This article takes a frank look at what anabolic steroids actually promise, what they cannot do, and why a shortcut can lead to a very long-lasting problem.

Why do steroids come up in the first place?

Over the years, many people have approached Indrek Otsus to ask about the “chemical” side of sport. Most have been young bodybuilders just starting out. It is not always a matter of curiosity. Often, the first thing they ask is: what should I take, and how do I inject it? Rather than: how should I train, eat and recover?

Frankly, that is a bad sign. If a young athlete is looking for a steroid cycle before sorting out their training plan and nutrition, their priorities are wrong. Worse still is when a coach or a more experienced gym regular talks about doping substances as though they were just another shortcut.

The doping list contains hundreds of different compounds, and more are being added. Here, the focus is on anabolic steroids, which have been known in sport for over 30 years. The International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) has been testing for anabolic steroids at amateur championships since 1986.

The problem is not just that steroids are banned. It is also how little people know about the basics. That includes athletes who otherwise seem to be performing at quite a high level. Indrek Otsus recalled the early 90s and the astonishment he heard expressed at the USSR championships: surely “metan” was just like a vitamin. It is not.

How do steroids affect progress?

The simple truth is that steroids do not turn poor genetic potential into good potential, and they do not replace hard work. In every sport, the athletes who reach the top have very strong genetic potential. “Heavy chemistry” will not take an untalented athlete to the top. Instead, it can wreck their health.

Genetic differences are greater than we like to admit. The example given in the original article was blunt but clear: every man who runs 9.9 in the hundred meters ran 11 seconds or better on beach sand before he ever started training. In bodybuilding, too, some physical advantages are inherited. Broad shoulders, narrow hips and small joints do not come from a syringe or a pill.

Likewise, people differ in their ability to build muscle mass, lose fat mass while dieting and recover from training. Some progress quickly; others have to get every detail right to achieve the same result. That is not always fair, but it is real life.

Expectations are often unrealistic, too. The slogan “become a trolleybus driver in six months” does not apply to sport. With average natural ability, you may gain 5 – 6 kg of muscle mass in your first year of training, rather than simply body weight. In the second year, 3 4; in the third, 2 3; after that, perhaps 1. And even that depends on getting your training and nutrition 100% right.

So what happens during a steroid cycle? Strength and muscle mass can increase, but much of that gain is temporary. After the cycle ends, strength and muscle mass drop back toward more normal levels. This usually happens gradually over 2-3 months.

This is where the trap lies. If a new cycle starts before the gains from the previous one have disappeared, the athlete gets caught in a loop. Increasingly large doses are needed to achieve the same effect. At some point, the body starts paying the price.

Steroids and health risks

The biochemistry of steroid hormones and the names of individual drugs are not what matters most here. The key question is: does the risk make any sense given your goal?

The higher the doses and the longer the cycles, the more likely health problems become. Anabolic steroid users risk, among other things, liver damage, the development of various tumors, impaired sexual function, gynecomastia, baldness, an increased risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, increased aggression, menstrual irregularities and virilization in women.

These are not just fancy terms meant to scare you. They are issues you need to think through calmly before deciding whether to start a cycle. Not afterward, when your blood pressure is high or your hormonal system is out of balance.

Of course, adults have the right to risk their own health. But having that right does not make the decision wise. Especially when the goal is a local competition, a beach-ready physique or simply bigger arms in the mirror.

What should you do before considering steroids?

Start with a simple check. Are you following a consistent training program? Are you increasing the weights according to a plan, rather than your mood? Is your technique sound? Are you eating enough and actually recovering? If any of those answers are unclear, a lack of steroids is not the problem.

At the level of the Estonian bodybuilding championships, there is no sense in taking the risks that come with steroids. Indrek Otsus made the same point years ago. With smart training and nutrition, a talented bodybuilder can reach the level at which he, Ain Paavo and later Ott Kiivikas competed. It takes time, but it does not require you to damage your health.

Is elite sport clean today? Indrek Otsus answered that directly: he does not believe so. Especially in sports with no testing at all, such as professional basketball and professional bodybuilding. Elite sport involves big money, politics and stakes that some people are willing to take risks for.

But that does not give recreational lifters or young bodybuilders a good reason to follow the same path. First, you need to build a foundation: technique, sleep, food, patience and an honest assessment of your potential. That is less exciting than the promise of quick results, but a much more reliable path.

FAQ: steroids and training

Do steroids build muscle faster?

Yes, anabolic steroids can increase strength and muscle mass. The big question is what those gains cost you and how much you retain after a cycle.

Will you keep all your muscle mass after a cycle?

Not necessarily. The original article emphasized that strength and muscle mass usually drop back within 2-3 months after a cycle. That is why many people become trapped in repeated cycles.

Do young bodybuilders need steroids?

No. If your training, nutrition and recovery are not 100% on track, it makes sense to improve those first. As a young athlete, you have more to gain from consistent work than from a risky shortcut.

Author: Indrek Otsus

Source: WHO – physical activity.

Come work out! ArtGym