Deciding to use steroids: think first

You shouldn’t consider steroids at the moment your weight stalls or the mirror doesn’t change as fast as you’d like. This article doesn’t encourage use; it makes you ask an honest question: are your training, nutrition, sleep and patience really in order?

If the answer is uncomfortable, that’s a good start. Most people who train in the gym don’t need steroids; they need a clearer plan and more consistency.

Why steroids are considered too early

In the gym, it’s easy to start believing that someone else is progressing only because of a pill or an injection. You see a big guy, you overhear half a sentence in the locker room, and a quick conclusion forms in your head: so steroids must be my only option too.

The simple truth: most of the time, the problem isn’t a lack of substances. The problem is eating too little food, training haphazardly, a broken sleep routine, or switching programs every couple of weeks. When a young man who is 60 kg and 182 cm tall writes that he has no other way to build muscle, the first answer is almost always the same: eat more, train better and give your body time.

Steroids don’t make a bodybuilder out of nothing. They don’t replace pushing through hard sets, counting calories, preparing your food or years of discipline. Even Ronnie Coleman wasn’t simply “a big guy on gear”. Behind him were insane amounts of work, a tightly controlled lifestyle and a training effort that most recreational lifters never come close to.

Translator’s note: his level of effort in training is one that most lifters will probably never reach!!!

The same logic applies when people talk about names like Barry Bonds. It’s easy to argue about what he used. It’s much harder to ask how he trained, with how much volume, at what intensity and for how long.

How to approach the steroid decision

The decision to use steroids must not be made out of anger, envy or impatience. It isn’t the same as trying a new protein powder or switching your training program. Health, legality, ethics and long-term consequences all play a role here.

Frankly, a large share of the “I’ve hit my limit” talk is simply poor self-assessment. Have you really eaten above your expenditure for several years in a row? Does your training log show that your weights, repetitions or volume have gone up? Have you stuck with one sensible program long enough to see its effect?

If you answer these questions vaguely, you haven’t exhausted your natural potential. You may not even be close to it. Using steroids when the basic knowledge is missing means the risks grow while the benefit stays random.

Experienced users often say the same thing: if you lack the discipline to train naturally, you have no grounds to consider steroids. And if you do have that discipline, you’ll soon realize how much is possible without any aids.

The wrong reasons to use steroids

The following reasons come up often in gym talk. But they are poor reasons, because behind them there is usually ignorance, fear or too much hurry for results.

• If you are under 23, it’s very likely that your body’s natural development isn’t finished yet. According to some data, it can continue even to the age of 24 25. Intervening at a young age can mean that natural maturation suffers.
• Steroids right when you start strength training is one of the worst ideas. A beginner first has to learn exercise technique, training rhythm, eating and recovery. Before thinking about serious substances, you should have at least 2 serious years of training behind you, not two random workouts a week and about 50 skipped sessions.
• The claim “I’m not gaining any more muscle” isn’t a sufficient reason. First, review your calories, protein intake, training volume, progression and sleep. If these haven’t been checked, there’s no point in claiming genetics is to blame.
• Temporary despair over a plateau doesn’t justify use. Bodybuilding and strength training move in waves. Sometimes progress comes quickly, sometimes it stalls. A plateau doesn’t automatically mean that steroids are the only way forward.
• The fact that an acquaintance didn’t experience side effects doesn’t mean the same will happen to you. People react differently to medications and steroids. Even doctors can often only talk about potential side effects, not promise what exactly will happen.

Translator’s note: I’d say that here the article’s author, to put it mildly, is talking nonsense. Close to the genetic limit in two years??? Or that after two years of serious training you could already think about steroids??? Utter absurdity… I could understand it if the man argued, “after 10 12 years of training, consider using substances!” But let’s see what he says next…

That interjection matters, because it puts things in proportion. 2 years may be the minimum some authors mention, but in real life it’s too short a time for most people to even understand how their body responds to training. In his book Fast Gains, Dr. Marshall Brown recommends at least 8 10 years of very serious natural training before thinking about steroids.

The results a person gets from steroids depend largely on how they train and how they eat. These in turn depend on knowledge. Without knowledge, the possible benefit doesn’t justify the risk. That is the crux of the matter.

Translator’s note: experience and knowledge should, however, be gained first through natural training. It would be highly irrational to start acquiring knowledge, skills and experience while using steroids!!!

What to do before you even consider steroids

Start with the most boring thing, because it works. Write down what you eat. Write down how you train. See whether your body weight is moving, whether your strength numbers are improving and whether your recovery is manageable. Without data, the decision is just a feeling.

If your body weight isn’t going up, eat more. If your strength isn’t moving, review your exercise selection, your number of sets and your level of effort. If you’re tired all the time, the problem may be your sleep, or the fact that you train a lot but not smartly. So what is actually going on? Often it turns out that the “ceiling” was simply a poorly managed plan.

If you are nonetheless an adult, very experienced, have a competitive goal and have done serious groundwork, that doesn’t automatically make you the worst person in the world. But it doesn’t make the decision easy. This is where health checks, legality, side effects and the question of whether the goal is worth the price at all come into the conversation.

The answer is definitely not “the big guy at the gym said so”. Forums, personal stories and other people’s advice can give you background, but you can’t delegate health risk to anyone else. Seeing your family doctor regularly is not a trivial matter here, but the bare minimum.

A better path for most lifters

Most people don’t need to go beyond natural bodybuilding. A solid training program, consistent eating and enough rest deliver the results that a great many people are actually after. Perhaps not an IFBB-level look, but certainly a strong, athletic and visually impressive physique.

If your progress stalls, first change what is under your control. Switch your training split, raise or lower your volume, check your technique, take an easier week, improve your eating. Legal supplements can help, but even they won’t save a poor plan.

For me, bodybuilding is first and foremost a sport and a competition with yourself. Hard training and proper nutrition can produce results that are satisfying enough. On top of that, you avoid the risks that come with side effects.

Translator’s note: to wrap up everything above, I would ask what the reasons for using steroids actually are, or, if one can ask it that way at all, what kind of “type” would be the one for whom use would be justified in the first place??? Have I understood correctly that this is a “type who has 12 – 15 years of solid training history, has visibly used up all of their natural development potential, has had no particular progress in the last five or six years of training (even though training and nutrition are well thought out and in place), also has solid competition experience, yet whose motivation and drive to realize themselves even further, to get even further, are still high, and the only way to realize their dreams is to compete among the pros??? We are talking primarily about bodybuilding. If all the conditions I have described are met and there is a clear wish to go further, would it then be ETHICAL to use steroids??? Is it the case that if I am a professional, since all the Pros use, then using substances would somehow be more ethical, and also more justified, in my case than if I compete as an amateur and use steroids???

FAQ: the limits of steroids and natural training

Will muscle grow on steroids even without hard training?

Don’t count on it. Steroids don’t replace training or nutrition. For muscle to grow, the body needs a reason, that is, a training stimulus, and material, that is, enough food.

Does a plateau mean I’ve reached my genetic limit?

Usually not. A plateau can come from too few calories, a poor program, inadequate recovery, or simply from having left the same approach unchanged for too long.

Should a young lifter consider steroids at all?

Under the age of 23 it is an especially bad idea. The body is still developing, and the risk of disrupting natural development is too great.

Translated by Janar Rückenberg

Come and train! ArtGym