Building a physique that can win at the highest level of professional bodybuilding requires tremendous sacrifice, intense training, and good genetic luck. According to those familiar with the culture and results of bodybuilding, this cannot be achieved without the use of illegal drugs and the willingness to pay the physical and mental price to push the body to its limits or beyond.
Drug Use in Bodybuilding
More than ten scientists, trainers, judges, and competitors interviewed for this report said that obtaining a professional card, the amateur’s ticket to move into the professional ranks, is extremely difficult without the use of anabolic steroids. Winning an important title? Many people laughed at that question.
The Effects of Use on the Body and Mind
Although bodybuilding takes years of lifting weights and refining every muscle, there is no need to show strength in front of the judges other than the ability to pose on stage. It’s all about the strong appearance.
Some competitors – and a growing number of young male fans – seek to achieve this appearance through an irresponsible medical game involving a stack of various steroids and other drugs to build muscle, then adding compounds aimed at burning fat or reducing appetite or drying water from under the skin. They may try to compensate for the worst side effects with another arsenal of medications, vitamins, and supplements.
Impact on Cardiovascular Health
Although many drugs used in bodybuilding can affect the heart, steroids are suspected to be the main cause of serious heart enlargement that develops in some bodybuilders, according to a comprehensive statement from the Hormone Society. Taking high doses of steroids can also lead to high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, and a greater risk of irregular heartbeat, blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.
Impact on the Reproductive System
Since testosterone is the primary reproductive hormone, some obvious and well-documented effects of steroid use manifest in the reproductive system. Chaos begins in the brain, where the new hormones alert hormonal management, namely the pituitary gland, that the body has an excess of testosterone.
Impact on the Brain
Misbehavior is generally linked with steroid use, which includes aggression, violence, major mood disorders, insomnia, depression, and in rare cases, psychosis and suicide. Some evidence also suggests chronic dependence, and some studies indicate a decline in mental abilities among long-term users.
Impact on Other Organs
The bodybuilding lifestyle – even without using excessive hormones – negatively affects various organs, so bodybuilders often consume a range of vitamins and supplements to boost liver, kidney, heart, and gut health.
Training: Hours in the Gym
Heavy weightlifting is the core exercise for building muscle. The best bodybuilders typically spend about two hours a day – sometimes more – five or six days a week, not counting the hours spent coordinating and practicing posing routines that will showcase their best features to the judges.
Diet: “A Mental Game”
Bodybuilders train in two main phases: bulking and cutting. In the bulking phase, muscle is built, and competitors may spend months consuming large amounts of high-protein foods and drinking protein shakes – up to 12,000 calories a day for some men. Some take appetite-stimulating peptide hormones to help them consume these large quantities.
At mealtimes, they may inject insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, to assist in muscle building and mitigate the blood sugar-raising effects of growth hormone. Anawalt says the muscle-building capabilities of insulin are “unproven and somewhat reasonable,” and that insulin comes with risks. A significant drop in blood sugar can cause confusion, convulsions, and in rare cases, death.
They try to
Bodybuilding burns fat and fights fatigue while reducing their raging appetites using legal stimulants such as caffeine, or prescription drugs like thyroid hormone, or online purchases like effective asthma medication.
Cutting is a particularly harsh phase for competitors who do not use chemical aids, said Schoenfeld, who competed in natural competitions in the 1990s: “You become very moody and obsessed with food.”
Women: “Change Your Body Forever”
The available data on steroid use is limited. According to a review of previous studies in 2013, the percentage of women was only 2 percent. But Mike Davies, who has trained 12 Miss Olympias and guided over 300 bodybuilders to the pro level, said that the use of steroids by women has increased significantly in the past five to seven years.
Since steroids enhance masculine traits, female bodybuilders who take them are likely to experience changes in their appearance along with increased muscle size. Hips and breasts may shrink and become smaller in women as fat redistributes in a masculine pattern. Breast augmentation is common among female bodybuilders. Hair may grow on the face and chest. Male-pattern baldness may occur. Acne is common. The vocal cords thicken, causing their voices to become permanently deeper. The external genitalia may grow larger and longer, a condition known as clitoral enlargement, which often leads to cracking of sensitive skin.
Reasons: Why do they put themselves through this?
Rarely is the reason money, as only a few can make a living solely from bodybuilding. For some, it’s about competition. For others, it’s considered a shortcut. And for some, it’s seen as a way to get bigger. There are also those who enjoy being big.
For women, the reason may be to change their physical appearance. However, it comes with significant sacrifices and lasting physical and mental effects. The motivation may be the desire to compete, striving for success, or the desire to have a huge body. There are also those who enjoy being big.
Regardless of the reasons, bodybuilding comes with significant sacrifices and lasting physical and mental effects. Competitors should be aware of the risks and side effects and long-term impacts before deciding to engage in this sport.
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