You will find that (depending on gym) a surprisingly large portion do take steroids or have tried them at stages, for that very reason you said. Progress is slow!!!

And people wonder how movie stars can put on so much bulk for film roles so quick... Hmmmm I'll leave that up to the reader to interpret.

I only take whey and creatine.

My 23andme report says that I've disproportionately high amount of fast twitch muscle fiber.

And I am gaining muscle faster than my friends, sometimes even faster than the ones who take steroids.

I am not cacassian. 20% North European, 30% South East Asian, 20% Siberian, 30% Arab.

You might find this useful: https://www.t-nation.com/training/truth-about-bodybuilding-g...

Lots. But you don't need to. You just need to push yourself hard and eat loads. If you're having fun in the gym then you won't make it. It's hard work.

Progress does slow down, but early on gains are usually pretty fast assuming you are eating enough.