"Maybe steroid abuse is too common" was my thought after watching a shirtless RFK Jr (69) do pushups the other day.
Like RFK you will regularly (every day) see men in their 60s that have the muscle mass and definition of someone in their 20s. It’s still a lot of hard work, and I’m not calling it cheating, but it’s extremely obvious.
There’s a lot of talk of female beauty standards but looking at The Rock, Hugh Jackman, and countless others all the diet and training in the world cannot maintain that physique into their fifties. It’s ridiculous they do interviews and give the classic “broccoli and chicken” line. Personally I’m also skeptical younger actors are able to achieve physiques that are top tier for professional athletes naturally - and often do it in months between roles.
Even when they give details of their training (two a days for hours) that’s just not possible at that age without the tremendous improvements in recovery that performance enhancing drugs provide.
Doubly sleazy for those that are selling something claiming it's how they achieved their results. Not unlike the Kardashians selling some juice, make up, or whatever and attributing their appearance to it. The real answer is lighting, all kinds of editing/tuning apps, surgery, extreme and regular dermatological procedures, veneers, etc. It's their job and they employ every single trick in the book possible and then some to achieve these results.
It's incredible how far the standards have moved. I was re-watching Terminator 2 the other day. Looking at Arnold Schwarzenegger in that role his physique is more-or-less the standard for "action heroes" today and needless to say he's essentially a freak of nature (and has openly discussed his steroid use). There have been advancements in sport and exercise training but not nearly enough to make up that difference.
Christian Bale went from a "should be hospitalized" gaunt physique in The Machinist to Batman in a year - that's just not possible without chemical intervention.
Unfortunately it's also risky for them to tell the truth ("I achieved this with some sketchy prescriptions of otherwise-illegal drugs")
I do think it's fair to assume that if Hemsworth openly its likely to be possible more young kids will take it. But it also depends on how he talks about it.
Here's The Rock[1] at 48 years old. You can search for in-role Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Henry Cavill, etc, etc - Joe is tiny by comparison and all of these actors seem to get bigger and bigger as they age (look at any of them from roles 10 years ago) - which is the exact opposite of what happens to men as they age.
Here's an example[2] of what they look like (in "Hollywood" shape, but normal for age) when not tuned-up to the max on whatever they do/take for these roles.
[0] - https://www.essentiallysports.com/ufc-mma-news-unlike-the-li...
[1] - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9166911/Dwayne...
[2] - https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/photo-gallery/43926966/im...
On the getting bigger thing, muscle is cumulative as long as you keep exercising it. I have always assumed The Rock was on gear while wrestling (although he had a great frame to begin with) but I don't find it odd that he can maintain that at 48.