'Bodies Like Greek Statues': Steroids Are Everywhere
vice.com
vice.com
I was more heavily into bodybuilding culture 10-ish years ago when I started lifting. I never took the stuff, as there are a billionty downsides to using them and you have to train, and diet, even harder while you're on them, but I am saddened, but not surprised, to see that it's gotten _even easier_ to procure these drugs.
That said, I am impressed that there are influencers who are finally coming clean about their drug use. It was really taboo to openly admit to taking PEDs back then, so it was really frustrating to see fitness dudes talking about how diet and grindset is the key to gains without mentioning the drugs while also knowing that their followers wanted the same body they had.
VICE didn't emphasize the dark side of steroids and PEDs hard enough IMO. Steroids seriously fuck people up permanently when used without (and sometimes with) an oncologist guiding them. Heart and hormone regulation issues are the biggest side effects. And that's assuming you get good-quality drugs, which is very hard to do when you're ordering from wherever the fuck. Here's an article from WaPo that hits on that topic more directly: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/20...
The article reminded me of another thing I think I read/saw on Reddit where a bodybuilder on gear literally ripped their bicep open during a curl. It was gross. I also remembered that steroids can affect reproductive health and leaves "souvenirs" behind like enlarged guts and fat underneath chest muscles.
The real problem is teenagers more than adults. Steroids are basically required for some high school sports (like US football) to even hope to play in college. This needs to get stomped on extremely hard as it pushes adolescent boys to take drugs with strong side effects as the ticket for a "lottery" with really bad odds.
And, even if we're not talking about sports and instead just general young male population, the problem is that "nice muscles" is obvious and quick while stroke risk, heart disease risk, permanently depressed testosterone, etc. are not. And, once this becomes normalized, it is the same problem as using 20+ year olds to play teenagers in media--it throws off what everybody views as a "healthy" body type--both boys and girls.
As for adults, I don't give one iota of damn whether Chris Evans, Hugh Jackman, or The Rock took steriods--it's their life. However, they need to quit goddamn lying about it. And when someone has a really bad reaction, they need to talk about that, too.