By Dr. Greg Shepard
women bodybuilders take steroids, in spite of extreme to anabolic steroid use by any athlete, bodybuilder, or dangers. Anabolic Steroids contain testosterone, or the competitive lifter. We applaud the stand taken by the male growth hormone, and thus a woman starts taking on International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Seoul male characteristics—increased body hair, lowering of the Olympic games. Stripping the Gold Medal from Track and voice, increased size of the sexual organ, decreased body Field’s greatest star, Ben Johnson, and others demonstrates fat, and, of course, manly-type muscles.
Obviously, not only the earnestness of the [OC but also the Steroids can help a woman in bodybuilding competition. sophistication of present drug testing. The IOC has banned For the sake of limited fame and winning, some women “Performances Enhancing Drugs,” which refers to anabolic accept the risk. However, would steroids help a woman be steroids. a better golfer? How about a better volleyball player, a Anabolic Steroids should be banned because they are 3,000-meter runner, or a high jumper? Would Steroids downright dangerous. In fact, there are about 70 health reasons not to take Steroids. These reasons should be basketball player?
enough to scare any clear-thinking individual to death: Severe heart and liver problems are a Acne, which can lead to facial scarring, seems to be minor when compared to life-threatening Steroid complications. “Roid Rages” are a not-so-cute way of describing mood changes which have led to violence and even murder. Anabolic Steroids should be banned primarily because they present a very real danger to one’s health; and secondarily, because of the so-called illegal advantage Steroids are supposed to give in competition. believe I will expose the Great Steroid Myth. real possibility.
Sexual dysfunction in both males and females is prevalent.
Idifference in a tennis, baseball, hockey, or enhancing” is, for many athletes and sports, incorrect.
Q- What happens when a person begins taking Steroids? A- Usually, an immediate jump can be seen in one’s lifts, and one can also expect an increase in body weight. The increased strength gain is due in part to the increased body weight and increased muscular size. There is also, in many, a placebo effect. If you expect to be stronger, you will be stronger. A more intensive workout usually takes place, and perhaps a quicker recovery. Now before you run right out and juice up on some “roids,” read on and discover the Great Steroid Myth. Q- What happens after several weeks?
Steroids are perhaps even debilitating to performance.
A- All these marvelous improvements stop; and when However, everyone from athletes, to doctors, to the general dosages are stopped, the improvements then begin to public has automatically assumed that Steroids create a reverse themselves. Then depression hits and performance tremendous advantage. That’s the great Steroid myth. decreases. Many cannot tolerate this situation so the Many people simply shrug and say, “You can’t Steroid use begins anew; but alas, the effects are not as compete without them.” This is dangerous thinking. This dramatic. creates an urge in the average person to take them because improvements, the obvious solution is to increase the nobody tests an average person.
In the past it has created dosages. Doesn’t this sound like other harmful, addictive an urge for the great athlete to find a way to mask or drugs? Steroid users normally start out with 10 to 20 conceal his or her Steroid use. Perhaps the Ben Johnson milligrams per day. This can escalate to 500 milligrams per scenario will discourage some, but you can bet some very day, with the user spending hundreds of dollars per smart people are in a lab somewhere right now trying to month. The user is hooked and the myth is alive. figure out a way to beat the new sophisticated tests used in Seoul.
Can the positive effects of Steroids be gained naturally?
Ten to fifteen years ago doctors would say that A - Yes—but a qualified ‘yes’. You may have to really eat Steroids don’t help strength or size. Bodybuilders and nutritionally sound foods, and plenty of them. You may competitive lifters knew differently. As a result, the have to mentally gear yourself to have intensive workouts scientific community and doctors were virtually ignored. It and really plan them intelligently. You may have to study was a mistake on both sides. But now the pendulum has the technique of lifting and the methodology of correct swung too far the other way.
Doctors, physiologists, and training principles with more diligence, but you will get scientists take great care in agreeing that Steroids give a bigger and stronger. | found out some amazing truths great advantage. Many Steroid users and potential users during my BFS Clinics. When an athlete has confidence in may have more faith in scientific statements, but these his technique, and the adrenalin starts to flow because his statements may also put more fuel on the Steroid fire. Let’s teammates are loudly yelling encouragement, he will lift bring the pendulum back to the balanced center and more than ever before. It is very common to see 50-pound analyze things more closely.
Steroids will help in some jumps in the Power Clean, 20-pound jumps in the Bench, areas but not markedly in other areas. For example, many and 100-pound jumps in the Dead Lift and Squat. One clinic day can be like a year of Steroids Just how strong do you need to be?
I believe that much of the intensity that is attributed A- Can anyone look me in the eye and tell me that a 450- too Steroids in psychological. Most users work out by pound Bench Presser is going to be an inferior football themselves and their Steroid is their pal, their teammate, and their coach. When athletes work out at school with player to a guy who Benches 550 pounds? Obviously, that’s ridiculous. You must be strong, but unlike powerlifting their real teammates and with an enthusiastic coach, one of there is a point of diminishing return. the very few positives associated with steroid use is virtually eliminated.
Bench 400, he has arrived in the strength category. To take Q- Wat is the bottom line? A- One bottom line is winning, but another is learning positive things about yourself that will help you be happy and successful throughout life. In bodybuilding, winning is derived from muscular size, symmetry, vascularity, and a posing routine. Most bodybuilders agree that Steroids give For example, | say that when a college or pro lineman or a thrower in track can Squat 600, Power Clean 350, and demonstration of pure strength. There is very little technique to be learned, especially when you compare it to the skill required in shooting a jump shot accurately and correctly.
Many powerlifters insist that Steroids are not concern itself with bodybuilders or powerlifters. We are dedicated to helping athletes succeed. We concentrate on sports like football, wrestling, basketball, baseball, track and field, etc. Q- What does it take to win in these sports?
Steroids just to push strength levels beyond those numbers is ludicrous. Most men who have the talent to play at that level have the ability to reach the above numbers naturally. The strength level to be a great Quarterback, Receiver, basketball player, or baseball player is obviously less. It is sheer stupidity for these kinds of athletes to take Steroids.
These athletes can easily attain productive strength levels naturally, and do it rather quickly. My last point is that Anabolic Steroids do help increase muscle size, but tendon and ligament strength is affected differently and at a different rate. Thus, it has been reported that athletes who take Steroids are more susceptible to injury, especially in joint areas. Most athletes, the IOC, the scientific community, the media, and the general public believe that Steroids are performance enhancing. That is a myth—The Great Steroid Myth. The truth is that for most sports, the sports played in our high schools and colleges, Anabolic Steroids are A- It’s complicated.
It takes many things, and for this inhibitors to winning. Great athletes like Barry Sanders, reason Steroid use becomes of very minimal importance in Tommy Hodson, Todd Collins, and Chad Hennings are not winning and may actually decrease the chance of winning! on Steroids. Taking Steroids decreases your chances of To win in football takes much more than size and winning while creating enormous potential health strength. For example, flexibility is very important. An athlete should work on agility, speed, and plyometrics. problems.
Why? Why would anyone want to do that?
These all interact together to make an athlete faster and more explosive. Powerlifters don’t stretch, sprint, jump, or do agilities.
All they have to do is slowly move a heavy weight a couple of feet. Steroids do not make an athlete more flexible or more agile.
Nor do they make a Quarterback throw more accurately or a Linebacker read his keys more intelligently.
Steroids may make an athlete less confident in a crucial situation, or even less effective. When it is fourth and one, I believe a non-user who has gotten his gains by his own hard work will perform better. In the back of a user’s mind, a thought may flash for an instant:“Where’s my pill, my crutch, to help me?” If it does, the user becomes a loser.
NEW!
PLYO BOXES A Set of Four Plyometric Jumping Boxes There is also the constant worry about being tested.
The user must have nightmares about what to take to mask his use. How to flush them out of the system. Will it work? When should I stop? And if I stop will I be able to handle the effects of losing some strength? You see, even the water-soluble Steroids must be eliminated weeks before a sophisticated test. The stress of focusing on “Will I get caught?” has to be detrimental. An athlete should be concentrating on strategy and mentally preparing to win.
¢ Adjustable ¢ High Grade Heavy Plywood ¢ Easy Storage Feature © Special Non-Skid Surface Included: Instructions by Stefan.
From BFS Magazine — November/December 1988. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
