Steroid use is quite common among fit men. And it's much more serious than many people realise.
So when you see a big guy pulling 250kg hard in the gym, he may not have had to use steroids himself, but he probably did (or did at some stage).
Steroid use is not just limited to huge, bulky fitness 'monsters'...
A significant number of ordinary people take steroids to get their muscles as big and their body fat as low as possible as quickly as possible.
Now, before i get to the main point of the article, i want to make it clear that i'm not here to hack steroids and the people who use him. Most people who work out hard in the gym for professional bodybuilding are equally dedicated to their diet and training, they are pushing themselves beyond their limits through hard work, putting in the hard work, and sacrifice for something they don't normally do. This is their lifelong pursuit and should be respected.
But there is no denying the fact that steroids can radically accelerate muscle development to a level that cannot be achieved in its natural state.
The problem is that many people don't want to admit to taking steroids.
Even those who accept it internally always say no to it externally. They probably see it as a stigma and no one wants to be judged by the crowd.
But you're curious, aren't you?
How can we simply tell if they are using steroids? Today we're going to illustrate the 9 most obvious signs that might give you something to find out ......
A big belly
Have you ever seen the kind of person whose whole body is covered with blood vessels?
However, he also has a prominent, solid stomach that might make you think he looks like he's been pregnant since. He may also have well-defined abs on his large stomach. We're not talking about people who eat too much buttercream.
It is likely that he has taken human growth hormone at some point and created a 'side effect'.
Body acne
Most of us don't get a lot of acne in our adult lives. Maybe you get the occasional pimple on your face or back.
However, men who take steroids often develop severe body acne. This is because steroids help produce extra testosterone. Testosterone affects the function of the sebaceous glands, leading to more body acne - especially on the back and shoulders.
Cracked skin (similar to gestation lines)
When a person starts taking steroids, he usually also becomes stronger.
If he also trains hard in the gym, this can produce huge gains in a short time.
Unfortunately, the elasticity of the skin is not always able to accommodate these sudden increases, leaving behind stretch marks that the skin cannot adjust to.
In many cases these can be permanent scars and most often occur on the sides of the chest, the upper dorsal muscles and sometimes the biceps.
Gynecomastia
This is a condition that most men wish they never had!
Gynecomastia is an enlargement of breast tissue in men. This often leaves them with sagging breasts, nipples pointing down etc. Not very good looking ......
Gynecomastia is often thought to be caused by a change in the ratio of testosterone to oestrogen in men. Men's testosterone levels are usually about 20 times higher than women's, while women's oestrogen levels are about five times higher than men's.
However, when exogenous testosterone is introduced into the body, it is converted to estrogen through a process called aromatization. This leads to an increase in estrogen concentrations in some male steroid users, which in turn leads to such consequences.
Massive muscle gain
Obviously, rapid muscle gain does not always equate to steroids.
Sometimes it is simply the result of hard training and genetics. However, there is a limit to how much muscle a man in his natural state can gain in any given month.
For an athlete with some experience, gaining 450 grams of muscle per week is already a huge achievement and will not continue at that rate of growth.
However, for steroid users, these types of rapid growth are not uncommon.
In fact, it has been reported that new steroid users can gain between 9-13kg of muscle in just a few months!
Disproportionate muscle tissue
A natural athlete tends to have certain proportions.
Depending on individual genetics and training, some muscles may be more pronounced than others, but muscle growth in different parts of the body does not generally vary cartoonishly irregularly.
Steroid users, on the other hand, tend to have disproportionately large upper body muscles. This is particularly true of the shoulders, obliques and back, as these muscles have more androgen receptors than other areas.
In fact, if a man's shoulders are frighteningly large, chances are he has used steroids at some stage.
Losing fat while building muscle
For most men, it is almost impossible to gain a lot of muscle and lose fat at the same time.
You usually have to choose which one to prioritise and then build your diet and calorie intake around it.
However, for some people it is possible to do both at the same time. So, if some guy in your gym is gaining muscle every week and losing a lot of fat at the same time, he must not be using natural means.
Big muscles on small bones
Have you ever seen a guy with significantly larger muscle proportions than his bones?
He may have tiny wrists and huge forearms (disproportionate like popeye).
Generally speaking, the degree of growth of natural bodybuilders depends to some extent on their bone structure.
You won't see someone with a skinny skeleton and a muscular body at the same time competing. At least not without the support of steroids you won't ......
Small testicles
Yes, this is obviously a joke!
Having said that, it could be a side effect of steroids, so i thought i'd include that one anyway.
Your testicles are responsible for the production of testosterone. When you take steroids, your body has an ample supply of external testosterone, causing your internal production to stop. This is the reason for testicular atrophy.
However, it is important to note that this is reversible and, depending on how careful the steroid user is, will return to normal after a recovery cycle of stopping the drug.
Finally, it is worth remembering that just because a person has grown large does not mean they are taking steroids, so you must always double check the details to determine the truth.
On the other hand, if you are a young man who dreams of becoming a bodybuilding champion, first take your training, diet and rest to the extreme using scientific methods and try to really reach your limits before you think about steroids.