Saturday, October 17, 2020

Say No To Steroids : My Top 5 Reasons - By Burt Gam

    Greetings to all and hopefully everyone is staying safe and healthy in these risk filled and stressful times with COVID.

I want to begin this article by stating it's purpose, to dissuade any new readers of NaturalStrength.com to think carefully before making the decision to try anabolic steroids. If that is anyone's intention then this column, as I am sure Bob would agree is not for you. So here goes my "Top 5" reasons not necessarily in any order of importance.

#5. It is bad for your body. Steroid use has been associated with damage to the various organs of the body. I am talking about impaired, heart, liver and kidney function. The heart for example is in reality another muscle. With excessive steroid use the heart becomes enlarged and the left ventricle thickens. This is not beneficial to the body because the heart is working harder dealing with feeding the extra body mass and fluid retention. The liver enzymes are affected, and kidney function is impaired. The endocrine system basically shuts down the production of testosterone naturally. High blood pressure, inflated LDL and triglyceride levels can result in arteriosclerosis. Steroid use has even been linked with cancer. Some effects are acute while others become chronic. There is more but I covered enough bases.

#4. It is bad for your mind. Steroid use has been linked to various mood disorders, paranoia, schizophrenia, and aggressive behaviors and other mental disorders. They are actually considered addictive, if not physically at least psychologically. A tragic example is a well known professional wrestlers who killed his entire family and then himself.

#3 It is dysfunctional. There is nothing functional about a steroid lifestyle. Muscles are meant to be stretched due to their elasticity as well as contract. In other words they must function properly to produce efficient movement. An athlete for example usually does not benefit by an increase in size unless it is accompanied by a corresponding increase in strength. With steroid use this co-development tends to develop our of proportion to each other. That is why NFL players are not just big but fast, powerful and agile. Excessive bulk is not even advantageous to most but the larger lineman if it has a negative effect on overall performance. In some cases the biomechanics of the muscle and it's angle of pull at the joint changes, not for the better. And there is nothing functional about spending your money so you can stick needles in your body, especially if you don't compete or can financially benefit in some way. Not too functional for family life or even being a normal well balanced individual. In a nutshell *one dimensional".

#2. It can shorten your life. Related to #1, steroids can put you in an early grave. The professional wrestling industry is loaded with examples of wrestlers who never saw age 50, 40, or even 30! And plenty of pro bodybuilders too. Never saw their kids grow up, have grandchildren or great grandchildren. Never retire, travel and live out their full natural lifespan.

#1. It is not sustainable. The biggest difference between a "natural" or a steroid fueled physique is in the long term the natural lifter can maintain their physique(as well as their health) throughout their lifetime. A natural hard trainer can maintain their physique well past age 60. If you look at some of the top pro bodybuilders and compare their physiques while they were using to after they stopped, they appear almost unrecognizable due to muscular atrophy and less favorable body composition. In some cases this difference is drastic. And if they had tried to sustain their usage they probably would not live to a ripe old age anyway.

    I would like to end this article with a story. "Little Frankie" as we used to call him was well, little. On a good day he might have been five foot 3. Frankie was very young, athletic and a hit with the ladies. But Franky started to change before our eyes. In a span of 6 months "Little Franky" blew up to cartoon character superhuman size. We all knew he was lifting, but his tiny frame just did not fit with the amount of bulk it was carrying. And then something strange happened. He started shrinking. ALOT. He claimed he had stopped lifting but something was off. Then he got big again. When he hit age 30 or so you could see the male pattern baldness forming in his once thick haired head. Then when Franky was in his 40s the word spread through the building like wildfire. Little Franky had been busted for distribution of steroids on federal property. He lost his job, his pension, his self respect and dignity, and probably his health. Don't be like Little Franky. Be like the bodybuilders of the past. They were strong, athletic, agile and flexible. They were the ultimate examples of good health and longevity. Reeves, Grimek, Eder, Hepburn... Always choose long term good health over a fools dream.


   Editor's Note: Great Article Burt!
Does modern bodybuilding make you sick? You should write for Natural Strength! I always need good articles about drug-free weight training. It only has to be at least a page and nothing fancy. Just write it strong and truthful with passion! Send your articles directly to me: bobwhelan@naturalstrength.com
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