The purpose of this article is not to shock or sway your views on steroids but you help you understand and debunk the myths and truth about training natural training and training with illegal anabolic substances and what you can expect in the lines of results, effects and health issues.

My definition of “Natural training” is based upon a guy partaking in strength training and supplementing with what is currently legally available to buy in any convenience or health store, chemist or supplement store and the strict non use of anabolic steroids. My definition of “Unnatural training”is based on a guy partaking in strength training and supplementing with the use of illegal steroids like Testosterone, Growth hormone etc.

Let me just say I have trained naturally all my life using nothing more than protein powder, creatine and multi vitamins & minerals and lots of good healthy food. In my many years of being involved in the fitness industry as gym goer and as a health & fitness professional I have met a lot of people and heard a lot of stories and seen a lot of things. In the past I have done my best to persuade numerous guys in the gym to stay away from steroids and keep training naturally and to keep their health and pride in their own naturally achieved progress.

In this article im going to give you the truth by my own record and views which I hope will help you understand and dispel the truths and myths about training naturally and unnaturally. Im not condoning the use of steroids or advocating the use of them but what im aiming to do is to arm you with the knowledge so, before you make the decision yourself at least you are aware of what to expect, the pros and cons of training with steroids.

What You Need To Know

Steroids are synthetic versions of human hormones like Testosterone, which are usually hyper dosed for maximum effects I.e. increased muscle mass, strength, speed, power and over all performance. Once you start using steroids you would technically have to stay on them forever in order to maintain the gains/progress you have made otherwise when you INEVEITBALY come off/stop using them you can kiss goodbye to 100% of the gains you have made. Yes, you can expect Increased muscle mass and up to 3 times faster growth and recovery. However, those benefits come with a price when and inevitably when you have to come off the steroids your body will be left with very low natural testosterone after the years of abuse and thus has nothing to support the unnatural muscle mass which was gained, which will result in muscle atrophy (muscle wastage) The speed at which it reduces can vary but your looking at losing muscle, strength and performance quiet rapidly each week until your body hits its status quo or a natural equilibrium and appropriate muscle mass for your body type. 

Even if you continue to train naturally after that your hormone levels could be so damaged that you wont even be able to achieve much natural progress either. You will probably even end up with some androgenic effects such as hair loss, testicular shrinkage and breast tissue growth due to the hormonal damage done. So if those are down sides why the hell would you start using steroids in the first place?!

Pride & Integrity

There is also a question of pride and integrity here. What do I mean by that? What I mean is, personally, I have the utmost respect for my body and pride in what I have achieved in the gym to date. Its the same for you, Nobody can take that away from you, nobody can say you used steroids to achieve your natural physique. I have pride in my natural, although be it slow, progress I have made in my lifetime of training. My integrity still maintains to this day even though in the past both colleagues and training buddies have tried to persuade me to use steroids but I stood my ground and said no. And as I made my “slow” natural progress continually I watched those same guys yo-yo up and down in weight, get acne, health issues and eventually and inevitably lose all their unnatural gains and progress.

I was once a beginner, new to the gym and eager to make progress and crazy gains. Brainwashed by fitness magazines full of huge strong dudes, I said yeah im gonna be like them! But after a few years I still didn't look like those guys , despite training and eating like a pro I didn't look like one. Hmmm I thought to myself naively, why aren't I still as ripped and muscular as those guys in the magazines or the huge guys in the gym. After a while I started to realise it was something else, something called steroids. I must say it was disheartening to think no matter how much work I put into my training that I will never be as big, ripped or muscular as those guys I idolised. But that didn't stop me I kept training naturally and still do to this day and I always will. Now nearly every guy will go through this same realisation at some stage and that could be the turning point/cross road where you might give into temptation and jump on the steroids or you could hold your ground and make the decision to say no and maintain your pride and integrity and keep training naturally.

Drugs In Sports & Misconceptions

Another thing that aggravates me is the example that it sets to the younger athlete and gym new comers. It can be disheartening to them when they realise they can't live up to their own expectations and ideas of what they thought were achievable without using performance enhancing steroids. Sports are rife with anabolic abuse from amateur to the pro leagues and unfortunately any aspiring kid who is naturally naive about the substance abuse will be devastated when they find out they cant be as big, strong or fast as their heroes and idols without resorting to steroids. Just have a look at all the media scandals in professional sports like cycling, Soccer, and even the Olympics! When money and contracts are entered into the equation it can be a different story, even though I don't agree with it, I can understand the pressure there would be to deliver the best performance for that athletes company, team and sponsors. A line has to be drawn somewhere as steroids in sports have destroyed the fair play and competition of sportsmanship but that's another topic for another day.

But, when your just Joe Soap in the gym taking toxic amounts of steroids for no other reason than to look good on the beach you need take inventory and ask your self some serious questions, is it really worth destroying your body and health and shortening your lifespan for no other reason than to look good on the beach or in the club so you can get some action? Its ridiculous.

The Pros & Cons

I have personally known guys who openly confessed to me that they were on steroids and what kind of gains they made I.e. the muscle mass the strength and the vitality and energy that comes with having unnaturally super high testosterone levels. Sure they looked impressive while they were training with steroids but when the inevitable time came to come off the steroids, be it from lack of money, personal reasons, health reasons or injuries they shrank on an almost weekly basis losing nearly all what they gained and in the end I was bigger, stronger and healthier than them in my naturally trained state , which I may remind you that I or You can sustain indefinitely.

The following are the Pros & Cons related to steroid use..

A Final thought

Well I hope this article has been enlightening for you and helps you to make the right choice whether you are considering trying steroids now or you might be tackled with the choice in the future. The use of steroids can affect your life and health in so many serious ways. Its not a joke and these issues are real and becoming more and more of a problem as steroid usage is being looked at as harmless recreational drugs being popularised by social media and TV/movies etc. The influence can be very strong when your being bombarded with hot bodies & chiselled physiques and misinformation from various media sources. All these negative media influences have given birth to the YOLO (You Only Live Once) generation that just don't care about there health and can't foresee the life threatening health issues that await them down the line. Just remember that every action has an equal and opposite reaction and you will have to suffer the consequences someday, somehow.

After reading this at least now you are now armed with the knowledge to make your own well informed decision, hopefully the right decision.

- APG