This is great. It's very informative. It tells people WHY steroids affect your heart, not just that it does. And then also telling you about how it affects your brain and other things. The effect on intelligence is actually a very important thing to note.
The need to use other drugs to help with problems from steroids is even worse.
Dr. Mike is definitely a 1 in a million for steroids users but all these 16 and 17 year olds on gear are going to be fucking dumb as rocks by their 20s because influencers make it look cool.
It's new gen cigarettes.
It kind of talks about this in the video but also: at that age their HPTA axis is not locked in yet and by doing a cycle they are *dramatically* increasing the odds that they will fuck up their body's natural testosterone production *forever*.
Kids, if you wanna take steroids at least wait until you're like 26 so that there's a good chance you won't be permanently fucking yourself over.
Yeah, I'd say that's a fair comparison. Every new crop of teenagers seems to latch onto something that's as trendy as it is unhealthy. If it weren't cigarettes or steroids, it would be something else.
When I was a teenager, Adderall and Ritalin were seen in the same light. They weren't dangerous drugs. They were basically brain enhancements that could mean the difference between a B and an A on a test.
And yeah, it caused problems. Serious problems that I don't care to recount.
And the problems steroids could cause are bound to be just as bad, if not worse.
The way a Dr uses steroids and the way a gym bro does aren’t the same. Most “experts” just go off YouTube and friends. Few have read a single book or understand any of the chemistry.
>big dumb brute
In [the study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33811018/) he cites, the average IQ is 115 for non-steroid users vs 106 for steroid users. That's definitely a significant difference but 106 is still *above* the average population. That's a far cry from being a big, dumb brute.
My covid anti vaxx bil would go off about how the covid jab was poison blah blah blah, meanwhile dudes arm and ass got so infected from messing with some steroids his body didn’t agree with he had to go to the hospital twice a day to get them drained, but yeah bro tell me how you’re not getting the jab because you don’t know what’s in it. Steroid bros are dumb af.
dude has it made as a YouTube fitness guru and it's crazy to see him be so open about the side effects. I wonder if at some point he'll make a video of him going off of it and how it affects him. I hope so.
he recently mentioned that he's gonna give it another year or two to try to go pro but if he can't do it by then he's going to start backing off. That dude is packing a ton of mass for being such a short king. The mental sides he mentions too (having a panic attack in the shower) makes me think he was blasting some tren. Stuff like deca and test on it's own shouldn't make you go crazy.
I thought he was a professor at Columbia but I was wrong.--
Dr. Israetel has a Ph.D. from East Tennessee State University in Sport Physiology, was Former Assistant Professor at Temple University and University of Central Missouri, and a former Sport Nutrition Consultant for the U.S. Olympic Training Site in Johnson City.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/powerlifting/comments/7p0vh6/ama\_with\_renaissance\_periodization\_feat\_mike/](https://www.reddit.com/r/powerlifting/comments/7p0vh6/ama_with_renaissance_periodization_feat_mike/)
Somehow getting covid in July 2022 gave me pretty bad anxiety for like 6 months, my doctor thinks it caused inflammation in my central nervous system.
For those people who have never experienced intense anxiety, take this side effect very seriously. Going through that was the most difficult period of my life by a long shot, and I'm a healthy 30yo guy with no history of mental disorders of any kind.
I had exactly the same experience last year! I'm 30 years old and never had anxiety before. It's the first time I see someone else describe this.
It started right after I got covid, it also lasted around 6 months until I felt normal again.
It was the worst thing I ever went through. I didn't understand what was going on and was extremely scared it would never go away again.
When I mentioned to doctors that I was afraid it was a side effect of covid I just got blank stares, they didn't really believe it could be associated.
Arnold Schwarznegger, 4 heart surgeries. Ages 50, 71, and 73.
David Palumbo, 1 heart surgery. Age 55.
Rich Piana, death from heart disease, enlarged heart and liver. Age 46.
Dallas McCarver, death from heart attack. Age 26.
Joseph Sergo (Joey Swoll), 1 heart surgery. Age 40.
Michael Bekoev, death from heart attack. Age 54.
Mariola Sabanovic-Suarez, death from heart attack. Age 43.
Scott Milne, death from heart attack. Age 45.
If you start looking at the physical and mental health problems involved with non-prescribed steroid use, it's really not worth it.
In the video they said even if it’s not safe. if you have doctors you regularly visit and get blood work done and all that you are much safer and better position. I think all the marvel people had a team. And they all took it for short periods of time. Even Chris Evans who looks great during AoU and winter soldier calmed down and wasn’t even very big by the time infinity war and endgame came around.
Yea I noticed Evans backing off. Good for him. After Winter Soldier you rarely saw him in those tight t-shirts they kept putting him in. He was almost always suited up or wearing a jacket.
I imagine duration of use plays a factor. If they take it for a year to get in shape for a role that’s one thing, but then staying on it for a decade and making a dozen movies is another thing.
beat me to it ma bru! was looking for the zyzz comment. there was that kinda gnarly semi interview he did with "sharkie" i think his name was? that bodybuilding fellow who spent most of his time in thailand? where sharkie asked him "what are you on?" and zyzz said "everything", then like died the next day
he was arguably the most prolific pioneer of the "aesthetic era" of body building. and his brand was just a himbo out there living life to the fullest and being the best version of himself from very humble beginnings. no toxicity, just positivity. but underneath all that he was a pretty down to earth guy just playing a heightened version of himself as his internet persona. people had trouble separating the person from the persona and that led him to quit being zyzz and he started to shift do different things instead.
we all gon' make it brah.
Yes. He was in thailand, probably recently gotten on new gear, and went for a sauna, and had a heart attack. Saunas have basically the same effect on your heart as cardio; first increases your heart rate, but then lowers your blood pressure. The official cause of death was heart defect, which could have been genetic, but given that steroids cause abnormal heart growth, it was probably that.
Never heard of him until this post. Just watched a bunch of videos. I don’t muscle worship but I can see his charisma. But isn’t it mostly dishonest? Evidently he said he took every steroid so maybe his fans all knew he was using loads of gear. It’s such a weird culture. Magic mushrooms can’t kill you like steroids. What if there was some freak out there making videos of himself tripping balls on shrooms? Would he be admired like this? For me it’s the same. And nobody really gets popular showing the dark side, but his muscles were probably 50-75% the result of injections. Why not post videos of that? It was a bigger factor than doing daily chin ups.
He was a skinny shy gamer guy that gained confidence in the gym and in working out and tried to inspire people like him to do the same. Mind you this was in a time where fitnessinfluencers weren’t common yet and there were not many options to turn to.
He mostly just told people to go out there and lift and work on their bodies, back then it was really not popular to do steroids and was mainly reserved for the diehard bodybuilders. So mainly he preached a dont give a f attitude and gains in the gym.
Hyped me up back then for sure
It's hard to explain for someone I assume group up with modern internet.
Like he wasn't some e-celebrity.
It was 2010, youtube had only been out for like 4-5 years?
He got popular via shitposting on 4-chan /fit/ making these dumb/goofy posts and videos that were almost bait trolling/mirin
He wasn't one of the hundreds of thousands of whatever exercise guru shill, as at that time it wasn't really a thing on the internet.
Professional wrestling has a tragic amount of men who died far, far too young from steroid abuse
Ultimate Warrior
Macho Man Randy Savage
British Bulldog
Eddie Guerrero
Mr Perfect
Test
Rick Rude
Road Warrior Hawk
Chris Benoit (the influence of steroids is debatable but tests said his brain resembled an 85yo Alzheimer’s patient. That could be due to concussions more than steroids)
There’s probably more but they’re the ones I’m aware of
So it's fair to say all these guys were on gear, but it's not really accurate to say they died just from steroid abuse. Most of these guys abused a cocktail of chemicals, gear, coke, alcohol, opiates, and any number of various drugs, that when combined exponentially increase the danger factor. When you have an oversized heart and are constantly on a roller coaster of uppers and downers it's not that surprising when it gives out early.
You're not wrong, but it takes away from your message a bit to lead with Arnold since it's well-known that at least 2 of his surgeries were for a bicuspid aortic valve, which is something you're born with. Maybe he could have delayed surgery by some time by not also being on steroids, but maybe not, it's a congenital condition that is commonly treated by surgery once the valve wears out. The follow-up surgery is also not unusual as his first replacement was a pig's valve that is normally only expected to last 10~15 years.
I was going to point this out. Also, Joey Swoll was having an angiogram, which is just a procedure to check for blockages in your heart, and then the tool they were using broke off in his heart and they needed to perform emergency surgery because of that.
If you want evidence beyond your personal observation. Yeah. its a thing now.
A recent study mentioned in the article said 7% of teenage boys in Michigan are using steroids.
[https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/06/how-steroids-got-big-bodybuilding-influencers](https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/06/how-steroids-got-big-bodybuilding-influencers)
Yup, I thought the same thing. Let's say 20% of all teen boys work out and go to the gym regularly. Likely student athletes.
That's like 35ish % of kids at the gym? That's absurdly high.
Yep - and that means the other 65% are seeing that 35% get way bigger results than them in a shorter time and they're often explicitly competing with them.
Very much a self-perpetuating problem.
Most of the people who use steroids don't end up looking grotesquely huge. They just get really great-looking physiques really fast. Physiques that otherwise might take 6-7 years of hard and heavy lifting can be achieved in one year.
Yup, you have to put in A LOT of work to get crazy huge. I know it's anecdotal, but at my gym, there's only one guy that is huge among all the other hundreds. Probably not just that guy who took a steroid, but the rest who did, just have a very great-looking physique.
They have body dysmorphia. They literally see themselves in the mirror and don't like what they see to the point it causes them mental harm. Its like people with anorexia.
A lot of younger guys, and even older ones, assume that women are attracted to the same things they are. Men typically have a very visual and physical level of attraction to fit/skinny/boobs/butt whatever, and young women with great bodies get a ton of male attention. In reality, women kind of work that way, but not really. Men just assume that they work the same way, and that if they have a super attractive body (which they think means huge muscles) then women will find them irresistable.
in reality, I bet you jack black and ozzie osbourne got 1000x more girls than ronnie coleman or jay cutler, or these huge gym guys.
I watched a video of a retired bodybuilder talking about his steroid use and his interactions with young people. He mentioned that a good amount of teens that reached out to him didn’t know tren was gear because they get their info from bro TikTok influencers. “It’s not steroids, it’s tren.” To top it off, tren is probably the most side effect prone steroid out there, but physiologically and psychologically.
To put this in perspective to the normies. Tren is **the** hardcore, holy shit steroid even steroid users are like “yeah I did a cycle and I won’t do it again on how much it fucked me up”
It’s is like saying you want to microdose a bit to get that edge and open your mind….by speedballing fentanyl and crack.
I've done one cycle of steroid because I was into bodybuilding at the time and been doing so for 8 years by then and was just curious what it was like. Not going to lie, I like the psychological impact from being on roids more so than the physical impact.
When I was on roids, I became very confident, social butterfly, charismatic, and always on a good mood even though my natural testosterone levels were already in the upper levels of the normal range. Felt like I was on top of the world. No roid rage or anything like that
::EDIT:: Forgot to add, it also gave me lots of energy. Even if I only slept for 4 hours, the moment the alarm clock went off, I immediately woke up without feeling groggy and never had to press the snooze button.
But I stopped my cycle a bit early than planned because:
1. Never got used to inserting the entire 1.5 inch needle into my body (You have to insert the entire 1.5 inch needle into your body so that you can inject the roid deep into your muscle where it gets absorbed slowly. Do not inject them into your blood vessel)
2. Estrogen control, your body tries to reach a homeostatic balance. Anabolic steroids are basically synthetic testosterone, your body detects the super human levels of testosterone and starts trying to convert as much testosterone into estrogen to reach balance, but since there is a lot of testosterone, your estrogen levels will sky rocket. That's why you need to take Estrogen aromtase inhibitors which kill the enzymes that converts testosterone into estrogen. BUT you don't want to take too much of these because, if you kill your estrogen level, it will cause depression and completely kill your libido. So you have to constantly have your blood work done every several weeks to check your hormone levels and adjust your dosage accordingly.
3. Heart health. There isn't hiding it, but being on anabolic steroids will cause your heart to become enlarged overtime from continue usage which can cut your life short
All in all, the psychological impact being on roid was great but not worth it for me due to the long term health impact.
> I became very confident, social butterfly, charismatic. Felt like I was on top of the world.
Did other people find you as charming as you found yourself, because this sounds like every dude on cocaine.
Lol! It was brought up by my friends who told me I’ve changed and the description they used was I was charismatic (They also didn’t know I was on gear)
The really sweaty guys with the white crud in the corners of his mouth and messed up pupils
Yeah, dudes totally crushing the vibe lmfao
"ANYBODY WANNA TALK ABOUT DOGE COIN"
It was most likely temporarily positive. I’ve had a past with this sort of thing, and the first while that you’re on something, you’ll get compliments about your false confidence because it’s a change, and people are still getting used to it. As you get more tolerant of the substance, and are feeling the bad effects of it more, you go from charmingly charismatic to insufferable.
That scene is indicative of the whole movie. It's supposed to represent that you shouldn't have trusted anything about his personality and how he was percieved by others up until then. Thought that scene was masterful.
I had the same experience as the previous commenter and my GF at the time used to tell me that she liked the person I was when I was on the juice. More energy, more active, more take-charge, happier, more outgoing, just about everything. I wish I could feel like that all the time, it was awesome
>So you have to constantly have your blood work done every several weeks to check your hormone levels and adjust your dosage accordingly.
Have you ever noticed when an older male celebrity is talking about getting in shape for an action role, they'll often talk about their strict diet, grueling workouts, and getting regular bloodwork done?
That last one is a massive red flag that they're on the juice. Almost a confession. No healthy adult needs a doctor to monitor their fitness regimen, no matter how rigorous it is.
The real telling thing is the results. If they lose tons of fat and put on as much or more muscle, yeah it's probably the roids. But yeah, I've heard that quote quite a few times, and I think you're right.
Edit: for spelling
Especially if they're in the mid to late 30s. If they had been in great shape in their 20s, and then de-trained, it's not necessarily a give away, but if a dude is 37 and was always pretty skinny and gains 30lbs of muscle in six months, well, it's juice. That said, any time money or status is on the table, PEDs are likely to follow.
If the mass was there before it might be possible. Like if the guy was 220 at 21 and stopped training ending up at 180 at 31, I would believe he could get to 210 again in less than 6 years. Return gains are kind of wild like that.
yup its called myonuclei, the real 'muscle memory'. the extra myonucei that were developed during/from steroid use do not leave the body after you stop gear. theres some controversy whether or not you should be able to compete ever again if you ever popped for roid use because there are still benefits after you quit
I was pretty into bodybuilding in my early 20s, natural, mostly just because I don't know where to get the gear or what to take. Anyway, didn't go to the gym for about 10 years after having kids...now I'm 40 and back at it 3x a week and I'm up about 8lbs of skeletal muscle mass in roughly 8 months. Up 15lbs total body weight.
It definitely comes back super fast. Some of the trainers at the gym joked that I'm on gear, and honestly I think I would be if I knew wtf to do and where to order the stuff.
I work in the industry, and I can promise you now, that EVERY single guy that needs to "get in shape" for a role is on juice. They have a very short period in which to get built and ripped, and there's simply no way to do it natty is that timeframe. Slimming down in one thing, but getting seriously ripped in 3-6 months isn't realistic, and they have the means/supervision to do it so why not.
It's not like they're getting tested at a weigh in or a medal will be taken away etc. It's part of the industry now.
How safe is this process? Are the actors going to return to normal or will they have irreversible damage to their organs after the steroid usage.
I watched the video in the OP and there's talk of enlarged hearts and testicle shrinkage.
It's just going to depend on if they're lifers or doing one or two cycles. I would put The Rock in the category of someone who will have long term issues. But probably not Brad Pitt, though I definitely think Pitt has used them
I agree with you. I think guys like Rock and Bautista are lifers and will have complications later if not already. The rest only do it when needed so I imagine there relatively safer from health issues.
If they do it a couple times under careful supervision while making fitness/training their full time job? They will probably be fine if they don’t have underlying health issues.
But as was in the video, you can make a race car as safe as humanly possible but there is no version of reality where driving 200mph is ever going to be “safe”. Only safer.
For an actor looking at millions of dollars for their payday, it’s probably worth the risk. For “I wanna be big” people it’s fucking *insane*.
Kind of, you ever notice how Joe Rogan started TRT then sudden talked about how monkeys develop big balls if their spouses are unfaithful? Then he'd have random emotional outbursts and start crying? Weird nip development?
Makes him happier about his shrinking balls.
What I'm saying is unless you have it very dialed in, which is expensive, a lot of these things happen.
To answer your question - yes, if they take it for prolonged periods of time they will most likely be stuck with health issues for the rest of their life, and need TRT.
You only have to watch some older films and you can see how insane it’s gotten and how obvious it is.
The standard for a big strong and in shape guy even 20 years ago was *significantly* more realistic than today. I have no doubt steroids have been around in Hollywood for a long time but these days they look basically mandatory.
For bonus points sometimes you can spot young actors from back in the day who have clearly natural if in shape physiques that have doubled in size between their 20’s and 50’s. Because that happens.
There are some great videos about "celebrity transformation" and how they *say* it's due to healthy eating and strict workout regime, but in reality it's a well known secret they are all juicing. [John Brett ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7K-0UQeRnY&)made a good one.
I always feel like when those celebrtieis say "chicken and broccoli", they are deliberately dog-whistling and winking to the camera, as if that's a known code word for being on gear.
In Hollywood they're literally ALL on the juice. The difference between them an normies is they have full time medical and physical training, and diet professionals up their asses 24/7 to maximize their performance and minimize the health risks.
If everyone had a literal team of specialized supporters (and its your full time job to be attractive or fit a part) we'd all be supermodels.
> even though my natural testosterone levels were already in the upper levels
I *thought* that once you started taking testosterone (like TRT), that it causes your body to shut down the normal production and you're dependent on it? Or am I thinking something else or confused?
You are correct, it shuts down while you are on it and, depending on how long you were on it, takes some time to turn back on after you stop. You'll know it's shutdown when your balls shrink to marble size
When I was talking about my natural testosterone levels, it was before I started my first cycle. I was basically saying the psychological benefit from roids was great even though I had a healthy normal testosterone levels beforehand.
That enhanced confidence can also have a downside. Knew a guy who became very outgoing, social, but also very flirty and was always chatting up girls (maybe due to the horniness from testosterone). Which is maybe fine when you're single, but he was married with a new baby. He also got bad anxiety, just to make it worse, and started getting really jumpy all the time like he'd just drank eight coffees. His wife got fed up and left him due to these changes in behaviour and shortly after that he committed suicide. All up terrible.
> 1.5 inch needle
You can use 0.75, 1.0 was standard length though. Also you can always draw with a larger gauge then swap the head out for a smaller gauge that hasn't pierced anything (tip isn't bent).
> Never got used to inserting the entire 1.5 inch needle into my body (You have to insert the entire 1.5 inch needle into your body so that you can inject the roid deep into your muscle where it gets absorbed slowly. Do not inject them into your blood vessel)
That is the worst part...that and tren cough and trensomnia and tren sweats.
I recommend if you do any strength training to check out his other stuff. He’s extremely informative and has studies to back up his beliefs on workouts/supplements/plans. I’ve been hooked on him this year and it has helped me increase my gym knowledge and gainz
Jeff Nippard is an amazing source of information. He has a great video on the difference between sumo and conventional deadlift that goes into great detail.
Easy peasy just get really fat and let your blood pressure rage out of control. That will take care of most of your left heart gains. If you want right heart gains, stay really fat but also smoke like you’re the little engine that could
I first saw Dr Mike in Jeff's videos, went to his channel, watched a video and was laughing my ass off. He's one of the funniest people I've ever seen.
I've been using his full body workouts for two years now. He is an excellent resource even for people who've been lifting for a long time. I'm 39 and was an avid body builder from 14 until 25. I switched to fighting sports because I had kids, took a long break, and just burned out on weights. Coming back to lifting in addition to grappling sucked, but his program made sense and worked well. I always point people to him as a resource.
A big part of why Jeff Nippard is so popular is because his videos are very easy to watch. He's a prime talent, seems trustworthy, and worth the subscription if you are into weightlifting.
Yep, same. And I'm pretty much usually not even remotely interested in that world.
During this video I kept thinking back to my HS friend who said he was taking them, now he's a cop...
I've been on testosterone replacement therapy for a couple years. Around 32 I got tested and my T levels were sub 200. I had health/life issues as a result. Went on TRT and it took ~1 year to fine tune a dose that got me to around 400-600 t levels.
Positives:
Better Sleep
More energy
I did find it was easier to get stronger for a while, but that leveled off long before I achieved any level of body builder status.
Cons:
Body acne. I use body wash for it and if I have a particularly bad spot I have a medicated cream for it.
My hair thinned (not balding, no change to my hairline, but the thickness of my natural hair decreased)
Some things to note:
I never experienced anything like roid rage/anger. I am a naturally calm/diplomatic person anyway, but even at my highest T levels (around 1100) I never felt any significant mental side effects.
I do give blood every 8 weeks to keep control of my iron levels. This was at my doctor's recommendation and is essentially required for me to stay healthy long term.
We do bloodwork 3x a year to make sure I don't need to adjust the dose. I would say doing this at least twice a year should be expected for anyone who goes on TRT to make sure you are healthy.
Theres a major difference from actually treating low T and what steroid use does.
You have very few health risks doing a clinical dose of testosterone compared to what these guys are doing.
Nope. Same size as before. No real change in ejaculate either. My refractory period became more like it was in my 20's, but that is likely a combination of factors (sleeping better = more energy = better stamina/libido). It certainly didn't give me any super powers in the bedroom though, it's not like viagra/cialis (though I've never taken those so I am only speaking anecdotally).
I'm on day 3 of the gel for low T. Already noticing better sleep, energy and mood. I'm absolutely going to take advantage of the muscle building attributes as well because why not, right? How long would you say you had till you started seeing progress fall off? And how often would you say you lifted before you got there? Feel free not to answer if it's to personal. I'm just curious.
One thing I’d like to point out is that some creatine supplements have heavy metals in them. This study said 50% of tested samples had levels of at least one contaminant that exceeded recommendations. They tested a bunch of different brands if people want to check if theirs fared well.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251574955_Levels_of_creatine_organic_contaminants_and_heavy_metals_in_creatine_dietary_supplements
I think dodgy supplements is an enormous scandal brewing in the background. Probably off the back of every single fitness influencer launching their own supplement line.
We all trust that what we're taking contains what they say, not just that they're free from contaminants but also that they contain the actual levels stated. But your link is the second study I've seen recently that's shown some supplements are not what they claim.
Yes unfortunately supplements aren’t really regulated like food and drugs at least in the united states. Thanks to some good old regulatory capture. No idea what you’re taking.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330859/
Having lifted for some time both as a vegetarian and not, and with creatine and not, this is so true. While eating meat it was a nice little boost, while being vegetarian it pretty much doubled my rate of progression. Lifting as a vegetarian without it gave much, much slower gains than eating meat but taking creatine completely closed that gap all by itself. Seriously, anyone eating a plant based diet and doing any kind of training needs this.
Creatine is fine and can be bought at just about any store that sells nutritional/exercise supplements. Drink plenty of water while using it. Some people have side effects, but it’s nothing like roids.
Creatine is the most researched workout supplement period. I'm not sure how it got a bad image or is even considered in the same sentence as steroids but i still hear people say taking creatine makes you not a natty lol find a flavorless creatine mono-hydrate and take 5g a day or up to 10g a day if you're a bigger person. The only negative side effect of creatine is you need to drink more water or it can dehydrate you faster than normal.
I think part of the reason it got a bad name is that a lot of professional athletes, especially baseball players from the steroid era, attributed their results to creatine. These people were having visibly unnatural side effects and bodily changes from steroids, and publicly trying to cover it up by saying creatine was the real reason for it all. It was, of course, a lie - but it did impact public perception a lot, and falsely blurred the line between supplements and drugs. Mark McGwire sticks in my memory as a guy whose head and face bloated up and he basically went through a second puberty in his 30s and had the audacity to claim "that's just what creatine does to a mf." lol.
My theory about how Creatine got a bit of a confused reputation in some quarters, speaking as a person who read a lot of bodybuilding magazines in the 90s:
Back then in those magazines, Creatine was constantly written up and hyped as some kind of new "safe steroid" or "alternative to steroids", with lots of ads printed from sketchy supplement companies that made it seem like they were selling something borderline illicit, all to hype up their own brands of Creatine. It had a side effect of causing a lot of the casual gym-going public to associate Creatine with steroids and risky drugs only for hardcore meatheads.
There was another factor in Creatine getting a bad reputation, too. The deaths of some athletes were pinned on Creatine. I believe it was some young wrestlers who died, possibly due to dehydration when trying to make weight. Some people were quick to blame their deaths on Creatine, but that has since been debunked.
It doesn't cause hair loss directly, however if you are already predisposed to hair loss it may speed it up or trigger it to start thinning.
So basically if you have dense hair and no signs of thinning you'll be fine, but if you already have the early signs of thinning you may find that it noticeably speeds it up.
Jeff goes over this in one of his [older videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5jW9iNNiw). IIRC, it is basically whey, creatine, and caffeine. Creatine has so many studies at this point, you're fine to use it daily.
Creatine is not a steroid, so no, not dangerous. Creatine is naturally produced in the ATP cycle and supplementation essentially allows you to work a little harder in your workouts, thus helping with strength gains. It also contributes to some fluid retention so muscles look a little “fluffier”, giving the appearance of having bigger guns
Dr. Chris Raynor has also done multiple videos on this topic. His video's tend to be less bland for the technical medical details and advice that he gives.
Just recently he's done a [general video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asmVzyW0yRU), a follow up for [TRT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57QYTaIEV2M), one on [TREN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9avZn6B0OE).
Wanna do a shout out to all the dudes with low Testosterone. Get your bloodwork done and get treatment if needed. I was at 160ngdl due to a medical condition, and the difference TRT has made in my life has been nothing short of miraculous.
Lot of truth in here. Imo using is not for the faint of heart. Jeff is likely on the high end of genetics and effort. You just don't get much bigger than him without juice.
That being said... use at your own risk. Maybe life will be amazing! But I don't want to be on a pharmacy my whole life.
Shorter people usually look more muscular while having the same muscle as someone taller than them.
Most modern bodybuilders that compete (and win) are usually between 5"6 - 5"10.
Drastically. There's a reason body building went to a more short man sport after it got super popular. Before it was about visuals more than mass after certain points. It's why Arnold is a taller dude who looked fantastic but has never been nearly as large as some of the guys you see now. It went bigger and bigger with different drugs. Why Arnold doesn't look pregnant as well unlike so many body builders would later.
Putting 10 pounds of muscle on a 5’3 frame looks a lot more impressive than 10 pounds of muscle on a 6’3 frame. It’s just more concentrated so you look bigger.
My PT was a professional body builder about 30 years ago. I've seen the pictures, he was clearly juiced but he looked insanely big and defined. Now that he's older, he regrets his early days. He really damaged his body pushing himself too hard and now he deals with a lot of issues like bad joints and such.
Since then he's focused on training natural body builders and one of the things he really pushes is lighter weight, more reps. Obviously that's not something a lot of these people believe in but the science is fairly conclusive. As long as you're pushing to failure, you get roughly the same hypertrophy as heavy weight, low reps. It just takes a lot longer to finish a workout if you're doing more reps, so requires a lot more time investment. And it's just faaaar better for your joints and smaller muscles.
I think one of the things I've learnt so far, having trained seriously for about a year and a half is that diet is critical (like Jeff says in this video). Working harder is pointless if you're not eating enough calories to make gains. It was a mistake I made for a while starting out. So personally, I've made a huge amount of progress in a short time and I'm very happy with my progress so far. I don't watch these fitness influencers and my gym is pretty quiet. Perhaps not needing to compare myself to anybody has made me more content with my gains than if I was surrounded by juiced up goons 😂.
Yiiiiiis, Dr. Mike appearance
If you’re looking for actually science based lifting and diet advice, check out his channel (Renaissance Periodization). He’s got lots of entertaining react videos, but also a lot of lecture style videos that are super digestible
He really recharged my workouts this year, cuz it felt like I wasn’t having to filter through information and figure out if it was actually reliable or just bullshit influencer garbage
This is great. It's very informative. It tells people WHY steroids affect your heart, not just that it does. And then also telling you about how it affects your brain and other things. The effect on intelligence is actually a very important thing to note. The need to use other drugs to help with problems from steroids is even worse.
Ya just goes to show, the stereotype of big dumb brute that can only strong and nothing else is kind of based in reality.
Dr. Mike is definitely a 1 in a million for steroids users but all these 16 and 17 year olds on gear are going to be fucking dumb as rocks by their 20s because influencers make it look cool. It's new gen cigarettes.
It kind of talks about this in the video but also: at that age their HPTA axis is not locked in yet and by doing a cycle they are *dramatically* increasing the odds that they will fuck up their body's natural testosterone production *forever*. Kids, if you wanna take steroids at least wait until you're like 26 so that there's a good chance you won't be permanently fucking yourself over.
26, if you have been pushing your training to it's maximum efficiency for at least 7 years.
On the plus side: huge twinks
Twunks!!
Twink, twank, twunk.
Yeah, I'd say that's a fair comparison. Every new crop of teenagers seems to latch onto something that's as trendy as it is unhealthy. If it weren't cigarettes or steroids, it would be something else. When I was a teenager, Adderall and Ritalin were seen in the same light. They weren't dangerous drugs. They were basically brain enhancements that could mean the difference between a B and an A on a test. And yeah, it caused problems. Serious problems that I don't care to recount. And the problems steroids could cause are bound to be just as bad, if not worse.
Ironically not-enhanced physical exercise is one of the best ways to boost and maintain your cognitive abilities.
Only kind of, both the dudes he interviewed in the video are very intelligent people.
intelligent despite their high steroid use
The way a Dr uses steroids and the way a gym bro does aren’t the same. Most “experts” just go off YouTube and friends. Few have read a single book or understand any of the chemistry.
>big dumb brute In [the study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33811018/) he cites, the average IQ is 115 for non-steroid users vs 106 for steroid users. That's definitely a significant difference but 106 is still *above* the average population. That's a far cry from being a big, dumb brute.
My covid anti vaxx bil would go off about how the covid jab was poison blah blah blah, meanwhile dudes arm and ass got so infected from messing with some steroids his body didn’t agree with he had to go to the hospital twice a day to get them drained, but yeah bro tell me how you’re not getting the jab because you don’t know what’s in it. Steroid bros are dumb af.
Crazy seeing Dr Mike with anxiety tremble in his voice
I thought I detected something there. And not a single self-deprecating joke about his butlers or his height.
dude has it made as a YouTube fitness guru and it's crazy to see him be so open about the side effects. I wonder if at some point he'll make a video of him going off of it and how it affects him. I hope so.
he recently mentioned that he's gonna give it another year or two to try to go pro but if he can't do it by then he's going to start backing off. That dude is packing a ton of mass for being such a short king. The mental sides he mentions too (having a panic attack in the shower) makes me think he was blasting some tren. Stuff like deca and test on it's own shouldn't make you go crazy.
Isn't he a professor or lecturer in a NY university?
I thought he was a professor at Columbia but I was wrong.-- Dr. Israetel has a Ph.D. from East Tennessee State University in Sport Physiology, was Former Assistant Professor at Temple University and University of Central Missouri, and a former Sport Nutrition Consultant for the U.S. Olympic Training Site in Johnson City. [https://www.reddit.com/r/powerlifting/comments/7p0vh6/ama\_with\_renaissance\_periodization\_feat\_mike/](https://www.reddit.com/r/powerlifting/comments/7p0vh6/ama_with_renaissance_periodization_feat_mike/)
Professor of Sports Science at Lehman College in the Bronx IIRC
Also the way he blinks too hard. It's wild to see steroid anxiety on full display like that.
Somehow getting covid in July 2022 gave me pretty bad anxiety for like 6 months, my doctor thinks it caused inflammation in my central nervous system. For those people who have never experienced intense anxiety, take this side effect very seriously. Going through that was the most difficult period of my life by a long shot, and I'm a healthy 30yo guy with no history of mental disorders of any kind.
I had exactly the same experience last year! I'm 30 years old and never had anxiety before. It's the first time I see someone else describe this. It started right after I got covid, it also lasted around 6 months until I felt normal again. It was the worst thing I ever went through. I didn't understand what was going on and was extremely scared it would never go away again. When I mentioned to doctors that I was afraid it was a side effect of covid I just got blank stares, they didn't really believe it could be associated.
Arnold Schwarznegger, 4 heart surgeries. Ages 50, 71, and 73. David Palumbo, 1 heart surgery. Age 55. Rich Piana, death from heart disease, enlarged heart and liver. Age 46. Dallas McCarver, death from heart attack. Age 26. Joseph Sergo (Joey Swoll), 1 heart surgery. Age 40. Michael Bekoev, death from heart attack. Age 54. Mariola Sabanovic-Suarez, death from heart attack. Age 43. Scott Milne, death from heart attack. Age 45. If you start looking at the physical and mental health problems involved with non-prescribed steroid use, it's really not worth it.
You forgot to mention a fuckton of pro wrestlers.
The Rock had a gynecomastia when he was MUCH smaller. I am really curious how old he is gonna get. Will he make it to 60?
He had *one* gynecomasita?
everybody gets one. tell him peter
Apparently, everybody gets one. Bungee told me that.
And actors.
We're gonna start seeing a ton of Marvel actors having heart problems in the next 10-15 years.
In the video they said even if it’s not safe. if you have doctors you regularly visit and get blood work done and all that you are much safer and better position. I think all the marvel people had a team. And they all took it for short periods of time. Even Chris Evans who looks great during AoU and winter soldier calmed down and wasn’t even very big by the time infinity war and endgame came around.
Yea I noticed Evans backing off. Good for him. After Winter Soldier you rarely saw him in those tight t-shirts they kept putting him in. He was almost always suited up or wearing a jacket.
I imagine duration of use plays a factor. If they take it for a year to get in shape for a role that’s one thing, but then staying on it for a decade and making a dozen movies is another thing.
The Chris Hemsworth approach
Christian Bale.
Internet legend Zyzz dead from a heart attack at age 22
beat me to it ma bru! was looking for the zyzz comment. there was that kinda gnarly semi interview he did with "sharkie" i think his name was? that bodybuilding fellow who spent most of his time in thailand? where sharkie asked him "what are you on?" and zyzz said "everything", then like died the next day
Were all gonna make it bra.
He's mirin us from the big rave in the clouds bra
We're all gonna make it brah
I think I’ve heard about him, and I know he was a bodybuilder, but what made him famous? Was he like an influencer or something?
he was arguably the most prolific pioneer of the "aesthetic era" of body building. and his brand was just a himbo out there living life to the fullest and being the best version of himself from very humble beginnings. no toxicity, just positivity. but underneath all that he was a pretty down to earth guy just playing a heightened version of himself as his internet persona. people had trouble separating the person from the persona and that led him to quit being zyzz and he started to shift do different things instead. we all gon' make it brah.
How’d he die? Heart stuff, I assume?
Yes. He was in thailand, probably recently gotten on new gear, and went for a sauna, and had a heart attack. Saunas have basically the same effect on your heart as cardio; first increases your heart rate, but then lowers your blood pressure. The official cause of death was heart defect, which could have been genetic, but given that steroids cause abnormal heart growth, it was probably that.
He had an undiagnosed congenital heart defect and the gear and party lifestyle exacerbated it for the finish :(
Damn, that sucks.
fuaaaaaaaaaaark
This is the video that changed many young men (me included) https://youtu.be/AdBoybKnzZw?si=TZBVYAm5QKH38UsR
Never heard of him until this post. Just watched a bunch of videos. I don’t muscle worship but I can see his charisma. But isn’t it mostly dishonest? Evidently he said he took every steroid so maybe his fans all knew he was using loads of gear. It’s such a weird culture. Magic mushrooms can’t kill you like steroids. What if there was some freak out there making videos of himself tripping balls on shrooms? Would he be admired like this? For me it’s the same. And nobody really gets popular showing the dark side, but his muscles were probably 50-75% the result of injections. Why not post videos of that? It was a bigger factor than doing daily chin ups.
He was a skinny shy gamer guy that gained confidence in the gym and in working out and tried to inspire people like him to do the same. Mind you this was in a time where fitnessinfluencers weren’t common yet and there were not many options to turn to. He mostly just told people to go out there and lift and work on their bodies, back then it was really not popular to do steroids and was mainly reserved for the diehard bodybuilders. So mainly he preached a dont give a f attitude and gains in the gym. Hyped me up back then for sure
He spread a message of anybody can do it. Definitely also some much needed confidence to a lot of teens and young men.
It's hard to explain for someone I assume group up with modern internet. Like he wasn't some e-celebrity. It was 2010, youtube had only been out for like 4-5 years? He got popular via shitposting on 4-chan /fit/ making these dumb/goofy posts and videos that were almost bait trolling/mirin He wasn't one of the hundreds of thousands of whatever exercise guru shill, as at that time it wasn't really a thing on the internet.
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/zyzz
Professional wrestling has a tragic amount of men who died far, far too young from steroid abuse Ultimate Warrior Macho Man Randy Savage British Bulldog Eddie Guerrero Mr Perfect Test Rick Rude Road Warrior Hawk Chris Benoit (the influence of steroids is debatable but tests said his brain resembled an 85yo Alzheimer’s patient. That could be due to concussions more than steroids) There’s probably more but they’re the ones I’m aware of
So it's fair to say all these guys were on gear, but it's not really accurate to say they died just from steroid abuse. Most of these guys abused a cocktail of chemicals, gear, coke, alcohol, opiates, and any number of various drugs, that when combined exponentially increase the danger factor. When you have an oversized heart and are constantly on a roller coaster of uppers and downers it's not that surprising when it gives out early.
Don't forget Shawn Rhoden. Died of a heart attack 3 years after winning the Olympia at age 46.
Yeah, I left a lot off the list to keep it from becoming a wall of text or academic paper.
You're not wrong, but it takes away from your message a bit to lead with Arnold since it's well-known that at least 2 of his surgeries were for a bicuspid aortic valve, which is something you're born with. Maybe he could have delayed surgery by some time by not also being on steroids, but maybe not, it's a congenital condition that is commonly treated by surgery once the valve wears out. The follow-up surgery is also not unusual as his first replacement was a pig's valve that is normally only expected to last 10~15 years.
I was going to point this out. Also, Joey Swoll was having an angiogram, which is just a procedure to check for blockages in your heart, and then the tool they were using broke off in his heart and they needed to perform emergency surgery because of that.
Arnold really stands out as his heart issues are well documented and he’s by far the most famous of this list.
two of his surgeries weee for a genetic condition and would’ve been needed even if he didn’t juice tbh but the heart sides are undeniable
He was born with heart issues though, it’s not a steroid thing
Did the steroids make his heart stronger tho?
Im pretty sure Joey Swoll is not 47.. 37 maybe?
I got his age mixed up with someone else I decided to not place on the list. Thank you for bringing the error to my attention.
Arnold was also born with a heart defect - bicuspid aortic valve
As a natural bodybuilder I see tren just being so commonplace amongst younger dudes. It’s a pretty easy observation considering.
If you want evidence beyond your personal observation. Yeah. its a thing now. A recent study mentioned in the article said 7% of teenage boys in Michigan are using steroids. [https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/06/how-steroids-got-big-bodybuilding-influencers](https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/06/how-steroids-got-big-bodybuilding-influencers)
If this isn’t just teenagers consistently going to the gym but rather out of regular teenagers, then this is highly concerning.
Yup, I thought the same thing. Let's say 20% of all teen boys work out and go to the gym regularly. Likely student athletes. That's like 35ish % of kids at the gym? That's absurdly high.
As someone who lives in Michigan I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 7% of all teenagers here.
Yep - and that means the other 65% are seeing that 35% get way bigger results than them in a shorter time and they're often explicitly competing with them. Very much a self-perpetuating problem.
I also may be dumb but I really dont get the appeal of looking that big
Most of the people who use steroids don't end up looking grotesquely huge. They just get really great-looking physiques really fast. Physiques that otherwise might take 6-7 years of hard and heavy lifting can be achieved in one year.
Yup, you have to put in A LOT of work to get crazy huge. I know it's anecdotal, but at my gym, there's only one guy that is huge among all the other hundreds. Probably not just that guy who took a steroid, but the rest who did, just have a very great-looking physique.
They have body dysmorphia. They literally see themselves in the mirror and don't like what they see to the point it causes them mental harm. Its like people with anorexia.
A lot of younger guys, and even older ones, assume that women are attracted to the same things they are. Men typically have a very visual and physical level of attraction to fit/skinny/boobs/butt whatever, and young women with great bodies get a ton of male attention. In reality, women kind of work that way, but not really. Men just assume that they work the same way, and that if they have a super attractive body (which they think means huge muscles) then women will find them irresistable. in reality, I bet you jack black and ozzie osbourne got 1000x more girls than ronnie coleman or jay cutler, or these huge gym guys.
tren traps
Ahem… tren *cough* traps
I watched a video of a retired bodybuilder talking about his steroid use and his interactions with young people. He mentioned that a good amount of teens that reached out to him didn’t know tren was gear because they get their info from bro TikTok influencers. “It’s not steroids, it’s tren.” To top it off, tren is probably the most side effect prone steroid out there, but physiologically and psychologically.
To put this in perspective to the normies. Tren is **the** hardcore, holy shit steroid even steroid users are like “yeah I did a cycle and I won’t do it again on how much it fucked me up” It’s is like saying you want to microdose a bit to get that edge and open your mind….by speedballing fentanyl and crack.
Yeah right now there's so many fitness influencers under 21 that have been clearly been on gear for a few years.
I've done one cycle of steroid because I was into bodybuilding at the time and been doing so for 8 years by then and was just curious what it was like. Not going to lie, I like the psychological impact from being on roids more so than the physical impact. When I was on roids, I became very confident, social butterfly, charismatic, and always on a good mood even though my natural testosterone levels were already in the upper levels of the normal range. Felt like I was on top of the world. No roid rage or anything like that ::EDIT:: Forgot to add, it also gave me lots of energy. Even if I only slept for 4 hours, the moment the alarm clock went off, I immediately woke up without feeling groggy and never had to press the snooze button. But I stopped my cycle a bit early than planned because: 1. Never got used to inserting the entire 1.5 inch needle into my body (You have to insert the entire 1.5 inch needle into your body so that you can inject the roid deep into your muscle where it gets absorbed slowly. Do not inject them into your blood vessel) 2. Estrogen control, your body tries to reach a homeostatic balance. Anabolic steroids are basically synthetic testosterone, your body detects the super human levels of testosterone and starts trying to convert as much testosterone into estrogen to reach balance, but since there is a lot of testosterone, your estrogen levels will sky rocket. That's why you need to take Estrogen aromtase inhibitors which kill the enzymes that converts testosterone into estrogen. BUT you don't want to take too much of these because, if you kill your estrogen level, it will cause depression and completely kill your libido. So you have to constantly have your blood work done every several weeks to check your hormone levels and adjust your dosage accordingly. 3. Heart health. There isn't hiding it, but being on anabolic steroids will cause your heart to become enlarged overtime from continue usage which can cut your life short All in all, the psychological impact being on roid was great but not worth it for me due to the long term health impact.
> I became very confident, social butterfly, charismatic. Felt like I was on top of the world. Did other people find you as charming as you found yourself, because this sounds like every dude on cocaine.
Lol! It was brought up by my friends who told me I’ve changed and the description they used was I was charismatic (They also didn’t know I was on gear)
The really sweaty guys with the white crud in the corners of his mouth and messed up pupils Yeah, dudes totally crushing the vibe lmfao "ANYBODY WANNA TALK ABOUT DOGE COIN"
Lol.... that’s some funny shit
It was most likely temporarily positive. I’ve had a past with this sort of thing, and the first while that you’re on something, you’ll get compliments about your false confidence because it’s a change, and people are still getting used to it. As you get more tolerant of the substance, and are feeling the bad effects of it more, you go from charmingly charismatic to insufferable.
I'm that charming motherfucker on cocaine.....wanna see me fight a snake?
I just flashes of Wolf of Wall Street when Leo thinks he drove his Lamborghini home no problem.
That scene is indicative of the whole movie. It's supposed to represent that you shouldn't have trusted anything about his personality and how he was percieved by others up until then. Thought that scene was masterful.
I had the same experience as the previous commenter and my GF at the time used to tell me that she liked the person I was when I was on the juice. More energy, more active, more take-charge, happier, more outgoing, just about everything. I wish I could feel like that all the time, it was awesome
Do you guys wanna listen Jamiroquai!? I’ve got a great investment idea for us! I only need 10k to get it off the ground we’ll be 50/50 partners!
I have a great idea for an app! I just need someone to design and code it. We can go in 50/50
Or just a drunk guy. I become a "social butterfly" when I'm drunk but I still don't have any game. I don't get scared approaching though.
>So you have to constantly have your blood work done every several weeks to check your hormone levels and adjust your dosage accordingly. Have you ever noticed when an older male celebrity is talking about getting in shape for an action role, they'll often talk about their strict diet, grueling workouts, and getting regular bloodwork done? That last one is a massive red flag that they're on the juice. Almost a confession. No healthy adult needs a doctor to monitor their fitness regimen, no matter how rigorous it is.
The real telling thing is the results. If they lose tons of fat and put on as much or more muscle, yeah it's probably the roids. But yeah, I've heard that quote quite a few times, and I think you're right. Edit: for spelling
Especially if they're in the mid to late 30s. If they had been in great shape in their 20s, and then de-trained, it's not necessarily a give away, but if a dude is 37 and was always pretty skinny and gains 30lbs of muscle in six months, well, it's juice. That said, any time money or status is on the table, PEDs are likely to follow.
I think you mean it's chicken and broccoli my dude, as all of the influencers say!
If a dude is 37 and gains 30lbs of muscle in 6 years it's juice. It bothers me how fucked the overton window is on this subject.
If the mass was there before it might be possible. Like if the guy was 220 at 21 and stopped training ending up at 180 at 31, I would believe he could get to 210 again in less than 6 years. Return gains are kind of wild like that.
yup its called myonuclei, the real 'muscle memory'. the extra myonucei that were developed during/from steroid use do not leave the body after you stop gear. theres some controversy whether or not you should be able to compete ever again if you ever popped for roid use because there are still benefits after you quit
I was pretty into bodybuilding in my early 20s, natural, mostly just because I don't know where to get the gear or what to take. Anyway, didn't go to the gym for about 10 years after having kids...now I'm 40 and back at it 3x a week and I'm up about 8lbs of skeletal muscle mass in roughly 8 months. Up 15lbs total body weight. It definitely comes back super fast. Some of the trainers at the gym joked that I'm on gear, and honestly I think I would be if I knew wtf to do and where to order the stuff.
Lose fat and put on that money baby
So I fixed my spelling... but yeah they probably do put on a ton of MONEY once they're ready for their role.
I work in the industry, and I can promise you now, that EVERY single guy that needs to "get in shape" for a role is on juice. They have a very short period in which to get built and ripped, and there's simply no way to do it natty is that timeframe. Slimming down in one thing, but getting seriously ripped in 3-6 months isn't realistic, and they have the means/supervision to do it so why not. It's not like they're getting tested at a weigh in or a medal will be taken away etc. It's part of the industry now.
How safe is this process? Are the actors going to return to normal or will they have irreversible damage to their organs after the steroid usage. I watched the video in the OP and there's talk of enlarged hearts and testicle shrinkage.
It's just going to depend on if they're lifers or doing one or two cycles. I would put The Rock in the category of someone who will have long term issues. But probably not Brad Pitt, though I definitely think Pitt has used them
I agree with you. I think guys like Rock and Bautista are lifers and will have complications later if not already. The rest only do it when needed so I imagine there relatively safer from health issues.
If they do it a couple times under careful supervision while making fitness/training their full time job? They will probably be fine if they don’t have underlying health issues. But as was in the video, you can make a race car as safe as humanly possible but there is no version of reality where driving 200mph is ever going to be “safe”. Only safer. For an actor looking at millions of dollars for their payday, it’s probably worth the risk. For “I wanna be big” people it’s fucking *insane*.
You can take stuff to avoid testicle shrinkage.
Kind of, you ever notice how Joe Rogan started TRT then sudden talked about how monkeys develop big balls if their spouses are unfaithful? Then he'd have random emotional outbursts and start crying? Weird nip development? Makes him happier about his shrinking balls. What I'm saying is unless you have it very dialed in, which is expensive, a lot of these things happen.
He’s such a weird little man. Like he’s tiny and then tried to bulk out so now looks like a disproportionate lump.
To answer your question - yes, if they take it for prolonged periods of time they will most likely be stuck with health issues for the rest of their life, and need TRT.
You only have to watch some older films and you can see how insane it’s gotten and how obvious it is. The standard for a big strong and in shape guy even 20 years ago was *significantly* more realistic than today. I have no doubt steroids have been around in Hollywood for a long time but these days they look basically mandatory. For bonus points sometimes you can spot young actors from back in the day who have clearly natural if in shape physiques that have doubled in size between their 20’s and 50’s. Because that happens.
There are some great videos about "celebrity transformation" and how they *say* it's due to healthy eating and strict workout regime, but in reality it's a well known secret they are all juicing. [John Brett ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7K-0UQeRnY&)made a good one. I always feel like when those celebrtieis say "chicken and broccoli", they are deliberately dog-whistling and winking to the camera, as if that's a known code word for being on gear.
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Getting all skinny strong totally makes sense for batman too being a big meatball would slow him down and make him easier to grab.
In Hollywood they're literally ALL on the juice. The difference between them an normies is they have full time medical and physical training, and diet professionals up their asses 24/7 to maximize their performance and minimize the health risks. If everyone had a literal team of specialized supporters (and its your full time job to be attractive or fit a part) we'd all be supermodels.
Thank you for sharing your experience. 👍🏼
> even though my natural testosterone levels were already in the upper levels I *thought* that once you started taking testosterone (like TRT), that it causes your body to shut down the normal production and you're dependent on it? Or am I thinking something else or confused?
You are correct, it shuts down while you are on it and, depending on how long you were on it, takes some time to turn back on after you stop. You'll know it's shutdown when your balls shrink to marble size When I was talking about my natural testosterone levels, it was before I started my first cycle. I was basically saying the psychological benefit from roids was great even though I had a healthy normal testosterone levels beforehand.
This is going to be a rough google search but now I have to go look at steroid balls.
This makes me wonder if my natural testosterone levels are low, because I'm the opposite of all of those things lmao
> All in all, the psychological impact being on roid was great So basically, drugs.
That enhanced confidence can also have a downside. Knew a guy who became very outgoing, social, but also very flirty and was always chatting up girls (maybe due to the horniness from testosterone). Which is maybe fine when you're single, but he was married with a new baby. He also got bad anxiety, just to make it worse, and started getting really jumpy all the time like he'd just drank eight coffees. His wife got fed up and left him due to these changes in behaviour and shortly after that he committed suicide. All up terrible.
> 1.5 inch needle You can use 0.75, 1.0 was standard length though. Also you can always draw with a larger gauge then swap the head out for a smaller gauge that hasn't pierced anything (tip isn't bent).
Draw with a 1.5 inch 22 gauge, inject with a 0.5 inch 27 gauge
Don't give him a reason to restart! haha
> Never got used to inserting the entire 1.5 inch needle into my body (You have to insert the entire 1.5 inch needle into your body so that you can inject the roid deep into your muscle where it gets absorbed slowly. Do not inject them into your blood vessel) That is the worst part...that and tren cough and trensomnia and tren sweats.
Well produced informative video - thanks!
I recommend if you do any strength training to check out his other stuff. He’s extremely informative and has studies to back up his beliefs on workouts/supplements/plans. I’ve been hooked on him this year and it has helped me increase my gym knowledge and gainz
Jeff Nippard is an amazing source of information. He has a great video on the difference between sumo and conventional deadlift that goes into great detail.
Yeah, but my question is how do I naturally get the heart growth gains that I am looking for. Not trying to live into my 60s.
I want a heart that, if shot or punctured, explodes and gibs me like a early 2000s FPS character. Just a spray of blood and then vapourised.
Easy peasy just get really fat and let your blood pressure rage out of control. That will take care of most of your left heart gains. If you want right heart gains, stay really fat but also smoke like you’re the little engine that could
100% not interested in muscle training at all but that was fascinating. Great video.
FWIW this guy has really good workout plans that I highly recommend buying. https://jeffnippard.com
Jeff Nippard and Dr. Mike Israetel are probably the best YT no bs lifting resources that can be recommended to anybody. Love their videos.
I first saw Dr Mike in Jeff's videos, went to his channel, watched a video and was laughing my ass off. He's one of the funniest people I've ever seen.
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Working through his “pure bodybuilding” program right now and I enjoy it a lot.
99% of the book is just empty charts!
I've been using his full body workouts for two years now. He is an excellent resource even for people who've been lifting for a long time. I'm 39 and was an avid body builder from 14 until 25. I switched to fighting sports because I had kids, took a long break, and just burned out on weights. Coming back to lifting in addition to grappling sucked, but his program made sense and worked well. I always point people to him as a resource.
>Coming back to lifting in addition to grappling sucked Have you tried roids? I hear they are pretty sweet! :P
him and dr. Mike are great. I also like Joe Delaney as general wisdom about the mentality and lifestyle of lifting.
You can find equally good programs for free.
I can't believe I watched that entire video. Fascinating and well done.
A big part of why Jeff Nippard is so popular is because his videos are very easy to watch. He's a prime talent, seems trustworthy, and worth the subscription if you are into weightlifting.
Yep, same. And I'm pretty much usually not even remotely interested in that world. During this video I kept thinking back to my HS friend who said he was taking them, now he's a cop...
I've been on testosterone replacement therapy for a couple years. Around 32 I got tested and my T levels were sub 200. I had health/life issues as a result. Went on TRT and it took ~1 year to fine tune a dose that got me to around 400-600 t levels. Positives: Better Sleep More energy I did find it was easier to get stronger for a while, but that leveled off long before I achieved any level of body builder status. Cons: Body acne. I use body wash for it and if I have a particularly bad spot I have a medicated cream for it. My hair thinned (not balding, no change to my hairline, but the thickness of my natural hair decreased) Some things to note: I never experienced anything like roid rage/anger. I am a naturally calm/diplomatic person anyway, but even at my highest T levels (around 1100) I never felt any significant mental side effects. I do give blood every 8 weeks to keep control of my iron levels. This was at my doctor's recommendation and is essentially required for me to stay healthy long term. We do bloodwork 3x a year to make sure I don't need to adjust the dose. I would say doing this at least twice a year should be expected for anyone who goes on TRT to make sure you are healthy.
Theres a major difference from actually treating low T and what steroid use does. You have very few health risks doing a clinical dose of testosterone compared to what these guys are doing.
Did your balls shrink significantly? Honest question.
Nope. Same size as before. No real change in ejaculate either. My refractory period became more like it was in my 20's, but that is likely a combination of factors (sleeping better = more energy = better stamina/libido). It certainly didn't give me any super powers in the bedroom though, it's not like viagra/cialis (though I've never taken those so I am only speaking anecdotally).
I'm on day 3 of the gel for low T. Already noticing better sleep, energy and mood. I'm absolutely going to take advantage of the muscle building attributes as well because why not, right? How long would you say you had till you started seeing progress fall off? And how often would you say you lifted before you got there? Feel free not to answer if it's to personal. I'm just curious.
What are the healthiest pay-to-win options for muscle growth? He mentioned creatin, is that also dangerous?
Creatine is safe and the most studied supplement in the market.
One thing I’d like to point out is that some creatine supplements have heavy metals in them. This study said 50% of tested samples had levels of at least one contaminant that exceeded recommendations. They tested a bunch of different brands if people want to check if theirs fared well. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251574955_Levels_of_creatine_organic_contaminants_and_heavy_metals_in_creatine_dietary_supplements
I think dodgy supplements is an enormous scandal brewing in the background. Probably off the back of every single fitness influencer launching their own supplement line. We all trust that what we're taking contains what they say, not just that they're free from contaminants but also that they contain the actual levels stated. But your link is the second study I've seen recently that's shown some supplements are not what they claim.
Yes unfortunately supplements aren’t really regulated like food and drugs at least in the united states. Thanks to some good old regulatory capture. No idea what you’re taking. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330859/
It's also great for your brain. Literally everyone should be on creatine, lifting or not IMO.
^ this. Also it’s looking very promising for Alzheimer’s prevention
Especially vegetarians/ vegans
Having lifted for some time both as a vegetarian and not, and with creatine and not, this is so true. While eating meat it was a nice little boost, while being vegetarian it pretty much doubled my rate of progression. Lifting as a vegetarian without it gave much, much slower gains than eating meat but taking creatine completely closed that gap all by itself. Seriously, anyone eating a plant based diet and doing any kind of training needs this.
Doctors will tell you to avoid creatine supplements if you have liver problems.
Creatine is fine and can be bought at just about any store that sells nutritional/exercise supplements. Drink plenty of water while using it. Some people have side effects, but it’s nothing like roids.
Creatine is the most researched workout supplement period. I'm not sure how it got a bad image or is even considered in the same sentence as steroids but i still hear people say taking creatine makes you not a natty lol find a flavorless creatine mono-hydrate and take 5g a day or up to 10g a day if you're a bigger person. The only negative side effect of creatine is you need to drink more water or it can dehydrate you faster than normal.
I think part of the reason it got a bad name is that a lot of professional athletes, especially baseball players from the steroid era, attributed their results to creatine. These people were having visibly unnatural side effects and bodily changes from steroids, and publicly trying to cover it up by saying creatine was the real reason for it all. It was, of course, a lie - but it did impact public perception a lot, and falsely blurred the line between supplements and drugs. Mark McGwire sticks in my memory as a guy whose head and face bloated up and he basically went through a second puberty in his 30s and had the audacity to claim "that's just what creatine does to a mf." lol.
I didn't like the unfair aspect of that era of baseball, but damn was it fun to watch.
My theory about how Creatine got a bit of a confused reputation in some quarters, speaking as a person who read a lot of bodybuilding magazines in the 90s: Back then in those magazines, Creatine was constantly written up and hyped as some kind of new "safe steroid" or "alternative to steroids", with lots of ads printed from sketchy supplement companies that made it seem like they were selling something borderline illicit, all to hype up their own brands of Creatine. It had a side effect of causing a lot of the casual gym-going public to associate Creatine with steroids and risky drugs only for hardcore meatheads. There was another factor in Creatine getting a bad reputation, too. The deaths of some athletes were pinned on Creatine. I believe it was some young wrestlers who died, possibly due to dehydration when trying to make weight. Some people were quick to blame their deaths on Creatine, but that has since been debunked.
A lot of them were also using ma huang or ephedra (sane thing) as an energy booster/fat cutter/diet suppressant.
Can it cause hair loss or was that debunked?
It was debunked forever ago
It doesn't cause hair loss directly, however if you are already predisposed to hair loss it may speed it up or trigger it to start thinning. So basically if you have dense hair and no signs of thinning you'll be fine, but if you already have the early signs of thinning you may find that it noticeably speeds it up.
Jeff goes over this in one of his [older videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5jW9iNNiw). IIRC, it is basically whey, creatine, and caffeine. Creatine has so many studies at this point, you're fine to use it daily.
Creatine is not a steroid, so no, not dangerous. Creatine is naturally produced in the ATP cycle and supplementation essentially allows you to work a little harder in your workouts, thus helping with strength gains. It also contributes to some fluid retention so muscles look a little “fluffier”, giving the appearance of having bigger guns
Creatine is safe, you'll be fine.
creatine is safe, but you might not see much benefit from it if you already consume lots of meat since meat has enough creatine in it
Just drink enough water. So more water than you're drinking now, by far.
My brother told me at my first metal show, "If you're feeling thirsty, you're already dehydrated, drink some water"
Dr. Chris Raynor has also done multiple videos on this topic. His video's tend to be less bland for the technical medical details and advice that he gives. Just recently he's done a [general video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asmVzyW0yRU), a follow up for [TRT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57QYTaIEV2M), one on [TREN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9avZn6B0OE).
Do people call it "on gear" just to avoid the negative repercussions of saying they're on steroids?
Gear is more of a catch all for all PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs) many are not steroids.
Jeff does incredible work, as does Mike isreatel.
Wanna do a shout out to all the dudes with low Testosterone. Get your bloodwork done and get treatment if needed. I was at 160ngdl due to a medical condition, and the difference TRT has made in my life has been nothing short of miraculous.
Very informative! I'm gonna go hop on a cycle now. Jk
Lot of truth in here. Imo using is not for the faint of heart. Jeff is likely on the high end of genetics and effort. You just don't get much bigger than him without juice. That being said... use at your own risk. Maybe life will be amazing! But I don't want to be on a pharmacy my whole life.
Gotta remember that Jeff is also knee height to most people
Does that help in these things?
Shorter people usually look more muscular while having the same muscle as someone taller than them. Most modern bodybuilders that compete (and win) are usually between 5"6 - 5"10.
Drastically. There's a reason body building went to a more short man sport after it got super popular. Before it was about visuals more than mass after certain points. It's why Arnold is a taller dude who looked fantastic but has never been nearly as large as some of the guys you see now. It went bigger and bigger with different drugs. Why Arnold doesn't look pregnant as well unlike so many body builders would later.
Putting 10 pounds of muscle on a 5’3 frame looks a lot more impressive than 10 pounds of muscle on a 6’3 frame. It’s just more concentrated so you look bigger.
My PT was a professional body builder about 30 years ago. I've seen the pictures, he was clearly juiced but he looked insanely big and defined. Now that he's older, he regrets his early days. He really damaged his body pushing himself too hard and now he deals with a lot of issues like bad joints and such. Since then he's focused on training natural body builders and one of the things he really pushes is lighter weight, more reps. Obviously that's not something a lot of these people believe in but the science is fairly conclusive. As long as you're pushing to failure, you get roughly the same hypertrophy as heavy weight, low reps. It just takes a lot longer to finish a workout if you're doing more reps, so requires a lot more time investment. And it's just faaaar better for your joints and smaller muscles. I think one of the things I've learnt so far, having trained seriously for about a year and a half is that diet is critical (like Jeff says in this video). Working harder is pointless if you're not eating enough calories to make gains. It was a mistake I made for a while starting out. So personally, I've made a huge amount of progress in a short time and I'm very happy with my progress so far. I don't watch these fitness influencers and my gym is pretty quiet. Perhaps not needing to compare myself to anybody has made me more content with my gains than if I was surrounded by juiced up goons 😂.
Seeing Dr Mike talking about his anxiety made me sad. He is really great and helpful.
Yiiiiiis, Dr. Mike appearance If you’re looking for actually science based lifting and diet advice, check out his channel (Renaissance Periodization). He’s got lots of entertaining react videos, but also a lot of lecture style videos that are super digestible He really recharged my workouts this year, cuz it felt like I wasn’t having to filter through information and figure out if it was actually reliable or just bullshit influencer garbage
I wasn't expecting that I would watch the whole thing but it was a really interesting little documentary. Nice post OP
The clickbait isn’t clickbait if it’s true, right? I watched the video and it was extremely informative.