The Light and Dark of Supplements

Gym Supplements: By far the murkiest topic to cover within weight training and fitness nowadays.

It is so complex and mired in controversy that it’s quite difficult to know where to start, so how about I start with this…

You Don’t Need It.

There are so many out there who want a quick fix to everything and are willing to pay. This has lead to supplements both legal and otherwise being shoved down the gullet of a kid who can’t spell dumbbell correctly. 

Those in their 30’s and 40-overs are not spared as well. 

The worst part in this whole edible circus is that mostly the people {so called trainers}, who suggest the same and guarantee results, acquired their knowledge by word of mouth and are dumbbells themselves when it comes to in-depth knowledge of the usage, short and long term effects and client-specific implementation. It is usually done for a little something on the side.

It’s usually one size fits all, which is dangerous.

I aim to provide information that would put YOU in charge of making an informed decision about IF and/ or WHAT you need.

Why did I state “YOU DON’T NEED IT”? 

Well, because a normal fitness-oriented, non-competitive gym-goer who follows a nutritious and balanced meal plan… Doesn’t.

Gym Supplements come into the picture when you are trying to reach niche goals.

It also matters if one is venturing into the dark side in order to achieve those goals. Yes, I am referring to Steroids.

I have been a witness to, many a time, the pusher-man trying to unload his deals onto young naïve kids with false promises of becoming the next mass monster.

99% of these kids will not be seen in the gym 6 months down the line But the side effects would haunt them forever.

Since we have started with the darkest of the topics, let us get it out of the way.

Steroids:

Testosterone was first synthesized in Germany in 1935 and was used medically to treat depression. Professional athletes began misusing anabolic steroids during the 1954 Olympics when Russian weightlifters were given testosterone.

It was all downhill from there. In order to excel and get the competitive edge the inclusion of anabolics by athletes increased.

In the 1970’s it was even discussed openly as there was no ban on its use. The problem arose when users displayed unusual aggression, erectile dysfunction, liver, and kidney failure among a whole host of other problems that the concerned authorities woke up.

Let us take a look at a few pictures from before the days of injections.

In the beginning, there was Sandow. Born Friedrich Muller in Prussia in 1867. You can notice the fact that he works out just like you would notice anyone on the street who spends quality time in the gym.

This gentleman is Angelo Siciliano, although he is recognized by his invented manlier name: Charles Atlas. Does his physique look impressive to you? (Keep this question in mind). In his time it was considered “Out of this World”

Let us now fast-forward a couple of decades or so…

Arnold was 6-foot-2, 235 pounds at his peak. That gave him a body mass index of 30.2. This means the most iconic bodybuilder in history, a guy known as an enthusiastic steroid user, was slighter than Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, a former pro wrestler with a body-mass index of 34.3 at the time of filming Furious 7.

The fact that actors and athletes could look like bodybuilders meant that bodybuilders themselves had to look like something else.

By the 1990s, contests were largely won by whoever dared to ingest the greatest amount of anabolic steroids.

Enter Dorian Yates.

By the early ’90s, bodybuilders were adding insulin and human growth hormone to the mix, giving them “that superhuman ballooned look.” 

If you want an example of how much the standards changed, and how quickly, consider these photos of Dorian Yates, who won Mr. Olympia six straight times, beginning in 1992.

Korean DumBBell

What the end of the road looks like

To sum it all, how many times are the young influenced ones shown the truth about what happens when bodybuilders quit, for whatever reason.

Is it worth it? that is a subjective answer. For them, it was or is their profession, so maybe yes. I do not dispute that. 

Is it worth it for a common Gym Doe to experiment with steroids when they have nothing to do with competition?,

OR,

Earning from photo-shoots with sponsorships from gym supplement manufacturers and especially when they do not have the backup medical support in case things go south?

At the end of the day just to end up like the after pics of these guys anyway. Steroid physiques do not last.

View: This warning was given by the best about Steroids.

  That is the question.