Are Steroids The Only Path To Significant Muscle Gain?

Steroids have been a part of western culture for many years, evolving from a ritual that was once confined to sports and professional bodybuilding to a regular high school recreational activity used to enhance speed, strength, and muscle mass beyond natural limits. Obviously, as with any substance that offers external results, since the improvements are visibly apparent, those using steroids or growth hormone are easily convinced that they are in fact healthier than before, yet temporary positive appearance changes are not always synonymous with what is occurring within.

In addition to sports enthusiasts who wish to improve performance, many thin bodybuilders are interested in the fastest way to enhance muscle size, and when they see professional bodybuilders using large amounts of steroids to produce 100 or more pounds of additional lean body size, they feel as if this must be the road to produce what they define as success. Yet, what many forget is that bodybuilding, a hobby that has constantly associated itself with healthy living, is actually transformed into a risky, potentially life ending pursuit when steroids or growth hormone become acceptable options.

There are two distinct segments of the bodybuilding audience that seem to have mistaken notions of what can and cannot be achieved naturally; one extreme believes that the muscular bodies of professional bodybuilders on the cover of muscle magazines can be produced without steroids, or with some bodybuilding supplement that substitutes for drugs, when in fact this is a completely false notion. To those who follow the bodybuilding industry closely, professional bodybuilders are known for their rampant, rather stunning level of drug abuse, and they would carry significantly less muscle mass if they were training without drugs, even when using every legally available supplement. The other vast misconception asserts the opposite, which is that no bodybuilder can gain substantial muscle mass without using steroids, which is just as misleading. Although the massive muscles of professional steroid using bodybuilders cannot be replicated without embracing the same risky drug habits, extremely impressive improvements in muscle mass and density are possible without ever touching a steroid, growth hormone, or any other performance enhancing substance.

Both groups need to become realistic, but in different ways; those who feel professional bodybuilding results can be achieved naturally must comprehend that this is not so, and change their goals to match what is both possible and healthy to pursue, but they will also benefit from learning the second lesson for the opposing group, which is that by eating and training using specific techniques, the muscles can grow significantly, and a dramatic transformation can occur without the use of steroids. The reason many are searching for solutions is that the muscle building industry is plagued with falsehoods and misconceptions, therefore steroids seemingly become the only viable solution to substantial physical appearance change, when in fact, most add very small amounts of muscle not due to lack of steroids, but as a direct result of poor training and diet routines. When the variables that control muscle mass (the workout and eating techniques) are rectified, progress should be gratifying and considered impressive for any reasonable individual, and the risks of steroid use are avoided in the process.

I started my weight lifting career at a weight of 130 pounds, and considering my height was above average (6'2"), my thin body was the catalyst behind my own weight lifting career. Thankfully, by the grace of God I never used steroids, growth hormone, or any other such drug, despite having the same desire to gain muscle mass as any other weight lifter, yet knew that doing so within a natural framework was the only safe and therefore legitimate option to pursue. I then perfected my weight training and diet routine through many years of experimentation, gaining more than 60 pounds of muscle mass; many who are confused about how to achieve muscle gains accuse me of steroid use, but I can spotlight my own success as proof to show that building a massively muscled body is possible naturally, without any chemical crutch. I also realize that with steroid use, I could gain at least 50 pounds of additional muscle mass, but does this bother me? No, not in the least, as I feel that preserving my health and well being by remaining natural is far more worthy of celebration than any level of new muscle gain, and I hope every man and woman reading this article modifies their bodybuilding ethics so they can also feel the same.