Don't Kid Yourselves They are All Doing It

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Johnny Bravo the well known cartoon character has the perfect "juice" body with everything upstairs and not much below.

@edprivat wrote an interesting post about human growth hormones and how wildly they are used in sport. Unfortunately this is very true and where we find ourselves today wanting to be bigger, stronger and better than your opponent or team rival. Sport is so cutthroat getting an edge over someone by popping a tablet is not necessarily the answer as the chances are they are also doing it.

When I was playing rugby back in 1990 (shows my age) I was seriously naïve when it came to juicing up or cheating. This is what it basically boils down to as there is nothing else for it, but blatant cheating taking shortcuts. I have written about this before but since then quite a few more players who have retired openly admitted to taking hormone growth and steroids.

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An article I found discussing Dan Carter basically saying he needs to toughen up by bulking up.

Dan Carter was one player who took steroids for whatever reason as even though he was great felt under pressure to perform better. The new players wanting your place were bigger and faster and he himself increased his body mass noticeably getting bigger not by much ,but enough to make the difference.

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Crazy to think someone with so much skill and class would need to turn to steroids to maintain his position.

These guys were not big either as one has to understand how these things work. Popping tablets or taking injections can be used for certain things and not necessarily for becoming muscle bound. Stamina is a key performance effect which even the smallest of sportsmen would benefit from.

One of the players who admitted to using steroids mentioned his cycle was over a 12 week period and took about 2 weeks to kick in properly. His muscle gain would increase his weight overall, but by the end of the cycle his body would be reducing in size. Instead of gaining 4 kg's of muscle at the peak he would now only have 1.5 kg's left behind. This is when players start another cycle and grow even bigger than before and noticeably it is only on the upper body.

I think this is what makes it so easy to spot as the bodies are out of proportion and even laughable in many cases. The benefits are there to see however in increased performance levels by as much as 30% as long as you are in the cycle. The science behind this is what is puzzling as the modern athlete/sportsmen knows by how they take these things to hide traces. You take it tonight and by tomorrow morning testers would struggle to find anything at all.

Many of the sportsmen actually don't take it necessarily for strength or speed even though there are benefits, but it is more for recovery. Someone on "juice" will recover in less than half the time compared to someone who isn't on it.

I had a steroid injection once and one time only after I stopped playing due to a slipping Achilles tendon. Every time I ran the tendon would feel as though it was catching on the hell bone and then slip so I had the heel bone shaved down. The specialist gave it to me after an operation to help speed up the healing process as it was taking time to repair itself. I had no idea even well after my playing days what benefit it had for injuries and opened my eyes yet again.

I have to admit when I watch sport these days I look at athletes in a whole new light as you do try to spot who is on it and who isn't. Today it is difficult as many of the athletes have a similar build which is also rather telling. When I say similar they have a body out of proportion with their upper torso not matching their matchstick looking legs. This is mainly the case with rugby players as any body builder will tell you the hardest muscles to grow are your calves even with the extra juice.


Unfortunately this is now very much entrenched in school boy rugby and this is worth having a look at as these guys are 17 years of age.

The sportsmen of the early 1080's are built differently to the sportsmen of today and yes diets have changed, but that is not the only thing that has changed. Everyone is after being bigger and better and at some point where does it end before we see the results of unnatural growth. Jonah Lomu was what happens when you take things too far and have a short window of fame before your body packs up completely. In my mind this is not worth it and even though you may not make the headlines you at least know deep down you never took the shortcuts. Whatever way you look at it this is cheating and you are only cheating yourself.



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It's rampant in rugby especially in the colleges in the Northern Hemisphere. One of the Irish Journalists who went after Lance Armstrong and succeeded in taking him down is now chasing Irish Rugby players and the silence is deafening.

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The kids feel they have to do it if they want to turn professional which shows how bad this really is. Muscles that will never be as strong as natural ones and everyone putting their bodies at risk.

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That was a great read, thanks for mentioning my article, and for talking about your personal experience.

After having been around a lot of athletes in SA, I can tell that there is probably a genetic aspect, because lots of men, at least the ones playing rugby, are giants. Of course, this is always the excuse used when asked "Do you take steroids?", it's always "I've got good genetics" 😁 which is pretty laughable.

Always follow the money, if you want to understand the reasons behind doping in all sports, and corruption for that matter.

I am open to talk about it, I took creatine for the last 9 months, which is a natural coumpound, not steroid, but it helps with muscle regeneration.

I went from 79Kg to 87kg, of just lean muscle. Instead of wearing M, I was now in the L section, and was struggling to run 2 months ago because of the pressure on my joints, as my legs got bigger.
Just taking this natural supplement, felt very unnatural. I started losing my hair and saw my hairline receding, which convinced me to stop taking creatine. I lost 4 kg since I stopped 3 weeks ago, but I still look big, so I guess I lost mostly the water, and some body fat.

Anyway, my article was just about HGH, there are still countless performance enhancing drugs worth mentioning, for a later article.

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(Edited)

But how do you guys approach balance with the fact that the upper body is very huge and the legs are tiny? I think that's one of the things still keeping me off the gym.

Or should I ask, how do you personally worked it out with having our legs still big like you said.

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Well it depends what you're talking about, by "you guys". Me, I bulk and do exercises with one goal in mind, strength and conditioning because I am into martial arts.

If you mean you guys, bodybuilders, fitness models, bodyweight lifters, weight lifters, CrossFit athletes, they all have a different type of training.

As for fighters, boxers, muay thai fighters, they have indeed a more developed upper body in general, and thinner legs. It's just due to their training, and what they decided to focus on.
There are also fighters, that come from All American wrestling, or freetyle wrestling, that have huge thighs, like Tyron Woodley, because of the amount of grappling exchanges, and the specific training.

My legs were bigger because of playing soccer since a young age, and also genetic. In general you can train you legs, making sure that you don't end up with "tiny legs" as you mentioned 😁 . That's why gym freaks always say : Never skip Leg day!

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Never skip legs day! 😂

Thanks for the clarity. I think I need to secure a gym instructor who understands all these before I can hit the gym.

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I knew about the hair loss as a side effect and one has to be very careful. I am actually lookin forward to more of your posts on this subject as it is so interesting. There was that tv program a while back that was a brilliant insight into cycling and Olympic sports which I am sure you have watched. Icarus was filmed in 2017 highlighting how easy it is for these guys.

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(Edited)

Icarus was filmed in 2017 highlighting how easy it is for these guys.

Oh yeah, I love the beginning of the documentary. The second half however, if I remember correctly, goes full political, borderline propagandist, but knowing how sharp you are, you probably saw it coming too.

Nonetheless, the first half of the documentary, where the "expert" shows how to get away with pretty much everything, was really well done and truly enjoyable.

I also would like to add, that creatine isn't a banned substance, and something completely natural, so not steroid (you can find some in meat).
I was using it, because I don't take a rest day, meaning I do exercise everyday, and it really helped with the extra rep, and of course I gained mass.
As for the hair loss though, it's difficult to find studies about it, it supposed to be linked to DHT production, I think in all honesty it must mess with your hormones, so probably a tad terrible for you, and not as "harmless" as all companies are claiming.

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I don't know enough about this stuff even though I should as the family business makes some of these things as they are Everlast. They are busy with an energy drink currently which is launching in the next few weeks and expect it to do well because of the name.

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You know, four the fact that this football/Rugby game allows heavy physical contacts during play makes it more scary for me to even pick interest. A player could just decide to make sure he take someone out of his career for good. I've never seen a professional match before but saw some in a TV show (All American) and I feel it's quite a tough but interesting game.

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American Football is different as the dangers are actually in the protective gear that they wear. Rugby we will see more and more injuries just because the players are that much bigger and the hits more intense.

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(Edited)

This appears to be very rampant in the rugby space because we rarely see this happen in football.

However, I just hope aspiring players or sportsmen don't toe the steroids line.

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I can guarantee you most footballers are on something just for the recovery times. This is not all about getting bigger as there are other alternatives. One would be foolish to think they don't as even racing drivers were on the Icarius program over 5 years ago.

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Hmmmm

That's really sad to hear. I remember when Sakho was tested positive to those kind of drugs. I think he was banned for a few years from football related activities

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There are just so many out there all doing so many different things that don't leave traces. Most of them would be around recovery time for injuries and after matches as it helps their bodies cope with multiple games per week including training.

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If these things happen in the space then what measures are they authorities taking to fish them out? Or they are not aware??

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They have to be aware but the chances of catching anyone are almost 0 as they have cycles they work on and as long as you stick to the plan. The Olympics is the biggest joke but football is ok as the stuff those guys do is not the same and is not all about performance enhancing.

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(Edited)

❗ Watch out this account is in my... just kidding!! XD

Glad this is resolved now 👍

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Hi, can you please confirm that this is resolved?

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I'll confirm when I share another post.

I just hope it is finally resolved?

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You were in 2 different blacklists and that's why it took us a bit to remove you fully.
Yep seems resolved or this comment would have got the auto-reply as well.
Take care

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I once talked to a gentleman "former baseball player who played for a professional team in my country" and he told me why he used these substances, and he simply told me that it was only because a player can't stand the amount of games they play in a season and more if they have to go to the semifinals and finals. And I as a baseball player can also come to think that it is true, I am in minor leagues and some older guys already use these things.... In the end these substances are used for different purposes, not everyone has a single reason to use them.

Good post man, it really is a very interesting topic for the athletes themselves to talk about, regards....

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Thanks and yes the use cases vary for each individual. I would never dream about using them but if I was making a living out of it who knows what might happen.

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but if I were to make a living at it, who knows what might happen.

This must also be one thing why some professionals use them.

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