Male Bodybuilders and Steroids

Body builders who feel they are not bulking up muscle mass fast enough and are impatient to see better results and body builders who feel they have leveled out and are no longer seeing any additional growth of muscle mass may find it easy to look around at the gym and see other body builders who are using steroids to obtain their impressive mass of muscle and wonder how safe would it be for me to try steroids? The results are impressive and tempting but can it be done safely?

Steroids are the artificial hormone that temporarily increases the level of a specific hormone- testosterone which supports the growth of muscles and bones. The short term benefit of steroids is the sudden increase in muscle mass and increased strength and increased sex drive. Using steroids safely such as anabolic steroids which replicate the operation of testosterone and increase adrenalin needs to be done under the care of physician who does blood test to get a base line and look for underlying health issues which the use of steroids will aggravate.

Anabolic steroids are used for a variety of health issues such as to increase bone growth and appetite and chronic conditions such as cancer and AIDS. They work by increasing the protein synthesis within cells which results in the buildup of cellular tissue, especially muscle.

Due to the rising use and abuse of steroids in body building and other sports, Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act which classified anabolic steroids as a schedule three controlled substance so those who choose to use steroids for short term results need a prescription to do so legally. Using steroids obtained illegally puts the user in the very real danger of taking something that may not be what it is supposed to be not to mention the possible legal ramifications. The side effects of anabolic steroids, which can be taken in three different forms including a pill, shot or skin patch, are dose dependent which is another reason usage needs to be regulated under the care of a physician.

Despite what looks like fast and safe results however the use of steroids even short term comes with potential long life altering side effects that should not be ignored. Anyone under the age of twenty one shouldn’t take steroids even under a doctor’s care because steroids have the ability to stop growth. Those over twenty one who decide to take steroids under a doctor’s care will see that the initial increased sex drive, an added perk, soon decreases.

Steroid users may develop a condition known as Gynecomastia which alters hormones and makes testicles shrink, male breast develop and sex drive decrease. Other more permanent side effects of steroid use includes liver damage or failure, since steroids pass through the liver first and the liver attempt to filter out the bad stuff before it gets into the rest of the body. The use of steroid shots into the muscle mass area known as “isolation” is one way to attempt to avoid the liver and the ensuing liver damage.

However introducing steroids into the body whether it is in the form of a pill or shot will still have unavoidable side effects that can include the increased danger of heart damage from an enlarged heart and damaged heart valves, high blood pressure, jaundice, body acne and the extreme mood swings from depression to aggression known as “roid rage”. Think Incredible Hulk here and you get the picture.

On a final note before steroid use came into the body builder’s vocabulary and before the era of mass monsters like Arnold Schwarzenegger hit the circuit, there existed body builders who managed to bulk up using diet and exercise like Steve Reeves and he managed to get the ideal sculptured body without putting his health at risk with steroids to do it.