Bodybuilders are not the most honest creatures around. Sure, every sportsman likes to stretch the truth a lot to make his achievement appear a bit better than they actually were. This is human nature to ‘puff up’ results. Athletes in basketball, football, and other sports are able to stretch their feats, to the point where videotape proves them wrong. Bodybuilders are the kings of lying, or stretching the numbers to bluff up their performance. Anytime a bodybuilder is out of the gym (where lifts cannot be immediately verified), he’ll always add 50 or 100 pounds (along with a few repetitions) to the amount of weight he can bench press, squat or deadlift. His weight will also be a lie. Count on it!
These lies are mostly harmless. Athletes focused upon vanity and fixed on numbers as measurement for achievement in a sport judged upon artistic presentation often have no choice but to fudge the numbers a bit to keep up with their gym-mates. However, when exaggerations or underestimations in steroid use occur, they can become dangerous when this advice is followed by others. Here are a few of the most commonly told lies by bodybuilders regarding steroid use.
“I don’t use steroids”
If you look like a 1972 version of Arnold Schwarzenegger minus twenty pounds, you use steroids. This is a fact. This common lie may work on uneducated people in the work place, but there is a certain look and finish that comes with being a steroid user that should be obvious to others in the gym. The common shoot zones in the shoulders being described as “beauty marks” that tend to appear twice per week is also another giveaway.
“I’m clean”
This explanation is much different than a bodybuilder claiming he was a natural. “Clean” simply means the bodybuilder is no longer using steroids. This could mean he halted use six months ago, or that he has not injected since yesterday. “Clean” can mean a lot of things – but it doesn’t mean steroid-free.
“HRT, baby!”
This commonly held misconception that post-cycle therapy (PCT) doses of testosterone or physician-prescribed amounts of testosterone somehow qualify as not using steroids is laughable. Nonetheless, some bodybuilders will compete in natural shows and degrade others who use steroids, all while taking their twice-weekly testosterone Enanthate 400 mg shots as prescribed by either their doctor of a gym buddy.
“The lady doth protest too much”
Very often, the trainer in the gym who makes the most noise about the evils of steroids is using them himself. By displaying so much disdain for users, people will be least likely to suspect him of use. The rapidly receding hairline will be genetics, he’ll tell you. The acne? He’s been out in the sun too much. The Gynecomastia will be a little harder to explain. When someone preaches about their hatred of users, they’re probably projecting.
Trying to lift what liars claim can be dangerous and lead to lifting injuries in rare cases. More likely, minimizing the use of steroids used can be risky. New bodybuilders will run a very small cycle to match what their friend claims, when in reality the man probably injects double that on a weekly basis. Disappointment will lead to the bodybuilder rapidly bumping up the amount he’s injecting, which can lead to serious side effects. Ignore what others say and stick to common sense dosing guidelines.
