| Go
Back February 10, 2006
The Evils of 'Roids
One has to wonder what sort of logic they
are using in the United States these days. There is the constant threat of terrorism, the
Iraq war is dividing the country and sinking the U.S. economy, thousands of people are
dying each year from gunshot wounds, and global warming is causing one major catastrophe
after another, but one would think from watching the news this past year that steroid use
was somehow responsible. Yes, ‘roids have been in the U.S. news a lot lately, and the
evils associated with their use.
Without question, steroids are bad for you, but I
don’t think they warrant the paranoid, aggressive attack that they have been getting
from Congress or the media. In my opinion, there is much more serious stuff going on, like
the things I mentioned. The Bush administration, though, has singled out
performance-enhancing drugs as one of the biggest dangers facing the U.S., right up there
with Osama Bin Laden. In fact, if you listen to some of those old senators, they would
have you believe that every athlete who ever used a drug should be imprisoned or banished
to another country like, say, Canada!
It’s rather ironic that only a few years ago these
same opportunitists were waving the U.S. flag at past Olympics, proclaiming how great
their athletes were. It’s funny how they don’t mind spending taxpayers’
money on these things – and what’s even funnier is that a lot of that money has
come as result of the huge salaries of those athletes whom they are now attacking. How
much tax has superstar Mark McGwire paid the U.S. government over his career? Last fall, I
watched the Senate inquiry on drug use in baseball. These pompous politicians treated
elite athletes like McGwire as criminals, yet they loved them when they were breaking
records and filling stadiums. What hypocrisy! No, I am not in favor of professional
athletes using steroids, but the witch-hunt that transpired in 2005 is scary. It was very
unsettling to see the way DEA agents at the 2004 Arnold Classic were chasing down pro
bodybuilders.
Now, it seems, the press and those same opportunists are
trying to find a link where "’roid rage" might be responsible for the death
of Melissa James in the Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan fiasco. I don’t want to accuse
Kelly or Craig of this crime, as it is up to a court of law to decide their guilt or
innocence; however, it looks pretty bad for them, and the press is feasting on this
tragedy like a pack of starving hyenas, since Titus was a well-known pro bodybuilder and
Ryan was one of the best pro fitness competitors. If the stories are true regarding
Craig’s meth use, then meth may prove to be the culprit right there, not steroids. In
fact, Craig’s current appearance (he’s much smaller) and the fact that he
hasn’t competed in a while would indicate that he might have been off steroids for
some time. So, to accuse him of going nuts due to "’roid rage" – give
me a break!
But what is ‘roid rage, anyway? I have been covering
the bodybuilding scene for almost 30 years and have never seen any competitor go insane or
berserk like the media would have you believe. Yes, I have seen tempers flare at a
competition, but these guys have often been on a starvation diet for months. I think
anyone who has gone through the hell these athletes undergo would also have a short fuse,
‘roids or not.
So what is with the U.S. government’s current
fascination with steroids and their aggressive persecution of athletes who are suspected
of using them? Wouldn’t it be better to direct all these resources to fighting the
increasing crystal meth epidemic sweeping over the country? Now that stuff really is
evil, taking over the user’s soul and turning him into a psycho-zombie, willing
do anything to get his next fix. That scares me far more than athletes using
performance-enhancing drugs. All I can say is they had better get a lid on this meth
problem, or be prepared to watch their society come tumbling down like a row of dominos.
Police forces, hospitals, and healthcare workers are already facing the life-destroying
consequences from this rapidly increasing epidemic.
So just how bad are steroids? Can they really make you a
champion? Are they bad for your health? Does their use make you a psycho maniac? There are
no simple answers to those questions. Like anything in life that provides an advantage, a
price must be paid. Of course, any ill effects suffered will depend on the quantity and
duration of use.
| The Other Side Effects of Steroids Perhaps the most serious effects of steroid use are not physical but
mental. Their positive effects are very addictive; there’s a kind of enhanced euphoria
one feels when pumped and carrying around 30 pounds of solid muscle. However, you can’t
hang onto this kind of artificially induced muscle indefinitely, and that is what leads to
using more and more steroids for longer periods of time. Years of this kind of abuse are what
become dangerous, especially for those who can’t handle the idea of seeing that kind of
muscle dwindling away.
I also want to touch on to what is another very dangerous
aspect of using steroids – their high cost and supply. It is almost impossible to obtain
pharmaceutical-grade steroids legally. Most of the stuff out there is from the black market
and the quality is suspect. It could be fake, contaminated, and just plain dangerous. I really
can’t rationalize injecting something into my body that I can’t guarantee is
genuine. It is also ironic that you can spend twenty or thirty thousand dollars on the stuff,
but the physique you gain is artificial and is not permanent – in contrast, a nice flashy
sports car will last you a long time!
...Garry Bartlett
garryb@seriousaboutmuscle.com |
|
|
I don’t condone the use of steroids, however; but I am
also not so naïve or stupid to think that we would not see such fantastic athletes
without them. Elimination of them from bodybuilding and a lot of other strength sports
would cause a major step backwards in terms of performance. I confess that I love to see
the big guys flex, Olympic records get shattered, tons of home runs get hit, and 300-pound
football players killing each other. I still think one of the greatest sports feats I have
ever witnessed was Ben Johnson smoking everyone and winning the 100 metre final at the
1988 Seoul Olympics. So are we willing to accept sub-standard performances from our sports
heroes? Grant you, would we be satisfied in watching a Mr. Olympia contest where all the
competitors were truly drug free?
I competed as a natural bodybuilder back in the late
‘70s, even winning a couple of categories at provincial and regional competitions. I
confess that back then I didn’t know much about steroids, but I did begin noticing
huge improvements in some athletes who had obviously discovered some "secret training
methods" the rest of us were unaware of. Each year these guys just kept getting
better, leaving us poor, naïve souls in a cloud of dust.
The truth is, though, that I didn’t have much
potential to be a very good bodybuilder anyway. At my best, I looked like one of those
lean, skinny guys you see in those men’s fitness magazines. Realizing that I would
never become Mr. Olympia, I hung up my trunks and took up a camera instead. Have I
ever used steroids? The answer is no!
However, I confess that I was tempted on a number of
occasions after witnessing some dramatic transformations in other competitors who did take
them. What always stopped me, though, was this little voice in the back of my mind telling
me what would happen to my health down the road. Now in my mid-50s, I am thankful that I
never gave in to the urge, as I would be worrying myself to death wondering if every ache
and pain I experience is a result of their use. At least, if I do get anything serious, I
can’t blame it on steroids.
So are steroids as evil as the media would like you to
believe? I am no medical doctor, and I base my opinions only on what I have witnessed and
read over the 30 years that I have been involved in bodybuilding.
First of all, let’s make one thing clear: there is a
big difference between steroid use and steroid abuse. It goes without saying
that a majority of hardcore bodybuilders are abusing steroids, taking huge dosages and
stacking them with growth hormones, insulin, and whatever else they feel is necessary to
gain a competitive edge. A concoction like that is a long way from a couple of tablets of
this or that. In fact, I recently spoke to a former Mr. Olympia who confessed to using
steroids back when he was competing, but he only used two five-milligram tablets of
Dianabol. Even at that dose, mind you, he worried about possible side effects. By the way,
this former Mr. Olympia is close to 70 now and he looks fantastic – very healthy and
fit. However, what they took back in the ‘60s and ‘70s is a far cry from what
the guys are using today.
I have never encouraged anyone to use drugs; however, I
would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit that I favor the kind of muscle that they put
on. I covered several natural pro shows back in the early ‘90s, and the guys looked
pretty bad. In fact, that is what sank the WBF when the U.S. government forced them to
drug test all their athletes. One show I attended in California was a total disaster,
where the athletes looked terrible and there was hardly anyone in the audience. So where
does that leave us? Nowhere – and the persecution continues.
...Garry Bartlett
garryb@seriousaboutmuscle.com
SeriousAboutMuscle.com contributor Garry Bartlett is
the leading authority on Canadian bodybuilding, fitness and figure. Garry's "Canadian
Corner" column has appeared in MuscleMag for over 25 years and has provided
an unsurpassed level of exposure and publicity for Canadian bodybuilding, fitness and
figure enthusiasts.
|
