#1: A Natural Disadvantage?

Q: Hi Guy,

Do you think people who use steroids and then go "clean" have an advantage over someone who has never used drugs?

...Scott

A: As a lifetime natural bodybuilder, I have had the opportunity on many occasions to compete against both active drug users and former drug users gone "clean." 

Unfortunately, due to the expense of drug tests, generally only random drug tests are conducted at natural amateur bodybuilding events, and the tests are limited to urine samples, which will not detect the use of human growth hormone (HGH) in the body. Many new designer drugs are also introduced every year, and it’s generally a couple of years before the drug tests are refined to catch up, which means that the testers are continuously behind. 

Typical urine sample testing will reveal drug use during the past year. Blood tests are more accurate and can trace drugs, including growth hormone, in your blood back several years, but have not been utilized because of religious, moral, and safety concerns. So, we are left with the random urine sample test, which acts as a deterrent to some, but is openly ridiculed at competitions such as the IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships, where growth hormone use is rampant.

In Canada, with our twin competitive streams, what you generally run up against at natural shows are the former drug users who have been "clean" for a year or more. Is it fair for a lifetime natural bodybuilder to compete against this type of athlete? In order to answer that question, an understanding of what anabolic steroids and human growth hormone do to the body is required.

Both anabolic steroids and HGH cause physiological changes to the human body during extended use. What this means is that your physical structure changes. Some of the more noticeable changes occur in the size of the skeletal structure such as the ribcage, width of the shoulders, and, of course, the thickness of the muscles. Muscle shape changes as well, most noticeably in the deltoids, quads, hamstrings, and lats. Recovery time is shortened, allowing for rapid growth of new muscle tissue and more frequent training sessions.

When a former drug user becomes clean, the increased muscle thickness tends to dissipate, but the changes to the skeletal structure and muscle shape are permanent. The muscles do atrophy, but the fibers created during the cycles of drug use remain. These physiological changes provide a definite advantage over lifetime natural athletes who are limited to what the human body is able to produce with respect to muscle development. A lifetime natural athlete may be overlooked by the judges, many of whom are former competitive bodybuilders and most of whom are involved in judging both natural and non-tested shows, because the competitor is not "freaky" enough, not displaying the physiological changes that the bodybuilding world has become accustomed to.

So, where does that leave the lifetime natural bodybuilder? Well, fortunately, the IFBB has had the good sense to create the Classic Bodybuilding category at their World Championships. With the stringent weight restrictions based on height, it is quite difficult for non-natural athletes to qualify for this event.  The CBBF has followed suit and the Classic Bodybuilding category debuted this year in Canada.  I would strongly recommend to all lifetime natural athletes that they set their sights on competing in this category.  The focus in this category is shape, symmetry, and proportion. Striving to make the lower weight restrictions will also force competitors to come in leaner and more shredded, which provides the illusion of increased size. This was indeed the case for me in winning this year's Classic Bodybuilding Tall category at the CBBF National World Qualifier.

So, if you are a lifetime natural bodybuilder, do not be discouraged!  You have chosen the healthy path and can be competitive. And isn't your health worth it?

...Guy Bourgon, Canadian Champion 2006

If you would like to ask Guy a question, please e-mail: askguy@seriousaboutmuscle.com.

SeriousAboutMuscle.com contributor Guy Bourgon is from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and is the winner of the Tall class in the Classic Bodybuilding division at the 2006 CBBF National World Qualifier. Guy is currently training for the 2006 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships to be held in Ostrava, Czech Republic.