How Widespread is Steroid Use Thesedays ?

madmik

Just interested to know how widespread steroid
use is in irish gyms thesedays

I have a few friends who use steroids to help them with their goals and they are not professional athletes and are just using steroids as a shortcut to gaining muscle and strength and they find no problem with it

I also have other friends who are dead against it

I am not looking to start a pisssing contest about whether its right or wrong

just wanted to hear from a few others on whether or not they either use themselves or know people who are using or have used

(this includes hgh as well although its technically not a steroid)

the drifter

i seriously doubt your going to get someone to come on here and say

" hey hey look at me i take steroids "

the drifter

i suppose i better give a valid opionion too....

I have no problem with people taking them its there choice...personally i never would..

what i do have a problem with is people taking them and saying there not....

the drifter

the drifter wrote: »

i seriously doubt your going to get someone to come on here and say

" hey hey look at me i take steroids "

If people don't want to admit it because it's just private information that's fine, but if they don't want to admit for fear of people ridiculing them or thinking they are idiots then they shouldn't take them in the first place because they probably don't know enough about what they are taking or how it affects them to stand up to these people because the people who are prejudiced usually don't know a lot about it. I was prejudiced against people who took steroids as I heard it was a way of cheating and wasn't interested but it was only after it was explained to me that steroids aren't actually wonder drugs and seem to allow top athletes or people who need to train more for personal goals to recover quicker as opposed to giving them "magical" amounts of muscle did I start to change my thinking.

From what I have overheard in gym changing rooms, it seems to be more popular in non commercial gyms i.e. not in your westwoods or crunch fitness etc. However, I have heard enough to suggest that it is definitely common enough. Could be wrong though, just hearsay afterall. I don't take them.

Degsy

I'm curious about that myself.
There seems to be a lot of big blokes in my gym who cant lift very much weight at all..

kevpants

Steroid "abuse" is pretty widespread. Interpretting "abuse" as mis-use rather than over-use.

I don't really know many people into PL'ing, BB'ing, strongman or even mid to high level sport (man my friends are lazy) but combining my hobbies of training and peoplewatching I have come to observe/over-hear several fairly uninspiring physical specimens who perform fairly uninspiring acts in the gym discuss their varying "stacks".

Furkin "stacks". They should have tried "steaks", they might have got somewhere.

the drifter

ive had it said to me twice in the past week that im "on something" because of the gains ive made since early november...

the absolute worst is when they try to "advise" you on what you should be taking supplment wise...

you go back to your curls there buddy and leave me be..

madmik

the drifter wrote: »

i seriously doubt your going to get someone to come on here and say

" hey hey look at me i take steroids "

it is possible to post annonymously if your worried about privacy

its also possible to give an opinion without admitting personal use

the drifter

madmik wrote: »

it is possible to post annonymously if your worried about privacy

its also possible to give an opinion without admitting personal use

valid point...

in light of these recent developments i retract my previous statment....:cool:

madmik

madmik wrote: »

it is possible to post annonymously if your worried about privacy

You can't post anonymously. Well, at least I couldn't and I lurked for ages around here as I wasn't bothered registering.

madmik

Deleted User wrote: »

You can't post anonymously. Well, at least I couldn't and I lurked for ages around here as I wasn't bothered registering.

your correct

in some areas of boards its possible to post anonymouslly(like personal issues)
but not in fitness

although if someone is afraid of being identified they could post under another log in

also you dont have to be using steroids yourself to know people who are using

I believe there are a lot more people using than u would imagine

COH

I don't really care if someone is taking steroids or not, thats their business. But it does bother me the amount of people taking them who know nothing about what they're putting into their system.

For example I spoke to a young guy last week who said he was taking primo. I asked him if he even knew what primo was, he said no but his mates said it was savage so he was doing a cycle, and that after that one he'd start hitting dianabol too, about which he knew nothing either. He didn't even know what dosage he was taking, or what exactly he expected it to do. And had never even heard of the concept of post-cycle therapy etc. I imagine that as well as the 'informed masses' there are ALOT of guys out there like him, and thats scary!

That is just pure stupidity, what is he playing at? No wonder people assume that people who take steroids are cheaters or idiots, it's these blokes ruining it for all the genuine blokes/lasses(???) out there who know what they are doing.

madmik

most of the guys i know are in their mid twenties and using the gear purely as a shortcut to results

since theyre not competing in any tested event i dont have a huge problem with it

it does make a hell of differnce though

I saw 1 guy in particular who went from lean +skinny 67kg to muscular 83kg taking 500mg of test a week for 10 weeks on the fiirst cycle

hes in good shape now but he plans to do another 10 week cycle to get to a ripped 90kg

it makes the progress gained naturally look like a joke

madmik

madmik wrote: »

it does make a hell of differnce though

I saw 1 guy in particular who went from lean +skinny 67kg to muscular 83kg taking 500mg of test a week for 10 weeks on the fiirst cycle

hes in good shape now but he plans to do another 10 week cycle to get to a ripped 90kg

it makes the progress gained naturally look like a joke

This is what confuses me. Everyone who I have spoken to about steroids (basically know much much more than I do for a start) and have told me claims like that are BS.

madmik

Deleted User wrote: »

This is what confuses me. Everyone who I have spoken to about steroids (basically know much much more than I do for a start) and have told me claims like that are BS.

honestly,i have trained with this lad and saw him gain the weight/strength

he was 67kg on st patricks day and 10 weeks later he was 83kg


it was ridiculous the speed he grew muscle at


also ridiculous was the amount of food he comsumed at the time

he was eating twice what a normal person eats per meal and said he was waking up at 3am starving having to have a sandwich and a weight gain drink

theres no denying that steroids work

heres a detailed but complicated study that proves
strength/muscle mass was much increased in the group
given test than the placebo group

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/335/1/1

even the guys who didnt exercise in this study gained muscle mass
when given a shot of test weekly for 8 weeks

jethrodublin

those type of gains usually happen first timers. maybe the second time if you have run the first course right.

also good gains are made straight after a show, the food and drugs together really kick start your body and you seem to grow like a stem for about 3 weeks.

as was pointed out earlier use-mis use-abuse


i fall into the mis use group, but i understand the line that moves into abuse also.

its a personal decision, i do it for compeditive reasons so have a goal. i can't understand the average gym rat just banging the stuff in blindly though.

Malteaser!

Degsy wrote: »

I'm curious about that myself.
There seems to be a lot of big blokes in my gym who cant lift very much weight at all..

I know who you're talking about and your assumption is correct.


From talking to a couple of people about it in Total Fitness in Blanch, it seems to be way more widespread than I first imagined.

jethrodublin

Degsy wrote: »

I'm curious about that myself.
There seems to be a lot of big blokes in my gym who cant lift very much weight at all..

there's a big difference between a power lifter and a bodybuilder. it doesn't matter what weight is on the bar once its improving your appearence

Reyman

madmik wrote: »

heres a detailed but complicated study that proves
strength/muscle mass was much increased in the group
given test than the placebo group

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/335/1/1

even the guys who didnt exercise in this study gained muscle mass
when given a shot of test weekly for 8 weeks

That's a very interesting study Madmik. The guys who did no exercise but took Testerone got quite a bit stronger. I'd say they made more progress doing nothing than I would slaving (clean) for 10 weeks in the gym

madmik

Reyman wrote: »

That's a very interesting study Madmik. The guys who did no exercise but took Testerone got quite a bit stronger. I'd say they made more progress doing nothing than I would slaving (clean) for 10 weeks in the gym

theres another article about the same study somewhere online and its a bit easier to read than that one

i cant find it now but i read it before and the guys in the group who only got a shot of test without exercise gained iirc 7kilos of muscle

the ones who got a shot of test + exercise gained 12kg on average

these gains are not all that surprising since steroids were designed to help people with muscle wasting diseases to gain weight

anadrol 50 is an extremely potent steroid used by hiv patients and its very effective in preventing them wasting away even when they dont exercise

kevpants

jethrodublin wrote: »

there's a big difference between a power lifter and a bodybuilder.

There's also a pretty big difference between a bodybuilder who assimilates powerlifting principles into his training and one who doesn't. Usually 6 or 7 places.

jethrodublin wrote: »

it doesn't matter what weight is on the bar once its improving your appearence

Man you are actually the anti-kevpants. I imagine you as looking just like me but you have a moustache and if I'm wearing a blue t-shirt you're wearing a red one.

Hanley

kevpants wrote: »

There's also a pretty big difference between a bodybuilder who assimilates powerlifting principles into his training and one who doesn't. Usually 6 or 7 places.

I lol'd. HARD.

Roper

kevpants wrote: »

Man you are actually the anti-kevpants. I imagine you as looking just like me but you have a moustache and if I'm wearing a blue t-shirt you're wearing a red one.

Like the guy who drove KAR in Knight Rider? Or the twin when you played two player in Double Dragon?

Y'know, I think about test abuse in the average 20 or 30 something and I think "you're a knob, get some willpower you pussy", But then again I think about me as a 70 year old man, getting the odd jab once a month, running up stairs, not taking a cart on the golf course, able to do the bold thing with the missus, or, as I've informed her, her 19 year old replacement. I'm doing it as soon as I hit 60. I can't wait.

Thinking about taking roids to look good? Just get the pec and calf implants metrosexuals. They're permanent and you won't risk liver damage. Probably cheaper in the long run. Either that or just man up and do some harder, smarter training.

So come on, someone fill me in, are steroids a way to cheat? If they just aid with recovery to allow people to train more, what's the issue?

*I'm not trying to come across as pro-steroids. I'm just trying to understand it better. I've always been told these outlandish claims of people putting on so much kg of muscle with roids is BS and that hard work and good diet is no substitute.

delllat

Roper wrote: »

Thinking about taking roids to look good? Just get the pec and calf implants metrosexuals. They're permanent and you won't risk liver damage. Probably cheaper in the long run. Either that or just man up and do some harder, smarter training.

not exactly natural though!

injectable steroids cause minimal to no liver damage

at least if you use a bit of test the muscles u grow will be a part of your body and not made of plastic or silicon

Do steroids primarily increase strength or just create muscular hypertrophy?

delllat

Deleted User wrote: »

So come on, someone fill me in, are steroids a way to cheat? If they just aid with recovery to allow people to train more, what's the issue?

*I'm not trying to come across as pro-steroids. I'm just trying to understand it better. I've always been told these outlandish claims of people putting on so much kg of muscle with roids is BS and that hard work and good diet is no substitute.

when you say cheat how do you mean that?

steroids will increase your body weight and lean muscle mass in a short period of time

thats a fact

theres a myriad of bs surrounding steriods but most of it is bs

i am not a doctor but from what i have seen steroids can be used sparingly for incredible results by informed adults

being used by idiot kids is another story alltogether

someone asked is it possible to gain that much mass in 10 weeks

to answer that yes its very possible but only if there is a surplus of calories+nutrients +adequate stimulation+rest

I have witnessed similar gains but they were by knowledgeable people

Side effects are minimal to non-existant if steroids are used responsibly

Im my opinion they should not be used before the age of 21 since they can prevent you growing taller

although no amount of steroids will make up for bad nutrition (a lotta people arent eating enough to gain and instead of fixing this problem they decide to increase the dose of steroids-this is what brings the crazy side effcets and health problems )

Hanley

delllat wrote: »

Im my opinion they should not be used before the age of 21 since they can prevent you growing taller

Don;t men keep growing til their 23-25 tho??

I've never heard that being said about steroids. Got any back up?

Reyman

Hanley wrote: »

I've never heard that being said about steroids. Got any back up?

Steroids are supposed to 'fuse' your growth plates. It's mentioned here:
http://www.steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/21756-steroids-height.html

Roper

delllat wrote: »

not exactly natural though!

injectable steroids cause minimal to no liver damage

at least if you use a bit of test the muscles u grow will be a part of your body and not made of plastic or silicon

If someone is ****tardy, vain and lazy enough to use steroids because they want to look a bit better for the ladeez/mirror then I don't think they can be trusted with a sharp object like a syringe. They should be kept on the top shelf out of reach or perhaps hidden in a book where they definitely won't be found.

As I've said before, I have a degree of sympathy for a guy .005 seconds off an Olympic qualifying time, who has one last shot at reaching the games and decides a ped is the answer, and of course they're used to great effect with sick people (HIV, burns etc.). But everything, EVERYTHING, has side effects and risks. Taking test in younger life slows down your own test production for example, so where does it end? You gonna be sticking a needle in your arse for the rest of your life?

Steroids aren't the devil. But the way some of the pro-steroids camp portray Life on Roids you'd swear it was all rosy in the garden, little injecting parties with frosted syringes and doylies and tea for afterwards and most importantly no come uppance.

amazingemmet

Reyman wrote: »

Steroids are supposed to 'fuse' your growth plates. It's mentioned here:
http://www.steroidology.com/forum/anabolic-steroid-forum/21756-steroids-height.html

Its actually estrogen which fuses the growth plates, which is why non-aromatising, don't convert to estrogen, are ok to use in children

madmik

Roper wrote: »

Steroids aren't the devil. But the way some of the pro-steroids camp portray Life on Roids you'd swear it was all rosy in the garden, little injecting parties with frosted syringes and doylies and tea for afterwards and most importantly no come uppance.

steroids arent the devil
although they have an unfairly bad image for the amount of people who have actually died or been harmed with them

nobody is saying they dont need to be treated with respect but lots of things are dangerous and we have no problems letting idiots make up their minds to use them or not

fine examples are
alcohol
cigarettes
diet pills
stimulants
pain killers
anti-depressants
valium
sleeping tablets
hash
excstacy
gambling

all these things are either legal or so widely and easily available they may as well be legal
I think they are equally or more dangerous than steroids
most easy to get,a google search will bring up maybe 50,000 places to buy without a prescription or id

Brian?

madmik wrote: »

steroids arent the devil
although they have an unfairly bad image for the amount of people who have actually died or been harmed with them

nobody is saying they dont need to be treated with respect but lots of things are dangerous and we have no problems letting idiots make up their minds to use them or not

fine examples are
alcohol
cigarettes
diet pills
stimulants
pain killers
anti-depressants
valium
sleeping tablets
hash
excstacy
gambling

all these things are either legal or so widely and easily available they may as well be legal
I think they are equally or more dangerous than steroids
most easy to get,a google search will bring up maybe 50,000 places to buy without a prescription or id

I want to go to the same parties you do if all of your list is easily available

madmik

briankeating wrote: »

I want to go to the same parties you do if all of your list is easily available

do u live in a cave or something?

Roper

From your list:

alcohol- legal, regulated, and restricted to over 18s
cigarettes- legal, regulated, and restricted to over 18s
diet pills- legal
stimulants- legal and only available by prescription
pain killers- legal and many only available by prescription
anti-depressants- legal and only available by prescription
valium- legal and only available by prescription
sleeping tablets- legal and only available by prescription
hash- illegal and not all that widely available
excstacy- illegal and not widely available
gambling - Legal

madmik wrote:

I think they are equally or more dangerous than steroids

Ridiculous. I mean, you may have a point regarding their danger as compared to excessive alcohol or cigarettes, but to imply that somehow a totally unregulated drug industry is the equivalent of say, sleeping pills or anti-depressants is just plain silly.

Do you use steroids? I'm not trying to call you out but let's face it, it's a valid question because to be frank, your pro-roids arguments are pretty weak.

madmik

I have never used a steroid in my life

just the amount of bs surrounding them is incredible

Brian?

madmik wrote: »

do u live in a cave or something?

No, I don't. I just know I would have a hard time getting my hands on most of the drugs you listed. Some I could get a doctor to prescribe me I suppose, but others are illegal and I would say very difficult to come by.

Degsy

I wonder would a doctor prescribe you roids,test for example if you went to him and said "I'm gonna either buy them on the black market or you can give them to me legally"....

madmik

a google search will bring up everything listed and more

i assume u have google?

Brian?

madmik wrote: »

a google search will bring up everything listed and more

i assume u have google?

I know this is nit picking, but Google me up some ecstasy or hash. I can't do it.

I can't see what your point is by the way.

dave80

Degsy wrote: »

I wonder would a doctor prescribe you roids,test for example if you went to him and said "I'm gonna either buy them on the black market or you can give them to me legally"....

only if your test levels where below normal levels (HRT), and the amount he'd give you would be small

#Smokey#

Degsy wrote: »

I wonder would a doctor prescribe you roids,test for example if you went to him and said "I'm gonna either buy them on the black market or you can give them to me legally"....

TRT is the way doctors prescribe it as far as i know but that's mainly for guys over 40 or those who had legitimate problems with testosterone production be it steroid shut down or natural hypogonadism(sp?).

As for how widespread steroids use is i can say westpoint in blanch has a good few users on steroids.There's no stigma attached to doing them in there its seen as a part of training.

madmik

briankeating wrote: »

I know this is nit picking, but Google me up some ecstasy or hash. I can't do it.

I can't see what your point is by the way.

your right ,this is knit picking but here u go

http://onlinecoffeeshop247.com/

im not posting again on this thread

people feel so strongly about it its getting out of control

it started as a question about steroid use but has turned in to thw whole right or wrong debate which i didnt want

Zamboni

#Smokey# wrote: »

As for how widespread steroids use is i can say westpoint in blanch has a good few users on steroids.There's no stigma attached to doing them in there its seen as a part of training.

Really? I'm there quite a lot and never noticed.
I suppose I am just oblivious to this stuff.
Now that I am thinking about it though, I think if steroid use was prevalent in a gym it would put me off going there at all.

It's very hard to get straight answers in a thread on steroids. Is that because hardly anyone knows a lot about them?

Zamboni

Deleted User wrote: »

It's very hard to get straight answers in a thread on steroids. Is that because hardly anyone knows a lot about them?

In fairness, the only people who should know a lot about them are trained medical professionals.
Not the average poster on a fitness forum.

That's true and what I believe, but with it being so common nowadays, I thought there would be lads who would be able to give me a medical lesson on Roids better than any doctor ever could.

g'em

Deleted User wrote: »

I thought there would be lads who would be able to give me a medical lesson on Roids better than any doctor ever could.

You won't find those guys on this board - they're out there, but boards.ie would be a little... soft for their needs.

Medical professionals can be surprisingly ignorant about these issues too and it was only a few weeks ago that a Dr. told my bf to be careful, that all his muscle mass would turn to fat as he got older and he might want to ease up on the training. As for steroid use, the general consensus among users I know would be that GPs know very little (and don't want to). There's a few clued in doctors out there, but they're far and few between.

g'em

g'em wrote: »

You won't find those guys on this board - they're out there, but boards.ie would be a little... soft for their needs.

Medical professionals can be surprisingly ignorant about these issues too and it was only a few weeks ago that a Dr. told my bf to be careful, that all his muscle mass would turn to fat as he got older and he might want to ease up on the training. As for steroid use, the general consensus among users I know would be that GPs know very little (and don't want to). There's a few clued in doctors out there, but they're far and few between.

That's insane about the doctor telling your BF that. That is the most basic myth in fitness. Any medical professional should know that but then again, I have seen so many doctors and nutritionists (and physios and other therapists etc) who would (should) know exactly how to eat well and they are overweight and ( I assume ) don't exercise or look after their cholesterol levels judging by their belly!!!

Doctors fix people, strength and conditioning coaches teach you how to squat.

Zamboni

g'em wrote: »

Medical professionals can be surprisingly ignorant about these issues too and it was only a few weeks ago that a Dr. told my bf to be careful, that all his muscle mass would turn to fat as he got older and he might want to ease up on the training. As for steroid use, the general consensus among users I know would be that GPs know very little (and don't want to). There's a few clued in doctors out there, but they're far and few between.

Again, in fairness, a GP is exactly that, a GP. Limted knowledge on a lot of subjects rather than lots of knowledge on limited subjects.
They should have no need to specialise in steroid use outside of the ability to refer someone to a specialist should they think it is required.