07/03/09
Just about every natural bodybuilder looks at steroids as a magical solution to every shortcoming they have in their bodybuilding lives. If they can’t manage to make it to the gym five days per week, it’s because they don’t have steroids to assist with their training abilities. If they don’t make consistent gains each month on their bench press numbers, it’s because they’ve probably reached their natural ceiling for development. If they don’t get enough sleep to grow. If they can’t manage to consume the 300 or more grams of protein requisite for growth, it’s probably acceptable because without steroids, they can’t absorb that much protein anyway. People who don’t use steroids, but blame their lack of use for all of their shortcomings in the gym, are doing themselves, and their sport, a great disservice.
In reality, steroids probably play 20% of the role in actual bodybuilding success. The other 80% are divided among training, nutrition, supplementation, and rest. Each of these factors is required at a very high level in order for one to reach his bodybuilding potential. It is impossible to quantify the exact influence of any of these factors individually. What can be stated, without a doubt, is that champion bodybuilders have all of these factors in place. You will not reach the top ranks of regional, much less national competition, without the use of anabolic steroids. This is troubling to some users who truly believe in their heart of hearts that they will one day stand on a professional bodybuilding stage if they remain natural and just train harder, eat cleaner, and want it more than their steroid-using counterparts. It’s a hard pill to swallow (no pun intended!) but a reality of which all bodybuilders should be aware.
When professional bodybuilders go on bodybuilding radio or magazine articles and give interviews describing steroid use as just a small part of the bodybuilding puzzle, they are being a bit misleading. They may actually believe this to be the truth, because they are very much aware of the amount of hard work they have put into their physique, outside of steroid use. Sure, they have their morning GH injections and thrice-weekly testosterone shots. But they also have spent 6 or 8 years shoveling down 6 to 8 meals per day. They’ve skipped many social events to hit the gym and retire for the evening with a protein shake. They have lifted heavy weights 250 days per year or more. They know in their mind that they would never have achieved their level of physique without hard work and discipline. Also, since the truth of the matter is that just about all elite bodybuilders are using somewhat the same steroids and cycles, the playing field is actually pretty even at that level. Locally, you might have a complete natural standing next to a man who has used steroids for fifteen years. You don’t see this on the national or professional stage.
How should this affect your training? You should never use a lack of steroid use as an excuse for your own shortcomings. If you haven’t yet reached your own genetic potential – and there is a good chance you have not – then you cannot fault a lack of steroids for this situation. You need to evaluate your own diet, training, supplementation, and diet practices to ascertain what improvements you can make in these areas.
