You might wonder how bodybuilders have bodies made of steel, and muscle development in some of the most unlikely body parts. For many, after seeing a bodybuilder in action only then do they realize that such a muscle indeed existed in the human body. But, if you, at any time, ask any of those bodybuilders how they managed to build their body and muscles, in most of the cases, they’ll tell you a story – a lie – that might have less than an iota of chance to be true. Why do bodybuilders do lie? Reluctant to reveal their secrets, they put up the veil of a stony lie to hide behind from the probing eyes of the public. Well, according to many nutritionists, fitness trainers, and doctors, what they are trying to hide is the less sanctified paths they have treaded to build their bodies. In other words, the secret potions (anabolic steroids), mostly banned, that qualifies as a criminal offence if used. They don’t want it to leak out to the medial community or the public, and the best way to accomplish this task is to mislead those asking questions with a fable like story, of a diet consisting of a full chicken for lunch and dinner, 20 bananas a day, and about 10 egg whites for a meal. Lies cannot be more innovative than this!
For a short burst of power, more than what a normal human being could generate, anabolic steroids were first lifted out of its medical context by weightlifters in the 1950s. As its fame spread, bodybuilders also resorted to regular doses of anabolic steroids, and if the media reports of that time are correct, most of the contestants for the Mr. Universe contest at that time were all steroid users. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous film star and the present day California Mayor, won the title in that decade.
The reason why bodybuilders turn to anabolic steroids is the chemical effect the drug produces in the human body. It acts more or less like the male hormone testosterone, and if consumed systematically, it enhances muscle growth and fat reduction at unimaginable quickness. Generally, bodybuilders or sportsmen take anabolic steroids in the form of pills or injections, and they usually mix different steroids – called stacks – and use them for 8-12 weeks, followed by an abstinence period of a month, called cycling. This design is meant to reduce the inevitable side effects and to escape the mandatory drug tests conducted during competitions. But the most innovative of all is the use of steroids in the form of creams or patches on the skin, where it is gradually absorbed into the body. It is quicker and produces the least extent of side effects on the body. Of the three methods, the first one, pills, is the hardest on the body, followed by injections.
Some bodybuilders resort to anabolic steroids even after realizing its negative side effects, while others unknowingly take the steroid route, their sole aim being an Arnold like body and big, bulging muscles. Both of these categories of bodybuilders try to cover up their secret formulas with a diet equation, usually containing food items of exorbitant proportions and in antithesis to the latest nutritional theories, much to the dismay of the common man eager to know their food habits.
