I always wanted to look like a superhero so it’s not a complete surprise that I stated following bodybuilding when I was a teenager. Bodybuilders looked like the superheroes I admired with their big shoulders, V shaped torsos and bulging biceps.
When I started lifting weights at 17, I imagined that one day I’d be muscular and impressive looking – much smaller, but still badass. That never came to be. It wasn’t until decades later that I realized that steroids, diuretics, growth hormone, insulin and other drugs were the norm for professional bodybuilders (and the amateurs who were abnormally muscular – including actors, athletes and gym bros).
I stopped paying attention to bodybuilding when I was in my 30s. I still worked out fiendishly, but I gave up on the fantasy of having a superhero physique. We all eventually grow up – even me.
Occasionally I’ll wonder about the bodybuilders I used to see in Flex, IronMan and Muscle & Fitness Magazine. I’ll google them to see what they look like and where they are now, 30 years later.
A surprising number died young. Heart failure, organ failure and overdose are commonly listed as causes.
Many quit bodybuilding, but stay involved as trainers, gym owners, commentators and fans. Most of them now look like average middle-aged men with “Dad bods”. They no longer have massive torsos, huge arms and ripped physiques. Some are fat, some are thin, some are flabby. They look unusually small compared to how I remembered back in their steroid using days. Even their heads and faces are smaller.
A few have maintained impressive, albeit much smaller, physiques. It’s clear that these guys are still using steroids, TRT, insulin or growth hormone. Normal men in their 50s-70s cannot look like bodybuilders without drugs.
Others still maintain big arms and chests, but now have beer bellies and red faces (high blood pressure?) to accompany them. Some have even done “comeback” competitions. With steroids and diuretics they look pretty good compared to the general population, but nothing like they looked in their heyday. Even with the drugs, they can’t compete with the current crop of drug enhanced bodybuilders who are 20-30 years younger.
Many are injured. I’ve seen guys with permanently disfigured arms from torn biceps, weird looking chests from ripped pectorals. A few can barely walk due to knee, hip or spine damage.
A few others quit early enough that they appear to be healthy and fit.
When I was a teenager, all of the bodybuilders, magazines, books and trainers hid their steroid use. Everyone claimed to be “natural”. Publicly they attributed their physiques to good genetics, chicken & rice diets, “proper training”, supplements and protein powders.
Even when some collapsed on stage and died – the myth continued.
Today, many pros openly admit to using steroids. They discuss it on podcasts, in articles and on YouTube videos. It’s become mainstream and acceptable.
I’ve seen it firsthand. I know young men who did steroids. I saw them literally transform from average looking skinny dudes into muscular, ripped men with veiny biceps, six packs and instagram ready bodies.
I’m not making a moral argument here. I never used any of these drugs because I was worried about the potential harmful side effects – like heart and organ problems, agitation, suppression of natural hormone production, cancer risks, etc. Add in the costs and the issues around purchasing illegal drugs and it just isn’t worth it to me.
Looking the old bodybuilders I used to admire, I realize now that paying attention bodybuilding back then was a waste of time. I wish I had known then what I know now about exercise, diet and training. I would have spent those years learning movement, doing bodyweight training, doing yoga and swimming – like I do today, instead of futilely lifting weights in an effort to build muscles.
Still, weight lifting took me from being a skinny out of shape teenager, to being fit and strong for my entire adult life. It led me to where I am today. Going to the gym for decades was fun. I met interesting people, made a few friends and enjoyed the experience.
I did get bigger muscles than I would have had I not got into body building. More importantly, it gave me a core part of my life.
So to the guys I once admired in the magazines, thanks for that. I wish you hadn’t lied about the drugs and given me false hopes, but that was a lesson I had to learn on my own.