It seems that any time the subject of serious weight lifting comes up, so does the subject of steroids. So I wanted to talk a little bit about steroids – plainly – since there is just so much hype and misinformation out there. I also want to talk a little bit about what has worked for me in terms of adding muscle mass and increasing strength *without* the use of any illegal or exotic methods…
Not Charley but still...
Did you know that the most commonly used steroid is testosterone? Did you know testosterone is a steroid? It is. It is produced in the bodies of both men and women. Men just produce a whole lot more of it.
In the most simple sense, testosterone is the hormone that is responsible for “maleness”. Bigger muscles, deeper voice, hairy bodies, physical aggression, sex drive – all are directly controlled by testosterone.
Steroid Injecting Needles
Testosterone is considered the gold standard among abused anabolic steroids. All other anabolic drugs are compared to it. The difference between the other anabolic steroids and testosterone is that the other drugs are designed to maximize or minimize particular effects.
That’s it. That’s all steroids are. They are hormones. If you are a man and you take them, your body goes into a kind of “artificial puberty” and your muscles grow, you get acne, and your brain does weird things, and your body hair gets denser. If you are woman, your clitoris starts to grow, your voice deepens, and your body begins to get leaner and become more male. If you have genes for losing your hair (male pattern baldness) you count on accelerating that process too… whether you are a man or woman with latent baldness genes.
These are the drugs they give to women who want to become men prior to the surgery that reshapes their breasts and vagina. That’s what steroids are.
Crazy Steroid Man
I can remember back in the 70’s and 80’s when cocaine was so glamorized in the movies. There was a mystery and an intrigue. They made it sexy. If you’ve ever had a coke problem, or cared about anyone who did – you know there is nothing sexy about cocaine. The same can be said about steroids.
Does it seem logical that pumping more male chemical into the body of an athletic reject would make him more of an athlete? That’s crazy right?
I remember Bill Cosby talking about cocaine – he asked someone, “Why do you use cocaine…?”
Their answer, “It enhances your personality…”
Bill Cosby’s response, “Yes, I see… But what if you’re an asshole?”
Its kind of the same thing with steroids…But that will have to wait…
How did Charley’s story start?
By: Charley Socci
