Fear of AAS

Bodybuilders have been working out in the gym for years. Still, they never stop training, no matter how good their body is. 

What is natural testosterone?

There are various hormones produced in our body, and they play an important role in maintaining the healthy functioning of our body. Testosterone is especially important.

Functions of testosterone

  • Involved in the development of male reproductive organs
  • Involved in sperm production
  • Involved in sexual desire of men and women 
  • Involved in increasing muscle mass and strength
  • Involved in fat absorption and storage, involved in body fat distribution
  • Brain Improves internal memory, libido, and cognition
  • Gives a signal to produce new erythrocytes
  • Increases bone density and promotes bone growth
  • Helps collagen production

Testosterone is naturally produced in our body. However, if testosterone production is suppressed for a variety of reasons, hypotestosterone disease will develop. This applies not only to men but also to women.

If you have hypotestosterone, hormone therapy such as administration of artificial testosterone may be prescribed by a practitioner.

 

What is artificial testosterone?

The use of artificial testosterone for purposes other than treatment is often associated with athletes. Athletes use names such as gear, Lloyd, sauce, Pampers, candy, weight trainer, and juice for testosterone and anabolic androgenic steroids in general.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances. Strictly speaking, it is an "anabolic androgenic steroid", a steroid substance that provides both anabolic, which means muscle development, and androgenic, which means to increase male sexual characteristics.

When such a substance is administered, muscle mass increases in a short period of time, competitive ability is improved, body fat is reduced, and the appearance is significantly changed. However, the use of anabolic steroids alone does not make such a change.

Without a combination of intense training and a controlled diet while using drugs, the effects of artificial testosterone are not noticeable.

 

Testosterone's use in the medical field

Hypotestosterone disease is known to have adverse effects on physical and mental health. Some patients are prescribed testosterone replacement when the doctor determines that the cause is hypotestosterone. Most men seek testosterone replacement therapy, but it doesn't mean that there are no female patients.

In many cases, testosterone replacement therapy has a good prognosis and has been shown to significantly improve mood, bone mineral density, energy levels, libido, muscle mass, insulin resistance, urinary tract infections, and erections.

Testosterone replacement therapy is prescribed by a doctor only, and artificial testosterone is used to raise the patient's testosterone levels to normal levels. That is, it has a different purpose and amount than the anabolic steroids used by athletes, and testosterone replacement therapy and muscle building should never be confused.

By the way, testosterone replacement therapy rarely causes any serious side effects. However, the use of anabolic steroids for muscle building is completely different branch of science imho.

 

Why use steroids

At least in the United States, many people want to use anabolic steroids, even though it is illegal to administer steroids without a prescription in the first place. It's the same for women as well as men, and there are also young people in the age group who have enough testosterone secreted in their bodies.

The reason is clear. I want to get results in the shortest possible time. I don't want to spend many years and work hard to get results. I want to get a tremendous amount of muscle in the shortest possible time. This is the desire of those who want to use steroids.

In fact, some people who regularly post their workouts on social media have changed their physical appearance significantly in a short training period. In less than a year, muscle mass gain that can be mistaken for another person is unlikely to occur in natural, but it is possible with drugs.

But don't get me wrong here, steroid users aren't getting results from sloppy workouts, they're training as hard as natural bodybuilders. It is a misunderstanding that muscle development can be obtained even if you spend time with drugs as long as you use drugs. Basically, both natural people and users are doing high-intensity training and dietary management. The big difference between the two results is whether or not they are drug-powered.

If you use a drug without hypotestosterone, naturally, your body's testosterone will rise to levels above normal. This brings more abilities than they originally have and causes incredible muscle development. The 2017 study was published in the American Journal of Medicine. I would like to introduce it because it was reported as follows.

"When an unskilled person uses anabolic steroids, the drug can be oral, applied to the skin (cream or gel), or injected into the muscle. The amount used at this time is for low testosteronism. 10 to 100 times more than a person is prescribed and given by a doctor. "

This is a really scary story. Even without the use of drugs, continued hard training and a healthy diet will ensure muscle development. It may take longer than steroid users, but it doesn't cost you important health.

 

Is it possible to work out with high intensity and high frequency?

Administration of anabolic steroids relieves fatigue quickly. This means that drug users can save an incomparable amount of time and days to recover from fatigue, which Natural Trainees are most concerned about.

In general, it is said that in the case of a natural trainee, it takes 24 to 48 hours to recover from fatigue in a specific part after working out. If you continue to do your next workout before your fatigue recovers, you will not be able to expect muscle development.

On the other hand, it is said that it takes less than a day for drug users to recover from fatigue in a specific area. At the extreme, it's okay to do the same part again a few hours after the workout. This is because anabolic steroids suppress catabolic hormones such as cortisol that are secreted by the body.

Normally, cortisol is actively secreted in a tired body after a workout. This hormone promotes catabolic breakdown, so if you don't rest enough, your muscles will break down. However, because anabolic steroids have an antagonistic relationship with cortisol, cortisol secretion is suppressed in the body of users receiving anabolic steroids, enabling frequent workouts.

One of the characteristics of drug users is that they do not overtrain even if they work out frequently and with high intensity. And that's how they develop their muscles to tremendous levels in a short period of time.

Read this far and realize that anabolic steroids may seem very attractive, but there are many sacrifices that come back to you.

Several studies have reported various side effects of anabolic steroids. Side effects vary in severity and can be life-threatening. By the way, many of the side effects can be improved by stopping the use of the drug, but some of them are said to last for a lifetime.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the use of anabolic steroids can have a negative impact on almost systemic function, including the following side effects:

Even if steroid users suffer from side effects and finally decide to quit anabolic steroids, they will feel mood swings, fatigue, depression, insomnia, decreased libido, and drugs, just as they would when quitting other illegal drugs. Often experience various withdrawal symptoms, such as a thirst for. The idea that it's okay to stop using it is never correct. The reality is that once you use it, you can't stop it.

Knowing the side effects of the steroids mentioned above will probably eliminate your desire to use them. In the United States, buying unprescribed steroids is illegal, and you have to build your body with the guilt of always using illegal drugs. Those who want to take drugs should first be aware of these side effects and keep in mind that they suffer when they stop.

Drugs such as anabolic steroids should only be given if prescribed by a professional doctor. Its purpose is to treat illnesses and injuries, not to promote muscle development. Think again about the dangers of suffering from the many side effects I mentioned earlier.

 

Side effects are not zero even for medical purposes

The testosterone replacement therapy introduced earlier is referred to as TRT (Testosterone Replacement Treatment). In TRT, specialists prescribe artificial testosterone to patients, but does TRT cause patients to suffer from side effects?

Studies show that TRT does not eliminate the side effects that patients experience, even if prescribed by a specialist. For example, the side effects that can be caused by TRT include:

However, it seems unlikely that these side effects will develop immediately with TRT.

For example, according to Harvard Health magazine, published by Harvard University School of Medicine, male patients with long-term TRT tend to be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, stroke, and heart disease, which causes them to die. It's not without examples. It seems that the number of cases is still small, but TRT is not absolutely safe either.

Researchers have stated that it is important for physicians to always explain and understand all risks to patients who desire TRT. In addition to the above-mentioned side effects, there may be an increased risk of worsening prostate cancer, worsening of male breast cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, erythrocytosis, and obstructive sleep apnea.

There are risks associated with the use of anabolic steroids, even if prescribed by a specialist. In that respect, you don't have to worry about side effects even if you have more testosterone that is naturally produced in your body.

Even with a good combination of diet and training to increase the levels of testosterone produced in the body, it does not go beyond the normal range.

That's not the case with artificial testosterone. If testosterone levels are low enough to require treatment, but normal levels of steroids are given, testosterone levels will exceed the normal range, which has side effects.

Again, it takes time to get the results of body building in a natural way. But you don't suffer from side effects and your important health isn't sacrificed. It goes without saying how dangerous it is to use it for other purposes because it is risky even if it is used for medical purposes.

 

Participation in the contest

Once you start weight training and gain muscle development, you will be interested in participating in the contest. Therefore, we collect information about what kind of organization is holding what kind of tournament, but it can be roughly divided into strict natural route groups and non-strict natural line groups.

Since the age groups of people who build their bodies vary, the contests also have categories by age group, but for example, some middle-aged and older trainees should be receiving the TRT treatment explained earlier. Can such a person actually participate in the natural contest?

When a drug test is conducted in a group contest, the athlete's urine is collected and the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in the urine is examined. This means that even people on TRT can participate in the Natural Contest unless the doctor allows the patient to use more than the prescription and the athlete's urine test is positive. Nevertheless, if you are currently undergoing TRT treatment and are considering participating in a natural contest, it is safer to contact the organization in advance.

 

See also

Ultimate Raw Guide on Buying Steroids
Legal Steroids vs Steroids