A friend comes to you and confesses that he has long wanted to try steroids, what would you do? If I were in your shoes, the first thing that I will ask is “What do you want it for?” Well, since he is a friend, I assume you would know how old he is, how much he weighs, how long he has been working out, how his health conditions are, and who is his physician?
Let’s try to ask why your friend wanted to use steroid. Did he figure in an accident and somehow want to take steroids to heal faster? Is he engaged in athletics and wishes to increase performance and get better in the game? Does his work require physical strength and he wants to supplement this with energy and endurance? Is he into bodybuilding and fitness and wants to accent his built and improve his physique?
Knowing the reason behind wanting to take steroids is one step toward a direction. What lies ahead is a fork where the pivotal turning point is a choice: to use or not to use, that is the ultimate decision.
If it’s a medical situation, the physician is highly likely have considered all the options and steroids is by far the most advantageous treatment or therapy. The answer to the second question is definitely a ‘No.’ There is a standing policy that any performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids will not be tolerated in any game of professional sports.
As to the third and fourth question, there would still be a few more considerations. First is Age. Definitely, steroids is a no-no for anyone below physical maturity. Men normally reach their prime physical growth by 21 but some can still be late bloomers. Taking steroids while the growth and development is still very much underway can affect how the end result of a person’s built. If taken early, these normal bodily processes will be hampered. Moreso, there is enough testosterone in a young adult’s body that these are enough to work his muscles out without any form of supplement or intervention.
Another element to zoom in is experience. If an individual had no prior training or experience in a gym, it will be careless to start on steroids. If your body is your vehicle, you would not want to take it instantly for a drive. Anyone would have started riding a bike with training wheels, then without, until eventually you get to drive a car onto the autobahn. If I were to make an analogy along this line, steroids would be perfecting your driving skills on the racetrack. This could be a misplaced analogy, but the point is, taking steroids is not that easy a choice. One needs to first know the rudiments of fitness and bodybuilding, and be good at these before taking the plunge.
Health and medical condition is yet another factor. Steroid is a drug. Like any other drugs, it needs to be taken after consulting with an expert. There are medical conditions that can be aggravated by steroid use like high blood pressure, heart problems, stomach ulcers, and others. A full physical work up by your physician is a must to test if you are truly fit to take steroids.
Lastly, and what fitness experts and professional bodybuilders espouse, you need to obsessed with food, diet and nutrition. During regular workout, this is already a must. Leisure joggers and runners who have been doing their activities on a regular basis have come to learn and embrace that they need to watch what they eat. When on steroids, the body will need twice or even thrice as much nutrients to allow the body to equal the demands of what steroids are there to do. Lack of proper knowledge about proper and needed diet will compromise the effort that you are doing to attain your potentials.
Certainly, it will be our decisions that will define us eventually. Steroids or no steroids, what we need to always be in the habit of living right, healthy, and fit.
