CHAPTER 98

The Medicated Edge

“I am no longer amazed at the size of the athletes of today. I am no longer stunned by their contest weight of 290 pounds at 1.5 percent body fat. I am amazed, rather, by the amount of chemicals they are putting into their bodies.”

– Sean McDaniel, MuscleMag International guest writer, commenting on the state of modern athletics.

If there is one topic MuscleMag International has never shied away from over the years it’s the issue of drug use in sports – particularly bodybuilding. While most rival magazines either ignore the issue or worse, distort the facts, MuscleMag does its utmost to present readers with a balanced approach to this very complex issue. Until Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for anabolic steroids at the 1988 Summer Olympics, the vast majority of the general public had never heard of anabolic steroids much less growth hormone, beta agonists or Synthol. Despite steroids becoming front page news all over the world, it came as a shock to many that steroids had been used in sports since the 1950s, and that drug use in sports can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks.

While it is true that, as with all drugs, there are risks associated with using steroids, and some of those risks might be severe, it’s also true that the majority of athletes who use steroids do not experience the horrendous side effects often reported in the media. Be that as it may, the following chapters are not meant to be “how to” guides on drug use. Since its founding in 1974, MuscleMag International has emphasized that bodybuilding is about improving one’s overall health, not just about building bigger muscles.

Performance-enhancing drugs do carry side effects, and in some individuals the consequences can be deadly. You pays yer money you takes yer chances. So let me stress that I’m in no way condoning drug use for bodybuilding purposes. Having said that I also realize some of you will use drugs anyhow. For this reason I think it makes more sense to give you the honest facts rather than preach horror stories. And who knows, if after reading these chapters you decide not to use steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, then all the better for you.