Steroids: How many members have honestly taken them

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but if it is not I apologize beforehand.

So I just finished watching the documentary Bigger, Faster, Better* The side effects of being an American by Christoper Bell and it left me wondering how many people actually have taken steroids to achieve a certain physique or to excel at a sport or anything.

I am just wondering because I've seen many members here with well defined abs, pecs, legs etc., and after watching the documentary I am wondering how many people here have actually taken them.

I'm probably not going to get any responses seeing as taken them is generally frowned upon and most people wont admit to cheating (whether it is or not is up to you to decide), but If someone could respond I would greatly appreciate it

Its just that I am having a hard time believing that many people use them. Call me ignorant, optimistic, or idealistic, but I want to believe that many of the people I see on a daily basis with a admirable figure achieved it through normal, intense, and dedicated workout sessions.

I was on them when I was a kid (7-9yo) But it was for health reasons. Did notr help me get in any shape but round. lol. I think if a cat crossed my path I would of ate it. But at least you have 1 response now even ifd its not what you were lookin for.

I'm well defined and pretty muscular, but not huge. I've never used them. I agree that not that many people use them relatively speaking. I have just exercised a lot my whole life, rarely drink alcohol, and eat very well (not many desserts and snack foods). In my opinion, you can be in great shape without steroids, it's just that most people don't eat right or exercise enough. They want the easy route. It's only if you are already big and really want to get huge and ripped that resorting to steroids is necessary.

I see nothing wrong with it... I'd like to do it to get past my plateau but dont trust anyone enough to buy them where I live. HOWEVER, I know the proper way to do them and have been trained in doing injections. Guys can really fuck themselves up if they do not know how to do them correctly and also if they over do the amounts they do. Steroids have never been linked to directly cause death, but have caused people with prexhisting conditions that abuse them to die or become very sick with compounded problems. There was a good documentary done by Bryant Gumble on the subject...if anyone knows the link.

I totally agree, but like you said, if you want to get ripped you might want to resort to steroids.

While having healthy eating habits and working out on a daily basis surely gets you a healthy lean body, will it eventually add definition and mass like we are constantly exposed to in fitness magazines (granted most are airbrushed anyways)?

Again, I'm just wondering because I believe I heard a photographer being interviewed in the documentary throw this far-fetched number suggestion that 80% of the models that you see where on steroids.

I don't know about steroids but some of the people can really achieve stunning results just exercising and eating right.

For example:
Body-for-LIFE Size and Strength Goal

He was probably meaning the muscle and fitness type models...and he's pretty much right. You'll have that more with the high end fitness models.

I'm sorry, but this site seems to epitomize what I am talking about. As much as one would like to believe that every single person on the site achieved their body through normal means, one cant forget that that site is advertising supplements. And if there is anything I learned from the documentary, most of the people who use those supplements, are actually on steroids.

One simply has to look at one picture on that site to conclude that they are on steroids (Maybe not all of them, but most or some)

OCM, why would you do that with a ripped body like you have already? I understand wanting to break your plateau but I love seeing your body and knowing it is all from your hard work.

Maybe it would be better to try to break out of your plateau with something such as microweights? Much slower than steroids but should help with keeping you moving up on your weights.

That is exactly what I am talking about. I want to be able to see someone whose body is nice and toned, and know that they achieved it through hard work.

I've never taken steroids but, as a note to those that are considering or "justifying" to themselves it's ok to take it, think about the following...

Do steroid takers plan to take them forever, from the age of 20 to 40 to 60? It's not just bodily changes but also psychological changes. Withdrawal and suicide are possible from steroid abuse.

Some changes are irreversible when taking steroids. Testicular shrinkage is small shit. It won't kill you. Think about cardiovascular, liver, and prostate problems. Heart attacks, roid rage, and liver cancer aren't things to joke about. All of these things can kill you.

You become the body, not the body becomes you. My friend always complains about not having confidence because it stems from his "poor body," but I really want to tell him that even having the body of his dreams, he will still be the same shy person.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is always someone for everyone. There will be some people that will love others from all categories.

I've heard some bodybuilders use the steroids not to get big, but to keep muscle when they are getting ripped before a competition.

I do believe that you can get "good" size if you eat well and workout enough. But to keep the body fat down and add muscle you need to carefully monitor what you eat, get enough protein and just enough calories to get stronger without getting fatter. It's hard to eat a lot of calories with mostly carbs and protein.

Like I said, I am not huge. I am 6'3" and always had a hard time getting over 200. I really started carefully counting everything I ate and was able to put on 10 pounds in 2007 and stay lean. I bet I could put on more, but I got sick of the strict diet. I still eat basically the same, I just don't worry about it every single day.

Another thing is it seems like once someone puts on a fair amount of fat it becomes hard to get really lean and stay that way. Not sure if that's just because they go back to the same diet that got them fat or if the body wants to go back to the fatter state. I'm saying it's easier to stay lean from a young age than to get lean after being fatter.

Not sure if they used steroids to get that ripped, but I do know that bodybuilders can get that lean going into competitions. But they time it to be that lean right when they compete. They aren't that ripped all the time. They eat very low calories and high protein for a few weeks and do a lot of exercise. I bet those people in the before/after pics put back on some of the fat after those pictures.