Non Athletes

In waves we see new researches or surveys, on already known terms and conditions. It mostly has a snowball effect, when a study has figures sometimes even fabricated ones, other media start to bring the results and we on our turn discuss those on the discussion bodybuilding boards. Pieces of text like this one, makes us think:

“Steroid abuse has seeped into schools across the country. Kids have taken to abusing steroids by the thousands — and as early as middle school. Reports of rampant steroid use among students have caused schools across the U.S. to reconsider their drug testing policies, particularly among student athletes. Your teen may consider experimenting with these drugs to get ahead in school sports or to look more “buff” in general. And as of 2014, 1 in 5 teens say they know somebody who uses steroids, and 25% of 12th graders claim they could easily obtain these drugs.”

Body Dysmorphic Disorder in gymgoers aka Muscle dysmorphia or 'Bigorexia'

Muscle dysmorphia, which is also known as bigorexia, is an anxiety disorder which causes someone to see themselves as small, despite being big and muscular. It is sometimes described as a kind of "reverse anorexia". The condition can affect men and women, but many cases go unreported.

He believes the condition is a growing problem, but that many cases may be going undiagnosed because there is little awareness of the disorder.

Muscle dysmorphia is a preoccupation with the idea that one isn't big enough, isn't muscular enough.

But why is this problem growing?

The difference between today's youth and the older generations is largely due to availability.

Availability through the internet, availability of knowledge (YouTube personalities as Bostin Loyd - Rich Piana openly discuss what and when) and availability of anabolic steroids, Growth hormone. Insulin etc. Big is no longer enough, huge is what these guys want to be. Or ripped to shreds.

Trends are rapidly changing. And not only bodybuilding changes. By example through more easily attainable physiques as Mr Physique. More and more people in the scene know that they will never be successful in regular bodybuilding and start to expose their extra ripped body and life-style on the social media.

The trend started with guys like Justin Bieber. Guys took a gay haircut, developed an androgynous look. Later the aesthetic bodybuilding look with an extreme tan from the Melatonan II followed. Add the tattoos (sleeve) and the ultra-short shorts, and the picture is complete. A guy that was called Zyzz was the face of that trend. Zyzz was found unconscious in a sauna in Thailand and died later in the hospital in 2011, but the trend lives on.

It looks like they suffer from NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) which is a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration. People affected by it often spend a lot of time thinking about achieving power or success, or about their appearance. They openly post pictures, where they are injected with steroids and post pictures of their improvement. Who wouldn’t want such a body, such a life .. clubbing and partying and so much success with the girls?

There are thousands upon thousands of teenagers, who are excessively concerned about their appearance, having very poor self-esteem, and also feeling very anxious and very worried. They become a follower of one and mostly more of these guys and find out about cycling and more important about fatburners and getting extreme ripped. Of course some will do that by a strict diet, but most will choose the shortcut and turn to thyroid hormones, ephedrine or clenbuterol. To mention a few. Many will combine them with steroids and some with recreative drugs that are so common in this scene of the young and the beautiful.

I know, I’ve heard it many times.. YOLO, you only live once .. and …live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse. But that’s not the reality, many people develop nasty diseases, often heart diseases, that last the rest of their lives. Sometimes guys can become very depressed and hopeless and that can even lead to suicide. But how alarming are these reports and surveys?

Muscular Schoolgirls

In 2005 media reports portrayed an alarming increase in apparent anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use among American teenage girls.

Surveys produced remarkably disparate findings, with the lifetime prevalence of AAS use estimated as high as 7.3% among ninth-grade girls in one study, but only 0.1% among teenage girls in several others. Congress even held hearings on the subject in June 2005.

Upon examining the surveys reporting an elevated prevalence, it appeared that most used questions that failed to distinguish between anabolic steroids, corticosteroids, and over-the-counter supplements that respondents might confuse with “steroids.” Other features in the phrasing of certain questions also seemed likely to further bias results in favor of false-positive responses.

El Osta et al. 2016: “For several decades, testosterone and its synthetic derivatives have been used with anabolic and androgenic purposes. These substances were first restricted to professional bodybuilders, but become more and more popular among recreational athletes. Up to date, 3.000.000 anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) users have been reported in the United States with an increasing prevalence, making AAS consumption a major public health growing concern.”

“Since testosterone isolation and characterization in 1935, many derivatives have been synthetized, which properties differ from those of testosterone. These derivatives are called anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), or more commonly, anabolic steroids. Initially, these substances were restrictly used by professional athletes and bodybuilders.

Nowadays, non-professional and recreational use become more and more popular.

Recent international studies reported an overall lifetime prevalence of AAS use for men of 3–4 % and of 1.6 % for women. AAS use among male gym attendees is estimated to be as high as 15–25 %, depending on the country and with an increasing prevalence. Actually, 3.000.000 AAS users have been reported in the United States. By contrast, AAS use is rare in Eastern Asia. Nevertheless, rates of AAS use are also high in Scandinavia, Brazil, British Commonwealth countries, and in Europe. This increasing prevalence of AAS consumption in become a major public health issue in these countries.”

Oli Loyne was 18 when he started taking steroids to get bigger.

His mother, Sarah, said his muscle dysmorphia may have been trigged by insecurities over his height. "It was a lot to do with the fact he was so short," she said.

"He was about 5'2". He didn't have the height and he wanted to make up for that by being as wide as he could."

Oli's excessive training and steroid use led to two heart attacks and a stroke when he was 19. He died after having a third heart attack when he was 20. "There was just no getting through to him. No getting through about what he was doing to his body," said Sarah. "He was like 'I need to look like the image in my head. I need to look big.'"

If you take a close look to the death statistics you’ll soon find out the use of AAS is often not even listed. And most alarming media reports are just bogus. But combined with other legal and illegal drugs and substances, harming yourself seriously, is not unthinkable.

But the trends do exist and many young people do think they can combine all kinds of drugs (poly-pharmacy), and get away with it. Just read all the forums and watch YouTube and all kinds of social media where young vain guys, post their pics and motto’s. They have many followers that want to look like their role model and believe every word they post. You better think twice.