I was cruising the anabolic board today...

It was a SLOW day at work today, so I spent entirely too much time on the internet.

I was serfing through a lot of posts on the anabolic board and I noticed something pretty disturbing. The vast majority of guys on there are probably between 5'7 and 6'2 and weigh no more than 200lbs, maybe 210 or so for the guys on the taller end. They aren't professional athletes, but normal guys, college students, family men with careers, a lot of times very successful careers, and none of them really have out of this world goals. Maybe a guy 5'11 would like to weigh 220lbs with decent bodyfat. Nobody seems to have goals that are unattainable or unrealistic.

What I see is a complete (it almost looks deliberate) disregard for anything training-related. What I do see is a total waste of money on supplements and what I think of as a frightening imbalance where there is zero knowledge on proper training and eating ENOUGH, but chemist-level knowledge of drugs and ancillaries and nutritionist-level knowledge of the breakdown of various foods.

My point is that all of this SHOULD be so simple. If all you want is some more muscle and better body-composition and training is a serious hobby and not what you do for a living to support yourself/your family, all of your goals can be accomplished and surpassed with a solid knowledge of training theory and grasping the simple concept of calories in vs. calories out. Instead of researching exotic anabolic compounds and making your local GNC a fortune, you'd be better off reading Madcow's website and getting a big grocery order.

I have no problem with steroids, so don't get me wrong, but even steroids shouldn't be as complicated as they are made out. And in terms of most people's goals, they are totally unnecessary. Even the guys with more extreme goals can reach them with say 200-400mg of test a week, 200mg Deca......

Anyway, there was no point to this, just a semi-rant I guess. I understand that somebody aspiring to stand on a Mr. Olympia stage needs to do what they need to do.......I understand some people want to push their potential (I have fallen in here a lot of times)..but for the other, vast majority of the guys who lift to maybe be 6'1 and 220lbs with 11% bodyfat and respectable gym lifts, there is a much easier way to go about this.

I'm amazed at how much stronger and bigger I am at 19 than some people who have cycled.

i think it is rediculous when teens/young adults take them just for the hell of it. i am 19 and don't plan on competing so would never consider taking them at this point in my life. and if i did ever take them my diet would be very clean and i would do a mind blowing routine.

Never been over to the anabolic board, but I couldn't agree more. Very well said. The part that really amazes me is how few people understand the calories part and think that hypertrophy is something that just magically or randomly happens.

Very good post,I totally agree with you on all your points.I think it is due to the impatience of most people when they stall after the ''newbie'' period.They put too much emphasis on the clean eating with minimal focus on eating ENOUGH food and training hard with the compound lifts.Wondering why they stalled with ''perfect diet and training '' they then turn to anabolics in order to grow again but soon end up in the same situation as before and need more drugs to grow.

I personally dont use steriods and probably never will,but I have no problem with others using them as long as they have a solid foundation and have reached the zenith of their natural growth.By that I mean 5+years of solid training and eating,not 6months of useless isolation bullshit exercises on a shitty training split with minimal food.

if you need gear to get to a goal of 220lbs you're probably just looking for a quick fix...

problem is they aren't a "quick fix", and most times people fail to see that...

i've never done them, never will, but have been accused of it in the past... i took it a compliment though...

I'm glad this post came across the right way. Again, I have no problem with steroids, and I am not denying having used them at times myself. My point is that people with very realistic goals who don't aspire to max their Earthly potential and just want more muscle and better bf% can get there and beyond if they spent their time reading Starr and Zatsiorsky as opposed to Duchaine and Weider......and any healthy male around 6' tall who doesn't even weigh 200lbs and does not compete in a sport on an international level has no business considering steroid use.

When i put on about 45 lbs in around 10 weeks i had stretch marks on my arms, still got them, my doctor asked me if i was using roids lol i have never used roids and can't see myself using them.

Introspective said:

When i put on about 45 lbs in around 10 weeks i had stretch marks on my arms, still got them, my doctor asked me if i was using roids lol

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That's what I call a compliment, lol

BiggT said:

Nobody seems to have goals that are unattainable or unrealistic.

What I see is a complete (it almost looks deliberate) disregard for anything training-related. What I do see is a total waste of money on supplements and what I think of as a frightening imbalance where there is zero knowledge on proper training and eating ENOUGH, but chemist-level knowledge of drugs and ancillaries and nutritionist-level knowledge of the breakdown of various foods.

My point is that all of this SHOULD be so simple. If all you want is some more muscle and better body-composition and training is a serious hobby and not what you do for a living to support yourself/your family, all of your goals can be accomplished and surpassed with a solid knowledge of training theory and grasping the simple concept of calories in vs. calories out.

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Actually this was the crux that gave me the idea to put in some effort in this area. Good people are out there trying to improve themselves. They are not lacking the willingness to spend time or effort (or money) but mainly the knowledge. At some point they got frustrated and decided to use juice (and most intend for just that single 1 time cycle to get them where they want). That's basically the only way a lot of people make gains and feel like they are having success in their endevour that they put so much of themselves into.

I don't so much care whether people do it or not but mainly I care that so many seem to go that route because they don't have a clue about proper training and think a perfect diet is about managing intake down to the trace mineral rather than making sure they eat enough to move the scale. It's focusing on the 1% items when the two big 45% blocks are basically voodoo to them. Most would not have to go that route if there was even basic training info available - and yet sadly that's not the case.

And then we come full circle to my effort at this board and a few others as well as other people who gave a shit and decided to help out. None of the stuff I write is rocket science or much beyond common sense. Hell, I think I told someone the other day that he'd be better off forgetting everything he thought he knew and starting over because his body of knowledge was so horrendous that it required a complete education to fix it anyway.

It's a shame that so many people can't get decent enough results when it should be fairly rudimentary for most of them. But I see it as a sort of perpetual motion machine being put into momentum. Even though a program like 5x5 flies right in the face of what most people usually do these days, it works really well and gives them results that they likely haven't experienced. No one is hating that program after using it and it's generally overwhelmingly positive. More to the point, they realize that it is so right but so wrong from their previous frame of reference - which most then choose to expand and taking an interest in learning and getting at least the basics in training theory down which was the original goal although some nit whits will go with the 'golden program' alternative and all praise be to me or Starr or Glenn or whoever else brought it to them. Anyway, the first step is making it available to see and understand, some will try, those who are not stupid will succeed, a good portion will learn and want to know why, and then they will share that with others who ask about their results and with others who haven't yet asked but are looking for information. Little by little critical mass is built until Joe Shmoe decides to start training and runs a search and comes accross good info rather quickly rather than spending 3 years going nowhere with no idea why and then saying screw it and jumping on drugs. It basically comes down to good training versus shit and in the information age, you can't peddle shit too long even in bodybuilding where it's been done for 30 years, the amount of ignorance in the population and in the media/newsstand is overwhelming and one can circumvent the system with fairly guaranteed success by spending money on enough anabolics and food to get decent results from even the shittiest of programs.

I will say the best PM I ever had was from a young guy who was just starting out and bought himself a home setup. He PM'd me to ask about exercise substitution - which is generally the kiss of death. He goes on to say how he spent all his money on a power rack and olympic set and didn't have the cash on hand to get the bench yet. He figured that he'd be able to squat, pull from the floor, row, and chin and still have military and push presses for overhead until he could afford a bench. And this guy was from the US too which is even more stunning. The guy had never posted here before but he had been reading the stuff I was writing and took some time to check on it - basically finding I wasn't crazy and this was very basic common stuff although stark contrast to Muscle and Fitness and what most do at commerical fitness centers. I was so impressed with the guy. Made me real happy to save someone the entire learning curve for a change rather than try to fix all the bad info that's been accumulated.