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Bodybuilding enthusiasts and athletes looking
to gain an inside competitive advantage constantly battle
with the temptation to take steroids or not. Deciding to body
build naturally is much better than taking the steroid route.
There are a number of good reasons to support this statement.
First off, have you ever seen what happens to a bodybuilder
when they go off muscle enhancing anabolic steroids? Two words
that muscle building enthusiasts never want to hear, atrophy
(get small), and strength lose. The fact is a steroid induced
bodybuilder shouldn't stay on steroids day in and day out
for years on end. It is suggested to cycle your administration,
say, 6-10 weeks at a time, and then go off for an extended
period of time before starting again. Weeks following going
off tend to equal muscle atrophy, decreased strength, and
even depression.
Natural bodybuilding may not elicit that huge, rapid spike
in muscle growth in a super short time, but illustrate a long
term, stable growth curve. It may take longer to develop muscle
strength and size, but when you have it, you have it as long
as you keep training at an intense level. However, as witnessed
many times by former steroid users, a rapid shrink in size
and strength occur to levels sometimes below the natural bodybuilder's
production. How much fun is that?
Take, for instance, a professional baseball player who administers
generous amounts of steroids one year and hits 58 home runs,
but is only able to hit 16 during his next, steroid free season.
Since we all want instant results, steroids may be attractive,
but the medical side effects don't quite seem worth it.
Is adding ten pounds of muscle more important than increasing
heart disease risk, cancer risk, or manipulating your natural
hormonal balance? This question is only for you to answer,
not me. In my opinion, the risks far outweigh the benefits
which are only visible when you are taking steroids. Size
and strength quickly decrease after ceasing steroid use.
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