A-Rod, Performance Enhancing Drugs and more

As I start out this post I'll admit, I've never used any type of Performance Enhancing Drug (PED) nor do I have any desire to. That being said, however, I have no problem with someone that chooses too, and I'll tell you why.

It's sad in our society that someone like A-Rod, who has possibly used PEDs to enhance his performance at his particular sport, make his sport more entertaining, and deliver more of what the fans of his sport want is being crucified in the media and booed at the games; while LiLo, who abused narcotics like cocaine and alcohol for no reason other than to get high and escape reality, gets a standing ovation from the audience at her latest interview. WTF! I don't get it.

Why do we villainies athletes that make the choice to use PEDs to enhance their performance, yet we embrace celebrities who make the choice to use narcotics.

For example, when people think of the late Lyle Alzado, Andreas Munzer or Don "The Ripper" Ross they say things like, "yeah, they were cheaters." or, "they wouldn't have died if they didn't take the 'roids." or other things like that. Yet when Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson or Chris Farley overdose and pass on people consider it a "tragedy" and say that they were "taken too soon."

Anyone else see a huge double standard there?

How come Robert Downey, Jr. can fuck up, become an addict then clean up his act and be embraced and seen as someone that overcame their demons and be allowed to make a comeback (and I love Robert by the way, I think he's a fantastic actor and a cool dude); while Lance Armstrong has been suspended from his sport for life and has been erased from the record books? How come celebrities are allowed to clean up and make a come back, but athletes are banned and forever known as cheaters?

Speaking on the same subject, what would you call it if someone went in to a doctor's office and had them inject them with loads of hormones in order to elicit a specific outcome that may or may not happen? And that these injected hormones would cause them to grow extraneous facial hair, lose handfuls of hair while they shampooed, caused wild mood swings and many other side effects. Am I talking about the latest steroid scandal about the doctors that allegedly injected A-Rod and many others? No! I'm talking about infertility clinics.

Apparently if your goal is to have a baby you can do all the steroids that you want and do them legally. I've personally seen numerous women go to the infertility clinics and suffer from the same type of side effects that the steroid and PED taking athletes that I know suffer from. And more than half of those women didn't wind up with a baby. How come it's okay for them, but not okay for these athletes?

And don't get me wrong, one of my nieces was created this way and I love her to death and couldn't imagine not having her around. My point is simple, we crucify athletes that make the choice to mess with their hormones through the use of steroids, testosterone and growth hormone; but when a woman decides to follow the same route in order to possibly create a baby it's some how okay.

It's quite a double standard that we have here isn't it?

And trust me, most peoples' view on PEDs and 'roids is wrong. How often I hear people say, "oh yeah, he can hit the ball like that because of the 'roids." or, "I'd look like that too if I used the drugs he was using." or, "I'd be able to lift like that if I took drugs." or many other similar statements that basically equate to steroid and PED users being cheaters that are looking for the easy way out. Well, I have to say, every PED user and steroid user I've ever known were already the hardest working bad asses in the gym before they decided to juice up.

I can honestly say, every single one of them was working their ass off. Every one of them was already a star in their sport, the strongest and most fit person in the gym, and jacked beyond belief. They've all been the guys that are already working at the top of their potential and they chose to take the juice so they could work even harder.

Now, I know I can't say that every user is this way. But, from my experiences being around guys that were juicing, they were already incredible long before they injected themselves. So no, you wouldn't look like them, be as strong as them, or be able to play like them if you took their drugs.

I say we make them all legal. At least it would be interesting to find out how powerful these drugs really were. Let's see how much of a change they actually would make in sports. I know in MMA, almost every time I see a fighter get busted for PEDs or 'roids, it's the guys that just got his ass kicked. So, obviously it doesn't make you a better fighter. Let's make them all legal and see if all of the records will really be shattered and let's see just how much of an impact they'd have on the games.

I'd be willing to bet that the impact wouldn't be anywhere near as great as many people seem to think.

Of course, not being a user myself, this is all speculation on my part. Now, go train hard and heavy.

Yours in strength and health,
Brett

Strength Training or Endurance Training:

In a post a few years back I used the following picture to demonstrate the difference between the results of sprint training (which is a form of power and strength training) an marathon running (a form of endurance training). For those of you that don't want to go back through the archives, here it is again:

As you can see here there's quite a difference between the two athletes. One is a lean, jacked, powerful mother f-er while the other one looks like he just got released from Auschwitz.

When you see a comparison like this you can clearly see the results of either form of exercise. Steady-state "cardio" (or slow long-duration training) in the form of jogging, biking, swimming etc. eats up muscle tissue like it's going out of style. And not just your pecs, abs, and biceps, but also your heart (which is simply a muscle) and the muscles in and around your other organs. It also plays havoc and stops your body's production of growth hormone, testosterone, IGF-1, as well as compromises your immune system and accelerates the aging process while teaching your body to store body fat to fuel itself for those long swims, jogs, etc.

Sprint training and other forms of power and strength training (powerlifting, Olympic lifting, gymnastics training, strongman training, etc.) burn fat, build muscle (as well as bones and connective tissue), increase production of Growth hormone, testosterone, IGF-1, etc., strengthen  your immune system and slow down the aging process while teaching your body to burn body fat instead of storing it.

Need some more proof. How about comparing the bodies of World record marathon runner Paula Radcliff:

with that of World class Powerlifter Jessica Scofield:

Or even looking at a group of Kenyan marathoners:

Then checking out the body on sprinter Dwain Chambers:

I don't know about you but I'd much rather have the look and performance ability of all of our strength and power athletes over the endurance athletes any day.

Talk with you all later.

Yours in strength and heath,
Brett Stepan

A Very True Poem

“Down the road, in a gym far away
A young man was heard to say

“No matter what I do, my legs won’t grow!”

He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too
Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he’d do!

 From the corner of the gym where the big guys train
Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain

 Where the big iron rides high, and threatens lives
Where the noise is made with big forty-fives

 A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees
A very big man with legs like trees

 Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack
Chalked his hands and monstrous back

 Said, “Boy, stop lying and don’t say you’ve forgotten!
Trouble with you is you ain’t been SQUATTIN’!”
- Jeff “MADDOG” Madden

Such True Advice, now go train hard, heavy and smart.

Yours in strength and health,
Brett Stepan