The Most Common Misconceptions of Steroid Use
Myth 1) Steroids build muscle without working out:
One of the biggest problems in today’s society is that people are always looking for the quick fix. We are all influenced by television and magazine adds that’s why they are there. Everyone should keep in mind the old saying “If it sounds too good, it is probably a lie.” The fact is: there is no miracle pill or drug that you can take to change your body composition overnight (or in a few weeks for that matter). If you aren’t satisfied with yourself and want to make a change, the ONLY way is to work at it. You must keep a healthy lifestyle!!!
Only after you have a healthy diet, workout, sleep schedule, and the ability to keep it consistent, will supplements help you. This goes for steroids as well. Of course, some supplements, like andro products, creatine, and protein meal replacements, will be of some benefit to someone who may not have everything in place but, they are still not going to help to their full capacity. You have to help them help you. You have to feed your body well, so they can be used to their full potential.
Steroids will only be a true benefit to a person who has paid the price of time and hard work in the gym. A person who hasn’t, will certainly see gains after using a steroid correctly, however, the chance of them being quality gains is very low and the person will certainly loose the bulk of them. In short, nothing, not even steroids, can change the way you look in the long run without hard work and discipline.
Myth 2) Injectable Steroids are safer than oral steroids:
A lot of people think that because there are some oral steroids out there that are decidedly liver toxic, all oral steroids must be riskier to use than injectables. The truth is, there are safe and unsafe steroids in each category. Seemingly innocuous orals, like Anavar, are among the more hazardous group of steroids known as 17-Alpha Alkylated steroids that are hardest on the liver. Anavar (Oxandrolone) is used by women frightened of harder drugs, and both men and women who want to get last minute hardness but consider it less effective than other hardening agents. All considered, its ironic that such a lamb of a steroid would have such a host of lion-like effects on the body, since other oral steroids have such mild side effects and such short half-lives. Likewise, you can look at a drug like straight Testosterone, and see how some injectable drugs can wreak havoc on the body as well. Hair loss, massive acne and a host of other undesirable side effects can accompany injectables too.
Myth 3) Drugs like Anadrol carty too many risks to make them a good choice for bodybuilders:
Anadrol may carry a great many risks with it, many more than other drugs that are good for adding size. However, Anadrol has its place in a drug cycle when it is used responsibly, and shouldnt be avoided just because of a list of side effects. Its almost like saying that there are risks when flying and that no one should fly as a result of those risks. Theres no doubt that liver enzymes will be elevated with this drug, that high blood pressure, acne, headaches, aggression and other side effects may rear their ugly heads, however, this steroid can promote size gains like few others. In other words, a powerful drug is still powerful, no matter whether there is negativity associated with it or not. If a steroid is formidable in terms of its ability to affect change and cause growth, and its responsible use will proffer a mostly positive outcome, then its well worth the risk, in my opinion; and just about anyone elses opinion too. However, a person must use it as it is recommended, or at least use it how it is commonly used by others of the same relative weight. The only drug that I strongly disagree upon in terms of this kind of thinking is DNP.
Myth 4) Sterilizing needles makes it possible to use them over and over again:
This is a big myth and I included it because a lot of people fall prey to believing this. Using needles over again is a big problem in bodybuilding and in other factions where drug use is prevalent. Sterilization isnt the only thing to be concerned with when considering whether to recycle, however. When a needle is new, it is sharp, sterile, and untouched by human hands. It has also never been plunged into any rubber stopper or bottle. Once a needle has been used, it has been dulled by contact with a rubber stopper, a glass bottle, and the skin and muscle it has been plunged into, It has also come into contact with blood, pharmaceuticals and live tissue (fat, blood, and muscle). Boiling will remove germs from the needle, and may remove most germs from the syringe itself, but may not be able to fully remove blood and tissue from the inside of the needle reservoir that has come in contact with most potential toxins, Injections are painful when a needle is used over and over again. After just one injection, it can take a force about 60% greater to pierce the skin than if it were new. If the needle has been used twice prior, it can take up to 100% more force to pierce the skin and give the injection. The risk of not only infection, but of tissue damage, is much higher when a needle is used as few as 2-3 times. Since a needle doesn’t cost that much, it pays to at least replace the needle with each injection. Sterilizing the syringe only still isn’t smart, but it’s better than boiling both and taking a chance that you’ll get an abscess or other site infection. If you insist on practicing this use an autoclave if you have access to one. Or just make sure you draw boiling water through the needle and syringe several times prior to re-use.
Myth 5) Women will end up looking like men if they take more than a few cycles of steroids:
This is something that has happened so much in our industry that everyone assumes that all women who use steroids are going to look like men. But a woman can use select drugs, many more than you might imagine, and not end up looking like either a linebacker or your hairy next- door neighbor. The majority of women can take drugs like Anavar, Primobolan, Winstrol V, Winstrol Depot, Deca, Equipoise and some others with minimal side effects. That isn’t to say that they can take them in large amounts, or for long periods of time and come out of it unscathed. There will always be a little stray hair growth, some clitoral enlargement and slight deepening of the voice with even moderate use of milder drugs and combinative drug cycles. But it usually stops there if the woman does. Then there are drugs like Testosterone, D-bol, Anadrol, and some harder drugs that are just plain stupid for any woman to take for even a day. These are the ones that can deepen a voice drastically in a matter of a week or two, and are responsible for the public’s view of female bodybuilders being manly and sexually ambiguous. To be fair though, there are a lot of women who take steroids and remain quite feminine using steroids infrequently and moderately throughout the year, so this is a fallacy.