So I talk to this dude Chad at the gym. He’s pretty ripped, but looks like a normal dude in shape. He has full tattoo sleeves and looks hardcore but is really nice. Cool guy.
What im getting to is a conversation we had when I asked him ‘why do all these dudes look like they are jacked up on steroids?’ - he was like ‘because they are jacked up on steroids’ lol
Chad is one of the most dedicated people I see at my side gym (he’s 44 I think). He works really hard but doesn’t look ridiculous.
I somewhat understand people using them for athletic performance. But, there are a handful of guys at my side gym who just look stupid jacked. Like jacked for no reason. There is no sport, just lifting weights. Probably have small nuts, organ damage, and high cholesterol. It’s admirable the dedication at the gym but they aren’t that dedicated.
Anyone ever know someone who ‘juices’? I have never had any close friends who ‘shadow needle’ but it is very perturbing to me and there always seems to be a handful in this category at every weight gym I frequent.
Why does it bother you? I would say this situation is analogous to women getting breast augmentation. Some will say they must have low self esteem. I don’t think that is necessarily true. There is some satisfaction in embodying the esthetic of your choice. If these guys just want to look jacked so what. Obviously being fit, and therefore looking fit, has a deeper meaning than esthetics to you. So you just worry about what you need to get out of the gym and whatnot. Who is to tell someone what is “supposed” to be important. It is all superficial mental constructions anyway.
…then again, breast implants don’t cause organ failure. So yea, fair to be said these dudes aren’t very bright in the risk to reward department.
One fruity friend once told me that all of those ripped guys are gay, according to him in gay clubs more muscle definition directly means more backdoor action, so gay men are the only ones motivated enough to keep very low body fat for extended periods of time.
Yeah, I was wondering psychologically if there must be deeper issues? I mean we are doing similar exercises, but my primary purpose of being in the gym and working out is for a healthy life, healthy body, positive chemicals in my brain, clarity of thought, and stress relief. Maybe they are overcompensating for other parts in life as it seems to some people the ‘gym’ is everything. Although I spend a lot of time in training, it isn’t ‘everything’ for me, but is a conduit to living a better life. I recently read some blogs about people that use ‘juice’ as well as watching someone give a tutorial on ‘injections’ to see what goes on behind the scenes and it just made me think why the hell would anyone go to such lengths for pure vanity at a detriment to body and organ health? Then again you have people like Snooki, who says she prefers ‘gorillas’ and ‘guys that juice’, so maybe it has just become another odd result of american culture and excess.
Yeah I think this is somewhat understandable especially those getting reasonable sized implants like Bs or Cs (although I usually discourage it for someone I’m dating) But, it affects breast feeding doesn’t it?
One of my coworkers juices hard. He’s been doing it since he played football in highschool and college. He’s older now (late 40s), and I think keeps it up because 1) it’s a habit and 2) he’s afraid of the loss of mass and strength that comes with age, just because he’s been big for almost his entire life.
Edit: not ripped, just big, which rather defeats the point of juicing IMO. He’s probably an XL shirt but has to buy XXXL so that the sleeves don’t constrict his arms.
Some people just like bodybuilding. Not everyone wants to be an ultra runner, BJJ competitor, or trapeze artist. As for taking PEDs when your not getting paid for the results- I’m also confused by this.
steroids are also an addiction to some people. i head the feeling is like a high when you spend the same amount of time at the gym but you see double the results.
I can see TRT for men >50 years old and i can understand athletes using it to go to the next left but i never comprehended casual users.
That said, I’m sure people ask the same questions to anyone who has a true passion in anything. I can see people questioning why I subject my back to the agony of 585 dead lifts or the juicer wondering why i stop there and dont try to take it to the next level (ive been plateaued there for a year +)
So it all boils down to what drives you, how much do you want it, and what you are willing to sacrifice to get there. Also, i bet you are misdiagnosing a bunch of them and just discounting their hard work for an easy solution of roids to mentally compensate for inadequacy, dont do this.
Once you start lifting and put on some size, you come to the realization that you will never be big enough…steroids help you get there. Definitely psychological.
Athletics aside, unless you have a compelling reason to build a short lived “look” (such as a BB competition) it’s a waste IMO. You’re better off building something sustainable, albeit lesser. A lot of these guys openly accept to never stopping because they can’t stomach the idea of never getting back to where they were even at twice the effort.
Bit of a tangent, but people who contemplate roids that just started lifting are ridiculous (and this is most of them in my experience). By just getting in the gym they have tons of room for progress ahead of them. Compare that to the guy who’s been lifting for 10 years but been at a plateau for the last three. I wouldn’t advise it in either case, but at least the latter has SOME merit.