that dude is bigger and stronger than me, he must be juicing

Ok, so I said that I would rant on this subject. It's controversial, scary, and boogie man approved, so if you need to throw on some huggies before you piss yourself with what I'm about to talk about, go do so. I'll wait.

Ok, you back? Lets begin. Yesterday, there was some debate among strongman competitors on a popular strongman forum that we use to talk shop. The debate was about the emergence of a new strongman federation in the US. It is called WNSF (World's Natural Strongman Federation). It is a drug tested federation. The initial question was, "Do you think that adding a new federation to strongman will be bad for the sport?" But, because it is a "natural" federation, the topic, almost at warp speed, went of into a tangent about natural athletes vs "others" and ego's and blah blah blah. I'll touch on this briefly for my fellow strongmen and women. I love the fact that we have a new federation. I love the fact that there will be more contests to compete in. I like that it gives an outlet for amateurs to compete with pros. I love the fact that it gives us a chance to compete on a world stage as amateurs, more often. I like that there are two organizations out there, because it will do nothing but benefit us as athletes. I'm not in favor of either organization, I just want to compete, I don't care where, or how, or with who, just put me under some iron and get the fuck out of my way. If it means that my poor ass will get some better prizes, like cash, and more free t shirts (I love free t shirts), then I'm all for it.

Now, the argument erupted into the idea that a natural federation would give the other US organizations, NAS and ASC, the stigma that they aren't a natural organization. Look, I get it, but we as strongmen and women don't exactly not already fit into that stigma. You think normies believe that we can deadlift 600lbs for reps without being on "da juice"? Of course they don't, but we know better. If we have athletes competing in both organizations, showing that we can do these things then maybe people will start giving us the credit we deserve. Everyone loves seeing feats of strength being performed, but if they're too ignorant to think it comes from years of hard work and determination, then this may shed some light and battle their ignorance.

Now, onto the subject of steroids. This is for all you normal people out there... you know who you are. You see a dude like me lifting heavy objects and weighing in at 300lbs and you whisper to your friend "there is no way that dude is not using steroids". I get it all the time. Shit, I got it yesterday from some dude who straight out asked me "how many steroids are you one" and I just laughed at him and said "Man, I wish I could afford them". Before I go on, I am going to suggest that you watch Chris Bell's documentary on steroids called "Bigger, Stronger, Faster". It sheds a lot of light on steroids, the people who use them, the supplement industry, etc. Caution: it will make you actually think, which I know can be hard if you've just spent the past few months watching Jersey Shore and whatever the hell else bullshit that they spew out on TV, but its well worth it.

Its no secret that some people in strength sports, or any sport for that matter, use steroids to enhance performance, I think we can all agree on that, but the fact of the matter is, it doesn't give these people a "shortcut" or give them the "Easy way out". Its actually quite the opposite. You see, steroids don't work the way the general public thinks that they do. You don't just inject yourself with a dose and all the sudden you're deadlifting 900lbs and have the physique of your favorite pro bodybuilder. Steroids are a (insert drum roll) recovery drug. That's right. Steroids are used to decrease recovery time in athletes who push past the normal limits of human capability (of course there are different types of steroids that elicit a different effect, but that's the broad generalization I'm going to use). The amount of work you need to put in to use steroids and have them be effective for you is immense. What a lot of people don't realize is that most of the time, when people use steroids correctly, they are pushing themselves so hard that their body would collapse if they didn't. Look at a pro body builder's workout routine in a magazine. Look at the volume and intensity that they use. That's not for the average broski in the gym trying to get teh abz. The pro's that do these work outs and use these drugs are doing such a large amount of work to get the results that they want and need to win, that they have to use these drugs just so they don't freakin collapse... but I guess its just a short cut, huh?

Now, the other things I hate about the ignorance on steroids is this; people always assume that if a guy is bigger and stronger than them, it must be because they are using steroids. Its simply not the case. Believe it or not, sissy boy, there are people out there that push themselves to the limits that their body allows, and then they push themselves a little bit further. They dedicate themselves to making sure they eat and recover properly. They don't just read the newest issue of Men's Fitness and then hit the gym and pretend to do the workout that the "pros" do. They have educated themselves on training methodologies and learned that doing heavy deadlifts and squats will add more muscle to your body than bench presses and bicep curls (like A LOT more muscle). They know that drinking a protein shake a day on top of your 3 meals isn't enough to recover. The majority of people who are big and strong are actually not on the juice, and the ones that are, aren't doing as much of it as you think. They don't need to. They just need it to get them through the workouts they're doing and to recover quick enough for them to do it again the next time.

Ok, I'm not going to go into the science behind steroids or the safety behind them... like I said, Chris Bell does a really good job of that in his documentary. I will say however, the dangers of steroids are up there with, if not blown even more out of proportion, than smoking weed. I mean, right now at this moment, most chicks are a form of steroids. We call it birth control, but its a synthetic hormone, ie. steroids. Do I advocate using them? I personally don't use them and don't have the desire to because I'm still making gains and haven't even come close to reaching my full potential, but if an adult wanted to use them and went about it correctly, hiring a doctor or someone knowledgeable, then knock yourself out.

Now, as far as sports and the people who use them in competition goes, I personally don't give a shit. I know I've competed against dudes using and I've beaten some and lost to others and I don't care. It just makes me want to push that much harder. In baseball, I want to see people hit 600 foot home runs, personally. Do I think that there should be an asterisk next to these new home run records? Yes, but only if we put an asterisk next to Hank Aaron's record with a note that says "Hank Aaron had the distinct advantage of having 4000 more at bats than Babe Ruth, along with swinging a bat that was half the weight." Look, we're always going to find ways to get bigger and stronger than our predecessors. Its human nature. Not only that, but when people are shown that something can be accomplished, it becomes obsolete very quickly. Look at the 1 mile sprint. For forever, it was thought to be impossible to break under 4 minutes. As soon as someone accomplished it, I think like 80 more people did it that year because they knew it could be done. Shit, us amateur strongmen are doing event weights now that used to be World's Strongest Man weights. Athletes will always get better, whether its naturally or not. Steroids aren't the key to success or a magic wonder drug, its just another tool in the box that, with lots of hard work and determination, will help you achieve your goals.