by Brendon Lowe
ITW Strength & Conditioning Columnist

How much do you really know about steroids? For most athletes, the answer to this question is – enough to make you dangerous. For thousands of years, athletes have been in search of that “magic pill” that turns them into superman with unmatched abilities in all areas of their respective sport.

The ultimate picture of health and athleticism for males includes a massive musculature and unheard of strength and power. So, this wonder pill/ drug has come to be in the form of steroids. But, do they work? Definitely, and anyone that says otherwise doesn’t know enough about them to know any better.

Steroids are hormones that regulate many functions within our bodies. The hormone that steroids mimic is testosterone, which is responsible for gains in muscle size and strength among other things. A big problem accompanied by steroid use for athletic enhancement is that the other things affected by testosterone are the explanation for the side effects of steroid supplementation.
I suppose that the side effects of steroid use have scared the government to the extent that they have banned their use by all individuals and have classified them along with such drugs as heroine and cocaine. This doesn’t make very much sense to me as a somewhat educated individual on the matter.

Anyone that watches television has undoubtedly seen a commercial for some newly developed prescription drug showing happy couples riding bikes along the beach, kids flying kites at the park, puppies prancing through tall grass, and any other pleasant thoughts that you can come up with.

But, towards the end of the commercial they place those tiny messages at the bottom of the screen or have a spokesman ramble hurriedly through what seems like nonsense. “Do not take this drug if you have kidney disorder…may cause hemorrhaging in some patients…do not take if you are currently on medication for depression.” Many of the side effects for these drugs are as bad, if not worse, than those for steroids.

Most scholastic athletic organizations require some level of educating their athletes on the harms of steroids. I applaud this, as they are not merely saying do not take steroids just because we said so.

My only concern is that the organizations do not show both sides of the issue. This is why there are so many problems associated with steroid use. Our natural reasoning is that if a substance makes me strong, then large quantities of that substance will make me even stronger. In most cases this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Any substance placed in our bodies in large quantities is toxic or lethal. Ibuprofen is an excellent and safe painkiller, but in high doses can cause ulcers and even death. Even oxygen or water can cause death in extremely high concentrations. If you put something into your body, doesn’t it make sense to understand what it does and to determine the right way to use it?

Yes, the side effects that have been reported can occur from steroid use, but it’s not always to the highest degree. Different people react to drugs in different ways. Many individuals are allergic to aspirin while many are not. Some people require a higher dosage of a drug to receive similar effects to those received by another person. When it comes down to it, you don’t know how the drug will affect you until you use it. Possible side effects seen from steroid use include increased acne, aggression, and possible liver complications.

Acne is a given because increases in testosterone stimulates the sebaceous glands and high oil production is seen on the skin. This is why acne is seen mostly with teens as testosterone production spikes during puberty and through the teen years. How serious of a problem is acne, really?

Aggression is a different story. This is one of those that is seen in varying degrees in different people. If a given athlete is highly aggressive when not taking steroids, then they will be even more aggressive when taking them. This is all dependent on the amount of hormone receptors in the central nervous system that are available to bind to testosterone. And as for the liver dysfunction, this is determined by the type and quantity of steroid being used (or in most cases abused).

Steroids will undoubtedly increase muscle size and strength output, but at what cost? When it comes down to it, teenage steroid use is extremely dangerous. Your hormones are already at some of the highest levels of your life, and then to add more hormones is just too much.

No drug of this potency should be taken outside of a doctor’s prescription. Doing otherwise will most likely lead to one of the many steroid horror stories told in high school health class. This is why certain performance enhancing drugs have been banned.

It has been determined that steroid use is considered cheating. This is the bottom line, if you cheat to win then what have you accomplished? You have proven that you have to resort to illegal methods to win and that you felt inferior to your opponents before you started using.

Superior wrestlers are created through hard work and self-discipline, and not from a magic pill or injection. Please, leave the steroids for the bodybuilders and hit the weight room. If you want to get strong and powerful find a personal trainer that is knowledgeable in the ways of training athletes.

This month’s nutrition tip: Performance enhancing supplements should be viewed just as steroids are.

1. Determine if the supplement is banned
2. Educate yourself on the effects and side effects
3. Determine if the cost is justified
4. Know the difference between use and abuse