Sports enhancement drugs to improve strength and endurance have been used throughout history. Adults and even adolescents often employ a variety of drugs, including testosterone, an anabolic steroid in hope of improving their athletic performance and appearance. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, individuals who use anabolic steroids, particularly those experienced in weight training, will experience increases in strength and muscle significantly beyond those from training alone. Bodybuilders have often been drawn to using testosterone for a competitive advantage.
History
Throughout history, men and women have sought foods and concoctions to create more powerful and fit bodies. From Greek wrestlers eating massive quantities of meat to build muscle to Norse warriors ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms to gear up for battle, mankind has been on a mission to improve physiologically. The first competitive athletes thought to have been charged with using enhancements such as drugs and nonfood substances were swimmers in Amsterdam in the 1860s. The substances could be anything from strychnine and caffeine to cocaine and heroin, and the race to find new advantages has never ended. Testosterone was first synthesized in the 1930s and introduced into sports in the 1940s and 1950s.
Function
According to ACSM, testosterone, produced primarily by the testes, is responsible for masculinization and muscle growth during male adolescence. Anabolic steroids are administered primarily in the oral and injectable forms. Users of anabolic steroids, particularly those experienced in weight training, display increases in strength and muscle far beyond those observed from training alone. This occurs in short because when free testosterone binds to the androgen receptor in skeletal muscle, muscles grow. So more free testosterone in your blood means more muscle growth.
Benefits
In bodybuilding, this increase in muscle mass clearly translates into a competitive advantage. Large, developed muscles will be noticed by judges. Most bodybuilders who use testosterone combine it with other drugs in a process called "stacking." Each drug has unique benefits and associated drawbacks or side effects. Stacking various drug combinations is reaps the benefits of each drug or limits the negative side effects of one of the other drugs. Some drugs will develop more size in skeletal muscle, some will develop more vascularization and others will reduce water retention, which limits how defined the muscles appear.
Misconceptions
If you have a low testosterone level, some physicians will provide you with a synthesized version. This supplementation is meant solely to bring you to a normal level and will not be a high-enough dose to provide you with any extraordinary muscular development. Also know that bodybuilding requires intense physical training. Taking testosterone will assist in improving lean body mass but will not do the work for you. A healthy, low-fat diet is also important in keeping your body fat low. If you have improved muscle development and size, but your body fat content is high, you will limit how toned and defined the muscles are.
Warnings
The American Council on Exercise says acne, liver damage and increased risk of heart disease are just a few of the side effects associated with anabolic steroid abuse. Other potential side effects are more severe. Men who use steroids may develop gynecomastia , the development of the breasts. Sodium and water retention can be unhealthy and even cause high blood pressure. You may also be more prone to cardiovascular problems, since steroids can decrease high-density lipoprotein levels--the "good" cholesterol--and increase levels of low-density lipoprotein, ''bad'' cholesterol. Steroids are also prohibited by most athletic and bodybuilding organizations. Even if you want to improve your ability to compete in bodybuilding, make sure you thoroughly research all benefits and risks associated with taking steroids before you do.
