The athletic arena is becoming more competitive as athletes get stronger and faster, as coaching gets more efficient, and as audience demand increases. Due to these pressures, many athletes are beginning to turn to outside sources to improve performance. Multiple forms of steroids are coming into play, especially at the professional level. Although many believe that these steroids negatively affect the body, many studies have shown a positive athletic use of steroids.
Increased Strength
Strength is an important characteristic in athletes of all types. It is especially useful to strength athletes such as powerlifters, weightlifters, and strongman competitors. Strength is perhaps the most well-known use of steroids. One particular study published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine" compiled data from a number of studies regarding anabolic-androgenic steroids. The study concluded that these steroids may indeed enhance muscular strength in athletes, particularly those who are previously trained.
Injury Recovery
Steroids are thought to contain a number of negative side effects, but several studies have shown that they may also provide many strong benefits. One such study conducted on anabolic steroids showed their potential in the realm of injury recovery. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found the supplementation of anabolic steroids after rotator cuff tendon injury to help in the recovery process. Although this study focused specifically on the rotator cuff area, it is still a possibility that anabolic steroids may have a similar effect on other injured areas of the body.
Increased Muscle Mass
Although increased muscle mass may be looked down upon as a benefit to sport, there are several benefits to increased size. Consider an offensive lineman trying to protect his quarterback. It's fair to conclude that increased muscle mass may have an impact on this lineman's ability to perform his job by providing a more stable base of support. In addition, it may also reduce the chances of injury by providing a little extra padding. As noted in an article by Cynthia Kuhn of the Duke University Medical Center, both biochemical and anatomical studies have shown AAS to "significantly influence muscle morphology and biochemistry in humans. Additionally, it was stated that "body weight reliably increases after AAS use and part of the increase is in lean body mass."
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