Why Steroids Are NOT Functional – Don’t Trade Your Health for Muscle

Hey guys, so there’s something I wanted to talk about that’s a little bit more opinionated than what you normally get on this site. That is: I want to make very clear my stance on steroids. Which is that they’re lame, they suck, and they’re dumb. Doing steroids IS dumb.

I feel like this is an important message to share right now. Partly, that’s because more and more fitness “influencers” are making the decision to start using gear to get ahead. I really think that sucks, because it sets a terrible standard for others and may lead their viewers to do the same.

But it’s also because I notice a lot of other creators beating around the bush. There is a vocal crowd that’s very anti-steroid. The “noble natties” as they’re called. But outside of that group I’m always seeing these “balanced” takes. People saying that steroids have pros and cons, ultimately it’s up to you, steroid users are still often great athletes, etc.

Sure, of course it’s up to you. Everything is up to you, ultimately. But to pretend like there’s a valid argument for doing steroids I think is really bonkers. It is JUST stupid. And I want to make sure that anyone that watches my channel knows why.

Because I think the perception, right now, is that taking steroids is harmful. People get that. It causes liver damage, it places a great strain on your heart, it impairs natural testosterone production, causes gynocomastia, acne, night sweats, shrunken balls, hair loss, mood disorders…

But, in spite of all that, guys still do it. And why’s that? Because they think it’s a price worth paying. They think they’re taking this risk to their health for a shot at greatness. Deal with the consequences and have this superhuman body that lets them do the seemingly impossible.

Trust me, that’s a tantalising prospect! I could see a younger version of myself – without a family – being won over.

But here’s the thing: that’s NOT what happens. You’re not superhuman if you take steroids. You’re improving some aspects of your performance but making great trade-offs along the way.

Here’s why.

Steroids Can HARM Your Movement

Firstly: steroids do not exclusively improve your performance. Of course, they make you much more anabolic and thereby lead to a big increase in muscle mass. That can translate to more strength, more energy, faster recovery, and more explosive performance. It’s why athletic teams use them to cheat, yes.

More on that in a moment.

But the same thing doesn’t apply to tendon strength. In fact, certain steroids can negatively affect collagen synthesis – collagen being a primary component of tendons that provides their structure and elasticity. Not only that, but because tendons have a lower blood supply and are slower to react to training, they can end up lagging behind those rapidly growing muscles.

The result is that tendon injuries are common among steroid users. This could potentially lead to a serious injury that would completely halt any progress or performance. It also just makes the steroid user more fragile.

As you can imagine, this also has a negative affect on mobility. The weaker tendons and connective tissues, combined with oversized muscles can cause stiffness and reduced flexibility. It IS possible to be muscular and flexible but it’s far more challenging to maintain that balance as a steroid user. Steroid use can also lead to greater muscle imbalance – this is due to certain muscle groups having a higher proportion of androgen receptors and the simple fact that any other imbalances will be exaggerated. This can further cause stiffness and alter body mechanics to the point where you start walking around like a gorilla. You know the look. Steroids can even lead to “shorter” and less elastic muscle.

Steroids will also suppress the natural production of hormones – including oestrogen in some cases. Estrogen plays a role in joint and bone health and helps to reduce inflammation and protect cartilage.

Certain types of steroids could, therefore, increase the chance of osteoarthritis and generally weaken bones and joints. This is a nuanced topic because those steroids that “aromatise” (convert to oestrogen) would not have this effect… But those are also the ones that give you man boobs… so…

All this will OFTEN result in an athlete who is less agile and flexible. Who runs slower and moves more sluggishly and is at higher chance of injury.

People responded to my video on this topic by saying that “of course steroids improve performance” and pointed at athletes winning races and fights.

That’s missing the point.

Real performance isn’t about winning competitions. It’s about being adaptable to any situation. If you win your sport and then injure yourself the next week… you’re not more performant.

If you win your sport but you’re in pain all the time… that’s not more performant. It’s not more functional.

Even if you take the strict definition that being functional means functioning AT a given activity (that activity being your sport in this case)… you’re still not more functional. Why? Because you’ve shortened your athletic career. You’re more likely to get injured or even die (more on that in a moment).

The only person the steroids are functional for are the managers who want their teams to perform well. The athletes themselves have simply supercharged their body for a short time… at great personal cost.

It’s not more functional. And this pattern will continue, as we’ll see.

And it’s certainly not more functional for the 99.999% of people reading this who are not professional athletes.

And who won’t likely see the small percentage performance boost (that nevertheless wins competitions because competitions have such tight margins) those athletes see, anyway.

Technique Matters More

Because that’s the thing: you don’t become more coordinated or efficient from steroids.

Because so much of performance is about technique and practice. It’s about building neural pathways and learning to recruit the muscle mass so that you can apply it powerfully.

Of course, if you have both then you’ll be more powerful and efficient than either on its own. World records on the big three lifts are about 10% higher in untested competitions. But, firstly, this will likely have little real-world benefit. When you can already lift 700lbs, being able to lift 770lbs is neither here nor there. Especially when you’ve sacrificed so much more of your health to get to that point.

And, more to the point, so few people are going to be anywhere near that point that this is really a moot subject.

But again, more to the point, just being really big doesn’t mean anything if you can’t use it.

If you skip the process and just “get” muscle, you won’t be able to use it to the fullest. Like Captain Ginyu. You might look the part but you won’t be any “tougher.”

You won’t even be able to recruit a large proportion of that new muscle mass. Because you won’t have developed the intramuscular coordination.

People aren’t looking at these massive guys and quaking in their boots.

An experienced martial artist will always beat a roided out meathead. An experienced martial artists who is also roided out is a different story… but everyone reading this will get more benefit from working on their technique. And that will make them healthier. Not LESS healthy.

Grant is a FAR better fighter than I am. I get gassed out during our sparring competitions. I can’t block his punches. And my own punches are stiff an awkward. You think steroids would change that?

I’m not even convinced steroids would make Grant a more formidable opponent. But, even if they would, he could make greater games by simply sharpening his technique even more. Boosting his cardio. And building some muscle the old-fashioned way (because that’s the one area I got him beat).

Steroids Make You Stupid

This is especially true when you consider the significant cognitive deficits that steroid abuse brings with it. We know, for example, that steroid use actually reduces IQ scores. This is only by a small margin but it’s a serious hit to take, especially as it gets worse over time.

Especially, considering that steroids also often cause brain fog making it difficult to think or to concentrate. Then there’s the “roid rage,” intense and random anger that’s hard to control and that leaves your judgement and self-control impaired. It’s not just aggression you might experience, though. Paranoia, anxiety, and depression are also common side effects.

Some users report experiencing this most acutely at night – lying awake feeling fearful and angry and struggling to sleep (insomnia being another side effect).

None of this is conducive to high performance. None of these things are hardcore or masculine. It’s just rubbish.

Just like a big GH gut and large man-boobs. And impotence and shrivelled balls.

And steroids result in mental health issues in another way, too: addiction. Steroids users can become addicted to the feeling of being on steroids and from the results it brings them. Think about it: if you use steroids you’ll be ruining your natural testosterone production. Come off the steroids and you’ll not only lose all the muscle you got… but you’ll also likely be worse than you were before you started. This can lead to serious depression and dysmorphia for many guys… so of course they need to keep taking steroids.

Forever.

Is it cool to be an addict? Potentially to hide drugs from your family and inject yourself when you think no one is around? To spend a huge amount of money buying illegal substances online that might not even be what they claim to be? Putting your life at risk every time you do?

Seriously, it’s like being a junkie.

Here’s something to think about: most militaries don’t use steroids. Think about that for a moment. These organisations are obsessed with squeezing the best performance out of their troops – and don’t tell me that they’re concerned about the long-term health of their soldiers. I don’t think anyone believes that.

Side note: people responded to my video on this by saying that there is a steroid epidemic within the military. But that’s not the point: they’re using the steroids themselves because they want to perform well. Because they’re in a hypermasculine environment where they’re being constantly tested. Steroid use is not mandated or encouraged. And if it’s not tested, it’s likely because that would be extremely difficult for the military to manage.

Also: the US army is not the only army, guys.

No: militaries steroids because they’re not effective for long term performance. They can’t risk their infantry dropping dead. They don’t want them confused and angry. They don’t want them to be stiff and bloated.

Far more important is that their troops be calm under pressure. Be able to make good decisions, quickly. Be reliable and resilient. Be able to operate under harsh conditions for long periods of time.

As one commenter put it: they just want you to walk.

You want to be a badass? You stay away from steroids.

Here’s another thing to consider: our bodies evolved to develop the amount of testosterone they did because it helped improve our survival over millions of years. Your body isn’t holding out on you – it’s providing you with what’s optimal for OVERALL performance.

There are individual differences, yes. Those who are unable to produce normal amounts of testosterone may, in fact, wish to speak with a doctor and consider hormone therapy. But as a species, we produce the perfect balance of hormones.

Ultimately, using steroids is bad for your health. If you claim to be interested in health and fitness, then steroids can’t be part of that equation. And, seeing as health is the necessary foundation for fitness, steroid users aren’t truly “fit” either.

How can you tell me you’re fit when there’s a high chance of you keeling over with a heart attack? When your face is permanently red, your hair has fallen out, and your liver is collapsing under the strain?

You’re not healthy if you use steroids and you’re not fit.

Wanting (Desperately) to Look Impressive

Which leads me all to believe that the only reason anyone does steroids is so that they can look impressive for other people. They want to look and feel like an anime character or a superhero, even if their health couldn’t be further from those characters.

Even this is just seriously misguided.

For starters: you don’t need as much muscle as you think to look good. A low body fat percentage and a decent amount of muscle will more than achieve the look most guys want. This is also what most women want…

(Forgive me for talking in generalities. I once knew a woman that liked me because she thought I looked like I could be hit by a car. And then she wrote me weird letters about me getting stabbed and cut and she had to tend to my wounds…

She was a little messed up…)

But the point is more women like guys who look normal with a bit of attractive muscle. They aren’t impressed by giant freaks. They don’t want you to look like CBum. That’s off-putting and intimidating to a LOT of women.

Especially when you throw in the red skin, bald head, acne, scars, and even facial changes. Like, what are you doing.

The problem is that so many people are perpetually online. They spend all day watching guys on Instagram and talking about building muscle in forums and they think those opinions are reflected in the general population.

They’re not. Most people won’t give two shits if you have 17” arms.

Especially because steroids give you a particular look. In most cases, you can tell who has used steroids.

Which isn’t cool because it simply exposes the huge insecurity you must have had to go there. And all the associated issues that you’re likely experiencing: both leading up to steroid use and as a result of it.

It’s a bit like going too far with surgery. Look at those celebrities who don’t want to age, so they spend a fortune on cosmetic procedures until they look like living dolls. Do we look at those people and think they look amazing? No – most of us think they probably need therapy.

Turning to drugs to inflate your muscles is the same. It’s honestly pitiful.

And it’s honestly tragic to be so desperate for the approval of others that you would do that to your body. Where is the self-respect?

All of which is only if you actually see the results you want from steroids. Because SO many people don’t.

Conclusion
I apologise if this comes across as more negative than my usual content. I typically try to focus on the positive. But I think it’s really important to be blunt in this case. If you’re thinking of using steroids, then I’m going to talk to you how I talk to my kids: you’re being dumb. You’re probably not dumb. But you’re BEING dumb.

You won’t become a badass. You’ll be slower, more prone to injury, at risk of heart attack, stupider, more emotional and anxious, deformed, stiff, and ultimately pitiful.

But you do you, I guess.

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