Is Significant Muscle Building Possible Without Using Steroids?

Steroids have been popular for many years, evolving from a habit that was once confined to professional bodybuilding and sports to a regular high school recreational activity used to improve speed, strength, and muscle size beyond natural limits. Obviously, as with any substance that fosters external results, since the enhancements are visibly apparent, those using steroids or growth hormone are easily convinced that they are healthier than before, yet temporary positive appearance improvements are frequently not synonymous with what occurs on a cellular level.

In addition to those involved in sports who wish to enhance performance, many thin bodybuilders are seeking the fastest method to enhance muscle gain, and when they see professional bodybuilders using large amounts of drugs to produce 100+ pounds of additional lean body size, they feel as if this must be the path to achieve what they define as success. Yet, what many forget is that bodybuilding, a hobby that has constantly associated itself with healthy living, transforms into a risky, potentially life ending path when steroids or growth hormone become acceptable options.

There are two distinct bodybuilding groups that seem to have mistaken notions of what can and cannot be produced naturally; one extreme believes that the massively muscled bodies of professional bodybuilding stars on the cover of muscle magazines can be produced without steroids, or with some legal supplement that works no different than drugs, when in fact this is a completely false notion. To those who follow the bodybuilding industry closely, professional bodybuilders are known for their widespread, rather shocking level of drug abuse, and they would carry substantially less muscle if they were training without drugs, even when using all available legal supplements. The other vast misconception asserts the opposite, which is that no bodybuilder can gain significant muscle without using steroids, which is just as misleading. Although the muscle mass of professional steroid using bodybuilders cannot be replicated without embracing the same dangerous drug habits, stunning improvements in muscle mass and density are possible without ever touching a steroid, growth hormone, or any other performance enhancing substance.

Both groups must become realistic, but in different ways; those who feel professional bodybuilding results can be achieved without steroids must realize that this is not so, and change their goals to match what is both possible and healthy to pursue, but they will also benefit from learning the second lesson for the opposing group, which is that by training and eating using specific techniques, the muscles can grow substantially, and a total transformation can occur without the use of steroids. The reason many are grasping for solutions is that the physical fitness industry is plagued with misconceptions and false promises, therefore steroids enter the picture as the only apparent solution to significant physical appearance improvements, when in fact, most add very small amounts of muscle not due to lack of drugs, but as a direct consequence of poorly constructed training and diet routines. When the variables that control muscle mass (the workout and eating techniques) are rectified, progress should be satisfying and considered impressive for any normal thinking individual, and the risks of steroid use are avoided in the process.

I started my weight training career at a weight of 130 pounds, and considering my height was above average (6'2"), my thin body was a spark behind my own bodybuilding pursuits. Thankfully, by the grace of God I never used steroids, growth hormone, or any other such drug, but I had the same desire to build muscle as any other weight lifter, yet knew that doing so within a natural framework was the only valid option to pursue. I then maximized my weight training and eating routine through years of experimentation, gaining more than 60 pounds of muscle mass; many who are confused about how to achieve muscle gains accuse me of relying on steroids, but I can highlight my own results as proof to show that building a massively muscled body is possible naturally, without any chemical crutch. I also realize that with steroid use, I could gain at least 50 pounds of additional muscle mass, but does this bother me? No, not in the least, as I feel that preserving my gift of good health by remaining natural is far more important than any level of new muscle gain, and I hope every man and woman reading this article modifies their bodybuilding ethics so they can also feel the same.

Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a weight training routine for building muscle mass without supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling weight training equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.