I didn’t know he hadn’t been on that long, if it’s who I’m thinking of.
Edit
I don’t think AAS are any more dangerous than the training we do or a lot of the medications we take legally. Hell, you can kill yourself driving to work if you aren’t careful. You just can’t be a fuckwit about it. I also am pretty sure AAS won’t do shit for you if you aren’t getting the other aspects of training right.
I think it comes down to how important success is to you. If winning is what matters, that dictates what is done to get there. Nothing else. I think that’s partly a cultural thing. Us Aussies, the Americans, Brits, etc have this fantasy of fairness mattering. It doesn’t. If you play by the rules and lose to someone who doesn’t, you still lose. That’s why I’m a fan of untested competition. It leaves it down to individual choice how far you’re willing to go.
IMO that only leaves the when. For me, it’s when I can’t go further without. I’ll only know when that is when it happens. If I’m lucky, it won’t happen for a long, long time.
Got nothing against steroid users, but if you decide to run a cycle;
Know what you are doing. Research stuff, look into different drugs and how they affect you. Have a good understanding of what kind of drugs even exist and how to pair them. (Of course if someone professional was willing to guide you it’d be great)
Health first. Eat a healthy diet. Start that before taking anything, as roids won’t magically fix your diet. Have blood tests taken. Look into supplements that can be beneficial for when using. Don’t go all in straight out if the gate, the less you need to use, the better.
Realize that you won’t be on steroids forever. View them, and maybe even more importantly, view your body as a tool to compete. After you’re done with strongman you’ll need to downsize to be healthier, so don’t get attached to your physique or strength. (Not saying you couldn’t look good or be strong after stopping though). Have post-cycle treatment planned and obtain it a bit in advance.
Work hard. Your time is limited, so go all in on the training and diet fields. Taking roids and slacking off is just selfish.
These are the two most important factors for me and also one other that mark didn’t mention - genetics. Great training, great recovery, great diet and certain amount of luck and aas will only take you as for as your genetic make up will allow. When I weigh this fact up against how inconsistent general life can be and the potential risk of drug use both physically and physiological for me it’s not worth it.
If you genially think you have your shit together and could be good enough to make a career out of it then find a good doctor and go for it.
If it’s the heavily tattoo’d fellow then no, it’s actually someone different
As far as I’m concerned, he has been on for a few years longer then who I was talking about, but very similar cycles as far as I know. My mate is a lot more open about what he uses, but I dare say it’s because he doesn’t have the “following” that who you’re talking about does.
Valid points everyone, I’ll address individuals when the discussion dies down a bit
I encourage you to put that post up mate, the point of this discussion purpose doesn’t really require a head or tail, if it came down to you saying “I’m against it but open to it” then I’m gunna take it all in regardless
It’s more of an open book to hear peoples personal experiences and opinions
I’m not old enough to contribute (Young/not wise) but even i understand to get to a champion level in strongman I’m going to have to use AAS down the line. Thats just facts.
Honestly i believe you have the potential to be competitive with the big boys a.k.a brian shaw etc and so on. Embrace it man
I’m not going to lie, I don’t enter competitive sports without the mindset of having to be the best, and I know you’re similar in your quests. It’s just the we are wired and many of the contributors here are.
I suppose it’s the part of the process
Exactly. I mean there is literally no point of trying to pursue something like any sport whether it be Basketball, Strongman, Tennis or whatever and putting so much time/effort etc towards it if you’re not going to strive to be at the top. Otherwise why the fuck are you even bothering.
Regarding fair - I came to the realization that there are degrees of fairness. The only ones I should concern myself with were: are we all humans and do we all operate under the same rules while performing?
Regarding genetics - this will never be fair. I have good genetics for my sport… but, an unknown genetic issue caused me to lose my eyesight.
Freshman year of college, I was getting close to partaking because it would have assisted my chances of playing at the next level. Due to the unforeseen issue, steroids wouldn’t have allowed me to play again.
I’ve thought about it now, but it’s hard to justify just to LGN.
If you’re competing at a high level, are aware of the risks, but want to win, I don’t know why you wouldn’t.
I think it’s a personal choice and as long as your brain is thinking “health first” then you’ll be fine. If the sport/event is tested and you use and then mask it then it seems like cheating. If it’s untested like WSM type stuff then you have no chance of being one of the big boys if you don’t consider adding AAA to your toolbox.
The only real question is when to start.
I think @flipcollar would be a good resource here.
I think if I can hit a PL total of around 800kg total it’s probably earnt the dues, but it’s hard because there is no definitive answer and possibly the correlation between PL and strongman is not 100% true, largely yes but not totally.
I think I’d need to get a couple of amateur comps under my belt to see where I’m at, get some experience in then revisit it in a few years after I get a feel in it.
I think the proper way to use them is to nail down everything else first. Get some experience in comps so you learn the tricks. You’ll also learn how to plan your training.
AAS are just a tool. You’ll probably see the biggest boost in performance early on so why blow that with less than perfect techniques?
It’s probably the last tool to use to reach your potential.
FWIW @anon96032531 an 800 kg total is my personal benchmark for ‘at least respectable no matter what you weigh’. So yeah, 800@140 or 125 would be a definite time to say you’ve earned AAS.
You may have seen on my log that I’m gunning for 700/400/700, which isn’t too far above 800 (and TBH it’s just because it sounds cool in pounds), and it’s something I’m pretty sure I’ll get without needing AAS while also needing to weight around 120 kg while being no fatter than I am now. It isn’t my ultimate goal, but getting to 800 will be the time I feel I can say, yes, I am quite strong.
I kinda doubt it. And I mean no disrespect to jez. But Shaw, and most of the guys like him, were absolute MONSTERS by the age of 18. Shaw was a high level athlete already before he got into strongman, and a physical anomaly. Jez isn’t that. I’m not here to doubt anyone’s ultimate potential, as I have far exceeded what I thought my own was, but perspective and self awareness are useful tools to go along with big dreams. I don’t think you can even know if you have that sort of potential until you’re already moving world-class weights, and are approaching the very top level.
so let’s be clear… if you choose steroids, you’re not thinking health first, period. lol. That being said, I think I know what you mean. But it’s always a balancing act. You have to figure out baselines for yourself, what is acceptable and what isn’t in terms of how you feel, what kind of bloodwork is acceptable to you, etc.
Pull my finger out
Start back on a strength program and focus on the core strongman movements (dead, squat, OHP, cleans)
Eat a fuck load
Do some amateur events
Well, I guess. All of those will yield good results.
You’ve got some fair degree of athleticism naturally. I seem to remember that you were scouted by an AFL club, rihht? So there’s an edge in strongman that’ll compound whatever else you do.
