Tag: Colin Congo
Colin Congo Answers: Are All Pro Sports Riddled With Steroids?
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Colin Congo compares pro bodybuilding to other sports when it comes to steroid use and policing of PEDs.
Colin Congo is a pro natural bodybuilder and also an active member in the FBI. This creates an interesting intersection between his personal beliefs about steroid use in bodybuilding – and the legal reality behind policing illegal steroid use in bodybuilding and other sports. The sport of bodybuilding is a strange beast in this way. Most leagues don’t actively test for illegal steroid use. That being said, it’s a general understanding that most pro bodybuilders use PEDs in order to reach the shocking level of muscular and size on display during contests. This fact, it’s argued, is what prevents a more mainstream version of success for the sport – such as being televised on mainstream broadcasts.
But there are those who point out that bodybuilding really isn’t any different from other pro sports. While different sports have different degrees of testing – it can be argued that almost all pro sports have athletes that use steroids and PEDs. The fact that Olympic teams such as Russia were the subject of wide spread steroid use seems to be proof that not everything can get caught (even if they do get caught eventually). That’s why we ultimately pulled on Colin Congo’s expertise as both a natural bodybuilder and a member of the FBI – do all pro sports really engage in consistent use of steroids? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Colin Congo shares his take on steroid use across all pro sports, how it’s policed, and if it can ever really be stopped.
No matter the sport, it seems at some point in time the greatest athletes in sporting culture ultimately get caught for steroids or other PED usage. Lance Armstrong is a famous example, as well as MMA legend Jon Jones. Most recently, the entire Russian Olympic team was the subject of a in-depth documentary exposing wide-spread steroid use among its athletes. Different pro sports handle drug testing in different ways. But one thing that seems to remain true is this – pro sports cannot 100% police PED use. Even for the most lucrative leagues – it’s too expensive and too logically complicated to regularly test all athletes.
With this in mind, how often are pro athletes really using steroids? Pro bodybuilding often gets a bad rap for steroid use and its unwillingness to test for it. But is bodybuilding really any different to other pro sports that are far more popular? Baseball, Basketball, Football – all major sports have their own steroid scandals. Is steroid use simply unavoidable on a pro level?
We asked this very question to Colin Congo – a bodybuilder who has dedicated his life to being all natural and also is an active member in the FBI. While he has no way of knowing the truth behind all key athletes across all pro sports – he is able to use his anecdotal experiences between the FBI and natural bodybuilding as a foundation for the bigger picture. As far as Congo is concerned, the logic is sound – steroid use is most likely far more used in pro sports than many fans realize.
Colin Congo says that a combination of massive money on the line and an uneven playing field contribute to steroid use in pro athletes. If an athlete knows some are using steroids, that puts them at a disadvantage. So why not close the gap by using PEDs as well? On top of that, many pro athletes have their income directly related to their ability. When hundreds of thousands of dollars are on the line – the risk is suddenly becomes more worth it.
Colin Congo points out the irony for how reviled athletes become upon being caught for steroids. For example, Congo recounts Lance Armstrong having his entire reputation destroyed by being caught for PED usage. A friend and colleague of Congo’s took a look at the stats for other cyclists during Armstrong’s time. All of them were hitting close levels to Armstrong. After he was caught, in the years after those times and stats dropped significantly.
Congo’s take on that data? Many more cyclists were using the same drugs – but didn’t get caught. The reality is that Lance Armstrong was doing the same thing as all other athletes on his level. He got caught, his reputation is sullied, but really the entire sport’s reputation should take a hit. The problem is more endemic than media makes it out to be.
You can watch Colin Congo go into full detail about his thoughts on steroid use across all pro sports in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Pro Natural Bodybuilder Colin Congo: Drug Tests Can Probably Be Beaten
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Pro Natural Bodybuilder Colin Congo gets honest about drug testing – claims no drug test can be 100% accurate.
With the Mr. America 2021 just around the corner, we are reconnecting with some pro natural bodybuilders from our time filming Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life. Colin Congo is a Men’s Physique pro natural bodybuilder set to compete at the Mr. America in October. We reconnected with Congo to discuss the realities of natural bodybuilding and drug testing in the sport. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Colin Congo explains why he thinks the drug tests can be beaten.
Natural bodybuilding is often met with skepticism in the overall bodybuilding world. There is little evidence for that criticism except for gut reactions. Namely, that some natural bodybuilder simply look too massive and shredded to be possibly all natural. The biggest natural league in industry, PNBA/INBA, utilizes WADA drug testing for their events. This is the same drug testing used for the Olympics.
That’s a strong credibility to have for pro natural bodybuilding. So it seems the overall skepticism speaks to something bigger than just bodybuilding. In nearly all professional sports – fans believe that someone is getting away with using PEDs – whether there are tests or not.
But does this skepticism have any merit whatsoever? We asked this very question to Men’s Physique Pro Natural Bodybuilder Colin Congo. A featured athlete in Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life, we reconnected with Congo to dive deeper into his thoughts on drug tests and whether or not they are effective.
Colin Congo admits that he thinks that the WADA tests can be beat. That being said, he thinks that they ultimately do what they are meant to. Majority of athletes know they will be tested and have no interest in trying to beat it. And the WADA tests do catch PED users yearly in the league. The remaining small percentage of athletes who get away with it are a very small number.
That’s why Colin Congo doesn’t say anything even when he believes that there is a competitor on stage who is enhanced. Congo claims that he knows when he steps on stage, there will always be a chance someone is unnatural. In fact, he’s gone into competitions believing someone battling against him was enhanced. He never said anything. That person won the competition.
Colin Congo doesn’t see himself as the gatekeeper for drug testing. That’s what the federation is for. He also knows that many natural bodybuilders are often mistaken for being enhanced. Sometimes, it seems like something is impossible without the use of PEDs. But that’s the great thing about pro natural bodybuilding – they accomplish things that seem impossible. So Congo won’t call someone out without 100% evidence – because he could simply be wrong.
“This test can probably be beaten if I had to guess. And I know there are folks out there who are going to be on stage with me that are not 100% natural,” Colin Congo states in our interview. He continues:
“I know there are dudes out there that are 100% natural that just have absolutely gifted physiques. And they are going to look enhanced and they are going to just look like that. I’m not the gatekeeper for who’s natural and who’s not. I know I get up there and put my best physique on the stage. And I’m counting on the organization to hold those guys to the same standard that I’m holding myself to.”
Nothing can ever be 100% guaranteed. But a drug test on the level of WADA also helps create preventative measures that stop athletes from even thinking of trying in the first place. It’s like a sign that says, “You are being filmed.” Even if there is actually no camera filming – most people will assume that they are, in fact, being filmed and not steal from a store. Sure, some will call the bluff and cheat. But the measures in place help far more than nothing at all.
You can watch Colin Congo go into more detail about natural bodybuilding and drug testing in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!