Chris250
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
Interesting article on the Evolution of Gear in Pro Bodybuilding
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From SteroidsToday.com:
Steroids are an undeniable part of the sport of bodybuilding, from its inception to today. Let’s look back at the past use of drugs in bodybuilding, and try to predict what the future will hold.
In the 1950s
Steroids were very new at this point. “Zee Germans” had introduced them right before we did, into use by soldiers in World War II as well as for the Olympic Games. By the 1950s, they were popular with track athletes competing for glory in a post-WWII world. Bodybuilders were experimenting with them on a very small basis, as evidenced by the small handful of men from back then with muscularity and size beyond that of their peers. However, most in the sport were natural.
In the 1960s
By this decade, most of the top bodybuilders were using steroids. The water-retention look came into play for the first time, and we saw a slew of “moon-faced” athletes onstage. Diet back then consisted of lots of cans of tuna, but oral steroids leading to a lot of water retention were the norm.
In the 1970s
Deca and D-Bol arrived in major fashion. Consumed by the handful in this decade, guys were big and shredded for the first time. Many men would shrink down in the off-season to drop the orals and give their bodies a break, only to move up in size when preparing for a show.
In the 1980s
In the early 1980s, small shredded guys were king as advances in nutrition as well as cutting drugs saw men like Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Samir Bannout, and others win the sport’s top show, the Mr. Olympia. Then, Lee Haney emerged on the scene and led with size. His competitors discovered heavier use of anabolics, as well as the early onset of growth hormone, to help them keep up.
In the 1990s
This is the era when everything changed – and then changed back. Guys went ‘all out’ with the pre-contest dieting, using EPO and other diuretics for weeks at a time without any water being allowed into the diet. The result was some shredded competitors – and some high profile deaths as well.
In the 2000s
Pre-contest dieting and diuretic use returned to a somewhat normal range after 2000. However, the size seen from some of the top athletes continued to increase. Growth hormone, IGF-1, and insulin became standard compounds used by most of the top guys, and as a result there has been a thickening of the skin unseen in bodybuilding history. Guys are bigger than ever – but their definition is very poor. The skin, an organ, grows from growth hormone use. Time will only tell if this thickness of the skin ends up being the downfall of the growth hormone generation.
Going beyond
It is unknown what direction the sport of bodybuilding will take in terms of drug use. We know that today’s physiques use more drugs than at any time in history – in the off-season. Pre-contest danger peaked in the late 1990s. However, as growth hormone and insulin continue to be used at unchecked levels, it’s only a matter of time until the peak for off-season damage is reached. Stay tuned, folks!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From SteroidsToday.com:
Steroids are an undeniable part of the sport of bodybuilding, from its inception to today. Let’s look back at the past use of drugs in bodybuilding, and try to predict what the future will hold.
In the 1950s
Steroids were very new at this point. “Zee Germans” had introduced them right before we did, into use by soldiers in World War II as well as for the Olympic Games. By the 1950s, they were popular with track athletes competing for glory in a post-WWII world. Bodybuilders were experimenting with them on a very small basis, as evidenced by the small handful of men from back then with muscularity and size beyond that of their peers. However, most in the sport were natural.
In the 1960s
By this decade, most of the top bodybuilders were using steroids. The water-retention look came into play for the first time, and we saw a slew of “moon-faced” athletes onstage. Diet back then consisted of lots of cans of tuna, but oral steroids leading to a lot of water retention were the norm.
In the 1970s
Deca and D-Bol arrived in major fashion. Consumed by the handful in this decade, guys were big and shredded for the first time. Many men would shrink down in the off-season to drop the orals and give their bodies a break, only to move up in size when preparing for a show.
In the 1980s
In the early 1980s, small shredded guys were king as advances in nutrition as well as cutting drugs saw men like Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Samir Bannout, and others win the sport’s top show, the Mr. Olympia. Then, Lee Haney emerged on the scene and led with size. His competitors discovered heavier use of anabolics, as well as the early onset of growth hormone, to help them keep up.
In the 1990s
This is the era when everything changed – and then changed back. Guys went ‘all out’ with the pre-contest dieting, using EPO and other diuretics for weeks at a time without any water being allowed into the diet. The result was some shredded competitors – and some high profile deaths as well.
In the 2000s
Pre-contest dieting and diuretic use returned to a somewhat normal range after 2000. However, the size seen from some of the top athletes continued to increase. Growth hormone, IGF-1, and insulin became standard compounds used by most of the top guys, and as a result there has been a thickening of the skin unseen in bodybuilding history. Guys are bigger than ever – but their definition is very poor. The skin, an organ, grows from growth hormone use. Time will only tell if this thickness of the skin ends up being the downfall of the growth hormone generation.
Going beyond
It is unknown what direction the sport of bodybuilding will take in terms of drug use. We know that today’s physiques use more drugs than at any time in history – in the off-season. Pre-contest danger peaked in the late 1990s. However, as growth hormone and insulin continue to be used at unchecked levels, it’s only a matter of time until the peak for off-season damage is reached. Stay tuned, folks!
