Performance Enhancing Drugs

     Bodybuilding encompasses the ideal of fitting a perfect image and trying to sculpt one’s body to an unflawed form. To win a competition one must go to great lengths to meet the judges’ qualifications. A bodybuilder seeks low-body fat percentage, size, vascularity, definition, symmetry, and proportionality. Due to increased competition in the sport of bodybuilding, the athletes are typically forced to take unnatural supplements. These performance enhancing supplements that are common in most of the athletics today, specifically bodybuilding include but are not limited to anabolic steroids, testosterone boosters, estrogen blockers, human growth hormones, insulin-like growth factor and narcotics (Mayo Clinic Staff). 

Below are several types of performance enhancing drugs commonly used by pro and amateur bodybuilders. All of these compounds are designed to increase muscle mass and strength, improve recovery time, and promote overall muscle advancement. The drugs work mainly thought the synthetic modification of testosterone production, and can be taken in pill, injection, or topical form (Mayo Clinic Staff).

(Steroids In Various Forms)

(German Testosterone Enanthate)

(HGH)

(Dianabol)

    Since all of these drugs are extremely hazardous to consume a vast amount of side effects can occur when one chooses to use them. The image below is a great representation of all the harmful effects one can experience from steroid abuse. 

(Algra)

     Even though side effects from steroids are vast and deleterious to one’s body, a determined bodybuilder will ignore the potential negative outcomes in order to see the short term rapid gains that only these drugs make conceivable. A documentary named, “The Man Whose Arms Exploded,” featuring Gregg Valentino reveals the real life effects, physically and emotionally that Valentino experienced from steroid abuse. The documentary also pertains to several other issues discussed in my blog project as well as the reasoning many use when defending their decision to use steroids. A small portion of the documentary is present below. 

Works Cited

Algra, Bruce. Harmful Effects of Steroids. n.d. Algra Corporation. Web. March 15 2011. 

Dianabol. n.d. Web. 15 March 2011. <http://www.beststeroidonline.com/>.

German Testosterone Enanthate. n.d. Web. 15 March 2011. <http://mesomorphosis.com/>.

HGH. n.d. Web. 15 March 2011. <http://anabolex.com/>. 

Mayo Clinic Staff. "Performance Enhancing Drugs: Know the Risk." Fitness. 23 December 2010. Mayo

          Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Web. 15 March 2011. 

          <http://mayoclinic.com/>.

Steroids in Various Forms. n.d. Web. 15 March 2011. <http://thegooddrugsguide.com/>.

"The Man Whose Arms Exploded Part 1 Ingles." 1 February 2009. Online video clip. Youtube. March

          25 2011.