"Walking
The Walk and Talking The Talk"
By Will Brink, author of:
Muscle
Building Nutrition
Muscle Gaining Diet, Training Routines by Charles Poliquin &
Bodybuilding Supplement Review
Diet
Supplements Revealed
Real World Fat Loss Diet & Weight Loss Supplement Review
"Walking
The Walk and Talking The Talk"
Readers
Note: This article is not for the easily offended or
"PC" minded. It is an in-your-face, and hopefully humorous,
look at the topic of steroids and how out of touch the medical/scientific
community and the general public can be in regards to the facts
about steroids. I don't use steroids (I think my pic on the web
page will confirm that!) nor do I recommend them to most people
these days. Why? Because they are too expensive, illegal, and
fake 90% of the time, moral and ethical issues not withstanding.
If you have
an uncle who will write you scripts and you want to use steroids
than that's your business. What ever price there is to pay for
using them, it will be you and you alone who pays it. I just call
em like I see em. Emotions can never alter facts, but facts can
alter emotions. Never let your perceptions or your emotions alter
your view of the facts. The article is intended as 80% humor and
20% education as it relates to steroids. If you lack a sense of
humor, this article is not for you.
We have all
heard the expression "walking the walk and talking the talk"
as it applies to various situations where there is an appreciable
gap between theory and reality. There are many places we can find
disagreement between the people who "walk the walk"
and those who "talk the talk." If you were to ask me,
I would tell you that bodybuilding is the quintessential place
to find such individuals. Those who "walk the walk"
constantly bickering with those who "talk the talk."
Now the best we can hope for, of course, is a person who is capable
of both walking the walk and talking the talk! That is, a person
who has plenty of hands-on real-life experience, half a brain,
and an applicable educational background. However, these people
are rare as you (the reader) well know.
Given a choice
between the two however, I would rather be able to walk the walk,
than talk the talk. In this article I want to discuss a few examples
of how this concept plays itself out in bodybuilding, science,
nutrition, or what ever suits our purpose to get the idea across
that, yes, there is a difference between "walking the walk"
and "talking the talk!" This difference is one of several
reasons we have so much confusion regarding anything to do with
bodybuilding (e.g., nutrition, drugs, training, etc.) . It is
certainly not the only reason, but is a major contributor to the
plethora of different opinions we find in the world of bodybuilding,
sports nutrition, or other fields relating to performance and
health.
Ground
Breaking Steroid Studies......Not!
Now what ultimately
set me off to write this article, besides the fact that I woke
up on the wrong side of the bed, was a study published recently
in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). NEJM is considered
one of the most prestigious medical and scientific journals in
the world. People tend to hold this journal up as the holy scripture
of medical journals. The study was called "The Effects Of
Supraphysiologic Doses Of Testosterone On Muscle Size And Strength
In Normal Men (vol.336, July, 96)." This was a fairly strait
forward study, so we don't need to go into great depths about
it and bore you to sleep with all the details. In a nut shell,
there were four groups of men studied. One group received 600
milligrams of testosterone enanthate and trained with weight three
days per week. The other three groups were just combinations of
training with weights and getting no testosterone (placebo), getting
the testosterone and not training with weights (couch potato on
test!), and so on. So what was so wrong with this study that prompted
me to write this article? Well it was not so much the conclusion
of the study-which we will get to in a minute-but some of the
statements within the study that caught my attention. For example,
the researchers state:
"Athletes
often take androgenic steroids in an attempt to increase their
strength. The efficacy of these substances for this purpose is
unsubstantiated, (emphasis mine) however."
Unsubstantiated? Are they for real? Here is another statement
from the study.
"...but
whether supraphysiological doses of testosterone or other anabolic-androgenic
steroids augment muscle mass and strength in normal men is unknown."
Unknown? Unknown? Unknown to who? The next time you sit in the
front row of a bodybuilding show or see some 280 pound androgen
freak squatting the equivalent of a small family sedan, feel free
to yell "hey fella(s), did you know that all those steroids
you are taking have not been proven to build muscle!" Gee
whiz, guess that forty pounds little Johnny put on in twelve weeks
to make the high school football team was a placebo effect of
the five Anadrol a day he was taking! As far as The Group For
The Use Of Common Sense In Science (GFUCSS) is concerned, regardless
of the research, if there is still a single doctor in the entire
world who continues to doubt steroids have an effect on muscle
mass, he should have his license revoked and should be dope slapped
in a public forum! Oh ya, in case your wondering, I am the national
president and only member of GFUCSS. Have any of these researchers
ever stepped outside of the lab to see what is going on out there
in the real world? It's 1996 for God sake. How about this statement
from the same study:
"We do
not know whether still higher doses of testosterone or the simultaneous
administration of several steroids would have more pronounced
effects."
We don't know? Well I sure as hell do! Hear that sound? That's
the palm of my hand hitting my forehead in disbelief. Could the
scientific community possibly be this clueless when it comes to
steroids? You bet. So where do I sign up for the next study that
proves mixing high doses of steroids build more muscle? Should
I bring my own turkey baster or will they supply it? Is it any
wonder why bodybuilders don't listen to a thing doctors have to
say? Now I am not some disgruntled trainer/bodybuilder who is
resentful of science and scientists because he does not have the
educational background to understand scientific materials. I have
several years of organic and biochemistry, molecular physiology,
biology, nutrition, yada, yada, yada, and I still find the average
bodybuilder to know more about steroids than 99% of all the scientists
and doctors I speak with! This is a sad state of affairs which
could be rectified by some of these scientists and doctors coming
out of the lab and hanging out at the average gym for a few days.
I can just see it now , "here doc, swallow these little pink
things and squat 'till you puke!" Now I love science, and
many of my friends are scientists, but man this type of stuff
boils my blood.......If you couldn't tell.
On the other
hand, the study did have some particularly interesting findings
that really blow a hole in the "steroids will kill you"
and "all you need is hard work to look like a pro bodybuilder"
brigade. The study found that the men who got the testosterone
but did not workout gained more muscle than the guys who trained
with weights but did not get the testosterone! That's right, the
couch potatoes on steroids gained more muscle than the natural
guys training with weights (poor bastards!). Also, the guys who
trained with weights but did not get the testosterone, had a big
drop in HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) while the guys
on steroids had no drop in HDL! Like the song says "how do
ya like me nowwwww!"
In conclusion,
the study found 600mg of testosterone enanthate did not change
lipid profiles, did not raise prostate-specific antigens, or increase
aggression. So what does this study tell us? It tells us what
even the dumbest bodybuilder has known for years; that moderate
doses of steroids builds muscle and has little if any negative
impact on your health. Now before you people out there who use
steroids start dancing in the street chanting "I told you
so, I told you so," don't forget that steroids do have potential
side effects and when abused they do have risks, so use a little
common sense. If you get thrown in jail, don't come whining to
me when your cell mate says "hey Bob, yer lookin mighty fine
in them jeans boy." Yikes!
So after all
these years of biased-poorly done-goofy-steroid research, why
does this new study pop up in NEJM and show the reality of moderate
steroid use without all the scare tactics? The answer can be found
in the final paragraph, which states:
"Our
findings do, however, raise the possibility that short term administration
of androgens may have beneficial effects in immobilized patients,
during space travel, and in patients with cancer-related cachexia,
disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or other
chronic wasting disorders."
Space travel? "Space shuttle to mission control, I can't
fit into my space suit anymore, can you send me up an extra-extra
large?" So what's the secret message you ask? The pharmaceutical
industry and political/medical complex have finally realized that
anabolic steroids for use in diseases such as AIDS, cancer, and
others, is a huge untapped market for them. Now that we have a
population that's getting older, there will be a mountain of money
to be made from testosterone replacement therapy and steroids
can reverse many of the ailments we associate with aging, such
as loss of muscle, stamina, and sex drive. What? Gramps can't
get a stiffy anymore?
Give em a
shot of Cypionate once a month! "Here pop's, go shave your
nads and put these little patches on." By the time this article
comes out, the above study will already have been plastered all
over the news and in the news papers. Over the next year or two
you will start seeing additional research (funded by large pharmaceutical
companies) showing steroids to have all sorts of medical uses
(which they do) and that steroids are not the evil liver trashing,
ax murderer producing, scourge they have been made out to be.
Will the legal status change?
It really
depends on how much money there is to be made and how much pressure
the drug companies can bring to bear on law makers as they wave
there shiny new studies showing steroids are not so bad after
all. As usual, bodybuilders and other athletes are left to "walk
the walk" while the medical community, politicians, and researchers
"talk the talk, " as the two sides still can't see eye
to eye. Yes, things are improving in this department, but it will
be quite some time before the experience of athletes, trainers,
and pain in the ass wise guy writers like me, converge with the
conservative medical and scientific communities.
More
Words of Wisdom........Not!
"Athletes
don't need more protein than sedentary people," "we
get all the vitamins we need from our food," "Just eat
more carbohydrates and avoid all fat in your diet if you want
to lose weight," "all steroids in any dosage will make
your liver fall out and turn you into a hypo gonadal ax murderer,"
and finally, "going below parallel when you squat will ruin
your knees" are typical statements made by researchers and
doctors who continue to ignore research to the contrary and clearly
have no real life experience working with athletes. I am sure
you could come up with a few more of these stupid statements that
make us all foam at the mouth with irritation. Though slowly but
surly changing, it is unfortunate that the majority of doctors,
researchers, and nutritionists still believe the above statement(s).
Although there are cutting edge scientists and others in the field
who would totally disagree with the above statements, they are,
unfortunately, in the minority.
For example,
Dr. Lemon, a leading researcher on protein requirements for athletes,
disagrees with the idea that endurance and strength athletes don't
need more protein than Mr. Potato Head, errr... I mean Mr. couch
potato . Linus Pauling, considered one of the greatest scientific
minds who ever lived, spent most of his career trying to convince
the world we would benefit from far higher intakes of many vitamins
(especially vitamin C) than could ever be found in our food. Dr.
Udo Erasmus, the guy who "wrote the book" on fats, would
most definitely disagree with the concept of trying to avoid fats
in our diet for losing weight and improving health. We all know
Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, one of the few doctors with real world knowledge
of steroids, would laugh at the common belief that all steroids
lead to health problems.
Finally, Canadian
Olympic coach Charles Poliquin has written several times that
squatting far bellow parallel is not detrimental to your knees,
provided your form is good and you are fully warmed up. However,
these people, including yours truly, are still fighting an up-hill
battle and are in the minority. The truth can never be suppressed,
it can only be delayed.
Don't Be Anti-science
just 'cause I'm In a Bad Mood!
Of course
the reader of this mean spirited sarcastic little piece should
not be inclined to become anti-science or anti-research. Good
research done by quality scientists is essential to furthering
our understanding of human physiology, biochemistry, nutrition,
or what ever is relevant to bodybuilding, health, or life itself.
However, you have to ask the right questions to get the right
answers, no? Asking the question "does anabolic steroids
increase muscle in humans?" in 1996 is proof positive that
the gap between those that "walk the walk" and those
who "talk the talk" is still wider than the average
American's butt!
About the Author - William D. Brink
Will Brink is a columnist, contributing consultant, and writer
for various health/fitness, medical, and bodybuilding publications.
His articles relating to nutrition, supplements, weight loss,
exercise and medicine can be found in such publications as Lets
Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension
Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only,
Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World
and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
He is the
author of Priming The Anabolic Environment and Weight Loss Nutrients
Revealed. He is the Consulting Sports Nutrition Editor and a monthly
columnist for Physical magazine and an Editor at Large for Power
magazine. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration
in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement,
dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
He has been
co author of several studies relating to sports nutrition and
health found in peer reviewed academic journals, as well as having
commentary published in JAMA. He runs the highly popular web site
BrinkZone.com which is strategically positioned to fulfill the
needs and interests of people with diverse backgrounds and knowledge.
The BrinkZone site has a following with many sports nutrition
enthusiasts, athletes, fitness professionals, scientists, medical
doctors, nutritionists, and interested lay people. William has
been invited to lecture on the benefits of weight training and
nutrition at conventions and symposiums around the U.S. and Canada,
and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs.
William has
worked with athletes ranging from professional bodybuilders, golfers,
fitness contestants, to police and military personnel.
See
Will's ebooks online here:
Muscle
Building Nutrition
A complete guide bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean
muscle
Diet
Supplements Revealed
A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum fat
loss
He can be contacted at: PO Box 812430
Wellesley MA. 02482.
BrinkZone.com
Email: will@brinkzone.com
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