Thanks for the welcome, all!
saccade - I hold a nidan in Isshin-ryu Okinawan Karate as well, but have never been put in a situation where I had to use it. I train in Karate just so that my muscles and tendons don't stiffen up on me, I've seen 260lb guys have to turn almost 3/4 of the way around to get a paper napkin in the bathroom, and I don't want that to be me.
Curious that you think heroin, which can not only kill you with one bad shot, but makes the user drowsy, lethargic, and unmotivated to be an acceptable substitute for the " mental fortitude you are required to form in order to excel in any physical sport/event/whatever", but you frown on hormones, which can certainly cause problems if they are used in huge dosages, or non stop year around, or without a proper post cycle regimen, but have yet to kill a fraction of the people heroin has.
It's an odd argument, to say the least, considering that bodybuilding requires more self-discipline than any other sport I can think of. 99% of real bodybuilders (not just gym-rats who want to pump up a little for the babes) will tell anyone who asks that they should reach their maximum possible natural physique (on average five years of natural bodybuilding) before even considering the use of Anabolic / Androgenic Steroids, and that if they do decide to try a cycle, to read everything they can get their hands on first, and if possible, talk to an experienced user, perhaps even have that user plan the cycle for them.
As far as the really far out stuff like Human Growth Hormone, or Insulin-like Growth Factor One, or Synthol (an oil some bodybuilders inject into weak body parts), or EPO...With the exception of Synthol most folks can't afford it, and even if they do manage to save the thousands of dollars required to procure legitimate product, there are very few of them who have the discipline to read enough about the endocrine system and how all of these appearance / performance enhancing drugs should be used in synergy to make them worth the money.
For my money, anyone can jab some heroin or toss a few Hydr@c@d@ne down their throat and take a punch, but I damn sure wouldn't want to be lying on a bench with 325lb on the bar with my head in Pink Floyd Land, spotters or no.
Personally I don't know any bodybuilders who've succumbed to "roid rage", but I have seen a few powerlifters with 100mg of Methyltestosterone, 50mg of Halotestin, 600mg of Trenbolone, and a gram of Testosterone Propionate do some serious damage to a bar after a meet.
Good on you for taking down those guys on steroids, cocaine, and alcohol - I absolutely agree with you that is a terrible combination. If you care to, you can see a few of my typical days in my "my stats" post in the "All about steroids section", I think its more representative of a typical serious bodybuilder's week than your perception of it.
Namaste,
Zottman
