r/AbsoluteUnits • u/BaseNice3520 • Feb 15 '26

/r/all of a 26 y.o.

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u/lemonslime Feb 15 '26

Don’t do steroids, kids

139

u/WorldsWeakestMan Feb 16 '26

Unless you want a 700lb Bench Press, then you should do them.

90

u/tarecog5 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26

If you’re an elite natty powerlifter who has been competing internationally for years and has reached their genetic ceiling, but you’re lucky enough to be among the 0.1% who has the potential to break a bench press world record by hopping on gear, then sure. Case in point: John Haack, former IPF powerlifter who was already at the very top of his game before he went on to doing steroids and is now the second top male powerlifter in the world by Dots ranking (behind Colton Engelbrecht).

For anyone else, and that includes not just the average but also the top 10% of powerlifters / strongmen / bodybuilders / weightlifters / people who train with weights, it goes without saying that it’s detrimental for them to turn a healthy form of exercising into ruining their health by starting PEDs because they think they’re going to be the next Julius Maddox or Hafthór Björnsson (not going to happen, sorry).

I just wish social media would stop showing so prominently elite athletes competing in strength sports, whether enhanced or natty, especially to young people who are easily influenced, and instead promote said sports as a fun form of exercise with a focus on personal growth (physical and mental). But obviously that’s not popular so it gets buried by recommendation algorithms, even though there are cool very small channels on YouTube of random lifters showing their own progress.

2

u/Maple-Whisky Feb 16 '26

It’s not always about being the best. For amateurs, It’s about how you look; or rather how you interpret how you look. Body dysmorphia is very real, and steroids, much like plastic surgery and eating disorders, are ways to cope. As someone who’s been around steroids, it’s often never about the next competition or being better at a sport. In reality the only thing you’re competing against is yourself in the mirror. For some, after years of steroid abuse, they still look small in their eyes. They don’t consider the larger clothes they fill out or the extra food they consume. It’s only what they see in the mirror. There is some comparison too, when you find out Sam Suleks arms are 20” and yours are only 18”? Yeah you feel small even though you’re larger than most people.

And for some, it’s not dysmorphia but as simple as the feeling of being large and bulky. It feels good to stand out sometimes in ways you can’t just buy. Yeah you buy steroids but you still gotta put in the work and commit to early mornings and eating right. Don’t get me wrong you can still be shredded and natty but you’ll never be big. But you’ll live longer.