So the second thing people always ask me after they hear I am a Weightlifter and Coach ( right after they have said "but you're so small") is have you ever taken steroids? Unfortunately there is a certain stigma attached to doing a strength sport, Whether it be Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Crossfit, Weightlifting or Strong man. People will always make some type of a reference to PED's.
I have never taken a PED in my life, and I never will. I could never live with myself if I did. I would never be able to accept any achievement I might have accomplished if I had taken PED. When competing internationally as a Weightlifter you are issued a Doping Control Passport. In your Doping control passport it states all of the times you have been drug tested over the years. Which is usually several times a year, in and out of competition. This makes it very difficult for a weightlifter to take PED's. Sadly there are still many athletes who are willing to take the chance of being banned for life to win a gold medal. Lets take the mind set of an athlete into consideration for a second. In Sydney at the 2000 Olympics they did a survey on the athletes and asked the question. If you could take a pill today that would guarantee you the gold medal tomorrow, but would kill you the next day, would you take it? Over 65% said yes. Thats how much winning means to an athlete. It is everything. I love winning as much as the next athlete, but I prefer living more. So yes, many athletes will look to PED's to give them the advantage over their competitors.
I once asked an Olympic Gold Medalist what he thought about Drugs, his answer was simple " He who has the best Chemists, will always be the best". Out of respect for him I am not going to mention who is but I think his words speak for themselves. Where there are athletes, there will always be those who are looking to give them an edge by illegal means. I find it deplorable that so many professional athletes have come out as having used PED. Their results should be stripped from the record books. As an athlete myself I find what they have done to be an insult to me as a competitor, and a complete an utter disgrace to the integrity of not only themsleves, but to the unity of Sport as a whole. Shame on you, is all I can say.
Do PED's work. Sadly Yes they Do. Are they Dangerous. Yes they Are. I have personally lost friends due to Steroids. I understand why someone would take steroids, I just personally do not think that the rewards outweigh the potential risks. More worrisome is the prevalence of Steroids in High School Athletes today. Younger and younger kids are looking for a jump start to their athletic careers by taking PED's without any thought to the repercussions later on in their lives. The affects of prolonged steroid use are well documented. Your heart, liver and many other internal organs will fail you well before they should. It is simply not worth it.
You can still achieve great things without drugs. It will take you longer, and you will have to work much harder to get there, but thats what makes it so much more rewarding in the end. When you can stand there and say "I did this without drugs".
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