The Steroid Nutrition Connection

3J

Super Moderator

There seems to be this mythological idea in the amateur bodybuilding community that the use of steroids only allows for temporary muscle gain. In other words, many mistakenly believe that the gains that you see while using anabolic steroids are temporary and you will lose all the gains in or after post cycle therapy. I couldn’t disagree more. There is a very strong sense of prerequisite in the anabolic community. Feature yourself as an 18 year old kid who wants to use steroids on any anabolic forum and you will see how quickly you will be told to stay away from any and all anabolics. Age, weight, height, current bodyfat, and training history are all factors in whether or not you are ready for the use of anabolics. The reason for such prerequisites is actually very simple. If you cannot get in shape without the use of anabolics, you will never get in shape with the use of it. You see, anabolics are secondary in getting the body you want. They only speed up the process of getting there. They are not some magic pill that you take and look like Arnold (wouldn’t we love that) 12 weeks later. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle and one that many people cannot maintain. Of course if it were easy everyone would be doing it looking like they were ready for the cover of some muscle magazine. But it isn’t easy, its actually very hard to get into and stay in shape. Our society has brought this unsurmountable pressure upon each and every one of us to fit this “cookie-cutter” look of abs and muscles. It follows that many people want to take the easy road out and try to fast track their progress to a beautiful body.

So why do so many people fail? Its actually very simple in words, but a world apart on application. There is a sensitive balance that has to be kept between your diet and training in order to reach your goals. Its easy for most people to walk into a gym and, for the lack of better words, get somewhat of a workout in with decent form just by using machines or even hiring a trainer. That’s not the hard part at all. The difficulty, especially with the American population, comes with the diet. Nutrition is going to be the beginning and end of what you make of your time in the gym progress wise. There seems to be a lack of basic principle understanding when it comes down to nutrition and bodybuilding. We have it backwards. Many think if they hit the gym they will see results. Have you ever gone to the gym and see the guy that has been working out for a year and hasn’t made any changes? Do you ever wonder why that person isn’t making progress? Could it be his training methods? He is in there pumping iron 6 days a week like he was an IFBB pro but yet the change isn’t there. There is a saying that I came up with years ago to explain the scenario I have describe above: YOU CANT OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET!!

If your training is even half ass correct, your diet will be the main contributing factor in your progress. Yet, people are just not educated enough in nutrition to understand how to correctly set up their diets for progress and growth. It is this one main factor in all of the bodybuilding world that has brought upon the myth which states you cant keep your gains when you do a cycle. No, its not that you cant keep your gains, its that you want something from nothing. Let me explain, there is a basic law in physics that stats that mass cannot get heavier without the addition of mass and mass cannot get lighter without the taking away of mass. In our macro world, that’s a truth that has to be followed. These guys who fall victim to the myth do so because they are not following that fundamental law. They hop on a cycle, eat 2000 calories a day, bloat up due to increased estrogen and a false sense of having “gained muscle” and then lose it all in pct because their hormones and returned to a normal state and the bloat is gone. How disappointed must you feel when you have dedicated your life to the cycle and have nothing to show for it? There is no stronger connection in the bodybuilding world than the one between your diet and your progress. I cannot put enough of an emphasis on that truth. If you want to gain 30lbs and keep it, you have to eat like you are 30lbs heavier. If you want to lose weight and come down 20lbs, you have to eat less than what you burn. The basic principle of dieting is calories in vs. calories out. Though its not as simple as that (as some IIFYM practitioners may say), that is the fundamental law of nutrition.

So why fall into the trap? Why become a statistic of failure? Doing a bit of research, asking a vet for advice, or even putting your hard earned money towards a sports nutritionist before a trainer or a cycle will do far more for you in the long run. There has to be this shift in thinking in the bodybuilding world from iron to food. Food is the most anabolic thing on this planet. Why not use it to your full advantage. If you don’t, I promise you wont get anywhere with your goals or at the least you wont do it in an optimal way.


I hope this has shed a little light on your path to your goals.. keep in mind its always diet first..



If interested in getting your diet set up professionally, please feel free to contact me at 3jsdiet.com or 3jdiet@gmail.com to become a client.
 
How long till its Sticky? :)

So much more than just this community needs to read this article. America is so fat and close minded.. the majority of people will look to every fancy supplement or training routine before they will ever consider changing what they eat. It's probably one of my biggest pet peeves.

Great information here, thanks!
 
How long till its Sticky? :)

So much more than just this community needs to read this article. America is so fat and close minded.. the majority of people will look to every fancy supplement or training routine before they will ever consider changing what they eat. It's probably one of my biggest pet peeves.

Great information here, thanks!

im trying to keep the sticky portion of the anabolic section as free and clear as possible.. so i post these up every once in a while.. believe it or not most people skip the sticky portion
 
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Excellent Article 3j! Thank you and hopefully people read it and listen and understand exactly what you are saying.
 
I'll disagree a little. Even some nattys but especially enhanced lifters can make significant progress with a sloppy diet. But with being said, why would, I -you- however, limit their progress after they've already put in the hard work, and spent the $$$$ on the "supplements" by trying to skate by with a substandard diet.

I, for one, have a hell of a time eating right unless I'm working out. But by hell, if I'm gonna go work my ass off 2 hours a day 4-5 days a week, I want to get the most out of my efforts. Everyone is a little different but I believe a crappy diet can limit your gains by at least 50%.

And...... If your trying to cut fat and keep muscle then your diet becomes even more important, even crucial.
Again..... No confirmed studies just my opinion, and experience
 
I'll disagree a little. Even some nattys but especially enhanced lifters can make significant progress with a sloppy diet. But with being said, why would, I -you- however, limit their progress after they've already put in the hard work, and spent the $$$$ on the "supplements" by trying to skate by with a substandard diet.

I, for one, have a hell of a time eating right unless I'm working out. But by hell, if I'm gonna go work my ass off 2 hours a day 4-5 days a week, I want to get the most out of my efforts. Everyone is a little different but I believe a crappy diet can limit your gains by at least 50%.

And...... If your trying to cut fat and keep muscle then your diet becomes even more important, even crucial.
Again..... No confirmed studies just my opinion, and experience


This, and consider overall health. Good training + bad diet still = poor health. Poor health just takes a while to show itself in many people.
Take for example, the skinny, semi cut individuals. They eat whatever and gain 0 fat and even get more muscular sometimes.. eventually that "eating whatever I want" mentality will lead to serious problems. Typically beginning with bloods pressure problems from excessive sodium consumption or diabetes from pounds and pounds of simple sugars consumed.. I'm sure everyone gets it.
I just wanted to make sure people understand that eating well is not just to look good, and feel good about yourself. It's to actually be good, feel healthy, and perform under strenuous activity like a well oiled machine.
 
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