As requested... Another interview

[ptbyjason]

The State of Competitive Bodybuilding

The Most Shocking
Bodybuilding Interview Ever

(IRONMAN, February '97)

by Steve Holman

Warning: This is an extremely controversial interview. To be honest, we
almost decided not to print it; however, because IRONMAN has always been an
open forum, going to great lengths to tell the whole truth, we felt it was
our responsibility to the sport and to you, the reader, to allow this
athlete to speak his mind. It took a lot of courage for this man to stand
up and tell it like it is, and we are keeping him anonymous to protect his
status as a professional bodybuilder. We¹re inserting [blanks] in place of
names to help protect his identity‹no process of elimination to narrow down
the field‹and also in place of drug names, so drug-using bodybuilders don¹t
get any inadvertent ³help² with their drug programs. Keep in mind that we
paid this man nothing because we feel money can only corrupt the
information. When people are paid a high sum, they feel as if they have to
give the interviewer his or her money¹s worth, and that can result in
exaggeration. As you read this, remember that this athlete came to us
because, like us, he loves bodybuilding and wants to see it prosper, not
die a painful drug-induced death. Fasten your seatbelts. This dose of
reality is going to open your eyes like nothing ever printed in this or any
other bodybuilding magazine.

IM: You want to get some things off your chest. You have the bodybuilding
world's ear. What is it you want to talk about?

BB: Well, you know, most of the things nobody wants to talk about. I want
to let everybody know how it really is.

IM: How it is with the drugs?

BB: Damn right!

IM: You're having to take too many, correct?

BB: Way too many, man.

IM: What kind of drug bill are we talking about?

BB: Well, growth hormone alone costs you $30,000 a year.

IM: Good lord!

BB: And steroids , that's not a really big problem. I use a lot, but you can
get it cheap. Mostly you gotta pay people to tell you how to use them. The
growth hormone, IGF-IŠ.

IM: And just the thought of putting all that in your body all at one time -
‹that's gotta take its toll on you mentally too.

BB: Well, I don't mind a little bit, because I do like big arms, big back,
big chest and legs and everything. But when it comes to the point where I'm
as big as I want to get‹ . . .

IM: They tell you that you have to get bigger, right?

BB: Yeah, I don't have a choice. I'm gonna be bigger. Next year you're
going to see me 24 pounds heavier. You know it¹s the whole mind-set that
you gotta get bigger and sacrifice your shape. I may not like the way my
back looks. I mean, I've got improvements to make, obviously. But those
things come with time. Maturing into a physique is nice, but they want a
monster.

IM: Do you think it can ever stop? I mean, if people keep getting bigger,
what's going to happen to the sport?

BB: Well, the sport is already‹ . . .

IM: Out of control?

BB: Yeah. It's an underground sport. It's [a cult that] likes to see the
freaky mass monsters.... They really don't care. They just say, Whatever it
takes to do that, that's what we want to see. But I think a lot of people
want to see something that's somewhat attainable.

IM: Do you think the size of the competitors has caused the people to be a
little blasé about it all? Like: Well, they're just going to have to do
what it takes. We don't care; if they die, they die. We want to see 'em
bigger, and we want to see 'em better.

BB: That¹s right. They want us to do it, and the judges want to see
something bigger. In order for us to make a living and live our dreams, we
gotta do whatever it takes, you know? You got guys like [blank, a
bodybuilding columnist for another magazine] saying, "Well, nobody's making
you." I guess nobody is, but a lot of us [have] this dream of being the
best of the built.

IM: Absolutely. And it's a performance thing too. It's gratifying to be on
stage. What do you think is a solution here? Do you think there is one at
this point?

BB: Well, it's hard to say. Once you've seen extreme physique development,
how are you going to train the eye of the audience to accept something
less? You can practically see [some of these guys'] lungs when they do rear
lat spreads. You just gotta accept something less. By the way, before I go
on, let me tell you right now, there's a lot of things in your hands.

IM: I understand. Your identity is completely confidential, I promise you
that. We'll just say you're a top pro. That's all.

BB: Right. Okay. Ask anything.

IM: Do you think part of the solution is for the judges to start rewarding
a more aesthetic physique?

BB: That would be the only way the sport would go into a positive
direction. Like Bob Paris.Š

IM: Right, if Bob Paris came back. I think the problem is you have to have
an eye for that type of physique, and the general public and most
bodybuilding fans don't have it, so they look at size as the top criterion
for victory.

BB: I think there¹s a certain presence, an aura to a really complete
physique like Lee Labrada's, rather than someone who's just grotesque.

IM: Getting back to the whole drug thing, do you have to stay on the drugs
year-round?

BB: Yes. I haven't gone off at all for years.

IM: You have to inject, what, three to four times a week?

BB: Every day.

IM: Every day you have to inject something into your body?

BB: Yeah. Every day. Let me go over my stack. [He rattles off a list of
injectibles and orals that's so long, my jaw hits the desk.]

IM: This is just off-season?

BB: Yeah. And of course I like to use [blank] that blocks estrogen and also
increases testosterone levels .

Also [blank] four times a day in the off-season to allow me to eat more
calories. I also take half a tablet of [blank], which works better
synergistically with growth hormone. Six weeks or so out I start taking
some [blank] to stop some of the gyno. I did have to have it removed a few
years back, but it kind of flares up now and then. And I use [blank] to
take some of the water out. And [every so often] I switch from the heavy
androgens to the lighter anabolics, like [blank and blank], 300 milligrams
every other day. Let's see, [blank], 200 milligrams a day. That helps you
harden up your physique, increase your vascularity. I take some [blank],
which helps me harden, and I keep my insulin the same and my growth hormone
the same.

IM: Whew! Quite a laundry list!

BB: Well, you know there's also many other things, like [blank], which
keeps my gonadal system up and [blank] to boost my testosteone to make sure
I don't atrophy down there. Also, anti-estrogens and other compound factors
to combat the many side effects that I get.

IM: Have you ever noticed any serious health problems that you think are
related to this?

BB: I piss a lot of blood come contest time.

IM: But in the off-season you feel pretty decent, even though you're taking
all that stuff?

BB: Well, recently I started getting blood tests every two months.

IM: How about cholesterol count, blood pressure and so forth? All that's
pretty normal?

BB: No, everything is high. My blood pressure gets really high, and that
must be watched, especially when I take stimulants.

IM: It sounds as if you're on pins and needles a lot of the time.

BB: If you gotta do it, you got no choice. You want to make a living in
this sport, that¹s what you gotta do.

IM: Race cars keep going faster and faster and there are more crashes, but
the drivers keep doing it, right? What do you think your total drug bill is
for the year?

BB: About $60,000, but it's going to be higher next year. Just this last
year I had to add [blank]. Right now it's the number-one bodybuilding
"supplement" in the competition ring. All these guys you see getting
bigger, it's that. No question. Two years ago . . . I don't want to take
nothing from [blank], really nice guy, nice family man, but physiquewise he
was flat as a pancake. Now he's bigger, 20 to 30 pounds heavier. It's all
[from this stuff]. [Blank] is heavy on it. Of course, we all are. I'm
scared shitless.

IM: Are you guys pretty frank with each other about what you're taking?

BB: Only with friends. I mean, I get questions in the gym all the time, and
I tell them I take [a popular protein powder]! Yeah, we talk.

IM: You don't feel you need to keep secrets and maintain an edge?

BB: There are no secrets. There's one guy out there - I won't mention his
name‹ - he's a top pro who helps out the other pros with their [blank]
'cause we don't know how to do it, so we go to him. He helps us out.

IM: I know the old-timers say there's no camaraderie in the sport anymore.

BB: Oh, there's some. But the only thing we talk about is‹ . . .

IM: Drugs and training.

BB: We don't talk about training, because most of the guys‹ . . .

IM: All train alike?

BB: Well, yeah. We don't train that hard. [Most of the guys] are half
asleep when they [work out].

IM: So it's mostly just the drugs. The top guys really don't have an
inkling how to train without them. Do you think most of the top 10 guys are
taking pretty much the same thing then?

BB: Yeah, they're all jabbing themselves just as much, but I think
[winning] has to do with your estrogen levels and your normal testosterone
levels, your receptor abilities and things like that. You know, it's a
genetic thing. Some people are more susceptible to steroids. Five
milligrams might hit me differently than it might hit you.

IM: I asked you this earlier, and I know you said you think that it's just
all part of the game, but aren't you afraid that this will catch up with
you later in life?

BB: I am. I don't think I'll be able to have children. My doctor told me my
sperm count is way too low. And my thyroid [is blown out].

IM: Do you feel that the sport indirectly promotes the whole drug thing?

BB: Yeah, but then you have people saying that nobody makes us. But this is
our childhood dream. This is something we want to do, and for the most part
we don't have other jobs.

IM: Do you think this drug test they had at the Olympia was a step in the
right direction?

BB: It was a step in the right direction for the sport and probably a step
in the wrong direction for people's careers because I know four people who
[should have] tested positive. But we can beat the drug tests. Next year if
they want to get diuretics, that's fine. We'll use plasmics. It's fairly
simple. There's always exotic steroidsŠ. "Let's change some molecule on the
17th position, and it can't be detected." [Blank] still can't be detected.

IM: This is the most eye-opening interview I've ever had. I appreciate your
opening up to me.

BB: You're welcome. It could be because I'm very low on carbohydrates.

IM: And you're pissed off.

BB: Yeah, you know the diuretic scene is very difficult. I'm back there
with my I.V. bag and heart monitor. It's just the situation. You take a
person and put him into a lab in a freak science experiment. Then you throw
him on stage, and you take him off to pump blood back into him. Is that a
sport? The training is pretty much beaten to death. In fact, your magazine
for the natural athletes is what I recommend. Professional bodybuilding [is
about] drugs. Of course, there's abuse in every professional sport‹ -
boxing, basketball, baseball, football.

IM: How long do you think you can keep at it? I mean at this pace?

BB: Well I've been on forŠ - oh God.Š I'll tell you right now, if anybody's
going to die next, it's going to be [blank]. He's too old to be messing
with [junk] like that. His pancreas I don't think is too good. There's a
look that you get. I can see it. [Blank, a top pro] is very ill. I
understand what he wants to do for the sport, and he can do some great
things, but he's dying and every contest he loses is a blow to him. He's
killing himself literally because he wants to make this sport better.
Eventually he's either going to win the contest or he's going to die.

IM: He's really playing Russian roulette?

BB: Yeah, he was using [blank] before any of us. I prefer his look back [a
few years]. He wasn't big but aesthetic‹a pleasing physique. Something a
kid would look at and say, Hey, I would like to look like that. Now he
should be concentrating more on certain bodyparts, but instead his body is
getting bigger, his stomach, his head, everything.

IM: It's a scary look. Yes, the body's getting bigger, but all the internal
organs are getting large, bloated.

BB: They should have a contest for the biggest growth-hormone gut.

IM: Got anything else you want to get off your chest?

BB: Yeah, you know I have a hard time thinking because of all the things
I'm on now. But they don't talk about how much drug [abuse] there is. And
it's not just the steroids. We've got to use speed and stuff like that. We
have to use a lot of diuretics, things that aren't too healthy, and they
don't feel good. Lots of guys are using cocaine‹ - not just because they
like it, but it helps you get cut up, it helps you not eat. With drugs
there's use and abuse. But at our level I feel we're getting exploited, you
know? They pump us full of drugs . . . or we pump ourselves full of drugs
to make ourselves look like freaks, and we get on stage and that's our job.
But we don't get paid hardly anything. The guy who uses our pictures, the
supplement companies, make all the money, and they don't give us nothing.
If it wasn't for our picture, they wouldn't have nothing to promote.

IM: Yeah, and you gotta keep risking your life to try to make a few bucks
winning a show.

BB: I'll tell you what: [Some] of the guys, like [blank], are gay
prostitutes.

IM: Think so?

BB: I know so. That¹s how they can afford all those drugs. That's definite.
Of course [certain people in] the gay community are going to walk up and
say, Hey, we'll give you so much to have sex. That's just like a straight
guy walking up to Cindy Crawford and saying it. But for us it's a way to
make a good $10,000 a month. It helps with our drug bill and sometimes they
just give us drugs for the act.

IM: When you think about it, you guys can't make much money.

BB: There's not much money in the contracts. Especially with the drugs, the
living, the food. You have to sacrifice your‹ . . .

IM: Integrity?

BB: Yeah, your integrity, your pride. It's all a sacrifice. The drugs, the
prostitution. These guys don't want to do that. They have to look in the
mirror. They know they're sacrificing what makes them a man. And all this
crap you see about carb loading and sodium. Bunch of shit.

IM: So you don't think they actually do sodium loading? It's all just
drugs?

BB: Precontest every once in a while you catch a guy in McDonald's or
eating pizza. You can do that kind of thing‹ . . . of course, in
moderation.

IM: But you¹re a pretty heavy supplement user?

BB: I don't use supplements at all! No vitamins, nothing.

IM: You don't think that vitamins and minerals would help protect you
somewhat from all the drugs?

BB: Yeah, but‹ . . .

IM: You've got put your money where it's going to be the most effective,
right? On drugs.

BB: Right. I'd like to see a $1 million prize [for a bodybuilding contest].
That's something else that would help the sport. If there's a decent amount
of money in there, it would be something people would watch. Unfortunately,
I think people want to see the freaks at this point. Really big mothers up
there. It's like you said, you really can't go backwards. I guess you have
to let [it] self-destruct and see what happens.

IM: I don't want to see any of you guys die.

BB: We will. I guarantee you. You're going to see lots of guys dying in the
next few years.

IM: I hope the drug test is a step in the right direction, and maybe
they'll start judging for more aesthetic physiques. If they did backtrack
to more of the Bob Paris look, I think it would help.

BB: Is that ever going to happen?

IM: How much longer do you think you're going to go on with it?

BB: Till I reach my goal. Or it beats me.

IM: Have you ever experienced any kind of depression or rage?

BB: Oh, yeah. Beaten many people - Šgot out of hand. I feel bad about that.

IM: Having all that coursing through your system has to do something to you
mentally.

BB: Well, besides that, you feel a lump here, and you feel scared, and you
don't know what's going on.

IM: Do you get checked by a doctor regularly?

BB: I get the blood tests, and he reads it. It's foreign to me. I just ask
how much longer do I have to live, what am I doing wrong?

IM: But he doesn't do any MRIs on you? It's just basically a blood test?

BB: No. He checks my thyroid, sperm count. Of course, I'm never going to be
able to have children.

IM: Perhaps some of this will reverse itself once you‹ . . .

BB: No, I have irreversible damage.

IM: That's really sad.

BB: I think it happened last year. When I upped everything, I shut my
thyroid down. And if I go off the [blank], I'm going to get fat. I'm going
to stay on the stuff permanently. If I go off, I'm going to rebound. None
of these guys go off. It's just nonstop. These guys do what it takes. Don't
you see that they're exploiting us? They're selling us. They're pumping us
up, putting us on stage, throwing us off, and they're collecting the money.
And we¹re back there rolling around in death. In the process they will make
money. Sell ourselves. Sell our souls, and we don't get much. And even if
you take the drugs, it's no guarantee you¹re going to win. You have to have
something going on there. But [the people who run this sport] say, Keep it
going, keep it going. And watch their wallets getting bigger. They don't
care.

IM: But you did say looking like that helps you with women?

BB: That makes it a little worthwhile, but I never had any problem with the
bitches. I got plenty before. Now I'm bigger, so I get a lot more. But you
also get the bad - ‹that includes harassment from the homos. I want to say
for the guys who want to take their physiques to a [higher level], weight
training, eating right and exercising will help you achieve your goals.
What's big to you may be small compared to a pro, but like I said, Lee
Labrada will look huge to a lot of guys. So you can attain your goals, get
bigger, get better with the women, look good. You may not win Mr. Olympia,
but you can still have something to be proud of [without the drugs].
[Competitive bodybuilding, for the most part] is all chemistry. It's
chemical warfare. Andreas Munzer had something we never had. All those
striations and [blank] drugs, but look what it did to him. He died by the
sword. And [blank] pocketed everything Andreas ever did. We have to deal
with the rat race and the counterfeit steroids. All these guys saying,
Yeah, I fell down and broke my arm. That's not true. That's the dealer
breaking their arms because they didn't pay for their shipment of growth
hormone.

IM: You say you go to Mexico for a lot of this stuff?

BB: Yeah, I go to Mexico. The European tour is where most of us get our
drugs. [Switches subjects again] You don't need drug testing. Just a Lee
Labrada. It didn't take a ton [of drugs] to do that. Pick that, and there
you go. All the other guys will have to trim down to look like that. IM: Go
for the aesthetic physique. That¹s one of the big steps they have to take.
By the way, isn¹t there a drug that you can inject directly into the muscle
to blow it up?

BB: Oh, yeah, [blank]. Use that for my peak on my biceps. [Blank] uses it
everywhere - ‹80 to 100 shots. Tell you right now it hurts like hell. But
it's hard to predict. It may look good five days before the show, then it
lumps out and you¹ll get guys with the real lumpy, weird-looking biceps.
This whole sport is about being a bitch. You gotta be a bitch to pay your
bills. You gotta be a bitch to win. That's what it's all about. Total
exploitation. I'd like the athletes to make a little more money. All these
magazines talk about how much Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson make. They
don't talk about how much we make, 'cause it's disgraceful. What am I going
to do? Sell pictures of myself?

IM: Do a lot of the guys sell drugs on the side?

BB: Oh, yeah. I've done that myself. Now it's a lot harder.

IM: So what else? Is there¹s anything you can think of that you¹re really
pissed off about.

BB: Well, I'm pissed off that we have to use this amount of drugs. I was
happier with my physique last year. [They want us] in the 270-pound range.

IM: Don't you think the magazines are a little at fault too?

BB: Yeah, they are. They don't print nothing about the drug regimen.
They're selling fake dreams to kids: Take this protein powder, and you're
going to look like that. And it ain't true. Drugs play a predominant role,
and most of the [champions'] training articles lead to overtraining. You
know that. And unless you're on steroids, you're going to end up unhappy
and lose your dream.

IM: I guess it's a vicious cycle.

BB: The insulin's very dangerous. I'm feeling it right now. I'm getting
real tired, headaches, weakness. I breathe hard. Not a good drug to take.

IM: What's the danger with the insulin? It's a hormone, so what's the big
problem?

BB: You can die right there. I mean, there isn't one of us who hasn't been
in shock. You really don't know.

IM: Have you ever had to go to the hospital because of it?

BB: I've been in the hospital a few times, yeah. They had to use half a bag
of glucose intravenously to keep me going. I didn't have any glucose in my
liver, because I did too much insulin. My brain was starved, and I was
beginning to fall asleep, go into a coma. It's the most painful feeling
you'll ever feel. During that time your mind's going nuts. What am I
getting out of all this? A cover picture? That won't pay the bills. Maybe
they should start giving back to the athletes instead of taking. If they're
gonna make it where we have to be bigger, we should get something out of
it. Golfers make more money than we do. I saw how much they make at these
rodeos too. They collect $50,000 for riding some damn bull. They don't have
to take drugs to do that.

IM: The danger's there for eight seconds, then they're out of there. You
guys have danger all year long.

BB: Yeah it's dangerous.

IM: To say the least.

[Big Al]

holy Shit.

Makes me feel kinda sad.

[Daredevil]

I'm speechless. Don't want BB turning into a freak show.
I value aesthetics, not mass monsters.

[GhostFace]

Daredevil said,
Don't want BB turning into a freak show.
I value aesthetics, not mass monsters.



We are already there...

[Daredevil]

Hmm.. Seems like you're right. Sad.
I'm not opposed to using AS, but nonetheless feel that the positive effects should be greater than the sides.
And those amounts!
I feel sorry for the guy in the interview. Wonder what the BB scene will look like ten years from now...

[Capital X]

This interview is incredible! I see these guys at the shows and they walk around with smiles on their faces and greeting the fans and you would never think that this is what is happening behind the scenes. Don't get me wrong, there are a few guys out there that are real assholes but there are many pros that I have met that have big hearts, I really feel terrible for those guys. Guys like Vince, Gunter and Ronnie. I have met them all and they are ones that stand out to me as really caring about the sport and the fans. I am sure that there are many others out there. But I am in shock at what these guys have to go through to look the way they do. The fact that this pro is on the brink of not being able to have kids is shocking. What man does not dream about having a little guy whom he can teach to become like their father. But one thing I must say, they have the choice to stop at any time. There comes a moment that you must draw the line. What is the cost you are will to pay to acheive your dreams? I will look at the pros with a new respect. I think this article should be standard reading for any amateur or BB fan.

Thanks for opening my eyes.

Capital X

[berry]

dont know how true this article is ,totaly different to lee priests interview,who is telling the truth??any ideas of who this pro is ?gees i havent words to express how i feel right now...

[foreverblast1]

some times we only see the warrior, and forget the person behind the armor... I feel so sad for these guys now.. They started out chasing a dream, and now they are paying for it with their lives...

john

[Psycoswole]

i read this a while back, i think some of this stuff goes on but just like the priest interview its exaggerated, it was more likely a way for the promoter of the website to lure in business.

[steelblazin]

this sucks. i mean, i am chasing the dream too, but i start to wonder where it'll all end. that interview was just too shocking. i meet all the pros and they are very nice guys. then you read things on their health and realize that you are them as well. only in a smaller state. maybe the sport will change by the time i get to that level and BB will grow in popularity with the general public. till then, i will up the ante and beat myself up just to get that certain look. sounds kinda f***ed, but i just step back from the mirror and see what it is that i have yet to build on. i'll never be mr.olympia, but i will be the best of the best as compared to me!

thanks for that article, it opened my eyes quite a bit.

[Tobey]

This is really sad. To say the least, I do beleive that Professional BB should recieve more than they presently get. It really makes one take a second look at what is really important in life and re- evlauleate one's prioties.
IC

[EXCESS]

That interview really opened up my eyes too. Pro bodybuilding is a dying sport, literally. The average person does not respect the sport and I totally understand why. They see it as a juice contest, not a sport based on physical fitness.

[PaPaPumP]

These guys are a dime a dozen. If one falls, another will be ready to take over his spot on the front. It's a shame what these guys do to be considered 'the most muscular man on earth'. For what....a year? You were the most muscular man on earth?? Nope. One day. One fucking day. Not worth it. Period.

[soul shaker]

i disagree ppp, they aren't a dime a dozen, these are the elite and they are knowingly killing themselves. i feel bad for them. i am worried about one day getting cancer, or having a heart attack, these people knowingly accept these realities. it's a shame.
ss

[PaPaPumP]

You want to be elite? Well, if you believe this article then just take a boatload of test, some growth, slin, para, winny, anavar ... and as long your receptors take it...you're gold...right??

[dane26]

wow. i've never really any pro BB'er talk openly like that before. $60,000 a year drug bill? damn

[soul shaker]

ppp, i can introduce you to a guy i know who does all that shit and he will NEVER, EVER come close to even a national show. these guys have something alot don't and i think more people should realize that. they do take a ton of shit, i was never under the illusion that they didn't, but not every juiced out bb will ever have what it takes. just my opinion.
ss

[silverfox]

I have to agree with Soul Shaker on this one, i could take all that gear and then some and still never look or be that size, that is just a fact of life! Is it sad what some of them have done and are doing to themselfs yes of course. But i think it's like any other sport you have guys like one in interview on everything, big doses, and i am sure their are lots you take lesser amounts and do as well or better. Blame has to be placed on Weider i think, he makes sure the freakest guys win, so that is what the rest have to strive for. Then has the gull to a)drug test b) try to tell general public these guys don't use steroids . PPL just are not that stupid. Think back to late 80's bob pairis, Lee Haney, you could look at those guys are say ya, i could look like that or i would like to look like that, very few ppl want to look like a Rhul or some of the other GH gutted monsters. All that said i love the sport and will continue to train hard to reach my goals, and continue to complete.

[jersey juice]

All I gotta say is DAMN!!! Those poor fools, I use, but I wouldn't even daydream about those kind of doses. I use average & I still worry about enlarged heart & shrunken balls. I want kids & want to be around to watch them grow up & have their own kids. Very sad!!

[berry]

i think the guy of the interview is cormier dont you??and maybe talking about flex,the old man could refer to as vince taylor??humm still is a shame,there should be some kind of drug control limit,just enough ,like 600mg a week ,if you dont grow on that well change sport,anyway if you take the weight of there head,ass and gut they would weight end up the same as bodybuilders in the earlie 90,i mean flex was at hes best at 100kg apox and he look great,even coleman is looking better a bit lighter like at the arnold clasic ,so i think we have reached the limit in mass in order to win ,so if these guy take more juice than they should they are pricks,and they will kill them selves,what do you think in having a hight and weight limit??like 5,11 max weight 220pounds at 4 % bodyfat...something has to be done,peace bros

[bigkev]

damn berry, you read my mind. definately cormier. and vince nearly died at the masters o this year. cant say i feel sorry for any of them though. we make decisions in life and accept that there may be cocequences to them. i'd rather be king for a day than nobody for ever. just my opinion.

[berry]

what happened to vince taylor at the masters??

[FLY]

It's very interesting to see the viewpoints of individuals that take AS. I have been working very hard the last couple of years, learning and training and eating. Then recently I start learning about AS and still know the negative side but it still sounds good and would be much easier for someone like me that has the right genetics. I could take what I have and quickly advance in a sport that I have a great deal of interest in, the same way that the pros do it. That's not really what I want though. I've begun to think that the sport will eventually have to take a turn for the better. Maybe I could continue to work really hard and naturally become really big and show that it doesn't have to be all about the drugs. I'd like to ask everyone here if they believe the sport could change and be more real? This is probably not the place to ask such a question, but it seems that most know the harms of AS and what will happen in the future. These guys can't continue to get larger, there has to be a new direction. Could it be possible for a person to naturally get large enough to make everyone notice a true muscular, conditioned physique?

[berry]

nop

[Canes4Ever]

very interesting thread, a big bump for the new guys on the board. Thanks Excess for bringing it back on the "Where do Pro BBer get their gear" thread.

[ECKO 747]

Don't know what to say.... After reading this, I feel not only shocked but depressed... My dream just turned into a nigthmare in one thread. I use to admire all the pros like Flex, Cormier and Ronnie... Now I just feel sorry for them

[Billy Boy]

Boxers get into the ring knowing the odds that they may come out with brain damage,these guys know they have choices as well they don't have to do the drugs or compete however I do feel that BB has moved away from the symentry and general condition of BBers to this sideshow of massive freaks.

The interview is a sad one and I for one never want to see BB move into that direction

[Canes4Ever]

Originally posted by Billy Boy
The interview is a sad one and I for one never want to see BB move into that direction

Sad thing is it did about 10 years ago....it's there and makes a real mockery of itself for the most part.

I am not into that look for the most part, I would like to capture the look of a PartyBoyNYC or at the very most what kdtl61 (new member has). Not huge mass but quality muscle and symetry with attractive look.

[$uperman]

damn.... $ 60,000 a year just on gear. thats more than most people's salary. in a way i feel sorry for the guy in the interview , but he said himself , its just gonna get worse and he'll just have to take more. if he feels this strongly about it then he should take control of his life. it is ashame how this great sport is being shot out of one giant needle...

[Canes4Ever]

Originally posted by $uperman
damn.... $ 60,000 a year just on gear. thats more than most people's salary. in a way i feel sorry for the guy in the interview , but he said himself , its just gonna get worse and he'll just have to take more. if he feels this strongly about it then he should take control of his life. it is ashame how this great sport is being shot out of one giant needle...

It's crazy isn't it....and very very sad !

[$uperman]

yes it is... but i guess thats how strong ones strive for greatness can go. almost to the point where they're killing theirselves chasing a dream. i want to big also , but i care about my health enough not to surpass my limits. i just hate to see some of these fellas hurt themself

[mando]

this article , i don't really know ....sounds abit off , i've talked to the training partner of a top british pro , who won the mr 'o' many times , he's never went overboard like the guy in the article , more like what lee preist said.........

[kaizenro]

I saw something in like a 97 FLEX mag and it qouted the guy as saying you have to be a bitch to win and they said "isn't it a bitch when you break your contract by talking to another companies mag and get caught(by FLEX mag)?"
Maybe it's one of Lee Priest's first interviews. Remember he got shafted a lot(!!!!) during those times. I mean Cormier isn't "freaky", he's got gyno but he'd have to take a lot of gear to get bigger and he does have a kid who is about 5 that was onstage with him in 2000 at his IRONMAN win.
Whoever it was had to be reprimanded big time therefore not having a good career at all or anymore. That's damaging stuff for a company.
I think it's Lee Priest.

[BigDude]

I remember seeing this interview before, and if I'm not wrong, the BBer is Aaron Baker

[6tr6tr]

Bodybuilding needs a Union. Anyone want to take a guess at how much oney Jow Weider makes? Back in 1992 I did a paper on the bodybuilding industry (my teacher didn't like that idea, but I didn't care) and Joe Weider's companies (he owns alot like Schiff, Weider, etc.) were pulling in about $375 million a year. Yep, you heard me right. And that was back in 1992. So explain to me why there's "no money" to pay the bodybuilders, and they only get measely contracts and contest prizes of $100,000 or less. Ridiculous. Without the bodybuilders, he doesn't sell those magazines, clothes, supplements, training equiptment, etc. Sure, the contests themselves don't make a ton, but then Major League Baseball does NOT make most of their money from ticket sales, they make it from endorsement deals, tv, product sales.

Oh, and anyone who doesn't believe me about how much his company makes? Go to your public library and they'll be able to get you those records.

I hope somewhere there is a lawyer willing to help out these bodybuilders.

[palme]

I didnt feel good after reading this.

However they might love the sport but it´s still there choices to do this.

And for Mr Weider his a SOB!

[davelifter]

I'm new here although I've been checking out the board ever since my friend Massive G posted his pics.
I was prompted to register just so I can reply to this thread.
I think that interview is just bullshit. I seem to remember a few years ago that Steve Holman was caught having fabricated an interview such as the one above for Ironman. I suspect this is the fabricated article. I could be wrong, but I just don't believe this is a real interview. If Holman were working as a journalist for any other mainstream publilcation
or broadcast media, he would have been fired. As I see it, (if what I remember is true) he should have been fired from Ironman for doing what he did.

[setsthesun]

i don't know how old this topic is, as i found it through a search engine. I'm still going to answer though.

Is this a real interview or not? I don't think this question is that important. What is important is if the contents are true or not, and they certainly are.

Is it sad? Not really. To all the people who said smth like "this article ruined my dreams", well, you're quite mislead, if not idiotic. Your dreams were idiotic from the start, because if you had the genetics to be a pro in the first place, you wouldn;'t need to read articles like this in order to know what the risks are. This article is an image of PRO bodybuilding. To you, those who wanted to be on that stage, i can tell you you'll never get there, never in a million years. What you can do is create your own image of bodybuilding. Not PRO bodybuilding. But bodybuilding. 20 inch arms are quite easy to get...even over 20 inch arms. 23 inch arms with 4% bodyfat are another story.

DO use steroids . DO eat like a pig. But see where this can take you without killing you. If you look your best with ripped 20 inch arms...then stay there as long as you can. Because what you need to realise is that even if you weighed 320 pounds ripped, chances are most 240 pound prost would look BIGGER than you onstage. If you don't know why, then i don't think you should even be reading this thread.

[Headbussaz]

Call me ignorant but I found the interview hillarious

My favorite part was
BB: Yeah. Every day. Let me go over my stack. [He rattles off a list of injectibles and orals that's so long, my jaw hits the desk.]

[retired]

This interview was conducted in 1997, and how many pros have died or fallen sick since then? A couple? From what this anonymous "pro" is saying, that number should be much much higher.

I don't doubt that there is a tremendous amount of drug abuse in the sport, but I also know that there are a lot of insecure wannabees who would like to paint every athlete with the same brush. Yes, there are irresponsible drug users, but they are the genetically inferior athletes who are trying to compensate for their disadvantages. The true genetic freaks can get away with using a lot less.

Once again, if this interview is accurate, then where are the casualties? And why is this guy keeping his identity a secret? Tom Platz came "clean" during a Flex interview in the late 80's, so surely there is at least one pro who can come forward and put his name to some of the accusations.