Whats the right age to take steroids (GOOD READ)

**D00fy** · 03-29-2002, 12:42 PM

"What is the Right Age to Start Using Steroids ?

By: Brandon Walsh
This article is being published in hopes of reaching some of the younger people, involved in our great sport of body building, reach their goals without making the great mistake of using steroids too early in their long lives. The problem with this is that most young bodybuilders (BBs) cannot grasp the concept of the future and how long the road ahead really is even with the use of steroids. How do you convince a 14 year old that it will take years before he can look like the Pro BB's in the magazines, and that he may never look like that even with all the drugs available in the world. Well that is what I hope to accomplish within this article.

At what age should you be, before you consider using steroids? This question is not as easily answered as you may think it is. You cannot randomly just pick an age and say that this is the point at which you can now start to consider using steroids.

Between the ages of 12 and 26 a male's hormone levels are on a steady rise until the age of 26. This is when these levels slowly start to decline until they are almost nonexistent by the ripe old age of 40.

When puberty starts in males at the age of 12 there is a huge flux in hormonal patterns in the body, which cause the growth of male characteristics, (deepening of the voice, growth of body hair, growth in height, etc.). These hormone levels increase by themselves so much that they can be compared to that of a mild steroid cycle. Therefore trying to add to what the body is doing on its own by adding in exogenous (outside) Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) is very counter productive.

Whenever any extra amount of AAS is added to the body, the body recognizes this extra level through a feedback loop in the human body known as the Hypothalamus. Once the Hypothalamus recognizes the increase in hormones which happens usually between 14 and 21 days, the body will shut off its own production of hormones until these levels decrease, along with increasing hormones to decrease these extra levels in the body (cortisone, estrogen). Cortisone and Estrogen are 2 hormones in the body that BBs do not need any extra. The easiest way to try to explain this without getting to complicated, is that the more AAS you put in your body, the more your body will try to lower those levels. When this happens BBs get all the side effects that are normally associated with AAS use, gynecomastia (growth of fatty tissue underneath the breasts in males), hair loss, kidney damage, liver damage, and high blood pressure, just to name a few).

Before you consider the use of AAS you should have already reached your genetic potential. What is your genetic potential? To figure this out you should first look at the weight, height and build of other members in your family. Is this exact, no, but it is somewhere to start. If every male on both sides of your family is approximately 5'7" and weighs between 150lbs and 170lbs and they are all bald by the age of 25, then it would be a good guess that you will also fall somewhere in those ranges by the time you stop growing. Now with working out and eating correctly for 4 years lets say, you would be able to put on 15 or more pounds of muscle tissue (that would mean you now weigh 165-185 lbs.). This is what your genetic potential would be. Now if you started to use steroids at that point, 165-185 lbs you may be able to put on another 15-20 lbs (180-200lbs). If you had started using when you were 125 lbs., and gained 25lbs through the use of steroids, you would still be well short of what you could have gotten naturally (150lbs as compared to 180-200lbs), and now it will be much harder to try to gain another 30-40lbs.

So for a starting point lets say that you need to be at least 18 years of age before you consider using steroids. Now that we have a starting point, lets look at a few other factors that should be considered. Steroids DO NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM makes up for a good diet and workout program. Most people who use AAS feel that this is the time where they can be a little more relaxed in their workouts and diet. Actually this is when they should be even more strict. So before you can think of using at the age of 18, you will need 3 more solid years of good training and eating habits. Minor changes in diet and workouts can result in great gains in mass and muscle as well as strength.

No matter how much assistance you get from AAS, without proper nutrition and workouts you will be lucky to have any gains at all, let alone keep them after the cycle is over. The goal of using any substance, legal or not should be that after you stop using it you don't loose all of that which you have fought to get. What would be the point of spending all that money (steroids are not free) to gain that 30lbs when you will loose it after the cycle is over anyway?

So the better question to ask instead of when can I take steroids, should be, what can I do to get all that I can out of my body without needing steroids?. In order to calculate my progress, I need to talk with my family and doctors, before I try to make a choice like that.

We will start with the age range of 14-16; this is when your hormones are raging. Your body is in full swing of making the best steroids that you can ever get, and it does all this without you even needing to do a single thing. At this point you should start with a solid exercise plan and a basic supplement plan in addition to the regular food that you need to be eating on a regular basis.

For workouts focus on the basic compound movements (Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, Barbell Curls, etc.) Working out 4 days a week with at least 8 hours of sleep a night is a great start. Add to that the extra protein that you should be taking and you will definitely start seeing a difference in your body. As for supplements, at this point all I would suggest is a good Meal Replacement Shake, multi-vitamin and creatine. Any shake will work, just add 2 shakes a day to the 3 solid meals that you should already be eating. Creatine has more benefits then I could start to explain in this article, but what I can say is that it will help your strength, muscle, speed, and recovery without any negative side effects.

By the age of 16-18 you will have had most of your growth spurts and you will be ready to change a few more things in your overall plan. You workouts can become a little more specialized as you start using different exercises. As for your nutrition program, all that I would think of adding now would be something such as extra glutamine before bed and maybe a ZMA supplement. You still don?t want to take anything that would alter what your body is doing on its own, so using ZMA and glutamine is just what you need.

Somewhere between 18 and 21 you should be just about done growing, so what should you do differently now? Add more protein! You should be getting at the very least, your body weight in grams of protein per day! And that?s at the very least! By now you will have been working out consistently for quite a while and should know your body very well. What will work and what won?t work should be old news. There isn?t really anything new to add to what is already a great program, other than Tribulus and maybe a pre-workout supplement such as Ultimate Orange. After this point, you can start to consider the use of steroids. What about them? Are they as terrible as everyone seems to think they are? As long as they are used correctly, I don?t think so. When considering their use, I feel that orals should be used as late as possible. These are most harmful on the body and therefore should not be used for a very long time.

Another thing to consider, other than the side effects I have already spoken of, is your sex drive. Some AAS will make your sex drive almost nonexistent and will have a big effect on your sperm count. These drugs in particular should try to be avoided. That leaves mild anabolics. Although they are the safest to use, they are expensive, illegal, and require the use of a needle. Which most first time users do not want to use.

I told you that this is not something that should be passed off very easily; you shouldn?t have to make the mistakes that most of us make by using steroids to early in your life. If used correctly, I think they are fine, but look at what it takes in order to use them correctly. Have you been working out for 5 years straight without more the 2 weeks off every 6 weeks? Do you eat every 2-3 hours, 6 times a day without missing a meal? Do you get 8 hours of sleep every night? This is something that can have a huge effect on your body for the rest of your life, so don?t make that choice in 10 minutes. Good luck and keep growing.

Designer Labs President / CEO *

**gettinthere** · 03-29-2002, 01:34 PM

good post, explains a lot and explains it clearly.

**D00fy** · 03-29-2002, 01:37 PM

and it educated me as well

"So for a starting point lets say that you need to be at least 18 years of age before you consider using steroids ."

i am 18 1/2

:P

**Lil D** · 03-29-2002, 06:23 PM

Great post!

**Tankass** · 03-29-2002, 06:26 PM

Good Post Bump!

**mishon1** · 03-29-2002, 06:52 PM

tru words bro but the young ones still goin to use

**D00fy** · 03-29-2002, 06:54 PM

"Somewhere between 18 and 21 you should be just about done growing, so what should you do differently now?"

**jleighty17** · 03-29-2002, 07:01 PM

doofy did u not read the post

**D00fy** · 03-29-2002, 07:10 PM

yah it said add 3more years from age 18

**Socio** · 03-30-2002, 01:19 AM

Everyone is different but at 18 you can grow so much i just turned 19 little bit ago .... and im going through a growing phase which is unbelievable i have seen my self look soo much thicker in the last week and i have gained 1/2" on my arms and lost body fat and im sure ive been training as long if not longer than you Doofy .... advice to you....
train hard , eat lots , eat clean, eat often, rest plenty dont play sports and you will grow ... train to failure now do you finish every set thinking could i have got another rep... if you do your not training hard enough .... i was going to do a cycle in july . and compete next yr IFBB amatuers im unsure about even competing next yr now and unsure about doing a cycle in the near future .... so Doofy it seems u think AAS are magic to your problem ... it will be a short term solution and you may not regret it ... but you wil always have the doubt it only i waited how much more could i have achieved .... im done sorry guys i felt i needed to say this.

**D00fy** · 03-30-2002, 05:00 AM

nah i dont think AAS is magic,i do train hard and eat good....... dont make get into details,tired of argueing

**statuZ** · 09-01-2004, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by Socio

and im going through a growing phase which is unbelievable i have seen my self look soo much thicker in the last week and i have gained 1/2" on my arms and lost body fat and im sure ive been training as long if not longer than you Doofy .... advice to you....

thats great that you put 1/2 an inch on your arms in a week, i wish that was possible but its not. just cause you put "1/2 inch on your arms in the past week" doesnt mean youve beent training longer than doofy.

**ImmmtheIceman** · 09-01-2004, 10:32 PM

1/2 in a week? thats some shyt

**durkheim** · 09-01-2004, 11:50 PM

I juss turned 13 and dis big kid gave me sumfink I fink they called d ballz should I use them?

**KGBnine** · 09-01-2004, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by durkheim

I juss turned 13 and dis big kid gave me sumfink I fink they called d ballz should I use them?

I hope this is a joke, but of not...Do you like your current height?

**KGBnine** · 09-01-2004, 11:57 PM

**** it was a joke

**needmorestrength** · 03-11-2005, 09:48 AM

awsome post bump

**pearljam** · 11-29-2005, 10:39 PM

i think age is irrelevant but a minimum of 18 you all know some of those guys are all done growing by 16 and have a beard at 17 and look 30. a good way to see if u are is to look at the rest of ur family if they are older see what age they stopped growing and changing as for the natural limit this is not a good thing to base it on because it is very hard to tell exactly what ur natural limit would be but get somewaht close.....id say the youngest user can be 20 years with good genes and at least one year of solid research just on AAS

BG · 11-29-2005, 10:47 PM

Its not a matter of finished growing. Your test levels dont begin to drop until 23-25, so you should utilize naturally high levels. Your not the same after AS, I dont care what anyone says, so your better off building a great base , then when test levels naturally start to drop, and you turn to AS you gains will be harder and leaner because of solid of muscle nat. earned. JMO , but wait, get some good mature solid years in the gym under your belt then decide when the time is right. I beleive under 25 is too young, need to reach your genetic peak before AS.

**Reprisal 6** · 11-29-2005, 11:01 PM

I don't agree with the "lets say, add 15 pounds" and now you are at your genetic potential. I think most people could get a lot further than they think they can.
Not only that, but at 18 you haven't matured yet physically. At 18 you can't possibly have had enough years of training to know your "genetic potential"

**Darkness** · 11-29-2005, 11:29 PM

Great post, but youngsters will always be youngsters and thats it. They're young, dumb, and fulla cum... They will make mistakes and then regret it in the future. Maybe then become a politician and bash on steroids for being so bad, when in fact he was the one that F'ed up! True story...wont name the congressman....Oooops I left a hint!

**zircon** · 11-30-2005, 01:21 AM

I think 23-24 is a good middle ground. Ideal is 26-27, but hey, nothing's perfect. I would personally strongly advise against use for someone younger than 21.

**chest6** · 11-30-2005, 01:43 AM

I was planning on starting my first REAL cycle next spring. I f'ed up and did deca /dbol for like 8-9 weeks when i was 17 1/2. I would turn 19 in feb and I planned to start in March. I know what everyone would tell me, and basically it is my decision and I am really starting to think twice and try to gain naturally until I turn 20. As hard as it might seem, I really hope I can do it.

**100%NATURAL-theGH** · 11-30-2005, 01:56 AM

Started at 19 myself... don't regret it a bit.. you grow better when your on period... go for it doofy... your good...

**chest6** · 11-30-2005, 03:25 AM

You dont think it would be a better idea just to wait a year longer? Hell..if worst comes to worst..I just might start next fall so i would be like 19..couple months away from 20

**LatinoPR** · 11-30-2005, 07:47 PM

awesome...!!!

**k_i_l_o_g7** · 02-10-2006, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by statuZ

thats great that you put 1/2 an inch on your arms in a week, i wish that was possible but its not. just cause you put "1/2 inch on your arms in the past week" doesnt mean youve beent training longer than doofy.

1/2 inch is possible.....if you count swell gains lol

**forzajoe1234** · 02-10-2006, 10:16 AM

I think that genetic potential goes much further than just 15 pounds. I'm a hair under 5'11 and i was 133 lbs. I got up to 185 drug free. I trained hard. I did squats, deadlifts and I benched often. I think that people can gain around 50 pounds of muscle or more drug free, but it will take years. It took me almost 10 years of training drug free to achieve those results...now its time for the gear though!

**DEVLDOG** · 02-10-2006, 12:29 PM

I dont like the article.its just an opinion someone has.we all have them.

I was 17 when I started,Im now 35, 6'2" or 3" not really sure and 290+ lbs,there is absolutely no one in my family anywhere near my size.My father is 5'10" Mother 5'6" and skinny,brothers all 6' or smaller and under 200lbs.

kind of blows his theory right out of the water.

**Spyder** · 02-11-2006, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by DEVLDOG

I dont like the article.its just an opinion someone has.we all have them.

I was 17 when I started,Im now 35, 6'2" or 3" not really sure and 290+ lbs,there is absolutely no one in my family anywhere near my size.My father is 5'10" Mother 5'6" and skinny,brothers all 6' or smaller and under 200lbs.

kind of blows his theory right out of the water.

I agree. Although most of the article is great, some of it doesn't really make sense.

**anabolicvenom** · 02-11-2006, 12:25 PM

i watched to an interview with Mat Duvall and he said he gained a full inch on his arms in one day with a all day 12 hr workout !!

**anabolicvenom** · 02-11-2006, 12:26 PM

he could of meant with the pump tho who knows with those BB's

**Prime** · 02-11-2006, 12:38 PM

likw devildog i dont like that article. Lots of speculation and opinion. At 21 most people have not done growing. Maybe growth plates are fused but how do you know if you're endocrine system has fully matured?

**eR0s_05** · 02-11-2006, 12:55 PM

good post bro.... Bump!

**FromTheWimbo** · 02-11-2006, 03:12 PM

I do not totally agree with this post. As stated by some other peeps. I am 6'5 and I was 6'3 by the time I was 18. Funny thing is no one in my imed. family is over 6 foot!

**D00fy** · 03-04-2006, 05:06 AM

i think it was worth it for me to wait til i was 21,i probably posted that when i was 18 or 19 but its definately worth some wait

**stupidhippo** · 03-04-2006, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by Spyder

I agree. Although most of the article is great, some of it doesn't really make sense.

I agree.. there were several points where I disagreed with the author..

**Bigd0g** · 03-04-2006, 05:44 AM

Nice post!

**robbrodenberg** · 05-04-2006, 11:54 PM

dude im 19 almost 20 and ive been lifting for a while with craetine and im stuck at 5'11 160 lbs and i was thinking about roids but everyonw told me no and i eat like 4 cans of tuna a day and 3 solid meals but i dont work out too often but i would if it took roids anyone got anything for me