Arnold Before Steroids...

[LawMan018]

I have recently (3 months ago) read a book about Arnold which showed several photos throughout his life. I'm wondering when exactly he did take Steroids, if he ever told anybody... I'm guessing around the time he came to the US but who knows, maybe those big guys in his first gym set him up with some for all I know...

[Polska]

I've heard he started using between 16-18. really young anyway

[LawMan018]

Oh, that sucks... And to think I thought he was natural up until that point...

[big staley]

the arnold book have doesn't say win he started on steroids but it does say he stop when he found out the health risk of steroids i thank it was in the 70s but a thank he was using thin to so it was probably .

[biglouie250]

arnold at 16 looks like a really in shape and solid 22 year old.

[cfiler]

arnold at 16 looks like a really in shape and solid 22 year old.

Yup, there is a pic of Arnold when he was 18, and he was pretty big then. I don't think he was using when he was 16, I think he had most likely just great genetics. Although no-one will really know except for him...

[J-Dogg]

I'm sure he had great genetics it is just too big of a factor in the equation in this game.

[IronReload04]

16 is the number that i have seen floating around.

[TheDfromGC]

probably later in life. he really didnt need them early on, could just rely on his great genetics, probably was benching 225 within the first month of ever training....i would guess once he started preparing for big competitions he got into them...

[chest6]

he started em very early so u may need to find some baby pictures

[Squatman51]

i have this one magazine of him and it shows a bunch of pictures of each age of him and age 17-18 he really isnt anything too special but in the 19 year old pictures he is amazing so i think he took them at 18-19 year old range

[BigJames]

I have seen pics and if I had to guess, based on results and sheer mass I would say he started using something around 16-18 years old. There are pics of him at 16 where he is thick as a house (and standing in water to his knees due to weak calves). At 19 his chest was big enough to balance a frickin glass on. When he came to the US in the late 60's he was about 240 lbs, but smooth and lost his first US show to Zane. He came back the next year lighter and more defined and the rest is history....

Roids? I would say somewhere around 17 yo. I have heard rumours from some guys I know who were training hardcore in the 70's that Dball was popular and was taken like candy. I cannot verify this personnally, but it would explain Arnold's sheer mass and lack of def when he arrived from Europe. I also heard that Arnie only took roids when dieting as he felt that it was the only time he needed the kick.

As mentioned above, only Arnie really knows for sure. I will say this, in order to maintain the training volume he claims to have endured you would need something!