Some Howard County students have been faced with an unexpected temptation this school year; steroids. With steroids being more accessible than ever and students being more interested in the gym, steroids have become a topic many students talk about and consider taking.
Steroids offer gym goers the opportunity to artificially enhance their physique by increasing their testosterone levels. Steroids available to lifters include Halo, Dbol, Virilon, Cheque and Drol.
Students need to be informed of the potential health risks that come with steroid use. Many students have expressed interest in steroids due to the increasing popularity in gym use recently.
“I think it is a good thing that students are talking about steroids. They can learn about the harmful side effects through research and discussion,” basketball coach Mr. Willingham remarked.
With steroids being more accessible and usage being at an all time high, they are being studied more. This research is easily available on the internet and in many highly regarded journals like the Mayo Clinic.
Steroids may seem like an easy way to increase gains, but they come with serious side effects. The effects include acne, weight gain, mood swings, hair loss, liver damage, high blood sugar and diabetes. One of, if not the biggest concern of steroids is that after many cycles of testosterone boosting supplements, the body’s natural production of testosterone is decreased.
There are many controversies surrounding the usage of steroids in the sports community. Many sports including football, weight lifting and wrestling all have issues with their athletes using performance enhancing drugs. With many Marriotts Ridge athletes continuing their sports careers in college, it is important to understand that there is a greater exposure risk to steroids around college athletics.
“When I played college football, I had teammates who used steroids. Although I never took them myself, it wasn’t difficult to get your hands on steroids if you were a college athlete,”recalled Mr. Willingham.
Nowadays students have been greatly affected by social media and influencers who have perfect genetics but also commonly use steroids. Students wanting to look like these influencers is what started the fitness craze online. Many students who started in the gym, quickly began to realize results take years to build without a shortcut.
“I have always wanted to be bigger than I am, but I’m so skinny I can’t seem to put on any weight. I was heavily considering steroids but after doing research decided not to,” senior Michael Machiran stated.
Many students have similar experiences but are unaware of the harmful effects steroids have on the body. Understanding the amount of time and dedication it takes to change one’s appearance without steroids is sometimes a hard pill to swallow. For example, for most people will only be able to build around eight pounds of muscle in a year. Building a physique like most influencers today would take years.
Steroids can definitely help build your physique and strength but the side effects don’t outweigh the results. There are alternatives to increasing mass and strength naturally, such as bulking techniques and other natural supplements like protein powder and creatine. Understanding the dangers of steroids is more important this year as many students will be attending college next year. Knowing the dangers will ensure proper exercise and nutrition routines.