Taking anabolic androgenic steroids without a medical prescription is considered an act of doping, or taking steroids to enhance one’s performance. Doping is causing concern mostly for sports athletes as they will be disqualified from participating in competitions. In the world of professional bodybuilding, taking anabolic steroids (AAS) is not a serious issue because competitors are judged based on their body size, muscularity, symmetry, conditioning, stage presentation, and postures.
Contest rules against doping depend on the bodybuilding organization holding the competition. While the International Federation of Bodybuilders and Fitness (IBFF) does not dope-test contestants, the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNFB) does so, for the obvious reason that naturality of physique is a major qualification.
This explains why many aspiring and professional bodybuilders are still taking AAS, or at least the supplement version known as legal steroids. Here, performance enhancement is not the main issue. Professional bodybuilders need to supply their bodies with additional testosterone after doing routine intense workouts. Additional testosterone helps in the quick repair and regeneration of muscle tissues and cells.
How do Pro and Amateur Bodybuilders Take Their Steroids?
Most professional bodybuilders have personal physicians who look after them, including giving them prescriptions for AAS; but only under close monitoring and medical supervision. An IFBB pro bodybuilder shared info to Quora forum site members that some pros even take growth hormones and insulin, in addition to a weekly dose of about 5,000-7,000 milligrams of AAS. Apparently, such doses and prescriptions cannot be managed without the care and assistance of a licensed medical professional.
However, according to the IBFF pro, many aspiring bodybuilders tend to binge on legal steroids, in order to attain the desired effect. That is because legal steroids are not the full-body type of AAS; being dietary supplements that contain only minimal measures of the synthetic anabolic androgenic compound. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not ban such supplements, the drug regulator disapproves of its categorization as “legal” steroids.
Legal steroids are now called by sports nutritionists as multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements (MIPS). The International Society of Sports Nutrition Journal describes MIPS as supplements typically containing a blend of natural ingredients, namely: caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, amino acids, and nitric oxide agents.
The regular consumption of MIPS must be in conjunction with periodic resistance training, for the supplements to work effectively in augmenting body composition and physique. Moreover, these pre-workout supplements are considered as relatively safe, but only when manufactured by laboratories who use pharmaceutically graded raw materials.
However, the popularity of MIPS gave rise to the emergence of underground laboratories that produce AAS and MIPS using non-pharma-graded raw materials in unsafe environments. As a result, many bodybuilders find it difficult to achieve the desired effects, or even experience side effects, from taking a supposedly safe pre-workout supplement.
Where Do Pro and Amateur Bodybuilders Buy Their Steroids?
Since fake steroids are now proliferating in markets, AAS and MIPS users are making sure that they are purchasing only from trusted suppliers. One that we know of is CanadaPeds, a highly recommended dealer of MIPS and pharma grade steroids Canada laboratories produced specifically for use by bodybuilders.
CanadaPeds makes it a point to thoroughly vet and research the suppliers of steroid before including them in their huge inventory of brands to recommend to their customers.