I remember the first time I ever stepped foot inside a gym. I was a scrawny, rebellious, arrogant teenage boy who thought he knew anything and everything about lifting weights. I would never think to ask for assistance if needed, or for a spot when necessary, as I would only view this as a sign of weakness. Growing up as a kid in the 1980’s, I had idolize the physiques of the major movies stars of the day such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvestor Stallone, and knew that I wanted to one day look just like them. Once I was old enough to start lifting weights, I would steal and read every single bodybuilding magazine that I could find at my local gym to learn how the pro bodybuilders got so damn big. I ate exactly what they claimed to eat and trained exactly how they claimed to train. I even made sure to purchase all the same supplements that they claimed to take. But after 6 months of training, eating and supplementing like a pro bodybuilder, I looked and felt exactly the same.

I didn’t understand. I became frustrated with myself as I assumed that I was doing something wrong. Perhaps I wasn’t training hard enough. Perhaps I wasn’t eating strictly enough. Perhaps I wasn’t taking my supplementation seriously enough. But looking back now, in hindsight, perhaps I wasn’t mature enough. You see, besides from being scrawny, rebellious and arrogant, I was also extremely naive. I just didn’t know how naive I really was (as such is usually the case with people who are naive).

After training and dieting like a pro bodybuilder for an entire year, I got fed up with my lackluster results and decided to give up on my goal to develop the perfect physique. I was no longer enjoying my workouts and I dreaded every single ounce of food that went into my mouth. Despite what many fitness enthusiasts and health freaks will tell you, there really is a limit to how many boiled chicken breasts, cans of dry tuna and pounds upon pounds of yams and sweet potatoes that a person can be expected to consume day in and day out. And I felt as if I had reached my limit for a life time. So I went back to my normal life. I stopped lifting weights and I stopped dieting and started to live like a normal person again. After a few weeks, normal became boring to me. I had no ambition, no goals and had little to no interest in school. At one point, I believe that I actually became depressed. I needed a change. I needed a challenge.

Arnold the Teacher

As I mentioned above, I admired Arnold Schwarzenegger growing up and to this day, very much still do. So when I was throwing out the trash one day and came across his Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding sitting with a stack of other old books outside the garbage bin, you better believe I picked it up and took it home with me. Even though I had given up on the weights, I still had great respect and admiration for Arnold, and part of me was still intrigued to learn how he built his massive physique. Up until this point, the only training and diet knowledge that I had acquired, came from trashy, old bodybuilding magazines and the odd gym rat who didn’t look any more impressive then myself. But a book about working out written by Arnold Schwarzenegger?!?!?!?! Now that had value!

I can honestly say that when it comes to training properly, I learned the majority of my knowledge that I know today about working out from this book. Sure there are some exercises that I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving to a new client, and yes the nutritional advice is extremely outdated, but for the most part, the instructions on how to properly perform the exercises are spot on. This book is well over 600 pages long and I read it front to back in less then 3 days. Arnold had reignited my passion to train. Not only did I learn how to perform exercises correctly, I also learned how to construct and design my own workouts so that I could train more efficiently and more intensely. I started to train like Arnold, I started to eat like Arnold, and after 6 months of doing everything like Arnold……….I still didn’t look like Arnold! I was however extremely pleased with the results that I had achieved though, as I had made significant progress in both my strength and my physique. I figured in another year or two of following Arnold’s advice, I would eventually one day look like or close to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fast forward two decades later and I still don’t look like Arnold, But I look and feel a hell of alot better then I did two decades ago thanks to Arnold.

The Steroid Secret

This is going to sound naive, however I honestly had no idea what steroids were until I entered my early twenties. And this is going to sound even more naive, but I had no idea that all the people who I had idolized and admired growing up in the sports, fitness and acting industries were taking them. I only learned about steroids from talking to other guys at the gym, and even then it was a bit of a taboo subject. Living in a cheap, crowded, run down apartment with two roommates, I barely had enough money for food and living expenses, never mind a computer. Therefore I had little to no access to the internet. So any real understanding that I had learned on the subject of anabolic steroids was just through word of mouth, and from what I had seen and read from outside media sources on the news. Back in the 90s, steroids were viewed by the general public to be addictive and dangerous. Athletes who used steroids were looked upon as “cheaters”. There was a real negative stigma attached to these drugs and because of this, I was afraid to use them. When I had learned that my idols had been taking these drugs, I became frustrated and upset. I felt I had wasted the past 5 years chasing a dream that was not and could never be a reality without the usage of these drugs. I didn’t want to stop training, as going to the gym had become the best part of my day. I just decided that I was going to reset my goals to look the best way that I could naturally rather then strive to look like someone who was enhanced.

Looking back now that I’m older and more educated on the usage of anabolic steroids, I’m no longer afraid of them. I also have a better understanding as to how and why many people choose to use these drugs. When it comes to what I decide to put into my own body I do so using logic and common sense. And I always suggest the same to my own clients, whether they are training naturally or enhanced (and yes, I do work with both). Do your own research, form your own opinion, and do what you believe in and what makes you happy.

Shaming on Steroids 

So do you really need to do steroids and take illegal fat burners to look a certain way? Well that depends on who you are striving to look like? If your goal is to look like an Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime or a top bikini model who just won the Ms Olympia, then the answer is mostly likely going to be yes. If your goal is to add on a little bit of muscle, lose some body fat and become the absolute best version of yourself then the answer is most likely going to be no. Remember, steroids are not the answer to happiness and the reality is that they will only take you so far with your physique. You still have to be willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices needed to get the results you desire, with or without these drugs. And keep in mind that just because someone takes steroids does not mean that he or she is a “cheater”, or that they are going to die of an early death. Steroids don’t kill people. This is a fact. Don’t believe me? Then go ahead and try to find a case where someone died directly due to the usage of steroids. You won’t find one. Also, just because someone takes steroids does not mean that they don’t know how to train and/or diet properly without them to produce results. Take myself for example. I never touched a steroid or supplement for that matter when I was following Arnold’s advice back when I first started lifting. Yet, I still took the advice from Arnold who was an avid steroid user. And that advice worked!

Ignorance is Bliss

Finally, if you don’t know about something then you don’t need to worry about it. If your goal is to be healthy and fit, and take your physique as far as you can naturally then good for you. If your goal is win a national level untested fitness competition and you don’t mind the side effects that can be caused by long term steroid usage, then go for it! Don’t be one to pass judgment on others because of their personal choices. Just because you don’t agree or understand why someone would inject a foreign substance into their body does not give you the right to criticize or shame that person. And if you yourself decide to one day switch over to the so-called “Dark Side” and become an enhanced lifter, then just make sure you educate yourself fully before putting anything into your body so that you are an educated enhanced lifter.

Stay fit, stay motivated and most of all, stay healthy!

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit