I have a lot of respect for natural guys. I can't stress that enough. Believe me there's absolutely nothing fun about sticking an inch of steel into your quad or delt. I do it simply to stay competitive. Yes I love how I feel when I'm on, but I wouldn't be on unless I was competing.
PDubb I definitely value your opinion. However, its hard for me to logically respect it unless you're an MD, specifically an endocrinologist, or someone who's been in a position where you're making money off your build/looks or athletic performance.
I'm a health care professional, a critical care RN, and I have degrees in molecular bio and nursing w/ extensive course work in chem and pharmacology through out my post secondary. I've also made tens of thousands of dollars and put myself through university based on my build/looks. I also used to be a bobsledder and 60 m sprinter in my early 20s. I've worked/trained with a large variety of high level athletes as well as male entertainers, bodybuilders, etc. For example my trainer is an IFBB pro. These are people who are making money off their bodies, or competing in a high level athletic/fitness event. Based on talk to these individuals I can safely tell you that the use of anabolics is rampant among their ranks. You do it simply to stay competitive.
I'd say 60-70% of the guys in the male entertainment industry here are on something. We were pretty open with each other about what we use. I have my first bodybuilding comp later this year... I know I'll have to be on as my competition definitely will.
In the end man, its all about the money and status. I can't even imagine what it must be like to be an NFL superstar. The money, the women, the adoring fans and attention... gotta be awesome. Generally speaking, stuff that makes you money off your body or athletic ability is often associated with a lucrative income and life style. Even as a stripper, the amount of money you could make per unit time was crazy. I was averaging $250/stagette... that's in 15-30 minutes of performing. Its all cash all up front. You can do 2-3 stagettes and night on weekends after you come home from work... it'll take up 3-5 hours of your night, but you'll be $500-700 richer for it. Plus its hard not to like living that lifestyle. The combination of easy quick cash, female adulation, social/sexual confidence and swagger was fantastic. I have so many funny stories from my career.
As far as juicing in the pros, I have no doubt that the majority of the NFL is on something at some point in time. The human simply isn't meant to get the shiit kicked out of it like that all the time. As a pro you're gonna need stuff to help you heal, especially as you age. There's many things that are difficult to test for. Its all a matter of timing. Players have experts on hand that can tell them what to take and when to not get caught. I've seen this done w/ sprinters first hand. When there's millions of dollars involved teams will get experts to handle an athlete's enhancement. Many players hire their own trainers, etc.
So in conclusion PDubb, you probably just haven't been around higher level athletes, or competed in higher level power/speed/fitness sports. If you did you'd know how rampant anabolic use really is.
