Bodybuilding is an ancient practice dating as far back as ancient Egypt when men would lift stones to increase their muscular strength.

In the modern age, weight lifting competitions were developed in Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In these contests, men would compete on muscular strength and not muscular mass.

Focusing on body muscles started in the 1960s and 1970s. During these times, the use of steroids skyrocketed as the media sensationalized prominent bodybuilders such as Lou Ferrigno, Sergio Oliva, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Currently, statistics show that 54% of competitive bodybuilders use steroids. Unfortunately, ordinary people lack knowledge on the differences between natural bodybuilding and steroid use. Here are some of those differences.

Which One Produces Results?

Steroids increase protein cells in your skeletal muscles. That means you can gain weight more quickly than bodybuilders who build their body naturally. In fact, you do not have to follow a strict diet as natural bodybuilders do. Instead, the steroids produce the proteins you need in your muscles. Moreover, steroid users can train for a longer period than natural bodybuilders can. For example, steroid users can train at the gym six times a week whereas the recommended rate for natural bodybuilders is three times each week.

Which One Is Best?

In truth, your expectations and the results you would get from steroid use are different. For example, you will build a huge body mass as expected but you will age quickly. Remember, steroids change the physical composition of your body meaning that your appearance changes as well. For example, Hafpor J Bjornsson is 28 years old, but you could easily say that he is 35 to 40 years old.

Furthermore, steroid use affects men, women, and adolescents differently. More specifically, adult male users will experience shrinkage in their testicles, possible infertility, reduced sperm count, baldness, and development of breasts. Women will see changes in their menstrual cycle, deepened voices, and growth of facial hair. Adolescents who use these supplements experience accelerated bone maturation.

Differences Between Natural Bodybuilders and Steroid Junkies

Natural bodybuilders look smaller than their steroid counterparts who have the same weight as them. For example, a natural bodybuilder may look like he weighs 180 pounds, but his weight is 160 to 180 pounds. In contrast, a steroid user whose weight is 180 pounds might look like he weighs 220 pounds.

Additionally, natural bodybuilders develop their body proportionately. That means the size of their lower and upper limbs is proportional. That is not the case when it comes to steroid users. Most of them have a V shape. In other words, muscle growth in their upper limbs occurs more rapidly and more thoroughly than it does at their lower limbs.

Finally, you can tell a natural bodybuilder from a steroid user by looking at their stomachs. Normally, the latter one has a distended stomach. The cause of this problem is the growth of organs in the body as they react to increased steroid use. Their distended stomach is a sign of enlarged intestinal organs pushing against their abdominal walls.

Our Final Opinion

Therefore, you should build muscle through natural means because doing so does not lead to adverse effects on your body. More importantly, natural bodybuilding gives you the best physique possible. You should not suffer from the un-favorable effects of steroid use because you want to get ripped.

About The Author

Going to the gym is the easy, but understand how exercise and diet impacts your body and overall results can be something entirely different. That's why turbobulk.com was founded, to give visitors advice and guidance on getting the most from their training. There is also a focus on being more natural which is why you can articles reviewing legal steroid alternatives like Best Steroids for Bulking. Visit the site to read more.