Using bodybuilding drugs can be risky. Here’s what users need to do to stay as healthy as possible.
Most people have no business using bodybuilding drugs. It’s just not healthy and it certainly doesn’t help with longevity. But many will do it anyway. Those folks should at least boost their odds by doing the right kind of cardio, taking certain supplements, and avoiding one particular crutch. Take a look.
1. Cardio
Let’s say you decide to use steroids, growth hormone, clenbuterol, SARMs or peptides. Fine, it’s your choice. But you should understand the importance of doing everything possible to minimize the negative impacts on your health.
The two most important things you can do is keep both blood pressure and blood lipids/cholesterol under control. Cardio can go a long way in keeping you healthier for a lot longer.
Low intensity steady-state cardio is good for improving vascular health and lowering blood pressure; intervals can help with cardiac function. It could even increase heart elasticity and potentially help break down scar tissue, both of which would increase cardiac function and decrease the risk of cardiac problems.
You don’t need to do a huge amount either. Even just 20 minutes of steady-state cardio (heart rate of around 110-115 beats per minute) at the beginning or end of your workouts would be helpful. And don’t worry, that’s not enough to prevent protein synthesis from happening. Or take few long walks a week and do HIIT once a week.
2. Health Supplements
Everybody should use health-boosting supplements, but they’re even more important for enhanced lifters. Life or death important.
Many enhanced lifters love to say that steroids and growth hormone are safe when used intelligently. But any foreign substance that changes your physiology can’t NOT have potentially harmful effects. The ironic problem with “smart” use is that the problems may arise more subtly and lead to long term issues that could’ve been prevented early on.
Unless you get frequent blood work done, you don’t have any idea how your blood lipids are, how your cholesterol is, or the amount of liver and kidney stress you’re experiencing. The vast majority of enhanced lifters don’t even measure their blood pressure. These things don’t really have obvious symptoms. That’s why high blood pressure is often called “the silent killer.”
Pretty much all oral PEDs will mess up your lipid profile and cholesterol. And while liver problems aren’t as likely as some people think, most oral steroids really do put a strain on your liver. Heck, even an oral that seems safer, like Anavar, can increase kidney stress, which is much worse than liver stress.
All steroids that cause water retention – Dianabol, Anadrol, testosterone, nandrolone, etc. – will increase blood pressure. This is also true of several SARMs, peptides, and growth hormone. Anything that increases water retention will increase blood pressure. Uncontrolled blood pressure is the most dangerous thing for steroid users.
Most steroids also thicken the blood. This is especially true of Equipoise and Anadrol, but testosterone in “bodybuilding” amounts will also do it. Thicker blood increases blood pressure too, but it also makes the heart work a lot harder to push the blood through the system. This can lead to left ventricle hypertrophy, another potential cause of heart problems.
This isn’t a scare tactic. But if you decide to go the enhanced route, instead of investing your money on supplements that will trigger more muscle growth (you will already get a maximum amount of growth from anabolics) you should invest it in supplements that will help your health.
So what should the enhanced user take? Fish oil (on Amazon), which can reduce blood pressure, decrease blood thickening, and reduce inflammation. Or Micellar Curcumin (on Amazon), which reduces inflammation and can inhibit and even reverse left ventricle hypertrophy. Another option is ubiquinone, which drastically improves cardiac health and function. There are other supplements which can help reduce blood pressure, like celery extracts for example.
The Worst Thing for Steroid Users
If you’re enhanced, the worst thing for you to use are stimulants. Think about it. Your blood pressure might be elevated, your blood might be thicker, and you’re taking a product that spikes blood pressure even more and increases heart rate. That’s a recipe for long term disaster.
