How Much Muscle Can You Build With & Without Steroids?
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the limits of natural muscle growth and the impact of steroids on muscle development. The speaker, a natural bodybuilder, shares his 15-year journey gaining 27 pounds of muscle and compares it with scientific studies showing that steroids can triple muscle gains. The video also discusses the potential health risks of steroids and emphasizes the importance of understanding one's body before considering enhancement. It concludes by highlighting the value of genetic potential and the need to assess training advice based on its merit rather than the size of the trainer.
Takeaways
- 💪 Natural muscle growth typically peaks after gaining 20-40 pounds for men and 12-24 pounds for women, with a gradual plateau as genetics limit further gains.
- 🏆 The speaker, a natural bodybuilder, gained 27 pounds of muscle in 15 years without steroids, illustrating a common growth pattern for natural lifters.
- 📈 Optimal natural training involves high-intensity workouts, consistent technique, variety in exercises, and progressive overload with 5-15 sets per muscle group weekly.
- 🥩 A proper diet for muscle growth includes a moderate caloric surplus and sufficient protein intake, about 0.7 grams per pound of body weight.
- 🕵️♂️ Examples of natural bodybuilders like Alex Leonidas and Jeffrey Scofield demonstrate that significant muscle gains are achievable without steroids.
- 🏋️♂️ Historical bodybuilders from the pre-steroid era show that impressive physiques were achievable naturally, though modern training and nutrition have advanced since then.
- 🧪 A study by Boston et al. (1996) showed that steroid use can lead to over three times the muscle gain compared to natural training alone in a controlled 10-week period.
- 🚀 Even without training, a group taking steroids in the study gained significant muscle mass, highlighting the potent effect of anabolic steroids on muscle growth.
- 🤔 The dosage of steroids can greatly influence muscle gains, with higher doses leading to more pronounced results, but also potentially more side effects.
- 💉 High-level competitive bodybuilders may take doses significantly higher than those used in studies, which can lead to extreme muscle gains but also increased health risks.
- 🌟 Genetics play a crucial role in how individuals respond to both natural training and anabolic steroids, with a wide range of outcomes observed among users.
- ⚠️ Steroid use comes with health risks, including heart issues, visual side effects, and the potential for other long-term damage, despite possible mitigation strategies.
Q & A
What is the general muscle gain potential for a natural bodybuilder?
-The script suggests that most natural lifters can expect to gain between 20 to 40 pounds of muscle mass, with faster growth at the beginning and slower growth as they approach their natural genetic limit.
How much muscle did the speaker gain in their first five years of training?
-The speaker gained around 20 pounds of muscle in their first five years of lifting.
What is the average muscle gain for someone training naturally over a decade?
-The speaker has built a total of 27 pounds or 12 kilos of muscle in 15 years of natural training, with a significant portion gained in the first five years.
What are some key training principles for maximizing natural muscle growth?
-To maximize natural muscle growth, one should train hard regularly, approach failure, maintain consistent technique, perform enough training volume (5 to 15 sets per muscle per week), and vary exercises while progressively adding weight or reps over time.
What dietary habits are recommended for someone looking to maximize natural muscle growth?
-A diet with enough calories in a moderate surplus for at least half of the lifting time and sufficient protein intake (at least 0.7 grams per pound of body weight or 1.6 grams per kilo) is recommended.
What are some examples of natural bodybuilders who have maximized their potential?
-Examples given are Alex Leonidas, who put on roughly 40 pounds of muscle in 13 years, and Jeffrey Verity Scofield, who gained about 43 pounds of muscle across 10 years of lifting.
What was the average muscle gain for the group that trained and took steroids in the 1996 study by Boston and colleagues?
-The group that trained and took steroids gained an average of 13.4 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks.
What was the muscle gain for the group that took steroids but did not train in the same study?
-The group that took steroids but did not train still gained an average of 7 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks.
How does the muscle gain from steroids compare to natural training in terms of efficiency?
-The script indicates that the muscle gain from steroids can be more than three times the amount gained by natural training alone, as seen in the 1996 study.
What is the range of steroid dosages taken by high-level competitive bodybuilders according to the anonymous expert?
-The dosages can range from 1,000 milligrams a week up to four to five thousand milligrams a week, depending on the competitive level.
What are some of the potential side effects of using steroids as listed by the National Institute of Health?
-Potential side effects include higher risk of high blood pressure, blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, artery damage, as well as visual side effects like gynecomastia, balding, acne, abscesses, and oily skin.
What is the speaker's stance on the use of steroids for bodybuilding?
-The speaker is not anti-steroid but emphasizes the importance of understanding the benefits and risks associated with their use, suggesting that individuals should maximize their natural potential first before considering the use of steroids.
Why is it suggested to evaluate training advice based on its merits rather than the size of the person giving it?
-The size of a person can be influenced by factors such as steroids and genetics, which do not necessarily reflect the quality of their training advice. Sound reasoning, scientific evidence, and experience should be the basis for evaluating training advice.
What is the significance of the speaker's own experience in the context of the video?
-The speaker's personal experience as a natural bodybuilder winning a gold medal at the Canadian Natural Bodybuilding Nationals serves as a relatable example and lends credibility to the discussion on natural muscle gain potential.
Outlines
🏋️♂️ Natural Muscle Building Potential & Genetics
The speaker, a natural bodybuilder and Canadian Nationals gold medalist, discusses the potential for muscle gain without the use of steroids. Drawing on his 15 years of experience and a genetic predisposition to bodybuilding, he details his own muscle gain progression, highlighting a significant increase in the first five years and a tapering off as he approached his natural limit. He cites studies indicating that men typically reach their natural limit after gaining 20 to 40 pounds of muscle mass, and women after 12 to 24 pounds. The importance of consistent, high-quality training and diet is emphasized, with specific recommendations given for training volume and protein intake. The speaker also provides examples of natural bodybuilders who have maximized their genetic potential, including Alex Leonidas and Jeffrey Verity Scofield, and discusses the historical context of bodybuilding before the advent of steroids.
💊 The Impact of Steroids on Muscle Growth
This section delves into the scientific research on the effects of anabolic steroids on muscle growth. A 1996 study by Boston et al. is highlighted, which compared muscle gains in groups with varying combinations of training and steroid use. The study found that while natural trainees gained 4.4 pounds of muscle in 10 weeks, those using steroids gained an average of 13.4 pounds, even without training. The speaker questions the dosage used in the study, consulting with an expert to understand that 600 milligrams of testosterone per week is a high dose for therapeutic use but moderate to low for competitive bodybuilders. A follow-up study in 2001 is mentioned, which showed a direct correlation between dosage and muscle gain, with the highest dose resulting in an average gain of one pound of muscle per week without training. The section concludes with real-world examples of bodybuilders like Sean Clarita and Chris Bumstead, who have achieved remarkable physiques with and without the use of steroids, emphasizing the role of genetics in responding to anabolic substances.
🧬 Genetics, Steroid Response, and Health Considerations
The final paragraph explores the genetic variability in muscle gain response to both natural training and anabolic steroids. It points out that some individuals, like Chris Bumstead, have shown exceptional natural muscle gains, suggesting a genetic predisposition that could also influence steroid response. The speaker discusses the wide range of outcomes in a 2001 study, where the least responsive individual gained 9 pounds of muscle over 20 weeks, while the most responsive gained 31 pounds. The paragraph also addresses the potential downsides of steroid use, listing several health risks including heart issues, as noted by the National Institute of Health. The speaker advocates for understanding the full implications of using steroids and suggests maximizing natural potential before considering enhancement. The video concludes by cautioning against judging the value of training advice based solely on the physique of the trainer, emphasizing the need for evidence-based evaluation of training methods.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Muscle Building
💡Steroids
💡Natural Bodybuilding
💡Genetic Potential
💡Training Volume
💡Caloric Surplus
💡Protein Intake
💡Anabolic Effects
💡Side Effects
💡Genetics
💡Informed Decision
Highlights
The video discusses the natural muscle growth potential and the impact of steroids on muscle building.
The presenter, a natural bodybuilder, shares his personal experience and growth over 15 years of training without steroids.
An average natural lifter can expect to gain 20 to 40 pounds of muscle mass, with faster growth initially and slower as they approach their genetic limit.
The importance of consistent training and diet to maximize natural muscle growth is emphasized.
Examples of natural bodybuilders, such as Alex Leonidas and Jeffrey Verity Scofield, are provided to illustrate peak natural development.
Historical context is given by examining bodybuilders from the pre-steroid era to highlight the possibility of natural muscularity.
A study by Boston et al. (1996) is referenced to demonstrate the significant muscle gains from steroid use compared to natural training alone.
The dosage of steroids can greatly influence muscle gains, with higher doses leading to more substantial increases.
The video interviews an anabolics expert to understand the range of steroid dosages used in bodybuilding.
A follow-up study from 2001 is mentioned, showing the direct correlation between steroid dosage and muscle mass increase.
Real-world examples of bodybuilders like Sean Clarita and Chris Bumstead illustrate the transformation from natural to enhanced physiques.
The video discusses the genetic differences in muscle gains from both natural training and steroid use.
Steroid side effects from the National Institute of Health are listed, highlighting the health risks associated with their use.
The presenter suggests maximizing natural potential before considering steroid use to make an informed decision.
The video argues against judging the value of training advice based on the size of the trainer, as it may be influenced by steroids and genetics.
The importance of understanding the full impact of steroids, both positive and negative, is stressed for those considering their use.
The video concludes by sharing the presenter's personal surprise at the extent of muscle gains from steroids and encourages further discussion.
Transcripts
in this video I'm going to tell you
exactly how much muscle it's possible to
build naturally and how much muscle it's
possible to build using steroids by
looking at real world examples and
scientific studies let's start with
what's possible naturally now I'm
definitely not the best natural
bodybuilder in the world but I did win a
gold medal at Canadian natural
bodybuilding Nationals so I'll use
myself as an example of a natural
bodybuilder I've been training without
steroids for about 15 years I weigh 160
pounds when I'm lean and 180 pounds when
I'm balked at five foot five inches tall
like most people I put on most of my
muscle in my first five years of lifting
both of my parents were bodybuilders so
I trained pretty hard from the start in
my first five years I gained around 20
pounds of muscle over the next five
years I put on a little more muscle but
not as much only another five pounds or
so then in the next five years after
that it was even less maybe one or two
pounds add it all up and that's 27
pounds or 12 kilos of muscle that I've
built in total and while some people
will build more some people will build
less every natural lifter doing most
things right will experience a similar
growth curve with faster growth at the
beginning and slower growth as they
approach their so-called natural genetic
sealing and research backs this up
studies show that men tend to max out
their natural potential after gaining 20
to 40 pounds or 9 to 18 kilos of muscle
mass and women tend to max out their
natural potential after gaining 12 to 24
pounds of muscle and while I think it is
possible to gradually nudge that ceiling
up with Advanced Training and diet
strategies that nudging will be marginal
now of course in order to max out your
natural potential you need to do things
consistently well with your training and
diet this means that you train hard
regularly approaching failure you
maintain consistent technique you do
enough training Volume 5 to 15 sets per
muscle per week is a good ballpark you
do a variety of exercises and you aim to
add some weight or some reps to those
exercises over time on the diet side of
things you need to eat enough calories
ideally being in a moderate caloric
Surplus for at least half your lifting
time and you need to eat enough protein
ideally eating at least 0.7 grams of
protein per pound of body weight or 1.6
grams per kilo if you do all of this for
five to ten years you'll almost
certainly gain 20 to 40 pounds of muscle
and come pretty close to maximizing your
natural potential and here are a couple
examples of natural bodybuilders that I
think have either reached or very close
to reaching their Peak natural
development this is Alex Leonidas a
fellow YouTuber who put on roughly 40
pounds of muscle in 13 years of lifting
at five foot six inches tall he's 120
pounds in the before photo and 160
pounds in the after photo at a similar
body fat percentage he's also done
several extended bulks where he's got as
high as 200 pounds at around 20 body fat
so it wasn't like those 40 pounds went
on completely lean without ever gaining
any body fat and I've heard Alex argue
that you need to spend some time in a
surplus and at a slightly higher body
fat to maximize your natural muscular
potential as a taller example this is
Jeffrey Verity Scofield another fellow
YouTuber who put on roughly 43 pounds of
muscle across 10 years of lifting at six
feet tall he's 150 pounds in the before
photo and 193 pounds in the after photo
at a similar body fat percentage once
again it's worth mentioning that Jeff
did a series of bulks and cuts getting
up to 224 pounds at his Peak bulk weight
before cutting down to 193. now just in
case there are a few people who think
these examples aren't actually natural
and we're secretly taking steroids to
advance our Fitness careers let's
consider a few two examples of
bodybuilders from the pre-steroid era
anabolic steroids weren't isolated and
synthesized until the early 1930s and
weren't made injectable until 1935 so
any bodybuilder prior to that date
couldn't have been using them and here
are some examples of impressive
bodybuilders from that era who had to be
natural as a matter of historical fact
there were impressive strong men and
strong women from the 1920s and earlier
displaying incredible muscularity and
leanness there were even some
bodybuilders from the 1800s rocking
amazing all-natural physiques but of
course both training and nutrition
methods have improved a lot in the last
hundred years and there are more people
into bodybuilding these days so it's
extremely unlikely that these
pre-steroid era bodybuilders represent
the Pinnacle of what's possible
naturally the best modern natural
bodybuilders achieve even better
development but given the availability
of steroids today there'll always be
some skepticism around their true Natty
status
okay so what do steroids add well let's
start with the science this is one of
the most famous studies on anabolic
steroids by Boston and colleagues from
1996. you may have seen it before they
split 43 subjects into one of four
groups group one didn't train or take
steroids they didn't do anything group
two trained naturally without taking
steroids group 3 trained enhanced they
did take steroids and group four did not
train but still took steroids so there
was a natural group that didn't train a
natural group that did train an enhanced
group that did train and an enhanced
group that didn't train after 10 weeks
these were the findings the group that
didn't train or take steroids
unsurprisingly gained only a negligible
amount of muscle mass nothing
significant the group that trained
naturally gained 4.4 pounds of muscle in
10 weeks not bad at all but here's what
happened to the group that trained and
took steroids they added
13.4 pounds of muscle on average that's
more than three times the amount of
muscle gained by simply injecting 600mg
of testosterone per week everything else
was the same but that's not the craziest
part the group that took steroids and
did not even train they gained ready
seven pounds of muscle in 10 weeks
that's more than one and a half times
the muscle gained by the natural
training group without even training
let's consider the dosing though they
injected 600 milligrams of testosterone
per week which got me wondering if
that'd be considered a high dose or a
low dose by today's bodybuilding
standards to help me answer this
question I spoke with an anonymous
anabolics expert about how much steroids
people actually take in the most famous
studies on this they give people 600
milligrams of testosterone per week
would you consider that a high dose
moderate dose or low dose it depends on
the context of the individual I would
say for an entry level enhanced user it
would be high at 100 milligrams you're
typically looking at what is
representative of therapeutic hormone
replacement as you get to 150 to 200
milligrams per week you're looking at
what is more representative of like some
people call it Sports trt it's kind of
like the fitness industry trt kind of
levels where you are pushing a
borderline super physiologic free test
level perpetually even though your total
T looks normal on paper as you get to
300 plus you're kind of in enhanced
territory now even though you were
already enhanced right before that and
then at 500 to 600 that's entry level
bodybuilder cycle territory I would say
and then to represent what could be seen
at a professional level in the very
competitive ranks you see upwards of at
minimum oftentimes 1 000 milligrams a
week but as high as four to five
thousand milligrams a week per week
you've heard of people doing that I've
seen it that's very helpful thank you so
the 600 milligrams used in that study
would be considered a high dose by trt
standards but is more on the moderate to
low end compared to what many high-level
competitive bodybuilders take and it
turns out that dosing matters a lot in
2001 the same research group did a
follow-up study to see how much muscle
mass changes with different doses of
steroids this time 61 subjects were
given five different doses of
testosterone they injected either 25 50
125 300 or 600 milligrams per week for
20 weeks and this is how much muscle
they gained the lowest dose added just
under one pound of muscle and the amount
of muscle gained increased right
alongside the steroid dosage with the
group taking the biggest dose adding
just about 20 pounds of muscle in 20
weeks that's one pound of muscle per
week on average this isn't the highest
responder this is the average think
about that I might put on one pound of
muscle in the next year if I'm lucky as
a late stage natural these guys put on
one pound of muscle per week by taking
600 milligrams of test oh I guess I
should also mention they didn't lift
weights in this study zero lifting they
just took steroids that's how much of a
difference they can make but again many
ifbb bodybuilders wouldn't even consider
600 milligrams a high dose my anonymous
source told me that he knows competitive
bodybuilders that take five to ten times
that amount so let's take a break from
the studies and have a look at what
steroids actually do in the wild for
this I want to look at two examples Sean
Clarita and Chris Bumstead John Clarita
is the reigning 212 Mr Olympia Champion
but not many people know that before he
began his ifbb pro career he was a
world-class natural bodybuilder in fact
he reached the Pinnacle of what's
possible naturally before ever enhancing
something I strongly respect as a
natural competitor at the wmbf natural
bodybuilding world the most stringently
drug tested event in the world Sean
weighed 130 pounds or 59 kilos on stage
we can assume he was maxing out his
training and nutrition at this time
because come on Harry is repping 900
pounds on the leg press and here he is
training his arms from the same year
this guy has always trained super hard
so based on some rough math and what I
could find on line it looks like he
added something around 20 pounds
naturally going from 110 pounds to 130
pounds at five foot two inches tall then
after reaching the Pinnacle of this
board naturally he started enhancing and
added wait for it another 60 pounds to
his physique that's three times the
amount of muscle that he built naturally
Chris Bumstead is the reigning Mr
Olympia classic physique champion and is
without a doubt one of the greatest
classic bodybuilders of all time Chris
started lifting at the age of 14 when he
weighed 170 pounds or 77 kilos at six
foot one inches tall over the next five
years of Maddie training he grew to be
225 pounds or 102 kilos by the time he
was 19. that's a 55 pound increase in
body weight now of course some people
will argue that Chris wasn't actually
Natty in this after image but I believe
he was here's what he looked like at 17.
he's already bigger than most natural
lifters that I know and we also have
screenshots at the exact day when his
coach said that he started his first
cycle and this image was taken before
that day so it seems most likely to me
that he was natural here now he may have
the best genetics on a planet but
somebody has to be the best by
definition alright so Chris added 55
pounds of muscle naturally after
enhancing he now weighs 264 pounds in
the off season at what looks like a
similar body fat to these previous
images so an extra 40 pounds added in
this case it does look like Chris built
most of his muscle naturally which is
damn impressive that leads me to think
that sebum probably isn't taking a huge
amount of gear and could almost
certainly grow a whole lot more if he
wanted to by simply upping the dose not
that I'm suggesting you do that but I
wanted to include this example because I
think it speaks to the power of genetics
when we look at different people's
results from natural lifting there's a
broad range of responses some people
gain very little muscle others gain a
massive amount of muscle with most
people Landing somewhere in the middle
sebum would be way over here by the way
and just like there are genetic
differences in how you respond to
Natural training there are also genetic
differences in how you respond to
anabolics for example in that 2001 study
the worst responding subject added nine
pounds of muscle in 20 weeks while the
best responding subject added 31 pounds
of muscle in 20 weeks without lifting
this guy gained more muscle in five
months of juicing than I did in 15 years
of Natty training
I'm gonna be sick so based on all this
evidence steroids can easily double or
even triple your gains depending on your
genetics and how much you take again for
natural lifters you're looking at 20 to
40 pounds of muscle gain at a more
moderate dose of steroids most people
are probably looking at another 20 to 40
pounds and then if you're willing to
really crank the dose people with good
genetics could certainly add another 20
to 40 pounds or more on top of that but
while steroids do likely have the
biggest potential impact on how much
muscle you gain they also have the
biggest potential for downsides here's a
list of steroid side effects from the
National Institute of Health the heart
effects alone should give us pause
there's a well-established higher risk
of high blood pressure blood clots heart
attacks stroke and Artery damage and
regular steroid users and there are
often unwanted visual side effects like
gyno balding acne abscesses and oily
looking skin and while it certainly is
possible to mitigate some of these Side
Effects by using moderate and controlled
dosages with regular hormonal monitoring
by a medical doctor you're still taking
a gamble on your health when you decide
to enhance
now this isn't an anti-steroid video I
think people should be allowed to do
whatever they want with their own bodies
as long as they're not hurting others
but I also think it's important that
people actually understand what steroids
really do both good and bad if you're
thinking about enhancing I think it'd be
smart to at least max out your natural
potential first this will force you to
understand your body and force you to
learn how to pull the training and
nutrition levers most effectively for
your physique that knowledge will then
Empower you so you don't feel like you
need anabolics and it'll give you enough
time to really make an informed decision
Natty maxing is usually not possible
until at least 10 years of hard smart
and dedicated training so it'd be smart
to get a decade of lifting under your
belt before you even consider juicing in
my opinion and of course if your goal is
to maximize your health it'd be smart to
stay natural unless a medical
professional recommends hormonal
treatment it's also worth mentioning
that given what we know those steroids
and genetics it just doesn't make sense
to judge the value of someone's training
advice based on how big they are for
example it's fairly common for people to
point to enhanced bodybuilders note how
much bigger they are than other lifters
and use that to imply that their
training methods must be better but of
course they're going to be bigger if
they're on steroids especially if they
also have good genetics that doesn't
mean that their training methods are
better it doesn't mean that their
training methods are worse either it's
just not a valid comparison
should determine whether or not someone
has good training advice based on sound
reasoning that reasoning can come from
scientific evidence or anecdotal
evidence or just years of experience but
we need to evaluate that evidence based
on its own merits not based on the size
of the person giving it anyway I thought
this was a fascinating subject to dig
into and I'm curious if you guys are
surprised by how much of a difference
steroids actually make or if that lines
up with what you already thought I
personally knew that they made a big
difference but some of these numbers
surprise me if I'm being honest all
right that's it for this one guys don't
forget to leave me a thumbs up if you
enjoyed the video subscribe if you
haven't already and I'll see you guys
all here in the next one
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