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What’s the deal with steroids?

Exploring the reality of the hyper-masculine physique.

Means Happy

Oct 14, 2024 — 5 min read

What are steroids?

When we’re talking about steroids, we’re referring to anabolic steroids.

You may hear steroids referred to as roids, gear, sauce, or juice.

They’re a synthetic version of testosterone. Testosterone is the male hormone that we naturally produce. Steroids are the manufactured version of that.

While the power of testosterone has been known for centuries, human trials of a synthetic version – which we now know as steroids – begin in the 1930s. Research continued in the post-war period.

While there are legitimate medical uses for steroids, because of their benefits in building muscle, they soon became associated with gaining an unfair advantage in sports and bodybuilding.

Are steroids legal?

You need to check the laws that apply where you are. In general, it’s probably not illegal to possess steroids, but is illegal to supply steroids.

How common is steroid use?

If you’re talking to gay men who are into their fitness, the use of steroids is surprisingly common.

It’s generally from contacts at the gym that most gay men obtain their steroids.

Do you need steroids to build an impressive physique?

No. Not everyone with an impressive body is using steroids. Muscle bulk and building a lean and strong physique can be achieved with a controlled diet and plenty of resistance training.

Steroids are a way of accelerating the process. It’s a short cut.

What’s the relationship between porn and steroids?

Gay erotica has long celebrated a hyper-masculine physique. The work of Tom of Finland is an obvious example.

Erotica and porn visually articulates the way that the complicated relationship we have with sexuality and masculinity shapes what we find desirable.

In simple terms, gay men seem to have a tendency to associate a muscular and hyper-masculine physique as being desirable – that’s what gets people’s attention, and that’s when we feel validated.

How do you take steroids?

Steroids can be taken as pills, or as a liquid that you inject into your body – usually into the muscle of your butt.

Most guys take steroids as cycles – you take them for a period of weeks, then you come off them to rest your body, and then you begin again.

What are the risks with steroids?

Because it’s generally illegal to supply steroids, you’re obtaining your steroids on the black market – it’s unregulated. There’s no guarantee of what you’re getting.

Different types of steroids can deliver different results.

For example, there are animal or horse steroids – these deliver enormous muscle growth but have huge health risks associated with them.

Before you even contemplate taking steroids, you need to ensure that your body is healthy. You should have a medical check-up to ensure that your liver, heart, and kidneys are all functioning properly. If you’re taking steroids, you should have regular medical check-ups so that you can detect any negative side-effects you may be experiencing as a result of the steroids. Negative side-effects could include liver disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, risk of stroke, water retention, digestive problems, high cholesterol, prostate problems.

If you’re taking medication to manage your HIV, make sure you get advice from your doctor before trying steroids.

When you’re taking steroids, you need to increase the amount of water that you’re drinking – you need to help your body flush out the additional waste products that are being created as a result of steroid use.

When you’re using steroids, you’re likely to have acne-like spots on your back. You may experience permanent hair loss, and you may have difficulty sleeping.

Steroids will mess with your sex drive. At different points of the cycle you may have a higher sex drive, but generally your sex drive will be lower. You may have difficulty maintaining and erection and you may find it difficult to orgasm.

It’s likely that your balls will shrink.

Steroids can be addictive. You are likely to experience mood swings, including outbursts of aggression. Use of steroids may trigger mental health issues, such as depression. Steroids can contribute to body dysmorphia.