Secret World of Women's Bodybuilding

It is a subculture that involves bulging biceps, protruding veins and never-ending workouts.

And for many of the women who take up the sport, bodybuilding can involve being stared at, whispered about, and insulted to their faces.

"They look at you like you're from outer space or something," says bodybuilder Yvette Williams.

"I remember people sneering and making lewd comments," says another woman. "'What is that? A man or a woman?'"

In the world of female bodybuilding, not only do women spend grueling hours in the gym pumping iron, pushing genetics to the limit, but many pay an even higher price for their 60 seconds on stage: The toll on their bodies can be irreversible, and the subculture can be all-consuming, obsessive and dangerous.

A Consuming World

"It's a horrendous sacrifice to make," says Katie Arnoldi, a former bodybuilder, referring to the hundreds of women who start out with big dreams but end up so desperate to succeed they may turn to performance-enhancing drugs. "But they're doing it."

Arnoldi started bodybuilding when she was 33 to get back in shape after the birth of her second child. But what started out as an innocent exercise plan quickly turned into an obsession as she fell deeper and deeper into the bodybuilding subculture.

"It's the opposite of anorexia," says Arnoldi, who wrote a novel called Chemical Pink about the world she left behind when she quit bodybuilding. "It's a compulsion. It's an obsession. And there is no satisfying that."

"Somehow it becomes an addiction," says Mimi D'Attomo, a former bodybuilder. "It's like an alcoholic."

Drugs That Transform

D'Attomo, who started bodybuilding when she was in her late 20s, became fanatical and her desire to win turned her to drugs. She started mixing chemical cocktails of steroids and diuretics after competing for three years.

"You can train as hard as you can," she says, "but realistically, it's almost impossible to make gains without anabolic steroids, because anabolic steroids help you recuperate so you never really feel the aches and pain."

Many women, she says, mix potentially harmful combinations of insulin, diuretics, human growth hormone, beta blockers, and anti-wasting HIV drugs.

"I feel to be a professional bodybuilder," she says, "you have to be a chemist. You have to know what to mix, what not to mix, or it could kill you."

Women can pay a devastating price for the advantages drugs offer them. The testosterone, for example, can cause disturbing male characteristics.

"They grow facial hair, their vocal chords thicken, their voices drop, they get hair on their chest and back, a woman's clitoris will grow into a male-like appendage," explains Arnoldi. "These bodies become what is normal to you. And then the real world is almost invisible."

D'Attomo knows all too well how that can happen.

"I didn't think I looked weird," she recalls. "It was normal for me … up until I went outside the gym and socialized outside with other people. Then I realized how different I looked. I said, 'Whoa, I'm freaky. I'm a freak.'"

Fortunately for D'Attomo, she stopped using anabolic steroids before the side effects became irreversible, but it took her three years to recover. The hormonal withdrawal caused her to gain 40 pounds, her joints ached and she suffered from depression. But many women who take steroids for too long may never lose the facial hair or deep voice, and may have pregnancy difficulties.

 Arnoldi says industry insiders know what goes on, but the sport is reluctant to test bodybuilders more strictly for anabolic steroids because big bodies draw big bucks.

Sandy Ranalli of the National Physique Committee, an organization for the bodybuilding and fitness industry, also says drug testing can just be too expensive.

"To be honest with you, we're such a small sport, it's just not financially feasible," says Ranalli of testing the athletes for drugs. She says they do, however, try to do random testing occasionally.

Ranalli adds: "There's steroids in every sport … But to say you're not going to get to the competitive level … without anabolic steroids, that itself is false.

The Sexual Subculture

Arnoldi, who says she quit after two years rather than take drugs, says chemical abuse is not the only dark side to the sport. Even more sinister, perhaps, is the strange sexual subculture that exists.

"There is this whole subset of men that would pay a lot of money to have a girl come over, get them in a headlock or wrestle with them," she says. "I've talked to these guys that are very excited by the idea of being overwhelmed by a strong female … by a big muscular female who can physically overpower them."

D'Attomo saw it, too. "I saw a lot of rich men sponsoring big women," she says. "They would pay for their everything in exchange for maybe a whipping."

But not all bodybuilders paint such a bleak picture of the sport.

For Lesa Lewis, a 33-year-old construction worker from Kansas City, bodybuilding is a challenge and a way to look and feel beautiful.

"I love the competitive part," says Lewis, who will vy in the prestigious Ms. Olympia competition this fall. "I love travel for the shows … I love looking in shape and looking fit."

Many women say it can be a liberating or empowering statement. But Arnoldi says despite the positives, the drawbacks remain.

"Nobody is making these girls do this," she says. "This is a choice … I don't see anything changing."

Women on Steroids

Women on steroids, to many those three little words sound ridiculous; for many the idea of women on steroids is nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen. However, when it comes to anabolic steroids we have a topic that is one of the most highly misunderstood and quite often spoken of in a highly disapproving light regardless of who such a discussion pertains to and in that light more often than not inaccurate assumptions are made of a highly inaccurate nature. Many will indeed be surprised to learn women do in-fact supplement with anabolic steroids; sure, we’re all familiar with those who do so of a highly extreme end, those who have sacrificed all femininity for mounds of muscle but the reality does not stop there.

Year after year, every single day many women supplement with anabolic steroids; many of the women highly admired for their beauty who possess a fit and healthy look supplement quite regularly; we’re not speaking of a small number, in-fact we’re speaking of a fairly large number. Many female athletes from all walks of like regularly take part in the anabolic game and for good reason, it works but it remains this is a fact most are not willing to accept. Make no mistake, women on steroids pales in comparison to men who supplement with anabolic hormones but the numbers of female users far extends past what most understand.

There is no doubt about it, anabolic androgenic steroid use can be very damaging to a female but when a woman is educated on the matter and responsible use is implored use can be very successful. For women on steroids the biggest risk is virilization by-which masculine traits are brought forth. For any female this is a horrific end as a large part of our personal identity is connected to our sex and the attributes associated with it; however, this horrific end can largely be avoided.

For years many myths and legends have existed regarding anabolic androgenic steroids and the use thereof but it’s important to remember myths and legends are just that, myths and legends, meaning they are absent of truth. While some of these myths may hold some truth to them in-part unless the full truth is explained the rest of the assumption is either a lie or simple ignorance. Such assumptions can be seen on a host of message boards that deal in the topic of anabolic androgenic steroids; for years many have gone to such message boards to obtain anabolic information and while there is good information on many of them there are often just as many half-truths and inaccurate assumptions. We have taken some of the most common myths and outright lies from some of the most popular message boards on the internet that deal in such discussion regarding women on steroids and left you with only the truth. While you’ll find there is still much more to learn hopefully you’ll find this to not only be an interesting starting point but one that urges you to seek the truth.

Myth: Masculine traits will occur in women on steroids and it’s largely unavoidable.
Truth: While many anabolic androgenic steroids will produce such an effect there are certain steroids that can be used both effectively and safely without such an effect occurring. Most notably is the steroid Oxandrolone or as it is more commonly known Anavar. Most women will find Anavar to not only be highly effective but to possess little to no side-effects whatsoever. Women on steroids who make Anavar a stable part of their plan will find they build a leaner and tighter physique that still possesses all the femininity they began with.

Myth: Women on steroids will gain massive amounts of weight and turn into gigantic piles of muscle.
Truth: For some women such an end is desired and if so then absolutely, it can be obtained. However, anabolic steroid use will not by itself produce this end in a woman any more than it will for a man. This is a common misconception regarding anabolic steroids as a whole but one that is often used to scare women away. In order to be big you have to eat big; steroids or not this is an inescapable fact. Women on steroids who do not follow a mass gaining diet will not blowup into behemoths by any stretch; sure, they may indeed possess more lean muscle tissue but lean muscle tissue is a good thing. Lean tissue not only lends to a healthier body but one that is more appealing; the amounts of such tissue will be highly regulated by the amounts of food you take in but the doses of the steroids will also play a role. Women who are looking for a nice athletic boost in-terms of function or appearance can reach this end through steroid use and take it as far as they want from very slight to very extreme and everywhere in-between.

Myth: Most of the women on steroids are competitive bodybuilders.
Truth: Most of the women on steroids are not competitive bodybuilders at all; however, physique sports do make up a large portion of the total users. Many and by many we mean a whole lot of figure, fitness and bikini competitors of the physique world supplement with anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Such use however by no means ends with physique competition but stretches to non-competitive fitness models to many of the celebrities the world loves and adores to some of the women you find attractive at your local super market who simply enjoy working out. There is a very good reason many women are able to hold onto a more youthful appeal and maintain a more well-rounded healthy look in far greater numbers and for far longer extended periods of time and it’s not some magical machine they step into; it is undisputedly performance enhancing drugs and anabolic steroids make up a large portion of this group.

Top 10 Reasons We Should All Take Steroids

Lets dispel some of the myths about anabolic steroids and its adverse effects on the human body, and encourage everyone to take a second look as to why or why not they should choose to cross over to the dark side. Things aren’t always as they appear to be and I want everyone to make an informed decision, otherwise we just remain ignorant sheeple.

Let’s start with the con’s.

1. D-bol is taxing on the liver

Let’s be honest. People are doing far more damage to their livers consuming alcohol at a Wisconsin frat party on any given Friday night. This damage is far more than a healthy bodybuilder who eats clean and exercises could possibly be doing with his recreational use of an oral based substance. Besides, the liver is the fastest repairing organ in the human body, so even if you did some minimal damage with an oral steroid, a little liver cleanse from your local GNC will have you good as new in no time.

2. Steroids will make my hair fall out

I actually see this as a bonus. Most bodybuilders are always shaving their heads for competition in the first place. The way I see it, this will save you money on razors in the long run. A tan, sexy bald guy with a goatee is always “in”, and with the increase in body hair production, increased testosterone can provide you will finally grow that full beard out instead of that patchy homeless man looking thing your friends are always teasing you about. It can also provide a nice warm furry coat for those cold winters.

3. Steroids will make my pee pee shrink

Ok now this is utterly false. It doesn’t make your penis shrink…..it makes your testicles shrink, so let’s get that straight. It’s called testicular atrophy not peniscular atrophy, and girls aren’t really interested in your balls anyway. I’ve never heard a circle of girls sitting around talking about how amazingly large their boyfriends…….you get the idea. Think of it as a form of birth control. Your sperm production will be in the crapper so having that illegitimate child you weren’t planning on should be out of the question.

4. I will have anger issues

Now throughout the history of the world there have been all kinds of dictators with all kinds of anger management issues, and not once has it been documented that any of these men were taking an anabolic of any kind. I mean for cryin’ out loud, there are all kinds of inner city gangs and biker gangs that have been dealing a million different kinds of drugs fighting over territories. These are the most violent criminals on the planet, and they do it without the use of anabolic steroids. I have never once seen a news cast talk about a corrupt group of roid ragers strolling into a town and taking over.

5. Anabolic Steroids are for cheaters

Cheating at what? Are you telling me that if I compete in a federation that doesn’t see the need to worry about the supplement choices of its competitors I am cheating someone? Let’s remember people, until the 80′s the american government hadn’t made them illegal, and until 1991 they were still legal in America’s favorite pastime. If the local gym rat wants to put on a little mass so his wife/girlfriend finds him slightly more attractive than I really don’t see the problem.

Now lets look at the pro’s.

6. My body already produces testosterone

This is a very true and accurate statement, so it would only stand to reason that if your body produces it naturally, then how could it possibly be harmful to inject some moar? The way I see it… the more the better. Testosterone increases protein synthesis in the human body, so in combination with a high protein diet, high levels of test can give you immediate results in the gym which quite frankly we are all looking for.

7. Will I see immediate results

Well to be honest you can only see immediate results from anabolic steroid use if you combine it with mass amounts of protein which I preluded to above. The use of anabolic steroids is not just a simple magic pill although it’s close. You need to provide it with the proper building blocks to create the perfect storm, in which you can become the true beast you seek to become. Without the large amounts of protein, your body can become catabolic and actually start to atrophy, and you can lose mass instead of gain it. So remember this, large amounts of test and large amounts of weight gainer 5000 equals a large you.

8. It can boost your career

Without the use of steroids you might as well give up on the idea of seeing yourself on the cover of a magazine or getting that elusive supplement contract that you have been searching for. No one wants to see some skinny runt on the cover of Flex telling him about how he does 20 reps for 20 sets to get his 15″ guns. We all know the bigger you are the more valid your advise becomes, and no supplement company is gonna front a guy who can’t gather a following on a social network. So remember kids….. anabolic steroids = contracts = big money = get the girls = happy you!

9. Steroids will make you king

This is true on so many levels. I’m not entirely sure were to start. When you go to the gym, when you walk down the street, when you go to the bar, when you simply are just you. Everywhere you go you will be the envy of everyone around you. Everyone will be asking you how you look so amazing.

What is your workout plan? What does your diet look like? How many chicks do you score each week? Quite honestly, everyone will want to be you, and the self fulfillment you feel inside will be amazing. People have said that steroid use is followed with depression but I couldn’t disagree more. The bigger you are the more you will look…act…and feel king. You will always remember that none of it would be possible without that stash of anabolic steroids in your closet and you will never want it to be any different.

10. The dark side has cookies

I cannot confirm or deny this but it’s a bonus if they do…….

None of the above statements or opinions are linked to muscleandbrawn or BTB check with your local authorities and a doctor before starting a workout regimen of any type.