Ever so often we hear negative comments about “roided” bodybuilders or other opinions about steroids and the people who use them, that come from uneducated people who have never looked into the subject.

The fact of the matter is that it is a complicated topic that requires some thoughtfulness, but when known, it is completely safe and beneficial to athletes everywhere.

The Chemistry Behind Steroids

In organic chemistry steroids are active organic compounds with carbon rings arranged in a specific configuration. They are a related category to terpenes but only in configuration, as their metabolic functions are completely different.

Steroids are typically made out of seventeen carbon atoms that form four rings (three cyclohexanes and one cyclopentane) and an attached functional group that usually makes the biggest difference in its functioning.

Talking about professional athletes that are looking to enhance their performance we are mostly looking about anabolic steroids. Anabolic-androgenic steroids are any type of steroidal hormones that help develop physical characteristics typical for men. Lean muscle mass growth, facial and body hair growth etc.

The most famous example of a natural AAS is testosterone.

Anabolic steroids cause an increase in cell protein content, especially in skeletal muscles, and because of that have been used as a mass gaining booster for sportspeople.

But besides sports they have been successfully used in medical issues such as hormonal treatment, bone marrow stimulation, counteracting catabolic effects of corticosteroid treatment and so forth.

Health Risks

Doping is banned by many international sports organizations not only because it can give an unnatural advantage to an athlete but also because it can cause serious health problems when not consumed properly.

However, safely and effectively using them is key.

The most common health risks involved when using steroids:

• extreme aggresion
• impaired judgment
• liver damage and tumors
• enlarged heart and high blood pressure

Apart from these common side effects there are others that are partially related to steroid misuse.

Overworking yourself because you feel “pumped up” can lead to unpleasant muscle soreness, but that can easily be solved by resting and warming up the troubled area. This page shows a wide variety of options for how to easily get rid of such problems. Make sure that you are also staying well hydrated when working out, even if you are using any supplements.

Considering that most people who use anabolic steroids are physically active and generally lead a very healthy lifestyle, the negative effects do not come into play at all in most cases. In general, surveys show that less than half a percent of the adult population used anabolic steroids.

Although not entirely known (as it is usually a breaking of rules and therefore hidden) it is assumed that use of steroids among professional athletes (especially baseball players) is common.

How to Properly Use Steroids

When thinking about the proper way of using steroids for sports there are a few things to consider:

• Substance cleanliness/security
• Dosage
• Prior health conditions

Substance cleanliness refers to the purity of content of any given chemical substance, especially one that is meant to be injected or swallowed into the human body. All legal, and therefore tested and approved, substances have gone through rigorous analysis to check for their purity and safety and are considered safe to use.

Be aware, though, that because of restrictive regulations many steroids are banned throughout the developed world in the past few decades so their supply route has started avoiding the legal and safe way of checking and distribution, which had a significant effect of deterioration of quality. If you are planning to use any anabolic steroids (or other drugs for that matter!) make sure they have been officially approved beforehand.

Dosage is very important when planning out your workout and supplement routine. Depending on age, sex and weight you would need different amounts of any drug for it to have the proper effect.

In general - adult and heavier men require larger doses, as they have more body mass to move around, but it still needs to be calculated individually as it can happen that a very athletic woman would require a larger dose than a man of the same age.

Prior health conditions come into play if they would be worsened by the use of these steroids.

As a rule of thumb - people with cardiovascular problems, breathing problems and mental issues are advised not to use anabolic steroids as it may even have a counter effect on previous medication. Adolescents still in physical development are also advised to avoid them as not to stunt growth.

When you know the basics of correctly using steroids there is nothing to fear from them. Make sure they fulfill the basic criteria of safety, legality and purpose and you are ready to go.

Have fun exercising and good luck with the results!