Bigger, Stronger, Faster

I didn't know what steroids do and I didn't care. I am never taking them. But this documentary directed by Christopher Bell is very interesting. As someone who is interested in fitness and reads quite a bit about it, this documentary was an eye opener about a lot of things.


Christopher Bill and his 2 brother- Smelly and Mad Dog are into fitness and wrestling in a big way. Smelly and Mad Dog take steroids while Christopher is confused and decides to find out the truth. I need to admit though- at no point does the documentary talk about the side effects of steroids which are infertility, excessive hair, acne, liver disease, heart disease, increased aggression, depression etc. But, as a neutral audience who knew nothing steroids, I saw enough to want to stay away from that stuff. 

Here are some things that blew my mind:

• You cannot look seriously ripped without steroids. And seriously ripped means looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger did when he won Mr World title
• Most athletes use steroids. They may not all be anabolic steroids (which are banned) but they use something or the other which gives them an edge. Basically, if you are not on something you lose out. Makes you wonder- what is right and what is wrong.
• There have been times when athletes have been caught using steroids but no action has been taken because it was "inadvertent use" meaning the athlete didn't use it with the intent of enhancing his/her performance.
• Everything has side effects and most people on steroids cite this reason as a justification. For example, I take whey protein which also has side effects. So, why ban steroids only?
• The documentary also talks about other ways people try to "win". Students take a drug which makes them finish their homework faster. Are they cheating? An Olympic cyclist has created an altitude chamber outside his house where he sleeps at night. The chamber increases the products of blood cells (don't remember which- red or white) which makes him faster. Is that cheating? If the goal is to win and everyone is "cheating" in someway, what is your stand? 
• Photographers were interviewed who admitted to make the "before" and "after" weight loss pics in a few hours. That is how long it takes. 
• The whole industry is unregulated because of a law change in Utah where 30% of these products are manufactured. So, there is no law according to which the manufacturer has to declare all the ingredients used in whey or pre workout or steroids or anything. As Chris shows, he can hire migrant laborers, buy ingredients locally, make them at home and sell them at a premium legally. 

In the end, Chris's brother who was on steroids passes away and I guess that says it all. 

A good watch. I liked it.