Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I can’t help but notice what seems to be a real uptick in the number of men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who are jumping on steroids.
These are not your stereotypical mentally ill bodybuilder who takes grams and grams of the stuff.
They’re ordinary men with respectable jobs, wives, and kids.
So what is driving these fine, upstanding members of the community to abuse what are, in most cases, illegal substances?
Two things:
1. Vanity. And,
2. Laziness.
I can’t think of any other reason why a man would risk leaving his wife widowed and his kids fatherless so he can impress other men with his unclothed body. (An unclothed body that often still looks like garbage for reasons I’ll get into in just a moment).
Because that’s what it’s all about.
Everyone knows no woman of worth cares that much about your physique. For sure, she wants you to be strong, symmetrical, and lean – but you can achieve that *without* the side effects associated with PEDs.
And there are many side effects:
High blood pressure, acne, gynecomastia (man bewbs), difficulty sleeping, irritability (roid rage), infertility, changes to the structure of your heart (can cause heart attacks), increase in “bad” cholesterol levels (can also cause heart attacks), and a greater risk of developing certain cancers.
Truly, taking this poison is the vanity of vanities.
Moreover, remember how I said guys on gear often still look like garbage?
It’s because they were too lazy to learn how to train and eat properly.
Typically, they’ve trained on and off for a long while until “something” gives them a wake-up call.
That something differs from person to person, but the usual suspects are clothes not fitting, an unflattering photograph, and health scares (either their own or witnessed in a relative).
What happens next is they decide to do something about it (good) but aren’t willing to diligently chip away for months or years while equipping themselves with the knowledge they need to succeed (bad).
So they jump on the sauce.
Some take whatever Johnny Juicehead down the gym is selling this week, others pay for TRT in the mistaken belief that a guy in his 40s walking around with test levels equivalent to a man in his 20s is somehow “natural”.
But, as they don’t know how to train and eat, their results are lacklustre.
Unbalanced, misshapen muscles are the order of the day, with bloated upper bodies perched precariously upon twig-like legs created by poorly designed – or non-existent – training programmes.
Add to that the constant yo-yoing from shredded to fat due to a total reliance on drugs to get lean, and you’ve a recipe for frustration and failure.
Alright. Rant over.
I shall descend from my soapbox and reveal my point.
Listen: I know how hard it is to get and, more importantly, maintain results once the heady days of your twenties are naught but a fading memory.
You work your backside off week in, week out for what feels like very little. And then, the slightest setback causes you to lose at least some of what you’ve gained.
Minor injuries quickly become major ones unless you’re very careful indeed. Family commitments grow in number and complexity. Work responsibilities rise commensurate with your advancing age.
Given all this, I understand why someone might decide to go over to the dark side.
Doesn’t make it right, though.
I know I’m “supposed” to give you some words of encouragement to end this email on a positive note in the hopes that making you feel good will result in you being more inclined to purchase the offer I’m about to put in front of you.
But alas, I have no such words.
Reality is, training naturally is hard, and it only gets harder with age.
You’ve a long, slow, and painful road ahead of you. You will probably always be disappointed with your results to some degree.
It’s just The Way Things Are™.
I have, however, written a companion guide to help you along the journey.
It’s a series of letters I wrote to my daughter in January, so not your typical book on fitness.
If you preorder before Friday the 15th of March (that’s this Friday for the chronologically challenged) you’ll get 50% off the regular price.
Even with the discount, the book is still very expensive, so please only purchase if you’re certain you’ll make use of the material.
Here are the details:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/chronicles
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman