Boy muscle

[anpuZA]

Okay, so yesterday in the local bottlestore I stand behind this guy... he has to be somewhere between 18 and 21. But oh god was he built and did he know it. His calves were of a kind that sits a bit higher up on his legs but is more like when a bodybuilder flexes a bi or forearm muscle. Gorgeous! His arms I cannot even relate, but his forearm must have been nearly as thick as my arm. But his chest... fuck me I thought he looked like he had been morphed!!!

And he was quite aware of my attention. Now to top it all off, he is just about a head shorter than me, yet I'm pretty sure he must weigh in around the same area... I stand about 1.94m tall. He. I dont mind shorter guys though... they tend to make amazing tops.

[polomuscle]

ah the miracles of steroids...

[anpuZA]

I'm assuming he uses stuff like USN or whatever the muscle growth formula powders are called. His arms were open to the shoulder almost, and I couldnt see any marks and such (if he was using hypodermics). Also, his skin was in an amazing condition, flawless actually as was the skin on his arms and legs. I mean, I'm always assuming steroids arent the same as the other stuff?

[digger]

I am going to try to reply to this thread without coming across like an A-hole. I apologize in advance for any hurt feelings.

The only way to tell whether someone has used steroids is blood and urine tests. There are a lot of very gifted, dedicated bodybuilders who are natural. Trying to decide who is on steroids and who isn't based on appearance is a little like walking around a grocery store and trying to decide who has a job and who doesn't based on appearance. You can't guess accurately and you'll likely fall back on inaccurate stereotypes as evidence.

There are natural bodybuilders with bad skin. And there are bodybuilders on steroids with "flawless" skin. Skin condition is an unreliable stereotype. You might as well use skin color to decide who has a job and who doesn't.

Now a little something about steroids. There are injectable steroids and oral steroids. Oral steroids do not leave needle marks--no brainer. But injectable steroids also don't--at least not they way anpuZA seems to think. There are two things to keep in mind here.

First, steroids are injected into muscles, not the veins, and the point is to get the substance into all of the body, not just a targeted muscle. Usually injections are in the glutes or the quads--big muscle groups. You don't inject steroids into your arms if you want to make your arms bigger. You inject them into your ass. Then they spread throughout your body. As with most things, there are a few exceptions, but those exceptions are not technically steroids.

Second, even if steroids were injected intravenously, what makes you think they would leave tracks? Tracks are the result of unsanitary needle use, as seen in some abusers of narcotics. Those addicts reuse needles (rendering them dull) and do not disinfect the skin. If you got a flu vaccination under those conditions, you'd have a nasty reminder on your skin, too. But when people get vaccines or donate blood, there is no permanent scar or infection or other reminder. And so it would be with steroids even if they were injected into veins.

[biguglymofo]

Digger, while I agree with you on most of what you said (especially, the part about track marks) I think it's important to note that there are other tell tale marks besides skin. Increased vascularity, a bloated or puffiness around the face, (if you're using HGH) a more rounded belly, huge disparities in size between upper and lower body (you usually can't make your upper body get to bodybuilder size without working your lowerbody and having it somewhat proportional), thinning hair in somebody fairly young, hair patches in unusual areas, and acne/pus pockets on the shoulders and back. INdividually these may be just due to the randomness of our genes and how they respond to the environment, but combine a few of these traits and you can probably tell who is on with about a 70-85% bit of accuracy. It does take a well trained eye though...one which has been on gear before. LOL ;-)

[digger]

I think I can go along with that, mofo, to a limited extent. I'd say that testing is the only surefire way to know. The clues you list, when combined, might lead us to say that steroid use is more likely than not. So I sort of agree.

However, I have seen combinations of those clues on guys who do not work out, guys who are skinny as a rail. If guys who don't work out can exhibit a few of these traits, then why not natural bodybuilders, too? When we see them on a skinny guy, we don't think steroids. If the only difference is that a guy is built, then I'll stick to "maybe steroids" and not "must be steroids" and I personally would not feel even close to 70% accuracy. But you might have a better eye :-)

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Together, we can help people reach conclusions about this stuff based on fact instead of myth.

[anpuZA]

Originally Posted by digger

I think I can go along with that, mofo, to a limited extent. I'd say that testing is the only surefire way to know. The clues you list, when combined, might lead us to say that steroid use is more likely than not. So I sort of agree.

However, I have seen combinations of those clues on guys who do not work out, guys who are skinny as a rail. If guys who don't work out can exhibit a few of these traits, then why not natural bodybuilders, too? When we see them on a skinny guy, we don't think steroids. If the only difference is that a guy is built, then I'll stick to "maybe steroids" and not "must be steroids" and I personally would not feel even close to 70% accuracy. But you might have a better eye :-)

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Together, we can help people reach conclusions about this stuff based on fact instead of myth.

Okay, I admit I dont know that much about steroids, but I've been spending a lot of time looking at muscled up guys...trust me. I mean it's to the point that I can safely judge a guys musculature a mile away, even if he is clothed top to bottom. Dont understand it myself, but for some reason I have this insane ability. Muscleworshipman... he he. Anyway, I've built up enough reference that I can safely say I'm usually correct in my assumptions when looking at a guy. That said, I know it's not failsafe, but to put it to you this way, and with a bit of mystery in it. I could just "see" he wasn't using steroids, I mean he is definitely using some kind of nutritional supplement like USN, but he looked "right". No bloatedness, just 100% teen muscle. I might go so far as to say, very much like DaLorenzo, but I know some feel that guy is using the stuff. Well regardless of use, where he is right now (and DaLorenzo) is fine with me.