Bodybuilding.com interview -
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/johnh3.htm -
"When I started competing, especially on the national level, I realized that the drug usage was much more extensive than that."
I thought if I could do a 12 week steroid cycle before the Mr. Olympia each year, that wouldn't be so bad. I read that Arnold and other guys of his era would only use the drugs for a few months before competing each year and they would stay clean the rest of the year.
However, when I started competing, especially on the national level, I realized that the drug usage was much more extensive than that. It was at that point that I decided the risk wasn't worth the reward. I wasn't willing to take the amount of drugs necessary to possibly turn pro and then continue taking the drugs throughout my career as a pro bodybuilder.
I never wanted to put myself in the position of being forced to take drugs in order to keep my physique competitive with the other guys I would be competing against. It was just something I couldn't do. So, to answer your question, I guess I would say no, I wouldn't take the drugs even if it meant I could win the Olympia."
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2685401 , Post 27 by Hansen -
"Thanks for asking that question and I would love to explain my answer to clear everything up.
The short answer is, yes, I did use steroids about 20 years ago when I was in my early twenties but I used them only in preparation for the competitions I was entering so that was for 12 weeks once a year. I DID NOT use them to build my physique, only to hold onto muscle and keep my strength up when I was dieting.
My original goal when I started training at 14 years old was to win the Mr. Universe and be in the magazines like the guys I read about in Muscle Builder Magazine. I didn't know anything about steroids until I read an interview with Arnold in a 1978 issue of Muscle Builder magazine. In that issue, Arnold admitted that he used steroids in preparation for a contest and that all of the top bodybuilders competing in the Mr. America, Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia used them. However, Arnold said that the drugs were only being used as a "finishing touch" and that they only accounted for a 5-10% improvement in the physique but, without that 5-10% extra improvement, you would risk losing the contest. "
