David Johns: anyone remember how he died?
YOu also have to look at the number of highly competitive bodybuilders who come down with diseases or illnesses, organ failure at ages far removed from the national average. As stated above by Adam Empire, the problems derived from adding insulin, igf, lasix etc to the already heavy mixture of drugs needed are certainly going to show up in a few years.
The trouble is that we may not hear about it. Flex/MD etc are not going to publish all the stories about lower placing competitors who are on dialysis or waiting in line for a new liver.
In comparison, steroids are almost benign. The effects are known and can be acted upon: blood pressure, cholesterol changes, liver enzyme elevations.
The 'genetics" that people talk about as being so important for success in high level bodybuilding is not always the wide shoulders narrow hips etc; It's a person's ability to properly process the increasing amount of drugs thought needed to compete and win, as well as having the right personality/organisational skills to handle the lifestyle that goes along with it.
The former can't be known in advance as it is a physiological phenomenon. You never know how your body is going to react to these things and in the huge dosages/ combinations thought needed until after you start taking them.
The latter is kind of obvious and is more common but it is rarely found in the same individual possessing the former.
In the beginning, what people do and in the amounts they do it is relatively safe. As you start adding more and more things, and delve heavier into the lifestyle , it becomes more and more like a crap shoot.
The odds are against you at the very top.
Since I am no where near that level and could never be, I don't overly concern myself with this stuff.
Some of you guys are at a much higher level that this though.
