Powerlifters and footballers were. Bodybuilders didn't touch it, many considered it a "dirty drug"
Its hardly like I'm just pulling this out of my ass, this is a consistent theme when sources from that era are engaged on the topic. Nandrolone was the primary drug of choice. Testosterone was avoided.
Dr Robert Kerr's book "the practical use of anabolic steroids with athletes" gives further evidence to this notion. He primarily prescribed nandrolone, dianabol and anavar. He did not like to prescribe testosterone due to the side effects unless the patient was adamant about gaining scale weight as fast as possible, again, typically footballers, not bodybuilders.
If anyone refuses to believe this despite every bit of evidence to the contrary, just ask yourself why looking at gym rats from the era there is an absence of bloat, acne, gyno, high blood pressure (characterized by chronically red/purple skin tinges) and hair loss, and why that is all too common in today's gym rats? The only thing that has changed is the drugs of choice.
you look at any olympia from 1950-1980 and almost every competitor on stage will not only have hair, but a full head of it. Look at any olympia from the past 20 years and notice how the prevalence of baldness skyrockets. Its not because having a chrome dome suddenly became fashionable, thats for fucking sure.
I knew bodybuilders in my gym using test in the 70s. Competitive bodybuilders.
They had full heads of hair too.
The test made them strong as heck.
Other statements in your post are also inaccurate.
No offense intended.
I had the Kerr's book in the early 80s. Bought it about 1983. It is a good book.
My training partner back then was going in a show and asked to borrow it. He had already used steroids previously for other shows. He said it was a good book but Kerr's recommended dosages were too small and he needed to take more. Funny.
He was stacking 4 different steroids in much greater dosages than Kerr recommended.
Kerr was basically a doctor with good intentions prescribing heroin to addicts. They took what he gave them and then got more from their pusher and took that too.
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/sports/dr-robert-kerr-65-known-as-steroid-guru.html"Dr. Kerr later stopped prescribing steroids, saying that his attempts to give athletes guidance failed because they often supplemented what he prescribed with drugs they obtained elsewhere."
