By the time I was 21 not only had I grown a couple of inches in height to 6’1″ (which I may not have done had I have started gear younger) but I was mentally prepared. I had learnt the important discipline of training without drugs and the focus and determination in the mind to succeed. I believe this can only be achieved by pushing yourself to the absolute limit naturally over a period of time. My diet was excellent as I had worked up to 7 meals a day.

All good food (although very low fat content). I would get laughed at in college as I chomped down huge bowls of pasta and tuna or rice and chicken but then it came. The big day; we had broken up from college and I didn’t start Uni until Sept. I had everything ready – my gear, even nolvadex and HCG’s. I hit my first cycle when the time was right and put on 2 stone. Everyone was absolutely gobsmacked and I felt great.

Horror stories from the Net!

“My buddy first started juicing when he was sixteen, the doctor recently told him (and I don’t quote b/c i dont fully understand myself, maybe some med professionals can help) that his underdeveloped organs became dependent on the sauce? Also there was a plasma build up and his muscles were wrapped around each other and not fully functional. If he had an info source like this board when he was sixteen, maybe he would have listened to some of the vets advice, maybe he wouldn’t have but at least with this board being open to everyone regardless of age the possibility is there.

From what I’ve read am I’m not an expert by any means is that your muscles are not fully matured until your mid to late twenties. With this being said it would only seem natural to assume that if you were to introduce a foreign substance into the muscle earlier, it would disrupt the natural growth sequence. Shit! I’m starting to sound like a text book guy help.
Whatever, just my two cents worth”

“Believe it or not, when I first started getting interested in bodybuilding at age 13, I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on regarding the sport… the training, the eating, supplementation, contest stuff, EVERYTHING. When I was 15, I started to research the hell out of gear, GH, and insulin. By that time, I was already in the gym every morning before school and in three sports. Senior year, I deadlifted 525lbs at a b/w of 188lbs.

Competed in my first show at age 18, and THEN Started my first cycle at age 20! I don’t regret taking the extra time to learn all that I could (and there is still a ton to learn)… I learned a lot on the internet when I was 17-20, and if I would have been banned from a board because of my age, I probably would have done some pretty harmful stuff to my body. To all the bros that ate young, believe me, you can grow and get strong without the gear, but there comes a point in one’s life where 250lbs becomes a reality. Please make wise decisions, for your safety and others!”

“Just so everyone doesn’t think I am a complete ass to this kid, here is his story. First of all he is 15. He was on 4 A-bomb’s, 6 D-bol, and ‘something called halo’ (as he put it) this cycle ran for 9 weeks, then he started pissing blood. We all told him to go to the Doctor, but he said he didn’t want his parents to find out that he was on roids (this is where it’s all bullshit) Do you know how much this kid would blow up in 3 weeks (lets not even talk about 9 weeks) He probably looked like a fucking balloon”

“My friend told me that in TJ a couple of weeks ago there was a group of 13 year olds in a pharmacy buying gear. They were having the guy behind the counter loading syringes because they didn’t know how and relying on their friends for how and where to inject (they were all nervous as hell). By the way, the stuff that they were taking was fake as well. That is a little disturbing and I think there are a ton of kids on this forum, screwed up if you ask me.”

The reason we care is that in 10-20 years from now, when you are suffering major internal organ failure and all sorts of other complications, they are going to point the finger at the evils of AS instead of the poor choice of a young boy.

For many of us, bodybuilding is a lifestyle that we choose. Not a fad; and that means that it will be around long after we are gone. We’d like to know that we are leaving a positive imagine behind us, not some tainted dream. I just hope any youngsters reading this article are mentally old enough to appreciate this. So if you are under 21 or even older but have not got much natural training under your belt; pause, take your time, study, research and you will achieve those goals in the end. Starting the natural way in bodybuilding is tough. Nobody said being a bodybuilder is easy but it will definitely be worth it in the end. That I can guarantee.