The use of gear in bodybuilding is a highly debated topic among bodybuilders and professionals. Gear for bodybuilders is an umbrella term that can refer to protein powder, supplements, or even steroids. It can either positively or negatively affect the working of the athletes’ bodies.
Many people confuse gear with just steroids, while the truth is that bodybuilding gear can be of different types that serve diverse purposes. In bodybuilding, gear is something that can fasten muscle building.
In this article, we will go over some basic information about gear in bodybuilding, its side effects, its types, and the mechanisms of bodybuilding gear.
Let’s dive into it without any further.
Contents
What is gear in bodybuilding?
Also known as anabolic steroids, gear helps boost the body’s performance, muscle mass, and endurance. Also, it minimizes the recovery time required after strenuous workouts. They are synthetic substances that copy the functioning of hormones in our bodies.
Bodybuilders who utilize gear alternate it throughout the year, depending on whether they are preparing for competitions or are in the off-season.
Generally, bodybuilders use three to four gear steroids during competition season, and each of them works for different motives.
Common steroids include:
- Whey protein
- Post-workout products
- Pre-workout boosters
- Creatinine
Now that you understand what bodybuilding gears are, let’s learn about their use and how it benefits athletes and bodybuilders.
Why Do Bodybuilders Use Gear?
Here is a list of reasons why bodybuilders opt for gear:
- Many kinds of gear are rich in amino acids, so bodybuilders and athletes use them to get loaded with nutrients that help fuel their gains.
- Steroids boost muscle mass building. Anyone who wishes to gain lean mass fast can choose bodybuilding gear.
- Gear steroids improve the metabolic rate.
- They reduce muscle soreness by causing little to no side effects.
- Steroids enhance strength and endurance, which allows athletes to train for more extended periods and reap fruitful results.
- Such bodybuilding gear also supports fat loss by burning off calories.
How Do Gears Work?
You must understand their mechanism and work to get the most out of steroids.
On intake, steroids go through the bloodstream and then enter muscle tissue. The drug binds with an androgen receptor and interacts with the cell’s DNA to facilitate protein synthesis.
The efficacy of the roids depends upon several factors like its ingredients, diet, workout routine, source of steroids, etc.
If you are starting on steroids for the first time, you have to choose a specific method for it, such as:
- Pyramiding— gradually increasing the steroid doses to the peak and then lowering them.
- Cycling— you will use steroids for 3-4 months and then take one month or such time off
- Stacking— you use multiple types of steroids and additional supplements to improve their efficiency.
- Plateauing— you alternate, substitute, and overlap different kinds of steroids to achieve the maximum results and develop tolerance.
How Do Bodybuilders Take Steroids?
They are four ways to take steroids, including:
- Orally
- In the form of pellets implanted under the skin.
- Intravenously by using injections
- In the gel/cream form through the skin
Side Effects of Using Bodybuilding Gears
Despite having a lot of positive functions on the body, the use of gear steroids can also prove harmful to the body.
Even doctors discourage using such bodybuilding gear because these external hormones disturb the natural processes.
Here is a list of the potential side effects of steroids on multiple human systems:
- Disturbed functioning of the liver due to large protein intake.
- Kidney problems
- Acne
- Increased growth of hair
- High blood pressure
- Shrinking of testicles
- Disturbance in the menstrual cycle
- Stunned height in teens
- Baldness
- Deepened voice
- Risk of heart attack and stroke
- Higher risk of developing blood clots
On top of physical damage, steroid abuse can also cause severe mental side effects such as:
- Paranoid
- Mania
- Poor judgment
- Irritability and anger
- Delusions
Can Someone Get Addicted to Steroids?
Many bodybuilders use high doses of the drugs to achieve desired outcomes, which can be extremely harmful to their health. They get addicted to them, disrupting the production of natural testosterone.
Studies also show that steroids can exhibit significant withdrawal symptoms when someone tries to stop using the gears.
Withdrawal symptoms of steroids include:
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Violent behavior
- Sleep problems
- Fatigue
Can We Tell If Someone Is Using Bodybuilding Gear?
The use of gear steroids is not strange to the bodybuilding community because it is a common practice among bodybuilders.
But still, it is not easy to spot individuals taking anabolic steroids because of the variety available in the market.
Here are some things to look out for when you aren’t sure if someone is using steroids.
- Buffed up muscles. Steroid hormones are well-known for growing muscle tissue at a faster pace. Also, they boost the red blood cell production rate, so muscles appear bigger as more iron is pumped into them.
- Extremely low body fat. Steroid users often combine restricted diets, strenuous training, and steroid usage and achieve a lean and chiseled body with well-defined six-packs. They even have 0% body fat.
- Aggressive behavior. People taking steroids are often angrier and more volatile because of high testosterone levels.
- Huge bulking biceps. Since steroids also function as energy boosters, their users can do more reps and achieve their fitness goals much more quickly. Steroid drugs also increase protein synthesis, which results in muscular arms.
- Females that use steroids can be recognized easily as they grow unwanted hair or several body parts and may also develop heavier voices.
Is It Legal to Use Anabolic Steroids?
The legality of steroid usage varies by state and country. In the U.S, it is illegal to take anabolic steroids since they are considered controlled substances.
Therefore, anyone caught abusing steroids without any medical purpose may be arrested and charged.
On the other hand, many countries allow steroids without a prescription. So, we suggest you check the country’s laws before taking them.
Final Thoughts
When you start taking steroids, there is no going back. Even one of the best elite bodybuilders, Chris Bumstead, is against using steroids.
The abuse of such bodybuilding gear results in physical and mental health complications. People think that anabolic steroids are magic potions that will help them achieve a superhuman figure, but that’s not the case.
Now that you have got the answer to what is gear in bodybuilding and understand the pros and cons of gear steroids, it is your choice whether you want to start using steroids for a bulkier and more muscular body.
