BODYBUILDERS push their bodies to the absolute limit to try to reach the pinnacle of human strength and physique.
For these athletes, it is more than a sport – it is a lifestyle, a livelihood, even an art form.
It is the ultimate embodiment of hard work and sacrifice.
But behind the rippling muscles and stage-ready tans, a darker side to this subculture is emerging.
While nutrition and training are the foundation, some are willing to risk everything, including their health, to achieve a deadly kind of perfection.
For decades, this pursuit of the perfect body has been fuelled by a dangerous Image and Performance-Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) among other hardcore techniques.
Anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, peptides and potent fat-burners are now common tools of the trade.
And the visible results are so desirable that this chemical dependency is seeping into the mainstream and tempting everyday gym-goers and average punters into a high-stakes gamble with their own health.
Anabolic steroids and Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) act as synthetic mimics of natural testosterone.
They allow users to build muscle mass and reduce recovery times at an unnatural pace.
However, their use can have horrific side effects including shrunk testicles, cancerous tumours, blood clots, heart complications and liver damage.
In the UK, anabolic steroids are Class C drugs and are legal to possess for personal use.
They remain prescription-only medications intended for treating hormone deficiencies.
Now, a rise in unregulated bootleg products, combined with a widespread misunderstanding of safe dosages, is fueling a growing health crisis for thousands of Scots.
Experts warn these substances exploded out of professional bodybuilding circles and into the mainstream, which can pose significant risks.
Drug expert John Campbell has run the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde steroid clinic since 2009.
In that time, he has witnessed a disturbing shift in why and who is seeking help.
He told The Scottish Sun: “Over the years, we have seen a massive shift.
“We’ve moved from traditional physique enhancement, where people used steroids to stay in shape, to a new wave of image enhancement.
“Fifteen years ago, it was big bodybuilders and strongmen. Now, it’s moving into cosmetics. We have people coming into the clinic who have never even been in a gym before asking for an injection.”
John estimates the Glasgow clinic has conducted over 4,000 blood tests since opening, providing a rare window into the internal wreckage caused by these drugs.
He warned: “It is easy to forget how dangerous these substances are. Over any long period, they can put the heart under massive pressure and cause the left ventricle to grow abnormally large.
“It changes the structure of your arteries and ruins your cholesterol.
“But because we can identify that harm in a blood test and present it as evidence, we have a really good success rate at encouraging people to stop altogether.”
Gareth Balmer, the National Harm Reduction Lead for the charity WithYou, works across Scotland, where the data, although limited, paints a worrying picture.
Gareth said: “In some of our needle exchange services, anabolic steroid users are now actually outnumbering heroin and cocaine injectors.
“The normalisation of these drugs by influencers means many are using them without understanding the risks.
“Using TRT when prescribed by a doctor for a deficiency is very different from taking it without medical supervision at much higher doses.”
Gareth believes that the surge is being driven by a digital obsession with “looksmaxxing”.
He said: “TikTok insight data shows 18-25 year old men are also the group searching the most for looksmaxxing hacks on the platform, with more than 300,000 searches per day in February and rising to a peak of 1.9 million in late March.
“At the other end of the age scale, there are older men using TRT for “anti-ageing”.
“With the rise of people going out on their lunch break to get ‘tweakments’ – minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures such as botox, fillers and laser treatments – many people have begun to see appearance-based interventions using needles as normal.”
And the danger is compounded by a shadow market of unregulated drugs sold on social media or in gym locker rooms.
Gareth warned: “Drug testing services have shown that drugs bought from unregulated sources, such as social media, friends, or someone you met at the gym, are unpredictable and can be cut with other substances which have variable strength, toxicity and effects.
“People often think that because drugs are in familiar or professional-looking packaging they must be safe, but fraudulent medication is increasingly common.
“The main aim of these sellers is profit, and there’s no quality control so it’s possible sellers may not know what exactly is in the drugs they’re supplying.”
Chris McCreadie, otherwise known as Khifie West, is a natural bodybuilder who first began training at 15.
Now a professional with the Drug Free Athletes Coalition (DFAC), the online coach, 28, from Stranraer, holds a number of prestigious titles including the DFAC Pro Grand Prix.
Chris said: “I grew up in a small town and I knew what steroids were, but I had absolutely no interest in them. I’m so grateful now that I never gave in, because if I had, it could have been a whole different story for me.”
Despite his success without performance-enhancing drugs, Chris believes the instant gratification culture of social media is pushing beginners into dangerous territory.
He said: “A lot of beginners don’t have the knowledge of what these substances do, but the appeal of that look has a massive influence.
“People don’t want to wait years to progress anymore. But what’s particularly worrying is how easily attainable they are – it is as easy to get your hands on steroids now as it is to get over-the-counter medicine.”
As an online coach, Chris sees the fallout of this easy access firsthand.
He believes the pressure to take steroids is affecting both men and women equally.
He explained: “I would say it’s almost 50-50 between men and women now.
“It is a really sad thing because so many women are being put on multiple different anabolics and they have absolutely no clue what they are taking.
“They don’t realise the impact on their hormonal balance until the damage is already done.”
And for those looking for a shortcut, Chris says that the fix often becomes a permanent problem.
He screens his own clients strictly, asking if they have truly maxed out their natural potential before even considering chemical help.
He added: “Nobody really builds up a level of knowledge until they have already run a cycle and realise what they have done to their bodies.
“They find themselves trying to get back to some form of normality, but by then, their hormones are totally goosed.
“That is when you find people forced down the route of TRT – not for a gain, but because their natural systems are broken.”
