Professional bodybuilding has become a dangerous sport where young athletes are willing to sacrifice their health\u2014and potentially their lives\u2014for the chance at becoming the next champion.<\/p>\n
The reality is sobering: cardiac arrest remains the number one killer in competitive bodybuilding, with professionals facing more than five times the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to amateur athletes.<\/p>\n
![\"teen-bodybuilder-steroids-health-risks-revealed\"](\"https:\/\/boxlifemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-39.jpg\" "\\"Teen")
\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>\n
But what\u2019s even more alarming is how young competitors are starting\u2014some as early as 16 or 17\u2014injecting steroids and extreme dieting in pursuit of a physique that may cost them decades of their life.<\/p>\n
This is the dark side of modern bodybuilding that nobody wants to talk about.<\/p>\n
When Dreams Begin: The Teen Bodybuilder Pipeline<\/span><\/h2>\nLogan Dushman started his bodybuilding journey like many young men\u2014watching his father train and admiring physiques on social media. But what began as innocent inspiration quickly escalated into something far more extreme.<\/p>\n
\nI was like, if that\u2019s the top, then I want to do what it takes to get there. And I made that promise to myself when I was like 11, 12 years old.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
By 17 and a half, Logan was already using performance-enhancing drugs. At approximately 260 pounds, he represents a growing trend of teenagers entering competitive bodybuilding with pharmaceutical assistance before their bodies have fully matured.<\/p>\n
During competition preparation, his steroid regimen included multiple compounds at doses that would concern most medical professionals. His testosterone levels peaked at 3,000 ng\/dL\u2014roughly ten times the upper limit of normal for adult men.<\/p>\n
The Mental Toll Nobody Discusses<\/span><\/h3>\nBeyond the physical risks, Logan experienced severe psychological side effects that disrupted every aspect of his life.<\/p>\n
\nEspecially in the beginning, I had a lot of side effects. Mental, crazy mental side effects. It would get to the point where like I was hearing voices. It was so, so, so bad. Couldn\u2019t sleep<\/a> at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nThese weren\u2019t minor inconveniences. The drugs interfered with his relationships, his finances, and his overall quality of life. Yet he continued, driven by an unshakeable belief that the sacrifice would be worth it.<\/p>\n
The Most Controversial Case: Show Rybak<\/span><\/h2>\nIf Logan\u2019s story seems extreme, Show Rybak takes it to another level entirely. His approach to bodybuilding has made him one of the most controversial figures in the sport.<\/p>\n
Show\u2019s peak steroid dosage reached 4,700 milligrams per week\u2014a staggering amount that included multiple compounds stacked together. He openly admits to using these substances as a teenager, sourcing them easily online for as little as 10-20 euros per bottle.<\/p>\n
\nThe most I\u2019ve ever taken is 4,700 mg. I was taking 100 mg pre-workout<\/a>, so that\u2019s 700 already, and then 2,000 mg and 2,000 mg.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nLiving on cream of rice, cucumbers, and nicotine vapes to suppress his appetite, Show\u2019s daily existence 11 days before competition was nothing short of miserable. Everything hurt. Simple tasks became struggles. Yet he considered this suffering a necessary part of the process.<\/p>\n
Visible Damage: The Scars of Accutane<\/span><\/h3>\nShow\u2019s chest tells a story that statistics cannot. Severe scarring covers the area\u2014permanent damage from a combination of steroid-induced acne and Accutane treatment gone wrong.<\/p>\n
When asked if he regretted the scarring, Show\u2019s response was telling: he believes the sacrifice will be worth it when he becomes a professional bodybuilder. The damage is permanent, but to him, so is the legacy he\u2019s chasing.<\/p>\n
A Question That Reveals Everything<\/span><\/h2>\nBoth Logan and Show were asked the same hypothetical question: Would you accept dying at 40 or 45 if it meant winning Mr. Olympia?<\/p>\n
Both answered yes without hesitation.<\/p>\n
\nIf my goal in life was to win the Olympia, yes, I would be willing to die for that. Yes, I would do that.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This mentality isn\u2019t unique to these two young men. It represents a broader cultural problem within competitive bodybuilding\u2014a \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d attitude that prioritizes achievement over survival.<\/p>\n
The Underground Market: How Easy Access Fuels the Problem<\/span><\/h2>\nPart of what makes teenage steroid use so prevalent is accessibility. Meeting with an anonymous steroid dealer in Las Vegas revealed just how simple the process has become.<\/p>\n
Operating through burner phones and word-of-mouth referrals, dealers move six figures monthly in product. The youngest customers? Kids as young as 13 or 14 years old.<\/p>\n
\nTheir dad\u2019s getting a shot of testosterone every week at the clinic. They just want to be like their dad.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The dealer showed no concern about health consequences, comparing steroid risks to peanut allergies and dismissing any personal responsibility for what customers do with the products.<\/p>\n
The Counterfeit Crisis<\/span><\/h3>\nBlack market steroids carry an additional danger most users never consider. Research has found that a significant portion of underground market drugs are either counterfeit or substandard.<\/p>\n
Users have no reliable way to verify what they\u2019re actually injecting. Contamination, incorrect dosing, or completely different compounds than advertised all pose serious risks. As one professional bodybuilder noted, if a manufacturer makes even a single decimal point error in certain compounds, the result can be fatal.<\/p>\n
What Happens to the Heart: Expert Medical Analysis<\/span><\/h2>\nTo understand the cardiovascular risks, celebrity cardiologist Dr. Ernst von Schwarz provided detailed insight into how bodybuilding affects the heart.<\/p>\n
Testosterone and growth hormone cause heart muscle cells\u2014cardiomyocytes\u2014to enlarge. This thickening of the ventricular walls creates a dangerous situation where the heart\u2019s blood supply struggles to reach the inner layers of the muscle.<\/p>\n
\nThe thicker the muscle is, the more problems the blood vessels have to perfuse the inner layers of the heart with appropriate oxygen supply. And lack of oxygen theoretically can lead to sudden cardiac death.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Multiple Pathways to Sudden Death<\/span><\/h3>\nDr. von Schwarz emphasized three critical areas of concern in bodybuilders:<\/p>\n
\n- Electrical activity:<\/strong> Arrhythmias can develop when the heart\u2019s electrical system is disrupted by structural changes or electrolyte imbalances.<\/li>\n
- Contractile strength:<\/strong> As the heart muscle thickens, pumping efficiency can decrease, leading to heart failure over time.<\/li>\n
- Blood vessel supply:<\/strong> Heavy lifting creates enormous strain on the aorta and other major vessels, particularly when combined with high blood pressure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Dr. von Schwarz revealed a particularly disturbing pattern: many bodybuilders experience aortic rupture in the bathroom, where the combination of constipation and straining creates catastrophic pressure on already-weakened blood vessels.<\/p>\n
He has personally treated two young bodybuilders in their late 20s who died from growth hormone overdoses. Another patient died after injecting growth hormone intended for racehorses.<\/p>\n
Competition Week: The Most Dangerous Time<\/span><\/h3>\nDr. von Schwarz explained why so many bodybuilders die in the week leading up to competition. Extreme dehydration combined with severe electrolyte imbalances creates the perfect conditions for life-threatening arrhythmias.<\/p>\n
Magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium levels can all become dangerously abnormal. Even with a structurally normal heart, these imbalances alone can trigger sudden cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
Life at the Top: What Professional Bodybuilders Sacrifice<\/span><\/h2>\nSpeaking with professional and Olympia-level competitors revealed the full scope of what this sport demands.<\/p>\n
One competitor described doing two hours of machine cardio plus 28,000 to 30,000 steps daily during prep. Another talked about legs feeling like concrete, making even climbing stairs exhausting.<\/p>\n
\nLiving in a three-story house, having to walk up the stairs all the time. Oh yeah. It\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Physical Side Effects Professionals Experience<\/span><\/h3>\nThe list of negative effects reported by elite bodybuilders includes:<\/p>\n
\n- Bad health markers:<\/strong> Dangerous cholesterol ratios, elevated liver enzymes, and hormonal disruption<\/li>\n
- Water retention:<\/strong> Severe bloating and discomfort from certain compounds<\/li>\n
- Higher blood pressure:<\/strong> Chronic hypertension that stresses the cardiovascular system<\/li>\n
- Facial changes:<\/strong> Growth hormone can permanently alter facial structure, expand the jaw, and thin hair<\/li>\n
- Body changes:<\/strong> Organ enlargement and structural alterations that may be irreversible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Many of these effects improve after discontinuing certain drugs, but some changes are permanent. One competitor noted that while most side effects resolved after stopping certain compounds, the question of organ growth remained uncertain.<\/p>\n
The Relationship Casualties<\/span><\/h3>\nBeyond physical health, relationships suffer tremendously. Multiple professionals described how the obsessive nature of competitive bodybuilding destroyed connections with family and friends.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re so selfish, you\u2019re thinking about yourself, you push people away because you just want to focus on yourself and bodybuilding.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
One competitor described feeling \u201cmore muted\u201d during prep\u2014emotionally unavailable to loved ones who were trying to support him. The sacrifice wasn\u2019t just personal; it affected everyone around him.<\/p>\n
Why a Champion Walked Away<\/span><\/h2>\nOne of the most revealing conversations came from a seven-time Olympia competitor who chose to retire despite having more victories in him.<\/p>\n
His reasoning cuts to the heart of bodybuilding\u2019s cost-benefit analysis.<\/p>\n
\nIf I look back on my life and I had seven Olympias, or I had more time with my family or health, I\u2019d pick that all day.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
He described the sport\u2019s obsessive nature and how it required sacrificing many other aspects of life. With two daughters now, he realized that no amount of additional titles would compensate for missing their childhoods.<\/p>\n
His perspective offers a stark contrast to the young competitors willing to die at 40 or 45 for an Olympia title. Experience taught him what they haven\u2019t yet learned: there\u2019s more to life than being the best at one thing.<\/p>\n
The Silent Epidemic: Disordered Eating in Bodybuilding<\/span><\/h2>\nOne of bodybuilding\u2019s darkest secrets is how commonly it triggers eating disorders\u2014even among men who would never identify as having one.<\/p>\n
\nI think most people in this sport likely have some sort of disordered eating pattern.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
One professional described doing zero-carb diets for weeks at a time as a natural competitor. He would chew Fig Newtons and spit them in the trash just to taste sweetness without consuming calories.<\/p>\n
These behaviors escalate. What starts as chewing and spitting progresses to full binge-and-purge cycles for some competitors. The patterns develop silently, often unrecognized as disordered eating because they\u2019re normalized within the sport.<\/p>\n
The Birthday That Meant Nothing<\/span><\/h3>\nAnother competitor shared a particularly painful moment from his contest prep. On his birthday, he felt absolutely nothing emotionally. The deprivation had numbed him completely.<\/p>\n
\nI had to feel something. So a few days after my birthday, I went out and I got myself a Reuben sandwich by myself, table for one at a restaurant. I ate it. Told my coach the next day but I felt good. Just needed to feel something.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This moment captures the psychological toll of extreme dieting\u2014when basic human experiences like birthdays become meaningless, and eating a single sandwich feels like a desperate grasp at normalcy.<\/p>\n
Post-Competition: When the Real Battle Begins<\/span><\/h2>\nFor many bodybuilders, the period after competition proves more challenging than the preparation itself.<\/p>\n
Wesley Vissers, fresh off a fourth-place Olympia finish in classic physique, explained why post-show becomes so difficult.<\/p>\n
\nBefore the show you have a goal to work towards, even though you\u2019re hungry, it\u2019s very easy to ignore. But the hunger increases after the show. And there\u2019s no direct goal to say to yourself, \u2018I\u2019m hungry, but I\u2019m still not going to eat.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The Dangerous Rebound<\/span><\/h3>\nMany bodybuilders gain 20 to 40 pounds in the two to three weeks following competition\u2014not gradual weight gain, but explosive rebound driven by uncontrollable hunger and metabolic adaptation.<\/p>\n
This rapid weight gain isn\u2019t just aesthetic backsliding. It creates dangerous strain on the cardiovascular system through a condition called edema\u2014fluid buildup that can overwhelm the heart and lungs.<\/p>\n
The body interprets months of deprivation as famine. When food becomes available again, survival mechanisms kick in, driving insatiable hunger even when physically full.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re like, now it\u2019s here, I\u2019m going to take this before it\u2019s gone again. Because your body knows for months you didn\u2019t have this. Who knows I\u2019m going to be in another famine mode again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Body Dysmorphia: The Mental Aftermath<\/span><\/h3>\n
I was like, if that\u2019s the top, then I want to do what it takes to get there. And I made that promise to myself when I was like 11, 12 years old.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
By 17 and a half, Logan was already using performance-enhancing drugs. At approximately 260 pounds, he represents a growing trend of teenagers entering competitive bodybuilding with pharmaceutical assistance before their bodies have fully matured.<\/p>\n
During competition preparation, his steroid regimen included multiple compounds at doses that would concern most medical professionals. His testosterone levels peaked at 3,000 ng\/dL\u2014roughly ten times the upper limit of normal for adult men.<\/p>\n
The Mental Toll Nobody Discusses<\/span><\/h3>\nBeyond the physical risks, Logan experienced severe psychological side effects that disrupted every aspect of his life.<\/p>\n
\nEspecially in the beginning, I had a lot of side effects. Mental, crazy mental side effects. It would get to the point where like I was hearing voices. It was so, so, so bad. Couldn\u2019t sleep<\/a> at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nThese weren\u2019t minor inconveniences. The drugs interfered with his relationships, his finances, and his overall quality of life. Yet he continued, driven by an unshakeable belief that the sacrifice would be worth it.<\/p>\n
The Most Controversial Case: Show Rybak<\/span><\/h2>\nIf Logan\u2019s story seems extreme, Show Rybak takes it to another level entirely. His approach to bodybuilding has made him one of the most controversial figures in the sport.<\/p>\n
Show\u2019s peak steroid dosage reached 4,700 milligrams per week\u2014a staggering amount that included multiple compounds stacked together. He openly admits to using these substances as a teenager, sourcing them easily online for as little as 10-20 euros per bottle.<\/p>\n
\nThe most I\u2019ve ever taken is 4,700 mg. I was taking 100 mg pre-workout<\/a>, so that\u2019s 700 already, and then 2,000 mg and 2,000 mg.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nLiving on cream of rice, cucumbers, and nicotine vapes to suppress his appetite, Show\u2019s daily existence 11 days before competition was nothing short of miserable. Everything hurt. Simple tasks became struggles. Yet he considered this suffering a necessary part of the process.<\/p>\n
Visible Damage: The Scars of Accutane<\/span><\/h3>\nShow\u2019s chest tells a story that statistics cannot. Severe scarring covers the area\u2014permanent damage from a combination of steroid-induced acne and Accutane treatment gone wrong.<\/p>\n
When asked if he regretted the scarring, Show\u2019s response was telling: he believes the sacrifice will be worth it when he becomes a professional bodybuilder. The damage is permanent, but to him, so is the legacy he\u2019s chasing.<\/p>\n
A Question That Reveals Everything<\/span><\/h2>\nBoth Logan and Show were asked the same hypothetical question: Would you accept dying at 40 or 45 if it meant winning Mr. Olympia?<\/p>\n
Both answered yes without hesitation.<\/p>\n
\nIf my goal in life was to win the Olympia, yes, I would be willing to die for that. Yes, I would do that.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This mentality isn\u2019t unique to these two young men. It represents a broader cultural problem within competitive bodybuilding\u2014a \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d attitude that prioritizes achievement over survival.<\/p>\n
The Underground Market: How Easy Access Fuels the Problem<\/span><\/h2>\nPart of what makes teenage steroid use so prevalent is accessibility. Meeting with an anonymous steroid dealer in Las Vegas revealed just how simple the process has become.<\/p>\n
Operating through burner phones and word-of-mouth referrals, dealers move six figures monthly in product. The youngest customers? Kids as young as 13 or 14 years old.<\/p>\n
\nTheir dad\u2019s getting a shot of testosterone every week at the clinic. They just want to be like their dad.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The dealer showed no concern about health consequences, comparing steroid risks to peanut allergies and dismissing any personal responsibility for what customers do with the products.<\/p>\n
The Counterfeit Crisis<\/span><\/h3>\nBlack market steroids carry an additional danger most users never consider. Research has found that a significant portion of underground market drugs are either counterfeit or substandard.<\/p>\n
Users have no reliable way to verify what they\u2019re actually injecting. Contamination, incorrect dosing, or completely different compounds than advertised all pose serious risks. As one professional bodybuilder noted, if a manufacturer makes even a single decimal point error in certain compounds, the result can be fatal.<\/p>\n
What Happens to the Heart: Expert Medical Analysis<\/span><\/h2>\nTo understand the cardiovascular risks, celebrity cardiologist Dr. Ernst von Schwarz provided detailed insight into how bodybuilding affects the heart.<\/p>\n
Testosterone and growth hormone cause heart muscle cells\u2014cardiomyocytes\u2014to enlarge. This thickening of the ventricular walls creates a dangerous situation where the heart\u2019s blood supply struggles to reach the inner layers of the muscle.<\/p>\n
\nThe thicker the muscle is, the more problems the blood vessels have to perfuse the inner layers of the heart with appropriate oxygen supply. And lack of oxygen theoretically can lead to sudden cardiac death.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Multiple Pathways to Sudden Death<\/span><\/h3>\nDr. von Schwarz emphasized three critical areas of concern in bodybuilders:<\/p>\n
\n- Electrical activity:<\/strong> Arrhythmias can develop when the heart\u2019s electrical system is disrupted by structural changes or electrolyte imbalances.<\/li>\n
- Contractile strength:<\/strong> As the heart muscle thickens, pumping efficiency can decrease, leading to heart failure over time.<\/li>\n
- Blood vessel supply:<\/strong> Heavy lifting creates enormous strain on the aorta and other major vessels, particularly when combined with high blood pressure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Dr. von Schwarz revealed a particularly disturbing pattern: many bodybuilders experience aortic rupture in the bathroom, where the combination of constipation and straining creates catastrophic pressure on already-weakened blood vessels.<\/p>\n
He has personally treated two young bodybuilders in their late 20s who died from growth hormone overdoses. Another patient died after injecting growth hormone intended for racehorses.<\/p>\n
Competition Week: The Most Dangerous Time<\/span><\/h3>\nDr. von Schwarz explained why so many bodybuilders die in the week leading up to competition. Extreme dehydration combined with severe electrolyte imbalances creates the perfect conditions for life-threatening arrhythmias.<\/p>\n
Magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium levels can all become dangerously abnormal. Even with a structurally normal heart, these imbalances alone can trigger sudden cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
Life at the Top: What Professional Bodybuilders Sacrifice<\/span><\/h2>\nSpeaking with professional and Olympia-level competitors revealed the full scope of what this sport demands.<\/p>\n
One competitor described doing two hours of machine cardio plus 28,000 to 30,000 steps daily during prep. Another talked about legs feeling like concrete, making even climbing stairs exhausting.<\/p>\n
\nLiving in a three-story house, having to walk up the stairs all the time. Oh yeah. It\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Physical Side Effects Professionals Experience<\/span><\/h3>\nThe list of negative effects reported by elite bodybuilders includes:<\/p>\n
\n- Bad health markers:<\/strong> Dangerous cholesterol ratios, elevated liver enzymes, and hormonal disruption<\/li>\n
- Water retention:<\/strong> Severe bloating and discomfort from certain compounds<\/li>\n
- Higher blood pressure:<\/strong> Chronic hypertension that stresses the cardiovascular system<\/li>\n
- Facial changes:<\/strong> Growth hormone can permanently alter facial structure, expand the jaw, and thin hair<\/li>\n
- Body changes:<\/strong> Organ enlargement and structural alterations that may be irreversible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Many of these effects improve after discontinuing certain drugs, but some changes are permanent. One competitor noted that while most side effects resolved after stopping certain compounds, the question of organ growth remained uncertain.<\/p>\n
The Relationship Casualties<\/span><\/h3>\nBeyond physical health, relationships suffer tremendously. Multiple professionals described how the obsessive nature of competitive bodybuilding destroyed connections with family and friends.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re so selfish, you\u2019re thinking about yourself, you push people away because you just want to focus on yourself and bodybuilding.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
One competitor described feeling \u201cmore muted\u201d during prep\u2014emotionally unavailable to loved ones who were trying to support him. The sacrifice wasn\u2019t just personal; it affected everyone around him.<\/p>\n
Why a Champion Walked Away<\/span><\/h2>\nOne of the most revealing conversations came from a seven-time Olympia competitor who chose to retire despite having more victories in him.<\/p>\n
His reasoning cuts to the heart of bodybuilding\u2019s cost-benefit analysis.<\/p>\n
\nIf I look back on my life and I had seven Olympias, or I had more time with my family or health, I\u2019d pick that all day.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
He described the sport\u2019s obsessive nature and how it required sacrificing many other aspects of life. With two daughters now, he realized that no amount of additional titles would compensate for missing their childhoods.<\/p>\n
His perspective offers a stark contrast to the young competitors willing to die at 40 or 45 for an Olympia title. Experience taught him what they haven\u2019t yet learned: there\u2019s more to life than being the best at one thing.<\/p>\n
The Silent Epidemic: Disordered Eating in Bodybuilding<\/span><\/h2>\nOne of bodybuilding\u2019s darkest secrets is how commonly it triggers eating disorders\u2014even among men who would never identify as having one.<\/p>\n
\nI think most people in this sport likely have some sort of disordered eating pattern.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
One professional described doing zero-carb diets for weeks at a time as a natural competitor. He would chew Fig Newtons and spit them in the trash just to taste sweetness without consuming calories.<\/p>\n
These behaviors escalate. What starts as chewing and spitting progresses to full binge-and-purge cycles for some competitors. The patterns develop silently, often unrecognized as disordered eating because they\u2019re normalized within the sport.<\/p>\n
The Birthday That Meant Nothing<\/span><\/h3>\nAnother competitor shared a particularly painful moment from his contest prep. On his birthday, he felt absolutely nothing emotionally. The deprivation had numbed him completely.<\/p>\n
\nI had to feel something. So a few days after my birthday, I went out and I got myself a Reuben sandwich by myself, table for one at a restaurant. I ate it. Told my coach the next day but I felt good. Just needed to feel something.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This moment captures the psychological toll of extreme dieting\u2014when basic human experiences like birthdays become meaningless, and eating a single sandwich feels like a desperate grasp at normalcy.<\/p>\n
Post-Competition: When the Real Battle Begins<\/span><\/h2>\nFor many bodybuilders, the period after competition proves more challenging than the preparation itself.<\/p>\n
Wesley Vissers, fresh off a fourth-place Olympia finish in classic physique, explained why post-show becomes so difficult.<\/p>\n
\nBefore the show you have a goal to work towards, even though you\u2019re hungry, it\u2019s very easy to ignore. But the hunger increases after the show. And there\u2019s no direct goal to say to yourself, \u2018I\u2019m hungry, but I\u2019m still not going to eat.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The Dangerous Rebound<\/span><\/h3>\nMany bodybuilders gain 20 to 40 pounds in the two to three weeks following competition\u2014not gradual weight gain, but explosive rebound driven by uncontrollable hunger and metabolic adaptation.<\/p>\n
This rapid weight gain isn\u2019t just aesthetic backsliding. It creates dangerous strain on the cardiovascular system through a condition called edema\u2014fluid buildup that can overwhelm the heart and lungs.<\/p>\n
The body interprets months of deprivation as famine. When food becomes available again, survival mechanisms kick in, driving insatiable hunger even when physically full.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019re like, now it\u2019s here, I\u2019m going to take this before it\u2019s gone again. Because your body knows for months you didn\u2019t have this. Who knows I\u2019m going to be in another famine mode again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Body Dysmorphia: The Mental Aftermath<\/span><\/h3>\n
Especially in the beginning, I had a lot of side effects. Mental, crazy mental side effects. It would get to the point where like I was hearing voices. It was so, so, so bad. Couldn\u2019t sleep<\/a> at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n These weren\u2019t minor inconveniences. The drugs interfered with his relationships, his finances, and his overall quality of life. Yet he continued, driven by an unshakeable belief that the sacrifice would be worth it.<\/p>\n If Logan\u2019s story seems extreme, Show Rybak takes it to another level entirely. His approach to bodybuilding has made him one of the most controversial figures in the sport.<\/p>\n Show\u2019s peak steroid dosage reached 4,700 milligrams per week\u2014a staggering amount that included multiple compounds stacked together. He openly admits to using these substances as a teenager, sourcing them easily online for as little as 10-20 euros per bottle.<\/p>\n The most I\u2019ve ever taken is 4,700 mg. I was taking 100 mg pre-workout<\/a>, so that\u2019s 700 already, and then 2,000 mg and 2,000 mg.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Living on cream of rice, cucumbers, and nicotine vapes to suppress his appetite, Show\u2019s daily existence 11 days before competition was nothing short of miserable. Everything hurt. Simple tasks became struggles. Yet he considered this suffering a necessary part of the process.<\/p>\n Show\u2019s chest tells a story that statistics cannot. Severe scarring covers the area\u2014permanent damage from a combination of steroid-induced acne and Accutane treatment gone wrong.<\/p>\n When asked if he regretted the scarring, Show\u2019s response was telling: he believes the sacrifice will be worth it when he becomes a professional bodybuilder. The damage is permanent, but to him, so is the legacy he\u2019s chasing.<\/p>\n Both Logan and Show were asked the same hypothetical question: Would you accept dying at 40 or 45 if it meant winning Mr. Olympia?<\/p>\n Both answered yes without hesitation.<\/p>\n If my goal in life was to win the Olympia, yes, I would be willing to die for that. Yes, I would do that.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This mentality isn\u2019t unique to these two young men. It represents a broader cultural problem within competitive bodybuilding\u2014a \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d attitude that prioritizes achievement over survival.<\/p>\n Part of what makes teenage steroid use so prevalent is accessibility. Meeting with an anonymous steroid dealer in Las Vegas revealed just how simple the process has become.<\/p>\n Operating through burner phones and word-of-mouth referrals, dealers move six figures monthly in product. The youngest customers? Kids as young as 13 or 14 years old.<\/p>\n Their dad\u2019s getting a shot of testosterone every week at the clinic. They just want to be like their dad.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The dealer showed no concern about health consequences, comparing steroid risks to peanut allergies and dismissing any personal responsibility for what customers do with the products.<\/p>\n Black market steroids carry an additional danger most users never consider. Research has found that a significant portion of underground market drugs are either counterfeit or substandard.<\/p>\n Users have no reliable way to verify what they\u2019re actually injecting. Contamination, incorrect dosing, or completely different compounds than advertised all pose serious risks. As one professional bodybuilder noted, if a manufacturer makes even a single decimal point error in certain compounds, the result can be fatal.<\/p>\n To understand the cardiovascular risks, celebrity cardiologist Dr. Ernst von Schwarz provided detailed insight into how bodybuilding affects the heart.<\/p>\n Testosterone and growth hormone cause heart muscle cells\u2014cardiomyocytes\u2014to enlarge. This thickening of the ventricular walls creates a dangerous situation where the heart\u2019s blood supply struggles to reach the inner layers of the muscle.<\/p>\n The thicker the muscle is, the more problems the blood vessels have to perfuse the inner layers of the heart with appropriate oxygen supply. And lack of oxygen theoretically can lead to sudden cardiac death.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Dr. von Schwarz emphasized three critical areas of concern in bodybuilders:<\/p>\n Dr. von Schwarz revealed a particularly disturbing pattern: many bodybuilders experience aortic rupture in the bathroom, where the combination of constipation and straining creates catastrophic pressure on already-weakened blood vessels.<\/p>\n He has personally treated two young bodybuilders in their late 20s who died from growth hormone overdoses. Another patient died after injecting growth hormone intended for racehorses.<\/p>\n Dr. von Schwarz explained why so many bodybuilders die in the week leading up to competition. Extreme dehydration combined with severe electrolyte imbalances creates the perfect conditions for life-threatening arrhythmias.<\/p>\n Magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium levels can all become dangerously abnormal. Even with a structurally normal heart, these imbalances alone can trigger sudden cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n Speaking with professional and Olympia-level competitors revealed the full scope of what this sport demands.<\/p>\n One competitor described doing two hours of machine cardio plus 28,000 to 30,000 steps daily during prep. Another talked about legs feeling like concrete, making even climbing stairs exhausting.<\/p>\n Living in a three-story house, having to walk up the stairs all the time. Oh yeah. It\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The list of negative effects reported by elite bodybuilders includes:<\/p>\n Many of these effects improve after discontinuing certain drugs, but some changes are permanent. One competitor noted that while most side effects resolved after stopping certain compounds, the question of organ growth remained uncertain.<\/p>\n Beyond physical health, relationships suffer tremendously. Multiple professionals described how the obsessive nature of competitive bodybuilding destroyed connections with family and friends.<\/p>\n You\u2019re so selfish, you\u2019re thinking about yourself, you push people away because you just want to focus on yourself and bodybuilding.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One competitor described feeling \u201cmore muted\u201d during prep\u2014emotionally unavailable to loved ones who were trying to support him. The sacrifice wasn\u2019t just personal; it affected everyone around him.<\/p>\n One of the most revealing conversations came from a seven-time Olympia competitor who chose to retire despite having more victories in him.<\/p>\n His reasoning cuts to the heart of bodybuilding\u2019s cost-benefit analysis.<\/p>\n If I look back on my life and I had seven Olympias, or I had more time with my family or health, I\u2019d pick that all day.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He described the sport\u2019s obsessive nature and how it required sacrificing many other aspects of life. With two daughters now, he realized that no amount of additional titles would compensate for missing their childhoods.<\/p>\n His perspective offers a stark contrast to the young competitors willing to die at 40 or 45 for an Olympia title. Experience taught him what they haven\u2019t yet learned: there\u2019s more to life than being the best at one thing.<\/p>\n One of bodybuilding\u2019s darkest secrets is how commonly it triggers eating disorders\u2014even among men who would never identify as having one.<\/p>\n I think most people in this sport likely have some sort of disordered eating pattern.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One professional described doing zero-carb diets for weeks at a time as a natural competitor. He would chew Fig Newtons and spit them in the trash just to taste sweetness without consuming calories.<\/p>\n These behaviors escalate. What starts as chewing and spitting progresses to full binge-and-purge cycles for some competitors. The patterns develop silently, often unrecognized as disordered eating because they\u2019re normalized within the sport.<\/p>\n Another competitor shared a particularly painful moment from his contest prep. On his birthday, he felt absolutely nothing emotionally. The deprivation had numbed him completely.<\/p>\n I had to feel something. So a few days after my birthday, I went out and I got myself a Reuben sandwich by myself, table for one at a restaurant. I ate it. Told my coach the next day but I felt good. Just needed to feel something.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This moment captures the psychological toll of extreme dieting\u2014when basic human experiences like birthdays become meaningless, and eating a single sandwich feels like a desperate grasp at normalcy.<\/p>\n For many bodybuilders, the period after competition proves more challenging than the preparation itself.<\/p>\n Wesley Vissers, fresh off a fourth-place Olympia finish in classic physique, explained why post-show becomes so difficult.<\/p>\n Before the show you have a goal to work towards, even though you\u2019re hungry, it\u2019s very easy to ignore. But the hunger increases after the show. And there\u2019s no direct goal to say to yourself, \u2018I\u2019m hungry, but I\u2019m still not going to eat.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Many bodybuilders gain 20 to 40 pounds in the two to three weeks following competition\u2014not gradual weight gain, but explosive rebound driven by uncontrollable hunger and metabolic adaptation.<\/p>\n This rapid weight gain isn\u2019t just aesthetic backsliding. It creates dangerous strain on the cardiovascular system through a condition called edema\u2014fluid buildup that can overwhelm the heart and lungs.<\/p>\n The body interprets months of deprivation as famine. When food becomes available again, survival mechanisms kick in, driving insatiable hunger even when physically full.<\/p>\n You\u2019re like, now it\u2019s here, I\u2019m going to take this before it\u2019s gone again. Because your body knows for months you didn\u2019t have this. Who knows I\u2019m going to be in another famine mode again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nThe Most Controversial Case: Show Rybak<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Visible Damage: The Scars of Accutane<\/span><\/h3>\n
A Question That Reveals Everything<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Underground Market: How Easy Access Fuels the Problem<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Counterfeit Crisis<\/span><\/h3>\n
What Happens to the Heart: Expert Medical Analysis<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Multiple Pathways to Sudden Death<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Competition Week: The Most Dangerous Time<\/span><\/h3>\n
Life at the Top: What Professional Bodybuilders Sacrifice<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Physical Side Effects Professionals Experience<\/span><\/h3>\n
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The Relationship Casualties<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Why a Champion Walked Away<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Silent Epidemic: Disordered Eating in Bodybuilding<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Birthday That Meant Nothing<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Post-Competition: When the Real Battle Begins<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Dangerous Rebound<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Body Dysmorphia: The Mental Aftermath<\/span><\/h3>\n