WHY DO ATHLETES USE (ABUSE) ANABOLIC STEROIDS?
To put it simply, athletes use (abuse) anabolic steroids because they want to win. But, in an effort to win, in reality, they lose. University of Iowa wrestling coach and Olympic gold medalist Dan Gable explains it like this: “Besides the health effects, what you lose when you use steroids is mental toughness. The key to victory is that the strongest mind wins. You can get physical strength with steroids, but you lose the mental toughness (you would have gained) from brutal hard work. Steroids hurt mental toughness by serving as a crutch.” (Yesalis CE, et al. 1998). QUESTIONS Q: Do anabolic steroids enhance athletic performance? ANSWER: Yes, but only in certain events. In general, anabolic steroids enhance muscle strength and muscular power. Thus, they enhance performance in sports/events that require explosive power such as football, wrestling, shot put, 100-meter dash, etc. They do not appear to be beneficial in events such as marathon, cycling, etc. However, their ability to boost m
To put it simply, athletes use (abuse) anabolic steroids because they want to win. But, in an effort to win, in reality, they lose. University of Iowa wrestling coach and Olympic gold medalist Dan Gable explains it like this: “Besides the health effects, what you lose when you use steroids is mental toughness. The key to victory is that the strongest mind wins. You can get physical strength with steroids, but you lose the mental toughness (you would have gained) from brutal hard work. Steroids hurt mental toughness by serving as a crutch.” (Yesalis CE, et al. 1998). QUESTIONS Q: Do anabolic steroids enhance athletic performance? ANSWER: Yes, but only in certain events. In general, anabolic steroids enhance muscle strength and muscular power. Thus, they enhance performance in sports/events that require explosive power such as football, wrestling, shot put, 100-meter dash, etc. They do not appear to be beneficial in events such as marathon, cycling, etc. However, their ability to boost m
