Big Dead Bodybuilders . We're now seeing the consequences of the latter on bodybuilders from the 9. Dead in 5 Years. In the 1.
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Dr. Robert Goldman began asking top- level athletes if they'd accept a proverbial deal with the devil that guaranteed victory in every competition they entered.. Many competitive bodybuilders and even non- competitive lifters have. Lean and Muscular Corpses. Champion bodybuilders are known only to the relatively- small community who follow this fringe sport. So you have to wonder why so many seem eager to risk their lives and health for success. Is it for money? Or do they roll the dice just to build more muscle and drop more fat than the next guy? Gross abuse of anabolic steroids (AAS), growth hormone, insulin, and diuretics are some of the major factors believed to be responsible for a disproportionate number of lean and muscular corpses.
In a sport that, at its core, requires eating well, losing fat, and exercising, why do we see so many bodybuilders dying from similar causes at unusually- young ages? The Goal is Muscle, Not Health. You'll be seeing more and more serious heart problems, and worse, once these guys hit 4. Some top pros almost reach 5. Try to find a dozen healthy IFBB pros who successfully competed in the '9. You won't have much luck. Kneejerk Response.
When a bodybuilder dies at an early age from organ- related failure, this is the kneejerk response you'll hear from bodybuilding fans: ? And would these competitors have lived much longer without using them? Or is it the heavy use of these drugs combined with the rigors of bulking and cutting for multiple contests that eventually leads to health issues?
There certainly may be cases where underlying natural causes were a key factor in a death, but it seems to be a common and unfortunate go- to excuse whenever a physique athlete dies. Rewarding the Extremes.
Bodybuilding began to separate from physical fitness in the 1. Building muscle gradually became a greater goal than athleticism, strength, and power. The fact that anabolic steroids were finding their way into gyms in the 1. Achieving lower body fat with a higher body weight meant packing on more muscle. And the more that look was rewarded, the more competitors pursued it.
Health became an afterthought. It may be more accurate to say steroids don't kill people, abusing steroids kills people. It's probably even more true that other bodybuilding- related drugs bring higher risks than anabolic steroids. Insulin, HGH, and various diuretics supposedly gained traction in the '9. The Consequences of Leaner and Bigger. In the early '9. 0s, bodybuilding saw a significant shift in .
And it's not always the biggest guys or only the top- ranking pros who struggle, but their drug use is consistent enough to draw some conclusions. The Studies. A 2. The results suggest that heavy steroid users are more likely to have irregular heart function and a higher mortality rate compared to natural lifters. A 2. 01. 2 report from the American Journal of Cardiology reviewed nearly 5.
It came to a similar conclusion: Steroid use can be a valid and significant factor in heart- related death. Another study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology looked into the prevalence of kidney disease among steroid- using bodybuilders over two years and found signs of disease in the majority of lifters, some of it irreversible and irreparable. Pro Bodybuilders Vs.
Other Athletes. Unlike bodybuilding, the deaths of other professional athletes aren't as strongly linked to performance enhancing drugs. Physical wear and tear such as collisions in contact sports or recreational drug use are said to be greater contributing factors. Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) is the term the public associates with anabolic steroids, even though it's a general category that can include anything from insulin to EPO, a blood . But even non- traditional sports like cricket, NASCAR, cycling, and pro- wrestling .
Data was collected from 1. Cardiovascular disease and drug overdose were found to cause an overwhelming majority of the deaths, with wrestlers being 1. In the last 1. 5 years, roughly one in five wrestler deaths were connected to recreational drug overdose. A 2. 01. 2 study in the American Journal of Cardiology investigated mortality rates among NFL players and actually saw that they were, overall, almost half as likely to die as comparably- aged non- athletes. Though the football players were, not surprisingly, associated with significantly higher rates of neurological and musculoskeletal disease.
Use, Misuse, and Abuse. Thirty years ago, the average non- professional athlete was uninterested in using steroids. But today, if you walk into most weight rooms you're likely to be standing around a handful of AAS users, whether they look the part or not. A quick browse online will show you tons of recreational lifters discussing plans for their first, second, third, or fourth steroid cycle. These guys aren't trying to earn a paycheck with their muscle, nor are they trying to win any contests. They're just average lifters wanting to look better.
With steroids, there's use, there's misuse, and there's abuse, and they're very different things. Those who misuse AAS are those who'd get results from healthy eating and lifting. Those who abuse AAS are the ones stacking eight compounds a week like they think their 2. The latter are the lifters who generally end up as statistics. The Last Callout: The Dead. In the 1. 96. 0s, Iron Man publisher Peary Rader wrote an editorial to address the issue of steroids in bodybuilding and to warn readers not to get involved with the drugs.
For the first half of my lifting career, I avoided deadlifts. They were hard, and I just really didn't want to do. It’s every bodybuilder’s favorite macronutrient and for good reason. Protein is extremely essential, super satiating and amazingly anabolic.
In the 5. 0+ years since his article, plenty of bodybuilders have misused or abused steroids and other PEDs and have paid the ultimate price: Mike Matarazzo: Frequent top 1. IFBB pro from 1. 99. Four- time top 5 finisher at the Night of Champions. Died from a heart attack in 2. Dan Puckett: 1st place 2. NPC Collegiate National Heavyweight. Died from heart failure in 2.
Olympia Lee Haney One on One Interview. Q&A: Lee, you’re quite an interesting person to interview because you’ve accomplished so much in your life.
Scott Klein: Four- time NPC Heavyweight competitor (1. NPC super- heavyweight competitor (1.
Died from kidney failure in 2. Robert Benavente: Competed in multiple NPC shows from 1. Southern States). Died from a heart attack in 2. Trevor Smith: Bodybuilding writer and coach. Never competed, but weighed over 4.
Died from a heart attack in 2. Andreas Munzer: 1. Died from multiple organ failure in 1. Mohammed Benaziza: Seven total Grand Prix wins in 1. Night of Champions (beating Dorian Yates), two top 5 Mr. Olympia showings (1.
- Tweet; These days it seems that everything needs to be bigger, faster, and stronger. Going to the extreme is the norm. Everything from extra strength headache pills.
- Robby Robinson, a wedge of black marble, arrived in Venice Beach in 1975 with one oversize suitcase and seven dollars. That was every dime he had after quitting his.
- Remembering The Guru: Vince Gironda The Greatest Trainer That Ever Lived By Ron Kosloff N/C of NSP Research Nutrition: Vince Gironda Part 1: Close family members.
- Something To Think About--Posted 4/14/17. How central a role does genetics figure in bodybuilding? The answer is, perhaps, best illustrated in the.
- What’s My Genetic Muscular Potential? A question that comes up with some frequency on forums and message boards, usually from newbie lifters is along the lines of.
Died from heart failure hours after winning the Grand Prix Holland show in 1. Daniele Seccarecci: IFBB competitor from 2. Guinness World Record Holder for . Died from a heart attack in 2. Luke Wood: IFBB competitor from 2. Died from complications following a kidney transplant in 2. Chris Janusz: Amateur competitor, nutrition coach, and contest prep consultant.
Died from undisclosed causes in 2. Art Atwood: Consistent top 1. IFBB shows from 2. Toronto Pro. Died from a heart attack in 2.
Mat Duvall: Four- time top 3 finisher in NPC Super- heavyweight division (1. Died from a heart attack in 2. Ed Van Amsterdam: European champion in the mid- 1. IFBB finisher in 2. Died from a heart attack in 2.
Fannie Barrios: Two- time Jan Tana winner (2. Three top 8 placings at Ms. Olympia (3rd place in 2. Died from a stroke in 2. Charles Durr: Six top 5 NPC and IFBB finishes from 1.
Competed in the 2. IFBB North American Championships.
Died from a heart attack in 2. Anthony D'Arezzo: Three- time top 1.
NPC Heavyweight (1. NPC New England in 1. Died from a heart attack the night before a contest in 2.
Greg Kovacs: Competed in several IFBB shows from 1. Known in the industry as one of the largest off- season bodybuilders, regularly weighing over 4. Died from heart failure in 2.
Ron Teufel: 1. 97. IFBB Mr. Runner- up to Samir Bannout at 1.
World Amateurs. Top 1. IFBB competitor in 1.
Died from liver failure in 2. Hans Hopstaken: NPC Masters competitor in 1. IFBB competitor in 2. Masters Olympia. Died from heart failure in 2. Frank Hillebrand: Light- heavyweight champion (1. IFBB finishes from 1.
Died from a heart attack in 2. Alex Azarian: NPC competitor from 2. Training, nutrition, and contest prep consultant. Died from undisclosed causes in 2.
Ray Mentzer: IFBB competitor from 1. Mr. USA, and several top 3 placings. Died from kidney failure in 2.
Nasser El Sonbaty: Frequent top 8 IFBB competitor from 1. Mr. Olympia and 3rd at the 1. Olympias. Died from complications from heart and kidney failure in 2.
Don Ross: Amateur competitor from 1. Died from a heart attack in 1. Mike Mentzer: Consistent top 3 IFBB pro from 1. Mr. Universe, 1st place 1.
Mr. America, and 1st place 1. Mr. Olympia (lost the Overall to Frank Zane). First pro bodybuilder to be awarded a perfect score in a contest. Died from heart complications in 2. Don Youngblood: NPC and IFBB Masters competitor from 1.
Masters Olympia and winning 1st in the 2. Masters Olympia. Died from a heart attack in 2. Stoil Stoilov: NPC and IFBB Masters competitor from 2. Died in 2. 01. 4 one week after placing 2nd at a National show, age 4. Terri Harris: Frequent top 5 finisher in NPC and IFBB shows from 2.
Died from a heart attack two days after a contest in 2. Ed Kawak: 5- time Mr. Universe (1. 98. 2- 1. IFBB competitor in 1. Died from a heart attack in 2. Vince Comerford: Amateur competitor from 1. Middleweight at 1.
NPC Nationals (lost the Overall to Shawn Ray). IFBB competitor in 1. Died from a heart attack in 2.
Greg De. Ferro: 1. IFBB Mr. International, five top 4 placing in IFBB shows from 1. Lee Haney at the '8. Night of Champions.
Died from heart disease in 2. The Dead Pool? These bodybuilders are thankfully still alive at the time of this writing, but have suffered major health issues.
Tom Prince: NPC competitor from 1. Nationals. IFBB competitor from 1. Suffered kidney failure during contest prep in 2. Retired in 2. 00. Don Long: NPC Light- heavyweight (1. Heavyweight (1. 99. Frequent top 1. 0 IFBB pro from 1.
Suffered kidney failure in 1. Received a kidney transplant in 2.