6 Signs That Someone is On Steroids

After taking steroids and other PEDs for many years, I have a good idea about the signs of steroid-use and how to spot someone on steroids. In this article, I’m going to reveal clues you can use to help decipher whether someone’s on the sauce or not.

Some people ask: “What’s the point, who cares if someone’s on steroids?”. Well, knowing who’s on steroids and who’s natural, is great for educational purposes, as it gives us a better understanding of how much muscle the body is capable of building naturally.

It also enables us to recognize bodybuilders who’ve had ‘assistance’ in order to make gains. This gives more credibility to those who are genetically gifted and prevents people from being naive to lies of a fake natty.

This guide can also help you make more gains. Here’s how…

If there are 2 shredded bodybuilders who’ve both got 18-inch arms, but one of them’s got signs of steroid-use and the other one hasn’t; you’ll be better off replicating the workouts/diet of the natty guy.

A natural bodybuilder following advice from someone on steroids is about as useful as injecting Synthol to get bigger biceps.

Here are the 6 signs of steroid-use to look out for.

Note: It’s possible for some natty’s to have 1 or 2 of the following side effects. However, if a bodybuilder has several of the signs listed below, there’s a very strong chance they’re juicing. Equally, if a bodybuilder doesn’t have any of the below, they’re almost certainly natural.

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1. Their Gains Timeline

Bradley Martyn's transformation is by far the most effective way to spot someone on steroids.

A person’s gains timeline, as I like to call it, is how their body’s transformed throughout their life.

A natural bodybuilder’s gains timeline will look drastically different to a steroid user's.

A natty will gain approximately 20lbs of muscle when they first start lifting weights, but after their newbie gains, they pretty much stay the same size (only building small amounts of muscle thereafter).

In comparison, a steroid-user will have newbie gains. They’ll also stay the same size for a while like a natty, but then they’ll suddenly blow up again – gaining a further 30-50lbs of muscle. This pattern of growth is the biggest indication that someone’s juicing.

Let's take Bradley Martyn for example – in the before picture below he’d been lifting for 5/6 years; so by this point, he would’ve pretty much maxed out his natty potential.

However, a few years later he suddenly blows up out of nowhere and becomes a fitness icon. He transformed from a dude who was in good-shape to a BEAST and now one of the most followed guys in bodybuilding. 

These gains aren’t normal for a natural.

So, a person’s gains timeline is key to knowing whether a person’s natural or not, you just need pictures to see how their bodies have evolved over the years.

In my experience, I’ve also found that guys who are natural (and genetically gifted) will look jacked before they even start lifting weights.

2. Acne

Firstly, some people have acne and aren’t on steroids.

However, acne is common in steroid-users, due to steroids stimulating the sebaceous glands, increasing sebum production. Sebum is a waxy substance and too much of it clogs up a person’s pores resulting in acne breakouts.

Not every steroid-user will have acne because some people produce low amounts of sebum, thus by taking steroids they won’t have an excessive amount.

However, if you experienced acne during puberty and you decided to take steroids, you’ll be at risk of developing acne on-cycle, due to your genetics.

3. 3D Delts

If someone’s got 3D delts or boulder shoulders…to the point where it looks like their body has been constructed via photoshop, they’re likely to be taking steroids.

It’s possible to have big shoulders without taking steroids, so this isn’t 100% reliable by itself. However, steroids produce more muscle growth in the deltoids and trapezius muscles, in comparison to others. The reason for this is because these muscles have a higher number of androgen receptors, making them more susceptible to growth when taking AAS (anabolic-androgenic steroids).

4. Steroid Gut

This protruding stomach is actually caused by a combination of human growth hormone and insulin, hence how it’s also known as HGH gut.

The reason for this pregnant-belly look is because HGH increases the size of tissues and organs in the body. One of the organs which are affected by such growth is the intestines (in your stomach).

With modern-day judges keen to reward bodybuilders for monstrous size; competitors feel the need to take HGH in order to put on more mass, despite it making them look less aesthetic.

This HGH gut is a relatively new look, with bodybuilders of the past often having tiny waists and performing stomach vacuums (made famous by Frank Zane in the ’70s). Bodybuilders first started using HGH in the ’80s, including Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates, favoring aesthetics over aesthetics.

Related Article: The TRUTH About HGH

5. Flushed Skin

Steroids raise your LDL cholesterol levels, which spikes your blood pressure. As a result, your body temperature can increase, causing a red/pinkish look to your skin.

Although natty guys can have flushed skin (albeit uncommon), this red-look is often a sign of someone juicing.

Because of this elevated body temperature, a steroid-user is also likely to sweat more than usual.

So if someone’s gained a tonne of muscle recently, they’ve got skin the color of a tomato and they’re sweating more than a sinner in a church…they’re on steroids bro.

6. Bloat

Some steroids cause you to retain significant amounts of water (as much as 15lbs). As a result, a person’s midsection may look particularly bloated.

Also, they might develop a moon face, from where they’re excessively bloated in the face.

Retaining large amounts of water isn’t common for a natty, especially if they’re bloated for long periods of time. This water retention causes their muscles to look smoother and less defined compared to a natural bodybuilder.

Dianabol, Anadrol, testosterone, and Deca are the main steroids that cause fluid retention.

Natural supplements can cause bloating, however, this is more mild compared to AAS.

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Summary

The best way to tell if someone’s taking steroids is by their gains timeline. To do this you’ll have to collect several pictures of how that person’s body has evolved throughout their lifespan and look for any unnatural growth patterns.

If you can’t do that, the next best thing is to look at their body (don’t stare for too long bro) to see if they have any visual steroid symptoms like 3D delts, acne, gyno, HGH gut, etc.

A typical steroid-user will have several of the 6 signs listed in this article, making it relatively easy to spot him vs a natty lifter.

Related Article: Building Muscles Between Truth and illusion - Steroids

Related Article: Must Think 1000 Times Before using Steroids