by Craig Titus
“It’s not all drugs!” That may be true but I got news for you…..without steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, there is no professional bodybuilding period! Ok, in the July 2014 issue of Muscular Development Magazine there is an article by Dan Soloman called “It’s not all drugs.” After reading the MD exclusive commentary, I found myself compelled to respond. While I found the article to be slightly informative, it was much more amusing in its content. It was amusing because not one person states the truth or the utterly obvious… without steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, the IFBB or the NPC does not exist as we know it.
Fact is, without AAS (Anabolic, Androgenic, Steroids) there is no professional bodybuilding!!! Hell, while I’m on the subject, fitness athletes figure athletes, physique athletes and most recently cross fit athletes would be lost without PED’s. Just to be fair, fitness, figure, physique and cross fit competitors administer very low dosages of steroids compared to professional bodybuilders. For the sake of this article I’ll remain focused specifically on the spot of bodybuilding and the importance of drugs within the lifestyle. Yes, while the statement “It’s not all drugs” is certainly true, the fact remains without the performance enhancing drugs, the sport of bodybuilding cannot exist in its current state. Sure you can be a bodybuilder without AAS but you will not turn pro, you’ll never make a living at it! So I guess I stand corrected in regards to fitness enthusiasts, but were not discussing people staying fit, were talking about professional bodybuilding. That said, Let me point out a few things from an informed critic, from someone who was an IFBB Professional bodybuilder, from an athlete with sub-par genetics who stepped on the Olympia stage twice and placed top five in many IFBB competitions. Most importantly, let me inform you as to the significance of performance enhancing drugs in bodybuilding today. Over the years I’ve had countless discussions with bodybuilding champions in regards to steroids and related topics. We’ve compared our drug cycles, the timing of using insulin in relation to our work outs, which diuretic is most effective for pulling water, and even how to alleviate pain due to sore injection sites. I’ve talked about experimenting with different dosages of HGH and weather to inject the growth hormone prior to bed or first thing in the morning prior to a competition. The point is, the discussions I’ve had with other pro have never included practices in diet or training or how much sleep they’re getting. Our conversations almost always were engrossed in the topic of performance enhancing drugs. Why? Well, that’s really quite simple; all of us pro’s worked hard in the gym and typically worked out using the same training methods and philosophies. We trained twice day, utilized nutrition principles that were established long ago, never missed a meal, pushed ourselves far beyond the limits in the gym enduring as much pain as humanly possible every set. It would be in fact unfair to say the success of top bodybuilders is only a result of using AAS, but if all champion bodybuilders are acutely the same with their training and diet methods, it is fair to say the chemicals make a huge difference if not THE difference. The remark its “all drugs” is simply not true. However, people involved in the bodybuilding and fitness industry tend to seriously down play the significance of performance enhancing drugs. They feel it somehow diminishes the achievements of a bodybuilder when in facts it’s the complete opposite. PED use does not diminish anything; they’re simply one of the four elements in bodybuilding necessary to achieve greatness! For example, if you have four elements in being a great bodybuilder…. 1. Dedicated training 2. Proper diet and nutrition including supplements. 3. Adequate rest and recovery. 4. Performance enhancing drugs, and achieving bodybuilding elite status requires all four elements, are not all four elements therefore equally important? Absolutely!! Then you have the argument that a person must pose superior genetics to be a competitive pro bodybuilder, which is simply not true. Genetics may keep you from becoming an Olympia contender but they certainly won’t stop you from becoming a pro bodybuilder. There are far too many examples of bodybuilders with terrible genetics who’ve done quite well in the IFBB, me included. AAS and other PED have can and will make up genetic short Cummings illustrating exactly the purpose of the rugs and precisely what they’re designed for, much like the MLB players finding their power stroke. In the magazines bodybuilding fans and fitness buffs can read in great detail about training methods, nutrition practices, how much their favorite competitor utilizes, the benefits of creatine or ghitamine and literally a million related topics. But, because those involved in the bodybuilding industry favor down playing PED use, people in the sport are never educated to one of the four equally significant elements of bodybuilding performance enhancing drugs. Because of this façade and lack of information, the result is negative comments stemming form ignorance. Hence “all drugs!” Now that I’ve established the four equally imperative elements of bodybuilding, let me specifically address Dan Soloman’s MD exclusive commentary. First thing that comes to mind are the words “all Drugs” which I agree can be slightly offensive and disrespectful. I think a more accurate statement should be “A lot of drugs” or maybe “performance enhancing drugs” or even one word, “juiced.” Because let’s face it, a person will never look like Jay Cutler, Victor Martinez, Dennis Wolf or the current Mr. Olympia Phil Heath without using AAS, period! And what about “Big Ramy” who claims he’s only been training for three years? His physique certainly wasn’t achieved without inordinate dosages of AAS. I’m fairly certain ole essbiany hasn’t employed some secret training principles or found a super protein to pack on as much muscle he possesses. I’m pretty sure other pro’s train just as hard and make the same sacrifices Big Ramy does. I; also absolutely certain the combination of drugs he implementing works extremely well for him, obviously. Peter McGough is correct in saying “rubbish” to think Dorian Yates won his six Olympia titles because he had a secret drug. Rubbish!! But it’s also true Dorian used “a lot of drugs” during his bodybuilding career. And Shawn Ray states “I dare anyone to walk a day in the shoes of an IFBB Olympian.” Well, I’ve literally walked in those shoes and I’ve walked with severe dehydration from using demadex as well as a sore injection sites…. And I was not unique in my ways! I agree the sport requires difficult physical and mental challenges, but without the chemicals the physical severely lacks. The sport of bodybuilding is not due to “all drugs. However, where I hear Ronnie Coleman administered up to 16 IL’s of HCG daily at the pinnacle of his career, I think the remark “a lot of drugs” is certainly appropriate. Incidentally, in my opinion Ronnie Coleman is the greatest bodybuilder of all time and I’ve felt nothing but respect and admiration for him over the years. I do not believe there’s one primary catalyst responsible for extraordinary muscle gain. There are four elements required to build extremely muscular physiques and drugs are simply one of the elements. Do performance enhancing drugs aid in bodybuilders recovery? Your God dam right they do! Do drugs allow a bodybuilder to achieve more out of a training session? Absolutely!! Can you become a professional bodybuilder without using excessive amounts of HGH, AAS and other performance enhancing drugs? Absolutely not!!! If you’re Victor Prisk, M.D why would you roll your eyes when someone asks “Do you have to do roids to be a bodybuilder? That’s a reasonable and legitimate question epically when the answer is a definite YES! I don’t believe steroids need to be center of a bodybuilder’s universe; however the drugs are equally crucial to a bodybuilder’s success. The reality is certain PED’s work when used properly in addition to the other three elements of bodybuilding. Reality is without the drugs “a lot of drugs” or any one of the other three elements, you cannot become a pro bodybuilder… making the chemicals equally vital to a bodybuilders success. So I totally agree with the statement “all drugs” is a bit offensive, however it’s not too far from the truth. To use Dan Duchaine as an example of someone who used every steroid he could think of, and still never got to be more than 180 pounds is ridiculous!! Duchaine never practiced the lifestyle of a bodybuilder. He was a self proclaimed steroid guru to further his steroid sales. Dan Duchaine was a clown!! Lastly, out of all the information presented in Dan Soloman’s MD commentary, Dough Kalman, PH. D. Dietitian sums up PED use the best. He said “for others, yes, drugs do make a difference that is undeniable, even to them. But, it would be unfair to say that the success of a top bodybuilder is only as a result of potential drug use.” I say “A LOT OF DRUGS!”
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Craig Michael Titus was born in Wyandotte, Michigan on Jan 14, 1967. The eldest of Michael and Sandra Titus’ three children. In high school, Craig wrestled for his school team at 132lbs. After graduation, decided to put on some muscle via weight training. When Craig graduated from high school he was 5’6″ and 140lbs. By the age of 21, he was 5’9″ and 185lbs. Once he started weight training and seeing results, he was hooked. Craig’s first bodybuilding show was the 1988 Houston Bodybuilding Championships in which he won the Men’s Open middleweight class and the overall title.
Competitive Record
2002 Mr. Olympia – 11th
2002 Night of Champions XIV – 5th
2002 Southwest Pro – 7th
2001 British Grand Prix – 9th
2001 Mr. Olympia – 12th
2001 Arnold Classic – 6th
2001 SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX – 2nd
2001 IRONMAN PRO INVITATIONAL – 5th
2000 Toronto Pro – 1st
2000 Arnold Classic – 10th
2000 Night of Champions – 11th
2000 Ironman Pro Invitational – 8th
1996 NPC USA Championships — 1st Heavyweight and Overall
1995 NPC USA Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1994 NPC National Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1994 NPC USA Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1993 NPC USA Championships — 4th Heavyweight
1991 NPC Ironman/Ironmaiden — Overall
1990 NPC Tournament of Champions — 3rd Heavyweight
1990 NPC Western Cup — Overall
1989 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships — Overall
