Flex Wheeler shares his views about athletes opening up about how to use steroids.
In today’s internet era, information is just one click away. It’s affected every single part of modern life including bodybuilding. One big way that the internet and social media has changed the sport is how easy it is for people to get information about steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. Social media personalities and even certain athletes have gone on record detailing what kinds of drugs they’ve taken. Some even go so far as to detail the exact doses. In our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview, Flex Wheeler explains how he feels this is dangerous and the responsibility that influencers have to the greater public.
The bodybuilding world is a very different place today than what it was when Flex Wheeler was competing in his prime. With the internet comes unlimited access to information. This has been fantastic in many respects. Fans can get more updates from athletes and deeper behind the scenes insights as bodybuilders prepare for competitions. But there is also a downside – maybe.
Unlimited information also means potential unlimited misinformation. It can also lead to potentially dangerous and nuanced information getting watered down, leading to possible harm for consumers. This is the debate that’s been rising about steroids in bodybuilding as of late.
Many bodybuilding influencers are willing to be open on how to take steroids. Their goal is to provide information on an illegal drug that people will use anyway. They think that it’s better to provide this information instead of users guessing and hurting themselves.
But who decides what is the right information? And what happens when information about drugs, which can be extremely nuanced to each individual, gets spread broadly to millions of people?
We asked this very question to Flex Wheeler during our filming of Generation Iron 2. Majority of his answer couldn’t make it into the film. Now we’re releasing the full segment uncut from our GI Vault. In the clip, Wheeler details why he thinks, for himself personally, that discussing steroid use openly can be dangerous.
Flex Wheeler believes that influencers of any kind, whether it’s a social media influencer or an athlete superstar, have a responsibility towards the public. What these people say can and do have an affect on fans that follow them.
Flex Wheeler states he understands why open information can be helpful to increase awareness of the potential dangers of steroids and other PEDs. He even understands how it can provide valuable information for users to prevent foolish mistakes. But ultimately, Wheeler things that the potential risk is too great and personally keeps quiet about it himself. If one person gets hurt due to the words that he says, he holds himself responsible.
Flex Wheeler opens the topic wider with a hypothetical question. What if a heroin addict was explaining online how to properly obtain and take heroin safely? Most people would find that wrong and dangerous. So why not the same for steroids?
You can watch Flex Wheeler’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview segment above. You can also watch Generation Iron 2 on digital today. Click here or the banner below to stream or download!
