Larry Wheels opens up about starting testosterone at 17.
Larry Wheels recently spoke on his experience, trying testosterone for the first time at age 17. The popular strength athlete touched on the dark path he was heading down when he first started training.
Performance-enhancing drugs are very touchy, subject matter in all sporting endeavors. There are many who believe that utilizing steroids, and other anabolic substances should be completely banned from any and all competition. In the realm of combat sports in particular many believe that taking PEDs is dangerous due to the physical contact involved in the sport. On the other side, there are those who believe that taking PEDs should be allowed, particularly when it comes to certain strength sports.
It can be a very difficult and challenging subject matter to speak on for many athletes, particularly those who have experienced utilizing PEDs. But there are certain athletes who have no issue telling it like it is. One of those athletes is Larry Wheels who has been open and honest about his substance use for quite some time now.
A strength athlete known for competing in several different sports, including bodybuilding, powerlifting, and strongman, Larry Wheels has a ton of experience under his belt. That experience extends to utilizing PEDs. While many speak on the dangers of utilizing such substances, Larry has a different outlook than others.
Using Testosterone for the First Time
In a recent interview, Larry Wheels revealed that using testosterone at the age of 17 may have been one of the best decisions of his life. As he tells it, Larry was going down a very dark path and utilizing testosterone coincided with him changing his life for the better. He started to take powerlifting more seriously and eventually he would find himself on the path that he’s on today.
“So, see when I was 17, the friend that was my workout partner, and this person I spent all my time with — see — we would party everywhere. We would go out every other day. I’d experiment with drugs at the time. I tried all of the drugs. Had a lot of fun doing it but I realized that he was going down a very dark path, I could see it in him. He was changing before my eyes.
“It was getting worse and worse and of course, naturally so was I because I was spending all my time with him. He suggested that I try taking testosterone and it didn’t take very long to decide that that was a good decision at 17. It didn’t take very long for me to realize, ‘hey, this is a great idea.’”
Massive Weight Gain
Larry Wheels also touched on how his weight exploded after starting testosterone. Larry packed on an incredible 15kg (32lbs) in two months.
“Yeah [it was a noticeable difference] I went from 95 kilograms to 110 in two months. So, it was a night and day difference. A lot of that was water retention. I was a bloat fish, super bloated but I loved it. I felt so much bigger, so much stronger. It was just a big transformation.”
It’s not everyday that you hear someone say that using PEDs changed their life for the better. It appears that Larry Wheels is the rare find where that’s concerned. But while it may have benefited him that doesn’t mean it’s something all 17 year olds should be using.
Catch the full interview here.
What do you think of Larry Wheels and his experience starting testosterone at 17?
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
