Kenny K.O. shares the truth about steroid cycles.
When it comes to gaining muscle mass and strength in the gym, many people are looking to do so quickly. They want to be big, strong, and ripped, and they want it to happen overnight, so instead of protein powder and creatine, they turn to steroids and SARMs which are often referred to as “gear”, and are becoming more popular now than ever.
Disclaimer: Generation Iron team are not medical professionals and are not advising for or against the use of any performance enhancing drugs, rather stating the facts surrounding these substances.
Anabolic Steroids Overview
Anabolic substances (steroids) have been around since the early days of weightlifting and bodybuilding, and are often used to enhance athletic performance. Powerlifters, weightlifters, and other athletes use them to enhance training and increase the strength and power output. Bodybuilders are a bit different, as they use anabolic steroids to increase strength, but the main goal is to add more muscle mass.
Testosterone injections have been around for over 100 years, and are even used in modern medicine for things such as testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT for short. Testosterone has also been used by bodybuilders and strength athletes since it hit the market, and it spawned a large amount of different steroids that have different effects on the body. For example, some steroids are used for cutting, like the popular anavar and winstrol compounds, but others are used for bulking, like the popular dianabol and anadrol compounds.
There have also been more recent developments in anabolic substances such as SARMs, which are selective androgen receptor modulators. They are oral compounds designed to mimic the effects of steroids, but without as serious side effects. However, due to them still being newer in development, the effects are largely unknown and we will be sticking to the discussion on steroids.
Many times, these compounds will be stacked with one another to speed up and increase the effects, and although every steroidal compound is a derivative of testosterone, the person using these substances will still take testosterone as a base compound.
Side Effects of Steroids
When it comes to what steroids actually do to you, each one will vary. The main goal of steroids usually fall under these categories:
- Burn fat
- Build and maintain muscle tissue
- Enhanced recovery
- Increased strength
- Increased sex drive
Now, it is no secret that most anabolic compounds that full under that “steroid” umbrella term are good at doing those things listed above, but everything has its downsides. So, what are the downsides of using anabolic steroids?
Possible risks associated with anabolic steroid use include:
- Testicular and penile shrinkage
- Reduced sperm count (Lowers chances of having healthy children)
- Erectile dysfunction (Inability to get or maintain an erection)
- Prostate problems
- Gynecomastia (Breast tissue development)
- Baldness (patterned hair loss)
- Involuntary and long-lasting erection
- Deepened voice
- Facial and body hair growth such as hirsutism
- Acne scarring
- Higher risk of injury
None of those side effects sound too pleasant, and the risk associated for obtaining those side effects is different with each compound. But, there is also a common question associated with steroid usage, and that is if you keep your gains or not.
Do You Keep Your Gains After a Steroid Cycle?
When you take steroids, you have a massive influx of exogenous hormones in your body, helping you recover much faster and build muscle tissue far easier than you would when you are natural. But, when you come off, those excess hormones go away, and your natural levels are tanked because you shut off your body’s natural production of the key muscle building hormone, testosterone. So, do you lose all of your gains?
Kenny K.O. has answered this question, and if you are unsure of who he is, Kenny K.O. has made a name for himself as a YouTube bodybuilding personality by being blunt and honest, and of course calling out “fake naturals”. Sharing the truth about taboo subjects and even people. In one of his older videos, Kenny K.O. goes in depth on the age old question that everyone wants to know. Touching upon steroid cycles – Kenny talks honestly about what happens when your cycle ends and whether or not you will lose some of that hard earned muscle. Check the video out above and find out for yourself!
What Happens to Your Body After Steroids
Kenny’s answer to the question of if you lose your gains after a steroid cycle is quite intriguing. Kenny states that when you take steroids, your body will surpass its natural genetic potential, but when you come off you will lose some of those gains you made when on cycle. However, if you do a proper post cycle therapy (PCT), then you should be able to stay at your natural potential and maintain that.
To put it simple, Kenny K.O.’s verdict is that by taking steroids, you will basically be skipping years and years of hard work that you would have to put in in order to reach your natural genetic potential, and you will surpass that. But, if you come off properly, you can maintain what would be your natural limit.
He also brings up the point that many avid gym goers and bodybuilders will “blast and cruise” year round. This is when someone takes a decently heavy steroid cycle, then instead of coming completely off, they will drop to just a small dose of testosterone, mimicking a TRT dose, to avoid losing any of their gains. However, this is a life decision and once committed it is very hard to turn back.
Steroid Cycle Gains Wrap Up
Overall, anabolic steroids are increasingly popular in the fitness world as a whole, specifically in sports such as bodybuilding, powerlifting, and weightlifting, for a variety of reasons. They bring strength and muscle gains to the table, but certainly have their side effects. Also, according to Kenny K.O., you will still lose some of your gains when you come off of steroids, and you will lose even more if you do not properly PCT.
If you like what you see, make sure to check out Kenny K.O.’s official YouTube channel and subscribe right here.
