I started lifting weights religiously in Vietnam.

I saw a bunch of heavily muscled guys bench pressing a truck axle and curling sand bags.

And I was hooked.

I took my iron pills every day and somehow expected to look like these guys.

Never happened.

I ended up with tendonitis and a bad back.

What I didn’t know, and nobody ever mentioned, was that these guys were “juicing.”

They were “pinning” themselves with anabolic steroids., growth hormone and insulin.

Some even inject oil right into the muscle. Argh!

Anabolic steroids were illegal then, and still are in most countries.

Still…nobody talks about it.

They are dead men flexing.

I say “dead men” because most of these guys will never see fifty.

Even with all the muscle, they are too heavy for their own bodies and their hearts can’t take it.

You can’t get to this level without illegal drugs.

Some eat up to 8,000 calories a day in the off season.

Most likely, as this shot was taken, their bodies are riddled with anabolics, fat burners, and diuretics.

On stage they are starved and dehydrated.

A dangerous place to be.

Not uncommon for some to die right in the middle of a routine..

But that doesn’t stop them from selling us their “unique” programs , protein powders and supplements.

That’s where the real money is.

They make their fortune selling us on an impossible dream.

Beware.