“It’s Due to Abuse”: Amidst Multiple Deaths Tarnishing Bodybuilding’s Image, Legendary Bodybuilder Addresses Alarming Concern in the Sport

Samir Bannout is the epitome of a perfect physique and symmetry. He has earned immense fame and recognition for his historic Olympia victory in 1983. The bodybuilding legend has always emphasized a healthy lifestyle that promises longevity. He has been featured in many health magazines for his abundance of knowledge in fitness and wellness.

Bannout is well aware of the fact that dependency on drugs and steroids can destroy a person both mentally and physically. Recently, he talked about how aspiring bodybuilders have become overreliant on drugs and steroids to develop beef in their bodies. He has voiced his opinion about how this has become prevalent in the sport.

Bannout brings up the harsh reality of bodybuilding

Recently, Samir Bannout appeared in an interview with another bodybuilding figure, John Hansen. The duo shared their opinions about how drugs and unnatural training approaches have shattered many dreams and hopes. Questioning Hansen about his recommendation for healthy living, Bannout asked, “I want to touch on a topic like the toxicity issue in the sport. Because you know over the years we saw several athletes really perish, just like boom and it’s due to abuse John and we really need to discuss the old school versus the new school. And what is okay and what is not okay.”

Answering his question, John Hansen said, “I don’t know you know what these guys are doing now or how they do it”. According to Hansen, he has witnessed legends who wouldn’t use drugs for a big part of the year, but only use them when they were preparing for competitions. He talked about bodybuilders like Danny Padilla who wouldn’t train for a long time and then only “take juice” a few weeks before his bodybuilding competition. According to Hansen, even seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger also did this a “couple of times”. Hansen therefore was of the belief that this is what was different from the current generation of bodybuilders and those in the past.

In order to see the results soon, many bodybuilders rely on the consumption of drugs. However, they often neglect the fact that excessive intake of these body-enhancing products can lead to precarious health issues. Several legends have in the recent past come forward to talk about how they used PEDs in their youth. Lee Priest was one of them.

Bodybuilding Giant Opens Up on His Early Drug Abuse

Recently, Lee Priest was on the podcast along with IFBB pro coach Milos Sarcev, Fouad Abiad, and Ben Chow. He went on talk about taking PEDs when he was 19. “Well, I took steroids at 19, you know,’ he said. Continuing further, he added, “The first half of the year I was still natural when you see me later on in the year you can see the 20 pounds difference I put on from and all I did was take Deca and people made fun of me.”

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He went on to describe the drug he used for eight weeks at a dose of 200 milligrams per week. He did this when he was competing in the lightweight category and needed his body weight to be below 158 pounds. So, when he used gear, he never forgot about weight maintenance. What do you think about the overuse of steroids in bodybuilding? Let us know in the comments below.