What is the actual truth behind steroids? Does anyone actually know the science behind them? I’m willing to bet that you don’t. Most people think that steroids are a drug used only by meatheads and other athletes to become bigger and have a better athletic performance. But this is simply not the case.

First let’s start out with who is using steroids. We’ll start as young as date can be provided for and work our way up. For starters it was reported from National Institute of Drug Abuse study that 2.5% of 8th graders use steroids, 2.5% of 10th graders, and 4% of 12th graders. When looking at the nation as a whole that is not a big percentage.

But why do they take them? Most people take steroids in order to enhance their physical image or improve their athletic performance. It is commonly known that professional athletes use steroids and continue to use them even though leagues including the NFL, NHL, and MLB are cracking down on steroid use. These athletes believe it is in their best interest to take them to win. Nearly one in every 10 retired football players took steroids at one point in their lives! That’s a lot of steroids. Unfortunately data on current steroid usage in professional and college sports are difficult to find and are unreliable plus the date is skewed.

So know we know who is using steroids or “roids” as they are commonly referred to. But what do they actually do? Steroids are a substitute for the male hormone known as testosterone. Testosterone is what fuels muscle building in both male and females and therefore this anabolic drug helps to build muscle mass therefore increasing strength. In short steroids speed up the recovery process of muscles when they are broken down.

This contradicts the widely held belief that using steroids builds muscle without doing any work. In fact if you were to take steroids without exercising you would just gain weight and not the good kind of weight, you would pack on fat. But when combined with exercise, steroids allow you to recover quickly making you be able to hit the gym or the field harder sooner rather than later, resulting in bigger muscle growth.

In most sports Steroids are taboo to talk about but some athletes will come forward and admit to their usage of the anabolic drug. Body Builders might be the most open about it and are the most outspoken for the health benefits of steroids. When used correctly they not only speed up muscle recovery but can have other benefits as well.