The conversation around bodybuilding competitions being completely natural have always received contrasting opinions. A primary reason behind these polarised standpoints is a perpetual ambiguity which not only surrounds coveted competitions but also around bodybuilding in general.
One must not ignore that not only bodybuilders or aspiring bodybuilders use steroids to increase muscle-size but the same is also done by gym enthusiasts, i.e., people who merely like to develop their muscles without any intention of taking up the sport professionally.
In simple words, any sport or competition in a utopian world should be bereft of athletes gaining even an iota of unfair advantage. Having said that, since we don’t live in a utopian society, idealistic morals are seldom followed. In the context of bodybuilding, it is difficult to be an athlete with bigger, stronger and leaner physique at the same time.
Come to think of it, no amount of perfect genetics can enable an individual to encompass of all these qualities at the same time. Considering how the basic meanings of these three words can’t coexist in one human body at one point in time, there lies a massive hint about the question if bodybuilding is a 100% natural sport or not.
What are steroids?
In a layman’s language, steroids are man-made human hormones which are developed for different purposes. In the general run of things, steroids can be classified into two types – Cortico steroids and Anabolics. The selection of one of these two determines the purpose of taking steroids.
The usage of steroids as chemicals to cure certain diseases is categorized into the first aforementioned category. When a human being’s body stops producing hormones naturally, it hampers the functioning of cells and tissues which reduce the body’s ability to combat diseases. These diseases range across bone-related issues, skin-related issues, breathing problems etc.
Cortico steroids, however, are always prescribed by doctors. From when and how to take to the quantity needed, all these important aspects are decided by an approved medical practitioner.
Anabolics, meanwhile, don’t require any prescription per se. Hence, they are mostly used on a regular (read careless) basis by people who want to improve their body structure. Irrespective of a normal person or a professional bodybuilder, if you come across anyone who has both put on or reduced muscle mass in a miraculous time frame, consider it to be a strong hint about the usage of steroids.
Although usage of both types of steroids can have side-effects, it is needless to say that anabolics have more severe and, in some case, even life-threatening consequences especially if used in higher quantities on a continual basis.
Is Mr Olympia natural?
As far as the prestigious and historic Mr. Olympia is concerned, IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) doesn’t allow for the allowance of steroids. It is due to the same reason that participants also undergo tests to determine the usage of steroids in their respective bodies.
Having said that, as is the case around many other rules in this world, bodybuilders find loopholes regarding passing the above mentioned drug tests in spite of them being conducted by the best of authorities. A basic example of the same is not using any before a test, which in many cases is conducted six months before the actual competition. Hence, compromising with the genuineness of the whole process. As a result, there continue to be numerous varying views about the whole discussion (as mentioned at the top).
On the contrary, it is worth mentioning that there’s a completely different competition named “Natural Mr. Olympia”. Natty, as they usually refer to as a short form for natural (bodybuilding), is determined by complex steps as it is important to let only outright natural bodybuilders participate than the ones who pretend to be natural just before the competition.
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That said, Natural Mr. Olympia isn’t very popular across stakeholders and participants due to several money-related issues like lack of funding, sponsorship and even prize money.
Furthermore, a common tendency of viewers to appreciate the biggest and most strongest physique is what has led to the unpopularity of natty bodybuilding.
Irrespective of the amount of work (in terms of both time and training) a natty bodybuilder puts in, he would be never be able to match the bulky physicality of a non-natty bodybuilder due to the presence of performance-enhancing and muscle-boosting steroids in the latter. Therefore, Natural Mr. Olympia will always have a minuscule probability to become famous like its primary competitor.
