How can you tell if someone has built their body without the use of performance enhancing drugs. Below you will discover the most common signs that point to the non-natural route. Although these are not 100% fool proof they are pretty good indicators.
1. Rate of Muscle Growth
The number one sign of a unnatural bodybuilder is how fast they are able to pack on size. Now I am not talking about just starting out and experiencing some newbie gains. But if someone has been training for a little bit and all of a sudden they put on 40 lbs of muscle and are shredded signs surely point to chemical assistance. The only other possible explanation to this other than steroid use could be if someone took a long lay-off and rebuilt previous muscle. (Aka”Muscle Memory”)
2. 3D Shoulder Look
Another common indicator of present or even past drug use is the development of what is known as 3D shoulders. This is commonly attributed to the location of androgen receptors. Some individuals are blessed with great genetics in this area but if their deltoids look completely out of place on the body then it can be presumed anabolic steroids are to culprit.
3. FFMI Calculation
FFMI stands for fat free body mass index. This index is used by bodybuilders instead of the standard BMI (Body Mass Index) to get a more accurate indicator of what kind of shape you are in. Results of anything above 25 is suspicious for a natural bodybuilder and most likely with anything above 27.
4. Acne
Not as accurate as the previous signs on the list but if someone you knew never had breakouts and all of a sudden are pizza faced with increased muscle to show for it you can be pretty sure why.
5. Aggression
The last and only sign listed that is not physical is how short tempered and aggressive someone might be after just starting a cycle. Sometimes this is referred to as Roid rage and undoubtedly can be an obvious sign for someone that already shows other signs of usage previously listed.
These are the most common ways to tell if someone could be on physique altering drugs. It is possible however to be a user but not obtain any quality muscle because of not following a sound nutrition and/or exercise program.
On the flip side it might be possible to have one of these signs and not to have been on anything. But if someone has 3 or more of them then it is a pretty solid indicator of drug use.
Feel free to comment below on any other dead giveaways that may have been missed on this list for non natural bodybuilders.
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