Anabolic Steroids and Bodybuilding: A Historical Perspective

This video explores the history of anabolic steroids in bodybuilding, starting from their discovery to their use by athletes.

The Discovery of Testosterone

• Testosterone was first synthesized in 1935 by Adolf Butenandt and Leopold Ruzicka.

• Before this, people had been using animal testicles for millennia to create pills, powders, and potions. However, these attempts did not work as testicles produce testosterone but do not store it.

• In the early 1930s, a Dutch group of scientists managed to isolate just 10 milligrams of testosterone from 100 kilos of bull testicles.

Pre-Steroid Era Bodybuilders

• The silver era (1940s and 50s) produced legendary physiques like Steve Reeves, John Grimek, George Eiferman, Leroy Colbert, Marvin Eder and many others. It is unclear whether they were natural or used steroids as they were not available at that time.

• All the bronze era greats like George Hackenschmidt, Eugene Sandow Otto Arco Maxique Bobby Pandora did not have access to anything which could be considered an anabolic steroid.

Early Use of Steroids in Bodybuilding

• There's no question about Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Golden Era bodybuilders using steroids.

• It wasn't until the late 1950's that steroids began being used more widely in bodybuilding circles.

Conclusion

Anabolic steroids have become almost inseparable from bodybuilding today. While there is no doubt that some legendary bodybuilders used steroids, it is unclear when exactly bodybuilders started using them.

The History of Testosterone

This section discusses the development and availability of testosterone as a medicine for sick and old men. It also explores the difficulty in pinpointing when testosterone became available to the public.

Development of Testosterone

• Propionate and testosterone enanthate were developed due to their longer half-lives, making them more effective.

• Methyl testosterone was developed as the first orally effective testosterone preparation.

Availability of Testosterone

• It is difficult to pinpoint when exactly testosterone hit the market since it was only being used in experimental clinical trials in the 1930s.

• Companies wanted to cash in on publicity surrounding the discovery of testosterone, leading to misleading advertisements for products claiming to have hormones or testosterone.

• One such product called "Testilon" contained an orcic substance made from cow testicles that did nothing when taken orally.

• After getting into trouble with the FDA, advertisements for "Testilon" no longer mentioned hormones but only vitamins.

• Legitimate-looking advertisements for testosterone pills appeared sometime after a book called "The Male Hormone" was published by Dr. Paul de Kruif in 1945.

Misconceptions about Testosterone

• There is no evidence that German soldiers were given testosterone during World War II to boost their performance.

• "The Male Hormone" makes no mention of anabolic properties or athletic performance but instead promotes testosterone as a medicine for sick and old men.

• Back then, even though everyone clearly associates testosterone with bodybuilding strength and steroids nowadays, it was just a new experimental medicine.

Advertisements for Testosterone

• Advertisements for testosterone pills were available to anyone wanting to buy them, but they were marketed towards older men who felt old before their time and needed revitalization.

The History of Steroids in Bodybuilding

This section covers the discovery of steroids in bodybuilding and how they became popular.

Discovery of Steroids

• In 1954, Dr. John Bosley Ziegler noticed that Russian weightlifters were using testosterone to enhance their performance.

• After drinking with the Russian team doctor, Ziegler learned about the use of testosterone and started experimenting with it himself.

• Ziegler worked with Siba Pharmaceuticals to develop a drug that had less androgenic effects than testosterone while keeping the anabolic properties.

• In 1958, Siba Pharmaceuticals released methandrostallone, marketed as Dianabol.

Rise of Steroid Use

• By the early 1960s, weightlifters and bodybuilders were using Dianabol to gain an edge over their competition.

• Many lifters abused the drug in large doses which led to unpleasant side effects.

• Despite Dr. Ziegler's condemnation of his invention before he died, steroids had taken over bodybuilding by the late 1950s and especially from the 1960s onward.

Impact on Bodybuilding

• The use of steroids caused bodybuilders to become much bigger and leaner than before.

• Essentially all golden era bodybuilders can be presumed not natural due to steroid use from late 1950 onwards.

• There is a small gray area between late 1940's-mid 1950's when testosterone was readily available but it was being prescribed as medicine for sick old men and was not yet understood to be a performance enhancer for athletes.

Conclusion

• Steroids have been used in bodybuilding for over 60 years and essentially all competitive bodybuilders were using steroids by the late 1950s.