Bodybuilding: Arnold Schwarzenegger breaks down steroid use

Stand: 07.06.2023 | Reading time: 4 minutes

MAt the age of 75, Arnold “Arnie” Schwarzenegger is currently very present. This Wednesday, his documentary series “Arnold” started on the Netflix streaming service, in which the actor talks, among other things, about his affair with his former housekeeper, with whom he fathered his son Joseph.

The fictional series “Fubar”, in which Schwarzenegger plays a role, is also very successful on the portal and is high up in the charts there. Netflix even recently named Schwarzenegger its “Chief Action Officer,” and the former governor of the US state of California is now something of an action ambassador.

But the main actor of the Terminator is not only making headlines in the action area. In an interview with Men’s Health, Schwarzenegger revealed for the first time which steroids he was actually taking. This causes discussions in the global fitness and bodybuilding scene. Schwarzenegger is one of the most successful bodybuilders in the history of the sport.

The Hollywood star has always been open about his use of steroids after retiring from bodybuilding in 1980. However, the Austrian never went into details publicly. Until now. In the conversation, Schwarzenegger reports that he mainly relied on two drugs: testosterone and D-Bol. Testosterone is a male sex hormone that can, among other things, increase muscle growth and stimulate fat loss.

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D-Bol is also the anabolic steroid Metandienone, also known as Methandrostenolone and sold under the brand name Dianobol (D-Bol). It remains very popular in both professional and amateur bodybuilding, being considered the most abused anabolic steroid. It can lead to an increase in strength and an improvement in the ability to regenerate.

At that time, steroid use was still legal

Until 1990, steroid use was legal in the United States, where Schwarzenegger was then living. In Germany, too, the consumption of anabolic steroids is prohibited, testosterone and Dianabol are only legally available for therapy prescribed by a doctor.

Schwarzegger had his prime as a bodybuilder from the late 1960s through the late 1970s. At just 20 years old, he became “Mr. Universum” and has secured the title “Mr. Olympia”. In the 1970s, his chest circumference during the competition phase was 145 centimeters, his arm circumference 56 centimeters, he weighed 106 kilograms and was 1.88 meters tall.

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In the interview, Schwarzenegger stated that he was taking 100 milligrams of testosterone per week and Dianabol three times a day, “a total of 15 milligrams”. He emphasizes that he always took testosterone and Dianabol/D-Bol under medical supervision.

Schwarzenegger does not want to call for imitation with his statements. On the contrary: in the interview he warns against the consumption of steroids. “Bodybuilding has always been considered a safe sport. But now it’s not anymore,” says Schwarzenegger: “Now people are dying. They die of a drug overdose and they don’t know what they’re doing.”

From his point of view, the problem is that people use the medication without seeking professional advice. “They listen to charlatans. If I want medical advice from a doctor, I go to UCLA or the Cleveland Clinic.” Is it hypocritical to have used steroids for a long time—and now discouraged it? “I acknowledge the fact that it’s not my place to say that,” Schwarzenegger said in the interview. But precisely because of his experiences – also in the environment of many other athletes who consumed steroids – he wants to warn.

“How people get kidney transplants”

“Do not do it. Yes, we’re in a time where we’re always looking for the easy way to make money, the fast way to get rich, the easy way to make an impact,” Schwarzenegger said. “But any time you abuse your body, you will regret it. I want young people to know that I’ve seen people get kidney transplants and suffer a lot from it.”

Schwarzenegger has 24 million followers on the Instagram social network and repeatedly emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle with sport and a healthy diet.

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