Say It Ain't So Lance!

   Were you really that surprised! You thought that Lance Armstrong and those other pro bicyclists
actually cycled up those mountains at that speed fuelled only by granola bars and Gatorade. I suppose you think that those monstrously gargantuan bodybuilders in the Mr. Olympia contest owe it all to pumping iron and protein powder. Yes, and those NFL football lineman snorting and frothing at the mouth like Brahma bulls are just caught up in the heat of the moment. Of course those female shot putters from eastern block countries with no necks and the five o'clock shadows are just husky tomboys! Pro wrestlers are just rowdy, rambunctious good old boys with hearty appetites that help them grow such cartoonish muscles!
 
   Now there are stories circulating that elite mountaineers tackling Mount Everest are relying on steroids to assist them in the brutal ascents and descent! I would also assume that blood enriching compounds just might be beneficial for people trudging up frozen rock faces at extreme altitude. There are no doping test facilities at Base Camp and no officials waiting for a urine sample.

   Before Lance, there was the BALCO scandal. That's as in Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, a 'supplement' company that got caught in a sting operation and implicated numerous baseball stars. The ensuing BALCO fallout brought down the world's fastest man Tim Montgomery. It also led to the loss of an Olympic title and a jail term for lying under oath to Olympic sprint queen Marion Jones.
Going even further back there was Canada's Olympic 100 meter sprint champion Ben Johnson. 'Big Ben' went from the gold medal podium to the annals of sporting shame with a failed drug test.
   Performance enhancing drugs have been with us for some time. Steroids and human growth hormone can build muscle and strength and aid recovery. Blood boosters such as EPO (erythropoietin) can increase stamina for endurance sports. Amphetamines have been used as picker-uppers by athletes for decades.  Many of these drugs were developed to treat symptoms of aging and certain muscle and tissue wasting diseases such as cancer. They have been adopted by athletes and bodybuilders.Keep in mind that these substances:

• Can build muscle with intense weight training
• Can improve athletic performance with proper training
• Can aid in recuperation from intense exercise
• Can enhance endurance
• May aid energy levels during an athletic event 
• Are banned in most sports
• Are legally controlled substances
• Can have side effects and health consequences both physical and possibly mental

   As a Fitness Trainer, the day may come when someone will ask you about using such substances. It may be a naive but curious potential client that you can set straight with common sense.  There is also the possibility that it may be a short - cut seeking muscle man or athlete wannabe who might be best turned down cold and avoided.
   If you train out of a hard-core style gym, you may actually know such a monger of muscle enhancers.
Don't even think of steering the inquisitive soul towards such a purveyor of pumped up products.
Why not, you might ask? There are a few good reasons.

1. You DO NOT want to be associated with that part of the business if you want to have a respected and conventional Fitness Training career. Remember, image is important and word spreads like wildfire in a gym setting.
2. It IS against the law! Sure, it is an unlikely scenario, but you don't want to be the go-between in a narc sting. I used to moonlight as a bouncer at a nightclub on the cheating side of town. A waitress there once steered an undercover cop to the neighbourhood, sleazebag drug dealer. She got arrested along with the sleazebag. Don't be the fitness club version of Wicked Wanda, the witless waitress!
3. Some, but not all, sources of performance enhancing drugs may be connected to organized crime rings. That is all the more reason to steer clear!  Cement overshoes are not an ideal method to develop your quad muscles.

   There may be a legitimate situation in which you have a client with hormonal issues such as low testosterone levels. In such a case you should refer the client to a medical doctor. 
If you have reason to believe that one of your clients may be dabbling in the sorcerer's supplements, refer them to a physician. Do not fool around with this! Things could get out of hand.  

Obviously you do not supply steroids to make up for the client's testosterone shortfall. Nor do you

approach the gym musclehead supplier with the biker connections.

   Hopefully you're not thinking of doing this but I'll comment just in case you are. Why not tap into that niche? Why couldn't you become the Fitness/Strength Consultant and go-to guide for substances for the elite/ pro athletes? Some of them can pay big time. I'll give you 3 reasons or more specifically 3 names:

1. Kirk R. : Kirk was the Fitness Trainer and steroid guru for a number of professional pro baseball players. The FBI busted him and he wound up turning evidence against a number of his clients.
2. Brian M. : Brian was the Fitness/ Strength Consultant for a controversial baseball pitching sensation.  He was also outed and testified against his client. He was counter-sued and his reputation was dragged through the mud.
3. Greg A. : Greg was the Fitness Trainer and alleged drug guru for baseball's controversial new home run king. He was busted but refused to testify against his high profile client. He spent much time in and out of the slammer for contempt of court as a result.

   These three trainers only allegedly supplied to clients that were willing. They supposedly obtained the substances from supplement companies or steroid friendly doctors, not from organized criminal gangs. However, all three made the decision to step over a certain line .Their reputations are tarnished. They have paid legally and financially.

Their careers as legitimate Fitness Trainers are finished!
This path is a risky one.

    It is not even advisable to suggest that a client take certain supplements. There have been instances of a person taking a suggested supplement, having a bad reaction, and suing their Fitness Trainer. Stick to advising your clients to eat sensibly. If you feel your client has some sort of food deficiency refer them to a nutritionist or a medical practitioner
   One more thing on this topic of performance enhancing substances. There is something that all Canadians know deep down in our souls. Big Ben was framed!!!!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Until next time,.............keep fit

Little Bobby Strong

schwabe27.uwmfatloss.hop.clickbank.net

Using performance enhancing substances can be risky business !

Here are some interesting references on this topic:

Steroid Nation    Shaun Assael 2007 ESPN Books

Bases Loaded     Kirk Radomski 2009 Hudson Street Press

The Dirtiest Race in History  Richard Moore 2012  Bloomsbury Publishing

Edmonton Police Services Report on East End Narcotics Sting Based on 1995 plea bargaining testimony of  Wicked Wanda the Witless Waitress at Hard Shots Sports Lounge