How to build muscle the healthy way

In the pursuit of a better body, an ever-increasing number of men are nowadays settling on steroids. It is estimated that over one million British guys are now using performance-enhancing drugs - for the primary purpose of improving body image. The risks are alarming and pose a real danger to your long-term health and longevity. In addition to this, steroid use impacts on your personal and social life, while affecting your mood and mental health. To help you build muscle the safe way, JOE spoke to Dr Emil Hodzovic, himself a competitive bodybuilder and doctor with Medichecks.

"Steroids and IPEDs are drugs and have detrimental side-effects as well as the obvious desirables. The issue with IPEDs is that, as the desired effects increase, so do the side-effects. As people pursue 'more' muscle and less fat then the negative effects start to multiply. Some side effects manifest in the short term including male pattern baldness, acne and mood swings, but a lot of them may take years before they become an issue, such as long-term heart and liver problems."

"Muscle gain is a process that takes years of consistent effort and it can be rapidly accelerated through the use of IPEDs. In our age of instant gratification, steroid use is seen as the equivalent, especially as the lack of information surrounding IPED use may make it seem like a safe thing to do. The media (and social media) also have a part to play in that they push an image of what a man should look like and guys can be bombarded by this all day, every day."

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