Some believe the use of performance-enhancing drugs is at an all-time high, which has prompted natural bodybuilder and powerlifter Jeff Nippard to examine what he described as an epidemic. Taking to YouTube, Nippard analyzed the use of steroids while weighing the risks and benefits of prolonged use.
“The problem with steroids is… they work, like really work. That’s probably irresponsible for me to say, but if we’re going to talk about the steroid epidemic, we need to do it honestly.”
Jeff Nippard is more than your typical social media influencer seeking views. As a fitness coach, Nippard takes a scientific approach to working out. His innovative ways of explaining health topics and exercise mechanics, such as how to get six-pack abs and whether free weights are better than machines, have changed how individuals improve their health.
Jeff Nippard Analyzes the ‘Steroid Epidemic’ Revealing the Benefits and Possible Dangers
Additionally, Jeff Nippard is a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, sharing realistic workouts and gains with his followers. This fact allows for more achievable results, which leaves fans flocking to his accounts, desperate to soak in all his tried-and-true tips.
That being said, the growing popularity of performance-enhancing drugs hasn’t slipped Jeff Nippard’s attention. In a recent YouTube video, Nippard delves into the steroid epidemic, explaining how they work and how well they work.
“Steroids build muscle way faster than something like creatine. It’s not even close. If you started taking five grams of creatine every day for a year straight, you’d add about two pounds of extra muscle. If you started taking steroids at a normal bodybuilding dose, you’d probably add about 20 pounds of extra muscle that year but it could be more depending on your genetics and how much you take” said Nippard.
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Nippard compares his natural testosterone levels with those of a bodybuilder who was honest about his PED use.
“I’m a lifetime natural bodybuilder. These are my testosterone levels right now: 485 nanograms per deciliter, that’s right around the middle of the normal range for someone my age. This is bodybuilder Chase Irons, the world’s most honest enhanced bodybuilder.”
However, the difference is astronomical, leaving the bodybuilder, Chase Irons, breaking the scales at well over 10,000 nanograms per deciliter.
“He also had blood work done this month. Where do you think his testosterone levels are? Maybe double mine? Triple mine? Nope. His levels are literally off the charts. The test maxes out at 10,000 nanograms per deciliter and his testosterone was higher than that. He openly admits to taking a lot of gear, and this shows just how big the gap between natural and enhanced can get.”
To get more information on how steroids can affect health, Jeff Nippard consulted with physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel.
“Steroids can cause in many people really high levels of anxiety. Dose-dependent it’s also compound-dependent. Things like tren cause way more anxiety than other milder compounds like primo.”
“Some of the gear you get is damn-near pharm-grade goes in smooth as butter never does anything, no inflammation. Some of the gear goes in there and boy, does it mess you up. I’ve been personally hospitalized for a non-infected but an insanely immune-responsive abscess. My foot was half-a-foot out to one side.”
Nippard continues to explore why steroids have become so popular but he adds that just because individuals use them, doesn’t mean they’ll develop a physique like Chris Bumstead’s.
“Most people take steroids because they want to look bigger and feel better about the way they look. I get it. I want to look bigger and feel better too. And steroids will make you look bigger but they might not make you feel any better about the way you look. It could make your body dysmorphia worse.”
“That’s because a lot of people think if they just start enhancing they’ll look how they want. But just because you take gear, doesn’t mean you’ll look like Cbum.”
Nippard also spoke with Derek of the More Plates More Dates YouTube channel on how steroids can affect the body.
“Typically, you’re not going to hold back, you’re going to keep pushing because this weight feels like a feather now. You’re going to go as far as it can take you but your connective tissue is not keeping up with that pace and you’ll see often bodybuilders that end up with brutal injuries,” shares Derek of MPMD.
Citing a study, Nippard explains how steroid use could possibly shorten lifespan.
“It’s hard to say how much steroids shorten your lifespan but they definitely do. One 2024 paper followed over a thousand steroid users for 11 years with an average age of 27. During that same time frame, they also followed 60,000 people of the same age but not on steroids. 2.8 percent of the steroid users have died by the follow-up while only 1 percent of the non-steroid users had died.”
Dr. Israetel shared how steroids can stunt brain development and gave his cutoff age for those who could use it responsibly:
“The brain develops in very very high level ways well into your late 20s. In subtle ways through your entire lifespan. So until about your mid-20s, I’d say there’s a high probability steroids will stunt your brain development to a significant extent.”
“My cutoff age generally that’s a conversation for a responsible medically-supervised steroid use for serious goals by a serious individual begins at age 25.”
This isn’t the first time that Jeff Nippard has discussed being a natural bodybuilder along with the effects of using PEDs to put on muscle mass. In the past, Nippard revealed that he is ‘lucky’ to put on about one pound of muscle a year, whereas bodybuilders using steroids can put on a pound of muscle in just one week.
“This isn’t the highest responder. This is the average. Think about that. I might put on one pound of muscle in the next year if I’m lucky as a late stage natural. These guys put on 1 pound of muscle per week by taking 600 mg of test.”
While rapidly putting on muscle mass may seem appealing, Nippard isn’t the only one to ring alarm bells when it comes to using steroids. Bodybuilding legend Rich Gaspari didn’t hold back while criticizing young bodybuilders on their early steroid use. Gaspari explains that even though he used PEDs when competing, they were much lower dosages than today’s and he believes it to be incredibly dangerous.
As stressed by Jeff Nippard, Derek from MPMD, and Dr. Mike Israetel, PEDs, such as Trenbolone, for example, may give the user significant muscle growth, but it isn’t without a cost. From stunting brain development to the clinical studies that prove it shortens lifespans, steroids are no laughing matter and should be used with caution and under the advice of a medical professional.
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