Larry Wheels has been quite honest and upfront about his usage of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Recently he decided to open up about how his body has been effected by using these substances.
Despite what some athletes may try to say, PED use is the worst kept secret in strength sports. Wether it be bodybuilders, or powerlifters like Wheels, most of the athletes that have physiques that look too good to be true are usually the ones getting a bit of a boost. Although this is somewhat controversial, most people have come to accept that this is just a part of the sports.
That being said, there are certainly some risks involved with using PEDs, especially if they are not used correctly. Recently Larry Wheels, who has been open about his use of steroids in the past, got some blood work done to see how his body has been damaged by using PEDs for 8 years. Speaking with Dr. Mutaz Tabbaa on a recent video he uploaded to YouTube, Larry went over these results and assessed the condition of his health after all these years.
Right off the bat, Dr. Mutaz explained that the biggest concern when it comes to PED usage, is damage to the kidneys. He explained that there are five stages to kidney damage, but once you start advancing through those stages, you can not heal the kidneys. Luckily for Larry, he does not have any signs of this damage so far.
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However there are a few things that Larry Wheels need to be aware of in his blood work. Dr. Mutaz says that his liver enzymes are a little high, but that this is to be expected from PED use, as the liver is working harder. Another thing that he struggled with was some stomach pain after taking orals, which Dr. Mutaz explained fairly simply.
“The best way for oral performance enhancement, is to use on an empty stomach. The availability for absorption will be 100% perfect. So they go through the liver, then convert to the active form, then when the half life is finished it will go back through your liver and out your body,” Dr. Mutaz explained.
The other area of concern for Larry Wheels is the fact that his testes are no longer producing testosterone. To fix this, he can do Post-Cycle Therapy, which he says he has not done in years. However he does not plan to do PCT until he wants to have kids, but Dr. Mutaz recommended some other options for him to do in the meantime.
The full video is fascinating, and filled with a lot of information on how to use PEDs in a healthy way. That being said, it is not something that Larry Wheels recommends for anyone to do. On the other hand, it is better to have the information to do it safely, if this is the path you choose to take.