Bodybuilding has seen seismic changes from era to era throughout years of competition. With that, diets, supplementation, and training have all evolved. In a recent YouTube discussion with Dr. Peter Attia, Derek of MPMD (More Plates More Dates) assessed those changes and measured the differences in steroid protocols from the 1970s to modern day.
While often swept under the rug, performance-enhancing drugs have remained a quiet part of the sport for decades. Different times demand different physiques as was the case with golden era legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, who boasted an aesthetic build with voluminous muscles.
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Bodybuilding mainstays such as Schwarzenegger and Tom Platz have been open about their use of steroids. Both men have insisted they took minimal dosages, with “The Austrian Oak” crediting a two-compound cycle as his seven-time Mr. Olympia-winning ticket. However, according to Derek MPMD, these 1970s bodybuilders are being deceitful.
Derek MPMD On 1970s Bodybuilder Protocols: “They Are Not Telling The Truth In My Opinion”
First, Derek was asked about the most notable changes to physiques of today compared to the 1970s.
“Probably drugs at the top almost certainly followed by I would say nutrition probably, and then training at the bottom,” said Derek MPMD. “A lot of these things dont’ live without the other so you could definitely lean heavier and say well if you eat nothing the drugs won’t do anything.I would say just in order of importance if you did perfect diet, perfect training with all of the modern knowledge that we have now your ceiling for muscle growth potential could be as much as 50-100 pounds lower as a natural depending on height, depending on genetic response.”
Derek MPMD maintains that most 1970s bodybuilders are not telling the truth about their use of steroids.
“Yeah, they are not telling the truth in my opinion. Most of them [70s bodybuilders] are not. When you say you’re taking a borderline female HRT Dianabol dose, back then that’s what it was prescribed for or muscle wasting in old age or whatever.”“Those dosages are almost impossible to wrap your head around producing outcomes that they are… like you might as well stayed natural almost at that point. I too bought into the idea of ‘Oh they all seem to have consistent stories, they seem to have all taken one shot of Primo a week and one to two Dianabol or what have you.’ And it’s just not an outcome that you see as reproducible as ever in those dosage quantities,” shared Derek MPMD.
Further, Derek believes the benefits of PEDs can sometimes outweigh the potential harm.
“If you’re competing against a guy at the highest level and there’s relatively high stakes, you see a guy like Arnold getting movie roles and stuff, it’s like the peak of achievements as a bodybuilder back then, you couldn’t do social media, you couldn’t do anything, you would try to emulate presumably what he was doing or something of that nature.”“To think that you’re not going to escalate your dose past one to two Dianabol and a shot of Primo or what have you or a show of Nandrolone because you didn’t want to hurt yourself, it’s like shut up dude.”
Like Schwarzenegger, Tom Platz revealed his two-compound cycle of Winstrol and nandrolone, stressing that he took the “very minimum.” However, Derek MPMD doesn’t buy his changing story:
“Oh, he changed his story. With that said, his original breakdown was relatively conservative still but he’s done public presentations about drug use back in the 80s, 90s, he… you could tell he was pretty reserved even back then, he handled the situation very delicately. You could tell he was picking his words carefully as he spoke.But more recently he came out and said his dose was like a third of that or something, it’s like okay, maybe in 40 years I don’t expect you to remember exactly what you took but to say your peak dose was one third of what it was, I don’t know, I just don’t really believe you.”
When assessing the most significant change since the 1970s, Derek pointed to the “emergence of growth hormone and insulin abuse.”
“Yeah and it seems to be the emergence of growth hormone and insulin abuse as well as the escalation of drugs to an even more extreme magnitude and the availability potentially. Granted, they were prescribed readily seemingly, but people also seemingly pushed the limit more and there’s the emergence of underground lab preparations.”
Derek of MPMD isn’t the only prominent fitness voice taking issue with the use and abuse of insulin. Recently, retired Pro bodybuilder Evan Centopani opened up about his personal use of insulin. And while he credited the substance for helping him gain muscle in a rapid manner, he preferred to stay away from it mostly.
Former 1983 Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout also set his sights on insulin use in bodybuilding. He went as far as to say “don’t be fooled,” emphasizing that insulin has absolutely no place in the sport. In another insulin-related discussion, Bannout said users of the drug won’t make it to 60 years old.
Cycles have certainly changed from when Schwarzenegger and Platz were posing on stage, but Derek MPMD wants to keep the dialogue honest given the influence these bodybuilders still have on younger generations.
Watch the full video from the Peter Attia MD YouTube channel below:
RELATED: Derek of MPMD & Jeff Nippard Talk Craziest Cycles Ever Seen and Gaining Muscle Natural vs Enhanced
Published: 14 October, 2023 | 12:02 PM EDT
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