Brian Johnson, who has adopted an alter-ego known as Liver King, has become a popular star in the fitness industry for his ancestral lifestyle and muscle-bound physique. Having been exposed for hiding his steroid use in 2022, the 45-year-old took action to quit the compounds altogether. However, in his latest YouTube video, Johnson revealed that he’s decided to start taking testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and growth hormone again.
On his journey to fame, Liver King stood out from other influencers in his niche with an ancestral way of life that centered around community, family, and activity. He regularly credits the nine ancestral tenets for helping him achieve not just a ripped physique but a happy and healthy life.
In December 2022, YouTube’s Derek of More Plates More Dates shined a light on Liver King’s leaked steroid cycle which became available in an email. Derek was blown away by the amount of money Johnson was spending on growth hormone per month. Liver King eventually confessed and told his followers he was giving up steroids completely.
Even though he offered his audience consistent looks at his physique, most were unconvinced by Johnson’s natural status. In his latest offering to fans, Johnson addressed rumors surrounding his PED use and revealed he reintroduced gear after going 220 days drug-free.
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Liver King Talks Being ‘Natty as Fu**’ for 220 Days, Losing 20 Lbs, & Getting Back on TRT/Growth Hormone
Liver King maintains that he never lied to his audience and went natural for a total of 220 days despite accusations. As a result of quitting gear, Johnson claims he lost 20 pounds, dropping to 182 pounds. He added that there was a “massive difference’ in the leanness his physique displayed in December until now.
“Here’s what I’ll say, I didn’t lie to anybody when I went on the podcast and I started talking about my earnest commitment to go natural. So this year, starting on January 2, I went 220 days without any steroid, without any growth hormone, without any peptide, without anything synthetic. If you call eating a pound of fresh raw bull testicles every single day natural, then I’ve been natty as fuck for 220 days.
There’s been a lot of accusations. You don’t just get more shredded, more vascular, and more yada yada yada when you come off steroids. Once again, if you go to Liverking.com and you see the stats page, I’m providing weekly updates. I was about 206 pounds in December and then I got all the way down to 182. So I’ve lost over 20 pounds.”
“Anybody who interacts with me in real life will tell you I look leaner. For anybody who doesn’t believe me, all you have to do is look at my social media photos, look at it from December to now, tell me you can’t tell the difference — massive difference.”
Liver King said he lost muscle mass and mentioned that his strength plummeted after quitting PEDs. He specified that he’s now “getting back on” them because he’s proven a valuable point to himself about commitment.
“I’ll tell you what I don’t like, the idea of losing over 20 pounds of muscle. I don’t like the idea that became the reality of losing a lot of strength. My one rep max strict press was like 255 and I couldn’t even hit 205 in July. So, I’ve decided to go back on it. I’m taking testosterone. It’s a cream; I do three clicks of it a day. I’m also doing a growth hormone; it’s two clicks a day. Really what’s considered HRT or TRT, it’s hormone replacement therapy managed in the normal range, not a super physiological range.”
“Why am I getting back on? I’ve done what I needed to do. I’ve proven what I needed to prove to me. The commitment that I made to my boys and my family to all the primals out there is that I would never lie again. I went on record, I went and told my website, I told it all, if you’re late to the party it’s fine.”
“I’m living life by my terms, not somebody else’s terms,” said Liver King.
“When I was younger I hated my life. I hated who I was. I was ashamed. I wanted to kill myself. And… I figured a way out of that and as I got older. My kids got really sick. It was really these ancestral tenets that got me out of this hell hole. It was the ancestral lifestyle that got my kids healthy.”
In December 2022, a New York plaintiff sued Johnson for $25 million and alleged that he misled customers purchasing his supplement products by promoting a ‘dangerous and life-threatening diet’ that consisted of raw meat. With litigation looming, Liver King had the following to say:
“I’ve never said taking my supplements you’re going to look like me, what I have said is: make sure to get the early morning sun, get your bare feet connected, grounded, anchored into the earth so that you can express your highest and most dominant form.”
Lastly, the famous influencer addressed why he always looks red in appearance, mentioning that he likes to “bathe in blood.”
“Why is Liver King so red? Part of it might be because I like to bathe in blood. Part of it is if I’m on the camera, I’ve been working my ass off. I’m overheated, I just did a workout. You come meet me face to face and if you still think I look red, we can figure that out together but I hope I’ve given you some of what you need.”
Liver King isn’t the only fitness star who has received attention online for alleged PED use. While there is no concrete evidence, podcast host Joe Rogan joined Derek of More Plates More Dates and encouraged Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to ‘come clean’ about his potential use of gear.
Despite hopping back on PEDs, Liver King hopes to continue spreading valuable information about the benefits of an ancestral lifestyle, which he compliments with his signature raw meat diet.
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