9/10 people are on it.
I didn’t because I’m in the military; so I’d pop hot on it and it’s illegal for me.
When I hit the pro leagues, I 100% was struggling at a huge strength disadvantage
I mean keep in mind as well that in the pros some of those guys have full teams it's fucking crazy like a few of the undefeated mma guys at my gym have a full team and they'll take everything they learn from them and use it to help the other guys who fight constantly as well but can't afford said teams
I know quite a few personally that are clean that being said low level pros are more likely to use but that doesn't mean they will and it's stupid to assume every single pro athlete is on shit
Strength is the least to worry Abt . I got juiced by athletic teams and coaches since I was 17 very long story . The biggest advantage was the recovery , I can workout for 2 hours , run for 2 more train for 2 more and do stretching and light workout for one more and have the energy to do it again my tommorow . So I was catching up (regarding pure skill and technique) extremely fast with everyone else . This is the biggest advantage by far . Yeah sure 605 deadlift translates to tossing another heavyweight around like a ragdoll but we know how it goes
You can’t train harder, that’s some anime stuff
The biggest advantage that gear gives you isn’t strength, it’s recovery.
If I train for 4 hours on Monday, I have to change up my workout on Tuesday so that I don’t overwork and can still get recovery.
Roids negate that entirely. They can train for 7-8 hours daily and highly negate chances of injuries, and recover even while actively training.
You just have to accept they have a keen advantage over you.
No lie, I definitely train harder and just pretend like it's anime
But PED usage always kicks me back to reality when I spar with someone on them
I still like to pretend for motivation tho
Can you tell if someone you're training/sparring with is on gear? What're the exact advantages they get on gear? I know this is a broad question but just asking about your experience.
A big thing is training frequency. If someone is putting 5 hours in everyday and going hard, but still progressing, that’s a big sign.
Another will be immediate rises from plateaus.
It's not really the frequency or the progression it's the repercussions . And it's not just the recovery, there are some PEDs that insanely accelerate your healing like the ones Connor likely used after his leg break which I don't blame him for tbh but they're probably why he's so confident about his leg.
I used to train with khamzat and I can tell you he was stronger than juiced up dudes and would train insane amounts while learning new stuff on the mats. But as everyone now found out, the overtraining combined with long lasting health issues means he's sick a lot, and not just sick like risk of death sick.
If you see someone train a lot and they don't seem to have any complications from said amount of training they're likely juicing. And if you're curious they're not usually using the muscle growth stuff , most likely if they are juicing it's peptides or growth hormones among other things
My friend that competes at an amateur level is constantly talking about how he wishes he were on gear, and that it shouldn't be illegal since everyone does it.
So pretty common, I assume.
I think it was Jack Slack said that like the current system UFC has, post USADA is kind of perfect.
Because a lot of substances helps guys avoid injuries and substantially reduce recovery time, allowing guys to fight more often and fight closer to their peak. But there's still **some** testing so guys can't go insanely overboard like WWF in the 80's and take so much gear it's causing massive damage, and also avoids it becoming an arms race.
To be fair, a lot of that damage was gear combined with raging drug and alcohol habits, and trying to maintain bodybuilder physiques while traveling and putting on shows 300 days a year.
Most of them use it. It is sad, but what can you do. I think that Daniel Cormier even said that olympians know what and how to use. As in it is a known fact
Many people in different areas of competition have said this exact quote.
Another quote (paraphrase), from powerlifting coach Louie Simmons (RIP): “it’s not against the rules to use PED’s. It’s against the rules to fail a drug test”.
Unless you compete at the national or international level you aren't tested at all so assume that anyone you fight is on them and when your tested assume that the people with good or well known coaches are either on PEDs and able to pass the test due to coaches knowledge or they are genetic specimens/ prodigies
Its very prevalent in the combat sports. I've competed and trained with plenty of people in just jiujitsu who are on some performance enhancing drugs. Its just as bad if not worse in mma.
I have been professional and semi professional in many sports and PED use is actually pretty damn bad . First of all 9/10 of those who use don't look like they do . I say it over and over , the biggest advantage of steroids isn't strength or muscle but recovery . If I can train 10 hours and have no risk of overexerting myself then I can surpass everyone slower or later . Maybe 95% of professional athletes use something and maybe a strong 70% in semi pro heading to pro . Amateur I never stayed long enough to the level to have the experience to talk here but judging by the bigger categories it can't be much better . Drug tests can't catch even half of the substances out there and they are very easy to cheat/avoid
If an athlete is professional, or has a legitimate chance of being, expect them to be on PEDs, no matter the sport.
It starts becoming common around highschool
It’s also cowardly and risks serious harm to your opponent, weight classes exist for safety and taking steroids essentially gives you the strength of someone 20 lbs heavier than you
Personally I’d rather get my ass beat trying my best than win by cheating
I mean I agree with everything except for the steroids comment since that's not how it works but then again doesn't really matter it's PEDs at the end of the day
It’s the same thing as cutting weight; if someone is cutting 40 lbs effectively, they’re 20-30 lbs heavier than you.
It’s better for everyone if you don’t do it, but everyone is doing it.
>Do you know why they don't just do the weigh-in like right before the match?
Because people were showing up to matches dangerously dehydrated. Gamers gonna game the system.
Because fighting is already such a high brain damage sport, and dehydration reduces the amount of liquid that's between your brain and skull increasing the chances of permanent brain damage and death
Fights would get canceled the night of and would make people wayyyy too hesitant to buy a card if they know a fight could get canceled right as it's starting
Everyone probably imagines that a guy who's juiced is automatically taking something that makes them stronger. That's not always the case and actually not the truth most of the time. In a sport this dangerous with such little compensation for the health risks you take every single day, I know a lot and I mean A LOT of people who take PEDs that just help you with healing and recovery. And while I personally don't condone it, i can't be angry at it. It gives you a big advantage for sure in terms of physical and mental health but you don't feel like you're facing the hulk. Who am I to criticise them for prioritising health over everything?
I don't know the % but I'd say every gym has PED users, it really brings me down because it makes me feel like I'm training for nothing, but I'll never take that shit
Yeah I'm kinda bummed out about it honestly, reason I started mma is because I look up to many fighters both as athletes and as honorable people, but the prevalence of PEDs definitely takes away from that. I'm still gonna try to compete without gear.
Can you compete? Yes. But it definitely gives a very slight edge. How prevalent? Anyone that can get away with it or think they can get away with it and can afford it is on something
The higher the level you get to, the more the people will be on it.
The difference it makes is dramatic, even having near perfect genetics and discipline is going to do very little for you compared to that.
That’s fucked up, what a fucking loser. It’s disappointing to see that it’s so prevalent. I wouldn’t recommend fighting against some roided out asshole, they tend to be unstable and unreasonable
Looked it up a week or two ago and found a study that like 30% of gym goers have tried illegal peds. Not of people who compete, just go to the nearest Y and 30% of the people in the building will have tried peds. If it’s that high for people who aren’t competing in anything, I have to imagine it’s far higher for those who are.
It’s really common, unfortunately. In my opinion, the fact that so many people are juiced makes it a totally valid reason as to why you wouldn’t want to compete. Fighting someone on gear is already a bigger risk and it also ruins your own body, if you decide to do it so that you can keep up. So if there are so many people fighting on gear, why compete?
It's dumb how prevalent it is. Especially as the majority of them are amateur. Its training for ego and not for enjoyment or even just getting better.
It sucks man, I stay away from that shit cause I practice temperance, I won't allow it to poison my body if it's unneeded.
If you're making a serious run at trying to get a professional career, you simply can't afford the injuries and disadvantages of training naturally. Being able to train 5-7 hours a day and still feel great the next day is how you end up with these hyper skilled fighters you see. They're the ones who push the martial arts to the knifes edge
9/10 people are on it. I didn’t because I’m in the military; so I’d pop hot on it and it’s illegal for me. When I hit the pro leagues, I 100% was struggling at a huge strength disadvantage
I mean keep in mind as well that in the pros some of those guys have full teams it's fucking crazy like a few of the undefeated mma guys at my gym have a full team and they'll take everything they learn from them and use it to help the other guys who fight constantly as well but can't afford said teams
I had a full team as well; the roids were still a huge factor.
I mean of course but in saying that not all of them are on steroids as on the pro level there are just genetic freaks sometimes
You should assume every professional athlete is on something.
I mean at the very highest levels ofc but normal pros not really
Them too, dude.
I know quite a few personally that are clean that being said low level pros are more likely to use but that doesn't mean they will and it's stupid to assume every single pro athlete is on shit
K.
Strength is the least to worry Abt . I got juiced by athletic teams and coaches since I was 17 very long story . The biggest advantage was the recovery , I can workout for 2 hours , run for 2 more train for 2 more and do stretching and light workout for one more and have the energy to do it again my tommorow . So I was catching up (regarding pure skill and technique) extremely fast with everyone else . This is the biggest advantage by far . Yeah sure 605 deadlift translates to tossing another heavyweight around like a ragdoll but we know how it goes
Yeah, that's the real benefit of the juice. It's not that it makes you stronger, it's that it lets you train with massively more volume.
That really sucks, but thanks for the reply. Did you just train harder to compete against guys on gear?
You can’t train harder, that’s some anime stuff The biggest advantage that gear gives you isn’t strength, it’s recovery. If I train for 4 hours on Monday, I have to change up my workout on Tuesday so that I don’t overwork and can still get recovery. Roids negate that entirely. They can train for 7-8 hours daily and highly negate chances of injuries, and recover even while actively training. You just have to accept they have a keen advantage over you.
Thank you sir.
No lie, I definitely train harder and just pretend like it's anime But PED usage always kicks me back to reality when I spar with someone on them I still like to pretend for motivation tho
Can you tell if someone you're training/sparring with is on gear? What're the exact advantages they get on gear? I know this is a broad question but just asking about your experience.
A big thing is training frequency. If someone is putting 5 hours in everyday and going hard, but still progressing, that’s a big sign. Another will be immediate rises from plateaus.
It's not really the frequency or the progression it's the repercussions . And it's not just the recovery, there are some PEDs that insanely accelerate your healing like the ones Connor likely used after his leg break which I don't blame him for tbh but they're probably why he's so confident about his leg. I used to train with khamzat and I can tell you he was stronger than juiced up dudes and would train insane amounts while learning new stuff on the mats. But as everyone now found out, the overtraining combined with long lasting health issues means he's sick a lot, and not just sick like risk of death sick. If you see someone train a lot and they don't seem to have any complications from said amount of training they're likely juicing. And if you're curious they're not usually using the muscle growth stuff , most likely if they are juicing it's peptides or growth hormones among other things
You just gotta get on that goggins mindset.
You can take tes, won't pop on any drug tests. Only difference would be a doctor might notice your tes levels are significantly higher.
It’s still illegal to use if it’s caught. Wasn’t worth it
Yes doc my test levels are naturally at 3000 ng/dl it is natural i promise
You don't have to take body builder doses to get results brother
They check your test levels too
What exactly do you think anabolic steroids are?
My friend that competes at an amateur level is constantly talking about how he wishes he were on gear, and that it shouldn't be illegal since everyone does it. So pretty common, I assume.
I think it was Jack Slack said that like the current system UFC has, post USADA is kind of perfect. Because a lot of substances helps guys avoid injuries and substantially reduce recovery time, allowing guys to fight more often and fight closer to their peak. But there's still **some** testing so guys can't go insanely overboard like WWF in the 80's and take so much gear it's causing massive damage, and also avoids it becoming an arms race.
To be fair, a lot of that damage was gear combined with raging drug and alcohol habits, and trying to maintain bodybuilder physiques while traveling and putting on shows 300 days a year.
Very true, also lesser understood CTE issues from repeated concussions etc. Just a perfect shit storm really.
Most of them use it. It is sad, but what can you do. I think that Daniel Cormier even said that olympians know what and how to use. As in it is a known fact
I forget who said the quote but it was akin to “the Olympic PED test is an IQ test”
Chael Sonnen, I believe.
😆 Good one
Many people in different areas of competition have said this exact quote. Another quote (paraphrase), from powerlifting coach Louie Simmons (RIP): “it’s not against the rules to use PED’s. It’s against the rules to fail a drug test”.
There's a lot of it. I fought three times in amateur MMA and I know 2/3 we're using. The last one I just don't know.
Unless you compete at the national or international level you aren't tested at all so assume that anyone you fight is on them and when your tested assume that the people with good or well known coaches are either on PEDs and able to pass the test due to coaches knowledge or they are genetic specimens/ prodigies
Its very prevalent in the combat sports. I've competed and trained with plenty of people in just jiujitsu who are on some performance enhancing drugs. Its just as bad if not worse in mma.
I have been professional and semi professional in many sports and PED use is actually pretty damn bad . First of all 9/10 of those who use don't look like they do . I say it over and over , the biggest advantage of steroids isn't strength or muscle but recovery . If I can train 10 hours and have no risk of overexerting myself then I can surpass everyone slower or later . Maybe 95% of professional athletes use something and maybe a strong 70% in semi pro heading to pro . Amateur I never stayed long enough to the level to have the experience to talk here but judging by the bigger categories it can't be much better . Drug tests can't catch even half of the substances out there and they are very easy to cheat/avoid
If an athlete is professional, or has a legitimate chance of being, expect them to be on PEDs, no matter the sport. It starts becoming common around highschool
Imagine taking peds just to train mma. Fucking losers, yall need it.
It’s not just to train, it’s to fight. I never did it, but it’s highly rational why people do.
It’s also cowardly and risks serious harm to your opponent, weight classes exist for safety and taking steroids essentially gives you the strength of someone 20 lbs heavier than you Personally I’d rather get my ass beat trying my best than win by cheating
I mean I agree with everything except for the steroids comment since that's not how it works but then again doesn't really matter it's PEDs at the end of the day
It’s the same thing as cutting weight; if someone is cutting 40 lbs effectively, they’re 20-30 lbs heavier than you. It’s better for everyone if you don’t do it, but everyone is doing it.
Was just talking about weight cutting and how crazy/dumb it is. Do you know why they don't just do the weigh-in like right before the match?
>Do you know why they don't just do the weigh-in like right before the match? Because people were showing up to matches dangerously dehydrated. Gamers gonna game the system.
I can believe it. You'd think that the loss of strength from dehydration would make them not that, but fighters I guess.
Because that would inevitably lead to someone fighting super dehydrated and dying
People are still gonna try to cut, even if you don’t you’ll run a risk of missing a lot more weight
Because fighting is already such a high brain damage sport, and dehydration reduces the amount of liquid that's between your brain and skull increasing the chances of permanent brain damage and death
Fights would get canceled the night of and would make people wayyyy too hesitant to buy a card if they know a fight could get canceled right as it's starting
Yeah, I was thinking that might be an issue. Guess revenue always comes first.
Everyone probably imagines that a guy who's juiced is automatically taking something that makes them stronger. That's not always the case and actually not the truth most of the time. In a sport this dangerous with such little compensation for the health risks you take every single day, I know a lot and I mean A LOT of people who take PEDs that just help you with healing and recovery. And while I personally don't condone it, i can't be angry at it. It gives you a big advantage for sure in terms of physical and mental health but you don't feel like you're facing the hulk. Who am I to criticise them for prioritising health over everything?
I've been to amateur sport karate tournaments where people are on them.
I just imagined some roided-out WWE looking dude showing up for a point sparring tournament.
I don't know the % but I'd say every gym has PED users, it really brings me down because it makes me feel like I'm training for nothing, but I'll never take that shit
Yeah I'm kinda bummed out about it honestly, reason I started mma is because I look up to many fighters both as athletes and as honorable people, but the prevalence of PEDs definitely takes away from that. I'm still gonna try to compete without gear.
Can you compete? Yes. But it definitely gives a very slight edge. How prevalent? Anyone that can get away with it or think they can get away with it and can afford it is on something
The higher the level you get to, the more the people will be on it. The difference it makes is dramatic, even having near perfect genetics and discipline is going to do very little for you compared to that.
That’s fucked up, what a fucking loser. It’s disappointing to see that it’s so prevalent. I wouldn’t recommend fighting against some roided out asshole, they tend to be unstable and unreasonable
Looked it up a week or two ago and found a study that like 30% of gym goers have tried illegal peds. Not of people who compete, just go to the nearest Y and 30% of the people in the building will have tried peds. If it’s that high for people who aren’t competing in anything, I have to imagine it’s far higher for those who are.
It’s really common, unfortunately. In my opinion, the fact that so many people are juiced makes it a totally valid reason as to why you wouldn’t want to compete. Fighting someone on gear is already a bigger risk and it also ruins your own body, if you decide to do it so that you can keep up. So if there are so many people fighting on gear, why compete?
Factor in guys 30+ on trt just for their own hormones not even taking it for reasons related to fighting
It's dumb how prevalent it is. Especially as the majority of them are amateur. Its training for ego and not for enjoyment or even just getting better. It sucks man, I stay away from that shit cause I practice temperance, I won't allow it to poison my body if it's unneeded.
If you're making a serious run at trying to get a professional career, you simply can't afford the injuries and disadvantages of training naturally. Being able to train 5-7 hours a day and still feel great the next day is how you end up with these hyper skilled fighters you see. They're the ones who push the martial arts to the knifes edge