Bodybuilding Community Research Articles

6469 Supplement Misadventures: A Case Of Acute Heart Failure, Cardiogenic Shock, And Hormonal Dysregulation Secondary To Surreptitious Use Of Multiple Hormonal Supplements

Abstract Disclosure: K.N. Grennan: None. S. Thota-Kammili: None. A.L. McKenna: None. C.G. Coyle: None. S.L. Samson: None. Introduction: Supplement misuse in the bodybuilding community is prevalent. With the availability of internet ordering and purchasing, patients have access to hormonal supplements without prescription or regulation. Here we present the case of a patient on self-administered hormonal supplements who presented in acute heart failure leading to cardiogenic shock in the setting of concurrent thyroid, adrenal, and gonadal axis dysfunction. Case Description: A 28-year-old male with no significant medical history was transferred to our hospital after presenting to an outside emergency room with dyspnea, cough, nausea, and a subjective fever. He developed acute hypoxic respiratory failure requiring intubation. Echocardiogram performed showed an ejection fraction (EF) of 10%. He was started on two vasopressors and methylprednisolone 1 g daily for two days, due to concern for myocarditis versus giant cell arteritis. Hormonal work-up showed TSH 0.02 mIU/L (normal range 0.3-4.2), free T4 0.4 ng/dL (0.9-1.7), total T3 48 ng/dL (80-200), FSH <0.3 IU/L (1.2-15.8), LH <0.2 IU/L (1.3-9.6), ACTH <5.0 pg/mL (7.2-63), cortisol 1.7 mcg/dL (2.5-12), estradiol 171 pg/mL (8.0-35), total testosterone 1730 ng/dL (240-950), and prolactin 47 ng/mL (4.0-15.2). He received 10 mg dexamethasone at the outside facility. A medication bag found by his family included online purchases of non-prescribed testosterone cypionate and enanthate, liothyronine, anastrozole, and clomiphene. None were medical grade. He was also taking the anabolic steroid clenbuterol for 3 days prior. Echocardiogram on day 3 of admission showed an improved EF of 36%. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a papillary fibroelastoma and myocarditis. Patient was weaned off vasopressors and the ventilator. He was discharged on levothyroxine 50 mcg daily and hydrocortisone 10 mg twice daily for outpatient reassessment. Transesophageal echocardiogram confirmed diagnosis of papillary fibroelastoma. One month Endocrinology clinic follow-up showed no evidence of posterior pituitary, thyroid, or adrenal axis dysfunction or growth hormone excess, but he continued to have gonadal axis suppression with elevated prolactin and estradiol, the latter thought to be secondary to conversion from testosterone. Pituitary MRI showed no micro or macroadenoma. His EF recovered to 50%. He is pending surgical removal of the aortic valve fibroelastoma. Discussion: With hormonal supplements easily accessible online, it is important for physicians to counsel patients about the dangers of misuse. This case highlights a previously healthy 28-year-old man who presented in critical condition with cardiogenic shock and hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction from supplements he purchased online. There should be targeted educational interventions regarding the harm of supplements aimed at the bodybuilding community to prevent similar cases. Presentation: 6/2/2024

Across the spectrum of legality: The market activities of influencers specialized in steroids and other performance and image enhancing drugs

BackgroundLike many other goods and services, performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs), and particularly androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS), are increasingly discussed and promoted by social media influencers. Little, however, is known about the influencers specialized in PIEDs and which drugs and services they promote and sell. AimsAgainst this background, the study has been intended to identify prominent influencers specialized in PIEDs, examine the market activities they engage in, and assess the latter's legality. MethodsWe first searched the clean internet to identify prominent PIED influencers. Second, we conducted a six-month-long, non-reactive digital ethnography of the social media accounts of 20 influencers and, via a content analysis, identified the market activities they engage in. Third, we assessed the latter's legality, primarily using the EU legislation as a benchmark. FindingsThe selected influencers are all current or former bodybuilders, predominantly male and from the United States. Many of them have developed a considerable number of followers, in three cases exceeding one million. They engage in various market activities that span the whole spectrum of legality, from legal to illegal, with many activities having an uncertain, but often dubious, legal status. ConclusionsThough they may promote harm reduction for some users, PIED influencers also promote the public acceptance of PIED use beyond the bodybuilding community and enhance access to PIEDs for millions of people. Multifaceted policy interventions are required, aiming at preventing influencers from becoming a major source of information on, and route of access to, PIEDs.

Authentication of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and total energy in commercialized high protein sports foods with their labeling data

The popularity of high-protein sports food items among athletes and the bodybuilding community has risen dramatically. This study aimed to authenticate the reported per serving food label content of protein, fat, carbohydrate, and total energy in commercially available high-protein sports foods available in Egyptian markets. A cross-sectional study was performed on a total of forty-five samples of nine products that included protein bars, cookies, vegan bars, puffs, whey protein, protein drinks, peanut butter, pancake mix, and Greek yogurt. Protein and fat analysis were done according to Kheldahl and Folich methods, respectively, while carbohydrate was calculated by difference. Total energy was calculated according to their content. A significant (p < 0.001) difference was found between the laboratory-assessed content and the reported food label values in protein, carbohydrate, and energy. Protein sport food products had significantly lower protein content (11.6 ± 4.67) obtained from laboratory measurement than the label reported value (17.17 ± 7.22). The fat content in vegan protein was 149.3% higher than the label values (1.67 vs. 0.67 g/serving). The mean fat content per serving of 30 out of 45 samples was significantly higher than the food label values in the bar (37.8%), puffs (32.7%), vegan protein (149.3%), and protein drinks (28.6%). These differences may result in compromised performance and undesired fat gain, as opposed to a desired increase in muscle mass, which could compromise the desired impact of the consumed sports foods.

Toxicological Characterization of GHB as a Performance-Enhancing Drug.

Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are represented by several compounds used to ameliorate the image, the appearance, or an athletic or non-athletic performance. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is an endogenous molecule first used as anesthetic and then marketed as a nutritional supplement with a wide diffusion in the bodybuilding community. The aim of the present work is to provide a toxicological characterization of the use of GHB as a PED, including the scientific basis for its use, the patterns of use/abuse, and the health risks arising from its consumption in this peculiar recreative setting. A literature search was performed on multiple databases including experimental studies on humans and animals as well as epidemiological reports and forensic case reports/series. Experimental studies demonstrated that the use of GHB as a PED is motivated by the release of growth hormone and the induction of sleep. However, the panel of desired performance-related effects was much wider in real cases and epidemiological studies. Even though the use of GHB among bodybuilders has decreased, its use to enhance some kind of performance, particularly sexual ones or social-communicative ones, as well as means to increase mood and perceived energy, is still common.

Possible Protective Effects of Omega 3, Diazepam and their Combination Against Yohimbine-Induced Clonic Seizure in Mice: Comparative Study

Yohimbine is actually confirmed in the United States to be utilized for erectile dysfunction; and recently such drug has become commonly used in body-building communities for its presumed lipolytic and sympathomimetic effects. But ingestion of such drug can bring about epileptic neurotoxic effects.&#x0D; Many antiepileptic drugs can be utilized to counteract myoclonic seizure; furthermore, diazepam can be used to oppose such type of seizure; in addition, surrogate therapeutic options such as omega 3 may also be utilized. &#x0D; In this study, twenty-four (24) mice of both sexes weighing 20-25g were randomly-allocated into 4 groups (6 animals each group) as follows: Group I- Yohimbine-induced clonic seizure [mice orally-administered DMSO (10%), and after 30 min, animals Sc. injected with 45mg/kg yohimbine). Group II- Diazepam-treated as standard drug: It is Sc. injected at a dose of 2mg/kg, and after 30 minutes, yohimbine at a dose of 45mg/kg is Sc. injected. Group III- Omega 3 (40 mg/kg) is orally-administered, and after 30 min 45mg/kg yohimbine is Sc. injected. Group IV- Combination of omega 3 (40mg/kg) is orally-administered then and after ten minutes, diazepam was IP injected 2mg/kg then after 20 minute, 45mg/kg yohimbine is Sc. Injected.&#x0D; The result of this study showed that omega 3 has non-optimal antiepileptic effect; where, it is un-able to reduce the onset and frequency of epilepsy tone in mice during several time periods (30-120min); and data weren’t significantly different when compared to diazepam. But omega 3 reduced onset of epilepsy in combination with diazepam when compared with diazepam alone. As well as omega 3 caused small percent changes frequency of epilepsy tone through 120 min when compared with other groups.&#x0D; Conclusion: Omega 3 fatty acid had partial beneficial effect; where, alone it has a role for decreasing onset of epilepsy; but, its combination with diazepam had significant role for reducing onset of epilepsy against yohimbine-induced seizure model. Additionally, omega 3 alone and in combination with diazepam have negligible role for reduction frequency of epilepsy.

Building the Transnational “Body Beautiful”—K.V. Iyer and the Circulation of Bodybuilding Practices between India and the United States

This article examines the career of the Indian physical culturist, K.V. Iyer, and situates his writings from the 1920s and 1930s within a transnational community between India and the United States. Iyer ran several gymnasiums, offered health advice, and sold books and mail-order courses across India and internationally. Previous studies have focused on his yogic practices and anti-colonial thinking, with less attention given to his place in the global bodybuilding community. While his writings were sometimes suffused with political rhetoric, his vision of the ideal citizen was derived from his immersion in Western scientific ideas around physiology and anatomy and his ongoing communication with American physical culturists. Studying a global health community between India and the United States, which first found expression through yoga and the Young Men Christian Association, this article positions Iyer as a leading figure in a global exchange of Indian and American ideas concerning the muscular body.

2,4 dinitrophenol: It's not just for men

Background2,4 dinitrophenol (DNP) is an organic compound which causes thermogenesis resulting in fat burning and weight loss. Although not licensed for human consumption, the globalised access to and information about this compound on the internet has prompted a renewed interest in DNP making it readily available to purchase online. Studies into user experiences remain scarce and much of the previous literature has focused on DNP use in male dominated bodybuilding communities. While online accounts of female DNP use are plentiful, this group are under researched. MethodTen online forums containing female discussion of DNP were identified and 440 threads subjected to a thematic analysis. Semi structured interviews were conducted with four forum moderators (all men) and one woman who reported use of DNP. ResultsThe findings highlighted diverse motivations for why women use DNP as well as differences in experiences, dosing regimens, willingness to take risks and adverse effects. Many women reported using online forums to seek advice and trusted the information they received. However, much of the discussion and protocols for use online is perpetuated by and geared towards men, with DNP seen as a ‘hard core’ drug that is not suitable for women. Female DNP use was frequently stigmatised because the potential risks were seen to be at odds with women's roles as mothers and caregivers. Women who used DNP were often ignored, ridiculed or seen as novice users, while men were viewed as the DNP experts. ConclusionThis study provides an overview of female experiences of DNP use. There is a growing body of evidence as to the harms associated with this compound and there are no guaranteed ‘safe’ regimens that can be advocated for any potential user. Users equate deaths or ill harms from DNP with incorrect dosing or insufficient knowledge of the impact of the drug on the body. This leads women to incorrectly assume that if they are not suffering ill effects they are using DNP safely. Of key concern from this study is that within a vacuum of harm reduction advice, women are reported to be accepting DNP advice circulating in male-dominated forums and adopting the protocols of male bodybuilders with potentially fatal consequences. Furthermore, women using DNP are doing so without any ‘real world’ support, gender sensitive treatment pathways or interventions in place.

A sentinel population: The public health benefits of monitoring enhanced body builders

There is heightened recognition of the public health implications of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) for the use of image and performance enhancement; with increasing evidence of their long-term negative health impacts, the hazards associated with their administration (often via injection), and the variability and unpredictability of their contents. In order to optimise the effects of these drugs, together with strict dietary and training regimes, AAS users typically supplement their use with an expansive and continually evolving range of ancillary drugs. The discovery and subsequent adoption of these drugs by the broader AAS user population is largely dependent upon a minority of social influencers within the bodybuilding community.Pioneering enhanced bodybuilders who self-experiment with a diverse range of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) and ancillary drugs have been the forerunners in the development of an underground user-led literature, online discussion forums, and were early adopters of internet-facilitated drug markets. Yet the impact of their self-experimentations extends well beyond the enhanced bodybuilding community, particularly in their use of ancillary drugs.Most significantly has been their role in the diffusion of various enhancement and psychoactive drugs to the wider population. Using the theoretical framework of the ‘diffusion of innovation’ we consider the role that pioneering enhanced bodybuilders have played in the diffusion of various enhancement and psychoactive drugs to the wider population through a focus on three substances: dinitrophenol (DNP), melanotan II and gamma-hydroxybtyrate (GHB). With an increasing range of drugs used by bodybuilders, coupled with an expansion in the use of online forums and online platforms to purchase pharmacological and new psychoactive drugs, we anticipate this trend of diffusion amongst the wider population will continue to flourish. Therefore, we highlight the need for policy makers to monitor emergent trends, not only in the general AAS population but particularly amongst enhanced bodybuilders.

A fatal case report of acute yohimbine intoxication

Yohimbine is an indole alkaloid extracted from the bark of the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree, which has found a clinical application through the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Yohimbine is also widely used by the bodybuilding community for its sympathomimetic effects and its presumed lipolytic effects. This substance is, however, associated with adverse effects, including cardiac and neurologic side-effects, but only few fatal cases have been described to date. In this context, this manuscript aims at documenting a fatal case of a 27-year-old male. Ethanol concentration determination and toxicological screening were performed using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, liquid chromatography with diode array detection and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection. Liquid chromatography with diode array detection allowed the quantification of yohimbine. Toxicological analysis of subclavian blood, vitreous humor, and urine samples highlighted the presence of yohimbine and tramadol. Yohimbine was quantified at the concentration of 8000 µg/L in the peripheral blood and 2600 µg/L in the vitreous humor. Tramadol blood concentration was below the toxic threshold. Only a very few number of yohimbine fatalities has been reported so far. In the current case, yohimbine acute intoxication appeared to be the most likely cause of death. In fact, the blood concentration highlighted here is the highest ever reported to date.

Endogenous Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate in Postmortem Samples.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a naturally occurring molecule present in the human body as a catabolite of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA). In the USA, GHB has a history of being manufactured illicitly and abused, with misguided proposed benefits for the body-building community and a persistent party drug with reported GHB overdoses occurring worldwide. The interpretation of GHB in postmortem biological fluids is complicated by the endogenous nature of the molecule. Analysis often requires more than one biological matrix to detect exogenous exposure, typically in urine. The analysis is further complicated by the endogenous de novo production of GHB in postmortem specimens. This work sought to examine the prevalence of endogenous GHB concentrations in postmortem toxicology samples from Orange County, CA, and to establish suitable in-house secondary matrices to confirm or rule out exogenous GHB exposure. A total of 348 postmortem heart blood samples were randomly selected and analyzed for GHB using liquid-liquid extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selective ion monitoring and GHB-d6 as an internal standard. Of the 348 cases analyzed, 39 cases resulted in positive GHB detection with the median concentration of 22.45mg/L (10.4-62.16mg/L). None of the positive samples had suspected GHB ingestion or usage from the case report. GHB concentrations were then examined in secondary matrices collected at autopsy from the positive cases that included (when available) peripheral blood, urine, vitreous humor, liver homogenate and brain homogenate. Within the secondary matrices, GHB levels in peripheral blood compared to that of heart blood, while liver homogenate levels were variable. Quantifiable GHB levels were not identified in vitreous humor and brain homogenate samples. Our findings reaffirm the importance of multi-matrix analysis in postmortem toxicology and further confirm the utility of vitreous humor and brain tissue to distinguish exogenous GHB exposure from endogenous production.

Pharmacological effects and safety monitoring of anabolic androgenic steroid use: differing perceptions between users and healthcare professionals

Background:Androgenic anabolic steroids (AASs) have a number of licensed clinical indications but are also subject to abuse within the body building community. They have a number of potentially important adverse pharmacological effects, and users require health monitoring, including selected laboratory investigations. The extent to which AAS users are able to seek medical supervision and the ability of healthcare providers to respond to the needs of users is uncertain. The present study sought to ascertain how AAS abusers interact with healthcare providers, and self-reported knowledge among doctors regarding the healthcare effects and need for monitoring of AAS users.Methods:Questionnaires were administered, and there were 216 respondents among AAS users and 134 doctors.Results:A high proportion of AAS users cited various barriers to accessing healthcare, including 136 of 189 (72%) that reported a fear of reproach, and 107 of 194 (55%) that had avoided seeking medical advice; 137 of 193 respondents (71%) did not disclose AAS use to healthcare professionals. Doctors across a broad range of seniority stated a lack of knowledge of AASs; 130 (97%) had received no formal training, and 109 (82%) did not know which blood tests could be used for safety monitoring.Conclusions:The present study has highlighted some perceptions among the body-building community that create obstacles to them accessing appropriate safety monitoring while using AASs. Doctors may not have adequate knowledge of AASs, which may prevent them giving accurate and complete information. Further work is needed to address the barriers of communication between users and health professionals in order to facilitate better healthcare monitoring and drug safety.

‘Manly tears exploded from my eyes, lets feel together brahs’: Emotion and masculinity within an online body building community

Discussions of crying and love are not what one might expect to find when examining interactions between recreational bodybuilders online. Gendered emotion ideologies, especially related to muscular masculinities, usually forbid men from exhibiting emotional vulnerability in front of other men, as emotional detachment is one of the ways gender hierarchies are maintained. Building on Connell’s concept of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ and Hochschild’s concept of ‘emotion management’, this article analyses emotional exchanges within an international community of male recreational bodybuilders: fans of Aziz Shavershian, known as ‘Zyzz’. We examine the meaning of emotions within the Zyzz fandom’s local hierarchy of masculinities, the expressive freedoms afforded by the context of their emotional interactions, and the strategies employed by Zyzz and fans to traverse masculine emotion ideologies that usually prevent men from expressing love and affection.

Exploring the social lives of image and performance enhancing drugs: An online ethnography of the Zyzz fandom of recreational bodybuilders

BackgroundAs a result of the mainstreaming of bodybuilding, the majority of image and performance enhancing drug (IPED) users are now not athletes or competitive bodybuilders, but recreational bodybuilders. Previous approaches provide little insight into how the shift from competitive to recreational contexts impacts the use of IPEDs. MethodsIn this study an online ethnographic approach is used to explore the social lives of IPEDs in a recreational context. The study focusses on the Zyzz fandom, an international online community of thousands of recreational bodybuilders who idolise the alleged IPED user Zyzz. ResultsZyzz fans see IPED prohibition as failing, as causing harm to users, and as sexist. Their IPED use is informed by not only instrumental benefits, but social benefits such as altering gendered power relations. IPEDs have been normalised in this community, and new patterns of use are emerging. ConclusionIPEDS have moved through different hands, contexts and uses, and in so doing the values, norms and meanings attached to IPEDs have changed. The results suggest that intervention efforts may be best directed towards harm minimisation, and in particular towards bridging the divides between the medical and bodybuilding communities.

Online doping. The new self-help culture of ethnopharmacology

In Sweden, but also internationally, official regimes and public health organizations conduct fairly comprehensive antidoping measures. As a consequence, numerous ‘new’ ways to learn about and access these types of drugs have emerged. Social media and different internet forums, for example, have become part of a new self-help culture in which people can anonymously approach these substances, discuss their experiences of using them and minimize the possibility of encounters with the police. This article focuses on how the use of performance- and image-enhancing drugs (PED) is perceived and negotiated socially in the context of an internet-mediated and online community called Flashback. The results are in accordance with similar studies on internet bodybuilding communities. That is, even though the participants to a certain degree are aware of the risks and health costs of this kind of physical regime, the gains of using PED clearly dominate the discussions. Adding to this research, this article found that in the imaginary world of online bodybuilding a number of ideas about the ‘genetic max’, as well as the ultimate possibility of exceeding one’s limits, and creating something special and extraordinary, circulate. These stories confirm in many ways the legitimate mission of searching for the ultimate bodybuilding adventure, using different means and methods to transcend the limits of the self/body.

Vulnerable discipline: Experiences of male competitive bodybuilders

The aim was to understand experiences of male competitive bodybuilders from a non-pathologizing perspective. Six male Norwegian competitive bodybuilders were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using a meaning condensation procedure resulting in five themes: being proud of capacity for discipline, seeing a perfectionist attitude as a necessary evil, experiencing recognition within the bodybuilding community, being stigmatized outside the bodybuilding community and going on stage to display a capacity for willpower and discipline. We suggest that bodybuilders may be stigmatized for breaking social norms: by their distinctive appearance, by the way they handle suspected drug use and by challenging gender norms.

Identification of CJC‐1295, a growth‐hormone‐releasing peptide, in an unknown pharmaceutical preparation

Several peptide drugs are being manufactured illicitly, and in some cases they are being made available to the public before entering or completing clinical trials. At the request of Norwegian police and customs authorities, unknown pharmaceutical preparations suspected to contain peptide drugs are regularly subjected to analysis. In 2009, an unknown pharmaceutical preparation was submitted for analysis by liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). The preparation was found to contain a 29 amino acid peptide with a C-terminal amide function. Based on the interpretation of mass spectrometric data, an amino acid sequence was proposed. The sequence is consistent with a peptide currently marketed under the name CJC-1295. CJC-1295 is a releasing factor for growth hormone and is therefore considered a Prohibited Substance under Section S2 of the WADA Prohibited List. This substance has potential performance-enhancing effects, it is readily available, and there is reason to believe that it is being used within the bodybuilding community.

Acute neurotoxicity after yohimbine ingestion by a body builder

Yohimbine is an alkaloid obtained from the Corynanthe yohimbe tree and other biological sources. Yohimbine is currently approved in the United States for erectile dysfunction and has undergone resurgence in street use as an aphrodisiac and mild hallucinogen. In recent years yohimbine use has become common in body-building communities for its presumed lipolytic and sympathomimetic effects. We describe a 37-year-old bodybuilder in which severe acute neurotoxic effects occurred in 2 h after yohimbine ingestion. The patient presented with malaise, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and repeated seizures after ingestion of 5 g of yohimbine during a body-building competition in a gymnasium. His Glasgow Coma Score was 3, requiring orotracheal intubation. Two hours after admission, vital signs were blood pressure 259/107 mmHg and heart rate 140 beats/min. Treatment with furosemide, labetalol, clonidine, and urapidil and gastrointestinal decontamination were performed. Twelve hours later the patient was extubated with normal hemodynamic parameters and neurological examination. The yohimbine blood levels at 3, 6, 14, and 22 h after ingestion were 5,240; 2,250; 1,530; and 865 ng/mL, respectively, with a mean half-life of 2 h. Few data are available about yohimbine toxicity and the related blood levels. This is a case of a large ingestion of yohimbine in which severe hemodynamic and neurological manifestations occurred and elevated blood levels of yohimbine were detected.

Gender Capital and Male Bodybuilders

Cultural capital and hegemonic masculinity are two concepts that have received intense attention. While both have received serious consideration, critique and analysis, the context or field-specificity of each is sometimes ignored. They have been used in a diversity of ways. Using ethnographic and interview data from a US male bodybuilding community, this study highlights one useful employment. Hegemonic masculinity takes different shapes in different fields of interaction, acting as a form of cultural capital: gender capital. Inherent in this discussion are the cultural contradictions apparent among individuals striving for either physical or ideological embodiments of gender capital. Individuals can attempt to embody hegemonic idealizations, but bodies are not only inscribed with gender, inscriptions are read, and read differently by different social actors and in different settings. The capacity of gender capital to remain elusive is precisely what enables gender practices and projects like bodybuilding to retain passionate participation.

Strength in Muscle and Beauty in Integrity: Building a Body for Her

Although female bodybuilding has great potential as a liberating archetype for female beauty, judging standards within the sport reflect a masculinist aesthetic of female human beauty that subverts this potential. The organizational rules and the aesthetic of competitive bodybuilding are in need of reform. This article briefly describes the structure and judging standards of competitive women’s bodybuilding, explores the possible objectives of women’s bodybuilding as competitors currently pursue it, addresses feminist concerns about the objectification of women’s bodies that occurs in bodybuilding, and considers whether bodybuilding is an irremediably androcentric pursuit. Practical reforms that feminists within the bodybuilding community might pursue to advance a new aesthetic of bodybuilding are suggested. This article concludes by sketching a feminist aesthetic of bodybuilding based on a Kantian account of beauty, reaching beneath surface appearances.

Experiences of Anabolic Steroid Use

This study was designed to investigate anabolic steroid users' experiences of, and motivations for, use. Five men and six women users took part in in-depth interviews. Four themes emerged: Steroid Use vs Abuse; Side-effects; Trusted Information Sources; and Social Pressure. Many users believed that steroids used in moderation were safe. Serious side-effects (liver and kidney damage, hypertension) were not significant disincentives. Information from health professionals tended to be mistrusted because it was not based on first-hand experience of use. Social support, especially from within the body building community, was an important motivator. It is concluded that intervention programmes need the support of the body building community in order to be effective.