Steroids were once something you had to go looking for. You had to be in the right – or wrong – gym circle, or know the right person. But now, lads are readily watching other young men discuss their cycles on TikTok before they’ve even finished breakfast.
Speaking on the Men’s Health Built for Life podcast, former Gladiator, firefighter and IFBB professional bodybuilder Jamie Bigg – better known as Giant – explained why parents need to have honest conversations with young men about steroids, rather than just hoping they never encounter them.
‘Kids are going in the gym now, [at] 16, 17 years old, and being offered it,’ said Bigg, who has spoken openly about using steroids during his professional bodybuilding career – though not, he stresses, until he was 24.
Bigg understands why a young man might be tempted. Social media is awash with impressive physiques, as well as a steady stream of people offering ‘shortcuts’.
‘Everybody’s in a rush now,’ he explained. ‘It’s instant gratification. We’re looking for admiration, we’re looking for likes, we’re looking for people to comment and follow. If people see a shortcut with seemingly no risk, because people on social media aren’t showing them, then they’re going to take it.’
The NHS lists reduced sperm count, infertility, erectile dysfunction and shrunken testicles among the potential effects of anabolic steroid misuse. But even in light of this information, teenage boys aren’t exactly renowned for calmly weighing what they want now against what they may want in 10 years’ time.
When asked what worried parents can do, Bigg offered up some sound advice.
‘I think it starts with communication with your child,’ he said. ‘It takes honest, open conversations.’
Bigg adds that this means resisting the urge to search their bedroom, check their phone or charge into their gym looking for someone to blame.
‘My children know that when they talk to me, they’re not going to be judged,’ Bigg shared. ‘I’ve always been honest with them about everything I’ve done. They know about my career and what I did to get where I did. That comes with a level of trust that comes back the other way.’
If your children won’t speak to you, Bigg suggested finding someone they will speak to: a coach, family member or trusted figure who can discuss the realities without moralising.
‘Start the conversation,’ he said. ‘Make sure they’re aware of the drawbacks and the negatives, and make sure they contemplate their life decisions even though they’re young. Think about the future.’
This isn’t a hypothetical problem. This year, a 16-year-old told CBS News that he had been using anabolic steroids for around 10 months – including trenbolone, a drug developed for livestock – while documenting his transformation online. ‘Why wait 10 years when I could do it in less than a year?’ he said, crediting his physique to ‘a lot of steroids and a lot of working out’. His account had already attracted around 44,000 followers.
The scale of the content’s reach is sobering: one analysis found that British TikTok users aged 18-24 had viewed posts under hashtags promoting steroids and similar drugs 89 million times. Some videos reportedly advised teenagers to tell their parents the drugs were ‘vitamins’.
Bigg’s advice to young men considering steroids is not ambiguous.
‘Unless you are 1,000% certain that you want to be a professional bodybuilder, and you really do think that’s the career you want, don’t touch steroids,’ he said.
Instead, he argued, young lifters should concentrate on the things that will account for the overwhelming majority of their progress anyway.
‘You can create a great physique by doing all of the things right,’ he said. ‘Getting your food right, getting your routine right, getting your sleep right and managing your stress levels.’
The goal isn’t to frighten young men away from lifting. Bigg stresses that bodybuilding can build ‘resilience, willpower and dedication’ without drugs.
‘What bodybuilding and getting good at those things does is it makes hard situations in life easier, he added. ‘You don’t need to take anything.’
