Physical Health and Fitness of an Elite Bodybuilder during 1 Year of Self-administration of Testosterone and Anabolic Steroids: A Case Study

Abstract

An adult male bodybuilder of international level, who had decided to complement his training by self-administering the androgenic hormones (actually 53 mg/day), volunteered as a subject for investigation of his physical health and fitness over a training period of 1 year including only a 4-week abstinence from drugs in the middle of the year. The subject was able to gain greatly in fat-free weight (from 83 to 90 kg), in mean fiber area of the VL muscle (enlargement of 11.4% after a half year's training), and in maximal strength (from 5145 to 5948 N). The high level of serum testosterone and low level of serum SHBG observed tend to strengthen suggestions of the anabolic effects of androgenic steroids during training. The subject's health status was affected. A high serum E2 level during the use of androgens, atrophic testicles, and low LH, FSH, and T levels after drug withdrawal indicate that sustained testosterone/anabolic steroid administration affects the function of the pituitary and leads to long-lasting impairment of testicular endocrine function, and consequently to azoospermia and cynegomastia. The observed decrease in serum HDL-cholesterol (from 1.59 to 0.44 mmol/l) and in HDL₂-cholesterol (from 0.42 to 0.01 mmol/l) may indicate a higher risk for atherogenesis.

Key words

Androgenic-anabolic steroids - testosterone - physical health - physical performance capacity - doping