Longevity in bodybuilding has become a booming subject given some of the risks associated with the sport. In a recent The Menace Podcast, Chris Cormier, Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Dave Palumbo discussed some of those risks, which included site-enhancement oils and expired steroids. They also talked about life as a bodybuilder after 40 years old.
The IFBB Pro League serves as the ultimate arena for bodybuilders who strive to sculpt their physiques into artistic masterpieces. These athletes dedicate their lives to achieving the perfect balance of muscle mass, symmetry, and proportions but diet and exercise alone are not enough to reach the pinnacle of this sport. To keep up with their rivals, competitors use an array of substances and methods to enhance their appearance or performance.
The use of site-enhancement oils goes back decades now. As was the case with 1990s veterans Milos Sarcev and Chris Cormier, both of whom have used Synthol. Looking back, Sarcev believes shooting his arms with Synthol was the biggest regret of his career.
Meanwhile, Cormier has mentioned that he used the same drug and remembers injecting it into his calves. He’s gone on to warn upcoming talent about the dangers associated with the practice. Cormier has also been honest about what it did to his physique, and said the ‘damage is real.’
“We All Inject Something” Milos Sarcev, Chris Cormier, Dave Palumbo, Dennis James Talk Synthol in Bodybuilding
When asked if the top 10 Open bodybuilders from Mr. Olympia are using site-enhancement oils, Palumbo implied they are all using ‘something.’ As for Chris Cormier, he believes athletes lack striations nowadays because of Synthol use.
“We all inject something,” said Milos Sarcev.“I think every single one of them is doing something,” added Palumbo. “I don’t know one person that doesn’t shoot something in their shoulders and arms to make them bigger. I don’t know one person.”“I see it down the back. I see it in the quads. You don’t have the quad striations you should normally have. When you do see quad striations everyone is like, ‘Oh my God.’ But that should be the standard if you’re that lean,” said Cormier.
Palumbo elaborated and said athletes today are using up to 10,000 milligrams of testosterone, which is unintentionally serving as a site enhancement.
“I think what happened is nowadays, guys are using it but they are not abusing it much. There’s still a couple of nut cases that do, but by and far, people understand that you have to be creative about the process of how you do it. Now a lot of guys just use their regular gear. You see these guys today. I know guys taking 10,000 milligrams of testosterone a week, I don’t know why they’re doing it but they don’t even need site injection oil, they just use the testosterone as their site injection oil because they’re popping it everywhere on their body,” said Dave Palumbo.“It takes away from the quality of muscle. But that’s the look I see, because there’s no way you have striated glutes and hardly no body fat, I mean the diet is impeccable, but then when you do that as opposed to leaning on that side of the coin instead of the other side of the coin where you train hard, put it where you got to put it, but don’t put it where you don’t need to put it just because you’re trying to look a certain way. It’s taking away from the quality,” responded Chris Cormier.
Milos Relives 12-Year Expired Parabolan, Masteron Experience: ‘My Whole Body Exploded w/Acne’
Next, the group discussed the efficacy of expired steroids. Sarcev regretfully took a batch over 10 years expired back in his heyday.
“The only side effect that I could say [from expired drugs] is acne. That was – I got a guy that brought me 12 years expired parabolan and masteron and all this shit right. It expired 12 years before. When you have it in your hands, this is original. You can’t throw it away. How bad can it be?” laughed Milos Sarcev. “Man, my whole body exploded with acne.”
Sarcev added that there were points during his career when he used drugs like Viagra on stage.
“Did any of you use Viagra for the stage? Because in ’97, there was no Viagra man. Yeah, I told you too right,” Milos Sarcev said. “One million percent you get fully pumped.”
Bodybuilding After 40: Prostate Health, Blood Work + Stem Cell Updates
According to Chris Cormier, he began to experience problems in the restroom when he took steroids for more than two weeks.
“I started to urinate, and then towards the end of me urinating, I got to shit. I did that [checked my prostate]. Yup. I know when I was in competition I would take Equipoise and my prostate would get really sore for some reason,” said Cormier.“You probably convert to DHT at a very high level,” said Dave Palumbo.
Monitoring blood work is a great way for athletes to keep an eye on relevant health markers. However, Dennis James worries that athletes would rather not know than go to a doctor and find out what’s wrong.
“Athletes now are more cautious with doctors and getting themselves checked since we see so many people dying,” said Dennis James. “I think these guys they just don’t want to know. The worse thing for them is they go somewhere, the doctors tell them this is high and tells them they shouldn’t be doing this or that,” said James.
Palumbo stressed that anyone over the age of 40 should have a cardiac CT angiogram done. He told Rich Gaspari to have the test done years ago and ‘The Dragon Slayer’ discovered a 100% blocked artery.
“Everyone over the age of 40 should have a cardiac CT angiogram done, it’s a CT scan, they put a little dye in you and you know what, you know if you have a blockage or not. If you have a blockage you go and get a stent, I told Gaspari to go get it done. He went and found out he didn’t even know he had 100% blockage in one artery,” said Palumbo.
Lastly, Dennis James updated fans on his training regimen, which has increased considerably since his stem cell injections.
“Yesterday, I was in the gym yesterday. By the way Milos, I started training. It was the first real workout I had in years. I did six exercises, normally I do two, two sets each and I did six with five sets each. I’m sore all over. I think it is [the stem cells],” explained Dennis James. “I also said when I’m done with the stem cell treatment I was going back to the gym and getting serious again. That’s why yesterday I really started training seriously.”
Flex Wheeler also appeared on The Menace Podcast recently and discussed his use of insulin and Synthol. While Flex admits his contemporaries also used it, he said prolonged site-enhancement oil use resulted in excessive scar tissue at the injection sites.
Even though the sport can be unforgiving, plenty of notable pros have found longevity in retirement. Most importantly, James, Sarcev, and Cormier agree that health after 40 requires a more consistent and calculated effort.
READ MORE:
- “There Are No Rules in Bodybuilding”: Iain Valliere Gives Hot Take on Steroids & Synthol
- ‘Bodybuilder’ Known as ‘Polish King of Synthol’ Undergoes Gruesome Operation for 25-Inch Biceps
- Video: ‘The Synthol Kid’ Gets ‘Alien’ Injections in Face, Refusing Doctor Recommendations
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