Hormonal
Combining resistance training, a hypercaloric diet, and anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) produces significantly greater fat-free mass and strength gains with minimal fat gain compared to resistance training and hypercaloric diet alone in drug-free individuals.
For drug-free athletes, maximizing muscle growth requires consistent resistance training, adequate protein (1.6-2.2 g/kg), and a slight caloric surplus. This case study shows that adding AAS can triple fat-free mass gains and significantly boost strength with minimal fat gain, but this comes with legal, health, and ethical risks. For natural athletes, focus on progressive overload, volume (12-16 sets/muscle/week), and nutrition; do not expect the same magnitude of rapid recomposition without pharmacological intervention.
The participant substantially increased his body mass and FFM with small corresponding gains in fat mass and no perceptible change in BF%... the FFM increases experienced by the participant were nearly threefold of those previously reported in AAS-free athletes engaging in RT while following a hypercaloric diet (19).
Why this rating
Single-subject case study with self-reported AAS use and no hormonal verification; however, the magnitude of change is substantial and consistent with known pharmacological effects.
Source
Training, Nutritional and Anabolic Steroid Practices During a Bodybuilder's Off-Season Phase and Their Effects on Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Body Composition: A Case Study
Patroklos Androulakis‐Korakakis et al. · 2024
DOI 10.51224/srxiv.442
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →