How does steroids boost performance?

[Skhandelwal]

Biologically, what does it do to provide more energy?

 

[jim mcnamara]

Anabolic steroids, are a flavor of steroid hormones related to the male
hormone testosterone. They increase protein synthesis rates within cells.
This usually stimulates the buildup of cellular tissue in muscles.
Anabolic steroids also stimulate androgenesis - things like the development
of masculine traits such as the growth of the vocal cords (lower voice) and body hair.

They also have adverse effects, ones that show up later, usually.

 

[jmnew51]

Supplemental, stand alone, use of anabolic/androgenic steroids do not really do anything at all to boost overall energy levels.

Jim

 

[Skhandelwal]

Jmnew51, first of all, you are countering Jim Mcnamara.(since the digestive rate is faster...)
Second, so do they only strenghten the bones...which is why it is able to move faster and lift heavier? B/c I thought our speed dependent on our muscles...wouldn't heavier muscles slow us down?(I know you didn't claim this but I read that in an article)

 

[jim mcnamara]

I didn't say anything about energy and anabolic steroids, I just listed some of what anabolic steroids are known to do.

The reason I ignored "energy" is that it seemed like it was the wrong choice of words.

 

[Skhandelwal]

Why? if they don't boost energy then what do they do?

 

[mgb_phys]

Why? if they don't boost energy then what do they do?

As Jim said they build muscle, or rather enable more muscle to be built faster when you exercise.

 

[Skhandelwal]

Then is taking steroids right before a tournament or a marathon is about to start poor direction from the movies? B/c that is what they show.(Our muscles build when we rest)

Why does taking steroids makes us femine?(should larger the quantity, more the man?)

 

[mgb_phys]

Steroids boost the repair rate, exercise really consists of damaging muscle and waiting for it to rebuild bigger. So it could be that it helps recovery but I can't see a reason to take it directly before a race.
I remember one respected athlete tested positive with such a huge dose he would have had to have been injecting on the start line - his point was that this was so stupid it must have been a testing error.

The breast growth is because the extra testosterone boosts the body's production of estrogen as it tries to keep them in balance.

 

[jmnew51]

So it could be that it helps recovery but I can't see a reason to take it directly before a race.

The reason why athletes test positive for steroids is because, even long after the effects have worn off, you can still test positive. So athletes that depend on them, walk a fine line between gaing the maximum benefit from them and not having them show up in their system. A lot of them make mistakes in their calculations and the result is a positive test.

Taking steroids directly before a race would probably slow you down if anything, because in order to assimilate the compund you will use up some of your body's resources. Unless you inject a dose of unestrified testosterone.

Also excess testosterone and its analogs aromatize (convert) into estrogen.

Jim

 

[wildman]

I don't know anything about the science behind steroids but I do know some top bike racers (some of the very top train in the mountains near the city I live in) and this is what they said:

Athletes are limited by their ability to recover from a work out. If an athlete trains too much, that is called overtraining and is worse for performance than not training enough. Steroids speed the body’s ability to recover so it allows the athlete to train harder and longer and more often. There is nothing magic here. The athlete still has to train, but he can train more and more often with steroids. This gives him an advantage.

 

[Skhandelwal]

Then why do men feel sudden fatigue after suddenly loosing testosterone?