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On 22nd May 2003, a Bodybuilder died. Scott Klein was found dead in the early hours in his bed by his mother. Although he was a healthy 30 year old man, he died of cardio-vascular disease and kidney failure. Now this guy had no gentical illness, so as far as I am aware his death was not typical for someone of his age. And then just to top it all another great bodybuilder Tom Prince fell ill during the same week with Kidney problems and ulcers. One of the all time great bodybuilders Lee Priest was soon to announce with immediate effect his retirement from competition. It had already been rumoured that he had health problems in the past but it was hardly surprising with massive weight swings and an excessive intake of junk food. But anyway he said he was no longer interested in the sport because of what was happening to some great athletes and that in the end we only have our health and that some of the top bodybuilders didn't even have that. Another bodybuilder Milos Sarchev also retired from competing after finishing 6th at the Hungarian GP and therefore failed to qualify for the 2003 Mr Olympia. But he too blamed poor health for his early retirement. Milos had been at the top for many years and had probably competed in more Pro contests than any other bodybuilder and had even come back after serious injury. But he had also suffered with internal health problems linked to top level bodybuilding and had suffered an almost fatal embolism a couple of years before when he had a blood clot, caused by using Synthol, detach from an artery and cause a blockage in his lung. More and more top level amateurs and professionals were reporting or admitting to serious health problems. Orville Burke suffered an injury during a post-Olympia photo shoot and needed an operation on a shoulder and elbow. One medical team refused to work on him because of his poor health; another did so only after a report and approval from a heart consultant. Orville suffered serious problems during surgery resulting in kidney failure and his lapsing into a coma. He is still receiving treatment as he slowly recovers but his bodybuilding career is over. Then Mike Francois who had a great physique up until a few years back also suffered serious internal problems, resulting in the end of his career. Nasser el Sonbaty had to withdraw from the Night of the Champions 2003 in New York due to health problems and it is also believed that his career has come to an end. Then we have Flex Wheeler who has had his pro card withdrawn due to health problems and it was rumoured that he may need a kidney transplant. Another top American Don Long needed the help of his sister to save him when he had to have a kidney transplant. And another top American Ron Teufel from the 70's died at 45. So we can argue that these deaths may not be drug related and we may be correct, but we are talking about young, strong and fit men who should be glowing with health. But it's not the case when they become seriously unhealthy and in some cases life threatening and leading to fatal illness. I have talked about several drugs which aren't anabolic steroids, and are taken by competing bodybuilders but professionals are at the cutting edge of the game. These pros are very well connected with the drug gurus who are permanently looking out for new material which is able to push that freaky physique on just that bit further. These products are able to make that all important difference to muscle size and vascularity and not forgetting to mention the guru's added earning potential. These top pros need bodies with potent drug handling genetics in order to handle such high doses and complex drug cocktails over long periods of time. A pro's life is controlled by his sport and his earning potential. There is a very limited time scale for high earning at the top so during this period a pro needs to maximise earnings, because once they start dropping down the rankings they must take radical steps to keep on course - more drugs over longer periods just to carry on competing at this level and this isn't healthy at all. Becoming a top bodybuilder isn't what it's made out to be. Training is tough and those heavy weights eventually cause joint problems and in the modern day sport heavy means heavy and injuries are to be expected. Added to that is the high food intake which obviously includes high protein content, putting the digestive system, the kidneys and the liver on over time. This combination leads to high blood pressure and accompanied by potent drug cocktails, the stress factor on the body organs is enormous. The human body requires rest from this type of activity but there's no rest for a pro bodybuilder. In some ways American Football makes similar huge demands on the body. A sport with big men training hard, lots of pounding of the body and games where players get lots of bad injuries. What drugs are used by American Footballers, I don't know - I can only guess - use is certainly not at the dosage levels of bodybuilders and generally they will get better medical supervision. But American Football is played for only four months each year and eight months is left for rest and recovery. Those readers who are familiar with my column will know that I am not against use of drugs and just like any other real bodybuilding enthusiast; I really do want to see even freakier physiques. But what I am against is young guys killing themselves in the process. It is difficult to say where the line should be drawn, but it goes without saying that since this all started forty years ago, NOTHING is going to stop us. I really believe that bodybuilding won't just become a lunatic freaks sport, comprising of a couple of crazy guys with something similar to a self imposed death wish in order to become THE FREAK of the year. Perhaps it has become this already? It is the old rockers motto incarnate. Live hard, die young and have a good looking corpse. On 22nd May 2003, Scott Klein died. Is death the only real future for the Bodybuilder?
By: Mick Hart
Learn how to get lean, muscled, symmetrical and beautifully shaped safely quickly and easily with bodybuilding and steroid expert Mick Hart's best selling Bodybuilding and Steroid Guides
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