The science behind anabolic steroids and the body

What happens when my muscles grow?

When you exercise through lifting weights, running or whatever your field of fitness may be, you are likely to push yourself so that you run faster or lift heavier if and when you can. This creates tiny tears in your muscle fibres. As a natural response to this trauma, your body will begin a process of repair and overcompensate for the damage through adding larger protein strands to build a muscle fibre that is stronger. This process of restoration is known as protein synthesis and results in muscular hypertrophy (muscle gain). Over time, as you start to exercise and push yourself more, this process of ‘tear down and rebuild’ will be repeated, thus resulting in muscle growth. The microscopic breaking of muscle fibres, or small tears, results in that ‘stiff’ feeling you get after a good workout.

What happens to my body when I take steroids?

Once you have ingested an anabolic steroid (these can be injected or taken in tablet form), the AAS (anabolic-androgenic steroid) will travel through your blood stream and will eventually reach the muscle tissue. From here, your muscle tissue will absorb the steroid through androgen receptors, which are basically the muscle cells receiving docks. Once the steroid has been delivered to your muscle cells, the AAS interacts with your cell’s DNA, this stimulates the process of protein synthesis, which in turn, promotes the growth of the cells. 

The body’s reaction to the AAS will depend on the amount and variant of the steroid used. Different results can range from a more toned and lean aesthetic physique to a massive, larger body-building appearance. Athletes will typically experiment with a number of different combinations of steroids in an attempt to achieve their desired results.