How Much Will Steroids Reduce Workout Recovery Time? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

How Much Will Steroids Reduce Workout Recovery Time?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Your weight, muscle mass, and the type of steroids used make a difference in the effectiveness of steroids.
  • It is very important to remember that it is illegal to take steroids without a prescription from your doctor.
  • There are several medical reasons that a doctor might prescribe steroids.
  • Steroids can cause liver tumors, enlarged heart, aggressive behavior, increased acne, stretch marks, male pattern baldness, facial hair in girls, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, infections and more.
  • The dangers outweigh the benefits, especially if you are self-medicating.

The question of to what degree steroids can reduce workout recovery time is impossible to answer in general because there are a variety of factors that affect this answer. For example, your weight, muscle mass, and the type of steroids used make a difference in the effectiveness of steroids.

Before we get into what steroids can do for your recovery time, it is very important to remember that it is illegal to take steroids without a prescription from your doctor. In addition, your doctor cannot prescribe you steroids in order to boost your workout benefits; there has to be a medical reason for the steroid use.

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Why Do Doctors Prescribe Steroids?

There are several medical reasons that a doctor might prescribe steroids.

For example, a pituitary malfunction in boys would prompt a steroid prescription as would the absence of testes in men (usually due to removal because of testicular cancer).

In addition, steroids are often prescribed to men and women who have been in comas for a long period of time and have experienced muscle degeneration.

It is also prescribed to cancer patients that have experienced muscle degeneration due to their chemo.

In every single medical case, doctors only prescribe steroids in the levels that could or should be produced by the body naturally. Any doctor who prescribed more than that would come under scrutiny by their medical board.

With all that being said, steroids do provide some benefits to men and women who want to build muscle. This benefit isn’t just in muscle building; it is for muscle recovery as well. The problem is, the side effects and overuse of steroids outweigh the benefits, which is why steroid use is illegal.

How Do Steroids Help Muscle Recovery?

Simply put, steroids block the production of cortisol. Cortisol is what the body produces when the body is under stress. Cortisol acts as an anti-inflammatory and can actually slow down the needed recovery time of muscles. As such, blocking cortisol can decrease your recovery time.

However, blocking cortisol from developing can be dangerous in your body. Cortisol is responsible for:

  • Metabolizing the glucose in your body
  • Regulating your blood pressure and keeping it down during stressful situations
  • Helping to release insulin in your body when your body needs it
  • Boosting your immunity levels
  • Alleviating pain

While a low dose of steroids will not produce long term negative effects from blocking cortisol, it is rare for someone who is using steroids for bodybuilding or working out to use a medical dose of steroids. Typically their usage goes far beyond that, which can be dangerous.

If the body continually doesn’t product the cortisol that it needs you could develop diabetes, become ill frequently, be more prone to pain and so on.

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Do Steroids Help Muscle Development?

There is some conflicting information about the benefits of steroids and muscle development. If you look at past users and the shape that their bodies are/were in, there is certainly something to be said for steroid use in this department.

However, clinical studies don’t show the same results, at least not consistently. In addition, steroid use doesn’t appear to make you faster, stronger or more athletic, something that is the goal of many athletes that use steroids.

It is important to note, however, that in a majority of studies, steroids do show benefits in people who have degenerated muscles due to surgery, illness and so on. However, there appears to be no benefit for those with degenerative muscle diseases. One area that steroids seem to help is to reduce body fat. Right now there is no medical explanation for this benefit, but it exists.

What Are Some of the Side Effects of Using Steroids?

First of all, if you take steroids while you are still growing, you may stunt your growth. Steroids can cause liver tumors, enlarged heart, aggressive behavior, increased acne, stretch marks, male pattern baldness, facial hair in girls, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, infections and more.

Some weightlifting sites will suggest that these side effects are minimal or aren’t experienced by many people; however, this simply isn’t the case. Long term use of steroids affects everyone who uses them to some degree. Yes, it is worse for some than others, but the bottom line is that the dangers outweigh the benefits, especially if you are self-medicating!

In order to get more energy and stamina for workouts, many weight trainers use more natural supplements or energy drinks. Of course, a well-designed exercise program, along with proper nutrition, is the best way to achieve results. Go PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, workout creators, goal trackers, and more!

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