Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for the bodybuilding world to be riddled with steroid users. It was more of a taboo subject then that not too many people brought up. But, it was definitely a thing and there were questions raised as to how some dudes were getting so jacked.
Fast forward to today, and given the extreme health risks and illegalities of steroids, a lot of hardcore bodybuilders have taken the all-natural route – and they’re proud of it. Be as that may, there are still people who think natural bodybuilding is ineffective.
If you’re surrounded by naysayers of natural bodybuilding, take inspiration from the success of these guys. Every last one of them follows a natural bodybuilding routine and they’re still ripped to shreds!
1 – Mike O’Hearn
There once was a show called American Gladiators that involved everyday pedestrians competing in gladiator-like events against big, behemoth-looking adversaries. Most of those adversaries later admitted they had used steroids to get their pops and peaks. Except, there was one man who denied it then and still denies it to this day. His name is Mike O’Hearn.
Dating all the way back to when he was 16 years old, Mike hovered around the 270-pound mark. This gave him an early advantage in the game of packing on ripped muscle. He claims that now, at age 46, the mission was simple. Just shed the fat, while maintaining muscle mass.
Well, that formula worked perfectly and he has since done countless photo shoots and TV spots over the course of time. Plus, he’s a four-time Natural Mr Universe and a proud member of the Natural Bodybuilding Hall of Fame.
Yet, there are still haters and sceptics that fail to believe he’s natural. But he sticks to his guns and has passed every lie detector test known to man to prove it.
One of the secrets he has done to accomplish his feats is not falling for the normal depletion phase before events. He feels this takes away strength and causes you to end up stringy.
Instead, he would focus on slow and controlled reps and keeps the calories about the same. It seems to have worked wonders. As I’m sure you’ll agree, he still has an astonishing physique.
2 – Simeon Panda You’d be hard pressed to find a more straightforward natural bodybuilder than Simeon Panda. His massive success posing down competition in the Musclemania competition in 2013 has spawned him endorsement deals with both clothing and supplement companies.
He’s also graced the covers of many magazines and regularly judges physique and bodybuilding competitions around the world.
It all started when he was a skinny 16-year-old. He had a desire to get bigger so he took some advice from a friend and got a weight set for home. It wasn’t long before he started seeing results and became obsessed with the craft of bodybuilding.
As the months went on, so did the pounds of muscle onto his frame until he then got into natural bodybuilding where he still competes and wins regularly.
From a weight training standpoint, he suggests doing three major exercises for the best results – the squat, bench press and deadlift. He feels by far these have the greatest return on investment for packing on muscle.
Of course, in order to have such a svelte physique as Simeon, diet plays a major role. He goes through his fair share of food and stays strict with his diet all year round. Only once in a great while will he binge on a cheat meal to stay grounded and remind himself he is human.
But most of the time, it’s an abundance of meat, complex carbs and vegetables. He feels as long as you learn the anatomy of the body, keep your diet tight and work hard, you can achieve great things the natural way.
3 – Ronnie Coleman
Perhaps the most renowned bodybuilder of all time, Ronnie Coleman is one of the best examples of a natural bodybuilder that you’ll likely ever see. To prove his legitimacy, he was actually a cop while he got balls deep in the bodybuilding world.
For this reason, he was constantly being drug tested, so he had no choice but to stay on the right side of the tracks and not use steroids.
If you haven’t seen him, he’s an absolute freak of nature! He proves clearly that you can get jacked and ripped in one fell swoop by the means of natural bodybuilding.
Some of his tricks include using free weights over machines to improve the range of motion of the lifts he does, which recruits more muscle fiber. Plus, during his competitive periods, he would go through over 5,000 calories a day that included additional supplements like L-arginine, pre-workout formulas, BCAAs and whey protein powder.
Summing it up
Uncommon to popular belief, steroids are not the only answer. As long as you’re willing to work hard and make sacrifices like the natural bodybuilders mentioned, you can have all the success in the world.
And you can always refer to the CrazyBulk blog for more information on natural bodybuilding. Plus, CrazyBulk has a great lineup of all-natural supplements that mimic steroids, but in a safe and sound way.
Have you found success with natural bodybuilding? How did you do it? Tell us in the comments below.
