# Do you think celebrities use steroids to get in shape for movie roles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589 "2016-05-12T02:57:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/41 "2016-05-13T15:32:14Z")
I have a non-actor steroid question. I knew a guy who was listed as 6’4 and 185 lbs. as a high school Sr. Four years later, he was the starting tackle on the team that won the NCAA D1 football national championship. He was listed as 6’5 and 290 lbs. Could you gain over a 100 lbs in four years without steroids? I realize that a major college football program is going to have an intense strength program, but a 100 lbs seems a bit unnatural. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/42 "2016-05-13T16:07:22Z")
Depends. I could get to 290 pounds if I wanted, but a whole lot of it would be fat. I knew a guy who played defensive line at a major college, and according to him, the whole team was on PED’s. He said that the choice was either to take them or get bumped off the team by somebody who was taking them - they’re that effective. But he said that HGH was much more popular than steroids were. No way for me to verify what he was saying, but bear in mind that an NFL physician was complaining about rampant steroid use as far back as the early '80’s, and since then, players haven’t gotten any smaller or weaker. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/43 "2016-05-13T16:10:01Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Not to the Hollywood extent because the Hollywood extent requires steroids. I think we need to talk about the degree here. When I said what I did I was picturing something Hugh Jackman: > > [Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Workout For Mutant Strength](http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mutant-strength-hugh-jackmans-wolverine-workout-plan.html) > > That level of musculature and leanness isn’t possible natural at his age. That’s not true. I’ll look like that (or close) in 6-9 months, and I’m 100% natural, and 56… ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/44 "2016-05-13T17:02:29Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > Not only that, but that level of size and leanness wasn’t even seen in bodybuilding competitions until steroid use became commonplace. No kidding. Sean Connery was considered a [“bodybuilder”](https://www.google.com/search?q=sean+connery+bodybuilder&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjknPDHwtfMAhUK7yYKHXywCbcQ_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=899&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=Ah2KAoPixw_N8M%3A) when he was young. Compare those pictures of him to the way Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson looks today. And I can’t believe someone suggested upthread that The Rock is natural. He’s continued to get bigger into his forties, a time when natural testosterone is declining. No way he’s not juicing. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/45 "2016-05-13T17:12:22Z")
Well, you know… It’s not just chemistry that has improved in the last 60 years. The Science of bodybuilding has improved, too, and with the much improved training techniques and better diets, average Joes can become more muscular than bodybuilders of the past. This doesn’t mean that Hollywood action stars aren’t juicing - they probably are, but all the people who say it’s “impossible” to do something like put on lean muscle naturally past your 40’s are mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/46 "2016-05-13T17:56:28Z")
Speaking of only having to look strong, might it be possible to use that filler that some guys do, but make it look real, instead of comical? Even if only to add to the bulk a little bit? I do know it’s possible to add (apparent) muscle definition with makeup and contouring, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/47 "2016-05-13T18:18:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Speaking of only having to look strong, might it be possible to use that filler that some guys do, but make it look real, instead of comical? Even if only to add to the bulk a little bit? > > I do know it’s possible to add (apparent) muscle definition with makeup and contouring, as well. Its called Synthol. While what you say seems possible, it seems unlikely due to the health risks involved with such injections. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/48 "2016-05-13T18:21:28Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Its called Synthol. While what you say seems possible, it seems unlikely due to the health risks involved with such injections. Oh, geeze… Some of the photos of morons who have used that stuff… [shudder]. I can’t stand when those bozos are called “bodybuilders” by the media, and lauded for having “the world’s biggest arms,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/49 "2016-05-13T18:25:48Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I have a non-actor steroid question. I knew a guy who was listed as 6’4 and 185 lbs. as a high school Sr. Four years later, he was the starting tackle on the team that won the NCAA D1 football national championship. He was listed as 6’5 and 290 lbs. > > Could you gain over a 100 lbs in four years without steroids? I realize that a major college football program is going to have an intense strength program, but a 100 lbs seems a bit unnatural. Here’s a study about FFMI which says: > [@](#): > > The normalized FFMI values of athletes who had not used steroids extended up to a well-defined limit of 25.0. Similarly, a sample of 20 Mr. America winners from the presteroid era (1939-1959), for whom we estimated the normalized FFMI, had a mean FFMI of 25.4. By contrast, the FFMI of many of the steroid users in our sample easily exceeded 25.0, and that of some even exceeded 30. > **[Fat-free mass index in users and nonusers of anabolic-androgenic steroids -...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7496846/)** > > We calculated fat-free mass index (FFMI) in a sample of 157 male athletes, comprising 83 users of anabolic-androgenic steroids and 74 nonusers. FFMI is defined by the formula (fat-free body mass in kg) x (height in meters)-2. We then added a slight... FFMI is a calculation based on your fat free mass and height. Looking at the NFL draft combine, there were 6 linebackers that measured at 6’. Their weight ranged from 226 to 245. Assuming 15% body fat, the lightest of them has a FFMI of 26 while the heaviest is 28.5. Assuming 10%, the lightest is at 27.8 while the heaviest is 30.1. The obvious conclusion here is that they’re basically all on steroids or other PEDs. Look at it logically. We know that PEDs are very effective. Depending on a lot of factors we are talking about the ability to put on muscle at 2-3x the rate and to top out at a bigger amount of muscle over baseline. For a natural person to make up for that they would have to have a corresponding advantage in genes, routine, diet, or something else. But if that special sauce is anything but genes, the steroid users are going to do the same thing and will still win. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/50 "2016-05-13T19:55:29Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I feel like Bradley Cooper just ate a shitload of food for American Sniper. He just looked big, but not particularly ripped. Again, who cares if it was cheeseburger muscle? He’s not actually becoming a SEAL. This is either here nor there, but the first active-duty SEAL I ever met was a short, pudgy dude who looked like Rick from Magnum P.I. It was a total fucking bummer. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/51 "2016-05-13T21:11:26Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Their testes shrinking to the size of peas? That happens because the body drops its own production when your test levels are up due to steroids. When you stop using 'roids, they return to normal. No one ever mentions that. > [@treis](#): > > Gyms are also full of people that use steroids. Not really. This is another part of 'roid hysteria - that everyone that looks better than you must be juicing because, darn it, you work out three hours a week and you don’t look like that. The percentage of people using steroids, I last read, was .5 percent of the population, about a million people, spread out across the entire country. Assuming an even distribution at your local gym, you’d be lucky to see one guy at Planet Fitness using steroids. And the truth is, if you’re going to a national chain to workout, you’ve likely never seen someone “roided up” as they prefer hardcore gyms that cater to people who workout at a different level. It’s likely these actors did a “cycle” of steroids to prepare for a role. It’s unlikely they did so on a treadmill or spin class at Planet Fitness or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/52 "2016-05-13T21:40:33Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > That happens because the body drops its own production when your test levels are up due to steroids. When you stop using 'roids, they return to normal. No one ever mentions that. While we’re on the subject, roid rage isn’t a real thing either. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/53 "2016-05-13T22:19:47Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > The percentage of people using steroids, I last read, was .5 percent of the population, about a million people, spread out across the entire country. Assuming an even distribution at your local gym, you’d be lucky to see one guy at Planet Fitness using steroids. And the truth is, if you’re going to a national chain to workout, you’ve likely never seen someone “roided up” as they prefer hardcore gyms that cater to people who workout at a different level. That’s not good reasoning because people who don’t lift weights regularly aren’t likely to take steroids. And I do go to a national chain and there are people there that I am 99.99% sure are on steroids because they have ridiculous physiques. Beyond that, most steroid users don’t look like gigantic monstrosities. Taken from [this reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/steroids/comments/2jfy14/does_anyone_actually_have_progress_pictures/) (and others) here are a bunch of people who use steroids: [![](https://i.imgur.com/e3KQyZx.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/e3KQyZx.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/FEWchpk.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/FEWchpk.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/QlXjPS6.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/QlXjPS6.jpg) [[Album] gains ![](https://i.imgur.com/2VQN69z.jpeg?fb "gains") ](https://imgur.com/a/aKDx1#0) [[Album] A couple weeks from the end of the cycle ![](https://i.imgur.com/UtONJ6d.jpeg?fb "A couple weeks from the end of the cycle") ](https://imgur.com/a/2cokS) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/74Dv6cd.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/74Dv6cd) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/4D9nBek.jpeg "Imgur: The magic of the Internet") ](https://imgur.com/4D9nBek) [![](https://i.imgur.com/capiMW0.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/capiMW0.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/0muTUN1.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/0muTUN1.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/4YqqdHb.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/4YqqdHb.jpg) You’re telling me you don’t see people like that at a national chain type gym? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/54 "2016-05-13T23:23:30Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > That happens because the body drops its own production when your test. There are drugs (hcg) that prevent testicular atrophy when using steroids. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/55 "2016-05-14T00:15:32Z")
I’m not disputing much of what’s been said here, but it’s also true that there are guys who are just blessed when it comes to genetics, and really can make amazing transformations in a short time. Back in the late 40’s, before steroids, Steve Reeves would make the other bodybuilders frustrated by how quickly he could go from out-of-shape to Mr. Universe, training several hours a day. Yes, bulk up and trim down was a common technique, even then, but he amazed even other Mr. Universe winners with what he could do in a couple months. And I witnessed an amazing transformation first-hand with a guy in my basic training unit at Ft. Lewis, back in the 70’s. He was a poor, skinny kid from the ghetto, who apparently had never had enough to eat at home. I’d guess he put on about 20 pounds of solid muscle in eight weeks, just from running, pushups, pullups, and eating all he wanted. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/56 "2016-05-14T20:31:17Z")
Well I think it depends. Chris Pratt’s transformations for his roles[are quite striking](http://www.bustle.com/articles/34645-chris-pratt-is-buff-now-so-how-will-everyone-on-parks-and-rec-react-to-andys), however, his basic body type has [not changed,](http://www.businessinsider.com/how-chris-pratt-got-in-shape-for-jurassic-park-sequel-jurassic-world-2015-6). Bradley Cooper OTH, looked has [whole different body type](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a3/ea/e1/a3eae1ac7871c5075733c5c75b4e7c26.jpg) from what he [normally looks like.](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/9d/26/d3/9d26d3c374b16c2187688e5e449b4e92.jpg). SO, while I have no way of knowing, I would, if pushed guess that Pratt used the gym and diet, Cooper has an assist from certain… substances. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/57 "2016-05-14T20:40:22Z")
Incidentally, Hollywood Reporter says that [PED use is rampant in Hollywood.](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-steroid-use-a-list-609091) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/58 "2016-05-16T01:25:51Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > This is either here nor there, but the first active-duty SEAL I ever met was a short, pudgy dude who looked like Rick from Magnum P.I. It was a total fucking bummer. My uncle used to be a paratrooper Lieutenant Colonel. Not a physically imposing kind of guy at all. But… he does have a sort of tough, resolute feeling about him like you could pull his fingernails off trying to torture him, and he’d just yawn and ask if you’re done yet. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/59 "2016-05-16T03:08:04Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Incidentally, Hollywood Reporter says that [PED use is rampant in Hollywood.](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-steroid-use-a-list-609091) Ha! I knew my hunch had legs! From the link [QUOTE=Hollywood Reporter] …It comes as no surprise that few in the Hollywood spotlight admit to imbibing for fear of stigmatization. Oliver Stone, Nick Nolte and Dixie Carter – who all extol the anti-aging benefits of HGH – are among the exceptions. Charlie Sheen told Sports Illustrated that he took steroids to prep for his role as a pitcher in 1989’s Major League. Mickey Rourke and Arnold Schwarzenegger also have opened up about using PEDs… …Several talent agents and managers interviewed for this piece chuckle at how steroid and HGH use is the new worst-kept secret in showbiz, the “no duh” cousin of Botox and Restylane, and point to scrawny actors who quickly morphed into he-men for roles. Studios largely have turned a blind eye to the practice, they contend. In fact, studios might be part of the problem, with their tight schedules and Herculean expectations. An actor typically trains for just one to two months before tackling a body-intensive role, a far cry from the regimen of the professional athletes whose bodies they mirror… [/QUOTE] The article emphasizes that Henry Cavill trained naturally to play Superman, but it says that Tyler Perry and 50 Cent allegedly ordered performance-enhancing drugs from doctors and pharmacists who were targeted in a New York criminal probe. And it drops a juicy anecdote without naming names…Hugh Jackman, perhaps? > [@](#): > > In 2005, a 30-something actor on the precipice of superstardom began prepping for a lead feature role that required ample spotlight on his abs. The actor met with the film’s trainer and outlined the performance-enhancing drugs, including human growth hormone (HGH), he already had been taking. The trainer, a firm believer that a chiseled physique should be achieved naturally, recused himself from working with the actor…That actor, now an A-lister who continues to cash in on his impressive torso is just one of Hollywood’s growing list of stars who turn to injectable HGH and other performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) amid the ever-competitive world of looking great at any age. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589/60 "2016-05-16T03:24:18Z")
I have no doubt that any number of actors use drugs to maintain their physiques, but in Hollywood movies, these days, at least some of what you’re seeing is CGI. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-celebrities-use-steroids-to-get-in-shape-for-movie-roles/754589.md?page=4)