The recent news of rampid abuse of steriods in the Baseball world has been hilighted by the new book Juiced by Jose Canseco. In the book Canseco promotes steroid use as beneficial.

The typical press reaction to steroid abuse is one of disgust: words such as "tainted," "artificial," and "cheating" are common.
Not so fast, says Canseco. Steroids in baseball are good. Steroids help players get stronger, and enjoy longer careers. And it's not just baseball players who can benefit: steroids can help almost anyone live a longer, healthier life. His book is a wakeup call not just for baseball, or sports in general, but for all mankind.

So how long until the Dragon Boat world is awash in juiced-up paddlers?

There are already paddlers useing steriods ,it's not new. The benefits are incredible ,try up to 20 + lbs in 6-7 weeks and we are talking muscle .You could go from benching 135 lbs to well over 225 ++ lbs in 6-7 weeks .And add to that the increase in endurance ,it's insane . When you see things that say "to be on the National team you need to bench at least 305 lbs" ...there are very very few people who can do that naturally and w/o years of training so an alternative would be the use of steriods . I've tried them and the results are insane but the problem is to maintain the size for most people you have to stay on it and then that leads to almost an addiction as when you come off and you start to lose size alot of people panic and go back on them .
Go to most gyms and it's all over and in alot of cases you can but them at the ft desk if you know the person . It's not cheap but again the results are insane and if you really want to dominate a sport this is almost a sure way to do it if the whole team were to use them . I'm not promoting the stuff ,but wake up it's out there ,and as the competition gets alot tougher you will see more turn to steriods.Sure you can say thats cheating and we'll never do it but when reality hits and you get your ass seriously kicked by a much stronger team the temptation is too much if your goal is to win.With the race-offs coming watch for the size increases in paddlers all around .

I hate to even get roped into this thread but here goes. Steroids are not magic. I am far from an expert but I'll guarantee the poster above is no expert either. There is very little about the above post which is true or beneficial for paddlers of any kind.

When I was 19 years old I benched twice my weight. I never used any anabolic steroids but I did train hard every morning 6 days a week.

Very few steroid users could gain 20 pounds in 6-7 weeks or increase their bench by 100 pounds in that time. If they could they would likely suffer serious joint or tendon problems.

I know people on your National team who work hard and put quality time in to achieve their level of fitness. Accusing them of steroid use is ignorance and sour grapes.

Look at a photo of your National team paddlers. Not many even look like they lift weights other than to fortify their paddling.

At 41 I haven't lifted weights in 15 years or more and am still as good a paddler (not just in my age group either)even though I am not able to put in even half the hours that I used to.

I know some of the very best marathon paddlers in North America. None of them use steroids. (who could afford it with the price of carbon boats and paddles)

Which leads me to my final point. (now I'll lose anyone who was on my side). Even if you could realize those kind of strength gains mentioned above in that amount of time by using anabolic steroids, would it really help your paddling all that much if at all. Give me a guy from the gym that can bench twice his weight and a cross country skier or swimmer and I'll take the skier or swimmer any day. They will learn the feel for the water and good technique very quickly while the muscle guy will beat the heck out of the water, dig holes and even break his paddle but not propell the boat forward effectively.

My guess is that someone is trying sell drugs by telling us we can't do without them

What % of your gains did you lose after you stopped using the gear?

I agree 100% with what you said. The major problem I've seen with people taking steroids (I don't know many but I know a couple guys) is when they stop there are major psychological consequences seeing themselves lose so much mass. It's one thing if you've never been built, but it's quite different when you've had something and then lost it. Either they get back on the juice or they get depressed (and fat since they no longer have a mega metabolism).

Directly at least. They allow your body to recuperate from stressors more quickly so that you can get back and train harder sooner.

And believe me, to make the national team you don't need to bench 305. You need to paddle well, have results to back it up in your respective competitive canoe discipline, and know the right people to get noticed.

In the competitve final of a festival last year my "all natural" team lined up beside the "enhanced" team (most of the guys looked like football players, and some of the women), by looks you'd think they would have kicked our ass, but alas our lighter more talented boat took theirs in the final. Wahoo!! So I'll also take the more experienced technical paddler over the big buff one that can't rotate because he's to huge.

I'm in the Toronto area and I have a hard time believing any teams I've ever seen have a steroid problem. Who is the "enhanced" team you think are taking steroids?

By the way if anyone is thinking of taking steroids (I don't recommend it under any circumstances) make sure you first learn to work out like an animal, and get your diet in check. There's no point doing steriods if you still have lots of natural potential to achieve.

If Adam van Koeverden can win a gold medal at the Olympics in 500m K1 drug free then I can't see why it's necessary to use steroids to paddle dragon boat. I don't think anything more needs to be said. Except maybe that Canseco is an idiot.

some people don't want to put time in to get results. They want it fast and easy.

Almost like stacking IMO.

You think steroid use is "almost" as bad as stacking a crew? You think "stacking" a crew is worse?? Get a grip on reality.

Stacking vs juiced-I think they meant winning through unethical ways

Why would anyone care enough about Dragon Boat results to take steroids? DB is fun, and it's kind of cool to win Festivals and get medals and trophies and possibly even cooler to spend a lot of your own money and "represent Canada" and go on a trip to an interesting place with a bunch of your friends and get to travel or party afterwards.

But steroids for DB? It's only DB. Why?

because there are retarded people everywhere and they actually beleive that steroids rather than hard work will give their pathetic lives meaning. The only thing it does is make their dick small and impotent. I know alot of the girls are really atracted to the roid cases but what a let down when these guys can't even get it up. Poetic justice.

the testicles, not the penis, shrink because your body has an excess of testosterone and the testes no longer have to produce its own.

get your facts straight before you start talking about shit you don't know about.

"get your facts straight before you start talking about shit you don't know about."

Whoa! Looks like someone's got a case of roid rage!

"Look ma, I still have a penis. Just no balls."

Actually, testicle shrinkage is a distinct advantage in DB. Big balls get in the way of the setup phase of the stroke. In scientific studies, smaller testicles have been proven to add an extra 2cm on to your reach. Multiply that by 12 men and 120 strokes and you get a 3 meter advantage over the boats containing guys with normally-sized testicles in a 500 meter race.

Steroids are the enhancement that just keeps on giving.

see the fact is that stupid dragon boaters like you don't know anything. therein lies the problem. be informed before you start knocking people.

john boy's friend

"And it's not just baseball players who can benefit: steroids can help almost anyone live a longer, healthier life. His book is a wakeup call not just for baseball, or sports in general, but for all mankind."

PHEW!! I almost had to read that twice to believe you wrote that. Steroids do NOT make you live longer, in fact they will make you die sooner. The liver and kidney damage alone will take off years - and before you BS about drugs that counteract side-effects such as Clomid and other anti-aromatases they ALSO adversely affect the liver and kidneys.


Besides like it was said before people only risk everything when there's something to be gained. In a sport like DB there are no significant monetary/fame gains so it's a non issue.

using steroids does not kill you - abusing steroids does.

"using steroids does not kill you - abusing steroids does."

Let's put it this way then, if steroids were in anyway beneficial without being harmful don't you think doctors would be prescribing them to anybody who wanted them? True, low doses won't "kill" you in the immediate sense but if you are taking enough to have an anabolic effect (otherwise why take them at all?) you will eventually suffer hepatic or renal failure.

i think we're on the same page but missing each other's points. but if you refer to haupt and rovere in the american journal of sports medicine
http://journal.ajsm.org/cgi/content/abstract/12/6/469 (i don't know if you have access to this particular journal) but there are misconceptions from both steroid "abusers" and those who are against them.

if steroids were in anyway beneficial without being harmful don't you think doctors would be prescribing them to anybody who wanted them

In fact, anabolic steriods are perscribed to patients. They are used after surgery to help reduce swelling and they are perscribed to patients to treat anemia.

"In fact, anabolic steriods are perscribed to patients. They are used after surgery to help reduce swelling and they are perscribed to patients to treat anemia."

Gotcha there too! In my statement I said 'prescribed to anybody who wanted them', you are saying they are prescribed to treat illness (which I agree with). Treating illness is different from using steroids as supplements; additionally, you have to make the distinction between anabolic steroids used for athletic enhancement and treatment of anemia and corticosteroids which are used to reduce swelling.

Yo Mel,

"In fact, anabolic steriods are perscribed to patients. They are used after surgery to help reduce swelling and they are perscribed to patients to treat anemia."

no one is going to bitch if you take them for your post surgical needs retard, maybe you are behind your dose already your brain is swelling...

Does Canseco comes from?
Now that everyone is getting caught in the steroid scandal, this is the message he has to give?
Retirement must be boring.

Your taunting does not upset me. I will simply write a perscription for Steroids for myself, bulk up and kick the shit out of you at the next festival. Beware.

What a bunch of fools!

Ron D
About your comment about skiers and muscle heads, I think i know what you mean, but i also think that you are stereotyping a group of people who may have just as good of a mindset/attitude and ability to become excellent paddlers in as short of a time.
I agree with everything else that you have written and am not attacking you in any way, just stating my opinion that is all.