It is possible to become a top level bodybuilder without resorting to anabolic steroids.

As laid out in my introduction; "It is my contention that supplements and drugs are at the very bottom of the list of what determines ones potential as a bodybuilder." It appears I must also define drug: "b: a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication caccording to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1): a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary (2): a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease" and supplement: "1 a: something that completes or makes an addition b: dietary supplement" Specifically: "Main Entry: dietary supplement Function: noun Date: 1967 : a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food" In tandem with resort the definition I have used is obviously referring to the use of an outside 'resort.' It doesn't matter how many other definitions there are. Only one is needed to define my purposes. If my opening statement is that "Our island captive had to resort to the consumption of bananas, which are a fruit." You can say that banana is also a pejorative for male member, but that doesn't change the fact that the banana is a fruit, and does not make the implication that our subject had to orally consume a male member. "Main Entry: anabolic steroid Function: noun Date: 1961 : any of a group of usually synthetic hormones that are derivatives of testosterone, are used medically especially to promote tissue growth, and are sometimes abused by athletes to increase the size and strength of their muscles and improve endurance " I will direct you to 'USUALLY SYNTHETIC" and "USED MEDICALLY." This clarifies my definition as implicated as a "drug" or "supplement" in my opening statements. Here is encarta: "anï¿½aï¿½bolï¿½ic sterï¿½oid (plural anï¿½aï¿½bolï¿½ic sterï¿½oids) noun Definition: 1. synthetic hormone: a synthetic steroid hormone. Use: to increase muscle mass and strength." Again SYNTHETIC. I only need the one definition. Encarta on recourse: "3. act of having recourse to something: the act of turning to somebody or something for help in dealing with a problem" Banana, banana, banana. Encarta on drugs: "1. medicinal substance: a natural or artificial substance given to treat or prevent disease or to lessen pain 2. illegal substance: an often illegal and sometimes addictive substance that causes changes in behavior and perception and is taken for the effects" So, definition 1 says natural, but it also says given. That should be self explanatory. The semantic argument is null, as my intent is clear when you view my opening in it's entirety. Even if we go with the naturally occuring steroids, a lack of them would not necessarilly preclude anabolism, as many anabolic processes are powered by adenosine triphosphate, and other chemicals not included in the accepted list of anabolic steroids. So, if the semantic argument is null, then the only recourse is to prove that every bodybuilder at the top of the field is resorting to supplementation with the drugs known collectively as anabolic steroids. So we must define top: Any research into bodybuilding will tell you that the highest paid and most recognized contests are the Mr. Olympia, and the Arnold Classic. Before the Arnold classic, it was the Mr. America. So the first of these is the Mr. Olympia. The man who held the championship in that event for Eight years, tied with only 1 other man in history, is Ronnie Coleman. The following from his website includes expert testimonial from a renowned doctor: "Anybody can be really, really good with dedication and hard work," says Dr. Ben Levine, director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "But to be the best, you have to have some gene endowment, as well as appropriate work ethic." And, yes, say Dr. Levine and other experts, a body like Mr. Coleman's is possible without benefit of anabolic steroids. Mr. Coleman says he has never resorted to steroids, and he has passed every drug test he's ever taken, according to a spokesman for the International Federation of Bodybuilding. The very nature of bodybuilding invites more public suspicions about steroid abuse -- a fact that annoys Mr. Coleman. Last year he quit reading Sports Illustrated after it ran a story calling steroids "the Wheaties of most pro bodybuilders." Coleman says: "Once you're labeled with something, it's kind of hard to change that," he says. "It irritates us all, not just me....I'm not looking for any shortcuts." Source: http://www.ronniecoleman.net... So according to experts, and most evidence, the man who is considered by many to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time never used steroids. Now the Mr.America. The youngest Mr. America of all time was Casey Viator. Casey Viator was the subject of Arthur Jones' "Colorado Experiment." One of the ojects was as follows: "It is the author's fifth contention that the use of the so-called "growth drugs" (steroids) is neither necessary nor desirable ... on the contrary, repeated tests with animals and double-blind tests with human subjects have clearly demonstrated that the use of such drugs is strongly contraindicated. " LET ME BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO: "on the contrary, repeated tests with animals and double-blind tests with human subjects have clearly demonstrated that the use of such drugs is strongly contraindicated." Again: "strongly contraindicated." And again:"growth drugs" (steroids)" as indicated in my definition. Arthur Jones subjected Viator to drug tests and even threatened to feed him to the alligators if he found out he was using! Here are some results: "For example, during the first l4 days, Viator gained 28.93 pounds, a daily average of 2.06 pounds. During the next 3 days, he gained 3.92 pounds, a daily average of 1.3 pounds. During the following 5 days, he gained 6.09 pounds, a daily average of 1.2 pounds. And during the final 6 days, he gained 6.34 Pounds, a daily average of 1.05 pounds." This is unheard of, even among drug users. Casey Viator won the Mr. America contest at the end of this training period. I don't see a need to get into the Arnold Classic, as either of these examples alone would be sufficient to prove my point. There have been many bodybuilders who have used steroids openly, but there is absolutely no subjective evidence that all of them do, and there is the previous evidence that shows at least two of the best bodybuilders in history did not. (and now for the Columbo) Just one more thing: "Anabolic processes produce peptides, proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids. These molecules comprise all the materials of living cells, such as membranes and chromosomes, as well as the specialized products of specific types of cells, such as enzymes, antibodies, hormones, and neurotransmitters. The energy required for anabolism is supplied by the energy-rich molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This energy exists in the form of the high-energy chemical bond between the second and third molecule of phosphate on ATP. ATP's energy is released when this bond is broken, turning ATP into adenosine diphosphate (ADP). During anabolic reactions, the high-energy phosphate bond of ATP is transferred to a substrate (a molecule worked on by an enzyme) in order to energize it in preparation for the molecule's subsequent use as a raw material for the synthesis of a larger molecule. In addition to ATP, some anabolic processes also require high-energy hydrogen atoms that are supplied by the molecule NADPH."Anabolism Nowhere in here does it necessitate a seperate hormonal occurrence.