Open up any bodybuilding magazine, and you'll likely notice that one-third to one-half of the magazine consist of product ads. This is acceptable to most people. The issues are often 400 to 500 pages thick, and some of these products are useful. However, some of the advertisers are selling products with deceptive names, designed to trick buyers into believing they are buying steroids. What they're actually doing is feeding upon the ignorance of the buyer.

Examples of this near-steroid naming convention could include "Anadral" (designed to sound like Anadrol) or "Testosterne" (designed to sound like Testosterone). Often, they'll play off of nicknames as well. D-Bol is a nickname for Dianabol. So, some sellers will surreptitiously name their product "D-Bol". After all, there is no registered drug with that name. The nickname is available for use, and available for predatory supplement sellers to feast upon the greed and ignorance of buyers.

Proponents of these types of ads argue that the ads don't actually claim to be steroids. Rather, they claim to be "like" steroids, in that they often claim to deliver "great anabolic responses", which never actually utilizes the claim of being a steroid. Additionally, proponents of these ads are often the very same people profiting from sale of these compounds.

What arrives in buyers' mailboxes when they order a compound like "Nandodrole"? Typically some herbal blend, with ash and other filler. Results are usually nil. Yet the cost is often higher than the person would be spending on steroids. There is zero responsibility on the part of the seller to prove any claim results. Anything bought is purchased at the own risk of the consumer. The result is that thousands of people are bilked out of their hard-earned money each year.

The target audience for most of these pseudo-steroid ads isn't the intermediate or advanced bodybuilder. Advertisers are well aware that most athletes who have been training for 3+ years, and who have possibly began dabbling in the world of anabolics, aren't going to fall for real-sounding fake products sold in big glossy ads in magazines. They feast upon the young and naive.

Vote with your pocketbook. Don't buy products that fall into this deceptive category. Let magazine publishers know that you're offended that they allow advertisers use deceptive practices to feed upon the ignorance of newbies to the sport. One call or email might not make a difference. However, hundreds, or even thousands of calls, might lead publishers to change their standards for ad sales, and therefore lessen likelihood of these sneaky ads making their way to the pages of your favorite magazine.