So tell me, when can I commence and why? Well I would always say 21 is a recommended age to start. And why?....Well basically in a male up til 21, the natural level of testosterone is high which causes sporadic growth spurts, which means that bones, muscle tissue etc. are still not fully developed and body maturity is still incomplete.

Taking exogenous anabolic steroids and other hormones too young can play absolute havoc in the body during this delicate time of development. The main problem is that they can cause premature sealing of the epiphyseal bone closure process which consequently means you will not grow as big as your genetics could allow you. You can actually get a test done to see whether your growth plates have sealed yet. Usually it is safe to say around 21.

At puberty, antigonadotropic effects of steroids are much more potent. People know that adult hpta (hormone axis) recovers but no one knows what happens with teenagers. What if you have permanently lower testosterone levels for life as a result of taking exogenous sources at 15 when your hpta is not in full swing yet? Obviously you don't have as much testosterone at 15 as you will naturally have at 21.

I started to train hard at 15, but although I was aware that some of my friends were already taking steroids, I decided upon the natural route to muscle growth. Just like most young trainers, I was ignorant about the taking of and effects of taking steroids. I had only come across the horror stories that come out of the press so I just carried on with natural supplements until at 18 I began listening to some of the more serious bodybuilders at the gym.

We would discuss the basics and in no time at all I was on a mission to find out more. I knew that the taking of steroids was a serious issue so with safety in mind I set out to find out more. I read a few related articles in bodybuilding mags as well as receiving advise from my father who is a Clinical Biochemist with the hope of getting an unbiased opinion.

I decided that the wise move would be to wait until I reached 21 in order to maximize my bone growth potential and at the same time avoiding any other irreversible damage. I was just under 6 ft at the time and it was hard too watch younger kids gaining muscle without hardly any effort at all, but I knew they were already juicing.

There was me, working what I thought was 10 times harder than anyone else (and I probably was). I was determined to get big but thought more in the long term than right there and then. I knew I would have my time, when I was ready. I just kept my head down, trained hard and spent the next three years doing as much research as I could. I went out and read many books including Mick's Layman's Guides as well as The Anabolic Reference Guide and the couple of books out by the late Dan Duchaine. Coming soon Part 3