Natural Limits and Steroids
A great many physiques presented as natural are not. Knowing that changes what you measure yourself against, which is worth more than any programme.
Last updated: 1 July 2026
Overview
This article exists for one reason: people quit because they are comparing themselves to something unachievable and do not know it.
A significant share of the very lean, very muscular physiques in fitness media involve drugs that are never mentioned. Knowing that is not cynicism. It is the context that makes your own rate of progress look normal instead of disappointing.
Quick Answer
Anabolic steroids substantially increase muscle mass beyond what is achievable naturally, and carry serious risks including heart attack, stroke, liver and kidney problems, infertility and dependence. In the UK they are class C drugs; supplying them carries up to 14 years imprisonment.
Key Points
- Natural muscle gain is slow: under a kilogram a month at best, in year one.
- Many physiques presented as natural are not.
- Steroids are addictive, per NHS guidance, with real withdrawal.
- Risks include heart attack, stroke, infertility and liver damage.
- Legal to possess in the UK; supplying carries up to 14 years.
What natural actually looks like
Covered in full in [how long it takes to build muscle](/wiki/articles/how-long-to-build-muscle), but the short version:
| Training year | Realistic muscle gain, men |
|---|---|
| First | 8 to 12kg |
| Second | 4 to 5kg |
| Third | 2 to 3kg |
| Fourth onwards | 1kg or less |
Those are good outcomes with training and nutrition in order. They are also far slower than what the internet implies, which is why the comparison matters.
Why the comparison is unfair
| What you are comparing against | What it actually involves |
|---|---|
| A physique from a decade of training | You are comparing your year one to their year ten |
| Competition-day conditioning | Dehydrated, depleted, held for days, not a normal state |
| Lighting, pump, posing, editing | A very large share of the visible difference |
| Undisclosed drug use | Never mentioned, and common enough to assume |
Any one of those makes the comparison meaningless. They usually appear together.
What the drugs actually cost
NHS guidance on anabolic steroid misuse is unambiguous about the risks.
Both sexes: heart attack or stroke, liver and kidney problems, high blood pressure, deep vein thrombosis, fluid retention and high cholesterol.
Men: reduced sperm count, infertility, shrunken testicles, erectile dysfunction, hair loss, breast development and an increased risk of testicular cancer, alongside severe acne.
Women: excess facial and body hair, decreased breast size, clitoral swelling, deepening of the voice, menstrual problems, hair loss and severe acne. Several of those changes do not reverse.
Psychological: aggressive behaviour, mood swings, paranoia and manic behaviour, and in some cases hallucinations and delusions.
Dependence: NHS guidance states plainly that anabolic steroids are addictive, and that stopping can cause withdrawal including depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and muscle and joint pain.
The legal position in the UK
Anabolic steroids are class C medicines that can only be issued by a pharmacist with a prescription.
Possessing them for personal use is legal. Possessing, importing or exporting them where it is believed you are supplying or selling them is not, and carries a maximum of 14 years in prison. Buying them online and sharing them with training partners is supply.
Why this belongs in a fitness wiki
Because the alternative is that people learn the target was fake only after concluding the failure was theirs.
The practical upshot is not to be discouraged. It is to recalibrate:
- -Compare your log to your log from three months ago, not to a photograph.
- -Judge a programme by whether your lifts moved, not by whether you look like the person who sold it to you.
- -Assume nothing about anybody's drug use from a caption.
- -Give it years. Natural progress is slow and it does accumulate.
If you are thinking about it
That is a conversation with a doctor, not with a forum or a dealer. The risks above are not theoretical, several of the effects in women do not reverse, and the addiction risk is stated by the NHS rather than inferred.
If how you look is causing you persistent distress, that is worth raising with a GP too. Body dysmorphia is a recognised condition and it is treatable.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it causes problems | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Comparing year one to an enhanced physique | Guarantees feeling like a failure | Compare to your own logs |
| Assuming a programme failed | The target was unachievable, not the plan | Judge by your numbers |
| Believing "natural" captions | Frequently untrue, never verifiable | Assume nothing |
| Chasing a look rather than a lift | No end point, no measurable progress | Set performance goals |
| Treating drug risks as exaggerated | NHS lists heart attack, stroke, infertility | Read the source |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much muscle can I build naturally?
Roughly 8 to 12kg in a first year of good training for men, and less each year after. Women gain less in absolute terms at similar relative rates.
Are steroids illegal in the UK?
They are class C drugs. Possession for personal use is legal; supplying carries up to 14 years in prison.
Can I tell if someone is natural?
Not reliably, and it does not matter much. What matters is not measuring your progress against an unknown.
Are the health risks overstated?
NHS guidance lists heart attack, stroke, liver and kidney problems, infertility and dependence. That is not an overstatement.
Sources
NHS on anabolic steroid misuse - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anabolic-steroid-misuse/
NHS guidance on body dysmorphia - https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/body-dysmorphia/
American College of Sports Medicine - https://acsm.org/