Steroids vs natural. Does a natty really stand a chance? I ran a 100-day experiment to find out. Here are the results.

So, in this 100-day steroids vs natural experiment, Brandon will train naturally using my science-backed strategies, while Todd is hopping on steroids. 

Over the next 100 days, we’ll track their progress to see who comes out on top.

With steroid use on the rise, I want to prove you don’t need them for great results ...

Or ... do you?

Let’s find out. 

Steroids vs Natural Day 1

For a fair comparison between steroids vs natural (i.e., Todd vs Brandon), we first need starting points. 

To get the best data possible, we’re using:

• DEXA scans: To measure overall fat and muscle mass
• Ultrasounds across all major muscle groups: To know exactly where each person experiences the most growth

On Day 1, Todd comes in at 183lbs and 19% body Fat.

While Brandon weighs only 148 lbs but scores a lean 13.6% body fat. 

Compared to Todd, we have 2 major advantages:

1. Brandon is lean. This means we can focus on gaining weight to maximize growth. Whereas Todd, an aspiring bodybuilder, will soon begin dieting down for his competition.
2. While Brandon isn’t a complete beginner, he’s not as serious of a lifter as Todd. In normal circumstances, this means Todd would build muscle about 3 times slower than Brandon. 

But we're talking about steroids vs natural, after all, which means these aren’t normal circumstances.

I’ll need to use every science-based tool I know to help Brandon supercharge his training.

Day 1 Workout (Brandon)

Brandon is completing a Dumbbell Chest Press with poor form.

So, Brandon had some issues with his dumbbell chest press form during his workout.

I worked on fixing his forearm angle and his control with every rep to really maximize the stretch.

Now, speaking of the stretch, to maximize our odds of beating Todd in this steroids vs natural experiment, I'm applying 2 new science-backed techniques to Brandon's plan that I guarantee Todd hasn't discovered yet.

The first has to do with the fact that exercises challenging your muscles more in the stretch seem to grow them faster — specifically, you may gain muscle almost twice as fast!

For example, back in 2022, researchers compared normal pushdowns to overhead tricep extensions, which provide a deeper stretch. The result? Overhead extensions grew the triceps 1.4x faster

So with Brandon, we’re choosing exercises that maximize this stretch across all his major muscle groups.

And we’re going to combine these exercises with my second science-based principle.

Teaching him how to actually train to failure. 

So, I got him to actually push his sets to failure — to keep going as far as he could. Even finishing half reps, and where he can't even move the weight anymore.

By the way, you can learn how to apply training to failure in your training here.

Here's what Brandon had to say about his training with me:

Training with Jeremy is extremely hard. Five times as painful because I'm doing 5, 6 reps more than I would usually do.

And all the exercises he gave me were hardest in the stretch position, which is the most painful as well.

I'm more optimistic about competing against Todd in this 100-day steroids vs natural experiment, but I've seen Todd before and he's already a big guy and trains really hard.

Still, Jeremy being there pushing me and telling me to do partials at the end definitely makes me more optimistic now. 

Day 1 Workout (Todd)

But while I was pushing Brandon with his workouts, Todd’s chemically enhanced body was already performing at a completely different level. 

Todd could only train for an hour before hopping on steroids, but now, his workouts typically last 2 hours.

So, here's the thing. Once steroids make their way into your muscle cells, they bind to a powerful androgen receptor. Once bound, they alter your muscle’s genetics to dramatically increase the rates of protein synthesis and recovery.

Steroids basically make you superhuman.

Steroids vs Natural Workout Volume

So although I’ve pushed Brandon’s workout volume and intensity to his natural limit, not only does every workout Todd do now lead to more muscle growth, he can also train longer and harder than Brandon yet still be able to recover from it. 

To further hurt his chances in this 100-day steroids vs natural competition, Brandon also plays competitive tennis, which adds several hours of cardio on top of his workouts.

Based on the research, as long as we get his nutrition down, this shouldn’t impact his gains very much, but it was definitely starting to affect his motivation.

So how much of a difference will this all make after 100 days?

Well, based on prior research, here's how steroids vs natural muscle growth results differ:

• Beginner natural lifters can expect to put on about 3.7 lbs of muscle after 100 days of hard training.
• Enhanced lifters, however, gain muscle about 3x faster, resulting in over 13 lbs of muscle gain within a similar time period.

Regular Check-Ins

Steroids vs Natural Day 30 Check-In

And after just 30 days, I was already witnessing firsthand just how powerful steroids really are. Todd had already added an additional 2 cm to his shoulders.

As for Brandon ...

But despite all the progress Todd was seeing, there was still one person who wasn’t satisfied with his results.

Todd:

Right now. I feel like I'm a skinny bitch. I'm small, fat and skinny, skinny fat bitch. That's who I am. I don't look big. I'm not sure. Maybe just body dysmorphia or something like that.

Here's an exchange between our camera man and Todd:

Camera Man: You look pretty jacked, man.

Todd: Still not enough.

Camera Man: Will it ever?

Todd: No, I don't think so. Never really know. Unless I actually achieve something. I can get better every day. That's what I think.

Brandon's Meal Plan And A Special Supplement

Now, while Todd definitely had us beat the first month of our steroids vs natural experiment, he’s now spending the rest of his time dieting for his show. Which may slow down his muscle growth just enough for Brandon and I to close the gap. 

But only if we dial in Brandon’s nutrition.

Since Brandon’s less experienced in the gym, his muscles are more sensitive to growth. Which means we can bump up his calories much higher than normal while having those extra calories go toward building muscle rather than fat.

But this wasn’t easy.

Brandon is extremely active, playing several hours of competitive tennis per week. So even after eating 3,000 calories a day, Brandon was still struggling to put on weight. But after bumping up his nutrition even higher, we were finally starting to see progress on the scale.

As for supplements, although Todd has his special juice assisting him, we’ve got a natural supplement we’ll be taking full advantage of — one that could give us as much as a 1-2lb boost in muscle throughout the 100 days.

Creatine.

I know 1-2 lb doesn’t sound like much, but considering natural lifters typically gain an average of 3.7 lbs of muscle in 100 days, even a 1 lb boost would be huge. 

(Creatine isn't just useful for muscle growth — check out this ultimate creatine benefits guide to learn how else it could help you.)

And with Brandon finally starting to make some good progress, I couldn’t wait for our next check in with Todd.

Day 45 Check-In

Unfortunately, on Day 45 of our steroids vs natural experiment, I got a message from Todd letting me know that he’s moving out of the city.

He’s still down to complete the experiment, but he won’t be coming into the gym anymore for check-ins.

This means I'm pretty much not gonna have any idea how Brandon and I are keeping up with Todd until the final day of the steroids vs natural experiment.

That is a little terrifying. But it just means we gotta keep sticking to the plan and training as hard as possible.

TL;DR

• I conducted a 100-day steroids vs natural experiment to find out if a natty (i.e., Brandon) stands a chance against an enhanced individual (i.e., Todd).
• Brandon had 2 major advantages on Day 1. He was lean (he could focus solely on building) and wasn’t an advanced lifter like Todd (faster growth rates).
• Still, in this steroids vs. natural experiment, I had to supercharge Brandon’s training by choosing stretch-maximizing exercises and getting him to train to failure.
• Regardless, Todd’s chemically enhanced body could train longer and harder, recover faster, plus build more muscle from each workout than Brandon’s could.
• Here’s how steroids vs natural muscle growth results differ after 100 days of hard training: 13 lbs of muscle gain vs 3.7 lbs, respectively.
• So, to maximize Brandon’s chances, I got Brandon to bump up his calories and use creatine (potential 1-2 lb boost in muscle throughout the 100-day steroids vs natural experiment).

100-Day Steroids vs Natural Results

I’ve gotta admit, Todd’s transformation is an incredible feat, even with the help of steroids. 

And although Brandon built just one-third as much muscle as Todd, he still gained significantly more muscle than the average natural lifter (3.7 lbs) without spending every waking moment in the gym. 

As for the ultrasound results, while Todd did have us beat in most muscle groups, Brandon saw more growth in his delts, biceps, as well as one leg muscle (rectus femoris), likely due to the special exercises we incorporated. 

So, while ​​I respect Todd’s choice to hop on gear, in my opinion, unless you're as dedicated to competing as Todd or need testosterone for health reasons, the risks simply aren’t worth it.

Brandon is proof that with the right approach, we nattys can still make incredible progress without putting our health at risk.

But if you want more guidance and are looking for a step-by-step program that shows you exactly what workouts to do and what to eat every week to naturally get in the best shape of your life, then just take our quick, free analysis quiz below to discover the best Built With Science program for you and your body:

Click the button below to take my analysis quiz to discover the best program for you:

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And if you’re curious about the training techniques I used to help Brandon build muscle faster naturally, check out this article.

Thanks for sticking to the end, and I'll catch ya next time!