In this chapter, Valeria Catalani, a research student, interviews Dave Croslands, a former professional bodybuilder who is now actively involved in the harm reduction sector, providing online support and educational services to the bodybuilding community. In the course of the interview he describes in detail his journey with the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), from his initial teenage experiences, when no information about PEDs was available, to his later, more informed years. His aim is not to stop people using PEDs, but to educate them about responsible consumption and usage. He emphasizes his belief that knowledge will reduce the harm and severe side effects caused by using PEDs. He also explains why he does not think that bodybuilding or indeed other sports disciplines can ever be separated from performance-enhancing practices.

In this chapter, Dr Roisin Mooney, an academic researcher and fitness model, interviews James Hollingshead, a professional bodybuilder, about his experiences and perceptions of the bodybuilding industry in relation to exercise addiction. Many people engage in weightlifting and bodybuilding as a hobby, or as part of a healthy lifestyle, and then make the transition to semi-professional or professional status. The popularity of bodybuilding is continually growing, offering an opportunity to combine an activity one is passionate about with a seemingly glamorous lifestyle, company sponsorship, and the opportunity to inspire others. The rise of social media has further increased its appeal, and has the potential to positively reinforce engagement with unhealthy extremes of behaviour. In a fast-paced society, people frequently look for short cuts to professional status, including the use of steroids and/or excessive exercising. Better governance is needed to enable amateur and professional bodybuilders to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

This chapter is a personal account of the immense pressure on bodybuilders to succumb to the ‘gym lifestyle’ and to take steroids. The author was able to resist this pressure and become a ‘natural bodybuilder’, although navigating the path between wanting to excel and being frightened about the consequences, while also experiencing a mental health disorder, was challenging. The choice that she made meant that her transformation took longer than that of some of her competitors who were using steroids. During this time she witnessed many people succumb to that lifestyle, including a significant number of women who were dabbling with steroids without awareness or understanding of their long-lasting effects on the body and mind. She asks whether it is worth taking such risks, only to be judged and criticized, deemed by the judges not to be good enough, or in some cases even to be disqualified from shows.