Luigi wrote:Have you guys heard of Clarence Kennedy? He is a weightlifter who arguably is the strongest in the whole sport but refuses to do any competitions because the committees refuse to acknowledge steroids are used. He walks around at 100kg and snatches 185kg, so if he cut to 89kg weight class thats 5kg above the world records, and if he only cut to 96kg its 1kg less than the world record. His total is 410 which would be 14kg above the world record in the 89 class and 6kg less than the record in the 96 class.
Yes, about a decade ago he became popular for his proper ATG squats.
His videos on steroids are also top notch.
I also recommend watching the movie Icarus to get a better idea on how doping testing is done. Did you guys know that for Chinese athletes to get a doping test, the anti doping agents must apply for a special visa six months in advance and prove who they will test, what day, what time and in which location for the Communist state to approve it first? Meanwhile US athletes can get a knock on the door in the middle of the night and are forced to give whichever type of sample/get naked in front of agents and pee or else their career is over on the spot. Just a reminder in case you didn't know!
It is also an unfortunate fact that today almost nobody except elite level athletes know how to use hormones for performance enhancement. We are fed this propaganda that it is dangerous/unhealthy/you will die as if you can't die from drinking too much water, as if we are unable to study the cellular mechanisms of these hormones and use them responsibly and without sacrificing health. I am saying this here because of the readings and documentaries posted in this forum, and know you are willing to see things from another perspective too. Be forewarned that it is not a simple task of watching a YouTube video to learn what you need.
I also have a story to tell you guys. Back in 2010 I got up to 200kg x 2 deadlift, after 7 years of training (I got 185kg for 3 in 2006 so those last gains were hard and both on/off training but it took a good 2 years). Erik told me to head to a local powerlifting gym, which is also state owned. I went there and thought even if I don't like the gym, at least I can try to lift it on competition calibrated weights, which they didn't even have. Some kiddos started wearing their equipment and started maxing out because they felt challenged by my presence and one kiddo bombed out and failed a squat, but to respect his dignity I knew it was coming and went to another area of the gym so he wouldn't see me looking at him. After doing some work here and there the two trainers (state salaried) came up to me for a talk.
They found my strength to be impressive but wanted to ensure I understood the clubs policies of no tolerance for doping. It doesn't matter how they tried to frame it or how polite they tried to be, in the end my welcoming to a state owned gym that cost twice as much as fitness24seven and which I could train at any time I wanted, was suspicion and no respect for my efforts. The male trainer was also coaching an athlete with a good competitive record, but to me he told me people train at their own here and despite being a powerlifting team they did not train their athletes and would not help me with technique or training. The female trainer had impressively big muscles for being a female and I kept this little clue in memory too. After they had said and done their shit and tried to turn it to a positive tone with me and them talking and laughing back and forth, and I was finished with my workout, I asked the male trainer if he wasn't a trainer for me unless my name was that other athlete. He looked at me like fuck, why is he angry. Awkward moments and trying to turn the convo as I was leaving the female talks and I asked her if it's OK if I ask if she has ever taken steroids. She asked why I was wondering. I said because I have never seen a muscular natural female as she was so I found it hard to believe she would be natural. She said that's offensive. I said then why cant you feel empathy for me and take into consideration what I *might* have done to achieve my level of strength? They got kind of pissed off that I had no filter and no hesitance to say things and they were actually pissed off that I was leaving and wouldn't come back.
Years later after telling this story to multiple people, I've been told that in 2010 there were so many doping scandals in Swedish powerlifting that it was close for the sport being eliminated from the national sports federation. It is unfortunate that it has not, because we still have powerlifting by the balls with this dualism of natural/doped good/evil being sold by the government, and, if you are in the know, the true evil reality that there is no such thing as drug free, just drug tested at certain times. (Hormones are not drugs, btw). And tests can be duped or faked, often by governments who want medals for political reasons. So keep that in mind folks!
