DOES BRADLEY MARTYN USE STEROIDS?
If we are talking pure freakishness and monster heights of strength, you can’t do much better than Bradley Martyn.
This American bodybuilder would seem to be the perfect representation of maleness, perhaps taken to hideous lengths. He is an enormous size, which guarantees that he will set tongues wagging in any neighborhood he happens to set foot on. Bradley is also immensely popular, compared with such stars as Mike Rashid, Calum Von Moger, and Mike O’hearn.
Bradley takes pride in inspiring others and has influenced millions through his online activity. He carries multiple hats as a bodybuilding competitor and fitness guru. He also reaches many through his video channels, helping them with all sorts of useful tips on supplementation, training, and dieting.
First Impressions
What does Brad’s stats look like? Well, here goes.
- Height: 6 ft 3
- Weight: 260 Ibs
- Body fat: 7-8%
- Age: born 1989, 30 years
These numbers mean that Brad’s anatomy isn’t anywhere near conventional, even among the bodybuilding world. So people have a hard time believing that attaining his kind of body can be done naturally. Heck, Brad even outdoes Arnold Schwarzenegger, and we know that Arnold did steroids like
So is it possible that Brad is natty with this supermassive form, or is he the lucky recipient of some stunning golden genes? And if he is using steroids, does he use legal or illegal steroids? The two have stark differences,’ as legal steroids can get you results with fewer side effects, albeit less dramatic. They are also naturally based. Well, to find out what Brad uses, let’s dig in.
Bradley’s background
For all his success in later life, Bradley didn’t always have it easy. At only 6, he lost his dad, so Bradley grew up lacking a father. His father had committed suicide, thus setting a bleak start for young Bradley.
Bradley had to cope with depression and misery, but he scraped through learning to survive on his own. At 15, Bradley threw himself into training.
Some Accomplishments
- Social media sensation
- Fitness model
- Online training coach
Competition history
- 8th in NPC USA Championship 2013
- 1st in NPC Phil Heath Classic 2013
- 10th in NPC USA Championship 2012
- 2nd in NPC USA Championship 2012
- 1st in NPC Southern California Championships 2011
How does He Train?
With all of his 260 pounds of almost pure muscle and standing at 6 ft 3, Bradley is a training powerhouse. He takes his training quite seriously and says he is absolutely absorbed with it.
Typically, Brad trains by making 10 reps for each set. He has a unique approach to training that flours what is conventional. As he puts it, he listens to his body rather than following set instructions on a piece of paper.
This means he trains only what is necessary. When you look at his chest, you will see it's somewhat behind in terms of being trained compared to his delts.
At times he can train his chest for days in a row. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to change to something fresh, so each set of weeks he will typically feature a different routine. He loves it this way as it helps to keep things exciting. Brad also fancies cardio, which explains the all-year-round ABS that he shows.
What about his nutrition?
Brad isn’t one for taking his diet lightly. He has a curious routine when preparing for a contest. It’s called the IF protocol, with IF standing for Intermittent Fasting. Brad credits his success to this protocol and says it has never let him down for all the years of training he has done.
IF just means what it says, which is to switch between periods of fasting and eating. This is particularly when he is facing a contest, in which case he can go 16 hours a day on a fast and then follow it up with 8 hours helping himself to a well-balanced diet.
However, he loosens things a little when there is no upcoming contest. For this, he will reach for the ketogenic diet featuring low carbs, high fat, and moderate proteins. Occasionally, he will raise up his carbs intake, especially when he feels less energized or when he has some heavy training lined up to do. He then applies a diet protocol that involves carb-cycling.
Bradley also credits the following as top foods that have helped him acquire his fantastic body.
- Salmon (provides healthy proteins and fats)
- Quinoa (provides amino acids, protein, and nutrients)
- Bell peppers
- Greek yogurt (helps with taste and protein)
- Almond butter
He says he prefers almond butter in the place of peanut butter as it is gotten from trees. That means you don’t get anything that could be contaminated with pesticides and fertilizers.
All this sounds quite natty, but is it possible that Bradley got big and ripping from more than this innocent list? Did he also throw him some steroids? And if did, was legal steroids or illegal steroids?
Is it down to Steroids, or is he natty?
To determine the answer, let’s look at some pieces of evidence.
- Drug testing history – Has Brad got tested and passed for using drugs? He has competed in the NPC, which is a natural organization that supposedly only allows competitors who are natural.
- NPC’s drug test procedures are, however, notoriously loose. They are almost designed to make sure you can compete and win even if you are juiced. Also, to fail their tests would be a miracle as they are so easy to pass even if you are juiced. NPC won’t also reveal anyone who has failed the test. With nothing to tarnish your record, there is no incentive for players to skip drugs in this federation. NPC offers you much help for you to cheat because they carry no unannounced random tests. They test you only after the competition giving you ample time to schedule your steroids to use so that they are undetectable during the competition. So that’s how meaningless Brad’s part in the NPC is to prove he is natty.
- Flushed skin – This is one thing you won’t miss looking at some of Brad’s photos. You will occasionally see an unusual pink or even bright red color on his body. Flushed skin is one of the signs of steroid use. It’s caused by a slightly higher temperature than usual, which is induced by steroids.
- Muscle thickness – Sure, you will bulk up in muscle when you train naturally. But there is a distinct kind of muscle that you don’t get if you are natty. It’s thicker, more rounded, and solid. If you look closely at Brad’s pictures, they fall into this category. Some steroids are known to cause this, so it shows that Brad is using steroids.
- Does he deny it? – Although one’s word about whether he is using steroids or not can be notoriously unreliable (especially if he denies juicing), it’s still worth noting because it tells you something. What is Brad’s response to attacks that he is using steroids? He doesn’t deny it, but he doesn’t admit it either. That is surprising because most bodybuilders usually deny using steroids when confronted, even if they are juicing. It doesn’t seem like taking steroids is something most bodybuilders would want to proudly display like a badge of honor. If they are juicing, they prefer to keep it a tight secret. But if you are natty, would you loudly proclaim it? Since Brad isn’t doing any of that, it suggests he probably isn’t natty.
- History of Gains – Can Brad’s time gain tell us anything about his taking steroids? Well, let’s see. As you know, if you are natural and not using steroids, then you entirely depend on your DNA and effort to get big. So if your genes are just right and you work hard from an early age, you will experience muscle growth more rapidly than your less gifted friends. After that, you stop growing much and enter into a plateau stage. The case of Mike O’Hearn, one of the Olympian’s greats, shows this well. From the age of 14, when he started training, he blasted his way into a stunning hulk. Then he ceased growing much once the newbie phase was done. Brad’s case is different. We see explosive growth when it should not be possible by natural means. It shows that he is using steroids.
Verdict
The weight of the evidence seems to support the fact that Brad uses steroids, but we can not be sure. It’s something you can’t escape as you rake through the available evidence. What’s more, we mentioned that Brad doesn’t deny it, which bolsters our confidence that our conclusion isn’t way off.
If Brad is juicing, he is using anabolic steroids and isn’t likely to be doing legal steroids. The stack consisting of Deca Durabolin and Dianabol is more likely to be what he is using. They explain his astonishing gains in strength. Dianabol could be giving him a smooth appearance due to its water retention.