Is Mike Rashid on Steroids? We Investigated And Found Out!

IS MIKE RASHID ON STEROIDS?

In checking out the bodybuilding world of great names, I won’t be surprised if you came across Mike Rashid.

Rashid is a powerhouse in bodybuilding circles with multiple roles as an entrepreneur, ex-boxer, author, and a US-based online guru for fitness. He is also the owner of a great gym in Miami. His fantastic career is also capped with his ownership of a personal supplement and clothing line, which has brought him incredible success. Through his own fitness video channel, Rashid makes it possible for you to hear his vast knowledge and life experience in bodybuilding.

Mike Rashid was an intimate buddy of CT Fletcher with whom he trained. It’s worth noting that it is widely believed that  Fletcher used anabolic steroids and may have fallen victim to their side effects. Is it possible that Mike Rashid, his protégé, followed him a suit to use steroids?

The only way to know is to weigh the evidence carefully, but let’s first get to Mike Rashid’s background when he was growing up.

Growing up 

He was born Mike Rashid in his hometown of Los Angeles in 1982. Urged on by his dad, he took an early liking for outdoor physical exercise and quickly developed an interest in boxing. Also an avid martial arts fighter, he made rapid progress but soon fell on hard times financially by the time he was 20. He then tried his hand at making ad photo sessions to make ends meet. However, he never gave up his love for the gym, and constant application to this made him acquire advanced skills. While in his teens, Rashid scored a rare first by clinching the winning spot in the National Golden Gloves on two occasions. That is a record even by today’s standards. His life then really took a meteoric turn when he met and trained with legendary names like CT Fletcher and Dana Linn Bailey.

This saw him sailing all the way to the top of the Mid-Michigan Natural Bodybuilding Championship of 2010. This win is the most impressive in his career.

His other performances include

• 7th in WBFF Worlds Las Vegas
• 6th in EPFNB Michigan Challenge of Grand Rapids 2011
• 7th in NPC Michigan Bodybuilding Figure, Fitness, Bikini & Physique 2011
• 1st in NPC Flint/Mid-Michigan Natural Bodybuilding, Fitness & Bikini Championship
• 2nd in NGA Great Lakes Natural Championship 2008

This is an impressive list of achievements for which we need to ask. Did any of it have anything to do with steroids?

First Impressions

What do you see when you first meet Mike Rashid? For one, he weighs a massive 225 lbs. He also stands 5 ft 11. Rashid’s weight is massive but not supermassive. It rates about average in the bodybuilding area. So you could react initially by saying that Rashid is natty and is probably not on steroids. At 37, you could also say Rashid still has plenty going for him in terms of potential. Here, however, is how the evidence weighs up in terms of whether he is natty or is on steroids.

• History of Gains – Mike Rashid is a hulk of a man who will instantly catch your eye. He has an excellent body form with a completely ripped body. The transformation of Rashid’s body over the years makes it hard to square with somebody who has been purely natty. One thing that you will also notice is his incredibly strong and rounded shoulders as well as his traps. The change that has occurred in them hints strongly at steroids because it’s where the steroids produce some of its most noticeable effects.
• Didn’t he get drug tested? – It’s true that Rashid has competed several times, got tested for drugs, and won with flying colors. Specifically, he ran as a natural in competitions like NPC. That should settle the issue of whether he is natural or not. Or so, one should think. However, relying on tests like those done by NPC is a joke. They don’t do random tests that can catch competitors off guard. Those tests only come after the competition is over, which is like giving the contestants the green light to do all the steroids they want, provided they make sure it doesn’t show up in their bodies by competition day.

Moreover, NPC and their likes don’t reveal the test results of the competitors, which means competitors don’t even have to care if those results are positive. All this should make us take with a pinch of salt the cases of Rashid winning as a natural.

• What was the Iron Addicts Fiasco All About? – Mike Rashid progressed to the point where he got involved in running the Iron-Addicts Gym in downtown Miami. This is a gym he co-owned and ran with a business partner, Richards Rodriguez, and it became a real hit. Then things went ugly when cops showed up one day at the premises and arrested Rodriguez. Why? For selling illegal steroids.

This sounds interesting because didn’t we want to know if Mike Rashid himself could be using steroids? Is this the smoking gun we are looking for? Fortunately for Rashid,  Rodriguez was entirely on his own, running the illicit trade with the gym facility as a logistics center. Rashid had no part or clue in what was taking place. No drugs were actually sold from the gym, but Rodriguez was handling paper trail from the facility. Rashid was not arrested or charged for any offense relating to busting. He even regretted going into business with Rodriguez, which may hint at his dislike for anything to do with steroids. But does this mean that we should conclude that Rashid never used steroids?

• What does Mike Rashid himself say?

The most curious thing concerns what Rashid says, as well as what he doesn’t say anything about taking steroids. You see, he doesn’t admit to taking steroids. But he doesn’t say that he refrains from them either. That ambivalence should get you suspicious that maybe he uses steroids. Why should a reputable bodybuilder like Mike Rashid say nothing about something that is such a hot-button issue in the industry? If you don’t come out outright to denounce something like steroids, then maybe it’s because you are leaving the door open to using it yourself. Remember, Rashid considers himself an influencer and has inspired many. Not only is he an online fitness and bodybuilding guru, but he is also an author. So his silence on steroids should sound a red flag. Keep in mind that Mike Rashid has not shied away from giving tips on what one should abstain from as a bodybuilder. He advocated for being healthy and fit for anyone aiming to succeed in bodybuilding. Shouldn’t thus include a word on steroids?

• Does he use HGH?

HGH isn’t steroids, but I thought I should discuss it also. Does Rashid use HGH, and could it strengthen speculation that he could be using steroids as well? HGH, which is short for Human Growth Hormone, is often included as part of a steroid cycle to make you grow bigger muscles, elevate performance, and eliminate fat. The problem with HGH is that it can cause stomach bloat where the tummy sticks out like someone who is expectant. This often comes with cases of overdose. The bloat comes from internal organs swelling and putting pressure on the stomach. I mention this because pictures of Rashid have surfaced, showing him with what looks like stomach bloat that seems to have been induced by HGH. Is it really HGH or some other factor? There is no way of telling, but this is something useful to remember as we try to narrow down to the answer of if Rashid is on steroids.

• Strength

Beyond big size and his leanness, Rashid has also displayed stunning strength. From feats like bench pressing 475 pounds to deadlifting weights of over 600 pounds, he is way over average. Rashid is also almost completely devoid of fat, and you won’t catch him any day crossing the line in this. For all this, you can make a case for genetics, and no doubt, Rashid is a beneficiary of some great genes. But it is no secret that even with this, some bodybuilders also get help from steroids, so they are not 100% natty.

Verdict 

From the collection of evidence assembled above, there is a good reason for concluding that Mike Rashid is getting some help somewhere. It’s the only way to explain the rapid muscular changes he has had over time.

We may not be in a position to conclusively tell what it is but one of our guesses would be that he’s on some legal steroids.

That said, it’s not doubtful that Rashid puts in hard work. He gives his father as an influence calling him Alpha Male and also a man’s man. He is also stunningly talented at many roles and has made a huge impact on his followers.