No longer the preserve of cheating athletes and fired-up body-builders, human growth hormone is now as common on the film sets of Hollywood as Botox and Restylane.
Indeed, veteran trainer Happy Hill, who helped Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Philippe bulk up for roles estimates that up to 20 percent of Tinsel-towns leading men are using performance enhancing drugs to get a buff body.
And with Hollywood struggling to foster a new generation of box-office kings, the 40-plus male movie star is under increasing pressure to look exactly the same as he did 10 years ago making him turn to human growth hormone, (HGH) to keep the ravages of time at bay.
With the use of HGH thoroughly stigmatized through the misdeeds of cyclist Lance Armstrong and track-and-field star Marion Jones, it is no wonder that the number of box office luminaries admitting to juicing up can be counted on one hand.
Controversial Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Oliver Stone and perennial bad-boy Nick Nolte all shout about the anti-aging benefits of HGH and former California governor and action-hero legend Arnoold Schwarzenegger has previously admitted to using PED's.
'The guy who uses steroids and admits to it earns more respect from me than the guy who uses but insists he doesn't and wants his fans to believe he did things the hard way,' says elite trainer Mark Twight, an outspoken proponent of a drug-free regimen, who train Man of Steel's Henry Cavill.
But with more and more actors suddenly transported from average frames to rippling muscle-bound bodies, Hollywood is bustling with rumors about the proliferation and use of HGH and PEDS.
'HGH is on the scene now more than ever before,' says Hill to the Hollywood Reporter.
'It's hard not to use. Some people, especially the older ones, are looking for that perfect gym body, and they want a shortcut.'
Hill added that he is vehemently anti-PED's and his clients, including Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Philippe have never used any steroids.
While promoting their movie Pain & Gain, Mark Wahlberg, 42, and former WWE wrestler Dwayne Johnson, 41, all insisted that their physiques were gained through hard work and not with HGH.
'I went from 165 to 212 pounds,' said Wahlberg to the Hollywood Reporter. 'It was a lot of work and a lot of eating, but that's what the part required, so that's what I had to do.'
Indeed, Wahlberg and Johnson's have been at pains to point out that they have never taken PED's to increase their muscle-mass for any role.
Costing up to $3,000 a month, HGH is legally allowed through a prescription in the United States, but is widely available on the black market or from friends in the know in most gyms.
USC professor and steroid expert Todd Schroeder told the magazine that when the body is in its 20s, gaining muscle definition is easy.
It is when they hit their 40s that the temptation to bulk up with PED's proves too great.
'If someone says, 'Hey, add PEDs to this workout,' you can get substantial changes very quickly,' said Schroeder.
Administered by the user with a hypodermic needle, PED's are taken either twice-daily or once a week.
However, with the massive controversy surrounding New York Yankee's star Alex Rodriguez's alleged use of PED's dominating the front pages, it is easy to see why Hollywood stars keep their use under wraps.
In 2007, in an embarrassing incident, Sylvester Stallone was caught bringing 48 vials of HGH into Australia.
And in 2008, rapper 50 Cent was named in connection with an ongoing steroid investigation in New York City.
Trainers told the Hollywood Reporter that studios are turning a blind eye to the practice and growth in use of PED's.
And more to the point, said that the studio's themselves might be to blame as they push actors to tight deadlines and demand peak physical condition.
'The pressure to perform in Hollywood is no different than it is in Major League Baseball," said nutritionist and performance coach Mike Dolce.
'These are people whose salaries are partially dependent upon how they look. Unfortunately, for those who take drugs, it's a short-term improvement followed by a crash. Their bodies and hormonal chemistry go to hell.'
Long-term users of HGH have shown a propensity to an increase risk of cancer, diabetes and heart failure.
And as Schroeder says, the most dangerous element of PED's is their psychological addictiveness.
'You keep doing more and more, and you're not satisfied with how you look even though you've had significant improvement in your body composition,' said Schroeder.
However, the biggest danger for all those involved invariable comes down to the bottom line.
Studios now go out of their way to insist their star bulked-up naturally, lest they foster an unrealistic impression that their star, their super-hero is cheating.
'With Superman, well, that guy better be clean,' said one trainer to the Hollywood Reporter.
'Because other*wise, it's the kind of thing that turns around and bites your whole marketing campaign in the backside.'
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Originally Posted by red crayon
