Right, which is why I don’t understand the criticism levied at John for doing these very things. I feel I am missing a piece of the equation.
IMO, many people who don’t know much will jump to conclusions.
But of course there was going to be people jumping at this “you see steroids are soooo baaad no matter what”
Yes, of course it would be prudent. The argument here would be that he’s driving 130 miles an hour on the highway, and while a seatbelt is certainly a good idea when driving that fast, maybe dropping the speed would be more prudent.
And I think for John, specifically, he’s clearly reached and passed by his peak competitively, there’s nothing more he can achieve in the sport of bodybuilding, he has all these other things in his life, and that perhaps the risk, as judged by an outsider, is hard to justify. I think you know I’m very much a ‘to each his own’ guy, and I don’t put a lot of stock in other peoples opinions. But that would be the common point of view here, I think.
I think a lot of people also believe he engages in riskier… things… than what he says he does. The old ‘I’m just on TRT guys’ is not so easy to believe.
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Ah. I figured we’d go after SO many more people before we got to John with that argument, haha.
100% concur: the more healthy thing to do would be to drop the gear and not compete in bodybuilding. I just figured, if you ARE going to compete in it, his approach makes more sense than not following it.
I can see wanting him to hang it up. Perhaps that’s the part I am not reading. I was just seeing him as another BBer.
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I totally agree. I think it probably also has to do with how John portrays himself. He clearly wants to come off as careful and cautious, and for anyone really familiar with the sport, that’s just not a real thing.
I would assume, or at least hope, that all the people who say such things about John would also say the same about every competitive bodybuilder. Because yes, he is certainly taking care of himself better than most.
Final thought: John is likeable, and we don’t like seeing people we like get hurt/die. He’s more engaged with the public at large. Most people don’t actually know him from his competitive history, which is not the best, but his articles and videos. So we like him more. Very different from, say, a William Bonac (or take your pic of Olympia contenders) who aren’t also coaches. His engagement with people adds that personal connection where people say ‘aw man, don’t do that! I like you! Stay alive forever for me!’
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Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for taking the time dude.
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Yeah no matter what he does now, he has been 215 - 225 lbs shredded on a 5’6" frame for almost 30 years. This had a toll on his heart for sure.
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From facebook:
“Update on John’s condition. His arteries have no plaque buildup, but he did have 2 massive blood clots blocking 2 arteries. He has been in constant pain, but today thery were able to clear one of the arteries. They are going to try again tomorrow on the other. This could be tied to the blood disorder from 2005 when he lost his colon. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support in these hard times. Please help me get word out and share.
Mary”
Blood clots, not plaque apparently. I’m not sure how or what causes arterial blood clots.
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Good thoughts.
I’ve said it before, but rolling the dice when you have a Family that depends on you, especially one that that has come along for the ride so far, seeing you achieve more than most people thought you ever would, build a business around your achievements, and now you’re still taking your fate in your hands with behavior that is questionable, and risky at best? I’m sorry, but as a father and a husband at this point there’s nothing anyone could tell me where I would agree and say yes, it’s a good idea that he still doing this… and I like the guy.
Lol Guys like John, Dave Palumbo, these are not individuals who achieved what they did with basic routines and sound nutrition. I’ve been around the sport long enough to realize the average person’s misunderstanding of what is used, how much is used, and how many compounds that you never would have guessed are routinely thrown into the average protocol.
The TRT excuse that gets thrown around is BS 99% of the time and I’ll stand by my feelings on that. @BrickHead?
S
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It can be a lot of things. Various conditions (including cancer) can make a patient hypercoagulable; in this case they mentioned his previous blood disorder, but so can high hematocrit (as most the posters in this thread have explored). They mentioned not finding plaque build-up, but the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
The risk factors for arterial thrombosis are going to be similar to venous thrombosis (smoking, diabetes, obesity, etc.). In this case, folks are probably going to point to high blood pressure and family history (as above). It’s also worth mentioning, like someone above said, weight matters - it’s a stress on your heart whether muscle or fat, so he’s also clinically obese.
Anyway, I don’t know why I think I’m a teacher today, but there you go.
I heard him say in a video HRT only now but that he did run other sups in the past. Of course he didn’t go into detail and risk liability if someone hurt themselves and said they heard him say it. I’ve heard other guys say that you can maintain a high amount of muscle running hrt only after running heavier stuff. 
This is consistent with what I have heard from former BBers online (YouTube). I would expect that building that physique took more than HRT (although HRT is getting a bit wild these days if you follow it at all).
Oh yeah, I know ppl that were on it locally and said they went in and got tested and they were at 1300 . I don’t know much about steroids and I’m ok with that but I know that’s what higher than natural amounts
Some clinics are prescribing deca now. Anavar and I believe anadrol can also be obtained legally. Don’t quote me on the anadrol, but I’ve heard people say they can get it prescribed.
It is.
I smoked off and on for a long time. But I rode bike and lifted and watched what I ate, usually good whole foods. People say “How can you think you’re healthy if you smoke?”
Because I didn’t when I started.
Then came pizza night. Then I’d house half a large. And the better part of a dozen wings.
But I earned it and you know, knew what I was doing.
And Saturday morning cigars. Because everybody was sleeping, and that was my quiet time.
Etc. Etc. Until I had a widow maker.
I’m pretty sure that’s how it happens.
Not saying there is any analogy to John, but just speaking to the mental gymnastics, and the illusion of good health.
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Time will tell. One (me) can only speculate, but when arteries of the heart are blocked for any period of time, damage and death of tissue can occur, or myocardial infarction.
Nothing but love for John Meadows. He is one of my influences and inspirations in the field of training. I really enjoy his calm insights, practical knowledge, and out of the box thinking.
I plan on commenting thoroughly later. For now what comes to mind regarding being careful, is that conversation we had one night with two bodybuilding friends you likely remember in which one was asking for advice on how to improve. The other said, based on decadesof experience, “Take X mg of X, and…”, to which the other interrupted, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah!”
“But like… but if… no way…”, etc.
“You don’t get points for being careful.”
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