Think it’s a combination of:
In the “Arnold era” they probably used pharmacy-grade testosterone, nandrolone, Dianabol, and Primobolan.
I also believe they used way lower doses than rn, more clean, and consistent gear.
They relied more on diet, training, and genetics, and didn’t stack 6–10 compounds or run them year-round.
After the 90’s, 2000’s, AAS became controlled substances so pharma supply vanished.
UGLs introduced cheaper raws, poor filtration, and no sterility testing, so purity and consistency dropped sharply (impurities, endotoxins, heavy metals).
But I don’t think UGL/pharma was the biggest issue.
Today ppl run higher doses, more drugs, and dirtier gear. You got random ppl doing dnp while barley understanding it’s mechanisms.
Also Constant experimentation with thyroids and SARMs. Ppl look for shortcuts and blast year round.