Bodybuilding and the use of anabolic steroids to build strength and muscle has exploded in the aftermath of the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. The expensive war in Iraq has been criticized for failing to meet many of its objectives. But the war has given Iraqis the freedom to pursue their obsession with sport of bodybuilding (accompanied by the use of anabolic steroids) which was repressed under the rule of Saddam Hussein (“Nothing but Speedos in Sadr City,” June 9).
Several gyms have opened around Baghdad. Many of them openly sell human grade and veterinarian grade anabolic steroids over the counter next to sport nutrition supplements. Anabolic steroids are legally sold for bodybuilding purposes in Iraq.
The U.S. invasion has apparently fueled the widespread use of anabolic steroids in bodybuilding. Iraqis are striving to gain muscle and become stronger in order to obtain employment in one of the few decent paying industries available to them – jobs with security companies.
Ali Torkey, the owner of Future Gym on Palestine Street in Baghdad, trains members with the specific goal of landing a security job (“In Iraq, Muscle Is a Growth Industry – Security Needs Give Bodybuilding a Lift,” June 10).
The gym’s entrepreneurial owner, Ali Torkey, took Imad under his wing, gave him dieting tips and put him on a whey protein regimen. Four months ago, newly buff after weeks of working out, Imad secured work as a security guard at a radio station in Baghdad, a city where improving security is reflected in the revival of everyday activities such as bodybuilding.
Ironically, anabolic steroids are a controlled substance in the United States; the use of anabolic steroids for muscle-building or performance enhancement is severely criminalized and demonized.
But the owner of Future Gym in Iraq has no qualms about using, selling or administering steroids to gym members pursuing bodybuilding or seeking security jobs.
Torkey, the owner of the Future Gym, has capitalized on the craze. He trains bodybuilders and administers steroids, which he injects himself.
“I cannot give it to someone who is new,” explained the 24-year-old high school dropout. “After two or three months I begin giving it to him.”
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He says he is judicious about whom he sells steroids to and says they can be used safely. As their physiques have improved, Torkey and other bodybuilders who compete in tournaments have grown fond of veterinary steroids, which he said produce quicker results than regular ones.
But he doesn’t recommend them to everyone. “Those who are amateurs, we give them something else,” he said.
The War in Iraq has created an environment that provides economic incentives for Iraqis to pursue bodybuilding, weightlifting, and steroid use in order to provide security in Iraq. Yet, at the same time, the United States is aggressively criminalizing such behavior in its domestic War on Steroids (especially as it relates to law enforcement and private security companies).
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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