Bodybuilding is taking Pakistan by storm.
Thousands of working-class men compete for titles
that come with cash prizes and lucrative gym sponsorships.
But there is a dark side.
It is impossible to compete without the help of steroids.
This is not made for human use.
It is clearly written “Prescription Animal Remedy.”
Rampant steroid abuse
is killing some of the sport's most famous stars.
One wrong syringe can destroy your whole life.
Eight to ten people die on average annually.
And while young men dream of using bodybuilding to escape poverty,
a growing black market has begun to exploit them.
[BODYBLOW]
Pakistan's first bodybuilding championship was held in 1952,
but the sport has never been as popular as it is now.
The winner of this regional competition
will get a chance to compete nationally
for a prize of $100,
equal to the average monthly salary in this province, Sindh.
Asad’s body is fair,
so we need to darken his skin color to make it look good.
Do this pose again, with your hand here.
Good. Control your muscles.
With so much money at stake,
lying about one’s age bracket is common.
Is he in the junior category?
Come here. What is your age, son?
Twenty-one.
-Huh? -21.
You are not 21. Show me your identity card.
Even if it is one month older than 21, it is not allowed.
It breaks the participant’s heart
because of this federation’s mismanagement.
He is just a poor tailor.
He has worked hard for six months. Don’t do this.
He will be competing in the junior category?
Yes, he will continue playing in the junior category.
We have compromised.
Gyms often sponsor young men to enter competitions.
If they win, it means publicity for their business.
So many of them encourage their teams to take steroids
and employ coaches who work in the illegal steroid trade.
Please don’t reveal our identity
because this is illegal and could ruin our careers.
This coach has been training a group of young competitors
and administers the injections himself.
Let’s go. Take off your shirts now.
Many coaches make the majority of their income from selling steroids.
We have a lot of things for cutting and bulking up.
It is available on the black market.
It’s a growth hormone.
It burns your fat and helps you gain muscle.
For high-level competitions,
take one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
-Ready? -Hmm.
They care more about winning
than their team’s physical well-being.
You just can’t win a competition without anabolics.
It is wrong to say that one shouldn’t use steroids.
Steroids don’t kill you.
It’s misuse that kills you.
Anabolic steroids help build muscle tissue by imitating testosterone,
the body’s natural muscle-building hormone.
Steroid use can lead to sexual dysfunction, mood disorders,
shrunken testicles, and even heart failure and cancer.
But these gyms and the coaches who work for them
claim contaminated drugs flooding the market from abroad
are to blame.
And some people are making fake ones.
They get some stuff from abroad and mix it up.
Mixing is very dangerous.
People don’t understand that for some extra cash,
they take someone’s life.
One wrong syringe can destroy your whole life.
Can destroy your whole life.
One more.
Usama is a former competitive bodybuilder
who was encouraged to take steroids by his coach.
My first cycle was in 2018.
Whatever they injected me with, I quietly obliged.
If the prescription is 200mg, then that’s what you should use.
I was easily given 400mg to 500mg.
Obviously, I had no idea.
I was only obsessed with getting on the stage,
getting on the stage, getting on the stage.
Now Usama is a fitness coach.
But he still feels he can’t win competitions without them.
While steroids are illegal in Pakistan,
they’re very easily available online,
and authorities do little to stop it.
Hello?
Can I get some stuff?
Tell me what you want.
Is any growth hormone available?
Yes, 100IU ones.
And Trenbolone?
I only have the Irani version.
For how much?
Nine dollars.
There are very few sellers around here
who would sell you authentic drugs.
There are a lot of fake drugs being sold on the market.
We got everything.
You can get everything in Karachi.
This one seems authentic.
It’s not even for human use.
It’s written in big letters that it’s a “Prescription Animal Remedy.”
Basically turning humans into animals.
Trenbolone is used on livestock
to increase muscle growth and appetite.
If the product is impure, it could be deadly.
You know when you look at someone and wish you had a body like them?
This drug does it for you.
The thing is, you’re messing with nature.
When you start injecting your body with these things,
you’re also injecting yourself with hundreds of side effects.
Last year, there was a competition in Pakistan
in which Shahzad Afridi participated.
The way he was standing on stage with his peeled physique,
it’s not possible to achieve that naturally.
There was a lot of [drug] abuse at play.
He died.
The Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation investigated Shahzad's death
but never released its findings.
So we don’t know for certain
whether his death was related to steroid abuse.
Shahzad was one of a string of prominent bodybuilder deaths
that has placed the sport under scrutiny.
The future of this sport in Pakistan
depends on whether the next generation
will refuse steroids and compete naturally.
Mudassir is an aspiring bodybuilder
from a low-income neighborhood in Karachi.
When people used to watch cartoons,
I used to watch videos of Jeremy Buendia.
I feel so good watching myself in the mirror while posing,
it has become a habit.
As soon as I stand in front of the mirror,
I automatically strike a pose.
My mother takes care of all my dietary needs.
She also takes care of the house and takes care of me.
Despite the expensive diet required to compete naturally,
he and his family are determined that he avoids steroids.
I have warned him from the beginning to not indulge in anything extra.
No medicines and no injections.
I have strictly told him not to partake in that.
I keep a regular check on him.
I check if there are any capsules in his bag.
His gym has given him three or four clients to train.
How much do they pay you?
Fifteen dollars.
He gives tuition to a few kids as well.
So he takes care of his own expenses.
He’s not a burden on us.
This sport requires a lot of money.
But it’s my passion.
Mudassir will be coming home from his first competition with a trophy,
proving that, at least in his case, success is possible without drugs.
This is the first time I posed on stage almost naked.
My whole dedication has borne fruit, and I’m crowned with success today.
Finally!
When you have a good body, health, and looks,
there is a chance of making it in the modeling industry.
It’s my dream.