Former Mr. Universe Steve Brisbois has a message for young people regarding Steroids:
"They´re deadly- 'Let me get you strong and big without the drugs.'"
Steve Brisbois to appear at Orlando Europa Games-Booth 724- May 1st & May 2nd
World Champion saw friends become sterile and a body builder die in Holland after a competition. Now emphasizes safer, natural means
Interview Optty.Ocasomedia-305-396-2806
From a Jim Leusner orlandosentinel article 1994
A few weeks ago, two weightlifters in their 20s came to ask former Mr. Universe Steve Brisbois for some advice.
Both said they wanted to bulk up so they could try out for the Orlando Predators football team. They asked what kind of steroids they should take.
Without thinking a second, Brisbois, an Orlando trainer and fitness consultant, related horror stories of other bodybuilder friends who have died or become impotent from the drugs.
''I scared them out of their pants,'' said Brisbois, the 1986 Canadian amateur national champion who won the coveted international Mr. Universe crown later that year. ''I said, 'Let me get you strong and big without the drugs.' They both thought the only way they could get big was taking 'roids.''
Brisbois, 32, knows firsthand about steroids. He turned professional in 1987, and he says he saw virtually everyone else on the 125-man pro circuit using steroids. Steroids, he was told, could get you bigger, and let you train more and recover more quickly from injuries.
''I felt I had to do it to compete in the professional ranks,'' said Brisbois, better known around the gym as ''Briz.''
He found out later about friends who became sterile because the drugs shut down their production of testosterone, a male hormone. He also witnessed an increase in lifters' aggressive behavior and susceptibility to injury once they stopped taking the drugs.
But it wasn't until October 1992 in Holland that the dangers really hit home. Six hours after a bodybuilding competition, an Algerian weightlifter who used steroids died of a heart attack at Brisbois' feet. The attack was caused by steroids and diuretics the man took to drain excess water from his body to make him look leaner.
''That solidified my decision to never get on stage again,'' said Brisbois between swigs of water from a gallon jug. ''I've seen a lot of people get hurt. It's a very dangerous drug to use.''
Brisbois said the bodybuilding industry refuses to test contestants for drugs, and he is aware of only a handful of professional competitors who don't use steroids.
Steve Brisbois-at Orlando Europa Games-Booth 724- May 1st & May 2nd
Until there is mandatory drug screening in the sport, Brisbois said he will not compete professionally, even though he said he is a few years away from reaching his prime. He said he later realized that many of the steroids he took were fakes - a common problem in the steroid market - and he quit taking them altogether in 1990.
Brisbois, who consistently placed in the top 10 in pro competition, has been on the covers of several bodybuilding magazines, including Ironman and Musclemag. One publication even nicknamed the 5-foot-3 Brisbois ''Pocket Hercules.'' He remains a contest judge for the International Federation of Body Builders.
Interview Optty.Ocasomedia-305-396-2806