It seems the best way to start any kinds of rumors is to become a social media fitness guru.
In this case, I’m talking about the Joey Swoll steroid cycle rumours that have been circulating on many fitness forums.
Joey has never actually admitted to taking anabolic steroids, but it’s reasonable to assume that there’s probably more going on than just lifting weights and a good diet.
So, I spent a few weeks researching his background, social media pages, and body transformation to see if there’s any truth to these rumours.
Does Joey Swoll Take Steroids?
While there’s no conclusive evidence that Joey Swoll has taken anabolic steroids, I believe that he’s used them in the past and the key giveaways are hair loss and oversized shoulders and traps.
It’s not just the completely bald head, which he may have chosen for aesthetic reasons, but it seems he has no hair on his arms and legs.
And because steroid users typically have traps and shoulders that are out of proportion, these are two key factors that there’s potential that he has regularly used some form of hormone drugs.
Reasons People Believe Joey Swoll Takes Steroids
Here are the seven main reasons I’ve found that people point out when accusing Joey of using banned substances.
1. HGH Gut
Many bodybuilders take human growth hormone (HGH) as part of their steroid cycle.
One of the side effects of this is that organs can swell up, and that pushes out the so-called HGH gut.
Joey Swoll seems to show this symptom in many photos.
2. Substance Addiction
People who are drawn to anabolic steroids often have drug misuse problems, due to their addictive personalities.
While clean now, Joey has admitted to opioid addiction in 2020. This is another factor which may suggest anabolic steroid use.
3. Oversized Shoulders
One of the most common signs of steroid use are oversized shoulders. The deltoids and traps in the upper back have a large number of androgen receptors.
As a result, you often see shoulders that are out-of-proportion, and that’s something Joey seems to have.
4. Hair Loss
One of the most common problems with PEDs is that they may increase facial hair growth while decreasing head hair. Many steroid users mask this with a tightly cut hairstyle.
Looking through Joey’s Instagram profile, it’s clear to see that he has very little head hair with a well-developed facial beard.
This may hint at steroid use.
5. Fast Bulking Process
This is one of the easiest ways to catch out a fake natty.
No matter how gifted your genetics are and how much you train, building up muscle takes time.
To look like Joey would take many years and the only way to significantly speed this process is through PEDs.
The fact that Joey has managed to bulk up significantly while maintaining a low body fat hints at steroid use.
6. Extreme Vascularity
People that train for a ripped body always seek those popping veins. They’re a solid indicator of how much muscle and little fat you have.
But certain types of steroids will produce those vascular veins even if you’re not working out.
Looking at Joey Swoll’s Instagram profile, it’s clear that he’s got very noticeable prominent veins in many photos, which may suggest steroid use.
7. Large Breast Tissue
Ironically, anabolic steroids which increase testosterone and growth hormone have also been linked to men developing enlarged breast tissue.
It’s important to clarify that enlarged breast tissue and ripped pecs aren’t the same thing – here, we’re talking about soft breast tissue in the form of fat.
While it doesn’t look like Joey has man boobs from recent photos, that’s not to say he hasn’t struggled with them in the past.
Is It Possible To Bulk Up Like Joey Swoll Naturally?
In my opinion, I don’t think it’s possible to achieve Joey Swoll’s physique naturally.
(I.e. with just diet, training and natural supplements.)
While Joey clearly trains hard and eats a clean diet, it would be nearly impossible to achieve his physique purely through good genetics.
If Joey really was natty, then he’d get a lot more credit and respect if he took a drugs test to prove this.
But at the time of writing this article, Joey hasn’t published any drug test results.
Conclusion: Is Joey Swoll Natural?
In summary:
- Joey Swoll has never admitted to taking steroids, however there are a lot of features of his physique which suggest steroid use.
- Achieving Joey’s physique purely through exercise and diet is nearly impossible.
- Swoll has never posted any drug test results to prove his natty status.
That’s all for Joey Swoll, but is Joesthetics natty? Or is Sean Nalewanyj natty?
Thanks for reading!
Sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10664066/
I’ve been in the fitness and strength training industry for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds of muscle, written hundreds of articles, and reviewed dozens of fitness supplements. As for my educational background, I’m a currently studying for my Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.