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Is Sean Nalewanyj Natty? (Does He Take Steroids?)

There’s no doubt that Sean Nalewanyj has achieved some great success from taking his shirt off on YouTube. And that kind of success always draws attention from people who immediately say it’s all down to steroids.

While anabolic steroid use is widespread in the bodybuilding and fitness industry, I find that making such claims without any substantial research is unfair to the guy.

That’s why I’ve spent the last few days going through his YouTube and social media accounts to see if there’s any truth to the claims that his physique isn’t natural.

Here’s what I found.

man injecting steroids

Is Sean Nalewanyj Natty?

There’s no conclusive evidence to suggest that Sean Nalewanyj has taken steroids. He even revealed in an Instagram Q&A that he was tempted by steroids when he was around age 19, but he was put off by the potential psychological side effects.

He says that if he took steroids, he would have to continue taking them as the psychological effects of losing gains would mentally hurt him.

Nowadays, Sean is happy with his physique and recommends that most people are better suited to the natty route.

If you don’t believe Sean, then there are a few features of his physique which suggest that he is indeed natural.

Let’s take a look at these in more detail.

Reasons Why Sean Nalewanyj Looks Natty

1. Lack of HGH Gut

Human growth hormone (HGH) is often used as part of a steroid cycle. One of the side effects of this is that organs can swell up, and that pushes out the so-called HGH gut.

Looking at many different photos of Sean over the years, there’s no evidence that he suffers from HGH gut, which suggests that he doesn’t take human growth hormone.

2. Proportional Shoulders

One of the most common signs of steroid use are oversized shoulders. This is because the deltoids and traps in the upper back have a large number of androgen receptors.

As a result, you often see steroid users with shoulders which are out-of-proportion, and Sean’s shoulders seem to be proportional to the rest of his body.

3. Minimal Vascularity

Popping veins are desired by most bodybuilders. They’re a solid indicator of how much muscle and how little fat you have.

But certain types of steroids will produce those vascular veins even if you’re not working out.

Looking at Sean Nalewanyj’s Instagram profile, you can see that he only really has veins popping out his biceps, which suggests that he’s natural.

4. No Sign Of Hair Loss

One of the most common problems with PEDs is that they may increase facial hair while decreasing head hair. Many steroid users hide this with a tightly cut hairstyle.

Looking through Sean’s Instagram, it’s clear to see that his head hair is still well intact and there’s no signs of baldness/hair loss.

This is another reason that suggests he’s natty.

5. Reasonable Body Fat Levels

One of the easiest ways to catch out a fake natty is to see how their body fat levels change when they bulk.

No matter how gifted your genetics are and how much you train, bulking up whilst maintaining a sub 10% body fat is nearly impossible.

The fact that Sean appears to be in the 12-15% body fat range after a bulk suggests that he doesn’t take steroids.

He would be much leaner if he did.

6. Natural Shaped Pectorals

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.

Looking at photos of Sean from over the years, there’s no evidence that he’s suffered from gyno or enlarged breast tissue.

Is It Possible To Bulk Up Like Sean Nalewanyj Naturally?

I absolutely believe that it’s possible to achieve a physique like Sean Nalewanyj naturally.

While it will take a lot of time, patience, and persistence, it’s certainly achievable.

It’s clear that Sean eats a clean diet and trains consistently, so with the help of natural supplements and some good genetics, there’s no reason why he couldn’t have achieved his physique without steroid use.

Conclusion

In summary:

  • Sean Nalewanyj claims that he never has and never will take steroids.
  • Looking at the totality of evidence, his physique appears natural so I believe his claims.
  • Despite his claims and his natural appearing physique, Sean has never actually posted any drug test results to prove his claim.

That’s all for Sean Nalewanyj, but is Joey Swoll natural? Or is Joesthetics natural?

Thanks for reading!

Sources

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10664066/