Joe Rogan has come in swinging on people being discreet about their steroid use. Not only has he savaged Liver King for lying about his steroid use, but he has also taken aim at Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, saying he doesn’t believe he is natural and that he should own up to his steroid use, if indeed he is on steroids.
Joe Rogan, speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, ridiculed The Liver King for lying about taking steroids. He also called out Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, encouraging him to own up to steroid use too. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has admitted to experimenting with steroids when he was a teenager but apparently does not take steroids (or doesn’t speak about taking steroids) now.
Rogan calls bs on this though, saying: “The Rock should come clean right now. He should make a video in response to the Liver King video…There’s not a f***ing chance in hell he’s clean, as big as The Rock is, at 50.”
Guest Derek, a fitness educator and entrepreneur, said: “What was wild… I don’t think it’s disingenuous necessarily but he was in a Men’s Health interview and he talks about how his number 1 priority is longevity now and I’m like dude everything you’re doing is the hyper opposite of that.”
“In terms of a diet, a lifestyle potentially, but the drug exposure to maintain the physique to then do the superhero roles at his age, it’s clearly not longevity focussed – it’s how much can I milk this right now with my brand sort of thing.”
Joe Rogan then chimed in again, saying: “When you look at the physique of the Rock, full jacked Rock, the point is you can’t even get there with hrt [hormone replacement therapy], that’s not hrt.”
“There’s a responsibility you have to those that are listening to you now. If you don’t want to talk about it that’s one thing, but if you do talk about it there’s a responsibility that you have to the people that are listening to you.”
In an MTV interview back in 2009, The Rock said he and his buddies tried steroids back in the day when they were 18 or 19 and didn’t know what they were doing.
Ladbible reports, “It wasn’t until after he graduated college that Johnson launched his professional wrestling career, and by then, he had sworn off steroids.”
Rogan, for his part, again admitted to taking hrt (something he was previously been very open about) after his comments on The Rock, saying: “I think you have to be honest, which is why I’m honest about it – I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking hormone replacement, I think it’s actually wise, it’s healthier.”
“I feel way better than I did before I was doing it and. I started doing it when I was like 37 or 38, and even then I was just taking the cream. Right away I was like, ‘Oh my god, I feel so much better.’ I don’t think it’s wrong I think it’s smart but you got to be honest.”
Healthline isn’t quite so clear cut on the benefits of hrt for men, explaining: “Hormone replacement therapy is a bit of a misnomer. It’s natural for men’s testosterone levels to decrease as they get older. So, hormone therapy doesn’t replace anything that is naturally missing.”
Testosterone is required for male sexual development, reproductive function, building muscle, maintaining healthy levels of red blood cells and maintaining bone density. However, Healthline says that “the natural decrease of this hormone in men typically doesn’t affect overall health any more than the aging process does.”
Healthline adds: “Medical experts disagree about the significance of a testosterone level decrease. They also disagree about the health benefits of hormone therapy use to combat the natural aging process in men, especially given the risks.”
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“Some men with unnaturally low levels of testosterone can benefit from hormone therapy. For example, the condition hypogonadism can cause unnaturally low levels of testosterone. It’s a dysfunction of the testicles that prevents the body from producing the right amount of testosterone,” (Healthline).
“What’s less certain is whether testosterone therapy can benefit healthy men whose testosterone decline is simply caused by aging. This has been a difficult question for researchers to answer. Not many studies have observed the effects of testosterone therapy in men with healthy levels of the hormone. The studies that have were smaller and had unclear results.”
Healthline
In terms of risks, Healthline points out potential side effects like fluid retention, acne, increased urination, breast enlargement, decreased testicle size, worsening of sleep apnea, increased cholesterol, decreased sperm count, infertility and increased number of red blood cells.
Healthline says having an increased number of red blood cells can cause muscle pain, high blood pressure, blurry vision, chest pain and blood clots in your blood vessels.
If this sounds eerily similar to the side effects of steroids, that’s for a reason. According to tctmed.com, the primary differences between TRT and steroid abuse are:
- TRT is FDA-approved, while steroid use in the locker room is not
- TRT is administered by a medical professional, while most steroid use for bodybuilding and athletic performance enhancement is not
- TRT’s purpose is to treat a medical condition (Low T), while illegal steroid abuse is not a medical treatment at all
“Ultimately, it comes down to dose and safety,” tctmed.com says.
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