Originally Posted by
James1964
A few years back NPR had a story on PEDs. If I remember correctly, the expert (a research scientist, not a nutritionist or trainer) said the most effective way for a male to increase his performance in endurance sports without getting caught is to take anabolic steroids while his testosterone level is at its highest, between ages 16 and 19. Doing so will greatly increase the number of mitochondria (the cell powerhouses) in the muscle cells. Of course, during these years, he must avoid events with testing to avoid detection. This artificially high level of mitochondria (I think he said by 10X) will remain in his cells for a decade or two after he stops taking the steroids and provide significant performance benefits.
I've heard that some countries are apparently doing the same thing with weightlifting. They keep their top junior prospects out of competition so that they can juice freely. Much of the extra muscle they build can then be kept because retaining muscle is always easier than building more.