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On 22nd May 2003, a Bodybuilder died. Scott Klein was found lying dead on his bed at 5.00am by his mother. He died of cardio-vascular disease and kidney failure. His death may have had absolutely nothing to do with bodybuilding, but 30 year old men do not die suddenly with kidney failure unless there is some known genetic weakness and, as far as I am aware, that was not the case here. In the same week that I heard about Scott Klein I read detailed reports of the illness of Tom Prince - another great bodybuilder - with ulcers and kidney problems.

Lee Priest, who was a well known bodybuilder at the time, announced his immediate withdrawal from this competitive sport. It had always been rumoured that he had suffered poor health due excessive weight swings and his addiction to junk food. In an interview he said that he couldn't believe what was happening to some of the great bodybuilders out there and that if all we have is our health, some of those top guys didn't even have that.

Another bodybuilder Milos Sarchev also retired from competing after finishing 6th at the Hungarian GP and therefore failed to qualify for the 2003 Mr Olympia. But he too blamed poor health for his early retirement. Milos had been at the top for many years and had probably competed in more Pro contests than any other bodybuilder and had even come back after serious injury. But he had also suffered with internal health problems linked to top level bodybuilding and had suffered an almost fatal embolism a couple of years before when he had a blood clot, caused by using Synthol, detach from an artery and cause a blockage in his lung.

It wasn't long before other top level amateurs and professionals started admitting to serious health problems. Orville Burke injured himself during a photo shot in Olympia resulting in his shoulder and Elbow needing to be operated on. As a result of his poor health, one medical team refused to operate, although another did, but only after receiving a report and approval from a heart consultant. Sadly Orville fell into a coma after kidney failure but slowly recovered although his bodybuilding career is over.

Mike Francois, a great physique until a few years ago suffered serious internal problems, which ended his career. Nasser el Sonbaty withdrew from the Night of the Champions 2003 in New York for health reasons and it is reported that his bodybuilding career is finished. Flex Wheeler has had his pro Card withdrawn for "health reasons" and it is rumoured that he may need a kidney transplant. Don Long, another top American, also required a kidney transplant - his sister had to give up a kidney to save him.

Then there was a really top American bodybuilder Ron Teufel from the 70's who died at 45. We can no doubt argue the case that these examples are not necessarily drug related but it goes without saying that we are talking about young, strong and fit men who should be glowing with health. But I'm afraid that it's just not the case when so many become so seriously ill and sometimes even leading to fatal illness.

I have covered a number of drugs apart from anabolic steroids, which are taken by any competing bodybuilder but professionals are at the cutting edge of the game. These guys are well connected with the drug gurus who are always on the look out for new material that can push that freaky physique on just a bit more. These products can make the all important difference to muscle size and vascularity as well as to guru's earning potential. The top guys must possess bodies with potent drug handling genetics in order to handle such high doses and complex drug cocktails over long periods of time.

A pro's life is dictated by his sport and his wealth potential. The time scale for high earning at the top is normally very limited so during this time period a pro must maximise earnings, because once they begin to drop down the rankings they are forced to take radical steps- more drugs during longer periods just so they can continue to competing and this isn't healthy.

Becoming a top bodybuilder isn't what it's made out to be. Training is tough and those heavy weights eventually cause joint problems and in the modern day sport heavy means heavy and injuries are to be expected. Added to that is the high food intake which obviously includes high protein content, putting the digestive system, the kidneys and the liver on over time. This combination leads to high blood pressure and accompanied by potent drug cocktails, the stress factor on the body organs is enormous. The human body requires rest from this type of activity but there's no rest for a pro bodybuilder.

American football is similar in a way to the high demands on the body. We have big guys training hard, kicking the shit out of each other and well the resulting serious injuries. Then there are the drugs although I can only guess what they take. The dosage level would be lower to that of bodybuilders and they definitely receive better medical assistance. Another big difference is that the American Football season only lasts 4 months allowing more time to rest.

Those of you who are familiar with my column will be quite aware that I am not against drug use and like any real bodybuilding enthusiast; I do want to see even freakier physiques. What I am against is young men killing themselves in the process. It is not easy to say where to draw the line, but I'm afraid to say that since this started forty or so years ago, NOTHING is going to stop us.

I have faith in that bodybuilding won't turn into a lunatic freaks sport, consisting of a small number crazy guys with a self imposed death wish to become THE FREAK of the year. Maybe it has become this already? It is the old rockers motto incarnate. Live hard, die young and have a good looking corpse. On 22nd May 2003, Scott Klein died. Is death the only real future for the Bodybuilder?

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