Performance enhancing drugs and sport are sadly two things that have been deeply intertwined in recent years and although penalties are getting harsher and drug testing is now commonplace, there are undoubtedly still several athletes going under the radar.
Over the years, several high-profile names have been found guilty of using the likes of steroids and have subsequently had titles stripped from their record such as American cyclist Lance Armstrong.
A recent addition to the list of steroid users to be caught out is Brian Johnson, aka the ‘Liver King’. Since shooting to internet stardom in the last couple of years, preaching a diet of nothing but raw meat and eggs, Johnson had been categorically denying allegations of steroid use to maintain his physique.
It has now turned out that he was lying.
In the last week and half, after emails leaked online, Brian has been forced to admit to using steroids and now Joe Rogan has sensationally claimed that Dwayne Johnson should do the same.
Joe Rogan accuses Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Speaking about The Rock, Rogan had this to say: "There’s not a f*****g chance in hell he’s clean, not a chance in hell as big as The Rock is at 50.
“The point is you can’t even get there with HRT (hormone replacement therapy). That’s not HRT. He is so massive and he’s so different than he was when he was 30."
This is an opinion shared by many despite how well loved the former wrestler is.
Has The Rock ever used steroids?
Something frequently cited by those investigating is the change in muscle mass between Johnson’s 40s and today. In that time, despite presumably suffering from a normal decline in the likes of testosterone levels, The Rock has gained 40 pounds of muscle. This is something extremely difficult to achieve naturally.
At this current moment, Johnson even weighs more than Arnold Schwarzenegger did at the peak of his bodybuilding career.
In fact, Johnson has even admitted to using steroids during his early career during a 2009 MTV interview.
WWE: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson came clean about steroid use as a teenager
"I tried it. Me and my buddies tried it back in the day when I was 18 or 19. Didn't know what we were doing."
Since his teens, The Rock has been a prevalent advocator of avoiding performance enhancing drugs.
"It's not as prevalent today in our sports as it was 10 years ago," he said.
"But we have to recognise that a culture was created where it was OK to do that, and a lot of team managers, owners, players who didn't do it would turn the other cheek. We recognise that, and now we have to institute stronger penalties, which we are doing.
"It's a good example for kids to follow, not in terms of the use, but in terms of the repercussions of what can happen because there is no replacement for hard work."
WWE: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson came clean about steroid use as a teenager
Despite allegations of steroid usage, The Rock has always tried to be open about how he maintains his sizeable physique.
According to Men’s Health, his secret is a ‘team of chefs and a strength and conditioning coach who figure out the precise macro count necessary to maintain his superhero physique.’
Sounds like complicated stuff, but considering the build he is trying to maintain, this level of detail is undoubtedly required.
For now, it remains unclear as to whether The Rock does still use steroids. We for one remain hopeful that his physique is natural as he does a lot of good in the world and he has deservedly earned a spot as one of the good guys.