Why are all bodybuilders on doping? Michał Karmowski

It was the worst preparation season of his career. It coincided with opening PowerPit and Impuls Fitness gyms in Gdańsk, where he helped hire trainers and organize. He lived in Kowale, and the gym was in Wrzeszcz – in traffic jams, the commute took 1.5 hours. He got up at 4:40 AM, started training before 6:00 AM, then an hour of personal training, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM work, then two personal training sessions, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM his own strength training with second cardio, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM personal training again, at 10:30 PM he left work, at home he made food for the next day and went to sleep at 11:45 PM. He repeated this for 12 weeks, 7 days a week. He says that if it weren't for his wife, he wouldn't have competed or achieved half of what he has.

Karmowski explains that most bodybuilders use diuretics for dehydration before competitions. Furosemide is popular, which acts aggressively – it pulls water from the entire body, including muscles and organs, not sparing potassium. This leads to a flat muscle appearance and can be dangerous. Karmowski used spironolactone, which acts more gently – it pulls water mainly from intercellular spaces, sparing potassium in muscles. Additionally, spironolactone inhibits cortisol. Karmowski combined this with administering potassium and a small amount of sodium to maintain glycogen in muscles. Thanks to this, he achieved 'parchment skin' and good dehydration without losing muscle fullness.

The hospital stay in January 2023 was a 'red light' for Karmowski. He didn't know if he would be able to return to training and normal functioning. Since then, he tries to maintain sleep hygiene, puts the phone away at 10:30 PM and goes to sleep at 11:00 PM. He admits it may look like playing it safe, but he is most afraid of disability and infirmity. He has spine problems (immobile part of the lower lumbar section after a compression fracture of two discs during a rugby match) and paresis of the right hand, so recovery is crucial for him.

Karmowski tells the story of a competition where he competed with Marcin Pawłowski. When he saw him backstage, he thought 'no chance' – Pawłowski looked phenomenal. Even Karmowski's coach, Radek Słodkiewicz, admitted that the rival looked good. But on stage, Karmowski was able to hide all the flaws of his physique with his posing, while Pawłowski, despite a better physique, couldn't present it properly. Karmowski won. Years later, he met Pawłowski, who told him he no longer competes because 'it's stupid – you go out in your underwear on stage and flex like a baboon'.

Karmowski explains that in bodybuilding, agents are used that cause visible muscle mass growth, which distinguishes this sport from others where doping mainly serves to improve performance or strength. In cycling or strongman competitions, different substances are used, and the effects are not so visually obvious. In bodybuilding, appearance decides the win, so doping is an inherent element of competition at the highest level. Karmowski emphasizes that a weight of 110-120 kg with short height and low body fat is unattainable naturally. He also mentions the creation of a natural bodybuilding federation in Poland, where 140 competitors competed at the first competition, which shows there is demand for an alternative, but at the same time confirms that doping is the norm in other federations.

Karmowski describes the psychological mechanism: when you're on steroids, your body looks extreme – 120 kg, low body fat level, 'striations on the butt and a six-pack on the stomach like parchment'. When you stop the gear, weight drops to 105 kg, striations and six-pack disappear. Even though objectively you still look very good, your brain compares you to that extreme version and sees failure. This leads to depression and a return to doping. Karmowski admits he experienced this himself – looking at his photos from the 'psychological valley' period, he thought he looked like shit, and from the perspective of time, he sees that he looked 'mega good'.

Karmowski explains that he is under constant supervision of an andrologist, does blood morphology tests every three months (now less often, because the doses are already normalized). He emphasizes that he is not ashamed to talk about it and wants to educate young people who think that 'doping is cool, I'll take it, nothing will happen'. He uses the Porsche metaphor: 'When you buy a new Porsche from the showroom, you can drive it 200 over potholes in the first year and nothing will happen. But if you drive 200 over potholes all the time, in three or five years it will be a wreck, not a car. And it's the same with our body.' He also says that the worst side effects are not from testosterone, but from trenbolone, clenbuterol, and dihydroboldenone.

Karmowski deliberately doesn't elaborate on the details of this event, explaining that he doesn't want someone to take something out of context and perceive it badly. He says that people change under the influence of something – no one is born bad, we become bad under the influence of environment, parents, life situations. Similarly, something must happen that gives an impulse to change. For him, that impulse came on January 13, 2004. At that moment, it seemed to him that it was the end of his life, and from the perspective of time, he sees that it was the beginning of a really cool life. This date is symbolic for him – he died as an old man and was born as a new one.

Karmowski describes that before the hospital, his identity was strongly tied to sport – he felt he had to show it, because thanks to that he inspires people. When he couldn't train, he understood that people watch him not because he shows sport, but because he has something to convey to them. That was the moment when he stopped feeling the pressure to prove anything. Since then, he tries to go to sleep at 11:00 PM, puts the phone away at 10:30 PM, and generally takes better care of himself. He admits that he is most afraid of disability and infirmity, being dependent on others.

Karmowski emphasizes that his role is not just telling stories, but real help. He invites youth to contact him through Instagram and Facebook, he always replies (or reacts with a heart if there are many questions on the same topic). He organizes courses at his school World Sport Academy, where young people can gain the profession of a personal trainer. Five guys have already finished the course and are working. Karmowski says that this project gives him a lot of satisfaction and is more important to him than dry talk – you have to do something more.