922: John Romano

Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

Sal, Adam & Justin speak with John Romano, a longtime fitness insider and performance-enhancement drug specialist. He has authored several bodybuilding and fitness books and has appeared on HBO, ESPN, ABC's 20/20 and the documentary Bigger Stronger Faster. John is a great storyteller and in this episode he talks about doing time in prison, dealing anabolic steroids, helping CrossFit athletes pass drug tests and other behind the curtain truth about the fitness industry most would rather he kept hidden.

• How did he get started in the bodybuilding space? His chance meeting with The Original Guru, Dan Duchaine. (4:06)
• He openly shares in his time in prison and what got him there. (12:19)
• Who did he write for initially? (18:57)
• Did he encounter push back from his articles? The dark side of the bodybuilding world. (21:15)
• Hustling to Learn. 927:50)
• The origin story of steroids. (29:40)
• The evolution of anabolic steroid use in bodybuilding. (31:42)
• Would he say the ’90s was the ‘death’ of female bodybuilding? (43:20)
• The genesis of ‘Muscle Worship’ with female bodybuilders. (46:30)
• What was his connection with Bill Phillips? (51:25)
• What did Dan go to jail for? (57:00)
• What is his take on the current state of social media? (58:28)
• An education of the drug market in Mexico. (1:03:00)
• Does he believe anabolic steroids should be legal in the US? (1:08:50)
• What consequences has he suffered from poor lifestyle choices? (1:20:25)
• Does he still write for publications? (1:22:25)
• What does he think of the space now? (1:25:41)
• What does he think of the sport of CrossFit? (1:32:37)
• How would he cycle off a CrossFit athlete? (1:37:08)
• What’s the deal with SARMS (Selective androgen receptor modulator)? (1:38:50)

People Mentioned:

• Dan Duchaine
• Joe Weider
• Dorian Yates (@thedorianyates) Instagram
• Flex Wheeler ® | Official (@officialflexwheeler) Instagram
• Ronnie Coleman (@ronniecoleman8) Instagram

Products Mentioned:

• December Promotion: Enroll in Any MAPS Program – 1 Year of Forum Access for FREE!
• 2,4-Dinitrophenol
• Underground Steroid Handbook II: Incorporating Material from the Original Underground Steroid Handbook, Ultimate Muscle Mass, and the USH – Book by Dan Duchaine
• Doping in East Germany
• Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990
• Blood and Guts – Book by Dorian Yates
• Inside the Lucrative World of Female Muscle Worship - VICE
• Sports Supplement Review 3rd Issue – By Bill Phillips
• DRUGS IN SPORTS; An Athlete's Dangerous Experiment
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
• Testosterone and the Heart - NCBI - NIH
• T Nation: Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store
• RxMuscle -- The Truth in Bodybuilding - YouTube