Like, comment, and subscribe for the sake of the algorithm! I appreciate you guys!

As a recovering addict and powerlifter I felt this big time. Everything Pete said about being a slave to the needle and feeling invincible in my twenties relates to opiate use as well. I feel so much healthier as well! 16 months clean!

This is how my epiphany to stop powerlifting was. After being in intense physical pain for 3-4 years. Bodybuilding style training is so fun and doesn’t irritate my joints the same way that bench/ squat/ deadlift did

Man I can't explain how much more I respect someone like you, who is open and transparent about their PED use, compared to someone famous and huge who posts a shitload of content while COMPLETELY avoiding even mentioning the subject. Hope you continue to enjoy your journey that's what its all about for me.

Huge blessing from God after that many years of constant abuse to have a daughter and natural test production slowly climbing. Glad Pete’s taking care of himself now. Always been an inspiration to people and now still inspiring

Man this is spot on. After the war I got out of the corps and had no outlet for how I was feeling. I watched bigger stronger faster too and deemed anabolics “safe”. Started powerlifting and it really gave me sometning to work towards physically and mentally and put me in a much better place. Started watching your basement tapes and started juicing at 25. I loved it, it was all I cared about. Turned 30, had my first child, realIzed I had a purpose to remain on this earth and came off everything. Training now consists of lifting, Rucking, running, and more functional athletic fitness. The other thing most guys probably won’t admit is that our bodies don’t tolerate or respond to the anabolics the same at 30 as we did at 25 or younger. You start to see more side effects and feel like shit most of the time and it becomes a balancing act of pills and shots and ancillaries. You’re the man Pete, wish you all the best !

This is something a lot of people need to hear. I think John Meadows passing really shook up the community a bit to show that an inherently dangerous habit can only be controlled so much.

2:40 Excellent point! It’s been 15 years and we’re definitely seeing the negative consequences of steroid use. R.I.P. Jo Lindner (1993-2023), Zyzz (1989-2011), Rich Piana (1970-2017), Dallas McCarver (1991-2017)

Mentally addicting more than anything it’s been hard getting off but your videos and Bostins were a wake up call

I don't miss steroid : 1- they're illegal 2- pining like a junkie sucks 3- insomnia / hair loss /mental issue sucks 4- being off sucks 5- losing all gains sucks 6- living for the next cycle sucks 7- i started lifting to be in shape, not to take steroid 8- i hate tren

I had someone tell me once that sometimes you don't want to hop off that merry go round. For some reason that stuck with me.. Keep killing it with the uploads, you've a lot to offer the community.

I would worry it would just open Pandora’s box. Would always want to push for more and fear getting off for fear of losing gains.

I feel you 💯. I came off of a decade of blast cruise lifestyle and have never felt better both mentally and physically.

Thank you for your honesty. As a layman bodybuilder and power lifter who has been following the community for around 5 years, and as a religious man, I’ve come to see how apt of a comparison you made between a “cycler” and a junkie. In both cases, an idol has been placed before God’s place in the heart and leads to excess and death. May the Lord bless you and your family Pete.

Well said Pete, I hit 30 this year as well and that feeling of invincibility that I had in my teens and 20s has started to diminish along with my ability to eat whatever and not get fat. Look forward to all of your future content and wishing you a speedy recovery!

I’m really happy he is being honest and sharing his story. LET THIS BE A LESSON. Anabokics can be used in a safe way especially when you’re at an older age. LESS IS MORE!!! You don’t need to be stupid and blast grams of gear. 12-16 weeks on, PCT off, recover and again.

So well said! I'm on tiny dose TRT for 3 years and feel like i have given myself a disability. your body knows best and will reflect your lifestyle.. Don't believe the TRT hype everybody. your just masking the real issues if your low. i have had substance issues on and off in my life and pinning Test is no different and probably the hardest and longest withdrawal..

Your honesty is astonishing. If only more of your peers were as brave as you.

I remember when I was 17 and asked my brother when you get off steroids do you stay big? He said “no!” Well I said forget that then! So thankful for that decision now that I’m 42. Can still do everything, healthy as, loving life and still lifting!

This needs to be said. More guys need to follow your lead. I've been taking steroids for a while and it is taxing on your body and mind.. with that said it's hard to come off as well. It's a tough mental battle but if you can overcome it you will be better. But your right always chasing that next number is mentally draining. Wish I never went down that road. Thanks for the video

You’re a man’s man homeboy God bless you.

Here’s one thing I know for sure, we all love Pete, always have, and as a father and husband I’m so happy to see your progression you’ve made in your personal life.

These messages are so important Pete! You did great things and made a solid decision at a good time in your life. Continue to share the value of your knowledge! Still gonna watch the basement videos😂

You will literally SAVE LIVES and a lot of pain and suffering with this message . For some people steroids are very addictive. Just on a local level here in Lancaster County South Carolina over the last 40 years I have seen MURDER, SUICIDE and lots of health problems and premature DEATH. I almost forgot about divorce and abuse that they played a part in. This message is far more greater than any big lift anybody has ever done. GOD BLESS YOU.

Loving the frequency of these uploads

I started training when I was 14 as well. I’m 52 years old now still competing and progressing. Fitness for life bro

Life Long Natty here. Was always tempted even when I wasn't Lifting Weights cause Competitive Martial Arts was/is full of Pinners too. In the long run I'm glad I stayed natty. Life is way too short and Fame is Fleeting. And at my age everyday above ground is a good day. I actually got back into weight training cause Grandson was on the way. I wanted to be around long enough to share time with him. He's a Joy. Old Age is Ok. Wish I had less regrets. So my advice... make the right choices and stay out of trouble. You go looking for it. It'll find ya.

I’m happy I never hopped on cycle.

"a slave to the needle" 💯 I used to watch your stuff when I was younger bro and brings me a lot of joy to see you came to these realizations. Vids like this will have a huge impact on young men, you're doing God's work. You look very healthy by the way. You're a king!!

Good for you bro. Takes a big man to step away and go even without TRT. Much respect

You're one of the few that has actually quit congratulations I've never used but everyone I know that has it's become a lifetime thing for them the fact you've come off everything with your numbers going down is something to be proud of you have a strong will and you're thinking straight all the best going forward great vid and message...

I understand your sentiments Pete and Christ bless your honesty man

Been here since the basement days and still absolutely love your channel, excited to see the new chapter

People who don’t compete need to hear this!

Everybody underestimates how important mental/physcial health is, we all just ignore the red flags. Thank you for sharing

Hey Pete, I’ve come across some things that could anecdotally help with naturally upping your testosterone levels that you didn’t list. 1: icing your testicles with briefs/boxershorts in between for protection from the coldpack 2: nigella sativa (also known as black cumin seeds) 3: pommegranate seeds and raw red onion (driven by antioxidant content and temporary blood flow increase) 4: limiting potential food sources of hormone disruptors like dairy, factory farm raised animal flesh (pregnant and nursing animals go to slaughter often or animals are injected with hormones) I hope this brings some value.

Thank you for spreading awareness in the fitness industry. Keep up the good work!

Abused and used is so much different

Proud of your decisions and wishing you the best on your life journey Pete.

Glad you're focusing on health more especially with all the deaths these days. Also what happened to your "truth about tren" video? That was probably the first video I ever saw anyone make about steroids in general lol

Looking pretty young for 30, Pete. Lots of guys end up aging 10 years in the face thanks to the gear, but you seem to have managed to keep your youth.

Inspiring message, Pete. I'm 30 and I got on gear after lifting natty for 15 years just last month. I aborted after 3 weeks. The acne, blood pressure, sleep disruption, hair thinning, and sex drive spikes... I honestly don't know how people stay on it for years, unless their sole livelihood is contingent on being enhanced. The vast decrease in the recovery time, fast gains are all awesome, but I just felt like the long term cost would be too high. If I had fun for 15 years doing something I love, I didn't want to endanger that 15 years down the line. I feel what you said about being 20 and feeling invincible, if I had taken gear at that age, I probably wouldn't have cared about the sides. Wish you health and speedy recovery with the knee injury !

Really appreciate you Pete. Went through the same thing.

Been off gear for about 3 yrs never really abused it, sometimes I miss it but I know it’s not worth it in the long run plus having to deal with the side effects, better to stay natural until you need trt.

Hi there Pete, I'd just like to thank you for making these videos and talking about your journey. You are an inspiration for me and I bet alot of other people out there in the world. I've been having hormonal issues myself and was put on testosterone for a year and a half after I had wrecked my own levels with an eating and training disorder. I've now been off testosterone for almost 2 years and my own production has recovered, however I'm still not where I want to be in regards to how I feel so the thought of jumping on treatment is constantly with me, but seeing you and the mentality you have is refreshing and inspiring. Thanks Pete, keep it up!

Well done, sir.

Glad you’re doing well Pete and I’m glad you’re continuing to lift and just being more mindful of your health that’s great!

Dependency is a weakness. Longevity is the name of the game. You’re winning!

Seeing this makes me feel for Larry Wheels, he's been on gear since like 17 I think, he still may be ok now but he really should be taking it easy from here on out. He has the pressure of being an elite in the lifting world. Hope he slows the gear down so he can be healthy down the road

Pete, can you do a video on how your blood work was affected by PEDS and what you’re still working to improve in that regard, please? Excellent content, man.

I have so much respect for you for doing this Pete. Keep at it and enjoy life with your family!

You look miles better - much healthier

I'm glad you're still training, and you ENJOY it. I've known so many guys over the years(I'm 62) who decided to go clean and then never want to train again. I've watched a few of your vids now and even if you're critical of something, you don't ever come across as having an ax to grind or a "crusader for the cause". You're the kind of person the industry needs more of.

Tons of respect for the transparency!

Pete makes the best fitness content in 2022. Honest / real stuff not just clickbait garbage like everyone else

You came off great. I went into a depression. Then gained so much weight. Follow Pete!

Honest opinion. Rare stuff nowadays. Thanks a lot.

Love the insight. I couldn’t agree more.

fuck man you look so much healthier now bless you bro

*If only you had gone to Strength Wars a few years ago on the juice.* I was tracking your videos while the faceless was dominating over there, and you would have outright crushed him.

maybe kind of like a weird comment, but the communication flow was so on point...i can see you're really connected to this whole subject. and wise decision comin off imo. stay strong man, been following you for years.

Mental health is #1 and will always be #1 . When I'm on gear. My mental health is horrible

Pete's still a beast and he looks way healthier and happier now. He will always be a legend when it comes to the deadlift but he has nothing to prove anymore. I hope he has great life with his family and is here for a long time.

I’ve been on for 18 months and just finally threw out all of my gear. I didn’t really gain that much from it, maybe 5-6lbs of muscle so I decided it wasn’t worth it for me. Really hoping I can keep what I gained since it was barely anything.

Such an important message and so impressive that you were able to give it up, most guys are way too addicted to ever stop.

Good for you man. Keep up with spreading this message. More people need to hear it

I've been watching your videos for the better part of a decade and I've gone through all the same shit at all the same moments 🤣 this video was perfect timing for me. Been off about 6 months and I feel way better. Lifting 4 to 6 days a week for health and started jiu-jitsu, and I just feel like...that heart attack is moving further and further away. Hopefully it'll be gone

Been watching you since a decade ago. Love to see your journey brother, good on you, God bless you & your family.

Smart man. I've been clean since 08. Still banging heavy. Much respect

Only someone that’s taken gear for a while understands the stress relief from not having to do a weekly injection, honestly the injection process is one of the biggest drawbacks to gear

Glad to see you taking better care of yourself Pete! 💪💪💪💪💪

Iam on HRT, i use a testosteron alcohol based gel. I have to administrate everyday, but i dont have to pin myself so i love it. A tip for you when the time come for HRT. God bless

Damn bro. Literally just found your channel tonight and I'm a 26 yo natural intermediate lifter. It's amazing to check out your journey on your channel, seeing your impressive feats of strength at a young age but also observing how much you've matured. Also big props to you for being so openly transparent about your anabolic usage, especially awesome considering how old so many of those videos are. Instant sub!

Staying natural is the best way to go. You can stil grow get pretty big amd very strong as a natural. The key is consistency and the mental drive to do it day after day year after year as thats where some people fail to do and then jusf hop on gear. I been natural all my life as a hardgainer i went from 155 to now im at 197. Took me several years but i got there and i just keep training and eating and seeing progress.

So refreshing to hear this type of information, keep up the good work Pete.

God bless you for your example and eye opening advices

100% spot on Pete

Good for you man! I have known about you since the lui Marco interviews. Sincerely all the best brother!

I went on trt therapy ( monitor by a doctor)for about 8 months, I didn't feel well, so I stopped doing it. It was a hard crash, but eventually I overcome it. Now I feel much better, all I had to do was eat a wholefoods diet, with lots of lean protein, fruits and vegetables and healthy carbs like sweet potatoes, buckwheat and oatmeal. At the time when I got on trt I was eating fast food and junk all the time, so that was the cause of my fatigue, once you clean the diet up, your test levels will naturally rise, along with weight lifting and good diet. Now I'm 49 years old and had my testosterone levels checked and they are 550(naturally)not bad.....

Pete man , Been following you for like 9 years now , love that you have been real since the start. Good stuff man , Thanks for the video.

Hey Pete. Long time fan. It makes me weirdly proud to see you taking this route. I think a lot of us in our early 30s have been through similar things. From being hyper focused, ambitious, aggressive, impatient, reckless to calmer, wiser, more considerate. This has probably been a transition for all time history but just the vices are now called oxys or tren or whatever.

I watched you earlier and one of the best clips that i saw of you is the one that you talking about how is felling on trenbolon. Unfortunately you erased that video. Hands down for everything you said in this video and when i'm watching and listening to you i hear in you'r voice that you are a different person now. You are just calm and peacefull. I never took gear and after watching this maybe i never will. This year i'm turning 30 and since i didn't use so far maybe it's smarter to not use now. You have like and sub from me Pete,regard from Serbia.

Great video, Pete. Been watching you since the basement days. We’ve lost too many people in recent years and it’s fantastic that you’re prioritising your family and health. You can still lift heavy weight while off gear. And weighing around the 220s is still impressive as hell!

Sounds like this was recorded in between fights at a UFC watch party lmao, love the content Pete!

Great video! Respect! It's cool that you still enjoy lifting after coming off, that's got to require some mental adjustment. Even as a natural it's hard to get excited about lifts you know you're probably not going to hit your former prs in.

Good choice! I'm not going to judge anyone because I used steroids for 10 years, but now it's over 12 years ago, but I'm still doing my training.

Good to see you posting again Pete!

Glad to hear you got off them! Knew you'd dropped off a bit on the scene and figured something had happened, glad to hear you're living a healthier life. See all these late teens early twenties guys putting up near 1000lb squats and deadlifts and looking 40-50 years old. All that damage for a number no one will remember in 3-5 years.

Thanks for the video. Sending love from Edmonton Alberta Canada

Great video Pete. Always appreciate the transparency.

Nice video pete

Awsome Pete, now you're the really big man to yourself and to your family. Wish you the best, have fun with your journey.

Great video brother…You made a lot of solid points in this video. Glad to see all is well and you are feeling healthier.

Finally someone major in the lifting world saw the light and is speaking truth that your identity and life should never come from a needle and muscles. ONLY Jesus can truly give you a fulfilled life. Money, muscles, drugs, women, drugs, alcohol NOTHING CAN TRULY fulfill you other then Christ. It’s a 100% fact. God bless you Pete

Good for you, Pete!

Well said brother. My test levels crashed it took me 2 years to get to 420 test levels hopefully it keep going up into the 500-600.

You're a savage Pete, but more than that you're a insightful and smart dude. Thanks for sharing your journey.

I appreciate this awesome testimony. May I please extend to you something that always helps me which is the Word of God? The Bible mentions something similar to what you are feeling about putting exercise first and foremost in your life in 1st Timothy chapter 4 verse 8 “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation”. KJV God bless brother!!

I’m so happy for you and your health Pete stay safe and continue to educate the youth I still remember the bit you gave me here at obtain and I will carry that on for the rest of my life

I took steroids from 21-22 to around 27-28 years old. Around 23-25 was the heaviest usage and I barely if at all came off. I was the strongest guy at almost every gym I went to. I ate whatever I wanted and looked awesome. Flash forward and I’m now in my early 30s and my training is harder , my fat loss is harder and motivation is harder. If I could go back and give my younger self advice I’d stay away from steroids. Sure I had fun times, but it’s not worth it. As corny as it sounds… If anyone is young and thinking about getting into Them.. Please don’t, take it from someone who’s been there. It’s not worth it… for MANY reasons