Steve Cook Finally Admits He’s Not Natural | But Do You Really Care?

Steve Cook Admits He's Not Natural

Steve Cook is one of the most widely respected and liked influencers in the fitness industry.

Personally, I don't religiously watch his content so I am not sure if he has ever blatantly claimed he is natural.

From what I can tell, he seems to tread a fine line of going out of his way to avoid talking about it.

He has never blatantly stated he is or is not natural, and it is always brought up indirectly in a comedic way.

He has often implied that he is natural as well in his videos.

These are a couple old videos I found linked on Reddit where Steve skirts around the topic and implies he is natural.

It sounds like he's actually going to come out and make a video addressing it directly now though based on a recent update where he has stated that he is not natural.

Some are surprised, and some aren't.

Personally, it didn't surprise me at all, and I would bet money that anybody in the fitness industry that's close to 35 or over is probably at least on TRT.

Steve Cook's Upcoming Natty or Not Reveal Assumptions

My assumption is that the video he comes out with is going to be addressing his age and Testosterone (steroids) in a hormonal optimization context, rather than performance enhancement.

You don't just walk around at 215 lbs, 9-10% body fat without using some sort of performance enhancing exogenous anabolics.

It doesn't come as any surprise to me.

What I am curious about is whether he will use a TRT cop out, or if he will actually address supraphysiological blast phases that he very likely used throughout his career to get the physique he has.

It's funny because I have some close friends who are into bodybuilding that have higher than average bodybuilding IQ's who've asked if I think Steve Cook is natural.

Steve Cooks years skirting the subject and just general healthy approach to bodybuilding in his content often give off the impression that he must be natural to those who are less educated about how hormones work.

It's entirely possible he's only on TRT right now, but my educated guess is that he's pushed his androgen index above and beyond that in the past several times, and he sustains his current physique with high-normal therapeutic dosages of Testosterone.

I doubt he blasts high dosages of anything anymore now that he isn't competing and isn't actively chasing size.

Should We Really Care If Steve Cook Is Natural Or Not?

When these icons in the fitness industry like Steve Cook have gone out of their way to dodge the subject and closet their “natural” status for a decade, I can understand why something like this would be a big deal to a lot of people, especially his fans, because it creates unrealistic expectations.

Not to mention how many of these icons have peddled supplements that have a 1% impact (if even) on performance outcomes in the gym without being transparent about their drug usage.

Even if we were discussing Testosterone usage in just a TRT context, you can't get shredded and maintain 900 – 1000 ng/dL Testosterone levels unless you're using exogenous TRT.

TRT gives a significant performance enhancing advantage, even in just a therapeutic context when it comes to bodybuilding outcomes.

If he's going to make that argument about how it's the equivalent to being natural when you're in your 30s, to me that will be the ultimate cop out.

It remains to be seen how he will address the subject, but I hope he is actually transparent about it and doesn't try to sugar coat it to make himself look better to his audience.

As far as this whole Natty Verified movement that prompted Steve coming out about his lifetime status, I have posted a more elaborate video on that.