As a 21-year-old, McLaren tried steroids, By: Mike Trueblood

'Jet fuel' resulted in injury-filled year

May 7, 2006

GALESBURG - When Rex McLaren recently won his gold medals at the IPF Masters World and Pan Am Bench Press championships, he noted that the competition was drug tested.

In one of the sports where steroids got their start, athletes using the drugs are still a factor in weight lifting competitions today.

"It was there in the 1960s but what happened in the 1980s it became mainstream," said McLaren, who noted that using steroids is a felony now but wasn't even a misdemeanor back then. "People here could get the drugs.

"Back in late '60s when the Eastern Block countries were doing it a lot, it didn't filter down here. In the 80s, anybody could get it."

McLaren admitted it was hard to resist the temptation and for a time, he tried a drug called cypionate.

"I did it back in 1983. I took a bottle. I took a cc a week.

"My parents knew it. I was 21 and they weren't real happy about it. But back then, it was no big deal and everybody at that level was taking it."

Due to injury, McLaren never competed in a meet that year.

"It got me so strong, I actually got injured," he said. "My muscles got stronger than my tendons could catch up."

McLaren will never forget the feeling of working out while under the drug's influence.

"It was like having jet fuel," he said.

"I can see the temptation at that high level, you're talking about big money," said McLaren.

Although he talks freely about the time he tried cypionate, McLaren doesn't recommend any athletes use drugs.

"High school kids ask me about steroids all the time," he said. "I'll tell them that when you're young, you really won't reap the benefits of them anyway. Your testosterone is exploding.

"Secondly, without the proper training and someone telling you how to take them, you'll set yourself up for injury. Not only will it affect your health, but you'll get injured.

"It's such a temporary deal."

"Now I can walk around with my strength all the time. Back then, it was an up and down thing."

But McLaren's experience left him with a trained eye.

"That's another thing," he said. "I watch Barry Bonds and other guys play baseball, I say, Hey, that guy's juiced."

"Back then a lot of people used it because when you went to a meet, and you trained hard, you knew three guys who were taking it."