Time stamps: 0:00 Prologue 0:36 Chapter 1. Introduction 1:09 Chapter 2. The story of Izzy 9:55 2.1. A deal with the devil 15:58 2.2. The end of the dream 27:38 2.3. Summarizing Izzy's journey 30:13 Chapter 3. What can we learn from the tragedy of Izzy Narvaez? 30:34 3.1. You don't have to gear up to know your genetics 33:10 3.2. Don't lift like Izzy 37:16 3.3. Listen to your body 38:13 3.4. Bigger isn't always better 40:24 3.5. Izzy and argumentum ad hominem 44:34 3.6. It's ok to quit 46:17 3.7. Izzy's goals were silly and destructive 49:22 3.8. Philosophy is indispensable 50:59 Chapter 4. Why it's important to talk about Izzy's plight 55:05 Chapter 5. Conclusion
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For anyone that actually cares, I have moved away from the fitness industry and I don't plan to come back. I don't consider going an enhanced a big mistake. I did get the answers I was looking for. My body wasn't able to hold up in the long run. I'm okay with where I've left things. It is very clear that my genetics wouldn't have allowed for any kind of competitive greatness in lifting sport. I'm working on other goals now. I have new non-physical, competitive aspirations to throw myself into. I am on TRT and working towards getting my bodyweight back into the ~175lbs/80kg range. I still lift weights and do cardio. I go to the gym 4-5 times per week. While I don't agree with several key points in the video, I do agree that this is important content. I will state that I definitely don't consider any aspect of my life a tragedy. I learned a great deal from both bodybuilding and powerlifting. I wouldn't have had any of the successes I've had in business, real estate, or the projects I am working on now if it wasn't for the work ethic and, yes, philosophy, that I was able to develop, at least in part, thanks to all the time I spent lifting. If anyone would like to ask me questions about my fitness "journey", I'll be happy to answer questions here for a while. After that, I have to move on (literally and metaphorically). I'm married now, I'm a homeowner, and I'm working on starting a family. Unfortunately, I just can't justify spending much time on social media these days.
However debatable the goals or the methods, you did give it your all and that's commendable. I learned a good deal from you way back when, wish you well.
@@TrevorFullbright I have been using Tirzepatide to downsize very, very effectively. I appreciate your advice on GLP-1s. It was very helpful! Always good to hear from you Trevor.
You were one of the first people I found when I started lifting 8 years or so ago and a big part of why I have stuck with it. The idea that critically thinking about our time in the gym could be efficient resonated a lot with me and made me all the more engaged with my own progress. Glad you're doing well.
@@timothyburger6715 I'm glad if I have contributed in any meaningful way whatsoever to your journey. Comments like yours are one major reason I am quite proud of what I have achieved in the fitness space even though I fell well short of any major competitive success. I was able to earn a living from making fitness content for more than ten years and, along the way, it seems that I actually helped a few people. That's a pretty cool result if you ask me.
I was just thinking about this the other day, how he kinda went MIA. Its a shame about all the injuries. I’ve been following him for years. Nice video man
Re: survivorship bias. I bring this up aLL The time when folks blather about Bulgarian Powerlifting or ultra clean contest dieting or just about anything that gets trotted out. "But that's what the best do." Sure. Well the ones who survived it that you see because the guys who got injured or dropped out don't ever show up in your vision. But now let's talk about the 99% who got rekt doing Bulgarian training or ended up with eating disorder from clean eating when they failed. If an approach only succeeds 1/100 times that's not an argument FOR it. It's a damning indictment of it. I want the approach that works for the majority. Not that one that factually does the exact opposite. Because, no matter what people think, they aren't the exception. Because that's not what the word exception means.
His old powerlifting content was incredibly informative and useful for its time. It was a time when his peers in the industry were people like Jason blaha, Mike Chang, athlean X and Elliot hulse. Not all terrible, sure, but his content was significantly more informative and useful for people trying to actually learn about training. Years later after I had more or loss forgotten him I saw his announcement about hopping on gear. I’m not anti-enhancement, but something just seemed off. Sad to see things went downhill further.
Damn you are old bro 😂 just by the names : Chang disappeared, assassin blaha gets like 600 views nowadays , Eliot went through some weird motivational shit content . Good times
@LastFart BlayBlay (jason blaha) currently lives in section 8 housing with a murderer roommate named Joni Sablatura who killed her ex-boyfriend Aaron Connor, with BlayBlay revealed to also have xxed his dog Nova too. What a teletubby.
Bro!!!! I used to watch him in the powerlifting to win non steroid days. This is such a sad fall from grace. He said it best, he doesn’t look like a pro bodybuilder. This is the best stay natty advertisement I have ever seen. Get well Izzy 😕
In 2019, Izzy had the aesthetic of a top influencer. He was lean, tanned, muscular and vascular. It's the journey from that position that I find fascinating, because I think most of these guys - successful or not - are suffering from the same affliction in that they're using strength / physique sports to enable mental health (usually image related) issues. This is why so many of them appear to experience the arrival fallacy: they're not being honest (least not to themselves) about their true primary motivation of wanting to alleviate distress. It's interesting you mention Ben Pollack as a successful version of Izzy, because I think he's arguably an even better example of this phenomenon. He was a stud as a powerlifter. Aesthetic, world class in his sport, handsome guy, athletic, probably on a somewhat 'sustainable' (as far as it's possible) level of drugs, bodyweight under 200lbs etc. Within a year of the mega doses he'd aged dramatically, developed severe cutis verticis gyrata, was constantly out of breath, perennially injured, using c-pap machines and - despite attaining his pro card back in 2021 - there's seemingly no end in sight.
Honestly dude I just see a man lacking something in his life, unknown to him or anyone, that he wants sincerely and without malice to anyone. It's sad.
He's a walking cautionary tale. I can't wrap my head around sacrificing every aspect of your health for big muscles. Feeling healthy and fit is the greatest feeling in the world.
@@dirtydard4870That 2014 shot, he was on the right track- Somewhere in there something happened in his mind- Happens to many. Watched it for years- 16 years or more- Many men and woman lose their own lives pursuing vanity.
@@rdallas81 He literally lost all pec definition after roids. That is one of the strangest things I've ever seen. Even when he had abs on roids his pecs looked flat.
True, he basically had a "dream" physique there, aesthetically. Most guys dream of having a goal physique like that. And then he went and did unspeakable things to it.
7:00 If you're that invested in lifting, you need more non-gym-related hobbies and goals. You can just tell he goes home after the gym and obsesses over his numbers and size, which is probably why he lost sight of his overall goals and ended up becoming a self described failure. The financial aspect is really depressing as well, because he could've continued down the natty path and made a serious business out of PowerliftingToWin.
Not too long ago I went looking for Izzy again and stumbled onto his instagram and thought "who the hell is that?" Many have made his mistakes. The secret to power-building is, more bodybuilding less powerlifting. More submaximal recoverable volume, less peak weights and binge eating. Staying in one piece should always be priority one. Such a shame since he''s genuine and passionate. I really like the guy. Imagine if he got coached by Jordan Peters? Who has the same style and mentality but has developed ways to make it sustainable.
Discovered Izzy through his Texas Method program review video. Back then, he seemed to be a laser-focused, ambitious and level-headed man. Unfortunately, it appears that his poor mental health coupled with feelings of inadequacy has led to this situation now. I hope he can recover from this and find peace within himself one day.
@myhandlehasbeenmishandled he wasn't really laughing AT him. He was laughing over the fact that he was talking as if 40 is elderly / way over the hill, when it isn't even close. There are pro athletes still playing at 40. He was several decades off, talking about 40 like it's 60-70
I remember learning about so many programs from him probably a decade ago now. He helped understand a lot of sheikos programs and other programs that at the time were hard to find things on online. I get his point of totally giving it your all and just needing to know how far you can go, I did the same minus the PEDs and gained a ton of weight and way over trained I’d program by adding an extra 5-10% onto my actual max when calculating and assumed if I could survive the program I’d get an extra boost. It become a mental problem that leads to never being remotely satisfied with your lifts and injuring yourself, then refusing to recover from said injuries. I got strong as hell but I certainly didn’t keep it like I did the aches and pains. When you’re done with abusing yourself, which there is a day when we all become surrendered to either aging or injury, you’re still stuck in the body you made the sacrifices in. Best to do it responsibly
I started powerlifting in 2016 and found the PowerliftingToWin channel early on. I was shocked as hell one day when I realized the guy training on the other side of the gym was Izzy. I always wanted to say thanks to him for his videos but also never wanted to bother him. Started going to a new gym in 2017 and lost track of him until today when this video was recommended. Had no idea any of this was going on. Glad to see from his comment that he's doing well now.
Its crazy that he was benching like in the low 300’s or so as a natty in good shape and after abusing steroids and becoming obese his bench only went up to like 425. I guess genetics are the most potent drug after all.
Some people just have a weak response to steroids. Everyone thinks you can be like Ronnie Coleman with enough gear and that just isn't true. Izzy could take as much gear as his body have room for and still never be Mr. Olympia level. He's just one of the unfortunates that lost the genetic lottery. Sad thing is in the age of social media losing at genetics is labeled as a personal failure by the idiot masses.
@@justachange9172 I wouldnt even say he had bad genetics, he may actually have decent genetics. I mean he was benching 300 or so as an in-shape natty. Thats pretty rare in itself. Problem is these days anything that isnt FREAK genetics is labeled as bad and people troll you for it
I thought low 300's to 425 is a good increase? I was at the understanding that steroids do give an edge to strength but not that significant? I thought the steroids helped to build size more than anything? I'm probably wrong.
I really enjoyed this video. Never heard of Izzy and I thank you for making this informative video about this fringe Sisyphean power building character in the fitness industry. I find that Izzy is an articulate and smart man with a fatal flaw of destructive ambition. I hope him the best and wish a swift recovery and return to content creation with a new persepective
As a person who's been on trt for a whole for medical reasons, any amount of exogenous hormone use comes with ENORMOUS side effects. Muscle gain is like 10% of the total effects. Your face, head, hair, skin, mind, genitals, will all be permanently effected. There is no way around it. Even the ones who look good are using dangerous drugs excessively to not have acne and to hide their own permanent changes. It is insane how much even just a replacement dose will masculinize you. The thing Izzy was fully right about was unless you are absolutely sure you will be a pro bodybuilder(which you'll know way before you ever even consider steroids), there is no reason to ever take them. Creatine and protein are the only stack anyone ever needs. Nutrition and lifestyle like sleep and technique and other negatives have way, way more impact. 90% of gym guys who take it destroy their whole body with acne and scars and just get really fat. They also will usually have bedroom dysfunction, potentially permanently.
@@Solomon_Nelson Re: your section about not being gifted. Obv you look great, etc. But don't discount the fact that there are some people who aren't particularly great natural but absolutely respond phenomenally to enhanced training. Nick Walker is a good example. Not saying you should try, I'm just not sure you can completely determine that as a natural lifter.
This was tremendously well thought out. I'd love to see a similar deep dive into the Delray misfits or one individual specifically like Lenny or big Jay
@@Janoy_Cresva Thanks man, that means a lot to me. In terms of the misfits, I struggle to think of an interesting angle. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop thinking, but I haven’t come up with anything yet.
I get that and I think that's why your videos are very well thought out. Maybe an angle or topic could be how Lenny always preached against "being a cookie cutter" and following a certain path he deemed righteous, thinking he'd achieve greatness. But at the end of the day, he fell into common pitfalls many people do such as the more recent interactions with police, economic struggle (living with his mom at ~50 years old) and stubbornness to fundamentallly change anything in his life that is likely killing him (the GH gut, heart issues, necrotic shins from poor circulation). I think ultimately he has always been aware of these tendencies in himself and that's likely why he used to be so vocal, to try to help others steer clear and not end up where he possibly saw himself going.
I am glad to see an update on Izzy. He gave a lot of great powerlifting advice as he tried to take his genetics as far as possible by learning every possible tip and trick he could to maximize himself. The guy also sold me a few 45 lb. plates for a reasonable price during the pandemic. That was great since they dried up when the world shut down. Even if his genetics aren't Mr. Olympia or Ray Williams, oh well, his work ethic will carry him far in the world, farther than many people with great genetics who waste their potential due to a poor work ethic. It's no tragedy to reassess your goals after pushing hard, finding your goals are not a great use of your time and energy, so he changed his direction and his great work ethic and bulldog mentality will carry him far in whatever he decides to do. It's not crime to push hard towards a goal you have great passion for, fail, learn from it, and change direction. I'll always be grateful for all the great information Izzy provided the lifting community.
I loved those old Powerliftingtowin videos when I first started trying to get stronger. It always makes me think of "powerlifting towin'", which makes me think of my how my cousin likes to hook up heavy things to his giant pickup truck and see how fast he can tow it. I hope Izzy does okay. Regarding ego lifting, I kind of like how some people expand the definition to include people who are overly concerned with lifting with visually flawless textbook technique (e.g. Mike Israetel's "technique cyborg" stuff). In either case, whether showing off how heavy they can lift or how pristine their technique is, the lifter is sacrificing their results to appear more impressive while lifting weights.
Amazing video. I watched Izzy’s content when I started lifting myself but lost track of him over the years. Interesting to see how our paths diverged so much. I still can’t match Izzy’s original natural numbers though 😅
Didnt feel like kicking down because of your review on his tought process and gave your opinion which could even be helpful and you mentioned also how he was doing good
Thought about Izzy just the other day. It was always very telling in his more recent Q&As, watching him get extremely defensive when his followers would suggest that his gear use had aged his face considerably. He'd insist that the changes were just a product of father time, coupled with some minor water retention from peptides. But when he'd diet down fairly lean, his face would never look any better. He's a great guy and always put out useful information, but he obviously made a huge mistake in committing to the bodybuilding lifestyle for no real return on his investment
I remember watching a video of his recently with some weird bodybuilding training that didn't align with what I originally known him for at all, really felt like the guy went off the rails. Now I know it's true, great video
just finished the vid,vWatched izzy from when he first started, hats off for trying to go above n Beyond n achiving more than most will💪 all the best with recovery izzy
This was a really good video. I was a big fan of Izzy, donated to his Patreon. His story really defined my view on the steroids process. I was considering them but then I saw an intelligent, eloquent and passionate man display a level of cognitive dissonance I really thought was beneath him. I wish him the best, I hope he recovers and moves on. When this happens to people that are clearly morons I hardly care. It's deeply troubling to see a person like Izzy fall to it.
Why didn't he train following his own advice from his earlier days? He advocated multiple sets at submax intensities -- there's a video where he benches 300 lbs for 10 sets of 3 at RPE 7-8. I was following him on PowerliftingToWin and he had a part in me getting unstuck and bringing up my strict press and deadlift to their best numbers! I'm sure he would have done better if he had trained with better fatigue management. Going all out every session is insane! I hope he'll return and just be happy to be strong and healthy.
Izzy's sleep apnea is most likely do to weight gain but it's important to note that sleep apnea can also develop for obesity unrelated reasons such as weakness of muscle tissue etc. From Cleveland Clinic : "Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) This is the more common form. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when muscles in your head and neck relax while you’re asleep, causing the surrounding tissue to press on your windpipe. That obstructs air’s ability to pass through it. Central sleep apnea This form of sleep apnea happens because of a problem in your brain. Under ordinary circumstances, your brain manages your breathing all the time, including while you sleep. Central sleep apnea happens when your brain doesn’t send signals to keep breathing-related muscles working."
Great video, really makes you think twice about the PED route. Grass is not always greener I suppose. As for Izzy, that guy is cool and he’ll do well in whatever his pursuit is given his competitive spirit, work ethic, and the like. Cheers
OMG. I absolutely love Izzy and his videos on powerlifting. I watch almost all of his videos on his Powerliftingtowin channel. He was strong and knowledgeable. I stop watching after he decided to go on gear. Its heartbreaking to see a guy i used to admire a lot like this. I wish him all the best though. You're the man Izzy
Damn I was thinking what happened to him. Wow. Thank you sir. And no his 1st goal isn't silly he just went about it the wrong way. Pretty sure he could have placed in the top 3 if he had patience.
I signed up for his coaching service via 2019. The service was absolutely terrible by the tail end of it. The guy didn’t evem give me my attempt selection literally one day out from the meet. Horrible communication as well.
im certainly no health nut.....but the utter disregard by many "athletes" for long lasting mechanical problems amazes me. ask anybody over 35 who had a torn ACL.....it will never be "good" again. Look at legends like Coleman....the man trained himself into being a cripple for gods sake. very often you dont just shave off xy years of your life, but you also worsen your quality of life quite greatly until the inventible comes.
Tbh no one knows what will happen with sauce nick walker is a prime example he looked like crap before sauce and now he top 3 mrO but natty nick looks like he shouldn't even try
The real thing no one ever really talks about with the 💉 Probably only 10-25% of the guys who use, look like they use. Youd be surprised if you walked into a gym known for serious BB and PL, and looked around at all the dides that looked like they used...you might pick out 5, maybe 10. In reality theres probably 30 to 40 that are using. Thats got to be the most depressing thing ever...to decide to do it k owing all the negatives it can do to your health, and then when you look in the mirror it doesnt even look like it.
Jordan Peters who is also very much enhanced trains similarly to Izzy e.g low volume and emphasis on progressive overload but doesn't seem to have any debilitating injuries. Dantes guys doing DC training also were enhanced, did they get away with possibly via the "cruise" periods built into DC? It looks like you really have to know when to put your foot off the gas pedal when doing that style on higher amounts of gear
ohh I remember this guy. He was a real permabulking advocate in that Rippetoe worshipping dark ages of internet fitness. I used to love his stuff when i was stupid and didn't know anything. Totally forgot he existed until I saw this video. Thanks!
@@kaizenproductions00 No way, are you THE Kaizen Productions? As in, the ‘yes Kaizen Productions, I’ll be cutting down for the Ruby in September’ Kaizen Productions? It’s an honour to get a comment from you. 🫡
@@kaizenproductions00 🤣 You’re spot on about Izzy being like a Delray Misfit that never was. Now that you mention it, it’s a shame that Izzy didn’t have a prince Andrew equivalent to document his journey.
@@Solomon_Nelson Yeah it would've been cool seeing someone like Prince Andrew actually ask him questions about why Izzy does what he does. Dude looked more like a bodybuilder in 2019 than when he went crazy with bulking
You can know your muscle building genetics but you won’t know your gear tolerance genetics until you go on cycle. Maybe you have the genetics to push grams of gear without severe deleterious effects on your health
The guy had some strength no doubt- But the mind over matter mattered too much for him to mind- and he wrecked his own chance of slow gainz over time being responsible. Happens in men and woman. Just do a google search and see how many rushed in on gear and never lived to 40 years of age.
The " open" influencers should talk about sleep apnea more often. Hooper mentioned he has it. Noel deyzel maybe? But they should be explicit about this serious and annoying and expensive downside if they got it
31:50 I actually think you would do quite well in a natty physique show. Maybe no pro card aspirations but you could easily show up to a local show, put something fantastic on stage and then decide if you wanted to go any further. I think taking it one step at a time is much better than Izzy’s idea of just ‘giving it your all and seeing where it goes’
I think Izzy had potential going untested as a powerlifter. Clearly he had a mind for programming and technique. Would he have set any records, competed at the top level, or stood out for his strength, probably not. But could he have continued to make educational content based off of his new insights from PED use, needing to handle great weights, and other nuances of high level untested powerlifting, yes for sure. On a more quantitative side, PEDs (controlling for bodyweight) might add ~10% to a powerlifting total. Assuming his "natty potential" his a 450 DOTS at 75-82.5 kg. Say he goes up to 90 kg (looking similar to that jacked and tan physique at 8:30), maintains that DOTS score due to PED size boost (700 kg due to PED size increase) Increase that total by 10%, resulting in a 770 kg total and circa 500 DOTS score. As for how to "properly" go all in on the untested side, I think John Haack is a good example. Slowing increasing dosages, cycle duration, etc to allow the body to adjust and adapt to each increase.
Wow this video was excellent. I was totally clueless about what happened to Izzy post powerlifting. To me it seems like the source of both his bad health and lacklustre results was two fold: retarded ego lifting training as you outlined, and being a delusional permabulker. He never actually competed. What a lot of guys like Izzy don't seem to get is that you can't just continually bulk forever and keep adding muscle; eventually insulin sensitivity, health, and digestion start suffering to the extent where adding more food, PEDs, and training mostly just makes you fatter and more injured. If he'd actually done a good solid 16-24 week cut once per year and stepped on stage he probably would have had a lot more muscle growth long term, even without changing his really stupid training. But guys like Izzy have this weird fixation with guys at the gym being impressed by how much weight they're lifting and being as huge as possible at all times. Mentally its so hard for them to cut since they're chasing the goal of being big and physically dominant/strong as opposed to actual bodybuilding, which is crafting the most aesthetically pleasing and muscular body possible (and for some people they can and do get very large while doing this). They're just terrified of being perceived as small or weak by other males. I know you have your thoughts on enhanced bb, but I hope you don't hold Dr. Neurotic Mike or Izzy as representative of all of us. I personally use PEDs (test, mast, gh, insulin, various stims while cutting) but I approach this completely differently than Izzy. I do cardio year round, 12k step count minimum even when not in a fat loss phase, and I haven't "bulked" in years but I'm only 12lbs below my classic physique cut-off when stage lean. I cut down to competition lean usually twice a year so I'm spending about 45% of my years in a deficit and just eat around maintenence the rest of the year. I eat clean home cooked food year round, eat 500g raw weight green beans every single day, have between 20-50g of carbs worth of fruit with every single meal year round, and you wouldn't catch me dead eating Mcdonalds chicken nuggets. I no longer really care about lifting heavy loads and rely mostly on machines, bodyweight exercises, and occasional dumbbell exercises training 6x/wk ppl for no more than 60 minutes per session. Personally I really like the theatrics/presentation/pageantry and metrosexuality of bodybuilding. Even though i have a ton more muscle than him, the bodybuilder I most aspire to be like is cbfitness on instagram the professional posing coach. To me the art, aesthetics, and healthy habits of bodybuilding are way more important than being "big" or showing other men in the gym that i lift heavy loads to impress people. I love being able to wear tight fitting clothes and look good for everyday people or to be able to take my shirt off at any point of the year and have people be super impressed and have girls come up and lick my abs or take pictures with me. Seeing Izzy's approach is just horrifying to me... did this guy ever have a girlfriend during his enhanced bb journey? Anyway, novel of a comment but I really appreciate all the work that went into this video. It's a good warning side. Feel free to disagree with me, but I tihnk if you want to go down the enhanced route and be healthy and still live a normal balanced life with career, family, children, social relationships etc, Paul K. Barnett is probably the guy to emulate. He just won his pro card at age 50 not doing anything extreme or dangerous and just doing a long and slow consistent grind.
I'm a victim of the permabulking propaganda from the 90's magazines. The goal was to eat like a pig and avoiding every kind of effort outside the gym, in the fear of losing "muscles". And the training sessions were hit related, because the goal was to stimulate, not burn calories. A fucking disaster...
It’s like some kind of weird mix of extreme motivation and no motivation coupled with both insane discipline and no discipline, everything just going on at the same time.
Watched again after my fever broke (I got covid). Ooof, that was a nasty comment I left. I generally use the WW1 helmet argument ("after the introduction of helmets, head injuries in the British army went up, dramatically") when it comes to "survivorship". Later, I'll use the plane armour example, because the helmets example requires a little less abstract thinking on the part of whomever is listening (I'm a clinical psychologist, in teaching, and we don't always have the luxury of overhead projectors or powerpoint). Anyway, this was a great video. You're gradually turning in to the conscience of YT fitness.
Hopefully you get well soon! I like the WW1 helmet argument as an illustration of survivorship bias. I didn’t know you were a clinical psychologist; that’s really cool. Glad you liked the video :)
@@Solomon_Nelson Thanks Solomon. I'll be fine. I suppose getting it four and one half years after everyone else did... Well, better late than never (talk about survivorship bias!). I'm actually taking a risk, career wise, by moving in to sport psychology and athletic development. Mostly working with gymnasts at the moment - where relationships with food, and communication with coaches/team members are the primary problems - but hoping to diversify in to strength sports, track cycling, productive retirement strategies, and - yelp - even golf in 2025.
It is sad to see him bulk with clearly no direction in terms of aesthetics. In his dark side video he looked great and could have built a great physique from that but instead he built a bag of mashed potatoes. It’s so sad to see.
The guy has just pushed his body to much it’s clear he doesn’t have the gentics of the top top guys with especially the drugs he is on, but he did say in one video if I’m correct that he wanted to do this to push himself to to limit and see if he can get top. Hoping the best for the dude tho.
@Stinkmeaner-ki6mqI mean. For that too I guess. If you have someone who loves you you are less inclined to sacrifice "everything" like erectile function, smooth enough skin. General face shape that goes off the rails with growth hormone etc.
In his videos I recall him talking a few times about his partner (female). Of course, I have no idea what her opinion on his bodybuilding lifestyle and drug use would be. It's a shame that things ended like this.
31:40 -- nice transition, and effective for the topical segue haha! But yeah, I agree that you have built an impressive natural physique, one to be proud of! #staynatty
That's not a tragedy Izzy go for his silly dreams he take action he make achievements with all his power and circumstances allow i know he is the happiest person ever i know he had no regrets not many will able to just just take action to chase their dreams
The Larry Wheels reference is kind of ironic considering that Larry is a hyper-responder to gear and in no way was he huge or strong before steroids... that's where you lost me on the genetics argument. How can one truly know how they will respond to gear without trying it?
Whats your personal natural experience? Have you build 1kg or more in the last 2 3ish years? And how long are you training solomon? I just asking because i train since almost 10 years. And ITS now very hard to gain
I’m coming up on 9 years of training in October. The gains have basically slowed to a crawl; just the way it is as a natural, haha. Over the past 2-3 years I’ve seen some progress in my lifts, but relatively speaking, the progress is pathetic compared to my first 4 years of lifting. Still, I’m committed to improving over time wherever I can, and I‘ve found body part specialization to be a successful strategy at my level of advancement.
@@Solomon_Nelson have you in the last 2ish years Seen Some visual Hypertrophy improvements? Not Just in the Lifts? I Wonder i am on a Cut but gotvstronger Here and there but no Hypertrophy. Even in exercise which i Had in my Programm since years
@@ew-zd1thI use my lifts as a proxy for my physique progress, but yeah, I’ve gained some muscle over the past 2-3 years. I can tell visually when I cut down. I can’t say precisely how much, of course, but it wouldn’t be more than somewhere in the ballpark of 1-2kg I’d say. Even though that’s relatively little compared to my first 4 years of lifting, I’m happy with it.
I remember when this guy was one of the "go to" powerlifting resources, an "original gangster" (if you will). Look at him now. I hear he can be seen, lolling on the Sunset Strip, gripping a cardboard sign that simply says; "Will deadlift for tanning bed coupons.".
Could growth hormone alter the airways or perhaps the nostrils and all that connects to it in such a way that explains the nasaly voice? Maybe 🤔 growth in the nose area won't let as much air go through as before?
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Time stamps:
0:00 Prologue
0:36 Chapter 1. Introduction
1:09 Chapter 2. The story of Izzy
9:55 2.1. A deal with the devil
15:58 2.2. The end of the dream
27:38 2.3. Summarizing Izzy's journey
30:13 Chapter 3. What can we learn from the tragedy of Izzy Narvaez?
30:34 3.1. You don't have to gear up to know your genetics
33:10 3.2. Don't lift like Izzy
37:16 3.3. Listen to your body
38:13 3.4. Bigger isn't always better
40:24 3.5. Izzy and argumentum ad hominem
44:34 3.6. It's ok to quit
46:17 3.7. Izzy's goals were silly and destructive
49:22 3.8. Philosophy is indispensable
50:59 Chapter 4. Why it's important to talk about Izzy's plight
55:05 Chapter 5. Conclusion
In the description, if you don't add a 00:00 start point (Before 00:36 - Chapter 1) RUclips will not be able to initialize the chapters properly, this is why the video doesn't have working chapters.
@@ArmwrestlingAcademia Thanks so much! I’ll fix that now :)
I added in ‘Prologue’ at the 0:00 mark.
@@Solomon_Nelson Perfect, all works for me now. 💪
For anyone that actually cares, I have moved away from the fitness industry and I don't plan to come back. I don't consider going an enhanced a big mistake. I did get the answers I was looking for. My body wasn't able to hold up in the long run. I'm okay with where I've left things. It is very clear that my genetics wouldn't have allowed for any kind of competitive greatness in lifting sport.
I'm working on other goals now. I have new non-physical, competitive aspirations to throw myself into. I am on TRT and working towards getting my bodyweight back into the ~175lbs/80kg range. I still lift weights and do cardio. I go to the gym 4-5 times per week.
While I don't agree with several key points in the video, I do agree that this is important content.
I will state that I definitely don't consider any aspect of my life a tragedy. I learned a great deal from both bodybuilding and powerlifting. I wouldn't have had any of the successes I've had in business, real estate, or the projects I am working on now if it wasn't for the work ethic and, yes, philosophy, that I was able to develop, at least in part, thanks to all the time I spent lifting.
If anyone would like to ask me questions about my fitness "journey", I'll be happy to answer questions here for a while. After that, I have to move on (literally and metaphorically). I'm married now, I'm a homeowner, and I'm working on starting a family. Unfortunately, I just can't justify spending much time on social media these days.
However debatable the goals or the methods, you did give it your all and that's commendable.
I learned a good deal from you way back when, wish you well.
Happy to hear your doing good man.
@@TrevorFullbright I have been using Tirzepatide to downsize very, very effectively. I appreciate your advice on GLP-1s. It was very helpful! Always good to hear from you Trevor.
You were one of the first people I found when I started lifting 8 years or so ago and a big part of why I have stuck with it. The idea that critically thinking about our time in the gym could be efficient resonated a lot with me and made me all the more engaged with my own progress. Glad you're doing well.
@@timothyburger6715 I'm glad if I have contributed in any meaningful way whatsoever to your journey. Comments like yours are one major reason I am quite proud of what I have achieved in the fitness space even though I fell well short of any major competitive success. I was able to earn a living from making fitness content for more than ten years and, along the way, it seems that I actually helped a few people. That's a pretty cool result if you ask me.
He was a powerlifting RUclips OG
Ever heard of Louie Simmons or Dave Tate ?
Dr. Mike hamstring curl RPE10 is one of the funniest clips ever 🤣
I was just thinking about this the other day, how he kinda went MIA. Its a shame about all the injuries. I’ve been following him for years. Nice video man
Thanks :)
Re: survivorship bias. I bring this up aLL The time when folks blather about Bulgarian Powerlifting or ultra clean contest dieting or just about anything that gets trotted out.
"But that's what the best do." Sure.
Well the ones who survived it that you see because the guys who got injured or dropped out don't ever show up in your vision.
But now let's talk about the 99% who got rekt doing Bulgarian training or ended up with eating disorder from clean eating when they failed. If an approach only succeeds 1/100 times that's not an argument FOR it. It's a damning indictment of it.
I want the approach that works for the majority. Not that one that factually does the exact opposite.
Because, no matter what people think, they aren't the exception.
Because that's not what the word exception means.
Well said.
Spot on analysis as usual Lyle.
His old powerlifting content was incredibly informative and useful for its time. It was a time when his peers in the industry were people like Jason blaha, Mike Chang, athlean X and Elliot hulse. Not all terrible, sure, but his content was significantly more informative and useful for people trying to actually learn about training.
Years later after I had more or loss forgotten him I saw his announcement about hopping on gear. I’m not anti-enhancement, but something just seemed off. Sad to see things went downhill further.
Damn you are old bro 😂 just by the names : Chang disappeared, assassin blaha gets like 600 views nowadays , Eliot went through some weird motivational shit content . Good times
@LastFart BlayBlay (jason blaha) currently lives in section 8 housing with a murderer roommate named Joni Sablatura who killed her ex-boyfriend Aaron Connor, with BlayBlay revealed to also have xxed his dog Nova too. What a teletubby.
Bro!!!!
I used to watch him in the powerlifting to win non steroid days.
This is such a sad fall from grace.
He said it best, he doesn’t look like a pro bodybuilder.
This is the best stay natty advertisement I have ever seen. Get well Izzy 😕
In 2019, Izzy had the aesthetic of a top influencer. He was lean, tanned, muscular and vascular. It's the journey from that position that I find fascinating, because I think most of these guys - successful or not - are suffering from the same affliction in that they're using strength / physique sports to enable mental health (usually image related) issues. This is why so many of them appear to experience the arrival fallacy: they're not being honest (least not to themselves) about their true primary motivation of wanting to alleviate distress.
It's interesting you mention Ben Pollack as a successful version of Izzy, because I think he's arguably an even better example of this phenomenon. He was a stud as a powerlifter. Aesthetic, world class in his sport, handsome guy, athletic, probably on a somewhat 'sustainable' (as far as it's possible) level of drugs, bodyweight under 200lbs etc. Within a year of the mega doses he'd aged dramatically, developed severe cutis verticis gyrata, was constantly out of breath, perennially injured, using c-pap machines and - despite attaining his pro card back in 2021 - there's seemingly no end in sight.
@@jwt-nu3ei Thanks for you thoughts!
Honestly dude I just see a man lacking something in his life, unknown to him or anyone, that he wants sincerely and without malice to anyone. It's sad.
He's a walking cautionary tale. I can't wrap my head around sacrificing every aspect of your health for big muscles. Feeling healthy and fit is the greatest feeling in the world.
I remember Izzy when he was a regular poster on Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength forums around 2009-2014.
He looked great in that rant video he did. Shame. He should of stayed in that kind of shape.
A couple more years staying lean and training hard, and he could probably have won an amateur show in his weight class
@@dirtydard4870That 2014 shot, he was on the right track-
Somewhere in there something happened in his mind-
Happens to many.
Watched it for years- 16 years or more-
Many men and woman lose their own lives pursuing vanity.
@@rdallas81oof.. whata quote. Truth.
@@rdallas81 He literally lost all pec definition after roids. That is one of the strangest things I've ever seen. Even when he had abs on roids his pecs looked flat.
True, he basically had a "dream" physique there, aesthetically. Most guys dream of having a goal physique like that. And then he went and did unspeakable things to it.
Note to self. Don't do drugs. Don't ego lift. Don't get fat.
@@mrddcass6540 Amen!
7:00 If you're that invested in lifting, you need more non-gym-related hobbies and goals. You can just tell he goes home after the gym and obsesses over his numbers and size, which is probably why he lost sight of his overall goals and ended up becoming a self described failure. The financial aspect is really depressing as well, because he could've continued down the natty path and made a serious business out of PowerliftingToWin.
Crazy timing to this video. Was just looking up what happened to this guy a week ago
Same i was shocked when i saw his insta
@@Chasing340kg Real unfortunate how things turned out
Not too long ago I went looking for Izzy again and stumbled onto his instagram and thought "who the hell is that?" Many have made his mistakes. The secret to power-building is, more bodybuilding less powerlifting. More submaximal recoverable volume, less peak weights and binge eating. Staying in one piece should always be priority one. Such a shame since he''s genuine and passionate. I really like the guy. Imagine if he got coached by Jordan Peters? Who has the same style and mentality but has developed ways to make it sustainable.
Discovered Izzy through his Texas Method program review video. Back then, he seemed to be a laser-focused, ambitious and level-headed man. Unfortunately, it appears that his poor mental health coupled with feelings of inadequacy has led to this situation now. I hope he can recover from this and find peace within himself one day.
@@sadatktraining We wish Izzy the very best!
@@sadatktraining Also, great lifts on your part! Wow!
@@Solomon_Nelson Thanks bro, great video. You're very well-spoken
@@sadatktraining I appreciate that :)
When I am 40!
Lol.
I'm 43 and in terrific shape.
No gear-
I want to live!
That’s the spirit!
Man, you do you, live your life, and more power to you for it. But don't laugh at others.
@myhandlehasbeenmishandled he wasn't really laughing AT him. He was laughing over the fact that he was talking as if 40 is elderly / way over the hill, when it isn't even close. There are pro athletes still playing at 40. He was several decades off, talking about 40 like it's 60-70
This might be the greatest video on the dangers of sterioids ever made.
@@James_vs_gravity That means a lot to me, thanks James.
I remember learning about so many programs from him probably a decade ago now. He helped understand a lot of sheikos programs and other programs that at the time were hard to find things on online.
I get his point of totally giving it your all and just needing to know how far you can go, I did the same minus the PEDs and gained a ton of weight and way over trained I’d program by adding an extra 5-10% onto my actual max when calculating and assumed if I could survive the program I’d get an extra boost. It become a mental problem that leads to never being remotely satisfied with your lifts and injuring yourself, then refusing to recover from said injuries. I got strong as hell but I certainly didn’t keep it like I did the aches and pains. When you’re done with abusing yourself, which there is a day when we all become surrendered to either aging or injury, you’re still stuck in the body you made the sacrifices in. Best to do it responsibly
I started powerlifting in 2016 and found the PowerliftingToWin channel early on. I was shocked as hell one day when I realized the guy training on the other side of the gym was Izzy. I always wanted to say thanks to him for his videos but also never wanted to bother him. Started going to a new gym in 2017 and lost track of him until today when this video was recommended. Had no idea any of this was going on. Glad to see from his comment that he's doing well now.
Its crazy that he was benching like in the low 300’s or so as a natty in good shape and after abusing steroids and becoming obese his bench only went up to like 425. I guess genetics are the most potent drug after all.
Some people just have a weak response to steroids. Everyone thinks you can be like Ronnie Coleman with enough gear and that just isn't true. Izzy could take as much gear as his body have room for and still never be Mr. Olympia level. He's just one of the unfortunates that lost the genetic lottery. Sad thing is in the age of social media losing at genetics is labeled as a personal failure by the idiot masses.
@@justachange9172
I wouldnt even say he had bad genetics, he may actually have decent genetics. I mean he was benching 300 or so as an in-shape natty. Thats pretty rare in itself.
Problem is these days anything that isnt FREAK genetics is labeled as bad and people troll you for it
@@3ncore706 True 100%
I thought low 300's to 425 is a good increase? I was at the understanding that steroids do give an edge to strength but not that significant? I thought the steroids helped to build size more than anything? I'm probably wrong.
@@jgfishz1zz1
Nah youre not really wrong i just dont believe going from a 300 to a 400 bench is worth abusing PED’s and becoming an obese slob.
I really enjoyed this video. Never heard of Izzy and I thank you for making this informative video about this fringe Sisyphean power building character in the fitness industry. I find that Izzy is an articulate and smart man with a fatal flaw of destructive ambition. I hope him the best and wish a swift recovery and return to content creation with a new persepective
Thank you! Great comment on your part. We all wish Izzy the best.
Izzy taught me how to pack my neck for deadlifts. Been using it always since.
As a person who's been on trt for a whole for medical reasons, any amount of exogenous hormone use comes with ENORMOUS side effects. Muscle gain is like 10% of the total effects.
Your face, head, hair, skin, mind, genitals, will all be permanently effected. There is no way around it.
Even the ones who look good are using dangerous drugs excessively to not have acne and to hide their own permanent changes.
It is insane how much even just a replacement dose will masculinize you.
The thing Izzy was fully right about was unless you are absolutely sure you will be a pro bodybuilder(which you'll know way before you ever even consider steroids), there is no reason to ever take them.
Creatine and protein are the only stack anyone ever needs.
Nutrition and lifestyle like sleep and technique and other negatives have way, way more impact.
90% of gym guys who take it destroy their whole body with acne and scars and just get really fat. They also will usually have bedroom dysfunction, potentially permanently.
This was a necessary video. Great job.
Thank you! Glad you think so :)
@@Solomon_Nelson Re: your section about not being gifted. Obv you look great, etc. But don't discount the fact that there are some people who aren't particularly great natural but absolutely respond phenomenally to enhanced training. Nick Walker is a good example.
Not saying you should try, I'm just not sure you can completely determine that as a natural lifter.
This was tremendously well thought out. I'd love to see a similar deep dive into the Delray misfits or one individual specifically like Lenny or big Jay
@@Janoy_Cresva Thanks man, that means a lot to me.
In terms of the misfits, I struggle to think of an interesting angle. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop thinking, but I haven’t come up with anything yet.
I get that and I think that's why your videos are very well thought out.
Maybe an angle or topic could be how Lenny always preached against "being a cookie cutter" and following a certain path he deemed righteous, thinking he'd achieve greatness. But at the end of the day, he fell into common pitfalls many people do such as the more recent interactions with police, economic struggle (living with his mom at ~50 years old) and stubbornness to fundamentallly change anything in his life that is likely killing him (the GH gut, heart issues, necrotic shins from poor circulation). I think ultimately he has always been aware of these tendencies in himself and that's likely why he used to be so vocal, to try to help others steer clear and not end up where he possibly saw himself going.
Beige Frequency has some great vids on this
Amazing video essay. Look forward to the next.
I am glad to see an update on Izzy. He gave a lot of great powerlifting advice as he tried to take his genetics as far as possible by learning every possible tip and trick he could to maximize himself. The guy also sold me a few 45 lb. plates for a reasonable price during the pandemic. That was great since they dried up when the world shut down. Even if his genetics aren't Mr. Olympia or Ray Williams, oh well, his work ethic will carry him far in the world, farther than many people with great genetics who waste their potential due to a poor work ethic. It's no tragedy to reassess your goals after pushing hard, finding your goals are not a great use of your time and energy, so he changed his direction and his great work ethic and bulldog mentality will carry him far in whatever he decides to do. It's not crime to push hard towards a goal you have great passion for, fail, learn from it, and change direction. I'll always be grateful for all the great information Izzy provided the lifting community.
Oh snap. I didn't even recognize him until they showed his old pictures.
Doesn’t he look so cute now?
I loved those old Powerliftingtowin videos when I first started trying to get stronger. It always makes me think of "powerlifting towin'", which makes me think of my how my cousin likes to hook up heavy things to his giant pickup truck and see how fast he can tow it. I hope Izzy does okay.
Regarding ego lifting, I kind of like how some people expand the definition to include people who are overly concerned with lifting with visually flawless textbook technique (e.g. Mike Israetel's "technique cyborg" stuff). In either case, whether showing off how heavy they can lift or how pristine their technique is, the lifter is sacrificing their results to appear more impressive while lifting weights.
Good point regarding ego lifting! We wish Izzy the best 🤞
Amazing video. I watched Izzy’s content when I started lifting myself but lost track of him over the years. Interesting to see how our paths diverged so much. I still can’t match Izzy’s original natural numbers though 😅
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks :)
I miss PowerliftingToWin Izzy. Either way, I wish all the best to him.
Amazing video. As someone who’s decent natty and very tempted to go to the dark side at times this speaks to me well
@@quadslikescott3816 Thanks so much!
His original channel was awesome. So full of knowledge! He should have kept it up.
@@fivedaysfitter5225 I agree.
Didnt feel like kicking down because of your review on his tought process and gave your opinion which could even be helpful and you mentioned also how he was doing good
@@lucascheidegger1625 Thanks Luca :)
Thanks for the video Solomon, enjoyed it!
Only problem with your channel is there isn't enough content on it, keep it up :)
@@cv9672 Thanks for the encouraging words! I’ll try to keep up the content :)
Hearing RP with the French pronunciation was wild.
Great essay!
I appreciate that James, thanks! 😄
Thought about Izzy just the other day. It was always very telling in his more recent Q&As, watching him get extremely defensive when his followers would suggest that his gear use had aged his face considerably. He'd insist that the changes were just a product of father time, coupled with some minor water retention from peptides. But when he'd diet down fairly lean, his face would never look any better. He's a great guy and always put out useful information, but he obviously made a huge mistake in committing to the bodybuilding lifestyle for no real return on his investment
I’m glad I was not “brave” enough in 2013 to do roids. Idk how my life would’ve went. I was 19 at that time and just getting into lifting
I remember watching a video of his recently with some weird bodybuilding training that didn't align with what I originally known him for at all, really felt like the guy went off the rails.
Now I know it's true, great video
@@DimaShinder Thanks so much!
just finished the vid,vWatched izzy from when he first started, hats off for trying to go above n
Beyond n achiving more than most will💪 all the best with recovery izzy
RIP Izzy Narvaez
This was a really good video. I was a big fan of Izzy, donated to his Patreon. His story really defined my view on the steroids process. I was considering them but then I saw an intelligent, eloquent and passionate man display a level of cognitive dissonance I really thought was beneath him.
I wish him the best, I hope he recovers and moves on. When this happens to people that are clearly morons I hardly care. It's deeply troubling to see a person like Izzy fall to it.
Many thanks!
Why didn't he train following his own advice from his earlier days? He advocated multiple sets at submax intensities -- there's a video where he benches 300 lbs for 10 sets of 3 at RPE 7-8. I was following him on PowerliftingToWin and he had a part in me getting unstuck and bringing up my strict press and deadlift to their best numbers! I'm sure he would have done better if he had trained with better fatigue management. Going all out every session is insane!
I hope he'll return and just be happy to be strong and healthy.
Izzy's sleep apnea is most likely do to weight gain but it's important to note that sleep apnea can also develop for obesity unrelated reasons such as weakness of muscle tissue etc.
From Cleveland Clinic :
"Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
This is the more common form. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when muscles in your head and neck relax while you’re asleep, causing the surrounding tissue to press on your windpipe. That obstructs air’s ability to pass through it.
Central sleep apnea
This form of sleep apnea happens because of a problem in your brain. Under ordinary circumstances, your brain manages your breathing all the time, including while you sleep. Central sleep apnea happens when your brain doesn’t send signals to keep breathing-related muscles working."
I had sleep apnea before steroids. Runs in the family.
It's crazy he got that big I'm the same height and I topped out at 222lbs
Great video, really makes you think twice about the PED route. Grass is not always greener I suppose. As for Izzy, that guy is cool and he’ll do well in whatever his pursuit is given his competitive spirit, work ethic, and the like. Cheers
@@max_performance_solutions Thanks Max :)
OMG. I absolutely love Izzy and his videos on powerlifting. I watch almost all of his videos on his Powerliftingtowin channel. He was strong and knowledgeable. I stop watching after he decided to go on gear. Its heartbreaking to see a guy i used to admire a lot like this. I wish him all the best though. You're the man Izzy
this video really gave me a lot to think about. you are very intelligent thank you
Thank you in turn! 😁
Damn I was thinking what happened to him. Wow. Thank you sir. And no his 1st goal isn't silly he just went about it the wrong way. Pretty sure he could have placed in the top 3 if he had patience.
I signed up for his coaching service via 2019.
The service was absolutely terrible by the tail end of it. The guy didn’t evem give me my attempt selection literally one day out from the meet.
Horrible communication as well.
@@TheTokenAsianLifter Sorry to hear about your bad experience! How did your meet go in the end?
@@Solomon_Nelson I technically regressed because dude made me redo my whole sumo set up which was correct initially.
Got second place tho.
im certainly no health nut.....but the utter disregard by many "athletes" for long lasting mechanical problems amazes me.
ask anybody over 35 who had a torn ACL.....it will never be "good" again.
Look at legends like Coleman....the man trained himself into being a cripple for gods sake.
very often you dont just shave off xy years of your life, but you also worsen your quality of life quite greatly until the inventible comes.
Tbh no one knows what will happen with sauce nick walker is a prime example he looked like crap before sauce and now he top 3 mrO but natty nick looks like he shouldn't even try
That's true bro. Perhaps exception to that rule?
The real thing no one ever really talks about with the 💉
Probably only 10-25% of the guys who use, look like they use. Youd be surprised if you walked into a gym known for serious BB and PL, and looked around at all the dides that looked like they used...you might pick out 5, maybe 10. In reality theres probably 30 to 40 that are using. Thats got to be the most depressing thing ever...to decide to do it k owing all the negatives it can do to your health, and then when you look in the mirror it doesnt even look like it.
Jordan Peters who is also very much enhanced trains similarly to Izzy e.g low volume and emphasis on progressive overload but doesn't seem to have any debilitating injuries.
Dantes guys doing DC training also were enhanced, did they get away with possibly via the "cruise" periods built into DC?
It looks like you really have to know when to put your foot off the gas pedal when doing that style on higher amounts of gear
12:31
Long haired 160 pound izzy was a god damn model. Tragic man!
For real, the guy could’ve carved out a niche as a fitness influencer and he threw it all away for nothing
ohh I remember this guy. He was a real permabulking advocate in that Rippetoe worshipping dark ages of internet fitness. I used to love his stuff when i was stupid and didn't know anything. Totally forgot he existed until I saw this video. Thanks!
Thank you in turn!
Izzy is the Delray Misfit that never was. Dude had the mentality of Big Lenny and Andrew Collura in their primes.
@@kaizenproductions00 No way, are you THE Kaizen Productions? As in, the ‘yes Kaizen Productions, I’ll be cutting down for the Ruby in September’ Kaizen Productions? It’s an honour to get a comment from you. 🫡
@@Solomon_Nelson "Yes Solomon Nelson, I will comment on your video!"
@@kaizenproductions00 🤣
You’re spot on about Izzy being like a Delray Misfit that never was. Now that you mention it, it’s a shame that Izzy didn’t have a prince Andrew equivalent to document his journey.
@@Solomon_Nelson Yeah it would've been cool seeing someone like Prince Andrew actually ask him questions about why Izzy does what he does. Dude looked more like a bodybuilder in 2019 than when he went crazy with bulking
You can know your muscle building genetics but you won’t know your gear tolerance genetics until you go on cycle. Maybe you have the genetics to push grams of gear without severe deleterious effects on your health
The guy had some strength no doubt-
But the mind over matter mattered too much for him to mind- and he wrecked his own chance of slow gainz over time being responsible.
Happens in men and woman.
Just do a google search and see how many rushed in on gear and never lived to 40 years of age.
The " open" influencers should talk about sleep apnea more often. Hooper mentioned he has it. Noel deyzel maybe? But they should be explicit about this serious and annoying and expensive downside if they got it
31:50 I actually think you would do quite well in a natty physique show. Maybe no pro card aspirations but you could easily show up to a local show, put something fantastic on stage and then decide if you wanted to go any further. I think taking it one step at a time is much better than Izzy’s idea of just ‘giving it your all and seeing where it goes’
@@jettfuelfitness Thanks man. You’re an incredible specimen yourself!
@@Solomon_Nelson much appreciated homie
I think Izzy had potential going untested as a powerlifter. Clearly he had a mind for programming and technique. Would he have set any records, competed at the top level, or stood out for his strength, probably not. But could he have continued to make educational content based off of his new insights from PED use, needing to handle great weights, and other nuances of high level untested powerlifting, yes for sure.
On a more quantitative side, PEDs (controlling for bodyweight) might add ~10% to a powerlifting total.
Assuming his "natty potential" his a 450 DOTS at 75-82.5 kg.
Say he goes up to 90 kg (looking similar to that jacked and tan physique at 8:30),
maintains that DOTS score due to PED size boost (700 kg due to PED size increase)
Increase that total by 10%, resulting in a 770 kg total and circa 500 DOTS score.
As for how to "properly" go all in on the untested side, I think John Haack is a good example. Slowing increasing dosages, cycle duration, etc to allow the body to adjust and adapt to each increase.
Wow this video was excellent. I was totally clueless about what happened to Izzy post powerlifting. To me it seems like the source of both his bad health and lacklustre results was two fold: retarded ego lifting training as you outlined, and being a delusional permabulker. He never actually competed. What a lot of guys like Izzy don't seem to get is that you can't just continually bulk forever and keep adding muscle; eventually insulin sensitivity, health, and digestion start suffering to the extent where adding more food, PEDs, and training mostly just makes you fatter and more injured. If he'd actually done a good solid 16-24 week cut once per year and stepped on stage he probably would have had a lot more muscle growth long term, even without changing his really stupid training.
But guys like Izzy have this weird fixation with guys at the gym being impressed by how much weight they're lifting and being as huge as possible at all times. Mentally its so hard for them to cut since they're chasing the goal of being big and physically dominant/strong as opposed to actual bodybuilding, which is crafting the most aesthetically pleasing and muscular body possible (and for some people they can and do get very large while doing this). They're just terrified of being perceived as small or weak by other males.
I know you have your thoughts on enhanced bb, but I hope you don't hold Dr. Neurotic Mike or Izzy as representative of all of us. I personally use PEDs (test, mast, gh, insulin, various stims while cutting) but I approach this completely differently than Izzy. I do cardio year round, 12k step count minimum even when not in a fat loss phase, and I haven't "bulked" in years but I'm only 12lbs below my classic physique cut-off when stage lean. I cut down to competition lean usually twice a year so I'm spending about 45% of my years in a deficit and just eat around maintenence the rest of the year. I eat clean home cooked food year round, eat 500g raw weight green beans every single day, have between 20-50g of carbs worth of fruit with every single meal year round, and you wouldn't catch me dead eating Mcdonalds chicken nuggets. I no longer really care about lifting heavy loads and rely mostly on machines, bodyweight exercises, and occasional dumbbell exercises training 6x/wk ppl for no more than 60 minutes per session.
Personally I really like the theatrics/presentation/pageantry and metrosexuality of bodybuilding. Even though i have a ton more muscle than him, the bodybuilder I most aspire to be like is cbfitness on instagram the professional posing coach. To me the art, aesthetics, and healthy habits of bodybuilding are way more important than being "big" or showing other men in the gym that i lift heavy loads to impress people. I love being able to wear tight fitting clothes and look good for everyday people or to be able to take my shirt off at any point of the year and have people be super impressed and have girls come up and lick my abs or take pictures with me. Seeing Izzy's approach is just horrifying to me... did this guy ever have a girlfriend during his enhanced bb journey?
Anyway, novel of a comment but I really appreciate all the work that went into this video. It's a good warning side. Feel free to disagree with me, but I tihnk if you want to go down the enhanced route and be healthy and still live a normal balanced life with career, family, children, social relationships etc, Paul K. Barnett is probably the guy to emulate. He just won his pro card at age 50 not doing anything extreme or dangerous and just doing a long and slow consistent grind.
Thanks for your thoughts! I’m glad you liked the video :)
Very interesting video. I appreciate the detail of your videos.
Thanks Omar! I’m glad you like them :)
No one told him that his waist width alone was a barrier for him to come a pro bodybuilder.
Probably more beneficial for the audience if you pin Izzy’s comment.
The time stamps are available in the description and on the video.
I'm a victim of the permabulking propaganda from the 90's magazines. The goal was to eat like a pig and avoiding every kind of effort outside the gym, in the fear of losing "muscles". And the training sessions were hit related, because the goal was to stimulate, not burn calories. A fucking disaster...
Solomon! You have a great back!
In general you have a great physique-
Thank you!
He was a great RUclipsr.
Stay natty bros
It’s like some kind of weird mix of extreme motivation and no motivation coupled with both insane discipline and no discipline, everything just going on at the same time.
everything
everything
everything
is being injured
Watched again after my fever broke (I got covid). Ooof, that was a nasty comment I left. I generally use the WW1 helmet argument ("after the introduction of helmets, head injuries in the British army went up, dramatically") when it comes to "survivorship". Later, I'll use the plane armour example, because the helmets example requires a little less abstract thinking on the part of whomever is listening (I'm a clinical psychologist, in teaching, and we don't always have the luxury of overhead projectors or powerpoint). Anyway, this was a great video. You're gradually turning in to the conscience of YT fitness.
Hopefully you get well soon! I like the WW1 helmet argument as an illustration of survivorship bias. I didn’t know you were a clinical psychologist; that’s really cool. Glad you liked the video :)
@@Solomon_Nelson Thanks Solomon. I'll be fine. I suppose getting it four and one half years after everyone else did... Well, better late than never (talk about survivorship bias!). I'm actually taking a risk, career wise, by moving in to sport psychology and athletic development. Mostly working with gymnasts at the moment - where relationships with food, and communication with coaches/team members are the primary problems - but hoping to diversify in to strength sports, track cycling, productive retirement strategies, and - yelp - even golf in 2025.
37:00 Probably the most important advice you can give to an enhanced bb, even though you yourself are not enhanced.
I’m glad you agree with me!
Suggesting all that he did would slash 5 years off his life was coping so hard.
More like 20.
@@urdadshusband781 Yeah, where he pulled that ‘5 year’ figure from is anyone’s guess.
It is sad to see him bulk with clearly no direction in terms of aesthetics. In his dark side video he looked great and could have built a great physique from that but instead he built a bag of mashed potatoes. It’s so sad to see.
The guy has just pushed his body to much it’s clear he doesn’t have the gentics of the top top guys with especially the drugs he is on, but he did say in one video if I’m correct that he wanted to do this to push himself to to limit and see if he can get top.
Hoping the best for the dude tho.
What's your problem with dr.mike?
@@Johnhatzijohn I have a few videos on my channel detailing the issues I have with his advice. Ευχαριστώ για το ενδιαφέρον σας!
He looks silly
@@mariaconcepcionrodriguezhe2850 Most people in the world look silly
I'm normally not the guy to say something like this. However, this guy probably just needed a decent girl in his life.
@Stinkmeaner-ki6mqI mean. For that too I guess. If you have someone who loves you you are less inclined to sacrifice "everything" like erectile function, smooth enough skin. General face shape that goes off the rails with growth hormone etc.
@Stinkmeaner-ki6mqHe had a girlfriend the last time I watched his IG stories.
In his videos I recall him talking a few times about his partner (female). Of course, I have no idea what her opinion on his bodybuilding lifestyle and drug use would be. It's a shame that things ended like this.
Shame.
Thats what self deception does..
He looked good in 2014-
Went downhill FAST
I don’t understand why he went on PEDs. He was never a serious competitor
31:40 -- nice transition, and effective for the topical segue haha! But yeah, I agree that you have built an impressive natural physique, one to be proud of! #staynatty
Thanks for the kind words! 😅
Goddamnit hes right about the sleep. That is my number one problem.
27:38 is that our boy Hemingway and his girl from Australia😂
🤫
Yew juss committed Espeeinodge hoss! YEW BETTER BE VISUALIZING PRISON CUZ THE EFF-BEE-EYE ALREADY NOES YER REAL NAME
Poor guy had thee Absolute Worst generics I’ve ever seen in my life.
What the fuck I didn’t know something happened to this guy. This is awful
@@Trynottoblink It’s a tragedy.
That's not a tragedy Izzy go for his silly dreams he take action he make achievements with all his power and circumstances allow i know he is the happiest person ever i know he had no regrets not many will able to just just take action to chase their dreams
The Larry Wheels reference is kind of ironic considering that Larry is a hyper-responder to gear and in no way was he huge or strong before steroids... that's where you lost me on the genetics argument. How can one truly know how they will respond to gear without trying it?
Powerbuilding needs to stop in my opinion. This isn't the 2010s anymore.
Whats your personal natural experience? Have you build 1kg or more in the last 2 3ish years? And how long are you training solomon? I just asking because i train since almost 10 years. And ITS now very hard to gain
I’m coming up on 9 years of training in October. The gains have basically slowed to a crawl; just the way it is as a natural, haha. Over the past 2-3 years I’ve seen some progress in my lifts, but relatively speaking, the progress is pathetic compared to my first 4 years of lifting. Still, I’m committed to improving over time wherever I can, and I‘ve found body part specialization to be a successful strategy at my level of advancement.
@@Solomon_Nelson have you in the last 2ish years Seen Some visual Hypertrophy improvements? Not Just in the Lifts? I Wonder i am on a Cut but gotvstronger Here and there but no Hypertrophy. Even in exercise which i Had in my Programm since years
@@ew-zd1thI use my lifts as a proxy for my physique progress, but yeah, I’ve gained some muscle over the past 2-3 years. I can tell visually when I cut down. I can’t say precisely how much, of course, but it wouldn’t be more than somewhere in the ballpark of 1-2kg I’d say. Even though that’s relatively little compared to my first 4 years of lifting, I’m happy with it.
Lol I thought he was dead before I started watching.
But after watching this it's more like you just put a nail in his coffin
🤣
I remember when this guy was one of the "go to" powerlifting resources, an "original gangster" (if you will).
Look at him now. I hear he can be seen, lolling on the Sunset Strip, gripping a cardboard sign that simply says;
"Will deadlift for tanning bed coupons.".
🫣
@@Solomon_Nelson Ooof, that was a nasty comment. I can only blame a high fever.
I knew this guy was crazy when he did RFL for 3 months on nothing but whey and pills
@@ChadAV69 That would have been brutal!
@@Solomon_Nelsondude I have no idea how he did it. I can’t do RFL for more than 2 weeks on actual food
Doesn’t he use the same drug coach as Mike Israetel? And now Mike is retiring due to side effects.
I believe Izzy did get some help from Broderick. Poor Broderick doesn’t have the best athletes representing him, does he? 🤣
@@Solomon_NelsonI mean he’s got Charlie. And Israetel’s working with Joe Jeffreys now.
Bro did everything he could and tested his genetics and he got his result. Injury and regret. Congratulations.
Could growth hormone alter the airways or perhaps the nostrils and all that connects to it in such a way that explains the nasaly voice? Maybe 🤔 growth in the nose area won't let as much air go through as before?
We can only speculate!
Every pro (or any big buy) bodybuilder uses CPAP, its a norm.