Think BIG Bodybuilding

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T3 in Bodybuilding: Smarter Use, Then vs. Now + Steroid Q&A
How has our approach to T3 changed over the years? Scott McNally, Skip Hill, and Andrew Berry compare old-school bodybuilding practices with today’s understanding of thyroid hormone use on Blood Sweat & Gear.
We discuss T3 replacement, when it enters the contest prep conversation, and taking it once daily versus splitting doses. Hear what we used to do, what we’ve changed, and why our thinking has evolved.
Plus, listener questions on MENT (trestolone) side effects, Humalog injection routes, whether offseason oral steroids are worth the health cost, and whether 210 mg counts as a cycle. We also cover training with a pinched nerve, when to rest if you’re sick, posing advice, and missing oral steroids during prep.
⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome to Blood Sweat & Gear
0:45 T3 in Bodybuilding: The 2026 Discussion
1:30 Does Everyone Need T3 Replacement?
3:20 When Is T3 Added During Contest Prep?
5:30 T3 Use: Old-School Bodybuilding vs. Today
11:00 T3 Timing: Split Doses or Once Daily?
15:45 The Wild History of Over-the-Counter Supplements
22:00 Training With a Pinched Nerve
27:30 MENT (Trestolone): Ranking the Side Effects
32:15 Humalog: Intramuscular vs. Subcutaneous Injections
35:45 Offseason Oral Steroids: Worth the Health Cost?
37:00 Does 210 mg Count as a Steroid Cycle?
42:35 Where to Get Bodybuilding Posing Advice
47:30 Training When Sick: When Should You Rest?
52:00 Will Missing Oral Steroids Ruin Contest Prep?
56:45 Skip’s Word of the Day
57:30 What We’re Watching on TV
1:04:30 Rising Flight Costs
1:09:40 Behind the Scenes
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Educational discussion only. This episode is not medical advice or a recommendation to use medications or performance-enhancing drugs. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about your health and medications.

Can you build an impressive physique when you’re broke? Ron Partlow, Dusty Hanshaw, and Scott McNally discuss what it really costs to build muscle on this episode of It’s Just Bodybuilding.

From food and supplements to gym memberships, we compare bodybuilding costs in 2010 and 2026 and debate where your money makes the biggest difference. Are you paying for better results or convenience? We weigh meal prep services against cooking at home, discuss organic food, and play “Keep It or Cut It?” with bodybuilding expenses.

We also discuss why you don’t need perfect conditions to make progress. Overthinking sleep, nutrition, and training “optimization” can become another reason to put things off.

Then court is in session! Play along with Bodybuilding Court as we deliver verdicts on questionable bodybuilding behavior. Plus, listener feedback, American gun culture, Thanksgiving, and the story behind Ron’s 1993 squat video.

What’s your best bodybuilding money-saving tip? Send us your ideas and questions for a future episode.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome to It’s Just Bodybuilding
2:30 Bodybuilding on a Budget: Do You Need Time & Money?
8:00 How a Minimalist Approach Can Save You Money
10:50 Networking & Finding Bodybuilding Deals
13:30 Bodybuilding Costs: 2010 vs. 2026
15:00 Gym Membership Costs: Then vs. Now
16:00 Rising Prices or Paying for Convenience?
17:20 Meal Prep Services vs. Cooking Your Own Food
20:50 One Bodybuilding Expense You Shouldn’t Cut
22:45 Is Organic Food Worth the Extra Money?
24:30 Keep It or Cut It? Bodybuilding Expenses
33:00 You Don’t Need Perfect Conditions to Make Progress
48:20 Bodybuilding Court: Guilty or Not Guilty?
1:01:40 Listener Feedback on Our Last Episode
1:08:10 Pew Pew Culture in the United States
1:14:00 Skipping Thanksgiving?
1:16:20 Ron Partlow’s 1993 Squat Video

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TRAIN LIKE HELL APP
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Dave Crosland shares his firsthand account of witnessing a bodybuilder collapse on stage at the PCA finals, where Dave’s wife was the first person to try to help. Dave and Scott McNally discuss the media coverage, cruel online comments, and criticism that followed the bodybuilder’s death. We do not speculate about the cause of death.

Also on Drugs n Stuff: looksmaxxing influencer Clavicular, concerns about content encouraging teenagers to take high doses of anabolic steroids, and the potential long-term consequences of chasing an extreme appearance.

Then we answer listener questions about fertility after steroid use, Anavar-only cycles, choosing between GLP medications, increasing PED use, fat-loss approaches, and building a physique for a specific bodybuilding division.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Welcome to Drugs n Stuff with Dave & Scott
3:30 Bodybuilder Collapses at PCA Finals: Dave’s Firsthand Account
6:30 Criticism Over Continuing the Bodybuilding Show
8:00 Media Coverage, Cruel Comments & Respect for the Family
16:00 Clavicular, Looksmaxxing & Teen Steroid Use
22:00 Can Chasing Your Looks Accelerate Aging?
24:10 Regaining Fertility After Steroid Use
26:30 Anavar-Only Cycles: Listener Question
27:40 The “F It” Phase: When Caution Goes Out the Window
33:00 Choosing Between GLP Medications
39:45 Increasing PED Use: Listener Question
44:45 Fat Loss: Clenbuterol & T3 vs GLPs & Mitochondrial Peptides
47:45 Building Your Physique for a Specific Division
52:00 Buc-ee’s Pays How Much?!

RESEARCH & PEPTIDE AFFILIATES
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FOLLOW & SUPPORT THE PODCAST
Follow Drugs n Stuff on your podcast app for more conversations with Dave Crosland and Scott McNally. Enjoy the show? Leave a rating or review and share an episode with a friend.

Have a question for a future episode? Send it to Dave or Scott through Instagram. Please keep discussion of the deceased bodybuilder and his family respectful.

FOLLOW THE HOSTS
Dave Crosland
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Scott McNally
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UK BLOOD WORK
Arrange blood work with Dave in the UK:
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SUPPORT THINK BIG BODYBUILDING
Help keep the podcasts going on Patreon. Even $5 per month makes a difference.
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SPONSORS
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EDUCATIONAL DISCLAIMER
This episode is for education and harm-reduction discussion only. It is not medical advice and does not encourage steroid or other drug use. Personal accounts and opinions do not establish anyone’s cause of death. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about medical concerns.

Build muscle after 40 while balancing a physical job, family, and recovery. Coaches Skip Hill, Andrew Berry, and Scott McNally break down a four-day training split for blue-collar lifters, including leg-day placement, bringing up arms, and managing fatigue from manual labor.

Plus, steroid and HGH Q&A covering water retention and blood pressure, Scott’s gynecomastia surgery experience, and whether more training volume can compensate for lower intensity.

Support the show and explore our sponsors, pep and research affiliates at https://thinkbigbodybuilding.com. Use code THINK with participating affiliates for savings and to support Think Big Bodybuilding.

EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:10 A 4-Day Training Split for Blue-Collar Lifters Over 40
06:20 Leg Days, Arm Growth & Recovery From Manual Labor
08:00 One-Sided Physical Work & Muscle Imbalances
11:00 When Is the Gym Least Crowded?
15:00 Steroid & HGH Water Retention: Managing Edema
22:30 Blood Pressure Management & PEDs
28:50 Loose Skin Removal & Scott’s Gyno Surgery Experience
38:30 Building the Ultimate Bodybuilder
44:00 Bodybuilding Rivalries
45:20 Training Volume vs. Intensity: Can More Sets Make Up the Difference?
57:50 Physique Critique: A 21-Year-Old Bodybuilder

Have a question for Skip, Andrew, and Scott? Join the conversation and support the shows at https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding.

For education and discussion only. This content is not medical advice or a recommendation to take PEDs.

Which movie made you want to start lifting? Scott, Ron, and Dusty debate the movies and action stars that inspired a generation to train—from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando to Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV and Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport.
Plus: the best body fat level for building muscle, the Big 3 lifts versus a bodybuilding split, full body workouts, and another round of This or That.
Find more Think BIG Bodybuilding podcasts and content at https://thinkbigbodybuilding.com
EPISODE TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
3:45 Bloodsport: Jean-Claude Van Damme
4:15 Commando: Arnold Schwarzenegger
5:00 300: Gerard Butler
6:15 Rocky IV: Dolph Lundgren
8:20 Troy: Nathan Jones
10:00 Bruce Lee’s Iconic Physique
12:30 The Scorpion King: The Rock
13:20 Chuck Norris
13:50 Pain & Gain: Mark Wahlberg
15:30 Dave Bautista
16:00 Man of Steel: Henry Cavill
17:10 Mr. T
19:10 The Last Time We Dressed Up for Halloween
21:30 Best Body Fat Level for Muscle Growth?
32:35 Big 3 Lifts vs. Bodybuilding Split for Muscle Growth
38:20 Full Body Workouts
53:00 This or That Game
1:12:55 Behind the Scenes: Football Talk

OFFICIAL SPONSOR: MUTANT®
Born Different. Born Hardcore! Save with code BIGRON or DUSTY.
https://www.iammutant.com
FOLLOW THE HOSTS ON INSTAGRAM
Ron Partlow: https://www.instagram.com/rep300
Dusty Hanshaw: https://www.instagram.com/dustyhanshaw08
Scott McNally: https://www.instagram.com/scottmcnally1
TRAIN LIKE HELL APP
Train with Ron Partlow’s official training app.
https://www.trainlikehell.com
SUPPORT THINK BIG BODYBUILDING
Help keep the shows going by joining our Patreon. Every $5 helps!
https://www.patreon.com/thinkbigbodybuilding
THINK BIG MERCH
Shop Think BIG Bodybuilding merchandise.
https://think-big.printify.me/products
ADDITIONAL SPONSOR: TRUE NUTRITION
Third-party tested supplements trusted by bodybuilders. Save with code THINK.
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CANADIAN LISTENERS: SUPPLEMENT SOURCE
Find blowout deals on top supplement brands.
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