Think BIG Bodybuilding

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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FOLLOW THE HOSTS

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Dusty Hanshaw
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Scott McNally
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TRAIN LIKE HELL APP
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Join our Patreon. Every $5 helps keep the shows going!
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Find links to our research and peptide affiliates in one place. Use code THINK where available to save and support the podcast.

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
Looking for the affiliates mentioned on the show? Visit https://thinkbigbodybuilding.com and use code THINK where available. Your support helps keep Drugs n Stuff going.
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases through our affiliate links or codes.

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.
https://www.truenutrition.com/THINK
CANADIAN LISTENERS: SUPPLEMENT SOURCE
Find blowout deals on top supplement brands.
https://www.supplementsource.ca

Which steroids have the worst side effects? On Blood Sweat & Gear, coaches Skip Hill, Andrew Berry, and Scott McNally each share their own steroid side-effect tier list, comparing rankings and debating their biggest disagreements.
Visit https://thinkbigbodybuilding.com to check out our peptide and research affiliate links and available discount codes.
We rank testosterone, nandrolone, Equipoise, Masteron, Primobolan, trenbolone, DHB, Anavar, Winstrol, Anadrol, Superdrol, and Halotestin by side effects rather than muscle-building potential. The discussion draws on our coaching experience and personal perspectives, with individual response, dose, and duration all affecting the picture.
Then we tackle listener questions about insulin and early morning workouts, training intensity, breathing during squats, testosterone esters, controlling appetite on a bulk, and switching compounds during a cycle. We also discuss returning to training after surgery and managing bodybuilding alongside a physical job after 40.
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Coming Up: Steroid Side-Effect Rankings
00:00:31 Welcome to Blood Sweat & Gear
00:01:43 Steroid Side-Effect Tier List: Testosterone
00:02:53 Nandrolone Side Effects
00:04:07 Equipoise Side Effects
00:05:05 Masteron Side Effects
00:05:20 Primobolan Side Effects
00:05:53 Trenbolone Side Effects
00:07:51 DHB Side Effects
00:09:32 Anavar Side Effects
00:10:06 Winstrol Side Effects
00:13:46 Anadrol Side Effects
00:14:47 Superdrol & Halotestin Side Effects
00:17:07 Cheque Drops Discussion
00:21:35 Insulin & Early Morning Training With One Meal
00:26:35 Training Intensity: Do You Have More in the Tank?
00:40:53 How to Breathe During Squats
00:45:33 Testosterone Esters: When & Why to Switch
00:51:09 How to Control Appetite on a Bulk
00:55:19 Returning to Training After Surgery
01:00:05 Switching Compounds During a Cycle
01:05:58 Training After 40 With a Physical Job
01:09:36 Can Neckzilla Make the Olympia Top 10?
01:12:43 Behind the Scenes
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Enjoy Blood Sweat & Gear? Follow the podcast and leave a rating or review to help other bodybuilding fans find the show.
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