Expert on Steroid Use in Sports Carlon Colker, MD, Warns 'We're Sending Wrong Message to HS and College Athletes'

GREENWICH, Conn., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- "What happened to old-fashioned discipline and hard work? Young people, our most precious resource, are getting mixed messages from professional sports, taking dangerous shortcuts, and destroying their lives." So says Carlon Colker, MD, FACN, one of the nation's foremost authorities on the use of anabolic steroids.

Dr. Colker has just published Extreme Muscle Enhancement: Bodybuilding's Most Powerful Techniques (Second Edition, ProSource Publications, 2007), a comprehensive how-to book for serious bodybuilders and athletes on the ideal ways to effectively build their bodies without using anabolic drugs. The book also provides a fascinating and candid insider's view of which drugs the pros are using, and exposes the extraordinary methods athletes use to beat drug tests.

"As we know from watching the transformation of some superstars who have been very much in the news lately, steroids will make you bigger and add power," says Dr. Colker. "But the downside is far too costly. Worse, it isn't necessary. I challenge any athlete to create an anabolic (muscle-building) environment naturally. There are many ways to become a champion without turning yourself into a human pincushion, as I have seen too many people do."

What concerns Dr. Colker most, he says, is the message to impressionable young aspiring athletes on the high school and college level that it's okay to take shortcuts, which often means injecting themselves with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. "Look at 17-year-old Taylor Hooten, who was told he had to be 'bigger' to make the team," says Dr. Colker. "Now, sadly, he's dead."

A former champion bodybuilder himself, Dr. Colker has testified before government committees, and published research papers on performance-enhancing substances. A well-informed, articulate and outspoken expert in this area, he has presented his sometimes contrarian but always interesting and informative views on numerous TV and radio programs and is a frequent contributor to Muscular Development Magazine, Muscle & Fitness, Ironman, Muscle Magazine, Body, Runner's World, Walking, Let's Live, Self, Strive, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Cosmopolitan.

In his medical practice, Peak Wellness, located in Greenwich, Connecticut, Dr. Colker, has treated many sports stars, such as Shaquille O'Neill. It was in fact his recent key role on "Shaq's Big Challenge" that deeply moved Dr. Colker as he and Shaq helped the young people lose weight through better nutrition and workouts. As he explains: "These youngsters were able to meet their goals the old-fashioned way. I want to get a similar message out to high school and college athletes. The fans may want a freak show, and some of the professional handlers may even encourage this for their own gain, but I don't want to see more young men, whether out of greed or ignorance, allow themselves to turn into monstrous Mr. Hydes. Babe Ruth was not on steroids. Neither was Hank Aaron. They had skill. They had concentration. They did not need to destroy their bodies."

In his new book, Dr. Colker debunks many "myths" about nutrition and fitness and offers a powerful, practical roadmap for bodybuilders and other athletes who want to build serious muscle mass and gain a competitive edge. It's also an enjoyable read for the "Average Joe" who loves sports and wants a behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on. For more information on the book, or on Dr. Colker and his views, visit http://www.extrememuscleenhancement.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/.