Richard Eugene Piana was born September 26, 1970, and died on August 25, 2017 . Rich was an American bodybuilder and businessman. He won the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) Mr. Teen California title in 1989, IFBB Mr. California in 1998 and National Physique Committee (NPC) competitions in 2003 and 2009. He had his own nutrition product line called Rich Piana: 5% Nutrition.
Steroids In Bodybuilding
He publicly admitted that he had been using anabolic steroids and synthetic human growth hormone. Both part of his bodybuilding regimen during his 25-year career in competition. Starting when he was 18 years old. He had said he was aware that the steroids would do damage to his body. Also said steroid use was a necessary part of competing at the highest levels of bodybuilding and that it was a risk he was willing to take.
Steroid Overdose
He died at the age of 46, after two weeks in a coma. At death his heart and liver weighed over twice the average amount for an adult male. Piana, aware of enlarged organs. A known side effect of the steroids and other hormones he had been taking. However, the autopsy report was ultimately inconclusive on the cause and manner of his death.
Rich Piana was the most outspoken bodybuilder about his 30 years of steroid usage despite admitting time and time again that the drugs “can kill you.”
Rich Piana – What He Taught Us About Anabolic Steroid Abuse
The former Mr. California’s death, confirmed Friday morning in a Facebook post by his estranged wife Sara Piana. Just two weeks after incident reported, placed in a medically induced coma after passing out in his Florida home. 20 bottles of injectable testosterone were reportedly found by police.
Rich Piana was very open about his anabolic use, and he maintained that he was “not bragging” or encouraging steroid use in others. Instead, Piana used his platform to educate those who were going to use them on how to use performance enhancers “properly.”
In an April 2016 YouTube video he had stated, “If you have the choice to stay natural or do steroids, stay natural. There’s no reason to do steroids, you’re only hurting your body, you’re hurting yourself,” he explained “If you want to become a professional bodybuilder, guess what – you’re probably going to have to f——’ do ‘em.”
What Anabolic Steroids Did Rich Piana Use ?
Rich was bold enough to post his planned out anabolic steroid cycle on his instagram page.
When competing on the national level, Piana admits taking 20 International Units of Serostim growth hormone a day. That amount cost him roughly $8,000 a month.