Natural Bodybuilding Transformation: Achieving Success Without Steroids

Coach Greg showcases his impressive natural physique transformation over 18 years of dedicated training.

### The Transformation Journey: From Natural to Enhanced Bodybuilding
* 🏋 ️‍♂️ Coach Greg shares footage from the day before a competition, emphasizing his **natural athleticism** and the **impressive physique** he achieved **without performance-enhancing drugs**.
* 📉 He notes that he weighed **172 lbs** after an overnight dehydration method, down from **179 lbs**, and claims he is at his "**all-time best**" condition despite being carb-depleted.
* 📊 Comparing his current physique to a photo from 5 years prior, he insists he has **gained approximately 15 lbs of muscle** over that time, attributing it to **genetics and hard work**.
* 💪 After a carb meal and some tanning, he reveals a transformation just before the competition, stating he is now in the **best shape ever**, weighing in at **173 lbs**.
* 🏆 He competes against future IFBB pros and reflects on the competitive nature of bodybuilding, highlighting that he **won the overall title in a non-tested competition** while being a **natural athlete**.
* 📅 Greg discusses the differences in bodybuilding standards over the years, noting that while he may not have the size of some competitors, his **conditioning and symmetry** helped him edge out others.
* 🔄 He emphasizes the importance of **gratitude and finding happiness in personal growth** rather than external validation, urging younger athletes to **reconsider the use of performance-enhancing drugs**.
* 📚 Finally, he promotes his educational resources, encouraging viewers to **pursue their fitness goals naturally** while providing **free diet and training programs** on his website.

I'm going to show you before footage from the day before the competition, and almost all of you are going to say, 'Yep, you're a natural athlete. It's impressive.' But I believe you did this naturally. Then I'm going to show you the footage one

day later, with the tan and all oiled up before the competition, and you're going to say, 'Nope, you are a liar. You're a snake oil salesman.' Wrong! [Music] Coach Greg, in today's video we're going to go over some lost footage, and 40% of

you, approximately, are going to say, 'I'm a fake natty.' And you're going to say, 'Nope, you are a liar. You're a snake oil salesman. All you do is lie and yap, and there's no way you did that naturally.'

And so let's start with the day before. Okay, here we are on Friday morning, 9:30 AM, 172 lbs. Friday morning, 172 lbs, the day before the competition. I'm posing in my girlfriend (at the time)'s closet. Don't ask me why. I haven't drank water for

8 hours. It's 179 when I went to bed. I'd say I'm at my all-time best right now. And so you hear me, I'm at my all-time best right now. I went to bed, I was water loading. I went to bed, I was

179 lbs. I stopped drinking water for 8 hours; now I'm 172 lbs—lost 7 lbs overnight. I'm just starting the dehydration methods, and so I'm 172 lbs, carb-depleted. There's no muscle glycogen, and so my muscles are what we like to call flat.

Notice my physique right now, and remember in the previous video, that was from 5 years before this. 5 years before, I was 160 lbs, and I'm saying at my all-time best. You're thinking, "No, I think you look better 5 years ago." Not even close!

I'm telling you, wait till you see how I looked in one day following this. Just wanted to get a few photos of an eaten curb just today. Haven't been craving or anything yet. No carbs. Could almost compete without carbs and look just as good, or better. All-time best condition.

Definitely right now, all-time best condition. Definitely right now, I'm saying maybe I'd look better without even carving up. I'm starting to see the details, but remember I'm not tanned up, I'm not oiled up, and I'm not under the

perfect lighting. This is in fact a natural look, and I want you to notice a few things. Do you notice any gyno? Any puffiness around the nipples? Do you see any acne? Do you see any signs of somebody using performance-enhancing

drugs aside from having a [ __ ] ton of muscle? You can calculate your fat-free mass index. Oh, you're 5'6", 172 lbs? Your fat-free mass index is above 25, and so there's no way you're natural. That's a

made-up formula that makes absolutely no sense and it doesn't account for anything. And so again, you can notice that I'm strong in the obliques, very lean on the obliques. I do have some separation in the thighs, some glute striation, but in comparison, my lower body

It's perhaps not even as lean as Coach Greg right now. In my studio, this is 2006; this is 18 years ago. I'm perhaps 30 years of age; I'm 48 now, but I'm on HRT. But I do, in fact, race bikes, and so my

legs are always training harder than last time. And so, as you're comparing this physique from 2006, which physique do you think is better? You're seeing me right now. I weighed 189 lb this morning; currently, I'm 193 lb. I ate breakfast, and so I'm 20

lb heavier right now than I am here. And so, at first glance, I'm thinking this ain't all that impressive. I think I could beat this physique right now, today, 18 years older. I'm lifting weights 3 days a week maximum, and I think I could

beat this guy. But wait till you see the changes to make in one single day. Now, remember my abs did appear to be better back then. This is prior to me having hernia surgery, getting older, and so on; prior to abusing steroids. Once I started to abuse steroids, my gut, it began to

grow bigger; my stomach, not nearly as snatched as it was back then. 174 and 1/2, all ripped up and tanned up, ready to go weigh in. I'm now 173 lb. I've eaten a carb meal and I'm slightly tan, and so

notice I'm beginning to transform, starting to look a little bit better. Best shape ever for sure. And so, notice I'm saying best shape I've ever been in for sure. Remember, bodybuilding is a journey; every show you want to be better than your last. Five years ago, you saw I was 160

PBS, I'm currently over 170 lbs, and so in the last 5 years, I've put on perhaps 3 lbs of muscle per year. Not sure exactly, but let's call it 15 lbs of muscle; 3 lbs per year, that's 15 lbs in 5 years, and

you're thinking, 'No, anyone can gain 15 lbs in a year.' If you have great genetics, you're gaining 15 lbs of muscle in a year. Elite-level genetics. You're going to debate me? I'm not saying this to brag; I'm saying I was fortunate, and because I

was fortunate and had great genetics, I was able to put on this much muscle. Are you starting to see the changes? Starting to look a little bit better? No gyno, no acne. And for those of you saying, 'Oh, if you're on steroids, your traps and your delts

are going to be huge,' clearly I don't have overdeveloped traps or shoulders. Not that it actually means anything, because I'm telling you, when I went on steroids, a lot of the muscle that I did in fact put on was on my back, as well as in my

thighs, hamstrings, and so on. And in particular, my legs got a lot leaner. 174 1/2 lbs now, carved up. 2 1/2 lbs. I'm going to go to bed eventually, I'm going to sleep, pee out

some water weight, and the next day, wait till you see the difference. And so you can see—remember, it's old footage, not particularly the best; there's going to be far better footage shortly—but you can see I have a tight waist, the obliques

Showing the arms, biceps, and so on; great symmetry. There's balance in the body, top to bottom, front to back. In this competition, we also have two future IFBB pros I'm competing against: in the light heavyweight, we had Mike Lind, and in the heavyweight division, we had

Mike Johnson. Two future IFBB pros. Clearly, I had my work cut out for me. Remember, 172 lbs; I am a middleweight. He was first in the light heavyweight class in the 2000 drug-tested World qualifier; he was first in the 2000 Canadians, and

first in the welterweight division in Musclemania Canada. Please welcome Greg Doucet, walking out onto the stage, 172 lbs, going in the middleweight division, doing my famous 'bye-bye-bye' routine. Hands on hips; muscular, and you can see the abdominals, the pecs, the striated biceps,

and so on. You can see, in comparison to 2001, five years later, I've clearly put on a lot of size. The legs, in particular, aren't quite as lean as I'd like to see them for me at this time. This was my best ever conditioning, but since that

time, I'd actually made a lot of improvements. So, going through the posing, going through one pose to the next, trying to flow through each pose as well as including some artistic posing. Now, remember, this is before Classic Physique. In this condition, I'm literally 20 lbs

below the weight cap as an IFBB pro. As much muscle as you see right here, I'd still need to add on 20 lbs of muscle and get significantly leaner if I were to want to compete at the top level as a Classic Physique competitor.

And this was a very competitive battle; three guys at the top in the middleweight division. In many other competitions, perhaps any of these guys would have won the overall. And in first place, your men's lightweight champion, competitor number one.

Craig. And so notice the difference in one day. This is still not the best lighting; I have far better footage to show you in just a minute, but you can see the chest detail, the fullness, the abs, the conditioning. And so there you have it: winning the overall in a non-tested

bodybuilding competition as a natural athlete. And so it is in fact possible. Now, of course, at the national level or competing for an IFBB Pro card, it's not the same, but at a smaller show without the best competitors in the entire country battling for a pro card, you can

do extremely well while being 100% natural. Mike Johnson literally won the heavyweight division, and he was approximately 202 lb, 5'10" tall. And here comes Mike Johnson, another natural athlete. You're thinking, "There's no way he could be natural." This man went on to

become an amazing IFBB Pro. If you have elite-level genetics, this is what you're going to look like when you're natural. Now, of course, when you add in performance-enhancing drugs, you're going to put on a lot more muscle. That is the type of physique that's going to become

an IFBB Pro. Craig versus Mike Johnson, two future IFBB Pros. As you can see, he has me on size: bigger legs, he's taller, wider shoulders, and so on. I believe I edged him out in the detail, more conditioning, slightly leaner, and that made the difference. Very close.

The battle, you could see very easily, could have gone to Mike Johnson, but on this day the judges rewarded it to me. Ladies and gentlemen, your overall winner, Senior Men's Greats, is... [Applause] Mike, an incredible bodybuilder, was known for his back, and so it's all on the lighting, my...

back. Not looking too shabby! Mike's very massive; he's not under the best lighting, but trust me, as an IFBB Pro, that was his strong point. Mike weighing over 200 lbs, myself in the 170s. I'm much older than him, I believe about 8 years, and here we

are on stage. Mike on the right, Dan Fowler next to him, a top national-level bodybuilder as well as a classic physique competitor. You see the difference between Dan Fowler—now, he has tattoos everywhere—and so this is going back old school. And from the rear, as you can see,

Dan Fowler's hamstrings are popping out! My hamstrings, not as detailed as they once were, as you can see. My hamstrings need to be flexed! Come on, Coach Greg, flex the hamstrings! Lat spread; difficult angle, but you can see very closely. It could go to almost anyone. And from the

front, the obliques I believe are helping me, as well as the balance and symmetry from top to bottom and front to back. Perhaps slightly out-edging Mike Johnson in definition. Dan Fowler, a little bit taller, needs to fill out his frame a little bit more.  The remaining

competitors are a bit too small to battle it out for the overall. Remember, this is a combination of size, symmetry, shape, and conditioning. Pose-down time! Coming to the front of the stage, going through as many poses as humanly possible. The abdominal pose is strong for me, showing off

the legs and, of course, the chest; the arms, great development, as well as the quads, perhaps from years of bike riding. And so you can see natural physiques can look very impressive, perhaps not as much size, but do you really need all that size? I would argue that most people

would be in favor of the physique size that I myself had here, as well as Mike Johnson, in comparison to ourselves. As even IFBB Pros, Mike went on to put on well over 20 lbs of muscle, as well as myself. I argue, is big automatically better and

so now, actual quality lighting. And so notice the difference that the lighting makes, and in comparison to one day before. Remember, this is in one day. And so are you going to say, "Oh, you clearly hopped on [steroids] in one day and made that much difference? You took Tren the night

before the competition and that's why you made all these changes?" It's not. It's a good pump, lighting, carbs, and that's the difference. Notice the conditioning of the abdominals, the symmetry, the fullness of the chest, the detail. However, you see less conditioning in the

lower half, the legs, the quads in particular; they're not as shredded as you would expect. And from the rear, notice all the bumps, the crevices, the detail, the Christmas tree, getting into the lat spread, the small waist, the wide shoulders. The hamstrings could be leaner

in the legs, but upper body definitely on point. This is 21 years of training, training since I was 10 years of age, and many of those years I was training as a triathlete, doing 20 hours of cardio. As I got older, I said, "I want to be a"

Bodybuilder. I put everything into it. I stopped doing all the cardio, stopped running and so on; eventually, even stopped cycling and continued to make improvements. The improvements did, in fact, slow down, but as I learned more about my body, learned more about how to

train effectively, I continued to make improvements. And all the while bodybuilding, I continued to be a powerlifter, was setting powerlifting records and so on. Side chest, the arms, the chest—everything looking on point. And so many of you are going to be

thinking, 'Well, if you look like that natural, why would you ever want to use steroids?' I wanted to turn pro back then. They did not give out pro cards for winning the drug-tested Canadian Nationals, of which I have won. No pro cards—you win the overall, nothing is

given to you. There was no classic physique; there wasn't even a 212 category. There was open bodybuilding, and that's it. I wanted to get a pro card. Almost every competition that I entered, I would come out on top as a natural athlete. I was beating people who were on

steroids, and so I knew if I eventually took steroids, I'm going to be pretty good. I'm pretty good natural, and so with steroids, of course, I'm going to get that much better. Most muscular, showing off the arms, the chest, the abs, front

double biceps. Biceps bigger than last time, trying to show some aesthetics, looking like the Z's pose. And the quads, although they had muscle, weren't the cross-striations. And from the rear, calves are somewhat developed, but I'm not seeing crazy striations. That glutes could

have more detail, as well as the hamstrings. Here, I am feeling the hamstrings; they're there, but not as pronounced as they should be. Relax pose—one of my weaknesses. I had a cycling accident when I was younger, and so the right shoulder is about an inch lower than the

left. On stage—remember, this is approximately one or two weeks later—in my area, we had a provincial bodybuilding championships, and a week or two later, they had the Atlantic championships. And so you would compete back-to-back. And so I'm competing on stage; three guys

competing against each other. As a judge critiquing my former self on stage from 18 years ago, I'm thinking, this guy's got great shape, great muscle bellies; he's balanced from top to bottom, front to back, but he could be leaner in the lower

half. Today's standards in bodybuilding have continued to improve, and so what was lean in 2006, competing in today, they'd say, 'Hey, bro, you need to dry out; you need to come in a bit leaner.' Looking like I look here, yeah, you can compete in

bodybuilding, but the majority of people would say you would belong in Classic Physique. And remember, I'm far below the weight class limit. And so imagine getting even leaner—perhaps 5 lbs leaner—and adding on all of that muscle. As an IFBB Pro, I could compete almost 20 lbs

bigger than this. And so imagine being 20 lbs bigger and leaner. And so do you now know why I say that Classic Physique weight categories are, in fact, too high? I would much prefer to see another category, 20 lbs lighter. Do you all think

that this is not enough muscle. If you could get this physique, would you not be satisfied? Would you not be happy with that? Imagine if they added another category with classic physique, but with 20 lb lower weight classes. Imagine how many people could stop abusing performance-enhancing drugs chasing the

size at all costs. And we know that using and abusing steroids is not healthy. So imagine having a lower weight class; would that not allow people to use less steroids than last time? Perhaps even maybe do it 100% natural. And again, the backstage footage is better than last

time. Remember, you need great lighting and a proper camera. This is 2006; it's before proper cell phones. And so let's examine my physique when pumped up, oiled up, and more tan than last time. And so imagine if Mike Israetel had a tan like this,

clearly Mike would be a pro. Remember, we're the exact same height. I'm weighing about 172 lb; Mike Israetel on stage, 216 lb. I'm in fact about 40 lb lighter than Mike, but I do believe that this physique perhaps possibly maybe might even beat

Mike Israetel on stage, flexing the quads. The detail, the separation—still not as lean as I'd like to be, but look at the symmetry. Let's see Andrew Eubanks do that pose now. Remember, this is before the vacuum pose; no one was hitting

vacuums, but I did in fact have great abdominals. The quads, not crossing to the rear; focus on glutes. I don't see glute striations; I'm not even seeing hardly any hamstrings, but yet it's still

An impressive physique! Relaxing glutes, look at the back; the small waist, the Christmas tree, the bumps, the grooves, the crevices, the wide shoulders—that is what a back should look like if you're a bodybuilding competitor. And from the front, let's see the chest, the striations...

...the abs, in particular the obliques. Hands on hips, most muscular looking for cross-section across the pecs; the side chest pose. Look at the obliques, the pecs, the arms. I'm glazing myself before GTA 6. And so, remember at the start of the video...

...when I said, 'Hey, this physique, it's not all that impressive.' I could perhaps beat that physique right now? I don't think so! Look at this physique—natural—from 18 years in the past. And so, those of you thinking you need to have steroids to...

...look good—how many years have you been training? Been training 3 years? Five? A measly 10? Try training for 20! But no, I want my physique today. Are you willing to put in the work? You know how hard I trained for this—20 straight years, never...

...taking a week off. But you—you ought to take steroids, and you're a teenager; your brain hasn't even finished developing. But I need to take Tren, I need to take peptides! Heaven forbid I do it while being natural. No one could get a great physique while training natural, right?

Wrong! The triceps, more developed than last time; very good development in the obliques, the abdominals. It's all about having that tight waist; it makes the illusion of having more size. Remember, I'm only 172 lbs. And the closeup on the abs—is that not an impressive physique?

But oh, Coach Greg, he just yaps; he's all about drama. He doesn't know anything. What could he possibly know? He doesn't have a PhD. My master's in kinesiology, highest GPA in all of my classes, won the university medal, was a Dean's List scholar throughout my career. But no, I don't know how to train; I don't know how to diet. But yet, I've written multiple books, including cookbooks, a diet book, training book, how to diet and keep the weight off.

What should you actually be doing? My secrets from over 30 years—all the training secrets, the dieting secrets, and so on—the best recipes in the world, easy to make. I am not a culinary chef; you should see the French toast I made this morning. It tastes amazing; may not look it, but it's superb, it's splendid, supreme work.

And so, if you ate like I do, if you knew the secrets that I have, it would be far easier for you. You do not have to suffer eating chicken, broccoli, and rice. Do you think I did this show just eating chicken, broccoli, and rice? Of course not!

My dieting secrets had already begun. I had low-calorie apple crisp; I had muffins that were low in calories; I had low-calorie pancakes and French toast—everything—and it only continues to get better over time. This was accomplished without even Turk Builder and/or G to Max. Imagine if I had this! I had to raw dog training back then. There was no Con-dat; there was no GEE. Low-calorie barbecue sauce? I was putting on salt and pepper; was lucky to get Mrs. Dash.

It's 2024. You can get Go2 Max for improved cardio. Turk Builder helps you train harder than last time, build more muscle, and you can get my freakin' cookbook and circle diet book, so you know how much easier it is for you to

achieve your dream physique. Now, remember, since that time, I eventually resorted to using performance-enhancing drugs. I wanted my IFBB pro card. I made videos showing the before-and-after transformation of my physique before using steroids, in comparison to my physique

after I used steroids for 10 years. But since that time, I'm on HRT, and of course, I do regret the decisions I once made. Imagine if I'd remained natural all this time. I'd have this physique to show for it. Wouldn't you all have been impressed?

Wouldn't you have been satisfied? And so, of course, people are going to say, 'Yeah, but if you hadn't done this and hadn't done that, you wouldn't have been famous.' I don't know if that's true. Who knows? Did you all start following me because

I'm an IFBB Pro because I could bench press over 500 lbs, or do you follow me because I sound like the parrot from Aladdin? Do you follow me because I'm a manlet? How I perhaps identify as a comedian while explaining to you various

ways to train, diet, and so on? Do I not make my videos entertaining? So, whether or not you would have followed me if I hadn't used steroids, maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But what I do know is I do not like the thought of

Taking years off my life just to have more muscles than last time.  Remember, more muscles didn't make me happier. What makes me happy is chasing excellence, trying to be the best version of myself. So, whether it was running, swimming, biking, doing triathlons, or powerlifting,

setting Guinness World Records, bench press records, and so on, or bodybuilding, chasing an IFBB Pro card, or now racing on Zwift on a bike, practicing Spanish... I'm trying to better myself, reading more books than last time. I stopped watching TV, and so,

what I recommend for you all is to chase your passion. But if that passion involves doing something that's not healthy, then please think twice. If you're below the age of 25 and considering using performance-enhancing drugs, please reconsider. Wait until

you're older, if ever, and never ever break the law. Only use performance-enhancing drugs with the advice and consent of your doctor. And so, let me know in the comment section: do you think it's possible to achieve this while being natural? If you have amazing

genetics and you put in the work for not years, but perhaps decades, is it possible? Or do you believe you have to use testosterone, trenbolone, SARMs, peptides, and so on? What makes you happy is improving, getting better, being your best self. But even with steroids, eventually those gains

they come to an end. Even when I used steroids, yeah, it was fun, I put on more muscle, I got bigger, but then I had to use even more steroids, and eventually I couldn't add anymore; it wouldn't work. And so I had to come off. Luckily for me, I

I found cycling yet again. I found reading books and I also learned a new language. But if it's not for that many people, they have a hard time coming off. Often times, people shorten their life; they'll die younger, all for what? To get more muscles? So, in order to truly be

happy, you have to practice what's known as gratitude. You have to be happy with what you've accomplished. It has to become intrinsic. You can't just be happy through external validation, external factors, and so on. It has to come from within. And so when I reflect back and

think of, wow, look at what I have done, I'm happy. I don't need to buy any more cars. I don't need to make any more money. I don't need more followers. I don't need you to say this or to say that. I'm

already happy. It comes from within. Often times, people have millions of followers, millions of dollars, and so on; they're not truly happy. First they were happy, wow, 10,000 views on a video, then it's 100,000 views, perhaps it's a million, but

eventually the views don't keep going up. The views perhaps start to go down. You're thinking, what did I do wrong? I'm not happy anymore. I'm not getting the dopamine rush that I once had. You need to practice this gratitude, and this

applies to everyone, not just for people who are rich millionaires and so on. It applies to everyone. And so please practice gratitude. Be happy for what you have; it could be far worse. Subscribe, click the bell button, comment to boost the algorithm, please like the video if you

In fact, I liked it. Why am I even shirtless right now? If you're interested in getting harder-than-last-time clothing, like tank tops, hoodies, t-shirts, joggers, and pants, and so on, get over to my website.  Cold Greg, 15% off!

Watch one of the two loops, of course. The cookbooks, the training books, the coaching plans by me and my team—all of it on the website. If you've got no money, I've got free diet and training programs; got you covered! It's close to 50 pages, multiple different plans because they're customized

depending on your own individual needs. Don't say I didn't do anything for you! Pick up the free—that's right, free—diet and training program on the website. And until next time, I am out!

Greg Doucette Natural

Greg Doucette

Comparison of physique before and after competition preparation

Footage from the day before the competition shows a natural, untanned physique.

Weight and water loading strategies are discussed.

Comparison of physique 5 years prior and the day before the competition.

Analysis of physique for signs of steroid use.

Transformation of physique after carb meal and tanning.

Details about the competition and fellow competitors.

Description of the posing routine and physique on stage.

Discussion of natural bodybuilding at different competition levels.

Post-competition analysis and lighting effects

Comparison of physique with better lighting and posing.

Discussion of training evolution and changes over time.

Reasons for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Discussion on the impact of steroid use and alternative bodybuilding categories

Proposal for a lower weight class in Classic Physique.

Reflection on the use of performance-enhancing drugs and their impact.

Concluding thoughts on pursuing passion and happiness

Importance of chasing passion while maintaining health.

Limitations of steroid use and the importance of gratitude.

Call to action: subscribe, like, and comment.

Promotion of clothing, cookbooks, training books, and coaching plans.

Offer of free diet and training programs.