0:00:02 > 0:00:05'Being a British guy in 2015 is not easy.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08'21st century pressures are changing...'
0:00:08 > 0:00:09No way...
0:00:09 > 0:00:11'..the way we live...'
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Women are seen as superior to men.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15'..the way we love...'
0:00:15 > 0:00:17If you are a Muslim, you cannot be gay.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19It's as simple as that.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21'..even the way we look.'
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- That's silicone?- Yeah. - This is mental.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26'In this series, I'm travelling to the extreme edge...
0:00:26 > 0:00:30MAN GRUNTS '..of modern British masculinity.'
0:00:30 > 0:00:32They basically said the only way you can stay is
0:00:32 > 0:00:36if you agree to be exorcised to get the demons out of you.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'The UK's gyms are bulging.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41'And British men have never been bigger...'
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Oh, Jesus, man.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44'..buffer...'
0:00:44 > 0:00:45Doesn't even look real.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47The gym is my life, effectively.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49'..or more bothered about body image.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:51There's not enough cuts.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53I'm just not pleased with it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54That's crazy.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'So why so are many young British guys battling with their bodies?'
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You want six pack, right?
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Yep.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I want to find out what happens
0:01:06 > 0:01:11when self-improvement spirals into self-destruction
0:01:11 > 0:01:15for a generation in search of the ultimate six-pack.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Your testosterone's up there anyway.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And you're adding steroids.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I ended up going to jail for 12 months for fighting.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24What's your body going to be like at 30?
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I'd be lucky to get there.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29If you know that, then what are you doing?!
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Jacked, ripped, shredded, cut.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Call it what you like.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Right now, muscles are huge.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44The thing that seems consistent in
0:01:44 > 0:01:46these pictures is that there are a lot
0:01:46 > 0:01:50of people on the planet who spend a lot of time working out.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56This kind of body once belonged to professional athletes.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59But these pecs and six packs are all down to the hard
0:01:59 > 0:02:02graft of thousands of ordinary guys.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04There's a lot of normal sort of average Joes in here
0:02:04 > 0:02:07in gyms that look just like the one that I'm in right now,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10working their arse off to achieve some sort of result.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Hench has gone high street
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and Instagram is inundated
0:02:14 > 0:02:17with solid pecs and six-packs.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22It's normal now to work out. It's normal now to share your results.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I've just clicked on this guy's pictures here
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and there is a photo here of him on a building site with a hammer
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and no shirt on.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34He's got an incredible physique and he's clearly
0:02:34 > 0:02:38putting a lot of work in, because if it's not pictures of his six-pack,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41it's pictures of his diet and he, erm...
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Yeah, he's really, really put the work in.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48So what does it really take to get a body like that?
0:02:48 > 0:02:49I'm off to find out.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Welcome to Swansea, South Wales.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56And meet Kyle.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- Hello, mate. Kyle?- Reggie.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- Nice to meet you.- Pleasure. How are you?- Yep, I'm all right. Yeah, very good.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- Quite smart. - Mate, I don't know what I'm wearing.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Are you dressed literally for the gym to run straight in now?
0:03:09 > 0:03:12I'm always prepped for the gym, always prepped for gym.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Why's that? I mean, is it something
0:03:14 > 0:03:16- that you don't get to do on a regular basis?- I go every day.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- Every single day? - Every single day.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Kyle's pictures don't lie. He is a builder.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26But he's found a way to make the most of every minute at work.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32I find the hardest jobs on site so I can train in work as well.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- 24.- And how long has this whole obsession with fitness been
0:03:37 > 0:03:40a part of your life? If you don't mind me calling it an obsession.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41It is. It's an obsession.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Erm, I've been in the gym about four years.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46I've been obsessed about 18 months.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47So why this level of obsession?
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I've been single for 18 months. Simple as that.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54So the minute she left, you started pumping?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'I've brought my gym kit too,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59'but it turns out Kyle has a little something extra.'
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Is there like five different pairs of shorts in there?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Erm, no, one pair of shorts.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And that.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- And some clingfilm?- Clingfilm.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15- So have you got in your mind already a routine that you are going to work through today?- Yes, I have.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Where does that clingfilm come into play?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20You'll see. You'll see.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23This has suddenly got really ominous. Oh, so there he is.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Look at that!
0:04:31 > 0:04:32No way.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35So you are going to work out with that on?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Underneath my T-shirt, yeah. I lose the excess water.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39And I just sweat it out.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Do you not feel like a flipping Christmas turkey?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45It feels tight, yeah, it feels tight. It feels uncomfortable.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Right.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Kyle's said I can follow the workout he does
0:04:53 > 0:04:56when he wants his muscles to look most defined.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58I'm not expecting this to be easy.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Three or four miles, I'd be happy.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Three or four miles.- Yeah.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06But he's trying to sweat out excess water, risking dehydration
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and even heatstroke.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It's wet, it's soaking.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Abs mixed in as well with no break.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19Wow.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21OK?
0:05:31 > 0:05:32Slow it down.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33- Slower.- Yeah?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Jeez, you got a proper focus going, man.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I mean, I don't want to talk to you to mess with your stuff
0:05:41 > 0:05:42but I've never seen you look
0:05:42 > 0:05:45so serious in the little bit of time that I've been...
0:05:45 > 0:05:47The only time that I am serious is when I'm training.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Most days I'm laid-back and mellow.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53In here, it's about training, and that's it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Please don't take this the wrong way.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I look at you and I think you're done.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Like, I would dream to have a body like yours right now,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03but I don't think I would want to push it any further than it is
0:06:03 > 0:06:05if I got to this point.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I've got to keep pushing.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Jump in.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Keep moving.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18You going to start shouting at me in a minute?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20It's warm-up, so it's OK now.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21- This is the warm-up?- Yeah.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24So if this is the warm-up, what are we going to be doing
0:06:24 > 0:06:25when we're really going for it?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Faster. Faster and more reps.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Why would we need to go even harder?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Why would we need to go faster than this?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34To sweat more, lose more water, more ripped.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39So far, so looks-obsessed.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'But for someone who's posting shirtless photos online,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47'you'd think Kyle would be prouder of the results of all his work.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Come on, mate. Look, it's completely flat. What is wrong with that?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52It may be flat but it's not good enough.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55It's too much water here. You know, I'm not...
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Too much water where?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00See? It's not showing enough here. I'm just not pleased with it.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- There is nothing wrong with trying to better yourself.- No.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06But I am just trying to understand what it is that you are seeing
0:07:06 > 0:07:07different to what I am seeing.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09It's not enough... There's not enough cut.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13What do you mean by enough cut?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17When you get a six-pack, right? There's two, four...
0:07:17 > 0:07:19These are not showing enough.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Number six.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Do you think that I see something completely different to you
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- when you look at your body? - Yeah.- What is that?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I see a shit body.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35You can see it being in good shape.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So if you feel shit about your body, does that mean that
0:07:38 > 0:07:41when you look in the mirror you're unhappy with what you see?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- Yeah.- Really, even now?- Mm.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49As we leave, Kyle tells me he's starving.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53He's earned a decent lunch.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54What's this, exactly?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Like, smoke beef. Dried smoke beef.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59But this is not it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02This is just lean meat.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04140 calories per bag.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Do you count calories on a daily basis?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Not count as such, but watch what I eat.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Food-wise, every day I eat about five or six meals a day,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17but they're all low-calorie foods.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Diet is obviously very important when it comes to looking after your body,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24but you are micro-managing every calorie.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26I'm watching, yeah.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28It's not a healthy obsession, is it?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So you know that.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31I am totally aware of it.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35If you are aware, why isn't it changing?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Can't. I like looking good.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40But I know I'll never be perfect.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46OK, full disclosure.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49I'm not about to live on tiny pieces of dried-up beef,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52but I can understand some of what Kyle's saying.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Two weeks ago, I stepped up my own gym routine in a big way.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I'm in the gym and the reason that I'm here is
0:08:59 > 0:09:02because my mate has told me that I'm getting a little bit fat now.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03And I think he is too,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06so we've put ourselves on this six-week challenge. We're challenging
0:09:06 > 0:09:09ourselves to lose some weight, to feel better about our bodies.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13The aim is to eat as clean as possible and train as much as possible,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15which is why I'm here sweating like a pig
0:09:15 > 0:09:18because I am determined to get to the end of this challenge
0:09:18 > 0:09:22and look in the mirror and be happy with what I see.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25I'm noticing younger and younger guys are going to the gym now
0:09:25 > 0:09:27and that was never the case when I was younger.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30You know, when I was in school, you didn't care about that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It was just about who had the right trainers.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35It wasn't about who had the biggest biceps.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Sports stars, fashion lines, men's mags...
0:09:38 > 0:09:43It seems every 21st century male image has a perfect six-pack.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Looks like the shoot's already in full swing.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54I've come to Leeds, where online clothes company Reem
0:09:54 > 0:09:56are holding a casting call for new models.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01But they're not just looking for professionals...
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Boss Simon wants what he calls "ordinary guys" off the street.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Really, what we're trying to do is trying to find the next
0:10:07 > 0:10:09sort of cut guy.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12If it comes across in that image that he is a little bit ripped,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15then it makes the clothes look a lot better.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Good, and again, and again, good.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Two weeks into my own body blitz, this lot don't look that
0:10:25 > 0:10:31ordinary to me, but only two out of 14 guys here are actually models.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And it seems muscles make money when it comes to selling clothes.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Flat on, flat on. These are full length, OK?
0:10:39 > 0:10:42So keep the movement going. Fantastic.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45He could appeal to like a mass market of guys, you know?
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Who are everyday guys, gym-goers.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52So, are everyday guys and gym-goers the same thing now?
0:10:52 > 0:10:53I think for our customer.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Change the feet. You've got it. Look up.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58This guy, looking at him in this picture,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02he looks like a fairly normal, average guy, but seeing him
0:11:02 > 0:11:04face-to-face you can see that he's got massive pecs,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06he goes to the gym, he's got big arms.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09So would you say that this sort of model is
0:11:09 > 0:11:11what your consumers are aspiring towards?
0:11:11 > 0:11:12This sort of body shape?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Yes, athletic.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Certainly that athletic, that shredded look.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19You know, so nothing too big, but shredded and defined
0:11:19 > 0:11:22so they're going to have, like, a six pack or
0:11:22 > 0:11:24they're going to aim towards a six pack.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29There's a few guys I'm quite excited to see.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31- Luke I quite like.- The guy in the army green?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Yeah, the guy in the army green. He's a bit of a lad's lad.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36So that's the way he comes across to me.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I think he's got a good image, I think, yeah.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42When he's not peeling off his vest, Luke works as a barber.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Luke, is that your most ripped or
0:11:44 > 0:11:47are you more ripped than that sometimes?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Are you on a downer or an up at the minute?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51To be honest, you've caught me off-guard.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I've been on holiday for two weeks. No training, been eating pizza.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56What did you have for breakfast today as well?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Erm, oats and a protein shake.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Just flex your muscles maybe for me, yeah.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03You see this sort of...
0:12:03 > 0:12:04When you get that sort of definition,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06if the garment is fitted around that,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08that's generally just giving a great image.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- That's what you are looking for? - That is what the guy wants.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15All right, stop flexing now. He's giving it all of that!
0:12:16 > 0:12:20One look at Luke, and it's pretty obvious he's a gym user,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23but it looks like he's been working a lot harder than me.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25For years!
0:12:25 > 0:12:27How much weight would you say you've put on
0:12:27 > 0:12:29since you've started training?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Um, like, three stone of lean muscle.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Wow, that's a lot.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Yeah. I was, like, nine stone before.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Jeez! Do you have any pictures of your old self?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- Oh, Jesus, man.- That's about three years of training.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Wow.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46To this year now.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I just wanted to be more muscular.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53I haven't been to a fashion shoot
0:12:53 > 0:12:56where muscles have been so important.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Personal trainer Ross has some of the biggest and glossiest of all.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08No way!
0:13:09 > 0:13:11It doesn't even look real.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Yeah, but that's, like, four years of work.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16You did that in four years?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Yeah, that is Monday to Friday gym sessions,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20four, five times a week. It is like a full-time job.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22The gym is my life, effectively.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24So, what was your motivation to start, then?
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Mainly it was just because I wanted to be better in myself
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and I looked up to the Men's Health, the six-pack,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34what everyone at the time calls the perfect physique.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It's obvious these guys are working hard,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40and I guess it's no surprise the media is playing a big part
0:13:40 > 0:13:41in encouraging them.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44All these television shows, like your Geordie Shores
0:13:44 > 0:13:46or your MTV kind of shows, they're going out, having a good time,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49looking good, they're getting all the attention,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51and I think that is a big part of it, really -
0:13:51 > 0:13:53lads seeing that and want a little piece of it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55You see changes in your body from the gym
0:13:55 > 0:13:57and you're getting a little bit more attention
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and you just want more and more of it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I think that is the reason, and then it kind of becomes a lifestyle
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and a habit, and you are just set for life.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Thanks so much for coming. It means a lot to us and the team.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16'Simon has boiled down 14 wannabe models to four.'
0:14:16 > 0:14:21Ashley, as a good contender, as one of our four, Ashley, OK, so...
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Luke Gator, thank you.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Jamie, and then finally, we've got Ben as well for the four.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32I don't remember the last time I felt this fat! I am...
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I don't remember the last time I spent this much time
0:14:35 > 0:14:37around a group of guys with no shirt on as well.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43It just seems that now, because in mainstream culture, you know,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45you've got someone like Cristiano Ronaldo,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47who looks like he's been chiselled out of marble,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49you've got someone like David Beckham
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and things like social media,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54we all have in our lives on a day-to-day sort of basis,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58there is no way of escaping these messages that are being thrown at us.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03For this generation of late teens and twentysomethings,
0:15:03 > 0:15:08just how built you are and how masculine you are is so important.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13But sometimes exercise just isn't enough.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Some young men are going even further for perfect abs.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Like Turkey.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26It's an increasingly popular destination for young Brits
0:15:26 > 0:15:28in pursuit of the perfect body shape.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I've come to a private hospital to meet Lee.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- Where are you from?- I'm from Leeds.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Leeds? And what are you getting done here?
0:15:37 > 0:15:38I'm getting abdominal etching.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40What on earth does that mean?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42It creates a more defined six-pack,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45so they suck the fat out from in between your grooves
0:15:45 > 0:15:48in the six-pack, and they can add fat on to it,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51depending on what type of six-pack you'd like to have.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54So, basically, you are having like a surgical, permanent six-pack?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- Yes.- How often do you actually go to the gym?
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Six to seven times a week.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00- Six to seven times a week?- Yes.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Now, this might sound a little weird and I'm not blowing smoke here
0:16:02 > 0:16:06but you actually look like you are in absolutely fine physical shape.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Why are you doing this?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Because I'd like it more defined.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14And I'd like to be able to put more size on as well.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I honestly feel, being brought up in the '80s with the wrestling,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22you know, with the wrestling figures,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26you always picture a man with muscles and six-pack,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and that's the way that my image were always brought up,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34so that is my perception of an ideal man.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37When you were, I don't know, when you first started at the gym
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and you first started working out, did you ever think you'd end up here?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42No. No, I really didn't.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Lee's after something even six days a week at the gym can't give him.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52So he's spending £3,500 to get action-figure abs.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It's his first ever major operation.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59How are you feeling at this stage? You feeling nervous yet?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01I am, yeah, very nervous.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02You don't look it at all.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Well, I try to keep it in, really,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06but, no, it's... Yeah.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I don't know, I'm really struggling to understand
0:17:09 > 0:17:13why you are going to put yourself through this. You're in good shape.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Well, thank you, for a start,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17but, no, I don't see that. Like I said...
0:17:17 > 0:17:19What do you see?
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I see that there are certain areas that need developing.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23What are those areas?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Definitely my stomach.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27And my arms need to be bigger.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Hi there.- How are you? - I'm good, thank you.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36We will take you to the operation room in 30 minutes.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- OK.- OK?- No worries.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41The operation Lee's having is still rare,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45but this hospital has seen seven British guys in the last six months.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Funny thing is,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50you need to be in good shape to have it in the first place.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Patients won't normally be considered
0:17:53 > 0:17:55if they have more than 2cm of fat.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- So, you want deep lines? - Deep lines.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01- Six-pack, right?- Yep.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Here, here.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05This is only one part.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09- OK? And you want some defining, here.- Yes, yes.- Right?
0:18:10 > 0:18:15What little fat Lee does have will be melted using ultrasound,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19and then strategically sucked out to accentuate his muscles.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23With a procedure like this, then, just how risky is it?
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I think the main risk is asymmetry.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28We will have some swellings,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30some bruisings for nearly one month, I think, maximum.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33He will need a corset, we will put a corset on him
0:18:33 > 0:18:36for two months after the operation.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Two months of wearing a corset?
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Yes, but he can take it off.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44- He can wear his shirt on it. - Yeah.- It's not a big thing.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48After that, we can, I think, only have some skin retractions
0:18:48 > 0:18:52that we don't want, or small asymmetries that we don't like.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55If he have any problem we will talk with him again also.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Lee's gone down now and I'm still trying to work out
0:19:06 > 0:19:09whether he has got the right idea or I have.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11HE LAUGHS
0:19:11 > 0:19:14He doesn't need to do another sit-up again, ever - imagine that.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Choosing to have an operation of this scale? I don't know.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21MACHINES BEEP
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Lee will be under general anaesthetic for two-and-a-half hours.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29SLICING
0:19:35 > 0:19:37What's happening now, Doctor?
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This is the second stage - extraction of the fat.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43WHOOSHING
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Argh!
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Jeez, that is his actual fat...
0:19:51 > 0:19:53coming out of him right now.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58And the craziest thing about this
0:19:58 > 0:20:00is that I can already start to see the difference.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04I can see where some of the fat has been moved from.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07You can see that his abs are popping a little bit more,
0:20:07 > 0:20:13he looks like he has been at the gym for a few more months...even now.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19So, are you completely finished now, is this done?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- Yes. We've just finished. - Brilliant.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23You can already see that it's a lot flatter
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and there is a lot less fat on the sides here
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and the definition really is showing.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34I was sort of in there watching them work on his abs
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and I was touching mine, checking my body fat
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and I don't know if it made more paranoid about
0:20:39 > 0:20:40what I've got to shift,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43but it definitely made me think about what I'm doing.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I do know that he's going to wake up and be very bloody happy.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49If not, he's a hard man to please,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52because that was incredible, what they did in there.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58But it turns out that Lee's just a beginner in the surgery stakes.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Back in London, I'm about to meet a man who's an expert.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05KNOCK AT DOOR
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- There he is, finally. Rodrigo. - Hey, hello there.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- Hi.- Good to finally meet you.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Yeah! Make yourself comfortable, please. Come in.
0:21:17 > 0:21:2032-year-old Rodrigo is a flight attendant
0:21:20 > 0:21:24who's always dreamed of living a glamorous life.
0:21:24 > 0:21:2935 cosmetic procedures later, he says he's finally achieved his goal.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31You nearly done in there, Rodrigo?
0:21:31 > 0:21:35'And he's agreed to talk to me about them while he waits for a massage.'
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Look at you!
0:21:36 > 0:21:39That is like the world's most-flamboyant robe
0:21:39 > 0:21:41I think I have ever seen.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43There's a hood as well.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I can't avoid this, this is incredibly impressive.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Well, this is all plastic surgery.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Do you know how hard I'm working to achieve that right now?!
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Do you know the amount of sit-ups I'm doing?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- Let's compare. - No, I don't want to compare!
0:21:54 > 0:21:57This is just the most depressing thing in the world.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59And your chest looks pretty impressive. Now, please tell me...
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I'm going to get...
0:22:01 > 0:22:04You've done something to your chest. What have you done to your chest?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Well, I have silicone implants. Look.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- Is that silicone?!- Yeah.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- Oh, my goodness.- Yeah, but I have to get them done again.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17I am absolutely bamboozled by what you have achieved through surgery,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20because that is the body that so many guys are fighting to achieve
0:22:20 > 0:22:24and what you have done is, you've basically found a loophole.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26You've found a way to achieve it without the work.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Yeah, I reinvented myself through plastic surgery.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Can you talk me through what you have actually had done?
0:22:34 > 0:22:36I have fillers in my biceps.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38- Fillers?- Fillers.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- They are like... They are like silicone fillers, yeah.- OK.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Yeah, fillers in my biceps, triceps and shoulders,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51and I also have silicone implants in my chest,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55lipo in my back, in my waist, obviously my abs.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58How much would you say you've spent on all the work that you've done?
0:22:58 > 0:23:00210K.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02£210,000?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04That's correct.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05On surgery alone?
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Yes, on surgery alone.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08People, they like an image.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12People like what is beautiful.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Some people are born blessed with natural beauty.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I wasn't. I wasn't born this way.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I made myself this way in order to be accepted by society.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Cosmetic surgery has risks, like any medical procedure,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and Rodrigo himself suffered a serious infection
0:23:32 > 0:23:35after having fillers injected into his arms.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39But he's still adamant it's been right for him.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- Is that you?- It is me.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I don't see anything wrong with this guy.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46What is it about this guy that you wanted to change?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48This guy is just crossing his arms like that
0:23:48 > 0:23:50because he is covering his boobs.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52In all my photos, if I was wearing a T-shirt,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- I would always be covering myself. - What do you think
0:23:55 > 0:23:58when you see a picture of yourself looking like this?
0:23:58 > 0:23:59I feel sorry.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01I feel sorry for myself.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05I feel sorry for myself that I wasn't blessed with natural beauty
0:24:05 > 0:24:09and then I had to go through everything that I did -
0:24:09 > 0:24:12all the pain, time and money -
0:24:12 > 0:24:15in order to reinvent myself to become a happy person.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Because I wasn't happy at all
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and then I just couldn't accept myself in that way.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Looking at these images, I can really see just how much of a journey
0:24:23 > 0:24:27that you've been on in creating this new version of yourself.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29I'm satisfied, I'm happy.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33I love myself. I'm everything that I have always wanted to be in my life.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Rodrigo has his way of changing his body.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I'm four weeks into mine.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And I'm not going to lie - it's been tough.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50My routine has changed, my diet has changed
0:24:50 > 0:24:55and the fact that I am here on a regular basis is a bit weird.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59But at least I am doing it for the right reasons. I think!
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I have to really watch myself when it comes to
0:25:05 > 0:25:09what it is that I am doing and how I am feeling with the gym
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and with my results,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13because I have an addictive personality.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17I am the sort of person that, if I love something and if I get into it,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I will use and re-use and overuse it until it's dead.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25All of us who train hard are pushing for something,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28but it's a fine line between controlling the results
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and the results controlling us.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36When I met Kyle, he admitted he's striving for perfection.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38But what does that look like?
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Back in Wales, I've joined him at a second gym
0:25:43 > 0:25:45to try to find out what WILL satisfy him.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49We'll go for... We'll go sevens.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Go for sevens. Grab one each cos my hands are full.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Yeah, I've got that for you.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55And we'll crack on.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57The punishing regime is the same,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59at least at first glance.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04The clingfilm's back... but there's more.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Now he's going to lift weights in 82-degree heat.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10You're about to do another workout but in the sauna.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Yes, it'll be my third session of today.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14And these are going in there with you?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I will train with them and do push-ups in there as well.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18Mate.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I just want the perfect body.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Or close enough to perfect as I can get.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- But... Please don't take this the wrong way...- No.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- ..this isn't fitness.- No.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29This is something else.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31This is punishing your body.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32This is pushing your body.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35It's putting my body in places where it shouldn't be.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39A body wasn't built for this, a body wasn't built for this...to do that.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41It's not built for it.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44What you are doing is so...
0:26:44 > 0:26:46- It's dangerous.- It's so dangerous. - It is.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Surely you've got to understand that you can't keep doing this.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- How old are you, 26? - 24.- 24?- Hmm.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56I mean, what is your body going to be like at 30?
0:26:56 > 0:26:57I'll be lucky to get there.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02That's it, really.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Kyle was already risking heatstroke,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and now he's ramping up the degrees.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11This is crazy.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Knowing that Kyle is aware of what he is doing to himself,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and knowing that he knows that he could potentially kill himself
0:27:20 > 0:27:22with this kind of behaviour,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I mean, I chuckle because it is so bloody ridiculous.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Why would you knowingly do this to yourself?
0:27:30 > 0:27:34I don't know. You sort of hear "body dysmorphia" thrown around so much
0:27:34 > 0:27:38when it comes to young girls and it comes to young women
0:27:38 > 0:27:41desperately wanting to be the perfect figure,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45but, I mean, what's to say that he doesn't have that?
0:27:45 > 0:27:47He's an addict for the results
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and he's addicted to being better.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52What's the difference between that
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and being addicted to something like a class A drug?
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Because you know it's bad for you but you keep doing it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00And this kid could kill himself.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04If he keeps going this way, by 30, is he still going to be alive?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Why do you keep doing it?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Pressure, I suppose.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18From who?
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Just general, like, "He has abs."
0:28:21 > 0:28:26Just general pressure off of friends or just acquaintances from work.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Why does their opinion of you matter so much?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Because I was really shy before.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35So now I've got this body and these abs and this shape,
0:28:35 > 0:28:39I seem to have more people around me, type of thing.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42But before, like 15, 16, I didn't have many friends,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45but now I've got all these friends
0:28:45 > 0:28:47cos I'm obsessed with the gym, I do fitness.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51I don't know. It's hard to explain.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Incredibly, after everything Kyle's put his body through,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00tonight he's working a second job.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04He's told me to head for a bar in town,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08but apparently, Kyle's not pulling pints tonight.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13The one, the only, Mr Cowboy.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16WHOOPING AND CHEERING
0:29:18 > 0:29:19Yeah.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21When he's not on a building site,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24women pay Kyle to take off his clothes.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27So of course his body matters.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29MUSIC PLAYS
0:29:29 > 0:29:32While Kyle's busy, I want another view
0:29:32 > 0:29:36on whether this look is really worth all the trouble.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40- What is it about the boys that you want to see tonight?- Muscles!
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Are you looking for guys that have that kind of chiselled body?
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Is that what you are after? Or do you not care?
0:29:46 > 0:29:47I don't know, it's a bit shallow,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51but it does make you more attracted to someone if they work out.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53To achieve the bodies that these guys have got,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56the reality is that they are probably having to go to the gym
0:29:56 > 0:29:58five, six, maybe seven times a week.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- That's fine! - So you'd be all right with that?
0:30:01 > 0:30:04I wouldn't be able to go out with someone who doesn't go to the gym.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09- Really?- Yeah. - Have you ever dated anyone who looks like one of the strippers?- No.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13What do you mean, he was high maintenance?
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Sounds like they're less sold on the lifestyle,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28but it's high-fives all round for the six-pack...
0:30:28 > 0:30:33Ladies, can we give our cowboy one massive yee-hah?
0:30:33 > 0:30:37..and Kyle's been getting some very positive feedback too.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40So could this be what it's all for?
0:30:42 > 0:30:44How much tonight is actually about the crowd?
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Why don't you care what they think? They are screaming for you.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55That girl was licking your chest.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05What kind of attention do you get from these lot?
0:31:20 > 0:31:23All right, well, keep going, mate. You're nearly on.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35So weird to think that he's taking his clothes off for women,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38but he ain't even thinking about them.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41His body is something that he is working on continuously,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43he is thinking about continuously,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and if he gets a pat on the back from a girl, doesn't matter.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49If he gets a pat on the back from a bodybuilder,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51then he has achieved something.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57It's been ten days since I met Lee in Istanbul for his operation.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01I'm fascinated to see the results,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03but I also want to find out
0:32:03 > 0:32:07how his body obsession has impacted on his life.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09- Hello, Lee. - Hello, Reggie. How are you?
0:32:09 > 0:32:11How are you, mate? I'm good, I'm good.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13How are you, more importantly?
0:32:13 > 0:32:16I'm good. I'm a little sore but I am getting better.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- Can you show me your new six-pack? - I can do, yes.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20Go on, then.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Look at that. I can already see it, mate.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Whoa.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28- Can you see that?- Yeah, I can.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32My stomach is starting to settle in, into shape.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Yeah. Are you happy with the results?
0:32:34 > 0:32:37I'm happy, yes. I mean, obviously, they are going to get
0:32:37 > 0:32:41progressively better but, yeah, I am happy with what I see so far.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44I can only imagine the pain post-operation.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46What's it been like living with that?
0:32:46 > 0:32:50For the first couple of days, I was bed-bound.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53It was very difficult getting in and out of bed.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Since then, I've managed to go to the gym once.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59- I've had a little bit of... - You've already been to the gym?
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Yes. Yes, I've been on a cross-trainer.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05Are you allowed to go to the gym this close after surgery?
0:33:05 > 0:33:08They've not to say not to, they said keep it within reason.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10You've had an operation, it's all right to take a week off.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Surely you can see that?
0:33:12 > 0:33:15I suppose so, but I've always got something in the back of my mind,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19saying, you know, I need to go to the gym, I haven't been, you know.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21Again, it's obviously in my mind.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Do you think that the amount of time that you've spent working out
0:33:24 > 0:33:26has affected your relationships?
0:33:26 > 0:33:29- It affected my past relationship, yes.- In what way?
0:33:29 > 0:33:31We ended up splitting up.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34I've got two children to her,
0:33:34 > 0:33:38and we ended up splitting up due to my commitment to the gym.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42It's my solace, really, is the gym, you know? Some people turn to drink.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46- I go to the gym, that's my free time, really.- Hmm.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48I mean the things that you've mentioned,
0:33:48 > 0:33:52you know, drink and drugs, they have massive addictive qualities.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Do you think that the gym can be as addictive
0:33:54 > 0:33:58and, potentially, as dangerous?
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Maybe not as dangerous
0:34:00 > 0:34:03but I think most certainly as addictive, yes.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06If you didn't have the body that you have now,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09how would you feel about yourself?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11I wouldn't have the confidence.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13I'd probably be a lot shyer.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16I wouldn't be as happy that I am.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20I do feel that I would be a different person.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Yeah. All right, Lee. Lovely talking to you, man.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Thank you so much, take care, all right. Bye-bye.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Wow.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32I think I've taken for granted just how much body image
0:34:32 > 0:34:34is an issue for young men now,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38because things were eternally different ten years ago
0:34:38 > 0:34:41when I was a teenager or in my early 20s, you know?
0:34:41 > 0:34:45How long is it before every third kid is doing what Lee's doing?
0:34:45 > 0:34:49For not that much money, you can have perfect abs for life.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53All you have to do is fly to Turkey and have a little operation.
0:34:53 > 0:34:54And that's it.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59but I don't know how much I'd encourage that
0:34:59 > 0:35:04when it comes to my 14-year-old little brother and his mates.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09But when it comes to artificial intervention,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12there's a darker phenomenon on our streets.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Steroids, most commonly anabolic steroids -
0:35:17 > 0:35:19a synthetic form of testosterone
0:35:19 > 0:35:23taken to increase stamina and build muscles.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27They're legal for personal use,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30whether they're injected or taken as tablets,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33but experts warn they're a ticking time bomb.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- 'Hello?'- Hello, yeah, it's Reggie. - 'Hi.'
0:35:36 > 0:35:39I've come to Turning Point in London.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42They're a charity offering a clean, safe needle-exchange,
0:35:42 > 0:35:44mainly for heroin and crack users.
0:35:44 > 0:35:49But three years ago, they added a drop-in for steroid users too.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- Hi, Reggie. Hi, I'm Roy. - Hi, I'm Reggie, nice to meet you.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55So, you run this place?
0:35:55 > 0:35:59I do. Yeah, I run Smart Muscle here on a Wednesday night.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03'And team leader Roy Jones has seen a change in who walks in.'
0:36:03 > 0:36:06What sort of people are coming through the door here?
0:36:06 > 0:36:09It used to be guys in their late 30s,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12people who had been bodybuilding for a number of years,
0:36:12 > 0:36:16but now it's guys about 22, 23.
0:36:16 > 0:36:17What's more concerning is,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21I get people coming here who haven't actually been to the gym at all
0:36:21 > 0:36:23and they are wanting to take the drugs
0:36:23 > 0:36:26to get the body without actually putting in the work.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29'It's estimated there could now be more than half a million
0:36:29 > 0:36:31'steroid users in the UK,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35'but most of the ones Roy sees don't understand the basics.'
0:36:35 > 0:36:38I would say, probably, about 10% of them know how to inject
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and get it completely correct.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45There are errors they are making and sometimes
0:36:45 > 0:36:49guys think that by injecting into their chest or their arms, etc,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52that those areas are going to grow bigger
0:36:52 > 0:36:56because they are doing it locally.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58So that's the size of it, basically.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00So, for intramuscular injection,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04they are wanting it to go about two-thirds of the length
0:37:04 > 0:37:06into the muscle.
0:37:06 > 0:37:12So, you can see, you need to do that in the right place, otherwise...
0:37:12 > 0:37:13Oh, that's so grim.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17And it needs to be done like a dart, to get it to go in deep.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Jeez! Let's have a look. That's massive.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24That's horrible.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26The thing is, though, what happens is,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29then you end up on a hormonal rollercoaster.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Your testicles will shrink
0:37:31 > 0:37:34because you are not producing testosterone any more,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38because you've got such high levels of synthetic testosterone
0:37:38 > 0:37:42in your body, your brain says, "Whoa! Too much!", shuts them down.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45And sometimes, if you get the wrong combination of steroids,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48your sex drive is completely gone.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51And also, steroids can make your blood thicker
0:37:51 > 0:37:53and affect your cholesterol levels,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57so long term, it can have an affect on your cardiovascular...
0:37:57 > 0:38:00or, you know, your heart, basically.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02It's become part of male grooming,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05almost acceptable for them to be injecting these drugs
0:38:05 > 0:38:08because they are enhancing themselves, basically.
0:38:08 > 0:38:14If it's in aid of getting you to be buff, then it's more acceptable.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19This is news to me.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Until now, I thought only competitive bodybuilders used steroids.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27And it looks like this gym in Huddersfield
0:38:27 > 0:38:30could have had issues in the past.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Have a look at that, this sign's in the toilet as well.
0:38:33 > 0:38:38"Zero tolerance policy. Anyone found using needles on our premises..."
0:38:44 > 0:38:47But I can't help wondering what the old-school guys
0:38:47 > 0:38:48think of the steroid craze.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52(Look at his arms.)
0:38:52 > 0:38:54MAN GASPS
0:38:57 > 0:38:59HE PANTS
0:38:59 > 0:39:02HE SNORTS AND GROANS
0:39:02 > 0:39:04HE SNORTS
0:39:05 > 0:39:08HE HISSES
0:39:08 > 0:39:11HE GROANS
0:39:11 > 0:39:14HE PANTS
0:39:14 > 0:39:17'Meet Dave Crosland, aka "The Freak".'
0:39:17 > 0:39:20You done, mate? I was about to do that with one arm(!)
0:39:20 > 0:39:23- Hello, fella. You all right? - Not bad.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25You're bleeding on your head.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Ah, don't worry about it.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- What's caused that, then? - Blood pressure.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33- Are you serious?- Yeah.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36So what, you've pushed so hard that you got...?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39I've given myself a brain haemorrhage before now.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41How long have you been doing this for?
0:39:41 > 0:39:43I started when I was 19.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46- And how old are you now, if you don't mind me asking?- 44 next month.
0:39:46 > 0:39:47And have you ever stopped?
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Yeah, I took 12 years off.
0:39:49 > 0:39:50Why?
0:39:50 > 0:39:52I tore my left pectoral clean off.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- Tore it off?- Yeah. - You tore your whole pec off.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Yeah, that side's torn out, that's why there's a big hole there.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03'As a champion bodybuilder, Dave has used steroids many times,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07'but now he's also a counsellor, teaching about their safety.'
0:40:07 > 0:40:10I'm not pro-use, I'm not against use. I am pro-education.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13They aren't the demon that they're made out to be.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15But that doesn't mean that they are safe, either.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Why do you think that it's so widespread, then?
0:40:17 > 0:40:20- What is it that is making it so popular?- Social media.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Males have never had to deal with image issues.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25It's always been a women's problem.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27We've never had to worry about whether our make-up was right
0:40:27 > 0:40:29or our hair was right.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32All of a sudden, social media comes along
0:40:32 > 0:40:34and people aren't getting a true representation,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37because there's Photoshop and there are all these filters.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39It's like, "Everyone else looks good and I look crap."
0:40:39 > 0:40:43Males have got pressure about body image and we don't know how to cope with it.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45They're searching for an identity
0:40:45 > 0:40:47and they look for that through body image.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49So, "I want to be male,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52"I want to be more male, which means I have to have muscles."
0:40:52 > 0:40:55Yeah. And that is affecting men as young as what?
0:40:55 > 0:40:58I think you really start to see
0:40:58 > 0:41:01people looking and considering at 15 or 16.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03- That young?- Yeah.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Cos I'm a little bit younger than you,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08and that definitely wasn't the case when I was at school.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10No, and it wasn't the case when I was at school.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12But that's what I am seeing now.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16I'm finding it hard to understand steroid use.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20But up until now, I haven't met someone who is currently using.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Whoa-ah!
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Drive! Come on!
0:41:26 > 0:41:29MAN GASPS
0:41:30 > 0:41:32HE PANTS
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- This is Craig. - All right. How's it going?
0:41:35 > 0:41:39All right. Dave was telling me a bit about your sort of history.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42- I started training at nine years old.- Training at nine?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- Yeah, nine. - So, what age did you start using?
0:41:45 > 0:41:48- 19.- Right. - At that time, I was in the Army,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50so, at that age, your testosterone is up there anyway,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and you train to be a soldier, train to be a killer,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55and you're adding steroids, you know,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58making your testosterone go through the roof.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01So, sometimes, you can get into situations
0:42:01 > 0:42:03where you wouldn't normally react in a certain way,
0:42:03 > 0:42:07- where now you'll blow your top. - So, what were you doing?
0:42:07 > 0:42:09I ended up going to jail for 12 months for fighting. Yeah.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11So what's different now?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13And why are you still using? Why do you think it a good idea to use
0:42:13 > 0:42:17- after everything you've been through? - It's addictive, it really is.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18Once you feel like Superman,
0:42:18 > 0:42:20you don't want to go back to being average Joe, do you?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23'Given how dangerous steroids sound,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26'it's hard to believe how easy it is to actually get hold of them.'
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Steroids...
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Pages and pages of them.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Go back up. Click the first thing, let's have a look at that.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35- So...- 12 quid!
0:42:35 > 0:42:38£12.50 for a box of three 1ml ampules.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41That's cheaper than protein powder at a high-street shop.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43They're not overly expensive.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44They really aren't.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Jeez.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55The truth is, I've never really entertained anything
0:42:55 > 0:43:00that is deemed as being potentially dangerous in that way, you know?
0:43:00 > 0:43:01I don't smoke, I don't drink.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04When all my friends started taking drugs
0:43:04 > 0:43:06in our late teens and early 20s, I never really did
0:43:06 > 0:43:09and, to me, steroids were never really something that
0:43:09 > 0:43:13I ever really gave a second thought to because I wasn't in the gym,
0:43:13 > 0:43:17number one, and number two, it was this big, weird, scary unknown entity
0:43:17 > 0:43:21that only existed within the realms of really serious bodybuilders.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25That taboo would have been smashed for me if I was a teenager now,
0:43:25 > 0:43:29in this day and age, because the information is there.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32And the pressure to use them is all around.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35It's a different time now,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39and if you want to do something like steroids and you are only 19,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42you can do it all from the comfort of your own smartphone.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48But while steroids are legal to possess for personal use,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51it's against the law to sell or supply them.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55So it's hard to understand how there can be
0:43:55 > 0:43:58so many sites online selling 'roids.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01We've made contact with an underground lab
0:44:01 > 0:44:05operating in the West Midlands and producing illegal steroids
0:44:05 > 0:44:07for the growing UK market.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09And they've agreed to meet.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11So what's the sitch with the fixer? Is he here?
0:44:11 > 0:44:16We've got to wait for a phone call from a few people, yeah.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18- He's waiting and then he's going to phone us.- OK.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22I think, whenever you meet people who are operating outside of the law
0:44:22 > 0:44:25and are essentially paying their bills by doing something illegal,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28you have to ask yourself the question just how much
0:44:28 > 0:44:31do they care about what it is that they are producing,
0:44:31 > 0:44:35and how much they care about the people that are using their product?
0:44:35 > 0:44:37That's him now. Hello?
0:44:39 > 0:44:41It's Reggie, yeah. How you doing?
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Hello, mate.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49OK. So, you are just outside the hotel now.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Right, bye.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02You all right? Nice to meet you. How's it going?
0:45:02 > 0:45:04It's OK, it's OK.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07- We're just going to take you to the next stage now.- OK, mate.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13No-one knows how many underground labs are operating in the UK.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17But three have been shut down this year alone.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19- Reg.- Hello, mate. - This is the second stage.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23- Just going to make a quick call.- OK.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- Would you say that you're paranoid? - They are.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Is that down to rival cooks? I mean, what's the reason for that?
0:45:31 > 0:45:32It's the law.
0:45:32 > 0:45:38If caught, these self-styled chemists could get up to 14 years.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44I'm not sure what I was expecting after all that secrecy,
0:45:44 > 0:45:45but it wasn't this.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48'A suburban double garage...'
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Yeah, thanks. Hello, how are you doing?
0:45:52 > 0:45:53Reggie. Nice to meet you.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56'..and a job lot of plastic sheets.'
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Is that an apron?
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Boom. Reg. All right? Nice to meet you.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06I was expecting something a little bit bigger.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14Right.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17This lock-up's a long way from the sterile conditions
0:46:17 > 0:46:19you'd expect in a licensed pharmaceutical lab.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23But the guys have agreed I can watch them prepare a batch tonight
0:46:23 > 0:46:26that their customers could be injecting tomorrow.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43I'm no chemist, but even to me this looks like child's play.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Is that literally it?
0:46:47 > 0:46:49But these guys are making serious money.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51How much is this actually worth?
0:46:59 > 0:47:01How big is your customer base?
0:47:06 > 0:47:07That's a lot of money.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09That's a lot of people using, as well.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18You're selling this through Facebook?
0:47:19 > 0:47:22When it comes to something like injectables,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25it's really easy to mess up, particularly if you don't know
0:47:25 > 0:47:28what you are doing, and there are a lot of side effects.
0:47:28 > 0:47:29Just how responsible do you feel
0:47:29 > 0:47:32when it comes to people using what you produce?
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Once it leaves your door, there is no way of knowing what happens.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54If it does get cut, if it does get changed of tweaked or
0:47:54 > 0:47:57something happens to it, or it's sold to someone who is vulnerable,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00you are essentially part of the process.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04Even if you are not hoping to hurt anyone, you are part of it.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21So there's no responsibility on your shoulders, then?
0:48:29 > 0:48:34'When it comes to responsibility, their moral point of view,
0:48:34 > 0:48:37'I don't think I particularly agree with.'
0:48:37 > 0:48:40They justify it by saying that, you know,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42"so long as the person taking it understands
0:48:42 > 0:48:45"that they're responsible, I'm not responsible."
0:48:45 > 0:48:48And I think that is quite a naive way to look at it,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51because, at the end of the day, you are part of the chain.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54And if you're part of the chain, you're part of the problem.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02For one family, that chain linked to tragic consequences.
0:49:05 > 0:49:06- Hello.- Hello, Sarah?
0:49:06 > 0:49:08- Hi, how are you doing? - Reggie, nice to meet you.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10Nice to meet you, come on in. Would you like a drink?
0:49:10 > 0:49:13- Yes, please. Can I get a brew on? - Yep.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16- Have I come in the middle of dinner? - You have.- Yeah?- You have.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18How many are you cooking for tonight?
0:49:18 > 0:49:21I'm not cooking, it's my daughter, she's cooking.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Oh, really? So how many kids do you actually have?
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Including Oliver, three.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30Ollie Cooney began working out at 16.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34And his mum Sarah watched the changes in her son.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36Oh, yeah, cheers, thank you.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38He used to come home from gym.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41He used to walk through the door and first thing he would say is,
0:49:41 > 0:49:43"Mum, take me T-shirt off for me."
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Because he were that big, he couldn't take it off.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48He'd go, "Mummy!" He's standing going, "Mummy!"
0:49:48 > 0:49:51So I'd go take his shirt off and chuck it in his face.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53And then he'd ring me before he came home from gym,
0:49:53 > 0:49:55"Get me chicken on, Mum."
0:49:55 > 0:49:58So everything were ready when he came home, so...
0:49:58 > 0:50:00So were the family a massive part of his nutrition
0:50:00 > 0:50:03- as well as training, then? - Oh, gosh, yeah. It was, yeah.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06- And it pretty much took over his life.- Yeah, it did.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11By 18, Ollie was using the gym six days a week.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14To increase his bulk, he also decided to take steroids.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Was he open with you about taking steroids?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Very open. He was so honest with me, it was unbelievable.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21And what was your initial reaction
0:50:21 > 0:50:23when he told you that he'd started taking?
0:50:23 > 0:50:26I was mortified. I were absolutely mortified.
0:50:26 > 0:50:27We didn't talk for two weeks.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31So where did it come from? Why was it on his radar?
0:50:31 > 0:50:36Erm... I honestly think that Oliver had an issue with his height,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39cos he were only small. He was smaller than me, and I'm 5'4".
0:50:39 > 0:50:41Everybody used to call him Little Ol.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43And he didn't want to be Little Ol.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46What he lacked in size, in height, he made out in width,
0:50:46 > 0:50:48and I think he did it for him,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50he did it for extra confidence for himself.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53You tend to just put that to the back of your head.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56He's going to the gym, he's lifting weights, he's not...
0:50:56 > 0:51:00He's not going out every weekend getting drunk - that's how I saw it.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02It was just going to the gym and trying to keep fit.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06I didn't see it as a problem until he had his first heart attack.
0:51:10 > 0:51:11It's OK.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Ollie was at the gym when he started having chest pains.
0:51:17 > 0:51:18He later collapsed.
0:51:18 > 0:51:24Incredibly, just a month later, he was working out again.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29On doctor's advice, Ollie had stopped taking steroids.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32But the damage to his heart was done.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35Three months later, he had a series of strokes.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39To walk on the ward and look at your own son
0:51:39 > 0:51:43and his face is all slanted down the left side, and he couldn't talk.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45He had to go to the toilet in a wheelchair,
0:51:45 > 0:51:47he had to be helped with nurses.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51He couldn't eat his food, it had to be chopped up.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53He had 12 weeks of intensive physiotherapy
0:51:53 > 0:51:54to learn him how to walk.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57Did he recover from that? From the stroke, did he get better?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- Fully.- Did he get back to full health?- Fully.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01With that being the case,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03how long was it before he went back to the gym?
0:52:03 > 0:52:07He went back, he wanted to go back, I think it was about ten days after.
0:52:07 > 0:52:08- Ten days?!- Yeah.
0:52:08 > 0:52:15In September 2013, Ollie suffered a second major heart attack, and died.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17He was just 20.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20It was definitely the steroids. It's on his death certificate.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24- What does it actually say? - Misuse of Class C drugs.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Did you ever think that your boy would ever be connected
0:52:28 > 0:52:30to anything that's classed as a drug?
0:52:30 > 0:52:35No. I didn't expect to get a death certificate, to be honest with you.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40I feel mad. I feel angry. The fact that what he's done.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43What he's done to himself. But he's not just done it to himself,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47he's done it to us, but I don't think he actually meant to do this.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49I really don't think he meant to do this at all.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56There's one person on my mind.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00There he is. How you doing?
0:53:00 > 0:53:02Kyle and I haven't talked about steroids.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05But his obsession to look good is nagging at me.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09- Now, I don't want to scare you or anything...- Yeah?
0:53:09 > 0:53:12..but I spent some time with a lady called Sarah
0:53:12 > 0:53:16- whose son Ollie died off the back of steroid use.- Mm-hm.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21And his obsessive sort of diet,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24his obsessive working out isn't that dissimilar to yours.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27So, have you ever used steroids? Really, honestly?
0:53:27 > 0:53:32Yep, yep. Inject my shoulders, my legs and my bum.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35- And are you still doing it?- No. No.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37- Have you tried the tablets?- Yeah.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Are you doing tablets now?
0:53:39 > 0:53:44Mmm. To strip the fat. Strip the water.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45So what kind of tablets are they?
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Clenbuterol.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50They're for people who have chest pains and for their asthma,
0:53:50 > 0:53:55- and they're for animals, as well. - Animals?- For cows and horses, yeah.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Have you taken any today? Have you got any in that bag?
0:54:01 > 0:54:05- I have, yeah.- You have! - There they are.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09REGGIE GROANS Kyle...
0:54:09 > 0:54:11What kind of side effects do you get
0:54:11 > 0:54:13off the back of using something like this?
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Insane cramping, where my whole leg cramps up.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18My hip goes and I'm like this. I can't move for about ten minutes.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22- Do you know how much I want to throw these away right now?- Mm. Mm.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24After this chat, are you going to keep using these?
0:54:24 > 0:54:27- I think, after this experience, no, I'm not.- Why?
0:54:27 > 0:54:30Getting a different perspective from different people.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32That's what's made me think more about it.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34More about this, the effect it's doing to me.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Cos my mother's preached to me for a while,
0:54:37 > 0:54:39I've had friends and family preaching at me.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43Having an outsider speak to me about it, it does give me a bit more...
0:54:43 > 0:54:47"Well, maybe I shouldn't do these things," type of thing, you know?
0:54:47 > 0:54:51You've kept saying the entire time that I've been with you
0:54:51 > 0:54:54that you want perfection. And you want your body to be better.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58But I want to last till I'm 30, as well.
0:54:58 > 0:55:03- I want to see my 30th. - I'm so glad you have said that.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07OK, so, it's six years, but it's not long.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09It's not long.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12- Listen, look after yourself. Best of luck.- Thank you.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14And I'm not going to post these back.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17All yours, bin them. Take care, Reggie.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23The problem that I'm seeing with what's going on now
0:55:23 > 0:55:26is that there are more and more people that are searching
0:55:26 > 0:55:29and pushing for this body image, this idea of perfection,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32and I just really hope that that changes.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37And that the reason that these young guys are eating clean and getting fit
0:55:37 > 0:55:41is not because of something they've seen in a magazine.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47I've come to the end of my own journey.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51But while the six weeks may be over, after everything I've seen and heard,
0:55:51 > 0:55:56I reckon the greatest challenge could be keeping control of all of this.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59You know I was in the gym with Kyle,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01and Kyle took his shirt off
0:56:01 > 0:56:04and he told me to take mine off and I didn't want to,
0:56:04 > 0:56:07because I was really self-conscious about how I looked in that moment,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11and it's only when I think about it now that I realise how affected I am,
0:56:11 > 0:56:13just like everyone else, by body image
0:56:13 > 0:56:16and by what other people think about us.