Extreme: Muscle Men Podcast
Under the hot California sun, amateur bodybuilders and a former Olympic medallist build the biggest illegal steroid dealing ring the US had ever seen. And America gets ripped.
Muscle Men is season one of Extreme, the 91热爆 podcast that knows no limits. Each action-packed season tells the story of people who've pushed themselves to the very edge of what's physically or mentally possible - and in doing so, have changed the world...
1980s Los Angeles. A young, amateur bodybuilder named William Dillon comes to California in search of the supersized American dream - to get absolutely jacked. But beneath the smell of sweat, pulsing disco beats, and the rhythmic clank of weights, there's a secret. Many of the bodybuilders and gym rats he meets are using steroids to achieve their pumped up physique.
And if that's what it takes to make it big, Dillon's willing to do it too. But not only that, he's smart. He recognises there's money to be made from selling the promise that you can get ripped, quick.
Dillon, along with the cult hero of the steroid underground - the 'steroid guru' Dan Duchaine - and David Jenkins, a Scottish Olympic medallist with a nose for business, will launch the largest illegal steroid dealing ring the USA had ever seen. As steroid use grips small-town gym-goers, pro bodybuilders and elite athletes, the cops, legislators and the world of international sport scrambles to crack down.
Historian, podcaster and fitness expert Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, presenter of hit podcast Welcome To Your Fantasy, reveals how the rise of America's fitness and gym-culture through the 20th century collided with the unregulated availability of steroids in the 1980s, transforming the way we see our bodies, and the lengths to which we'll go to in the pursuit of perfection.
Presenter and Executive Producer: Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
Producer: Caroline Thornham
Assistant Producer: Mo Ahmed
Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Production Manager: Cheree Houston
Sound Design and Mix by Nicholas Alexander and Daniel Kempson
Original Music by SilverHawk
Executive Producer: Max O'Brien
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Novel production for 91热爆 Radio 4
Episodes to download
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8: The Genie Is Out—Muscle Men
Mon 9 Sep 2024
The downfall of the steroid ring fuels a crackdown from law enforcement and policy makers.
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7. French Fries or Bust—Muscle Men
Mon 2 Sep 2024
As the authorities close in on the steroid dealing ring, loyalties are tested.
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6. One Last Hit—Muscle Men
Mon 26 Aug 2024
William Dillon leaves steroid dealing behind- until he鈥檚 enticed back in by one last job.
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5. The A Team—Muscle Men
Mon 19 Aug 2024
Law enforcement catch on to the illegal steroid market, midst Reagan鈥檚 War on Drugs.
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4. Perfect Square Pecs—Muscle Men
Mon 12 Aug 2024
As a desire for muscles grips 1980s America, the steroid ring is ready to meet the demand.
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3. Get Ripped. Quick—Muscle Men
Mon 5 Aug 2024
When steroid supplies are cut off, the ring hatch a plan to meet demand.
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2. The Guru—Muscle Men
Mon 29 Jul 2024
Welcome to the steroid underground, where the goal is to get big at any cost.
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1. All That Glitters—Muscle Men
Mon 29 Jul 2024
2/8 A young bodybuilder travels to starry 1980s LA in search of the secret to getting ripped.
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Introducing Extreme - Muscle Men—Muscle Men
Mon 22 Jul 2024
1/8 The sweat-drenched story of the biggest steroid dealing ring to rip through 80s America.