Iain Valliere‘s progress is on track for his next appearance at the 2023 Toronto Pro Supershow this June. In a recent Bro Chat podcast with Fouad Abiad, Valliere talked about his current season and the use of steroids and site enhancement oils like Synthol in bodybuilding.
As a Men’s Open pro, Valliere quickly earned the respect of his peers with popping muscle hardness and granite conditioning. Last year, he earned his invitation to the Mr. Olympia contest by defeating popular Open class standout Antoine Vaillant at the Vancouver Pro.
Tipping the scales at over 280 pounds, Iain Valliere brought his best package possible to Las Vegas. However, the 2022 Olympia lineup proved challenging as the Canadian native dropped out of the first callout in 11th place. Meanwhile, Hadi Choopan won gold with Nick Walker and Derek Lunsford earning silver and bronze, respectively.
After his lackluster Olympia bid, Iain Valliere began working with coach Matt Jansen again, who also trains Walker, Charles Griffen, Shaun Clarida, Quinton Eriya, and many other top-tier pros. Setting his sights on a 2023 Mr. Olympia invitation, Valliere sat down to discuss his future. In addition, he debated the role of gear and synthol use in bodybuilding.
Iain Valliere Talks Prep for Toronto Pro Supershow: “I’m in a Good Spot”
Valliere says his preparations are on schedule and believes he’s in a ‘good spot’ leading up to his next show.
“Yeah, [everything is going good in prep]. Physically, no I feel good. No, I’m not ahead [in prep] I’m right in a good spot and I think that’s good for me. I think to be too ahead is like sometimes like the wheels come off with that, I think we have a good base and I think I’m holding a lot of really good size, which I’m really happy with. I’ve had literally almost – in most of my lifts – I’m still progressing in my lifts. I’ve had no drop-off in strength and I haven’t had to reduce volume yet. So, it’s not like I reduce volume to maintain that, it’s still getting progressions in training so yeah, I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
“It’s small things [with new trainer Matt Jansen] I talked about this once, from the diet perspective, my protein intake is definitely a lot higher which it definitely does make you look different. I don’t know what the look difference will be on stage but I definitely look different, I don’t know how to describe it,” said Iain Valliere.
According to Valliere, his schedule hasn’t drastically changed despite rejoining Matt Jansen. He shared that his prep drugs haven’t been altered either but he expects new modifications the closer they get to a contest.
“I just do what’s written,” added Iain Valliere. “Look, he says eat food, and that’s what I do. Either way, yeah, right now, that’s really all the differences you can notice at this point. Small differences in the diet and stuff like that. I’m doing cardio like I was always doing cardio. Our prep drugs are kind of always the same. You get to the level and you might change a dose by a little bit or use a different this or that, but it’s all pretty much the same shit.”
Valliere Talks Using Steroids for Fat Loss & Synthol in Bodybuilding: ‘25% of Guys Use It’
Valliere said most anabolic compounds have fat-burning properties but they can’t substitute training and dieting.
“They [drugs] can aid in fat loss but you really couldn’t just take drugs and get rid of fat like that, you’re still going to have to push the diet and cardio.”
“I’ve never used DMP but you feel terrible on DMP,” added Valliere. “Look obviously anabolics – a good chunk of the anabolics you use have good fat-burning properties but like you said, it’s not enough to outweigh what you eat.”
Iain Valliere disagrees with the use of Synthol and site enhancement oils. However, he specified that it’s a useful tool for adding volume to the biceps and other smaller body parts.
“This is always such a hard question, people ask me this on my Q&A all the time, they ask questions like, ‘What do you think the average amount of drugs is for a pro, or how many pros do you think use SEOs?’ I have no fuc**ng idea, there’s a range you know,” Valliere shared. “I don’t think SEO use is talked about [the same] as gear use or gear dosages. It’s a little more hush-hush, but it’s so hard to say, also how would we know, like you said, how many pros use SEO? Like, I don’t know.”
“It’s good for the arms,” Valliere explained. “I think the thing is like, if you don’t notice, it doesn’t matter. I think we only notice the ones that look bad and then it gives it a bad name. So then people are like, this is what it is and what it looks like. Look, as a whole, I think we should disagree with the use of it but I bet you there’s some amazing bodybuilders [that use it].”
After comparing gear and Synthol use, Valliere highlighted that there are no rules in bodybuilding. Moreover, he suggested all athletes use ‘fake bullshi*’ to enhance their physiques.
“I don’t care but I’m saying as a whole if we just – if it didn’t exist, it would not make the sport worse. I wouldn’t care. So, I care. That would be wrong. I don’t disagree with it because I don’t give a fuc* what everybody else does in bodybuilding. If it’s making you look better, there’s no rules in bodybuilding. It’s not like steroids are okay but SEOs aren’t. It’s all fake bullshit we’re doing to enhance ourselves anyway. But I think if you’re doing it and it’s obvious then I think it should definitely be detracted in a judging capacity.”
“I don’t fuc**ng know [if it’s used a lot],” Valliere said. “I would think guys using a little metformin in their arms is probably like 20-25% of guys, who have maybe used it here or there. Do I think it’s rampant? No.”
Plenty of bodybuilders have been suspected of using site enhancement oils. Last year, reigning Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan’s ex-managers accused him of shooting the substance into his shoulders. Bodybuilding veteran Samir Bannout ripped Valliere recently for allegedly using Synthol in his calves at the last Mr. Olympia.
Steroids and site enhancement oil use remain controversial topics in the sport of bodybuilding. The last athlete to approach the subject was Chris Cormier, who underlined that using Synthol/implants in any capacity is a form of cheating.