Doctor Jim Stoppani is an expert in the field of training and nutrition. He has a solid physique and has trained many celebrities such as LL Cool J, Dr. Dre, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Mario Lopez and others. On bodybuilding.com, he is also presented as a supplement guru. As always, the question is – can you acquire the physique of Jim Stoppani without anabolic steroids?
How big is Dr. Jim Stoppani?
According to his bodyspace, Dr. Jim Stoppani has the following stats:
6’1″ – 185 cm
220lbs – 100kg
5% body fat
screenshot taken from: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/JimStoppani/ on August 26, 2014
Unfortunately, the guide for natural bodybuilders puts a 6’1″ tall man at about 190lbs natural weight at 5-8% body fat. This means that Dr. Jim Stoppani is 30lbs over what nattyornot.com considers possible for a truly gifted and dedicated natural bodybuilder.
Of course, one could argue that the guide is largely underestimating the human potential for muscle growth, but the majority of the people who have expressed a similar belief have been fat or not natural.
To illustrate how big Jim Stoppani Ph.D. actually is, I am going to compare him to Serge Nubret – a professional bodybuilder from the Golden Era of Bodybuilding.
At his best, Nubret had the following stats:
6′ – 183cm
200 lbs – 91 kg
5% body fat
source: http://www.simplyshredded.com/simplyshredded-exclusive-profile-serge-nubret-the-black-panther-1938-2011.html
Conclusion: Jim Stoppani is 20lbs heavier than Serge Nubret while being about as lean and 1-inch taller.
Note: Wikipedia lists Serge Nubret at 220lbs bodyweight, but he has said himself many times that his weight was 200lbs in most competitions. But even if Serge was 220lbs, that still means that Dr. Jim Stoppani is about as big as a legendary bodybuilder who competed with Arnold Schwarzenegger. And by the way, there’s no doubt that Arnold took steroids despite having good genetics.
In the image below, you can see Serge Nubret, Sergio Oliva, and Arnold Schwarzenegger next to each other. Sergio Oliva and Arnold have both admitted to using anabolic steroids. Serge claimed that he was natural, but according to some of his old gym buddies, he was using the powerful anabolic steroid Primobolan as well as many others.
Arnold, Serge, and Sergio in Mr. Olympia 1972
Dr. Jim Stoppani is not exactly young
Dr. Jim Stoppani is 46 years old, and as we all know, age is a huge factor. As we age, the natural production of testosterone decreases, which limits your growth. It seems, however, that Dr. Jim Stoppani does not have similar problems and carries a massive physique even at 46.
In conclusion
Nattyornot.com is not going to fall into the trap of making a definitive statement in regards to Dr. Jim Stoppani’s natural status. However, consider the following:
1. The greatest bodybuilders from the Golden Era were not natural despite having great genetics.
2. Modern natural models and bodybuilders are as big the greats from the Golden Era.
3. Anabolic steroids alter the synthesis of muscle protein in the body. This results in growth beyond the natural potential. Training and nutrition cannot do that and therefore fail to produce steroids-like results on their own.
From my experience he is 100% natural
He dieting and exercising with full knowledge
In this age no one can be on steroids constantly
So when you stop steroids body will Collapsein a week.
And if you look as his body is very different from
Other bodybuilders I mean form of musle.
David, how naive can you be? Diet and training can’t stop the NATURAL decline of your testosterone with age….
First of all, I am 36 years old and I am 6’1.5″ tall. My lean mass is 176 and I have only been lifting for roughly 1 year. according to your numbers, I only have the have the potential to gain 6 more lbs oc lean muscle? lmao. .Yeah right! You are missing out on some very important details.. Also, to the person that said a person can not reach a FFMI of 27.7 naturally, I think you are mistaking. Calculate the FFMI of some of the bodybuilders prior to the 1930’s when steroids didn’t exist. Some of them reached these numbers without proper nutrienal info, equipment, supplements and our latest discoveries..
Not true at all dude. He could be on 400mg of test a week for life and see no ill effects
You are correct.
David. Look at his photos when Jim Stoppani was in his 20’s and 30’s. Huge, Schwarzenegger like, horse legs with road map vascularity. He certainly was taking steroids then…
I’m sure he knows if hes on trt or steroids …..tricks
Prob on trt and thinks its “natural” since his natural test levels are lower at this age. .. I have a feeling many of these guys think plain test is “natty”
You are so right, the man is an Enigma, but we can all be that, if we follow his programs as I have. Glory to Jim.
I second that. Personally, I stay away from that crap. One of my old sparring buddies was a heavyweight (boxing) and he used that crap nonstop. Eventually, he no longer had balls and became permanently sterile. The man put on 40 pounds of mass just to stay at a higher weight class. We both sucked, but I chose not to wreck my future. Plus, having sexual relations is worth it 20 years down the road.
I cant believe this is even a question! Jim is def natural. 220 is a very reasonable weight for a 6’1″ weightlifter! Anyone who lifts weight like a man will confirm it just takes a smart diet and consistency im the gym to achieve his results, no supplements necessary. You dweebs ought to take a look at the thousands of articles Jim has written on bodybuilding.com; he literally has a doctorate in exercise. The man has spent his whole adult life researching and perfecting the science of weightlifting OF COURSE HES GOING TO BE JACKED! Its a shame people jump to a conclusion of steroids when they see someone in peak condition, and its usually those who arent putting in the work who cast those stones!
To the guy above me saying 220 lbs is normal for a 6 foot 1 guy. Yes sure it is especially if you have s bunch of fat on your body. Jim is 5 PERCENT BODYFAT at that weight at near 50 years old with full dense muscles. He is 10000 percent on steroids (yes TRT is still NOT natural.) even if he’s on TRT he’s using a plethora of other anabolic substances. No 46 yr old looks like that without the use of PED’s. His job is to take steroids, lie, sound science-y, and of course promote ingredients that are primarily found in supplements sold at….?? You guessed it..the company who pays him!! Bodybuilding. Com meanwhile he walks around and puts PH D on literally every single thing he talks about. You can’t talk to this guy without him mentioning his PhD. It’s his manipulative marketing point
I take a few JYM products. They’re fantastic in many regards (mainly flavor, pump, and mix-ability). But mainly I like the ingredient profile of his pre workout. For example, the pre was one of the first to include citrulline malate instead of arginine as a precursor to NO. So there’s sound science behind Jim’s supplements. However, there is no chance he is natural. His FFMI is 27.7 based on his bodybuilding.com profile stats. Not even the most genetically gifted athlete can attain that without gear, let alone a 46-year-old. That being said, he is a doctor. If anyone were to know dosing (and have access), it would be him. He looks fantastic, but it’s not achievable for the diet/exercise crowd.
Look like what? Jim doens’t look like he’s on roids at all. Way to small to be on that stuff. He’s been working out for years is the reason for him to have quite a but left. But if you look at him before and now he never was that big. Who ever says he is using doesn’t really know body building.
Do you know anything about weight training? Please look at James Harrison who is 38 years old and 6 feet tall and weighs 270 and is drug tested randomly for steroids all the time and passes…
James Harrison isnt 5% body fat though
What percent do you think James Harrison would be if he lost 50 lbs.?
Just look at him http://www.trbimg.com/img-55d1f01b/turbine/la-sp-sn-james-harrison-trophies-20150817-001/650/650×366
Even if he list 25 pounds he wouldnt be under 10%.
I have no opinion about Jim. But comparing him to James as being 5% if the later cut 25 pounds. Never! Take of another 25 pounds from that and we might be able to talk. (I made that journey being 240 lbs cut down to 207, 29 years old 10+ years weightlifting)
James Harrison has been busted for the leagues substance abuse policy numerous times, he’ s piss poor example to try and use in defense of being natural.
I’m 31 years old, 5’8, 180 pounds LEAN.. the only things I supplement my workout with is food and H2O..
Based on the logic I’ve read above it is a reasonable assumption that I’m on steroids…..
You’re also not 5% body fat. You may say you’re lean but guaranteed you are most likely 12-13% body fat.
I do not believe doctor Jim is on any type of performance enhancing drug. Do more digging into his background. Look I’m 54 years old and I’m not using roids I’m in the best physical shape of my life I am 5’10’ 224lb 13% BF. I follow and us Jims programs and just recently had a physical, thumbs up on all my lab work. So to think The Doc is on Roids….How bout NO!
That’d put you at an FFMI of above 28. Either one of your parents was a friggin gorilla or your wife is sneaking tiny needles into your body so your full natty gainz won’t fall apart mate.
You’re 15 years younger and 40lbs lighter than him. He is also sitting at 5% body fat. So if you are 5’8 and weigh 180lbs what is your body fat %?
You are so ignorant about the subject you’re commenting on. 1) You’re not 13%BF at 224lbs and 5’10”. How did you arrive at this conclusion? Did you get a DXA scan? Perhaps some underwater weighing? Or did you just decide that? If you had those stats, you would be in the same shape as bodybuilders using a plethora of AAS. 2) It’s clear you have zero understanding of natural limits or hormones. 3) Jim Stopping is a snake-oil salesman. Your blind devotion to a glorified supplement pusher also serves to highlight your complete ignorance on micronutrients and supps. You have no idea what you’re fucking talking about. I sincerely hope you don’t spout this bullshit to the people around you; you really need to gain a rudimentary understanding of human physiology/exercise/nutrition before you start popping off about absolute nonsense. I hate to imagine the misinformation you must have spread in your shitty 54 years of ‘life’.
the most anabolic thing I ever did for myself is talk to a successful power lifter/ bodybuilder that turned me on to anabolic eating… eating 6 small meals a day…as I asked many stron men , bodybuilders, power lifters..it became apparent this was a ” secret” many shared..nobody wants to beleive that you can naturally build a muscular body… really? when I started to eat like this and follow a simple not excessive work out I went from 120 lbs to 220 lbs over time…with an initial build up to 180 lbs in 1 year..then over the years I built up to 250 lbs
All it takes is someones success and let the negativity flow. I cant confirm or deny if this man does or does not, has or has not, used steroids. BUT neither can any of you. Has anyone considered that this man is just very dedicated to what he does. This is all he does, I’m sure he has time to dedicate to nutrition and exercise.
If people who dont get paid for it take steroids, like average gym goers, then paid fitness people most definitely do.
I think the whole PHD thing is what people see first and say, “well hes a doctor, we can trust his expertise” doctors do drugs too, pay for hookers,snort coke, rape and commit crimes like anyone else. You dont expect it from them but its happened.
Just because he is a celeb trainer (and theyre so respected too) doesnt mean anything other than he is a personal trainer in high demand to rich people. He is good at it.
Hes going t be 50. His body is juiced. Sorry to those who are quick to defend strangers but his full muscle mass is not natural. Not even Mike Mentzer looked like this before he died at the same age and he achieved a perfect score from judges.
Re any leanness claims: Anything less than a “Dexa-Fit” scan is virtually meaningless for a true reading. OK, even a bathroom scale’s fat% readout might tell you if you’re getting leaner or fatter, but even then, the numbers border on random.
I disagree. I am in Gold’s Venice beach every day and see many guys who are natural and in better shape than Jim. I don’t know why so many people think he on something. Look at his skinny legs, Zero calces and his arms are not that developed either. Just lots of tatoos and bald. Nothing special at all.
jim stoppani is a pussy and a liar, all your american bodybuilders and pro athletes are hyprocrits, we brazilians are full of steroids but we at least admit to it
In 2015, Le’Veon Bell was in his 220’s at 3% body fat. I believe he is 6″.
Le’Veon Bell is a beast, but do you know what 3% body fat looks like? It looks like muscle on a skeleton. Wherever he got that 3% figure from is very suspect.
If he was at 3%, I would suspect that would have been easily injured. I just wouldn’t think that would be healthy for a football player. Basketball on the other hand….
The question I have for all of JYM’s products, is why is their a disclaimer stating that his products cause cancer only on users that live in California?
Because California has special laws. They put that on many supplements.
I’m not sure if the dr is on steriods or not. I’m 62 years old I was on 5mg DHEA for a long time. But I ran out of my DHEA and can’t find anyone that carries the 5mgs. But hears the thing I do have the genetic to build muscle at 62. I had bilateral tears in both of my shoulders. I’ve not trained for many years now. I had only 6 days of therapy because my health insurance wouldn’t let me do anymore than that. The therapist ask me if I was on anything I told him no I wasn’t. I ask him why he ask me that. He said because your shoulders are getting bigger just in 6 visits that was just 2 visits a week for 3 weeks. I was shocked at what the therapist told me. To put it this way most all pro bodybuilders and athletes take steroids even high school kids for which they shouldn’t but they do. I’m not book learned or have degree. I take vitamins and protein that’s pretty much it. Yes test declines with age or so they say. But how is it that I was able 2 build my shoulders up in just 6 visits of therapy for 3 weeks? I’m not on any steroids or DHEA either. I started taking DHEA when I hit my 40s. This was in the 90s. So do we know about the human body more than we should or what science has taught us. Or does the human body hold secrets that science still hasn’t found yet. Like I said I’m not book learned or have a degree. I just know what works for me.
He is natural and believe me by following his application on body building.com u get shape, u get a good strength and a healthy mind if you follow diet and exercises both.
Even if he’s not on steroids now he most definitely has been at one point in his life before. As a doctor who has dedicated his life to bodybuilding and the science behind it, being a trainer to a lot of celebrities who take steroids without any doubt, plus the impressive (naturally very! unlikely to reach) stats that he has, I can’t believe that he never even tried any kind of body-enhancing drugs. Even if you do steroids for only 1 or 2 years in your life the impact will always be visible and your results much better than those of someone who always stayed natural, even if it’s 30 years after the last time you did it. I think the likeliness of him having done steroids at least once is 99.9%.
I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal if he (or anybody) is natty or not. Who cares? Why should I care? On a sidenote: he takes steroids 1000000000%. But that’s his business not mine (ours)
Exactly! Who the fu*%$K cares anyway! He’s def on roids but his promotion and endorsement of products that promise others that they will look like him is well…..just plain bullshit. Whatever you take isn’t going to help you achieve the results he has.
If you want to look like Jim Stoppani, go ahead and take roids. Remember, it’ll cost you a lot of money and you’ll need to monitor your intake as well.
I find funny this academic discussions on internet… :()
That 6’1″ and 190 lbs is not true at all. I am 27 now and i have been anywhere from 185 to 200 the last few years depending on my nutrition. If I eat 3500 calories and do a lot of biking and bjj, I am about 185. If I limit by cardio and eat 5000 calories a day, I will be 195-200 lbs. I stay at 6.5% bodyfat at all time. I never cut or bulk. For me I can stay right at 190lbs 6.5% bodyfat just by eating whole good food. Put some hard work in dedication in.
Pics?
not sure if hes natural, but there is 0 chance he is anywhere near 5% bf
I am following some of Stoppani’s workouts, which are tough as hell, and I usually cannot finish a StShred or Boulder Shoulders in 1.5 hours. If Stoppani is doing those with consistency and his conditioning is high enough that he can log 5-6 in a week, it is not unreasonable at all to think he is natural. In fact, if he were to truly follow a six week cycle of Shortcut to Shred, to the tee, at his age, I would imagine his body would have to, naturally, adjust to the workload by producing his measurements. He might have used, but it is not impossible to have his physique naturally. Just out of curiosity, has anyone here fully done StShred? What were your results?