Jag Chima on Steroids, Fake Supplements, And the Shortcut Culture No One Wants to Talk About

Jag Chima, CEO of Kris Gethin Gyms who has revolutionized the fitness industry in India, speaks about the myths surrounding fake supplements and steroids and how to overcome them.

If you’ve spent any amount of time inside a typical gym in India, you’ve seen the same story play out. 

A 19-year-old kid walks in, trains for three weeks, and suddenly wants a “shortcut.” 

And someone – usually a trainer or a guy who “knows people” – is ready to help him because that’s how the game works.

Our CEO Jag Chima has been observing this trend for years, not as a random outsider, but as someone who’s been deeply involved in India’s fitness industry through Physique Global and Kris Gethin Gyms.

The thing he keeps repeating is simple: India doesn’t have a fitness problem, it has an education problem.

We’ve created a culture where looking fit matters more than being healthy. Social media is a big part of that. 

Everyone wants sharp shoulders, razor abs, and veins popping on their biceps. No one is talking about the liver panels, the hormonal crashes, the mood swings, or the infertility down the line.

And this is where steroids and fake supplements slide in unnoticed.

The Steroid Reality Inside Indian Gyms

Ask around quietly in many Indian gyms and you’ll find that steroids are easier to buy than high-quality whey protein. 

No prescription, no medical supervision, no explanation of risks. 

Just a casual “This will make you cut faster” or “You’ll look big in one cycle.”

The funny (and sad) part is most people don’t even know what they’re taking. 

They don’t know what it does to their testosterone. 

They don’t know what it does to their heart. 

They don’t know that once they stop, they usually rebound into a worse condition than where they started – physically and mentally.

Why does this keep happening? Two reasons :

1. People want fast results.
2. Trainers want fast side income.

It’s a bad equation with predictable outcomes.

Fake Supplements : The Other Side of the Same Problem

Fake supplements are a quieter issue but not a smaller one.

There’s a whole underground economy of counterfeit protein, under-dosed “imported” pre-workouts, and sketchy fat burners.

The packaging looks convincing. The labels look scientific. The inside is either spiked with junk or contains nothing useful at all.

And it’s gotten so widespread that people now think “supplements are bad,” which is not true.

Jag Chima keeps reminding people that supplements are not the enemy – bad supplements are.

Good whey protein is derived from milk. Casein too. It’s food, not poison. 

Vitamins and minerals are not exotic – they’re basic human requirements. 

But because fake products flooded the market, the entire category got tainted.

So now we have a strange situation : steroids are normalized, and protein powder is treated like contraband. Completely backwards.

The Worst Damage Isn’t Visual

The saddest part of this story isn’t the bodies – it’s the health. 

The internal fallout takes years to show up, and once it does, it’s often irreversible or expensive to treat.

We’ve seen athletes lose careers because of failed doping tests. 

We’ve seen kabaddi players die in their early 20s because no one told them what they were injecting. 

We’ve seen regular gym goers dealing with infertility, anxiety, hair loss, and organ damage – all because they wanted a physique faster than nature allowed.

This is what Jag keeps pointing out : There is a cost to the shortcut mentality, and the cost is always more than what you signed up for.

Why This Keeps Happening in India

It’s easy to blame vanity or Instagram, but that’s not the full picture. The real reasons are :

• No standardized education for trainers
• No regulation around supplement quality
• No awareness of long-term health risks
• No incentive for sustainable training methods
• No patience among clients

When a trainer’s income depends on quick transformations, steroids become a “service.” When supplement shops fight on price, fakes start dominating. 

When everyone wants results in 8 weeks, health becomes optional.

The Only Real Fix : Education

Jag Chima has been pushing education long before it became a buzzword. 

Through Physique Global, thousands of trainers have gone through structured systems that focus on biomechanics, nutrition, programming, behavior change, and actual human physiology – not bro-science.

The interesting thing is, trainers who go through proper education earn more, not less. 

When clients get sustainable results, they trust you. And when they trust you, you don’t need to sell them shortcuts.

It also shifts the mindset: from “How do I look good by next month?” to “How do I stay strong, healthy, and functional for the next decade?”

The Uncomfortable But Necessary Reality Check

Here’s the truth no one wants to admit because it doesn’t sell online programs:

Natural progress is slow. And that’s exactly why it lasts.

You get stronger. You move better. You sleep better. Your joints don’t hate you. 

Your labs don’t scare your doctor. Your confidence doesn’t depend on a drug.

The irony is, the people who go slow often look better for far longer. 

Meanwhile, the shortcut crowd looks great at 23, exhausted at 27, and broken at 32.

What Jag Chima Wants India to Understand

You don’t have to be an athlete to take care of your body. 

You don’t need steroids to build muscle. 

You don’t need fake fat burners to lose weight. 

You don’t need to destroy your organs to get compliments.

What you need is boring, consistent, unsexy work: 

• Better food choices
• Hydration
• Sleep
• Less alcohol and tobacco
• Genuine supplements (if you need them)
• Training that makes sense for your body

That’s the part that doesn’t go viral on Instagram, but it’s what actually works.