I used GH during my contest phases. The first times I used it were for the 1991 Night of Champions and Mr. Olympia shows. I used four IU a day while I was dieting, and I can’t say I noticed much difference adding it in. For my off-season in 1992, I doubled that to eight IU per day consistently, and saw better results. I had hit a plateau, and it helped kickstart me to the next level. I made very substantial gains that year, but unfortunately I overdieted for my first Mr. Olympia win (1992), so they were never seen. I knew I would be the biggest guy up there anyway since Haney was retired, so my concern was to be as shredded as possible.
For 1993, I did everything the same as I had the year before, including the gear and the GH, but wasn’t so overzealous with my prep. As a result, it appeared as if I had made a tremendous leap in size from the previous year. What you really saw were the gains I had made over two off-seasons.
As for insulin, I only used it in 1997 for the off-season leading up to my sixth and final Mr. Olympia win. I got bigger than ever, but it wasn’t quality muscle, and my midsection was distended. Some do believe you need to use all the things out there at your disposal. For me, insulin had a negative overall impact on my physique. It kept me from getting into my usual condition that I prided myself on. Raw mass is not the same thing as quality muscle tissue.I got a bit bigger, but at the expense of my separation, crispness and clear muscle separations. I see that same lack of separation constantly today with the guys, as well as the distended abs. I’m not sure what mechanisms are responsible. You could theorize the guts come from internal organ growth, but if that were the case, my belly would still be big.