Yes, there have been advances in PED's generally. And products like creatine (for example) are more widely used. Everyone thinks of steroids as the only PED, but in fact a mix of different nutrition is needed, steroids on their own don't cut it. And, of course, training has changed dramatically. And the range of training techniques and equipment is vast compared to the sweat shops of the 70's and 80's.
It is more the case that as time has gone on, there is a greater understanding how PED's work in the female body, as prior to the late 1980's , women did not use PED's much. So there was much experimentation, and many examples of disaster as a result. It is fair to say, the Eastern Europeans and Russians were further advanced in understanding how to use PED's in athletics and strength sports, and much of this learning helped with current understanding regarding how best to use them for women's bodybuilding.
Joanna Thomas recently said that nutrition had moved on loads since her heyday, to the extent that she was out of touch with current understanding and methods. So that is just in the last 10 years since she last competed. She is considering offering advice to athletes regarding what NOT to do, as there are many ways of using PED's that are very destructive, physically and emotionally. She has first hand experience of this.
One of my friends who has been in strength sports for 20 years, and is very experienced, said she is learning every season, never stops learning and moving on.
One important thing, about the inst@gram and Facebook athletes who preach what others should or should not do to gain muscle or look cut.
The fact is, everyone is slightly different. You can follow guidelines, but nothing comes off the shelf. What works for one athlete may be a disaster for another. It is about experimenting, learning what works for that athlete, listening to their body, observing.
That is why fans get disappointed with their FBB's performance, sometimes. Their athlete tried something different, it didn't work, or what worked last time didn't this time. "Every prep is different".
Regarding being muscular for longer period's of time. I have observed that once the foundations have been built, athletes tend to retain a good foundation , even if they take a year off. Once the foundation is built, the athlete can rebuild the muscle fast. The initial foundation still needs to be built. Over using PED's to speed the process causes lasting damage, and will harm results. Slower is better. One athlete told me that she gives her body plenty of offseason, and rest between contest seasons, with maintenance workouts only. She says staying in contest shape for long periods is likely to cause damage. Again, maybe some athletes can naturally stay more cut, it may be individual.
This is what has been learnt.
