Fhyujk

Why would you stay polite to a guy who pressures you into doing steroids? Those things have very little effect for the average casual gym-goer and lead to a host of issues in multiple organs at worst.

And I guess he is not your boss so there are no repercussions to firmly saying no.

It woudn't be a bad idea to notify HR too, someone peddling illegal medicine as part of a company fitness program is a disaster waiting to happen.

Edit: just saw that you are in japan, where if i remember correctly impoliteness is seen as a terrible character flaw: just stay polite for a few times. Then shorten your answer a bit, do this for a few times more until you arrive at the politest form of address that does not involve yelling "fuck off" through the gym. If he does not get the hint you now have valid ammunition to complain to your boss.

(see comments for a more in-depth discussion on why steroids are totally neat)

He probably just wants to sell you the products, so the same way you would say no to a waiter offering you a dish you don't want, a polite but firm "No, thanks" should work. Showing doubts or evasive answers will only make him insist again and again.

By the way, protein and other suplements are OK, but steroids are illegal drugs, I don't know if there is a potential risk for the company here but you might consider reporting this anonymously.

Edit: the above paragraph might not be entirely correct for Japan, as possession of anabolic steroids seems to be legal, not sure about selling being legal tho.

Just say 'no thanks' to the supplements. Steroids are not even very useful if you just do cardio. Most probably he is a supplier or in some way gets a bonus if he sells supplements. So it's just business to him and nothing to get offended about.

Just say "我慢しています。自分の力で頑張ってほしいですから" (gaman shiteimasu. jibun no chikara de gambatte hoshii desu kara).

This means "I'm refraining from taking (that). I want to try my best on my own.

Be informed, he may insist 3 times, this is typically done in these types of situations. It's a social norm to refuse at first, but relent on the 3rd time. So, just continue to say "gaman shiteimasu". Just smile and continue to refuse. He should (if he is behaving properly) stop insisting on the 3rd try. If he continues after that, other people around him will probably start pressuring him to stop.

It is difficult as you are probably a foreigner to accuse a native of drugs. I would probably just ignore him. In Japan, the police sometimes feel that a crime requires two participants. The crime would not happen if the person being harassed does not reciprocate.

I'm from Japan.

Best case this person is free-lancing and trying to peddle their stuff for private profit. In this case complaining to HR will help.

Worst case the company is in it, too. This is unfortunately not uncommon in Japan (I also had bunch of people trying to sell me insurance during my lunch break, and this was company sanctioned). In that case complaining won't help.

Regarding how to say no, just keep saying "Ie, kekko desukara". It's perfectly acceptable to sound annoyed. If the person still persists, you can say "Iikagen ni shite kure masennka?" (could you cut it out, please?).

It's perfectly acceptable to escalate your tone if someone is being annoying (especially if they are providing a service to you - you are "higher" on the hierarchy when you are their customer. If you are older than the person, you could even say "Mou uttooshiinnde, iikagen ni shite" (you are annoying me, cut it out)).

I suggest a (made it a bit more polite, because Japan):

Thank you for offering, but no thank you. If in the future I change my mind, I'll keep your offer in mind.

This way you indicate that you're not interested now, nor in the forseable future. You also tell them that if you change your mind, you contact them. It gives a sense of importance.

I've encountered multiple people like this, and while it's somewhat ennoying, it often comes from a good place, wanting to help you. They're enthousiasic and want to share their knowledge (so you might just take their offer as a compliment).

Offtopic-ish: The amino and steroids might be overkill (amino's can't do much wrong), but the protein shakes might be worth consideration (in moderate amount). It helps you recover between sets faster, you get less muscle strain and can do everything a bit more/heavier (think ±5%) and there are no bad side effects when you stop. The only thing to be aware of is the extra kCal's if you're on a tight diet.

You realized he is annoying you and making you pay so that he can earn. Talk to gym manager. It's quite possible he is annoying others too.

This depends on your personality and mindset. My advice is

Stay yourself:

• Be polite to that guy in the same way than to anyone else. But with the same suit, except the same from him, so confront him with his actions: Ask him why he is offering the supplements to you if you already repeatedly told him your "no" ...and wait for answer. If there is no answer, ask him explicitly to answer, still in polite tone.




• Be open as usual. If you are already taking some general supplements (e.g. conezyme Q10), change his "steroids and proteins" topic to your product and check his offer. Let the products compete, you can only gain from it. Is his equivalent product better and for a good price? Switch. Is it same or worse? Tell him which one your are already using, why do you prefer it and for what price you are buying it. Then ask him why should you buy product from him if you already have better one.




• Be goal-set as usual. If you are fine with current setting and you goal is to stay so, tell him that you do not intend to take any more supplements at the moment. Ask him, if he is fine with your outlook and if he can accept your current setting even if you do not change. Make yourself room in this relationship so that he commits to respect your decisions.




• Be curious as usual. Verify supplement types recommended by him with independent instructor. Let the other instructor understand your mindset and fitness goals and ask them to express their opinion if you really need to start taking something. If yes, at what milestone of your development. And again, if you decide to, then challenge the offer made by your instructor by offer of your favorite manufacturer so you still have your freedom to decide for the best product.




• Bonus: Debate his stances - collect information why those products should not be really taken in your phase of the physical development and confront him with reasons why not to take them.

All these things may get you better understanding of supplements to your lasting benefit (your learned something new!) and they can still repel off the instructor if his behavior is manipulative. Manipulators do not like discussion if it is too open and where they lose their reasons.

Your instructor isn't offering you steroids, they're offering you supplements. There's a pretty big difference. Most supplements are pretty much just powdered food. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they don't.

Not taking supplements is pretty common when working out. Just tell them that you'd rather rely on a good diet than supplements. This might lead to your instructor helping you out with your macros and giving you meal prep tips. If he doesn't you could always ask for help with your diet instead.

Supplements make a lot of people uncomfortable. This isn't too uncommon. I'd bet that your instructor gets a kick back from the sales of these supplements.