Rich Piana's world is one of complete excess - from his sprawling houses, to his ten gut-busting meals per day and of course his utterly insane body.

But that excess comes with a price-tag in the form of decades of steroid use in doses so extreme other bodybuilders have filmed hours of YouTube footage to begging him to stop.

While the risks of steroid use are not lost on Piana, who frequently discusses them on his own YouTube channel, he insists he's happy with his life and the path he chose.

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Rich Piana, from Los Angeles, California, has a simple motto: 'Whatever it takes.' And if your goal is to build an insanely huge body, then of course that means you take steroids

Piana, 45, who currently weighs around 310lbs (pictured with wife Sara), openly admits using steroids since age 18 and has even go as far as posting his drug-taking schedules online

While Piana does caution against the use of steroids in his hours of YouTube videos, he insists he is completely happy with his choice to use drugs

His ethos can perhaps be best summed up by the slogan for his supplement company, which is simply: 'Whatever it takes.'

Born the son of a body-building mother in Los Angeles, California, Piana got introduced to the world of weightlifting aged just 11 after going to the gym to watch her train pre-competition.

Piana began weightlifting shortly afterwards, competing for the first time aged 15, where he failed to place in the competition, according to Deadspin.

After several more unsuccessful attempts Piana turned to steroids, which he's used on an off for 27 years, even posting Instagram images of the drug-taking schedules he compiled for himself.

In one video, Piana explains his choice, saying: 'If you have the choice to do steroids or stay natural, stay natural. There's no reason to do steroids, you're only hurting your body and hurting yourself.

'But if you want to become a professional bodybuilder, guess what? You're probably going to have to f***ing do them, you're not going to have a choice. That's the boat I was in.

Piana said he started taking steroids aged 18 after being blown away at competitive level, and since then has gone on to place first at several inter-state championships and was named Mr California

While Piana no longer competes at bodybuilding, he still continues to push his body to the extreme, sharing his lifestyle with his legions of followers via social media

Piana now makes his money from his YouTube channel, speaking events and tours, as well as his supplement company which has the slogan: 'Whatever it takes'

'I was competing on stage and I was getting to the point where I was getting blown off stage if I wasn't going to do steroids, so I took that step.

'But you know what? I'm happy with everything I chose and happy with the way that everything went in my life and I would not have done anything different.

'I'm completely happy with the choice that I made to start taking steroids at an early age of 18.'

Since then Piana has placed 7th and 11th in national bodybuilding championships, and has collected several interstate titles, including being named Mr California.

At his peak, Piana estimates that he was spending $2,500 on growth hormone per month, without even taking steroids into account.

While Piana no longer competes at bodybuilding, he continues to drive himself and his body to greater and greater feats, making money along the way via endorsements, merchandise, supplements, and his popular social media channels.

He is was recently engaged on a four-month 'bigger by the day' challenge in which he has promised viewers they would be able to gain 30lbs of pure muscle - provided they followed his insane workout and eating regime.

During his competitive years, Piana estimates that he was using up to $2,500 worth of growth hormone each month, which does not include the money he spent on steroids

Piana's tell-all YouTube confessionals, in which he discusses everything from nutrition to exercise and drug use, have gathered him an impressive following online

In the videos, which are often more than an hour long, Piana complained about how exhausting it was weighing as much as he does, and suffering while downing protein shakes 'you could drown a toddler in.'

And yet he completed the challenge anyway, just to prove a point. His next mission is now to lose 70lbs because he has gained 'too much muscle.'

But it is precisely that kind of no-holds-barred exposure when it comes to his lifestyle, whether he is discussing nutrition, exercise or drugs, that has seen Piana become such a big deal in the bodybuilding world.