One may wonder why bodybuilding is receiving great impetus in the modern life of many people. But it is evident that bodybuilding has reached a point of no return and should be appreciated by all categories of people. For adults from young age to the oldest, bodybuilding will still remain important. This article gives an overview and an in-depth analysis of bodybuilding and its relevance to bodybuilders.

If you like this article, click here to share:

It's all about YOU. This is your time to be selfish. Before age 18, it was all about your family. From age 22 on, it'll be about finding Ms. Right and making lots of babies. However, from the age of 18 until 22 (assuming you take the normal college route), you get to make everything about you. Earning your degree. Finding your calling in life. Finding yourself.

If you like this article, click here to share:

How to Nurture a Bodybuilding Lifestyle

If you like this article, click here to share:

Teens And Steroids - Never A Good Mix

If you like this article, click here to share:

Dietary strategies to promote natural testosterone production may seem meaningless to a person using anabolic steroids. As a matter of fact, they pretty much are, since androgen levels are controlled via syringe, rather than by the innate feedback system. The body monitors testosterone levels and adjusts production of the hormone within the testes by altering output of stimulatory hormones released from the hypothalamus and pituitary (glands in the brain). If the circulating (blood) testosterone concentration is low, the hypothalamus detects this and signals the pituitary gland to release a hormone that stimulates the testes called LH. LH travels through the blood to the testes and drives testosterone production to increase output. As testosterone concentration rises in the blood, the hypothalamus detects the elevation and reduces the pituitary's demand.1 In the case of a person using anabolic steroids, androgen levels are kept higher than the cut-off chronically, so the testes do not need to function (relative to producing testosterone) and atrophy (shrivel) as they do not receive a LH signal from the pituitary. However, when the cycle is finished, close attention needs to be paid to promoting the restoration of natural testosterone production. Of course, the system is not as simple as one switch that is either 'off' or 'on.' In an anabolic, steroid-free environment, a person's testosterone concentration is affected by conditions such as: sleep, physical demand, available rest, amount and quality of food, and presence of certain nutrients.2,3 While there is no scientific evidence that any one food or even the most selective diet will make a difference in regard to testosterone level and subsequent muscle growth over time (since no one has ever studied the demographics of strength and muscularity), the discriminating bodybuilder or fitness enthusiast will pay close attention to what he/she consumes. After all, it does no good to struggle to build muscle in the gym if a fad-diet lifestyle is sabotaging the anabolic response. Also, informal observations are fairly convincing in suggesting that vegans have a difficult time putting on muscle and the chronically undernourished live on the threshold of catabolism. Before plunging into the buffet of knowledge ahead, this does not imply that other hormones that are modulated by the diet are not equally important. For the sake of clarity and brevity, this article will focus solely on the testosterone-diet associations. Testosterone is a cholesterol-based chemical and many industrial sources (pharmaceutical companies) synthesize testosterone using steroid-ring precursors. However, testosterone is not created from dietary cholesterol in the body to a great degree. The starting chemical for endogenous production (natural testosterone production) appears to be acetyl-CoA, which is produced as sugar (glucose) and burned for calories. The body produces sugar in times of need, so even if one is on a strict ketogenic diet, acetyl-CoA should still be available. Acetyl-CoA goes through a series of reactions to become a molecule called hydroxymethylglutary-CoA, or HMG-CoA.4 Fortunately for the ketogenic dieters, HMG-CoA is also produced during ketogenesis, so the starting blocks for steroid production are well-provided. HMG-CoA is then shuttled into another series of reactions to form squalene. A key reaction responsible for changing HMG-CoA is called the rate-limiting step. It is like the slowest walker on a prison chain gang. No matter how fast the rest of the crew is, they cannot move faster than the slowest moving prisoner. The top-selling cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins (e.g., Lipitor®), work by making the slowest, rate-limiting reaction move even slower.5 Ironically, dieticians and drug companies worked for years on limiting dietary cholesterol, but it is the body's own cholesterol-making machinery that is the cause of most cholesterol-related health problems. Squalene is converted to a primitive steroid called lanosterol; this is the steroid equivalent of a cave man. Lanosterol is finally processed to form cholesterol; cholesterol can be processed to the more readily-recognized steroid hormones, such as: testosterone, androstenedione, DHEA, estradiol, progesterone, cotisol, etc.6 It is difficult to keep track of the number of chemical reactions involved, but it is a complicated process. This very brief introduction into steroidogenesis is provided to illustrate that the body doesn't make testosterone simply and there really is no way to directly consume something that will directly convert into testosterone— at least not a food product. This revelation will likely disappoint fans of Rocky Mountain oysters and participants at Testicle Festival eating contests. Certainly, several products have been introduced into the sports nutrition market that are steroid precursors, or prohormones. However, these are not chemicals that are common in the food chain and some are thinly-veiled drugs. The reactions in creating a steroid backbone (let alone the specific androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, etc.) require a great deal of energy. Additionally, the processes are predominantly oxidizing reactions. The pressure in Western society has long been to promote antioxidant consumption. Antioxidants suppress oxidizing reactions; this is beneficial in many situations, as free radicals can damage structural proteins in the cell or the DNA. However, the body burns calories and generates bio-molecules through oxidizing reactions as well, so the question must be asked, "Can you have too much of a good thing (antioxidants)?" In exploring this many, many years ago, I learned of reductive stress, but it appears to be a neglected area of research. The foods that promote testosterone production primarily offer certain minerals which help form the metalloproteins and metalloenzymes involved in the chemical reactions to create cholesterol and eventually testosterone.7,8 Additionally, B vitamins are important co-factors (helpers); total calories and protein quality is also important.8 The most commonly referred foods that promote testosterone production are: oysters, eggs, beef, garlic, and broccoli. These foods are high in zinc, cholesterol, B vitamins, and arachidonic acid (AA). Arachidonic acid is a fatty acid that sits in the membrane of cells lining the Leydig cells of the testes (the actual site of testosterone production from cholesterol). Under the influence of LH from the pituitary, released when testosterone levels are registered as being low, enzymes pull AA from the membrane and form messenger chemicals that go to the nucleus (the control center of the cell where the DNA is located) and turn on the production of StAR (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein).9 Interestingly, AA can go down three pathways in the Leydig cell; two promote StAR production, but the third suppresses it. This third pathway is the cyclo-oxygenase pathway and research into promoting testosterone production via cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibition is underway.10 Many people are familiar with Celebrex®, a drug used to treat the symptoms of arthritis, this is a cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitor. At this time, only animal studies have been performed to investigate the effect of Celebrex® on testicular function. Some protection of steroidogenesis during inflammatory challenge has been recorded, but no real increase in baseline testosterone production.11 Another common drug class, the statins (e.g. Lipitor®), may reduce testosterone by reducing the available pool of cholesterol to use in steroidogenesis. Data are conflicting at this time, but it appears that while total testosterone may be reduced, bioavailable testosterone is not affected.12,13 Men started on statins who experience symptoms of androgen deficiency may wish to be more diligent in monitoring testosterone concentrations through their physicians. The dietary attention really needs to be paid to foods that may lower testosterone production— either through antioxidant suppression of the oxidizing reactions, promoting the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, or by acting as an estrogen directly. Research has shown that several foods, many of which are increasing in popularity in the U.S., suppress testosterone production. Some of this data is based on test-tube experiments, others from animal studies and the majority of the remainder from epidemiologic studies (observing trends in large groups).

If you like this article, click here to share:

PCT, or post-cycle therapy, describes the use of an anti-estrogen product following the use of a steroid cycle. After using steroids for an extended period of time, a few things happen in your body. First, your own natural levels of testosterone production have been severely impacted. There is a good chance you aren’t producing any sperm, or at the very least aren’t producing enough to procreate or maintain normal strength and libido levels.

If you like this article, click here to share:

With all the exotic steroid compounds available out there, it is often difficult to plan a simple, useful steroid cycle for advanced bodybuilders looking to make simple mass gains. You want a testosterone for muscle mass, another injectable for a boost in gains, an oral for immediate gains, and an anti-estrogen product to prevent side effects such as Gynecomastia and out-of-control estrogen levels. Let’s examine the four components you will want to include in your advanced cycle. This cycle will last twelve weeks and will consist of four compounds, run at different intervals.

If you like this article, click here to share:

Steroid cycles have to work around your every day lives. You may have a family or business trip planned in the near future and you don’t think loading your luggage with hypodermic needles and test prop to cross the Atlantic Ocean is a great idea. So you want to time your steroid cycle very succinctly in order to get the most bang for your injecting buck. You have ten weeks to raise your blood testosterone levels. It can be done, with intelligent dosing and good timing. Are you ready to do it? Here are the steps to follow. Let’s get started!

If you like this article, click here to share:

For many sports, the fundamentals aren’t all that different. In basketball, you wouldn’t tell a 14 year old to shoot a free throw any differently than you would a 45 year old. The mechanics are the same. When it comes to sprinting or long-distance running, the same tents apply. The older athletes may have more injuries to deal with, but what they do on the track is identical. Bodybuilding, on the other hand, is a sport which welcomes older athletes, but with a different set of rules for many things associated with training. The movements are the same, but the factors around them are going to vary.

If you like this article, click here to share:

Most body building literature online and in print claims to have miraculous muscle gaining advice that is all a body builder requires to pack up the slabs. Literature about muscle gaining secrets, manuals detailing each and every aspect of body building, testimonies of successful body builders and guideline on ‘how to’ facets of body building are far too available for the average body builder.

If you like this article, click here to share: