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Are you thinking about using performance enhancing compounds? The words that we have come to know as “anabolic” and “androgenic” originated from the Greek words: “anabolic”, meaning “to make larger,” and “androgenic”, meaning “masculinizing.” The male hormone, testosterone, has numerous androgenic properties, which are initiated at puberty. These include the stimulation of the male hormonal system leading to increased body hair and a deeper voice. Muscles also need anabolic hormones to aid in protein retention for muscle mass, strength and size. These secrets are about to be reveled. This article was designed by individuals who pioneered the bodybuilding community.
“Steroids, Anabolic Steroids information based on facts.” This Information is what you need to make conscious decisions regarding anabolic hormones.” How would you like to be an expert without spending a dime?
Learn how bodybuilders get absolutely Jacked using legal Products!…..
Anabolic steroids, have many effects!! Muscle building is just the beginning. Unfortunately they have just as many side effects. With today’s advanced legal supplementation it is safe to say, the risks of using steroids outweigh the rewards.
Speeding up protein synthesis.
Strength and recovery.
Muscle mass strength and size.
Childhood growth and puberty in boys.
Increased sexual desires.
Once the muscle-building properties became known, it wasn’t long before athletes began experimenting with them in an attempt to get bigger and stronger. At first, use was limited to weight lifters and bodybuilders, but it wasn’t long before they made inroads into such other power sports as football, track and field, and power lifting…..
History
Anabolic steroids are a class of performance enhancing hormones that were first developed in the 1930’s to treat diseases of the male reproductive system, as well as to combat the ravages of various wasting diseases. They were also employed in the months after World War II to help the emaciated victims of German and Japanese concentration camps.
Drug use to gain a competitive advantage has existed for at least 2000 years. The sports competitors of ancient Greece supposedly used stimulants to gain an edge on their fellow competitors. As early as the third century B.C., asses hooves and roses were ground and boiled in oil, and given to athletes in the belief that it would improve their athletic performance. While anabolic steroid use has captured the attention of the public, many do not realize that steroids have only been used in sports for the past 60 years.
Synthetic testosterone is a byproduct of over a century’s research into hormones. Early researchers were not attempting to find substances that could improve athletic performance; rather they were searching for the fountain of youth. In 1889 Dr. Brown-Sequard, upon injecting himself with an extract derived from dog testicles, claimed a rejuvenating effect (he was 72 at the time), especially when it came to satisfying his new young wife. But he was not taken seriously by his colleagues, his wife walked out, and he died five years later.
Dr. Laqueur, a German pharmacologist, succeeded in isolating crystals from bull testicles in 1935. The chemistry of the crystals was determined by Dutch chemists and given the name testosterone. In the same year, Swiss chemists succeeded in synthesizing testosterone from cholesterol. Researchers discovered that some of these newly synthesized drugs, which chemically belonged to a class of compounds called steroid hormones, could cause muscle building (anabolic) effects. Therefore the name “anabolic steroid” was adopted. It wasn’t long before athletes from many different sports were in the market to buy Steroids.
These drugs (together with other hormone preparations) were so successful clinically, that they became very profitable to market. German scientists held most of the patents for industrial synthesis of hormone preparations and formed a cartel to control production, and drove up prices, in a manner similar to modern day OPEC. The cartel was broken in 1938 when a British group of scientists developed a cheaper method of synthesis.
steroids, anabolic steroids
©Bob Howard Article 02/01/2006
From a bodybuilder’s perspective one of the most important body areas is the back. Not only can it be visually impressive but a strong back is essential for intensive training and day to day living. In bodybuilding you are aiming for three things with regard to developing the back muscles:
- Thickness of the upper back (traps).
- Wide lats.
- Highly defined lower back (spinal erectors and lower lats).
As a beginner there are five essential exercises for developing these muscles quickly:
1. Dumbbell shrugs - 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This exercise will develop the traps.
2. Seated V-bar cable rows - 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This exercise will develop the mid upper back.
3. Bent over barbell rows - 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This exercise will add thickness to the upper back.
4. Pullups - Aim for 25 reps. This exercise will strengthen the entire back.
5. Pulldowns - 3 sets of 10-15 reps. This exercise will define the lats.
As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your back exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below:
Day 1: Biceps, Back, Abs
Day 2: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs
Day 3: Quads, Forearms, Calves
Day 4: Triceps, Chest, Abs
For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.
Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.
We all know that in order to make progress
with your weight training, whether it’s building muscle mass, or
slimming down and building a long, lean, athletic body, you need
to constantly challenge your body and the easiest measurable way
to do this is to lift ‘heavy’ and constantly increase your
workout poundages. But what’s ‘heavy’?
Many people wonder if the weights they are using are heavy enough.
First, it’s important to realize that heavy is a relaitve concept
and many factors come into play - your overall genetic makeup being
the most important.
But even more specific factors come into play, such as rib cage size,
length of the forearms, etc.
Somebody with long arms will have a difficult time becoming a great
bench presser. But someone with shorter arms and
a natural barrel chest physique, has a great chance to be a top bench
presser.
This is why you sometimes see bigger bodybuilders who can’t lift as much
as people that are smaller, muscle-wise than they are. So, whether or
not you are lifting heavy, you should only take into consideration what you
were lifting before and what you are lifting now. Your progress
is the most important thing, not where you started or where you end
up.
Of course, everyone wants a challenge and a goal to shoot for when it
comes to their workout poundages so here are some goals and poundages
you can go after. Serious bodybuilders will probably go well
beyond these numbers but for most people they are quite good.
Bench Press
Bodyweight is a good goal here, as long as it’s for at least 5 or more
reps. Sets of five reps or more with 130 to 150 percent of bodyweight
is respectable for anyone involved in weight training programs.
Squats
Working out with bodyweight for sets of five or more reps is respectable
for all-round conditioning. However, if you really want to make gains a
nd build muscle, you will want to work up to 150 percent of your bodyweight
for sets of five to eight reps. If you’really serious, you’ll shoot
for 175 percent.
Keep in mind, I am talking about full squats here. If you’re serious
about making big muscle mass gains with your weight training, you need to
do squats.
Deadlifts
150 percent of bodyweight for sets of five to six reps. Most serious
trainees shoot for 200 percent of bodyweight as a reasonable goal on
the regular deadlift, in time.
For stiff-legged deadlifts, shoot for between bodyweight and 125 percent
of bodyweight for weightlifting sets in the 6 to 10 rep range. You
may even get up to 150 percent if this is a good exercise for you.
One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Eventually you should be using 50 percent of your bodyweight in this
movement. Your back is your strongest muscle and you’ll only achieve
real results with real weights.
Seated Shoulder Presses
You’ll want to work up to 65 to 70 percent of your bodyweight in this
weightlifting exercise for three to five sets of five to eight reps.
If you use dumbbells, they should total 60 to 65 percent of you bodyweight.
The lesser number is due to the fact that you have to control the dumbbells
more than a barbell.
Barbell Curls
Work up to 50 to 60 percent of you bodyweight for sets of five to eight
reps. It should be the same for dumbbells, since there is no extra balancing
neccssary.
Working up to these weights in these bodybuilging exercises will
give you quite a respectable level of strength and muscle mass(if you get
your nutrition right, as well).
Keep in mind that a weight training program is the best way to build muscle mass but
it’s also the best way to lose fat, completely change the shape of your body, and
keep the fat off. Weight lifting is much more effective for fat loss than aerobics
or dieting alone.
Some of these poundages may be very easy for you, while others are
very difficult, depending on all the factors mentioned above. If you
really want to make progress in building muscle, the deadlift and
squat poundages are the one’s you’ll really want to hit or even
surpass. Do that, and you’ll be well on your way to the muscle
mass you are looking to attain.
Gregg Gillies is the founder of Buile Lean Muscle.com
His articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has written
two books and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine.
He publishes a free fitness newsletter available at his site that
includes lots of weight training tips, fat loss, nutrition and
exercise program information to help you build your best body as
quickly as possible. See how you can get a customized nutrition
plan at http://www.mynutritionjournal.com
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders’ training regimes.
It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.
In this article we’ll take a close look at the incline dumbbell bench press.
MUSCLES TARGETED: pectoralis major
STARTING POSITION
Grasp two dumbbells using a closed, pronated grip.
Assume a supine position on a bench.
Press the dumbbells to an extended elbow, parallel arm position above the face.
This is the starting point for all repetitions.
DOWNWARD MOVEMENT
Lower the dumbbells together towards the chest and aligned with the nipples.
Keep the wrists rigid directly above the elbows.
UPWARD MOVEMENT
Push the dumbbells upward until the elbows are fully extended.
Keep the wrists rigid directly above the elbows.
Do not arch back or raise chest to meet the bar.
Repeat or finish set.
Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.
Proper exercise selection plays a big role in the kind of progress you can make with your muscle building goals. If you want to develop ripped, bulding, rock-hard muscles, you need to use the right weight training
exercises. If not, you won’t get the real muscle buildings gains that you want.
Quads
Squat
Did you really think I was going to say
something else? Wimpy leg extensions, maybe?
Yeah, go for the burn and tear up your knees
while you’re add it. But you won’t build huge
quads from leg extensions. I know squats are
brutally hard work. And that’s why they are
so freaking effective. If you want to bulid
slabs of muscle all over your body, you need
to squat.
Hamstrings
The Stiff Legged Deadlift (knees slightly bent)
Sorry, no leg curls here. Once again, it’s the
hard exercise using a lot of weight that is most
effective for building massive hamstrings that aren’t
overshadowed by overdeveloped quad muscles.
Calves
Standing Calf Raises
Basic is better. You can use a heck of a lot of
weight on this exercise. Go for it. An alternative
is to do them on a leg press machine.
Chest
Dips
Surprised that it’s not the bench press? Sure, the
bench press is the most popular chest exercise. That
doesn’t make it the best. First off, it’s not a hard
exercise. You lie flat on your back. Yeah, that’s
real tough. Try an all out set of dips versus the
bench press and you tell me which has you working harder.
I guarantee you, it’ll be the dips.
The flat bench press can wreak havoc on your shoulders
and rotator cuff. It puts them in a very awkward position.
The dips works your chest, triceps and shoulders more
thoroughly and effectively than the flat bench press
does. Many people have called it the upper body squat.
If you want to build massive muscles through the chest
and shoulder area, make dips a focal point of your
weight training program.
Midback
Deadifts
Yes, another exercise that far too few trainees perform.
Yet, it should be the cornerstone of your back training
program. The deadlift works your back like no other
exercise can. Yes, like the squat and stiff-legged
deadlift, it’s brutally hard. BUt it works. Learn
to like hard work.
Lats
Chins
Chins, not lat pulldowns. If you can’t do enough chins
now, work hard on lat pulldowns until you can. Once
you are strong enough, go to chins for your lat development.
Shoulders
Dumbbell Upright Rows
Why not some form of overhead press? Because overhead
presses focus more on the front delt. To hit the bulk
of the muscle, you need to hit the side head, which
involved moving your upper arm out to the side. So
you’d think lateral raises. However, this is a light
exercise. You can’t really overload the delts with
side lateral raises. So what’s left? Dumbbell Upright
Rows done the right way. You gotta do these with
dumbbells, not a barbell. This allows you the freedom
of movement to do them in the most productive manner.
As you pull the dumbbells up, your upper arms should
move slightly out to your sides as you lean slightly
forward. Your upper arms move into the same finishing
position as if it were a lateral raise but your forearms
finish as if you were doing a row. You can use more
weight this way and it really overloads the delts and
traps.
Triceps
Dips
Yep, the same exercise as for chest. To emphasize the
triceps more, make sure your body is straigh up and
down as you lower and raise yourself each rep. If
you want a separate exercise, go with the close
grip bench press. I prefer doing this on a decline
as opposed to a flat bench. There is less emphasis
on the shoulders.
Biceps
Standing Dumbbell Curls
The dumbbell curl is much more effective than the
barbell curl or ez curl bar curl for a couple of
reasons. First, the ability to supinate your hand
adds to the effectiveness. The barbell curl also
has a tendency to place more emphasis on the
forearms than the biceps as you curl the weight up.
The ez curl bar is not effective for the biceps as
it puts your hands in a position that de-emphasizes
bicep contraction. Go with the dumbbells and supinate
your hand as you curl so that your pinky is above
your thumb at the top of the rep.
No matter what kind of weight training routine you
use, make sure to include most of these mass builders
as often as possible. This way, you’ll be sure to
get the most muscle building bang for your buck from
every routine you use.
|
Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com |
 |
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders’ training regimes.
It is useful, therefore, to describe in detail the processes involved in actually doing these exercises. This will help beginners to start out using the correct techniques before moving on to potentially more dangerous heavy weights. If it also helps more experienced lifters to redress some of the little faults that have almost imperceptibly crept in over the years, all the better.
In this article we’ll take a close look at Barbell Shrugs.
MUSCLES TARGETED: trapezius (upper), rhomboids
STARTING POSITION
Adopt a shoulder width stance with the back erect and knees slightly bent throughout.
Grasp the bar with an overhand grip and hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
Hold the bar at arm’s length with a slight bend at the elbows.
The bar should now be resting across the upper thighs.
EXERCISE TECHNIQUE
Lift your shoulders towards your ears and briefly hold the contraction.
Slowly lower the bar towards the starting position ensuring a comfortable stretch is achieved.
Repeat this movement until the intended number of repetitions are completed.
Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Exercises to learn more about the issues covered in this article.