The men's fitness blog

For thousands of years, humans have been trying to create substances to increase strength, athletic ability and endurance. Modern experimentation has focused on steroids and related substances.

Steroids (a.k.a. "Anabolic Steroids") are natural or synthetic chemical compounds similar to male hormones, in particular testosterone.

This post gives helpful information about steroids from a neutral point of view.

In the body, hormones are chemicals released by cells, which carry a chemical "message" to other cells. Testosterone is a naturally occuring hormone, which carries a message to muscle cells to increase their rate of division - in other words, to increase muscle growth. Since anabolic steroids are related to testosterone, they also have the ability to increase muscle growth rate (they have other medical uses). Anabolic steroids are available in both natural, or synthetic (manufactured) forms. They come either in oral (pill) form, or parenteral (injected with a syringe).

Steroids have been a subject of controversy lately, mainly because of the negative media coverage given to sportsmen and women who have been disqualified or banned for using them to gain a competitive advantage.

Obviously, serious sportspeople should never take steroids or any other performance-enhancing substances; but if you're not a competitive sportsman, you may want to try steroids to allow you build muscle faster.

Perhaps, being a busy professional, you don't have a lot of time to work out. Or maybe you have been working out for a long time, but aren't getting the results you want. These are valid reasons. However, steroid over-use (particularly with synthetic steroids) sometimes leads to other issues. In particular: hair loss, liver problems, breast tissue formation, erectile dysfunction and psychological effects. Some take anti-estrogen compounds to counteract some of these effects.

In addition to steroids themselves, some non-steroid compounds such as Clenbuterol have become very popular, mainly due their ability to help the user avoid the typical undesirable side-effects of steroids. (Clenbuterol does not increase muscle growth, but reduces body fat, As such, it is often incorporated into athletes' training regimes as a weight-loss aid, or used by bodybuilders going for a defined look).

Whatever your reason for using steroids, make sure you think seriously about the side-effects before doing so, and always seek professional advice from a doctor or personal trainer before starting a course of steroids.

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website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: health, mass build, muscle, steroids

Even with the best intentions, some fitness enthusiasts aren't making the most effective use of their workout time. This post details some of the more common mistakes - if you remember these and avoid them, you can quickly come closer to meeting your health and fitness goals.

Over-socializing at the gym

Just showing up at the gym is not going to increase your fitness. Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "I go into the weight room to make progress, not friends". It’s important to enjoy working out, but make sure that your focus remains on physical activity.

Eating too little or eating the wrong types of food

Not eating enough can be as detrimental as eating too much. When the body is not fed consistently, it goes into a starvation mode. Eating small, regular meals throughout the day will ensure that your metabolism runs smoothly. Just be sure to control portion size. Remember to eat the right types of food, mainly protein or carbohydrates, for muscle training and endurance training, respectively. See the Fitness for Real Men nutrition pages for more nutrition guidance for muscle building

Not Staying Hydrated

It is important to drink enough water on a daily basis. When you exercise you need to consume even more water. Plus you should try to consume about a pint (3/4 litre) of water before you begin working out. This can be mixed as a protein shake if desired.

Working out too hard or too often

No matter what your fitness goals are, you should always allow your body to recover from aches and pains: over-exercising is counter-productive, and can even be dangerous. The aches are it's way of telling you "I need to repair myself". Consider reducing the intensity of your workouts, or resting for at least 2 days every week.

Too Much, Too Soon

Many fitness beginners try to lose weight or tone up too quickly, by exercising too frequently or trying exercise programs that are too difficult for their fitness level. Start with an exercise schedule that takes your current fitness level into account. Fitness for Real Men has customised training schedules for all fitness levels.

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website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: fitness advice, fitness mistakes, fitness pitfalls, muscle weight gain tips