Natural Bodybuilding

You've seen the pictures in bodybuilding magazine. Photos of men and women with so many muscles, they hardly look like men and women anymore. Of course it's natural to want to work out and feel your best, but there's certainly nothing natural about the state of these individuals.

If you wish to take up bodybuilding, but would prefer a natural approach, there are options available to you. Finding the best bodybuilding program for you is of the utmost importance. Before you commit to any kind of bodybuilding, you need to do your homework and find out as much as you can about the various types and aspects. Natural bodybuilding is a great alternative that's growing in popularity.

The obvious side effects of steroid use have many people turning to natural bodybuilding. This alternative program does not allow steroid use, or any kind of bodybuilding supplements that can potentially harm your system and case irreparable damage to your body. With natural bodybuilding, everything you take is derived from natural products.

Natural bodybuilding is effective. In fact, it's so effective that there are natural bodybuilding competitions all over the country, with more happening every year. The natural bodybuilding program is gaining in popularity, because it only makes sense to keep your body healthy while you're trying to get healthy. So many other competitions put the health of the competitors behind their overall appearance.

With natural bodybuilding, you will keep your body working the way it should be, while still packing on the muscle.

Search online for natural bodybuilding trainers, clubs, programs and championships. A good selection of natural body building supplements and vitamins, formulated to help increase energy and retain vitality, are available in stores and on the Internet. Check with your doctor and decide which of these products can enhance your natural bodybuilding routine.

Begin your natural bodybuilding regime today, and be healthy while you get healthy.

Charles Jackson is a writer for several well-known web sites, on recreation and sports and hobbies and recreation topics.

Body Rhythms and Future of Bodybuilding

The future of bodybuilding may not be in the weight room of your local gym, but in a researcher's laboratory. Scientists are listening to your body rhythms to help you enhance your performance tomorrow.

There are a few body rhythms affecting our bodies. Seasonal rhythms are felt at a specific time of year. We've all had "spring fever" and some of us get seasonal affective disorder, which causes depression during the shortened days of winter. Infradian rhythms last longer than a twenty-four hour cycle. The menstruation in women is a perfect example. Then there's the Circadian rhythm, which follows a twenty-four hour cycle such as wakefulness and sleep.

Scientists are studying these rhythms. That research will eventually help bodybuilders to enhance their performance. You see, our biological clocks take their cue from the environment and the pulse of our planet as day turns to night and winter becomes spring. This internal clock is also affected by our genetic make-up, age, and gender influencing how our bodies change from morning to night. It affects our blood pressure, body fat, weight, blood flow, as well as other vital functions.

As night turns to day our bodies react. Heart rates quicken and blood pressure increases all in anticipation of increased physical activity. All these functions are regulated by our biological clocks located in the brain, and these biological rhythms are genetically programmed into our cells, tissues, and organs.

In the future, when we have a deeper understanding of these rhythms, we will eventually be able to take advantage of our biorhythms to improve our workouts and retain excellent health.

There are a handful of researchers looking into body rhythms and its affect on bodybuilding. T Reilly studied the influence of circadian rhythms on exercise. He's noted that the effects of these rhythms on body temperature, cortical arousal, endocrine factors, and muscular peak torque are all enhanced in the PM hours. Therefore, his studies show that greater training loads would be better tolerated in the evening than morning.

However, the jury is still out on this one. Are you a morning or night person? Humans have individual differences in the timing of their behaviors that determine their circadian typology. Some people prefer daytime activities--the morning person. Others prefer the nightlife--evening person. At one extreme is the lark and the other end the owl.

Most of us fit someplace in between. The lark/owl differ in sleep-wake patterns and biological rhythms as well as preferences for physical and mental activities. Morning people prefer to rise between 5 AM and 7 AM and retire between 9 PM and 11 PM. Evening people prefer to wake up later than their morning brothers. You'll catch them in the kitchen for breakfast around 9 AM to 11 AM and they don't crash for the night until 11 PM to 3 AM. Naturally, this difference in sleep cycle affects training schedules.

Various hormones produced by our bodies are affected by circadian rhythms. For example, testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) exhibit circadian rhythm with peak concentrations in the morning and reduced concentrations in the evening and while we sleep. Researchers are discovering that bodybuilders can maximize optimal training responses if they can alter the hormonal environment, for hormonal events play a significant role in signaling the cellular remodeling process of skeletal muscle protein.

Here's where things get really technical. Anabolic hormones, hormones, which stimulate muscle growth, such as T and growth hormones, regulate protein synthesis. Catabolic hormones, on the other hand, such as C, regulate protein degradation. The balance between these anabolic/catabolic hormones influences protein turnover. The net result of this complex process is muscle mass.

Circadian time structures on hormonal events can depend greatly on an individual's morning-evening preference. Researchers Stephen P. Bird and Kyle M. Tarpenning at Charles Sturt University, Australia investigated the influence of circadian rhythms on hormonal responses to heavy resistance exercises in bodybuilders. They used two different exercise periods on separate occasions, 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM. They wanted to see how hormones responded to a specific weight lifting session.

Bird and Tarpenning formed two groups of weight lifters based on their morning or evening preferences. The morning group showed a reduction of C levels during their exercise period finishing 47% below their pre-exercise value. In contrast, C levels for the evening group increased by as much as 32%. Since C has a catabolic role in the breaking down of tissue, body builders have an invested interest in its potential as a tissue break down agent. Also, an increase in T indicates tissue growth or anabolism.

Bird and Tarpenning compared the AM resistance-training group to the PM group and reported a significant increase in post exercise T/C ratio. They concluded that this ratio in monitoring overall anabolic/catabolic status may affect the growth of muscle mass.

In the future, when there is a deeper understanding of the effect of hormones on our bodies in relation to our body rhythms we could possibly harness this information to mold ourselves into godlike. One little pill at night and we wake up looking like Mr. Universe without pumping an ounce of iron. But until that day happens, back to the weight room.

About the Author: Dane Fletcher is the world's foremost training authority. He writes exclusively for GetAnabolics.com, a leading online provider of clenbuterol and creatine. For more information, please visit http://www.GetAnabolics.com.

Women's Bodybuilding, Confusion and Disillusion

In the UK it seems that a more feminine look is being required - the general public don't seem to like us any more with our freaky muscles, they seem to prefer the fitness/figure look and I suppose to some it is more pleasing to the eye. However, what do you do? Do you play the game and try to get as feminine as possible even going as far as breast implants or do you continue building your awesome frame so they cant ignore you and have to give you that first place?

There is another side to all this though. I have found that since going back into bodybuilding I am having to keep a very close eye on the way I look. At least with the powerlifting you just looked square and not overly muscular, but since bodybuilding my shape is changing and I am aware of how masculine it makes me look. I always said that I would never play the game and grow my hair etc etc but to be honest with watching how masculine my physique is becoming I am trying really hard now to keep as feminine a look as possible.

?A lot of women have given up the sport because of lack of clarity on the judging criteria as well as general stigma now which is a real shame as we should be encouraging and nurturing the newcomers who are our next generation of possible great bodybuilders ?

It is very hard and time consuming but it also aids your mental state. Remember that us girlies are putting testosterone into our systems, using oestrogen blockers like Tamoxifen and Proviron. However you want to argue the point it still fucks around with your hormonal balance and emotional state and you 'feel' more masculine so putting that extra effort into your appearance does somewhat help your self esteem. Your confidence can sometimes can take a really serious knock if a fat couch potato educationally sub-normal wanker that has never trained in his life says something really unkind to you like 'are you a girl or a bloke?' or 'you look disgusting - you must be a dyke' and yes people do say stuff like that.

I went to the WABBA World Championships in Barcelona last week and what an eye opener. Yes, they had competitors with silicone tits but these girls got judged exactly the same as the rest of us flat chested girlies up there. There was definitely a different attitude in the organisation towards women's physique bodybuilding. It was how it used to be. I was told that we would get judged on our physiques only before I went but I didn't believe it.

Disillusionment had been creeping in until then - but when I went to Barcelona and saw the judging I was brimming with enthusiasm again. Maybe I could be doing with a little more feminine charm and grace but at least in this organisation I would get judged on my physique and the femininity issue would be more for me and my self esteem than for on the day of the show.

So what do we do at home?? I think most of us want to be the EFBB British Title holders don't we? I think we would be lying if we said no. The EFBB British is still THE show that we all want to win on a national level no matter how much we bitch about it.

I know one awesome female heavyweight physique girl who should have got placed better than she did this year, and it was the same last year, and the year before that but it was pointed out to me that she didn't present as well as the girl that won and that she stood like a bloke. WHAT BULLSHIT, it shouldn't be like that. The girl I am talking about is Gaynor Davies who has been competing for many years and she also has competed the last 2 years in the Universe and done well. She can come in whatever condition you ask her to - big and full, small and ripped, she is hugely talented and apart from all that she is a genuinely nice person. I think it's a real shame and it still isn't clear whether she will carry on competing or not after the results this year again.

Many of us are totally unclear on what the organisations are looking for - you hear a whisper about bigger and less ripped so you come in looking like that - and - bang - you find its smaller with striated glutes! A lot of women have given up the sport because of lack of clarity on the judging criteria as well as general stigma now which is a real shame as we should be encouraging and nurturing the newcomers who are our next generation of possible great bodybuilders. So, please, could we have some set in stone judging criteria please?? What would be interesting to hear is from the guy's point of view. It's all very well me banging on about women's issues in bodybuilding but do the guys have any sort of similar problems? And no I'm not talking about prejudice on the size of your lunch box!

It would also be interesting to know from the guys point of view what the attitude of women is towards muscular men now as a friend of mine who has been competing for many years has said that he now finds it really difficult to get a girlfriend as women these days don't like the muscular look and are going for heroin addict lookalikes which he feels is related to the changing roles for men since the 90's man emerged with his caring sharing feminine side and limp handshake??..eeeeeeewwwwwwww!!! uuuggggghhhhh, I can?t see the attraction but then with two tall previous exceptions I go for very short, very muscular men. Lee Priest - come and get me!!

TALK TO ME! Tell me what you think and what your own experiences are and whether you think I am dribbling bullshit and should be publicly flogged with a wet dishcloth or maybe you think I am absolutely right and you want to make me all yours and finance my bodybuilding forever!! Without your experiences and comments the points I am trying to raise are worthless really and it also makes me look at things from other points of view that I may not have considered before.

Article contributed by Emma to Mick Hart's No Bull Collection. A fast growing, hardcore, bodybuilding and anabolic steroids magazine. The most controversial, politically incorrect, hard hitting, outspoken and FACTUAL bodybuilding and steroid magazine you will ever read. Not for the weak hearted. Learn more about bodybuilding's top cult mag, packed with great articles and Mick's own brand of humour. http://www.nobullcollection.com/

5 Minute Guide to Bodybuilding Supplements for Beginners

Every year more and more Americans decide they want to get in shape and start bodybuilding. Along with that comes the idea of using bodybuilding supplements to help them accomplish that goal. Beginners who want to take a bodybuilding supplement or anti-aging supplements have lots of questions about what they should do, how they should do it, and when they should do it.

Bodybuilding supplements will help you get the muscle mass you want and help you accomplish this goal much faster. The reason is because each bodybuilding supplement has certain benefits and each supplement works with the others as well as your body to produce a muscle building effect. Also, many foods have some natural bodybuilding supplements in them, like red meats and seafood have creatine. But, this is not enough to build the muscle mass you are hoping for. That?s why you need supplementation and that is why so many individuals take creation, whey, protein, and other bodybuilding supplements and anti-aging supplements every day.

When you go looking for the supplements you will be shocked at the wide selection. So, beginners find choosing the best supplements to start out on is incredibly difficult. Fortunately, the basic supplements are all you will need to gain the muscle mass you have been dreaming of. Once you pass the beginner stage and become an advanced bodybuilder there are other types of supplements that will benefit you better at this stage. But, the basic supplements are all you need to start.

The basic supplements to help you get started include protein supplements, creatine supplements, glutamine supplement, and multi vitamins. Protein supplements will help you gain the muscles you want. Protein is what every single bodybuilder needs to gain muscle. That means eating a gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight each and every day to help you get muscle fast. That is almost too much protein to get from food, so a supplement really helps.

Creatine supplements also help increase muscle mass in addition to increasing energy and improving performance. Glutamine supplements are important to beginner bodybuilders because they help the muscles recover after a workout. You won?t need to worry about losing muscle either thanks to this supplement.

A multivitamin is very helpful and you will find they help your muscles function and recover. They will just make you feel healthier all around. If you really want to begin bodybuilding then these supplements are all you need to start off!

Natalie Aranda writes about fitness. Every year more and more Americans decide they want to get in shape and start bodybuilding. Along with that comes the idea of using bodybuilding supplements to help them accomplish that goal. Beginners who want to take a bodybuilding supplement or anti-aging supplements have lots of questions about what they should do, how they should do it, and when they should do it. Bodybuilding supplements will help you get the muscle mass you want and help you accomplish this goal much faster.