The Facts About Anabolic Steroids

Anyone involved in the world of bodybuilding, and competitive sport generally, will understand the pressures that go with striving to achieve optimal performance. Sometimes athletes feel they cannot reach their peak without artificially enhancing their powers of recovery from intensive training. One way to speed up this process is through the use of anabolic steroids. In this article we'll examine what anabolic steroids actually do. In a second article we'll focus on the dangers associated with steroid use.

The main active ingredient in steroids is testosterone which is well known as the major male hormone. Testosterone affects the body in two ways, either as an anabolic or an androgenic influence. The anabolic action helps build body tissue by increasing lean muscle mass and bone density. The androgenic actions are those that affect secondary sex characteristics in men.

In recent years research has provided some interesting information in relation to testosterone:

1. It affects muscle size through muscle fiber hypertrophy with an increase in the cross-sectional area of muscle fiber.

2. It takes a dose of at least 300 milligrams of testosterone to raise the body's level above normal.

3. It acts directly on the muscle itself.

4. It stimulates the release of growth hormone.

5. It has an anti-catabolic effect.

From these facts we can deduce that testosterone is an effective aid to muscle building and that it must be taken in significant quantities to have this effect. As far as bodybuilding is concerned the science beyond this is somewhat limited as most users base their steroid regimes on little more than trial and error or the advice of 'veterans'. Due to the illegal nature of steroid use little scientific data exists to confirm the effectiveness of the many steroid supplements in use.

It is perhaps the tendency of some bodybuilders to use a combination of powerful steroids and other drugs that presents the very real dangers that have sometimes led to tragic conquences.

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.

RELATED ARTICLES

Conquer your Cellulite

Facial Gymnastics

The power of Aromatherapy

Bathing suit belly

Firm And Flatten Your Abs

Fat Loss 4 Idiots

Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

Unstoppable Fat Loss

Master Cleanse Secrets

12 Steps To A Complete Body Detox

The Solution To Anxiety & Panic Attacks

Quantum Mind Power

Inspired Attraction

How To Know Your Higher Self In 7 Steps

Finding Happiness And Self-actualization

Know Your Muscle Building Exercises - The Legs
Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her favorite exercises for each body part. That's how it should be - as you progress through the various stages of learning you'll understand what works best for you. It is useful, however, to take stock of your progress every so often and carry out an analysis of where you are and what changes, if any, are needed to move onwards and upwards.

Know All about Power Push Ups
Push ups are the most convenient way to build up your chest, shoulders, arms and upper back. It can be performed at any place, and you don't need to carry your gym with you wherever you go.

Do Electric Ab Stimulators Really Work?
Electronic muscle stimulators are the latest craze, the hottest fad... but you want to know "do they really work!" Right?

Exercise The Right Way - The Vertical Chest Press
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.

Exercise The Right Way - The Upright Row
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.

One Simple Movement Can Double the Effectiveness of Pulldowns
The Pulldown is an excellent exercise for working the Latissimus Dorsi muscles of the back (also known as the lats). It is a little known fact but there is a way you can dramatically improve the effectiveness of this exercise by performing one simple movement before each rep.

The Amazing Benefits of Resistance Training
When it comes to exercise, resistance training is often overlooked. Resistance training is an essential part of any fitness program and has many amazing benefits. Taking part in a sound resistance training program will improve the conditioning of muscle tissue and increase metabolism. Metabolism can be defined as the amount of calories the body needs each day to sustain life. An improvement in muscle conditioning and metabolism will result in the reduction of body fat and give the body healthy lean appearance.

Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement
Before wasting your money on a pile of bodybuilding supplements you really need to work out what you are hoping to achieve. Don't lose sight of the fact that sound nutrition forms the basis of any muscle building program and no amount of supplementation with the latest and greatest products will make up for bad eating habits. The bottom line is, bodybuilding supplements should be used IN ADDITION to regular food, not INSTEAD OF it.

How to Lose the Most Fat and Build the Most Muscle in 30 Days
A lot can happen in 30 days.

Increase Your Training Intensity - Pre-Exhaustion
You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate progressively stronger muscular contractions, so this calls for an emphasis on finding ways to increase exercise intensity. This should not be confused with exercise duration as maximum training intensity will actually shorten the time needed to achieve maximal muscular growth.

How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle Mass
In the health, fitness, and nutrition world, achieving optimal or desired body weight is dominated by a single theme: losing weight. The vast majority of products and services available on the market proclaim to achieve weight loss goals, and even the (often discordant) medical community is in general harmony when it comes to promoting weight loss options, including drugs and some surgeries.

Train for the Look You Want
So the Olympics are almost upon us. While you have the chance, compare the differences between a marathon (long distance) runner's body and a sprinter's body. What do you notice? The long-distance runner is skinny, frail, kind of bony, thin and almost sickly looking. On the other hand, the sprinter has well developed muscles, and looks strong, fit, healthy.

The Anabolic Evolution of Modern Bodybuilding
Since the early days of physical culture, modern man has been searching for the elusive ''Fountain of Youth''. The promise of radiant health, enduring strength and a Herculean physique has drawn millions on this quest for physical perfection.

How To Get Incredible Gains If You Aren?t Getting Them Already... And... How To Get Them Fast!
The key to rapid muscle growth, is to perform all your exercises well outside your comfort zone. If you had performed the barbell curl to the point of complete and momentary exhaustion, instead of "copping out" at the tenth. Then your bicep muscles would be forced to work harder than normal. Much harder. As a result, they would grow and build size rapidly.

Personal Training: 6 Secrets of Award Winning Customer Service
Would you believe that your ability to provide quality customer service to your clients is at least as important as your ability to get them results from their training program? Did you even know that customer service was going to be part of your business model? After all, what does personal training have to with customer service?

They Dont Know Squat!
There seems to be much confusion amongst trainers and trainees as to whether squats should be performed all the way down or just half way. In most gyms today, a common instruction during squats, deadlifts, and lunges (as taught by many personal training organizations) is not to allow the knees to travel beyond the toes. Doing so will ultimately cause the destruction of your knees! I do not agree. There are certain instances where partial range of motion (ROM) is indicated, but for the most part, I teach people the full squat for the following reasons:

Building Muscle Mass With A Power Cycle
Building muscle mass with a power cycle. Desperate for pounds of new muscle? Forget the isolation exercises, for get the weight training routines that have you going for the pump, the burn, flushing the muscle with blood, or any of that other nonsense.

3 Biggest Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training is exercise that uses resistance to strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system, improving muscle tone and endurance. "Strength training" is used as a general term synonymous with other common terms: "weightlifting" and "resistance training." Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training include an increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscular strength, and increases in tendon, bone, and ligament strength. Lifting weights has also been shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem, confidence and self-worth.

Weight Lifting 101
WHY WEIGHT LIFTING?

Know Your Muscles - The Chest And Upper Back
Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with your training partners. The more familiar you are with the muscles you're working, the better you'll be able to judge what's needed to make improvements. In this article we'll get to know the muscles that make up the chest and upper back.