Bodybuilding and fitness blog

Antioxidants!

Over the past 16 years I have had the opportunity to thoroughly observe the behavior in the natural habitat of such a human being as a bodybuilder. Many might think that this kind behaves like the rest of the Homo sapiens, but it’s not so – my observations show that the bodybuilder takes habits, which greatly differ from vulgaris citizen.

Here’s an example: antioxidants have become very popular among many enthusiasts of healthy lifestyle (the so-called athletes). Literally millions and millions of Americans daily consume a variety of antioxidant drugs. However, bodybuilders, for the most part, have decided that if antioxidants are good for the non-bodybuilders, then for weight athletes they represent no interest and pushed them to the back of their attention, together with Aloe vera and seaweed.

However, there is nothing further from truth – strong antioxidants are actually real bodybuilder’s drugs. Here’s why: intense weight trainings cause microtrauma in the muscle tissues, which, in turn, raises a number of metabolic processes, which often lead to an increase in volume and muscle strength. Now think – are you sure that the exercises are affecting the muscle fibers? But perhaps the impact is not only on muscles but also on many other systems of our body? (Come on, think a little – I’ll wait … Well? Any ideas?)

The truth is that the increased physical activity is affecting all our body as a whole, not only the muscles! And fortunately, the use of powerful antioxidants can partially solve this problem – they minimize the amount of free radicals, which remain in our body after the exercises and damage the tissues. I am sure that proper use of antioxidants can improve the recovery time and reduce pain in the muscles after the training, lower fatigue, strengthen the immune system, and (in perspective) obtain better results in less time.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are a class of chemicals that attack the substances, known as “free radicals” and pro-oxidants. These aggressive molecules circulate in our body, disrupting the function of the cells and other molecules moving in the bloodstream. To put it in technical terms, free radicals are the molecules that lack electrons necessary for stability. They indiscriminately kill the cells, destroy enzymes and produce toxic substances that destroy the cell membranes. It is believed that free radicals are implicated in many diseases, including the cancer, and participate in the processes of aging. Other diseases that may involve free radicals, including the Alzheimer’s disease, are immune deficiency, arthritis, diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system and many others.

The role of water in bodybuilding

Oh, how naive some people are. They feel sorry for a dog that drinks from the pool, unaware that the water there sometimes is cleaner than that flowing from a tap in their kitchen.

The environmental problem today is reflected in a drop of water. The industrial waste penetrates deep into the earth and mixes with the groundwater. Before getting into our plumbing, these waters undergo some purification, but the water is very far from being a spring clean. The most dangerous thing is that water with industrial wheels often has neither taste nor smell. You drink, as you think, clean water, but your body is penetrated by harmful and even poisonous substances. You, as a bodybuilder, can take simple precautions. For example, boil water or let it to desilt for about a day. But the best way, although it is cumbersome is to pass the water through a special charcoal filter. Are these precautions really necessary?

Yes, because water is just as powerful stimulant of “pumping” as food. Can a bodybuilder let the process of nutrition to live its life? Can he eat tasteless, undercooked or unsanitary food? Of course not.

The same rules are applied to water.

If to say that we are composed of water, this will not be an exaggeration. Half our blood is a pure distilled water. Our muscles are 75% of water. Water plays a huge role in maintaining a constant body temperature and constant pressure. Even if you lose only 3% of the water your body, you will not be able to run. If 5% – will not be able to train with your favorite heavy weights. Well, if all 10%, the people in whites will have to work hard to breathe life into you.

The role of water in bodybuilding is huge, because water takes part in accumulation of the muscle glycogen – the main source of energy in the bodybuilding training. As a biochemical compound, glycogen by three-quarters is composed of water.

Besides the direct participation in the “pumping”, water has an indirect effect, which is extremely important for bodybuilders. It tones up the mind! Remember, the excited person is given a glass of water, and he comes to his senses.

Well, let’s leave the theory. I know you expect me to give practical advice. And the first thing you would like to ask is: whether a bodybuilder should drink mineral water? Perhaps, mineral water will improve and enhance anabolism? Alas, the study of this issue has showed that mineral salts of such water are absorbed less than the same mineral substances absorbed by the body from normal food. In this regard, in the U.S.A. it is not allowed to advertise mineral water as a health elixir. However, liberal Europe has no such rules: drink, if you like!

Nevertheless, the European “water” companies, like American ones have changed their business from mineral water to a real panacea – perfectly clean water. Such water is packaged in large bottles and is designed not only for drinking but for cooking. Such water in the everyday life of people with money has completely replaced the tap water.

That’s what you need! Especially during the training. Because you need to drink every 10 – 20 minutes, performing the exercises, even if you do not feel thirsty. You should also drink before the training. The last drink of water should be made 1.5 – 2 hours before your arrival to the gym.

How to make the body produce more hormones.

Do you know what makes the muscles grow? Correctly, anabolic hormones. Let’s enumerate them: testosterone, insulin, IGF-1 and the growth hormone (GH). So, in terms of any medic training with “iron” – is a laborious method of influence on the own hormonal system, in order to “squeeze out” of it as much as possible of the “growth” hormones. Actually, it is like this. Meanwhile, the exercises are not the only way to spur the job of the hormonal glands. There are other methods. In particular, a special diet, nutritional supplements and restful sleep. If you bring together all of these “growth factors”, the gain of the muscle mass, of course, will be of a greater speed.

TESTOSTERONE. This hormone has the biggest “growth” potential. As estimated by the physiologist Gyundela, testosterone provides at least 2 / 3 of the whole muscle growth. The only problem is that its secretion is influenced by a lot of factors, and all for the worse. It includes poor nutrition, rhythm disturbance “sleep- vigil”, nerve overloads, psychological stresses, unhealthy environment, unsuccessful genetics, etc. How to increase the secretion of testosterone? It is very simple – eat more fat! The secret is that fats are the direct raw material for the “production” of testosterone. And do not even think to object! All this is for thousand times verified and double checked by the science! It was accurately determined that the peak content of his native testosterone the builder has at 30% of fat in his diet. And if he was not very lucky with genetics, then there is a reason to add another 10%! Experts advise: a minimum of fat in the traditional dishes, but in the morning you drink a couple tablespoons of flax or hemp oil. Plus, buy at a pharmacy the capsule with fat omega-3 and twice a week “eat” a portion of fairly fat salmon. And do not even look in the direction of fish canned in oil. The oil there is not “fishy”, but the cheapest, refined.

GROWTH HORMONE (GH). This hormone is a brutal thing in the sense of anabolism. Just recall how adolescents are growing: a month or two and they are different. The pumpers, injecting the GH confirm: “Digs” And very much! “. Maybe you should stick to injections? I think no! The Growth hormone does not select but enlarges everything. Yes, you will gain muscles, but together with your cartilages. What is the conclusion? It is better to “stick” to the natural methods: the organism does not hurt itself. The most remarkable is to have a good sleep. The most productive way is to sleep during the day just for an hour. To managed the one-time release of GH.

The second way is to take amino-stimulants. In the first place here is the company of arginine with lysine. The similar effect has the amino acid ornithine. But it’s not a powerful one and does not immediately work, while it is highly desirable the parenteral mode of taking the medications. The restriction of carbohydrates in the diet helps to build the peaks in GH in the blood during the day.

The insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This hormone is not so well understood by the science; however, there is real evidence that speaking about the anabolic effect of IGF-1 it is much greater than of testosterone. While the hormone is not under the anti-doping bans its supplements are widely sold around the world. And here are much more useful the healthful methods of stimulating the secretion of IGF-1 by nutrition. The peak hormone secretion is observed at taking 2 grams of protein per kilogram of your own weight. It is better if the protein is of animals: milk, eggs, chicken, beef and fish. An excellent source of protein is a whey protein powder. However, it is better not to overtake the protein. Excess protein is poisonous for the body. Liver and kidney are suffering from this and more than that there is observed the reduction in the testosterone release.