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Non-medical use of anabolic-androgenic steroids is widespread among bodybuilders. According to field surveys, around 15 to 30 percent of people routinely using fitness centers have augmented their efforts with AAS. It’s estimated that four out of five AAS users are recreational bodybuilders – not professional athletes. The majority of today’s users are people simply trying to improve their physical appearance. Even without the threat of being identified in sports doping scandals, individuals interested in optimizing their body composition must still consider several potential pitfalls with the non-medical use of anabolic steroids. Common risks often originate from social connections, legal restrictions, professional settings, family concerns, financial limitations, medical concerns and the lack of sufficient training experience. Read more

Proper rest is important for anyone training in a progressive resistance training program, such as powerlifting and bodybuilding. The act of falling asleep shifts the body into a subconscious state of anabolism. Routine exercise does impact sleep patterns and the succeeding growth-stimulating events desired by bodybuilders. Adequate rest is required to optimize muscle recovery and growth.

As humans get older, sleep requirements decrease. During infancy, around 14 to 16 hours are spent asleep during the day. Toddlers often need around 10 to 13 hours per day. During teenage maturation and puberty, daily sleep hours are typically around eight to 10 hours per day – to wake up feeling rested. Adults typically need around seven to eight hours of rest. The elderly often find themselves needing less than seven hours per day. Throughout the human lifecycle, there is a relationship between sleep requirements and rapid periods of growth and development. Read more

Bodybuilders are athletes interested in building up musculature while minimizing body fat. Bodybuilding is a constant evolution through various stages of building and refining, overindulgence and restraint, intensity and moderation. The cessation of mass-building cycles using anabolic-androgenic steroids presents a vulnerable transition for a bodybuilder. Most importantly, his system’s natural androgen production must be quickly and efficiently resumed since administering AAS inhibits signals to produce anabolic hormones within the body. The changing of the guard, from exogenous back to endogenous androgens, can make or break the permanent nature of the acquired muscle mass. Proper post-cycle therapy is crucial. Read more

Bodybuilding is a journey of learning – identifying boundaries and how to break through them. For many, the choice to use anabolic-androgenic steroids for enhanced muscular development is clear and absolute. But impulsive moves and risky application can be avoided with a little prior research and planning. The following is a list of valuable sources of information for anyone considering, or currently using, anabolic steroids. Read more

Hormones are chemical substances produced by glands within the body. Sex hormones are produced by the testicles, ovaries and adrenal glands to manipulate reproduction and sexual identity. Anabolic androgenic steroids are male sex hormones used in supra physiological amounts as performance enhancing drugs in sports and exercise. They increase protein synthesis and cross-bind to glucocorticoids – attracting athletes seeking further gains in muscle mass and faster recovery times. Estrogen, a female sex hormone, also becomes elevated while administering AAS due to an interaction with aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgens (derivatives of testosterone) into estrogens. Many male bodybuilders combat this with anti-aromatase medications, in addition to compounds that compete at the estrogen receptor. Anti-estrogenic drugs like Nolvadex (tamoxifen) and Arimidex (anastrozole) are frequently used to avoid fluid retention, fat gain or gynecomastia, a condition resulting in enlargement or tenderness of breasts or nipples. However, some estrogen does serve benefit in the male’s system – trying to eliminate it from the body can eradicate these desirable traits. Read more

A sense of uneasiness is generated when mentioning the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids to a member of the general public. Many people, adhering to the crazed dogma, quickly fill their heads with visions of illicit muscular giants experiencing ludicrous side effects with uncontrollable tempers. To avoid unwanted, media-driven images, users of AAS generally remain part of a secretive society. They gain productive knowledge via private and anonymous locations; such as Internet discussion forums and research articles.

Fact: steroid users are frequently very healthy individuals, simply trying to gain every performance edge they can muster – to meet and exceed training goals. Field surveys suggest nearly four out of five users are recreational athletes with the sole intension of improving physical appearance. An estimated four million American men are taking doctor-prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. As a result of the growing number of medical and non-medical users, androgen sales in the United States are rising 20 to 30 percent each year, despite the fact that AAS were added to the list of Schedule III Controlled Substances in 1990. Studies suggest around 15 to 30 percent of the people routinely using fitness centers are augmenting their efforts with AAS – that’s up to three out of every 10 people in some facilities! Read more

Bodybuilding is a journey of learning – identifying boundaries and how to break through them. Major limitations are usually physiological, psychological or environmental. Each bodybuilder brings different success variables to the gym. Some have access to great facilities while others obtain great coaches or nutritionists. Elite bodybuilders reveal genetics that allow unusual amounts of muscle mass to be acquired – while others seek pharmaceutical assistance to make up for genetic shortcomings. Anabolic-androgenic steroids, hormones that boost muscle anabolism, have been used by professional and recreational athletes for decades. Periods of AAS use, referred to as steroid cycles, are employed to generate greater increases in strength and muscle hypertrophy. Read more

There is a lot of scrutiny regarding proper anabolic-androgenic steroid cycle structure for maximal muscle gains with minimal risks. Front loading is one practice gaining attention in the bodybuilding community. This process immediately elevates blood androgen levels. Front loading omits the customary delay of obtaining peak and stable blood levels by increasing the cycle’s front-end use.

Athletes stumble onto AAS use while scavenging for further ways to promote a progressive strength training routine - especially bodybuilders and powerlifters. Strength athletes often search for ways to develop productive steroid cycling protocols by combining the clinical research that is available with personal experience; as well as gathering insight from others. Formal clinical trials analyzing anabolic steroids in sports and exercise are rare. The medical community perceives little application for large performance-enhancing amounts of AAS to treat disease - even though many athletes would argue poor performance is an adverse health condition. Mostly through trial and error, numerous informal studies and private research examines various steroid cycling methods and how they can present a positive impact on performance and body composition. This information is generally shared through social networks, to include using online messaging software. Read more

A lot of Internet-based bodybuilding message boards contain questions regarding the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids. These forums are popular due to the widespread and secretive nature of steroid use in competitive sports and physical exhibition. Unfortunately, many trainees can not seek advice from their physician for fear of prosecution.

The online message boards provide users a place to discuss the safe and productive use of performance enhancing drugs. The right to remain anonymous is retained with the ability to post using an indistinguishable user name. However, members must be careful how they format questions - if they expect quality advice. Countless questions fail to provide enough information to obtain quality responses from experienced members. These questions are regarding drugs that cause many events within the body, some can have a serious impact on health. Read more

Frequently, athletes research how to better layout an anabolic-androgenic steroid cycle, as well as proper post cycle therapy for making the transition back to a natural training state. Unfortunately, many neglect another component for a successful AAS cycle: maximizing the time spent on using pre-cycle therapy, better know as “priming.” Read more