WarriorFX

John Romano, Muscular Development magazine senior editor, began offering a 500-word space in his monthly Romano Factor column in late 2006. He made two requirements to be placed in his popular newsstand bodybuilding magazine: first, write about anything bodybuilding; second, earn the position by pleasing a mob of voters in the MuscularDevelopment.com forums. Online polls provide the ultimate winning submissions. Initially, a public poll was used to run up the top three stories, which were then voted on by the forum moderators and the previous month’s winner. This was to help prevent forum popularity from weighing more than quality content. Mostly, so new members would feel they had a chance. Read more

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

There are obvious differences between members in commercial gyms. Some folks simply pay financial dues and expect to eventually transform their physique – others pay a greater tribute to command it. The strength of each individual’s internal force is what defines them. A trainee’s capacity to learn and apply ways to continuously push past previous fitness thresholds will determine their right to obtain greater musculature for years to come. Cultivated from within successful bodybuilders, passion cannot be bought from a supplement shop or drug store. It is not found in a pill, powder or syringe. It’s simply an exhaustive testament of a trainee’s ability to find inner courage, character and determination. Read more

Hard physical training requires massive amounts of energy and sustained mental focus. Caffeine has been employed as an ergogenic in athletics for many years – from recreational bodybuilders to competitive athletes. The substance positively affects time-to-exhaustion and endurance-training potential. Caffeine has a large number of reported physiological benefits to athletes; such as greater muscle contractions from antagonistic actions on adenosine receptors, delayed fatigue by stimulating the central nervous system, direct neuro-endocrine activation and direct actions on skeletal muscle function. It has been shown to support endurance athletes engaged in strenuous cycling, running and swimming. Caffeine has also been shown to improve performances in intermittent high-intensity team sports.
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It’s easy for new fitness enthusiasts to walk into a gym and get lost in all the tangled steel, chains and dumbbells. Even experienced strength athletes often find themselves learning new movements for many years – or how to perform old ones more effectively. Proper exercise execution is critical with increases in strength, to avoid injury while promoting further progression. The fundamentals of exercise selection, structure and sequence must also be understood to optimize a progressive program design. Read more

Strength training is often related to loads and repetitions as signs of progress. Fitness enthusiasts often make exaggerated claims of large loads, even maximum repetitions with a specific load. During a punishing workout, rest intervals play a major role in the training session’s ability to trigger anabolic hormone secretion, build endurance, encourage strength, as well as alter performance in succeeding sets.

In bodybuilding, a “rest interval” is the commonly applied term to the periods of rest in between sets of an exercise. During these intervals, the muscle is neither contracted nor extended – no resistance is applied. Proper rest interval length depends on training intensity, goals, fitness level and targeted energy systems. Read more

There exist some fundamental concepts for maximizing muscular force and size. Training sessions must use progressive overloads to surpass previous fitness thresholds. A bodybuilder must remain specific to a certain training goal – to gain muscle, lose fat, increase endurance or strength – which is especially crucial to the success of sports-specific training. Resistance training programs must also contain variations for long-term progression. The methodology of periodization provides structure in continuous training programs in a way that allows a fitness stimulus to remain optimal. The idea is to map out a plan for progressive overloads with variations in training.

It’s amazing how some people will remain consistent with the same resistance training program – some spend years being consistent in the gym, yet acquire little as a result. Bodybuilding is about building the body – it’s about progression in muscular size and force producing potential. 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

For bodybuilders engaged in a progressive resistance training program, protein-rich foods are quickly identified and desired for packing on muscle. For anyone engaged in routine physical activity, protein is one of the most popular dietary supplements today, for building up the body’s force-producing abilities. Media reports have suggested that chronically high protein intake can cause unnecessary stress on the body’s filtering processes. However, these reports are often based on non-human subjects, inactive people, and persons with impaired renal function. For healthy, active men and women, an increase in dietary proteins can safely and effectively improve exercise performance by enhancing energy and increasing muscle mass. Read more

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning,” said Benjamin Franklin, statesman and journalist. Bodybuilding is a journey into physical growth and progression. It’s a long expedition of learning and applying. Accumulating greater musculature requires ongoing motivation – a relentless obsession to surpass previous fitness thresholds in the midst of daily distractions.
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