Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Anabolic Androgenic Steroid
What an anabolic androgenic steroid is can be best understood taking the words separately. Anabolic or anabolism refers to that metabolic process in living organisms and cells - such as inside our body - that helps in synthesizing or bringing together smaller molecules to build larger ones. As against catabolism, that does the opposite, anabolism tends to coalesce complex molecules, letting them grow as a whole.
Androgenic stands for that property of a natural or synthetic chemical compound in vertebrates (for example, human beings) that stimulates or controls development and maintenance of masculine characteristics. More commonly, androgen is indicative of developing male sexuality, though testosterone, a well-known androgen, secretes in both the testes of males and the ovaries of females.
Steroid, occurring as it does from sterol like cholesterol, a naturally happening steroid alcohol, is a group of organic compounds including many types of hormones, alkaloids and vitamins.
What follows therefore is that anabolic androgenic steroid is a type of naturally occurring or manmade substance that assists in growth of cells and combining smaller molecules in human body. In other words, anabolic androgenic steroid results in growth of several types of tissues, especially bone and muscle.
Use of anabolic androgenic steroid is popular among people who are interested in enhancement of physical performance - for example athletes and other sportspersons. Some individuals use it because they perceive its use will improve their appearance, in which case it almost becomes an addiction.
In the present time, anabolic androgenic steroid rakes up more controversy than its share, which is mainly on account of abuse of the drug. Many countries have devised stringent measures in attempts to control its use and distribution. However, it has medicinal benefit too.
Classified as Schedule III drugs in accordance with the Controlled Substances Act (U.S. Department of Justice-DEA, 1997), anabolic androgenic steroid is prescribed for treating anemia, osteoporosis, growth stimulation, gonad dysfunction, gynecological disorders, and chronic wasting conditions like cancer and AIDS, among others.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Cardio Body Building Fallacy
By: Eddie Lomax
Most workout programs, in my opinion, are examples of cardio body building and are wrongly based on bodybuilder isolation movement exercises and marathoner extended aerobic training.This is NOT the path to optimum fitness excellence!The cardio body building combination is actually the biggest training mistake you can make.Now before you get angry...There is absolutely nothing wrong with training like a Bodybuilder or Marathoner... especially if you are a Bodybuilder or Marathoner.
I am just proposing that the training philosophies of Bodybuilders and Marathoners are not the path to an optimum level of fitness where all of the physical skills of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness are improved... Whether you adhere to the philosophy of each group alone or in combination.
I know this goes against most physical training protocols used in commercial gyms around the world that adhere to the cardio body building combination as the training methods of choice.It is easy to see how these training protocols came to be combined...In an attempt to improve fitness on a more general level for the non-professional fitness enthusiast, gyms and health clubs throughout the world have prescribed the typical cardio body building program of isolated movement strength training and extended aerobic training sessions.
The belief was that if isolated movement weight training is effective for Bodybuilders, and extended aerobic sessions are effective for Marathoners, that a combination of the two training methods would give the general fitness enthusiast the best of both worlds.The fact is, Bodybuilding training methods are more concerned with muscle growth than muscular strength, power and endurance... and both of these training methods almost completely ignore the other physical abilities like coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and flexibility.
It is no wonder why millions of people participating in cardio body building inspired fitness programs fail to meet their over-all fitness goals... They are making a big training mistake.On a personal Note...I am guilty of training in the cardio body building fashion in my younger years in preparation for wrestling season. I would lift weights using isolation exercises and run long distances to increase aerobic capacity. I quickly learned in the first week of practice that the inflated muscles and aerobic capacity that I gained through cardio body building training did little or nothing to provide the fitness level needed for my chosen sport.Oh well, there is nothing
I can do about that now... but there is something that YOU can do to improve your physical training in preparation for sport, work, life.Reflect on your current workout program...If your current workout program looks like the cardio body building protocol described above... don't despair. Any exercise is better than none, so you have not completely wasted your time. In fact... the isolated movement strength training has given you some degree of strength, and the aerobic exercise is an essential base of fitness.
However, to improve your physical training and optimize your performance you must be prepared to radically change the methods you use in pursuit of strength, conditioning and fitness excellence.Be honest with yourself... are you getting the most out of your current cardio body building physical training program?Are the exercises and methods you are using best suited to improve over-all fitness... or do they only focus on muscular size and cardiorespiratory endurance?Ask yourself this question...Is your current physical fitness training program based on the acceptable and deliberate compromise of competence and ability to perform in ALL the areas of cardiorespiratory endurance, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and toughness to produce optimum performance results under the greatest amount of circumstances?If not, it is probably based on the cardio body building fallacy... and your physical training can be greatly improved.If your goal of physical training is to inflate your muscles and perform monotonous, single intensity aerobic exercise for extended periods of time... do nothing.
If your goal of physical training is to become a better human being suited to successfully overcome the random challenges of sport, work and life... It is time to change your physical fitness training program to one not based on the cardio body building fallacy.
Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net
Monday, September 1, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Dumbbell Workouts: Stop Wasting Your Time And Start Getting Results!
By: Eddie Lomax
Every time I see a man or women pick up a light dumbbell and perform "isolation" or "sculpting" exercises I want to pull my hair out. It's not that there is anything wrong with these dumbbell exercises. It's just they aren't designed to get the results the exerciser wants or needs. And that is a waste of valuable training time.Let's face it, most people have trouble setting aside time to work out as it is.
When they do get themselves to the gym, or set aside part of their busy day to work out at home, the last thing they want to do is waste their time. Every minute spent training needs to count! So, stop wasting your time with those dinky weight dumbbell workouts, and start using dumbbells to their full potential.At this point, some of you might be offended. You may believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that "isolation" dumbbell exercises and "feeling the burn" is the way to get the most out of your dumbbell workout. (Even though you've failed to make major changes to your body). Please, keep reading and give me a chance to change your mind.Honestly, most people start dumbbell workouts, or any workout for that matter, because they want to change the way they look. Yes, there are health and performance benefits to a properly performed dumbbell workout. But, who are we kidding, appearance is the top motivating factor!And, since we are being honest, most people only start to work out when their appearance gets so bad they just can't stand it anymore. They've ignored the lack of muscle tone and the accumulating fat for so long they are not just out of shape, they are REALLY out of shape! They just don't need to lose a pound or two of fat and tone up their arms. 
They need to lose a LOT of fat and build a LOT of muscle to make a major impact on the way they look!So, the dumbbell workouts they perform should be designed to build muscle and burn fat, preferably in the shortest time possible. So, they pick up a 2 pound dumbbell and perform triceps kickbacks. Wrong, wrong, WRONG! Let's look at it this way:A sculptor is given a 2 ton block of granite to sculpt a figure that ultimately weighs 1/2 ton. Should they:a) Use a small pick and start to lightly tap on the block?orb) Pick up a sledgehammer and whack away most of the unneeded material? I hoped you picked option b!You see, when you have a lot of work to do, use the right tool for the job!So, if your goal is to significantly change the way you look by putting on muscle and burning fat, make sure your dumbbell workouts are designed to do both. Don't waste your time with small weights and small exercises. Dumbbells are an excellent choice for full body transformation, but only if you use them correctly!Here are three tips for changing the way you look with dumbbell workouts:1) Perform dumbbell exercises that recruit as many big muscle groups as possible.Dumbbell lifts like squats, deadlifts, rows, presses and cleans, snatches and jerks require a lot of big muscle groups to complete the movement. Plus, using big muscle groups allows you to use heavier weights. Using more muscle with heavier weights means more muscle!2) Perform dumbbell exercises that require a great deal of energy.Heavy grinding exercises, explosive exercises and combo matrixes require a lot of energy for completion. Expending more energy means less fat!3) Perform dumbbell workouts in such a manner as to simultaneously build muscle, improve cardiorespiratory endurance and burn fat.Doing workouts like super sets, timed circuits and peripheral heart action training, you can make your dumbbell workouts SUPER efficient. 
You'll get the most out of your training time by attacking your body on many fronts!I hope this short article has opened your eyes to the true value of dumbbells in your quest to change the way you look. If you want to see the greatest change in appearance in the shortest period of time, leave the light weight dumbbell workouts alone, and start using dumbbell to their full potential. Following the above tips makes your dumbbell workout more effective than ever before! Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net
Israeli fitness model: Sagi Kalev
Sagi, who has done numerous photo shoots for Muscle & Fitness, Iron Man, Reps, Men's Workout and Hardcore Muscle magazines, is part owner of a downtown Dallas, Texas gym where he also does personal training and nutritional counseling.
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