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Bodybuilding The sport is not to be confused with strongman competition or powerlifting, where emphasis is on actual physical strength, or with Olympic weightlifting, where emphasis is equally split between explosive power and technique. Though superficially similar to the casual observer, the fields entail a different regimen of training, diet, and basic motivation. Bodybuilders aspire to develop and maintain an aesthetically pleasing (by bodybuilding standards) body and balanced physique. A bodybuilder's size and shape are far more important than how much he or she can lift. The main organization that promotes, funds, and judges body building competition is the International Federation of Body Builders. The use of anabolic steroids in this sport continues to be a source of controversy. In the 1980s women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions. There are three major difficulties that female bodybuilders have to deal with. The standards of judging for women bodybuilders change almost every year. Female bodybuilders often are viewed negatively for not conforming to traditional ideas of a feminine gender role. The money needed to fund the sport is very limited for women. Some female body builders get financial support through being involved with female muscle erotica activities. But many female body builders do not want to be involved with erotica and only pursue bodybuilding for a few years. Arnold Schwarzenegger is currently the most famous body builder in the world. He had a successful career as a Hollywood actor and became the governor of California.
StrategyIn order to achieve muscle growth (hypertrophy), bodybuilders focus in four main lines of action:
 Resistance weight trainingResistance weight training causes microtears to the muscles being trained; this is generally known as microtrauma. These microtears in the muscle contribute to the soreness felt after exercise, called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS. It is the repair to these microtrauma that result in muscle growth (anabolism). Normally, this soreness becomes most apparent a day or two after a workout. Soreness is usually felt by beginners or those getting back on a weight training regimen. It is a normal occurence and most of the time this does not indicate overworking of a muscle. NutritionThe growth and repair, however, cannot occur without the necessary building blocks. These are supplied by high quality nutrition. Bodybuilders require a very specialised diet. Generally speaking, bodybuilders require anything between 500-1000 calories (2000 to 4000 kilojoules) above their maintenance level of food energy while attempting to increase lean body mass. A sub-maintenance level of food energy is combined with cardiovascular exercise to lose body fat in preparation for a contest. The ratios of food energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats vary depending on the goals of the bodybuilder. Bodybuilders split their food intake for the day into 5 to 7 meals of roughly equal nutrional content and attempt to eat at regular intervals (normally between 2 and 3 hours). This allows greater absorption of nutrients and increases basal metabolic rate. This process is also valuable for those wishing merely to lose fat. CarbohydratesHaving a large proportion of the diet come from carbohydrates gives the body enough energy to deal with the rigours of training and recovery. Bodybuilders require complex carbohydrates, which release energy more slowly than simple sugars. This is important as simple sugars cause an insulin response, which places the body in a state where it is likely to store additional food energy as fat rather than muscle, and which can waste energy that should be going towards muscle growth. However bodybuilders do ingest some simple sugars post-workout to replenish glycogen stores within the muscle. ProteinIt is recommended that bodybuilders receive 1 to 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight (2 to 5 g/kg) to help the body recover and build. These protein sources should be of a high biological value such as steak, chicken, fish, soy, milk or whey, and egg whites. Chicken, whey, and egg whites are often preferred due to their relatively low fat content. Many bodybuilders prefer to get their daily protein requirement from foods first and then from supplementary protein powders. Vitamins & mineralsBodybuilders almost universally take a multi-vitamin each day. Essential fatty acids (including omega-3s), which the body can not synthesize, are also consumed. As with all supplements, it is preferable to get the vitamin and mineral requirement from whole foods, though this is not always convenient. SupplementsSupplements can help muscle gain, although some are unproven and many are ineffective. Creatine is one which has been proven to help bodybuilders. As with all supplements, creatine is only useful if used in conjunction with a sound nutrition and weight training regime. A list of some of the supplements used by bodybuilders:
Performance Enhancing DrugsSome bodybuilders use drugs to obtain supraphysiological levels of skeletal muscle hypertrophy. In professional bodybuilding the use of anabolic steroids, prohormones, metabolic regulators and diuretics is often essential to competing in world-class competitions. Anabolic steroids, particularly testosterone, are some of the more commonly used performance enhancing drugs. Testosterone is normally, but not always, combined with other anabolics to form what is known as a stack. As with other medicines steroids can have serious negative side effects if abused. Some of the risks of steroids include; gynecomastia, liver damage and negative feedback to the hypothalamus pituitary axis (HPTA). Destabilising the HTPA leads to testicular atrophy and possibly infertility, it can also affect a person's mental health. Most often steroids are used when trying to obtain a greater amount of lean body mass, however quite often steroids are used to minimize muscle atrophy whilst dieting for fat loss. Further to steroids, some will add human growth hormone (HGH) to the stack. HGH is excellent for fat loss, but it is believed that long term usage at bodybuilding doses could possibly lead to acromegaly. HGH is known for being much more expensive than steroids and more difficult to find a legitamate source for. HGH must be injected into subcutaneous fat, it is ineffective when taken orally. Insulin is a very anabolic hormonea that can be added to the stack. However it must be noted that insulin abuse can very easily cause death. Metabolic regulators such as the thyroid hormones (thyroxine (T4) triiodothyronine (T3)) and stimulants such as clenbuterol and ephedra are also used when fat loss is a goal. Other drugs such as Aromatase inhibitors and Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators are used as part of a steroid cycle, however these are not specifically an ergogenic aid; rather they are used to either reduce the side effects of steroids or to restore hormone levels after a cycle. RestThe third component to extraordinary muscle building is rest. Without quality rest and sleep the body does not have an opportunity to recover and build. About eight hours of sleep a night is essential for the bodybuilder to be refreshed and ready for the next session. Additionally, many athletes find a daytime nap further increases their body's ability to direct resources toward repairing and building muscle fiber. Professional bodybuildersMale bodybuilders
Female bodybuilders
See also
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