Modern bodybuilding has long lost its original beauty, which gave it the status of an art. In pursuit of size, the builders of their bodies, somewhere unbeknownst to themselves (probably in a pharmaceutical store), lost their sense of taste and proportion, turning bodybuilding competitions into a freak show with huge bellies.
Let's talk about a sensational topic in modern bodybuilding and try to understand why the belly still grows.
Main thoughts:
A bodybuilder’s big belly clearly indicates gross errors in the use of pharmacology
The most common causes of a large belly in bodybuilding are large doses of growth hormone and insulin. But in reality, the dosages do not exceed those used for medical purposes.
The bulging of the abdomen under the pressure of internal organs growing in size is also similar to a myth, since the facts of discovery of giant organs during autopsy are simply unknown
The most likely reason for the growth of the abdomen in bodybuilders is an increase in the mass of the abdominal muscles.
The reason for the increase in abdominal size may be a decrease in the speed of digestion, as a result of taking diuretics and subsequent loading of carbohydrates in a state of dehydration
A protruding belly, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, should definitely be taken into account by judges as a negative factor in bodybuilding competitions
Prelude
This year (2017) during the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition, the podium was more cluttered than ever with guys with big bellies 3-4 months pregnant...
(As paradoxical as it may sound, the phenomenon of a “big belly in bodybuilding” is not typical for female representatives.)
And this is, to put it mildly, disgusting.
It looks like we should all forget forever about the aesthetics of classic bodybuilding, contemplating which at one time it was difficult to restrain enthusiastic exclamations and applause. Modern professionals have to “squeeze” applause from the audience with persistent and repeated demands, very similar in appearance to threats.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's furious indignation during a sensational interview after the Arnold Classic 2022 may have become, or hopefully will be, the tipping point for ending the freak show.
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Radical methods
If you want to get rid of a problem in a short time, go to a plastic surgeon. There are two options here: either “suck out” the excess (fat), or slightly correct the digestive organs by putting a restrictive ring, for example, on the stomach.
The so-called “liposuction” is precisely the procedure during which subcutaneous fat is locally pumped out. But this is far from a panacea; sometimes the procedure has to be repeated; in addition, doctors recommend following a diet and providing the necessary physical activity.
For almost seven decades, people have been performing operations on the small intestine and stomach to lose weight. Then the intestines do not absorb so much fat, and the stomach is reduced so that the feeling of fullness comes faster.
Modern bodybuilding is balancing on a fine line
The three rules on which professional bodybuilding is built are as follows: every professional bodybuilder must know
- how to eat properly,
- how to train correctly,
- how to take pharmacology correctly.
In general, modern professional bodybuilding is a game, the essence of which is to overcome a number of tough tests, some of which are non-trivial.
This game requires solving a rather complex problem: how to manage every aspect of gaining muscle mass and cutting the body before competition. The solution algorithm is the same for everyone, but its implementation is individual.
All tests are built into a single chain as its links: making mistakes at any stage risks breaking the entire chain.
To win competitions, you need to demonstrate not only size, but also details.
Gaining muscle mass and drying the body in modern professional bodybuilding is achieved using several dozen pharmacological drugs. Errors in their application are the reason for what we see on stage.
A bodybuilder’s big belly clearly indicates gross errors in the use of pharmacology
Caffeine for the athlete
Two questions that have intrigued sports scientists for 25 years: Does caffeine consumed before exercise really cause increased performance, and if so, what mechanisms are responsible for this improvement?
Studies have shown that consuming caffeine increases the time spent in endurance exercise, causing a metabolic effect in the human body. The reason for this was thought to be the presence of caffeine in the blood, which seemed to stimulate the release of epinephrine catecholamines and norepinephrine, which leads to the use of fat as fuel to work muscles.
Another possible implication of caffeine's effects is that it leads to stronger muscle contractions, for example, by affecting the calcium in the muscles, which is necessary for further work, is reduced due to the large amount of caffeine.
Some studies have shown that caffeine does improve performance in the short term, although the results were not always significant. If a muscle wants to change performance, then in such exercises caffeine must act on it or on the central nervous system.
A group of sports science students took part in an experiment that tested whether caffeine actually affects performance.
This experiment showed that there is no benefit to using caffeine as an aid to short-term, high-intensity exercise. Additionally, heart rate measurements and students' comments about how they felt indicate that caffeine is a potent drug, even when consumed in moderation.
Such doses may result in slow urination, which is set by the International Olympic Committee for competition.
Unpleasant side effects can even affect stamina, so you may also want to consider caffeine.
Be careful!
Popular theories about the causes of belly growth in bodybuilding
One of the most popular theories of the formation of a “big belly” is said to be a consequence of taking growth hormone; anabolic steroids and insulin are sometimes blamed.
There is no opinion of scientists and doctors on this issue, since such studies are simply not carried out: from the point of view of scientists, experiments with pharmacology that are potentially dangerous to health and life are not ethical.
The only thing we can do is speculate.
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1 Large dose of insulin and growth hormone
The usual dose of insulin is 10-12 IU (1 IU ~ 0.034 mg) before and after exercise. For comparison, diabetics take approximately 50-60 IU per day and their bellies do not grow (except fat ones). Those. It's most likely not insulin.
The typical dosage of growth hormone in professional bodybuilding is 9-18 IU (1 UI ~ 0.33 mg). Most pros never exceed it. Most often limited to 4-12 IU.
Share with us your experience of losing weight or gaining muscle mass!
Let's take a maximum of 18 IU, which is approximately 6 mg. In medicine, doses up to 10 mg and higher are used to treat various conditions (for example, insufficient production of growth hormone in children or acquired immunodeficiency).
Of course, here it is necessary to take into account that athletes have a high natural level of growth hormone, and for medicinal purposes it is usually prescribed to those whose natural production is impaired. Although they also say that regular injections of the hormone by athletes suppress its natural production.
Doctors who prescribe hormone therapy or insulin to their patients never warn them that their belly may grow. Such facts are not found on bodybuilding forums dedicated to pharmacology, and we do not see people on the streets with a muscle bag in the abdominal area (although who knows what’s under men’s T-shirts ;))
In accordance with the above arguments, there is very little reason to believe that the cause of abdominal growth is a large dose of growth hormone or insulin.
The most common causes of a large belly in bodybuilding are large doses of growth hormone and insulin. But in reality, the dosages do not exceed those used for medical purposes.
We recommend : Reviews from scientists about the effectiveness of various growth hormone preparations
2 Internal organs grow
— The fact that growth hormone and insulin cause muscle growth is an indisputable fact. Or maybe other organs grow along with the muscles, including the stomach, spleen, liver, which cause the stomach to bulge?
It is known from medicine that growth hormone has a universal effect and is responsible for the growth and development of the body as a whole: it ensures the growth of bones and muscles and, to some extent, other organs.
However, you must agree that there are no facts of discovery of giant spleens during autopsy that would necessarily leak onto the Internet. At least we don't know about them.
The hypothesis of hypertrophy of internal organs will not have any basis until someone demonstrates a gallbladder the size of a... melon.
The bulging of the abdomen under the pressure of internal organs growing in size is also similar to a myth, since the facts of discovery of giant organs during autopsy are simply unknown
3 Abdominal muscles grow
Gaining muscle mass is what we do bodybuilding for.
Most sports nutrition products (proteins, creatine, amino acids), pharmacology (anabolic steroids, growth hormone, insulin), diets, training - everything is designed to increase muscle mass.
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The abdomen is covered with abdominal muscles, which, under the influence of these mechanisms, can grow in the same way as biceps and triceps.
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YES!
This means that huge bellies in huge bodybuilders can develop due to the growth of abdominal muscle mass. And this reason seems to be the most likely of all those listed above.
It is difficult to imagine that a modern 135 kg bodybuilder with a height of 180 cm would have the same waist as a 105 kg colleague (the weight of Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the era of classic bodybuilding.
- But how can this be: after all, in the 80-90s of the last century, bodybuilders were already actively using growth hormone and insulin... why were there no bellies then?
Mmm-mm.. Perhaps there were bellies then, just in smaller quantities and they were “embarrassed” to go on stage, admitting that they had “too much”. Or it is also possible that pharmacology was used more carefully, as is always the case at the beginning with everything unknown.
Today, the muscle mass of bodybuilders has reached unprecedented proportions. Large muscle mass also means large abdominal muscles.
The most likely reason for the growth of the abdomen in bodybuilders is an increase in the mass of the abdominal muscles.
4 Diuretics + carbohydrates for drying the body
Poor nutrition can have a significant impact on belly size, especially the “carbohydrate loading” that is used to fill out the muscles and give them volume at the end of the pre-competition drying process.
What happens:
Before loading with carbohydrates, the body is very dehydrated due to the use of diuretics and is in a state of colossal deficiency of certain microelements (potassium, sodium, calcium, etc.).
In addition to the fact that this is very dangerous for health and life (diuretics are considered one of the most dangerous types of sports chemicals, see Diuretics: harm and side effects of use), this leads to a significant slowdown in the digestion process: carbohydrates must be transformed into muscle glycogen, and for this need water, which is not available.
As a result, the digestion process stops, food accumulates in the stomach, while the bodybuilder continues to eat. To accommodate food, the abdominal muscles must stretch. At the same time, they fill with fluid (blood), as happens with all muscles when they work or stretch. Taken together, this gives the effect of a “bubble” in the abdominal area.
The reason for the increase in abdominal size may be a decrease in the speed of digestion, as a result of taking diuretics and subsequent loading of carbohydrates in a state of dehydration
We recommend : Diuretics in bodybuilding: types and mechanism of action
What foods burn fat
There are a number of foods that help speed up metabolism, which in turn leads to the burning of fat deposits.
- Water. With a lack of fluid in the body, metabolism slows down. The accumulation of water reserves begins, which, accordingly, leads to the receipt of additional volumes. To avoid this, you need to drink at least two liters of water a day. Water removes waste, toxins, and destroyed fat cells.
- Green tea. It also removes toxins from the body and has a activating effect on metabolism. Drinking five cups of green tea a day can burn 80 calories.
- Citrus. These are great helpers in losing excess weight. Raspberries, papaya and pineapple also have a similar effect. They not only contain fat-burning substances, but also normalize metabolism due to their high content of minerals and vitamins.
- Vegetables with negative calories. These include carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, green peas, cucumbers, beets, artichokes, asparagus, and zucchini. When processing such vegetables, the number of calories expended by the body is greater than the amount received. In addition, the fiber they contain has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
- High protein foods. Excellent sources of protein are turkey, chicken, fish, eggs. Protein promotes the formation of muscle mass. The more muscle there is in the body, the faster its metabolism. In addition, in the process of processing proteins, the body spends more energy than when digesting carbohydrates and fats. In addition to proteins, fish contains acids, which contribute not only to weight loss, but also to strengthen blood vessels.
- Olive oil and olives. A teaspoon of this oil or ten olives in the morning on an empty stomach promotes weight loss. This happens due to the fact that the oil envelops the walls of the stomach and thanks to this the body does not feel hunger.
Recommendations
To have an effect, you must follow the following rules when introducing fat burners into your diet:
- in some cases, some products may be contraindicated - for example, citrus fruits. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a nutritionist;
- It is undesirable to use the same product for a long time. A balanced diet is the key to health;
- parallel exercise will speed up the process of losing weight;
- you need to give up fast food and alcohol, otherwise there will be no benefit;
- The best time to eat fruit is morning. Vegetables should be consumed during the day or evening;
- It is better to eat protein for dinner.
When following diets to lose weight, it is necessary to take into account that a lack of calories in the diet causes metabolic disorders.
The daily minimum for an adult is 1300-1800 calories. If the body receives less than this minimum, it goes into starvation mode. In this mode, the processes of digesting food and burning calories slow down.
Even after a person returns to a normal diet, his body continues to store fat in case he has to starve again. Therefore, it is not enough to simply introduce fat-burning foods into your diet and limit the caloric content of food consumed - you need to do it correctly.
What to do to prevent your belly from growing?
It is better for professional bodybuilders to prepare for competitions under the supervision of appropriate specialists who have a detailed understanding of the pharmacology and biochemistry of the body.
But in general: listen less to the brothers in the hall, more to scientists and doctors.
A protruding belly is a sign of a deficiency in the coach and athlete. Judges must take its presence into account when assigning marks. It would be better to completely disqualify such “athletes.”
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The goal of the competition is to choose the best, and the task of bodybuilders is to strive for the ideal form, which, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, should represent the letter X, which implies a narrow, fully controllable waist and the ability of the athlete to pull in the stomach for the right amount of time while posing.
Yoga
Often people resort to yoga to lose weight in problem areas. Yoga exercises are asanas: poses, staying in which for the right amount of time, you can get rid of “life preservers”. Here are a few, for example:
- Salamba Sarvangasana - in the common language “birch tree”;
- Uttanasana - maximum forward bend, rarely achieved the first time, ideally the chest should be in contact with the legs;
- Urdhva Prasarita Padasana - performed in a lying position, hands behind the head, legs together raised at approximately 30°, removes excess from the abdomen if the legs are kept straight and the lower back is not lifted from the floor;
- Agnisara Kriya - feet shoulder-width apart, bend slightly, resting your palms on your knees, the essence of the pose is in the movements of the stomach - after inhaling, you need to hold your breath and alternately draw in and inflate your stomach, then rest and repeat.
Arnold's appeal to the pros
Probably, if you are reading this article, you follow the news in the world of bodybuilding and should know that Arnold, at the Arnold Classic 2022, after the “pregnant freaks” show, publicly condemned the IFBB president in anger.
Arnold stated that "the standards of modern bodybuilding have degraded to such an extent that the bodies of athletes no longer look beautiful and athletic, and are far from being a model that others would like to be like."
Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the first to publicly criticize refereeing at elite competitions. But he is probably the first who is not going to look calmly at their degradation. And it is very likely that serious changes in their rules should be expected in the near future.
A protruding belly, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, should definitely be taken into account by judges as a negative factor in bodybuilding competitions
Athlete's nutrition system
Looking at the videos that the bodybuilding star posts online, people are amazed at the amount of food that Lenny consumes. An athlete’s diet cannot be called correct; rather, on the contrary, a man never denies himself anything.
- The bodybuilder consumes approximately 2,500 calories per day, according to him.
- Breakfast includes a huge bowl of porridge, grapes, 4 cups of applesauce, a couple of bananas, a pound of meat and 4 glasses of milk!
- Any athlete's meal looks like a buffet in its variety and lack of combination of dishes.
- The freak posts almost every lunch he has on his Instagram.
Despite all the jokes and memes constantly appearing online, Big Lenny continues to systematically appear online, run a channel, and demonstrate what a weightlifter should not look like. “Pay attention to the contrast between me and the future Olympia participants,” the “king of aesthetics” can say and parade with his pants down.
Why do people tend to become overweight in old age?
Older people, as doctors say, get fat not from cutlets, but from the years they live: with age, the body’s ability to burn fat decreases - it gradually begins to be deposited in the muscles, near internal organs and under the skin.
In humans, the production of sex hormones such as testosterone in men and estrogen in women decreases. Accordingly, the amount of adipose tissue increases. American scientists conducted an experiment on elderly mice and found that immune b-cells grow in abdominal fat. This of course leads to metabolic disorders.
B cells are the body's response to any disease. When a young person recovers, the number of B cells returns to normal, but in older people everything is different. B cells do not completely disappear from the body, but begin to be deposited gradually in visceral fat because good conditions are created for them there. Normally, visceral fat should be no more than 15%. If there is more of it, then problems arise.
To avoid exacerbation of the disease, the most correct thing to do is, of course, to reduce it. It remains to understand how. Of course, you can’t do without diets - “solid foods are not fast carbohydrates and unhealthy fats,” say scientists.
The diet is based on protein, meat, poultry, fish, a large amount of vegetables according to the principle, the more the better and as few cereal side dishes as possible, that is, as little porridge, pasta and potatoes as possible.
The “Mediterranean diet”, known to many, best corresponds to what type of nutrition? True, the same scientists say that it is effective in combination with general physical activity. With a general load, our body begins to intensively spend energy because it needs movement and energy. It takes energy directly from fat reserves. Loads without sudden movements, exercises with weights and running immediately disappear, but breathing exercises will force all abdominal muscle groups to work.
But the most effective weapons, as doctors say, are swimming and walking.
The main thing is not to be lazy and be patient. Visceral fat is burned more slowly than subcutaneous fat. Just remember, you won’t be able to get rid of it completely. After all, visceral fat serves to cushion and nourish our internal organs. Nature took care of this, and it’s better not to argue with it.
Down with fatigue
Fatigue and lack of sleep often prevent you from overcoming hated folds. These factors especially affect men; doctors often justify the appearance of fat deposits in the lower abdomen in thin men as chronic fatigue syndrome. You just have to adjust the amount of rest, allocate enough time for sleep, and the process of getting rid of fat will go much faster.
The human body is a pretty smart system. He himself is looking for ways to protect himself when he feels stressed - this is a plus. But it is expressed in life preservers around the waist - this is a minus. If you want to get rid of them, keep your nerves in a box.
When we worry, stress hormones are produced along with them - mechanisms begin to work, looking for a way out. First of all, it is eating and storing fat just in case, which creates a belly. For quality weight loss, you should learn to control yourself and avoid situations that tickle your nerves.
Which of the above should you choose? – We choose several methods, it’s more productive, and we work. I wish everyone to achieve their goal, and don’t forget to “like” the article. Good luck!
Tom Prince
Genetics itself pushed Tom Prince to success in this field: already in his school years, he bench pressed twice as much as his peers - 158 kg. Tom Prince's competitive career began in 1995 and was immediately successful: he became second in the tournament in the heavy weight category.
Just imagine: in the off-season the guy’s weight reached 130 kg! Tom trained with huge weights and had already acquired a whole bunch of injuries: pain in his knees, shoulders and right elbow became his constant companions. To alleviate his suffering, Prince took large amounts of painkillers. The dosages of drugs were gradually increased, and the use of diuretics also made itself felt.
The trick of one of them, Demadex, played a cruel joke on him. The drug did not show up in tests at the time but is highly toxic to the kidneys. Many famous bodybuilders have become victims of this drug. And then, shortly before the 2003 Night of Champions tournament, Tom Prince's kidneys failed.
After undergoing a course of treatment, Tom managed to restore his kidneys to only 90% of their capacity, and he received a transplant. This ended his competitive career. Now Tom works in his specialty, teaching philology and medieval poetry. Together with his wife Rebecca, they are raising two children – daughter Danielle and son Nick.
8th position - Ronnie Coleman "America's Strongest Cop"
Ronnie Coleman (about whose fate you can learn more here) is an American, originally from Louisiana. The strongman was born in 1964, was fond of American football, simultaneously graduated from the University with a degree in accounting and finance, and then fulfilled his old dream by studying at the Police Academy. The athlete devoted the lion's share of his biography to maintaining order on the streets of Arlington. The villains were apparently shocked by the cop's anthropometry:
- height - 1 m 80 cm;
- weight - 138 and between seasons 149 kg;
- biceps size - 61 cm;
- sternum volume - 1 m 48 cm;
- waist circumference - 78 cm;
- hip - 87 cm.
The passion for bodybuilding came only as a desire to set an example to everyone of exactly what an American “policeman” should look like. And I got to the first competition in my life thanks to the light hand of the gym director. Already in 1988, Ronnie won the Olympia, and was so carried away that he lasted another 8 years on the first step, duplicating Lee Haney’s record. An interesting fact is that the champion treats bodybuilding as a hobby, believing that only official work can feed him.
