Health Specialist » Muscle Building

Whats The Magnitude Of Anabolic Steroid Use Today?

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:55:00 +0000

Anabolic steroids, the synthetic derivatives of testosterone a potent androgenic male sex hormone, are one of the most extensively used drugs today. However, the magnitude of steroid abuse is more than the genuine medical use of steroids. Medically, anabolic steroids are used for treating hypogonadism, delayed puberty, and some types of impotence. They are also used against several chronic wasting diseases, such as AIDS and Cancer.

Anabolic steroids are very widely abused drugs nowadays. These steroids are extensively used as performance enhancing drugs. They are often used to enhance strength and stamina. Steroids are widely abused by professional bodybuilders, weightlifters, athletes, jocks, muscle-building enthusiasts, young boys, girls, and even teenagers.

Approximately 1.9 of young adults ages 1928 surveyed in 2005 reported lifetime use of steroids. The 2006 Monitoring the Future Study findings revealed that 1.6 of eighth graders, 1.8 of tenth graders, and 2.7 of twelfth graders reported using steroids at least once in their lifetime. The study surveyed the students in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades, and divulged stunning facts regarding the ease by which one can obtain steroids.

According to the study, 17.1 of eighth graders, 30.2 of tenth graders, and 41.1 of twelfth graders surveyed in 2006 reported that steroids were “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. The study furthermore revealed that 60.2 of twelfth graders surveyed reported that using steroids was a “great risk during 2006.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC also conducts studies n the high school students throughout the United States, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System YRBSS. According to the CDC study conducted in 2005, nearly 5 of all high school students surveyed by CDC in 2005 reported lifetime use of steroid pillsshots without a doctor’s prescription.

However, the abuse or overuse of anabolic steroids is often linked with a wide range of adverse side effects. Some of the side effects associated with anabolic steroids include physically unattractiveness severe acne and breast development in men, heart attacks, and elevated cholesterol levels, and risk of contracting or transmitting hepatitis or HIV. Steroids can also cause increased irritability and aggression. Anabolic steroids also have withdrawal symptoms, which include mood swings, fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive, and depression.

Broken Homes, Broken Children

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:53:00 +0000

According to the Center for Disease Control’s National Vital Statistics Report of 2002, 50 of first marriages ended in divorce and 60 of remarriages end in divorce. With these kinds of statistics, and with all the problems and pain a couple goes through, why do people still want to get married?

Even though marriage receives so much bad press these days, walking the aisle is still a very popular exercise. After all, it is human nature to want to feel nurtured and secure. Getting married is still very much desired for all its promise of unconditional love and companionship.

But marriage is so much more than just the wedding ceremony or the honeymoon. It is more than just the intimacy and fun that every couple deserves. Marriage is also about building a family. Traditionally, raising children is part and parcel of a marriage partnership — a task that entails the provision of shelter, clothing, education, and love without which no child can live without. Just as couples want to feel they belong to a loving relationship, so do their children. It also goes without saying that if a marriage is broken, the children would be emotionally affected by it together with their parents. The effects of divorce on children are important to any good parent. But it’s not always easy, when a marriage is struggling and someone is hurting, parents should also consider what the specific effects of divorce will be on their children.

There have been many specific studies focusing on the effects of divorce on children. Studies show that children from a broken family are emotionally affected by the marriage breakup and they know that nothing will ever be the same again. They fear change. Not just that the mother or their father will not be around, but they may also lost contact with their extended family, or school routines may change.

Children have a fear of being abandoned. When parents are at odds and are either separated or considering separation, children have a realistic fear that if they lose one parent, they may lose the other. The concept of being alone in the world is a very frightening thing for a child.

Children who have a natural attachment to their parents also fear losing other secure relationships such as those they have with their friends, pets, siblings, neighbors, and so on. Sometimes children are simply attached to their surroundings, and moving into new surroundings can cause an understandable negative reaction. Divorce has also been found to be associated with a higher incidence of depression; withdrawal from friends and family; aggressive, impulsive, or hyperactive behavior; and either withdrawing from participation in the classroom or becoming disruptive.

Academically, children are greatly affected because of their parents divorce or separation. Children from divorced families drop out of school at twice the rate compared with children from intact families. They also have lower rates of graduation from high school and college. Children from divorced homes performed more poorly in reading, spelling and math.

Moreover, children of divorced parents are more likely to become delinquent by age 15, regardless of when the divorce took place. Anecdotal evidence points out that parental divorce and living in a single-parent household can influence a person to have thoughts of committing suicide. Drug use in children is lowest among those children who have been spared from the effects of parental divorce.

Even if there are have been tension and problems at home, some children will be shocked to learn that their parents are getting a divorce. It may take some time for them to acknowledge and accept that their lives will be different. To help a child cope with shock and stress, parents should be patient with them, ease into the new routines and living situations if possible and constantly express and reassure their love to them. Based on research, these are the top five reasons why people get married

1. To signify a life-long commitment
2. To make a public commitment
3. To legalize their partnership or for financial security
4. To formalize their partnership as part of religious belief
5. To provide security for children.

But long after the celebration of the wedding and years after the honeymoon, when reality sets in, many marriages fail to survive. Despite all the happiness and joy that was shared between the man and the woman during the early years of marriage, they end up separated or divorced — placing their children’s security, health, and well-being at serious risk.

Online Pharmacies Benefits

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:52:00 +0000

Just a few hours ago, a friend of mine related to me how frustrating her experience was buying from a drugstore. She told me the most absurdly funny story about how a certain drugstore, not so far away from their house, took two hours of her precious time just for let her buy some muscle relaxants. Who would have expected that for a task which one would expect to be urgently done, something as irritatingly taxing can actually happen instead. This was the story she told me, which would have been better delivered personally by my friend with her animated gestures and vivid facial expressions.

The day started rather sunny, which is why it was kind of surprising when a heavy downpour of rain happened during midday. The adventure all started when my friend’s cousin decided to wear some slippers to school that day. It was because of those pair of slippers that she easily slipped Maybe this has got to do with the footwear being “slippers” when the roads became slippery. With such a situation, there seems to be no escape at all. Bottom line is this, her cousin experienced a strain and had to take some muscle relaxants to get well the soonest possible time. Unfortunately, the poor girl is unable to make the necessary errands of buying the much-needed medications herself. Which is the very reason why my friend, being the kind cousin that she is, volunteered to do the tasks instead. And this act of kindness began one of the most unforgettable days that she had in her entire life.

After obtaining the prescription from their family doctor, she went to walk toward the nearest pharmacy from their home. The rain was still pouring heavily as a speeding car passed by. As one might expect on a day which began badly, the car’s tire hit a puddle of rainwater which sent the brown, muddy water flying toward my friend. Luckily, it only hit the lower part of her dress. This was not the worst scenario, however. Upon her arrival at the drugstore, she was dismissively told that the drug she was looking for was not available anymore. Feeling worried and some sense of urgency for her cousin, she told the attendant at the pharmacy if she can have the generic form instead. The lady told her to wait for a while as she would ask first if that will be allowed. Awhile took a few minutes, a few minutes turned to almost an hour, then two hours. In between those agonizing two hours, she was asked to get another prescription, she argued to personally talk to the manager or pharmacist which for unknown reason cannot attend to her within the two hours she waited, and finally persuaded the lady to provide some medication out of reason and pity An appeal that usually worked effectively to make people agree.

She went home that afternoon still damp, hungry, and with aching feet. Had it not been for her cousin’s condition, she would never bear any of those arguments longer than she can say “nevermind then”. She even swore never to buy from a pharmacy again, well maybe not from the pharmacy where she spent hours waiting and arguing. After a few hours she called to say that she changed her mind about her decision of not buying from drugstores anymore. This was after she heard of an online drugstore that never had to make her wait, never had to make her walk under the rain, and never had to start with her an argument. Online, all she needed to do was fill-in some forms, assure the site that an appropriate prescription has been obtained, pay for the products, and get a no-cost, hassle-free delivery. All she had to do next is wait for the deliveries at the comforts of her home.

Thank goodness, therefore, for online pharmacies. As a matter of fact, despite my friend’s cousin’s difficulty in walking, she can still make the orders online herself. Worst case scenario is for those who live alone and suddenly get involved in an unlucky circumstance, a similar accident let us say, with no one to take care of them except themselves. At least, because of online drugstores, there is still a chance for immediate treatment.

The Three Most Important Keys To Understanding Effective Bodybuilding Nutrition

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:46:00 +0000

Let’s break down and simplify this important aspect of bodybuilding. You basically need to understand three things about nutrition

The main purpose for each of the three macronutrients Protein, carbohydrates, and fat
The right ratio, or the correct percentages, of protein, carbohydrates, and fat that your food should be divided into in order to meet your bodybuilding goals
The number of calories you should consume to meet your specific physique-enhancement goals

Good nutrition seems much easier when it is broken down and you look it at from that perspective, doesn’t it? But what do the three macronutrients do for our bodies? What ratio of our food should be allocated to protein, carbohydrates, and fat? How do I determine how many calories I should eat? I’ll answer those questionsand a whole lot more.

Those questions about nutrition provide a wide range of answers that are not necessarily easy to find. But, with experimentation, patience, and persistence , you’ll eventually figure out what’s best to help you reach your personal goals. Unfortunately, there are no easier ways around this fact. There are no magic numbers, solutions, or formulas that I, nor anyone else, can give you to make the process effortlessno matter what you are told. These answers not only vary from person to person, they also can vary within the very same person during different periods of time.

Building Muscle, What Is It Worth To You?

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:44:00 +0000

It seems like steroids are everywhere you turn your head these days. On the news, in most sporting circles, in high schools, on the street, in foreign drug rings, and on and on. Its amazing what people think they know and really dont know about building muscle. While most people are probably getting sick of it, I for one and glad that this is happening. I as a bodybuilder think that it is about time that this became dinner table talk because peoples perceptions really need to be changed in order for this sport that I love to be a legitimate endeavor.

Building muscle is a very complicated and often abused activity. I believe there are good and bad reasons for doing it. Human strength and the muscular body are amazing and beautiful things, in my opinion, but only if it takes hard work to do it and only if it is done in a healthy way. Pushing the limits of human performance in athletics is awesome and a great motivator for people to stay healthy and fit, but the problem is that these have stopped being the prime movers in the business of sports. The whole problem is that is has become a business and whenever money becomes the motivation the dark side starts creeping in.

It is amazing what people will do for power whether it is prestige, or wealth, or popularity, or visibility, or whatever. All that happens is that people get hurt and the sport is denigrated and ends up losing the respect and all of the above things that people are craving when they become involved in it. I mean come on can it be that fun to be better than everyone else, when it means that you have to resort to cheating to do it? Arent the best things in life those things that dont come easy? And since when did the risk of death become worth it to so many people in exchange for a few fleeting moments of respect that youre give? Well I want to be the first to tell you that all people who spend a lot of time building muscle are vain.

Why do I spend lots of time building muscle? Well for one thing it is a healthy thing to do when done correctly. It protects you from all sorts of injuries and pains. It keeps you fit as muscle is one of the best metabolizers in your body. It makes your bones strong, it protects your joints, it gives you good balance and control of your body, it allows you to do activities that you enjoy for longer. It also has positive effects on you mental health. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, it elevates your mood, makes you more confident, gives you the same kind of high that a runner gets by releasing natural endorphins, etc.

So by all means get into sports and get strong but do it for the right reasons and in the right ways or you are going to end up exactly where you dont want to bean object of scorn and ridicule and lying on your back in a hospital bed.

Add Intensity To Your Muscle Building Workout

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:40:00 +0000

One of the biggest difficulties facing bodybuilders is how can they be sure that all muscle fibers have been recruited and exhausted during a given exercise and it is only by achieving this that muscle gains can be maximised.

The simple answer is, you have work beyond failure and experience a higher level of training intensity than before. This also ensures that workouts remain challenging and continue to engender progress over time thus reducing the likelihood of regression.

But how do you go about intensifying your training? Fortunately there is a tried and tested path to follow as outlined below

1. Increase resistance – increasing the weight lifted in meaningful increments ensures the muscle is pushed beyond its previous point of failure thus maintaining the muscle building process. Aim to increase the weight when you reach six to eight reps and failure does not occur.

2. Change the exercise – to achieve maximal gains all muscle fibers in a body part must be trained. Changing the angle e.g to incline bench press or introducing a new exercise will stimulate growth.

3. Reduce rest intervals – giving the muscles less time to recover before exposing them to further work has the effect of increasing intensity.

4. Pre-exhaustion – when an exercise involves two or more muscles the weakest will prevent you from working the primary muscle to failure. The answer is to first isolate and tire the primary muscle before immediately moving to another exercise that works the set of muscles to failure.

5. Introduce supersets – this involves performing two exercises for the same muscle group without a rest interval. This means you have to utilize different muscle fibers which stimulate greater growth.

6. Use partial reps – at the point of failure you will not be able to complete the full range of movement for a given exercise. Completing a partial rep that uses only a segment of the lift will still work your muscles beyond the point of failure. This technique is especially useful to advanced bodybuilders as it allows them to increase intensity without adding extra routines that could cause overtraining.

7. Use isometric contractions – this involves holding the weight still at the point of failure to stimulate a static contraction in the muscle.

8. Employ forced reps – this involves completing one or more final reps after the point of failure has been reached. You will need the assistance of an experienced helper to attempt this.

Once you have added these techniques to your training regimen you’ll know you’ve done your best to maximize muscle growth.

Arm Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:40:00 +0000

Most people new to bodybuilding pay a lot of attention to building big arms, sometimes to the point of overtraining. Don’t forget, the arm muscles are brought into play during most exercises aimed at other body parts so care must be taken not to overdo things.

Having said that, the arms are complex body parts in their own right and deserve a properly focused exercise program. In basic terms the arm consists of three main muscle groups

1. Biceps brachii – two muscles at the front upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulders.

2. Triceps brachii – three muscles at the rear upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulder.

3. Forearm – several smaller muscles that run from the elbow to the wrist.

There are seven classic exercises that will allow beginners to get off to a good muscle building start without overstraining their bodies. For all of the exercises that follow, use a weight that is light enough to allow between 10-15 reps.

Three biceps building exercises are recommended for beginners

1. Standing barbell curl – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

2. Alternative standing dumbbell curls – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

3. Preacher bench curls – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Three triceps building exercises are recommended for beginners

1. Dips – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

2. Close grip bench press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

3. EZ bar lying extensions – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

One forearm building exercise is recommended for beginners

1. EZ bar reverse curls – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your arm exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below

Day 1 Biceps, Back, Abs

Day 2 Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs

Day 3 Quads, Forearms, Calves

Day 4 Triceps, Chest, Abs

For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.

Muscle Gain Visualization Tips

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:37:00 +0000

We now move into an area that is far too neglected by mainstream health and fitness professionals, the mind. Most books or courses concentrate on the physical side of weight gain and completely neglect the mental side of things.

Visualization can play an important part in gaining weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Gaining weight can be difficult for many people who dont use their minds to help in the process.

Visualization is a powerful technique that can help you make lasting lifestyle changes. Just by “day dreaming”, you can significantly improve your chances in achieving your goals.

Visualization is a great weight gain tool and its as simple as visualizing your body as you want your body to look like. This mental image of yourself is then transferred to your subconscious mind, which in turn starts to work on your body, shaping it in accordance with your mental image.

This means that if you program your subconscious with a mental image of yourself as a more muscular person, through persistence your mind will accept this and aid your body to conform to this mental image.

Once your mind is programmed with the proper mental images, it will start to work in assisting you to gain weight. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to believe in your visualization goals. You have to let go of your past failures and refuse to entertain any negative images that come into your mind.

If you can visualize your body at its perfect proportions, the subconscious mind will work to make it become a reality. It will then begin to positively reinforce your body into aiding the metabolism and eating habits.

Programming your mind into believing that you can gain weight, and to visualize yourself with your perfect proportions is of the greatest importance.

Try to think of a different image of yourself, then let your subconscious do the work for you. If you think of your body as being out of shape all the time, then the subconscious mind will find ways to make it so.

The sub-conscious looks after all of all your vital functions, it is the cause of all your good and bad habits, and also regulates the muscles of the body The muscles are controlled by the sub-conscious and body-fat composition on the body.

Try to visualize your body as lean and as muscular as you would like, and your mind will work on that image. The mind can be a great partner in gaining weight.

Relaxation

Relaxation the best way to reach the sub-conscious and will slow down the mind, turn off the exterior world so as to tune in to one’s inner self. The best times for these sessions are in the morning and late at night right, just before going to sleep.

Perform two sessions, one in the afternoon Primary and the other before going to sleep Secondary but once a day is quite sufficient. Sessions usually last 20 minutes, which isn’t time consuming especially when taking in the benefits received.

It has been stated that one of these sessions is equivalent to 2 hours of deep sleep and upon waking you will feel revitalized and full of energy. Believe me instead of worrying about time constraints; you will be looking forward to the next session.

When you begin your relaxation sessions, make sure you won’t be disturbed – lock the door, take the phone off the hook and loosen all clothing. Now find a comfortable position, whether it is lying down or sitting in a comfortable chair.

Sitting may be preferable as you may fall asleep if you become too comfortable. You want to be conscious and not asleep in order to tap into your sub-conscious mind.

Try to exhale all the air from your lungs completely and then breathing in through the nose. Take ten seconds to fill the lungs with air not to capacity, but comfortable hold for ten seconds and then exhale slowly through the nose for another ten seconds.

Each one of these breathing cycles should last for 30 seconds, complete five cycles and after each cycle you will be feeling more and more relaxed.

Having reaching this calm relaxed state, start your visualizations. Put together images that power your emotions. Make them alive and colourful. Make the scenes as real as possible and imagine yourself as muscular and toned as possible.

Picture yourself ten weeks from now on the beach, walking briskly and confidently to your favourite spot, your breathing is normal and relaxed. You smile to yourself; you could keep walking like this for miles without feeling fatigued.

You lay your towel out and begin to take your clothes off revealing a muscular, toned, well conditioned body. You have just bought a brand new swimming suit which just weeks before would have been lying in your closet waiting to be used.

Glancing around you notice the beach is busy, you catch the eye of someone of the opposite sex, they smile at you and you smile back. You walk confidently to the water and swim a couple of hundred yards with no problem or fatigue.

Or try this

Visualize your family and friends complimenting you about how good your body looks. Try to view the scene as it is happening this instant – in the present, not in the future.

Using these visualizations you can construct in your mind any scene that desire. See yourself exercising, socializing, in the company of friends. Try and hear people complimenting you about your new muscular body, and watch their admiring glances. Make the mental image as real as possible.

&61623; Remember set a goal for your ideal weight

&61623; You must want to gain weight

&61623; Visualize yourself at your ideal weight

&61623; Use positive images at every opportunity

Practice these sessions on a daily basis and over a period of ten weeks youll be on your way to become more fulfilled, happier and muscular.

Basics Of Bodybuilding

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:33:00 +0000

Bodybuilding is a sport of building muscle. Bigger and stronger is the name of the game. One of the great things about bodybuilding is that you can achieve great results with only very basic equipment and a few hours of training three to four times per week.

The key to building bigger and stronger muscles is to keep progressively adding more and more weight over time. Building bigger muscles is about consistent regular training, eating properly, getting plenty of rest, and lots of weight at low repetitions.

As a starting any new exercise program, is important a first check with your physician before starting a bodybuilding program. In the beginning is important that you start slow and learn proper technique. Time and time again professional body builders have said that technique is one of most important aspects of getting a good workout. It might be helpful to schedule a session with a professional trainer in the beginning so you start on the right track. If this is not an option for you there are various instructional books on the subject of bodybuilding. Above all take the time to learn proper technique.

Lifting heavy weight damages muscle fibers. It is only when the muscles repair themselves that they grow larger and stronger. For this reason it is very important that each muscle group is given plenty of rest following each workout. This is why most body builders alternate muscle groups. For example, you might work on your back on Monday, your legs on Tuesday, your chest on Wednesday, and your arms on Friday. Most successful body builders will recommend that you not work a particular muscle group more than twice per week.

The question may come up of whether it is best to use weight machines or free weights. The general consensus is that free weights are your best option for increasing muscle mass. Machines are typically used for isolating muscles and this is something that only professional body builders need to do before contest.

The following are some basic exercises for the major muscle groups.

Chest

1. Flat Bench Press
2. Dips
3. Incline Bench Press

Legs

1. Squats
2. Straight Leg Dead Lifts
3. Leg Press

Back

1. Pull ups
2. Barbell Rows
3. Deadlifts

Biceps

1. Curls
2. Incline curls

Triceps

1. Lying Tricep Extensions
2. Close Grip Bench Press

Shoulders

1. Military Press.

Remember to increase muscle size you will need to progressively increase poundage. Be patient. Overworking your muscles can actually have adverse effects. If you maintain a consistent regular workout routine coupled with proper nutrition and rest you will begin to see results in no time. Keep in mind it is common to see more obvious results initially and in overtime your gains will seem less apparent. This is because your body becomes used to your work out routine and in a sense knows what to expect. It is helpful to keep your body guessing by changing your workout routine on a regular basis.

Want To Build Big Muscles? Here Is How To Gain Muscles Fast.

Health Specialist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:26:00 +0000

Want to build Big Huge Muscles? Then you must Squat! The Squat will build big muscles on your entire body frame.

There are 3 types of people in this world.

First, there are those that make things happen. They calculated and know very sure what they want, then they take action and get it no matter what happens. They single mindedly pursue their ambition and they will ultimately succeed. In bodybuilding, they want to grow big and strong with big huge muscles. They SQUAT and squat and squat again. Have you ever seen anyone who is big, have huge muscles and have a well proportioned body like a Greek god who does not squat? Never.

Then there are those who watch things happen. They will savor the world around them. Then say, we will see what happens next. If it works, well we will decide if we are gonna do it.

These are the majority of the average Joes. They want to grow big muscles and be strong and muscular but are reluctant to make the effort to include the squat in their workout routine. Even if they do, they will do it haphazardly and will give up before they achieve their objectives. Then the excuses will flow. “Squats are too hard on my knees” or “Doing squat will stunt your growth” or “Squats are for my back” or “I just want a well toned body.” Excuses from sour grapes. That is why average joes just remain well… average. We will debunk those excuses later in this article.

Finally there are those that are always saying “Omigosh! What happened?” Needless to say, these people are the ones oblivious to what is happening around them. They will walk leisurely on a treadmill reading a book at the same time when others are raising their heart rates to improve endurance and burn fats.

They are the ones doing dumbbell curls after dumbbell curls when others are doing bench presses, dead lifts and squats. They are the ones who ask the champions why the champs are growing biiger muscles and getting fitter all the time whereas they are at the gym longer, more regular and yet not achieving any result. They will take note of the advises and the next time you see them, they are back to what they were doing. Reading that confounded book on the treadmill. They actually expect changes to take place by doing the same things. How is that possible? Then they will say, “Ah… but you are just lucky to have good genes!” What nonsense!

To build muscles fast and big, you must SQUAT! The squat is often touted as the king of exercise and is grouped together with the dead lift and bench press, collectively called the Big Three for power and muscle mass building.

If you want to build big muscles and enjoy a symmetrical physique, you must squat. Period.

In most gym, the squat rack is there collecting dust. Why? Because most people think that their legs will be hidden by their pants. Why bother? How dead wrong they are. Wait till you see them in their shorts or swim wear. You will see Spiderman ..er ..I mean spider legs.

Another reason why people avoid squatting exercises is because the squat work on many major muscles and is grueling work. When you perform squats correctly, you will huff and pant, wheeze, head spinning woozily, see stars, sweat profusely and your entire body will be screaming for you to stop.

Of course the exercise is brutal! You are working out about 75 of your entire muscular structure including your shoulders, traps, back, gluteus, hams, calf, abs and many other synergistic muscles in a single exercise, isn’t that supposed taxed your strength, endurance and your cardio health? Isn’t that the best exercise? Isn’t that why the results from squats will be astounding?

As an added bonus to building big muscles , you will be burning fats like crazy since the squat, given the intensity placed on your body, your metabolism zooms straight up! If your body fat ratio is high, it will help you lose body fat.

And because of the degree of difficulty, squats also force your body to release higher amounts of growth hormone , resulting in new muscle growth in all areas of your body. In addition, squats will cause a spillover effect, enabling you to gain strength in all of your other lifts. Awesome! It just befuddles me why, with all these benefits, people are avoiding squats like a bubonic plague. As for the hard gainers, squat will pack on pounds after pounds of muscle on your entire body! So hard gainers, you must squat to grow big!

If you squat with the correct form, heavy weight and sheer intensity, you will see good results in just weeks. Not just your lower body. Your entire frame will take on a different form. A total body transformation. Guaranteed!

You must know that since squats are performed with heavy weight, so correct form and techniques are critical and cannot be compromised. Anything less, you may sustain serious injury. However, when you adhere to the proper technique, you will be very safe and will enjoy all the benefits that come with the squat. Don’t cheat yourself and substitute squats with leg presses. They are of a different class!

Debunking Excuses!

It’s bad for the knees – In fact, it’s on the contrary. Just like the muscle tissue in your body strengthens when exposed to stress, the tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues in your body will also thicken in response to weightlifting. That means, it actually improve knee health when you squat. It also strengthens all the muscles around your knee and thus providing your knees with support when the muscles are strong and less stress is placed on the knees on your day to day activities. I know. I used to suffer from knee pain until I started squatting and now, my knees are in perfect health that I can even play competitive soccer. Knee problems only occur when you squat improperly like resting at the bottom of the movement or letting your knee protrude over your toes.

It’s bad for my back – For the same reasons about strengthening your tissues, squats also exercises your lower back. When done in correct form, it actually builds strong muscles on your lower back and not only correcting you from bad posture that results in a bad back, it may even give you a healthy strong back. Again, it will only hurt your back if done in poor form like bending forward or doing it with a rounded back instead of arching it during the movement.

It will give you high blood pressure and bad for the heart –
Sure, your blood pressure will rise as your heart will beat faster from the exercise. That is only temporary and not dangerous unless you already have those problems in the first place. Other than that you are actually exercising your heart and cardio vascular system to strengthen it. How can that be dangerous? Don’t most exercises elevate heart rate and increase blood flow? Then they should ban the treadmills and close all swimming pools! Do you buy that nonsense?

So, now that you know that squat is the king of bodybuilding exercises, are you the type that makes things happen or are still contend to be wondering what the heck happened?