Gaining Muscle

You've seen these e-cards right? They make me laugh so much and this one makes me shake my head. So many women really believe this, and no matter how many times they hear that it's just not true, they are still convinced that women will easily get "bulky" by lifting weights.


I try, I try so hard. Gaining muscle is not easy, for anyone. I talk with women who say this same thing "I just want to tone, I don't want to get bulky" and what this really shows is their ignorance.

Women have to bust their butts, lift very heavy weights on a regular and consistent and long term basis;  and eat ample, healthy foods to gain muscle (lean body mass, not fat).

And I am not talking 20 pounds in a year, I am talking a few. To gain much more you need to be taking anabolic ergogenic aids such as anabolic steroids or growth hormone, women just don't have the same testosterone that men do so they cannot naturally grow like men!

I have been working at it for years, and I slowly and slowly grow, it's funny when I run into someone I haven't seen in a couple years, they are shocked at how I look. But it is a very gradual process, so if you see me on a regular basis you may not really notice the subtle changes. A few people with good eyes do. I remember Huong used to be able to tell if my weight was up or down by a pound! I would walk in to train and she would immediately tell.

SC never really said much, he always wanted me to get bigger. But he was a strength coach, he was all about lifting and did everything he could to get me to discontinue all forms of cardio- it's counterproductive.

Roy- he has a good eye but doesn't say too much about weight. He may comment if he thinks I am getting a bit heavy in the middle, but I seem to have gotten the off-season diet better dialed in so that is only a temporary issue if I indulge in any alcohol or simple carbs on a weekend, then it's gone in a week or so. It's the temporary bloat- you are what you eat, believe me!

He does tell me when one muscle may be slightly less developed than another, such as my delts which I am forever trying to grow, so he has a keen eye for the symmetry and I count on him to let me know about these things.

If you are a woman and are striving to look fit and healthy, weight training must be the core of your exercise regime. Get rid of the endless cardio, of course keep some in to burn calories, but that's all it does. It burns calories it does not sculpt your body.

And of course, the diet is a huge part of it all. You can work like a fiend in the gym, but if you are not eating properly and in moderation, you will never achieve the results you are looking for.

Success does not come to those who wish and pray, it comes to those who work hard day in and day out.

Human Growth Hormone

Human Growth Hormone. More people use it than you think, and the side effects are numerous. But people don't care, they just want to look good, or be leaner. I will anxiously await this new test, to see how it changes what our athletes are doing.


This is an article by the Associated Press on a new HGH test.


LONDON -- A new test that can detect the use of human growth hormone for up to 21 days has been endorsed by international anti-doping officials, moving a step closer to a potential breakthrough against doping at next year's London Olympics.


U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart told The Associated Press on Monday the "biomarker" test for HGH won strong consensus among doping scientists and experts from around the world who attended a London symposium on detecting growth factors.


The test, which still needs final validation by the World Anti-Doping Agency, widely extends the detection window from the current "isoform" test, which can only identify HGH use going back 12 to 72 hours.


The new test, which also uses blood samples, can go back "anywhere from 10 days to 21 days" and could be a significant deterrent against one of the most potent performance-enhancers in sports, Tygart said.


"This is an important step," he said. "We're hopeful it's going to be approved by WADA soon."


In addition to its possible use at the Olympics or in international sports, the test would also be valid for the NFL, whose players' union has yet to agree to introduction of any HGH testing.


The biomarker test was the main focus of a closed-door conference over the weekend that was jointly organized by USADA and UK Anti-Doping.


"The consensus ... is that this test is a well-validated, scientifically reliable test which extends the window of detection and would also be important to implement," Tygart told the AP following a separate anti-doping and ethics symposium Monday in London.


He said the biomarker test had been supported by more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles.


The isoform test, first used in 2004, is designed to detect the presence of synthetic HGH in the body. By contrast, the biomarker test scans for chemicals produced by the body after HGH use, detecting "the effects of using human growth hormone," Tygart said.


The biomarker test could be used alone or together with the isoform test.


"The two tests are complementary," Tygart said.


WADA has to go through its own scientific validation process before the new test can go into effect.


"I would hope it's imminent," Tygart said. "Clean athletes, once they're satisfied that it's scientifically validated and should be used, they want it out there immediately."


Olivier Niggli, legal director of WADA, said the agency would assess the new test fully before giving it the go-ahead.


"Scientists are always very optimistic," he told the AP. "We'll see where exactly where we are. We'll see whether every aspect is covered. Before anything comes into place, we want to make sure we have the answers to the questions we'll get when we go try (the test) for the first time.


"It's very promising. There's still a bit of work to be done but we're getting there."


Niggli was coy about whether the new test would be in place at London's 2012 Games, which start in July.


"If it would be, I wouldn't tell you," he said. "We want to keep the element of surprise."


While HGH testing has taken place at the Olympics since 2004, no positive tests for the hormone have ever been recorded at the Games. Outside of the Olympics, there have been eight positive tests for HGH in seven sports detected at seven different labs.


In the most recent case, two-time Olympic cross-country skiing champion Andrus Veerpalu of Estonia was banned for three years by the sport's governing body in August. The federation said he tested positive for HGH in Estonia in January while preparing for the world championships.


Tygart and Niggli both defended the isoform test against questions raised by the NFL Players Association. The NFL would be the first major professional sports league to implement HGH testing.


Blood testing for HGH was part of the collective bargaining deal struck between the league and players this summer -- but only if the union agreed to the methods. The union has asked for more information about the process and questioned the safety and reliability of the test.


"There is complete consensus that it's a good test, is scientifically reliable, has been well validated and should be used by any entity, professional or Olympic, that wants to protect clean athletes," Tygart said.


Niggli added: "This is a test which was done over many, many years. We've got a lot of studies behind it. We're very comfortable to defend it."

Football and HGH

Football, it's big money for the United States. I am speaking of American Football.

So the long, long , drawn out lock-out is over, but it seems there is a little bit of tension surrounding one of the agreements.

HGH

Human Growth Hormone

Looks like the players have to be tested for this now. 

The new drug testing program includes provisions that all players will be tested for HGH at least once a year, and perhaps more. They may even be tested on game day.

This is a blood test, not the simple urine test they have been taking.

It's actually not a done deal, the players still want to have final approval on the testing method.

Last year it was initiated by Major League Baseball in the minors. Olympic athletes have been subject to this testing for 7 years now. 

I understand it is not a quick and easy test, the detection window can be as short as 24 hours, which means that the tests really need to be unannounced, something that the NFL hasn't been very good at adhering to with other testing.

It can take anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes of laying completely still to take the sample, as physical activity can skew the results. Any medications being taken can change them too.  Before last year, the test had never produced a positive result, and now since February, 2010 it has produced half a dozen. We are years away from a urine test. People are not really trusting this test.

This may sound like I am against it, and I certainly am not, I just understand why the players, and even clean players may be a little worried.

But in the amateur league here, the world of Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding, I think there  are many people taking HGH. People who will never be rich and famous, no matter how far they go in this business.

Why?  Is it worth it?

HGH increases lean body mass and decreases body fat. Exactly what someone in a physique based sport wants. 

I wouldn't consider taking it, but someone once asked me to put myself in the shoes of a football player (or other professional athlete) who was making millions of dollars. If their performance suffered, their livelihood would too. 

Knowing that everyday I had to put my body through physical torture and pain, and would no doubt retire at a very young age because my body couldn't handle the job much longer, and this might help.

Would I do it then? I might, but I am not in their shoes or anywhere near their level. 

I am aware that people in the Bodybuilding world take it, for what? To look good? yes, I think so.

Pretty stupid, and vain. And why do you suppose there is no drug testing at most bodybuilding competitions?

I imagine that is because there would be too many positive tests.