Much has been said about the decrease in symmetry and aesthetics in bodybuilding. Elite bodybuilders had Olympic lines, similar to the figures of Michelangelo and other artists. These faces were gradually replaced in the 1980s by more exaggerated physicists, in many cases with huge bellies ...

BY Daniel Gwartney

INTRODUCTION…

The big belly has not escaped the attention of the IFBB leaders, who in April 2005 published a mandate that dictated a change in the evaluation criteria.

Recalling the fundamental principle on which the sport of bodybuilding was created, the IFBB reaffirmed the meaning of balance, proportion and classic attributes, such as the “V” type and a flat, muscular abdomen. The mandate does not specify what could have caused the change in the evaluation criteria, it explains that a distended abdomen and distorted muscles negatively impact symmetry and natural aesthetics, damaging the physique in general.

It is important that competitive bodybuilders understand the potential causes for this to appear.

Muscle distortion refers to unnatural lumps and bumps caused by the use of anti-inflammatory compounds like Nolotil and Sintol. Injecting these compounds causes muscle tissue to swell in the areas where the injections are given.

If done properly, this can lead to a significantly enlarged muscle, if not, small lumps, the size of a golf ball, may arise in the deltoids or biceps.

Abdominal bloating is something else entirely. Younger fans may not be aware of what a classic look is, embodying the golden age of the sport. Before, bodybuilders tended to look like muscular and heavy athletes, gracefully interpreting the images adorning Greek temples or the works of art of Boris Vallejo. But during the last half of the 1980s, changes began to appear in the physique of professional bodybuilders.

Gone are the days when the waist was narrow, in its place came an abdominal girth that matched the titanic proportions of the chest and back. At the time of the award ceremony, when the athletes hug each other, it seems like a sumo championship. However, unlike their sumo colleagues, today's bodybuilders continue to be extremely lean, even more so than their aesthetic ancestors.

Despite the prodigious bellies, the skin of these athletes is so thin and the subcutaneous fat is so low that the muscles, veins, and tendons are easily seen. The bloating of these current bodybuilders is not due to intestinal gas, obesity, or the abuse of certain movements in lifting weights. The belly they have is not due to obesity.

Out of season many athletes relax and tend to accumulate body fat, some to the point of becoming obese, but this is not a factor that counts when they are in competitions.

CAUSES OF THE BARRIGOTA

The main factor leading to a huge belly is abuse of growth hormone (HC) and insulin. Growth hormone (HC) began to be used in a very limited way in dwarf children and was extracted from the brain of corpses. In the late 1980s, HC was widely available and used by athletes in many sports, such as cycling and bodybuilding. It was found to be very effective in promoting the health of connective tissues, speeding recovery and reducing body fat, improving anabolic growth.

As with many drugs, bodybuilders learn through trial and error on how to determine the proper dose of HC for maximum growth. During that time, trophies reached the homes of those with the most exaggerated growth. This award system caused the use of excessively large doses of HC, more than 36 international units (ui) per day.

For those familiar with the field of endocrinology (study of hormones in the body) these effects were not unexpected. Abnormal and disfigured growth of the ears, nose, jaw; changes in the shape of the face, enlargement of the hands, feet and protuberance in the abdomen, being pushed outwards due to the growth of the thoracic (chest) and abdominal (belly) organs. These characteristics are identical to those experienced by people suffering from acromegaly, caused by tumors produced by high levels of HC in an unregulated manner.

Acromegaly is similar to gigantism, a disease that begins in childhood and results in extreme height and characteristic acromegaly. The main difference is the lack of acromegalic effect on height, since growth plates in adults are fused.

WHY USE TANTA HC?

Early bodybuilders copied the dosage used with dwarf children, who were very low due to HC deficiency. These children received 0.3 mg per kg of body weight weekly, extrapolating those numbers to the size of a bodybuilder, we are talking about 15-25 ui per day. Some bodybuilders have exceeded those numbers because the price of HC has dropped with the introduction of the Asian export.

When HC is low in adults, some clinical changes are noted including:

-Central obesity (waist)

-Weak bones

-High cholesterol

-Reduction of muscles

-Decrease in exercise tolerance

-Depression and anxiety

This is remedied by HC replacement therapy, which can be used safely for years if IGF-1 is measured to ensure that it is not being over-administered. IGF-1 is a protein growth factor, produced in response to HC and responsible for many anabolic effects.

Despite the fact that HC offers many benefits, when administered beyond what the body

can tolerate, can induce acromegalic changes and develop metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of risk factors related to poor health and premature death.

The central characteristics of the metabolic syndrome are:

-Obesity (especially abdominal)

-Abnormal cholesterol and fat levels in the blood

-Accumulation of fat in the liver

-Insulin resistance

-High pressure

-Type 2 diabetes and heart attacks

Cellular inflammation has also been suggested as part of the metabolic syndrome.

The exaggeratedly high amounts of HC used by some bodybuilders predispose them to the symptoms of metabolic syndrome by interfering with the body's ability to respond to insulin. This leads to elevated levels of insulin and sugar, causing the adipocytes to grow, making it difficult for the stored fat to degrade.

The fat-releasing (lipolytic) effect of HC appears to be strong enough to counteract the insulin resistance of adipocytes in the subcutaneous layer, but another important fat reservoir, the visceral fat that lines the abdominal organs, grows.

As visceral fat deposits become enlarged, the physiological changes that occur in the body make the metabolic syndrome more pronounced, worsen heart health, and promotes cardiovascular disease.

These make up the heart-altering effects of anabolic steroids and HC, putting many bodybuilders' health at risk.

In addition to the bulging belly effect that HC brings (increasing the size of the heart, liver, intestines and visceral fat) there is also the effect of insulin. These bodybuilders not only have elevated insulin levels from HC, but also because they are given it due to its powerful anabolic effect.

Bodybuilders feel that taking insulin before meals, along with a daily injection of HC is the way to achieve extreme size. In a way they are right, because the size they reach is surprising.

Unfortunately, insulin can lead to a severe hypoglycemic reaction, a fatal drop in blood sugar, that drives many diabetics to hospital each year.

THE SIZE GAINED WITH THE USE OF INSULIN IS NOT A QUALITY MUSCLE ...

Muscle growth does occur, especially in the presence of insulin resistance, but the

Fat content is also high, as well as fluid retention. All adipocytes will grow in the presence of insulin, including visceral fat. Visceral fat is very difficult to combat if there is insulin resistance.

A large belly can be seen in the last trimester of pregnancy, not on the scene of a bodybuilding event. The use of high doses of HC and IGF-1 has led to an epidemic of at least three dangerous side effects. HC overdose can lead to:

1) Growth of the organs of the chest and abdomen, causing the “HC” belly look and increased risk of heart failure

2) Facial disfigurement and abnormal growth of the hands

3) Symptoms of metabolic syndrome (vascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure). Adding insulin to the chemical arsenal increases many of the risks, promotes visceral fat growth, increases fluid retention, and exposes bodybuilders to potentially fatal hypoglycemic events. There is no room for insulin in the life of a healthy bodybuilder.

HC is being used with many benefits by a large number of people, including athletes. Many of its benefits can be experienced using moderate doses of one to five IU per day, six times a week. It is important to monitor IGF-1 to make sure that the body is not overexposed to HC, as each person's needs are individualized and can vary over time.

The benefits of connective tissue healing, fat mobilization, and increased anabolic effects can be experienced at more rational doses.