Training Progressions and Steroids in Bodybuilding By Benedict Smythe At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Training progression is complete set of phases used to achieve strength and muscle mass. For many, the first phase of a training progression is weight loss.

Weight loss is important in bodybuilding because weight trainers need to lose extra body fat. There are optimum levels of body fat for weight trainers.

The reason for the drive to lose body fat is the body cannot function well with the extra load. Also, the presence of excessive levels of low density lipoproteins can lead to undue consequences during hard training.

Heart attacks and stroke are still part of the potentially injurious equation, and can result when the overload formula is used inappropriately.

Steroid use

Some weight trainers use steroids to speed up the process of building muscle mass. Steroids function mainly in two ways. First, glucose is transported directly to the muscles during exercise.

This allows the muscles to expend more energy and consequently, build more mass. The level of glucose that is directly used by the muscles is sometimes doubled or tripled depending on the type of steroid.

The second effect of steroids is that with the unnatural increase of hormones in the body, the muscles build more quickly. Some bodybuilders use a “cutting stack” at least a month before bodybuilding competitions.

“Cutting stacks” are often combinations of steroids that serve to counteract each other to produce some results. It should be understood that some steroids lower androgen levels, while some serve to increase it.

Some steroids on the other hand, increase the levels of female hormones in the male bodybuilder’s body, which is why another steroid is used to counteract the effect.

If all works well, the effect would be a larger, bulkier set of muscles before the competition. In the United States, this is considered illegal. In international competitions such as the Olympics, the use of steroids is grounds for disqualification.

Training progression

We discussed the use of steroids because many weight lifters and bodybuilders are using steroids to gain an edge during bodybuilding. In their impatience to gain the muscle mass, they put themselves at risk by using chemicals that were not designed for humans.

Most steroids were designed to increase the muscle mass and performance of animals, such as race horses. While some effects are safe, many are not.

Training progression often involves the careful programming of weights. According to John Downing, a clinical researcher for the sports sciences:

“Assuming that training progressions, motivation, and rest
intervals are appropriate, the trainer should lighten the load to
either the previous training level or an increment lower then the
current weight.”

“If the problem persists, then a certified exercise specialist should be brought in to examine the total training regimen. Regression charts are also available to predict 1-RM for various lifts with a relatively high rate of accuracy (Fleck & Kraemer, 1997; Lombardi, 1989).”

Downing continues with:

“One cannot overemphasize the importance of accurately determining one's beginning workload and following a normal progression of resistance increments.”

What is emphasized here is that there should be a normal progression, rather than a strained and unnatural progression that can tear muscles and joints.

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