The Side Effects of Bodybuilding Supplements

Many body builders turn to discount bodybuilding supplements in order to achieve more noticeable results in a shorter amount of time. In addition, supplements can help to maintain energy levels so that workouts can be longer and more effective. However, both brand name and discount supplements can cause side effects, which should be considered before starting a supplement regimen.

One of the most popular bodybuilding supplements is creatine. Creatine monohydrate is used to increase muscle fullness and body mass. It also helps in shortening the recovery time after an intense workout. Creatine can cause your muscles to retain water, which can lead to dehydration in some people. Also, there might be up to a five pound weight gain during the first week. There are no major known side effects of taking creatine, but some people experience gas, bloating or diarrhea during the first few weeks of use.

Glutamine is taken by those who are doing frequent intense workouts. It is an amino acid that occurs naturally in your muscles, and it also works to help maintain your immune system. It can become depleted through diet or hard workouts, and a supplement can help to keep up immune response. There have been no reported side effects.

Andro supplements have received a lot of negative press as androstenedione is banned at the Olympics. However, andro supplements are not illegal and many believe they help build muscle mass and strength. Andro supplements cause an increase in female sex hormones. When taken by men, it can cause breast growth as well as a decreased sex drive. It also increases the risk of heart disease.

Caffeine is used to burn fat in a way that discourages fatigue. It can increase concentration and some feel it helps with motivation. It also has an effect on muscle contraction. It can be easy to take too much caffeine because many people also drink soda, coffee, or eat chocolate while taking the supplements. If too much caffeine is consumed, side effects include heart palpitations, nervousness, irritability, dehydration and diarrhea.

As with any type of medication or vitamin, you should make yourself aware of the possible side effects of the drug to determine whether the benefits of taking it outweigh any negative outcomes. While many supplements do not have any side effects, some have side effects which should make you think twice before purchasing them. All it takes is a little bit of research and you should be able to take supplements without having to worry about any unwanted results.

Natalie Aranda writes about health. Many body builders turn to discount bodybuilding supplements in order to achieve more noticeable results in a shorter amount of time. In addition, supplements can help to maintain energy levels so that workouts can be longer and more effective. However, both brand name and discount supplements can cause side effects, which should be considered before starting a supplement regimen.

Bodybuilding Nutrition - A sound bodybuilding Diet Plan

Beginning a new nutrition program is never easy, especially for beginners. If you are looking to learn how to structure your diet for building muscle and adding mass then follow the following proven principles of proven success.

Bodybuilding nutrition does not have to be a chore as many people think of it. You certainly do not have to starve! A bodybuilding diet plan is very healthy, and includes all of the major food groups, making it a complete nutrition solution that you can incorporate into your lifestyle. A sound nutrition plan has to include all of the essentials for health but muscle growth as well.

Therefore, a bodybuilding diet plan has to be higher in protein and healthy fats than most other diets. It?s also higher in energy potent carbohydrates and uses much different types of foods than most people consume in their normal daily eating habits. Bodybuilding diets do not include most of junk foods and unhealthy treats such as candy full of simple sugars, fried foods, white flour products and alcohol. If you want to follow a healthy lifestyle then you certainly must minimize your consumption of these unhealthy treats.

Here?s a sample bodybuilding diet plan that will work very well for pretty much anyone who is looking to add muscle mass. Depending on your weight and body fat levels, you may need to increase of decrease the amounts of foods consumed.

Meal 1: 6 egg whites, 1 yolk 2 slices low fat cheese, 3oz oatmeal, 1 apple or banana, 1 cup of low fat milk.

Meal 2: 6oz tuna in water, 1 whole wheat bagel, 1 tablespoon low fat mayo, 1 tomato.

Meal 3: 8oz grilled chicken breast, 2 baked potatoes, 2 cups salad, low fat dressing.

Meal 4: 4oz turkey breast, 2 slices whole wheat toast, 2 slices low fat cheese, 1 cup of low fat milk.

Meal 5: 8oz grilled steak, 1.5 cups brown rice, 2 cups salad or steamed vegetables, 2 tablespoons olive oil for dressing.

Meal 6: 6 egg whites, 1 yolk, Half cup oatmeal, 1 cup low fat milk.

You can also include a daily multivitamin supplement to ensure you are getting all of the essential micronutrients needed for proper muscle growth and recovery.

This diet plan will provide you with all essential proteins for muscle building, carbohydrates for ample energy & glycogen replenishment and healthy fats for additional calories. Try to space meals three hours apart and always remembers to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Kostas Marangopoulos is a natural bodybuilder, nutrition consultant, freelance writer and editor-in-chief of http://www.BodybuildingApplied.com, one of the best natural bodybuilding websites on the net. His educational background includes a Master?s degree and he is also a certified personal trainer (CPT) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Kostas? educational and informative bodybuilding articles have been featured on hundreds of leading websites including http://www.NaturalMuscleBuilding.com

Do Bodybuilding Supplements Really Work - Yes, They Do!

Bodybuilding enthusiasts and athletes have been using bodybuilding supplements since time immemorial.

Whether you are a beginner or a pro, you can use bodybuilding supplements so long as you know what you?re using and your objective behind using that supplement. All bodybuilders take protein supplements, creatine being a huge favorite and with good reason.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that supplies energy to our muscles. Bodybuilders supplement their creatine intake by consuming creatine monohydrate which is the best source of creatine compared to anything else in terms of purity and per-weight-of-material. Benefits of creatine include dramatic improvement in lean muscle mass in as little as two weeks; improvement in recovery rates with respect to muscle fatigue, and better performance in high intensity exercises. Creatine gives you bigger and better muscles.

Another popular supplement that delivers awesome benefits to bodybuilders is glutamine. L-Glutamine is an amino acid that is found in abundance in the muscle tissue. It can be safely consumed all year round. It plays a key role in cell voluminizing, anti catabolizing, and overall muscle maintenance. Glutamine helps in the process of generating Human Growth Hormone, which is necessary for muscle growth and metabolizing body fat. However its primary aim is that of promoting a positive nitrogen balance and muscle maintenance. Moreover, it is also required by the immune system to prevent sickness.

Proteins are amongst the most popular bodybuilding supplements available; this is because protein is the most elementary building block of our muscles. Ideally, we need 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. Protein supplements are either low-carb or weight gainers.

Whey protein is easy to digest and is a popular post-workout supplement. Casein is recommended as a bed-time supplement as it can take anywhere between 2-7 hours to digest. Egg protein is the cheapest and most easily available form of protein. Vegetarians have soy to turn to. There are protein supplements available in the market that are a combination of soy-egg-casein-whey protein. These proteins are a handy for an anytime intake and they offer a staggered rate of protein absorption.

Pro-hormones or natural testosterone boosters are important for gaining lean muscle mass improving muscular strength and muscle size. 4-androstenediol or 4-AD is an anabolic prohormone booster. It is converted into testosterone in the liver. It is a pre-training supplement that helps weightlifters and bodybuilders to exert themselves to the maximum. Pro-hormones help bodybuilders by increasing the oxygen supply to the muscles, quickening muscle recovery, and reducing muscle loss.

Nitric oxide helps to increase the blood flow to muscles and is therefore of importance to bodybuilders who use it to deliver a greater amount of nutrients to their muscles, especially when the muscles are stressed.

Growth Hormones aid in tissue growth, tissue repair, fat loss, muscle gain, and boosting energy levels. They are also known anti-ageing agents. In short, growth hormones are crucial for bodybuilders. What adds to their importance as a bodybuilding supplement is the fact that the body?s capacity to produce them naturally decreases after the age of 30.

Mansi Aggarwal recommends that you visit for Bodybuilding Supplements.

How To Properly Diet For A Bodybuilding Contest

Although you may NOT ever compete, most will find this helpful and take some information from it and incorporate it into your own diet when you decide to cut down for whatever reason.

This diet isn?t specifically designed for anyone in particular; this isn?t even the diet that I follow, but a variation of it. Its simply a skeletal structure of a bodybuilding diet.

NOTE: This is for the natural competitor

Depending on your body fat percentage and your body type you generally want to give yourself about 10-15 weeks out to start your diet. I have been very blessed and only have to diet roughly 10 weeks out. Its not rare to see some competitors start dieting as far as 22 weeks out from a show, to help reserve muscle. Also a note on the sodium load, its a risky endeavor but I have found it to be a very beneficial tool if used properly, however I would NOT recommend a sodium load on your first couple shows.

For the sake of argument we?ll do a 12 week diet.

Weeks 12-10 You want to start your diet by eliminating all kinds of crappy foods and only take in clean foods, such as beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, milk, protein shakes, rice, potatoes, pasta, fruit, vegetables, etc. Your water intake should also be increased to a gallon to gallon/half.

Cardio work should be started gradually, roughly about 20 minutes 3 times a week. Targeted heart rate should be between 150-170BPM for 20 minutes. Not jump on the bike for 20 minutes and realize your HR was only in the targeted zone for 11 minutes. Make sure its 20 minutes.

Supplementation: A good assistance in fat loss, as everyone knows is ECA stack or a good weight loss supplement on the market. I benefited nicely from the ephedra or Hydroxycut. I don?t believe in appetite suppressants as you should be eating and anything that is going to curb your appetite is no good. Especially for a critical diet like this. So, a 200mg of caffeine and 25mg of Ephedrine and 300mg of aspirin 3-4 times a day on empty stomach is recommended.

Week 9

Diet is starting to get a little tighter and you?re now starting to play around with your ratio?s c/p/f. A typical day will look something like this:

-Oatmeal (25-35 grams of carbs)
-Zero -low carb protein shake (40 grams)

-5 egg whites or can of tuna (I hate tuna so I have eggs)
-Any veggie, salad, broccoli, carrots, etc.

-2 chicken breasts
-1 plain baked potato

-Protein shake (40 grams) low carb

-Pork, steak, chicken, beef, etc
-Veggies and/or rice (brown)

-Casein whey protein

Cardio: It?s kicked up to 30 minutes 4 times a week and its done before breakfast. Target HR is the same as it was before.

Supplementation: same

Week 8-6: Tightening the diet

Diet: Start eliminating most of the starches. Start taking in more veggies. You are now taking in more lean meats, fish, etc.

Cardio: Is kicked up to 6 times a week for 30 minutes before breakfast or after workout.

Supplementation is same

You should definitely start seeing more definition and can start evaluating your diet based on how you look. If you?re holding too much water, start upping the water and you may even want to start sodium loading at this point. Its still far enough out from a show to play around with sodium in your diet. If the carbs are too high or your body isn?t burning up the carbs as you thought, start cutting the carbs a little more.

Week 5-4 What are some of the better types of carbs for me to eat? What Low GI and High GI? Well, the low GI carbs have nearly zero effect on your blood sugars. Foods like broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc will have low GI levels. For the high GI, It is more of an impact on your blood sugars obviously. I am not certain but there is a myth that the low and high GI foods had to do with digestion. I think that is false. Anyways any other foods high in GI are all that I had listed.

Diet: As strict as its going to get from here on out. Carbs are extremely low. I usually target about 20 per meal with about 6 meals in a day. Protein is still kept high about 1.5 for 1lb of BW. Fats are now at an all time low of 20-30 a day. How does one get only 20-30 grams of fats in a day. Well, if you?re monitoring your meats, fish, etc and making sure they are nearly fat free you can control your fat intake by eating nuts (polyunsaturated); almonds are a fan favorite?about 5 or 6 almonds a meal should do the trick.

Different types of fats FYI:

Saturated fats: found primarily in foods coming from animals and some veggies as well, those are saturated veggie fats that are in bakery goods and nondairy milk or cream products. When you?re doing your shopping you can see the saturated fats that are solid in room temp. This is the most harmful fat to any diet

Polyunsaturated Fats - these are the fats you want to take in for a contest. They are found in almonds, fish, and various oils.

Monounsaturated - pretty much the same as the poly as they both reduce cholesterol levels but they aren?t as effective as the poly?s. This fat is found in olives, cashews, avocado and other various oils that stem from plants.

Trans Fats - This is the veggie want be butter shit they use to extend the life of a shelved food, these increase cholesterol levels.

Fats are important in a diet, during a critical diet such as this they help to lube the joints during resistance training. You?re going to find a lot of achy bones and ligaments and soreness you?re not used to because of this diet. I know I did. So the fats help with the joints

Cardio: is now everyday for 30 minutes before breakfast or after workout.

Posing is also 3-4 times a week but you guys don?t need to do that.

Supplementation: You want to start taking in potassium to prevent the cramping. Also along with your multi you should have more C and B6 as well. Glutamine is upped from 10 grams a day to 15-20.

Week 3-2

Diet: Increased sodium, put it on everything?Even drop a little in your protein shake. Load load load. Water should be 1.5-2 gallons. Carbs are now under 100 a day, mostly taken in the morning and protein is still 1.5 to a pound. Fats are kept at 20-30.

Cardio is now 40 minutes 7 days a week.

Workout: should be light and reps should be high (10-15)

Posing: 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes

Supplementation: same

Day 14-7

Diet: Carbs are now between 50-80. Protein is the same and water is 2 gallons a day. Sodium is still loading. Fats 20-30 grams

Cardio: same

Supplementation: potassium, calcium, multi, C, B6, ECA, milk thistle.

Day 7-4

Carbs are extremely low, preparing for the carb load the last 72 hours. Sodium is now cut out completely and water is increased to 2.5 gallons.

Cardio is the same:

Workout: very light, minimal. Your energy should be so low that you?re doing 2 sets per isolated movement. No compound movements concentrate on pulling out muscles. Start to control the muscle?your primary workout should be posing anyways and controlling each muscle.

Supplementation: POTASSIUM! POTASSIUM! POTASSIUM! It?s high because the cramping is a SOB!

Day 3-1

Diet: 400-500 grams of Carbs, Clean clean clean. Rice, potato, rice cakes, etc. I eat baby food because of the vit. and potassium in them and I can eat them all day long. Water is cut completely. Fats are same, protein is same..maybe drop it depending on how you?re feeling.

Stay away from the gym

pose pose pose pose.

Supplementation: Diuretics, anything and everything. Get that water out of you!!!

Day of Show:

Moderate carbs, go on feeling. If you need energy for the pre-judge then eat some chocolate or rice cakes?sip some pedialyte to prevent complete dehydration and cramping.

For a first time competitor; the entire battle is against yourself. We all want to win the show or place decently, first overcome the battle of getting to know what your body is all about and how it can respond positively to a diet such as this first.

Again, most of you don?t have the intentions of competing, however maybe some have thought about it but never knew how to properly prepare. I hope that this will not only encourage you but at least help you diet for anything else. Keep in mind that this is a strict bodybuilding diet (although some are A LOT stricter) and you can take little info from here to construct a diet suitable for your own goals.

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Natural Bodybuilding Muscle Training - Does It Still Exist In Today's Age Of Steroids?

Maybe you are interested in knowing what natural bodybuilding is all about. This page will help you decide if this is for you.

Natural bodybuilding has emerged as a way of distancing bodybuilding from the many reports of drug use and steroids to help people have the prefect body. This involves strengthening your body through exercise and diet and not relying on extras such as drugs to help you make rapid gains.

This practice relies solely on exercise as a natural way of toning up the muscles of the body through strength and weight training as the athletes of long ago did. It also combines this exercise routine with a healthy diet to help increase the body metabolism to burn fat. This method helps people lose weight and become fit.

Those who follow a natural method of bodybuilding use natural dietary supplements to help with their diet.

These products contain all natural ingredients that the body needs, such as whey protein and proteins and minerals that are naturally found in the body. They also need to supplement the essential nutrients that the body loses through intensive workouts.

Using this method of bodybuilding, means that people are more informed about the needs of the body. When the body is fit and healthy, the chances of illness and injuries are less, therefore the long term benefits of having a strong toned body cannot be underestimated.

Those who are fit and exercise on a daily basis tend to look better and feel better about themselves. They are also better able to cope with lifes stresses and tend to live longer.

Check out http://www.1-stop-fitness.com/ for articles on best home gyms and cheap weight benches.