Body Building/Weight Training:

Body building has been around for decades, but for years the strongest men in the world were all on steroids to get that big. Arnold Schwarchenegger won the Mr. Olympia title several years in a row, but there's no question he was on some sort of body enhancement steroids that built up his muscle mass to huge levels. Weight lifting is part of any fitness program and exercise routine, but body building is more of a hardcore activity where individuals spend everyday at the gym pumping iron. Working out and being a body builder used to be something only men did, but in the last decade or so more and more females have joined the ranks. Women body builders can now be found in top gyms like Golds and worlds Gym. The one caveat to all people interested in body building is that it can become an addictive behavior where your mind thinks that you should look better, or more cut than you actually do. Many body builders become obsessed with having the perfect biceps or calves and startin spending every waking hour at the gym forgetting about everything else in their lives. They never seem to be happy with their bodies and shapes.

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Diet and nutrition play a key role in body building and those that workout a lot tend to be on body building supplements that are loaded with proteins and valuable minerals and vitamins. Natural, or steroid free, body building has gained in popularity as body builders have begun to see the long term effects of using "roids" as they are called. Nevertheless, you have many hardcore body builders who take steroids and other illegal supplements to get quicker and faster results with their weight lifting. Bodybuilding.com is a huge site loaded with workouts, diets, protein products, training routines, contest listings, and their body building forum is a great place to read up on the latest programs, supplements, and other body building tips. Keep in mind that many of the things you read are not comments by professional nutritionists and doctors and may not be totally true. They are just opinions from people like you who use body building supplements and workout 7 days a week. We feel like the forum on Bodybuilding.com is as good a place any to read consumer comments on body building supplements and find out which products are just scams or worthless. Body building is a huge business with magazines, competitions, and supplements that are sold in gyms and in stores like GNC. It's almost like the diet industry with new products on the shelves every few weeks promising bigger arms, legs, chests, and calves. Any body building magazine you pick up in stores will always have articles on the latest diet or nutrition advice along with pictures of people who have the "best abs" or "biceps". After researching this topic, we have come to the realization that body building is not for the meek or undisciplined individual. You need to be ready to dedicate 4-6 hours a day in a gym working out and putting yourself on the proper diet so you can get the best results with all your hard work in the gym. Working out but eating junk food or high fatty foods will never get you that chiseled body you see in magazine or tv. Another thing to consider before you get into body building is that not every "body type" can become muscular. Some people genetically have bigger muscle mass to start with and have a huge advantage over those of us that are more lean. Below, we will go into supplements, diet, nutrition, and body building tips.

Best Body Building Supplements:

Many men and women lift weights on a regular basis but most never gain the muscle mass that body builders do. Do you know why? They aren't on supplements that feed your body lots of protein and other important vitamins. Without supplements, you can never gain the huge muscles you see on professional body builders. Which supplements are best? Seems that's the billion dollar question as the industry has exploded over the last decade with newcomers joining the party. Beyond vitamins and protein supplements, there are fat burners and weight loss pills that body builders take as well. Hydroxycut, Stacker, Animal Stak, MetRx, Lean Body, and all the protein bars, energy bars and testosterone enhancers. We can't speak for all these supplements, but many don't do what they are supposed to do or have side effects worth noting. You can read up on dozens of body building supplements HERE. We read several stories online of body builders that became addicted to certain supplements and obsessed with getting bigger, more ripped, and cut. From the articles we read, supplements are a way of life for body builders since you can't eat enough healthy food to get that kind of muscle mass in the human body. You may end up taking 10 to 20 pills a day along with drinking protein shakes. Steriods are the "ultimate supplement" and should never be considered for any reason. If you are thinking about trying steroids, go to your doctor and at least get the rundown on side effects and potential harm they could cause to your body.

Diet and Nutrition:

No one will argue that you need proper nutrition in order to become a great body builder, but just which diet do you subscribe. There are all sorts of bodybuilding diet plans and nutrition programs that work, so it's a matter of which one looks good to you. Some people prefer certain foods more than others - like more chicken than fish. One site that is well respected with unbiased reviews and tips is at http://bodybuilding.about.com/. Run by Hugo Rivera, the bodybuilding section has an excellent breakdown of what makes a good bodybuilding diet. Hugo says you should have a diet with 40% carbs, 40% proteins, and 20% good fats. The article goes on to help you decide on which type of diet is best for beginning bodybuilders, those that want to lose fat, and those that want to gain muscle exclusively. There are sample diets listed with nutritional facts dieting myths that are exposed.

Body Building Tips and Video:

As you progress in weight training and move on to hardcore weight lifting and body building, having the proper technique will definitely add to your workouts. Body building tips can save you time and get you bigger faster. The best site with the most information on body building workouts and programs along with training tips is at http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/Bodybuilding-Tips.htm. They cover arms, abs, biceps, triceps, chest, legs, calves, shoulders, back, neck, and thighs. The exercise and workout regimens are guides on how to achieve greater muscle mass faster. For a good selection of bodybuilding videos, go to http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/videos.htm. Get posing videos, training videos, pro training videos, etc. Some of the best selling titles are 10 Minutes to Granite Abs, Animal Arms, Beginning Bodybuilding, Perfect Contest Diet, and Building Muscle. They are all available on either VHS or DVD formats and most $10 to $30. Certainly reading about bodybuilding can increase your awareness of certain exercises, but watching them on a TV is the best way to physically see how certain workouts look.

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