Supplement Blog 4 

Despite the fact that steroids tend to harm the body and health of their users, the popularity of steroids has been on an all-time high. One can hear news about steroids on almost a daily basis these days and the usage of steroids has been on a rampant basis despite odds against their usage.

Steroids, which are rated as Schedule III substances, can be converted into testosterone (male sex hormone) to help in the production of muscle growth and enhancing body performance.

As per the 1999 Monitoring the Future Study, it was estimated that 2.7 percent of 8th and 10th graders and 2.9 percent of 12th graders had taken anabolic steroids in the United States, at least once in their lives. It was further estimated that hundreds of thousands of people (18 years or above) confessed using steroids at least once a year. Though it was revealed that steroid abuse is higher in men, young women were not far behind men and it is expected that the percentage of women using steroids will soon reach the level currently held by men.

It was also noticed that one of the biggest reasons that encouraged people of all ages and sexes towards steroids was their inability to consider their own body as healthy. While many complained of carrying too much weight with them, many viewed that their muscles were small in size even though they were found to be lean and muscular by the medical fraternity. It was also revealed that many of the present day steroid users have experienced sexual or physical abuse in their past. The reason why they take steroids is to gain muscle size to protect themselves from similar incidents in the present and future.

Since oral steroids such as anadrol, winstrol, dianabol, and oxandrin are available freely online (without a prescription) along with injectable steroids such as deca-durabolin, durabolin, depo-testoterone, and equipoise, steroids are enjoying all-time high levels of success and popularity.

The number of ailments arising from usage of steroids is more than the number of people taking steroids. The abuse of anabolic steroids has been largely associated with a wide range of adverse side-effects, ranging from physically unattractive effects like acne and breast development in men to life-threatening health conditions such as liver cancer and heart ailments such as heart attack and stroke to name a few. It is discovered that people do not tend to seek medical intervention when confronted with steroid abuse to avoid law.

Andrew De Silva

Workout Blog 1: Tips To Start Up

Over the next few weeks I will be doing weekly posts containing information about fitness workouts. These posts will include exercises, tips and photos. Enjoy!

This blog post will contain basic tips for getting started when exercising.

1. Limit your workouts to 30-40 minutes

Though the tendency of some people who really want to get a lot out of their workouts is to spend a lot of time at the gym, the truth is that after 30 or 40 minutes, the benefit isn’t as great. To go that long, you’d have to lower the intensity of the workout, and that means that you’re spending too much time working out. It’s better to work out at a higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.

2.  High-intensity workouts

If you’re just starting out with exercise, it’s best to take it slow. If you’re running or cycling, for example, build up your endurance for at least a month before you get into anything more intense. That means going at a rate where you can easily talk without being out of breath. However, once you have that base of endurance, step up the intensity to step up the effectiveness of the workout.

3.  Protein

Many people don’t pay enough attention to getting the protein their muscles need to rebuild. If you don’t, you are going to get very little out of your workout, as both cardio and strength workouts require protein for building muscles. I recommend either whey or soy protein shakes.

4. Water

Be sure to hydrate throughout the day. It takes a couple of hours for your body to absorb the water, so you can’t just drink right before exercise. Make it a habit to drink water regularly throughout the day.

5. Carbs

Although the low-carb craze might say otherwise, carbs are our body’s main source of fuel. If you do intense workouts, you will need carbs, or you won’t have enough energy. If you do a shake, be sure to include carbs — or a banana is a great source of low fiber/high glycemic carbohydrates that you need for exercise.

6. Slow lifting

Many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction.

7. Heavier weight

When you’re starting out, it’s best to start with lower weights so you can focus on good form. But once you’ve gotten your form down, it’s best to lift the heaviest weights you can lift while still keeping good form. Don’t sacrifice form for heavy weights — that is ineffective. But heavy weights, with good form, can give you better results in a shorter amount of time. Heavy weights are not just for those who want to bulk up — that’s a common misconception.

8. One set, to failure

Instead of doing 2-3 sets, as many people do, maximize your effectiveness by doing just one, with heavy weights, until you can no longer keep the proper form. Lifting to “failure” doesn’t mean that you should lift the last few times with a wobbly or inefficient form.

9.  Mix it up

Don’t stick to the same workout routine for too long, or your body will adjust to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. For strength training, change your routine every few weeks. For cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.

10. Good form

For strength training especially, and swimming, form is very important, but it’s also important for other types of exercise. If you’re strength training, start with lighter weights so you can work on your form. It’s good to have an experienced spotter or trainer who knows good form to help you for the first month or so. Never sacrifice form for heavier weight. For swimming, you’ll need to get a coach to teach you form.

11.  Hills

If you run or bike or walk for cardio, you’ll want to incorporate hills (after the first month or two of doing it at an easy pace on flat ground). These will make you stronger and make your limited workout time even more effective. Take them easy at first, but once you’re used to hills, you can get a good pace going. Either use a hilly route or do repeats on one hill.

12. Circuits

One mistake that people make is to do multiple sets of the same exercise without rest between the sets. This doesn’t allow your muscles to recover and it’s a waste of your workout. But instead of doing a set, resting, and then doing your second set, it’s more effective to move on to multiple exercises in a circuit, so that you don’t rest between exercises but do rest each muscle group. This will give you a good cardio workout while you do your strength training.

Annalise Dracopoulos.