Bodybuilding: how does it affect health and what are the dangers?

It is this sport that has acquired a considerable number of terrible myths about its devastating effect on the body. Athletes exhaust themselves with training for the sake of a relief body and victories, and afterwards they joke about problems with joints, muscle tears, blood vessels and potency. One of the main dangers is exhaustion of the nervous system, which arises from excessive discipline and constant restrictions.

However, bodybuilders themselves note that with knowledge of the measure, this sport is one of the healthiest. Is it so? Let’s find out together with Alexandra Puriga, candidate of medical sciences, sports doctor.

master of sports in bodybuilding

If we consider bodybuilding as a type of physical activity, it is the healthiest. We have a huge list of additional supplements for improvement and recovery, which help normalize the body under high physical loads. However, to date, the plethora of information that the internet is rife with does not do the best service to users. It’s not about intensity, it’s not about the right workout load, it’s not about supplements – real and useful information is hard to find.

Many people in search of shortcuts to get results have experimented on their health and lost that battle. If you’ve chosen a career as a competitive athlete, it’s a serious health challenge that not everyone can handle.

What are the characteristics of bodybuilding?

The cult of the athletic body
As stated above, the main goal in competitive bodybuilding is to get a sculpted body. The first advertising of this sport was based on superheroes, whose physical parameters are close to the ideal. However, superhumans do not need to kill themselves and train to exhaustion, but ordinary mortals have to.

candidate of medical sciences, sports doctor

The essence of this sport is reduced to maximum muscle hypertrophy (enlargement) with the construction of reference body proportions. In our country, bodybuilding was popular in Soviet times and was called “bodybuilding” or “athletic gymnastics”.

The main difference from other power sports is that it is not the strength of the athlete that matters, but the development of large and small muscles – their size, relief, as well as the ratio of muscle and fat tissue. In fact, bodybuilding is a culture of an athletic body.

Special regimen
In any sport, even if it’s about home fitness, it’s important to follow certain rules – without them there will be no result. However, when your whole life is training without the possibility of rest, expect serious consequences. Because of this, numerous injuries occur and the nervous system gives up.

Alexandra Puriga

Candidate of Medical Sciences, sports doctor

The second major difference of this sport is its significant impact on lifestyle. Bodybuilding makes dramatic changes in the sleep and wakefulness, as well as in the diet. Sports nutrition gained its popularity thanks to bodybuilding – the system is based on a clear annual scheme of combining proteins, fats and carbohydrates depending on the stage of the athlete’s “cycle”.

The whole life of a bodybuilder is subordinated to the mode of training and rest and observance of the diet. Without them, it is impossible to achieve an effective sports result. The growth of muscle mass requires a surplus of protein intake, which will cause anabolism – a state when the muscles recover and grow. Sufficient carbohydrate intake helps to accumulate the main source of energy – glycogen. And effective training is possible with an appropriate hormonal background, the creation of which also depends on a well-designed training plan.

What risks are bodybuilders exposed to?

In order not to become a victim of circumstances and not to get an injury that will put a cross on your career, you need to understand all the risks.

• Increased protein intake can cause an increased load on the athlete’s urinary system.
• High amounts of carbohydrates in the diet often cause skin problems such as acne.
• For muscle hypertrophy, athletes often have to train with very heavy weights, which negatively affects the joint apparatus – cartilage and ligaments suffer. Also when practicing with free weights there is a risk of injury, especially dangerous protrusions, hernias.

• Fascination with hormone therapy can lead to violations of the hormonal background and malfunctions in the adrenal glands.
• Women with a low percentage of body fat mass have a risk of getting amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).

How can I reduce my health risks?

If you do decide to take up bodybuilding, it is important not only to know your own weaknesses. You need to understand what you should pay special attention to in order to achieve results in the professional field. Do not forget to consult with specialists before, during and after training, take time to make up your diet and do not forget about sleep.

Alexandra Puriga

Candidate of Medical Sciences, sports doctor

Performing athletes consciously take risks. In bodybuilding, unlike many other sports, it is almost impossible to balance health and sports results. Therefore, if you have decided to dedicate your life to this sport, the most important thing you should do is to take responsibility for your own health and systematically visit doctors and take appropriate tests.

Proper exercise technique. The correct stereotype of movement not only reduces the risk of injury, but also gives a better result. Sometimes, in order to “turn on” a particular muscle, it is necessary to individually select the position of the working joint (rotation and inclination). The training program should be personalized.

Proper dietary regimen. It will provide a calorie surplus during the training phase. It is possible to eat with a deficit only in the pre-competition period – during the “drying”.

A clear scheme of sports nutrition. A big misconception of many novice athletes: sports nutrition will supposedly give exactly the effect that is declared by the manufacturer on the package. This is not true. The absorption of amino acids, enzymes, macro- and micronutrients is subject to the laws of biochemistry. One and the same amino acid (for example, one of the most famous and controversial L-carnitine) can both give the effect of “fat burning” and accelerate weight gain. It all depends on the combination of the main meals and physical activity.

Healthy sleep. Hormones important for building (growth hormone and testosterone) are mainly produced in sleep. Therefore, quality muscle recovery is also possible only during rest, both night (which should last 8-10 hours) and daytime.

“Rollback” of results. Bodybuilding, unlike many other sports, is characterized by a rapid loss of form. You can not afford to go on an extended vacation, and then come back and show the same results. A slight change in the training process, and even more so in the diet, will immediately make itself felt.

Mr. Olympia participant, professional bodybuilder

In my opinion, bodybuilding and health are very closely interconnected, because health indicates the ability to train with a certain attitude and the right goal-setting. I believe that bodybuilding as a hobby, a way of life contributes to personal development and teaches you to manage yourself.

However, bodybuilding as a sport is something else. The athlete who prepares for competition, as in other sports, is focused more on results than on health, he wants to achieve the best shape, he strives to show the ultimate, extreme level of training. So the performing athlete thinks first of all not about health, but about becoming better, to beat everyone.

Competitive bodybuilding, like other professional sports, focuses on performance and results – it’s all about what you show.

More opinions of professional athletes about bodybuilding and health can be found in the video on “Championship”.

Source: MuscleRussia.