09 Jul Health tips for bodybuilders
HRI’s Co-founder Terry Gallagher provides some health tips for bodybuilders to help build muscle bulk safely.
If there is one group of people who really understand the link between what you put into your body and how it looks on the outside, it’s bodybuilders. Whether it’s those who just enjoy some weightlifting after work like me, through to serious competition-level bodybuilders.
Whichever level you are at, there is always a temptation to speed up results by using special diets, nutritional supplements and vitamins, or even drugs to help boost performance.
However, it’s an area that needs treating with extreme caution.
Unfortunately, there are many products that are sold to bodybuilders which could have a detrimental effect on how your body both looks and works if they are not used properly.
Health tips for bodybuilders
A particularly worrying trend is how many younger people, in particular, take multiple supplements or other substances at once in a quest to get faster results, without considering their long-term health.
Products such as anabolic steroids, ‘fat-burning’ thermogenics, pro-hormones and dietary supplements are all marketed as aids to improving the effectiveness of your regular workout, but if abused, could result in serious health problems or even addiction.
Do’s and Don’ts for healthy bodybuilding
Before you decide what to drink, chew or swallow in a bid to get that six-pack, do read our short list of ‘Dos and Don’ts’ to ensure that you are not putting your health at risk:
DON’T buy drugs such as anabolic steroids – either from the internet or from other sources. Anabolic steroids are manufactured drugs that mimic the effects of the male hormone testosterone. They are class C drugs, meaning that not only are you putting yourself in grave danger of addiction and serious adverse reactions, but you will also be breaking the law.
If you want to bulk up more, you simply need to increase your calories and make sure you are targeting your workout to produce results in the right areas. Try these targeted sets from Bodybuilding.com and see what happens!
DO ensure you have a balanced diet – make sure you have sufficient protein and carbohydrate content. Taking nutritional supplements is no substitute for getting your nutrition from real food and there is no point in embarking on faddy or complicated diets as you just won’t stick to them!
DON’T get stuck in a workout rut – not only are you more likely to get bored with working out and give up, and your effort will become less effective over time too.
Holland and Barrett have a great article on toning muscles with exercise. You could try mixing some yoga into your workout routine to maintain flexibility or step into the ring to boost stamina and resistance and burn a spectacular 800 calories an hour.
DO consider a traditional herbal medicinal product to support digestive health. HRI Milk Thistle comes in easy-to-take tablets, each of which contains 300 mg of dry extract from Milk Thistle fruits Silybum marianum, equivalent to 7200mg – 8100mg of Milk Thistle fruits.
