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LAUGHABLE OR TRAGIC?Here are five things that should be simple but have been transformed, depending on your perspective, into something either laughable or tragic.
1. The CoreI once had the parent of one of my athletes ask (in a very concerned voice) if we were working our "cores." That's when I knew things had gotten bad.
The word had trickled down into public consciousness. Moms quickly added it to their list of things they should be concerned about in their children's development.
There's a lot of disagreement as to what constitutes the core. Champion Olympic lifter Tommy Kono once said that the hips are the real core and I can't disagree. In fact, outside of the arms and the legs, I think all of the rest of the body is the "core."
In watching people just get up off the ground (a major key for indicating overall body strength), I noticed that most people think the front of their neck is the core. It's always the first to move.
All those years of crunches had taught them to first move the head. The human head weighs eight pounds as we learned in the movies, and it's often used as a cheat in many exercise programs.
I teach, first and foremost, that the body is one piece. That's my knock on the term "core." The current accepted definition relegates it to the Frankenstein's Monster approach to lifting: arm day, leg day, rhomboid day, and alas, core day.
You can train the core with farmer's walks, Olympic lifts, and deadlifts. The Highland Games are a wonderful core workout. Training the full body always trumps this notion of pieces.
When Jane Fonda began preaching (and screeching) the value of fire hydrants to burn the fat off the outer hip and small crunches to flatten the tummy, we lost sight of the key principle of being human: you are one marvelous piece of machinery.
By the way, just by learning to roll around a bit does wonders in helping people discover that the body is one piece again. Tumble, roll, cartwheel, farmer walk, and toss a caber for a true core workout.
But whatever you do, just stop saying "core." I just hate it. Not as much as I hated hearing Jane Fonda yell, "Go for the burn," but it's pretty awful.

2. Functional TrainingThe word "functional" showed up a few years ago, and all of a sudden even supposedly smart people are having clients and athletes squat on balance beams and BOSU balls.
Somehow, juggling three balls while lunging across a thin board over a tank of sharks trains the body better than squats, benches, and deadlifts. Who knew?
I once wondered out loud about this kind of nonsense at a clinic. Some guy, probably Plato's direct descendent, challenged me with this rejoinder: "It's much harder to move with your eyes closed."
Dumbfounded, I responded, "Well, yes."
Then Captain Logic walked away, a smile on his face from winning yet another game of mental Mortal Kombat.
Okay, so try this. Volunteer at a local college to be on the kickoff team for football. Run down the field with your eyes blindfolded as fast as you can after the ball is kicked.
Get back to me on how this helps your training.


3. CardioMy issue is this, the cardiovascular system is, well, a system. So, when people ask me about doing cardio, I tend to answer, "No, I trained my lymphatic system earlier and I don't want to overdo it."
Yes, I know exactly what you mean by "cardio." But this terminology is just an attempt to make things somehow more complex, more esoteric, more... full of shit.
Since the jogging craze of the 1970s and the introduction of aerobics from Kenneth Cooper, we've been inundated with the word cardio.

• "Have you done your cardio today?"
  
• "What are you doing for cardio today?"
  
• "This is great for cardio!"
  

1. Be aware.
   
2. Be skeptical.
   
3. Protect yourself (by changing passwords, emails, etc., frequently).
   

1. Be aware that lifting weights makes you stronger, caloric restriction is a part of fat loss, and overemphasizing flexibility, mobility, warm ups, and cool downs won't make you fitter. Big, strong people eat big, sleep big, fart big, and train with huge loads on their back.
   
2. Be skeptical by realizing that there's no magic in body compositions, strength, or sports. When you fall for a scam or scheme in training, it's probably because you're forgetting the basic truths.
   
3. Protect yourself by taking action. Get back to a basic nuts and bolts program of heavy weights with the total reps for each movement totaling around 15-25 reps. Eat a lot of protein. Sleep more. Drink more water.
   

1. ELDERLY PEOPLEThey're older than Moses and they're still lifting weights and kicking ass. These guys and gals rock. Pray that you get to be one of them someday.
2. THE QUIET BEASTSThese big guys are all business. They get in, work hard, and get out. They're always helpful when asked (but not during a set!) but will never bug others with unsolicited advice or general douchebaggery.
3. WOMEN WHO KICK ASSWhile most men these days are sipping soy lattes and making a hobby out of being self-righteously offended by every little thing, women in their 30's seem to have become the new gym bad-asses. They often train harder and smarter than the guys in their 20s and have all the delicious muscle to prove it. "You train like a girl" has become a compliment these days.
4. FAT PEOPLEThey've overcome their embarrassment of being in a gym with fitter people. They've decided to make a change. For that, they deserve all the support we can give them.
5. INJURED AND DISABLED PEOPLEWant some motivation? Check out the guy in the wheelchair getting shit done. Now take a look at the woman with her arm in a sling doubling up on lower body work.
Amit Sapir (above) had three surgeries while training to break the world squat record. He'd simply train as best he could while recovering, sometimes training just one side of his body at a time. Just a few weeks after his last surgery, he hit 722 pounds on the raw squat. What's your excuse?

SWEAT AND SEXPeople who work out have more sex. This is according to a study published in The Journal of Scientifically Obvious Facts That Are Politically Incorrect But Totally True Even If It Hurts Your Feelings. (Shugart, et al. 2016)
But besides making you more physically attractive – or at least less gross from the neck down – is there something else going on? For example, does the smell of male sweat cause women to get aroused? Scientists have actually been looking into this.
The Questionable Science of PheromonesThe science of pheromones (scented sex hormones) is all over the place, with some researchers saying that humans can't detect them and others saying that some humans can, at least some of the time.
Women do appear to be sensitive to male pheromones, particularly around ovulation, at least if they're not using sexually-blunting oral contraceptives.
The Journal of Neuroscience reported a study where women smelled swabs of androstadienone, a constituent of sweat, and a placebo. Researchers measured body temp, skin conductance, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory function and cardiac rate. Those women who took a whiff of androstadienone displayed more signs of sexual arousal. It even put them in a better mood.
But not all male pheromones are the same. For example, the pheromone androstenone isn't the same as androstenol. Fresh man-sweat produces a scent of androstenol, which is attractive to women. But after 20 minutes or so, that sweat gets oxidized. Now it's just body odor. So, fresh sweat good, old sweat bad.
Men with higher levels of testosterone give off more of these pheromones. So it's possible that fresh sweat from a low T male isn't as arousing as that from a high T guy. Also, the oxidized sweat of a high-testosterone dude probably smells worse.
Add to this the research showing that only about 70 percent of men and women can detect these chemical signals. Thirty percent smell nothing, possibly because of a missing gene. Based on DNA samples, those who can smell androstenone were found to have genetic variations in a single odorant receptor called OR7D4.
Furthermore, the power of these pheromones may only work at very close range. One experiment showed they can only be detected at a distance of around 18 inches.

Horny Sweat and New Mommy SweatBut then there's this. Men's sweat smells different when they're aroused, and women can unconsciously tell the difference according to another study from The Journal of Neuroscience. The study involved collecting the armpit sweat of men as they watched either erotic movies or non-erotic movies, then having women sniff the sweat while their brains were monitored with MRI. (Science is fun.)
And here's another weird one. Half of the female test subjects in one study were asked to wipe their upper lips with cotton pads soaked in the sweat of nursing mothers. (The placebo group did the same but with benign smelling pads.) Those given the sweaty pads of breast-feeding mommies reported a 42% increase in desire for their hubbies and boyfriends. Single women reported more sexual daydreams.
Could it be that the scent triggered primitive breeding instincts? Seems that way.


The Mating InstinctHere's another possible reason that sweating, or the result of frequent exercise that causes sweating, may trigger female arousal. Males who burn 200 or more calories a day by exercising reduce their chances of impotence. Exercise also decreases stress, which contributes to erectile dysfunction and infertility.
Behavioral ecologist Fhionna Moore concluded that women prefer men with low levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Instinctively, females seem to know that high-cortisol men have suppressed reproductive function. Not an attractive sign that a man would make a good baby-maker or provider and, like it or not, the base functionality of our brains still operates at that level. Sorry, feminists.
See, much of what we think of as "attractive" is rooted in rather primitive-sounding mating signals. Certain physical features we think of as "hot" are actually just fertility indicators: youth, full breasts, a muscular male butt (really, this has been studied), etc.
So it's possible that women are unconsciously attracted to men who sweat through exercise because it signals to them that these guys are less likely to be impotent and would make better candidates for pair bonding and procreation.

Or Is It All In Your Head?Studies on perfumes and colognes generally show they have no real effects on the opposite sex. But they do have an effect on the wearer. If the scent makes the man or the woman feel sexier, he or she will behave differently, consciously and unconsciously.
A woman who wears a scent that makes her feel sensual may act sexier, indirectly increasing her attractiveness. The same could be said about man-sweat. If you think your fresh sweat turns women on, you may act more confident and sure of yourself, which does turn women on.

So, What Conclusions Can We Draw?

• The smell of fresh male sweat does seem to lead to arousal in females, at least if they're ovulating, not on oral birth control, have the right genes, and get really close to you.
  
• The smell of old sweat is just nasty. Take a shower.
  
• Your lady friend will be more randy after being around a nursing mom and her infant.
  
• Being in good shape and feeling confident probably has much more to do with your attractiveness than your excretions in the squat rack.
  
• Getting sweaty with your significant other is always a good idea.
  

Three of the top ten websites in the United States are porn sites. Pornhub, for example, ranks higher in traffic than Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia, and eBay.
That makes it seem like there are two types of people in the world: people who watch porn and people who lie about watching porn. Or maybe there's just a small number of internet porn watchers, but those folks watch A LOT.
The question for our little weight-lifting demographic is, does watching porn affect testosterone levels? Let's dig into some research.
THE STUDIESResearchers love to show people nudie pics and naughty videos. Really, it's a popular study method used in several fields. Most of the studies are set up like this: Scientists get a bunch of volunteers and test them for various things like hormone levels. Sometimes they're even given physical performance tests.
Then researchers show the participants a variety of stimuli – everything from photos of food and happy couples to action videos, funny videos, sad videos, and of course, adult videos. Some of this stimuli is meant to be "neutral" while some of it is meant to be arousing in one way or another. Participants are then retested after watching the videos.
In one study, twelve athletes went through a test similar to this. The results? Sure enough, watching porn boosted T levels. (1) But the sad video clip decreases T and the "aggressive" video increased cortisol levels. Crazy part about this test is that they also tested three-rep squat maxes after viewing the videos. Those who had watched porn saw an improvement.
In another study, 44 men were invited to a swinger's club, where apparently a lot of real-life sex occurs. (2) After viewing the, um, activities, the men's testosterone levels jumped 11 percent.
Finally, when 20 younger men were shown full-length erotic movies, their test levels jumped a whopping 35 percent. (3) The increase began around 15 minutes into the "film" and peaked 60-90 minutes later. They also saw increased motivation, increased competitiveness, and decreased exhaustion.
While not every test like those above showed a significant boost in testosterone, 80 percent of related tests have shown at least a slight uptick.
 

 
HOW TO USE THIS INFONope, I'm not going there. What happens between a man and his laptop is nobody's business but his and the spies at the CIA.
But it is important to note that all of these performance increases occurred when the men did not "finish" their porn session, if you get my meaning. As one journalist put it, "Watch it, but don't whack it."
Remember, if you do the latter, your gym performance might decrease the first two hours or so after you AMRAP your willy.
Now, will any of this extra T lead to real gains in the gym? Difficult to say. There are, after all, many factors contributing to muscle growth besides your natural T levels, though that's obviously a player.
But let's do some math for the fun of it. Let's say you got a big 35 percent bump in testosterone and it remained elevated throughout your workout. And let's say your normal T level is a lowish 500 nh/dL.
That 35 percent boost would leave you at 675 nh/dL which is about average for men. So it's not exactly testosterone replacement therapy, but over time you'd probably see improvements. The high quality workouts (heavier weights, more energy, and increased aggressiveness) certainly wouldn't hurt, but don't expect magic.
But who are we kidding? You're going to try it anyway.

howdy y’all! It’s been a while since i’ve been on forums…But as age takes over, always looking to learn new things.

The issue of hGH testing has picked up considerable steam in the wake of what can best be described as a "perfect storm" of media events: The highly anticipated admission by former St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire that he used both anabolic steroids and hGH throughout his career, including the historic 1998 season when he broke Roger Maris' long-standing single season home run record; and the United Kingdom Anti-Doping authority announcing a two-year ban for rugby player Terry Newton for testing positive for hGH.
Shortly after the UK ruling, the first of its kind for hGH use in professional sports, a statement was issued by Major League Baseball and reported by the New York Times:
 "We are consulting with our experts concerning immediate steps for our minor league drug program and next steps for our major league drug program. The commissioner remains committed to the position that we must act aggressively to deal with the issue of hGH."
It's a fair assumption that MLB has been anxiously awaiting a reliable test for hGH so it can finally begin rebuilding its once-proud image as America's game, an image that has been tarnished by a seemingly endless series of doping scandals.
Who could forget former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley, caught by authorities accepting a shipment of hGH in 2006, who would go on to finger fellow player David Segui as another hGH user? Or Houston Astros pitcher Andy Pettite, who admitted he'd used hGH while a member of the storied New York Yankees?
Or perhaps the biggest lightning rod of all, former Oakland A's bruiser Jose Canseco, who continually dodged hGH rumors throughout his career before performing an about-face to sing the praises of the drug in his tell-all book, Juiced, subsequently throwing fellow players Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Iván Rodríguez, Juan González, and Big Mac himself under the ever-expanding hGH bus?
Given the media maelstrom, it wasn't surprising that former US Senator George Mitchell's 21-month investigation into the use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone in Major League Baseball concluded that hGH is the new "drug of choice."
Yet the question many in the know are asking is: does it even deserve to be, for baseball players or even strength and physique athletes?
What is Human Growth Hormone? 
Before we discuss the possible benefits of growth hormone for athletes, let's first take a look at what it is.
Human Growth Hormone (hGH) is produced and secreted in the brain by the pituitary gland. Once released, it stimulates the liver to make insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and this hormone then triggers the growth and repair of bones and body tissues including muscle, skin, organs, and more.
The body's natural growth hormone production is controlled by the neurohormone Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GHRH), Growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP), and somatostatin, and is normally released in pulses or bursts throughout the day. There are often as many as 20 daily surges, with the largest release occurring shortly after you fall asleep.
HGH is especially important for normal growth in children, and hGH levels rise sharply throughout puberty, peak at about age 20, and then slowly decrease throughout adulthood; although a healthy pituitary never totally ceases hGH production.

HGH Therapy: A Brief HistoryThe historical roots of human growth hormone therapy are like something lifted from the pages of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Growth hormone was originally developed in the 1950s to treat dwarfism in children, and the first preparations were extracts of the raw hormone from the pituitary of cadavers. This early form of growth hormone was known as cadaver-GH.
Unfortunately in 1985, four cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) were diagnosed in patients who had been treated with cadaver-GH in the 1960s. CJD is a fatal degenerative brain disorder in which healthy brain tissue deteriorates into an abnormal protein that the body can't break down. Patients suffering from CJD experience rapidly declining neurological function resulting in dementia, paralysis, slurred speech, incontinence, blindness, coma, and eventually death.
Following the discovery of the similar GH treatments that each CJD-diagnosed individual had received in their youth, the use of cadaver-GH to treat dwarfism quickly ceased.
However, in 1981 American pharmaceutical company Genentech pioneered the first use of recombinant human growth hormone for human therapy and by 1985, biosynthetic human growth hormone replaced cadaver-GH for therapeutic use.
Since then, hGH therapy has expanded to treating adults determined to have an hGH deficiency, and it was this expansion of treatment applications that helped plant what would become the hGH money tree.


Beyond Dwarfism: HGH Deficiency vs. Anti-AgingRipped and muscular at age 62, Sly Stallone is a staunch supporter of hGHWith the development of a safe alternative to cadaver-GH, scientists began to expand the scope of treatment beyond dwarfism to include other forms of GH deficiency.
In adults, true medical deficiency of growth hormone may result from disease, tumors, radiation, or any trauma that damages critical areas of the pituitary. This can lead to some significant health challenges like weight gain, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol abnormalities, fatigue, decreased immune response, arthritis, increased insulin resistance, adult onset diabetes, hair loss, sarcopenia (loss of muscle), and osteoporosis. Not surprisingly, hGH therapy has proven to be very helpful for these GH-deficient individuals.
(Of interest, baseball player Segui reportedly had a legitimate prescription for hGH to treat GH deficiency; a diagnosis that drew criticism from authorities who questioned how a professional athlete of normal height and weight could possibly be GH deficient.)
But over the last decade, an increasing number of physicians have started to legally administer hGH to treat the most widespread medical "problem" of all: aging.
As stated, endogenous growth hormone levels slowly decline as part of the natural aging process, and slowing or stopping this decline has numerous anti-aging benefits. Increased energy, improved sexual performance, reduced bodyfat, increased muscle mass, thickening of the skin, improved sleep, enhanced bone strength, improved cognitive performance, and increased lifespan are just some of the benefits being shopped to aging men looking to add years to their life and life to their years.
However, baby boomers take note: if the ad copy has you believing that hGH is the fountain of youth, think again. Experts and researchers alike agree that a decline in hGH is not the cause of aging, and maintaining youthful levels of hGH will not make you the next Dick Clark. Even if hGH levels remained at the level of a 25 year-old, you would continue to experience the effects of aging, although to a reduced degree.
But not at a reduced price. Prescribed hGH injections range in price from $500 to $1,000 a month, and not surprisingly, there are thousands of clinics and doctors who prescribe growth hormone, calling their practice "anti-aging," "regenerative" or "age management" medicine.
An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association notes that annual worldwide sales of hGH are estimated to be $1.5 billion to $2 billion, and up to 30 percent of hGH prescriptions in the U.S. are used for anti-aging and "athletic enhancement."

Back To The BullpenThe main attraction to hGH for athletes (apart from until recently, the lack of a reliable test) is its ability to aid in the recovery of injuries. HGH stimulates collagen synthesis, which is necessary for strengthening cartilage, bones, tendons, and ligaments.
Combining hGH with anabolic steroids amplifies its regenerative effects. Jason Grimsley reportedly stacked hGH with the joint-friendly anabolic steroid Deca-Durabolin to recover from ligament replacement surgery and was back on the field in only nine months, slashing his estimated recovery time in half.
Dr. Hector Lopez is with Performance Spine and Sports Medicine, a progressive sports medicine practice with facilities in Ocean and Mercer counties, New Jersey. Lopez specializes in athletic performance and consults with numerous professional athletes, and isn't surprised that athletes are looking at taking hGH and anabolic steroids as a way to extend their playing careers. He says,
"My radar is always tuned into my patients' endocrine and metabolic status as a potential limitation in their rehabilitation from injury. It's quite clear that the hGH-somatomedin axis is critical for improving recovery from the day to day micro-trauma that these tissues experience."
But these are professional athletes, making six or seven figures to perform at their absolute best. Surely this hasn't trickled down into the amateur ranks?
Think again.
Strength coach Christian Thibaudeau trains many amateur athletes from a variety of sports. He's seen the interest rise in hGH even in recreational athletes, and he's not surprised Major League Baseball is taking hGH use as seriously as it is.
"Until now, hGH has been undetectable, so it's become popular in sports where drug testing has been implemented. The fact that it helps with recuperation makes it even more attractive."
"But part of it is just locker room hype. HGH does not burn fat as well as a good fat burner, and it's not as good a mass builder as Testosterone or insulin.
"Still, athletes are insecure. They hear whispers that other guys are using it and they think, 'Maybe I should too.' Athletes always want as much edge as the next guy."
"It's still underhanded. Detectable or not, in baseball it's cheating. But in bodybuilding it's kind of open season."

Bodybuilding Goes Growth"Jared" is an aspiring pro bodybuilder with an impressive string of amateur wins.
He started weight training to be a powerlifter, but decided to give competitive bodybuilding a try when fellow lifters recognized his Herculean physique and subtle lines could make big waves on the bodybuilding stage.
Five years and several first place finishes later; Jared has a legitimate shot at turning pro by 2011. Suffice it to say, hGH has played a part in his success.
Or has it?
"I use hGH, but to be honest, I really don't think that it's all that effective on it's own, at least compared to insulin or high doses of Testosterone. But hGH just seems to make other drugs work better."
Jared takes hGH year round, cycling the dosage and frequency depending on his goals and his budget.
"It's not cheap, at least for the real stuff. Five hundred to $1000 bucks per 100 IU kit is the norm. I usually take 12-15 IUs a couple days a week in the off season, and 4-6 IUs a day pre-contest.
"I always stop three weeks out from a show because it can make you hold water. But it's a great dieting tool – you get leaner, stay fuller," he says.
Although medically approved dosages of hGH are under 2 IUs a day, Jared insists his dosages are nowhere near excessive.
"I heard of pros taking 20 IUs a day or more, although usually not on a daily basis."
Christian Thibaudeau agrees.
"From what I've read, intermittent higher doses may be better for anabolism, while low doses over a longer term appear to be better for fat loss. So, 15 IUs, three times a week for mass versus 2-4 IUs daily for fat loss."
According to Thibaudeau, the anabolic effect of hGH is dependent on IGF-1 release, while the fat burning effect is a result of the actual hGH. IGF-1 release is tricky business however, and very much dose dependent.
"You need a pretty hefty dose of hGH to generate an IGF-1 release that will result in anabolism."
The intermittent high dose is preferred over the daily high dose to mitigate both costs and negative side effects, which Thibaudeau says are very real.

The Dark Side of HGHAt medically approved dosages, the side effects of hGH are considered relatively mild, including bloating, carpal tunnel syndrome, gynecomastia, increase in blood pressure, swelling of the optic nerve, and a decrease in thyroid hormone production.
Even long term, reasonable usage seems to be relatively safe. A two-year, large group study posted in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology found that patients treated with hGH experienced beneficial effects on body composition, metabolic parameters, and general well-being, with only adverse side effects being fluid-related.
Another ten-year study of hGH treatment published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism was equally glowing. The test subjects experienced significant increased lean body mass and decreased fat mass, a less atherogenic lipid profile, reduced carotid intima media thickness (an indication of plaque in the carotid), and improved psychological well-being. Granted, the study consisted of only 10 subjects, but the results are still worth noting as they were all relatively young subjects (mean age = 38).
Still, these were low doses to correct sub-clinical hGH concentrations, not supra-physiological doses commonly used in bodybuilding applications; an important designation.
Inflated levels of hGH in adults can cause acromegaly, a disease characterized by excessive growth of the head, feet, and hands. The nose, jaw, and forehead increase in size and the fingers and toes grow. The organs and digestive system may also increase in size, resulting in the distended abdomens seen on some bodybuilders.
Jared feels his intermittent approach has spared him these ill effects. Well, most of them.
"My hair grew faster, same with my nails. I've got some carpal tunnel symptoms now, nothing major. Again, this is all dose related. If you keep dosages reasonable, sides should be minimal."

Growth Hormone and The Big CThere's also a concern about the possibility of an increased cancer risk with long-term hGH treatment. Insulin-like growth factor-1 promotes the growth of cells and prevents them from dying, which is what cancer cells do – they grow out of control and don't die.
Several studies have shown that women with high levels of hGH are more likely to get breast cancer, and men with high levels of hGH are more likely to develop prostate cancer.
But proponents of hGH counter that while correlations have been found between IGF-1 levels and certain types of cancer, correlation is not the same as causation. Further, recent evidence suggests hGH's beneficial impact on the immune system could (in theory) help reduce the risk of cancer.
"There's some limited yet interesting data on hGH improving Natural Killer (NK) cell activity and immunosurveillance of neo-plastic cells," says Lopez. "Hence, decreasing the incidence of certain cancers."
Despite these findings, Lopez is not prepared to dismiss any link between hGH and cancer, and continues to screen for cancer before embarking on hGH therapy.
"I would be very cautious prior to administering hGH in someone with a hormone-sensitive cancer."
Certainly, this is an area that warrants more study.

To Use Or Not To Use HGHMUSCLE BUILDINGIt seems clear that for the average lifter, hGH's ability to build muscle is definitely not worth the exorbitant price, at least if true US pharmaceutical sources are used. To consider this drug an even remotely cost effective anabolic requires stacking it with Testosterone and/or insulin or ratcheting up the dosage into realms that even the most dedicated athlete wouldn't consider cost-effective; again, if legitimate US pharmaceuticals are used.
It should also be noted that hGH's ability to grow "lean body mass" at high dosages includes everything that is not fat or water, namely the organs and viscera; certainly not what the typical physique-minded athlete has in mind. Granted, this condition is now considered reversible, but bodybuilders should still consider these unwanted effects.
FAT BURNINGThe usefulness of hGH as a fat burning tool, especially when combined with Testosterone, is undeniable.
Even at relatively modest dosages, dramatic reductions in bodyfat and improved retention of lean body mass seem to be achievable, and much more when combined with anabolic steroids and fat burners.
RECUPERATIONThe recuperative properties of hGH appear to be second to none. For professional athletes earning six or seven figures, a few thousand dollars a month is a pittance, and even athletes earning much less might consider judicious use of hGH as a way to help extend their training careers.
Bodybuilder Jared also swears by hGH's regenerative properties.
"I suffered a significant triceps tear a while back and was told I was done for the year. But I ended up healing so quick that I was back in the gym in two weeks. My physiotherapist wanted to use me as a poster boy for his clinic."
"I didn't have the heart to tell him I was on hGH."
SAFETYWhile hGH's safety record is acceptable, it bears repeating that the longitudinal studies performed used hGH in isolation and at dosages far below what an athlete or bodybuilder would likely consider efficacious. The evidence is clear that increasing the dosage decreases the safety.
Another factor that significantly lowers hGH's safety profile is stacking hGH with anabolic steroids, a practice required to get the impressive effects that many hGH users swear by. "Administering hGH in isolation is often disappointing," says Dr. Lopez. "But frankly, (stacking hGH with anabolic steroids) decreases its safety profile."
So, is hGH safe to use for any populations? Lopez says,
"Ultimately, it's about weighing potential risk with potential benefit in light of the individual's co-morbidity, personal and family medical history, goals, and needs."
PERFORMANCEAside from hGH's ability to facilitate healing and return an athlete to the field, it has little apparent ability to improve athletic performance. Any potential strength gains to an athlete with normal GH levels is minimal, at best.

Secretagogues – HGH Reloaded?Secretagogues are substances that cause another substance to be secreted. There are several hGH secretagogues under study right now, and recent restrictions placed by regulatory bodies on physicians writing prescriptions for hGH have sparked renewed interest in them. One such substance is Sermorelin Acetate, an analog to natural growth hormone that stimulates the pituitary to step up endogenous production.
Many physicians prefer modalities that restore natural hormone levels rather than replace them, and on paper, Sermorelin is very promising. It's been around for years, has a well-established safety record, and unlike hGH therapy, Sermorelin poses no long-term risk to pituitary gland function, nor is there any risk of overdose.
There are downsides of course. Sermorelin is expensive, and at effective dosages can approach that of hGH therapy. It also has an extremely short half-life, thereby limiting its ability to maintain elevated serum levels of growth hormone. These factors alone were enough for some physicians to shift their attention squarely on growth hormone replacement, not restoration.
However, the development of a new, long-acting growth hormone releasing factor has rekindled interest in growth hormone restoration. Is hGH therapy soon to be a thing of the past? Only time will tell.

Wrapping Up 
At first glance, the reported benefits of human growth hormone sound too good to be true, and except for its near-magical recuperative abilities, that first glance assumption seems to be correct.
When comparing the anabolic properties of hGH to simple Testosterone – at reasonable doses and without the inclusion of other drugs – hGH pales in comparison, as it does in both safety and cost-effectiveness.
Even so, with the introduction of cheaper Chinese pharmaceutical versions like Jintropin and even cheaper (and often questionable quality) generic versions, many younger or recreational athletes may consider emulating their professional idols and take the hGH plunge. Still, Thibaudeau won't be advocating hGH for his athletes anytime soon.
"It's not a miracle drug. It's just a piece of the puzzle, the same way that steroids and insulin are pieces of the puzzle. And it's a small one at that."
"If a reliable test is developed, I'd be surprised if any professional baseball players ever bother with hGH again."
It's a different story for bodybuilders like Jared, who plans on using hGH throughout his upcoming prep, where he hopes to make his dream of turning pro a reality.
"I wouldn't use hGH before Testosterone or insulin. But it works, and basically everyone that I'll be competing against will be using it. Strange as it may sound, in bodybuilding you have to kind of keep up with the Joneses'."
"Maybe all these ball players figure they have to keep up with the Canseco's?"

Testosterone plays a role in muscle size and strength, libido, energy, and keeping body fat low. You knew that, but high testosterone is also important to just plain staying alive. Contrary to what late-night TV lawyer commercials spout about high testosterone killing people, it's low testosterone that's the real concern.
LOW TESTOSTERONE LEVELS CORRELATE STRONGLY WITH:

• Higher risk of cardiovascular disease
  
• Narrowing of carotid arteries
  
• Abnormal EKG
  
• More frequent congestive heart failure
  
• Increased incidence of angina
  
• Increased body mass index
  
• Type II diabetes
  
• Metabolic syndrome
  
• Insulin resistance
  
• Higher death rate from all causes, including cardiac mortality
  

In Denmark, 342 fitness centers participated in an anti-doping program. If you were a member and your physique looked just a little too damn good, they tested you for steroids. If you failed, your gym membership was suspended for two years.
545 men temporarily lost their bench-pressing privileges during a 12-year period between the years 2006 and 2018. Yeah, I know. It sounds a little Handmaid's Tale-ish. I wouldn't be surprised if the sinners were sent to reeducation camps where they were forced to wear long red robes and white flying-nun hats.
Anyhow, some concerned Danish researchers decided to study some of these temporarily banished gym goers to see if their steroid use had any adverse effects on their health. Turns out their concerns might have been at least a little well founded.
 
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Bad Livers, Bad Hearts, Reckless Behavior, or All 3 Reasons?The scientists followed 545 of these young (average age 26), male, steroid users over a period of 10 years and found that use of the drugs increased their chances of death by a factor of 3. A separate Swedish study found that steroid use increased the chances of death by 19, but the men the Swedes tracked were criminals in their penal system.
That means the stats from the Swedish study might have been a bit skewed. While many of these men may well have died because of steroid-related medical problems, some of them could well have been beaten up, shanked, or, like Vacaville Prison inmate Nicholas Anthony Rodriguez, sawed in half and disemboweled, which, if I'm going to be fair, could have just been another routine wood shop accident.
Obviously, prison life comes with a set of dangers that are different from ordinary, non-prison life.
Also, we need to ask if steroids themselves lead to risky behavior that results in hospital admissions or death. Or, maybe it's just that people who make the decision to use steroids in the first place have an innate, risk-taking personality.
I'm wondering if it's like the people who drive BMW's. They're always cutting me off in traffic or tailgating me. I look back in my rearview mirrors and see their angry, red ferret faces, hands clenching the steering wheel with murderous intent. Did buying a Beemer turn them into an asshole, or is it something about being an asshole that makes them want to buy a Beemer?
The answer to both the Beemer question and the steroid question is yet to be resolved. However, there are clearly a bunch of non-behavior related problems associated with steroid use/misuse, most often cardiovascular or liver-related.
As the Danish researchers concluded, "Androgenic anabolic steroid users have an increased risk of dying and significantly more hospital admissions than their nonuser peers. Side effects of AAS and their metabolites were highly prevalent. Given the high rate of androgenic anabolic steroid abuse, these side effects are of public health concern."
That being the case, there are several things a steroid user can do to mitigate some of the potential dangers.

9 Things You Can Do to Make Steroid Use Safer1. RESEARCH YOUR FAMILY HISTORY.Find out why Uncle Bob, Uncle Ed, and Uncle Julio all died in their forties and early fifties. If they were all shanked or disemboweled in prison, fine, but if they died of cardiovascular disease, act accordingly. Either use very low dosages while living a scrupulously clean lifestyle, or forget about the cycle entirely.
2. GET A MEDICAL CHECK-UP.At the very least, have a doc check your blood pressure and red blood cell count before you start, and then again at regular intervals. Having a stroke affect one half of your body and forcing you to do weighted carries in very small circles and only in one direction might be frustrating and counterproductive to making gains.
3. LOWER YOUR BODY FAT.Lose some excess weight so your heart doesn't have to work so hard. Also, if you have less fat, your steroids will give you more bang for their buck, as less of them will aromatize into estrogen.
4. KNOW THY WEAPON.Don't go into it blind. Know something about the steroids you'll be using. Are they more androgenic than anabolic? If so, they'll be more likely to make your hair fall out or for you to grow breasts – small, anorexic fashion-model sized breasts, coquettish even, but breasts nevertheless – and you'll need to take other drugs to ameliorate those effects.
5. HAVE A PLAN.Most steroid users plan their cycles on what and how much is available. Not smart. Not prudent. Know how much you're going to use and for how long beforehand.
You've read that the average pro bodybuilder uses up to 3 grams of anabolic steroids a week, but they ain't role models. Most of these guys probably won't live anywhere close to statistical averages for non-abusers, at least not without heroic medical interventions.
Go for moderation. The lower your dosage, the safer you'll be.
6. AVOID RECREATIONAL DRUGS DURING YOUR CYCLE.Steroids often cause you to get overly ballsy and take stupid chances. Caution is not only thrown into the wind, it's hurled into the vortex of a category F5 tornado. You may end up using stupid amounts, and some combos of steroids and recreational drugs gang up together on the heart.
Think twice about risky behavior in general. Avoid fights, don't jump into unknown bodies of water, and don't retaliate against aggressive people who drive Beemers. 'Roid rage ain't real, but if you have a propensity to act ass-holish, steroids might bring it out.
Philosopher Blaise Pascal said, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." Consider abiding by the spirit of his warning by doing whatever it takes to stay out of trouble.
7. NO INJECTIONS IF YOU HAVE COLD SORES.Viruses inhibit the immune system, and the last thing you need is to wake up with a huge mass of gangrenous flesh that corresponds with the location of your injection site.
8. DRINK. THEN DRINK SOME MORE.You're already presumably eating a lot of protein, which dehydrates the body. Adding in steroids can make the problem worse and you don't need to make things harder on the heart. You don't have to carry one of those stupid two-gallon jugs around so everyone thinks you're a moron, but make sure to drink plenty of water.
9. DO CARDIO, OR HEART-WORK IN GENERAL.Recent studies suggest that weight training is better for the heart than cardio. Regardless, other studies have shown that conventional cardio or endurance training ameliorates some of the dangers of steroid use. Add in some of the latter mode of heart-happy work since you're already weight training. Might as well play it safe.

We’re Slowly Turning into Plastic People

Quote: One study says we ingest the equivalent of a credit card every week. Here are some things you can do to make yourself safer.

Quote: “You are at this moment exposed to some of the highest concentrations of microplastic anywhere. Stare into the light pouring in through a window and you’ll catch glimmers of airborne microplastics flittering around like insects. Leave out a glass of water and you’ll find microfibers from your clothes creating tiny dents of surface tension. Leave a glass next to your bed when you change your sheets and you’ll see just how many particles the fabric flings into the air. The dust that accumulates in corners and the lint that sticks to your clothes—it’s all plastic.”

• Altered hormone levels 11 and reproductive ability
  
• Chronic lung inflammation (plastic fibers can remain trapped in lung tissue)
  
• Reduced testosterone levels
  
• Sperm abnormalities
  
• Altered energy and lipid metabolism
  
• Liver toxicity
  
• Altered gut microbiota
  
• Insulin insensitivity
  
• Changes to genes related to glucose and lipid metabolism
  
• High cholesterol
  
• Pancreatic cancer
  
• Testicular cancer
  
• Liver cancer
  
• Lung cancer
  
• Developmental delays in children
  
• Passage of microplastics across the placenta to developing fetuses
  

1. Get rid of your Teflon frying pans and all your plastic cooking utensils. Go ceramic, cast iron, or carbon steel, and opt for metal or wooden utensils.
   
2. Don’t microwave leftovers in plastic containers, especially time-worn ones. The FDA says it’s okay, but I think the risk is too great and it’s an easy fix.
   
3. Make your own coffee (non-Keurig cup 49) and use good ol’ ceramic cups. Alternately, give yourself a little extra time at your local mom and pop coffee shop and drink it there – in a mug instead of a paper cup.
   
4. If you have plastic food containers, hand wash them (they leach chemicals onto other dishes in the dishwasher).
   
5. Try to buy condiments and sauces that come in glass containers.
   
6. Unless you have wool, seagrass, or sisal carpets, vacuum the hell out of them on a regular basis to keep air-borne plastics to a minimum.
   
7. Consider drinking tap water instead of bottled water. Even though tap water is one of the biggest contributors to microplastic ingestion, bottled water contains about twice the microplastic level found in tap water.
   
8. Buy hemp underwear. No. Kidding. Sort of. However, if possible, opt for natural-fiber clothing. You know, cotton.
   

ANOTHER SUBSET OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERSPretty much everyone's heard about chemicals that interfere with the normal function of hormones. At least 800 of these "endocrine disrupters" have been identified and of particular interest are estrogen mimickers (xenoestrogens or phytoestrogens) that induce estrogen-like effects in women and men.
This surplus of estrogen could lead to breast, prostate, and testicular cancer, in addition to infertility, diabetes, storage of body fat, difficulty in gaining muscle, and even psychological effects. Scientists have recently, however, identified another subset of endocrine disrupters that specifically cause you (or your offspring) to become fat. They're called "obesogens."
 While lousy diet and lack of exercise are leading causes of the obesity epidemic, researchers are starting to suspect that these obesogens might be an under-recognized third factor.
Where Do These Bastards Come From?The pesticide DDT was probably one of the first obesogens. It's elicited a lot of curiosity among scientists because there probably wasn't a pregnant woman alive in the 1950's who didn't come into contact with it.
When scientists exposed rats to DDT, it didn't have much of an effect on them. Oddly enough, though, in what appears to be a case of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, it caused many of the grandchildren of exposed rats to become fat.
So when you see that more than a third of Americans are currently obese, scientists like Mike Skinner and his associates at Washington State University started to wonder if the DDT that their grandmothers were exposed to played a role.
After much study, Skinner's group and others theorized that DDT and other obesogens like dicyclohexyl phthalate (a plasticizer), and various pesticides are influencing our endocrine systems adversely. While some obesogens like DDT seem to reach across the generations to tap unfortunate offspring with the fat wand, other obesogens seem to have a direct fat-causing effect on exposed individuals.

How Exactly Do Obesogens Cause Fatness?It seems that obesogens in general activate the glucocorticoid receptor and promote fat cell differentiation and the build-up of lipids. In other words, they muck up insulin signaling and cause fat cells to become insulin resistant so that when obesogen-exposed animals are fed a high-fat diet, they handle calories differently – they get fatter faster.
Another fat-growing mechanism involves obesogen-activation of a fatty acid receptor called PPARy, which is the master regulator of fat-cell development. And you can't forget the estrogen-mimicking component of some of these obesogens. They cause fat to accrue through different pathways and could be responsible for "man boobs" and/or the inability to get ripped.
To compound the problem, these chemicals establish homesteads in fat cells and refuse to leave... at least not until you lose an appreciable amount of body fat, which releases some of these chemicals back into the bloodstream (which could potentially be problematic on a whole other front, least of all from starting the whole fat-accruing cycle all over again). Put it all together and it spells fatness.


How to Protect Yourself (At Least a Little)These chemicals don't break down, at least not without divine intervention. They're in the air and water and they travel unimpeded around the world.
They're found in flame-retardants in mattresses and pillows. They're in your computer, in the wall insulation, the insides of cans, and the lining of microwave popcorn bags. They're floating in the air, clinging to dust particles. Screw it, they're everywhere.
There are things you can do to reduce your exposure, though. While following everything on the list below would require you to revert to a pre-pre-industrial lifestyle where you eschew clothing, soap, and man-made materials in general and sit naked in a field picking insect vermin out of your graying pubes until you die, doing a few of them might serve you, and definitely your offspring, well.

1. Avoid using pesticides in your yard.
   
2. Remove your shoes when you come in the door so you don't track pesticides and other chemicals into your house.
   
3. Clean and dust surfaces often. Mop the floor regularly. (And don't let Junior crawl around on the floor until you do.)
   
4. Avoid air fresheners, fabric softeners, and personal care products that contain phthalates.
   
5. Don't buy non-stick cookware. Choose cast iron or stainless steel.
   
6. Don't eat store-bought microwave popcorn as the bags are lined with the obesogen PFOA. (Here's how to make popcorn and avoid the chemical-lined bags: The Healthiest Snack Food.)
   
7. Don't store food in plastic containers. Use glass instead.
   
8. Avoid eating foods that come wrapped in plastic.
   
9. Try to buy organic food (many fungicides and insecticides are obesogens).
   
10. Don't buy toys made with phthalates. Watch out for words like vinyl or PVC and the #3 recycling code. Watch out for a plasticky smell.
    
11. Avoid stain and water-protecting treatments on furniture and carpets.
    
12. Use natural cleaning products in your home.
    
13. Work up a sweat as often as possible, as this helps rid the body of any recently acquired obesogens that have yet to establish residence in fat cells.