A protruding fat belly is often called HGH gut or steroid belly. HGH belly is a well-known phenomenon in modern bodybuilding. This problem is widely discussed by many athletes. Let’s try to understand the main thoughts for this phenomenon: big gut unequivocally speaks of huge mistakes in bodybuilding circles.
Some individuals in bodybuilding may look pregnant due to large doses of growth hormone and insulin. But in reality, the usual dosages do not exceed those used for medical purposes.
Huge abdomen is also associated with some internal changes in your body. The well-known cause of big gut in bodybuilders is an abnormal growth of abdominal muscles due to poor digestion (as a result of taking diuretics and carbohydrates). Thus, every professional bodybuilder should know how to eat healthy, how to train his body, how to use medications correctly, etc.
Professional bodybuilders gain muscle mass by using several dozen drugs. They are making a great mistake: their big belly unequivocally speaks it’s a great error to take large doses of HGH and other drugs.
Popular theories about abdominal growth in bodybuilding
According to numerous forums and magazines, it seems that everyone has his own explanation of the reasons for the big gut. Some experts blame HGH and anabolic steroids, others – insulin or high-carbohydrate diet. Some of them even argue that your waist size largely depends on genetics.
Most people really believe that HGH stimulates the growth of the entire body, not just the muscles. Therefore, when you use large doses of HGH, your internal organs start to grow. But today there are no reliable facts confirming this theory. It is worth noting that low doses of somatropin do not lead to such an effect.
1. Large doses of insulin and HGH
The usual dose of insulin in bodybuilding is 10-12 IU before and after training. By the way, diabetics use about 50-60 IU per day. Nevertheless, they don’t have huge guts as a rule. That is, it’s not about insulin.
The usual dosage of growth hormone in professional bodybuilding is 9-15 IU. Most professionals never exceed 12 IU. Broadly speaking, doses up to 20 IU or more are used in medicine to treat various pathologies (for example, acquired immunodeficiency disease or growth hormone deficiency in children).
Of course, one should understand that athletes usually have high levels of growth hormone. As for medical purposes, it is usually prescribed to those who have suppressed normal HGH production. Nevertheless, those who prescribe HGH or insulin to their patients never warn that you will have a big gut.
In accordance with the reasons given above, one should not believe that HGH or insulin can cause abdominal growth. That is, if you use low doses of HGH and other substances.
2. Your internal organs grow
HGH and insulin can cause the growth of muscle mass – this is an indisputable fact. Moreover, other organs can become larger as well (including liver, stomach, spleen). This is the reason some bodybuilders may look like they are pregnant.
It is known that growth hormone is responsible for the growth and development of our body as a whole: it is responsible for the growth of bones, muscular skeleton, as well as other organs to some extent. However, we do not know about giant spleens or livers. That is, there is a good chance that hypertrophy of internal organs is only a myth, until the time when someone demonstrates a huge gallbladder (like a melon, for example).
3. Our abdominal muscles grow
Quality muscle mass – that is why lots of people choose bodybuilding. Diets, as well as most of the products in sports nutrition (proteins, amino acids) and pharmacology (anabolic steroids, HGH, insulin) serve to increase muscle mass. Our abdomen is full of muscles, which can grow just like biceps and triceps under the influence of certain mechanisms.
This means that big guts in some bodybuilders can be formed due to the growth of muscles in the abdominal wall. And this reason seems to be the most realistic of all listed above.
By the way, many bodybuilders in the 80-90s of the last century were actively using growth hormone and insulin. But it was not a question of protruding abdomens. Why? It’s possible that pharmacology was used more accurately, as it always happens in the very beginning.
Many bodybuilders in the 70-80s (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Bob Paris) started using anabolic androgenic steroids for the first time. Most of them used Dianabol, called the “breakfast of champions”. They were strenuously trying to achieve a V-shaped body (broad shoulders and narrow hips).
In the late 90s and early 2000s it was obvious that there was a huge problem in bodybuilding. There were professional bodybuilders with large protruding bellies. And this was far from great.
Today, lots of bodybuilders tend to reach unprecedented proportions. That is, building more muscle mass also means having large abdominal muscles. The most likely cause of big guts in bodybuilders is an abnormal growth in their abdominal muscles.
4. Diuretics and carbohydrates for cutting phases
Your abdomen can become bigger due to malnutrition, especially at the end of the cutting phase or before the competition. Lots of bodybuilders use carbohydrates to fill their muscles up a bit more.
What happens in this case? Their body is very dehydrated due to diuretics. Without doubt, this is associated with colossal deficiency of certain elements (potassium, sodium, calcium, etc.). It is very dangerous for health and life (diuretics are considered one of the most dangerous types of sports medicine). In addition, they may lead to a significant slowdown in the digestive process: carbohydrates must be transformed into muscle glycogen (you will need water that does not exist in your body).
As a result, the process of digestion becomes slower. Food accumulates in the stomach, while the abdominal muscles tend to stretch. Moreover, they are filled with fluids (blood). That is why some bodybuilders have protruding muscles in the abdominal region.
That is, one of the reasons for a big gut is slow digestive rate as a result of taking diuretics and carbohydrates during dehydration.
So, what should one do to prevent abdominal growth? All bodybuilders should prepare for competitions under the supervision of professionals (scientists and doctors) who understand certain chemical and all biological processes. In addition, the following additives are recommended for daily nutrition: zinc, magnesium and vitamin D. Zinc and magnesium are minerals that are actively involved in the production of testosterone. Make sure that your daily dose of zinc is 20-50 mg, and magnesium – 500-800 mg. And remember – quality bodybuilding products are safe for use only if you buy them from trusted manufacturers. Only in this case you will gain some impressive results without any harm to your health.
Ab growth due to indigestion? Is there somewhere I can read up on this?
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