Modern bodybuilding has long lost its original beauty, which once gave it the status of an art form. In the pursuit of size, bodybuilders have somewhere, unnoticed by themselves (probably in the pharmacology store), lost their sense of taste and measure, turning bodybuilding competitions into a freak show with huge bellies.
Let’s talk about the hot topic in modern bodybuilding and try to understand why the belly is growing after all.
Main thoughts:
A big belly in a bodybuilder definitely indicates serious mistakes in the use of pharmacology
Prelude
This year (2017) during the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition, the stage was more cluttered than ever with guys having bellies like they were 3-4 months pregnant…
(Paradoxically, the phenomenon of the “big belly in bodybuilding” is not characteristic of the female gender.)
And this is, to put it mildly, disgusting.
It seems we all should forever forget about the aesthetics of classic bodybuilding, which once made it hard to hold back enthusiastic exclamations and applause. Modern pros have to “squeeze” applause from the audience with persistent and repeated demands, very reminiscent of threats.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s furious indignation during the infamous interview after the Arnold Classic 2017 may have become, or we hope will become, a turning point for the end of the freak show.
Recommended: How natural is modern natural bodybuilding?
Modern bodybuilding is a balancing act on a thin line
The three rules on which professional bodybuilding is built are as follows: every professional bodybuilder must know
- how to eat properly,
- how to train properly,
- how to properly use pharmacology.
In general, modern professional bodybuilding is a game whose essence lies in overcoming a series of tough challenges, some of which are non-trivial.
This game requires solving a rather complex task: how to manage every aspect of muscle mass gain and body cutting before competitions. The algorithm for solving it is the same for everyone, but its implementation is individual.
All challenges are integrated into a single chain like its links: making mistakes at any stage threatens to break the entire chain.
To win competitions, it is necessary to demonstrate not only size but also details.
Muscle mass gain and body cutting in modern professional bodybuilding is achieved through the use of several dozen pharmacological agents. Mistakes in their application are what we observe on stage.
A big belly in a bodybuilder definitely indicates gross mistakes in the use of pharmacology
Popular theories about the causes of belly growth in bodybuilding
One of the most popular theories for the formation of a “big belly” is called the consequence of taking growth hormone, sometimes anabolic steroids and insulin are blamed.
There is no opinion from scientists and doctors on this issue, as such studies are simply not conducted: from the scientists’ perspective, experiments with pharmacology, which is potentially dangerous to health and life, are unethical.
All we can do is speculate.
We recommend: Doping in sports: consequences of use and side effects
1 Large doses of insulin and growth hormone
The usual dose of insulin is 10-12 IU (1 IU ~ 0.034 mg) before and after training. For comparison, diabetics take about 50-60 IU per day and their bellies do not grow (except for fat ones). So, it is likely not about insulin.
The typical dosage of growth hormone in professional bodybuilding is 9-18 IU (1 UI ~ 0.33 mg). Most pros never exceed this. They often limit themselves to 4-12 IU.
Taking the maximum of 18 IU, which is about 6 mg. In medicine, doses up to 10 mg and higher are used to treat various conditions (for example, insufficient growth hormone production in children or acquired immunodeficiency).
Of course, it is necessary to consider that athletes have a high natural level of growth hormone, and for therapeutic purposes, it is usually prescribed to those with impaired natural production. Although it is also said that regular injections of the hormone by athletes suppress its natural production.
Doctors who prescribe hormonal therapy or insulin to their patients never warn them that they may develop a belly. Such facts are not found on bodybuilding forums dedicated to pharmacology, and we do not see people on the streets with a muscle bag in the abdominal area (although who knows what’s under the shirts of the guys ;))
In accordance with the arguments presented above, there is very little reason to believe that the cause of belly growth is a large dose of growth hormone or insulin.
Most often, the causes of a big belly in bodybuilding are attributed to large doses of growth hormone and insulin. But in reality, the dosages do not exceed those used for medical purposes.
We recommend: Reviews from scientists on the effectiveness of various growth hormone preparations
2 Internal organs are growing
– The fact that growth hormone and insulin cause an increase in muscle mass is indisputable. But could it be that along with the muscles, other organs are also growing, including the stomach, spleen, and liver, which cause the belly to protrude?
It is known in medicine that growth hormone has a universal effect and is responsible for the growth and development of the body as a whole: it ensures the growth of bones and muscle framework and to some extent other organs.
However, agree that there are no facts of discovering giant spleens during autopsies that would have inevitably leaked onto the internet. At least, we do not know of them.
The hypothesis of hypertrophy of internal organs will have no basis until someone demonstrates a gallbladder the size of… a melon.
The protrusion of the belly due to the pressure of growing internal organs also seems to be a myth, as there are simply no known facts of discovering giant organs during autopsies.
3 Abdominal muscles are growing
Gaining muscle mass is what we engage in bodybuilding for.
The majority of sports nutrition products (proteins, creatine, amino acids), pharmacology (anabolic steroids, growth hormone, insulin), diets, and training – all are aimed at increasing muscle mass.
Recommended: Natural Bodybuilding: How to Gain Muscle Mass?
The abdomen is covered with abdominal muscles, which can grow under the influence of the mentioned mechanisms just like biceps and triceps.
This means that a huge belly in large bodybuilders can form due to the growth of abdominal muscle mass. And this reason seems to be the most likely of all the ones listed above.
It is hard to imagine that a modern 135 kg bodybuilder with a height of 180 cm would have the same waist as a 105 kg colleague (weight Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the era of classic bodybuilding.
– But how is that possible: in the 80s and 90s, bodybuilders were already actively using growth hormone and insulin… why weren’t there bellies back then?
Hmm… Perhaps there were bellies back then, just in smaller numbers and they “were shy” to go on stage, admitting that they “overdid it.” Or maybe the pharmacology was used more cautiously, as is always the case at the beginning with everything unknown.
Today, the muscle mass of bodybuilders has reached unprecedented sizes. Greater muscle mass also means larger abdominal muscles.
The most likely reason for the growth of bellies in bodybuilders is the increase in abdominal muscle mass.
4 Diuretics + Carbohydrates during Body Drying
Improper nutrition can significantly influence the size of the belly, especially “carbohydrate loading” at the end of body drying before competitions, which is used to fill the muscles and give them volume.
What happens during this:
Before carbohydrate loading, the body is severely dehydrated due to the use of diuretics and is in a state of colossal deficiency of certain microelements (potassium, sodium, calcium, etc.).
Besides the fact that this is very dangerous for health and life (diuretics are considered one of the most dangerous types of sports chemistry, see Diuretics: Harm and Side Effects of Use), it leads to a significant slowdown in the digestive process: carbohydrates must be transformed into muscle glycogen, and for this, water is needed, which is absent.
As a result, the digestive process stops, food accumulates in the stomach, while the bodybuilder continues to eat. To accommodate the food, the abdominal muscles must stretch. At the same time, they fill with fluid (blood), as happens with all muscles during their work or stretching. Together, this creates the “bubble” effect in the abdominal area.
The reason for the increase in belly size may be a decrease in digestion speed, as a result of taking diuretics and subsequent carbohydrate loading in a dehydrated state.
We recommend: Diuretics in Bodybuilding: Types and Mechanism of Action
What to do to prevent a growing belly?
Professional bodybuilders are better off preparing for competitions under the supervision of specialists who have a detailed understanding of pharmacology and the biochemistry of the body.
In general: listen less to gym buddies, and more to scientists and doctors.
A protruding belly is a sign of underperformance by both the coach and the athlete. Its presence should definitely be taken into account by judges when scoring. It would be better to completely disqualify such “athletes”.
The goal of competitions is to select the best, and the task of bodybuilders is to strive for the ideal form, which, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, should represent the letter X, implying a narrow, fully controlled waist and the athlete’s ability to pull in their belly at the right time during posing.
Arnold’s Call to Professionals
Probably, if you are reading this article, you are following the news in the world of bodybuilding and should know that Arnold publicly condemned the president of the IFBB in anger after the “pregnant freaks” show at the Arnold Classic 2017.
Arnold stated that “the standards of modern bodybuilding have degraded to such an extent that the bodies of athletes no longer look beautiful and athletic, and are far from being an example that others would want to emulate“.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the first to publicly criticize the judging at elite competitions. But he is likely the first who is not going to calmly watch their degradation. And it is very likely that serious changes in their rules should be expected soon.
A protruding belly, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, should definitely be considered by judges as a negative factor in bodybuilding competitions.
