Hormones
Anabolic Steroids
This manmade derivative of testosterone
Dosing
Typically used in a stacking Regimen, where they are administered with
several different drugs simultaneously.
One anabolic agent’s potency may be enhanced when consumed with
another.
A lot of people take anabolic steroids on a cycle. This means for some weeks
or months and then discontinued for weeks or months.
Many athletes take drugs in pyramid patterns where dosages increase over
weeks and decrease later.
Who uses anabolic steroids?
Olympic athletes, pro athletes, college athletes, and high scholars have been
seen to use steroids.
Many steroid users don’t use them for sports.
Efficacy
Muscle mass and strength
Increased protein synthesis in muscles is likely with steroid use.
Changes happen for recreational and competitive users.
Increased athletic performance.
Psychological Effects
Anabolic steroid usage can change aggression, arousal, and irritability.
Adverse effects
Associated medical problems may be overstated.
Many side effects will reverse when you cease using them.
Side effects differ among people but may include:
Cardiovascular
Lipid profile changes
Increased Blood Pressure
Lessened Myocardial Function
Endocrine
Gynecomastia
Lessened sperm count
Testicular atrophy
Impotence and Transient Infertility
Genitourinary
Decreased sperm count and testicular size in males.
Menstrual irregularities, Clitoromegaly, and Masculinization in females.
Gynecomastia and libido changes in males and females.
Dermatological
Acne and male pattern baldness
Hepatic
Increased risk of tumor and damage to the liver.
Musculoskeletal
Premature epiphyseal plate closure.
Increased risk for tearing tendons.
Intramuscular abscess
Psychological
Mania
Depression
Aggression
Mood swings
Testosterone Precursors
Performance changes may not happen with prohormone use, but athletes may
have a greater risk for adverse side effects like those associated with anabolic
steroid use.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
HCG offers no enhancement in performance for women, but it can increase
testosterone production in men.
Insulin
Increases the synthesis of protein, but hypoglycemia side effects can be fatal.
Human Growth Hormone
Efficacy
No studies on efficacy in athletes
The anabolic potential of GHG and its ability to reduce body fat have given rise to
HGH use in athletes.
Adverse effects
Growth hormone is used as replacement therapy for people with deficiencies and
can be effective. Osages for athletes give significant risks for acromegaly.
Erythropoietin
EPO injections have to do with increases in hematocrit and hemoglobin.
Some health risks are increased blood clotting, higher systolic blood pressure,
hurt thermoregulatory systems, and dehydration while aerobically exercising.
B-Adrenergic Agonists
These can increase lean mass and decrease stored fats.
B-Blockers
These can reduce anxiety and tremors while performing.
Dietary Supplements
Essential Amino Acids
EAAs may augment the synthesis of muscle proteins in healthy people.
Leucine is a main part of regulation in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. It
activates the Akt/mTOR pathways in skeletal muscle, which is important for
synthesizing skeletal muscle protein.
Arginine
Claims associated with arginine supplementation are the ability to raise nitric
oxide levels, raise muscle blood flow, and improve performance when exercising.
There isn’t much evidence that arginine supplements do this.
Oral arginine supplementation is not recommended for healthy athletes.
B-Hydroxy-B-Methylbutyrate
HMB stimulates the synthesis of proteins and decreases the breakdown of proteins
by inhibiting ubiquitin proteasome pathways. It may be an effective supplement to
reduce lean muscle loss in a catabolic state.
HMB is most effective when you have adequate training stimuli. For the untrained,
it requires little training stimulus. For the trained, it requires high intensity and
high volume resistance programs.
Nutritional Muscle Buffers
B-Alanine
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium Citrate
L-Carnitine
L-Carnitine study’s show unclear efficacy in its role as an ergogenic acid that
increases lipid oxidation.
It may increase exercise recovery times.
Creatine
Importance of Creatine to Exercise
It has the ability to rapidly rephosphorylate ADP, which depends on the enzyme
creatine kinase and creatine phosphates availability in muscles.
Creatine Supplementation
These supplements increase the creatine content of muscles by about 20%, with a
saturation limit.
Creatine supplementation has been shown to raise max strength, power, and
amount of lean body mass in trained and untrained people.
Creatine is safe and also pretty inexpensive.
Efficacy
Significant ergogenic benefits have been shown.
Body Mass Changes
Prolonged creatine supplementation has shown increased body weight, mostly
with fat free mass. This is mostly due to total body water increases.
Adverse Effects
Creatine does not enhance risks for dehydration and cramping.
Stimulants
Caffeine
Efficacy
Increased time until exhaustion
Unclear sprint and power effects
Caffeine is ergogenic in 3 – 9 mg/kg of body weight doses before exercise.
No benefit after the 9 mg/kg of body weight.
Decreased feelings of perceived exertion, an improved capacity for work, and
mental alertness increase.
Adverse Effects
Causes anxiety, GI disturbances, Restlessness, Insomnia, Tremors, and Heart
Arrhythmias, And increases the risks for heart illness.
Physically addicting
No harmful fluid imbalances when exercising have been found.
Preworkout Energy Drinks
The most common ingredients are: caffeine, carbs, B vitamins, Tyrosine, and
ginkgo biloba
Efficacy
Effective for raising resistance training volume performance, but not as responsive
during other anaerobic exercises.
A minimum of 2 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass has increased cycling and
running performance.
Ephedrine
Efficacy
Effective when used with caffeine
Improves mostly Aerobic endurance
Adverse Effects
Lots of adverse effects, like death
Banned by most governing institutions.
Citrus Aurantium
Efficacy
May contribute to the suppression of appetite, increased rate of metabolism, and
lipolysis.
Time to fatigue improves when combined with caffeine
Adverse effects
Increased blood pressure and vasoconstriction