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August 12, 2024 By Vandana Juneja 3 Comments

Natural Bodybuilding vs Steroid Bodybuilding

natural bodybuilding vs steroid bodybuildingThis topic is one of the most discussed in the bodybuilding community and is very controversial too. Both natural bodybuilding and steroid bodybuilding have been practiced since long and each group feels that their method of body building is “right”. Before coming to a conclusion, let’s first understand the difference between the two and then decide which one is better.

Natural Bodybuilding 

  • Naturally bodybuilders do not use any sort of synthetic steroids or other drugs in order to build more muscle mass or get leaner. They entirely rely on lifting heavy weights, consuming a healthy diet and getting plenty of rest.
  • Natural bodybuilders may not be able to put on as much muscle mass as steroid users but they build muscles that are long lasting and sustainable.
  • Besides building muscles that last, they have a better overall health and faster metabolism.
  • It reduces blood pressure, increases bone density and keeps cholesterol levels under control. It improves your metabolism, reduces your fat percentage and is a great stress buster.

Steroid Bodybuilding

  • These builders use Anabolic-androgenic steroids. These drugs are a synthetic form of testosterone (the male hormone), are injected into the body for quick benefits but are illegal in most competitions.
  • Steroids may give you the pump to train at a higher level than you could possibly do naturally. Your recovery rate would be faster, you would be able to train for longer and build more muscle mass but all of this comes with several side effects and are potentially dangerous, in the long run!
  • Some of the serious side-effects of taking steroids for bodybuilding include:
    • Hormonal Imbalances – Suppressed Testosterone Production 
    • Infertility, low libido, testicular atrophy, Gynecomastia (breast tissue growth in a man) 
    • Accelerated Hair loss
    • Skin issues – Acne/Oily Skin
    • Increased heart rate
    • Increased LDL Cholesterol, Hypertension, Increased risk of Stroke/Heart attack
    • Liver Toxicity
    • Kidney Damage, Fluid retention
    • Mental Health Issues, Insomnia, Mood Swings
    • Increased risk of premature DEATH. 

Which is Better?

After reading the potential side effects of steroids, I’m sure you understand why going the natural way is the better choice! If you are looking to improve your appearance and increase overall health without any negative side effects, then you should stick to natural bodybuilding.

The best way to stay healthy and maintain a muscular body for long is finding ways to increase the natural testosterone production rather than counting on steroids that have dangerous health risks and eventually lose your muscles. If you are willing to train hard, have a proper plan, you will surely achieve your goal without any artificial/synthetic drug support. So, just set your goal and go after it!

To learn more about the natural ways to increase testosterone levels and bodybuilding, check out Healthy Reads or consult a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

June 20, 2024 By Tasneem Jawadwala 16 Comments

Healthy Weight Gain Tips

Weight Gain

We’ve heard one too many instances of people having great success with weight loss! In fact, every time I visit the gym, I come across many such success stories. However, I can’t help this sinking feeling that the real strugglers are the ones who want to gain weight and build muscles.

Are you one of them? Ever wondered what you’re doing wrong despite indulging in healthy food, doing every possible workout, and trying to increase your appetite? Let’s see how you can gain healthy weight. But before that…

Let’s See What You’re Doing Wrong

1. Protein: Gym trainers and dieticians often suggest including more protein, some in the form of powders and others suggest natural sources such as eggs, Sattu, curd, cottage cheese, and the likes. However, calculating the right amount of protein required is often missed. One requires around 1.25g/kg ideal body weight proteins to build up muscles. For example, if you are 60kg, then the required amount of protein required by you on a daily basis to build muscles is 75g.

If you aren’t having enough or the required amount of protein, you will not see a difference. Hence, take some time out and consult professionals who can help you calculate. To gain healthy weight and build muscles, you also need to watch your carbs, antioxidants, and workouts.

2. Carbohydrates: I’ve noticed this as a trend. Most people place so much emphasis on proteins that they forget about carbs. Did you know that if approximately 60% of your diet isn’t from carbohydrate sources, your body will utilize protein to supply energy? Which means your body will not have enough proteins for tissue building.

3. Antioxidants: Fruits and salads are often flawed to be used as a weight-loss diet. Vegetables and fruits are the best source of antioxidants that help in tissue repairs, prevent injuries and inflammation. So, include vegetables and fruits with Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in your diet on a daily basis.

4. Workout: Your workout should focus more on strength training; however, ensure that you still do some cardio. Cardio will help your heart and lungs function better, which in turn will prevent you from falling ill during your program.

Foods That Help in Healthy Weight Gain and Muscle Building

  • Dates: They are loaded with iron, natural sugar and antioxidants. Eat 4-5 dates before your workout as dates provide you with instant energy and prevent muscle damage.
  • Sweet Nuts or Pulse balls (Chikkis): This is a sweet dish made up of pulses, nuts or seeds. It is nothing but roasted whole gram, peanuts or sesame seeds and jaggery. It’s a perfect combination of proteins and carbohydrates. Munching on them as mid-meal snacks work as an energy booster.
  • Nut Shakes: A big serving of dry fruits is difficult to consume at a time, but having them in a powdered form with milk will supply your body with good amounts of protein.
  • Fruit Smoothie: Eating fruits with curd will help add some antioxidants to your protein dose. This is probably the tastiest and most delicious way to consume fruits!
  • Combination of Cereals and Pulses: Just eating a pulse at a time will really not help as it doesn’t provide us with good quality proteins. But, when combined with a cereal, it will provide the benefits of both protein and carbohydrates. Options like Dal Paratha (Pulse Flat Breads), Puranpoli (Sweet Jaggery Flat Breads), Khichdi (mix of pulses, rice and vegetables cooked together), and Idli (steamed rice pan cakes) should be considered.
  • Adding Vegetables to Meat: Eating a separate serving of vegetable becomes difficult. The meal size may exceed if we have 1 serving of vegetable for vitamins & minerals and 1 serving of non-veg preparation for proteins. The best option in my opinion is to combine a non-vegetarian source with vegetables. For instance, Spinach (Palak) Chicken, Tomato Omelet, and Capsicum Stuffed with Mince.
  • Peanut Butter: People often go overboard with regular butter and get major changes in lipid profile but no change in weight. Ideally, one should apply peanut butter on their bread slices for the right fats and protein combination.

The key rule for healthy weight gain is to go for nutrient-dense meals. These healthy compact meals do not require an extreme appetite boost. Focus on healthy weight gain and be patient while you are in a weight gain program as it’s easy to cut on fats but takes time to add on muscles. Remember, it took 9 months to give you around 3kg of weight at birth. Stay at it and be patient.

We hope this article helps you! For more, check out Healthy Reads or you can speak to a GOQii Coach directly for expert guidance and motivation. Subscribe for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

April 3, 2024 By Shagufta Raza 1 Comment

5 Alarming Effects of Overtraining & How To Manage Them

overtrainingOvertraining, in essence, is performing excessive training which your body is unable to recover from – both in and outside the gym. The less severe versions of overtraining may take you a week to recover from. While most fitness experts will tell you that overtraining is worse than undertraining, some people still choose to push themselves which result in alarming physical and psychological effects. 

Signs That You’re Overtraining 

Can you tell the difference between giving it your all and pushing yourself too hard? Here are some signs, symptoms and effects of overtraining you need to watch out for. 

  1. Increased Heart Rate: Check for the elevated resting heart rate. A healthy resting heart rate range is 60-100bpm (beats per minute) and usually, the fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be. If you’re overtraining, you may notice your resting heart rate will be 10-15 bpm higher than usual.
  2. 2. The Gaining or Losing Dilemma: This issue can be extremely problematic for people who gain weight unintentionally. The unexpected weight gain can lead to excessive workouts. The hormonal and inflammatory effects of overtraining can lead the body to lower thyroid function, crank out stress hormones, ramp up inflammatory cytokines, and create an overall environment that favours fat storage.
  3. Muscle Soreness: This is common when you exercise regularly. However, if you’re experiencing soreness for longer than 72hrs, you need a break as this could be a sign of overtraining. If you are aiming to build muscle, recovery is equally important. If your muscles aren’t recovering, it will have a negative impact on muscle gains and can also lead to muscle loss.
  4. Sleep Quality & Insomnia: Generally after a good workout at the gym, you may feel exhausted and fall asleep in no time. But you may notice that even after you have hit the gym and you are exhausted, you are still struggling to fall asleep. This can be linked to an overload on the hormonal and nervous system.
  5. Injuries: If you’re always getting injured or soreness which isn’t healing, then this could mean your body can’t cope with the pressure. Give it a break and take it slow. It’s absolutely vital to rest so that your body regains its strength.

The other signs and effects of overtraining may also include nausea, decreased appetite, allergic reactions, head colds/persistent upper respiratory tract infections, changes in menstrual patterns, decreased coordination and loss of strength. 

How Can You Manage It Effectively? 

Now that you’re aware of the effects, let’s take a look at how you can manage and take possible precautions! 

  • When you are weight training, ensure that you don’t exceed more than 45-75 minutes.
  • The right nutrition is the key to recovery. Make sure you plan your meals to ensure you’re refuelling effectively and getting the right amount of nutrients in your diet with your Pre and Post workout meals. You may require expert advice on this. You can subscribe to GOQii to get personalized advice from a coach and an expert. 
  • Quality Sleep: Physical recovery happens between 10pm to 2am. So getting in some early nights in will aid your recovery.
  • Heart rate devices are a great tool to measure recovery rates. Try these awesome GOQii Trackers. 
  • Plan Regular Rest Days: An excessively sore or weak muscle should be given adequate rest. A good rule of thumb is to wait for 48 hours before working the same muscle group. If that muscle group is still sore, you may need to wait even longer – sometimes up to 5 days.
  • Avoid eating late, sugary foods (or other stimulants). Follow a healthy diet and plan regular rest days until you’re back into a regular sleeping pattern.

 We hope this article helps you overcome all the hurdles to your training. Remember that giving it your best is okay but never overdo it. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

For more articles on training or for some effective and easy home workouts, check out Healthy Reads. To get into a proper training routine and not over-train, speak to an expert by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

June 12, 2023 By Mohammed Tufail Qureshi 1 Comment

All You Need To Know About Creatine

CreatineIf you regularly workout in the gym chances are that often you could get some sorts of advice in terms of what you should be eating, which is the right protein supplement that you should take, etc. Getting advice is one thing and but, nobody should take any supplement or put anything in their body without weighing the benefits and risks first. This goes for everything from beer to marshmallows to the amazing amino acid called Creatine.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a combination of three different amino acids, glycine, arginine, and methionine. Creatine is a well known substance, and while it offers benefits in terms of muscle and strength gain, it can also generate an energy boost that assists muscle recovery and decreases muscle fatigue.

When you take creatine in the powder form – it is in your blood stream for about 1 – 1.5 hours. For muscle growth, the creatine must be absorbed into the muscles. If you are working out and deplete your creatine supply in your muscles and you have creatine available in the blood stream, your muscles can replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in your blood.

How Does Creatine Help You? 

It is a naturally present nutrient in foods like meat, to some extent in certain types of fish but in low quantity. It gets stored in the muscle & regenerates ATP to produce explosive power output. Everyone from gym users, bodybuilders, power sports players to endurance athletes can see lean muscle gains, increased endurance, speedy recovery and improved performance with creatine.

When Should You Take Creatine? 

It is recommended to take creatine monohydrate with a simple carbohydrate source to help it absorb more quickly. A good time to take creatine would be right after your workout and early morning after waking up. It is highly absorbed post workout and first thing in the morning.

On rest days, creatine can help muscle recovery and can be consumed early morning after waking up along with simple carbs.

Creatine draws water to the muscles, so if you are not drinking enough water, dehydration and muscle cramps can be an issue. Also, due to the accumulation of creatine in the small intestine, you may experience stomach pains, diarrhea and an upset stomach. So drinking water and proper dosage is highly recommended.

Best taken in a cycle, 2 months on and 1 month off – 5gm/day.

If this article helped you, let us know in the comments below. You can find more articles on fitness here. To get more expert advice like this, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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