Who cares about health?

[bodydouble]

After thinking about what bodybuilding is really about, is health just something you would like in addition to your cosmetic purpose?

Sure, the health of the average American sucks so it's easy to be superior in comparison; but bodybuilding is not about health as a first priority.

[bigdawg19]

Health should alway's come before look's because the last thing you want is to end up in some home or hospital having someone else wipe your butt instead of you being able to do it yourself.

[LayItDown]

Regardless if you're a national level guy or just a local level guy health should be #1. For me my health is first and foremost. there are certain compounds I will never touch due to pre-existing problems i have/had. Bloodwork also i believe is a must whether you are natural or npc.

[bernard]

this is just ignorant. if health is not your priority then you will not be a top level bodybuilder. top pros, although they take some risks, are at the top because they are not injured or in the hospital.

never seen someone win a show without kidneys or a liver.

[ScottyMac710]

this is just ignorant. if health is not your priority then you will not be a top level bodybuilder. top pros, although they take some risks, are at the top because they are not injured or in the hospital.

never seen someone win a show without kidneys or a liver.

While I absolutely agree that bbers should keep their health as top priority, I have to say - most top pros are running levels of compounds that are putting their bodies through insane amounts of stress .. a large part of being a top pro is having the ability to handle the dosages they have to run without getting sides that halt your progress imo. not to mention the fact that they run diuretics that stress bodily organs which leave many needing IV or transfusion following a show, stimulants that stress the heart and the CNS for several months leading up to a show, high doses of oral compounds that stress the liver an kidneys - many do so almost year-round, the list goes on.. I'm not trying to say anything overly negative as i have a huge amount of respect for these guys for the bodies they have built and the determination and willpower it takes to get where they are, but alot of what they do is simply not healthy - just my .02, i know some may disagree

[MikeS]

How do people suddenly know what the pro's are using? Unless you are close to them, and if you were you wouldnt be spilling the beans, we have no clue.

At its core bodybuilding is about health first and foremost - check the history books. Professional bodybuilding is another thing. Just like any industry, you start attaching monetary rewards and people will do whatever it takes to get it. Professional athletes take drugs to win medals, bankers/managers/etc use stimulants in an attempt to get more done, students take drugs to help cognition, musicians and pilots use beta blockers to stop them getting nervous and the list goes on!

I'm sure it was Conte who said 'we live in a pharmaceutically enhanced society' and its so true. Bodybuilding isnt alone in the fact the top guys probably arent putting their health first. For example fat women buy cosmetics when they should probably be spending that money on a treadmill, gym membership or personal trainer instead.

[Sledge]

I train primarily for health.

However most sports when taken to highley competitive levels reach a stage where they become unhealthy. I Think the practice of building lean muscle mass is healthy. It's when this comes at the expense of cardiovascular health or creates medical issues like hypertension that it becomes unhealthy.

[irishmuscle]

health should be absolutly first and foremost,there is no point in being the best bb in the ground! altho sometimes i wonder bout all the supps we take,a lot of ingredients i cant pronounce nevermind spell

[Pheedno]

to surmise health is the top priority of a bodybuilder is being, either naive or intellectually dishonest(I'm talking about non-natural competitors). What should be, is usually, not what is. Of course their are exceptions to this.
That said, the fundamentals are certainly health based, but the supplemental aspect takes a step back from that

[Swede]

lol @ thinking anyone at the Mr O stage gives a fuck about health. They can CLAIM that they do but they wouldnt be on a olympioa stage if they Really cared.

They might put on boots while walking through the fire but they are still walking through the fire.

[ob205]

I think if you are not a Pro,then health should be of utmost importance. I think it also depends on the individuals risk tolerance. I think riding a motorcycle looks great, I don't because in Florida the chance of being run over by a senior citizen is high. I just don't see the risk-reward ratio being favorable.

If a competetive BB can achieve his goals and maintain their health, great. I still think it is a game of russian roulette, just some have more bullets in the cylinder than others.

[Youngguns]

Natural bodybuilders are the epitome of health!

[Swede]

Natural bodybuilders are the epitome of health!

Its funny isn't it?

They are, and then further down the same "sport" its the Exact opposite lol.

[bryantone]

I train primarily for health.

However most sports when taken to highley competitive levels reach a stage where they become unhealthy. I Think the practice of building lean muscle mass is healthy. It's when this comes at the expense of cardiovascular health or creates medical issues like hypertension that it becomes unhealthy.

^^^^x2. Id rep you, but since you have over 2million, you wouldnt even notice

[MattyH7688]

Die for mass.

[natenator]

For example fat women buy cosmetics when they should probably be spending that money on a treadmill, gym membership or personal trainer instead.

Well hold on here. Since when did being healthy equate to a LOOK of being healthy? That fat woman may be fat but health wise she may be perfectly healthy - no pre or existing diabetes, no BP issues, heart healthy, etc, etc, etc.

Looks and health have a relatively low linear relationship

[Young Gotti]

wouldn't pro bb'ers get more bloodwork done than the average person? so they'd be able to catch anything serious quicker.....almost like they can monitor how close they can push themselves before it becomes detrimental

doesn't mean or make them healthy but i don't know if they just throw all caution to the wind...they gotta take chances getting really close to messing themselves up

[Chong Li]

lol @ thinking anyone at the Mr O stage gives a fuck about health. They can CLAIM that they do but they wouldnt be on a olympioa stage if they Really cared.

They might put on boots while walking through the fire but they are still walking through the fire.

great post

[Chong Li]

wouldn't pro bb'ers get more bloodwork done than the average person? so they'd be able to catch anything serious quicker.....almost like they can monitor how close they can push themselves before it becomes detrimental

doesn't mean or make them healthy but i don't know if they just throw all caution to the wind...they gotta take chances getting really close to messing themselves up

you really think competitor X, on test, tren, gh, anti-e, orals, slin who is doing a 16 week prep is going to say "oh my HDL is 12, and my BP is 160 over 90" at week 7 is going to say "im going to just stop right now." ? No....

[Natural_O]

I think if you are not a Pro,then health should be of utmost importance. I think it also depends on the individuals risk tolerance. I think riding a motorcycle looks great, I don't because in Florida the chance of being run over by a senior citizen is high. I just don't see the risk-reward ratio being favorable.

If a competetive BB can achieve his goals and maintain their health, great. I still think it is a game of russian roulette, just some have more bullets in the cylinder than others.

A guy from my gym out here in Tampa just got into two consecutive accidents riding his motorcycle. He broke his leg after getting hit by a car in the first one and just as he got the cast off and was rehabbing his leg, he got hit again and broke his forearm. The drivers out here (young and old) are dangerous!

[Natural_O]

On average, most young people don't think about their health and they think they will live forever or nothing is going to hurt them. As we start to get older, we begin to think about our health more. It's sad to see some of the bodybuilding champions from back in the day getting older, looking frail and having health problems. I just heard Sergio is now on kidney dialysis 3x a week and is in very bad health.

[5 Grams year round baby]

I've noticed that the only time i worry about health is when something goes wrong with my health, when im fine again i don't give a shit.

[data]

I know a national level heavy weight pretty closely and he shoots around 2-3 grams of testosterone per year, anywhere from 6-10iu of growth depending on what he can afford, and a couple times a year he'll toss in some tren and anadrol. Funny thing is aside from some hair loss and some acne he is virtual side effect free. He doesn't think about his health to be honest he maybe goes in for blood work twice a year which always comes up perfect.

Last year I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 30 so that was a big wake up call. Had my cancer had another name I might not be sitting here eating french toast with my 2 year old son. A 20 year old will hardly see past the following weekend but when you have children to support you tend to think in terms of 10-20 year plans lol.

[Chong Li]

Data i forget if you told me but are you on TRT now since the surgery.

[data]

yes sir. self prescribed tho. i have a doc who will just give me a trt dose level but fuck it i'm staying on a gram a week.

[nsp]

this is just ignorant. if health is not your priority then you will not be a top level bodybuilder. top pros, although they take some risks, are at the top because they are not injured or in the hospital.

never seen someone win a show without kidneys or a liver.

Tell that to Dorian Yates who won a sandow with a torn bicep, or Andreas Munzer, Mohammed Benaziza, Art Atwood or Don Youngblood who died trying to reach his level. Sure you can't win a show without kidneys or liver, but a countless number of bodybuilders destroy these very same organs in the pursuit of bodybuilding success, Don long, Flex Wheeler, Markio Savolainen ect.

[joe d]

excessive drug use, diet, and training destroy your health. no secret there. i dont think health has a place in most of todays bbing. it certainly didnt in mine.

[nsp]

excessive drug use, diet, and training destroy your health. no secret there. i dont think health has a place in most of todays bbing. it certainly didnt in mine.

Quoted for truth. The only things bodybuilders do for the sake of health is all preventative and in compensation for the stress bodybuilding induces.

[mac187]

I train in a hardcore spit and sawdust gym where gear use is rife - and sometimes i just like to take a backseat and look at the guys who train in there...what is instantly noticeable is that most of the guys don't actually even look healthy!

Don't want to be a hypocrite because there was a time where i was the same, just trying to push as much food into my mouth as possible and train as hard as possible. But i have tried hard to change my approach to training and nutrition in the last six months.

[Provo82]

this is just ignorant. if health is not your priority then you will not be a top level bodybuilder. top pros, although they take some risks, are at the top because they are not injured or in the hospital.

never seen someone win a show without kidneys or a liver.

good post