How unhealthy is bodybuilding? How long are you expected to live? etc

[SSAlexSS]

* First, lets make sure that we are on a same page. Resistence training can be the healthiest exercise possible... Howeever I am talking about bbing, which means eating and training really hard, and eventually for some people... roids.... *


I know that bodybuilding is unhealthy: eating too much puts strain on your system (anyone know the data on what might happen and what calorie range is accepteble??)
carrying dozens of pounds of muscle mass puts great strain on the heart (the heart has to pump to all parts of the bodies, and by adding miles of cardiovascular networks the heart has to work so much harder)...


Any reason to that? What is unhealthy amount of calories for a bber to consume??

reply please...


P.S.
how much will my life be shorted because of bbing>?>

 

[BigDdaGanjalist]

Good question.


Well if you also train cardiovascularly, the stroke volume of your heart will go up so that it can sufficiently supply blood to the whole body, in theory.

*bump*

 

[MrMuscle]

live fast, die young, be a beautifull corpse

 

[Grizzly]

That's crap! Bodybuilding is not bad for you at all. The whole "carrying lots of muscle" thing is kind of true, but for most people it's not going to be a factor. Until you reach freaking gigantic you're not doing anything your body can't handle. And, even then, there's plenty of guys who have been freaking gigantic and they're all still alive. So, I guess the answer is: it won't do shit to shorten your life.

 

[NYC BOY]

u think u will longer when u are a small chicken?
only the biggest survive!

 

[Blood&Iron]

It depends on what how you approach things. There is some evidence that severe caloric restriction can lead to to a longer life-span, but the only data is from mice, so it's questionable whether this pertains to humans or not. Given the average life-span of a human, it's unlikely there will be any conclusive studies in the near future. Even most non-bodybuilders don't do this though, so it's pretty much a moot point. Additionally, their is some evidence that bodybuilding, even without steroids, might lead to a somewhat enlarged heart, which could also shorten one's life-span. Lifting ballistically, or with improper form, over an extended period of time will lead to joint problems, but this is more a quality of life issue. Bodybuilders also tend to take things to extremes, and since there is little available evidence, it's hard to say what effects very long term creatine use, super-high protein intake, and extened use of things like ECA might have. Steroids, used chronically, will almost certainly have a negative effect on life-span. But if you look at the trainers of the past, e.g. Steve Reeves, Reg Park, Vince Gironda, etc, many lived(Reg Park is still alive.) quite long lives. Most did not use steroids(Park did but in relatively small amounts) or vast amounts of supplements though. Provided you approach things with a modicum of intelligence, you'll probably have at least an average, to above average, life-expectancy

 

[Grizzly]

I'm glad you brought up Steve Reeves, Blood&Iron. When I was in the gym today I was thinking about this, as I was attempting to amass a completely unhealthy amount of muscle mass . Well, I thought of both him and Bill Pearl. Reeves just recently died at a quite advanced age. Bill Pearl, who was a damn big boy, is still alive and must be right around 70 or so. Even if it were to shorten your life span, how much older could someone want to be? Shit, most folks don't make it to 70 let alone beyond. Obviously, it's not going to do too much damage.

Oh, SSAlexSS, who the hell put that notion into your head? Have you been listening to you mommy again? I know mine's convinced that I'm absolutely destroying myself because no one knows what those evil protein powders will do to you in a few years. The ignorance kills me!

 

[Devon1299]

Lifting shorten life BS!

Last year in health class this 60 something year old dude came in, I actually thought he was about 40. He said he started lifting young and has kept up with it his whole life. This guy was ripped and said he is in the healthest condition he's ever been in. It surprised the hell out of me because I thought old people couldn't have ripped huge muscles. He acutually allowed a kid to punch him multiple times in the stomach to "prove" his six pack, after some smart ass claimed it was just fat. quite interesting. Lifting must be healthy!

 

[fhg43]

* First, lets make sure that we are on a same page. Resistence training can be the healthiest exercise possible... Howeever I am talking about bbing, which means eating and training really hard, and eventually for some people... roids.... *


I know that bodybuilding is unhealthy: eating too much puts strain on your system (anyone know the data on what might happen and what calorie range is accepteble??)
carrying dozens of pounds of muscle mass puts great strain on the heart (the heart has to pump to all parts of the bodies, and by adding miles of cardiovascular networks the heart has to work so much harder)...


Any reason to that? What is unhealthy amount of calories for a bber to consume??

reply please...


P.S.
how much will my life be shorted because of bbing>?>

Well it really all depends on how you go about it. If you add lots of muscle you should do some cardio to strengthen your heart so it can pump more blood about your bod. Eating healthy is good, but constant dieting and caloric restriction can be bad (I mean eating 2000cals to lean out).

My $.02: By working out and having a well balanced diet you won't shorten your life.

Adding 30lbs of musle in 12 weeks and not simultaneously training your cardiovascular system will put a strain on your heart. Seriously restriction calories or not eating carbs and only protein won't be good for your liver or kidneys. Taking roids all the time will probably screw your hormone levels.

You can do all the above stuff but if you do it wrong and don't look out for your health you're fucked. Do your cardio. Eat clean, balanced meals and don't starve your body. If you use AS do your homework and be careful-If you want freaky size (thru AS,GH, etc..) you may need to accept the fact you are doing permanent damage is some way...possibly-who really knows?!.

Really there are healthy ways to do everything, but you have to do your research and know how to do the right way for you and your body.

FHG

 

[Blood&Iron]

Grizzly-
The bodybuilders to whom you refer are examples of "healthy" bodybuilding. Steve Reeves, in particular, never used AS, had a fairly moderate bodyweight, and was always as concerned with general health as with his appearance. Bill Pearl has been a vegetarian for the last 40 years or so(Not saying this is necessarily healthier than eating meat.) and used very small amounts of AS(5mg of D-bol a day) for a fairly short period of time. If you even skip ahead 10 to 20 years to look at the crop of bodybuilders of Arnold's era they seem to be dropping like flies. Arnold's recent heart troubles(He full of shit IMO when he denies they had anything to do with AS.) Don Stevens, a contemporary of Arnold's, died recently, as well as a BB'er featured in Pumping Iron whose name I can't recall at the moment. I figure a lot of today's pros won't make it much past their mid-fifties. Look at Don Long, Lee Priest, Flex Wheeler, etc, etc, etc. That kind of pharmaceutical abuse definitely has consequences, as, in all likelihood, does anything taken to extremes.