Tools of the Trade: Body Building Products
In a sense, bodybuilding is a sport that can be performed free of equipment. Any athlete can drop and pump out push ups, or perform pull ups or chin ups on a tree branch or on a piece of playground equipment. Dips can be done with the use of a chair, bed, rock, fence, desk or any other hard item. However, if bodybuilders wish to succeed in their sport, and wish to win championships and become an example of elite physique, body building products are a must. However, while some are beneficial, others can be equally counterproductive.
Toning and Defining
Some of the most popular body building products are weights. Weights can come as free-moving products, and they can come as entire machines. Some machines mimic the movements of free weights while others are cable systems, allowing for the user to get a free range of motion and engage various muscles simultaneously. While beginner bodybuilders should always work with their own body weight first, focusing on push ups and pull ups, weights are useful when body weight just is not enough anymore. Bodybuilders who desire to achieve the epitome of muscle definition and fitness will want to engage these body building products to gain the most resistance possible.
Other popular body building products are supplements. Dietary supplements, such as proteins and vitamins, help the bodybuilder achieve the necessary nutritional balance for muscle growth. The body needs enough energy to fuel the workout, but not too many carbohydrates to be stored as fat. Enough protein must also be consumed in order for the body to build muscle. Body fat percentages must be kept at a low through cardiovascular exercise, but enough calories must be consumed to work through the entire training session. Body building products help bodybuilders when food may not offer enough options.
While dietary supplements are legal, other body building products are not. Performance enhancement supplements, such as steroids and human growth hormones, are illegal. They provide competitors with an unfair advantage by aiding in muscle growth in an unnatural way. With these chemicals, bodybuilders are able to build large amounts of muscle mass, more than can be achieved through weight training alone. These body building products pose serious risks, however, and even death, and they are banned for a reason. Sadly, many professional competitions look the other way and continue to allow their athletes to use and abuse these supplements, putting both the individuals and the entire sport at risk.
