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When most people hear the word “anabolic,” they
automatically assume the subject is drugs, specifically anabolic
steroids. This isn’t a word that was coined for or by
drug-using athletes, however. It’s been around for a
long time; long before anyone even knew about anabolic steroids.
The word “anabolic” is the adjective form of “anabolism,”
which, according to one dictionary, is “constructive
metabolism characterized by the conversion of simple substances
into the more complex compounds of living matter.” In
terms of bodybuilding that means turning amino acids into
the complex proteins that make up muscle fibers and increase
muscle size.
Catabolism, the adjective form of which is catabolic, is the
opposite of anabolism. In catabolism the more complex substances
that make up body tissues such as fat and muscle are metabolized
to simpler substances such as fatty acids and amino acids,
respectively.
The world of muscle is ruled by the balance between these
two forces. That’s what determines your muscle mass.
If anabolism is greater than catabolism, you’ll get
bigger muscles. If the reverse is true, your muscles will
shrink. The whole premise behind bodybuilding is to have the
good guys (the anabolic heroes) whip the bad guys (the catabolic
villains). Everything you read and hear about bodybuilding
revolves around this central issue.
Is that all it takes to become a bodybuilding success? I hear
you ask. Then how do I do it? How do I stay on the right side
of the anabolic fence?
Well, it all depends on your genes and your know-how.
Sure, it helps if you’re built like a brick outhouse,
with the genetics of a Ronie Coleman. If you have the genes,
it’s easier to remain in an anabolic state, but even
that’s often not enough. You’ve got to have sufficient
information about training, diets and supplements to make
use of those genetics.
What’s more, if your genes are geared for the Pee-wee
Herman look, you really have to know what you’re doing.
While doing things almost right may give people who are metabolically
blessed dramatic results, the rest of us don’t have
that luxury. Most of us can’t afford to make any mistakes
if we want to make dramatic gains. Our workouts, diets and
supplementation have to be spot on.
We can’t afford to over- or under-train. We can’t
afford to use anything less than the most anabolic diet. We
can’t afford not to use the handful of supplements that
really work. We must carefully, deliberately and intelligently
shape our less-than-perfect potential to be all that we can
be.
There’s something we have to have before we do all that
training, dieting and supplementation, however. We have to
have balls and I’m not talking about testosterone levels.
For most of us it takes guts to stay in a positive anabolic
state and make it into the big leagues. If you haven’t
got it where it counts, it doesn’t matter how much potential
you have. You’ll always be a never-was or a flash in
the pan. If the words “courage,” “dedication,
perseverance,” “concentration” and “desire”
are too strong for you, then stick to the suds in the backroom
with the good old boys because you’ll never make it.
Of course, those who are genetically blessed have an easier
time of it. They can make it despite being less consistent
in their training, taking longer layoffs and paying less attention
to their diets and supplements. They can sometimes even get
away with abusing recreational drugs and alcohol and still
succeed, at least for a while and as long as they’re
using anabolic drugs.
I know bodybuilders who skip workouts, abuse their bodies
and pay only lip service to nutrition but are still ahead
of many others who have less potential but train harder and
longer, take all the right supplements, watch their diets,
get enough rest and don’t overdo any of life’s
so-called pleasures. Regardless of potential, however, if
you want to develop what you have to the fullest (and not
lose it overnight) you’ve got to be willing to work
for it and persevere in the face of pain and frustration.
If you don’t have the desire to succeed and the ability
to carry it through, you’ll waste your physical potential.
It’s the desire that fires your workouts, pushing you
to your limit and developing your physique and strength to
the maximum.
Even if you’ve got the potential of a Coleman, the courage
of a lion, the conviction of a Martin Luther King and the
ability to concentrate on your training in the middle of an
earthquake, you still have to have a master plan. You have
to set realistic goals for yourself, plan your workouts, experiment
with training methods and equipment, pace yourself when you’re
injured, eat right, avoid abusing your body and take whatever
help you can from bodybuilders and trainers and any others
who are more knowledgeable than you are.
Your master plan should have built-in flexibility so you can
make adjustments for injuries, shortcomings in your physique
and, if you compete, your contest performances. If things
don’t go as planned, then you must make changes in your
training, diet, supplementation, precontest preparations and
whatever else is limiting your progress.
Even though you’re shooting for the top, you have to
be realistic about your capabilities. Pushing too fast, too
hard will only result in overtraining and unnecessary injuries
and will rapidly put a stop to your progress.
Set reasonable short- and long-term goals for yourself. Realistically,
what bodyweight and percentage of bodyfat do you want to hit
in the next 12 weeks? For your next competition? A year from
now? Eventually? It’s essential to know what you hope
to achieve and when in order to be able to plan all the factors
that contribute to reaching your goals.
If you compete, it’s best to schedule your competitions
so that there’s a natural progression (local to regional
to national to international) leaving yourself enough time
to prepare yourself properly for each event and, one hopes,
improving as the competition year progresses. After each event
reassess your goals, judge your performance and make any necessary
changes that will lead to an improved performance at the next
contest. Learn to coolly dissect your performance at each
competition so that you learn from your mistakes.
Along with the ability to drive yourself to new heights must
come the ability to relax effectively. This includes relaxing
between workouts, getting enough sleep and maintaining a reasonable
lifestyle, which means no smoking, no excessive drinking and
not too many so-called good times. Learning how to deal with
the stress of training and competition is also part of the
overall plan and, like improving your physique, takes a calculated
effort.
As you meet your short-term goals, visions of sugar plums
will start dancing in your head. You’ll enjoy what you’re
doing and feel good about the progress you’re making.
You’ll look forward to your workouts, and, in turn,
your workouts will be more consistent and productive. (No
half-baked excuses for missing workouts here.)
The result of all this positive thinking, dedication and hard
work, along with your training, dieting and nutritional wisdom,
will be success, perhaps not right away but eventually.
Related Articles
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Steroids
Muscle Recovery
in Bodybuilding
The Low Down
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