SECTION ONE: BODY TYPE

1) My bone structure is:

__ (a) Very Large  __ (b) Large to Medium   __ (c) Small to Frail

2) My body tends towards:

__ (a) Carrying too much fat   __ (b) Being lean and muscular   __ (c)

Being too skinny

3) My body looks:

Men answer here:

__ (a) Round and soft            __ (b) Square and rugged    __ (c) Long and

tenuous

Women answer here:

__ (a) Pear-shaped  __ (b) Hourglass-shaped   __ (c) Mostly straight up

and down

4) As a child I was:

__ (a) Chubby            __ (b) Normal            __ (c) Too thin

5) My activity level is:

__ (a) Sedentary   __ (b) Fairly Active    __ (c) Over active, can’t sit

still

6) My approach to life is:

__ (a) Laid back   __ (b) Dynamic    __ (c) Worrisome

7) My metabolism is:

__ (a) Slow   __ (b) Just right    __ (c) Too fast

People tell me:

__ (a) I should lose some weight   __ (b) Stay the same, that I look

fine

__ (c) I should gain some weight

9) If you encircle your wrist with your other hand’s middle finger and

thumb:

__ (a) Middle finger and thumb do not touch   __ (b) Middle finger and

thumb just touch

__ (c) Middle finger and thumb overlap

10) Concerning my weight, I:

__ (a) Gain weight easily, but find it hard to lose   __ (b) Gain or

lose weight fairly easily. Usualy stay about the same weight __ (c)

Have trouble gaining weight

11) I am hungry:

__ (a) Almost all the time   __ (b) Just at meal times         __ (c) Rarely

12) People would describle me as an:

__ (a) Emotional person   __ (b) Physical person    __ (c) Intellectual

person

RESULTS

Give yourself a 1 for each A answer, a 2 for each B answer and a 3 for

each C answer. Add them up and divide by 12.

Look below at the number you now have. If you come up with a fraction,

for example 1.5, then you are somewhere in-between those two body types.

And recommendations would be a middle approach.

1

You tend towards being an Endomorph, you biggest concern should be the

losing

of fat and adopting a lifestyle that keeps it off.

Strength training should be done to get a better muscle to fat ratio and

therefore improve metabolism. Use moderate weights at a fast training pace (very

little rest between sets and exercises).

You should lower your calorie intake (but not try to starve yourself)

and should eat frequent but small meals. Sugars, sweets and junk food should be

eliminated from your diet.

Engage daily in some activity like brisk walking, biking, etc., and try

to increase the amount of time you spend each week.

2

You tend towards being a Mesomorph and have a naturally fit body but to

maintain it or improve it you should exercise and diet correctly for your

type.

Strength training can be done more often and for longer sessions then

would be good for an Ectomorph, but you must still be careful not to overdo

it. You should train with moderate to heavy weighs and at a moderate pace,

not resting too long between sets. You will find you gain muscle quite easy

(some women and even men might not want to get too bulky, but this won’t

happen suddenly. When you are happy with your muscle size simply train to maintain it).

Stick to a good healthy diet to keep you lean and muscular, and watch

for any slow creeping fat gains.

Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, sports, etc. but do not overdo.

3

You tend towards being an Ectomorph, you should concentrate on gaining

weight in the form of good lean muscle tissue (some women that are too

thin may also want to put on a little fat to look more feminine).

Weight training should be done but not too often or for too long each

session. Weight should be fairly heavy and workout pace slower (longer rest

periods between sets).

Diet should be high in calories (good quality food not junk) and you

should eat more then you’re used to and often.

Aerobic and other activities (sports, dancing, etc.) should be kept to a

minimum,

at least until you are happy with your weight and looks.

HISTORY

In the 1940s, Dr. William H. Sheldon introduced the theory of Somatypes.

His theory described three basic human body types: the endomorph,

characterized by a preponderance of bodyfat; the mesomorph, marked by a well-developed

musculature; and the ectomorph, distinguished by a lack of either much

fat or muscle tissue. He did also state that most people were a mixture of

these types.

Sheldon’s description of three body types has become an integral part of

most literature on weight loss, fitness and bodybuilding.

The three body types are further described below.

ECTOMORPH

fragile

thin

flat chest

delicate build

young appearance

tall

lightly muscled

stoop-shouldered

large brain

Has trouble gaining weight.

Muscle growth takes longer.

MESOMORPH

athletic

hard, muscular body

overly mature appearance

rectangular shaped (hourglass shaped for women)

thick skin

upright posture

gains or loses weight easily

grows muscle quickly.

ENDOMORPH

soft body

flabby

underdeveloped muscles

round shaped

over-developed digestive system

trouble losing weight

generally gains muscle easily.

CONCLUSIONS

When you know which type you are (or which mixture) and diet and

exercise correctly for that type, you will make much better progress.

While some women may think that Kate Moss is the ideal, from a fitness

view point she really isn’t. And many women who tend to be endomorphic

will save themselves much suffering by not striving to change themselves

into ectomorphs, it’s not going to happen. Conversly a true ectomorph

who wishes to be a Sumo wrestler would also be in for a big disappointment.

Your goal should be to look as close as possible to (or stay looking

like) a mesomorph. With the correct exercise and diet this can be attainable,

and while you may be a bit upset that you have to work hard to look good

while the true mesomorph looks that way naturally, at least you will still be

fit and look good. And even the mesomorph will find, as he/she gets older

that some exercise and diet is needed if they want to continue to look good

and be fit.

About The Author: Paul Becker is a natural (steroid free for life) bodybuilder and fitness consultant. For more information on Bodybuilding and Bodybuilding Supplements visit his website at http://www.trulyhuge.com

Some say that all fat burners are the same, but those are the folks that have never had the opportunity to give ‘Over Drive’ a shot. There is no ‘crash’ with this product, the type you experience with many others. From the first day using ‘Over Drive,’ you will experience the following:

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TIRATRICOL (T3)
Manufacturer: Genesis Meds

Although not technically an ‘anabolic steroid’, Tiratricol (T3) is one of the many forms of thyroid medication used by bodybuilders during the pre-contest phase of their training regime.
A naturally occurring metabolite of the endogenous (produced inside the body) hormone triodothyronine (T3), when used properly this drug has very significant fat burning properties. It is also one of the most effective and safe fat burning drugs available.

Tiratricol has proven to be exceptional for burning off excess body fat without the need to turn to extreme dieting methods – which can lead to long-term metabolic harm.

T3 IN THE BODY

In order to utilize any thyroid medication to its fullest potential we need to first understand the way natural T3 functions in the body.

Thyroid hormones are the metabolic regulators in the body. When the level of T3 is high the metabolism is speeded up. This allows calories to be burned faster and the uptake of nutrients by the body to be increased. Supplemental T3 increases your body’s energy demands and allows you to burn fat at a greatly accelerated rate. However, it should also be noted that when it comes to obtaining fuel for this increase in metabolism your body might begin to turn to muscle tissue for fuel. With this in mind, it is usually recommended that when taking thyroid medication it is best to include an anti-catabolic substance to prevent muscle loss. For competitive bodybuilders this would mean that T3 use be accompanied by the use of non-aromatizing steroids such as stanozolol (Winstrol), Trenbolone and Primobolan. Using T3 along with Clenbuterol is also a popular pre-contest stack since Clenbuterol is reputed to have a muscle sparing effect.

Another popular way of effectively using T3 supplementation is to alternate its use with Clenbuterol. This usually takes the form of a cycle involving three weeks of Clen alternated with three weeks of T3. This form of cycle takes into account the fact that Clen often loses most of its benefits after a short period of time and alternating with T3 will maintain the fat burning process at a steady rate.

WHY TIRATRICOL?

With so many synthetic thyroid preparations on the market you may be asking, “Why choose Tiratricol?”

The answer is that Tiratricol is by far the safest thyroid medication currently available. A relatively mild product, Tiratricol reaches maximum effectiveness at a daily dosage of about 1mg per 50lbs of bodyweight. It exhibits a half- life of approximately 6 hours; therefore daily dosage is best divided evenly throughout the day in order to maintain steady blood levels. In addition to this it is extremely important to point out that administration of Tiratricol will not lead to an uncontrollable increase in metabolic rate like other thyroid hormones. It will only create an increase reflecting the upper range considered normal and acceptable throughout administration. This increase is not only significant but also highly effective without creating the discomfort sometimes experienced when one uses other thyroid medications.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

As is the case with any administration of exogenous (outside the body) thyroid hormone, it is strongly advised not to quit T3 use cold turkey. Daily intake should be reduced gradually in order to allow the body to resume natural hormone production as smoothly and swiftly as possible.

Although recommendations on the length of time you can safely remain on thyroid hormone vary widely (I have seen some reports of ‘safe use’ being 9-10 months a year!). It is usually considered safe to use for 15-20 weeks as long as low doses are utilized. However, an even safer option would be to keep use to 4-6 weeks in order to avoid any negative effects on natural thyroid function.

N.B. Tiratricol is manufactured by Genesis Meds and is currently available on special offer from Maxi Medicine (www.maximedicine.com)

Leigh Penman, in addition to be a staff writer at MuscleSport Mag, has been writing for bodybuilding magazines, websites and nutritional supplement companies since 1985. Whilst residing in the UK, she earned the reputation of being one of the top female writers in bodybuilding-related media. Her credits included being a contributing editor on all the magazines in production as well as filling the shoes of Ladies Editor and Showbiz Editor on two publications (the later being on Arnold’s sanctioned magazine, ‘Bodypower’). During this time she also competed successfully on four occasions (placing in the top four in all contests).

Leigh has been working out for close to thirty years so she is clearly a writer who ‘walks her talk.’
She can be contacted personally at zeal2heal@yahoo.com or you can also check her out at New York’s favorite metaphysical store www.stickstoneandbone.com.

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag giving information on a variety of performance-enhancing drugs for educational purposes. While it is apparent that people are going to use these substances regardless of the health and legal risks involved, quality information is necessary and learning as much about them as possible can only assist an adult making a decision either way.

Parabolan is a strong androgenic steroid which has no estrogenic activity at all and is reputed to be five times stronger than testosterone in terms of anabolic and androgenic activity. Also in its favor is its ability to bind fairly well to the androgen receptors which promotes the growth of muscle cells and the subsequent burning of fat cells. In addition, Parabolan also binds to the glucocorticoid receptors which leads to a reduction in catabolism. As if this weren’t enough, it is also considered to be a ‘nutrient partitioning agent’ which, put simply, means that it has the ability to convert more food into muscle and less into fat. This can lead to a visible increase in muscle hardness over the entire body in the course of several weeks. This makes it an excellent pre-contest steroid since it speeds up the metabolism and accelerates the fat burning process.

Another interesting observation about Parabolan is that bodybuilders who have used steroids for some time and who have reached a road block in their development suddenly make new progress whilst using this substance.

SIDE EFFECTS

Parabolan is best suited to shorter cycles of use since it is quite toxic. It is normally recommended that usage should be limited to a maximum of 8 weeks.
Parabolan puts stress on the kidneys (more so than the liver, although that too is effected) and an extra effort must be made to consume plenty fluids whilst using it. An additional gallon of fluid a day is recommended in order to ‘flush’ the kidneys.

On the good side, Parabolan does not cause water and salt retention; therefore blood pressure is rarely affected. Acne and hair loss are also rarely observed since it is not converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Occurrences of nausea, headaches and loss of appetite have however been noted by those who insist on using high doses. Parabolan is also known to increase aggression – which is good in the gym but not in the home!

Coughs, insomnia, night sweats and cardiac irregularities have also been well reported.

PRECAUTIONS WHEN USING PARABOLAN

In older athletes Parabolan may induce growth of the prostate gland and therefore it is wise to have physical check ups during and after administration.

It can also lower thyroid levels, so it is important to include T3 to minimize this. Sexual dysfunction has also been reported which can be reduced by stacking Parabolan with testosterone.

Parabolan is not a drug for novices or women, although some top competitors insist on using it for pre- contest preparation. Side effects for women include acne, hair loss on the scalp, irregular menstrual periods, missed periods, aggressiveness, deep voice, clitoral hypertrophy and increased hair growth on the face and legs (just the kind of gal you want to take home to meet mom!).

Leigh Penman, in addition to be a staff writer at MuscleSport Mag, has been writing for bodybuilding magazines, websites and nutritional supplement companies since 1985. Whilst residing in the UK, she earned the reputation of being one of the top female writers in bodybuilding-related media. Her credits included being a contributing editor on all the magazines in production as well as filling the shoes of Ladies Editor and Showbiz Editor on two publications (the later being on Arnold’s sanctioned magazine, ‘Bodypower’). During this time she also competed successfully on four occasions (placing in the top four in all contests).

Relocating to New York in the late 1990s she focused her writing attention to crystal healing techniques and metaphysics – however, she still maintained a five day workout schedule during this time and gained her personal training certificate.

Having also studied pharmacology in relation to sports performance, her writing began taking her in that direction until the present day which sees her embarking on a return to the magazine world, as well as extending her web-related work in the bodybuilding and fitness field.

Leigh has been working out for close to thirty years so she is clearly a writer who ‘walks her talk.’
She can be contacted personally at zeal2heal@yahoo.com or you can also check her out at New York’s favorite metaphysical store www.stickstoneandbone.com.