Natural vs Enhanced: Training Differences
It is obvious that training with your own hormones is far away from progressing while being juiced. But what is the exact difference between natural vs enhanced training? What changes when using anabolic steroids?
Testosterone and its influence on muscle growth
Naturals say: “do basic exercises, because it contributes to a more powerful release of testosterone, and it will in all its glory show its anabolic properties.” To the question where this information comes from, they answer – everyone knows this. They – yes, but not scientists.
And to end this conversation, check this – whole scientific work on this subject.
If not testosterone in its physiological norm is the main conductor of muscle building, then what? In response to the mechanical load of the muscles, the local hormones MFR and IGF1 are produced in the fiber itself, and according to scientists and our (humble) natural training, we need to focus not on the mythical fluctuations of testosterone, but on a quality training.
As for the assertion of many gym-goers that the replacement of leg extension with squats with a barbell, hyperextension with a deadlift, and cable crossovers with bench presses resulted in an increase in the total mass is not surprising since the number of muscles stimulated to growth is indeed greater.
At the same time, we did not hear about serious weight gains when replacing an isolated exercise – bicep curls with chin-up and dumbbell fly for the middle delta with the upright row.
Diversities between natural vs enhanced training
So how should they differ? Of course, not by the fact that some should train in the full body system, but others in split-system. If something works perfectly on the natural athlete, then on enhanced ones, the same system will shoot even harder.
Of course, not by the fact that some train with large weights, and others with small ones. Both types of gym visitors should have the maximum possible weights in the planned range of repetitions, subject to perfect technique.
The only difference
In short, natural vs enhanced bodybuilding differs in the volume of the training load. In both cases, the volume of muscle mass (MM) is regulated by the balance of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and its breakdown (MPB).
About 1% of the body’s proteins break down in our body every day, without any training, and their presence increases the scale of a breakdown in the trained muscle groups.
For natural bodybuilders, in contrast to the ones who use steroids, such variables as the volume of the training load and its frequency come to the fore. Simply put, while training, our muscle tissue is destroyed. After the workout, it is built in the recovery process.
Under the influence of the superphysiological concentration of testosterone, the ability to synthesize, the very rate of synthesis after training, increases significantly, and, as a result, we observe a more massive increase in muscle tissue.
Concerning natural athletes, the ability and speed of these processes are limited, and with an excess training volume, destruction can exceed the possible synthesis, and the output will not be an increase in muscle mass, but its decrease. At the same time, with insufficient volume, there will not be enough stimulus for muscle growth and, in the end, lack of progress.
Simply put, pharmacology, in addition to speed, and as a result of the scale of hypertrophy, forgives methodological errors in the training process itself. In most cases, we are talking about more frequent and more voluminous training sessions of enhanced sportsmen relative to natural ones. But these variables are individual, and sometimes steroid-free people progress very well with extremely voluminous training and juiced ones with very modest.
Additionally, see how to train muscles while cutting.
What is more, find out what should be called “effective training.”
