Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Well-oiled machines
Why am I writing this? For quite some time, I’ve known that some competitors inject
I’m writing this because I’ve been a big fan of bodybuilding site enhancement oil (SEO) directly into lagging muscles in
since childhood. I was one of those kids who drooled over the order to bring their size up to par with the rest of the physique.
super hero physiques in comic books and on magazine covers. There are a number of different SEOs used for this purpose, but
Bodybuilding is an artform that can be finely customized to fit the most well-known is synthol, consisting mostly of medium-
the standards of the individual. In my personal view, the primary chain triglyceride, with a minor proportion of lidocaine and
competition is yourself, and the goal is make improvements & alcohol. Synthol administration is rarely discussed openly.
maintain those improvements. However, recent conversations Protocols vary, but in general, it involves repeated injections (in
with competitors along with an incident at the last Mr. Olympia some cases the injections are daily), and the process is invariably
made me realize that I don’t like where the sport is headed (more described as extremely painful. Over time, the muscle fascia can
on that later). stretch and potentiate more tissue growth, which can give the
swelling a relative degree of permanence.
Keep in mind, I’m fully aware that since its inception in the
1950’s, competitive bodybuilding has progressively distanced Unsurprisingly, synthol use has its risks, including the obvious
itself from mainstream acceptance due to an increasing level of such as muscle deformation & microbial infection, and the more
“freakiness” of the physiques. Some people don’t consider insidious such as pulmonary embolism/occlusion, myocardial
bodybuilding a “real” sport; they liken it to a beauty pageant or a infarction, and cereberal stroke.3 The most famous abuser of
twisted foray into narcissism and unnecessary self-sacrifice. SEO is Gregg Valentino, who gained international notoriety
While the definition of “sport” is more of a philosophical debate from his appearances in the TV documentary The Man Whose
than anything, I think we can all agree that bodybuilding, Arms Exploded and the movie documentary Bigger, Stronger,
defined simply as the process of gaining muscle and losing fat, Faster. Valentino’s edgy sense of humor and childlike
can improve physical and psychological health, as long as candidness has earned him a surprising level of celebrity. His
extreme measures are avoided. regular column and other media work for Muscular
Development magazine keeps him in the public eye (and
Conflict with moderation presumably out of trouble).
Still, there will always be those who fail to see the point in Valentino’s battle with an upper arm infection from using un-
pursuing any endeavour unless it’s taken to extremes. After all, sterile needles is legendary. Its documentation on film is a major
where’s the fun in moderation? And since when have sports part of what connected him to his audience. Not all of us have
been about restraining or compromising the results? How can pulled Valentino-esque stunts, but we can all relate to injuring
anyone become a world champion at any sport unless they are ourselves through careless error. Similarly, the following video
willing to pull out all the stops to get there? Well, using any shows a patient being treated for a severe infection in his upper
means necessary to win is exactly what I feel is the problem arm. Do not watch this unless you are impervious to nastiness.
with bodybuilding, at least at the higher levels of formal This ranks among the utmost disgusting things I’ve ever seen, so
competition. please heed my warning. Here’s the clip.
It’s well-known that anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and a A lesser known site-specific enhancer is formebolone, called
host of other accompanying drugs are a standard part of esiclene in lay circles. Formebolone is a steroid that’s been used
bodybuilding competition outside of “natural” organizations. to treat patients with nephrosis & renal insufficiency4 and
And even among the latter, there’s a wide range of looseness and children with non-pituitary growth retardation.5 In a similar
stringency in testing and policies against drug use. As a fan of fashion to synthol, bodybuilders inject the drug directly into
bodybuilding, I’ve come to look past this and become muscles where it causes localized inflammation. But unlike the
desensitized to it. With extremely rare exceptions, there’s more permanent effects of synthol, formebolone’s inflammation
References
1. Shimomura Y, et al/ Nutraceutical effects of branched-chain Here are some rather spectacular time-lapse photo sequences
amino acids on skeletal muscle. J Nutr. 2006 Feb;136(2):529S- taken by the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 onboard NASA’s
532S. [Medline] International Space Station from August to October, 2011. It’s 5
2. Harris RA, et al. Studies on the regulation of the mitochondrial minutes long, watch it in full screen & HD for the full effect.
alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complexes and their kinases.
Adv Enzyme Regul. 1997;37:271-93. [Medline]
3. Wilson GJ, et al. Leucine or carbohydrate supplementation
reduces AMPK and eEF2 phosphorylation and extends If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, bones of
postprandial muscle protein synthesis in rats. Am J Physiol contention, cheers, jeers, guest articles you’d like to submit, or
Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Sep 13. [Epub ahead of print] any feedback at all, send it over to aarrsupport@gmail.com.
[Medline]