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- Jun 24, 2012
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This debate has raged on. Many big names and gurus in the industry/scene have weighed in on what the causes of bloated belly are. Some say its the slin (and related VAT), some the GH, some the intense and constant feedings, etc. I think we can all agree that as we get bigger and take more drugs and more food, we tend to get a more distended belly. The discussion has recently intensified due to Arnold's comments about the gut.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypCVYqMmBFg"]Jerry Brainum on bodybuilder's belly bloat - YouTube[/ame]
Jerry Brainum gives one of the more logical and educated looks at this phenomenon and many of the suggested causes in this video. Worth a watch. He also discusses how active slin in the system causing VAT is reduced when co-administered with active GH (something most of us know). Many have just been told its "best" to use GH and slin together but there are key reasons (this being one).
Jerry's Bio - About Jerry Brainum - Applied Metabolics
Cliffs for you mouth breathers: He dismisses the pathology and science behind the theory of GH increasing intestine size to any significant degree (fairly convincingly). His theory is quite simple really. Enlarged abdominal muscles (which naturally tend to distend) due to AAS and a lack of activated/trained transverse abdominus (aka TVA, which are weaker). He hypothesizes that in the older days of the sport, the vacuum pose was very common and practiced regularly. Its not done today and nobody really practices vacuum exercises. This contributes to the ab wall distending along with the abs themselves being so much bigger as entire bodies are bigger and more developed. Add some VAT development in and BAM.
Point is, several "gurus" or industry voices have dismissed the idea that it is directly related to GH and intestine growth (except maybe Piana). Romano's recent write up on it comes to mind too (largely attributed to massive eating). I personally think its a combination of 1) excessively enlarged ab muscles + weak untrained TVA. 2) An enlarged distended stomach organ from all the constant feedings (often with a slowed down digestion and bloating and food still in the system). When you overeat and get a distended stomach, you will stretch the abdominal wall fascia over time also. The stomach is well known to stretch and grow, doubling its size over time. 3) All of this in combination with the progressive increase of VAT fat (fat around organs behind the ab wall), and you get a very distended gut but with abs still showing. Young people tend to have very low VAT and a tight midsection with minimal distention in a relaxed state. As we age, VAT increases (this is almost universal). We almost always see guys increase waist size and get more distended as they age in their career. Untrained guys with rock hard basketball "beer bellies" are sporting a LARGE amount of VAT fat. High levels of insulin use often leads to increased VAT fat at younger ages. There is a LOT of literature out there which supports GH's ability to help reduce VAT fat as well. So I do not think GH causing intestine growth is necessarily the culprit either. It's a combination of factors but the phenomenon is certainly undeniable. I would personally be more likely to blame insulin use and VAT fat (not to say you cant increase VAT without insulin) than GH.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypCVYqMmBFg"]Jerry Brainum on bodybuilder's belly bloat - YouTube[/ame]
Jerry Brainum gives one of the more logical and educated looks at this phenomenon and many of the suggested causes in this video. Worth a watch. He also discusses how active slin in the system causing VAT is reduced when co-administered with active GH (something most of us know). Many have just been told its "best" to use GH and slin together but there are key reasons (this being one).
Jerry's Bio - About Jerry Brainum - Applied Metabolics
Cliffs for you mouth breathers: He dismisses the pathology and science behind the theory of GH increasing intestine size to any significant degree (fairly convincingly). His theory is quite simple really. Enlarged abdominal muscles (which naturally tend to distend) due to AAS and a lack of activated/trained transverse abdominus (aka TVA, which are weaker). He hypothesizes that in the older days of the sport, the vacuum pose was very common and practiced regularly. Its not done today and nobody really practices vacuum exercises. This contributes to the ab wall distending along with the abs themselves being so much bigger as entire bodies are bigger and more developed. Add some VAT development in and BAM.
Point is, several "gurus" or industry voices have dismissed the idea that it is directly related to GH and intestine growth (except maybe Piana). Romano's recent write up on it comes to mind too (largely attributed to massive eating). I personally think its a combination of 1) excessively enlarged ab muscles + weak untrained TVA. 2) An enlarged distended stomach organ from all the constant feedings (often with a slowed down digestion and bloating and food still in the system). When you overeat and get a distended stomach, you will stretch the abdominal wall fascia over time also. The stomach is well known to stretch and grow, doubling its size over time. 3) All of this in combination with the progressive increase of VAT fat (fat around organs behind the ab wall), and you get a very distended gut but with abs still showing. Young people tend to have very low VAT and a tight midsection with minimal distention in a relaxed state. As we age, VAT increases (this is almost universal). We almost always see guys increase waist size and get more distended as they age in their career. Untrained guys with rock hard basketball "beer bellies" are sporting a LARGE amount of VAT fat. High levels of insulin use often leads to increased VAT fat at younger ages. There is a LOT of literature out there which supports GH's ability to help reduce VAT fat as well. So I do not think GH causing intestine growth is necessarily the culprit either. It's a combination of factors but the phenomenon is certainly undeniable. I would personally be more likely to blame insulin use and VAT fat (not to say you cant increase VAT without insulin) than GH.
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